Page 53 of Of Mercury and Mist

Was that all Micha had really wanted from me? For me to be kept as a blood slave? He’d referred to me as a pet and a slave multiple times. It didn’t sound like Lily was a slave, though, and her sponsor seemed far kinder than my psychopathic ex-employer.

There was also the fact he’d forced me to go down on him, coupled with the other fact that he’d touch me at every opportunity. He sent mixed signals and I didn’t know what to think. My life had become very confusing over the past year, between Della and my experience at Ipomoea. Now, there was this whole, new scene and all the information and opportunities it entailed.

I put my palm against the door, blocking her from opening it. “This is gonna sound weird but did your sponsor ever visit you in your dreams?”

Her smile turned down. “Oh, I’ve heard of that. It's more a demon trait. I stick to the vamps; I don’t mess around with demons. They’re tricky.”

Hmm. “So, you’ve never woken up to find yourself awake in a dream?”

“Well, this life has been a dream,” a grin spread across her face, “take advantage of it and don’t go wandering in your sleep.”

I really was going to step outside that door and shake my ass in front of monsters after what I’d just seen. This was as real as it got but I couldn’t stay away, no matter how shocking or gory the scene was.

Andy is going to kill me. I’d been too blind to see all the hints he’d dropped, all the warnings over the years. No wonder he’d warned me about working here. But he was dating Kayla so, what gives? He was probably just being overprotective again.

Maybe I should’ve gone to look for that Sara chick and taken the million dollars instead of injecting myself into this lifestyle. Andy would’ve known exactly what to do, given his relationship with Vincent. He worked with him, and Vincent knew Alexander. The dots began to connect in my head.

Goosebumps broke out over my skin. There was no way that man Alexander wasn’t one of these people. I wasn’t sure how I knew, but I was now as certain as I was that the sun rose every morning.

I was surrounded.

Despite death lurking around every corner, or the suggestion thereof, I liked this job. It didn’t feel like work. I got to wear pretty clothes and sort of just dance around. Occasionally I was paid to merely sit around and look pretty. Nod and smile, pretend to be enraptured with whoever exchanged their money for my time. Definitely not a bad gig.

So, to mix things up a bit and keep it exciting, I’d started giving private dances as time marched on. With all the cameras and the huge bouncers, I was safe.

My eyes fully opened, I started to notice the little intricacies that separated the supernatural beings from simple humans such as myself.

The vampires, demons, and angels all had slight differences. Vampires were the easiest to spot, unsurprisingly, with their extra fine clothing, manners, and dripping wealth. They had a massive aura of privilege, and usually, an entourage.

Demons were just as spectacularly good looking but a little rougher around the edges. In some ways they came across as warriors, with an extra spring in their step, ready should anyone make an unwanted move against them. They also seemed a bit more street-smart and blended in with the humans easier than the vampires did.

Neither group appeared to lack for funds but as I quickly found out, not all demons qualified to grace the club with their presence. There was a distinct and mostly invisible hierarchy.

The angels themselves were a whole, other breed. They did their best to come across as elite beings dedicated to the betterment of all other creatures but they were incredibly manipulative and no less vindicative than the demons or vampires, with a nearly equal taste for blood.

One marked difference was the chill in the air around an angel. It wasn’t that noticeable at first but as I became acclimated, I began to pick up on their elitist attitudes. There was the slight upturning of their noses, lack of facing others head-on, and cliquish behavior. Matthew was clearly one of them, with his detached demeanor.

As I became more accepted among the other employees, gossip began to reach my ears. One piece of hearsay that gave me pause was the story of how someone had once stolen blood from our workplace’s owner. The theft didn’t take place in the club, it’d happened a while ago somewhere distant, but I couldn’t help but wonder if he knew he’d hired someone who’d been let go from elsewhere for burglary. I didn’t let myself become too comfortable, just in case.

Turning to face Lily before we parted ways, I thanked her. “Hey, I appreciate the assist. Sorry you had to find me next to a toilet,” I laughed.

“It's a lot to wrap your mind around at first. Even if it's not your first,” she said, gently. “I can tell you’ve had some run-ins before, but I won’t push you, you can share when you’re ready if you feel the need.”

“Thank you,” I said, returning her smile.

After I got changed into something appropriate for twirling around a stripper pole, I punched my personal code into the key paid, letting myself into the room and settling on a chair. All I had on was a thong—nothing else, per the request of the patron. If half the people I worked with weren’t practically naked all the time, I would’ve been more uncomfortable but as it was, next to no clothing was normal.

I had zero idea how to use a pole since I’d never learned but I figured I would do what I could to try and make it look sexy, even if I was just using it as a prop. It couldn’t be that hard to whirl around.

Next, I started the sound system up, playing the dark, electronic music he’d entered on his wish list. He’d also asked for a brunette with long curly hair, so I was physically perfect to fulfill his order.

A server brought in a carafe of wine and a platter of meats and cheeses, setting them on a table, again meeting the patron’s specifications. The list of requests he’d made wasn’t very long.

“Don’t forget help will be right outside the door,” the server reminded me, winking.

“Thank you.” There were cameras everywhere, but I still fought my nerves every time I did this. It hadn’t been many, at this point as this was only the third time.

The door opened again, and a tall demon walked in. He’d requested I remain completely silent for the duration of our visit, so I didn’t say a word when he greeted me and just gave him a small smile.

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