Most of the blood witches I knew must keep their power damped down, I realized suddenly. But not these people. Not the tall, thin African American man with the shaved head who stood on a low stage, dancing. The skinny kid in the oversize green suit. The sleek, blond woman in the low-cut, slithery dress and her dance partner, a rangy, loose-limbed guy with a beard. I frowned. Wow. There seemed to be some kind of weird psychic duel going on between the two of them. I could practically see the crackling energy that passed between them. Another woman, with long gray hair and the most extraordinary amber jewelry, danced by herself. She was surrounded by an aura of deep, vibrant green—it was so strong that I wondered if even those who weren’t blood witches could see it.
Cal came to my mind again, unbidden. He would have loved this, I thought sadly, all these beautiful witches using their magick so freely. He would have felt at home here.
Robbie came up to me, looking slightly stunned. “Is it just me, or is there something weird in the air here?” he shouted over the throbbing drums and bass.
Well, that answered my question. “It’s not you,” I told him. “It’s magick. A lot of these people are blood witches.”
“I think I’m a little out of my depth,” he murmured.
“Me too,” I admitted. Seeing the downcast look on his face, I asked, “Where’s Bree?”
Robbie gestured silently toward the café. I spotted Bree talking to a tall, handsome man with copper-colored hair. As we watched, she turned to a younger guy, maybe seventeen or so, and with a hand on his arm she drew him into the conversation, giving him a teasing smile.
Robbie groaned. “Tell me the truth, Morgan. Am I a masochist or simply out of my mind? I mean, why do I even bother?”
“I know it looks bad,” I said, trying not to get angry at Bree, “but I really don’t think it means anything.”
“Well, it feels awful,” Robbie said. “It—” He was cut off when a girl wearing body glitter, a gold sports top, and tiny little gold shorts took his hand. “Dance with me?” she asked.
Robbie gulped, nodded, and let himself be led out onto the dance floor.
My senses were wide open now, trying to process the stunning array of magick. One guy in particular caught my eye. He was probably nineteen or twenty, with a muscular body and glossy, dark brown hair that fell to his shoulders. He was heading toward Raven, who stood near me, and there was something reckless and confident in his eyes. He wasn’t exactly gorgeous, but he was very sexy. And I could sense his power from yards away. He was strong.
Then, to my shock, he stopped in front of me. “Don’t I know you from somewhere?” he asked with a frown.
Was that a pickup line? I wondered, slightly panicked. Or did he really know me? Come to think of it, there was something vaguely familiar about him, too….
“Um—I’ve never been here before,” I said cautiously.
“Hmmm. Well, stop looking so impressed,” he said with a grin. “These New York witches all think they’re so hot. It’s not healthy to encourage them. Besides”—his eyes raked me appraisingly—“I reckon you’re worth the lot of them.”
Before I could figure out how to respond to that, he walked past me to Raven, stopped in front of her, and said, “There you are, love. I’ve been waiting for you.”
Raven glanced at him in surprise. His grin got even wider, and he pulled her onto the dance floor.
I recognized a familiar presence behind me. Sky. There was nothing sloppy about Sky’s being or her power. Everything about her was clear, precise, and honed, like an elegant arrow.
“So, what do you think of this place?” Sky asked.
“It’s…intense.”
She looked at me and laughed. “That’s a good word for it. There are more blood witches here than you may ever see in one place again. Some of them highly eccentric.”
“What do you mean?” I asked. Sky knew so much about the world I’d only recently come to be part of.
She nodded toward a woman spinning in place to the beat, one arm stretched high overhead. “That one, for instance. She’ll only cast spells that involve using nightshade. And he,” she said, gesturing toward a small, dark-haired man at the bar, “spent years living in a cave on the coast of Scotland.”
“Why?”
“Teaching himself to work with the sea. He’s remarkable at scrying with water. And he has a strong affinity for the ocean and its creatures.”
“Sky, ma chère.” A tall, elegant woman in a silver gown came up, kissed Sky on both cheeks, and began a rapid exchange in French.
I watched, slightly awed.
“That’s Mathilde,” Sky said as the Frenchwoman moved on. “Sorry I didn’t introduce you, but she was in a hurry. She’s got an amazing greenhouse on her roof. Every herb a witch could want.”
“How do you know all these people?” I asked.
“Some I know from Europe. Others I met coming here with Hunter,” she explained. “This is a good place for him to make connections.”
I glanced around but didn’t see Hunter’s blond hair anywhere.
Sky answered my unasked question. “He’s upstairs, talking to some people. Trying to get leads.”
A shout drew our attention back to the dance floor, where a space had opened around Raven and her partner. They were doing some kind of dance that involved a lot of athletic gyrating and shimmying.
I glanced at Sky. Her face was blank, neutral, but her eyes never left Raven and her partner. As if conscious of her gaze, the wild guy looked straight at her and laughed.
I felt sudden sympathy for Sky. “Don’t let them upset you.” As the words left my mouth, I was shocked at my own presumptuousness. Me, consoling Sky?
But she simply gave me a rueful half smile. “I’ll get over it. Raven has to be who she is.”
She nodded toward Robbie and the gorgeous girl dancing with him. Robbie looked mystified by the attention.
“He still doesn’t understand how attractive he is,” Sky said. “I wonder if Bree does.”
Bree was still standing in the café, three men around her, but her gaze was focused across the floor on Robbie.
“Maybe she’s starting to,” I said.
Hunter came up behind me then, and I felt a thrill along my nerve endings as he rested his hands lightly on my hips. “How are you doing?” he asked.
“I’m a little overwhelmed,” I answered, turning to face him.
He gave me an apologetic smile. “I should have prepared you.”
“No, it’s okay. Sky’s orienting me. It’s…fascinating. I just didn’t expect it.”
“Yes, well, meet your people,” he said wryly.
“Did you talk to the DJ?” Sky wanted to know.
Hunter nodded. “If he knows anything, he’s not telling. But I did find someone who used to date a member of Amyranth. He’ll talk to me, but not here. I’ve arranged to meet him tomorrow at a ridiculous hour of the morning, at the most inconvenient, out-of-the-way place he could think of.” He gave Sky a grin. “Sorry. I know you’re not a morning person. But I really need you with me. This one sounds like he might give me some trouble.”
Sky nodded. “Fine. Just promise you’ll buy me a coffee.”
My rational, mathematical self told me I was being silly—Hunter was keeping me out for my own safety—but I couldn’t help feeling irked at the way they both just took it for granted that Sky was the one who helped Hunter, that the two of them were a team, while I was just a bumbling novice who had to be kept out of harm’s way. It wasn’t fair—especially not now. It wasmy dream that had started this, after all.
A black light flared above us, turning Hunter’s white shirt neon purple, his hair a bright silky lavender. He kissed me lightly on the mouth. “I’ve got to go now, but I’ll be back. Dance, why don’t you?”