Branwyn got the dress bags from the car, grabbed the industrial sized makeup bag from the trunk and strolled up the walkway. Behind Marley, Madeline Claviger appeared and Penny didn’t even pause her lecture before incorporating the older woman into it. “Maddy, we’re going to have to take over your place for a while. There just isn’t time to get back to my place and do all the work we’re going to have to do to make those two presentable. And I might need your help. Remember how you used to hem our Halloween costumes? I have some off-the-rack stuff that probably needs some quick tailoring—are you two all right?”
Madeline’s eyes were red too. “Marley told me what she’d discovered about her biological mother. She showed me…” She shook her head and put her arms around Marley. “My daughter is amazing, you know.”
Marley closed her eyes and leaned her head back against her mother’s shoulder and Branwyn almost felt bad about interrupting such a lovely moment.
So did Penny, because she was silent in response. Then she said, “Yes, I know. But she still needs to wash her face. Come on, ladies, we only have a few hours until the gala.” She dug out a small notebook from her purse.
Branwyn knew about Penny’s notebook. Sometimes she doodled fashion ideas in it. Sometimes she made notes on things she saw in magazines. Sometimes she even cut out images and taped them in. And most of the ideas in the notebook were about dressing Marley and Branwyn. Oh, there were a few other people in there, too. But it was Branwyn and Marley that resisted her despite their intimacy. Every time there’d been a prom or a homecoming or formal gallery show, that notebook had come out.
But it had been almost two years since she’d had an excuse to dominate Branwyn and Marley’s wardrobe decisions, and now the bottled up bossiness surged out. She kicked Marley’s high-school-aged brother down to the basement games room, said darkly that it was good Marley’s father wasn’t around to get in the way and made Madeline dig out the sewing machine she hadn’t touched in three years. There was no resisting her instructions. Even Neath curled up quietly on the couch after being scolded for nosing through the makeup bag.
She’d brought two dresses for Marley to choose between. The first was a short forest green cocktail dress with a full skirt and a lace bodice. The second was a sheath evening gown in golden silk that made Marley’s blue eyes glow. She’d acquired matching shoes, too, golden ones from her own closet that she’d never worn.
“Wow,” said Madeline, leaning on the doorframe. “That golden one is amazing. Well spotted, Penny.”
Marley looked away from the mirror in the hall and moved her feet tentatively. “I don’t think I can run in it. So it’ll have to be the green one.”
Madeline blinked, but instead of asking why her daughter would be running at a formal affair, said, “That one is pretty, too.”
“It looks prettier than she does in it,” said Penny, after looking critically between a photo on her phone of Marley in the green dress and real live Marley in the golden dress. “If you wear the golden one you won’t have to run anywhere because people will stop what they’re doing when you walk past.”
Marley snorted. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed how pampered and gorgeous most nephilim are. I’m pretty sure they’re immunized against being distracted by women in evening gowns.”
“Not this one,” said Penny confidently. “Not after I get done with your hair and makeup. We could raise the hem a little?” she added, wheedling. “It wouldn’t change the look too much.”
Marley looked at herself in the hall mirror again for a long moment. Her fingers slid over the fabric at her hips, touched her hair and the neckline. Branwyn thought she really did look amazing, with her oaken hair and her blue eyes making her look like an incarnate spirit of earth and water rather than something mostly human. Finally she said regretfully, “No. There’ll be other occasions.”
Penny sighed. “You might as well change out of it and back into the green dress so we can figure out what adjustments need to be made.” Then she turned her attention to Branwyn. “What about you?”
Penny had been either less certain, or more hopeful with Branwyn; she’d brought four outfits. Looking at them, Branwyn was inclined to guess ‘hopeful’, because there’d been one cocktail dress in a jewel-like tone of purple, one formal tuxedo with tails that was almost scandalously feminine, and two sleek suits, one in navy pinstripes and one in charcoal.
Branwyn held up the charcoal suit, the one with the smaller lapels, and Penny looked resigned, nodding. Madeline, though, said, “I want to see you in the sexy tuxedo, Branwyn. You didn’t even try it on.”
Dubiously Branwyn said, “Do I really seem like a sexy tuxedo kind of girl?”
“Yes,” chorused all three of the other women, immediately.
“Yes!” called Marley’s brother from downstairs.
“But this is a really nice suit and you picked it out, Penny,” protested Branwyn. “It’s classy. I like the lapels.”
Madeline pushed Branwyn back into the bedroom with the force that only mothers could exert on her. “Just try it on.”
Branwyn sighed and did so. When she returned to the front room, the first thing she noticed was Marley’s kid brother loitering at the top of the basement stairs. His eyes widened and he whistled, then fled downstairs before Branwyn could even make a fist.
“Ah,” said Madeline. “Branwyn, I’m afraid moths have eaten all the other options. You’ll have to wear that.”
“It makes me look like I forgot to wear a shirt,” complained Branwyn, sliding a glance at her profile in the second mirror set up in the front room. She wiggled from foot to foot. “And the pants are really tight.”
“The easier to move in,” chirped Madeline, circling behind her and poking at one of the seams along her hip.
Marley said, “You look amazing. You should wear it.” There was a hungry look in her eyes, like she was determined for somebody to look fantastic if she couldn’t.
“I look pretty good in a classy suit, too,” Branwyn pointed out. “And people are more likely to treat me professionally, too.”
Penny said delicately, “Branwyn… I know you don’t like to be objectified. It makes you combative. But I want to point out that I’m straight and looking at you in that outfit is kind of like being punched in the face. Whether or not you want to admit it, you’re beautiful. It’s okay to use that sometimes.”
Branwyn hesitated. Of course she wanted to look nice. It had been… well, a while… since she’d wanted somebody to think she was attractive, though. She knew some of her male acquaintances were attracted to her even when she was at her worst, which had not encouraged her to do much with her appearance over the last couple of years. It only seemed like it would be inviting trouble.
“I don’t know that anybody we’ll be meeting tonight will be melting at the sight of a little cleavage. Well. My cleavage.” She glanced at Marley.
Penny made a face and shrugged, as if she was giving up.
But Marley wasn’t ready to let go. “You have no idea who you’re going to meet tonight. And you can’t tell me you don’t like the idea of shocking people a little. It gives you an edge. You like edges. And you look so good, Branwyn.”
Penny studied her nails. Marley stared at Branwyn, intense and earnest. And Madeline tugged on Branwyn’s waistline and said, “Hmm. I can fix this part.”
Branwyn gave up. “Fine. If Madeline can make the pants fit better around my butt, I’ll wear it. I’m not wearing those heels you brought, though.”
Penny brightened. “I thought maybe you could magic them. Make them into switchblade stilettos.”
After thinking about that for a moment, Branwyn said slowly, “Not right now. I wouldn’t want to wear shoes that I made without testing.” When Penny looked disappointed, she added, “When I magic things in a hurry sometimes there are consequences I’m not ready for. I’m dealing with enough of those right now.”
“It’s only shoes,” Penny muttered. “You’d bette
r not wear those boots or I’m going home right now.”
“I have some ballet flats you can borrow, Branwyn,” said Madeline. “What are you wearing, Penny?”
It was just like working on projects in high school again, with Madeline breaking up disputes and keeping the three younger women focused. Penny unpacked a short white dress with a layered petal-like skirt and wide straps. It was simple, far less expensive than what she’d picked out for Branwyn and Marley, and would look like a million bucks on her. After Madeline had approved it, she gathered up the sewing and went to the other room to get started. Meanwhile, Penny started doing something elegant with Marley’s hair.
Branwyn’s phone beeped, with an email from Rhianna.
My employer has come to agree that our mutual friend needs to be stopped, even if it requires working with a distasteful element. The item we discussed isn’t the only weapon it’s co-opted. My employer believes that even if you manage to regain the object you have an interest in, you will be in danger from the other weapons. Call, and he will reclaim them and return them to their rightful place.
Branwyn frowned at her screen. Rhianna and her spy game. Weapons. Branwyn supposed she was talking about the Machine Swords. Maybe Hadraniel had stolen Umbriel’s Sword, too. Well, if Hadraniel had lost Umbriel’s help, that was still a net benefit compared to the last time they’d confronted it. Branwyn thought it was almost funny how Rhianna’s boss didn’t seem to be very good at hanging onto his possessions.
Except for Rhianna, who seemed ridiculously loyal to him.
That was a bad thought.
Branwyn watched Penny play with Marley’s hair for another moment. Then she went to the bedroom where the sewing machine was set up. Madeline was busy with pins and a stitch ripper.
“So she told you?” Branwyn asked.
Madeline gave Branwyn a little smile. “About her magic cat and her thousand year old employer and the man she’s in love with?”
Branwyn didn’t smile back. “About her own magic, too.”
“Oh yes. None of it surprised me very much.” She shifted a pin. “Well, the age of this Zachariah did. It’s a little hard to imagine being him. But as for the rest… she’s always had a little magic about her. A touch of the knowing. You grew up beside her. You noticed, too.”
“I learned to listen when she told me she had a bad feeling about something,” Branwyn agreed.
“And that cat!” Madeline giggled. “There’s no cat like that in the world. She came right through the door.”
Branwyn grumbled, “I told Marley she ought to tell you. But she was so afraid you’d disown her.”
“Did she say that?” asked Madeline curiously.
“Not in so many words, but I know her. It was like being sophomores in high school again.”
“She’s never been good at putting herself in my position. I suppose it’s because I’m her mother? But from my point of view, she’s an angel sent from a Heaven I didn’t even believe in so I could have a daughter. I would like very much to thank her biological mother someday. And her father, I suppose,” she added conscientiously. “It sounds like it takes two to tango, even for these celestials. I don’t think Marley has thought about that much. She’s very caught up in the nonhuman part.”
Branwyn noticed Neath sitting at the entrance to the room, her ears perked forward, her eyes trained on Madeline. “Beware the cat. She might go for your thread.”
“I don’t think so.” Madeline gave another little smile to the cat. “She just wants to make sure I understand about Marley.” Then she transferred her gaze to Branwyn. “But what about you?”
“You already knew about me,” began Branwyn.
“You’ve got something going on with your family,” Madeline pointed out. “I can tell with my ‘watched you since you were seven’ skills.”
Branwyn slid down the wall she was leaning against, then stretched out on the floor. “Rhianna’s making stupid career choices.”
“As younger siblings do,” agreed Madeline. “What else?”
Branwyn put her hands over her eyes. “I signed up to pay for my sister’s private school. My brother’s seminar, too, but that’s short-term. I can deal with that. But the private school is expensive. And I don’t have enough to do it all up front. But I’m not sure I can keep working for Senyaza. Or the federal government, or anybody who’s going to take what I make and use it in a private war. I don’t want to be an arms dealer.”
“Meredith?” queried Madeline, and when Branwyn nodded, she said, “She’s a sweet girl. Found where her talents lay early, too. Not everybody is that lucky.” She fell silent and started the sewing machine whirring.
Branwyn imagined the disappointment on Meredith’s face if she pulled out of paying for the private school. She’d been refusing to imagine it thus far, because it was horrible to think about breaking her sister’s heart for her own integrity. She’d been so blinded by her own success that she hadn’t even considered the risks of the situation.
“You have some unique gifts, Branwyn,” said Madeline thoughtfully. “I’m sure you could earn money using them some other way.”
“When I’m careless with them, there’s a risk no matter what I do. And—I’m in demand, Madeline. No false modesty or anything: I’ve gotten postal inquiries from wizards from the other side of the world, written on fine vellum in ruby ink mixed with powdered diamond. Anybody who thinks powdered diamond is a replacement for glitter ink isn’t going to scruple at acquiring something I’ve made any way they can. The feds used a key meant for opening very small locks to create a weapon and it was promptly stolen. I can’t imagine all the possibilities. I’m just me.”
“That’s tough,” agreed Madeline. “Maybe what you need is a patron. You only make what you want and your patron gets the pleasure of inviting you to all his or her parties.”
“I don’t know,” said Branwyn, putting her arm over her eyes. “I don’t think it’s going to be that easy, though.”
“Branwyn, come here!” commanded Penny from the other room.
Branwyn didn’t move, though, until Madeline added, “You should go see what she wants. I need to get this sewing done. But swing by and talk again sometime, kiddo. I promise I won’t try to steal your ideas.”
Branwyn thought about that. Then she rolled to her feet, “You’re right. It’s not like I’m alone. I do have people I can trust. That matters.” And she thought of Corbin, who couldn’t trust anybody at all right now, even his own mind.
Then, shaking off the depressing thought, she headed out to see what Penny needed her to do.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Marley
They ended up leaving Marley’s cat and Branwyn’s hammer at Madeline’s house. Neath was easy; after she had some tuna, she fell into the sleep of a cat who had once again pursued a flock of ravens through a greater metropolitan area. The hammer, however, had been a sticking point. Branwyn had been shocked at the very idea. But Penny had been both horrified and firm. “You can’t take a big hammer to a gala, Branwyn! Next time, make a cane or something.”
“But I might need it,” Branwyn objected.
“If you end up needing a weapon in a party full of nephilim and monster hunters and wizards, we have already lost.”
Branwyn winced. “Not as a weapon! As a tool. It’s got the Machine fragment I use for half my work.”
“Didn’t you say Titan One has about two dozen Machine fragments in that treasure vault?” Penny demanded.
“Yeah,” said Branwyn, and capitulated.
Senyaza’s big party was on the third floor of Titan One, which was still in the commercial open-to-the-public shopping center part of the building. But the venue was behind a wall with a discreet door that Marley had walked past a dozen times without ever noticing. That night there was a red rope around the door and a doorman checking tickets.
Two bulky men in subdued suits stood on either side of the roped off area, scanning the passing crowd. Marley had spotte
d a few more outside the front entrance to the tower. One of them had recognized her and given her a professional nod, which hadn’t really been reassuring.
She knew the ticket checker, though; his day job was working the security desk gating the way into the private part of the building. “Hi, Antonio. They have you working tonight?”
“I volunteered, Miss Claviger. Don’t tell Corbin, but I’m worried about him. Ah, and speaking of which, I’ve got something for you here.” He gave her a plastic package. “One of the boys can help you put it on.”
It was a security earpiece, with a tiny radio. “Oh,” said Marley quietly.
“Come here, miss,” said one of the burly guards. “The radio can go, uh.” His eyes darted down to her handbag and then her dress.
“Oh, give it to me,” said Marley, and tucked it into her cleavage. “Do I really need this? Isn’t Titan One listening to everything we say no matter where we are?”
“Protocol, ma’am. More to the point, it lets us talk to you. Just bend your head this way…” The guard adjusted the hook of the earpiece and tapped on it once. A moment later an impersonal female voice in Marley’s ear said, “Claviger online,” then walked her through how to activate the radio by both button and voice, finishing with, “I am Control. You are agent Four, and hopefully your services won’t be required tonight.”
By the time she was done, both Branwyn and Penny were standing just inside the open door, chatting with Antonio. A few others had gathered waiting for their tickets to be scanned. Alejandro was there, with an attractive young man in a white suit beside him.
Marley couldn’t help herself. She looked, and wished she hadn’t, because with her danger-sight, the blood was everywhere. There was more on Alejandro now, and only a bit on his friend in the white suit.
She looked away as Alejandro stopped near her. “Ah, well,” he murmured. “Shall I report to first aid as soon as the evening begins?”
Divinity Circuit (Senyaza Series Book 5) Page 26
