Page 61 of Twice Bitten

The woman took the seat and stuck out her hand. “Blaze.”

I shook her hand. “Alex.”

From the way our magic sparked against each other, Blaze was a witch, elemental if I had to guess. She had an almost electric feel about her. “I’m waiting on a date.” She rolled her eyes. “Strike one was suggesting a bar, but it’s been a little dry these days, so I’m trying to give him the benefit of the doubt.”

“First date?”

She nodded. “We’ve been chatting on the app for a few weeks now, but you know how it is. You don’t really know if they’re a serial killer until you look into their eyes.”

I grimaced. Dating these days sounded awful. “How long have you been on the apps?”

“A few months.” Blaze shook her head. “It’s a whole different world out there now. Remember when you could walk into a place like this and twenty minutes later meet your soul mate?”

I snorted. “Or soul mate for the night, at least?”

Blaze grinned. “Exactly. Now everything feels transactional.What about you?” She glanced down at my left hand. “No wedding ring. Single or dating?”

“Single. I haven’t dated in ages.” Even thinking about it sent a finger of dread walking down my spine.

“I gave it a rest for a while. After my last boyfriend.” She pulled a face. “He was such a shit.”

I laughed. “What time is he supposed to meet you?”

“Nine. He’s already ten minutes late.”

“Strike two?” I ventured.

She laughed. “I’ll give him five more minutes before another strike.”

We chatted for a while until a tall man appeared next to the bar, smiling and waving at Blaze. He gave off witch vibes, but there was something else about him, something I couldn’t put my finger on. My elbow, close to the area where my implant was, flared with heat.

Weird. Absentmindedly, I rubbed my arm and watched the man walk over.

There was no good reason to dislike him immediately, but I did.

Blaze pulled him over and gestured to me. “This is Alex.”

He inclined his head politely. “Nice to meet you.”

“And this is Jason.”

“Hello,” I said. He didn’t offer his hand to shake, so I kept mine on the bar. I got up from the seat. “You can take this one.”

Blaze protested. “You don’t have to leave!”

“Thanks,” Jason said and slid into the seat I’d just vacated.

Blaze’s eyes flickered. Her lips pursed, but Jason slung an arm over her shoulder and pulled her close. He whispered something in her ear too low for me to catch.

Whatever he said, she didn’t like it. A false smile flickered over her lips, but there was no amusement in her eyes.

I waved. “Nice to meet you, Blaze. Maybe I’ll see you around sometime.”

Jason’s smug smile lingered. “Not for a while,” he said with a creepy chuckle.

Blaze and I locked gazes. Something I couldn’t explain passed between us. I nodded and walked away, but I had no plans to leave before I knew Blaze was safe. I went to the other side of the bar and ordered one more drink. So far, nothing screamedhere are all the answers you want, and I wondered if this endeavor would be a dead end.

Marinka wouldn’t have given me the address for nothing, though. I had to believe that. The woman had never gone out of her way to offer any assistance beyond implant upkeep. This club had answers. All I had to do was find them.