We come in through a back entrance off the employee parking lot. It brings us down a dim hallway past a few offices where Terrance makes me fill out all the proper paperwork before dragging me out into the club. He may be an underworlder, but he’s still a law-abiding citizen. Underworlders don’t like to call attention to themselves. Not paying taxes or running illegal businesses in the city would definitely raise a few eyebrows in the human world.
After I’m an official Underworld employee, Terrance gives me a tour of the place. We’re early, so it’s not open yet. There are three different dance halls that each play different styles of music, but the main one is where I’ll be working with Wulf. (I’m to be by his side or Terrance’s at all times.) It’s a large room, with dance cages at the front on either side of the DJ stand. The room is black, with plush, red couches and chairs scattered around the dance floor. There are a few red booths, too, with black tables, but mostly the room is sparse, encouraging people to be out dancing.
Wulf is here early, getting things ready behind the long bar that spans the entire length of one wall in the room. He’s not the only bartender, of course, but he’s the manager of all of them. And he’ll be my trainer, since he’s the only guy in the joint Terrance trusts fully with my safety.
The ruggedly handsome man with the thick brown hair, light green eyes, a nice, deep tan, and a sexy five o’clock shadow smiles as we approach. “Ho! So your feisty little human decided to take you up on the offer,” he teases Terrance while shooting me a friendly wink. “This should make the nights more interesting. Welcome to Underworld, Nora.”
Wulf holds out a hand to me. I nod, opting not to shake hands. I don’t touch people skin to skin, if I can help it. It’s part of those psychic abilities I mentioned. I can read people’s minds. It’s really not as fun as you’d think, and I avoid doing it as much as possible.
“Make sure you keep a close eye on her.” Terrance scowls at Wulf in warning, then looks at me. “You okay here? I’ve got some stuff to do.”
I nod again. “I’m good. Go do your thing, T-Man.”
When Terrance disappears, I turn back to my new supervisor. The smile he gives me is all wolf. It’s toothy, shows his pointed canines, and screams predator. And it makes me laugh. “It’s nice to officially meet you, Wulf. Thanks for being willing to watch the feisty little human’s back.”
“Eh.” He shrugs, but it’s a farce. “Things could stand to be a little livelier around here, and Terrance is right that you’ll be a big draw.” He eyes me from head to toe and shakes his head, huffing out a breath like I’m going to be trouble. I’m not dressed in anything spectacular—Terrance had me put on a black T-shirt and black yoga pants—but they’re form fitting and make my tall, slender frame look curvier than it really is. I also have long, shiny brunette hair, pouty lips, and haunting green eyes. I tend to get looks.
“Every underworlder from here to Chicago is going to want to buy you a drink and take you home.”
Unfortunately, he’s right. I have a natural allure about me. It’s got something to do with my weird powers, I think, but it’s more than just my decent looks. Men are drawn to me. Some worse than others. It gets dangerous. I’ve had some horrible experiences because of it, and now I don’t date. At all. Ever.
My anxiety kicks up, dissolving the playful atmosphere. I swallow hard as I look at Wulf, beseeching him with my eyes so that he knows how serious I am. “You’ll be able to keep me safe, right? Because men will be a problem for me.”
Wulf grows serious as well. From the storm in his eyes, I’m pretty sure Terrance has let him in on a little of my history. That’s okay. The more he knows, the more he’ll watch over me. I’m all for being a strong woman, but I’ll never turn down a knight in shining armor, either. He clenches his jaw and glares fiercely at nothing in particular. “Anyone who touches you will answer to me,” he growls. “And then Terrance will rip them to pieces.”
He means that literally. I’m also fairly certain that Terrance would not be alone in the ripping-people-apart category. If I had any question about Wulf’s alpha status as a werewolf, I don’t now. He’s so dominant that I’m shaking, and I don’t have an inner wolf. If I did, I think I’d be belly up at his feet right now.
“Okay.” I choke the word out. “Um, thanks.”
Wulf takes a breath, and the glow of the animal in his eyes dims. “Just stick close to me, never sample the merchandise, and we should be fine. I mean that last part. We serve underworlder drinks here. Most of them would have severe consequences for humans.”
“No worries. I don’t even drink human alcohol. I’ve been through too much shit in my life to ever want my judgment impaired.”
“Good girl.” He nods his head down the bar. “Come on, I’ll give you a basic rundown before we open, and you can just watch me tonight until you learn how to mix the drinks.”
“I know a lot of human ones already—had one foster father who was just better off plastered. I used to mix his drinks for him.”
“That’ll help. We do sell a lot of human drinks, and beer on tap isn’t complicated. Still, I want you right by my side at all times until people get used to seeing you here.”
I nod. “Not a problem. I’ve got no intention of wandering off on my own.”
Terrance, smart man that he is, starts me at the club on a Monday. That gives me the week to get used to the place and to adjust to the really late nights before the weekend rush hits. Now, it’s Saturday night, and the place is a madhouse.
Wulf is right that a lot of underworlders drink human drinks. It turns out some are just as susceptible to the funky drinks as humans. For instance, sorcerers and sorceresses are basically humans who can use magic. Their systems can’t tolerate fey drinks any more than mine can. So there’s a lot that I can do besides polishing glasses, even with it being only my fifth day on the job. Wulf keeps me busy, too. Terrance wasn’t lying about him needing the help.
“Nora! Can I get a Blue Moon and a Guinness over here, pretty please?” Wulf calls from a few places down the bar.
“Pretty is right,” one of the men ordering a beer says, leering at me. “Is she human?”
“She’s Terrance’s human.”
That’s Wulf’s go-to response when people ask about me. I hate how that makes me sound like some kind of pet, but it always makes the guys back off, so I let it go. I’ve even given that same response myself a few times. “You got it,” I reply with a smile to Wulf.
I pour the beers, and by the time I head over to the waiting gentlemen, Wulf has moved on to the next customer. “Guinness and a Blue Moon,” I say, sliding the glasses in front of the two guys. They both look human to me, but I know they aren’t. Not in this place. I’ve mostly gotten past being curious about people’s species—not enough time to dwell on it. But when I stop to talk to people, I always wonder.
“So, Terrance, huh?” the guy who called me pretty asks. “How does that work? A troll and a human?”
“Yeah,” the other says after sipping his beer. “There’s no way he can fit inside you. That must hurt.”
I roll my eyes. “We’re not lovers, ass wipe. We’re clan.”
Both men snort. “Terrance took you in as clan?” Idiot One asks while Idiot Two laughs and says, “Yeah, right. You wish, pet.”
“It’s true,” a silky voice interrupts.
Not that I care what these guys think, or feel the need to validate my claim, but I’m excited to see Cecile. She’s a succubus, and the only female friend I’ve got. Her voice is so smooth that both men shiver. When she leans against the counter next to them, they both gulp and their pupils dilate—she has them completely in her thrall. “Nora is the first of Terrance’s clan, and she’s a close, personal friend of mine. I do hope you’re both treating her with respect.”
“Of course,” Idiot One says.
“We were just having some fun.” Idiot Two looks at me. “Weren’t we? Who’s your friend, Nora?”