Page 3 of The Shtriga
Two
Zamir
Music smacked into meas I pushed through the door of The Lair, and I winced, taking a moment to adjust my ears.
If this was a supe-only bar, it would've been quieter, but unfortunately, humans were welcome here too, and the music was loud enough to threaten a headache, even though supes couldn't get one.
I stuck to the edges of the crowd as I made my way around the dance floor and between the standing tables. Humans and supes alike danced to the beat, alone or with a partner. With multiple partners if they werereallylucky.
The air was thick with the scent of sweat and too many bodies in too small a space, and I breathed through my mouth, giving my nose a few moments to brace against the assault.
The bar area was as packed as the dance floor, but a woman left her barstool as I arrived, and I claimed it before anyone else could, placing my elbows on the bar top.
A round-faced human woman with dark hair in a bun on top of her head and warm brown eyes approached me from the other side of the counter, a bottle of alcohol in her hand.
"Hey, there. What can I get you?"
Wait. How was I supposed to order the supe drinks? Keoni had told me they had a menu, but how was I supposed to ask for it? Was there a code word? Why hadn't I asked Keoni for more details?
"Uh, I heard something about aspecialmenu?" I ended up asking, and her eyes lit up.
"Of course! Give me a sec," she said, and I watched as she picked up a menu from a shelf at the back. "Here you go. I haven't seen you here before. New to town?"
I leafed open the menu, chuckling at some of the drink names. Whoever had picked these had clearly had their fun with them.
"Not really. My friend, Haruto, told me about this place, so I thought I'd check it out. And I think I'd like to try a Lusty Incubus."
The woman grinned. "Great choice. I'm Sofia, by the way."
"Zamir," I replied with a nod, and she shot me a cheeky salute.
"I'll be right back with your drink."
As she disappeared into the back—they must not have kept the supe drinks within easy access—I glanced around, and my eyes latched onto the other bartender.
He stood on the other end of the long bar, his orange-tipped blond hair a beacon in the dim bar. He was a supe for sure. Icouldn't tell what kind from here, but Haruto had mentioned the owner was a dragon, so I guessed that was him.
He was stunning. Two lip rings pierced his lower lip on each side, and they glittered every time the strobe lights flashed on his face. His skin gleamed as if it struggled to hide the glow of his dragon side, and his green eyes reflected the light that hit them, making them seem luminous. Everything about him was warm and bright, and I couldn't bring myself to look away.
"Here we are," Sofia said, and I forcefully jerked my gaze away from the dragon, eyeing the bright blue drink she'd placed in front of me. A fruity scent tickled my nose, and I pulled the drink closer as it fizzed, letting the chill of the glass cool my heated skin.
I took a careful sip, and hummed as the liquid slid down my throat in a cool wave while simultaneously sending heat spreading through my limbs.
"Good?" Sofia asked, and I nodded as another patron called her over, and she left me to enjoy my drink in peace.
As I drank, my eyes were drawn back to the dragon, and I watched as he mixed a drink, his hands moving with finesse as he flipped and twirled the shaker, turning it into a show for the women watching him like hungry hawks.
I downed the rest of my drink, waving at Sofia for a refill, and she winked at me, quickly getting me a replacement before turning to some new arrivals.
It was only when I'd finished the second drink that I started feeling the effects. My limbs were loose, my head a little fuzzy as the music around me muted to a tolerable volume, as the people around me faded into the background.
The emptiness in the pit of my stomach that I'd been struggling to get rid of for the last few weeks had disappeared as well, leaving me feeling, for the first time in a very long while,okay.
I didn't want to stop feeling like this yet, so I ordered another drink, and then another one after that.
At some point, I decided dancing seemed like a fun idea, and after downing another drink, I slid into the throng. I'd never danced before—no one would call what Keoni and I did when we were boreddancing—and I had no idea what I was doing, but I did it anyway.
It was only when a human man tried to pull me into his arms that some of my sense returned, and I extricated myself from his arms before my other side could get hold of his life force. It'd been a while since I'd last fed, and while I hadn't reached the point where Ineededto feed, I was hungry enough that I wouldn't be able to resist a human. A human's life was short, and yet they wanted to do so much with it, which made their life force that much more potent and attractive to someone like me.
