It's been a few days since Daimon's lips touched my neck. I still felt the lingering hint of his kiss on my neck. Mentioning his name or memories brought that same heat coursing through my body.
Such a feeling lingered. I did my best to throw such thoughts away as I arrived at the tea shop to meet Daniel. Daniel was waiting outside, waiting for me.
"Daniel!" I waved my hands, catching his attention.
"Sarah, it good to see you. I'm glad you could make it. I was worried that you wouldn't come."
"No way. I want to know more about my mom." I stopped in front of him.
"Good, I am eager to show you into our supernatural world."
"Well then, let's get down to business." I spoke, a bit too eager. I wondered what I was going to go into; heck, I knew whatever supernatural things I would see wasn't always a sign. It's why I told Sam where I was going and who I was meeting.
Daniel opened the door to the tea shop for me to enter. I looked at him, then back at the door, confused. Was he playing with me?
The teashop was small, not too big where crowds of people would come, but small enough where one would think it's one of those hole-in-the-wall type of places. Something you have to find and head to. An old traditional Chinese herbal smell wafted through the open door. I scrunched my nose.
"Ladies first." Daniel waved his hand for me to go in.
"You're not kidding me, are you?" I whispered a bit too. He motioned me through once more. It didn't take too long before I walked through the door and moved out to the side for him to enter through.
Daniel walked past me; his heavy cologne lingered in the air. He continued forward as if he owned the place. I followed behind, curious.
Old traditional antiques decorated everywhere I looked. Beautiful Chinese paintings, hand-crafted tables, beautiful ivory and jade that decorated the very walls. I couldn't help but think I walked through the museum if I didn't remember that this was a tea shop.
Everything around me was ancient, beautiful, and heavy with smelling medicine. One too many inhales, I wouldn't be surprised if breathing the air could cure me. Daniel stopped in front of the cash register. A gentle old Asian lady, who was blowing a long pipe, looked up.
"The usual three cups of blood dragon tea dipped in honey and three cubes of sugar." Daniel spoke.
The old lady drew in a deep drag and puffed out a heavy smoke from her mouth. She reached under the desk, pressing a button. A small click sounded. My head whipped to the left, hearing a click.
The wall had a door open for us to enter.
"Thanks," Daniel turned and headed straight for the door.
I followed behind, not wanting to get lost or left behind.
I stepped through the door, shocked. What welcomed me was a bustling city. It reminded me of the city nightlife of Las Vegas. Neon signs, multiple stores lined side-by-side from different eras, women and men calling out to people to come into their shop. It was shocking to see such a drastic change from an old tea shop to a bustling town.
My eyes wandered in shock; I couldn't stop looking from left to right, attempting to get everything in sight. There was too much to look at. What was more shocking was to see different beings that one would have considered myths from a variety of cultures. Each one walking outside as if it were a normal day, but what populated the streets the most were people in human forms.
"Most of these people are werewolves, Mrs. Gibbons." Daniel chuckled as he watched me.
"They are?" I asked, trying to figure out how he could tell. Were there ears, tails, canines? I couldn't tell.
"Yes, about 10% of the population are other mythical creatures. Many of the good ones live in this city, while 90% of the other kind live in the wild. You don't want to run into those."
"What? Why?" I asked, curious.
"They are dangerous; they will kill you, and half of them are demons, evil spirits, and malicious beings." Daniel waved his hands. The paranormal stuff you catch on the human network stems from them 90% of the time. The more sociable ones are more human-like and intelligent. Werewolves, vampires, fairies, you name them. Sadly, the rarer type of being has become extinct."
"Such as?"
"Dragons. We have wyverns in England, though, pretending to be dragons. Some legends state dragons live in China now. If they were alive, we aren't sure. Nobody has seen one in over two centuries." Daniel stated matter-of-factly. "Right now, werewolves and vampires are most the mythical beings all around the world. Everything else has dwindled down to small clans or disappeared. You could say the werewolves' virility has kept them alive ever since mixing in with the humans, while the vampires turn humans. The other species wasn't so lucky with either or. Daniel shrugged; we walked past a sign that reminded me of a red-light district. Attractive men and women paraded their physiques. Some whistled to Daniel, waving him to come in.
"Is it bad that a dragon is extinct?"
"No, it's a blessing that they are." Daniel snorted, "Think about if one was alive today. It would terrorize half of New York City and raze it to the ground."
"It's that bad?"
Daniel smiled, not saying anymore.
I gaped at him, shuddering. That was terrible. Dragons being extinct was a thing, it seems.
"Why are all these mythical beings hiding, anyway? No, wait. How did we even get to this city? It's like we are in a different dimension." I spoke. There was no way that a city this big could be hidden from people; it was too obvious.
"This city is one of the 7 major cities around the world, hidden from human eyes. To get here, you would need to know the doorway to enter. I assure you, we aren't in another dimension. We haven't left Earth. Daniel chuckled. We made a sharp left turn. A large, black building, which I thought resembled a traditional Roman structure, stood with high, gilded fences. He stopped at the front of the gate; a security officer looked at Daniel once before nodding his head and allowing him through.
"You know him?" I asked, surprised that he had just allowed us through .
"I said there was a meeting at the Dresden Supernatural Society today."
"Well, but he recognized you. You can't just walk past a security guard without being stopped." I huffed.
The building came up; in large letters above the entrance way was a sign that said Dresden Supernatural Society.
"I'm a recognizable person." Daniel smirked, his handsome face grinning.
I scoffed. "You're either someone important or you're part of the society." Rolling my eyes, "That's the conclusion I have come up with." The double doors opened, allowing us to enter.
"A very astute conclusion."
"Daniel, what are we running into?" I asked.
"We will meet the elders, the Arch mage, the hunters, and the covenants."
"They are?" I asked. There were so many terms that I didn't know.
"The elders are the rulers that govern the supernatural society. They are the heads, you could say. While the Arch mage supervises the mages, the hunters, you could say, are the police force of the supernaturals, and the covenants fall under the alphas, vampire king, and the other clan heads. Your mother was a mediator between all those clans and the gateway to the human world. Peace reigned for a long time with her." Daniel chuckled. "The elders got on her nerves, though."
The moment we entered, large columns decorated the wide-open building. Multiple tall tables with many old and young people were sitting around the tables. Faces that I have never seen before. A few chairs stood vacant as Daniel sat beside a striking woman whose golden hair framed horns protruding from her head. A large golden ring decorated her nose, while she wore a blood-red Chinese dress. She leaned back, snorting at Daniel's arrival, glancing at me as I took a seat next to him.
"Well, if it isn't Daniel," the lady spoke. She opened the black fan in her hand with a flick. "I didn't think you would bring company to an important meeting."
"Solara, this is my friend. She came to register in the Dresden Supernatural Society."
Solara rolled her eyes. "Registration is the next building over. This is an official meeting, Daniel. You can't just bring a human in here." The other members around the table looked over as her voice became louder.
Twelve existed. Each having their own expression, most them didn't like that I was here. I felt out of place, wondering if this was a good idea to be here.
"Tut tut." Daniel waved his finger in front of him, "I came to introduce the Gibbon family's daughter."
"Gibbon's daughter?" One of the elderly men spoke; he had a sharp gaze that frowned. His long nose bobbed as his sharp ears flickered."You don't mean Flora Gibbon's daughter?"
"Yes, her daughter." Daniel stated. "She has every right to be here."
An elder, a short man scoffed, "You want a human mediator here? You exposed our kind again?" His voice raised , "When are you ever going to learn, Daniel? Humans need to stay in the human world. Not, mingle with us." He slammed his hand on the table. "Call the guards and get her memory wiped!"
Daniel chuckled, "She's like her mother. Her memory cannot be erased, Zelgon."
"You fool!" Zelgon growled. "You'd actually bring someone so useless into our lives?!"
"Again, I vouch for her." Daniel folded his hands, smiling. "Her mother was a good person. They uphold their word, unlike you lower elves."
"You dare?!" He shot up onto his chair, pointing at him, waving his sharp finger. "You think you're any better? The Goldenberg. The all-mighty prince of the underworld, a vampire?!"
I blinked once. Twice. Looking at him and then back at Zelgon. What?! I hiccuped. I couldn't help but look at Daniel and then back at Zelgon. Did I just hear him correctly? A vampire? Shit, I was walking next to a dangerous being.
Daniel waved his hand in front of him, rolling his eyes. "We talk about this; Sarah here is unaffected by most magic that you hurl at her. She's an anomaly that would be here. Her being here was bound to happen. I'm just introducing her faster."
"You damn vampires, bringing in trouble without a care in the world. Humans will wipe us out. You have seen how they react the last few centuries, and you bring an immune human here?! She's a problem waiting to happen!"
"You worry too much, elder." Daniel drawled, unimpressed by what Zelgon said.
"You're not worrying enough!" Zelgon half yelled, getting frustrated at Dresden's words.
"Enough!" Valerius spoke, an elderly man, who was the head of all the elders. His white beard, which took half of his face and went down his chest, swayed. A silent aura projected his power. "We will reconvene on this. For now, Mrs. Gibbons. Mr. Goldenburg, your family has pushed the boundaries one too many times. I expect better from you as a representative."
Daniel chuckled, "I think pushing the boundaries helps reestablish or strengthen the boundaries. You already know that there is no other spokesman for the supernatural for years."
"Yes, and that's another meeting for another time." Valerius spoke with a definite tone that ended the conversation. "Mrs. Gibbons, I would need to step out until the meeting is over."
I looked at Daniel, who nodded. Without looking back once, I got up and headed out the door.
The door closed with a click behind me as I walked out. Hands snatched out from behind me, pulling me to the side. A jolting pain struck me as I blacked out.