Free Exiled - 01 by M. R. Merrick Page B

got, revealing stairs that led down to the entrance.
    My senses were overloaded as Rayna opened the door. Rock music blared in my ears, the scent of sweat and blood filled my nostrils, and flashing lights blurred my vision.
    Once my senses adjusted, I gazed out over the crowd, absorbing everything I could. I had to push away the tingle of my demon sense as Rayna urged me towards the doorman, a creature I could only describe as both a giant and a monster.
    Looking up at him made my neck hurt. He was well over seven feet tall, and what I could see of his face was covered with a thick, spiky beard. A tribal tattoo trailed down the sides of his shaved head and his eyebrows each had multiple piercings. Arms thicker than my thighs were covered in tattoos, some of which seemed to be struggling to stay on his skin. His solid black eyes made it difficult to tell where he was looking.
    “No weapons.” His deep voiced echoed over the music. Rayna handed two blades to him and I wondered where she had kept them. I eyed the large man and decided against any smart remarks and pulled my two daggers from their spot, handing them to him. He nodded his enormous head and let me pass, but the look he gave me wasn’t friendly. “Watch your step, hunter,” he said as I walked past him.
    Rayna glided through the room, constantly checking to make sure I was still following. The wide space between dingy, unpainted brick walls was larger and busier than I’d expected.
    Every stool at the huge square bar in the center of the room was occupied, and each patron held a strange-looking drink. Pool tables filled one corner of the room and a string of dartboards filled another. A wall-mounted jukebox near the door had a lineup, and cigarette smoke filled the air.
    We moved towards one less populated corner while I ignored the intimidating looks and suspicious whispers trailing behind me. Not all of the demons could know what I was, but plenty of them could sense it from my scent or aura. It was a miracle they didn’t know what Rayna was, but the demon blood must have helped mask it.
    The dance floor was full of bodies meshing, all of which slowed as we walked past. We wove through a maze of tables to an area full of booths that were empty, with the exception of one.
    In the middle of this booth was a man who looked to be in his mid-twenties, although considering where we were, how old somebody appeared wasn’t a clear indicator of age.
    His pale skin was flawless and glistened in the strobe lights. His short black hair was spiked neatly on his head and golden orbs watched us as we neared. All I could see of his clothing was a tight black dress shirt that had too many buttons undone, revealing more pale flesh.
    A blonde and a brunette sat on either side of him. Both were beautiful and dressed in clothing as minimal as Rayna’s. The rest of the booth held a mix of men and women, some sitting, others standing and watching as we approached.
    Golden eyes watched Rayna with a strange anticipation. The man’s creepy smile made me shudder as his eyes, filled with hunger, devoured her. I didn’t know why, but this made me mad. I wanted shove the straw from his drink down his throat, and watch him struggle as I dripped liquid silver down it. The mental image made me crack a smile which quickly disappeared as those eyes fell on me.
    “Careful of your thoughts, boy,” the demon said. The accompanying gaze was very deliberately threatening, but the voice was smooth and full of seduction.
    “He’s a vampire. He can read your thoughts,” Rayna whispered, although it didn’t matter; he could hear every word.
    “Thanks for the heads up,” I said. The information was a little late – there went my chance at a first impression.
    Contrary to popular myth, vampires aren’t actually dead – at least not when they’re awake. They need to drink blood, true, but as long as they consume enough, it will keep their body alive. They can reproduce, they have a pulse,