Once they made it back inside, Abigail introduced him to her friends in the kitchen. Some of them she’d apparently introduced to him earlier during the dance lesson, but he’d forgotten their names. Tables were crowded with children, all dressed in the pale gray uniforms and white aprons of staff. He was fairly certain they were classmates, but they looked more like servants.
Lucifer’s belly grumbled from missing most of his dinner for dancing. The sweet smells of the kitchen were heady in the cramped space, making him light-headed. There were too many people in such a small space, and their magics pressed against him. Teenage hormones and physical sensations prickled through his defenses. He wanted to stand in line for cake and leave, but Abigail tugged him over to one of the cooks. The young man directed butlers carrying bottles of wine.
“This is my cooking teacher, Trevor.” Abigail hugged Trevor and kissed his cheek.
Lucifer reminded himself the young man was only a friend, and there was no reason to feel jealous.
The young man wasn’t much taller than Abigail, and his face was freckled and chubby. He reminded Lucifer of her younger brother, Emmet.
“I’m not really a teacher,” Trevor said, smiling shyly. “I’m just a cook’s apprentice. I’m still in school. This is an after-school job.”
“But he’s my teacher,” Abigail said. “Remember what I told you about him eating food and turning it into gold?”
Trevor blushed. “Hush, Abby. Now isn’t the time.”
“I think I remember you from Womby’s.” Lucifer shook the young man’s hand. Trevor left a residue of sugar in his wake. Lucifer tried to discreetly wipe it on his pants, avoiding the hole the unicorn horn had torn earlier. “Abigail gave you a lesson in the kitchen once. You helped her decorate Clarissa’s wedding cake.” Trevor had chomped down on several places when Abigail hadn’t been looking. She’d been forced to fill in the holes with icing.
Trevor shifted from foot to foot nervously. “I have better control of my impulse eating these days.”
Lucifer laughed. “You’ve cut down on eating crayons since then?”
“You used to eat crayons?” Abigail squealed. “What did those turn into when you pooped them out?”
Trevor turned away and directed more staff.
“These are your classmates, aren’t they?” Lucifer asked. “Why are they dressed as servants?”
“It’s King Elric’s idea of subterfuge,” Abigail said. “The children aren’t allowed to attend the ball. The guests know about the school, and they might snatch children if they think they’re Red affinities.”
Lucifer had thought only safe guests had been invited, but this was the Faerie Realm. Nothing was ever safe. Even allies could be tricksters.
“King Elric says no one in the Fae courts pays attention to servants. He thought it would be diverting for the children to infiltrate the party and see what the noble families truly are like. There’s a lot more students than servants, so we could mill about and spy on the guests and help with their duties.” Her grin turned mischievous. “After cake, we’re supposed to share all the juicy gossip about the Fae courts and Witchkin families. There’s going to be a ledger to write it down. It will be like giving a book report!”
Lucifer had no idea she liked book reports so much. There was so much he didn’t know about her.
Abigail shook his arm with giddy enthusiasm. “If there’s anything especially relevant, Queen Vega is going to call us into her office tomorrow to interview us. We get to be her special helpers so she knows who of her guests are trustworthy and who aren’t.”
“I’m glad you don’t mind being used for espionage.” He eyed two slices of cake that had been placed on the counter near them. He reached for them, but a girl in a maid’s uniform dashed in and got them before he did.
“Don’t worry. I’ll get you some.” Abigail planted him in an empty chair. “Save me a seat.”
He wanted to tell her there were no more empty seats. Perhaps she meant the seat he now occupied. She skipped across the room to select two corner slices with scallops of frosting. She removed a rose from a bouquet in a vase and arranged it on one.
He watched her graceful dance around children to retrieve forks. She selected something from a pantry and sprinkled it over the cakes. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw he was watching. He grinned, and she smiled before turning away. The kitchen was too crowded to see what she was doing. Probably making it pretty.
His belly grumbled from the aroma of sugar. He’d only nibbled on his dinner earlier. He was too hungry to care how the cake looked, but he would make sure to acknowledge her extra effort.
“Oi! Are you Abby’s boyfriend?” someone asked.
Lucifer turned to the teenage girl. Red patterns were painted across her dark skin. He couldn’t tell whether it was some kind of spell or she was born that way.
“I’m Abby’s friend.” It seemed presumptuous to call himself a boyfriend. She’d never called him that.
The girl leaned in. “Her special friend?”
The teenager’s raging hormones blossomed with wanting. Lucifer leaned back, pretending he didn’t notice. He glanced at Abigail. Trevor stood beside her, his hands on the two plates as she tried to tug them away from him. He shook his head at her. The friendly smile he’d worn earlier was gone.
“What’s going on over there?” Lucifer asked.
“They’re probably just arguing about food. They do that sometimes.” The teenage girl shrugged.
Trevor’s voice rose. “There’s a reason they asked me to keep an eye on you.”
“Hush! You’re going to get me in trouble,” Abigail said.
Lucifer stood.
“No. You’re going to get you in trouble.” Trevor jerked one plate out of her hand and placed the plate out of reach. “Take responsibility for your actions.”
Abigail yanked the other plate away. Trevor lunged forward, pushing the plate into the front of her pastel dress.
Her shriek sounded above the chatter of students. “You’ve ruined it!”
“Uh-oh,” someone said.
The laughter died away.
Trevor clenched his fists. “Good. Serves you right.”
From the fury in Abigail’s eyes, Lucifer didn’t know what she would do. He dodged between people to get closer. Abigail tried to snatch up the other cake.
Trevor pushed her into Lucifer. “If you do it, I’ll tell.”
“Excuse me,” Lucifer said. “Was that necessary?”
Abigail scooped her fingers into the cake and clawed it from the plate in a messy heap that hid all the artful arrangements she’d made. “You’re probably going to tell on me anyway.”
“I should. If you get banned from the kitchen for good this time, it’s your fault.” Trevor turned away and marched off.
Abigail stomped her foot. “I’ll hex you if you do!”
She turned to face Lucifer, a heaping of crumbled cake and icing in her palm. The front of her white dress was coated with frosting. The fury on her face melted into mortification.
“What was that about?” Lucifer asked.
She cupped the cake in her palms and held it up to him. “Cake?”
“No thank you.” He eyed Trevor, who was on the other side of the room, gesturing wildly to an old woman in a cook’s uniform. “Why were you and your friend arguing?”
“It doesn’t matter now. It’s ruined.” Abigail stared at her cake-filled palm, tears filling her eyes. “Please, will you taste my cake?”
“Why?” He thought about Peter’s accusation of her slipping spells into food earlier.
“It’s important to me. I’ve been planning this all evening.” Her voice quivered.
He studied her green eyes, so desperate and full of sadness. “Did you put a love potion in it? Is that why Trevor was mad?”
“No.” She swallowed. “Please.”
He couldn’t resist the anguish in her eyes. Aga
inst his better judgment, he leaned down and carefully bit around a chunk sticking up from the rest. He felt like a cat again, eating out of her palm.
Lucifer tasted rain showers. Rose petals danced on his tongue. Magic was at work. It reminded him of the spell Kelsie had made for the leshi to make him tell the truth, only this was slightly different. The purpose wasn’t the same. He couldn’t taste the full flavor of the spell with icing masking the magic.
His concern gave way to amusement. “What kind of spell did you put in the cake?” He knew he should have been annoyed with her, but he couldn’t muster up any feelings of irritation. Perhaps it was the spell. It stole over him in tingles.
“It’s something to help you forget about our argument earlier. Not forget exactly. Just to keep your mind on happier things for a while.” She smiled hopefully.
He selected a piece and held it up to her lips. She opened her mouth and allowed him to place it on her tongue. She licked the frosting from his finger. The sight of her tongue on his skin made his body flush with desire. He realized he had lost his gloves in the garden, but he didn’t mind if it meant he could feel her touch now.
The warmth of the room and the flutter in his affinity made it difficult to keep control of the desire inside him. He barely managed to breathe. This affected him differently from Kelsie’s spell to tell the truth. For one thing, it was stronger, but the effects were different. This spell had smelled of rain and roses. He remembered this potion from Baba’s books. He knew what that combination meant.
“This is a complacency charm,” he said. “Why?”
“So that you’ll stop thinking about her for a little while and just be with me.” She leaned against him, smearing cake from her dress onto him. “We won’t have secrets from each other that way. You’ll tell me the real reason you don’t want me—if you won’t have me.”
He fed her another piece of cake. She smiled, too far gone under the influence of her own potion to know she’d given her secret away. He was far too possessed by the spell to care what her reasons might be.
Both their fingers sticky with cake, he intertwined his fingers with hers, laughing as he kissed her.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Another Day, Another Hex
Rough hands pulled them apart. Lucifer reached for Abigail, but a guard held him back. Children were laughing. Others looked away in embarrassment.
“Is it true you just snuck a potion into this man’s food?” a female cook asked, shaking Abigail.
“I wouldn’t say ‘sneak.’ I sort of told him. Afterward.” Abigail looked like she was trying hard not to laugh.
“It’s fine,” Lucifer said. “I knew what I was getting into. She’s Trouble with a capital ‘T’.” He winked at her. Maybe that was just the potion talking, but he wasn’t particularly alarmed.
She grinned.
“How long will the effects of this spell last?” the cook demanded.
Heat crept up Lucifer’s neck. Two more guards stomped into the kitchen. They hovered too close.
“A few minutes,” Abigail said. “Unless we eat more cake.” She tried to lick her hand.
The cook slapped her hand away from her face. “Someone get me something to wash them up with.”
“Only a few minutes? That isn’t much time.” Lucifer attempted to squirm back from the guards. “If you’ll just unhand me, I’ll fully cooperate.” He waggled his eyebrows at Abigail. “Especially with you.”
Abigail beamed at him proudly. “See? I told you. It would make everything easier.”
The cook shook Abigail again, this time hard enough to make her cry out as she jostled Abigail into a counter. “Wipe that grin off your face, girl. This is no laughing matter. I warned you of the consequences for tampering with food. Queen’s fairy godmother or no, you’ve had your chance at being good. Now you’ve committed a crime, and it’s time for punishment.”
“Stop!” Lucifer said. “You’re hurting her.” He wanted to yell, but he couldn’t stop smiling. He leaned against the guard, relaxed.
“It’s off to the dungeon with you.” Someone handed the cook a basin of water and a cloth. She scrubbed at Abby’s face and hands.
Lucifer didn’t like the way the cook messed up the pretty curls in her hair.
“But what about Lucy?” Abigail asked. “I’m supposed to spend the evening with Lucy.”
The cook scrubbed at Abigail’s fingers. “Oh no. He’s staying well away from the likes of you. He doesn’t deserve to be punished for what you’ve done to him. He can go to his room until the potion wears off. Then he can do as he pleases at the party.”
“I don’t want to go to my room. Or the party.” Lucifer struggled as the guards pulled him away. They were careful not to touch his sticky hands.
“See to it he gets cleaned up as well.” The cook nodded to him.
Trevor stood in the corner, his arms crossed, looking angry.
“But it isn’t fair. I want to stay with Abby,” Lucifer said. “Take me to the dungeon too.”
They ignored him as they dragged him off.
Lucifer knew he’d have to try harder. “I’ve been very naughty. I deserve to be punished. I plotted to murder Godric of the Tinaalto family—or at least beat him bloody if I decided he deserved it. He’s one of the guests here tonight, in case you didn’t know.” Lucifer left out the fact that he’d changed his mind about it. “Also, if that doesn’t warrant the dungeon, I can confess to more. I tried to steal Queen Vega’s Ruby of Divine Wisdom. I almost succeeded. I bet I’ll have better luck with it later.”
The kitchen was silent enough to hear the scrape of a fork against a plate. Even Abigail stared at him with wide eyes.
As the guards dragged Lucifer down to the dungeon, some of his clear-headedness returned.
In hindsight, he revisited the wisdom of admitting everything in order to be taken to the dungeon.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Dungeons sans Dragons
The dungeon was the most agreeable place Lucifer had been all evening. His cell was quiet, cool, and free of other people. The straw pallet on the bunk wasn’t the worst place he’d laid his head.
His only regret was that he wasn’t allowed to share a cell with Abby. Also, he didn’t particularly look forward to a beheading or whatever they decided to do with him for his treason.
He closed his eyes, wishing he had the energy to use the transportation spell Baba had told him. At the moment he couldn’t remember which was the one for opening a portal for people and which was only for inanimate objects. If he refueled his affinity and took a powernap to recharge, he’d be ready to break out of this dungeon before morning.
On the other hand, it was already awkward enough that he’d confessed to crimes he’d planned to commit. It would be even worse if someone caught him in an act of self love. He couldn’t imagine anything more embarrassing.
They’d probably shackle him to the wall after that.
Abigail sniffled, the sound coming from somewhere down the hall. Now that the effects of her potion had worn off, he felt far less amusement about her mischief. Still, he didn’t think it warranted the dungeon.
Then again, he didn’t know how many times she’d done this. He gathered it wasn’t the first. The fraction of soul inside her might be growing twisted and selfish after being incomplete for so long.
When she’d lived in the Morty Realm, she was always using complacency potions on people. Of course those had been in low doses because she’d been drained. The most she’d achieved was an elevated mood in her family members, and she’d probably managed that because Lucifer’s affinity had magnified the small amount of magic left in her.
This new Abigail was dangerous with magic.
Lucifer couldn’t help wondering if her lack of soul had made her a sociopath. Or maybe she was simply acting out the same steps she’d done before in her previous incarnation, but without realizing how harmful magic could be now that she wa
s stronger.
Lucifer drifted off into sleep, roused when the confident fall of footsteps thudded on the stairs and echoed down the hall. It was an ominous sound, amplified in the stone chamber. He sat up.
A man’s voice came from down the hall. “Merlin’s balls.”
From the cool monotone, Lucifer knew it to be his brother. He sat up. Was he going to be tried for treason in front of everyone at the ball?
A door down the hall creaked open. With one less door between them, Lucifer could hear Abigail crying. He felt bad now that he hadn’t called out to her to make sure they hadn’t chained her up or done something horrible to her. Instead, he’d napped. He couldn’t believe himself.
“Abby?” Lucifer asked.
Felix said something too quiet to hear. Abigail wailed in misery.
A moment later, the heavy wood door to Lucifer’s cell swung open. Two guards stood behind Felix, their hands resting on their swords.
Felix crossed his arms. “I’ve been told you intended to kill another guest at the party and commit treason by stealing Queen Vega’s scepter. Is that true?” A smile twitched at Felix’s lips. “My own brother? A sneaking scoundrel?”
Lucifer shifted uneasily. He wasn’t sure how to respond to that accusation.
“How do you plead?” Felix gazed down at him with feigned indifference.
“Innocent?” Lucifer asked.
Felix snorted out a laugh. “Of course you do.” He backed away, and the door closed again.
Lucifer wondered whether that was the wrong answer. “Was that my trial? Do I get a trial? What are you going to do with me?”
Felix didn’t deign to answer. His footsteps echoed away. Lucifer kicked at the wall in frustration.
Another door creaked. Felix spoke again, but his voice was quiet. Lucifer stood, leaning against the door to listen.
“I wasn’t trying to be a disappointment,” Abigail wailed.
Felix’s voice was almost too quiet to hear. “I didn’t say you were a disappointment. I said your behavior was disappointing.”
Lucifer suspected he was too tired to make the portal work, but he could probably use the scrying spell for spying. He chanted the magic words and drew a circle in the air, pushing his will into the place he wanted to see. The flat disk of the enchantment was angled downward, displaying the white ruffles at the hem of Abigail’s dress.
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