Chapter 3

                                                                 Taylor

She had appeared, seemingly from nowhere, perched on a barstool at the end of the bar. My amulet had suddenly become hot against my shin and I knew she was supernatural. I ducked down, pretending to situate something under the bar, so I could peak inside my top and see what I was dealing with. I furrowed my brow in confusion. My amulet was red, it was never red. Black meant vamp, golden yellow meant were, white meant fae, occasionally it would be a mix of those colors signifying a hybrid. I took a deep breath to steady myself and stood, making my way to her.

            “What can I get for ya?” I asked, a smile plastered on my face.

            “Well, Taylor, I’m actually here for you.” She smiled back.

            My mouth went dry and my heart started pounding against my ribcage. I didn’t know what this woman was, but she knew, at the very least, who I was. My mind raced as I tried to project an image of calmness. The woman’s expression slowly changed to one of concern, almost as if she had read the fear worming its way through me.

            “Taylor.” She said. “Is there somewhere we can talk?”

            I nodded, calling over my shoulder to the other barback that I was taking my break. I didn’t want to take her anywhere she could pull anything, but there was an empty booth near the center of the bar. The bar was empty enough that we could talk without someone overhearing, but the positioning meant she couldn’t do anything without drawing attention. I led her to the booth and slid in the seat opposite her.

            ‘What are you?” I whispered.

            “I am the Goddess, Nyx.” She replied. “I’m sure your amulet turned a color you’ve never seen before and that must have been unnerving for you.”

            I nodded. I was unnerved, but I wasn’t sure if I should believe anything else, she had said.

            “I can sense that you’re unsure, but I also know you have a gift.” She smiled shyly. “If I give you my hand, you can see if I am telling you the truth.”

            I eyed her warily as she reached her hand out to me across the table before taking it with my own. I closed my eyes as the visions began to cloud my vision. Her entire existence played out before me and I knew she had told me the truth. She was the goddess of the night, Nyx. I pulled my hand away, taking a deep breath as I opened my eyes, wondering what on earth a goddess would want with me.

            “But you already know, dear.” She smiled again. “If you saw everything, you already know that I have mated you with my first creation. He has lost many mates to time, but I think you may be the one to undo my brother’s magic and make him whole for eternity.”

            I wasn’t crazy about the idea of being destined for someone, no something, without my consent, but I had spent my entire life in this small town. My mother had run from her coven when she was pregnant with me and settled here. I had learned what I could about being a witch and my particular gift from her, but there was no one else to teach me here. They were all normal humans. After her death I hadn’t been able to leave everything I had known, but now someone had taken the choice out of my hands. I felt a thrill of excitement run through me.

            “I have questions, but I’m in.” I told her before I could change my mind.

            We spent the next hour alternating between her answering my questions and me doing my job. Any lull in the need for drinks from the bar’s patrons, I would make my way back to her booth to hear more about this vampire who was apparently my mate. The more she spoke about him, the more I wanted to know him. I wanted to ask her where I could find him after serving another customer, but she had vanished as quickly as she had arrived, leaving no trace that she had ever been in the bar. Frustrated, I decided to focus on last call and closing up the bar.

            I was distracted with my thoughts when I finally left the bar after shutting down for the night. All I could think about was how I could possibly track down my would-be vampire mate. I didn’t notice my ex waiting for me, leaning casually against the building across the street.

            “Hey beautiful!” He called as I locked the door to the bar.

            “What do you want, John?” I demanded. He was the last person I wanted to see.

            “I just wanted to talk.” He smiled sheepishly; his hands raised.

            “The last thing I want to do is talk to you John. Why don’t you go find Carla? I’m sure if you need a bed warmer, she’s more than willing.” I snarled.

            He advanced on me, attempting to intimidate me with his large size. Instead of cowering in fear, I turned on my heel and began walking away. I hadn’t expected him to grab me. He snatched my arm and pulled me towards him, causing me to lose my balance. He used both hands to steady me as he leaned in for a kiss.

            “Fuck you, John!” I screamed, stomping on his foot, and forcing him to release me.

            Thunder roared in my ears as my sight narrowed. He had slapped me hard across the face. I barely had time to react before I was doubled over, his oversized fist plowing into my stomach. I went down hard, the concrete scraping my hands and knees as I gasped for breath. Bile rose in my throat as my stomach threatened to purge itself in response to the blow. I looked up, tears streaming down my face, and saw the most beautiful man I had ever seen in my life. He was holding John by his throat against the wall. I wiped my eyes and stole a glance at the amulet, swinging freely, around my neck. It was a deep black. I wasn’t going to need help finding my vampire mate after all.