Chapter 7

Stella

Irushed through the streets of the Crossroads. The people around me gave me a wide berth, their eyes quickly averting as I passed. It was no surprise. They knew who I was and, more importantly, who I worked for.

Uziah was a name that commanded respect and obedience in No Man"s Land. As one of his top earners, I was inextricably linked to his power and influence. No one in their right mind would dare cross him, and by extension, no one would even think of crossing in front of me when I clearly had somewhere I wanted to be.

There was another reason they might be averting their gazes. The legacy of my mother cast a shadow over me. My mother had been a seer, one who had glimpsed the shrouded veil of death itself. Her abilities were both revered and feared, as she had foreseen the assaults and deaths of countless individuals. My own skills were different. They didn"t involve foreseeing death or the cause of harm. Yet the whispers and hushed conversations that followed me hinted at a lingering unease.

She"d seen my father"s death. She"d seen hers, too. She"d known it would be in the Crossroads. I"d resented her for coming here. If she"d stayed away, maybe she would still be alive. But I knew better than anyone that you couldn"t control the future.

What no one knew, not even me, was the secret I carried within me. I was part shifter, a fact hidden even from myself. The animal within me remained a mystery, dormant and concealed. It was a secret I guarded fiercely, knowing that it held the key to a part of my identity I had yet to discover. I doubted I ever would know more about the cat that chose to stay asleep inside of me.

Pushing those thoughts aside, I continued to navigate the streets toward Bite Me. The layers of secrecy and power that surrounded me were like a cloak, one I wore with a mixture of pride and trepidation. In the Crossroads, I was both a pawn and a player in a game I was only beginning to understand. Much like the vision that had propelled me out of my comfy recliner this morning.

I knew that Uziah was a violent man. He was a vampire, after all. I knew the organization that he ran was not tea and roses. People got bloody, and not just for meals. Ken had come home plenty of nights with bruised fists and split lips. But he had always been the one delivering the blows. In my vision, he"d been at the mercy of Uziah.

The problem was, Uziah was not known for his mercy.

The air around me crackled with an unsettling tension as I turned the last corner that would take me to the club. A sense of unease had settled over me. I couldn"t shake the feeling that I was being followed. It was absurd, really. Who would dare to mess with me, knowing my connection to Uziah and my unique abilities?

I looked up at the sky. Today"s forecast had called for sun. That had been predicted by a fae. Fairies were in tuned with the natural world. They didn"t get their predictions wrong. However, those were definitely dark clouds forming in the skies. They reminded me of the vision I"d had before going to bed last night, the one where I saw darkness and destruction all around.

Part of me wondered if I was losing my mind. Or maybe if it was unlocking other powers. I was my mother"s daughter, after all.

Even if the world was ending, I decided I wanted to save my ex-boyfriend. Not because I wanted to get back together with him. Probably.

The prickles at the back of my neck persisted, like a warning from some instinct buried deep within me. I couldn"t ignore it. With a cautious glance over my shoulder, I scanned the shadows for any signs of an unwelcome presence. The street behind me appeared ordinary, with the same old rundown people trying to make it through another day, just like any other day in the Crossroads.

I quickened my pace. Just across the street was the club. Bite Me was illuminated in red letters. The exterior a vivid play of black and red that pulsed with an energy of its own. It was as if the very walls were alive. The red hues flowed like blood in a mesmerizing waterfall effect. Even in its dormant state of being closed, the building exuded a magnetic pull, an allure that was almost palpable, drawing people"s eyes and making them swerve toward the club like moths wanting the burn of a vampire"s bite.

Guarding the entrance were two imposing figures, bouncers with muscles that bulged against their tight shirts. They were the gatekeepers to Uziah"s haven, a clear sign that not just anyone was welcome beyond the threshold. They recognized me, and without a word, they stepped aside to let me pass.

Stepping into the dimly lit interior, I was greeted not by the thumping bass of the music. Instead, it was a thud of fists. And then, as if confirming the vision I had seen in my head, there he was.

Uziah was the epitome of power and danger, cloaked in a suit as black as the night. Every piece of his attire, from the tie that hung around his neck to the shoes on his feet absorbed the light, making him a void in the vibrant chaos of the club.

It wasn"t just his attire that commanded attention; it was those eyes, crimson orbs that burned with an intensity that was unnatural. They were framed by a mane of salt-and-pepper hair that cascaded down to his broad shoulders, giving him an air of distinguished menace. His bushy eyebrows and full mustache only added to the morally black image he presented.

There was blood on his knuckles. He was looking down on the floor as though there was a cockroach that had dared cross his marbled floors. But it wasn"t a cockroach.

"What did I tell you about Stella?" Uziah growled.

"You told me to take care of her." Ken looked entirely cowed, his face drained of color as he shielded his head from his maker.

"Is this what you call taking care of her? Sticking your dick in another woman?"

"Sorry, boss."

As I watched, a wave of conflicting emotions washed over me. There was anger at Ken for betraying me, a sense of justice in seeing him held accountable, and a deep yearning for a love that had once been.

"I trusted you with her." Uziah grabbed Ken by the neck with one hand and hauled him up to his feet as though he weighed less than a teddy bear.

"You know how my girl gets when she feels neglected. Peaches gets antsy when I don"t give it to her regularly."

Peaches? That was the name of the girl he"d been fucking the other day.

"You need to keep your girlfriend on a tighter leash, then. Stella is too important."

My head was spinning. I was Ken"s girlfriend. Or I had been. He"d been cheating on me with Peaches. Not the other way around. Right?

"I know I screwed up." Ken licked at the blood on his split lip. It was already healing. "I"ll win Stella back. I always do. She"s so fucking desperate for dick."

"See that you do. I can"t have my cash cow not giving up the milk. That woman"s power is making us money."

"I won"t screw up again. I know my job: keep Stella happy so the predictions keep coming."

"Either you do it or I"ll get someone else. She"s due for an upgrade, anyway."

"I"m the upgrade. Allan couldn"t hack it."

Allan was my last boyfriend. He"d cheated on me, too. That breakup had been brutal. He"d also worked for Uziah. But Allan had been reassigned to another sector, and I hadn"t had to see him again.

"I told you I can handle this. Keeping Stella happy comes with a promotion. I"ve earned a new rank. I"m ready for it, and I"ll prove it. I"ll eat her out every day until she"s seeing stars."

"I don"t need her to see stars," said Uziah. "I just want her to see the future so?—"

He turned. I wasn"t sure if it was because of my gasp. I had been holding my breath for so long that I was surprised I hadn"t fainted.

"Fuck," sighed Uziah. "Stella, it"s not what it looks like."

Really? Because what it looked like was I was being fucked over by every man I"d ever thought cared about me in this godforsaken place. And each time I"d caught them with their pants down, they"d blamed my eyesight. If someone said those words to me again, I was going to scream. Instead, I turned on my heel and ran.

"Grab her!"