Malice In Wonderland

by H. P. Mallory

  I shrugged in answer to the question of whether I enjoyed classical music. I couldn’t say I did or didn’t. It was one of those subjects I’d never really considered before because I always had more important subjects on my mind. “As well as anyone, I guess.”

  He nodded, and must’ve taken my response as a “yes” because he reached for a little, silver bell that sat beside his table setting. He rang the bell twice, the tinny sound echoing through the immense room and summoning the goblin instantly.

  “Sir?” the squat man asked. His fleshy arms were folded neatly behind his back as he faced Bram with a pleasant grin on his round face.

  “Please prepare the ballroom; we would like to enjoy some music,” Bram ordered.

  The goblin nodded and turned to accomplish the task when something appeared to occur to him, and he pivoted on his toes to face his vampire master again. “Any special requests, sir?”

  “Hmm,” Bram said while considering the question carefully. He tapped his index finger against his chin and narrowed his eyes at me. He seemed to be deciding what type of music he thought I might prefer. His lips curled into a slow smile and I figured he’d made his decision.

  “Bach,” he said at last, facing the goblin.

  “Very good,” the man said. With a hurried nod, he disappeared through the double doors.

  “Shall we dance?” Bram asked, his eyes narrowing as soon as I shook my head. That was when I got his gist—there was much more to his question than he’d let on. Even though I absolutely didn’t care to dance, especially to classical music because it wasn’t like I had any clue what to do, I was about to have a change of heart. With a simple nod and a subdued smile, I acquiesced.

  Bram rose quietly, placing his folded napkin on the table beside his empty plate. Taking my chair, he pulled it out from the table and offered me his arm. I stood to accept his arm, allowing him to lead me into the ballroom.

  The ballroom was adjacent to the dining room. It was a great expanse of incredibly high ceilings, with floor to ceiling stained glass windows and the most intricate crown molding I’d ever seen. The never ending, polished hardwood floors made it look like a room bedecked for a queen. The only pieces of furniture were several ornate, antique sofas which stood against the walls and were upholstered in black chenille. There was also an enormous, black, baby grand piano in the corner. As soon as I laid my eyes on the piano, the keys began to depress and a bevy of melodious notes sounded in the once quiet room. The keys continued to play, in a flourish of sweet music.

  “Fancy,” I commented. “A piano that plays itself.” Or maybe it was the ghost to which Bram had alluded earlier.

  Bram smiled at me in response. “Yes, Sweet. At times, even I feel lazy.”

  I had no idea that Bram could play the piano, but I also couldn’t say it surprised me. I mean, as far as he wanted everyone to believe, he was an accomplished man … er, vampire.

  I didn’t recognize the song playing on the piano, but assumed it was Bach, per Bram’s request. Bram walked toward the center of the room, and with one arm behind his back, bowed toward me before extending his other hand, gesturing for me to join him. I took a deep breath, hoping I wouldn’t regret attempting to dance, but figured there had to be a reason why Bram was so intent on us doing it in the first place. I approached him and he wrapped his right arm around me, with his hand coming to rest on the middle of my back. Then he took my right hand with his left and extended them both out, perpendicular to our bodies. I put my left hand on his shoulder and away we went!

  Bram moved his left foot forward so I stepped backwards, lest my foot be trampled. Taking Bram’s lead, I stepped out to the side with my left foot, mirroring his right. We continued on in this fashion, silently, of which I was grateful. I wanted to make sure I knew what I was doing before any conversations could ensue. Otherwise I didn’t imagine I’d be able to concentrate on anything else. After another few minutes, during which we danced in “boxes” all around the floor, Bram leaned down and pulled me closer into him; so close, I could feel his lips against my ear.

  “Speak to me very softly,” he whispered. “I cannot guarantee this house has no eavesdroppers.”

  I nodded, having already assumed such was the case. Taking a deep breath, I tried to organize my thoughts. “What exactly is your involvement with my father?” I asked in a voice barely above a whisper. Good thing that vampires have excellent hearing …

  Bram seemed taken aback by the question, and I wasn’t sure why. As far as I was concerned, he should have expected it. He paused for a few seconds before finally answering.

  “As you have already deduced, your father and I were involved for many years.”

  Even though I already knew the truth, my stomach dropped in disappointment at hearing the words on Bram’s lips. Somehow, it just made it all the more real. Part of me wanted to demand the reason why he’d lied to me for so long but the more I thought about, the more I realized there was no point. Time was of the essence now and that conversation would have to wait.

  “Why did you lead me to your library to find your ledger and cell phone?” I continued, now hell bent on getting as much information out of Bram as I could.

  “You told me to choose sides, Sweet. I merely did as you instructed,” he said, shrugging like it really wasn’t a big deal at all. Then, apparently realizing his response was a lame one, he added: “And I knew the time for playing between the lines had passed.”

  I nodded, satisfied. “How does Christina figure into all of this?”

  He was quiet for another few seconds. “That you must learn for yourself.”

  “How?” I interrupted, my voice coming out anxious and edgy.

  “I daresay you received the text on my mobile phone?”

  “Yes.”

  “It might behoove you to follow that clue, Sweet.” His breath against my ear caused goose bumps to cover my skin as the chill reached the back of my neck.

  “Culligan’s at midnight?” I asked.

  “Yes,” he said, in what sounded like a snake’s hiss. “After tonight, many of your questions will be answered.”

  “How far is this Culligan’s place, anyway?”

  “Perhaps one half hour,” he responded quickly. “There is a fleet of automobiles in my garage, Sweet. I will leave the keys in the Carrera.”

  “What is Culligan’s? I have no idea where it is or how to get there,” I started, my voice sounding panicked.

  “Calm yourself,” Bram purred into my ear. “The address will be programmed into the navigation in the Porsche.”

  “Okay,” I said and took a deep breath.

  “After this evening, you will not return here again, as it will no longer be safe.”

  “Okay,” I whispered, finding his words ominous. If it weren’t safe for me, would it be safe for him? It was something I couldn’t worry about, though, not when I had much bigger fish to fry. Besides, if Bram was good at anything, it was preserving his own neck. “Did Christina know about your connection to my father all along?” I asked, wondering how he could have been in business with my father and Christina not know about it.

  “No,” he crooned into my ear.

  “What about Quillan?” I demanded. “He must have known you were in cahoots with Melchior all this time?”

  But Bram shook his head. “No one, other than your father and a few of his henchmen, knows about me, Sweet. In all my business affairs, I have realized the valuable lesson that it is much safer to maintain one’s secrecy.”

  “How has Trey never picked up on any of this?” I asked, amazed because there was very little that got by Trey.

  “I imagine you can guess that answer to that question.”

  “Magic?” I asked, my jaw tight. “Were you able to deflect the truth by buffering it with magic?”

  Bram simply nodded. “There are ways around every obstacle, Sweet.”

  Somehow that bit of information relieved me because I couldn’t imagine that Quill could have
known about Bram’s duplicitous ways and yet not alerted me to them. “Were you responsible for the Denali explosion?” I continued with my line of interrogation, hoping and praying his answer to this question would also be a resounding negative.

  “Of course not!” he said indignantly. “It wounds me to think you would even consider such a thing!”

  “Really?” I asked facetiously. “It’s not like you were honest with me about anything else.”

  “The attempt on your life was one of the paramount reasons I have exposed myself to you. “ He pushed me away from him so I could see the truth in his eyes. “I would never harm you.”

  I wasn’t sure why, but I believed him.

  “After tonight, all will be revealed to you and everything that appears cloudy now will make sense,” he finished with a twinge of indignation still evident in his voice.

  “In choosing the side of The Resistance, you do realize what that means for your relationship with my father?” I asked, even though it was a stupid question. Obviously, he understood.

  “Of course,” he said simply. “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. Thomas Jefferson.”

  “Nice,” I answered, wondering how he came up with this stuff. “Then we can count on you?”

  He paused another few seconds as he whirled me around into another box step.

  “First you must identify whom, among your own, you can count on, Sweet.”

  FIFTEEN

  Later that evening, I was overjoyed to remove the horrid red gown and wear my own clothes. Granted, I’d worn my jeans and long-sleeved T-shirt yesterday and the day before, but I’d also laundered them so it wasn’t quite as gross as it might otherwise sound. And, yes, I’d already tried to create a new outfit for myself, but apparently, Bram had ensured that no magic could be conducted in his home because every time I tried my fairy dust, nothing came of it. I did recall being able to rely on magic to open the door to the library and the drawer where Bram kept his ledgers which just spoke to the fact that Bram must have really wanted me to find them, otherwise I didn’t imagine I’d be able to use my magic anywhere in his house. Regardless, I couldn’t really say my mind was on magic anyway, not with the nervous energy coursing through me when I thought about what was going to happen at midnight tonight.

  After tonight, all will be revealed to you and everything that appears cloudy now will make sense … Bram’s words echoed in my mind as I strove to understand what they could mean.

  Was Christina double-crossing The Resistance? Could she have somehow maintained her ties to my father even while acting as the head of The Resistance? Bram never had indicated just what Christina’s role in this whole situation was. He’d simply told me that everything would make sense after this evening. Well, I hoped he was telling the truth because right about now, I felt more than a little confused over whom to believe and whom to trust.

  As I threw my sneakers on and tied my shoelaces, I heard a knock on my door. As was customary for Bram, he didn’t wait for me to answer before opening it.

  “Sweet,” he greeted me with a grin. He was dressed in charcoal grey slacks, a black shirt, and a black jacket. With his dark hair brushed back and his devil’s smile, he was the epitome of handsome. At that moment, I wondered if I might ever have developed feelings for Bram, if Knight hadn’t been in the picture. But then I figured it was a waste of time to even consider because I’d never know the answer. Why? Because Knight was still in the picture. Despite being the most frustrating Loki I’d ever laid eyes on, I still had an incredibly difficult time whenever I tried to banish him from my mind.

  “Bram?” I asked, after realizing neither of us was talking.

  He smiled and his fangs gleamed in the low light. “I am leaving now for Culligan’s.” He stopped talking for a few seconds and I wasn’t sure what to say. Luckily, he beat me to it. “Please wait ten minutes before doing the same.”

  I nodded, feeling suddenly dizzy as my heart began to pound. There was just so much riding on this evening, so many questions I wanted answered. Not only that, but I was also worried—both about Bram and myself. “Okay.”

  “When you arrive, please be very careful to disguise yourself. No one must know that you are present, do you understand?”

  His lips were tight and his eyebrows creased in the middle, giving him the expression of concern. It was an expression that seemed new to him somehow. Ordinarily he was the maddeningly irritating vampire with nothing but sex or himself on his mind.

  I nodded again. “Yes, I understand.” I took a deep breath before facing him again. “I hope you know I … I’m putting a lot of trust in you.”

  His eyebrows arched as if he didn’t follow, so I continued.

  “I don’t know where I’m going, or what to expect tonight. And after you so artfully illustrated that you’ve been lying to me the entire time I’ve known you, I’m not sure if I should trust you now.”

  “You have my word as a gentleman that I would never willingly put you in harm’s way,” he said in a steely tone.

  “I better not be making a huge mistake.”

  Bram shook his head and dropped his gaze to the floor before looking back at me. When he did, his eyes were burning with a fire that surprised me, and his fangs started indenting his lower lip. “I know I was not honest with you regarding your father’s and my … association, therefore I understand your hesitance to believe anything more from my mouth.” He paused, never taking his eyes from mine. “But I will make you this promise, one which I will forever keep.” He was quiet another few seconds. “I would instantly lay down my own life in order to save yours.”

  While I couldn’t say I believed him (Bram exaggerated like nobody else), there was something in his eyes that made me want to trust him, something that told me I’d be safe with him. I didn’t say anything more and the two of us just stood there in silence, both at a loss for words. It was a moment I doubt I’ll ever forget—Bram’s gaze was so intense, I felt as if he was staring right through me.

  “Point taken,” I said at last. Bram nodded, but before he could comment, I interrupted. “Are you in trouble?”

  He shook his head, laughing lightly. “I have managed to remain alive these three hundred years by more than just accident, my dear.” Then the laugh died on his lips. “Trouble does not frighten me.”

  I wasn’t sure, but figured he meant “yes.” But whether or not Bram was in trouble, there really wasn’t anything I could do to help him, especially after he’d informed me that I couldn’t return to his home after tonight. And, really, it was silly to worry about Bram—he was a vampire; survival seemed to be hard-wired into him. As to the other person who was absolutely in trouble, I wasn’t sure where to go or what to do after tonight. But I’d have to figure it all out later. Now, I had too much on my mind.

  “Be careful,” I started, feeling as if a heavy weight had descended on me. I just hoped all of us, Bram included, would be able to resist my father’s power, that we’d be able to beat him at his own game. Even though Bram had lied to me about being in business with my father all these years, I still considered him somewhat a victim. And, furthermore, there was something within me that insisted Bram wasn’t a bad person, and I trusted that instinct. Knowing my father’s affinity for imposing his own will, I could see how Bram might have been forced into a business relationship with him, just like most of us had.

  Shit, maybe I was going soft.

  “I will, Sweet,” Bram said.

  Then with a modicum of levity, I added: “Because you know, I’ll have to arrest you once this shit with the Netherworld is figured out.”

  Bram threw his head back and laughed heartily before returning his gaze to mine. The mirth on his lips was replaced with a simple smile. “You do not know the joy you have brought me over the years, Sweet.”

  I was only half kidding about arresting him—I mean, part of me had absolutely decided that Bram should pay for his transgres
sions. But then I figured since we were basically on the brink of war and Bram had gone out on a huge limb to help me, bygones should be bygones. Who knew what our fates entailed anyway? Maybe we’d all be wiped out by my father and all of this wind up a moot point.

  Just call me the harbinger of optimism.

  “I’ll see you in,” I started, glancing at the clock before looking at him again, “forty minutes.”

  He nodded and we both stared at each other for another few seconds before he disappeared from the doorway. I glanced at the clock again and felt my hands go clammy as I stood impatiently, in the same spot Bram left me, just staring at the clock, watching the seconds tick by. At the end of the ten minutes, it felt like I’d been standing there for ten hours. My body switched to autopilot as I ran from my bedroom, into the hallway, and took the stairs two at a time. I glanced around to make sure no one was ready to waylay me while I was en route to Bram’s garage. Not encountering anyone, I hurried to the front door and opened it a smidge, peeking outside to make sure everything was clear. It appeared to be.

  I started forward, with the cold air of the dark night assaulting my face. I could see the four-car garage in the distance and jogged across the courtyard that separated the house from the garage. One of the garage doors was already up, revealing Bram’s black Porsche Carrera. Seeing it now made me smile wistfully as I remembered all the times I’d gone to No Regrets in search of information. I only ever stopped in when I saw his Porsche gleaming in the parking lot, letting me know Bram was in.

  Somehow those days seemed so long ago.

  I reached the driver’s side door and opened it, eyeing the seat and looking for the keys. They weren’t there. Leaning into the car, I spotted them hanging from the ignition, so I got behind the wheel and closed the door. That was when I realized my feet were miles from the pedals. I adjusted the seat and the steering wheel before turning to the mirrors. After adjusting the rearview and both side mirrors, I turned the key in the ignition, the happy purr of the engine like music to my ears. The center console lit up, revealing a navigation screen. Even though I had no clue how to operate it, after a few minutes, I managed to find “saved destinations.” There was only one destination listed as “saved” so I figured it had to be Culligan’s. I hoped so anyway.