46

Artemis stopped at a two storey structure made of wood. The walls were dashed and old, covered with roses and blue vines, a stark contrast to the other modern buildings and skyscrapers. Right above the door hung a sign in a weird language that Regan had no idea of.

It was obvious there were aliens inside, since they were entering and leaving through the door.

"Why did we stop here?" Regan asked with furrowed eyebrows 

"We're going to get something to eat," Artemis said as she took a white purse from under her cape. Regan almost said she wasn't hungry, but she couldn't stop the other two from eating.

"Okay, but why here? What's this, a market?"

"It's a tavern. We are just going to buy something to eat and then leave. It's cheap," Artemis replied.

"I won't enter. I've got an odd vibe about this," Regan said, her voice carrying a hint of uncertainty.

Artemis rolled her eyes, "I can't enter alone. And if you don't want to come, I can't let you here alone either. So now, come inside and let's finish our business fast."

Regan entered reluctantly. She wasn't going to stay alone outside in that alien world she had no idea of. 

The tavern inside was lit in a warm light that matched the air's temperature. The windows were arched and covered with a layer of transparent orange curtains. Aliens were seated on the oak tables, laughing and drinking beverages. Regan had never thought aliens to do things so human-like. At least not those aliens. The smell was something like spice and fried peppers. There were two aliens playing some instruments on the side and the music was a mix of Latin and some sort of folk she had never heard before.

The uncomfortable thing was that she was getting stared at.

Artemis approached the counter and leaned against the polished wood, her nails tapping on the desk. It was then Regan realized how beautiful and long her nails looked.

The bartender was a peculiar alien with reptilian features—scales that shimmered in various shades of green and yellow. His slitted eyes looked at them both but lingered on Regan.

"Hello," Artemis greeted and started to order some alien foods.

The bartender took notes of what Artemis ordered, but his creepy gaze was on Regan. She felt a wave of anger mixed with another wave of an unsettling sensation that coursed through her veins. She didn't know if it was only because of the bartender's stare, or something else.

"Hey, you....you don't seem to be from here, are you?" the bartender finally asked, directed at Regan, an evil smirk on his face.

"Where the hell do you assume I'm from?" Regan retorted. She knew it was rude, but she couldn't shake the anger slowly forming in.

"Well...." the bartender trailed off as he leaned on the table, "Beauties like you are uncommon here," he said, his eyes raking over her body, "And I've never seen one like you before."

Regan felt the disgust creep up on her, although all he could see were her eyes, eyebrows and forehead, "Shut the fuck up or I'll execute you just right here and now," she snarled, her voice angry and threatening.

"You're not from here, beautiful," he spat back, glaring at her, "and you shouldn't be talking to me with such foul language."

Regan's blood boiled at the alien's remarks, her jaw clenching tightly.

"Stop, don't make a scene," Artemis nudged Regan's arm, upon noticing what was happening, "Just ignore him," she continued, before turning back to the other bartender. Liv, on the other side, was watching everything but couldn't interfere.

But Regan was even more fueled up, "Ignore? Listen up here, asshole. If you think you can ever call me 'beautiful' again, you'd be terrified of what I can do to you. Now, fuck off and never get on my sight again," she growled.

The bartender laughed, a harsh sound that seemed low in the voices and sounds of the tavern, "Oh, I don't think you'd be any trouble." He leaned closer to her, his reptilian breath wafting past her face. "But if you really want to know who I am, why I'm here... there are ways to find out." He smiled, a menacing grin that made Regan's skin crawl.

The music and the voices around made it hard enough for anyone else to notice what was happening. Regan could feel the fire burning in her veins. She was just going to strike him if the tavern's doors wouldn't have slammed open.

Everyone and everything went unnaturally and abruptly quiet, their loud conversations gone, their laughs long interrupted, their gazes directed to none other than the two massive figures standing at the doors. The music stopped and a chilling silence dropped.

Two tall, muscular men stood at the door, their attires completely covered by long dark robes, their aura speaking one of mystery and power.

As Regan turned back too, she couldn't ignore the piercing haunting feeling she felt, but she was way too furious to even realize where it was coming from.

"Did you get it?!" Regan once again snapped at the bartender, whose attention was stuck on the unknown men.

But suddenly, she felt an arm sneak around her waist, pulling her back and away from the bartender. She was immediately alarmed like a hurricane had just hit her and her gaze hurriedly travelled up. She was shocked at who she saw. It was the man in the cloak. But that wasn't it all.

It was Sirius.

Regan's eyes widened in shock, what was he even doing?

Snapping out of the daze, she tried to free herself from his grip but it was unyielding. Anxiety rushed in her and his cologne filled her nostrils, a stark contrast in the tavern's air. 

"Get away from me!" Regan hissed, her voice a blend of confusion and anger. She hadn't been that close to any man before. And she hadn't forgotten she hated being touched.

But Sirius didn't even seem to listen or at least—acted like he didn't. His eyes were on the bartender, crimson and intense. She had seen this look when he had been furious.

But she didn't give a damn about it. She struggled again and he in response pulled her closer on his chest, stroking her hair gently, but she couldn't feel the restraint in his grip. Regan's breath caught on her throat and she realized her hood wasn't in place anymore.

She looked up at him to see that cruel smile that didn't have anything to do with a genuine one, the smile that made him even more terrifying, "You're the wannabe?" Sirius demanded, his voice low and dangerous.

The bartender swallowed hard but didn't reply.

"Answer, you're the wannabe?" Sirius repeated again with a higher tone, his grip on Regan tightening, but not painfully.

The bartender's figure trembled as he took a step back, "I-I don't know what this means, m-my m-master. I-I'm just a worker." He stuttered, his eyes wide with fear.

Sirius's face twisted into a snarl, "You dare lie to me, worm?" he growled, his voice deadly, "You dare look at her like that? You're nothing but a foolish little bastard, trying to take what doesn't belong to you!"

With a sudden movement, Sirius let go of Regan and pulled her behind him, as he took a step closer to the cowering bartender. "I should rip your soul out right now and end you," he threatened, his expression lethal, "and I'm afraid I'll do it."

The bartender glanced back at other patrons but they were too much in fear to even dare say anything let alone try to help. Everyone looked like they were holding their breaths, fearing the outcome. The silence grew merely heavier as even if a tiny pin were to drop, it would be heard at each corner of the place.

Regan was furious and confused at the same time, as she was more preoccupied with the fact that he had just grabbed her by her waist, instead of the overall thing.

Artemis on the other hand, was shocked as well. She never had expected Sirius, the dark lord, to enter a bar. But maybe he had followed them. Her servant, stood in a corner holding her breath, fearing of what was happening.

"What the hell are you doing here, Sirius?" It was Regan now that whispered harshly.

Sirius didn't pay attention to her, instead, he lunged and caught the bartender by his collar, slamming him against the counter. "I'm here for what's rightfully mine!" he growled, his voice echoing in the silence. "And you'll be over!"

The bartender struggled for breath while the other man in the cloak approached the sorcerer, "My lord, let's not get too violent here," he tried to calm him down. But it was obvious that Sirius wasn't listening.

"You think you'll get away with what you just did?" Sirius growled, his grip tightening even more. The bartender let out a whimper of pain.

"Please, my lord, I didn't mean any harm. It was just a misunderstanding." The bartender tried to reason with him, but it seemed to only anger Sirius further.

"Misunderstanding? You dare lie to me?" He yelled, his voice echoing through the bar.

An older patron who was standing at a corner, decided to voice out, despite his voice shaking with fear, "My lord, what wrong did he do? He's just a worker here." He tried to reason, but Sirius only gave him a menacing glare.

The bartender cowered, his face pale with fear. He glanced at Regan, hoping for some sort of help, but she only looked away, her mind racing with confusion.

Suddenly, Sirius's gaze flickered to Regan, and she felt a chill run down her spine. "You," he barked, "get out of here."

She blinked, surprised by his command. "Excuse me?" she said, trying to sound braver than she felt.

Sirius's grip on the bartender tightened even more. "I said, get out of here." His voice was cold and hard as steel. "This doesn't concern you."

Regan hesitated, glancing around the bar. No one was moving, no one was saying anything. She felt like she was in some sort of nightmare, where everyone was just watching, doing nothing and the very walls were holding their breath. Her eyes glanced at Artemis, who was shocked too. But then, she turned and rushed towards the exit, her heart pounding in her chest.

Sirius shot Artemis a menacing glare and there was no room for defiance. Artemis shifted quickly from her place

and picked up the food with the bag she was given. Liv followed suit closely and they were out within the second.