She always moved as if the world were inviting her forward. She knew the dangers but refused to let them shape her. I was both her gift and her curse.
Next to her, I felt like an uncut gem, dull and dark. Black hair tipped red. Ripped jeans. Fitted black shirt with sheer sleeves. Roses inked down my right arm, their thorns winding between petals in warning.
Lark was bubbly, where I was skeptical. She was excited whereas I was cautious. She was always the life of the party, and I was the one looking after her to make sure she didn't get into too much trouble. She also had a special knack for attracting the wrongsort of men, and I was the friend that avoided the opposite sex like the plague.
If they were humans who ended up in this district, they didn't want another human like me. They just wanted something magical and dangerous for the night. If they were supes, they always treated me like a second-class citizen or tried to get me to sign some kind of exclusive contract for my life essence, pieces of my soul, or my blood.
Alto’s first rule: never sign anything, and I never did.
Lark squeezed my arm. “Nathan’s waiting at the entrance.” Her gaze dropped to my blue mechanic’s jumpsuit. Her nose wrinkled. “You’re changing, right?”
I sighed and tugged the zipper down.
The jumpsuit fell open to reveal my jeans and black top underneath. The boots stayed.
Peeling off the uniform, I tossed it onto the workbench before spinning around, arms out. “Well? Is this okay to grace your presence?”
She laughed and grabbed my hand. “You look hot. It’s the resting bitch face that turns men away.”
I snagged my keys from the pegboard then slid my ID and folded cash into my back pocket with a shrug. I didn't mind if they left me alone.
She tugged me toward the backdoor, already half outside.
“You know that’s the point,” I told her, locking up behind us as the shop lights dimmed and the hum of cooling engines faded into the night. “Where we going tonight? Monarch? Fangtasia?”Both clubs were human friendly, and the bouncers would enforce human safety.
Her smile shined brightly as she said, “Nope!” She booped my nose, sliding around me as she sang out, “We're going to the Track to watch a race.”
My eyes doubled just as my mouth fell open. The Track? In the deep crevices of my heart, I'd always wanted to go. Hell, I’d even thought about trying to sneak in just to look at the type of machines the uber rich had. Then I remembered that it was a supe-only location, and messing with the wrong supe could get you dead.
“Lark, I don't think we shou?—”
Her hand slapped over my mouth.
“Via,” she groaned, her voice dropping into a plea. “Please. Just enjoy tonight. I got everything taken care of. Nathan’s going to be with us, so calm down.”
I pulled her hand away and gave her a flat look.
Enjoy? At an underground track event crawling with rich purebred supes? Beings who could break both my legs for just standing too close to them?
Sure. That soundedrealsmart.
My bottom lip caught between my teeth as the voice I usually tried to ignore whispered again,But how often does an opportunity like this come along?
I knew the answer. Never.
“Come on, Via.” She held open the door to the cab, gesturing for me to go in.
Familiar thoughts circled my brain.It's too dangerous. Alto needs me. I don't have time to play around with nepo supes. Everything I see tonight I can see on the computer.
I dropped my gaze to my hands, my thumb slowly dragging over my fingertips. A faint phantom buzz clung to them—the leftover residue of magic from the parts I’d just installed.
What if I could watch mages work on cars in real-time instead of piecing it together through videos or taking Alto’s word for it?
The thought coiled in my chest, quiet at first, then sharper. Curiosity stretched its claws, the need to know swelling until it began to crowd out the fear.
“This is your birthday gift from me!” Lark blurted.
Her gaze dropped, and her bottom lip pushed out in that pathetic little pout.
