Sun Broken (The Wild Hunt #11) - Yasmine Galenorn Page 0,58

to mix it up. This is tame compared to some clubs.” Before I could answer, she led us to a curtained doorway, pushing aside the velvet drapes as she ducked behind it. We followed and found ourselves in a harshly lit room with four unmarked doors. The sudden change made me squint as the brash light assaulted my eyes.

“This way,” she said, leading us over to the second door. She inserted her golden key in the lock, turned the knob, and opened the door. We found ourselves staring into a long hallway that ended at a double escalator. “This leads down to Level Three, Sector Seven, where Fire & Fang is located. Be on guard, keep together, and don’t be flippant. But I’m sure you know how to behave in the Catacombs.”

As the heavy door closed behind us with a thud, I wondered what we were getting ourselves into.

We transferred escalators on each level. The halls of the Catacombs were busy, with a hustle that felt like it belonged on the streets of a film noir version of New York. But there was a shadow that loomed over the crowds, a darkness permeating the air. It wasn’t evil, but it reminded me of the feel of powerful old-money magnates, of gangsters and players, of too much power concentrated in too small of an area. Most vampires were silent figures in the dark corners of the exclusive country clubs, who with one nod could signal someone’s demise. They could ruin careers, destroy families, make people disappear, all without a flicker of guilt.

I slid closer to Yutani, all too aware of my skimpy dress and all my bare skin. Yutani seemed to sense my discomfort, for he wordlessly reached out, taking my hand in his. In the shadows he seemed to glimmer with a power of his own. He was growing into his position as the Great Coyote’s son, and the magic of being the son of a god was beginning to manifest in his aura.

Raven, too, walked with confidence, her fire flickering in her eyes. She had let loose her glamour, which was far more powerful than that of any Fae. The Ante-Fae were otherworldly, and even when they appeared as human, there was an energy that warned people to beware. I had my own glamour, but it paled next to hers.

To either side were shops and businesses, including restaurants for the living, blood salons for the vampires, boutiques with expensive clothes and even more expensive jewelry, souvenir shops, and just about everything you could want.

As figures glided by they glanced at us, and the gleam of the vampires’ eyes shimmered in the darkness. We were being assessed and measured, weighed as to whether we were easy marks. We were in their territory and had left our protection at the door.

“Ante-Fae,” one of them whispered as she paused with her companion. They pulled back, and I caught the faintest hint of uncertainty. Raven straightened and the next moment her glamour grew, an edgy dance of death and fire, and the two vampires hurried off.

Yutani continued to hold tight to my hand—for which I was grateful—and we followed Raven through the bustle of the Catacombs.

Up ahead, as the hallway curved, I caught sight of a large neon sign that read “Fire & Fang.” Loud music echoed into the halls as the double doors opened and a man—a vampire—exited the club, two women clinging to his arms.

Yutani glanced over at Raven. “We should get our tokens out.”

She nodded. When they had their tokens in hand, we approached the doors. The guard at the entrance to the club was a tall black man, a vamp, who must have been six foot five and at least one-ninety in weight. He was wearing a black turtleneck, gray slacks, and sunglasses, and he had a large diamond stud in one ear. He crossed his arms, staring down at us.

“Passes?” His voice was surprisingly soft, like smooth silk.

Yutani held up his token and the guard took it, barely glancing at it as he ran it under some sort of UV light. He handed it back to Yutani, nodded, and opened the door.

“She belongs to me,” Yutani said, pointing to my collar as he walked through the metal detector and entered the club.

I held my breath but the guard merely nodded me through. The metal detector beeped, but within seconds they had ascertained that the metal was the gold necklace I was wearing. The next moment, Raven joined