the glow of power coming from the skein of ley lines running through the building which housed the club. There were no streetlamps in this part of town and the windows of nearby buildings stood dark. The street was empty except for the fae bouncer working the door.
A huge ogre stood outside the club, eyeing me with obvious scrutiny. The bulge in his suit jacket told me he was carrying, not that he needed a weapon. The guy had muscles the size of tree trunks. He had to be club security.
I swallowed hard, wishing I could have called Jenna for backup. But she was busy working an official cleanup job out in the burbs. Then again, maybe bringing a Hunter along would have been foolhardy. I was here to talk, not wage a war.
The ogre sniffed at the air as I started across the street. At our approach, he raised an arm which effectively blocked the door.
“Name?” he asked.
“Ivy Granger,” I said.
“Court?” he asked.
“Unseelie,” I said.
“Title?” he asked.
It was now or never—time to come out of the fae closet. I took a breath and lifted my chin.
“Wisp princess, daughter of Will-o’-the-Wisp, king of the wisps,” I said.
The ogre raised an eyebrow and checked something off on a list that magically appeared in one hand.
“You may enter,” he said.
I stepped to one side and crossed my arms, fingers brushing my throwing knives.
“I’ll wait for my friends, if you don’t mind,” I said.
The ogre rolled his eyes, gave me a suit-yourself shrug, and turned to Ceff.
“Name?” he asked.
“Ceffyl Dwr,” Ceff said.
“Court?” he asked.
“Unseelie,” Ceff said.
“Title?” he asked.
“King of the kelpies,” Ceff said.
“You may enter,” he said.
Ceff stepped up next to me and waited. The ogre leaned toward Jinx and sniffed. I held my breath, ready to launch myself between the two if needed.
“Human?” he asked.
“She’s with me,” I said.
“Food or vassal?” he asked.
“Partner,” I said, voice hard.
“Vassal,” Ceff said.
“You may enter,” he said.
The ogre stepped away from Jinx and opened the door. As we passed through the entrance he sniffed Jinx’s hair and drooled.
“Too bad,” he muttered.
Jinx tensed.
We descended a spiral staircase that was both beautiful to look at and practical in terms of defense. If any unauthorized guests ever made it past the door, the tight curves of the staircase would slow an assault. It also gave the entire room an ample view of Jinx’s legs as we entered the club.
The stairs cut through the ceiling of the club, giving us a bird’s eye view. The space below was cavernous.
Music thumped over an invisible sound system, the stairs beneath my feet vibrating with each beat. The sensation at this height was nauseating, but I was relieved that the haunting notes of faerie compulsion were absent. The music was unusual, but decidedly human—a mix of techno, industrial, and EBM with threads of sitar and djembe drums woven throughout.
My heartbeat started to match the pulse of the music and I shifted my focus. The music may not carry a compulsion, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t powerful, or a dangerous distraction.
I turned my attention to the supernatural club goers. Fae of every size, shape, and court affiliation crowded the room. Nymphs, sylphs, kappa, draugr, and henkies filled the dance floor. One group of tall, slender fae dressed in old fashioned clothing moved through the steps of a waltz, dancing to their own inner music.
But not every faerie was dancing. Fae lined the walls, lounged on couches, or perched at the bar. Strobe lights from the dance floor illuminated spiral horns, beautiful eyes, perfect teeth, curled tusks, pale feathers, dripping fangs, and sharp talons—capturing bizarre Kodak moments interrupted by darkness.
I pulled my attention from the multitude of fae in the lower levels to a roped off area high above their heads. A second tier rose above the crowd and here fae gathered in small, private groupings. These gathering places were set far apart from each other, allowing for maximum privacy. To ensure that they were not disturbed, each area boasted its own security. Judging from what I could see from my aerial vantage point, the club also offered these elite clients a lavish spread of food, drink, and entertainment.
This had to be the location set aside for fae royalty.
I hurried down the stairs, ready to make a beeline for the faeries on the second tier. If Sir Torn was here, he’d be on that upper level. The club may be neutral ground, but it was organized to reflect fae hierarchy—and Torn was a cat sidhe lord.
The music stopped, the room going silent, and I froze mid-step. Every eye in the place turned to the stairs where we hung from the ceiling like flies on fly paper. If this was a trap, we were as good as dead.
I slowly lowered my foot and shifted my weight onto the balls of my feet. I scanned the room for movement, waiting for a sign from the fae below. I caught a flash of flame to my right and spun, chiding myself. I was so focused on the floor below that I hadn’t searched the domed ceiling that arched just inches from our heads.
A fiery ball of flame and feathers rushed toward me. I reached for my throwing knives, but someone grabbed my sleeve, halting the movement. I risked a glance over my shoulder to see Ceff holding my jacket. He gave a quick, short shake of his head. I raised an eyebrow in question, but he was already whispering to Jinx who was reaching for her crossbow.
I lowered my hands, but kept them loose at my side. If Ceff believed the fiery ball flying toward me wasn’t a threat, then I’d play along—for now.
Seconds later a winged phoenix settled on the railing beside me. It cocked its head at me, making a chirping sound low its throat. After a moment’s inspection, it turned, satisfied, and faced the crowd. Flickers of flame raced along the edges of its red and gold feathers, sending up tendrils of cinnamon and myrrh scented smoke that made my eyes water. The phoenix puffed itself up, a rush of heat flowing out from its body, as it ruffled its feathers and addressed the crowd below.
“Ivy Granger, princess, daughter of Will-o’-the-Wisp, king of the wisps,” it said. “And…”
Ceff leaned forward and whispered something to the bird-like fae.
“And her
Consort? Ceff had made our courtship official. A small, pleased smile touched my lips. Before I could turn to say anything to Ceff, the phoenix burst into flame. The crowd clapped as ash sifted over their heads like macabre confetti.
So much for making a discreet entrance.
Music began to play and the buzz of conversation filled the air. Dancers returned to the dance floor, but many fae continued to watch the three of us make our way down the spiral staircase. I made a mental note of who seemed the most openly interested and where they were located within the club.
It would have been better to have had a schematic of the place to work with, but I’d taken in the basic
