Julian felt a deep unease settle in his chest the moment he realized where Levi had brought him.
A bar.
The air was thick with the stench of alcohol, sweat, and perfume, a suffocating mix that made his stomach churn. His steps faltered, and he instinctively reached up to cover his nose, his body rejecting the place entirely.
Levi, however, looked completely at ease.
"Where are you taking me?" Julian asked, his voice quiet, but the growing fear in his tone was unmistakable.
His eyes flickered around nervously—dim lights, groups of drunken witches and ghosts laughing, the distant sound of glass clinking, music pounding faintly in the background.
He hated bars.
He had always seen them from the outside but never dared to step in.
And now, standing inside one, feeling the disgusting smell clogging his senses, he hated it even more.
Because it reminded him of the past.
His wife.
She used to drink.
A lot.
