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.
The entrance hallway was long and dark as we strode along the hardwood floors toward a black velvet curtain at the end. Blaine parted the curtain and looked around. “Holy shifter gods,” he said, letting out a short burst of laughter.
I couldn’t see, so I shoved my big mountain of a guard to the side and peeked out.
What the…?
“Are we still in New York?” I asked, my voice wavering as awe spilled out.
There was no way this was inside a brownstone building in the city. I had expected a home that had been renovated into a nightclub. Nope … it was a garden. One of the most beautiful gardens I had ever seen. The space looked half the size of Central Park, unnaturally spanning out into the distance. Green grass squished under my boots as we moved out from behind the curtains and into the first part of the outdoors area. The night sky twinkled overhead, and there had to be thousands of tiny string lights draped from trellises. Vines dripped down from trees with full blooms of blue and pink flowers. This wonderland was crawling with magic. How was it possible?
“Ari!” Violet’s high-pitched shriek came from my left, and I turned to see her barreling toward me holding two pink, glowing drinks. Shifters moved around us laughing and dancing wildly to the beat. The flowers, I now saw, were pulsing to the music.
My guards made a half attempt to stay around me, but I could see they were at a loss. Their defensive poses were out of place; it was weird, but there was no actual threat, so they weren’t sure what to do.
Violet reached me and I wasted no time asking her: “What is this place?”
She seemed at ease here, which was not usual for the magic born, so I was guessing she knew more than me. Monica and Jen appeared then also, both looking less at ease but still relaxed. They joined the formation of my confused guards.
Violet grinned. “Isn’t it wonderful! I’ve never seen such intricate and concentrated magic in one place.”
“Magic? Whose magic?”