Sun Broken (The Wild Hunt #11) - Yasmine Galenorn Page 0,41

to one side. Even though we wouldn’t be using a video chat, I didn’t want to take any chances. Isolde’s email came through and I clicked on the link, bringing up a chat window. But it was dark, with no video showing. I entered the password Isolde had sent to me and within seconds, I was in the chat room.

“Hello?” I said. “This is Ember.”

A moment later, a woman’s voice came on the line. “I’m Shannon, from the shelter. Can you verify that you are not recording this conversation?”

“I promise on my word as a member of the Wild Hunt, I’m not recording our session.”

“Very well. Here she is. You may call her Amy, though that’s not her real name. Don’t even think of asking for any identifying details. If you do, the conversation will be terminated.” Shannon wasn’t joking around.

“I promise.”

“All right, Amy’s ready. Go ahead.”

“Hi, Amy, my name’s Ember and I work with the Wild Hunt Agency. We need information on a few things about Fire & Fang, and I was hoping you might be able to help us.”

“What do you want to know?” The voice was hesitant and fearful.

“First, did you notice anybody around there who didn’t fit? Someone new to the club in the past month or so? Someone who probably wasn’t a vampire, and who took an interest in any of the necromancers or psychics who might have been there?” I figured I’d jump right into the heart of the matter.

Amy paused, then said, “There were a couple people who came through. I was there for over a year, and we had a pretty steady clientele. We saw the same men—and most of the customers are men—over and over. And then there are the workers. For example, you have your bloodwhores, the honey-girls, the ghosts, the ponies, the whipping boys.”

“Honey-girls? Ghosts, ponies, and whipping boys?”

“Yeah. Honey-girls lure in the customers. They’re the fresh ones who haven’t been beaten down yet. You know, you get more flies with honey…”

“Got it.” I frowned.

“The bloodwhores are for the owners and a few vampires who don’t have the funds to own a bloodwhore. The ponies are the subs and they serve as the doormats, so to speak. The whipping boys—and girls—are the ones who take abuse. Honey-girls, bloodwhores, the ponies, and whipping boys, they’re all there of their own will. But the ghosts…I was a ghost.” Her voice softened.

“What are the ghosts?”

“We were… They are…the ones brought in off the street with the promise of a warm bed and all the drugs in the world. And then we’re not allowed to leave. We’re the ones who would be missed the least in society. Ghosts are given to the men who want the roughest play, rougher than the whipping boys and girls will accept. Not all ghosts survive. If you get paired with a cutter or with a choker…you don’t always come out the other end. And because ghosts are all streeps, most disappear without anybody ever noticing.”

I closed my eyes. I didn’t even need to ask what a cutter or choker was. “Is there much of a turnover with the voluntary workers? The bloodwhores, honey-girls, whipping boys, and the ponies?”

“Not really. They get plenty of medical attention when they need it, and they’re fed well and kept strong because they can’t do this kind of work—or for the bloodwhores, they can’t give blood—if they’re severely damaged.”

“What about the clientele? You said they’re all regulars, for the most part? We’re looking for somebody who would have a focus on necromancers, bone witches, anybody who works with death.” I was trying to figure out where the correlation was.

“Oh, there’s more to Fire & Fang than just the kinky side. The house runs illegal gambling in the back. And as for the death cultists, well, there’s also a private club who meets there once a week. We call them the Spooks.”

Illegal gambling didn’t surprise me in the least. “Spooks?”

“The club hosts meeting spots for several underground organizations. Even though I was a ghost, I was such a good worker they put me in charge of waiting tables for them. There’s a club there for those working with death magic—we called them the Spooks. They meet every Saturday night. They’re all…a little edgy and none of them belong to any regular guilds. It’s amazing what people will say in front of you when you keep your mouth shut and stay in the background.”

Bingo. We have contact. I glanced at Yutani, trying to think