"I know."
We eat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes until the edge of our hunger fades. Once my stomach no longer screams at me, I pull out the files and hand him half.
"Might as well make use of our time. I know Pan wants to cause chaos and I'm pretty certain he wants to prevent Arthur's return, but I'm not seeing a solid plan so much as random madness."
We spread the files out in front of us. I set a stack of multicolored post-its and a two pens on the table between us.
"What else do you have in there?" Dantès eyes my large bag.
"A couple daggers, a gun, bullets, throwing stars, three books, my planner, phone charger, batteries, first aid kit."
"Perhaps I should start carrying a shoulder bag."
"It's quite useful."
He picks up the Beast's file. I don't want to see his face when he reads my account of what happened. It's readily available to the Fae public and not a secret, but it's still uncomfortable and painful. I'm ashamed of how weak I was back then. I was so in awe of the new world and the lingering feelings from the book still remained inside me.
I thought it could be different. When it became clear it would, but in a bad way, I went to my father for help.
He betrayed me. Handed me over like a borrowed lawn mower.
I focus on Philip's file. I know him and Aurora's story the least. I've met her, but only in passing. She became basically a shut-in for a long time. And then after the War of the Worlds, she got stuck in the US. From reports sent to me, I know she's been helping hide Fae and smuggle them across the border. Philip must have been furious to realize he couldn't get to her.
I still sent a message to Marguerite just in case.
Between bites of food, we exchange ideas, each as implausible as the next. What does setting up a Fae island, controlling the Wild Hunt, and releasing three princes and a dragon from prison have to do with preventing Arthur's return? If that's even what he's after. He didn't really give the whole helpful villain monologue last time they had him trapped. He yapped at Bo for a bit while they fought, but it could have been nonsense.
Hook, Ariel, and Wendy have been on his trail since the island, but they're always a couple hours too late.
"This isn't helping. And I have to get back to the Library. There's too much I still need to do."
"You'd have more time for fun if you quit."
He pulls out his wallet, but I knock his hand away.
"My treat."
He nods his head in a slight bow. "Thank you. Maybe you can write it off as a business dinner."
"You can pay for the drinks at Hatter’s club."
"Deal."
Chapter 22
I pause at the door to Hatter's club. Dantès nudges me towards the music and chatter and laughter and lights and warm, sweet smells. I should be back at the Library, going back over the files and maps, figuring out where the hell Pan and the princes are. After dealing with the dragon, I don't feel as claustrophobic. We're finally getting somewhere, I don't want to take a break and lose the pace.
"Jackie is poking around. Bo's animals are searching. So is Red's pack. Hatter has had so much tea he's probably floating. Just because you aren't physically going over the same papers over and over again doesn't mean nothing is getting done. And you've lived long enough to know mistakes are made when the investigators are exhausted."
"I am exhausted. So curling up in bed with a book or taking a nap sound much better to me than dealing with all these people."
"It'll be good for you. And it'll be good for them to see you. With the news in an uproar over Fae, they'll need to be reassured. If they see you relaxing and having a good time, it'll assuage their fears."
I groan. "You sound like Bo."
They think I'll be safe here, surrounded by Fae. The Beast won't try anything with so many people around.
But they don't know him like I do. If he's determined enough to get to me, nothing will stop him. He'll tear through them with teeth and claws until he has me.
It's a depressing state of affairs when I'm hoping Pan will keep him in check.
With a losing sigh, I push open the door and enter the bright club. Music and magic greet us with a warm embrace. I skate along the edge with Dantès at my back until I find an open seat near the back.
Hatter and Bo are on stage performing. It's a song I haven't heard before, but it's beautiful. Every time I hear the two of them play and sing, I'm convinced they have an extra power. It's hypnotic and powerful, and my worries and concerns melt away beneath the spell of their music.
Fae and humans mill around, dancing, drinking, laughing. Even with the news about escaped dangerous Fae, humans still come, thirsty for magic and fun. Hope swells my chest. It makes me believe Pan won't be successful in turning them against us.
And if any of the fairy tales we were born from have any kernel of truth to them, hope and belief are two of the most powerful forces in the world. I don't put a whole lot of faith in either of those things, they're too intangible. But even I can admit there are forces in the world logic and science can't always explain. Yet, anyway.
A tap on my shoulder makes me turn to see Dantès smiling at me. "May I have this dance?" He bows. The more time I spend with him, the more I understand the friendship between him and Hatter.
I let him pull me to my feet, relieved when he stays along the edge of the dance floor instead of leading me into the middle of the crowd. I despise feeling trapped. How does he know?
Maybe he doesn't like it either.
I step into his arms, his fingers threading through one of mine, his other hand settling on my hip with a light touch. His scent fills my head and makes me dizzy. He always smells delectable. Like a moonlight garden and the air at midnight. It's spicy and fresh and unique to him.
The song changes and Bo sings alone, no accompanying music. Only her sultry voice leads us in the dance. Edmond's hand on my hip tightens and I move a little closer to him until the heat from his body pours into mine.
The tension in my shoulders releases as he spins me around, Bo's voice in my ears. I forget everything pulling me in forty different directions, and let the music take me away on its soft waves. Hatter's croon joins Bo's on the bridge and their voices tease and play with each other.
Dantès and I are plastered together, not a breath between our bodies. Every inch of his hard body is snug against my curves. We're two puzzle pieces who fit together. His scruffy jaw scrapes the side of my cheek and shivers race across my skin. I turn my face to the side, hoping it happens again.
It does, but this time against the tender part of my neck as he bends down to press his lips against my shoulder.
"I thought we were waiting until we catch them?"
I feel his smile on my skin. "We are. But nothing wrong with a little fun to celebrate taking on a dragon."
Part of me wants to drag him to a dark corner and lose myself in him. I crane my neck to meet his eyes blazing with desire. I want to forget everything for a little while—forget the Beast lurking out there somewhere, forget Pan and his mad plans, forget my history.
Dantès’ lips hover over mine, so close I can taste him. I lick mine and his eyes close like he's in pain. I'm tired of waiting. I'm tired of being too afraid. I'm taking what I want. And what I want, is to kiss him.
My lips press against his. He jerks in surprise, but catches on quick, freeing his hand from mine and wrapping both arms around my waist, tugging me close. He traps my hands between us, my fingers twist in his shirt. A breathy moan escapes me and Edmond drinks it down like it’s fine wine.
Everything disappears. All I see, hear, smell, or taste is him.
He moves us through the crowd without breaking our kiss. We stumble into a table, laughing against each other's mouths. My chest tightens and breath shortens. He backs me against a wall, apparently he read my mind because he found a dark corner.
He trails lips and teeth down my neck while my hands slip up the inside of his
shirt to explore his chest. I'm drunk on his taste, on the feel of him. We tease and taste, learning the shape of each other. The tension that's been drawing us together finally shatters as we give into it. Maybe it's fast, but I don't care. It's a fling. They're supposed to be fast and furious.
My hands slip from his chest and around his waist, pulling him into me. He groans against my neck, returning his lips to mine with a fierce and hungry kiss. He tastes like snow and vanilla and fire. He smells like leather bound books. The taste and smell of him makes my head spin. I bury my fingers in his hair, yanking at it until he growls and nips at my lips.
My body flushes with heat and longing. It's been so long. So long since I've been touched, held, kissed. So long since I've been tempted to allow myself to be vulnerable.
But with Edmond, it's safe. He won't be here long enough for my heart to get involved. And whatever connection we have is strong and not something I want to resist.
My phone buzzes in my back pocket, interrupting the moment.
With a regretful groan, I nudge him off me and pull out my phone, breathing hard, flushed, tense with want. We stare at each other and I tell myself I shouldn't chuck the phone into the crowd.
The magic of the moment breaks apart as I read the message.
He reads the horror on my face and steps back farther. "What is it?"
I clear the horror from my throat. "August took Cinderella."
Chapter 23
He stops stroking my waist and steps back. "How?"
"I don't know. Jackie sent the message. And Bo's animals haven't come to warn her. We have to go." I adjust my rumpled clothes.
"Do you want me to grab the others?"
My eyes narrow as I search through the crowd. Bo and Hatter are no longer performing, they're milling around, chatting with customers.
I shake my head. "No. If we pull them out, people will start to worry. Better if it's just the two of us. I'll send her a message explaining." I start texting as I lead the way from the club.
Bo's animals not warning her has me concerned. They should have swarmed the club with the news. Dread grows with each step. Perhaps I should have grabbed Red so she could try to catch the scent.
I'll wait to check out the scene first. August probably used the boots, so it'll be useless anyway.
When I find that relic, it's going in the deepest, darkest, dustiest parts of the Library.
How did August get past Cinderella's security again? How did they let him take her? How did she let him? She put up an impressive fight last time and they doubled the guards and added cameras. Bo's animals were there as an early warning system. This shouldn't have been possible.
If it's so easy to get to her, the Beast will have no problem coming for me. Why hasn't he already? Not a single sign of him other than the roses.
Dantès hand grabbing my elbow is the only thing keeping me from being smashed flat by a bus.
This is getting a little ridiculous. I'm not usually this absent-minded. "Thanks."
"You're thinking too hard."
With a wave of my hand, I hiss. "There's no such thing."
Dantès raises a brow. "There is when you don't have any facts."
I huff. "I can form possible logical conclusions based on the facts I know."
He winds my arm through his. "Fine, then maybe wait until you're not dodging traffic to do your thinking. You seem to forget where you are when you do that."
I shrug, enjoying the sensation of being tucked against him. "It's part of my nutty professor charm."
He tightens his grip on me. "You're a lot more than a common trope."
Fondness slips through me at his words. "Are any of us? Clichés and tropes are built from something. They all have some truth to them."
"Yeah, a part of them. Not all."
Renewed energy spikes inside me at the debate and I warm to my subject. "But we were written or drawn or sculpted or painted by artists, at the mercy of their views. And they love tropes and clichés."
His teeth flash in a grin. He's enjoying this as much as I am. "True, but once we're born, we have free will and choices. We can change and be completely different people if we want to. You've proved that yourself."
Have I? The past few days it seems like I'm still her as much as I keep trying to tell myself I'm not. "I'm not that different from her."
"The book obsession?" Humor laces his words.
"It's not an obsession. It's just...fine, obsession is probably the correct term." A reluctant smile tugs at my lips.
"There are worse things to love."
Something about the kiss and the dark night hiding my expression sends words tumbling from my mouth. Words I've never spoken aloud. "True. But that isn't the only thing. I fell in the same trap she did."
"But you escaped." He wraps his fingers around mine.
"It doesn't always feel like I did." I whisper the secret into the black of the night. It's the only good time to spill secrets, when you can pretend the shadows swallow them up.
"That's because you're trapped in a new prison. But it's one of your own making this time."
"The FTA is not a prison." I try to pull away from him, but he holds tight.
"No, but staying in a job you hate is one."
"I don't hate it."
He lifts his left shoulder. "Sure."
I skid to a halt on the cobblestone alley, forcing him to stop with me. "You know, sometimes you're really hot and I want nothing more than to get you in my bed. But most of the time I'd rather punch you right in the face."
He releases my arm and faces me. "I seem to have that effect on people rather often."
"Maybe it's an aspect on your personality you should consider improving."
He cocks a brow with a smug grin. "Why change what's working for me?"
"Your ego could use adjusting as well." I start walking again, cursing myself for letting him sidetrack me. We don't have time for banter and flirting.
He wraps his fingers around my wrist lightly, stopping me on the sidewalk. "You didn't have a problem with my ego a few minutes ago."
"That's because you weren't waving it around a few minutes ago."
He tugs me close. "Still want to punch me right in the face?"
My heart trips. "Maybe a little."
Dantès brushes a finger down my cheek. "But there are so many more pleasurable things to do with my face instead."
I bite my bottom lip to hide the smile trying to form. "And if you don't annoy me too much, I fully intend to take advantage of those things."
"What if I annoy you just a little bit?"
"Then you might get punched before we get to the pleasure." I slide my wrist from his grip. "Enough flirting. We need to get to Cinderella's."
I tuck my scarf tighter around my throat, the wind picking up. I am ready for spring. It's been one of the longest winters in years. I miss colors instead of this unending gray.
Dantès slips his hand into mine as we walk through the cold streets.
We see the emergency lights before we even make it to her road. Blue and red light up the sky. I pull my hand from Edmond's to get out my badge to get through the barrier. The human police presence is not a good sign.
Damn Pan. Damn him.
Jackie shoves through a couple uniforms and approaches us with a grim face. "It's bad."
Chapter 24
The weight of the officers' eyes on my back burns through me, but I ignore them. I'll deal with it later. I don't have time to reassure them right now.
When we reach Cinderella's front yard, I stumble to a halt. Bo's animals. They're all dead. Dozens of them—birds, chipmunks, cats, dogs, mice—dead. Bo will be crushed. She can't come out here and see this. Hearing about it will hurt her enough.
Dr. Doolittle kneels beside a dog, silent tears leaking down her face. This is too awful for words. There's no obvious sign of death on any of them, no blood, no twisted bones. It's like they laid down and went to sleep.
"What happe
ned to them?"
Doolittle looks up and wipes her face on the shoulder of her sleeve. "I'm not sure. I'll need to do an autopsy and run tests to figure it out. Whatever it was, it seems peaceful. Probably some sort of poison. I have techs searching the grounds for any signs of food they might have consumed."
"This isn't everything."
Doolittle shakes her head. "It's even worse inside."
Wonderful. "I'll leave you to your work and I'll be by in the morning for your results." I'm not waiting for a report this time.
She nods, her attention already back on the dog.
I follow Jackie inside the house, Dantès trailing behind me. His presence is reassuring, especially when he doesn't find the need to insert himself into the investigation and try to take control. He just absorbs everything, listening, watching.
I ignore how hot I find it. Now is definitely not the time, as much as I'd love the distraction from this nightmare.
Jackie holds the door open for us, unusually tight-lipped, even for her.
Blood paints the floors and walls of Cinderella's pristine white and pale blue parlor. Four of her guards lie dead from gunshot wounds.
Jackie holds out an arm to stop us. "You can't walk through here. Doolittle decided to deal with the animals first."
I stare at the wreckage, numbness overtaking my body. "Where are the other guards? I thought she hired more?"
"She did. They're on their way to the hospital."
"Did they have any answers?"
She shakes her head. "Not a single one was conscious. They aren't expected to make it."
"Damn." I rub my eyes and pinch the bridge of my nose with a huffed breath.
Her guards were human. There's no second chance at life in a hundred years for them. This is completely August's MO. Leaving dead presents for Cindy. He never went quite this far before. His long years of plotting revenge and burning with anger is clearly evident.
What has Pan unleashed? Does he even have control of these monsters?
My stomach flips and helpless fury shakes my hands. All these deaths. Senseless, needless deaths. What does the Beast have planned for me? Bo, Hatter, Red, and Jackie dead in a pile of roses? My books burned? Everything I care about taken from me?
Charm (Black Sheep of Faery Book 3) Page 8