I could have gone in on my own, but then I wouldn’t get a lick of sleep and the owner would expect me to pay for something I didn’t want. Briarhaven’s inns didn’t cater to the Danú. Going home tonight wasn’t an option either. Not with my magic running low after spending last night acting a fool and all day refilling my flask.
If I wanted to get any rest tonight, Clara was my best bet.
I only hoped the messengers didn’t get distracted once they got inside.
Minutes later, the door opened and a small blond burst onto the street. Large turquoise eyes landed on me. She rushed forward, throwing herself into my arms. A tinkling giggle tickled my neck. “You’re here! I can’t believe you’re here,” she squealed.
Her happiness at seeing me brought with it a wave of guilt for leaving it so long between visits. “I’ve been busy.”
She felt thinner, lighter than she’d been a few years ago. Her smile was the same though, all teeth and ruby red lips. The dress she wore, if one could even call it a dress, had been made to accentuate her impossibly tiny waist and lift her breasts nearly to her chin.
After so many years indoors, her faerie markings were nearly invisible.
A soldier in red livery patrolling the street stopped beneath a lamp post, his hand falling to the pommel of his sword. “Take it inside, whore.”
Clara squeezed my face between her palms. “You are mine tonight. Only mine. Promise me.”
I grinned. “I promise.”
The inside of the bawdy house had been painted the same shade as the exterior walls. Candles flickered in low black chandeliers, their orange light reflecting off the black crystals dripping toward the tables below.
Naked women draped themselves across laps of men staring through glazed eyes at the cards in their hands. Four others waited on a balcony, their silk robes untied, revealing shoulders and the tops of breasts.
A woman pushed through a black beaded curtain beside the staircase, the clicking sound delicate in comparison to the muffled moans coming from beyond the landing. She sauntered into the room in an opulent red dress, the bodice cinched tight and neckline obscenely low. Clara’s hold on my hand tightened as the madame scanned the room, no doubt tallying her take from the crowd.
When she caught sight of me, her lips curled into a knowing smile. Time had been kind to the madame. She wasn’t the stunning young woman she once was, but she was still beautiful, with dark hair curled and piled atop her head and tendrils falling to frame delicate features.
I felt the threads tugging from every direction, but the tightest pull belonged to the blond faerie at my side.
“Tadhg O’Cleirigh,” the madame crooned, skirts swishing as she made her way between two gaming tables to wrap her fingers around my arm. The red paint on her nails looked like blood. “To what do I owe this delightful visit? Are you in search of a companion—or two?” She glared down her nose at Clara until the faerie released me.
“I’d like to book Clara for the night.”
The woman pulled me toward the crystal curtain, parting the strands herself. “Clara’s my best girl. I’m not sure it’ll be possible to have herallnight.”
Negotiating. A game I knew all too well. Lucky for me, money wasn’t an object. Not that the madame needed to know.
The office behind a locked door had white marble floors and a desk made of the same material. Shelves on either side of a small fireplace held row after row of wigs displayed on white marble “heads.”
“If it doesn’t suit, then I’ll take my business elsewhere.” I touched a pink wig styled to resemble a beehive. Bejeweled pins that looked like tiny flowers sparkled among the soft strands.
In this light, the thick layer of paint around the madame’s eyes cracked like porcelain when she smiled. “It’ll cost a small fortune.”
Rhythmic pounding of a headboard against the wall sounded through the ceiling. I shifted enough coins to pay for the next twelve hours. “This should cover it.”
With a delighted smirk, the madame dragged a key from her skirts and pressed it into my palm. “Enjoy.”
I found Clara waiting for me at the door. “Come on,” she said. “Let’s go have some fun.” She put her tiny hand in mine, leading me up the stairs, past the stalls with curtains for doors, to a bedroom at the far end. The sickly-sweet smell of too much perfume left my stomach roiling. The first thing I did was lock the door. The second was open the grimy back window overlooking the alley below.
I kicked off my boots while she removed the heeled shoes that added another two inches to her height. When I offered her a hand onto the bed, she gave me another dazzling smile. I climbed in next to her . . .
And we both started jumping.
The wooden headboard slammed in time with our bodies, up and down and up and down. Clara held both of her hands over her mouth to stifle her giggles.
“How dare you laugh,” I whispered, giving her shoulder a smack. “You should be moaning in ecstasy.”
Bouncing higher, Clara gave a high-pitched whimper. “Better?” she mouthed.