The Moon and Sixpence thrummed with energy tonight, and it coursed through Bolina as readily as it did all the other bar patrons. Ever the red-haired cook seemed to be affected by it, as she peeped hungrily through the serving window as if searching for someone.

Bolina smiled, not needing to search. She had eyes for only one man, and he didn't know she existed. Maybe she'd work up the courage to change that tonight.

She glided between patrons, wanting to be near him, even if he didn't look at her. She dodged around a Watch officer who had a woman on each arm while he piggybacked a third, and almost bumped into him. She laid a hand on his arm to steady herself before she'd realised what she was doing. The contact was electric, holding her in place so she couldn't let go.

An incubus on the other side of the bar, high on the energy in the room, did something to intensify it. A casual spark blazed into a raging bushfire of lust.

His eyes turned on her, taking in her fingers on his arm before settling on her face. Impossibly, recognition flared in his eyes.

"You!" he cried, loud enough to be heard over the music. "The girl of my dreams. Come here!"

As if in a dream, Bolina felt his arms wrap around her, reeling her in closer so that her body pressed against his. She melted in his embrace, barely believing such a thing was possible.

Then he pressed his lips against hers as he kissed her.

Bolina reeled, lost in the sensation as he set her lips, her tongue and then her whole body afire. How could one body – no, two, because they were so intertwined right now that he undoubtedly shared what she was feeling – contain so much emotion and energy without bursting?

She couldn't – she was certain she couldn't. Breathless, panting, she pulled away from him. These feelings, these sensations, were too heady for her. Too much for one night.

Bolina stumbled through the crowd, intent on reaching the door and the cool night air outside. Her knees had gone strangely weak, so it felt like wading through neck-deep water as well as people. Yet she made it, nearly falling out the open door into the street.

Bolina sucked in a deep breath, wondering if it was the first since he'd kissed her. Between her whirling head and her racing heartbeat, she could have happily slid to the ground and stared up at the dome above, just reliving that incredible kiss.

"Wait!"

She heard the shout from behind her, and knew she couldn't stay here.

Bolina bolted, not caring where her feet took her, as long as it was away.

The patter of running feet behind her spurred her into going faster still. She couldn't seem to catch her breath, yet still she ran. Most of the shops here were shut, dark windows yawning like black holes on either side of her. She'd have dived into a black hole right now, if it offered her an escape, but the shops were all dark and silent.

All but one. The front of this shop was dark, true, but a light burned out the back, in the office or the preparation area, while someone worked late. She glimpsed glass tanks with something swimming inside.

Bolina shoved at the door, which didn't budge. Growling, she reached up to wave at the motion sensor, and the door hissed open. She staggered inside, knowing that the blackness edging her vision had little to do with the darkness of simulated night. No, this was her body failing to retain consciousness after being pushed to the point of exhaustion.

A familiar voice called out a greeting, and Bolina nearly cried. Serendipity had led her to the one place she would be safe.

The door hissed closed behind her, but Bolina didn't notice. She grabbed for the nearest thing to help keep her upright – a waist-high fish tank with scuttling creatures on the bottom. Too late she realised that the top of the tank was open, and her arms splashed into the water.

A shadow loomed behind her. Bolina was too tired to even turn her head to see.

Arms caught her around the middle, tipping her headfirst into the tank.

Bolina panicked, trying to brace her arms against the glass walls, reaching desperately for the top to haul herself out, but all she did was slide down the slippery glass, unable to find any purchase.

"Stop fighting," that familiar voice said, sounding far away.

Too exhausted to argue, Bolina complied, letting her body sink into the water. As her vision darkened, she thought she glimpsed a flash of fire before everything faded to black.

 

You can read the rest of Sven's story, Poseidon, HERE