Shades of Darkness (Guardians of Eternity #16) - Alexandra Ivy Page 0,20
a knee-jerk reaction. She told herself it was because she enjoyed pricking his icy composure.
Now… Well, she didn’t want to consider why she was so eager to stir his emotions.
His eyes narrowed, the white in the center shimmering in the dull firelight. “Chaaya.”
“Relax, Basq.”
“Not a chance in hell,” he growled.
Chaaya snorted before turning back to shove aside a tall, dark-haired Sylvermyst so she could press against the wooden bar. Then she slammed her hand on the counter.
“Who the hell is running this joint?” she called out.
A blocky male with a bald head that was covered with intricate tattoos and wearing long linen shirt and loose pants stomped to stand in front of her. His crimson eyes and pointed teeth revealed he had ogre in his gene pool, but he was too small to be full-blooded.
“What do you want?” he snapped.
“Grog for me.” She nodded toward Basq, who had moved to stand next to her. “Blood for my partner.”
The bartender nodded toward a group of nymphs who stood in a miserable huddle across the room.
“Fresh?”
Basq curled his lip in disgust. “No.”
“Suit yourself.” The bartender turned to grab a large stein and filled it with a grog that burned with blue flames. Next he reached beneath the bar to fill a crystal glass with ruby red blood. He set the drinks in front of them. “Cash or trade?”
Chaaya puckered her lips. “How about on the house?”
The male leaned forward, his foul breath nearly sending Chaaya to her knees.
“How about I—” He brows snapped together, his broad nose flaring as if he was testing the air. “Hey. What are you?”
Chaaya grabbed her grog and took a deep gulp. It burned down her throat before hitting her stomach with an explosion of fire. She placed the empty stein on the counter.
“A mongrel.” She shrugged. “Like most of your customers.”
He stubbornly shook his head. “No. I’ve been around thousands and thousands of mongrels. You’re unique.”
“That’s true.”
“So what are you?”
Chaaya motioned the bartender closer. “If I tell you, you can’t let anyone else know.”
The man leaned in. “I swear.”
Chaaya lowered her voice until the clamor echoing through the bar nearly drowned out her words.
“I’m a unicorn.”
The male’s jaw dropped in shock. “Unicorns are real?”
Chaaya waggled her brows. “Wanna see my horn?”
There was a momentary confusion, then the bartender’s eyes flashed a brilliant crimson and his lips pulled back in a snarl.
“Pay up and get out.”
“Here.” Without warning, Basq slapped a gold coin on the counter. But even as the bartender reached out, Basq covered it with his hand. “We need information.”
The bartender scowled. “What sort of information?”
“Where can we buy a portal?”
“Hey.” Chaaya glared at her companion. Dammit. She should have known he’d only agreed to search for Brigette in the city so he could try and force her back to Vegas.
He held her gaze with a cool composure. “I never stay anywhere without an exit plan.”
“Oh.” She nodded. “That’s legit.”
The bartender pointed toward a table near the back door. “The imp sitting against the wall will take you anywhere you want to go. For a price.”
Chaaya studied the golden-haired male with a narrow face and pale green eyes. He was twirling a long dagger between his fingers and eyeing the crowd with a cynical expression.
“Can he be trusted?” she demanded.
The bartender snorted. “No one in this place can be trusted, but I doubt he’d want to piss off a vampire.” He glanced toward Chaaya with a sneer. “Or a unicorn.”
Chaaya shrugged. “Now my turn for information.”
The bartender folded his arms over his impressive chest. “It’s going to cost another coin.”
Basq hesitated, then with a grudging reluctance he added another gold coin to the counter.
Chaaya leaned forward. She wanted the crowd noise to keep anyone from overhearing her question. She had no idea if this had been Brigette’s final destination or if she’d been tossed out of the portal by the explosion. But she didn’t want the bitch to know they were in the city looking for her.
“Have you seen a female Were pass by?”
The bartender looked genuinely surprised by the question. “I haven’t seen a Were in this place for decades. There’s no animals to hunt and not much room to run.”
“What about a miniature gargoyle?” she pressed.
His eyes burned with crimson fire. Shoving the coins in his pocket, the bartender pointed his beefy finger in Chaaya’s face.
“I’ve had enough of your smart mouth.”
“Slow your roll, baldy. It was a genuine question. Levet’s about three feet tall with big fairy wings and—”