Page 266 of Flirting with Darkness

Dex was…

He was a monster.

There was no other word that fit.

“Here’s the bottle, sir. Anything else I can get you?” The bartender had delivered the alcohol himself.

A witch by the smell of him. Not very powerful as he nearly felt human to Dex’s senses. “If anyone asks, I’m not here.”

After last night, he just wanted some peace and quiet.

There was only one number he’d answer tonight, and the boss rarely called him unless it was an emergency.

“Of course, sir. Anything else, just let me know.”

Dex nodded and drank straight from the vodka bottle. The sounds of Galaga intertwined with some song he didn’t recognize and for some reason it soothed him.

He let himself zone out again.

Only humans were in the bar so far, other than the bartender. A few more hours and the bouncers would show up – mean bear shifters that kept the peace thanks to their sheer size.

He settled in for a long night.

Dex could be at home gaming, reading, or watching TV, but no. He had to be out at least five times a week to make sure they all saw him – that he wasn’t just some made-up story the boss liked to use to scare the competition.

The door to the bar opened, letting in a cold draft that eased some of his headache. He closed his eyes and let his senses inspect the newcomers, assessing their potential threat.

Humans walked in and he dismissed them immediately. There was no scent of power, no tang of metal, and nothing in their emotions that insinuated they’d cause trouble.

At least not yet.

Then another human came in a second before the door slid closed.

His eyes flew open when he realized he couldn’t smell anything at all.

Dex searched the humans as they walked toward the bar.

There.

A female who stood just inside the door, eyeing the place like she’d never seen it before. The lower half of her face was covered by her jacket as she studied the video games, the pool table, and then the booths that were set up for a nostalgic arcade feel…with alcohol and hot wings.

She didn’t smell like anything – no emotion, no perfume, not even the scent of her body wash or shampoo lingering on the fabric of her clothes or in her hair.

It mentally had him sitting up and taking notice, but physically, he leaned back, letting the shadows cover his face.

A paranormal he’d never seen in Seattle before. This was definitely something the boss would want him to look into.

She slid her hands in the pockets of her leather jacket and scanned the room. Her gaze stopped – settling on him.

What the fuck?

For some reason, Dex felt like she saw more than just his boots and the general outline of his body, the bottle of vodka on the table, with his gloved hand wrapped around the cool glass. He kept completely still, watching her.

A blue eye studied that glove long enough he actually felt uncomfortable. Dex felt it in his stomach, like he’d suddenly been punched in the gut.

This couldn’t possibly be a human.

She sighed and adjusted her cap before heading to the bar, just like everyone else.

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