“What if the old man bites you?” I asked. I strolled over to the mouthy nekojin. I liked her outfit, complete with heels and fishnet stockings. I liked her softly pointed ears and the demure lines of her body unveiled by the scant clothes. I liked the challenge her attitude presented.

She glanced over at him. “I’d probably rip off his nutsack.”

“Oh ho ho!” Jasper laughed. “No she didn-”

I backhanded him casually, knocking him through a three hundred and sixty degree spin after which he bowed and collapsed in a pile. Good thing he’d felt safe enough to leave his goons out in the club.

I had lived my life by an undefined but restrictive set of rules. A system of order, really. Although I knew I possessed free will, I’d often felt as though I was a vessel for the will of the universe. Through me, deities touched the world.

That load of shit went out the window the moment the love potion hit my bloodstream. I realized for the first time that I was not some great hero caught up in the middle of an epic journey. I was an apex predator, a shark surrounded by people who couldn’t even swim.

I stepped into the catwoman’s space and breathed deeply. I enjoyed her pheromones, enjoyed her outfit, enjoyed her.

She didn’t seem phased by what I had done to Jasper. She held her own, straightening her back and staring me down with brilliant golden eyes. “What are you supposed ta’ be?” She jabbed a pointed finger in the middle of my chest. “You have a fuckin’ old soul. A tangle of em’ really.”

“I am Breaker,” I said simply. “And you,” I leaned forward and inhaled her smoky pheromones. “You have a way with concoctions.” A striking snake did not bite so fast. My head turned and my teeth sank into her neck. Not hard enough to break the skin. Just a tease. A test.

She outwardly hissed as her body stiffened. Funnily enough, she didn’t immediately push me away. I noticed the way she slightly tilted her neck further away to give me more space the slightest hints of her wanting more. Her hand landed on my chest and she hesitated before pushing me away with reddened cheeks.

“What gives you the fuckin’ right to just sink your teeth into someone like that?” She brushed her hands down her form and took two breaths before shifting to a wooden box on the small desk in the corner of the room. “I am Ayaka, and yes. What you drank, along with these- are my own creations. I’m fuckin’ proud of my work, but I don’t mix business an’ pleasure, Breaker.”

“Well thank you, Ayaka. As to what gives me the right… you did. Your potion taught me things about life I was too foolish to realize before.” My gaze narrowed in on the potions in her box. “What do you have there, then?”

She turned to the multi-coloured vials. “Heating salves, cooling salves...you know -erotic sensory bullshit. Paralytics cause that's what some like these days. The place’s specialty, ‘Love Potion’ aphrodisiacs…” she trailed off. “Stiffeners and wetteners for those who can’t quite get it going. The usual.”

I stalked over to her and trapped her between myself and the desk. “Which one is like the one I took?” I asked. “I want you to take it as well.” My hand cupped her chin, the tips of my fingers touching her neck and applying just enough pressure. “I want you along for the ride with me.”

Her eyes narrowed as she was forced back against the desk. Her soft feline ears swivelled forward. Her cheeks glowed with a faint red tinge. “If you were downstairs then the love potion is a mix of several components but the main three are a mild addictive formula, an aphrodisiac and a chemical that blocks the inhibitors within your noggin’. Now, why the fuck would I want to do a thing like that without some sorta reason?” She pushed back, half heartedly as I held my stance and tightened the grip on her chin. She was playing coy. Oh how cute, and how deadly.

“Because I understand they rent rooms at this establishment,” I said, feeling a placebo of desire mount within since she had told me about the aphrodisiac. “Rooms that come well-equipped. I’m going to take you to one of them, and I’d hate for you to have any inhibitions about all the things I’m going to do to you.” I lowered my hand to her throat and pressed my mouth forcefully against hers.

She wriggled and a sound of discontent escaped her before she took a deep breath. My natural pheromones were almost as strong as hers, and she was inhaling them deeply. I would have backed down if she didn’t want to continue but the way her body began to meld into mine as I pressed her further against the desk and the way she opened her mouth to invite me in told me otherwise. She returned my kiss, hungrily so, her lips pressed tightly against mine. Her tongue slipping into my mouth.

I tangled my hand in her hair and pulled her head back, breaking the kiss.

“This one looks right,” I said, seizing a jar with my free hand and popping the lid. “Down the hatch, now.” I brought the potion up to her lips. She stared at me before sighing and willingly opening her mouth. I coaxed the liquid past her lips and watched as she swallowed.

“Good kitty,” I said in a patronizing tone. “Now, let’s go.” I said as I picked up the rest of the potions. These may just come in handy.