Mistfall Read online

  I stuck my hand out. “Hi David, it’s nice to meet you.” I could be civil, well at least I could try. Even if he wasn’t a werewolf, he wouldn’t have been my type. He was short, stocky, and ginger. Ginger!

  He took my hand in his and brought it to his lips with a lascivious gleam in his eyes, “The pleasure is all mine.”

  I took every last bit of will power I had not to roll my eyes. Pretending to shiver, I said “It’s a bit chilly out here, why don’t we go in?”

  I looked to Melissa for support. She knew me well and picked up at the obvious pleading in my eyes. “Come on Owen, Mags is right, it is cold out her.”

  Instead of relinquishing my hand, David held onto it as we followed Owen and Melissa to the bouncer outside the door, with the rest of the dogs behind us.

  Vin, the bouncer was a demon and built like a brick shithouse. He was menacing looking, even more so with black eyes. No irises, no whites, just pure midnight for eyes. He also just happened to be a big teddy bear where Melissa and I were concerned. We had helped him out of a sticky situation involving a pixie and handcuffs. Don’t ask, you don’t want to know.

  “How are my two favorite Witches?” he grinned and pulled each of us under an arm and gave us a rib cracking squeeze.

  If you didn’t know Vin, his voice alone could make you pee your pants. He was a demon. Demons have this weird voice where it sounds like three people talking at once. Sometimes it even caused me to shudder.

  I should mention that to everyone else, I appear as a Witch. Thanks to a potion of Melissa’s, nothing about me screams jinn. One part of the potion works like the Mistfall. If someone was to look at me closely, it diverts their attention. The other part is glamour, making my eyes blue.

  Melissa and I call her potion brew in case company is around. If it comes up, she just explains that I have some type of weird skin condition, embarrassing yet effective. I just have to remember to use my hands or make up some mumbo jumbo that sounds like a spell when I use my magic. I try to keep that at a minimum in public to lessen my chance of exposure. I owe that girl my very existence.

  “Hi Vin,” we both squeaked under the mountains this guy had for arms. I swear I heard one of the wolves growl. Vin narrowed his eyes at them, but let us go. His cute and cuddly demeanor was replaced with his usual gruff. “I.D.’s,” he grunted in his creepy demon voice.

  Should have asked for their dog tags, I humored to myself. They handed over their identification to Vin, albeit reluctantly. Shortly thereafter we walked through the doors, the rest of the pack dispersing, aside from Owen and David.

  “Wow, it crowded in here tonight,” I yelled to Melissa over the sound of the music. She nodded back in agreement, while being led by Owen through the masses. The crowd on the dance floor was pulsating to Skrillex’s ‘Kyoto.’

  When we got to the booth, Melissa slid in on one side and David put his hand on my waist, nudging me to sit down on the other side. I swatted at his hand but he just laughed, making some comment about, “liking them feisty.” I could feel one of the knives in my boot itching to be used.

  “We’re going to the bar,” Owen addressed us. “What do you girls want to drink?”

  “Rum and coke for me,” Melissa replied.

  “Don’t worry, I got you covered,” David cut me off as he walked off with Owen.

  Maybe I could just stab him a little.

  “What the hell?” I admonished Melissa, my voice rising in decibel. “This guy is a total piece of work and if he touches me one more time he’s going to find the business end of my boot!”

  She looked sheepishly down at her hands. “Honestly, I didn’t know Owen was going to set you up, but when he introduced you to David, I didn’t think you’d mind. He’s usually pretty laid back. I’m not sure what has him acting so foolishly.”

  She took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. “Mags, do you think you could hold it together for one drink?” she pleaded. “It’s so loud in here you won’t have to talk to him that much and after were done, we can go and dance without the boys. Please? I promise I will make it up to you. It’s just that I really like Owen and I don’t want to end the night early.”

  I was purposely avoiding eye contact with her, entirely way too interested in the invisible lint I was picking off my pants. If I didn’t owe this woman my life…It took me a few minutes, but I relented and glared back up at her and nodded. “Yeah, I guess so.”

  “Thank you. We’ll have fun tonight,” she assured me.

  “I’ll take your word for it.”

  The boys returned with our drinks. David sat down next to me and handed me a martini glass with some mauve colored liquid that I couldn’t identify, replete with umbrella and cherries.

  “What’s this?” I asked.

  “It’s called a Purple People Eater,” he replied.

  Melissa choked on her drink. While Owen was patting her back, telling her to slow down, I whipped my head up towards David and looked him straight in the eyes, looking for any hint of recognition on his face of what I am. Only a cocky grin, that had nothing to do with my identity, showed on his face. I turned my attention back to my drink, tossing the frou-frou stuff aside and downed it in two gulps. Slamming the glass back down on the table, I grabbed Melissa and we high-tailed it out onto the dance floor.

  We didn’t get far enough into the crowd as I would’ve liked. Melissa wanted to stay on the outer edges so Owen could see her dance for him. He was eyeing her like she was his favorite bone which caused the bile to rise in the back of my throat. Avoiding the sex-hungry stare David was giving me, I looked up at the second floor. That’s when I saw him.

  Someone was staring at me, at least, that’s what it seemed like. I grabbed Melissa’s arm and pointed towards the guy.

  “Do you see that guy?” I asked her. “I could swear he was staring at me.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t see anyone.”

  I turned to the spot where the man was moments earlier and saw no one there now. “Maybe he was just looking at the crowd and it seemed like he was looking at you,” Melissa shouted over the music that had just gone into a screeching new decibel level.

  I shrugged my shoulders, looked up one more time to make sure. Maybe I’m just still keyed up after the ghoul attack and David’s choice of drink for me. I gave up and returned to dancing. Three songs later, I was slightly more relaxed, having fun dancing with my best friend.

  Melissa nudged me with her elbow halfway through the next song, “Owen and David are headed this way, if you’re still avoiding him.”

  “Thanks girl, I’ll see you in a little while,” I told her and headed deeper into the crowd on the dance floor. After the song finished, I was a bit warm, so I headed up the stairs to the second floor where it was less crowded.

  I ordered a real drink from the bar (SoCo on the rocks) and sat at one of the tables by the railing. I would be able to see if the dog ever headed in my direction. Melissa and Owen were still dancing below, gyrating against each other in a way that only pointed to the eventual outcome of their evening. Dog-themed sexual innuendos were running rampant through my head. Have to remember a few of them for tomorrow morning.

  I took a nice long drink while scanning the rest of the crowd when I saw the stranger again, this time staring up at me. This was not a coincidence. He didn’t look like one of the monsters Iblis usually sent after me and he couldn’t be one of the Aelfadl, they don’t play cat and mouse, they just kill first and ask questions later. I finished my drink and headed down the stairs to find him.

  I weaved my way through the crowd on the dance floor to where I saw the stranger a few minutes before, but he was nowhere to be found, again. A set of hands grabbed my waist from behind me, “You were looking for me?” he asked, his lips next to my ear. He was so close it was impossible not to smell him. His scent was earthy, like right after a rain storm, with undertones of fresh mown grass and pine. He was most certainly an elf. They all smelled like the forest, making them e
asy to spot.

  I turned around, ready to demand to know why he was staring at me and hot damn he was gorgeous! The bronze god before me was wearing jeans and an un-tucked white dress shirt, his body stretching the material around his arms, chest, and thighs.

  Mr. Sex Personified had a full head of sandy blonde hair, piercing turquoise eyes with gold flecks around the irises, and full lips you wanted to nibble on. I must’ve been lingering on him a bit too long because he cocked one eyebrow up and grinned at me. I could feel my cheeks turning scarlet but shook it off, not having time to be embarrassed.

  “Why have you been staring at me all night?” I strained, trying to be heard above the music.

  He took my arms, putting them around his neck and grabbed my waist, pulling me closer, his lips finding their way to my ear yet again. There was a distinct tingle going down my spine right before my body broke out in goose bumps.

  “I was looking at you because you are beautiful and I found it hard to look anywhere else.”

  He started moving in time with the music, leading me, while my brain went to mush.

  “I..I don’t even know your name,” I stammered.

  He pointed to his ear and shrugged, letting me know that he couldn’t hear me. I dropped my arms from his neck, settling on his chest to back away from him, feeling distinct ridges and valleys under my fingertips. I can’t say I wasn’t halfway interested to see him shirtless.

  Unable to have a conversation in such close proximity to the speakers and him, I grabbed his hand and led him to the hallway in the back of the bar, near the bathrooms.

  “Okay, what’s your name and why have you been staring at me all night? Do me a favor and give me the truth this time while you’re at it.” As flattering as his words are, I knew he was full of it. No one watches someone like a predator staking out its next meal without reason.

  “My name is Luca. As for my story, I still claim what I said before. I will, however, add that I did not like seeing the wolf trying to paw his way all over you tonight. When I pulled you to me on the dance floor, it was to keep you from him. He was only a few steps from you. Luckily, his back was turned.”

  I guess chivalry isn’t quite dead yet. “Oh, well, um, thank you and my name is Mags,” I said, tripping all over my tongue.

  “Well Mags, I would like to buy you a drink, would you join me?”

  “Sure, why not, but no Purple People Eaters please.”

  He gave me a quizzical look. “What’s a Purple People Eater?”

  “I haven’t a clue, but I definitely don’t want another.”

  He brought his hand up and pointed to me. “Alright then, no crazy sounding drinks, but you have to promise me something.”

  “What’s that?” I asked.

  “Next time you come here you have to follow the rules, no pets allowed.” His straight face broke out into a huge grin and we both laughed at his joke. I told him that it wouldn’t be a problem.

  Over the course of the next two drinks I found out a few things about Luca. He was twenty-seven, one of two children, and in town visiting a relative for the next two weeks. Good news for me, he only lived twenty minutes away on the Mistfall side of Eden, Kentucky.

  I told him a little about myself, skirting around the truth as much as possible. I didn’t lie though. As hypocritical as it sounds, I’m big on trust, even when I’m omitting certain parts of my life that could get me killed. The redacted version included my parent’s death, my moving here, and sharing a house with Melissa.

  I was pushing the ice around my empty glass with a straw deciding if I should have another, when I glanced at the clock above the bar. It was around midnight which gave me an hour to get home before the brew wore off. I could’ve stayed for one more, but didn’t want to push my luck.

  “I should get going,” I told Luca.

  “So soon?” he asked.

  I nodded in response.

  “Well, how about dinner tomorrow night? I’d like to see you again.

  “That sounds like a good idea,” I replied, trying to not sound as excited as I really was.

  We exchanged phone numbers and he offered to walk me to my car, but I had to find Melissa and get my jacket and purse. I thanked him for the offer, told him I was looking forward to dinner and walked away, his eyes on me until I disappeared into the crowd.

  I made my way back to the booth, peeking around the people milling around in front of it. David was slouched down in the both intoxicated. Great, I thought, now I have to walk. At least I had my cell phone. We only lived two miles away so it was no problem to hoof it.

  I sent Melissa a text: Hey girl, going home, gonna walk. Grab my purse/jacket? Thx.

  The phone beeped. I looked at it to find that my message didn’t go through. 3G service…only when you’re outdoors because no one ever calls from inside a building. I put my phone back in my pocket. I would try and get a hold of her after I got home. I walked out the doors, said goodnight to Vin, and headed across the parking lot and into the adjacent park to cut through and shave ten minutes off my walk.

  I was distracted, musing about the surprising turn of events in my night, so I didn’t hear David’s footsteps.

  “Leaving so shoon shweetheart? I thought..hic..you and I were going to have a good time tonightsh.”

  Fan-flipping tastic, I’ve got a drunk stray following me home. I turned around and saw David, drunk and staggering as he continued to walk towards me. I shook my head at him. “David, go back to the bar and leave me alone.” Please, please, please, I prayed to all the deities, hoping one could spare a second (They kept busy schedules).

  “Why would I do that, shmexy?” he said while closing the distance between us.

  “Because, I have no interest in you. Now go away before I call animal control!” I really wasn’t in the mood for a confrontation with a drunk and horny werewolf. Maybe I can magic him up a stuffed animal to hump.

  The drunken look on his face was replaced by one of anger and hunger. And I don’t mean a t-bone and baked potato hungry either. “Now that wasn’t very nicesh of you to shay. I’ll give you one more chansh of coming over here baby. If you don’t, I’ll come over there and take whatsh mine, one way or another.”

  That’s it, I’m going to neuter him. “So my choices are between letting you fuck me or fight me? Well mongrel, I’m going to make it easy, I choose fight,” I snarled and dropped down to a crouch.

  I freed one of the daggers from my boot and swiped up as he lunged at me, ripping through his pants, leaving a six inch gash along his thigh. My dagger wasn’t silver, so there wouldn’t be any lasting damage, but I could temporarily disable him long enough to make my escape.

  Wolves are a little more special than the rest of us Otherworlders in terms of killing. Our weapons would hurt them, but unless the damage was severe, they healed easily. If you really wanted to hurt a wolf, have your weapons coated in silver. It screws up their healing, painfully prolonging it or causing death.

  “You bitch! I’m going to make you pay for that!

  His right hook made contact with my cheek, leaving me on my butt seeing stars. I could taste the blood from where he split my lip. I scurried back on my hands and feet, crab-like, to buy me precious seconds for my vision to recover. Looking through the stars, I could see he was no longer in control of his emotions. His body was becoming twisted and deformed, bones breaking and twisting into new shapes.

  He was snarling and growling, in the throes of the change. I needed to do something quick before I had paws, claws, and snapping jaws to fend off and I didn’t think throwing a stick and playing fetch would do it.

  When they change, werewolves are rather intimidating looking. They are about three feet tall on all fours and ten feet long, weighing in around two hundred pounds. I’m 5’8” and one hundred thirty pounds, you do the math.

  I shuddered when I thought of the jaws. Becoming a butt-sniffing dog-jinn hybrid was not on my list of plans for the night. David was still immobilized i
n place mid-change as I headed back over to him, his transformation almost complete.

  I wrested my other dagger loose and stabbed one up and through his snout, the other between his ribs, hopefully puncturing a lung. Backing away, I got caught by a paw, as he was full wolf now, his claws slicing away at my back. I fell to my hands and knees, screaming out in pain.

  I felt as if I had been torn through with knives and now fire ran freely through my wounds. I couldn’t help the tears that were flowing freely. I palmed a fireball (I was created from fire, hence my natural tendency to use it), not worrying about exposing myself as a Iblian at this point. Before I got it off, David had tackled me to my back, his jaws inches from me.

  He pulled the one blade out of his snout and gnashed his teeth at me, trying to find a meaty place to bite. I slammed the fireball quickly into his side so I could use both my hands to squeeze David’s neck as hard as I could. The smell of singed dog hair permeated the air around us as he howled in pain.

  The gravel from the path I was lying on was digging into the gouges on my back, intensifying the agony I was already in. David kept snapping and batting his paws at me, trying to wear me out and it was working. I managed to find my one dagger still embedded in its chest. With one last surge of strength I grabbed it and twisted. He leapt off me with a yelp and fell to his side.

  I could hear the gurgling as he attempted to breathe. He was going to be there for awhile until he healed and I didn’t want to be around when he did.

  I dragged myself up onto my knees and took a few deep breaths, summoning all the strength I could to get up off the ground and make it to safety. It took me a few minutes to stand as I struggled through the pain and exhaustion. Quickly as I could muster I walked down the path, back towards the street, leaving the fur ball behind me.