* * *
SEVERAL HOURS AND FAR TOO MANY mince pies later, I lay on the sofa, hand on belly, trying desperately to come down from my sugar rush.
Ruadhan finished drying the plates and bobbed over to me. “You certainly enjoyed those mince pies, love!” He beamed as I nodded. “I’ll make you some more!”
I suddenly wished I hadn’t looked so satisfied. That would cost me later, I was sure.
“Listen, Jonah’s got to go out this evening,” Ruadhan said, his voice quieting. “He needs to … well, he needs to refuel. And I was thinking of going to the Église de rupestre de Vals. It’s a remarkable church in a small village, about forty minutes from here by car. This near to Christmas there’s a midnight Mass and I thought perhaps you’d come with me?”
I understood. Ruadhan didn’t want to risk even a remote possibility of me being alone with Jonah.
“Actually, I think I’d rather just stay in if you don’t mind. No need to worry about me, I’m fine. Jonah can go out, Brooke and I can just watch a movie. I promised I’d call Gabriel later this evening as well,” I lied.
“Hmm. Well, as long as Jonah’s out. And you’ll stay indoors, yes?”
“Yup.”
“No more midnight strolls?” His words hung in the air for a moment. He knew I had left the house; nothing seemed to get by him.
“If you insist.” I smiled.
* * *
BROOKE AND I SAT ON THE SOFA sorting through the massive DVD collection, when Jonah appeared from nowhere. I did an internal gasp when I saw him. He was dressed in dark jeans that were turned up at the bottom, showing off military-style boots; a deep V-neck T-shirt that allowed his collarbone to jut out; finished with a rich leather belt, which sat low on his waist. His jacket was black leather, and he wore several cross-shaped pendants on long worn cords around his neck. He hardly looked ready to race through the woods.
Leaning in to Brooke, he handed her a business card and shook his phone at her. She huffed in reply.
“Cessie, I’ll be back in a few hours.” He winked at me and several DVDs dropped off the coffee table and hit the floor as a gust of wind blew through the door when he left.
“What’s on the card?” I asked Brooke, who was already on her feet.
“Oh, in case of emergency. Only the name and address of the club Jonah’s gone to.” Springing over, she yanked me from off the sofa. “Come on, we need to get ready!”
“I thought he was going out to, you know … feed?”
“He is, he’s gone to a club to find some dark souls, and we’re not gonna sit here and let him have all the fun! Besides, Ruadhan won’t be back till the early hours, he’ll never know. Now go take a shower, you’ve got fifteen minutes and then we’re out of here!”
She left me to contemplate my options, though I doubted I had any choice in the matter. So I made my way to the basement; as I did a message buzzed on my phone.
ROOK ON THE RIGHT FOUR SPACES FORWARD. I MISS YOU
Grudgingly, I moved the piece on the board but didn’t reply to his message. The hurt that I had briefly burrowed away hit me with full force and suddenly I felt rebellious.
Ten minutes later Brooke was in my room, eyeing up my jeans-and-white-top ensemble. “No! No! No! We’re going to a nightclub, Cessie! Here.” She flung a pile of clothes down on the bed and said, “But first we need to sort out your makeup.”
Within minutes she had painted my face, caking me in a layer of white foundation and creating a smoky look across my eyes by adding thick eyeliner and layers of mascara to my lashes. She smudged just a hint of blush on my cheeks and colored my lips with a bright red liner and lipstick to match. She let me leave my hair down but straightened my bangs, making them sweep across my eye so that I could barely see.
I didn’t protest. I’d let her have her fun; at least that’s what I had decided until I saw the clothing she had selected. “Oh, no, come on!” I protested. “I don’t want to look like a dominatrix!”
“What do you mean?” she asked, adjusting her own leather outfit.
“Trust me, the type of clubs Jonah goes to, you’ll look out of place if you don’t wear what I’m giving you!”
I looked over the low-cut black top that gathered just below the belly button (with no back to speak of), the tiny leather skirt and stiletto heels, and shook my head. “Compromise: I’ll wear the top, but can’t I wear that other skirt you got me? You know, the floaty black one?”
She rolled her eyes, but found it for me anyway. It was short, maybe seven inches at the front, but it did have a longer, transparent train that wrapped around the back and sides. I reached for a slip and she snatched it off me in disgust. “As I said, less is more, believe me.”
“But…”
She’d grabbed me before I had a chance to move, tugging my T-shirt over my head. I grasped my bare chest as she began tying the two strips of the plunging halter top around my neck. She paused for a second as she brushed my hair out of the way of the sueded silk. “Crap. How’d you get that?”
She didn’t give me a chance to answer.
“Doesn’t matter, your hair covers it anyway. We don’t have time to argue, you’re wearing it and that’s that.”
I was momentarily grateful that Brooke was so impatient and self-involved; at least I didn’t have to explain myself. Throwing me the pair of six-inch patent black Louboutin stilettos, she was quick to remind me of her earlier statement. “Like I said, you’ll thank me later!”
She allowed me a quick glance in the full-length mirror in her room, and I was taken aback to see my reflection. This was so not me; I felt uncomfortable in such an outfit, and I could barely walk in the shoes. But Brooke was going to get her way.
I slipped my iPhone, credit card, and ID into a little black patent clutch, and then we were in the bumblebee car, speeding down the road.
“So where’s this club?” I asked her, fidgeting uncomfortably in the passenger seat.
Brooke handed me the card from the dashboard. The top line simply read: LE BARON, LIMOUX.
TWENTY-TWO
I TOTTERED NEXT TO BROOKE as we made our way from the car to the entrance of the club. The line to get in was long, but that didn’t faze Brooke. Walking straight up to the doorman, she whispered in his ear and locked eyes with him. Whatever she had said did the trick; he let us straight through, unhooking the black velvet rope and ushering us inside.