Chapter 2
TWO
ATLAS
As we walk down the damp street, I keep my eyes peeled for any sign of Rune.
Roman led us here to New Haven based on the scent he picked up.
The atmosphere around us is bustling, the street filled with people flowing in and out of restaurants and bars, and the mood is light.
On any other evening, it looks like it would be a fun place to let off some steam, but there’s no way I can relax until I shake this anxious feeling inside me.
“That place looks cool,” Mac says, pointing to a nightclub with heavy, pulsing music filtering from the windows and doors. “Any chance Rune is in there?”
Roman shakes his head as quickly as I do. “No scent there,” he says.
We travel another block and my chest suddenly tightens, my feet carrying me down the sidewalk automatically. I look to my left, catching the club name, Full Moon, and get the strong sense that Rune is there. Or was there.
“This place again?” Drax says with a hint of excitement before it’s replaced with a wary look. “Could be a distraction.”
“He’s here,” I whisper. “Or was recently. Do you agree, Roman?”
Roman sniffs the air and nods. “Definitely. Let’s go inside.”
It being a weeknight, we’re able to enter the bar quickly and navigate through the small crowd.
The deeper inside the bar we get, the stronger the sensation rippling through me.
I still have no idea where such a strong connection with Rune originated, but I am sure that it’s beneficial right now. He needs help. I’m positive about that.
The scent of pheromones and sweat tickles my nose, but not enough to distract me from the mission. There’s a line at the bar with only one bartender making all the drinks, so we wait patiently while I glance around, looking for any sign of Rune.
“Dammit,” Roman mutters, twitching slightly. “I don’t need this right now.”
“Need what?”
He rubs his forehead, shaking his head. “Someone smells amazing in here. Like the best thing I’ve ever smelled.” He sniffs the air. “Fucking heaven.”
I sniff the air, but all I get is a mixture of alcohol, sweat, and old furniture. “You gonna be okay?”
Roman nods, clearing his throat. “I’m focused.”
“I mean, I can probably handle the bartender if you need a few minutes.”
He flashes me a strained smile. “I’m good.”
“Okay.”
Cassius, Drax, and Mac did a quick once around, checking for any signs of Rune before returning without news when we finally make it up to the bar. The bartender, a beefy bear type with a long beard and thick eyebrows, turns on a smile.
“What can I get you guys?”
I lean on the bar. “Hey, were you working the last few nights?”
The bartender nods. “I work most nights. What’s up?”
“We’re looking for someone.”
Roman taps my arm. “He was here recently.” He bends his head and sniffs at the bar top. “Today or yesterday. I can still get a whiff of his magic.”
I nod, turning my attention back to the bartender. “Sorry, what’s your name?” I ask, trying to keep my tone friendly in spite of the excitement and worry mingling in my gut. I was right, he was here, but finding out where Rune was is only half the battle. He’s in danger and I need to find him.
“Jasper,” he says, extending his hand.
I shake it and give him a tight smile. “So, you were working yesterday then?”
Jasper starts to nod, but then he pauses. “Um…” His eyelids flutter like he can’t quite remember. “I was supposed to. Let me check my schedule. I’m sure that I was, but all the sudden I’m having a hard time recalling.”
Roman, Cassius, and I exchange glances while Jasper pulls out his phone and taps on his screen.
“Yep, I was scheduled from eight to close. I was a pixie.”
“What?” Mac asks.
“Shapeshifter,” he explains with a crooked grin. “Tuesdays are pixie night. The patrons love it.” His brow creases. “But yeah, my calendar says I was here.”
“But you don’t remember working?” I ask.
Jasper tilts his head. “I remember clocking in and washing some glasses. Then it got busy quickly and…” He shrugs. “It’s hazy after that. I don’t even remember going home.”
He turns and picks up a book that was tucked beside the register. As he flips the pages, my mind runs through several scenarios. Did he try to do something to Rune and Rune did one of his disappearing acts? Or was it something worse?
“Yeah.” Jasper taps the book. “I worked last night. This is my writing in the sales book. I just don’t remember anything.”
“I have an idea.” Cassius steps forward. “If you wouldn’t mind a nominal donation, I can check your blood.”
“For?”
“I think you’ve been drugged.”
Jasper opens his mouth but snaps it shut before nodding. “Yeah, okay. Not too much though. The last vamp who took a bite out of me left me dizzy for hours.”
“Just a taste.”
“Let me come around the bar.”
“Where you going, man?” a customer complains. I can tell she’s a fae from her pink hair and pointed ears—and, of course, the barely there glimmer of light around her head—and you definitely don’t want to piss one of them off.
“Just a minute,” Jasper says. “Promise.”
Jasper steps closer to Cassius while the rest of us crowd around him. Drax, the sweet demon, smiles to comfort Jasper.
“We’re just helping.”
Jasper nods. “Okay.”
Cassius lifts Jaspers’s heavily tattooed arm and drags his nose along his skin. “This will work fine. You’re a juicy one.”
“Cas, dude,” Mac complains.
Cassius ignores the comment, instead tilting his head back as his fangs drop.
I’ll never stop being fascinated by the vampire.
Unlike the rest of us—excluding Drax, of course—our physical transformations when we shift are noticeable, but vampires look like everyone else if you’re not paying attention to the glowing eyes, long, sharp nails, and the deadly fangs.
He lifts Jasper’s wrist to his mouth and sinks his teeth in. The bartender hisses in pain, but it’s only a few seconds before his body slumps against Roman. A dopey smile spreads on his face, and his eyelids grow heavy.
Cassius, true to his word, doesn’t indulge, and he pulls off the bartender quickly enough, snaking his tongue along the two bloody pinpricks left on the bartender’s skin. The droplets of blood cling to Cas’s tongue, and the wound heals instantly, thanks to the vampire venom.
Roman gently smacks Jasper’s face to snap him out of the vampire’s thrall.
He startles, standing straight up and clearing his throat. “Well?”
“You weren’t drugged,” Cassius says. “It’s worse than that. You were spellbound.”
Jasper looks confused for a second, then angry. “Spellbound? That’s against the rules. Who the fuck did that?”
“I can’t tell, but the magic still lingers in your blood. That must be why you can’t remember what happened last night.” He glances at me. “The magic is dark in nature.”
“That’s not allowed,” Jasper mutters again, somewhat deflated and sounding tired. “What did I do while I was under a spell?”
Looking up, I notice a blinking red light above the bar. “Is that a camera?”
Jasper’s expression lightens. “It is. I’ll have to ask Aneska to look at it.”
“Who is Aneska?” Mac asks.
“She manages the bar. She must not have noticed anything off about me last night, so hopefully I didn’t cause too much trouble. I just can’t imagine why someone would do that to me.”
“Can you ask Aneska, please?” I ask, my heart pounding now. “We’re looking for someone and we’re pretty sure he was here last night.”
“What’s the name?”
“Rune.”
Jasper’s eyes glaze over as soon as the word is out of my mouth, and he sways.
“Shit,” Cassius mutters. “I think the magic was aimed at Rune.”
“If they used a bartender,” Mac says, turning to me, “maybe Rune was drugged.”
My stomach twists unpleasantly. “We need to know.” I shake the bartender. “Jasper, are you okay?”
He visibly shivers, blinking rapidly. “What the hell was that?”
“Rune,” Drax says, closer to Jasper’s ear, and sure enough, he has the same reaction until I say his name again.
“I need to get back to the bar.” Jasper sounds shaky now.
“Aneska?”
“What about her?”
“We need to see footage from last night when you were spellbound,” I explain. “Remember?”
“Oh.” He shakes his head like he’s trying to clear it, then nods. “Yeah. One second.”
Jasper hurries behind the bar, lifting a phone and speaking into it, then he focuses on the several customers waiting for drinks.
A few minutes later, a woman appears in front of us. She’s very tall, with pale skin, visible veins in her face and neck, large black eyes, and long, dark hair. She’s got vampire written all over her, and she’s pretty damn intimidating, even to me.
Cassius steps forward, greeting his fellow vampire. “Aneska, I presume?”
“Yes. Jasper said there was a problem last night?”
“Potentially,” Cassius says. “He was spellbound and the magic lingers in his blood.”
Aneska’s eyes flash bright red. “That is against the rules. I need to know who did it so they can be banned from the club.”
“We need to know too,” I mutter darkly. “We think a friend got hurt,” I add, nodding towards the camera. “Any chance you have the footage from last night?”
She studies me for a moment before turning back to Cassius. “You won’t cause harm to Jasper or the club?”
“No,” Cassius says. “We know it wasn’t his fault, whatever happened. You can check his blood yourself.”
“I believe you,” she says. “Come along.”
We follow the vampire through the club and into the back, where the offices are. Just a minute later, Jasper joins us.
“I got Kareem to watch the bar for a few minutes,” Jasper says to Aneska.
She nods. “Very good.”
We hang back while Aneska sits at a computer and clicks some keys. A recording of the bar appears on one of the screens, rewinding until she stops it.
A petite woman with pink hair appears behind the bar, smiling and chatting with customers. “That’s me,” Jasper confirms.
“Fascinating,” I mumble.