His fall jarred the booth, but it wasn't enough to be noticed over the boom of the music. Maria loved it, that thump-thump-thump that made you feel the bass in your body like a heartbeat. What she did notice was the metallic tinge of blood hit the air. It was close enough to where she stood that Maria could smell it even through the heavy mix of everything else. It was that unmistakeable. The full moon was only a handful of days away, and she could feel her bloodlust mounting with the lunar waxing. She couldn't have ignored that particular scent if she wanted to. Maria's eyes scanned her surroundings, letting her nose guide her to the source, which turned out to be a young man who didn't look too much older than herself.
She opened her mouth to say something, check on him perhaps, but the commotion had drawn the keenly observant eyes of the dark-haired man on the overhead balcony. Severo Calavera didn't miss a thing when it came to his club. Maria might have been born a werecoyote, but sometimes she wondered if Severo was part hawk. His gaze clearly picked up the young man on the floor, but it quickly scanned upward and fell on her booth. Then it fell on her. Maria tried to avert her face, but it was too late. She noticed the spark of recognition the moment he caught sight of her. She shouldn't have looked up, but since she did, Maria held her cousin's dark stare, shooting daggers at him across the dance floor.
Stubbornness was met with challenge and then Severo nodded to the small cluster of men and women around him, who suddenly burst into motion at his signal. They turned and moved off towards the far staircase that led down to the club level. Severo smirked, then turned himself, slow and cool as a snake, to follow.
Maria waved her backup DJ into place so he could keep spinning tracks. It was important to keep the party bumping, for no one to take notice of what was going on. Already the Calavera's thugs were cutting across the crowded floor, weaving and bobbing among the patrons, towards her. "Oh shit." It was time to go.