Chapter 56 The Opening
The Opening
The gown she brought for me to wear was white and low cut. Thin straps over my shoulders and a gold-chain across my back were the only things that held it up. It hugged my curves so tightly my underwear felt like an intrusion. I shifted uncomfortably in the seat.
“For the love of God, stop fidgeting,” Monique said. “Walk in with your head high and use those witchy eyes of yours. Smile, take his hands in yours, kiss his lips, easy.”
“Hands that are probably going to be held out to wring my neck, easy,” I muttered, staring out of the window as the car ate up the winding road.
She reached into the glovebox. “Drink this.”
I eyed the little brown glass tube with a corked end. “What is it?”
“Just a little something to take the edge off. Drink.” She jerked it in front of my face.
I twirled it in my fingers. “Where did you get it and what’s it made from?”
“I got it from the witches. No clue, I just know it works.”
“No, thanks.”
She snapped it from my hand, popped the cork out with a thumb and drank it. “It’s not poison.”
She handed me another tube. I peered into her glovebox; she had a whole stash of them. Hesitantly, I drank it. Fire engulfed my lungs, and I coughed and spluttered into my hand.
“Don’t cry, you’ll wreck the makeup,” she barked.
I twisted my mother’s ring sparkling on my finger. Now that I was used to the buzz of magic in my veins, the ring made me feel powerless. Empty.
I didn’t want to wear it. The thought of walking into a room filled with vampires without my magic was gut-churning. Monique had argued that wearing it would give us some brownie points with Karson. We would need those when the newspaper came out tomorrow morning.
Having consumed not one but two test tubes of the nameless concoction, my muscles relaxed, my head felt light and fuzzy, and the stress had drifted away. I felt happy, happier than I had been in some time. And a little wonky on my feet. I blamed the six-inch heels she’d made me wear.
Monique reached into a small black purse and flashed a gold-engraved invitation to one of four security guards standing at the door.
The security guard, a tall female, read it, scanned us briefly, and nodded.
A puff of white smoke curled from Monique’s palm, and the invitation promptly burst into flames and disappeared.
“That’s freaking awesome.” Georgie grinned as we stepped into a foyer, queuing behind a group waiting to enter through another set of doors. The sound of music pounded through the walls.
A sign plastered on the wall read:
Beyond this point, no photos, no weapons, no potions, no magic allowed. Patrons will refrain from fighting, feeding, or fucking. Any breaking of these rules will be subject to our board’s consequences.
A petite woman with bright-purple hair stood in a side room, collecting coats and weapons through a hole cut in the wall. A blonde woman went to walk past. The purple-haired girl cleared her throat, raised her brows, and held out her palm.
Two beefy security guards stepped in front of the doors, blocking the blonde from entering. She made a dramatic sound of frustration, stepped back, yanked a knife from her purse, and laid it on the bench.
“And the other one,” Purple Hair drawled.
The blonde sighed and reached up her dress. I caught a glimpse of silky black underwear.
“Nice undies,” I told her. “The silk looks lovely. I like cotton myself, it’s more breathable. The girls have to have air, otherwise you end up with the itchy madness of thrush.”
Georgie slapped a hand over her mouth and giggled.
The woman threw me a look that would have split stone. “Girls?”
“Fee and Florence.” She looked confused. “Two sides of your bearded clam,” I explained. Still, she looked confused. Clearly, this woman wasn’t smart. “Your flaps,” I told her.
Georgie and Josh laughed. Monique closed her eyes and groaned.
The woman turned away, yanked another blade from her thigh, and handed it over. “I want these back,” she demanded. “That’s a very expensive blade.”
“You will get them when you leave,” Purple Hair said.
Purple Hair ran her eyes over us as we stepped forward. She let us pass without issue.
The nightclub was pumping with both music and bodies. It was a sprawling place, with two levels, the top floor overlooking the bottom. Georgie’s arm gripped mine tightly, her mouth gaping. “This is amazing.”
Acrobats dressed in silver-glittered leotards twirled through the air on floral twined ropes. At the far end of the room, above the dancefloor, women dressed in floral tiaras and white Lycra bodysuits preformed tricks on large gold hoops.
The room was dark, but the soft strobes of gold, orange, and mauve lighting bounced across the floors and walls, making the room blur in pretty colors.
The feel of vampires almost evaded me. I could feel something, a twist, or rather a knot in my chest. My thumb ran over my ring as I debated whether to take it off.
“I won’t let you get hurt,” Josh leaned down and murmured in my ear. “You’re going to be great.”
“I’m not afraid of Karson,” I whispered.
“You should be, that guy is truly terrifying,” he whispered back.
“You know vampires can hear you even if you whisper,” Monique muttered, a fake smile on her face as we passed a male she knew.
“Only if they are listening.” Josh straightened. “The music is too loud, and everyone is having too much fun to pay us any attention.”
“I’m pretty sure someone is listening,” Georgie grumbled, her top lip twisting in disgust.
I followed her gaze to the top floor. Rodney stood in a small group, staring directly at us. Or more specifically, at Georgie. He grazed his eyes from top to bottom over her fitted gold gown, devouring every inch of her curves, before coming to rest on her face.
Georgie dropped her head, her cheeks blushing under his appraisal.
“Eyes off,” I grated.
His lips curled in the corners so I knew he heard me, but he didn’t take his eyes off her. That was until Josh switched sides, blocking his view. Rodney turned back to his friends.
“I think he’s got the hots for you,” Josh said.
Georgie shuddered. “No, thank you. I prefer my men a little less psychotic-serial-killer type and a little more cinnamon-roll hero.”
I scanned the room. What if Karson didn’t come to the party? What if he did and he was furious I was here and ordered me straight home? He would march me out in front of everyone and not care one bit.
A vampire with spiky bleached blond hair and a nose ring that would rival a bull, audibly sniffed as I neared. The brown in his irises darkened to match the eyeliner that rimmed his eyes.
Josh tensed. My hand fell automatically to my hip and was met with emptiness.
“I wouldn’t if I were you,” Monique said with a clear undertone of warning.
“I love parties, don’t you?” Pixie swooped in and hooked her arm around mine, placing herself between the vampire and me.
“Especially watching when a vampire is stupid enough to drink from the wrong human, they’re probably going to die …
horribly.” Dressed in a pale pink gown and her dark hair flowing over shoulders, she looked like a doll.
But when she slashed a grin at the vampire, her fangs glistened and she looked anything but.
The vampire’s gaze locked on my cleavage, specifically on the necklace Karson had gifted me; I had worn it ever since. His eyes widened and went back to normal as he stepped away quickly and crinkled his nose like I reeked. “You could at least disguise her scent.”
Monique had sprayed me with a vanilla perfume, but clearly, I needed something stronger. “Sorry.” I smiled sweetly. “I forgot to shower.”
The vampire turned his back on me.
“Someone doesn’t have a sense of humor,” Josh said. We all chuckled. Monique was too busy scanning the crowd.
“This is the last place I expected you to be,” Pixie said, pulling her arm out from mine. “I’m going to go ahead and assume Karson has no idea you’re out tonight?”
“Not exactly,” I murmured.
“Well, I’m sure you’re safe. If the rules and the consequences aren’t enough to deter any fools, there’s a number of Karson’s clan here. They will protect you.”
My eyes locked with Challis, who was leaning on a column off to the side. I smiled, but he didn’t smile back. No, he glowered. “Not all of them.”
“Don’t worry about Challis. I would say his bark is worse than his bite, but I’d be lying. Besides, I’m sure Karson’s is far worse.” She laughed, the sound bright and infectious, and I grinned.
“Not helping,” Josh said, scanning the crowd nervously. “Maybe we should take Amy home.”
“It’s going to be fine,” Monque said, swatting his arm.
“I value my life, so as much as I’d like to hang around and share a drink or six with you all.” Despite the warning, I could hear the smile in Pixie’s voice. “I might keep an eye on proceedings from a distance.”
“Coward,” Josh mumbled as she slipped away, hooking her arm through Challis’s and dragging him toward the dancefloor.
Through the crowd, I spotted Ethan, Michael, and Kenneth standing together by the bar, talking. But no Karson. Nerves fluttered in my stomach like a congregation of butterflies had just taken ecstasy. Not fear though. I wanted to laugh, to dance.
Ethan seemed to sense me staring. He glanced up and our eyes met.
He looked like he’d been curated at the hands of the gods purely to please women, and he used it to his full advantage.
I wouldn’t admit it to him, of course, but I had moments, like now, when I wasn’t immune to his charm.
His full lips winged out and I returned the smile.
He met us halfway. “Ethan.” I swung my arms around his neck and kissed him exuberantly on the cheek.
“I have never seen you look so beautiful,” he murmured in my ear.
I pulled back and laughed. “That’s what you said when I wore the red dress, remember. You’re going to have to come up with some new lines.”