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The room was enormous, easily four times bigger than the whole floor should have been, which was the first sign magic was at work here. The walls were painted black with sheer red swags of fabric hanging from the ceiling, giving the dim light a bloody quality.
Incense scented the room with a musky, peppery fragrance that made me think of spice bazaars in foreign movies. Or hippies. Grandmere loved incense. Some nights our whole house reeked of patchouli while she tried to cover up the stink of whatever potion she was brewing. It was hard to tell what was worse—the rotten-fruit smell of her tonics or the lingering aroma of rain incense.
I shook off the memory of home and took in the rest of the room. At least the part I could make out. Hand-painted screens blocked our view of large sections of the space, but they were nothing compared to the sculptures. Huge floor-to-ceiling carvings of teak and black-lacquered wood, they depicted dragons climbing over one another, or chubby Buddhas laughing merrily. A ship riding a wave with a tumble of wooden passengers tossed overboard reminded me of a famous Japanese painting, but this room was decidedly Chinese in its decor. Small red lanterns bridged the gaps between the sculpted pillars, and in their light I could see people through the gaps in the wood.
The sculptures weren’t just pillars, they were the walls to other rooms.
How big was this place?
A petite woman with wide hips and a wider smile appeared in the entrance. Where she’d come from I had no idea, because one second we were alone and the next she was with us. Her short brown hair was cut in a smooth bob, and I was a bit surprised she was so…Caucasian.
“Good evening, pilgrims. ”
Pilgrims? Oh Jesus, we were in for a treat. “Hi,” I said, patting myself on the back for not laughing at her.
“We haven’t had the pleasure of meeting. ” She gave a small bow, her red high-neck Chinese dress rustling as she edged towards us slowly. “My name is Carla. And now, I must ask… Whose key do you have, and how did you find us?”
Holden stepped forward, flipping the key casually around his index finger. “I got—”
Carla shot him the most crippling, cold glare I’d seen a human bestow on a vampire. The kindly greeter routine was done, and she looked like she might spit venom at any moment. “If I wanted to hear from a vampire, I would say so,” she snapped. “I’d prefer if someone with a pulse spoke. ” Her sweetness returning, she pivoted back to Desmond and me as though her outburst hadn’t happened, and gave another cute bow. “Please…continue. ”
For his part, the vampire didn’t look too disturbed by her verbal assault. If he wasn’t going to make a big deal out of it, neither would I, but I was quietly insulted on his behalf. I was here for information, and picking fights this early into our endeavor wouldn’t get me far.
“We do not cater to the undead here,” Carla explained, and clasped her hands in front of her. I swear to God I thought she was going to bow again before I raised my hand and shook my head.
“No, seriously. Stop. Enough of the bowing, please. I’m here to find a friend of mine. ”
“Who gave—?”
“Carla?”
“Yes?”
“It doesn’t matter where we got the key. ”
Her smile disappeared, and this time I didn’t think it was coming back. When she spoke again, her charming hostess voice was gone, and she sounded huskier, more smoky and sexier than the previous incarnation had been. “That’s where you’re mistaken. ” Her whole stance changed along with her voice. Instead of hunched, she drew to her full height until she was taller than me. She rested a manicured hand on one of her jutted-out hips and fixed her heavy-lidded, lazy gaze on me. “Because you brought a vampire to a fae bar. So you’re going to tell me where you got the key. ”
I refused to be intimidated by a human, regardless of who she worked with. I crossed my arms over my chest and glared right back. If she didn’t want to play nice, neither would I. “Gee, Carla, I’m sorry. We missed the No Shirt, No Shoes, Have Vampires, No Service sign outside. I just read the Dumb Bitches Welcome one and invited myself in. ”
She had a great dentist. I could tell because her mouth was so slack I could see her tonsils. “Why I…” she sputtered, trying to find a comeback. One would come to her eventually, but I didn’t have time to trade barbs.
“I need help finding my friend, and you will help me find her, do you understand?”
Her mouth clamped shut, and she mirrored my arms-crossed gesture.
“Let me try,” Desmond whispered, placing a hand on my waist and moving me a few inches to the right. I hung back, standing beside Holden. If anyone could get her talking, it would be Desmond. I’d seen him melt some of
the iciest bitches on the planet with a mere smile. He had a soothing effect on people. Especially women.
Shocker.
“I’m sorry,” he started, and already he was making a better impression on her than I had. “We don’t mean to intrude, and we honestly didn’t know the rules. If it makes you feel any better, I’m not thrilled he’s here either. ”
She smiled. Hook.
“We’re looking for a dear friend of mine, and we have reason to believe she was here earlier this week. A mutual friend came to the club with her, and no one has seen her since. That friend was the woman we got our key from. ”
Carla’s hand went to her chest, although she was drawing his attention more towards her boobs than her heart. “Oh my, you poor thing. You must be so worried. ”
