Spellbound After Midnight (Ever Dark, Ever Deadly Book 1)

by Jenna Collett

  He dragged me over the fountain ledge to land like a wet bundle in the grass, where I coughed, gulping in air. Leaning over me, the prince tugged soaked strands of hair out of my face.

  “Tessa! My God, are you all right? You startled me, and I thought…” His voice faded. “I don’t know what I thought, I just reacted. You fought me when I tried to pull you up.”

  I shivered as the night air pressed against my wet skin, the shudder wracking my entire body. It had happened so fast. Was he trying to help? A watery cough was finally followed by a clean breath, and I lifted my head to see the worry in his wide, frantic eyes. I must have been confused, susceptible to the vision I’d had of Ella’s final moments.

  “I’m okay.”

  “No, you’re not.” He scrubbed a hand over his face. “After what happened here with Ella…” His throat worked, and he cursed.

  My gaze dropped to his left arm, the sleeve rolled up past his elbow. “What were you doing out here? I saw you searching for something in the water.”

  Prince Marcus exhaled, and his eyes closed. “I was leaning over the fountain, my reflection staring back at me, and then, Ella’s face was there beneath the water, the way she looked after they found her body. It spooked me, and I knocked my wineglass into the water. I should have left it, but I was trying to fish it out when you approached.” He winced, the moonlight highlighting the movement of his jaw. “What happened to Ella was my fault. I should have been there. I was supposed to be.” His voice cracked.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Shortly before midnight, I switched costumes with a servant. I never danced with her. It’s all a lie. My alibi, all of it.” He slumped in the grass, defeat etched across his face. “I never wanted any of this. The ball was my father’s idea. He’s demanding I marry and said if I don’t find someone on my own, he’ll pick someone for me. Do you know what that’s like? To have no control over your life?”

  Water dripped from the ends of my hair, skating down my arms. “I do know.”

  “Yeah, well, I’ve had enough of his ultimatums.”

  “Where did you go?”

  “Back to my rooms. No one saw me, if that’s your next question. They found her floating in the water not long after I’d returned to the ballroom. Every time I close my eyes, I see her face. I feel guilty for not being there, and guilty because her death gave me more time. There’s no more talk of marriage.” He gave a dry laugh. “Some would say that’s a motive, don’t you think, Miss Daniels?”

  I didn’t answer. His confession seemed genuine and matched Liam’s story, but it didn’t mean it was entirely true. What steps wouldn’t we take to regain control over our lives? I’d borrowed money from a gang; it wasn’t a stretch to think a prince could commit murder.

  “You’re dripping wet.” Prince Marcus scowled and climbed to his feet. Reaching out a hand, he pulled me up. The action shifted the cuff of his rolled sleeve, and I noticed the raised injury on his bicep.

  “Did you hurt yourself?” My mind flashed to Ella’s struggle with the killer. Had she injured him while being held under the water?

  He absently touched his arm, confusion flickering over his features before he laughed. “No.” He lifted his sleeve higher. “It’s a Vitalis mark. Your mother gave it to me.”

  “My mother? I thought you said you’d never met her.”

  Prince Marcus shrugged. “I was a baby at the time, I don’t think that counts as a meeting.”

  I stepped closer, wanting a better look at the spot where my mother had cast her spell. It was a strange feeling to see the evidence her magic had left behind.

  “I didn’t think royals still practiced the tradition of Vitalis marks. They stopped ages ago.”

  “Because they’re barbaric, but try telling that to my father. He’s superstitious. The mark is supposed to be a mystical blessing granted to royal sons, but no offense to your mother, it doesn’t seem to be working.” He pulled his sleeve back down, hiding the scar from view. I shivered again, and Prince Marcus frowned. “You need a change of clothes. Is that what you were wearing?”

  No, it definitely wasn’t. The spell I’d cast had faded, leaving me in my gray tunic dress. My emerald silk gown and matching slippers had vanished. A small pang throbbed around my heart, bringing home how temporary magic truly was. It was why seeing the mark on the prince’s arm affected me so much. He had something of my mother’s that wouldn’t fade. It couldn’t be sold off like her books or the magic shop.

  “Let’s get you inside before you freeze to death. We’ll go in through a side entrance so no one sees.” He slipped an arm around my shoulder and led me back to the castle.

  We’d only made it a short distance when Derrick found us. I watched him pick up the pace, my whole body trembling with cold. Concern pinched his features as his gaze slid over my soaked dress.

  “What happened?” he shouted, shrugging out of his jacket. Derrick reached for me, pulling me gently from Prince Marcus’s hold, and slipped the jacket over my shoulders. I felt instantly warmer.

  “She fell into the water. It was my fault, I—”

  “It was an accident,” I interrupted, as Derrick’s hands roamed my body, searching for an injury.

  “Were you hurt?” he asked.

  “No, just embarrassed and soaked. I’m fine.” I captured his hands between my own. “I’m fine,” I repeated, my voice barely more than a whisper.

  “I’m taking you home.”

  “What? No.” Flattening my lips, I made a subtle motion with my eyes toward the prince, signaling we had more to investigate.

  Derrick ignored me completely, giving his head a firm shake. “We’re done for tonight. Your Highness, please excuse us.” He didn’t wait for a response, slipping his arm around my waist and urging me toward the waiting carriages.

  I ground my heels into the gravel. “Slow down.”

  “Not until we’re in the carriage. Pick up your feet, or I’ll carry you.”

  “You’re being ridiculous. It was an accident. We should—” I yelped when Derrick bent and swept me off the ground. He kept walking, my dress leaving a trail of droplets in the grass. “Aren’t you curious about what I learned? I mean—”

  “Tessa, not now. You’re freezing. You could have been seriously hurt. What if you’d hit your head on the stone? What if…” He tightened his hold around my shivering body. “Ella drowned in that water. You could have died too.”

  Shame kept me silent. He was right, a life had been lost. It wasn’t trivial.

  Derrick gave a driver directions to the magic shop and ducked into a carriage, where he placed me on a plush seat then rummaged beneath the footrest for a blanket. Draping it across my lap to keep away the chill, he settled in too and pulled me against his side.

  “Come here.”

  “No.” I wriggled away, taking off his coat. It was horribly damaged. “I’ve already ruined your jacket. I can’t—”

  “I don’t give a damn about my clothes, they’re replaceable.” His words made me pause, the significance warring with my emotions. Did that make me irreplaceable? His tone gave me hope, but that was wishful thinking. No. He didn’t mean me specifically. His declaration was a natural response to his oath as a detective. Life was precious, even the life of a laughable witch.

  Still, I dropped the coat at my feet and sank into his embrace, pretending he truly meant me.

  “Can you do a spell?”

  Removing my numb fingers from beneath the blanket, I tried to rub my palms together. Nothing. I was too drained and cold to channel any magic.

  “No. I’ll have to get dry the old-fashioned way.”

  He smoothed the damp hair away from my face. “Tell me what happened.”

  “I went outside for fresh air and found myself retracing Ella’s steps. I ended up at the fountain, and that’s where I saw Prince Marcus. He had his arm in the water, searching for something, which I found out was just his wineglass. I startled him, and he knocked me off my f
eet. He probably thought I was the killer, back for another round. I was only underwater for a few seconds before he pulled me out. I’m mortified more than anything, especially since I panicked in four feet of water and actually thought he was trying to hold me under.”

  “How so?”

  “When I tried to get my footing, my gown weighed me down. I thought his hands were on me, pushing. I…I was scared and fought back, but then he dragged me out, and I’m not certain what happened.”

  “I should have been there. While you were outside nearly drowning, I was fielding useless questions.” His voice was deep with self-loathing.

  “I didn’t almost drown.” I placed a hand against his chest. “Besides, I was able to get Prince Marcus to confirm Liam’s story about switching masks. He was furious with his father for arranging the ball and for forcing him into a marriage he didn’t want.”

  “That means his alibi is nonexistent.”

  “True. As far as we know, no one can account for his whereabouts at the time of the murder. He claims he never met Ella. I don’t know whether to believe him or not. It’s a good thing I fell in the water. It made him open up. Leave it to the witch to break the ice—or, in this case, the surface of the water.” I laughed softly, hoping to lighten the mood.

  It had the opposite effect.

  The laughter died on my lips as Derrick’s hand cupped my jaw. His thumb brushed the side of my cheek, and I swallowed, nerves tingling, caught in the silent moment.

  “I won’t let anything happen to you. I’ll keep you safe, I swear it.”

  His promise made my heart pound. The carriage lantern illuminated his stark features, and I struggled to find the words to answer him.

  “Nothing will happen to me, and even if something did, it wouldn’t be your fault. I hate what Olivia said to you. You’re not responsible for Ella’s death because you didn’t solve the other murders. I haven’t known you for long, but I know you care about your cases and the people in this kingdom. I admire that.” I wet my lips as a flush warmed my cheeks. “I admire you. More and more every day.”

  A string of emotions played across his face, his expression moving from denial to desire in a heartbeat. He pulled me closer to murmur my name, the rough sound quickening my pulse. When his lips found mine, soft and achingly slow, his tongue against the seam of my mouth teased a moan low in my throat. Derrick reacted to the sound like I’d struck him with magic, deepening the kiss.

  My heart drummed faster. Need burned a path through my body. I moved against him, running my hands over the wall of his muscled chest. This was crazy! We were supposed to be acting, and yet none of this felt like an act. Not the longing that coiled low in my belly or the raw urgency he poured into our kiss.

  We broke apart, breathing heavily.

  “Tessa…” His voice shook as lust darkened his gaze.

  “More,” I breathed. “Please, more. Almost warm.”

  He growled, capturing my chin between his fingers and fusing our mouths together. His hands fisted my wet hair, slid down my damp skin, and air caught in my lungs as his knuckles brushed the underside of my breast. They skimmed lower, until his fingers locked around my hips and dragged me onto his lap. With my palms flat against the back of the carriage seat, my head fell on my shoulders at the warmth of his mouth on my collarbone. Derrick tasted my skin, stroking the column of my neck and banishing the cold and any lingering fear.

  When his lips found mine again, he cradled my face in his hands. Slowly, he pulled back with a reluctant groan to rest his forehead against mine.

  “You admire me, huh?”

  “Don’t let it go to your head, Detective.”

  The carriage rumbled over ruts in the road, swaying us closer together. Derrick wrapped his arms around my waist. I was warm all over, shivery but not from the cold, as his earlier words washed through me: I’ll keep you safe. That kind of vow was addictive to a witch who courted disaster as much as I did. It shook something loose inside me—something I hadn’t ever dared hope for.

  “Looks like we saved the best of our act for when no one was watching. Mr. Lincoln will be so disappointed.”

  His mouth brushed over mine again, then trailed slowly along my jaw. “Who’s acting? I’ve wanted to kiss you again for days.”

  “You have?” My breath hitched at the delicious tracks his fingers made over my skin.

  “Yes, every time you force my hand and get your way. You’re relentless.”

  “That doesn’t sound like a compliment, Detective.”

  “Mmm…it doesn’t, does it? How about stubborn, headstrong, unshakable?”

  “You’re not getting any warmer. Sounds like you’re out of practice.”

  “Maybe I am.” He smiled, and I melted beneath it until a worry surfaced.

  “Aren’t you afraid this might be one of my spells? That you’ll wake up tomorrow and wonder what hit you?”

  Derrick paused and met my eyes. “You forget, I investigated you. You aren’t that good at magic.”

  My laughter filled the carriage. “My secrets are exposed.”

  “Something tells me I’m only scratching the surface of your secrets.”

  I wanted to tell him everything right then. He might understand, and maybe we could work together to handle Argus. But when I opened my mouth to try, he captured it in another lingering kiss.

  As much as I wanted honesty, I couldn’t do it. Some truths were bigger than attraction; bigger than whatever was building between us. The moment passed, and pretty soon, the carriage was rolling to a stop in front of the magic shop.

  Derrick walked me to the door, checking again to make sure I hadn’t hit my head or suffered some other injury. It felt nice to be cared for. That luxury always got pushed aside in favor of survival. For the first time in a long time, my struggles didn’t feel so overwhelming, and a tiny pinprick of hope blossomed.

  I listened to the carriage pull away while breathing in the earthy scent of the magic shop. There was a chill in the room. I half-expected to find Ella hovering in the shadows, but she wasn’t there, and I was surprised by the wave of disappointment. I’d become used to her appearing out of thin air, and found myself wishing I had someone to talk to.

  The clock inched closer to midnight. After lighting the lamps, I headed upstairs to change out of my damp clothes. Finally dry, I heard the midnight chimes and returned to the shop, pausing on the bottom step. There she was, a silver glow near the back door.

  “You’re here. I have so much to tell you. I think we’re getting closer.”

  She stood motionless, then lifted a translucent arm toward the door that led to the back yard. It was slightly ajar. Was it open when I arrived home? Was that why it was so cold?

  “Someone was here. They left something on your step.”

  I peered out into the dark and found a box wrapped in red ribbon. Someone had entered my back yard and left the gift while I was away. It felt like a violation rather than an act of kindness.

  Bending to lift it, I shook the box. It wasn’t heavy, but something shifted inside. Sensing unseen eyes on me, I hurried back and slammed the door shut.

  Ella didn’t take her gaze off the box. “What’s in it?”

  With shaking fingers, I untied the ribbon and removed the lid. It landed with a thud on the floor.

  A glass slipper rested on a wad of tissue paper. There was a note tucked beneath the heel, which I unfolded and held up to the light for Ella to read aloud over my shoulder. Her voice trembled, catching on the last word.

  “If the slipper fits, you’re next.”

  Chapter 19

  “This was on my doorstep last night.”

  Vivian peered into the box and read the note. She scrunched her nose in distaste.

  “If the slipper fits? The killer’s taunting you.”

  I removed the shoe from the box, running my fingers over the smooth glass. Like a crystal spike, the faceted heel glinted in the light. The warning was clear: I know who you are, I k
now where you live, and if you continue to hunt me, you’ll be next.

  “I told you this case was too dangerous. What are you going to do?” Vivian placed the note on the table.

  “The shoe is evidence. I can’t hide it. I have to show it to Derrick.” I winced, remembering his reaction to finding me after my accident at the fountain. “He won’t be happy.”

  Vivian chuckled and leaned back in her chair. “That’s an understatement. You should tell him everything. He needs to know Argus is blackmailing you.”

  A knot formed in my stomach. “Viv, you know I can’t do that. He’ll think I’m working for the enemy.”

  “Aren’t you?”

  “No! I have zero intention of helping Argus. I just think if I can figure out why he wants information on Ironhazel, it might reveal a clue about Ella’s case.”

  “That’s fine, but do you have to go behind Derrick’s back to do it? When will you learn that you can’t do everything on your own? You have to let other people help you.”

  “I do let people help.”

  “You do not. Case in point, rather than coming to me about your shop, you borrowed money from Argus.”

  I couldn’t meet her gaze. “I handled it.”

  “No, Tess, you didn’t handle it. You turned one problem into many. You’re basically a magician of catastrophe.” She sighed. “Look, it’s okay if people see you struggle. No one expects you to be perfect, and what happened with your mother wasn’t fair.”

  “Stop, Viv. I don’t want to talk about it.”

  “You need to talk about it eventually. It’s been seven years, and you still see yourself through her eyes. When are you going to quit punishing yourself? She never should have placed such unreasonable demands on you.”

  “I said, stop!”

  Vivian didn’t understand. She’d never failed at anything. She’d never had to live within the confines of disappointment. If Derrick learned the truth, he’d see how desperate I’d become. The depths of my failure would be on full display. I was already a laughingstock among my mothers’ past clients, and I couldn’t stand to be one in his eyes too. The entire kingdom could joke behind my back so long as he wasn’t in on the punchline. To make matters worse, I’d already crossed the line by keeping my association with Argus a secret. My quest for the reward, no matter how much I needed it, was enough to taint my motivations.