Chapter 67: Bar

BOOK TWO

I twirled the cherry in my drink around with my straw. The thumping beat filled the bar drowning out most of the conversations around me. I kept my eyes on the people around the edges, the ones in the shadows. I was looking for someone specific, someone that others wouldn't pay heed of.
A particular couple caught my eye. Their aura glowed a slight pink and green. That was strange for this atmosphere. They were close enough in their auras to warrant a match, which is what I was looking for. I finished my drink and called for another. Just as the second one arrived, their auras twisted with a purple glow, bringing on a perfect match.
My eyes darted around the room. He must be here. I saw the back of a dark blonde head turn and walk off. I left my drink at the bar then pushed past the crowd. I kept my eyes locked on the man. If I could move fast enough, I could catch him. A man with tusked teeth and hard blue skin stepped in my way. I pushed past him. He grabbed my arm and spun me around, tearing my eyes away from my target.
"What's the hurry, little lady?" The orc asked.
I went to pull my arm away, but he didn't let go. I realized I had initiated the contact by trying to push past. He thought I was flirting. I dropped my eyes. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to." I murmured weakly.
He practically threw my arm at me. Orcs didn't find meekness attractive. That one I learned directly from my Lanie side. I quickly slipped through the crowd towards the door on the side. I hoped I wasn't too late. I reached the outdoors. The air was cool with the fall season. The smell of cigarettes filled my nostrils as the smokers stood around, chatting quietly amongst themselves.
My eyes flicked across the parking lot to the alley. I ducked my head to avoid any looks while my feet carried me there. As I entered, I heard a flutter of wings above my head. I looked up just as the tips of some angel wings disappeared from view.
"Shit," I spat.
"Kira?" A man asked from behind the shadow of some crates.
"Anton?" I responded.
He stepped around the crates. A girl clung to his waist. He wiped his face with his sleeve. "What are you doing here?"
I looked him up and down, and then his date. I knew what he was doing here. After his dad and his sister died, he'd turned into quite the incubus. Sorry, dude, my bad.
"Just out for the night," I answered.
The girl pulled at Anton's sleeve. "Oh yeah, right, this is Mazy."
"Marcy," she corrected.
"Marcy, that's what I said."
I jerked my head in a nod and a fake smile for a half-second in greeting. I didn't even bother learning their names. He ran through them like magazines. I turned to leave. I didn't care if I was rude. Anton wasn't exactly polite to me.
"Hey, wait, can you give us a ride home?"
I kept walking.
"Kira?"
I continued around the corner. He found his own ride here. He could find his own ride home. I wasn't his baby sitter. It was hard enough trying to get him to pay rent. I wasn't wasting any extra time on that worthless loser.
I rounded the corner to the back parking lot. He was here once. He wasn't going to come back anytime tonight. What a bust. A gang of biker dudes hung out by their motorcycles. The orcs, giants, and humans stood watching me. I wondered if the humans, at least I suspect they were humans, knew they were hanging out with creatures that weren't what they seemed. I went to walk past them, giving them a fairly wide distance.
Apparently, I hadn't given them enough space. They eyed me as I walked and started to close in. I sidestepped more, heading to my car. They surrounded me. I stopped and stared at one of the orcs. There was no point in being polite. They obviously targeted me, so I just stood tall, waiting for the leader to approach.
"Where's Matei?" He asked. He was a tall orc that looked down on me as he pushed his frame into my space.
"I don't know," I lied. I knew he was dead. It wasn't my fault. Well, it probably wasn't my fault. I didn't kill him, but my very existence is probably what got him sacrificed to bring my mother back from limbo. I mean, it's not like I did it.
The orc didn't seem to like my answer, or he could hear the thoughts in my head. I was still pretty new to what the unseen creatures could do.
"I don't believe you," he growled.
So, he couldn't hear my thoughts after all. Good to know. "That's not my problem." I went to move around him.
He moved to bar my path. "Well, I think it is."
"Look, I don't know where he is. What more do you want?"
"I think you're lying."
"Well, I can lie to you if you want. Matei's dead. Some big dark cloud ate him and his goons. I had nothing to do with it."
"I think you killed him," he growled. The orc eyed me, then pulled his fist back and slammed me in the jaw. I saw it coming just enough to pad it with a little bit of energy. I reeled back from the blow. It hurt like a bitch, but it could have been worse. Orcs hit like a semi-truck.
The orc shook his hand while his buddies laughed.
"Bitch has some power," the leader said. His buddies continued laughing. He stepped towards me. "Let's see what she can do."
Ah man, this was not my night. My eyes darted around the circle. There was no way out. My eyes glanced up. Okay, there was one way out.
"Wings," I whispered, directing my power to my back. It felt weak. I had been trying to practice the last few months since I had gotten it, but it hadn't been consistent. The pink energy formed into fairy-like wings on my back.
"Ooh, those are pretty," one of the men in the circle said. He reached out and tried to grab on, but his hand went through the magic.
"Pretty little butterfly is trying to fly away," said another.
The leader closed in. I pushed off my feet hard, fluttering the wings when I was in the air. I made it off the ground about three feet before the pink wings flickered and failed completely. When my feet touched the ground again, the leader orc slammed his fist into my chest and knocked me back on my ass. Laughs continued all around.
I gasped in a couple of breaths as I climbed to my feet. I really wasn't happy about what I was going to do. Both my hands opened to either side. The daggers folded magically in my skin then slid up each of my arms. They looked like the ink of a tattoo that rippled up my skin and down my forearm. They folded out of my skin and into my hands. The white one appeared in my left and the dark one in my right.
I twirled the left one like Lanie used to do when she practiced sparing. The right one wasn't as good, it had been Kira's dominant hand, but Lanie's skill made it better. The orc circle stepped back away from me. The leader orc and I walked slowly around each other in a circle.
He stepped forward into my space, unconcerned since his skin was like armor. I slashed out with the light blade. It bit into his skin. He jumped back. If he had been a human, his guts would have spilled across the ground. Instead, he held his stomach, where I had only managed a graze.
"Give this up," I said. "I don't want you all to die."
The circle erupted in laughter. The men encouraged the orc to proceed.
"That's some tough words for a pretty little lady. Maybe after I beat it out of you, we can go back to my place. That is, if there's anything left of you."
"Do you really think Matei would let you sleep with his daughter?" I asked. I was crouched down low in a defensive position.
"Daughter? You? His daughter is a pretty little blonde thing. Not you, you lying bitch."
"Fine, but when you find Matei, you can ask him. I'm sure he'll have some choice words for you."
A flickered of doubt graced his expression for a moment, but he jumped forward with a jab. I slashed at him. He jabbed a few more times, which I dodged by dancing away.
It seemed nothing I could say would make a difference. I sent power into my blades. They grew to the size of short swords. They felt like an extension of my body. I spun and slashed at him with each sword in turn. Each blade landed a slice, one on his arm and the other on his leg. The crowd backed away a step as the leader howled.
"Stop. This is a losing battle," I said.
He jumped forward but stayed out of reach. My attention was focused on him so I didn't expect the shove from behind that pushed me off balance. I stepped forward as the leader orc swung a hammering blow at my head. I didn't have enough time to cushion it. My swords fell from my hands as I curled up in a ball. I flew back, landing on the man behind me. I couldn't see past my spinning vision. I snatched up my blades again. They were daggers now.
"See," I whispered, willing the power to quell the dizziness. The crowd was above me. A fist was coming down to land on my face. I tried to roll out of the way. I folded the daggers back into my body as I covered my face. Someone kicked me. Blow after blow landed on my body as the surrounding crowd laid into me.
My body jerked with each hit. I could feel blood streaming out of my nose and threatening to come out of my mouth. I spat just before another hand came down and hit me again. The Kira inside of me screamed Remi's name, but I knew it was no use. Remi was gone, taken by the darkness. I wished for Angie, too, but he was also trapped.
The blows around me stopped. The group of men cursed. A pair of arms lifted me like a child. The wind rushed past me, and I knew we were flying. My heart soared. It must be Angie. He must have gotten away. I tried to open my eyes, but one was already swelling shut. I blinked the blood and tears from my eyes as I tried to get a good look.