I surveyed it with uncertainty. “I don’t know. Where would I hide my daggers?” It was a paltry excuse, but a sound one. There were supernaturals out there gunning for me. I didn’t want to go out there unprotected.
My mom tapped her chin and then her eyes lit up. “I have just the thing!”
Thirty minutes later, I was dressed in the jump suit with wrist to elbow arm warmers to hide my blades. My mom had found me a shorter pair of heels so at least I wouldn’t be a tripping hazard.
I felt a bit silly, like some go-go dancer from the 60s, especially with the way she’d put product in my hair. Now my curls were bouncing even bigger than before.
“Wow,” Xinyi gasped as I walked into the room. “You look amazing! Iris, doesn’t she look great?”
Iris didn’t look at me. Her gaze was firmly on two of my dads, Wynn and Rayne, who had stopped by for a moment. Did she not like males? She seemed fine with Tate and Kyren. Maybe the fact that they were on the council intimidated her? I knew some people felt like they had to be perfect all the time around my dads, and I didn’t want her to feel uncomfortable.
“Well, we should go.” I shooed my dads away. “We’re losing moonlight.”
Iris finally pulled her gaze away from them, taking my form in with an approving nod.
“Ooooh, this is going to be so much fun!” Xinyi cried out, looping her arm through mine and pumping her other hand in the air.
“Have fun,” my mom called out after us. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
As we walked out the door, I could hear Wynn chuckle. “What wouldn’t you do,monamore?”
We all climbed into Iris’s car, a small black Mini-Coop with heavily tinted windows. Xinyi chatted the entire way there, not really giving me or Iris a chance to get a word in edge-wise. I sat in the back seat, the small clutch my mom had lent me in my lap. It only held my I.D., credit card, and phone.
She’d proudly told me she doubted I’d even need my credit card tonight, with all the drinks that’d be bought for me. Which didn’t bring me any comfort.
I adjusted my top again, still feeling like it was showing everything, though only a small sliver of skin could be seen through the draped fabric. I was tempted to text one of the guysto come meet me but wasn’t sure how Xinyi would feel about it. I had a feeling she saw this as a girl’s night, and I didn’t want to burst her bubble.
“We’re here,” Xinyi sing-songed, shimmying her chest in the front seat.
Of course, she and Iris wore dresses that molded to their skin and were only one wrong move from flashing everyone, but it didn’t seem to bother either of them.
Iris pulled up to the front where a valet gave her a ticket. The outside was a big dark building, the windows tinted so you couldn’t see inside. A large sign hung above the entrance reading ‘Afterglow.’ Even bigger than the sign was the line that went all the way down the street.
“Uh, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I don’t think we’re going to get in anytime soon.” I pointed at the line with a grimace.
Xinyi smiled and shook her head. “Don’t be silly. We don’t wait in line.” She grabbed my hand and dragged me and Iris toward the bouncer at the front door.
“Sorry, ladies, you’re going to have to wait in—”
“Durand party,” Xinyi interrupted, fluttering her eyelashes at him.
The bouncer glanced at the three of us and then spoke into his earpiece before stepping aside. “Head on in. We have a VIP booth set up for you. First bottle is on the house.”
Frowning at how easy it had been to get in, I bent my head down to Xinyi’s level to speak over the music strumming around us. “Is this a supernatural club?”
Xinyi grinned. “Not strictly, no. Humans can come too. But that doesn’t mean they don’t know who your parents are.”
Her words caused suspicion to rise up in me. “You didn’t just want me to come hang out, did you? You needed me to get past that line.”
Xinyi held up a hand and giggled. “Guilty. Hey, you’re the only cool connection we have. At least let us bask in what it means to be a celebrity.”
Shaking my head, I let her drag me to the VIP area where a guy in a suit opened a roped-off section for us. Then a pretty waitress carrying a tray brought over a bottle of champaign with three glasses. Her eyes darted to Iris.
“If you would prefer something more to your tastes, we have several willing vintages available for you.”
Iris picked up a glass with a tight smile. “No, thank you.”
Xinyi beamed at her lover, snugging into her side as the waitress filled our glasses.
