A half plucked chicken is an understatement. I am all glammed up to look like a peeled orange.
Raja calls it sunrise couture.
The dress is short, tight, and offensively loud—like it was designed by someone who is allergic to dignity. There are sparkles. Actual sparkles. And the cowboy boots? Suede brown. I look like I'm auditioning for a music video.
Raja stands behind me, admiring her handiwork in the mirror. "You look stunning," she breathes.
"I look citrus."
She rolls her eyes. "You look alive. Which is more than I can say for your usual wardrobe."
"My usual wardrobe doesn't glow in the dark."
"Exactly." She grins, tossing her hair. "Derrick will love it."
"Derrick will need sunglasses."
"Oh, hush. You have no idea how many girls would kill to have dinner with him."
I sigh, tugging at the hem. "Good for him "
Raja laughs, unfazed. "You'll thank me later."
"Unlikely."
She hands me a purse so small it could barely fit my phone. "You're carrying this."
"I can't even fit my phone in here."
"It's not for function," she says, already dabbing gloss on my lips, "it's for aesthetics."
I swat her hand away, glaring at my reflection. "Raj, what's the difference between me and a disco ball right now "
Raja's eyes meet mine in the mirror, softening just a fraction. "Honey," she says, in that deceptively gentle voice she uses before manipulation, "Honey, you are extraordinary. You might as well look the part."
I pause. Just long enough to hate that she almost sounds right.
Then I grab the purse. "Fine. But if Derrick Vale tries to kiss me, I'm electrocuting him."
Raja beams. "That's my girl."
____________________________________________
We are seated at the Briar House, a newly open much talked about restaurant in Tish.
Its small but have all the trademarks of privacy - low ceilings, soft lamps, booths carved for conversations you don't want overheard. Pretty expensive without trying too hard to look so.
Raja orders champagne because of course she does . I pick a berry cocktail that comes with a tiny umbrella and the dignity of a carnival prize.
And the conversation predictably revolves around Derrick Vale, who is running late by a total of five minutes.
"Well he ain't called the Devil's Eyre for nothing." Raja drools, "Dude is as hot as.."
"As hot as hell" I finish for her dryly, sipping my drink with a growing irritation at the absence of punctuality.
Well the so called Devil's Eyre is a superstar. What more did I expect.
"Do you know he's a hybrid" Raja's eyes meet mine searchingly "Half vamp. Half human and I think he's the best of that breed. "
"Good for him" My voice is flat.
"I know that tone, Night and it means you are bored shit. Well he will be here in a jiffy. With half and half, he doesn't have the full pride of a full human ".
"Maybe he's somewhere powdering his fangs " I snort .
Raja laughs and then asks quietly "Well, what are you thinking of, Honey".
"I'm just thinking about all the things I could be doing instead of waiting on your hybrid heartthrob."
"Like what?"
"Sleeping. Or possibly being unconscious."
She laughs, tinkling, unbothered. "You'll thank me later."
"That's what you said about the dress."
"And I was right," she says, gesturing with her glass. "Look around. You're glowing."
She's not wrong — under the warm amber lights, the sparkles on my dress shimmer . I catch my reflection in the mirrored wall — I look expensive.
Then Raja gasps softly, her lips parting in a delighted "oh."
I don't have to turn to know he's arrived. The energy shifts — people notice him the way people notice a thunderstorm. Already phone cameras are clicking and gasps could be heard from female throats. I roll my eyes.
"Night," Raja whispers, straightening her hair. "That's him."
The Devil's Eyre. Derrick Vale. Half vamp. Half human. Latest addition to Moon Sol.
"Hi. You must be Night Carter." A smooth, silky voice froze me . A pair of hands extended to me for a handshake. On the index finger, was a small mark. A black star. Vaguely familiar. Where had I seen this before?
My eyes narrowed even as a horrifying scream escaped my throat.
The masked assassin at Don Puerto.