A raven-haired worshiper of the Titans--Hekate and Nyx--is determined to save her lover from an ancient curse, she must prove to him that life is worth living and that being a werewolf has its perks.
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Paul summoned us over with an urgent flick of his finger. He made the effort to listen to my piece while checking the IDs of everyone else in line. His masterful way of smelling myths as they came and sending off the mortals with impressive swiftness was truly spectacular to behold and on any other night, I would have been glad for the thorough work. Glimmers of supernatural flashed like candles within the eyes of the people in line, some particles glowed subtly off their skin, it was a different shine to people splattered with glitter, otherwise, they looked very much human. Some if not most uncomfortable in their human skin.
Paul interrupted me by raising his hand and drawing in his brows as he scanned another ID. 'You can come in,' he said to me then glared pointedly at Lycius. 'I don't know what to make of you, but this little one, cannot.' Finally, his eyes landed on Arianna who puckered her lips in a childish frown. 'There's a bar around the corner send her there,' he said. Ari trembled silently beside me. I could smell the smoke wafting from her angry frame.
Lycius leaned over me towards Paul and took his mask off. 'Do you take bribes?' Paul was not amused, and I internally shuddered with embarrassment.
'You will not have any trouble with Lycius,' I said. 'I can assure you of that. As for this one though, she's another story. This is no ordinary mortal, Paul.'
The guard lifted his hand to stop me again. 'Save it, Rhea. The myths and monsters inside need to be allowed to express themselves freely. No humans.'
'She's my sister, our mother was a witch,' I said trying to disguise the desperation in my voice.
He tsked then looked at my sister. 'Can she show off any inhuman abilities?'
'I can shove my whole fist in my mouth,' Ari said then began to do so unprovoked. Paul's stone exterior cracked and Lycius did jazz hands around her head as the first knuckle slipped through.
'Alright, alright! If I get one complaint you get no more favours from me.' I blessed the old werewolf with a kiss on his cheek.
Ari went up and shook his hand. 'Don't worry, sir, I'm an angel. Unless only demons are allowed then in that case I lied.' She showed her ID. I wasn't sure where she was keeping it and I was too impressed with her ability to make friends with anyone to question any of her tricks. Surely that itself was some form of witchcraft. Paul didn't bother checking Lycius' or my IDs and I smiled brightly as I followed up the red steps with Ari giggling impatiently. Halfway up I felt the coldness of Lycius' absence along my back, and I stopped to look down and watched him caught up in an in-depth conversation with Paul. The guard seemed very angry at him and Lycius was very solemn but thankful and nodded his head to every word. After one last nod, Lycius put the mask back on and took the steps two at a time to reach me.
'Everything okay?' I said. He gently knocked his forehead into mine and took my hand to haul me up the stairs after him. 'Fine, be mysterious.'
The red carpeted stairs transferred to dark wooden planks and bricked walls with neon light fixtures shaped as wild cats. There was a stage at the far back of the room and the furniture gave off a 1920s atmosphere, with a mix of early modern to a neo–Art Deco style. A secret 1920s bar from a dystopian future if it were littered with myths and monsters. A feminine-looking couple peeled off their human skins to reveal glittery scales, long fins, and large gills. There were humanoid creatures with variations of beastly parts like horns, or wings, furry legs, or tails dancing to the R&B music playing. Some were just animals leaping from the bar tops to leather swings hanging from the ceiling. Everyone dressed extravagantly, and I felt very at home. I looked at Lycius and watched as he drowned in the spectacle of it. Mind you it was a condensed space, old and not very clean but there weren't many places where myths could live openly and unfurl their truer natures, not so much in Melbourne at least. Lycius trained his eyes on a big hulky beast with mauve skin and large canines protruding from its lower lip.
