Again, Clara felt the tears building, and she brushed them away with the back of her hand.
Damn it, all I wanted was to go to the ball, like Louise used to. I just wanted to be a grown up…
But her heart knew that wasn’t entirely true. She’d wanted the enviable aspects of being a grown up, like being able to go to balls, but she hadn’t wanted the responsibility. Her sister had a baby now, and that meant nights out were limited. Clara didn’t want that. She still wanted to believe in handsome princes, magic, and fairy tales. She saw how Louise struggled to raise the baby, or how her parents were always stressed because of work and money. She didn’t want all that. All she had to worry about was homework, and which boy she was crushing on at school. Ah, if only she could live a life of ignorant bliss forever…
Wasn’t that what Hans was offering? She could become the princess she’d always dreamed of being. She’d never have to grow up, get a job, and be weighed down by life. And all it’d cost was her soul.
And then Clara knew exactly what she needed to do. She dried her eyes, stood, and walked out of the shed. With her head held high, she marched back up to the palace.
Knowing exactly where to find him, Clara entered the ballroom, and there was Hans. On the stage where the orchestra had played the previous night was a throne made of something dark and glistening she thought might be obsidian. Hans reclined in it, his long legs draped over one of the sides.
“You’ve come to accept my offer?” he asked as Clara approached.
“Actually, I’ve come to reject it. I’m going home, because I realized something really important just now. I want to grow up. And I don’t mean the fake ‘grown-up’ I thought I was being by sneaking into Sugar Plums. I mean real, proper grown-up, good and bad. The time for fairy stories has ended. I want to live. I want to move forward and experience all the things a normal girl my age does. I want to finish school. I want to meet someone and fall in love. Real, true love, like my mum and dad. Not the fake love you’re offering.”
“But, Clara, I can make all your dreams come true. Anything your heart desires, I can give to you. All you need to do is bend to my will, and I will give you the world. I will make you a queen.”
“Hans, I don’t want to be your queen. All you can offer me is illusions and lies, a distorted web of endless childhood fantasies. I don’t want this life anymore. I want real life, my life. I want to go home.”
As Clara said the final words, her vision dimmed. For a moment, she saw the look of horror on Hans’ face, distorting his once-handsome features into something twisted, and then everything went black.
♛
“Clara, baby, please wake up.”
Clara tried to open her eyes, but they felt too heavy, as though her eyelids had been glued together. Mustering all her might, she forced her eyes open and was assaulted by the harsh overhead lights.
“Mum?” she croaked.
“I’m here, sweetie. I’m here.” Her mother grasped her hand. “David, get the doctor. Clara is awake.”
Clara tried to sit up, but her body felt heavy, like she was recovering from the flu. “The doctor? Why? Where am I?”
She looked around and realized this wasn’t her bedroom. For a moment, her chest tightened. Had she managed to break the curse?
But of course she had, her mother was there. Then she realized. She was in the hospital.
“What happened to me?”
Her mother’s eyes glistened with tears. “Someone spiked your drink in the club. You’ve been in a coma ever since. We weren’t sure you were ever going to wake up.”
“I’ve been in a coma? What day is it?”
“It’s Christmas Eve, and you’re awake. It’s a Christmas miracle.”
Christmas Eve… just like Hans had said.
“I… I…” The story of Hans and his wicked plot was on the tip of her tongue, but she shook her head. The time for fairy tales had ended. She wanted to grow up properly, and now was the time to start acting responsibly. “I’m sorry I snuck out.”
“It’s okay, sweetie. We’re just glad you’re all right. We can talk about everything else when you’re out of hospital.”
“I’m glad I’m okay, too, and whatever punishment you and Dad decide is fine with me. I shouldn’t have gone to Sugar Plums, and I deserve to be grounded or whatever you guys decide.”
Her mother raised an eyebrow. “It seems like you’ve developed a new mature attitude while you were unconscious.”
Clara looked to the door, where her father was entering with the doctor, and for a moment, she swore she saw Hans walking along the corridor in the background. She blinked, and he was gone.
“Yeah, something like that,” she mumbled.
The doctor took some blood from Clara, and after running various tests, deemed no lasting damage had been done by the drugs or the three days she’d spent in a coma. Certain she’d make a full recovery, the doctor discharged Clara from the hospital so she could spend Christmas Day at home with her family.
Clara’s parents helped her across the hospital car park, and as her father unlocked the car door, a noise overhead caught Clara’s attention. An owl hooted, and she looked up to see a bird—which looked eerily similar to the animal Drosselmeyer had transformed into—glide past the moon.
She took her mother’s hand and said, “Come on, let’s go home.”
About the Author
Clare Dugmore is an author contemporary romance, urban fantasy and paranormal fiction. Her published works include contemporary romance novel All It Takes, LGBT novella I Want You to Want Me, and web serial Every Moment With You. She is currently working on an urban fantasy novel about witches who are oppressed by the government.
Clare is a thirty-something married mother of two from the West Midlands of England. In her spare time, she enjoys binge watching shows with her hubby, spending time with her two sons, and playing video games.
You can find out more about Clare and her stories at her website: www.claredugmore.com
Books by Clare Dugmore:
All It Takes
Every Moment With You
Morsel
a retelling of Hansel and Gretel
♛
DOROTHY DREYER
Henry
The blue flashing lights on the interior paneling of the limousine cast a faery-like glow in Grace’s eyes. I could tell she was nervous about this party. Excited, but nervous. She kept asking me if I was sure she could come along since it was my new girlfriend who had invited me to the party at the mansion. I’d reassured her for the fiftieth time just as the limousine pulled up to our house. Now we sat inside, a bottle of champagne chilling on ice and a huge bowl of delicious-smelling candy inviting us to indulge. The silver and copper candy wrappers seemed to glow and twinkle in the interior of the limo.
“Are you sure you don’t want to try this?” Grace asked, unwrapping another sugary treat and popping it in her mouth. “It’s unbelievable. It has to be imported.”
I smirked at my sister, holding back a laugh. “No, I’m good. And it’s not imported exactly. Candy is Vivienne’s mother’s business. She’s Lilith Van Lebkuchen. She owns Morsel.”
“What? I didn’t know selling candy could get you a limo like this,” she said, smoothing her hands over the leather seats.
The excitement in her eyes made me smile. Grace needed this. She needed a bit of happiness again. Grace had always been “Daddy’s Little Girl”—especially after Mom had died. We’d been young when the leukemia had taken her; Grace had been a mere toddler, and so Father always went the extra mile to see to Grace’s every need. That is, until he’d remarried a year ago. At first, everything had been fine, but after a while I’d started to notice how our stepmother resented Grace. I never said it out loud, but she was clearly jealous of the attention Father gave Grace. She practically gnashed her teeth any time Father would dote on her. And if you asked me, she’d somehow manipulated Father into spending less time with us. I even over
heard her threaten to leave if Father didn’t start paying more attention to her.
This led to Grace feeling abandoned. She never admitted it, but I could see it in the way the corners of her mouth would turn downward when Father was too busy to attend her dance recitals or school play productions. It was almost as if he’d forgotten about her.
I could tell she had never brought up her inner turmoil with any of her friends. Perhaps she thought they wouldn’t understand. I felt bad she had no one to confide in besides me.
At least I had Vivienne. We had a lot in common. Her parents had died in a car crash when she was a kid, and she’d been adopted. Even though her new family was rich, it didn’t erase the fact that there were still people missing from her life—a loss we both shared that created a strong bond between us.
But Grace didn’t have the luxury of a confidant. She spent a lot of time alone. And lonely. So when I’d told Grace about Vivienne’s party and seen the hopeless look in her eyes, I’d just had to invite her along. The smile on Grace’s face now—a genuine smile I had not seen in ages—was reward enough.
“This is amazing,” she said. “You’ve certainly upped your game in the girlfriend department.” Before I could wrap my head around what she was doing, Grace scooped up a handful of candy and dropped it into her purse.
“Grace!”
Another handful of candy was stuffed into her purse. “What? We’re allowed, right?”
“Yeah, but don’t you think you’re overdoing it?”
“I might want some later.” She seemed to be analyzing how much would fit into her purse. “Just a bit more.”
I bit back a laugh as she attempted—and failed—to close her purse after the third handful of candy. As if that weren’t enough, she plucked out another piece from the candy bowl and unwrapped the shiny foil, popping the treat into her mouth with an unashamed smile.
As we entered Vivienne’s property, Grace suddenly stopped chewing her candy and placed a cold hand on my arm. Her throat moved visibly as she swallowed back what I could only assume was fear. Following her gaze out the window, I found what she had been staring at. An old man in black clothes—whom I gathered must be the caretaker—stood near a humongous hole he’d been digging. At first glance, I thought it might be a grave, but upon further inspection, I realized it was something much bigger. As the man glared back in our direction, I purposely shifted in my seat to block my sister’s view of the man.
“Don’t stare, Grace.”
“The windows are tinted,” she said. “He can’t possibly see me.”
“Still.”
“Sorry, Henry,” she said, blinking and focusing on my face instead. “He just looked so creepy.”
“Well, I think you’ll forget all about that guy once you get a look at Vivienne’s house.”
Her eyes widened, and she scooted closer to the window, practically pressing her nose against it. The gasp that escaped her lips was confirmation that she was impressed by the mansion. The architecture was modern yet gothic, and the mere size of the building was daunting.
“How many people live here?” she asked into the window.
“Vivienne, her brother and sister, and her mother.” I adjusted the lapels of my blazer, wondering if Vivienne would meet me at the door. I almost took out my phone to text her that we were here, but I didn’t want to seem anxious. It was bad enough I was intimidated by her money—I didn’t need to lose my cool. I wore my best blazer and newest shoes, even though something told me Vivienne didn’t care about status and wealth. When she would look into my eyes, everything seemed to disappear, almost as if she was hypnotizing me with her gaze.
The limousine came to a stop, and Grace was quick to open the door.
“Grace, I think we were supposed to wait for the driver to let us out,” I whispered as I stepped out of the car beside her.
She didn’t answer. Instead she gazed at the house with amazement in her eyes, clasping her hands together as if to hold back her excitement.
The front door opened, revealing a thin, elderly man with slicked-back white hair. Pushing past him, Vivienne emerged onto the massive front porch, a lovely smile on her lips. Her dark hair looked like velvet, falling perfectly in soft waves upon her bare shoulders. There was a subtle shimmer to her gold dress that drew the eye to the curves in her figure. But what captivated me the most was her charm. Her smile could light up a dark and gloomy night like tonight.
“I’m so glad you made it.” She skipped down the steps and greeted us each with a kiss to our cheeks.
Grace let out a giggle. I was taken aback by my sister’s openness. But maybe she was simply caught up in the thrill of the evening.
“We wouldn’t miss it,” I said. Though I knew I’d done the right thing in inviting Grace along, for a moment I wished Vivienne’s welcome kiss had been something more intimate and not in the presence of my sister.
“Come in.” Vivienne tugged on my hand. “Dinner’s about to be served.”
Vivienne
“You look nice,” I whispered, leaning close to Henry’s ear. He was quite tall, so I had to stretch on my tiptoes a bit. The scent of blood pumping through his veins sent my senses stirring.
“You look incredible,” he whispered back.
I smiled up at him and rubbed his arm. I had been thinking about him all day, smiling to myself as I got ready for the party and imagining his reaction. Now that he was here, I had the sudden urge to skip dinner altogether and bring him to my room so we could be alone.
“This house is amazing,” Grace said, her head swiveling from side to side, taking it all in. She reached out and ran her fingers along the smooth surface of a white, porcelain bird with rubies for eyes, which sat on the side table in the foyer.
“Don’t be too impressed.” I smirked. “My mother said it was a steal because the previous owners claimed it’s haunted.”
Grace stopped in her tracks, gawking at me.
I let out a laugh. “Don’t worry. I don’t think it is. I mean, I’ve yet to see anything that’s scared me.”
A shadow moved in the hall before we reached the dining room. I rolled my eyes as my brother, Jamie, threw a smirk my way, his tall form blocking our way.
“Ah, more guests,” Jamie said, his hands stuffed in his dress pants pockets. “Henry, right?”
“Yeah,” Henry said. “You’re, uh, a senior at school, right? James?”
“Jamie,” my brother corrected him, reaching out to shake his hand.
An expression of surprise crept up on Henry’s face, and I sent Jamie a warning look to ease up on his handshake. Jamie raised a brow at me and let go of Henry’s hand.
“And who is this lovely morsel?” Jamie asked, his eyes wandering up and down the length of Grace.
She let out a timid laugh, her cheeks going red.
“This is my sister, Grace,” said Henry.
“Oh, wait,” Jamie said. “Yes! I remember seeing you in the fall play. You were magnificent.”
Grace blushed even harder, her fingers swooping hair behind her ear. “Oh. Thank you.”
“She was the star of the show,” came a voice from behind us.
We turned toward my sister, Delancey, who wore a low-cut black dress that looked painted on.
“Delancey,” she said, holding out her hand palm-down to Grace, as if she expected her to kiss it.
Grace looked confused but reached out and awkwardly shook Delancey’s hand. “Do you go to our school too?”
Delancey snickered. “No, I graduated last year. But I wouldn’t miss a show. You’re quite talented.”
Grace grinned and tipped her head to the side. “Thanks. God, I don’t know how to handle all these compliments. Not to mention I’m a little nervous about being here. This house is so big and elegant. I’m afraid I might break something.”
“I think you’re just letting this full moon get to you,” Jamie said, draping an arm around Grace’s shoulder and urging her toward the dining room. “Full mo
ons can make people feel strange. But I love it; it makes for a spooky night. Shall we eat?”
Delancey joined them, running her fingers down a strand of Grace’s hair.
Henry looked astonished, no doubt concerned for the way they were acting around his sister. I, on the other hand, was used to their ways.
I quickly took his hand, forcing him to look into my eyes. “Hey,” I said softly.
When his gaze connected with mine, I forced a wave of glamour his way. He looked as if he were going to say something, his eyes narrowing slightly, but then he relaxed.
“Hey,” he said back, squeezing my hand.
“Let’s eat,” I said. “The sooner dinner is over, the sooner I can bring you to my room.”
♛
Henry and I followed Jamie, Delancey, and Grace through the grand doors and into the dining room. There were five guests already seated at the table, all entranced by the rags-to-riches tale my mother was narrating. They were transfixed by her, already caught in her spell, as the staff finished filling the wine glasses.
“This way.” I tugged on Henry’s hand. “I’ve saved you a seat next to me.”
Glancing across the table, I watched as Delancey and Jamie maneuvered Grace into a seat between them. The other guests at our table were from our high school and Delancey’s college, all staring at my mother as she enticed them with her story.
But it wasn’t the story at all. It was the glamour laced in her voice, dulling their senses to anything else.
Mother turned to Grace first, offered her a smile that didn’t reach her eyes, and then nodded to Henry. “Welcome. You’ve come just in time.”
“Thank you for having us, Ms. Van Lebkuchen,” Henry said.
I squeezed his hand under the table.
The staff reemerged with silver trays. They made their rounds about the table, placing covered dishes in front of each of us. I focused on Henry, watching his brows rise as the dishes were uncovered to reveal thick cuts of steak, rare and bloody.
Magic at Midnight Page 39