Page 288 of Flirting with Darkness

Maybe she’d even have time to dance.

Nova grabbed her helmet and leather jacket, ready for some fun.

Buckling her jacket as she walked, she ignored the looks she got. She threw her leg over her bike and kickstarted it in one smooth motion. Despite the cold, it wasn’t raining, and she fully planned to take advantage of it.

Securing her helmet, she considered what she had on her.

Phone and knives in her boot, magic on her rings and ears – Nova wasn’t worried about anyone recognizing her as a witch. It would actually help her get more information since witches were supposed to be neutral.

She snorted and kicked the stand up and out of the way. If that wasn’t the biggest lie in the paranormal world, she didn’t know what was.

Carefully, she eased out of the parking lot and headed toward the club.

It wasn’t really her style, but she preferred it over a strip club or a bar where she’d have to make small talk. The gambling dens would be hard to infiltrate so she needed to find the right people to make friends with.

Nova rode in silence, enjoying the night as she made her way toward the busier streets. She could have walked, but she’d been careful to ride after what had happened with Dex. Cleaning and stripping bodies wasn’t something she wanted to do without her gear on.

And she definitely didn’t want an excuse to call him.

Plus, if she asked to use his incinerator again, he’d probably want to know what the fuck was going on.

Nova found a parking spot and took off her helmet, whispering a simple spell under her breath to smooth the curls out until they fell just right. She locked the helmet to the bike and did the same with her jacket.

Ignoring the line, she went right up to the bouncer and smiled at him. The bear shifter grinned and unhooked the barricade so she could pass.

Sometimes it was good to be a woman.

No one asked for the ID she didn’t have on her. Nova didn’t want anyone to see her full human name. A bit of magic and she could turn a simple business card into whatever they wanted to see.

Her magic was limited, but there were a few things her father had forced her to learn for her own survival.

The music slammed into her as she crossed the threshold and Nova weaved through the crowd, heading to the bar to get her favorite drink.

Again, neon lights lit everything but kept it dark enough she didn’t feel the need to pull the shadows around her. The beat pulsed and she let her hips sway as she catalogued everything she could sense.

Shifters, a few vampires, and witches.

She’d decided against the vamp clubs because she really wasn’t worried about them. They were extremely careful not to get noticed.

But this club was new, and she was curious why so many paranormals seemed to be interested in it. Maybe they had a secret menu of enchanted drinks, or maybe it was just a good place to make business deals. After all, witches needed the physical protection of shifters, and shifters needed the witches’ magic.

Nova took the drink and paid in cash, thanking the bartender. Then she turned to inspect the crowd.

Humans danced among them, obvious with their imperfections. They danced just like the paranormals though, as if they had nothing to lose. Nova grinned and downed her drink.

At the very least she could take some time to dance, and ease some of her stress while making her way around the dance floor to see what might be hiding in the shadows.

The music was eerie and yet still pulsed with a dance beat that made her shake her hips. The songs mixed with it made her grin and she tipped her head back, dancing by herself and not giving a shit about anyone else.

After a week of recon, she needed some time to get out of her head and just enjoy burning off her extra energy.

“Did you hear? They’re looking to hire more security.”

Her senses zeroed in on that voice, sifting through the thousands of other scents to recognize the two paranormals as bear shifters.

“I’m not interested in grunt work, dude.”

“They pay well though, and they’re specifically looking for shifters.”

---