I balanced a drink tray above my head, filled with empty glasses, pushing through sweaty bodies towards the bar. The night was in full swing at Vortex, dance music roaring, people yelling to be heard. It was a chaotic mess—one I was used to.
"Candy! There you are," someone screeched, barely loud enough over the noise. Kaylee rushed over, breathing hard, and slammed her tray onto the bar's edge beside mine. We stood off to the side.
"Kaylee! Hey." I tried to muster my usual level of enthusiasm, but it fell flat.
Most of the girls at Vortex didn't use aliases. They probably didn't have a whole lot to hide. Or in my case, hide from. I looked her over, taking in her rapid breathing, the light sheen of sweat on her warm brown skin. Tonight, she was sporting a deep burgundy lipstick and had straightened her coiled hair to twice it's normal length until it was sleek and shiny. As with all of us, she looked like sex on a stick. If I leaned that way, even I'd want her.
"I can't wait for tomorrow night," she gasped out, clutching her side and smiling. "Did you guys need me to bring anything?"
"Oh, shit. Right."
She must have noticed my expression. Her face fell. "Did something happen?" Taking my wrist, she pulled me away towards the hallway that led to some of the VIP rooms. It was only mildly quieter. "What's wrong?" she asked.
I considered telling her everything, but she didn't know that part of my life; it would have created too many questions. Instead, I said, "Vivi had to fly home earlier."
"Wait...what? Is everything okay?"
Over the past two years, we'd created a solid friend group. Some of them I'd made at the club, and others were Vivi's colleagues from the Walton National Museum. It was a nice balance.
"Things are fine. Cameron's engagement fell through."
"Oh, shit! What happened?"
"Shit's right," I agreed. "Not sure. I'm still waiting on the details. Apparently, Brandon lied to her about some big stuff, serious stuff. If he cheated on her, I'll fly out there myself and rip that fucker's heart out."
"Damn. So...no girls night then? Unless...you guys still want to get together, maybe go out instead of stay in?"
I chewed on my bottom lip. Normally I'd be all in for a night out. "Honestly, I might just pick up an extra shift instead."
"What?! Ewww. Come on! Let's go out. You need to let loose a bit—"
"Ladies!" a voice barked. We turned. Zach, also known as Eaden's right hand. "Less talking, more working. Candy, boss needs to see you."
Kaylee offered me a rueful smile. "Let me know if you change your mind. I'll tell the others."
I nodded, then followed Zach to the back of the club, up a set of stairs. "What's he want this time?"
"Fuck if I know."
The first time I'd met Zach, it took a single blink to see what he was. Shifter. A massive lion's head had replaced his face, the transparent overlay shimmering in my vision before I'd blinked it away. Like some of the other shifter enforcers Eaden employed, Zach kept things under control here. Vortex was filled with supernaturals. Not just staff, but patrons as well. Located in the heart of Walton, it was a popular congregation spot.
While I didn't know much about the supernatural community, being human, I knew enough. There were strict rules that governed their kind. Humans weren't supposed to know of their existence. Though plenty of humans, like myself and Vivi, knew and kept quiet about it. The last thing I wanted was some supernatural police coming after me to conveniently dispose of my body.
I turned cold. Was that what'd happened with Professor Miller? My hand went to the medallion pendant at my neck, the one she'd stolen from the university and given me.
We stopped behind Eaden's door. Zach knocked. It was quieter here, but the walls still throbbed with the pulse of the music on the club floor. Eaden's voice was muffled. Zach, no doubt, heard it perfectly as he opened the door and let me through.
Eaden's eyes lingered on his phone a moment before he looked up at me. His office was almost like a study. Plush rugs, a gas fireplace, a wall of books, and nature paintings in gilded frames. When I blinked, his transparent wolf form overlaid his human form, but only briefly. He had dark skin and muscles for days. When we stood side by side, he towered over me.
"Candy," he said, his voice a deep rumble, "there you are. Zach, that'll be all."
"Right." Zach backed out of the room, closing the door behind him.
"Everything good?" Eaden asked, eying me. I didn't know much about shifters, but one thing I did know about all supernaturals, they were smart at clueing into human behavior. Lying wasn't easy around them.
Forcing a genuine smile onto my face, I shrugged. "Good enough, I guess. What's up?"
Eaden and I had a decent relationship. Professional, with a touch of friendliness. He looked out for his club employees as if we were pack. I supposed it was his alpha nature, not that I knew where he sat on the food chain. If he wasn't an official alpha, then he was definitely alpha material.
He hesitated a moment, eyes tracking over me. His scrutiny left me heated, even if it was to merely catalogue me. His broad shoulders relaxed, eyes finding mine again. "I need you to dance tonight."
I opened my mouth, then closed it, then frowned. "I'm on the floor tonight. Don't you dare, Eaden."
"Micky didn't show up. I'm short a dancer."
I drew in a breath and released it, forcing my voice to calm. "Well, did you call her? She's probably just running late." He gave me a look—one of his famous cut-the-shit looks. Of course he had called her. I probably wouldn't be here if he knew where she was. It was unlike Micky to miss work without warning. Not only that, she was a shifter. Eaden kept a tighter leash on his people. So...where was she?
"I need you out there, Candy."
I sighed. "Eaden...you promised. I need to make rent." Tips were always better hustling the floor. Perhaps not in other clubs, but Eaden served expensive alcohol and entertained a higher echelon of clientele than most. They tipped well.
"I need you dancing tonight. I'll give you a hundred an hour. Give me two hours and two solos. I've got a couple of high rollers on the balcony tonight. I want you out there."
I want you out there translated to, you're the best dancer I have. Paired with my vibrant hair, I was an attraction for all sorts of clientele, especially inhuman.
My shoulders fell. "Two hundred?!"
"As I said. Two hours. Two solos."
It was his tone that had me saying, "Fine. Fine."
"Good. Go get ready. I want you on in thirty."
***
After popping by the staff locker room, I made my way to the empty cage at the center of the club's floor. There were ten platform cages in total, all gilded in gold and ridiculously lavish, with poles running through their centers. They were filled with scantily clad males and females, most of which were exotic supernaturals. I supposed I was meant to be the exotic human specimen.
Our DJ, Tanner, nodded my way. I gave him a quick half smile. Tanner knew which songs I liked and which to play for my solos. I climbed into my cage, shut the door behind me, and began to prowl. The song died down before the flashing lights zeroed in on me. The rest of the club darkened.
It was my time to shine.
Taking a deep breath, I stepped into my persona, shedding Elle and her worries about Professor Miller. Candy was bold and seductive with her pink hair and gold lipstick, smoky eyes, flushed cheeks. I'd even brushed gold dust across my chest. It complemented the metallic gold crop-top and thong I'd changed into.
The transition finished and a new song came on—my song. I crept around the pole in the center of the platform. There was a lurch and the whole cage lifted off the floor, raising up a few feet, more visible to the crowd and balconies above. Somewhere above, a fog machine shot fog into the air. The world around me glowed, like something out of a dream.
I let the music flow over me, exhaling before flowing into motion. The beat picked up and I reached for the pole, sweeping my body around and dragging myself along it, engaging my core. My stilettoed feet kicked into the air, and I settled into a well-known trance of twisting and spinning and contorting myself.
My expression changed to lustful and seductive. I wasn't Elle anymore. I could be whoever I wanted—whatever I wanted. A thing of fantasy. Someone desired and unobtainable. I swept around, letting that side of me out to play.
Dance was the one thing that blunted reality. It had always been that way. As a child, I'd enjoyed ballet and other traditional forms before quitting those in favor of hip hop and jazz. Then I'd moved on from there.
Around me, the crowd screamed, arms lifted in the air, swaying. Cellphones came out, recording videos, which would pop up all over social media later. I tossed my hair, making eye contact with anyone close enough to see, turning up the heat. Every movement was calculated, controlled...sinuous.
I was used to being watched. I was used to hosting hundreds of eyes, seeing the desire and fascination of a captive audience. I was a dancer, after all. But this time, a familiar heat settled over me, one I'd felt earlier. A shiver raced up my spine as I swung myself around.
The goblin was here. Somewhere. With that realization, my body betrayed me, sending a dump of adrenaline straight to my toes.
I waited for my solo to end, for the music to change, then settled into a slower rhythm. The other caged dancers began again, effectively pulling some of the crowd's attention away from me as they swarmed the floor, sipping drinks, losing themselves to the music.
My eyes roamed the club. It was packed. Eaden had mentioned the balcony boxes, where most of our important clientele congregated. It was by reservation only, with a hefty price tag. I might have played ignorant, but Vortex was a favorite for supernaturals who wanted privacy. Those balconies were trouble. I didn't want to know about the kinds of deals taking place there.
Looking for the goblin, my eyes slid over the faces of Walton's richest club patrons. Most were engaged in hushed, intent conversations. All it took was a blink and a little intense staring to see what they were. Elves, Fae, Shifters, Witches, Vampires...and a few humans, completely oblivious of their surroundings. But no goblin. I could feel him, though—the heat of those green eyes. He was out there watching...somewhere.
The thought of him studying my nearly naked body, green eyes tracing over my curves—
I faltered. My gaze passed over a head of shaggy blonde hair peeking out beneath a baseball cap. I doubled back. My heart spiked and my hand slipped, sending me careening down the pole. With expert control, I slipped into an intentional dive before pulling up. I was known for my impressive flexibility and athleticism. The surrounding crowd gasped and cheered, then clapped, delighted. I threw them a seductive smile, playing it off, and continued dancing, swinging around for another look.
My grip tightened. No, it couldn't be him. I blinked, then blinked again. My frightened whimper was lost to the music. Ice trickled down my back, setting my hairs on end. Luke's face was shadowed beneath a Walton University cap. I knew that cap. There were thousands of others like it. My muscles tensed, locking up, trying to root me in place. I forced myself to keep moving, to keep dancing, as if nothing were wrong.
Maybe he didn't remember me. Maybe he didn't recognize me with my pink hair. That was why I'd dyed it. Why I wore the medallion around my neck.
A sharp pain knifed my chest. He'd found me. After all this time, he'd finally found me. Oh, God! I glanced around. I was trapped in a literal cage.
Was it...did Luke's appearance have anything to do with the goblin? Were they working together? Goblins usually did the dirty work for the Fae, but Luke was human. I inhaled, holding my breath, then let it out in an explosive rush.
Luke's hungry eyes remained locked on me, tracing my every movement. It felt invasive, dirty. A sense of vertigo had me clutching the pole. I fought to keep my movements from turning sloppy. I couldn't look at him another moment. And yet, I couldn't look away.
Beside him, another figure sat, forearms braced on his knees, leaning forward and watching me with the same sort of intensity. His features were shadowed, but I noticed the head of shaggy black hair, nearly blue, pale skin, and muscular build. When I blinked, the pointed tips of fae ears peeked through his hair, and his features sharpened. He looked familiar, in a way I couldn't quite place.
I ripped my eyes away, trying to push down my fear.
I could go to Eaden once I finished my shift. He'd make sure I got home safely. But what then? My stomach roiled. I inhaled, pushing back my nausea. My face throbbed in memory. My body recalled its pain in the form of phantom bruises covering my skin, purple and swelling. My shoulder ached in remembrance of its dislocation. My—
No! Never again. I'd moved past this. Luke couldn't hurt me anymore. I refused to let his appearance in Vortex break me. I would not bear this in silence again. That had been my mistake the first time, the reason it had gone on so long. I wasn't that girl anymore.
But...first things first. I needed to finish my shift. I pushed away the dark thoughts, sinking back into Candy's persona. I fell back into the effortless motions.
I danced.
Swinging around, trying not to think of Luke, my eyes landed on another shadowed face, but this time my breath hitched. The goblin. Tension melted from my shoulders. He was watching too, from another balcony, leaning against the far wall in the shadows, his arms crossed. Curious but nonchalant, just like he'd been in the coffee shop.
Our eyes met and a heavy sigh fractured my breathing. His gaze narrowed and he leaned forward, the movement subtle. Then his dark eyebrows knitted together, a flash of light glinting off his piercing.
Did he sense my distress?
The remaining two hours passed in a blur of nausea and muddled thoughts. By the end of my shift, I had a half-baked plan. I would head back to the locker room and change before heading to Eaden's office.
As my cage settled to the floor, I didn't allow myself to look at the balcony boxes. I slipped out, moving through the mass of bodies to the other side of the club. I keyed in the code and slipped into the quiet of the locker room. My shoulders sagged and I collapsed on the bench beside my locker. Every muscle was strung tight, aching. After catching my breath, I pulled on my cutoffs and slipped back into my black boots, zipping them up my calf. I reached for the hem to remove my metallic gold tank top—
My phone began vibrating, making me freeze. Probably Vivi. I fished it out and frowned. The number wasn't in my contacts, but it wasn't blocked, either. I answered.
"Vivi? Did your phone die? Is everything okay?" I checked the time; she should have landed by now.
A muffled female voice answered, too garbled to understand. It did kind of sound a bit like Vivi though, with a really bad signal. The static on the line had me frowning. I stood and moved around the locker room, trying for a better signal.
"Vivi? Can you hear me?"
"Elle?" I managed to make out the sound of my name. Shit. Had something happened to her? My heart dropped.
"Hello? Vivi? Is that you?"
The voice responded again, but it was too indistinct.
"You're breaking up. Sorry, hold on."
I moved through the locker room to the back door, pushing it open and kicking the doorstop so it wouldn't latch. Darkness and cool spring air greeted my flushed skin as I emerged into the alley behind the club. "Can you hear me now?" I asked, staring at the opposite wall, frowning. "Vivi?"
The line went dead.
"Shit!" I pulled my phone from my ear and looked down at the number again. What the hell?
The scuff of a shoe made me jerk. I whirled. A hand came over my mouth, muffling my surprised shout. I was pulled against a chest, caged in arms that sent dizziness spiraling through me. "Hello, Elle," said a slithering voice near my ear. I turned rigid, a thousand awful memories rushing back. "Long time no see. Love what you did with your hair, by the way."
"Luke," I gasped. He had found me at last.