Bane of My Existence

Chapter 1

She relaxed in the luxurious leather booth and examined the crowd. There were all kinds of people here, different shapes, sizes, and builds. She honestly couldn't tell who was a shifter and who wasn't. Or maybe they were all shifters and Kinsey and Sabrina were the only humans. Were humans even allowed to be here?

Sabrina saved her from the spiraling anxiety threatening to snatch any chance of her having fun tonight away and bumped her shoulder. "This place is fabulous! I'm definitely using this in my next book." She pulled out her always-handy notepad and started jotting down key details about the bar.

Sabrina had gone through school to become a teacher. She'd started writing novels as a way to keep her grounded through all the studying. Just for the sake of it, she took one novel to a publisher. She got signed and, now that the shifters were public, her sales were through the roof. Her publisher wanted three new novel by the end of the month.

Kinsey tore her gaze away from the people to appreciate the design, which was far better than thinking about all the shifters dancing and grinding the night away.

Judging by the structure and its location, the building was a repurposed warehouse. They kept the steel supports, the catwalk in the rafters, and the loft that was most assuredly the office. The rest had been gutted to make room for the massive stainless steel bar stretching along the north side of the building with colourful lights flashing to the beat of the music behind the liquor display. The east and partially the south side were dedicated to booths like the one Kinsey and Sabrina sat in, forming an L-shape, while the rest of the space was for the stage hosting a live band and the dancefloor. If it weren't for the fact they were in a building full of predators, Kinsey would have loved the aesthetic.

A waitress wove her way through the undulating bodies and smiled at them. Kinsey was taken away by the sheer beauty of the woman; she belonged on a runway, not serving drinks. Then again, when Kinsey looked around at the other waitresses, they all were just as beautiful, tall yet elegant with an overall demeanor of "You wished you could touch this". When the lights swung this way during their slow, sweeping tour of the bar, her large, blue eyes flashed gold, reminding Kinsey this beauty came as one of the perks of being supernatural.

Tapetum lucidum, Kinsey thought absently. Like animals, shifters apparently possessed the same reflective membrane behind their retinas, even in their human form.

"Haven't seen you here before," she said, eyeing the pair of them with a little more curiosity than before. "We don't find too many humans here. . . . Well, in the booths." Her eyes dashed over to a couple making out in the shadows of the steel staircase leading up to the loft office. The woman, if Kinsey had to guess, was human, because the man she was with towered over her. He had bulging muscles for days, out in the open for everyone to see, because he had lost his shirt somewhere. The waitress turned back to them, still smiling, a hint of mischief at the edges. "Usually, you lot come in here to hook up. What brings you girls here?"

Sabrina laced her hands together on the cool stainless steel table, looking as inquisitive as a detective. "How'd you know we were human?" she whispered, like their identity was supposed to be a secret.

The waitress giggled amusingly, eyes dazzling in the flashing lights, then tapped her nose. "You smell like humans. First time being around shifters?"

Sabrina nodded with a flush that was mostly hidden thanks to the dim, amber lighting above the booth.

A knowing glint touched the beautiful waitress's eyes. "If you're new, I suggest looking for a cougar, or any cat, shifter. The bears and wolves can be a bit much for humans."

Kinsey couldn't help looking back over to the couple under the stairs. The shifter's hands were bigger than the woman's head and he looked none too gentle when they grasped her rear. He dragged his rough kisses down to her throat; she turned her head to give him better access, eyes open in a lust-filled haze.