The clear liquor in the shot glass vibrated ever so slightly as I held it up for inspection. The Overlay City nightclub was lit, but the last time I had done this, I wound up dead. When I surveyed the scene, the feeling of déjà vu began to fade. No, this was nothing like last time or the hotel.

Less fake and more Supernatural? I smiled and let it sink in this was a different world entirely. The color scheme of reds, purples, and blues made the place throb with dark passion. The textures were sensual: Smooth concrete floors, velvet club chairs, and silk papered walls.

I didn't feel the same uneasiness as the night of that party, either. With Zyr and Mys, I felt safe.

"What is this stuff?" I asked about the drink.

"It's Pox," Mys replied. "It's a Mayan ceremonial liquor believed to link this plane of existence to the spiritual world. Very mystical! I bet this shit will fuck up even a ghost, Yokai!"

I had never heard of it, but I gave it a try for the sake of doing 'just enough' and all that. When I tossed it back. I raised the empty glass in salute as the drink I had imbibed filled me with warmth. It had a sweet, smoky richness I liked.

I stared goofily at Mys, who was acting distracted by the phone while the detective checked us both out. "You look great, by the way," he said directly to me. I knew what that was about. Playing a role since my roommate wanted to be a matchmaker. Yet, his eyes ate me alive, and I wasn't sure that was for play.

Detective Zyr signaled another round of drinks. The bartender's stygian skin, strange white irises, and slightly pointed ears set me back. But I had read about his type, the Sidhe Dubh, in one of Mys' many books about Supernatural beings.

I said thanks an octave too high before gulping the second shot and thumping the new glass between us. With a cough and a laugh, I used the back of my hand to wipe my mouth. Zyr smiled, to-fucking-die-for if I wasn't already dead. Facts.

Also, factual: I was the real third wheel.

My roommate could stop being generous and pitch woo if I found an exit from the love triangle. I glanced at the winding staircase past the bar with an idea. "Whew! Being stuck indoors was driving me insane. I think I'm gonna stretch my legs and explore the upper level," I insisted. "You two stay here and enjoy. I'll be back."

The detective casually dropped a hand on mine and stopped me. "Yeah, if I don't keep my mind stimulated, I go insane, too. Unfortunately, it's not safe for you to run off on your own here, sorry."

I chuckled at being seen through. "Why not? If anything went wrong, couldn't you become a giant wolf like the ones from Mys' favorite movie?" My roommate didn't even look up from the phone at my blatant attempt to bait them into the convo. I pouted. They were doing this on purpose.

Zyr demurred. "Call me Zyr, and it depends on which movie," he said with a grin. "When I shapeshift, I am a slightly larger than normal Canis lupus."

"Not scary big like on Twilight?"

"Nahin, not quite as big, but that movie sets a good example of how the gene is passed. I wasn't 'turned.' I was born this way. Wolves don't have superpowers like Mys, though."

Still without looking up, Mys said, "I don't have superpowers. I have Empathy. Why are we even talking about me? Shouldn't you two be dancing?"

As if on cue, a DJ with dreadlocks let the beat drop. The club went pitch black until lights randomly exploded in a pulsating burst of color. We were blasted with a wall of music. It was good stuff. I couldn't help moving to the beat.

Zyr jerked his head to the dance floor. "Wanna go?"

I nodded, but my heart was in my throat. It didn't seem like I could wriggle out of this. I understood what Mys expected of us. Except, I had never dated anyone like the detective. I had always gone for the shy, studious types. Tonight, I was with a whole snack, in a place where anything was possible.

The multi-level entertainment space boasted a spiral staircase to a second floor. I had no idea what was up there, but down here, the club was packed with stylish revelers. The low-lit ambiance gave an air of mystery, and every now and then, party lights sent a disturbance through the darkness.

Zyr guided me past two girls with shimmery black wings tongue-kissing while another dancer watched them with opaque black sockets. It was like every freaky paranormal movie I had ever seen—Mortal Instruments, Constantine, even Harry Potter—with one exception: This was real.

When Zyr and I found an opening on the dance floor, I stepped into his arms but apparently not close enough. As he pulled me closer, a shaky exhale escaped me. My body was a stiff jangle of nerves.

Gradually, the music worked its magic. I wasn't sure if it was the Pox or wishful thinking, but it seemed like sexual tension crackled between us. Zyr controlled the sway of my body, innocently rocking with me. Yet, his fluid moves drummed up X-rated thoughts.

Damn it, Aurie, stop! I drowned out the erotic fantasies and rested my head on his shoulder. Wasn't it odd enough to have a crush on Mys without wanting their secret lover, too?

"So, what's up with you and Mys?" Zyr casually asked as if reading my mind.

I gave him a congenial smirk. "You and Mys are what's up. I'm renting you for the night."

"Renting me? Please, don't. I already feel a bit pawned, and I'm not the sex worker." He said with a wry twist of the lips.

I leaned back to see his face. "You know, Mys likes you, right? Don't worry about the sex worker stuff. It's not what you think."

"Hey, it's none of my business."

"I'm saying. My roommate is one of the most understanding, open-minded, ride-or-die, be there for you people I know, and I don't want you to write them off because of what they do for a living."

"Point taken. I can see you care about them quite a bit."

Smiling, I sucked my teeth at his tone. At how we were both feeling each other out. It was the funniest thing. Mys had given a blessing to this match made in limbo. But I couldn't stop thinking of the time we had kissed or the time I had caught the two of them making out.

A hip-hop ballad started, and the detective's proximity during the sexy musical number made my body ache. Or was I aching for the androgynous Supernatural at the bar?

"What about me?" Zyr asked huskily.

"Do I like you? I mean, you're hot or whatever." I would bathe in your sweat, my dude. Facts.

He grinned. "I ask because I get the feeling Mys has something more in mind for us than drinks and dancing."

"More like what? The ménage a trois you mentioned? Um, letting my hair down and having a few drinks is 'just enough' excitement for me," I laughed.

"Is that right? Well, let's see."

Suddenly, his mouth slanted over mine, and my lips parted in surprise. I clung to him to keep from floating away. Each languid sweep of his tongue made me weaker. As he gathered me closer in a sensual embrace, his rock-hard desire was at my stomach, and I tightened my thighs against the deluge of my own lust. If the kiss lasted a second longer, I would let him take me right there.

The detective let go and stared at me with faintly yellow eyes. "Just enough? Or do you want more?" he asked.

It was after two a.m. when I frolicked into the studio after Mys. Zyr seemed cheerful with our antics, closing the enchanted door behind us. We hadn't run into any trouble on the way home, but I knew Darcy Cyprian was waiting me out. Resurrection had put the ball back in my court. If I could just find that stupid business card.

"You two sloshed?" Zyr asked.

"I'm not sloshed, baby, I'm sparkling," Mys replied. "I've gotta run. Kittie Cad is expecting me." High-heels clacked on the floor as my roommate grabbed a purse and jetted out the door again.

I made a sound of amusement. It was so obvi, leaving me alone with the hot detective werewolf. "I guess that answers your question. No threesomes tonight," I announced.

Detective Zyr smiled and replied, "That wasn't my most recent question. I asked, 'are you drunk?'"

"Pssh! The Poshie-Posh wore off hours ago!" Okay, possibly tipsy.

"Good to know. Do you consent?"

"Excuse me?" I arched a brow as he cupped my face. It was hard to hide the tremors, especially when he stepped toward me. Especially when every inch of me screamed, Consent, consent, consent!

"Consent," he repeated slowly.

"You have to tell me what I'm consenting to first."

He ran the back of his fingers down my arms to my hands, collected my fingers, and brought them to his lips. "Aurelia, you played it safe your whole life. Don't you trust your instincts? Do you think I'm gonna hurt you?"

"No, but—" Smiling off-kilter, I hesitated. He placed my hands behind his neck as he walked me backward to my roommate's bed. "Is this the other thing Mys had in mind for us?" I squeaked.

Zyr heaved an agreeable sigh. "This night is about you learning how to let go of your inhibitions, but I won't do anything you don't want me to do. I need your consent to go any further. Let me know when you're done thinking about it," he said as his lips connected with mine one last time. It was a bruising, throbbing kiss that wiped my mind blank.

When he disengaged and stepped back, I was left standing there, aching.

"Why'd you stop?" I asked in a quivering voice.