Page 136 of Halfblood Deceived

All traces of Aella’s amusement withered away. She forced herself not to shrink away, repeating her question in a dry tone.

“Whiskey on the rocks,” he said, not breaking his unnerving exam.

Aella’s senses prickled. He wasn’t a werewolf, or a vampire, but not entirely human, either. And he evoked a twisting sensation in her gut that not even Vaz had ever prompted.

She stepped back twice, careful not to trip with anyone, before turning and heading to the bar to get the order. She’d taken to backing away from hand reach to avoid being spanked when the patrons gave creepy vibes, and this guy definitely gave her creepy vibes.

Diana was busy. So were all the others, but Trinity was free first.

Aella gave her the guy’s order.

Trinity got it ready in ten seconds, but her brow furrowed at whatever she saw on Aella’s face. “Everything okay?”

Aella nodded. “Yeah, a creepy dude, but nothing I can’t handle.”

Trinity handed Aella the glass, her face scrunching up in sympathetic annoyance.

Aella barely moved away from a drunken human that all but shoved her off the bar to slur his order.

Taking a bracing breath, Aella dodged several people with practiced ease as she made her way back to the creepy guy’s table. She tried to focus on the beat of the music, the flickering of the lights, and the familiar friendly faces of a few regulars. Anything but that unnerving dark gaze that she could feel like pins and needles on her skin.

She refused to hunch or lower her eyes as she reached his table, stretching her hand to place the glass on the table.

He reached out to take it from her hand, his forefinger tracing hers, his eyes flaring with something dark and hungry.

A stinging sensation crawled up Aella’s arm. It took all of her willpower not to drop the glass.

Now she knew he had magic.

And now he knew what she was.

Not that it was a secret as such, since a lot of people knew she was Diana’s sister. Still, Aella felt exposed.

“You know you don’t belong here, right?” he asked.

Aella’s chest grew tight. She should leave, but her legs weren’t getting the message.

He downed half of his drink and clicked his tongue. “Your kind shouldn’t be allowed in this city, much less in a place like this.” He tilted his head slightly to glance behind Aella.

She knew he was looking at her sister without having to turn to confirm it. She could feel it.

His focus returned to her. “Kamilla Davashkov lost half of her patrons when that dyke whore arrived. Did you know?”

Aella’s stomach turned. She had learned in her social studies class that the word he’d used to address her sister’s sexuality had been used as a slur decades ago. Some had re-appropriated it, but Diana still didn’t like it much. Her teeth ground with indignation.

The man gave her a nasty smile that flashed perfect white teeth. “This new generation has become too lenient, too weak.” He chuckled darkly. “But we’ll make them see you filthy abominations for what you are soon enough.”

Aella clenched her hands into fists, fiery anger evaporating the oily, icy sensation in her stomach. “Funny, that’s exactly what the church says about witches,” she said. The flare of surprise in his eyes amused her. “And since I haven’t given you a monologue about how you deserve to burn at the stake, I think you should keep your nasty thoughts to yourself, don’t you?”

His nostrils flared. “Or what? What will you do, whore?”

Aella hated that word. She looked around, trying to locate one of the bouncers, but the man was in her face in a second. He was a couple of inches smaller than her and leaner, too. She reasoned she could take him down with one well-aimed blow, but her body froze in place.

“You won’t always be able to cry for help, whore,” he said, his hot, whisky-tainted breath on her face. “Remember that.” With that, he all but dove toward the exit. Faster than Aella could indeed draw one of the bouncer’s attention, and it was useless anyway now.

She numbly made her way toward another table where a group of women was celebrating a birthday. She took their orders, went to the bar to get them from Lupita, and then delivered the fruity drinks to the happy, squealing women.

Then came another table and another.

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