Neal and his friends believe Riffs is the hottest rock club in the Village. But it has a dark underbelly. Behind the scenes, a ring of hackers is running an ID fraud operation with an ominous twist—they're vampires.
Warning for minor spoilers to Dark Rabbit and Harlequin's Shadow
Readers of my previous story, Dark Rabbit, are already aware that Riffs is owned by the vampire Jeremy Sangford. He's a special breed, known as a pure-blood, and was created by the goddess Astrena. Together with the demon Crowley, he runs the fraud operation for her. Once Crowley realized that Neal visits the club, he ordered Jeremy to monitor him. Jeremy and Crowley are both aware of Astrena's interest in Neal. Crowley hopes to ingratiate himself with Astrena by providing the spy service.
Crowley instructed Jeremy to send him reports whenever Neal is at Riffs. He's particularly interested in Neal's dates. Although Crowley doesn't know who Sara is, he's quite familiar with Bianka. Astrena considers Bianka to be a rival for Neal's affections and has no scruples about fighting dirty. In Dark Rabbit, she made Bianka sick by using a hex bag, and she has many other weapons at her disposal.
As for Neal, he is unwittingly placing himself in greater danger. What is Astrena to think when he shows up on Thursday night with one date—Sara in disguise—then returns the next night with Bianka? With both of them, he appears quite passionate. It's the sort of behavior that could enrage a goddess.
Neal's not the only one unknowingly playing with fire. Jeremy alerted Crowley that Dean Winchester and Henry Winslow look very much alike. Crowley suspects a blood relationship and has begun investigating.
Harlequin's Shadow on Archive of Our Own
Harlequin's Shadow on FanFiction
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