A Tale of Silver and Roses

"You know you have fantastic eyes," he said softly. 'Of course,' I thought as I looked down into my glass, trying to ignore him but since that didn't seem to be working, I blinked my brown like warm honey eyes and looked at the man directly. This wasn't the first time that I was hit on at this haunt, but tonight was special. I had a potential client, and I didn't need Mr. Casanova over here getting in the way. I smiled at him and grabbed my snifter of amber liquid and downed it, slamming the glass back down on the bar, feeling the warmth of it spread from my throat and through my body. "Listen, I get that it probably took a certain amount of courage to come talk to me, but I am little busy so thanks but no thanks." With that I turned from him back towards the bar and the snake skinned bartender behind it. He grinned wider, a forked tongue coming through his teeth as he did. I grinned back and slid the glass forward. "Oh, come on baby, you can't really be that busy." He then took one of his long-fingered hands and touched my arm and I looked up at him. He was tall, his skin was pale, and his hair was perfect. His face was sculpted but the eyes were really what gave him away, the intensity of the blue-green. Human beings didn't look like that and given that this bar caters to those who are not human, I was one hundred percent sure that this guy was a vampire. Which meant, he was trying to use his fancy powers to get me to go with him. Gross. I smiled and I stood leaving his hand on my arm, pretending that I was enthralled and going with him, he grinned and then so did I, I grabbed the hand he had on my arm spun out of his grasp, pulled the arm, and twisted it behind his back. His chin hit the wood of the bar with a thud, the bartender continued to grin. "You crazy b*tch!" he says, vampire strength or no, I have the leverage here and if I do not let him go, he would not be going anywhere. "Crazy b*tch I may be, but I just want you to leave me alone, we wouldn't want you to have anything embarrassing you would have to explain away to your clan now, would we?" I held his arm firm and he stopped squirming and nodded against the bar. I stepped back and released his arm and he turned to me, those eyes now blazing with red rings around the pupils. I smiled and waved at him, he paused as if he was going to do or say something but instead, he just stormed off and I sat back in my seat. The snake skinned bartender came over still grinning and slid my glass back over to me. I grinned back at him and tipped the glass towards him and he shook his head, he was used to my antics I looked down at my glass again, before spinning my chair towards the rest of the bar and taking it in. Where was this guy? I had gotten a message left in my office downtown saying that the head of the Lycans wanted to have a meeting here. Head of the Lycans meaning a lot of money so of course I jumped at the chance, but there I was two drinks in still no Lycan leader.The same vampire who had been hitting on me was now casting a dashing smile on a small young woman with pink skin, wings, and eyelashes. She was now batting them at the vampire. Hope that worked out. I scoffed and ran fingers through my long brown hair and looked around, a very large man who was holding a staff was leaned against the wall and talking to a vampire woman. Everyone knew that these creatures existed, they may not like it, but they have lived among us for hundreds of years, no reason for them to stop now. I sighed again and turned back to the bar, I unzipped my leather jacket and shifted in my seat looking above at the décor, there were wolves and vampire cut outs everywhere. It was close to Halloween, and it was clear that they thought the depictions of themselves were hilarious A man in the corner laughed and danced with a cut out of a wolf with a toothy grimace and giant claws reared back to rip out your throat. Just then a man sat next to me, and I kept looking out the crowd, I am in no mood at all to get hit on again and I wondered if the call from the Lycan leader was a prank. "You know that blood sucker was right, you do have fantastic eyes." His voice felt like velvet laid over gravel. I turned to look at him and swung myself back towards the bar. He was tall, he was towering over me, and he was only in a chair. His hair was cropped short but dark and his eyes glowed yellow. When he grinned at me, I could see where teeth would sharpen, this had to be him. "Ronan, I presume?" I said with a small smile, I wasn't going to comment on the vampire guy, who cared, this was a real client and I haven't had one in about a month I needed to get right down to it. He grinned and nodded before turning to the bartender who bowed his head at him and brought him over a snifter with the same amber liquid I was drinking and a plate with a hunk of what looked like fresh meat on it. Nice. "So, I heard that you might be in need of my services…?" I trailed off; I didn't want to seem too eager, but I also didn't want to be around for him to start tearing into that meat. He took his glass taking a sip before putting it down. "As you know I am head of the Lycan clan of New York, I may in fact be in need of your services if they are as good as you claim them to be." I smiled and took a sip of my own "Well I suppose we will just have to find out, won't we?" I gulped the rest of it down "What's the job?" He sighed and all the humor was gone out of his face, only the intensity his yellow eyes remained "Two days ago, my right-hand man Devon was murdered. Normally Devon is always at my side. He is-was my best friend and an irreplaceable member of the clan. We found him torn apart into pieces. No chance of survival." He said this all quickly and matter of fact, but I could see his jaw twitch.I frowned. "Correct me if I am wrong, but the Lycan's don't usually outsource this sort of issue. Do you know who did it?" He nodded and downed his drink and raised the glass to the bartender who immediately filled it without saying a word before walking away. "You are right, we do not usually have others, let alone humans handle our business, but this is different. I know who killed him. His name is Wade, he is family and I do not think he cared for Devon very much. No matter. This is an act of treason." I nod "Yes, I understand, but I still do not see why you need me?" it wasn't that I didn't want the job but getting involved in clan politics is always messy. I wanted all the facts if I was going to be involved in that mess. He nodded and looked at me his eyes seeming sad "Wade has been able to evade all our search parties, someone will see him and give chase and then he is gone. I need this handled in an extremely timely manner. I am sure even your human mind can grasp that it isn't good for a leader to show weakness." I roll my eyes "So I am guessing that none of your little clan knows that you have asked me to find him, do they?" He grinned in answer. I shake my head. This has bad written all over it. "So" I say downing the rest of my drink that was poured while I wasn't looking and then putting it down on the bar "How much is finding him worth to you?" He nods, "Fifty Grand if you can find him and bring him to me alive." I wished I had another drink to gulp, fifty grand was the highest fee I have ever been offered. I want to say yes but something is rolling in my gut. "If he is a Lycan, how is he pulling this disappearing act every time that you or yours get close? Last I checked your only ability was to shift into wolves at will." He nods and throws his hands up in the air "Your guess is as good as mine, but I figured with someone of your supposed expertise would be completely up to the challenge of figuring it out." I narrowed my eyes at him, I knew what he was getting at. I am a bounty hunter who caters to people who aren't people. I take any job and work it to the bone; the only problem is as a human most of these 'people' thought that I was useless to do anything they needed besides getting back a trinket. This might be a trap. Before I could say anything, Ronan reached into his blazer and pulled out a folder, on the front was the name of the man WADE MARKHAM written across. He placed it down on the bar and slid it over to me. "This is everything you could possibly need to know about him. I don't know if it will help you, but I wouldn't want to be thought of as not helpful." He grinned his toothy grin. Oh yeah, something felt off, but who was I to turn down fifty grand? "So, what is the catch? Do I have to find him or give you, my soul? My first born perhaps?" He then laughed at that, it was a big laugh, I am sure his little subjects adored him. Goosebumps rose on my skin. "Well, if you do not catch him alive, then you get nothing." He shrugged at that, as if it was completely reasonable "What if I have no choice but to kill him?" I say c*****g my head to the side and he laughs again, and I want to punch him in the throat. "Do you really think that you could?" he says c*****g his head the same way that I am holding mine. Before I can respond he keeps grinning and turns his head before turning back to me, I turn to where he is looking and I see the vampire from before barreling toward me, blood dripping from his chin. "You are going to regret ever trying to make a fool of me." The vampire grins as he lumbers towards me showing me his stained teeth. I stand and pick up my chair and smack it right into his face before he drops to ground rolling, I move over and kick him with a steel toed boot to the stomach and then head before he stops moving. He will be fine. The bartender polishes a glass and says nothing and pours me another. "Interesting" Ronan says with a smile, he hasn't moved the whole time. I down my drink and grab the file off the bar and zip my jacket up, "Give me five days." I put down the glass throw some money on the bar and walk out into the chilly night before he can say a word.