in. He reminds me of the military men who run around Washington with their closely cropped hair, clean shaven faces, and broad shoulders. I stop in my tracks and study him. He looks normal.
“Bentley. I see you have a guest with you tonight,” he says.
“Jared,” Bentley acknowledges back. “My submissive, Keri. She will be with me regularly, so make sure she is added to the list. This is Erik; he has been approved by Lucius. He’ll be a regular, too.”
“I imagine you will be downstairs most of the night?”
“That is the plan.”
“Are you a…” I can’t get the words out. Surely, they are lying to me, playing a practical joke.
“She’s trying to ask if you are a wolf,” Erik says.
Jared pulls his tightly fitting shirt back from his shoulder, revealing a paw print tattoo. “That I am, and proud to be.”
I gasp. I know, deep down, that his words are true. “What else are there? Fairies? The Loch Ness Monster? Unicorns? Narwhals?”
“Butterfly, narwhals are real.”
“Figures! Vampires, werewolves, and now narwhals.” Jared’s laughter follows us inside.
“Um, Keri?” Erik says.
“Yes?”
“You are teasing us now, yes?”
“What do you mean?” I’m confused. What would I be teasing them about?
“Narwhals?” Erik asks.
“No?” I’m really not following him.
“Butterfly, narwhals are real,” Bentley says gently.
“Yes, I know. You just told me that.”
“No, I mean, they’ve always been real.”
“No, they are mythical creatures. I mean, they were mythical creatures like vampires and werewolves. Narwhals and unicorns. You know, I think I’d rather have had the unicorns be the real ones.”
“No, sweetheart. They’ve always been real, never mythical. They are a species of whale. In fact, Bentley and I saw a beautiful pod of them off the coast of West Greenland. Do you remember?” Erik asks.
“I do,” Bentley says. “I remember the barbarian Vikings cutting off their horns to try and convince communities that they came from unicorns.”
“Vikings? How long ago was this?” I ask.
“It doesn’t matter. What matters is that narwhals are very real. They are mammals and still exist to this day. I’ll take you on a trip to see them in the wild. They use their horns to break up ice. Beautiful creatures.” Bentley leans in and kisses my forehead. “You really thought they were mythical?”
“I… the unicorn of the sea. Unicorns are mythical, so I figured…”
“My incredibly intelligent, beautiful investigative journalist thought narwhals were made up.”
Bentley and Erik laugh. I feel myself blush, the heat rising in my cheeks before I join in. Narwhals are real? Who knew? Apparently, everyone. Everyone but me.
“It’s okay. I won’t judge you… too hard,” Erik teases once more. “Dimitri is over there, I’m going to say hello. Excuse me.”
“This place is…” I pause to look around. I’m not sure there is an accurate word to describe the overwhelming vibe I’m feeling.
“Yes,” Bentley agrees. I smile, thanking him for not making me finish my sentence. “You haven’t been downstairs yet.”
“Nope. I can’t wait.”
“Then let’s go,” he says.
“Wait. What, now?”
“Is there a better time?”
“May I, maybe, could I have a drink first, Sir?” I need a bit of liquid courage. Most of my courage will come from him, but my nerves are about to unravel. I am about to be in the den of vampires. Bentley and Erik are one thing, but like all groups of people, there are good with the bad. Bad humans are scary enough but bad vampires? A chill goes down my spine.
“Lucius is very careful about who he allows into his club, Butterfly. He doesn’t just allow anyone in off the street.” Bentley’s careful with how he words things. We are on the human floor of the club. “I’ll be with you the entire time. No one will touch you without facing my wrath.”
“I’d still like that drink if it’s okay, Sir.”
“Of course. Let’s get you that drink.” He effortlessly guides me to the bar and orders our drinks. The techno beat to the remix playing has my heart pounding. I smile as I watch the younger, unattached girls bobbing around on the dance floor. Oh, the joys of youth.
“You aren’t that old,” Bentley teases in response to my thoughts.
“No, but there is a difference between late twenties and barely able to drink. It might not seem like it…”
“Oh, there is. I don’t disagree.”
I take a drink and look around some more, taking it all in. The Club Toxic. Upstairs, it is comparable to many clubs I’ve been in before. The bar, dance floor and booths, although much more elaborate and expensive, are very common for