4. Pike

Chapter 4

Pike

One nice thing about a small country town is the sky at night. Stars twinkle in the dark sky and I hide in the shadows as I lurk.

For the last several days and nights, I staked out the parking lot and surrounding area of this Flutter place in the human realm. I'm not sure what the appeal is. The building is a boring warehouse type. I'm baffled why Hex needs a strip club, or is this a nightclub? Like the rest of Hex, there's a large number of born witches, other demon types, shifters of all sorts, and a few rare vampires that frequent Flutter. With the vampires, I have to wonder why this Drake guy tied himself to Trick if he was looking for immortality. He could have just paid someone to change him and be done with it.

So far, Trick is always listed as the headliner on the sign out front. My imagination goes wild on what they have him wear. But that's not why I'm here. The first person to summon me in two decades needs help, and I'll be damned if I can't. The thought makes me chuckle. I'm already damned. As long as my crossroads exists, I'm bound to it. Not that it's been too bad, but I'm only thirty-five. I can't imagine doing this for hundreds or even thousands of years. I doubt Hex will exist in thousands of years, though.

Flutter's parking lot is at least nicely paved. Tonight, I plan on infiltrating the place to scope out the inside, but I don't want to go alone. I teleport back home, where Frankie, my hellhound, greets me with a lick, burning my chin with her lava like saliva.

I rub her flaming ears. "I missed you too, girl." Even though it was less than an hour this time.

Frankie looks like a Doberman from the human realm. Well, a giant Doberman. Real Dobermans aren't as big as Frankie. She comes to at least my chest, and I'm damn tall is all I'll say. Blue flames lick at her curled tail and pointed ears. We don't dock our dogs, but she was born with the signature cropped ears of the human realm's Dobermans. She wears a bright pink harness that she picked out herself. And because I don't like scratching up the hardwood of my house, she has pink nail caps. Again, her choice.

"Come on, let's bother Van." I wave my hand in the air with Van in mind to open a communication portal. The air in front of me shimmers. I turn away for the bright flash so I'm not blinded and when I face the portal, there's Van pumping away into whoever took him up on the offer to fuck today.

I'm not surprised when the slaps of flesh hit my ears before Van's primal grunts. "Kinda in the middle of something." He doesn't stop. He never stops, which I don't mind the show. "Unless you wanna join?" Van looks down to his partner of the moment and they moan out a yes.

"Not today. Can you pop over when you're done?"

"Sure will!" Van gives me a grin and I release the portal.

"Well, just you and me for a little while." I rub Frankie's head and plop on my couch.

I never joined Van in his sexcapades. While I have a high sex drive, I don't have this primal need . Van is on a whole other level of need. He gets desperate and finds as many partners as he can in a night sometimes. Though if I think about it, something always happens with Poe, the king of crossroads demons, and that's what sets Van off. I don't judge my best friend.

Bookshelves line my walls, but nothing sounds good, so I stare into nothingness as I pet Frankie.

Trick said he's been Drake's prisoner for a decade. I can't imagine being sucked away from everyone you know without a way back. While my existence is lonely compared to other crossroads demons, I otherwise enjoy my life in the demon realm. I have Frankie and Van. Van doesn't treat me differently because my one and only crossroads deal came with a soul. The first soul for a demon of any type in over two centuries. Poe basically told me I can retire in a way. Of course, I still have my crossroads. That won't change unless someone destroys it and takes away my curse. But I don't have a quota of deals to meet every month. I don't get punished for not drawing people to my crossroads. I'm practically crossroads royalty. Which means everyone hates me in the demon realm. Everyone but Van, his brother Warwick, Frankie, and I guess Poe.

"Why so glum, sugarplum?" Van's voice pulls me out of my thoughts.

"Just thinking."

"That's dangerous, you know." He pats Frankie's bottom to get her to move, then plops on the side opposite of me.

Where I have tanned skin with red that gets progressively darker, like from my forearms to my fingertips, Van is blue. His horns are shiny black, like his eyes. He glamors away his wings. Sometimes I'm jealous he has wings, but then I realize how much of a pain they must be. His tail has a barb on the end, meaning he can't have fun times with it like I can, but it doesn't seem to stop him from getting freaky with it, anyway.

"Want to come to a strip club with me?" I ask.

"What kind of strip club? You know I'm not into tits." He crosses his arms and leans back. His grin tells me he's already interested.

"Honestly, I don't know." I wipe my hand down my face, still haven't told him about Trick. "I got summoned the other day."

Van sits up and Frankie's ears perk at the same time.

"I didn't want to say anything yet."

"What was the deal for?" Van practically drools, waiting for my answer.

"There wasn't one."

Frankie tips her head at the same time Van scrunches his face.

"What do you mean there wasn't any deal? What the?—"

I raise a hand. "When I teleported into the circle, there was a Fae. He wanted me to take him back home to the Fae realm, but he has a soul tether. Besides, he wanted to exchange his virginity for a ride home. I couldn't."

Van pushes to his feet and paces in front of me. "Why the fuck not? You could have fucked him, sent him home, and not worried about the consequences because you'd done exactly as he'd bargained."

"Fae don't hold value in virginity. It would have been empty."

"You can afford empty bargains. You have a soul ." Van's black eyes flick over me. "You really didn't just take the job?"

"Seems my morals are a little different from yours." I lean back and Frankie puts her head in my lap. "I told him I'd find him and help him break the soul tether, then send him home. That we'd negotiate a proper sacrifice later."

"You are a fool, Pike. This little Fae is going to trick you into something. Don't trust him."

I shake my head. "I don't think he has it in him for tricks." A little smile pulls at my lips. "He said to call him Trick."

"See! He's already told you that you can't trust him. His name is Trick, of all things!"

"I don't think that's his real name. He's Fae."

Van rolls his eyes. "I guess this Trick is at the strip club?"

"Yeah, that's where he's held captive. Drake?—"

"Oh, fuck. He's with Drake Speller? That's bad news. Bad bad news."

"I haven't heard."

"That's because you venture into the human realm less than I do. Everyone knows Drake runs Hex with an iron fist. Sure, it's mostly peaceful for everyone involved, but if something or someone pisses him off, you don't hear from them again. Demon kind included."

Frankie and I both swallow as she nuzzles closer. "Don't worry, my sweet girl, nothing is going to happen to me." I look up at Van. "But you're in, right?"

Van snorts as he drops back onto the couch. "Of course I'm in. I need to see this Fae you've decided to help. And if I get to see some jockstraps, who am I to complain?"

"Thought so. If you're ready, so am I." I push to my feet.

"Mind if we invite Warwick? He's still…" Van scratches the back of his neck. "I'm worried about him. Ethan's been gone for years , but Wick refuses to believe the boy ran away scared when things came down to the wire."

"You ever meet Ethan?"

"Once. Thought he was a figment of Wicky's imagination for years. I'm half convinced the born witch put a spell on my brother." Van's tail wiggles as he fists his hand. "If I ever see that boy?—"

"He'll be an adult now."

"Right, which means wanting to break his neck for breaking my brother's heart more acceptable."

I snort as I clip the leash to Frankie's harness. "Invite him, could be a fun family outing. Haven't seen Wick in a while."

"That's because he's all mopey and won't move the fuck on." Van waves his hand in front of him. We both brace ourselves for the flash before the communication portal opens.

Warwick sits at a bar with a half-empty glass of flaming HellFire in front of him. He looks a lot like Van, but not exactly. For one, Warwick is about ten years younger and much cuter. They both share the same dark blue against tanned human skin. Horns and tails are the same shape, but I know Van's wings are more batlike while Wick's are more avian with blue feathers. There's speculation Warwick's dad is an angel, but his mother has never confirmed the rumor. Not that anyone in the demon realm gives two fucks.

"What?" Warwick huffs out, but he seems to perk up when he notices Frankie. "Aw, hi, girl. How are you today?"

Frankie's tail wags so hard and she tries to jump into the portal for pets.

"Hey, Wick," I say. "Wanna come to a strip club with us?"

Warwick cocks a brow. "I'll pass," he says in such a dead tone.

Van's shoulders drop. "I'm sure they'll have HellFire there. What if Ethan's there? He could have been here the whole time and you never would have known it because you just go to that bar." Van throws his hand toward the portal as if to point to the bar itself.

"It's good HellFire."

"Pleaaassseeee. For Frankie?" I'm not above begging.

"Okay, for Frankie." Wick grabs his glass and slams it back. Before the glass even hits the counter, he's in my living room with his hands already rubbing Frankie down. "You're a good girl, yes you are." He looks at me. "Where are we going? Why are we going?"

Van clamps a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Let me tell you what this dumb fuck did."

When we get to Flutter, there's a bouncer at the door that smells vaguely of wolf, but I can't tell if it's shifter or were. They both have the tangy natural scent of earth and magic, and I never mastered the difference. Frankie doesn't growl, so there's nothing weird about them. They give us an up down, then tip their chin toward the door.

"Mmmm would not mind giving them a fun time later tonight," Van says, because of course he does. There's a snort behind us, then the door snicks closed.

"Thank fuck," Warwick breathes out. "I was afraid I'd have to take tiny breaths all night long." The air is blissfully unperfumed. Thank fuck in deed. Even Frankie huffs out some appreciation.

In front of us spans a room I still can't determine whether it's a nightclub or strip joint. There's a wide dancefloor, a stage, DJ booth, and enough table and chairs to allow a coven worth of witches to gather as their eyes glue to the stage. Of course, to the far left there's a buffet for some reason, which adds to my confusion. What does this place even want to be?

Frankie tries to go to the buffet, but I keep her by my side.

We must be early because the lights are still bright, but smoke bellows up from the floors as the DJ starts a heart thumping beat.

"I'm confused," Warwick says with a frown as he looks around, same as me.

Van has his eyes on someone. "See you two later." And he saunters away.

"I'm going to the bar," Wick says as he cocks his head towards the long bar counter on the left back wall.

"I'll grab us a table." The house lights dim. Spotlights bounce over the stage as I find one of the few open tables.

"Get ready to loosen your belts and unzip your pants," the DJ starts just as Frankie and I snag a table. She plops, then leans against me. The DJ continues his spiel. "Because Kristy is on the dance floor to take all your cares away. She's ready to rock your socks."

I look around as everyone seems to ignore the announcement and continue on with their chatting. The curtain of glitter in the back of the stage opens and Kristy strolls out, rolling her hips. Her dark brown skin looks beautiful against the deep purple, glittering string bikini. Her hair is relaxed and loose in a cascade of waves over her shoulder. A tail whips behind her as she takes to the stripper pole on the center stage. When she spins, she lets out a pair of bat wings that look about half the size they should be to be full demon. She's at least part succubus. The witches finally take notice, leaving business on the table. Kristy gives a sly grin and meets my eyes. She winks at me as if to say watch this newbie, then continues on with her show.

If I wasn't wholly fully into the male form, I'd be drooling just like the witches. I can't deny she knows how to move her body. Her tail keeps me on edge as if it were its on performer. Frankie's as entranced as I am. Her tail thumps against my chair.

Wick settles across from me and hands me a shot from his tray. I shoot the flaming HellFire.

Kristy dances for a few songs before she's sweeping up her spoils and heading out. Wick and I don't talk. His head's on a swivel every time the door opens.

"I don't think Ethan comes here," he mumbles before taking another shot of HellFire.

"He could be a performer."

Wick snorts. "Yeah, no."

I shrug. "I mean…"

"He wouldn't do that to me. No matter what Van says." Another shot. "How long do we have to wait for this Trick guy?"

"Dunno. Never been here before, but seems like a nice place." The chairs are nice. There's a VIP section that I'm going to investigate sometime. I can see myself coming to relax with Frankie at my side. There are a few others that have pets with them, though no more Hellhounds. Probably familiars. Frankie doesn't seem interested, so I don't worry.

The DJ announces the next dancer, this one Sparkle, a male, and cat shifter by the ears and tail he shows. He moves elegantly like a cat and gives a good show, but he can't bring in the crowd as well as a succubus no matter how hard he tries.

Another three dancers of varying skills of seduction come and go before the DJ goes on a break. More patrons flood in and the chatter gets louder. Thankfully, Frankie seems content to people watch and drink the water in the bowl I ordered for her. She's gotten plenty of head scratches, which makes her preen.

Two more dancers, then the announcement I've been waiting for. "We have a packed house tonight, and it's no surprise why. Trick is back on stage again!"

Back on stage? That makes my heart race. Why hasn't he been on stage these last few nights? His name has been on the sign as the headliner.

The glittery curtain opens once more and my jaw drops. Trick, in all his dancer glory, is magnificent. I'm not sure what I expected, but hot pink booty shorts, a black mesh shirt, and black go-go boots weren't it. He sparkles on stage with glitter covering his body and hair. There's a hint of color on his lips, too.

There's a whistle from the other side of the club, no doubt from Van.

Wick lifts a shot glass in cheers. "He is hot. I'll give you that."

Trick scans the room, giving eye contact and little mischievous grins to whoever catches his fancy. When his gaze falls on mine, his breath hitches and eyes go wide. He catches himself in time and blows me a kiss with a finger wave. I can't help myself from playing along and "catch" the kiss. Trick turns on his heel and marches right up to the pole, giving his ass a little shake as he takes the pole in hand. What is this little Fae doing to me?