“Not very welcoming,” Aeri muttered.
I frowned and strode up to it. “There’s no door handle.”
“But there is a little hatch.” Aeri pointed to a tiny hatch set into the door, just above our eye level. “Should we knock?”
“What if there is a fancy knock we have to do and we screw it up and they know we’re not regulars? Or invited?”
“Good point.” She frowned, then pointed to the middle of the door. “Is that stain what I think it is?”
I peered at it, then nodded. “Definitely blood.”
“Then you know what to do, fairy lady.”
I smirked at her, then sliced my fingertip and pressed the bloody tip to the door, trying not to think about how gross it was.
Nothing happened.
I glanced at Aeri. “You try.”
She shrugged and cut her finger, then pressed it to the door.
The little hatch on the door slid open, and she yanked her hand back. My gaze flew up to the hatch, meeting a pair of black eyes.
“What do you want?”
“A drink.” Aeri glared. “I suggest you let us in if you don’t wish to face our wrath.”
I let loose with a bit of my magical signature, and Aeri did the same. It was the supernatural version of flexing your muscles, and it worked.
The eyes darted left and right, then the door creaked and swung open.
Aeri and I shared a glance.
Well, that had worked. And apparently Penriel wasn’t a fan of the Fae, since her blood had worked and mine had not.
I stepped toward the door. The scent of the forest and a rushing river flowed out. Despite the welcoming sounds, the corridor within was dark and creepy.
“Definite creep vibes,” Aeri muttered.
“Perfect,” I said wryly. “Penriel is a weirdo.”
2
I stepped into the darkened corridor, dodging to avoid the hulking guard. Aeri followed.
A narrow stream burbled by on the right, rushing over rocks and flowing into a gap in the floor near the door. Tree branches arced overhead, full of black birds that stared down with red eyes.
“Don’t move too fast or they’ll attack,” the guard grumbled. He wore a dark uniform that allowed him to blend into the corridor easily.
“Noted.” I eyed them warily, determined not to incite their ire.
The bird closest to me cocked its head and cawed. I smiled, reaching up slowly to let it sniff at my fingers.
Could birds even smell?
The little creature pecked at my fingertips, clearly curious.
“Be careful…” the guard rumbled.
I wasn’t sure what I was doing exactly, but we needed these birds to like us. If things went south in here and we had to make a run for it, I didn’t want these cute little bastards pecking at my eyes.
“Hang on, buddy.” I reached into my pocket and withdrew a few of the butterscotch candies I always kept on hand. I raised the handful to the bird, who took one.
Satisfied, the bird hopped to the side and chirped at me.
A few others came over and took the rest of the sweets.
“Thanks, guys.” I strode under his branch, gratified that he didn’t shit on me. “There’s more where that came from.”
The corridor ahead was long and narrow, forcing us into single file. The little river to my right widened as we neared the main entrance of the bar, splitting to enter the larger room and flow around the edges. A small bridge arced over it, and I strode across.
Aeri joined me on the bridge, which was wide enough for two, and we entered the dark underground bar side by side. The space was filled with comfortable chairs upholstered in green velvet. The river circled the entire space, filling the room with the scent of fresh water.
“This is nice. Places like this normally reek of booze,” I muttered.
“And vomit,” Aeri said. “But not for the Fae, apparently.”
“Even their underground dive bars are fancy.”
Trees were scattered throughout the space, dotted between the chairs and couches and reaching over them with their limbs. It gave the feel of being in an underground forest. Faerie lights sparkled against the ceiling, coalescing in greater numbers near the long bar at the back. It appeared to be made of one massive tree trunk that had been smoothed off at the top.
The bartender looked human. I frowned.
“Weird,” Aeri said. “I expected a Fae. Don’t they tend to stick together?”
“They do, but Penriel is without a court.”
Aeri shrugged. “Makes sense, then, I guess.”
A few faces turned to watch us approach the bar. Most people sat in the comfy green chairs, chatting in quiet voices over drinks that gleamed golden.
“Shifter, witch, vampire, and demon,” I murmured to Aeri, taking stock of the clientele. “Not a single Fae.”
“Maybe I should do the talking, then,” Aeri said. “Since he doesn’t like your kind.”
“Good plan.” I’d never thought of myself as being particularly Fae-looking, but better safe than sorry.
We stopped in front of the bar.
The guy behind it looked up, a bottle of Buckfast in his hand. I grimaced at the sight of the fortified, caffeinated wine.
“What can I get you?” he asked.
“Two glasses of wine, please,” Aeri said.
We rarely drank wine—preferring Manhattans and martinis—but at least it was low alcohol.
He raised the bottle of Buckfast. “This will do?”
“Not exactly what I was thinking,” Aeri said.
I grimaced. Buckfast was made at an abbey in England near where Claire had been born. She’d brought us a bottle of the awful stuff once, and I’d vowed to never drink it again.
“How about a white.” Aeri gave him her best smile.
“Suit yourself.” He shrugged and turned back to the shelves of liquor.
I leaned against the bar, turning to inspect the room around us. The other patrons had turned back to their conversations, leaving us in a dark little bubble. On the left wall, I spotted a small dark door.
I called upon my Seeker sense, asking it to find Penriel. As I’d expected, it tugged hard toward the door.
Subtly, I pointed to it. “That leads to Penriel.”
“I’ll take care of this guy,” Aeri murmured.
He returned with our glasses and set them on the counter. I caught sight of Aeri slicing her index finger with her sharp thumbnail.
“Thanks, handsome,” she purred, leaning over the bar to get closer to him.
He leaned toward her, the grin already spreading across his face.
“So, you’re not from around here?” he asked, his Glaswegian accent thick.
“What gave it away?”
“Well, your accent, for—”
Before he could finish the sentence, she swiped out and smeared a bit of her white blood over his forehead. Her magic flared briefly, and her voice filled with suggestive power. “Take us though the black door.”
He blinked, his eyes going unfocused.
I frowned.
The bartender stood stock-still, seeming dumbstruck. Or frozen.
Aeri leaned back. “Well, shit.”
“You broke him.” His eyes looked hazy and strange.
Gently, Aeri poked him in the chest. He didn’t so much as move. “Damn it. I didn’t see that coming.”