No other female would do.
The music changed as I exited the hallway and walked the perimeter of the largest room. We had five rooms to our club, each one playing different music. Different types of people tended to claim the rooms as theirs, but we didn’t put up with any bullying of any kind here.
Fae might all gather in the pink room, but I’d be damned if they harassed a human or a shifter for walking in.
We were neutral ground for all paranormals and humans alike.
“Good night tonight,” I said, nudging Carver, my packmate with my shoulder against his.
“I can tell. Are we at capacity?” he asked, scanning the room as though he could actually get a good count while everyone was dancing and moving around. He couldn’t. I’d tried once and failed.
The lights faded in and out, playing tricks on my eyes. Vamos came in, too. They weren’t allowed to feed on the premises but that didn’t stop some from trying.
That was what Diesel was for. He was our strongman. Our muscle. Also, our best friend. He had a heart of gold and themeanness of a teddy bear, but if someone fucked around at the Astral, they found out by way of Diesel.
“Just under. They are keeping us fifty below, in case the fire marshal stops by.”
The city we lived in was mostly human, but the police and other first responders knew we weren’t the average club. As long as we stayed under the radar of the human laws and kept our permits up to date, they mostly left us alone.
Some other clubs had tried to open up after ours, but they didn’t last because they didn’t play by human rules. We did.
Our club included a laundromat out front, which kept the uninvited from coming in. If humans knew about us, it was because a paranormal friend or mate told them about it and brought them in. We accepted humans here but they weren’t openly invited. Again, balance.
Carver nodded and crossed his arms over his chest. At the same time we were talking, we were watching the crowd. Assessing situations. Monitoring the shadows we were also in. “That’s good. That’s good. Motel is booked up too.”
“I keep thinking that anytime now, the bubble will burst and we’ll hit a snag.”
Carver turned to look at me. “We will. Believe it. Because that’s life. But we’ll get through it as a pack. We save our money. We’re careful. And we own this land outright.”
“Yeah,” I chuckled. “Thanks to your grandfather.”
“It’s pack property now. You know that. Hey, who is Diesel talking to?”
I looked at where Carver ticked his chin and saw Diesel talking to a young woman. I didn’t recognize her, but my wolf howled, demanding I move in that direction.
“Let’s see what’s going on.”
Chapter Three
Josie
Darla dropped me off in the middle of a city. I waved goodbye to her and whirled around, taking everything in. I hadn’t been to many cities. We didn’t have a lot of money, and trips to cities where humans lived wasn’t authorized by the alpha.
Before I got out of the truck, Darla pointed to a motel and said that they would not charge me much or nothing at all if I told them my situation. She’d heard the motel was run by people who used it as a makeshift shelter for anyone looking for a place to refuge.
I shook my head, standing there on the concrete corner, wondering what I’d done to deserve this.
That lasted all of three seconds. No way in hell I was going to act like a victim in my own story. Five seconds, at most.
On the way to the motel, which was only a few blocks away, I crossed the street and for the second time that day, almost got run over. Once by Darla and then by a man who gave me the middle finger and called me a stupid slut. For crossing the road.
The city screamed in my ears. Tires on the road. Talking. Laughing. Horns blowing. The bright lights made me squint. I’d slept in the truck with Darla, but maybe what I needed was a good night’s rest. Hopefully the motel had room. Otherwise, I didn’t know what I was going to do.
“Dammit, Josie. You should’ve prepared for this.”
My aunt and I heard the rumors before last night. I should’ve at least packed a bag and had it in the woods. Stashed the little money from the box under my bed.
Then again, how does one prepare for being trafficked in exchange for fungus. The alpha was so desperate to save his pack from financial demise, he would trade a person for that.
