Page 27 of The House of Whispers

“I don’t drink while working.” I turned from him, my eyes looking back to the brothel door.

“Ah, come on now.” He placed the filled glass in front of me. “One shot won’t affect you now, will it,hexer.” I glared at him as he held his own glass in hand. “I know how these things work.” He pointed to my glass. “Snake Venom has little effect on your kind but still takes the edge off. Now White Rabbit, that stuff really takes hold of your kind.” The mention of the drug made me sick. “And I have heard that Fairy Dust can mess with your mind.” He raised an eyebrow, leaning over the bar. “Have you ever dabbled with the fairfolk’s delight?” He winked playfully.

“No,” I hissed.

“Ah,” he leaned back, shooting the Snake Venom back as though it was nothing. “You don’t know what you’re missing.” Chesmu poured another and raised the glass to me, waiting for me to do the same.

I ignored his gesture and sat atop the bar stool. “Tell me,” I leaned toward him, “who are you?” I whispered. I genuinely wanted to know.

Chesmu sighed, placing his glass down. “Now that will require much more than a few mere shots of Snake Venom to get me to answer.” He crossed his arms and leaned forward on his elbow, not far from where I was positioned. His smile was warm and alluring.

“Secrets don’t make friends, Chesmu.” I teased, leaning closer across the bar. He smelled of sage and lavender, an attractive scent that lured me into him.

He leaned close, his mouth near my ear as he whispered to me, his hot breath causing my body to vibrate. “Secrets are the only thing we have in this life. Without them, we are naked, exposed to the truth.”

“What is the truth?” I whispered back, moving my head so we faced one another. His deep brown eyes sparkled as he spoke.

“That we’re all a little evil.” He winked, taking his second shot.

Without hesitation, I looked back down at the glass he poured me.

“Some more than others.” I whispered, taking the shot.

The thick, neon green liquid burned as it dripped down my throat. It tasted acidic yet spicy all at once. I made a face as I set the empty glass down.

A distant yell caused me to look back toward the stairs. The whole room was curiously looking for the origin of the painful scream as it drifted into the parlor.

“Don’t worry about it.” Chesmu poured me another shot. “Your madame has everything under control.” He winked, shouting to the room to carry on as he took a third shot.

Who are you?

“Here,” he poured me another, “it’s going to be a long night.”

My hand picked up the filled shot glass, clanking it to Chesmu’s as we both tossed it back. “One more.” I slammed the glass down.

“You got it, hexer.” He teased, pouring me another.

Something about Chesmu reeled me in, despite all that he had done to me. I needed to know more. Iwantedto know more.

Chesmu wasn’t wrong. The day had become difficult, as the hours carried on. Johns flooded the brothel, each one more reckless than the last, keeping us busy all day long and into the night. I was reluctantly thankful that Chesmu was present as I needed all the help I could get.

Together, he and I had thrown multiple men from the brothel and broken up at least two scuffles. Just when we thought the night had calmed, an angry wife arrived and demanded to see her husband, causing an entire scene. Chesmu used his charm and good looks to calm her while I found the cheating bastard intertwined with a Whisp. I snatched him from her bed and attempted to sneak the panicked husband out the back door into the alley. As he turned down the hall, he ran into an oncoming waitressing Whisp and knocked her tray and its contents onto the floor. The chaos caught the wife’s attention as the two spouses locked eyes. All hell broke loose.

Chesmu tried to grab the woman, but she was too quick, running over furniture as she charged the man. I stepped in between as he cowered, the woman slamming into me, knocking all three of us onto the floor. The poor waiting Whisp scuttled away as the woman fought me, screaming every kind of threat and profanity while her husband wriggled beneath us.

“Ma’am, please!” I yelled, trying to remain calm as she clawed and punched me. It was too difficult for me to move as I was crushing the man under our bodies. The two argued as I tried to hold the woman back from him.

“Sweetheart, please, it’s not what it seems, I swear!” The man was obviously high on Fairy Dust. I could feel the effects as it pushed hard against my lower back. I wanted to move away, but his wife kept forcing me down as she attempted to crawl over me to him.

“You cheating bastard!” she screamed as I held her wrists in my hands. “I’ll kill you for this!”

As much as I wished I could use my magik, I couldn’t. Madame Chepi may protect me in her home, but harming ‘innocent’ Others was where the line ended. If I used my magik on either one of them, there was no one who would protect me.

“Ma’am, please! Get off me and let’s settle this outside!” I screamed as the man continuously repeated that nothing had occurred.

“Nothing? Nothing?!” the woman yelled, oblivious to my words. “How’sthisfor nothing?!” Before I could dodge her, the wife slammed her lips into mine. The room burst into laughter as I forcefully pushed her off of me. The woman rolled to her feet, her bright red lipstick smudged across her face as she huffed, spitting at the man’s face. “We’re done!” She stormed away and exited the brothel.

Chesmu stood only a few feet away, his arms crossed, smiling like a child. The man beneath me moaned in an odd familiar sound as his eyes rolled back. Chesmu quickly pulled me from atop the man as he lay there, exasperated from ejaculating in his pants.

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