Page 4

Chapter 4

Dex

T he vodka wasn’t strong enough some nights.

Dex ordered five shots and watched the bartender pour them carefully. He barely even saw the person serving him. All he saw was the hand and the liquid.

He was zoning out again which was dangerous, but it was very unlikely something would happen in a newly renovated ‘barcade’ owned by Grim Corp.

The sounds from the arcade section grated on his nerves and a headache settled in for the long haul.

Dex downed two shots like they were water, hating how fast his metabolism was. If he was lucky, he’d be buzzed for half an hour, maybe a little longer if he drank the vodka quickly enough.

Three more and he put a hundred-dollar bill on the bar. “Bring a bottle to my table.”

The bartender stuttered his agreement and Dex stood, adjusting his leather coat. It hung heavy on his shoulders and was long enough the hem brushed against the top of his boots. It was a familiar weight – one he preferred when he had to pretend to be…as normal as possible.

“Hey.”

He stopped, sensing someone standing too close.

“I was, um, wondering. Are you here alone?”

Dex looked down at the female standing in front of him, barely seeing her. It wasn’t the dark lighting or the neon. His eyesight was better than perfect. Dex just didn’t care enough to get a good look at her.

Humans were little more than animals. They were helpless and delicate. If he wasn’t careful, he’d kill them all.

“I’m not interested,” he gritted out, tempering his voice as much as possible.

Even still, she jumped at the sound of it. The depth and rasp always scared them off even when he was trying to be careful. Prey always recognized a predator, even if the logic of humanity tried to play it off as something else.

“Oh, sorry to bother you.”

A flicker of guilt went through him as he pushed past her to the table he preferred in the corner.

The smell of her fear lingered, and it rankled.

Dex slumped into his seat, lifting one foot up to rest it on the bench. He threw his arm over his knee and watched the humans enjoy themselves.

It was a world he could never be a part of.

Maybe it wouldn’t irritate him so much if he didn’t feel like he didn’t belong among the paranormals either.

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.

But she was alone.

His eyes narrowed when the humans kept their distance from her, even the males who were notorious to hit on anything with tits.

Dex would have to get close enough to assess what she really was.

He sighed. This was the last fucking thing he wanted to do tonight.

At least she was kind of cute.

He smirked when her purple hair caught the neon light, accentuating the deep plum color.

Definitely cute.

Focusing, he heard her order a drink. She enunciated each word like she was nervous the bartender couldn’t hear her, and still he scented nothing.

A purple haze? Such a girl drink.

Dex signaled the bartender and even across the dark room, the witch caught it. He was a survivalist, and he knew Dex doled out the Corp’s punishments. So, he bent over backwards every time Dex was there, but he was one of the few that also respected when Dex just wanted to be left alone.

The witch leaned over the bar to whisper in the girl’s ear, pointing at the monster in the shadows.

“Your drink is on the house.” Even with the noise and the whispered words, Dex could hear him.

He didn’t know why he did it, but something about a girl coming out alone, ordering a vodka drink that matched her hair…

It was interesting, and Dex rarely felt intrigued by anything.

He rarely felt at all.

She glanced over her shoulder at him again, and he could see her cheeks flush even under the neon lights, but there was still no scent of embarrassment.

Based on the lack of power, he’d say she was a shifter with access to magic, but it would be easy enough to find out if he could just get her to talk to him.

Walking across the bar would draw too much attention. Dex didn’t want her on anyone’s radar when it was a simple assessment. But a girl coming up to him? It happened all the time.

He smirked again when she took the bright purple drink and walked straight towards him.

Dex inspected her from head to toe, glad she couldn’t see his face in the shadows.

The leather jacket had a high collar that hid half her face, the buckle across the throat glinting blue, red, and then green with the lights as she walked through the various neon colors.

When she ducked her chin down even farther, her hair fell forward, covering even more of her face. Was she really that shy?

The confidence in her steps would say otherwise, but he wasn’t sure. It was difficult to get a read on her.

“Thank you for the drink,” she murmured. Her voice was huskier than he’d anticipated, the words soft but clear.

Dex didn’t say anything as he considered her bare hands – both wrapped around her glass like she was afraid to spill it, or maybe worried someone would try to spike it. The fingers were long and nimble, but her nails were short and plain.

The rest of her was completely covered by clothes or hair.

“I should go,” she finally said, her cheeks pink over the collar of her jacket. “Thanks again.”

“Sit?”

He’d meant for it to be a command, but for some reason it had come out as a request. Dex gritted his teeth, his hand tightening on the bottle of vodka ever so slightly.

Why was she in focus? Why her? Nothing else could ever pull him out of the trance he preferred to live in when he had to be out here, mingling. Dex never looked twice at anyone.

He didn’t have to, not when he was the most powerful monster in this city.

But for some reason, she was crystal clear, even when the bar around her was still hazy and unfocused.

“I’m not sure,” she murmured, glancing over her shoulder like she was afraid she might get caught talking to him.

Dex leaned forward ever so slightly, making sure she could see his sharp grin if nothing else. “Waiting for someone?”

She hesitated once, and then shook her head.

For some reason that didn’t make him feel better.

The glass clinked when she set her drink down. Then she carefully pulled out her chair and sat down, folding her hands on top of the table like she knew he’d want to know where they were.

Dex eyed the keys in her hand, noting the various self-defense weapons easily within reach. He leaned back and sighed, letting his eyes lose focus once more.

Of course she was afraid of him. Why wouldn’t she be?

“You can go if you want,” he told her, taking a long drink of his vodka.

It was stupid and Dex knew he should figure out what she was, but there was absolutely no power coming off of her. Even if she was a shifter, it wasn’t anything he couldn’t handle – nothing the boss would give a shit about.

Fear was boring.

Everyone was afraid of him. It was nothing new, nothing…interesting.

He drained nearly half the bottle before he realized she was watching him with that one glittering blue eye. How did she see anything with her hair in her face like that?

“I have time,” she told him, voice stronger this time. The rasp of it made him focus on her again before he’d even realized it. “What’s your name?”

He grinned. So, the mouse had balls after all.