Wheeler pointed at the cobalt-blue entrance to the building and I laughed. “Rich assholes have a strange sense of humor. I’ve traveled around and big club owners like names with colors. It’s like a status symbol of how much money their business brings in.”
We walked by the line leading up to the door of an otherwise unremarkable building. I could sense most of them were probably human, and that’s why they were standing in line. I’d never been to a club before, only a few local bars in town.
“Why do they stand in line if they never get in?” I asked Wheeler quietly.
He tucked his hands in his jean pockets. “The bouncer calls the shots on who gets in. The humans see others getting picked, so they think they have a shot. They don’t realize the selection process going on; I guess they just think they’re not cool enough.”
Denver emerged from the car with Maizy in his arms. She gripped his neck so tightly I thought he might feel embarrassed about it. But his eyes were slicing through the crowd like razors.
“How are we going to get in?” I asked, noticing we weren’t dressed like those on the sidewalk.
Wheeler chuckled. “I know a guy. I used to work for some of the deepest pockets around.”
When we reached the door, Wheeler and Austin approached the doorman and had a private conversation. Wheeler patted the guy’s shoulder and they looked as if they knew each other. Austin slipped the man a few bills and nodded respectfully when the man opened the door for us.
The music thumped a steady rhythm, making it difficult to hear. It was a lot darker inside than I’d expected—lots of blue with black accents. The carpet looked like a blanket of coal beneath our feet, and a colorful array of blue-green lights illuminated the sleek bar.
Maizy perked up with inquisitive eyes, looking over Denver’s shoulder at the different Breeds. She’d always been curious about them because some didn’t look like Shifters. A tall Chitah with pale hair grinned at her, his golden eyes wide and glittering. She looked away as if frightened, but Chitahs had that effect on people, even if it wasn’t intentional. We had respect for them because they were more similar to us than any other Breed, being that they had animal instincts like a cheetah. They didn’t shift as we did, but cohabitated with their animal in human form, making them deadly and unpredictable. But they revered women and protected the children of any Breed.
The bar stretched along our left with a generous seating area on the right, which included private booths with tall walls to separate them. Past the bar and to the left, a few people were moving around on the dance floor.
All eyes watched our group, especially me as I gripped my cane and used it to keep balance.
William shoved a Mage in the chest when he scorched me with his gaze and shouted, “Look at the cripple!” The Mage’s expression tightened, but he didn’t retaliate. He could have pushed an enormous amount of energy into William and knocked him out cold, but using his powers would have revoked his privileges to return to the Blue Door.
“Can we get some dinner?” Izzy asked, stopping ahead of us. “Jericho, I’m about to starve to death.”
“Come on, Sexybelle. We’ll order later.”
Not listening, she lifted her arm at the bartender. “Can I get a double cheeseburger, extra pickles, and onion rings delivered to our room?”
“What’ll you drink, sunshine?” he asked with a smile.
Jericho placed his hand on Izzy’s belly. “My mate will have a tall glass of sweet tea.”
“Hey, are you Jericho? The Jericho from the band Heat?” a blonde asked excitedly. She had silvery eyeliner rimming her top and lower lashes.
“Jesus, we don’t have time for this.” Wheeler nudged Jericho from behind.
“Sorry, honey. I get that a lot,” Jericho said. “But thanks!”
Confusion spread across her face as we headed toward the private rooms in the back. They were soundproof and offered privacy from the ears of curious Vampires.
The walls in the hallway were black and each door painted a brilliant blue with track lights shining on them from above. Austin opened the first door on the right and we all piled in.
Maizy dashed to the giant television mounted on the wall to our left. “Look, Mommy! Where’s the remote?”
“Wow, this is not at all what I expected,” I said in amazement. “It’s so elegant.”
The walls were a dark shade of grey and the furniture black leather. On the right side of the room, two long couches faced each other with a chair on each end. A glass coffee table ran down the middle. We also had our own wet bar directly in front of the door. The lights mounted on the walls were dim, but it looked like they could be adjusted. Maizy made herself at home in front of the television. Four oversized chairs with curved backs faced the wall, and Maizy climbed onto one and sat Indian style.