Chapter 13 #2
The city rose up around us, suburbs first, then taller buildings, until we were drifting through traffic.
He didn’t drive like he had before. His maneuvering was smooth and leisurely.
I paid careful attention to our path, curious as to the location of the infamous club.
Admittedly, my mind raced ahead of me, trying to anticipate what happened next.
“When we arrive, I’ll glamor you,” Bastian said, his voice in my ear. “Having the ring will act as a conduit. On our way inside, we’ll pass by the bouncers. You’ll be on my arm, so you’ll have nothing to worry about. I need not tell you to avoid acting nervous. Obviously.”
“Right. Act cool. Got it.”
He huffed. “We’re going to head to the bar first. I’ll order you a drink. You won’t drink it—only pretend. After that, I’m going to leave you to go speak with Aramis. He has a VIP area exclusive to him and his clientele.”
“Wait, Aramis owns the club? The guy you’re meeting with?”
“Well…yeah. That’s why I’m meeting him there.”
“Oh. Shit.” That was news. Clearly Bastian knew people.
“The VIP lounge sits right beside the dance floor—overlooking it, actually. Aramis likes dancing, enjoys watching. You’ll be in sight the entire time. Even away from you, I’ll still be keeping an eye on you. You’ll be safe.”
“But what if others try to talk to me?”
“The glamor I’m putting on you will dissuade them from it. They’ll look at you, oh yes, stare, probably, but they will not try to approach you.”
“Okay. So after you leave, then what?”
“Then you go dance while I’m talking with Aramis. I want you to make a scene. Clear the floor. I want all eyes on you. Let me worry about the rest, all right?”
“Okay. So, act cool, walk with you to the bar, get a drink but don’t drink it, then you’ll leave, and I’ll go dance. And…that’s it?”
“That’s it. I’ll manage the rest from there.”
I blew out a breath. Didn’t sound too difficult. I wasn’t sure what his endgame was. He was bringing me because it had something to do with one-upping this Aramis person. But he’d said I needed to let him lead.
Well… At least I had a plan to work with.
I hadn’t even realized we’d slowed down until he parked his bike on the sidewalk right outside a city building. I could hear music coming from the basement beneath it. I huffed. This was The Vault? Hidden beneath the Chrylon Building?
“Isn’t this a national bank?” I asked. It had the words Chrylon on the top of the building, in glowing white letters that could be seen halfway across the city, and I’d seen plenty of the news stations pan across it when they did their aerial views.
“Yep. Funny right?”
“Yeah…absolutely hilarious,” I deadpanned.
The city’s most infamous club, exclusive to supernaturals only, was named The Vault and it was in the basement of one of the nation’s biggest banks. Ha ha. Very original.
“All right, sugar. Time to rock and roll.” He kicked the kickstand into place and we both climbed off. People milled around us, and I was sure that if I stared long enough and blinked a couple of times, I’d see them for what they were.
I felt a warmth radiating from the ring on my finger. “There, your glamor should be in place. You can remove your helmet.”
I pulled it free and handed it over. He took it and it disappeared. His was already gone, too. I looked at my hands. They looked the same. Curious, I lifted them to my hair and—
“Oh my god, I have pointed ears?!”
“Yep. Fae.”
“But aren’t supernaturals supposed to be hiding? I’ve never seen anyone walk around with pointed ears before, like, out in the open.”
“That’s because generally, the glamor that supernaturals like the fae use only render them invisible to other humans,” he said, a hint of impatience seeping into his tone.
“Wait so if other supernaturals look at you right this second, they will see gray skin, extra piercings, and all that?”
“Yup. Let’s get a move on, sugar. Take off your jacket.”
I shucked it off and handed it over. The second he touched it, it was gone. A slight chill caressed my skin, followed by heat as he looked me up and down. He grunted. “Huh. I think I prefer your ears rounded.”
“Okay?”
“Much cuter that way. Let’s go, Dancing Queen.”
I chuckled, hooking my arm through his. There was a crowd gathered at the side entrance to the building, which, presumably led into the basement. “So, let me get this straight. Anyone here will look at me and see that I’m fae. But if humans are around, they’ll only see my normal self?”
“I thought we’d already established that.”
“Well, we did. But I’m just tripping because that’s like…glamor inception. A human, who looks like a fae, who looks like a human, who looks like—”
“Eleanor.”
“Ohhhh. Pulling out the big guns. Okay, fine. I’ll shut up now.”
We were within earshot of other people now, so we needed to play the part. My heart leapt in my chest. “Uh, any way you can amp up my, you know, so that I can also see what everyone is?”
“I thought you could already do that.”
“Well, yeah, but I have to stare at them kinda awkwardly first, and blink a little, and all that.”
He suffered a long sigh but said, “There. How’s that?”
“Holy…” I trailed off, blinking rapidly.
Everyone around me was suddenly more defined.
While I still saw humans for shifters, somehow, I could still sense what they were.
A leopard shifter there, an eagle shifter beside her.
Across the way there stood a group of mingling fae.
I didn’t see any elves, but I didn’t expect to.
They mostly kept to their forests. But what I really wanted to know is what their tensile silver hair looked like in person—
“Wait, aren’t we going to get in line?” Bastian led me past it, straight up to the main door at the front.
“Well, fuck me,” said a gravelly voice from one of the bouncers. “Aramis better be expecting you, Bastian. Cause if not, you ain’t getting in.”
“You know I wouldn’t step foot in here if he wasn’t.”
“Well, shit. Good to see you, man. Business running okay?”
“Do you really care?”
“Only as long as you’re not bringing it into this club.”
“Fuck off, Ravi. I got shit to discuss with Aramis. And yes, he’s expecting me.”
Ravi nodded. The guy beside him, the other bouncer, turned away from the line, halting the flow of traffic as his eyes ran over me. “Cute little fae you got there.”
“Fuck off, Caris.”
Caris lifted a shoulder. “You’re good man. Just don’t make trouble. Last time you were here—”
“Yes, my memory is solid. Thanks,” Bastian said, sounding like a real asshole as he cut off the bouncer and pulled me forward, right past them. I glanced over my shoulder, trying to offer an apology.
“Don’t worry about them, sugar. You learn how to deal with people in the supernatural world.”
“Well, now I know why you’re so rude. Because apparently that’s how you learned to deal with people, huh?”
He didn’t answer. I didn’t mind, because all of my attention shifted to the underground space that spread out beneath us.
An industrial style design painted in dark colors, with muted lights and low, pulsing music.
A giant vault was erected around the stage and DJ booth.
There were piles of gold sitting out in plain sight, breaking up the perimeter of the dance floor, heaps of money on display.
Not real, obviously, unless it was enchanted somehow, so that it couldn’t be stolen.
As far as names went, this one certainly lived up to its namesake.
Size wise, it was smaller and more intimate than Vortex.
And one look told me it was filled with nothing but supernaturals.
Bastian pulled me toward the wide staircase that led into the club. I spotted the bar at the far end. We’d have to cross the entire space to get there, putting us in full view of the VIP lounge beside the dance floor.
My eyes flicked over to it. It was nearly empty. A few bouncers stood, arms crossed, barring the way forward. Like a king holding court, sprawled on one of the plush couches sat one of the most commanding fae I’d ever seen.
“Is that him?” I asked. “Aramis.”
The fae male’s shrewd gaze was fixed directly on us. On me, actually. I swallowed.
“Yeah, that’s him,” Bastian said, his lips brushing my ear. “Don’t worry. He won’t fuck with us tonight.” I huffed out a breath. I wasn’t so sure he should be making promises like that.
“Well, sugar? Let’s get this show on the road.” He gave me a gentle tug and pulled me down the stairs, straight into the heart of The Vault.