An exasperated sigh escaped Sakari’s mouth. “Really, Nokoa? A human?”

  “Just look at her,” Nokoa whispered back excitedly.

  “My mate isn’t a sideshow attraction, Nokoa,” Raz snapped. “Now, both of you focus. Makoto should have gotten our message by now. You two head down to The Pearl. I will be right behind you after I take her to bed.”

  Oh… Is he trying to pick me up? Soraya cringed internally. With roleplay? Does that even work in the wild?

  Don’t get her wrong—she found him wildly attractive. But if it weren’t for…if it weren’t for what? Her brows furrowed as she racked her brain, trying to figure out why she couldn’t stay here with him. Jesmine was in the hospital and Ahvi…Ahvi was off doing Ahvi things.

  Something wiggled at the back of her mind. Something important she had to do. The thought of calling Ahvi came and went. So, in reality, there was nothing to pull her away from this attractive, yet odd, stranger.

  Soraya coughed, drawing their attention back to her. “If you’re trying to pick me up, you don’t have to use roleplay. We can exchange num—“ Her words trailed off as a wave of vertigo hit her. The room spun, and she bowed her head, taking a deep breath to steady herself. Then…a familiar ringing started in her head, louder and sharper than ever before.

  The street. She needed to get to the street. She didn’t know why, but…

  “Are you—“ Raz began.

  “I have to go,” Soraya interrupted, swaying on her feet even as a deeper instinct yelled at her to stay close to him. That feeling, more than anything else, spooked her down to her very core. She had to move.

  Raziel opened his mouth to speak—or to object; she didn’t know which—as she ducked under his arm.

  As she pushed past his cloak, a popping sound burst around her, and the sudden low murmurings of patrons and the clinking of utensils met her ears. A burst of loud and disruptive laughter filtered through the room. When she stood by them, she realized that the bar had gone silent around her, but she didn’t pay any attention to it because of how hungry she was. Now, the noises were only adding fuel to her growing headache.

  She managed to take a couple of awkward steps, her body not responding the way she was used to. Something was off. Her body… felt too light, and her head too heavy. It was almost like she was made of air, and her head was the anchor. It took all of her focus to put one foot in front of the other. She cleared the closest round table, but as she tried to hurry past the second, a person stood up abruptly, and she smacked right into them. Her arms flailed as she fought to stay on her feet.

  “Watch it,” a woman growled, shooting Soraya a scathing look from beneath her hood.

  Soraya swallowed. Even though the tall woman glaring down at her was covered in layers of clothes, she could still see her face. Her. Golden. Skinned. Face.

  It was as if she had swallowed a piece of sun, and it lit her from within. Rays of light seemed to escape through her pores, even through her bright, light brown eyes that narrowed at Soraya.

  Soraya tried to say something, but her tongue felt heavy. After a moment, out of all the things she could have said, she managed to mumble, “You’re not real.”

  The woman scowled and pushed back her hood. As it fell away, Soraya’s eyes immediately latched onto the pointed ears peeking through her straight, emerald-green hair. She snarled, flashing her very long, very sharp canines. “Do we have a problem?”

  Soraya just stared at her. Her tongue went completely numb as shock flooded her system, and the ringing in her ear intensified.

  The very strong, very angry-looking woman took a step toward her, alarm bells screamed above the ringing for Soraya to move. But she couldn’t—she was glued to the spot.

  “I wouldn’t take another step if I were you, love,” Sakari’s bored voice drawled somewhere behind her, accompanied by a deep growl.

  If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  Soraya heard the sound of chairs scraping roughly against the wooden floor, and from the corner of her eye, she could see other cloaked figures standing. But Soraya ignored the commotion, her focus still locked on the vengeful goddess before her.

  The woman’s costume looked real—too real. Her hair, her skin, her ears…it all looked natural on the strange woman, and that’s what made Soraya even more concerned. It wasn’t natural. It was impossible.

  The golden-skinned woman’s gaze suddenly shot to Soraya’s ears, and her eyes widened as she, in turn, was shocked. She gasped, “A human!”

  “Told you.” Nokoa’s voice chimed in.

  The whole room fell silent around her.

  The woman’s gaze flicked behind Soraya, releasing her from their bright intensity. “What are you doing with a contraband human?” The woman demanded with quiet fury as she addressed Raz. Even though she whispered, her words carried to every nook and cranny of the bar.

  Every pair of bright eyes latched onto Soraya, making her skin prickle as she desperately fought to stay upright as the room spun and spun steadily out from under her.

  Before anyone could respond, the wooden front door burst open, slamming against the wall with a crash and pulling everyone’s attention in that direction.

  “A draugur has been spotted outside of The Pearl!” the newcomer shouted, cutting through the tension like a knife.

  Everything that happened next occurred too fast for Soraya to process. The entire room burst into motion as people talked over one another. A few patrons rose so fast from their seats that they blurred in her vision—abandoning their drinks and card games, while others simply…disappeared into thin air.

  Soraya had no clue what a draugur was or why it sent everyone into a panic, and at the moment, she didn’t care. Her balance faltered, and she swayed backward as a thick fog rolled through her mind. Her ears popped once more, and then there was a warm body pressing into her from behind as a hand slid around her waist, catching her mid-stumble.

  A familiar raspy voice murmured, “It’s going to be okay, Soraya.”

  She didn’t know how to respond. Not as a new scent enveloped around her—sweet mingled with something sharp and crisp. It was a scent she couldn’t quite place, but it reminded her of the times she, Jesmine, and Delilah had visited the snowcapped mountains during the winter months.

  The crisp, sweet, musky aroma wrapped itself around her entirely, and her mind went blissfully blank as she peered up into Raziel’s golden eyes. For the first time, she noticed a scar bisecting the right side of his mouth as he smiled down at her.

  As she watched him, something was thrown clear over his head. Soraya barely registered the flying objects now in free fall around them as he raised a hand to brush against her lips.

  A rather pleasant haze settled over her as the ringing inside her ears stopped altogether. With a full stomach and a sense of contentment, drowsiness crept in. She didn’t fight it as her eyelids began to droop.

  Raz’s mouth moved, but she didn’t hear a word he said. Her eyes slipped closed, and she leaned fully into his warmth. Within seconds, she was sound asleep.

  Soraya was still half-asleep when voices stirred her awake.

  “Did you find the draugur?” a raspy voice whispered.

  “No, it was gone by the time we arrived,” someone whispered back. Nokoa, perhaps?

  “Did it manage to get into The Pearl?”

  The reply came even more quietly, “Yes.”

  A sigh. “And let me guess, our witness was inside, and the creature got what it was looking for?”

  “Linus is dead, yes.”

  Soraya had never heard a voice sound so defeated.

  “Well, that’s that,” Raz said, resigned. “Leave us. The morning will come soon enough, and I’ll figure out our next steps by then.”

  “Raz you can’t be serious about—“

  “Go get some rest, Nokoa, and make sure Sakari does too.”

  A beat of silence.

  “You too, Raz.” Another pause. “Will your mate be alright?”

  She heard the floorboards creak. “Yes. Her body is trying to fight off a rather nasty spell, but it’s not physically harming her. I think Alkimos can help lift it.”

  “You know, despite everything happening right now, I really am glad you found each other, Raz. I think she’ll be good for you.”

  Raz hummed. “I’m glad too. Sleep well, brother.”

  The sound of the door opening and closing echoed softly before the room fell silent.

  Soraya rolled over on a fluffy mattress and snuggled back down into the soft pillow.

  Fingers trailed down her relaxed face, and her nose twitched at the ticklish sensation left behind.

  “I wish I had more time with you, Soraya,” he whispered. “I’d like to know how you ended up like this, but something tells me you don’t know the full story either.” She made a sound in the back of her throat, prompting a soft chuckle from him. “Go back to sleep and get some rest. I’ll be right here when you wake.”

  She heard the rustling of clothes, and then an extra blanket of warmth settled over her. With it came that crisp berry scent, and something inside her warmed with joy as sleep claimed her once more.

  It felt like all she did now was sleep.

  She was tired of it.