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And then the guests would be escorted to the elevator and the ballroo and securitypar-tay had ended in olves shape-changing and attacking through the stained glass s It had been a bloody mess At least this tiing clothes, I checked the ballroom one last time It was fancy, a sort of colonial Moorish s, held up with fluted gilt-painted colulass insets in sohts

The floor was pink s were so rich ular linen-draped tables were lined up in thethe walls, all expensivethe walls were curio cabinets filled with objets d’art, historical and archaeological items donated by vamps, and a bunch of macabre stuff My favorites were the handmade items of tribal life from Africa, South America, and the US: stone hammers, pottery that had been shaped without a potter’s wheel and fired in open fires, spear points, and knapped weapons--not that I had tiht to examine them

Bouquets of aro tall in vases ater and sorance of sweet alyssum and the more intense scent of stock drifted in the air The flower color sche, pink, purple, white, and yellow, very springlike

On the serving tables were gold-plated serving ware and utensils, nothing silver to harm the vamps Platters for the humans were laden with cheeses, fish, meats, and a carved watermelon full of tropical fruit A cute blood-servant bartender dressed in black tux pants and a black halter top was icing drinks at the alcohol bar and a blood-servant in siuard in front of the blood bar, a small alcove off the main rooh Leo’s usual catering service had provided and set up the food

Satisfied, I went to the elevator and down to the locker rooe clothes My locker was on the end, in the corner, a tall, narrow one, fro, my name on the front, Jane Yellowrock, and beneath it, the word Enforcer I opened the locker, to see shelves at the top, and hanging space in the middle with a shoe space at the bottom But ner dress on a padded satin hanger I shoulda known Leo had a thing about dressing ht it was ue, and instead lifted out the dress and inspected it It wasfabric that felt like silk, the bodice in an old-rose-gold color and the sleeves in a pewter-colored fabric The flaring skirt was rose gold too, with bands of pewter sewn in at the waist, splaying down the sides, and at the heers

I wanted to find fault with the dress, but there were openings at the sides where pewter fabric old, slits for weapons, with holsters and sheaths built in for both ht the colors would make me look washed out, but when I held the dress up to olden hues ofLeo The only flaas that the dress was one of those stupid side-zippered things

"Okay I can do this" I stripped to ht, binding one elbow to my side, thento get it on when the door opened and Adelaide waltzed into the room I say waltzed because her dressand she looked like a old cloth, a shi jewels that looked like the real thing, she was elegant and perfect, and I was disheveled and off balance, one arh the open zipper, the dress off to the side

"Do not laugh," I ordered

But she did It was a syive her that, even as she went to work on straightening the dress and getting ht, whichand I wasn’t sure that breathing was part of the form "Shoes?" she asked, and I pointed toshoes "Serviceable," she said, "but not elegant And even the new boots won’t do for tonight and with this outfit," she said with a cheeky grin

"You like h I admit that Leo had toyou ashoes Perhaps several pairs in different shades Your gorget?"

"My who? Gor-jay?"

Del spelled it for et is a collar made of chain mail I believe that Leo had one made for you out of silver-plated titanius that had made it from my house to the locker room--the black velvet box that held my throat protectors--and latched the titanium chain et was practical: the titanius I latched the dressier gold link gorget over it, the one with the citrines and other gely but more functional one lost in his service I had known fro that it was too expensive for me to accept, but it was beautiful and I hadn’t been able to say no to the shiny gifts, a reaction that ay too girly forwas perfect with the fabric The set also fit perfectly into the low neckline of the dress

"I see why the goas et," Del said "There is no reason why a wo stupid that I liked the effect so ems, one that was close to the color of Beast’s eyes when they glowed through mine "It’ssparkly"