When I was younger, I wanted to be a dancer. I spent nearly every afternoon taking classes until my feet bled and my muscles ached. When I wasn’t in class, I was teaching them or helping somebody teach. I was good, too. So good that it got to the point where I really thought I had a chance at a scholarship to Julliard or perhaps the Sorbonne, in France, thousands of miles away from my nagging mother, where I could start over.

I was not much older than Anjelica when that dream began to fizzle and eventually faded from my life. My mother had stopped paying for my lessons, but I was determined to continue, so I got a job to pay for them myself. That’s what led me to the lucrative and dangerous world of organized crime. It wasn’t my life then, just something I did on the side. Steal something here, sell it to a fence there. It was just a taste, then.

It was only after I came home with gobs of money, enough to pay for lessons for the rest of my life, that Mom told me the truth: I wasn’t human. I couldn’t apply for the scholarship because it wouldn’t be fair; I would always be stronger and faster than anyone else in any class. I tried to tell her that I was a great dancer because I worked harder than everyone else, but she insisted it had nothing to do with my skill and everything to do with my breeding.

She refused to sign the permission slip for my scholarship audition and swore that if I got in, she would not co-sign a loan for me. I couldn’t do anything because I was underage. I swore that I would make enough money to pay my own way, but there were few jobs I could take that paid enough to get by, let alone get ahead.

Thievery, however, always paid, no matter who or when you were, and with my naturally lithe body, innate stability, superior strength, and small frame, I was a natural thief. I worked on my own terms, in my own time, and as long as I got the goods, I got paid. Sure, sometimes bad men tried to stiff me, but I was more than happy to knock teeth out if necessary.

I was sixteen then. By the time I lifted my head to look around, I was twenty-five. Even with all the money I’d earned, it didn’t matter. My body was too old for professional dance. That’s a younger woman’s game. I never dance anymore, and while I take most of the blame for that, it all started with my mother telling me no when I was Anjelica’s age. It wasn’t fair that something that happened in your youth could derail your whole life and being kidnapped was not a small little thing. It had the potential to knock her out cold, and I couldn’t let that happen.

“Feel better?” I asked, taking a sip of coffee as Anjelica stuffed another bite of burger into her mouth. Either she didn’t have any shame, or she was already comfortable with me because there was mustard, ketchup, and grease all over her little demonic face.

“Mm-hmm,” Anjelica replied, wiping her mouth with the one-ply paper napkin until it ripped apart in her hand. She used the sleeve of her shirt instead. “So much better. You build up an appetite, locked in a trunk all day. It was so hot. I feel like I dropped ten pounds from sweat alone.” She took a sip of her milkshake. “Are you going to eat anything?”

I shook my head. “I don’t eat. Coffee is fine with me.”

Anjelica cocked her head. “What do you mean ‘I don’t eat’? Everyone eats.”

“I’m not everyone.” I didn’t feel like explaining to her that I didn’t have to eat unless I wanted to indulge. Another gift and curse from my dear, old parents.

“Ominous.” Anjelica crammed a half dozen fries into her mouth. “You should try eating. It’s awesome.” She dipped another fry into her milkshake. “Mmmmm…sweet and salty. The ultimate flavor combination.”

If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

“That’s disgusting,” I said, wrinkling my nose in disgust. “Can we get back to you, please?”

“If we have to.”

“We have to,” I said. “Any idea why those monsters kidnapped you?”

“I know exactly why.”

“Would you care to enlighten me?”

“All right.” Anjelica looked around, then leaned forward to whisper. “But what I have to tell you is gonna shock you. It will blow your mind.” Her eyes were wide. “You sure you can handle it?”

“Yeah, I’m good.” I chuckled. If this girl knew even a hundredth of what I’d seen. “Hit me with it.”

“It’s really big news.” Anjelica looked around again. “You sure this place is safe and stuff?”

I nodded. “I’m sure. I know the owner. Anything you say here will stay in our confidence.”

She sighed before nodding slowly. “All right. Don’t be scared—for I am—” She was so close to me I could taste the fries on her breath. “—a demon.”

I leaned away from the table. “Oh, is that it? Cuz I already knew that.”

Anjelica cocked her head, disgusted. “What do you mean you knew that? Nobody knows that. I didn’t even know until those demon pricks told me earlier tonight.”

I pointed to my glasses. “I see everything. The owner’s a troll. The waitress is a changeling, and the barback, she’s a gorgon, a real pretty one at that.” I took another sip of coffee. “And you, you’re a demon.”

“You knew I was a demon, and you didn’t say anything?” She glanced around the room one more time, this time with curiosity. “If all that is true, then this place is so gnarly.”

“I don’t come here for the weak coffee. I come for the company. It has a very monster-y clientele, and I dig that.” I took another sip of coffee. “I’m surprised you didn’t know you were a demon until somebody told you. It’s not even a very good masking spell.”

“Well, I didn’t even know to look for it until tonight, did I?”

“I guess not, and it would take somebody like me to see through it.”

“What are you?” she asked, cocking her head to the side.

I waved my hand. “This isn’t about me. It’s about you. Being a demon doesn’t explain why you were kidnapped, so spill.”

Anjelica pouted. “You suck. Did you know that?”

“I saved your life, didn’t I?”

“I guess you did.”

“And I’m buying all this food for you, right?”

“Well, yeah. That’s true.”

Now it was my turn to lean in, close to her face. “Look, I want to help you. If you want my help, I need to know everything.”

“Fine.” Anjelica sighed. “Just know this is no fun.”

“More fun than being in a trunk.” I smirked. “I can put you back, though, if you would prefer.”

Anjelica stuffed another bite of her hamburger in her face and washed it down with more of the milkshake. “Fine, fine. So, I’m not just a demon.”

“Obviously.”

“I am…” she paused for dramatic effect, “the antichrist.”

I paused, considering this. “Well, that is considerably more interesting, and it makes much more sense why you were kidnapped.”

“Glad it could hold your attention, finally.”

I slid the knife out of my jacket and placed it on the table. “Must be why they needed this.”

“Holy sh—” She nearly spat out her milkshake. “That is a big knife!”

I nodded. “Big and powerful. I can feel the dark energy flowing through it. Any idea why they would take you today of all days?”

“I dunno.”

“Think,” I said. “It’s important.”

She threw her hands in the air. “Oh, you want me to think? Really helpful. Like I wasn’t already. All they said was I’m the antichrist, and I had to die tonight.”

I finished my cup of coffee. “Well, that’s good news.”

She sighed and slammed her hands on the table. “How did you hear good news in the sack of dung that is my life?”

“Because if we can keep you alive until morning, you should be safe.”

“Okay,” Anjelica said. “That’s good because I would very much like this not to be my last meal.”

I shrugged. “You could do worse.”

“Oh, it’s delicious, but I definitely want my last meal to be sushi. No doubt in my mind.”

“I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you on that one.”

Anjelica looked up from her food. “Are you really gonna help me?”

I offered a tight smile. “As much as I can. Those pricks tried to kill me tonight, too, ya know. The least I could do is keep you alive to thwart whatever plans they had.”

“Thanks.”

“Don’t thank me yet. You’ve never had to spend a whole night with someone like me.” I held up my hand to ask for the check. “Now, finish that up. We have work to do.”