The next day I braved the outside world. Julianne caught me halfway across the parking lot to the bar. It was one of the few times we had run into each other outside. The abrupt closeness made looking down her blue tank top nearly impossible to avoid. A quick step backwards on my part barely avoided the reaction. She slapped me, hard, and that worked as a distraction. I rubbed at my jaw but didn't question it.

"That's for me. Kahina will get hers later." Julianne said. My mind scrambled to keep up with the conversation already underway and not think about a black lacy bra.

"Why? I left a message."

"That's only a few sentences up from last time, and I'm pretty sure she'll chain you up then drag you home." It wouldn’t be the first time. The girl was strong, and I had been enamored, or drunk. I snorted in amusement until the serious look on Julianne's face wore at my humor.

"That bad huh?"

"I swear to God, you're so dense sometimes."

"Hell, if I knew her number I would have just called her." I said.

"Did ya ever consider asking her?" Julianne responded.

That made me pause and try to figure out any time in the past where I had asked. Not a single moment came up. In fact, Kahina had always taken care of that stuff and more. She put her number in my old cell phone, showed up at nightfall, picked our dates. It was the story of our relationship, practically decided for me before I looked up. Something about Kahina and her possessive factor just scared away other females.

Back then I hadn't argued, now every time my brain considered hooking up with her again pain flared in my neck.

"No, I never asked."

"Exactly, dumb ass, there's a lotta things you just 'don't ask'. Maybe life would be easier if you just asked." She poked a finger into my stomach on the last few words, then stormed off.

Kahina. Dealing with her had always been a give and take relationship. Orders, demands, frequent and astounding sex. Male that I was, as long as I got the latter, I complied with the former. Then she wanted to take the next step, to make me an addition to her world. Vampire engagement, moving to marriage after a full conversion. A blood bond almost always lead to sponsorship.

Her sponsor was high ranked. Her survival had a higher chance of making it through, and I would just follow in her wake. Immortality had sounded nice when I was twenty something. Plus with her it wouldn't come with the exorbitant fees that mainstream changes might require. That night, the first bite that she had actually given me, things had went so haywire I hightailed it across the continent.

Four years later and Kahina is still just as possessive. Then I vanish again for a week? She must have freaked out. It was a wonder she didn't have my apartment staked out with some daylight minions or something. Maybe she did, I hadn't exactly been in top shape last night.

That departure hadn't hurt just Kahina. Julianne never said anything, but there were reasons she provided me scrub jobs. I was a different man. Broken. Tired. Whatever edge I had was so rusted it was depressing. Not like back when the world had been at my fingertips half a decade ago. Julianne was right, some things would be better if I just asked. I shook my head, blocking the thoughts out again. My mind was rambling and only one thing solved that.

Alcohol.

Luckily there was a place that helped across the parking lot. I really shouldn't drink where I work but it killed two birds with one stone. Besides, I wasn't going for blackout levels, just a light, cheerful buzz.

A few hours later, after Julianne had me move around tables because one of the girls was pregnant, I had managed to stuff down a few drinks. Next week she would have me changing the curtains and redoing ironwork in the windows that passed for decor.

The iron also helped prevent the glass from being shattered every time someone got out of hand. Some might think all the property damage came from the wolves or vampires, but ninety percent of the time it was a straight human.

"It's getting worse." It was a whisper of conversation that I didn't manage to tune out.

"It always gets worse." A female voice answered. It sounded frighteningly serious.

"Isn't there anything that helps?"

"Timing is everything."

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

The pair of voices belonged to the Umbrella Drink elf and Tattooed Eyes. Whatever their names were. He was less shabby than the last few times. The addiction driving him must be under far better control.

She had a hand on his shoulder as he shuddered and counted out coins from a pocket. Coins, again. Julianne just shoveled them off the counter and poured out a drink. Beer, olive, polka dotted umbrella, three ice cubes, and a bit of soda.

I wasn't watching him though. I was watching her, she had the same dark shades, but no hat, and nearly nothing on below the belt either. The dress was high enough that nearly anyone who ever gave her a once over could tell exactly how well shaped her entire leg was. Her top had three layers of shirts, carefully pulled down to give a rainbow pattern.

Playful, excessive flirt, party going and prone to one night stands when drunk. She dressed like that kind of girl. Her demeanor didn't match. Her face was pinched, worried. The pose of both hands were protective. That thin frame tried to screen the male elf from another patron sitting too close. I had never seen such a set of mixed signals.

The male counted out his pile of coins then got his hands around a second drink. The shaking settled almost as soon as he was done counting out the change. It was subtle but he glanced around to figure out if he was being watched. Julianne had already moved on, and I think I may have been the only person in the room dumb enough to stare for more than a few seconds.

His eyes traveled my direction. I didn't even flinch, we were nearly on first name terms after three times of observing his ritual. He jerked upright and stormed towards the door. Anger flashed across his face while passing my stool.

She started for the exit as well. The walk, her sway, a lingering gaze, everything had synced up with her ensemble's message. Flirty. Almost leering.

I was drunk, but not so drunk I could imagine that look. She was sizing me up for all positions two people could share. Imagining that was beyond my current blood alcohol level. I raised an eyebrow back and she lifted her glasses and winked again as she went past. Now, there was an elf I might be able to get an answer out of. Perhaps something else. Me and Kahina hadn't exactly renewed the lease on our relationship.

Hell. What time was it? My arm itched almost in time with the thought. Thinking of Kahina summoned up vague memories of the past. This room. This bar counter. The table across the room. Her face flashed across my mind in a million places and blurred out almost as quick.

Alcohol had both damned and blessed me. The reign I kept on my abilities was failing. I was hunched over my drink, relishing the numbing liquid that prevented me from feeling too much. For all the good it did. Every ounce of Julianne’s bar was familiar. The bar wasn't mine, yet it was. I protected this place for years. Every fixture, ding, and crack was familiar.

And no amount of mental fog could block her out completely.

I noticed the heels first. Felt the tiny chime ring out. Familiar weight pressed against floorboards. Female curves displaced the air. I tensed as an absurdly tall frame traveled across the room towards me. Peppermint preceded her by mere moments. Kahina.

"Who was she, Catnip? A blonde tart?" Peppermint and vanilla words whispered near by. "She seemed very interested in you."

"She's no one."

"And yet, you know who I meant. Are you sure she's no one?" I kept both eyes forward and focused on trying to read the bottles across the way.

"Sure, I'm sure."

"I won't have uninvited guests in our bed, Catnip."

"It's not our bed anymore." Liquid courage helped dangerous words pass my lips.

"It never stopped being our bed." The words were hushed and hard to focus on. "You are mine, Catnip, mine and no one else's." Her voice strode off to the thump of clicking heels.

I dared to raise my eyes to the mirror and looked around the bar. No one was present. Even turning around slowly didn't reveal any answers. Kahina's slender form had exited the building as quickly as it came.

She hadn't left our conversation at that. My walk home revealed another present. Wrapped around the doorknob of my apartment was a small purple ribbon. Her reminder. Her color. Her claim. I left it there. Maybe the wind would unwind the memento and carry it away.