"Circe here works with young women to rescue them from sex trafficking," Chiron explained. Reyna just stared at the woman, still unable to move. Her entire body had been seized by terror, and that cold grip wouldn't let go. Next to her, Piper had a smile on her face.

"That's amazing to hear," Piper exhaled. Circe swept her gaze to Piper.

"Ah. A fellow succubus," Circe commented as she studied Piper. The girl's eyes widened in surprise. "It is so nice to meet another of my kind. Especially one so young and just coming into herself."

Reyna wanted to scream at the woman to leave Piper alone. She wanted to tell Piper to run and not stop until she was far away. But she was still stuck. Her face felt frozen in a neutral expression. While it didn't betray her panic, it didn't give any sign to Piper or Chiron that they were in real danger.

But, why was Chiron friends with Circe? He said that she helped out young women escape sex trafficking, but Circe didn't fucking do that! She was the one trafficking the women or pimping them out herself. Did Chiron know that?

Oh God, what if he did? What if he knew and didn't care? In fact, how could he not know?

"This is a lovely bar that you have, Chiron. I wish I had visited more," Circe remarked sullenly. Her gaze ran over Reyna. "I'm very glad that I finally had a chance to stop by."

"Let me introduce you to the others," Chiron gestured for her to follow him. Circe nodded and locked eyes with Reyna for a moment. Reyna just stared back at the monster before Chiron finally led her away. Reyna dug her nails into her palms and felt her breathing start to pick up.

"Wow, she sounds so cool," Piper beamed. Her gaze moved to her co-worker. "You okay?"

"Y...yeah," Reyna lied. She knew her fear had to be rolling off of her in waves, but she didn't know if Piper was picking up on it or not. But, there was no doubt that Circe did. "I just need to use the bathroom."

Reyna darted away from the bar before she could get a response. She practically threw open the door as she made it to the bathroom. Her eyes shot around, but she didn't see anyone in any of the stalls. Reyna made her way to the nearest stall.

It felt like butterflies were flapping around in her stomach, desperate to escape. Her heart was hammering in her chest. Reyna pulled at the collar of her tuxedo. It felt like the fabric was squeezing her throat. She tried to breathe, but it caused her stomach to roll even more. Breathing through her nose meant she didn't get enough air, and it didn't take long for her to hyperventilate.

Then, Reyna threw up in the toilet. She collapsed against the stall as she threw up her breakfast. A weak groan escaped her as she crossed one arm over the toilet and rested her head on that arm, unable to stand. The butterflies in her stomach felt like they had smelted into a sphere of solid iron.

"Fuck," Reyna whispered desperately. What the fuck was she supposed to do?! There was no running from this. Circe knew she was here. Circe knew where she worked. How the fuck could Reyna cross the damn country and still be found?

Reyna closed her eyes tightly and tried to think. Who could she go to? Hylla was out of town, and Reyna wasn't sure if she would be allowed her phone or not. What would Reyna even say? Fuck. What could anyone even do?

Reyna retched into the toilet again. The only thing that came out was spit, and she tried to swallow. As it felt like she was going to expel her guts, she spit into the toilet. Fear seized her throat once more, making it impossible to do anything.

It wasn't like she could go to the hunters. Or the damn cops. She had seen how well that went for anyone who tried. Clarisse still hated her. The others in the bar couldn't do anything. No one could protect Reyna from that monster.

Should she just run?

Reyna had done it before. She just took off and left, but this time was different. Now, she would be leaving behind a home and friends. And Hylla. Circe would go after them to hurt her.

Should Reyna just beg Circe to allow her to work out the two remaining years on her contract? Would the witch go for that? Reyna doubted she would get off the hook easily. She would have the worst jobs. Not to mention the worst clients.

A shudder tore through Reyna's entire body and up to her throat where she retched again. Reyna weakly flushed the toilet and lifted her head. She had enough strength to collapse against the stall and stare ahead.

Reyna was fucked.

It took a few minutes for the werewolf to stand. She flushed the toilet again and lumbered to the sink. Throwing water in her face did nothing to hide how pale she looked. Reyna took a deep breath and drank some water from the sink. She immediately spat it back up.

The bathroom door opened, and Reyna tensed. She glanced to the side and saw Piper.

"Hey, you okay?" Piper asked as she stepped forward and started to reach her hand out.

"Yeah," Reyna lied quickly as she stood and backed away. If Piper couldn't sense her fear or misread it as anxiety from the crowd, she wouldn't ask questions. But if she touched Reyna, that fear would shoot through her. She would ask why Reyna was scared, and there was no way that she could tell Piper about Circe. Not when it felt like the monster was watching her through the walls.

"Just ate something bad," Reyna deflected with another lie. She grabbed a paper towel and wiped her face. Piper nodded to her, and they both exited the bathroom. Reyna made her way to the bar and felt how tense her shoulders were. Her eyes shot around the bar, and she saw that Circe was talking to Jason.

Reyna's heart jumped back into her throat. She made her way back behind the counter and tried to keep her composure. A few partygoers came up and ordered drinks, but Reyna's hands were shaking so badly that she couldn't properly make anything, and Piper had to take over for her.

Reyna focused on just cleaning up the dishes, and she nearly dropped most of the glasses. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Piper watching her in concern. As the glass slipped out for the fifth time, Piper walked toward her and gently grabbed her arm. Reyna instantly recoiled before they could make contact.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Piper asked. Reyna forced herself to nod. "If you have food poisoning and need to leave, I understand."

"No," Reyna said quickly. "I just..."

"A whiskey please," a voice requested. Reyna stiffened and slowly looked at Circe. The woman studied her for a moment before looking at Piper.

"What kind of whiskey would you like?" Piper asked with a bright smile.

"Do you have a bottle of Devil's Cut?" Circe asked. She moved her gaze back to Reyna, and a small smile touched her lips. Especially because the bottle was near Reyna's right hand.

Reyna slowly grabbed a glass and opened the bottle. She poured some of the whiskey, almost spilling the bottle. As Circe watched, she practically purred out her next words, "More."

Reyna poured more and sat the bottle down. She passed the glass across the counter and nearly jumped out of her skin as Circe's hand made contact with her. A smile split the lips of the monster as she knew exactly how scared Reyna was.

That was how Circe had such a stranglehold on her men. She used their emotions and a bit of intuition to stay ahead of them. If she knew what they felt, she could hazard a guess on what they were thinking.

"It's amazing that you help women who are victims of sex trafficking," Piper began.

"Thank you," Circe replied, turning to Piper. "It's not easy work. Most of the young women that we find have been broken. They had spent years being forced to be the toys of men. Their innocence being ripped away like that is such a tragedy."

If Reyna's heart wasn't beating in her throat, she would have laughed at how fucking hypocritical the woman was. The same woman who marked Reyna everyday, who pimped Reyna out. Who the fuck was she to talk about taking away innocence?

"Werewolves suffer the worst," Circe added as her eyes flickered toward Reyna. "The men who traffic them hear the stories about how werewolves just love sex and will do anything for it, especially on a full moon. They don't consider that a werewolf is not a toy to be used."

"How did you get into the field?" Piper questioned as she glanced at Reyna.

"I grew up in a bad neighborhood," Circe revealed as sincerity washed over her face. "It was not a rare occurrence to see a young woman or even a young man taken off of the streets. I was almost a victim of it."

"That's horrible," Piper gasped.

"It is," Circe agreed. She shook her head. "God, and to think of how those women were treated. How they were... marked."

Circe's eyes flickered toward Reyna's lip and the nasty scar there. Reyna felt herself unable to look away or turn her head. She remembered the days that Circe would mark her. Holding her close and digging her nails in as she whispered sweet nothings and sinister threats in Reyna's ear.

"The worst is when the women escape, but are found once again," Circe continued somberly. She shook her head again. But she made complete eye contact with Reyna. "Because when they are found again after running, the one who they called master makes them pay dearly."