Queen Alpha (NYC Mecca #2)(17)
Blaine offered his arm and I took it.
“My, my, what a lucky girl I am,” I said.
Ben winked as Victor grinned and said, “We’re the lucky ones.”
“So, are you going to tell me where we are going?”
Blaine just held on to my arm and shook his head. “Then it wouldn’t be a surprise.”
As he turned to leave the room, I noticed a glint of steel sticking out of Ben’s back pocket. Ben was known for having peculiar weapons; he and Violet often stayed up late designing them. He’d craft the steel in his workshop and the magic born would infuse them with magic. He’d had more than one shifter try to buy a blade from him, but he was very selective about who got one. I had three; they were kept in a box that had been specially constructed for them.
As we walked down the halls, I whispered to Ben. “What’s your latest creation?” I gestured to his pocket.
His grin was pure excitement as he pulled out a small and menacing-looking half-circular blade with four round holes on the underside. When he slipped his fingers into the holes, I realized it was some sort of sharp-bladed brass knuckles.
“Holy crap,” I breathed, and Ben laughed.
“I also have a serrated wire in my boot – can behead a man in seconds,” he said, all casual-like as we reached the elevator.
Of course he did. I winked. “I’ll stick close to you tonight, then.”
Blaine let my arm go as we entered the elevator. As the doors rolled close I had to work hard not to bounce on the spot. I hadn’t been this excited in a long time. Were we actually leaving the royal home? And if so, where were we going? The anticipation was killing me.
Chapter Five
A whole new world.
Twenty minutes later, as my private car pulled up in front of a plain-looking brownstone on the Upper-Westside, I had half an answer. There was no one around, and despite hearing muffled music, I didn’t see any cool raging clubs.
I looked at my guys. “What’s this? Some house party?” Maybe the boys knew some shifters who lived here and we were doing a poker night?
Blaine smiled and produced a small, intricately detailed brass key from his pocket. “This, Ari, is apparently the most highly regarded secret in the shifter and human world. We’re pretty much as in the dark as you, but it’s supposed to be an once-in-a-lifetime thing.”
I looked closely at the key and saw that the head of it was made of swirls that formed an artsy shape of a wolf head. Ben jumped out of our vehicle first, surveying the quiet street before opening my door. Once I was standing on the sidewalk, he leaned in to whisper: “I’ve heard this place is so secret it doesn’t even have a name. The only way to get in is to get a key. They have no bouncers and there is no cover charge. It’s invite only, and it’s owned by some old wolf who has kept the club in his family for generations. Rumor has it that even the Red Queen was never invited.”
Now all of my dominants were around me and I was staring at the black door in shock. “How did we get a key?”
Blaine was the one to answer: “Calista. She didn’t say how she knew this old wolf, just that they were friends from the past. Gave us two keys. Violet, Monica, and Jen are already inside, scouting for danger. If there is any trouble, they’ll be at the front door. There’s no way for us to contact them once they’re on the inside.”
Okay, then. Let’s do this. If there was one thing I really loved, it was top secret, exclusive places. Oh, and surprises. This just happened to be a bit of both.
Snatching the key from Blaine’s hand, I charged up the stairs for the front door. Victor let out a low laugh as he and the other boys followed me. There was no way to know what awaited me on the other side. Would it be a normal house entrance, or a club with a dance floor, or a bar with pool tables? Whichever it was, I was dying to know.
Slipping the key into the lock, I twisted once and it clicked. At the same time, a wash of energy descended across us, and suddenly I was staring at an old, dark wooden door that was intricately carved with what looked like magic symbols. We were all blinking; the magical disguise was completely gone and there was a purple haze hovering over the old door, like this brownstone was filled with mecca and it was leaking out. The muffled music that had barely been audible before was blaring now. I placed my hand on the intricate knob, and just as I turned, Blaine’s hand dropped over my wrist, stopping me.
“Let me go first,” he commanded, and despite the fact I was his queen, I didn’t have a problem with him taking charge then. It was his job after all.
Blaine stepped in front of me, shielding my body with his as he opened the door. Cold air wafted out from the opening, and two stimuli hit my senses. One: mecca magic was everywhere; this place was crawling with it. Two: there was a faint floral scent, which meant a fae was either here, or had been here recently.
My boys must have failed to notice the fae scent, because they didn’t mention it as we stepped into the darkened entryway. I also didn’t mention it, because if there were fae in here with my people, I wanted to know about it.
Blaine went first, a dagger in his hand. Ben, with one set of his bladed knuckles, was on my left. Victor held a small shank on my right. My head spun as we moved further through the house; the mecca was pulsing to the music, surging and falling with the deep drum and bass. My heartbeat was keeping time with it also. Hopefully, I wouldn’t be so overwhelmed by power that I accidentally lost control of the energy inside of me. Using the skills Kade had taught me, I breathed with the power, letting it filter through me. This was the best way to keep the buildup inside to a minimum.