Page 1 of Dream in Darkness
Movement No. 1
Yasmeena
This place might be called The Cathedral, but there are no saints here.
With the promise of access to magical drugs and a drunken good time, The Cathedral is the most popular bar on Haeresis.
My brother Khalid, our friends, and I make our way up the walkway to the old, castle-like structure. Gray stones stretch tall and sharp like fangs. There’s no security at the door, so we just walk in, and it’s bigger than I expected. Moonlight pours in through the stained-glass doorway, illuminating a path straight for the bar.
“Let’s get the birthday bitch a drink,” I say, smiling back at Roxanne. Khalid is holding Reina’s hand, Roxanne and Kayoda’s arms are intertwined, and even Sofie and Ivan are giving each other thefuck-me eyes; I try not to fixate on how alone I feel in this moment.
I love these people dearly, but it’s hard to be the only single one in the group, not that I have time for dating, anyway. King Luc and Draven keep me busy. I’m constantly listening and gathering information, keeping track of all the comings and goings of the important players on Hel.
Sofie nods in agreement. “I’m so glad your shift actually ended on time today. You two are late to everything.”
Roxanne’s face turns a pale pink. “Sorry, but I don’t like to leave messes for the night shift guys to have to deal with.”
We all take our seats at the bar, waiting for a bartender to become available.
“I might’ve bribed the charge nurse to let us leave early tonight.” Kayoda winks.
One of the bartenders catches my eye. She has long, silvery-white hair that cascades down her back. Strong, tattooed arms flex as she pours a drink and hands it to a customer a few seats down from us. When she comes back, she cleans the segment of the bar top right in front of me, and I try to memorize the details of her face.
The upturned nose, the strong jaw. She’s gorgeous.
But nothing could have prepared me for the moment she looks up. Her eyes are like twin glaciers, bright but haunting. She stares back at me, like a siren beckoning me to come closer, and I all but lean over the fucking bar to get her attention.
“Hi,” I say, blushing and a little breathless.
The fur on her forearms is the same shade as her ears. A lupion. “Bold of you to come here after last week’s attack,” she says, crossing her arms, and every hair on my body stands at attention.
I heard about the attack—themurder, because that’s what it was—but I don’t know those involved in any personal capacity. I’ve met Robert once or twice, but we didn’t run in the same circles. According to the reports I’d heard, the killing was pretty brutal. He stabbed Gwyn, the lupion, in an alleyway after she got off work.
I had never met Gwyn, hadn’t even heard of her before now. She didn’t seem to be involved in any political schemes, or even any pack drug or magic deals. Just a normal, everyday lupion who worked as a dental assistant. Things are starting to get tense between the felion and the lupion, but I wouldn’thave wished death on anyone, especially not an innocent bystander.
“I’m really sorry, but I can assure you, we don’t condone that felion’s behavior,” I say, my heart racing, and I can’t tell if it’s from how beautiful she is, or how anxious I feel regarding her statement.
“If he weren’t already dead, I’d kill him myself,” Ivan says, and every head turns to him.
“He’s dead?” Khalid asks, and Reina and I sink in our seats a little.
Luc gave Draven the order to execute him, but the public isn’t supposed to know that just yet. I told Ivan as a courtesy, so he could be the first person to run the story, and here he goes, running his big mouth.
“An… informant of mine implied he might be,” Ivan says, scratching the back of his neck. “Nothing has been confirmed yet.”
“Well, I hope it’s true,” the bartender says and shrugs. “What’re you all drinking?”
We rattle off our orders one by one, and she and another bartender get to work, passing our drinks over. I hate to admit it, but it’s sexy to watch the lupion work. She’s fast and determined, and her body isn’t bad looking either. I wonder what she does to get those muscles of hers. One of her thick biceps is covered in tattooed swirls, the other an enchanting scene with trees and a single glowing moon.
It’s always stricken me as odd that lupion use one, singular moon in all of their symbolism, given that we have two moons, but I let go of the thought, trying to have fun with my friends.
“Let’s talk about literally anything other than the news,” Roxanne says, mouth pinching to the side. “Sorry Ivan.”
“It’s fine,” he says and shrugs. “It’s especially depressing this week, so I get it.”
It’s easier to shut it off when it doesn’t affect you directly.This, unfortunately, will affect all of us in the long run, but I don’t mention it further.
“Tell us about your day,” Sofie says to Roxanne, who shakes her head.
