When I have nothing left does he think he can wrap me in pretty, lacy gowns and I’ll finally be the doll he’s always wanted? There to be his princess trapped in a cage of roses?
This has to end. Before anyone else dies. We have to get Cinderella back. There's no telling what August is doing to her. He never kidnapped her before. That was the Beast's thing.
These damn princes are taking notes from each other.
Dantès grasps my shoulder and turns me toward him. "There is nothing I can do to help here and you'll be stuck for a while. I'm going to go search for a trail. Try to find something. I'll check in with you tomorrow. Earlier if I find something."
I give him a distracted nod. He squeezes the back of my neck and slips from the house.
Jackie gives me a questioning look, but I shake my head. I'm not talking guys over dead bodies.
"What have the police had to say?"
She blows out a heavy breath. "They're weirded out over the dead animals. More so than the dead humans, actually. Probably because they're used to dead people. This many dead animals is somehow sadder. Humans are strange."
Jackie is an older Fae, older than even me. Few of the ancient story characters are still around. Shakespeare and the King Arthur characters are the main ones left. Their popularity was lost and they faded away. Without readers, we lose our powers and eventually will just…go.
I suppose I should be grateful for all the reincarnations of my story. It's kept me around all this time.
Doolittle comes inside, giving us a short nod, and gets to work. I'm surprised the humans haven't insisted on having their own M.E. do the examinations since these are human deaths.
"How did you keep them from sending their own people in here?"
A grim smile spreads across her mouth. "They were convinced by the suspicious dead animals outside that this has something to do with Fae and it's better for someone with experience with magic to handle this. I'm sure you'll have several angry emails about it by morning. You probably already have some. I gave them your name and told them you would handle it."
I grimace. "Thanks for that."
She shrugs. "It's your job. Not mine."
"I am glad you bullied your way into taking the lead. This is not going to go over well now that humans have died." I'm going to have to deal with Mary Bennet over this sooner or later. But I'll keep putting it off as long as I can. I can't stand a single one of the Premiers, but she is the worst.
"No, it isn't."
Jackie and I leave Doolittle to it, and head out back. I check the news on my phone, ignoring my inbox for the moment. The local network has already picked up the story and are airing the scene right outside. The police keep them from capturing much, including the animals, which is a blessing, but it's only a matter of time.
I poke my head back inside. "Doolittle, we have to get those animals up. News crews are here."
She scowls. "My people are already on it."
"All right." There's nothing for me to do here either. I'm not an investigator, I'm not a medical examiner. I'm a Librarian. But I'm Head Librarian and this is my city, so I have to stay until this is all over, but Jackie doesn’t.
I nod at her. "You don't have to stay, you know. I'm sure your skills can be put to better use out there."
Jackie shakes her head. "Not really. I have nothing to go on yet. And won't until the scene has been processed."
I stand taller as a thought strikes me. "What about security footage?"
"The cameras and hard drives were all destroyed. Even with all this chaos, we still have nothing." Her voice is grim and pissed.
I slump back down. "This is Peter Pan. How did he become a master criminal?"
She half shrugs. "We're Fae. We have a long life to learn new things and to grow bored. And he's trapped in a body so young he can't even have a drink. It's got to be rough."
"Plenty of Fae children characters don't turn into villains." They definitely struggle, especially over the last century when the legal age has gotten older.
"Yeah, but Pan was already written as an ass."
The corner of my lips quirks. "True."
I sigh and click the inbox icon on my phone. Might as well spend my time here productively.
The first email spits every curse word I've ever heard in every language from my lips.
Chapter 25
Jackie leaps up beside me, worry on her face. "What? What is it?"
I stare at her, horrified shock numbing my fingers. "I just got the security footage."
"What are you talking about?"
The phone dangles from my fingers as I stare at Cinderella's back courtyard without seeing it. "They're taunting us." I swallow and squeeze my eyes shut, centering myself. After a couple cleansing breaths, I lift the phone and press play.
Jackie hovers by my shoulder to watch the video. August appears in the middle of the parlor and waves at the camera, those stupid boots gleaming on his feet. With a giant step, he disappears. There's no video of the outside of the house, he only sent the feed from the parlor camera.
We watch as he appears again and shoots the guards, flickering in and out of sight, the guards never able to catch hold of him. Once they're all down, he disappears again and we watch him carry Cinderella's unconscious body slumped over his shoulder from the house. Based on the scratches and bruises forming on his face, she put up a fight.
The video ends on a pan of the dead and dying guards.
Jackie and I exchange a horrified glance.
I'm not the most tech savvy person, but Red is. I call her.
"Hello?" Music blares from the background.
I press my fingers to my other ear, like that helps block out the noise. "Red. I'm going to send you a file. I need you to see if you can do your hacker thing and figure out where it came from."
"Sure. What's going on? I got your earlier message about Cinderella. Do you need us out there?" She sounds worried.
"No. Jackie's with me and neither of us have much do until the scene is processed."
"Where's your new fellow?" she asks.
"He's hot on a cold trail."
"Well, he found the dragon. Maybe he has some sort of tracking power."
I doubt it. There's nothing to follow. Not with those boots. "Maybe."
"I'll try to trace the IP address. Most of the time, Fae aren't great with tech, so it just might be the lead we need."
"Hope so." I hang up. "Red's on it."
Jackie nods. "Good."
I kick at the dead grass. "Ugh, I hate just sitting here, doing nothing."
"Sorry, Belle. You don't get to do the fun stuff anymore. You get all the boring responsibilities." She sinks back onto one of the chairs.
I inspect the twinkle lights Cinderella has hanging all around the courtyard. "Yeah. By the way, how much longer are we going to have you here?"
"What do you mean?" She blows into her cupped hands.
"Well, you're going to Camelot, right? For Arthur's return?" All these years alive and she's loved only him. All these years, she's waited for Camelot to thrive once more.
This is the first time Fae have prepared the return of Camelot ahead of time. They're determined to make sure he survives in our greatest time of need.
"I plan to, but it's still months away. And if we don't stop Pan first, there won't be any Arthur or Camelot."
I stamp my feet to bring warmth back into my body. "We'll stop him. Somehow."
"We better."
I eye her. "You love him, don't you?"
She rolls her eyes. "Not like that. I know everyone thinks I do, but I don't. I've only met him a couple times in passing. It's Merlina who's in love with him."
"Really?" I've met the wizard several times over the years. She's powerful and intimidating and gorgeous.
"Really."
"What about Gwen?" It's a little embarrassing how interested I am in the gossip of other Fae.
"Neither have spent more than a few months alive at
a time, but there's nothing but respect and friendship between them."
"If you're not pining for Arthur, then why...?" I trail off, trying to curb my bluntness.
"Why am I always alone?" She finishes the question for me.
Shivering as the frigid wind whips around us, I hug myself. "Yes."
"I don't like airing my private business."
I'm confused. "What does that mean?"
She smirks. "It means, it's none of your business."
I laugh. "Fair enough."
She shrugs. "I'm waiting for Arthur. His return is what matters most to me. It's always felt like that was my mission and I can't afford for anything to get in the way."
I can understand it. Still seems a little lonely. "That's a long time to be alone."
"You're one to talk." She nudges me with her shoulder.
"I have my fair share of fun. I'm too busy with work." My constant excuse. The one I use for no longer writing, for staying in on Sunday nights, for keeping everyone at bay.
"Looks like you're about to have a little more fun." Her voice turns teasing.
I fight back a blush. "He's the perfect candidate. He'll be gone in a matter of days."
Jackie grins. "You sure you don't want to keep him?"
"Quite certain." As delicious and tempting as he is, I'm not looking for a mate. Our lives are too different, there's no way we could make a relationship work. He'll be off on his next adventure, and I'll still be here, stuck in the Library, making calls and returning emails.
Maybe I should take a vacation when Arthur returns to go and help with Camelot's beginning. Bo and Hatter have plans to go. Jackie is definitely going and will stay.
So many Fae I haven't seen in decades are there already.
If Pan succeeds in turning the humans against us completely, we'll all be there. There won't be anyone else to go.
"Do you think the humans will turn against us?" Jackie is apparently following the same train of thought as I am.
I want to reassure both of us. "I don't know. They certainly did in the US."
"Yeah. We've been around so long, you'd think they wouldn't fear us anymore."
I snort. "You've lived in this world for how many centuries? The other is always feared and hated. What keeps us safe is the average human has no idea what we look like. Only the ones like Dracula and the ones who became actors. The rest of us look so different from what people picture in their minds, they wouldn't recognize us if they passed us on the street."
Jackie chuckles. "Yeah, I'm supposed to be a young man." Instead she looks like a Swedish model.
"And I'm supposed to be white and skinny and French instead of a curvy, Spanish girl."
"How have you kept yourself out of the public eye with your job?"
"With great skill and determination." It hasn't been easy. I'm contacted for interview requests all the time. I always send someone else in my place. It's easier to do my job if I'm below the radar.
Doolittle steps outside to join us, exhaustion across her face. "We're wrapping up. I'm going to leave a couple techs here to do some final checks, but there's no need for the rest of us to stay. I'll have information for you in a few hours." She looks up at the sky. "Hopefully by dawn."
Jackie and I stand. "I'll swing by in the morning."
Doolittle nods and we follow her inside. My head pounds with weariness, sadness, and rage. It seems a lot longer since we took down the dragon. It seems even longer since I was pressed against the wall with Edmond's mouth on mine.
I can still taste him.
Chapter 26
My sleep is short and restless on the couch in my parlor. I wake up clutching my personal copy of The Count of Monte Cristo. My cheeks warm when I catch Bo and Hatter watching me with matching sly grins.
I scramble to a seated position, all but tossing the book away onto the coffee table. I never treat books in such a manner. "I wasn't cuddling with it. I was researching."
"Researching what, exactly?" Bo folds her arms across her chest.
My mind tries to come up with the reason I was so certain of a couple hours ago. "I was trying to figure out what his power is."
"And?" She's losing the battle of keeping her mirth hidden.
I rub the remainder of sleep from my eyes. "I have no idea."
Hatter holds up his hands. "Don't ask me again. I am sworn to secrecy."
"Why is it such a secret?" Bo asks.
"He has his reasons."
I accept the coffee Bo hands me. "Are you all right?" She looks like she got less sleep than I did. Telling her about her dead sentries was not the most fun I've ever had. The connections she makes with animals is similar, but stronger than mine with random objects. Hers actually have souls and feelings. I'm not sure what the objects I use my powers on become.
Rage and sadness well in her eyes. "I will be. Once August gets a bullet to the head. And the Beast loses his. And Pan is buried so deep underground, he'll never return."
I'm feeling pretty much exactly the same. I heard her muffled sobs long into the night from my guest room she and Hatter shared. With each sniffle and whimper, my fury grew until a storm of it brewed in my stomach and all my objects shivered with what seemed like fear. And the storm hasn't abated this morning. It's as strong as ever.
"Where's Jackie?" The scent of coffee usually lures her from sleep.
Bo plops onto the couch beside me. "She already left for the day. She said to tell you thanks for the bed."
"I figured she could use a break from my couch. What about Red?"
"In the Library." Bo gestures to the door.
"Still?" Red's been down there since last night.
"I think she dozed off now and again. She snarled at me to go away when I went down there a few minutes ago to check on her. I hope that means she's onto something."
I grimace. "I don't think so. That sounds like she's pissed because she isn't."
"Well, hell." Hatter types away on his phone. "Edmond isn't answering. Hopefully that means he's picked up a trail somehow."
I groan and stretch out my back. "I need to get to Doolittle's office. How long have you two been up?"
She gestures to my cup. "Long enough to make coffee. No gourmet breakfast this morning. You'll have to do with day old pastries from my shop."
"I'll take a couple with me." I drink half the cup, needing the jolt.
"Take some to Doolittle too."
"I will. She's been up all night going over everything. I doubt she's eaten." I take the coffee with me to my room.
Showered and dressed in clean clothes, I stuff the bag of food into my huge shoulder bag and return to my sitting room. "Okay. Have you discussed which of you is tagging along with me?"
Bo grins. "It's Hatter's turn. And also you handle his company better than Red does."
I snort. Red has little patience when Hatter acts like a madman. And it amuses him, so he pushes her buttons even more.
I remember who Hatter was when he returned from the war. And I remember who he was after Bo disappeared on us. I'm happy to have the foolish side of him back.
"Come on then, madman. Let's go see the Doc."
Outside, I toss him my spare helmet. He climbs on the back of my bike and smuggles into me. "Please don't kill me."
I scowl at him over my shoulder. "I'm an excellent driver."
"You are terrifying when you drive this monstrosity. You can barely walk down the street without causing a massive accident. Why don't we take a cab instead."
It's getting annoying at the constant reminders of my absentmindedness. "I've been driving these since they were invented and only crashed a few times the first year. Haven't had an accident in over a century. Stop being a baby. You're supposed to be the crazy madman. Now, act like it."
He just wraps his arms around me tighter in response.
"Be careful. If Bo sees she might chop your arms off."
"She's more likely to set her birds on me. I'm more concerned what Edmond wi
ll think if he sees."
I twist the handlebar and rev the engine. "He doesn't have the right to care."
"He isn't really the jealous type anyway." Hatter sounds much too interested in my response.
"His story tells it differently." I ease into the morning traffic.
"I think he had his fill of where that leads. Trust me, he isn't like that anymore. He's big on vengeance, but he's still a good man. He always tries to do what's right." Hatter tightens his grip on my waist.
The roar of my bike drowns out anything else he may want to say on the topic. I'm not in the mood to hear any more about the Count right now. Everyone keeps pushing him on me and I don't understand why. Just because some of them have found happiness doesn't mean we all have to pair up. Even Jackie and Red and they aren't big into relationships either.
What do they see?
I ask Hatter when we're caught by a stop light.
"There's something between the two of you. Something I've never seen either of you experience. Something so rare should be treasured."
The light turns green, saving me from a response.
The rest of the trip passes quickly, me barely noticing the traffic as I turn Hatter's words over and over in my mind. I'm more concerned everything with the Beast has pushed me into this rather than there actually being anything real between Dantès and I. There's an attraction, but nothing deeper. We don't know each other well enough for that and he keeps way too many secrets.
A large crowd surrounds the FTA office. The one the public knows about. It's where a lot of FTA people have their offices, Doolittle one of them. We keep the actual Library locations secret, even from the human governments. Even from most Fae. Only Librarians know where they're all located. A select few others know about one or two, but we try to keep them secret from everyone. There are too many relics, too much knowledge for it to be spread about.
I slow the bike down, easing off the gas.
"What the hell is going on?" Hatter asks.
I shrug, pulling into an open parking spot. Guess we're walking the rest of the way. With the engine shut off, some of the noise reaches my ears. It's some sort of chant. And the people milling about carry signs. I pick out one sentence from the din.
Charm (Black Sheep of Faery Book 3) Page 9