back.
“Legally, I have to let you in, little miss … Andrea.” He looked at me dead in the eye, his eyes flashing that otherworldly color. “But I can smell that you’re human. And I can tell you that those boys in there are going to eat you alive. Full moon is on the rise, missy. I’d suggest you turn right on around and go home. Come back some other time, or better yet, not at all.”
“I’ll take my chances, thanks.” I looked at him. He was dead serious. I was here, and I was definitely going in, but my senses told me that he was speaking the truth. He reached out his arm to try and block me from going in, but I took my hand and moved his out of my way. I certainly wasn’t going to go home now. I was intent on losing my virginity that very night, and god help me, I wanted it to be with a sexy-as-hell, rough and sexy shifter. I walked inside and shoved through a sea of delicious-looking men and women. And hell yes, there were my curvy sisters. The shifter women in this bar were scantily clad, showing off round, sexy tits and big asses. The shifter men grabbed the hips of their mates appreciatively, lost in the curvy beauty of their women. Even though I wasn’t a shifter myself, I knew that I fit in here. My physique was similar to that of the women I saw here. I already felt at home, despite the bouncer’s warning. I pushed my way through the crowd and wandered up to the bar.
“Um … barkeep?” Who says “barkeep” anymore? What was I, a flapper in a speakeasy? Trying to get some prohibition liquor? “Excuse me … bartender? Can I have a vodka on the rocks?” A large, feline-looking man turned toward me, his eyes flashing yellow. I’d been at the shifter bar for less than five minutes, and already, I’d seen some of the largest men I’d ever seen before. These guys were huge and muscular. The bartender’s eyes flashed yellow, betraying his nonhuman nature.
“What do you need, human?” He let out a throaty growl. I startled, stepping back.
“Um,” I muttered, “A drink …” The bartender laughed, a throaty, full sound.
“I’m just fucking with you. Vodka and rocks coming up.” He poured me a tumbler of Stoli with a twist of lime, plinking ice cubes into the frosty glass. Just how I liked it. He handed me the drink. “Pretty little thing like you coming to a shifter bar on the full moon … you’re pretty brave.” He winked at me.
“Yeah, I thought I’d see what all the fuss was about.”
“It’ll be about you in a second. You’re fresh meat. And the wolves really like human women. Me, I’m mated for life already, but damn, I’d take you home in a second. Don’t tell my mate.” He chuckled. “You better watch out, especially for the packmaster. He ain’t mated yet, and he’s always on the prowl.” I nodded, gulping a little. I took a sip of my vodka, the sharpness settling on my tongue. The alcohol made my muscles start to feel looser, my nervousness fading to a low hum. The bartender turned away, tending to other customers, and I looked out on the dance floor, watching the mated couples dancing and loving up on each other’s bodies. Maybe it was the alcohol, or maybe it was just in the air, but my body began to tingle, picking up on the desire these shifters felt. There was a scent of that desire in the air — something musky and clean, like the forest, or like rich, wet earth on a summer’s day. It seemed that everyone was out to mate this evening. I just watched them, gently sipping my vodka, intimidated by the confidence and beauty that they all seemed to have. After a while, the vodka began to loosen me more, and I got out of the chair, beginning to make my way to the dance floor, shifting my hips and shimmying. Still, it didn’t seem like anyone noticed me. They seemed to all be here with their mates, their orange and yellow eyes flashing only for each other. I wished that someone would take an interest. Well, someone special. Even if I wasn’t looking for