"You look like a nun," Freya said as she brushed her cheeks with rouge. "I bought that for a costume party. This is New York, Ingrid, and the party is at the rooftop of the Standard Hotel. You can't look like you've come straight from the sticks. Also, it's August. You're going to boil."
"I just feel more comfortable in this."
"Nun."
Ingrid regarded Freya's plunging neckline with a skeptical eye. "Are you sure you don't have that dress on backward?"
"You're funny. Let's go," she said, blotting her lipstick with a tissue. "Try not to embarrass me."
Chapter thirty-four
The Vampires of Manhattan
The Standard Hotel was located in the far west side of town, by the Hudson River. Ingrid was never one for trendy events, and so the sight of hulking gorilla bouncers and a barracuda in a black cocktail dress wielding a clipboard at the entrance made her a bit nervous. "Do you think we'll get in? We don't exactly have invitations," Ingrid whispered. "And that one looks like Fafnir in a skirt," she said, meaning the legendary dragon that jealously guarded a treasure trove of gold.
"Relax, that's only the doorgirl; they come with the territory. She doesn't have any power over us," Freya said. She walked confidently up to the velvet rope. "Freya and Ingrid Beauchamp, we're here for the Blood Bank party. You don't need to check the list."
"See?" Freya said, as the velvet rope was unhitched and they made their way to the elevators that would take them to the rooftop. The party was already in full swing, and the indoor Jacuzzi was bubbling. Ingrid tried not to stare at the human girls in the tub, some of whom seemed to have lost their bikini tops; it was hard to tell with the bubbling water. This was quite a different scene from the usual staid North Hampton affair; the vampires were breathlessly chic in white linen, with bored, blank faces, and Ingrid did feel a bit out of place in her long-sleeved dress.
"Let's get a drink," Freya suggested, heading toward the long black bar and quickly procuring two full martini glasses.
Ingrid took a sip. "What's with all the salty foam?" she asked, wiping her lips with a napkin.
"Just drink it," Freya said, gazing at the crowd, keeping an eye out for the vampire princess. "Do you see her anywhere?"
Ingrid shook her head. "Tons of Blue Bloods and their familiars but no Azrael."
"She's got to be here somewhere," Freya said. "She's supposed to be hosting this party." Although from living in the city she knew that just because boldfaced names were on the invitation it did not necessarily mean they would be expected to actually attend the party - it was one of those unwritten social agreements.
All around the rooftop, small groups were gathered on massive orange lilypads that were on the synthetic grass covering the floor. A few people were playing with telescopes that were installed by the edge. The view of the city was breathtaking, but Freya was more riveted by the sight of a familiar face that stopped her in her stilettos.
"Where are you going?" Ingrid asked.
"Back in a sec," she told her sister, walking to the dark-haired man talking intently to a tall brunette at one of the cocktail tables. The woman had a cold, commanding beauty, and Freya thought she looked a bit familiar, but couldn't place her.
"Bran?"
When he heard his name, he looked up, and his confusion soon melted into a smile. He was wearing a blue blazer with frayed seams and a faded gingham shirt. "Freya! What are you doing here?" He excused himself from his companion and stood up, taking Freya to the side.
"I could ask the same of you." She did not want to feel jealous and yet jealousy was seeping in every part of her body. Who was that woman he was with? Why was Bran talking to her so intensely? They had looked as if they were arguing, and that woman had a possessive air around Bran that Freya did not like very much. "You're in New York? I thought you were in Asia."
"We just got back; one of the board members couldn't make it so we decided to fly here and do the meeting at the Rockefeller Center offices. It's great to see you," he said, smiling. "What made you decide to come?"
"Ingrid had some business here, and I thought I'd tag along," she said. It would be too much to explain, and she felt shy around him for once. After missing him for so long, it was strange to be in his presence again, as if he wasn't quite real. She wanted to kiss him, or touch his cheek, but she could not. She could not bear him to know what she had been doing in his long absence. Sleeping with his brother, betraying every promise she had made to him from the beginning.
"We're supposed to go back to Jakarta tomorrow for the presentation, but I'll tell them they can go without me," he said, as if he could read her mind.
"No, no . . . don't do that. I'm only here for a night and I don't want to keep you from your work." She forced herself to stop acting aloof and kissed him soundly. He was sweating and nervous, dear sweet boy. "Go on, really. You'll be back in town next week. I'll see you then. I gotta go anyway."
"Are you sure?" Bran looked confused and hurt. "Can you wait a moment? I have to speak to Julia about the project - she's one of our analysts - but I want to spend more time with you." The woman he was with looked at the two of them impatiently and began to walk toward them. He looked over his shoulder and raised a finger.
"Yes, don't worry about me . . . I'll see you when you get back, okay?" Freya said, relieved that there was nothing to be jealous about after all. Bran was just caught up in his work as usual. She gave him one last kiss and walked away to look for Ingrid.
She found her talking to a group of Blue Blood vampires. "Bran's here," she whispered. "But it's okay, he's with his charity muckamucks. I told him I'd see him back home."
"You're looking for my daughter? Excuse me interrupting." The Blue Blood socialite who addressed them was regal and elegant, with a stately way of speaking. "I'm Trinity Burden Force." She looked at the two of them keenly. "Freya and Ingrid Beauchamp. The witches of East End. To what do we owe the pleasure?"
"Mimi visited our town and met with my sister. We need to ask her something," Freya said. "Do you know where we can find her?"
"You'll have to travel to Cairo to do so. She left the city the other day with her human conduit. She said she had something to finish back in Egypt that was more important than graduating from high school. No, I don't know when she's coming back; my daughter operates on her own schedule without informing me of any changes." Trinity smiled thinly. "As your own mother can attest, I am the last to know."