TWENTY-ONE (RUBY POV)

"What an interesting place..." Iselen mumbles taking a look around and Terra nods, standing in a discreet corner, almost hiding behind some big plant pots. "It looks familiar."

"It could be an Italian garden," the wolf answers. "Or we could be in the south of France or Spain. We've visited palaces that looked like this centuries ago."

"I think it's deliberate," both women stare me confused while I give them some drinks I got from the bar counter. I know what they like by now: wine for Iselen, beer for Terra and a sweet alcohol-free cocktail for me. "The interior designer tried to give this restaurant and rooftop terrace a Mediterranean vibe. It's pretty obvious that the colourful floor tiles come from Italy and the carved grey marble fireplace is French, there're lot of plants and small lemon trees in pots, and wicker chairs with blue cushions."

"But I thought that everybody loved modern stuff in this city, with clean lines and big glass windows, state-of-the-art materials that help to save energy and are eco-friendly... This is too..." Iselen hesitates and Terra smiles, holding her beer.

"Decadent and baroque?" the wolf winks at me.

"To be honest, it's elegant and decadent, romantic and bohemian. The image some people have created in their minds about Europe is a very charming continent but that's falling apart." The both seem to think about it for a few seconds before nodding reluctantly.

"Damn it," the vampire sighs wearily, leaning her shoulder on a wall while looking at the tall skyscrapers illuminated around us tonight. "I should restore that palace, shouldn't I? The building where I lived with my clan in Paris at the end of the 18th century..." she explains when noticing that I'm looking at her puzzled. "I inherited it after killing my blood father and it's true that the roof is about falling apart... It's been a century since the last time I set foot there."

"I've told you several times, you should sell it... You got some offers through your European agent," Terra growls quietly and I can't help chuckling.

"You behave like an old married couple. Do you really like it?" I ask pointing around and my girls nod. "Despite it's crowded."

"The light is dim thanks to these candles and fairy lights on the lemon trees and doesn't give me a headache," Iselen admits smiling. "And we're on a rooftop terrace, on the 15th floor, which means the stinky exhaust pipe smell can't reach us and the strong perfumes of the ladies in here vanish in the fresh breeze. I think this is the nicest place we've visited in LA apart from your house..."

"Hey girls, I've managed to steal a tray of delicious canapes from a waiter, I'll put it on this table for you."

"Thank you, Rob." The dark-haired guy winks at me before turning around to order more drinks. My friends are having the time of their lives on the dancefloor and they go to the bar counter to get more cocktails nonstop, in fact, they're the life of the party... which is weird because, even if they're funny and kind, they're also introverts usually and, like me, they don't like to be the centre of attention. I look at Iselen with suspicion in my eyes and she pretends she's not noticing it, drinking her wine while Terra picks out an Italian sausage canape from the tray and ignores us. "What have you done, bloodsucker?" I ask quietly and the vampire blushes slightly.

"Your friends are really nice but they were making us feel uncomfortable, they wanted to take pics with us nonstop to post them on social media and didn't leave us alone, so I manipulated their minds to focus on cocktails and music," she answers slowly, choosing her words carefully so I don't get offended but she shouldn't be worried about that because I understand her perfectly.

"That's because you're fascinating: pretty, educated, stylish, with old school manners... exotic. And extremely seductive, I guess it's because of the sensual aura that surrounds supernatural creatures and also the vampire charm. They also like your vintage clothes, this jacket is gorgeous, Terra. Where did you buy it?"

"In Harrods in London but it was in 1917, I don't think you'll be able to find this same model nowadays," the wolf answers smiling. "These canapes are really good and the rooftop terrace is gorgeous but I still don't understand what we're doing in this party with your friends."

"I visited my lawyer and agent in their offices yesterday and asked them where I could find Marsh this Saturday, I guess they believe I'm going to beg for a role in his next film, and they were very happy to answer my questions. They told me his name was on the guest list of this party held by a music producers association, Rob managed to get some invitations and my friends serve us as an alibi to be here because I'm an actress, actually, and this is not my world, to be honest."

"And what is he doing here? He's a film producer." Iselen frowns, confused.

"Good question, maybe he's interested in a new business project, or he just loves to mingle with all these famous artists. Hollywood is quite small, actually, and all celebrities run into each other sooner or later, even if the party has nothing to do with our job directly... Oh, hello, Rachel... I didn't know you were here tonight."

"You should've guessed it since I work for a music producer," the beautiful woman smiles and tries to look seductive, putting her hand on her hip to draw attention to her curvy body and flipping her long dark hair. Her flirting strategy is so obvious that I almost feel like laughing, subtleness and elegance are not her strong point, while the vampire and werewolf stare at her surprised and bewildered. "I'm happy to see you, I've been thinking about you a lot lately and about that weekend we spent in Las Vegas... It'd be great if we could repeat the experience, don't you think?" she asks pouting and, suddenly, my two pretty girls frown upset and I can feel temperature plummeting around me.

"No, I don't think it's a good idea..." I whisper but can't finish the sentence because Iselen's head appears in my field of vision, standing between the brunette lady and me. Rachel blinks for a second, taken aback by the interruption, while the vampire looks right at her face, very close, and my stomach turns of anxiety.

"Get lost..." I heat her growling before turning around to look at me intently, her eyes shine in a very odd way and the edges of her pupils are dyed in a subtle reddish colour. "Who was that woman?" she emphasizes every word and her tone of voice sends a shiver down my spine.

"Nobody important, really," I answer quietly, concerned. "We dated for a few weeks but it meant nothing, it's been months since the last time I spoke to her... Don't hurt her..."

"I'd love to do it," the vampire admits, biting her lower lip. "Ripping her apart, crushing her, breaking her bones... Mmmm... it's a big temptation..."

"Terra, please, do something," I mumble scared, the truth is that I've never seen Iselen behaving like this before and I'm getting really anxious, but the werewolf shrugs dismissively and picks out another sausage from the tray.

"I don't think so, I'm going to stay here and will drink another beer while watching Iselen turning your ex-girlfriend into pulp. It'll be great fun..."

"Have you gone crazy?" I whisper getting angry despite my fear while they stare at me with straight faces. "She's not my ex-girlfriend, she's no one... What the hell is wrong with you? You're scaring me..." Unshed tears fill my eyes and the attitude of both women change all of a sudden, the wolf puts her tattooed arm around my waist and kisses my cheek, the vampire takes a deep breath and her eyes get their normal colour back.

"I'm sorry, Ruby," Iselen clears her throat and takes my hand, kissing my knuckles gently. "I guess I was jealous and lost control for a second."

"Are you serious?" I ask with my mouth wide open. "I told you she was no one important... don't you trust me? This is ridiculous."

"Babe, listen..." Terra puts her empty glass on the table and seems to think what to say for a few seconds while Iselen is still holding my hand. "We're not human and, even if we're supposed to be rational beings, when our instincts take control sometimes things... can get pretty intense. You should know that... I love you both with all my heart and will kill whoever dares to stand between us three... and I'll make sure that person suffers a lot... I'd probably tear at their jugular since I'm a wolf and all that."

"And then you complain because I'm not subtle enough," Iselen rolls her eyes hard while I stare at them, surprised. "I'm sorry, Ruby, seriously. The truth is that Terra is right and my protective instinct and possessiveness play odd tricks, I think your friend took me off guard, but it won't happen again. I'll try to control myself from now on and, of course, I trust you with my life."

"Okay, thank you," I nod and she kisses my hand again. "That was a good speech. I love you too but you have to understand that we'll run into my other ex-girlfriends in this city, probably, although there're good reasons why they're not my partners anymore: I'm with you now and I respect you. I won't cheat on you or anything like that and you don't have to break anyone's bones, please."

"Yes, that would draw unwanted attention, most likely," Terra nods reluctantly.

"I'm happy we agree on this," I sigh wearily. "No more catfights..."

"What are you talking about? I'm a wolf, not a cat..." My girl closes her mouth when I put my index on her lips and point at the other side of the terrace, at the door leading to the restaurant.

"He's here... David E. Marsh." Both women turn around and peek between the green branches of a small palm tree. "The tall guy with brown hair standing right next to the blonde girl with big boobs, he and his friends are always surrounded by women with beautiful bodies and little brains."

"Nice suit," the vampire whispers. "I bet it's expensive... The watch, cufflinks and the confident and arrogant attitude, everything stinks of money and power... Can you sense any trace of magic in him, Terra?"

"I think so and we're too far for you to smell his blood... Those guys talking to him look almost the same, you know, similar clothes and attitude... Not all of them are half demons, I hope. That would be very bad news for us..." I stand on tiptoes to be able to take a look over their shoulders at the group of people that laughs and drinks carelessly.

"He's a banker, a famous music producer and the last one is the owner of a real estate company, they look alike because they're all members of the same tribe, they eat at the same restaurants, go to the same beaches in the Mexican Caribbean, make out with the same type of girls and buy the same fancy apartments in New York as an investment. They're idiots with lots of money and few scruples... but I don't know if they're half demons."

"Wow..." Iselen smirks mischievously and leans forward but keeps her eyes fixed on Marsh. "Have you seen that?"

"What?" I ask confused, leaning my hands on her shoulders and standing on tiptoes again to take a closer look.

"Not you, babe, you're human and couldn't see it," the vampire answers. "Check out the tiled floor behind him every time he gets closer to the fairy lights around that lemon tree..."

"Oh yes, I've seen it for a split second... He's very smart," the wolf smiles while I stare at the back of their necks, puzzled.

"What the hell are you talking about?" I grown angrily. "I don't understand a word."

"He's the half demon we were looking for, it's confirmed. This guy is powerful, that's for sure, and the spell he's casting to hide his wings from the view of all these people is good but not perfect, at least, he didn't manage to deceive us because we know what we're looking for. If you're a supernatural creature and pay attention, you'll be able to spot the shadow of the wings on the tiled floor when he moves closer to a light... It's blurry and only lasts for one second, as Terra said, but they're there."

"Okay, well," I answer stepping back, surprised in spite of all. "So, David E. Marsh, Hollywood action film producer, is a half demon who wants to kill me to open the gates of hell and free his friend, a real demon, who will spread evil, war and disease all over the planet. What are we going to do?"

"We'll kick his ass," Iselen answers smiling.

"No, we must find out what he's up to first," Terra shakes her head. "If we kill him but another demon appears out of the blue later trying to find the key and open the gate, it won't help if we kick Marsh's ass. Ruby will always be in danger unless we destroy the lock... we need to find the damned gate."

"Oh, crap!"

"Iselen!" the werewolf hisses angrily. "Language! I understand this is frustrating, I also want to break that bastard's bones given that our girl is in danger because of his ambition, but it's not the best option right now..."

"No, it's not that," the vampire puts her hand on the wolf's cheek and forces her to turn her head towards the palm tree again. "Look... What are we going to do now?"

"Fuck! You're right, we have to get out of here." Suddenly, Terra's tattooed hand covers my mouth and her arm encloses my waist, dragging me into the restaurant through a side door while Iselen follows us and forces the waiter we've bumped into in our way to forget that he's seen us thanks to the vampire charm. Actually, everything happens so fast that I don't even know what's going on, we were hiding behind a big pot on the terrace five seconds ago and now we're hiding in the restroom, on the other end of the wooden bar counter, peeping at Marsh's friends while they order more bottles of champagne.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" I growl leaning my back on the wall, feeling dizzy because of the sudden change of scenery.

"Michaela is here," the vampire whispers keeping her eyes fixed on the door leading to the terrace while I stare at her confused till I remember.

"Okay, so now I'm the one running into one of your ex-girlfriends," I reply angrily, trying to push her away to be able to take a look at the half demon. She looks exactly how they described her: pretty and sexy, with red hair, green eyes, flawless skin, golden freckles sprinkled over her nose and cheeks, plump lips, nice breasts... Fuck, now I understand that weird urge Iselen felt that almost made her punch Rachel's face.

"She's not our ex-girlfriend but a bitch who fooled us..." the wolf answers crossing her arms over her chest. "We hate her, do you remember?"

"Yes, and she was not even good in bed..." The vampire shakes her head while I look at her in disbelief. "It was all fake and dramatic, unnatural, lot of moaning and meowing, acrobatic postures thanks to her wings, like a very bad porn film... I was young and stupid and let her impress me with her performance but I wouldn't touch Michaela right now."

"Acrobatic postures?" I ask perplexed.

"What are we going to do?" the werewolf looks at the vampire pointing at the door and ignoring my question deliberately. "She can't see us, she knows our faces, knows that we're the owners of the Wind Rose and she probably knows we're the ones protecting the key too. If she tells Marsh, the asshole could vanish and we'd never find out what he's up to."

"You're right, she could make things very difficult for us... And we can't get closer to them to listen to their conversations because she'd recognize us. I can't believe she got involved in this mess, she's a very smart thief but never got into big trouble, this entire operation seems too big for her, she's out past her depths here."

"Who knows what Marsh has promised her? Michaela is ambitious and has a taste for luxury."

"You know what? She doesn't know me." I walk out of the restroom in a hurry before the vampire can react and stop me, walking across the colourful tiled floor with firm steps swinging on my high heels, towards Rob and my friends that are ordering more drinks on the counter. They'll have a hell of a hangover tomorrow thanks to the bloodsucker... I can feel her angry and worried look drilling my back and I bet Terra is doing the same. And I understand them because I'm taking a big risk here, it's true that Michaela has never seen my face and most supernatural creatures have never heard about Ruby Rose, actress and model, but someone could've warned Marsh. If he knows I'm the key, this won't end well for me.

"Hello, Rubes, do you want a drink?" Rob gives me a margarita and takes a look around, confused. "Where are your friends?"

"In the restroom," I answer stepping back, pretending that I'm focused on my drink while getting closer to the group of fat cats surrounded by beautiful women. None of them is as beautiful as Michaela, of course, I can't help looking at her fascinated for a second. Her smile is the most seductive I've ever seen and her heady perfume is delicious... but she's a bitch, a liar, and I love my girls so I avert my eyes and focus on my cocktail while leaning my back on the wall, right next to a big plant that hides my body from their view.

"David, I've heard there'll be a party in your home next Tuesday. Why didn't you invite me? What are you up to?" The banker smiles as if his question were a joke but I'd say he feels offended judging by his tone of voice.

"I'm sorry, my friend, I have nothing to do with that. A business partner asked me if he could borrow my house and garden to hold a party... I don't even know half of the people that will attend." The producer shrugs while I pretend to be scrolling down my phone, although I take quick looks at the floor out of the corner of my eye trying to see the wings my girls were talking about earlier.

"But Michaela will be there..."

"I'm the planner, dear, I have to make sure that the catering company doesn't screw up," I blink shocked when hearing her sweet voice. This woman is pure sensuality and I bet humans are staring at her mesmerized right now, I'd better leave before making a fool of myself too. Besides, I got some useful information already: there'll be a party at Marsh's house next Tuesday night, which means that the building will be full of guests, waiters and cooks, and it'll be easier to sneak into the gardens to take a look, above all if you go with a vampire and a werewolf that can jump over the tallest fence and circumvent the most sophisticated security system. Maybe we'll be able to find out what he's up to finally.