I woke up late…sore, more so than I wanted to feel from what my body could recall, my body heavy and my shoulder in horrible pain. I reached over and gripped my shoulder as I felt dried blood under my fingers.

            “Oh…shit.” Jamie’s voice said, I rolled my head over towards the bathroom door, he was half-dressed in the clothes he had on last night, the light of the sun was bright…too bright through the windows. He rose his hand to his mouth, glancing at a bracelet around his wrist: a snug black leather band with this silvery looking disk at his inner wrist.

            “You fucking bit me” I sighed, “Just looking to depart before I woke up?” I asked

            “Well…now I can’t” he added with a heavy sigh

            “What do you mean?” I asked, he nodded towards his own shoulder as I glanced over.

            “Get up…wake yourself up and all…I’ll…explain what I need to” he added

            Confused, but wanting answers…I did just that, getting a shower and choosing to ignore the fact I looked like I had been riddled by a paint-ball gun or something by the dozens of bruises across my person. I just threw some clothing on as I walked back out into the great-room of my apartment as he was gathering the rest of his clothing, he flicked his fingers weirdly and said something in a strange language as…this glowing amber ring floated off his hand and swirled around his clothing and they looked like they had just been freshly laundered.

            “What…what did you just do?” I asked, taking a step back. He sighed as he pulled his shirt on.

            “I said I’d explain” he added as he sat on one of the dining chairs motioning to the one across from him. I pulled the seat back far enough that sitting down, I was still obviously at the table, but far enough that I was visible distancing myself.

            “What…what the fuck was all of that?” I asked

            “I…have a condition” he sighed

            “Do I need to go get tested?” I asked, it’s not been the first time a one-night stand told me to get tested, usually via a note on the nightstand or something.

            “No…the condition I have is not a…mortal one.”

            “…mortal?” I asked, he flicked a hand as amber rings swirled above his palm.

            “Magic” he sighed, “Accessible to…all of us, but only able to be reached by all of us” he added, “There is…a second city under New Orleans, extends over into Baton Rouge a little too, kind of a second city in all other cities large enough to warrant it and…this second city is magical. Hidden to everyone and anyone around the world who is not part of the magical world.”

            “…what the hell are you talking about?” I asked

            “Have you ever heard of werewolves?” he asked

            “Yeah…in stories because they’re not real”

            He laughed a little before his face suddenly extended and shifted, eyes turning glowing amber as his pupils turned into slits, his nose and mouth extended and widened as heavy teeth adorned his jaws before instantly shifting back to humanoid.

            “While I am not a werewolf…I am a were-panther” he sighed, “Florida panther, technically…the magical city here is called Baton Vyolèt” he added before fishing around in his blazer pocket before taking something out of his wallet, it looked…almost poker chip like as he handed it over to me, it was solid purple with a white circle in the center with a star emblazed in the center with a fleur-de-lis inside the circle.

            “What is this?” I asked

            “Look for that symbol and if you have it on you…you can access the city. I am…part of a group, we’re called A.E.L…Accidently Exposed Lycans.” He sighed brushing some of his slightly damp hair off his face. “I’m…sorry I couldn’t keep myself back…the alcohol, the moon being so close to full and everything…I lost myself a little hence why I…bit you.”

            “You’re…you’re not making any sense” I said, “How could there be a second city under here? How could magic be real? How could you be a fucking were-panther or some other bullshit?!” I snapped as I threw the chip back at him, but I screamed when I looked at my arm, my arm was covered…in scales: thick, rough scales with spikes at their centers that softly curled back at their tips, an instantly recognizable tone of a greenish-yellow brown, my nails were these sharp black claws that while the color wasn’t right, the shape was without a doubt belonging to the same animal of these scales…an alligator.

            “Well, shit” Jamie said a little surprised.