Crescent Alliance - Episode 01: Part 1
*Used to be titled "Prologue: Part 1"
Okay, I’m just gonna say I’m having a hard time keeping my Flash Fiction pieces down to short stories. This one looks like it could be the beginning of a new paranormal romance series! Here’s…
Crescent Alliance: Episode 01* - Part 1
A vampire and a werewolf walked into a bar. I know…sounds like the beginning of a joke, but it isn’t. This was the beginning of a… Well, I’ll let you be the judge once you hear my story. I’m Maion Clarke. I’m a bartender…among other things.
The vampire strolled in first and his intense eyes swept the empty room before he sauntered to the stool in front of me and sat.
“What’ll it be?” I slapped a cocktail napkin down.
His gaze drank me in like he was on a binge. Deep cleavage encourages great tips but the way he lingered on my salt-and-pepper locks made me think he was sizing me up. I earned every single one of those silver strands. This vampire was smart to consider his odds.
“Red wine, please. The best you have if there is such a thing here.” The snobby Brit sneered at my rustic decor.
Yeah, my place was a hole in the wall playing 80’s rock-n-roll in the middle of nowhere, but it was still my place.
“Keep that up and I’ll serve you Boon’s Farm and charge you fifty dollars a glass.” I cocked a challenging eyebrow but reached for the cabernet sauvignon reserved for special guests. I popped the cork like a pro and poured a sample.
The vampire smirked and examined the rise of the wine against the bowl. He inhaled the bouquet and his eyebrows rose. “Impressive.”
I returned the smirk.
He sipped, swirled it around his mouth and swallowed. With an appreciative nod, he slid the glass closer. I poured the rich red vintage and left the bottle.
That’s when tall, dark, and hairy filled the side entrance. Biker jacket, tight jeans, an even tighter T-shirt. Something about werewolves made them want to show off every sinewy edge of their perfect forms.
The werewolf swaggered to the bar but sat at the end and planted his back against the wall.
“What can I getcha?”
“Beer.”
I popped the cap to a cold one and set it before him. With a tap on my iPad, I killed the music. “Okay, gentlemen. I’m assuming you’re here for one of two reasons: to choose a different path or try to take me out.”
“I’ll take you out, doll.” The werewolf waggled his eyebrows as his hooded eyes gave me the once over. “What time does your shift end?”
At least he had a sense of humor.
“I’ll have to disappoint you. I’m not here for you, love. I’m here for him.” The vampire inclined his head toward our cliché friend.
The werewolf’s smile dropped. “Funny. I was going to say the same thing about you.”
“Not in this bar.” I crossed my arms. “You’re going to have to take your conflict outside.”
“I think we should stay right where we are.”
Shit.
Ur’gelloth was dressed in a trench coat, a five o’clock shadow, and a smoldering cigar clenched in his sneer. Flanking him were his usual tanks wearing similar attire.
“No hunters allowed.” I grabbed my shotgun from under the bar and pumped a round into the chamber. “I’ve got no quarrel with you, but your kind tend to hike up my insurance premiums.”
“You’re adorable when you play human, Maion.” The archdemon sauntered in like an outlaw and I cursed inwardly as he and his henchmen easily crossed the threshold. He straddled a chair.