to bathe. He forgot whether it was day or night. But still, he had cared for his brother’s body. A body that lay on a platform, safely hidden away, not decomposing, just staying forever the same like some sleeping princess. The only other thing he does is care for me. The man was almost driven insane by his brother’s...death, but nothing can taint his good heart.
We come out of the trees, and I take a deep breath. The place might not be the entrance to the Underworld, but it might as well be. It’s like a massive shack. The windows are blacked out, neon signs are flashing, and bugs are circling the signs. The din of sounds from inside are unsettling in a way I can’t put my finger on, but I don’t hesitate as we approach. I do, however, let my glowing wings fade, then glamour them to disappear. No human is going to walk into this place, but I don’t need everyone to know I’m a phoenix. All they would see is a six-foot something man in nice clothes with a sword at his belt, walking in with a giant.
Yeah, because I always look petite next to Orion.
I half-expect Orion to turn his skin to stone, but he doesn’t. Part of me wonders if he’s thinking the way I am, that’s it better people don’t know what we are if they don’t have to. Gargoyles are like the white knights of the supernatural world, which means a lot of these assholes will see him as an enemy. And phoenixes are like the smug bastards that won’t be caught dead in a place like this.
Even though both our kind would be feared, since our fighting skills are renowned, I guess we’re going in playing nice at first...until they make us pull out the big guns.
Orion shoves open the door, and the low din is an explosion of noise. On one side, a literal witch is cooking up some crap in her cauldron that smells like strong whiskey and tequila blended together. Assholes are drifting by, scooping their cups in the smoky brew and sucking down the drinks. In another corner, vampires are feeding on supernaturals of some kind, and a few are quite obviously fucking and sucking. Shifters play pool in another area. Monstrous creatures are just barely visible through the open door in a back room. But Orion ignores all of them and goes to the bar, where some kind of cyclops half-breed is tending it.
He gives us a look with his one eye that makes me want to crack a joke, but I hide my smile behind my hand.
“Two beers,” Orion says, then digs some money out of his pocket and slaps it on the bar.
The cyclops pours our drinks, then takes the money. His gaze moves to us, a warning his eye.
I get his message loud and clear, he’s keeping an eye on us. It takes me a minute to swallow down my laughter. Neither Orion nor the cyclops would appreciate my joke right now, so it’s better to just keep it to myself.
Slowly, I sit down on a barstool next to Orion. “So, what’s our plan?” I ask softly.
He picks up his drink and sips it slowly. “We try to do this smoothly.”
“Then shouldn’t I handle it?”
He gives me a look, the one that says this is too important to fuck up, and I try really hard not to be offended. I do have a tendency to fuck things up, after all. But I’m also definitely the “people person” between the two of us. I might have bad jokes and constantly have to pull my foot out of mouth, but Orion tends to glare and ask far too direct questions.
Maybe neither of us would be great at this smooth thing, logically, but if he wants to take the lead on something this important to him, I’m not about to argue.
“Okay then, I’ll let you handle it,” I tell him, trying to save my pride, if only by a little.
We have two more beers. I make some light conversation with the bartender, and I’m pretty damn proud of myself because I never once mention his one big eye. I’m the kind of guy who can’t help but stare and point. My brothers...no, not my brothers anymore, but the family I was raised with said I was always just a big kid. Orion says I needed to get a filter, whatever that means, but tonight I’m being