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“The chef’s special, with a twist,” Callum said without skipping a beat. The man’s smile faltered, and his hazel gaze bounced over us one by one before his jovial mask was back in place.
“Boys, close her up!” he called out. Every single person in the room stood and got to work. In seconds the neon lights flickered out, the lights of the bar dimmed, the shades were drawn, and the door was locked. My hackles raised at that. We were now locked and trapped inside a room full of strangers, and supernatural ones at that.
“We didn’t come for trouble,” Leven warned. “But we can fight back if that’s what you want.”
“No trouble,” the man reassured him. “My name is Colfax. Welcome to the dark side of Philly.” He gave us a sinister grin before he walked to what looked like a plain brick wall. He placed his hand on one faded brick and the wall pushed open with a grating groan of stone shifting.
All of my uneasiness was forgotten as I stepped out into the fading light of Philly. Yet he was right, this was not the Philadelphia we’d just witnessed, it was a whole new world. Leven mentioned hidden cities but I never imagined we’d see one. All of us were gazing around in awe like the tourists we were and I couldn’t find it in me to care.
We were now in a courtyard. The center was a cobblestone square with various outdoor tables and chairs. In the very center rested a stage where a woman was currently playing an acoustic song that filled the night air. As she sang, it looked like stars twinkled around her, filling the space with fluttering orbs of light that changed color with the beat of the music. I wasn’t positive if sirens were even real or not, but I’d wager she was some form of siren with a voice like that. I was captivated from the first note I heard and could barely pull myself away even with someone tugging at my hand.
“You lot didn’t waste any time,” Colfax noted as he yanked me out of the center of the courtyard. I hadn’t even remembered walking and suddenly I was standing right in front of her stage.
“Sorry,” I whispered. The guys looked just as captivated as I was, and Nyx went as far as putting his hands over his ears.
“How can they let that go on?” he gasped. A couple walking by chuckled and shook their heads, muttering about tourists as they went.
“You get used to Madeline. She’s got the voice of an angel and it takes a bit to get a tolerance built up.” He grinned.
“Now, which of you is Garren’s grandson?” he scanned us before landing on Leven. “It’s you. I’d know those eyes anywhere.”
“Thank you for meeting us,” Leven said with a nod of respect. Colfax waved it away and grinned, gesturing wildly at the night around us.
“New friends and a beautiful night? There’s no need for thanks,” he promised. “And I have the information that you seek right here so that business can be out of the way for the night. You can tackle your task in the morning. But… you must follow these instructions precisely.” He was serious as he gave that final warning, hazel eyes flashing enough that we would take heed.
“Noted,” Callum said as he took the envelope from the man’s hand and tucked it into his pocket. The moment it was hidden from view, Colfax was back to his flourishing self.
“Good, good. I hope you find what you seek. And now, enjoy your night wolves, it will be one for memory,” he said as he gave a bow then walked away. The man strutted right back through the brick doorway and the stones shifted automatically behind him like they were attuned to his energy and shifted at his whim. It was an impressive display.
“Now what?” Nyx asked. He lowered his hands finally and breathed a sigh of relief that he didn’t immediately run back and throw himself at Madeline’s feet. And Colfax had been right. The crowd surrounding her seemed entranced but not as completely mind controlled as we had. They still talked amongst themselves and seemed to be functioning.
“The night is ours,” I declared. “And after the stress of traveling, your girl needs a drink.”
“And dancing?” Callum asked excitedly. His dimples were on full display as he grinned down at me with a head tilt, shifting my attention to a nightclub across the courtyard. The music only drifted out when the doors opened and the small glimpse inside had my body tensing. Callum’s smile fell at my reaction and he winced. “Shit. I’m such an idiot. Scratch that idea.”
“No,” I said defiantly. “My sister isn’t even dead, that was a lie. Yes, she was taken but that’s exactly why we are here in Philadelphia. So I refuse to let that hold me back from things like this. I’m stronger than that.”
Callum’s grin was back at my words, and he even looked a little proud. That made me happier than it should have. The guys were so supportive of me.
“And it’s a supernatural bar,” Leven said. “It’s been a hell of a long time since I’ve felt a buzz.”
“Didn’t you have to take down a whole bottle of tequila last time?” I joked. He was a big wolf and it would take me almost as much to hit a decent level of tipsiness.
“Three,” he confirmed my suspicions. “But to be fair it was the night we left my pack.”
I purposefully let Nyx and Callum step ahead of us so I could wrap my hand around Leven’s.
“Was it on bad terms?” I asked. Generally I wouldn’t but Leven rarely brought up his past and I was never one for prying too much. They’d share their lives and pasts with me at their own pace and I’d respect that.
He laughed darkly and ran his free hand over his hair. “You could say that. My grandma had died, and it was like that was all dad needed to change. He was volatile on his good days, downright monstrous on his worst. If he wasn’t starting a fight somewhere in the pack, he was making us miserable. That night was the evening before the full moon and it had him even more on edge. I talked of wanting to settle and he berated me. Awful words about my personality, my size, anything he could grab onto and use as a weapon. Grandpa stepped in and he hit him. Mother pulled him away and babbled excuses. So Garren and I left. He handed title of Alpha over to his second in command and we left the pack.”
“I’m sorry, that had to be tough,” I said gently. Callum and Nyx had gone inside so we lingered near the door, glancing out over the courtyard as we talked.
“I got to see a lot of the scenery of the world as a nomad. But settling was something I wanted to do. I needed the community of a pack like the Bluff Pack, I needed an alpha like Callum to make me stronger,” he explained. Despite the heaviness of our conversation, Leven seemed relaxed as he spoke. His green eyes were miles away and a soft smile danced across his lips. “We ran into him in Dixon. Our pack was about an hour away and we scented wolves. It was supposed to be a quick introduction but the moment Garren saw the land and Callum, he said ‘this is it’ and we asked to join the pack.”
“Was it the mansions?” I teased.
“They were not quite so pretty back then.” He laughed. “They’d stopped development about halfway. We had to build walls, plant grass, finish frames, the works. But that only made it feel more like home.”
