The heavy oak door, scarred and weathered, looked like it had been salvaged from an ancient medieval castle. Above, a simple sign. No words, just a rusted iron bar from which hung two chain links, each half of what had once been whole. There were no lanterns, not even a streetlight to illuminate the shadows. The entrance sat near the end of a dead-end alley, innocuous enough that no soul, human or otherwise, would give it a second glance. Unless of course, one knew what lay inside. No humans ever would.
Shayla Dover had learned of Broken Chains, the bar behind the battered door, from her friend Maddie Kinslow, who happened to be a Shape-shifter. They’d met at a spin class. Maddie had known right away that Shayla wasn’t human, and hadn’t batted even an eyelash when Shayla had revealed her true nature. Of course, during her first visit with Maddie to Broken Chains, Shayla had learned being a Mermaid in human form wasn’t even the most uncommon of the numerous paranormal beings frequenting the bar.
Broken Chains accepted everyone. The only criteria—no human could ever enter. Vampires, Shape-shifters of all types, as well as Mermaids, Spirits and Wraiths mingled free of judgments, vendettas or complaints. A live band played most nights, rotating groups with enough different genres of music to suit all tastes. The small dance floor stayed crowded, and snagging a table became a matter of luck and skill.
Alcohol was sold, as well as specialty beverages that suited each particular kind of clientele. One sign boasted that Broken Chains carried twenty-seven varieties of blood, especially popular among the Vampire crowd.
Shayla loved the place. For the first time since making the choice to live on land, she felt she had found a spot where she belonged as much as she did under the sea.
While she’d known Houston and areas south of there had to be teeming with non-humans, she hadn’t given much thought to the sheer variety of species. In Broken Chains, she’d met numerous Shape-shifters, Vampires and even a Merfolk or two. From Maddie, Shayla had learned how many different kinds of Shape-shifters there actually were. The Wolves, along with their governing body, the Pack, were the most numerous. But there were Lions and Leopards and Bears, even Dragons! Of course, some considered the Merfolk a kind of Shape-shifter, since they could change their beautiful, shimmering fish tail into human legs. None of that mattered once inside Broken Chains. Everyone was welcome.
Tonight, Shayla and Maddie were meeting for drinks after Maddie got off work. Maddie worked as a police dispatcher for Galveston PD and hated her job.
Shayla was self-employed, doing well running an internet business she’d founded specializing in rare artifacts found under the sea. Though she occasionally loved to scour the ocean floor, her family also gladly kept her supplied with inventory. The market for collectors, until now untapped, seemed limitless. Due to the priceless nature of her inventory, she only needed one or two big sales per quarter to be prosperous. Most times she did much better than that. She loved being an entrepreneur, loved the treasure-hunting aspect of her work and enjoyed the income her job provided.
Still, despite her success, she found herself often at loose ends. She’d begun thinking about what other type of business she might start. Maybe something that Maddie could help out with, something that would get her friend away from her stressful dispatcher job.
Shayla arrived a few minutes early, rapping three times on the door and waiting, before repeating the sequence with two extra beats tagged on to the end.
The door opened, just as it always did, and Shayla sauntered inside. Instantly, she felt a sense of peace. Funny thing to consider a bar her home away from home, but she did.
The band tonight—one of Shayla’s favorites—played a slow bluesy song, a melody that made Shayla want to twirl and sway. Maybe later, she’d dance. Glancing around the already crowded bar, she grinned to see Maddie had snagged a table. Maddie stood, waving to get her attention. Waving back, Shayla hurried over, happy she’d spent the time to turn her long black hair into a thick braid.
“Glad you made it early,” Maddie said, grinning. Her curly red hair hung loose around her shoulders. “I’ve been here an hour, circling like a hawk on a hunt, until I got this table.”
“I can’t believe it’s already so crowded.” Shayla glanced around as she pulled out a chair to sit. “It’s a Tuesday night. Look at all the tourists in their beachwear. I feel overdressed.”
“Pffft.” Maddie snorted. “You live to wear those cute little dresses and your heels. Heck, if I had a figure like you, I’d wear them, too.”
“A figure like mine?” Shayla eyed her friend’s lush curves. “I’m a toothpick. You’re the one with the figure. I can barely fill out my B cup.”
“I’d rather be skinny.” Maddie shrugged. “But isn’t that the way of things? We always want what we don’t have.”
“Maybe.” Shayla didn’t believe in wasting time pining for things she couldn’t have. And truth be told, she considered herself lucky. Just like her mom, she could eat whatever she wanted and never gain weight. She’d also learned long ago never ever to say that to another woman.
“The place is full of Vampires,” Maddie grumbled. “Who knew they enjoyed vacationing at the coast?”
Shayla had to grin at the Shifter’s disgruntled tone. While they generally got along, Vamps and Shifters had a natural reserve with each other. This despite the fact that Maddie and her were also best friends with Carmen, who happened to be a Vampire. Shayla enjoyed pointing out to each of them that they were the poster children for each giving the other species a fair chance.
“Speaking of Vamps...” Shayla glanced at her watch. “Where’s Carmen? She should have been here by now.”
“I know.” Maddie glanced around. “She’s lucky we saved her a chair. It’ll be completely full in another hour. This place is becoming more and more popular. Used to be I knew everyone in here. Now, it’s about half and half.”
“More strangers, more potential new friends. It’s all good.” Shayla signaled at Johnny, her favorite bartender. He nodded and a minute later brought her a glass of white wine, a nice chardonnay, her usual. Maddie already had her beer, a dark one this time.
The band announced they were taking a break and left the stage. While she’d enjoyed the music, Shayla was glad since this would give her and Maddie an opportunity to talk without having to shout.
“How’s things at the job?” Shayla asked. Maddie always had great stories about the drama going on both inside her emergency communication call center and in the outside world. Shayla loved hearing these, since her own work was so solitary.
“I don’t know how much longer I can take it there.” Maddie’s usually ready smile vanished. “With the tourism season upon us, crimes are skyrocketing. They’re demanding we work more hours to cover the personnel shortages. All of us are exhausted and miserable and crabby. I almost didn’t get off work in time to make it here. One of my coworkers had to cover the last hour for me.”
“That sounds rough,” Shayla commiserated, even though she had no real frame of reference.
“Oh, it’s only just starting. First, we have spring break, which is next week. And then, you know how things are once summer arrives. The island is packed.” Shaking her head, Maddie took a slug of beer. “They know I take night classes at Texas A&M Galveston.