Not Full Fae, But Close

From my vampire story "Trancing Miranda" Scene 1: The Black Goddess

It was the first time Nick Markovich had been to the Black Goddess in over ten years, but it was exactly as he remembered it. Same bundled barbed wire over the bar, same beat up black walls, same crowd.

Hungry half-breed vampires, nervous tourists and the inevitable throng of donors. The donors were mostly female. Vulnerable, desperate women with scarred up necks and short black skirts. Just like the redhead at the other end of the bar.

She wasn’t his type, or even close. She was too lean and too tall, and her hair was orange instead of auburn—but it wasn’t her appearance that got his attention. It was her blood. He’d sensed it the moment she walked in the door.

She was fae. Not full fae, but close.

The fae had become increasingly rare over the last couple of centuries, and full-blooded fae were rarer still. Not many Immortali could sense them.

Nick could.

The girl ordered a glass of absinthe and a side of ice water and set the drink up herself, pouring the cold water slowly over the sugar and spoon as the bright green liquid turned from clear to cloudy. Then she picked up the drink and turned away from the bar.

Nicked watched as the fae girl found a seat in the back, pulled out her phone, and started to text. On a narrow table just a few feet away, an over-sized statue of Kali glared blindly into the crowd.

Kali was painted in bright carnival colors, the paint strange and shiny in the light of a dozen flickering candles. A necklace of tiny white monkey skulls hung from her neck. At her feet, a brass bowl was piled high with fruit and money.

The girl put down the phone and scanned. It was obvious she was looking for someone.

Read the next scene below!

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From my upcoming novel Trancing Miranda © 2024 Barbara Graver, All rights reserved