“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, orfucking. 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 overlookingthe 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.
