The Red Wolf

Aria squinted at her reflection in the mirror. Emerald-green eyes squinted back. Her auburn colored hair fell in long curly waves down her shoulders, but today it looked a little lighter....almost reddish.....no, she was imagining things. She sighed and straightened up to give the rest of her body a once over before heading to work. At 5'8 she was tall. Not to make herself any taller, she always paired her work uniform with snow white sneakers instead of the sexy boots and heels her coworkers wore. The low cut red tee was almost too small for her chest, the girls looked like they were going to overflow. Even with the sports bra she wore underneath. The hem stopped just above her waist line. Exposing the belly button ring she had snuck out and got at 16...just to anger the sisters at the witchery. "Wolf Den Bar" was written across the front in bold white letters. Aria turned to the side to check out her jean shorts. While her waist was small...maybe too small, her top and bottom were nothing but curves. And her shorts barely covered the bottom of her ass cheeks. "Aria, you look like a whore." she scolded her reflection. Not that she could change. This was the bar's uniform and she had to wear it.....she had asked for bigger sizes multiple times and was brushed off. The only good thing this outfit brought was the tips. She just had to endure the perverts, hand grabs, and advances to get them. Grabbing a light jacket out of her small closet, she donned it and stepped out in the late September air. Locking the door of her one-bedroom cabin behind her, she felt a shiver race up her spine. Instantly she froze and listened. The feeling of being watched has been happening all too often lately. Located about a mile outside of town, Aria lived alone. She was surrounded by 400 acres of Maine woods....and tonight the usually busy sounds of nature seemed all too quiet. She slowed her breathing and let her eyes scan the trees. She may not be able to cast spells or use any magical power for that matter, but what she did have that the sisters never found out was heightened senses and speed. Her eyes adjusted in the dark, making it easy to see. She could hear a pin drop In a room full of people, and she could run miles at a fast pace without ever breaking a sweat. Something uncommon for any witch. For fear of being an even bigger outcast in the witch community, she kept her gifts a secret and moved as far north as she could. Away from the Witchery and the Coven she had been assigned to join. Her eyes scanned the trees and found nothing in the dimming light. She listened a few more moments before giving up and beginning the mile long treck to the bar. Wolf's Den was a town favorite. Probably because it was the only bar in town. Being surrounded by nothing but forest, in the Itty bitty town of Saitee, It attracted assholes of all types. Coming from a magical world of witches, Aria grew up hearing about werewolves and vampires, among others, but she had never met any until she moved up here. The bar was full of both every night, aswell as humans. Nobody knew of course. The magical world is very secretive and they work very hard to keep the human world from knowing about it....but Aria could smell the difference. The vampires smelled like blood and death, the werewolves.....well...like dogs and dirt...sometimes wet dogs and naturally they hated each other. Witches were not common in Maine, and she aimed to keep her identity a secret. As far as anyone knew, she was human. The loud sounds of music and cheering encouraged her to pick up the pace. She was running a little behind and it sounded like a busy night. The last thing she needed was to get in trouble for being late. "Damn it Aria! You're late AGAIN. I have a bar with one bartender and a full house. You're on cleaning duty after shift. Now get out there and work." Aria resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the cougar of a manager she worked under. With bleached hair, fake boobs too big for her tiny frame, and a tan that was too dark for Maine, Candy Hughes looked every bit of an overcooked barbie....it was hard to take her anger seriously. Besides, she had walked in at the last minute but was technically on time..... Without saying a word, she shrugged off her jacket, hung it up, and slipped through the double doors that led to the bar. Aria hurried behind the bar and began taking orders. A relieved Jake waved at her in thanks but was too busy to engage in conversation. She preferred it that way. He liked her and constantly asked her to parties and events, to hang out. But she turned them all down. He was nice and all, but she just wasn't interested. " Aye! Little lady. I've been waiting for 10 minutes. I do not like to wait." Aria recognized that Russian accent instantly. Trenton was a regular....a dead regular if you catch the drift. He came here a lot to find his next meal. Only she noticed....he would rent out one of the VIP rooms. The girl of his choosing always entered happily and left dazed and confused. Not visible to the human eye were two little indents in her neck where his teeth would go.. already healing by the time she left.. Tonight it looked like a bouncy little raven-haired girl with blue eyes. She hung off his arm like a prize. Aria made her way to the couple and the girl eyed her up and down. Obviously, not impressed. Putting on her best smile, she greeted them. "Good evening Mr. Drake. May I get you the usual?" He seemed to ponder the question like always and like always he ended up nodding his approval before turning towards his meal. "What would you like dear?" he purred. She giggled and waved her hand at Aria dismissively. " Martini. Dry. And hurry up." She nodded and turned back to the bar to get the glass of Whiskey for Trenton and make the Martini for his meal. "Here you go, I hope you enjoy." Trenton threw a wad of cash on the counter before grabbing the drinks and disappearing into the crowd, towards his usual room. The little Raven girl hanging on his arm. Aria watched them go and shook her head. Surely she wasn't the only one that noticed these things. She grabbed the cash, paid for the drinks, and shoved the rest in her shorts. The rest of the night went by in an exhausting blur. About an hour before closing, it actually slowed down. With just a few stragglers left. Trying to get as hammered as possible on a Friday night. Aria yawned and stretched her sore shoulders. She was feeling a little run down tonight and her face felt feverish. She had worked through break and was anxious to get home to her warm bed. She faintly heard the bar door open and groaned. She glanced to the door to see who was coming in so late. Her eyes widened at the man that was walking her way. He was well over 6.5ft tall, built like a brick house with broad shoulders and muscles that seemed too big for the black long sleeve he was wearing. His jeans fit in all the right places and she was finding it hard not to stare. He was gorgeous.....but something was off about him. His smell, she noticed, was not human but she couldn't recognize it.... It was enticing.... Like freshly cut wood. She let her eyes trail back up to his face and felt a hot blush creep over her cheeks when she saw two icy blue eyes staring back at her. The second their eyes met, she felt a strange sensation overtake her body. A sensation of want and need..an electrified feeling. He moved closer, their eyes never breaking. "Get it together Aria, you're making a fool out of yourself.." she told herself inwardly. She coughed and broke the staring contest. "Uhm...hello! Welcome to Wolf's Den. What can I get you to drink?" He rubbed his groomed beard as he glanced absently at the bottles on the shelf above her head. Damn he was tall.... "Whiskey. Straight." He pulled up a stool and sat down. She could feel his eyes boring into her as she filled his glass, watching her every move... It should've made her uncomfortable but weirdly it didnt. "Is there anything else I can get you?" she slid the glass in front of him and waited for his response. She almost thought he didn't hear her and went to repeat herself when he leaned in close. "What are you?" he asked in a serious tone. Aria took a step back in surprise. How did he know....she has no powers....witches aren't detectable except to other witches. He was bluffing or playing a prank. She recovered quickly and feigned confusion. "I'm sorry? I don't understand." Before he could respond, Candy burst through the double doors. Her eyes bee lined for Aria and then to Mr.Handsome at the bar. Instantly, the annoyed look on her face was replaced by her fake smile as she hurried over. "Aria, you have cleaning to do. I expect it done before you leave. I'll take care of your customer here." she eyed Mr. Handsome like a love-struck teenager.....what can Aria say...she had done the same. But for once she was grateful for the escape. This man was different....and his very presence made her feel alarmingly different. Without looking back, she grabbed her cleaning rag and made her table rounds on the floor. Discarding drinks and food, and stacking dishes for Jake to pick up. The entire time she felt his eyes on her. She heard Candy's obnoxious voice as she tried to carry on a conversation with the new visitor....unsuccessfully. Aria straightened up & wiped the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand and sighed. Her face was hot. She was definitely running a fever. The bar had long ago cleared out.. The mysterious visitor was the last to leave. He had sat there and watched her clean tables, sweep, and mop. Only when she disappeared into the back did he leave. "Hey Aria, you ok? Your face looks a little red." Jakes' concerned voice filled her ears and she forced herself to give him a smile of reassurance."Oh, I'm OK. Just a long night." He nodded his understanding before grabbing her jacket off the hook and handing it over. "Go on and head home. I'll lock up. Candy left 20 minutes ago. She won't know the difference." Aria took the jacket gratefully. Normally she would argue and work her turn but she needed to sleep. Thankfully, she had the weekend off. "I owe you one, Jake." He smiled at that and she sighed to herself.....she was never getting out of a date now. The cool September air was welcoming as she slid out of the bar and onto the back road that led through the woods towards her tiny little home. Her eyes adjusted almost instantly and she welcomed it. She loved the way the world looked at night. As soon as she got out of sight of the bar, that familiar shiver ran back up her spine. She was being watched.....again.