Charm (Black Sheep of Faery Book 3)

by Harley Gordon

  "I don't know." I shiver. The Beast is free. This has to be a nightmare.

  Bo and Red wind their arms through mine. "We'll keep you safe."

  "If he comes for me, I'll kill him." I try to believe my words, to mean them.

  "We'll help you."

  Warmth wraps around me for these two women, unequivocally on my side. It pushes some of the worry and fear away, gives me the strength to handle this without crumbling.

  He has no idea what he’s up against this time. I understand my powers better, I understand myself better.

  He can't touch me. I won't allow it.

  Bo pauses outside the side door. "How do you want to play this?"

  "Heads are going to roll."

  Bo and Red try on matching evil grins. I straighten my spine.

  Chapter 4

  I swipe my credentials along the keypad and push the door open.

  One of the three bears is already waiting for us, pacing back and forth. "Belle.”

  “Hi, Baby.” Poor guy has never been able to shake the name from his story. He looks like a gangly fourteen-year-old boy on the cusp of manhood, trapped for eternity in this body.

  “We aren't sure how this happened, but it was just the three of them and the monster."

  "Who was the third?"

  "Philip Charming."

  "Shit." All the princes we have in custody are free.

  "We're about to watch the security footage now. We were waiting for you." He smiles down at Red, accepting her hug. Red leads all the shifters in Paris and he’s in her pack.

  "Waiting was unnecessary. The faster we have the information, the better." My voice is cold and hard from the effort of keeping the scream locked away down deep inside.

  Baby inclines his head. "Of course. Apologies. If you'll follow me?"

  I bite back an irritated sigh. Someone is losing their job over this. It's unacceptable. Between the human technology and the powers of the specially chosen Fae working as guards, escape should be impossible.

  I don't accept failure on this level.

  Especially not when the Beast is involved.

  Baby leads us to the security office where Goldilocks is busy chewing out two of her guards. The other two bears. Even after all these years, the ridiculousness of our lives strikes me hard.

  Goldy turns to us. "I'm so sorry for this, Belle. Have a seat, and we'll figure out how this happened."

  I give a short nod and perch in one of the chairs before the monitors. Bo sits close to me, and takes my hand under the table. Red stands guard at my back. I'm grateful for the support, especially once the Beast appears on the screens.

  I swallow hard, a light sweat breaking out across my body.

  It's been over a hundred years since I've seen his face. I've protected myself from this very experience. He's in his human form, a seemingly normal and harmless fellow, skinny and pale, ratty brown hair. He's balled up on his cot in the corner, sad and pathetic. This is the prince movies and books are made about, romanticizing this piece of garbage who terrorized me. What is so sexy and swoon-worthy about kidnapping? About a father selling his own daughter to a monster all because she asked for a rose? She didn't ask him to steal it.

  But the truth is kept from the humans and the media. No one knows what he did when we came to life. He was in prison long before the twenty-four hour news media came into existence.

  August comes up on the other computer, and he's in better shape than the Beast. He still carries a suave and arrogant air about him with his black hair and bright blue eyes. The ass.

  Philip appears on the other third screen, muscular and blond, like some kind of cliché surfer dude.

  How did these three idiots escape this place?

  The dragon is curled up in the middle of her cell. She shouldn't even be in this prison. She should be in the one built especially for the monsters, a place we try to rehabilitate them and give them some sort of freedom. But she'd killed humans before they could get her there, and she's unable to transform into her human form. She's stuck as a dragon. Most Fae creatures can turn human, but she never has. We don't even know what story she's from, it could be dozens.

  We're going to pay for it now.

  Jackie slips into the room behind us, her face set in stern lines, her white-blond hair slicked back from her face, sword strapped to her waist. She's clad in her armor.

  I'm relieved to see her. My Librarians surround me, and with them, nothing can touch me.

  The video turns to static for half a second, and in that time, August disappears from his cell. Goldy's fingers clatter against the keyboard, checking the halls outside the cells.

  Nothing.

  It happens again, and Philip disappears. No sign of them anywhere else in the prison. How is this happening? No Fae has teleportation powers strong enough to bring passengers. The ones I know of can't even bring their clothes with them.

  Unless we have unregistered Fae.

  I've heard of relics with teleportation power, but none have ever been found or proven real. Where are these long lost relics coming from? First the horn from the Hunt and now this?

  The dragon disappears next.

  And finally, the Beast.

  Even though I knew it was coming, my stomach still clenches and my pulse pounds in my ears at the sight of his empty cell.

  He could be anywhere.

  We watch in silence as the monitors show nothing for several minutes, waiting and praying something will give us the slightest hint.

  And it does.

  A face pops in front of the outside camera. Everyone in the room gasps. Baby falls off his stool. My fingers brush against the hilt of my knife, itching to slam it into someone.

  Pan's face.

  Of course he's behind this.

  The bastard.

  Chapter 5

  There's a roaring in my ears, like waves crashing against rocky cliffs. I can't hear anything over it. My lungs burn and I force a deep, calming breath. My throat clogs with a silent scream, one I can't afford to let out because if I start I’ll never stop.

  Bo's hand slides into mine, clenching it so tight the bones grind together. But I need it. I need the reminder I'm not alone. I need the reminder I can't lose it yet. Not here. I ball the rolling emotions up inside me and shove them down so deep they become a stone in my stomach.

  I pull away from Bo and straighten my spine. "This now makes more sense. Pan must have some sort of teleportation relic and he killed the guard to take his ID and uniform. But why these four?"

  Bo casts me an apologetic glance. "The Beast makes sense because of his connection to you. Pan enjoys pulling that shit. But the others...what do we know about their powers?"

  I know their files well and quote from them. "August Charming can find anyone, anywhere as long as he has a focus. The Beast can transform into that bear buffalo hybrid. Philip Charming can put anyone to sleep with a single touch. And the monster is self-explanatory. She's a dragon. With the four of them, he has a small army. Whatever he's planning, he can do a lot of damage. We have to find them. They can't exactly hide with a dragon as part of their team."

  "Should we call in Ann and Van?" Red asks.

  I shake my head and turn my back to the monitors. "I've already messaged them and put them on standby. They're on a hunt right now, so I didn't want to bring them in unless we have no choice." Ann Radcliffe and Van Helsing are monster hunters for the FTA. This is right up their alley with the missing dragon, but I can't pull them off the trail of the rogue vampires terrorizing a village in Romania. Bunch of Dracula fanboys.

  "So how are we going to track them down?" Jackie's fist is so tight on her sword her knuckles are white.

  The corner of my lip quirks. "The princes aren't going to be able to stop themselves from coming after us. Aurora is safe in the US. No way they're getting past those borders. But Cinderella and I are both here. August and the Beast won't be able to help themselves."

  Bo crosses her arms and shakes
her head with a fierce and furious scowl. "We aren't using you or Cindy as bait."

  I ignore the shiver skipping up and down my spine. I don't want to be bait. I want to get on a plane and fly far, far away from here. "I'm not planning on letting them take us. But it probably won't be long before we have a trail to follow."

  Bo shakes her head again. "We have to keep you protected." She turns to Goldy who's still trying to find something on the camera feed to help us. "If you have any of the prisoners’ belongings, pack them up and I'll take them to Hatter. He can read their leaves and try to get a lead."

  Red nods. "Yes, and I can get their scent. My pack will help search."

  Goldy gestures to Baby to go do as Bo and Red asked. "What else do you need from us?" Goldy asks.

  "Question other prisoners and find out if they know anything. Beef up your security and call in everyone who isn't already working. I have a couple relics that will help, I'll send them over. I don't think he'll return for more, but we need to act like he will. Get someone with tech powers in here to see if they can get anything off your cameras. Or at least figure out how he pulled it off."

  "Doolittle sent you the coroner report. I don't think it'll help." Jackie strokes the hilt of her sword.

  I sigh. "I'll check it out once I'm back at the Library."

  "We need to get you back there now." Bo turns to Red and Jackie. "Who else can we get to help guard her and the Library? We have to keep the relics safe."

  Jackie sets her jaw in an unyielding line. "We'll be enough. Nothing will get past us. I need to grab some things from home and I'll meet you there."

  Only the thought of Pan or the princes getting their hands on any of those relics keeps me from protesting a guard. But Bo's right. We have to keep the Library safe.

  Baby returns and hands Bo a bag brimming with clothes and other odds and ends. She thanks him and he turns bright red.

  "I'll send a couple pack mates over while I search the city." Red sniffs at the bag in Bo's arms, her eyes closed as she memorizes the scent.

  "Nothing will touch her while I'm there." Jackie steps forward, her words a proclamation. In other circumstances I'd find it humorous.

  Bo clears her throat. "You mean while we are there."

  A slight smile ghosts across Jackie's lips. "Apologies. I wasn't sure if you were going to stay or join the search."

  "I'll send animals out. It isn't necessary for me to be out too. I'm not leaving her side. Hatter is already waiting for us at the Library."

  "Am I still the Head Librarian or have I been replaced?" I’m too grateful at their support to be truly annoyed. Yet.

  "You know situations like this change things. And since when do you throw your weight around?"

  Since the Beast is free and I need absolute control over the situation.

  From the expression on Bo's face, she hears my unspoken words.

  Chapter 6

  A shadow moves outside the door of my shop. The Beast. He's come for me. He's here.

  Bo and I slam into him at the same time, each of us grabbing a shoulder and shoving him into the building, knives at either side of his throat.

  It's a move we've perfected over the decades.

  My brow furrows as recognition dawns.

  Dantès.

  Did Pan get to him too?

  "What the hell are you doing here?" My teeth bare in a feral growl.

  He stares back at us with a placid expression. "This is the Library, correct?"

  "How do you know that?" The Library locations are kept secret except from Librarians, the Premiers, and a select other few. I'm the only person who knows the locations of every Library. Even the Premiers don't have that information.

  "I'm here to help."

  I shove him harder against the stone. "Help with what?"

  His expression doesn't change. "Your escaped prisoners."

  Belle steps back to cover him with her gun. "How the hell do you know about it?"

  He laughs, white teeth flashing in the dark. "Everyone knows."

  My grip on him loosens as shock slams through me. "What?" How has news already spread so fast? If it's already gotten around to the Fae, do the humans know? I'm going to have such a mess to clean up. Weariness weakens my grip even further. I've been awake for close to twenty hours and have dealt with murder and a prison break and finding out my kidnapper roams free. I need a nap and a bourbon. In whichever order.

  Dantès doesn't pull away, he stays leaned against the wall. "You might want to tell Goldy she has a leak."

  "Why would I trust you?" I search his dark eyes for a hint of his real intentions, but I can't read him. I don't know him well enough.

  "Belle, for Grimm's sake, it's not like I'm a stranger. We've known each other for a century." He actually looks offended. Why would he expect me to trust him?

  I snort, stepping back from him, trusting Bo to keep him from changing his position. "Barely. You aren't connected with the Library. You had no interest in helping us."

  He crosses his arms across his chest, a tendril of his long fair falling across his face. "You tried hard to recruit me once upon a time. I'm finally ready to help."

  "You want to be a Librarian?" I can't help the disbelieving and slightly mocking laugh.

  He scowls. "No. This is a freelance, one time offer. I have a bone to pick with both Pan and Philip."

  My shoulders slump. I still don't trust him, but I don't think I can justify letting Bo shoot him in the street. "Don't we all."

  Bo holds him in her sights for a moment longer, her protective instincts have her all but growling in his face. She lowers her gun, but doesn't holster it.

  Hatter pokes his head out the door. "What is going on?"

  "You're failing at security, love. There was a lurker outside right under your nose."

  Hatter frowns, peering through the night. Recognition dawns and a smile breaks across his face. He hops down the steps and clasps Dantès in an embrace.

  "No wonder I didn't know you were here. You expect me to catch sight of the Count of Monte Cristo when he doesn't want to be seen?"

  Bo and I exchange a glance of gaping mouths and furrowed brows. I had no idea they know each other. Clearly, neither did she.

  She scowls. "We should get off the street. We have mad, asshole princes running amok led by a pretentious brat."

  Dantès fights a smile. "What a wonderful way to put it."

  Bo ignores him as she ushers me inside like a worried mother hen. Hatter and Dantès follow, turning every lock and deadbolt on my door. I touch my hand to the wood and the ward flares in response.

  No one is getting through the door, friend or foe. I'll have to release the ward once Jackie arrives.

  I lead them upstairs to my apartment above the shop, not trusting Dantès in the Library. With a brush of my hand, the cart rolls ahead of me towards the kitchen. A headache pounds behind my eyes. I'll need coffee to get through the rest of this long night. Possibly with a little nip added in.

  The others follow me into the kitchen, ringing around the island, watching me as I start a pot.

  "Why don't you use your power on the coffeemaker?" Dantès asks.

  I swallow a yawn. Now that I'm home, all I want to do is crash. "It doesn't work like that. I can't give things hands and mouths. It's not like the movie."

  Bo and Hatter step a little out of the kitchen, whispering back and forth. She's either updating him on what we learned at the prison, or she's questioning him over the Count.

  Dantès leans his hip against the counter. "So, how exactly does it work?"

  "When I touch things with my power it animates them." I've never really had to explain it before. It's something people don't question, they just observe.

  "Stop trying to make small talk and explain more fully why you're here." Bo steps back into the kitchen, apparently uninterested in hearing me fumble through an explanation.

  Dantès rubs his bottom lip between his thumb and forefinger before answering. "I
told you."

  "Yes, but we'll need a little more than that before we're certain you aren't actually working for Pan."

  "Bo!" Hatter looks appalled.

  Dantès waves a careless hand. "No, she doesn't know me. And her loyalty to Belle is admirable."

  Hatter rubs the back of Bo's neck. "He can be trusted, love. I've known him longer than I've known you."

  Bo twists from his hand and raises a brow in a silent question. I'm curious to hear the answer myself.

  "We served together. In the war." Hatter's voice is quiet, strained.

  There's no need to ask which war. World War One still haunts Hatter. Bo's fierce expression softens, and she slides her hand down his back. The darkness in his eyes lightens as he leans into her touch. Something ugly twists in my chest at the sight of them.

  Something I refuse to give power by naming.

  I swallow down the burn and turn my attention to Dantès, searching his eyes, his face. He looks back at me, his expression open and friendly, but his eyes swirl with secrets. Secrets I find myself desperate to uncover.

  The coffeepot beeps, breaking the awkward silence, and I busy myself filling mugs. I don't know that I trust Dantès, with Hatter's recommendation or not. Dantès has basically been a mercenary over the years, sometimes doing work for us when we had no Librarians available, sometimes working for the humans, sometimes for Fae who aren't a part of the FTA. He sells his sword with little concern over what it's used for as long as he gets paid.

  I spike my coffee with a liberal hand and pass the bourbon to Bo. "I'm not hiring you."

  Dantès intercepts the bottle of booze, splashing some into his drink. "I didn't expect you to."

  "Since when do you offer your sword for free?" I peer at him over the rim of my coffee cup.

  "Haven't you read my story?"

  My cheeks heat at the thought of how many times I've pored over his book. It's one of my favorites. "Of course. I've read everyone's."

  "Then you know I have a penchant for vengeance?"

  "The fictional you did. Not all of us remained quite so chained to our stories."

  Bo chuckles into her coffee. She's worked harder than any of us not to be held back by her origins. It took her decades to realize running from Faery wasn't the answer.