Charm (Black Sheep of Faery Book 3)

by Harley Gordon

  "Say no to Fae."

  They're protesting us.

  Chapter 27

  Hatter and I draw closer to each other as we approach the red, screaming faces. Hatred and rage pour from the crowd like bile.

  Hatter slows his steps. "Maybe we should go around through the back door."

  I drag him farther. "No. We aren't letting them scare us."

  He keeps resisting me. "Belle, we have other problems right now. We don't have time to deal with a mob of idiots."

  I groan, glaring at the protesters. "Fine. Look at their signs. Over half of them are misspelled or are missing proper punctuation." It physically hurts me, my teeth aching like I'm drinking the unicorn poop latte again.

  Hatter leads me down a side alley after I cast one last glare over my shoulder. The education system clearly needs work. If this is the future of humanity, we're in trouble. If they stop reading, we'll fade away and no new Fae will be born. And clearly, those idiots haven't picked up a book recently, if ever.

  At the back door, I swipe my ID and Hatter and I continue through the pristine halls of the FTA Headquarters. It's so clean here, like a hospital. Even the harsh lights and smells are similar.

  In some countries, the Libraries are in the FTA HQ. But not here. Thank Grimm. With the problems outside, it's time I consider moving all the Libraries to separate locations. They have too many dangerous things inside them, if humans storm the FTA, we'll be in trouble.

  We reach the morgue without meeting another soul. Everyone must be cowering in their offices. Good. I don't need their questions and fears spewed all over me.

  Dr. Doolittle looks up from a body on a metal table when we push through the doors. "Belle. Did you enjoy the welcoming committee outside?"

  "I did not." I hand her the bag of pastries.

  She takes them with a smile and sniffs inside. "Thanks. I haven't bothered going home since I haven't felt like dealing with it."

  "Hatter made me come in the back way." I toss him a dirty look, but he remains unimpressed.

  "Smart choice." She selects one of the pastries and takes a bite.

  "What have you got for us?" I peer closer at the body and recognize one of Cinderella's guards. "How did you get his body from the human authorities?"

  "I got to it before they could."

  I grin, impressed. "Nice."

  She wipes the crumbs from her hands onto her plastic apron. I try not to gag at her having her breakfast over dead bodies. "I'm sure they'll be banging on my door soon, but I'll be able to get more out of it with my magic than they could."

  "What do you have for me?" I ask again.

  "Two more of the guards are dead. I only had this one brought here. One is still in critical condition, but the doctors are hopeful. Oh, and the animals weren't killed."

  "What?" I saw them. A sight that will take me decades to erase from my brain.

  Hatter stiffens. "What are you talking about?"

  "They were given a poison that mimics death, but it was really more like a coma. They used lavender to dilute the smell so it didn't show up until I ran tests. I'm very glad I ran them before cutting into the poor things."

  "Are they all right?"

  "They're still a little out of it, but they're fine."

  Hatter's cheeks puff as he blows out a relieved breath. "I can't wait to tell Bo."

  "That must be some sort of clue. Bo's animals brought her lavender. It must grow wherever they saw one of the princes." I rub the back of my neck. "I'm going to message Bo and Red. Maybe Red or one of her pack can follow Bo's animals. It seems like they might know more than we realized." My fingers fly across the keyboard on my phone before I'm done talking.

  It's our first real lead. We've been chasing our tails for the past two days with nothing to show for it other than dead humans and a missing princess. This is unacceptable. I spent hours with my whiteboard and with my books and for the first time, they've failed me. It's going to take something more this time.

  If this doesn't work, I have a niggle of an idea, but I don't let it form completely because Hatter will read it on my face and will never agree to keep it from Bo. If I have to go that far, I'll need Red. She won't like it, but she'll agree. If nothing else I can pull rank on her.

  Bo and Red reply with their agreement. Hopefully when Hatter and I return, they'll have something.

  I slip my phone back into my pocket. "Is there anything else you're finding helpful?"

  "Afraid not. I found many things. None of them helpful. Nothing gives me the slightest sign where those devils are holed up. I'm sorry, Belle. Maybe the Constabulary Department will have something for you." She looks like she wants to poke the body of the guard until he tells her everything.

  I really don't want to go talk to them. "Probably nothing we don't already know. Jackie has been working with them and keeping me in the loop. It sounds like they have less leads than we do."

  "Not surprising given how seldom they actually leave here for a job." Fae crimes aren't super common. At least, when there are crimes, there's never a mystery about it. Fae aren't usually known for their subtlety. And they rarely call the FTA to get involved.

  The Constabulary are in over their heads and I'm not completely certain we aren't as well.

  "I'll call you if I find out anything else. And please start answering your phone. I've had the Premiers call me wanting answers when you wouldn't take or return their calls."

  "Sorry." I try to sound convincing.

  She snorts. "No you're not."

  I smile, shamefaced. "Not really."

  "At least shoot them an email to get them off our backs. I really don't want them down here bugging me when I'm trying to work."

  "I sent out a mass email yesterday. And listened to Mary Bennet drone on for over forty-five minutes about my responsibilities as Head Librarian and why wasn't I sticking to research and running the other Libraries as my job title suggests. I'm not supposed to fight crime and yet she wants to know what's being done to stop Pan and re-arrest the princes." It was a good thing the conversation was over the phone because I might have physically assaulted her if it'd been in person.

  Doolittle's lips twist. "She's even worse than her character in the novel."

  "Words cannot express how much I agree with that statement." Lydia is my favorite Bennet sister. She's nowhere near the flighty, selfish creature she was in her story. She's fierce and brave and makes an excellent Librarian in Wales and I miss her. The other Bennets are rather awful. I don't blame Darcy at all for running as soon as he could. Though he isn't the Byronic hero himself. He's an arrogant ass. Elizabeth really isn't bad, we get along well enough, but her flaws in the book are magnified in life and she tends to be cutting and cruel.

  "I'll send another email. That's the most I can promise. I don't have time to listen to her again."

  Doolittle heaves a dramatic sigh. "Fair enough. I guess I'll start screening my calls now too."

  "Come on, Hatter. Let's go see if the Constabulary officers have any information for us. Might as well try while we're here."

  Mary Bennet herself is in the Constabulary office. Waiting for us.

  Chapter 28

  Hatter blocks the doorway when I try to back out and flee for my life and sanity. I elbow him in the stomach and turn to Mary with a fake smile.

  She steps forward and nods her head regally. "Belle. I have been trying to get in touch with you."

  I swallow the blunt words I want to spit at her. "We spoke yesterday and I've been busy trying to gather new information for you."

  "I would have appreciated a phone call when Cinderella was taken by her former prince."

  Mary’s voice makes me want to stab myself in my ears so I don't have to hear her anymore. She speaks in a complete monotone.

  "Since it was so late at night when I arrived to the scene, I figured it would be more appropriate to send an email to everyone who needed the information. Especially since we knew nothing other than August Charm
ing took her and attacked her guards." My own cadence changes whenever I talk to Mary, I use larger words and drop the contractions.

  "The other Premiers and I would still have appreciated a phone call." She peers at me primly over a pair of spectacles she doesn't need. Fae don't need corrective lenses.

  "I will make sure to do that next time the situation changes." I speak through gritted teeth.

  She sniffs. "See that you do. Now, what are your plans to deal with this mess?"

  I clasp my hands behind my back to keep her safe from harm. "Bo and Red are combining their powers to try and track Pan and the princes. If they're successful, I will let you know."

  Mary removes her glasses and cleans them on a handkerchief. "Good. I hope you are running everything from the Library instead of gallivanting around town like a common Librarian?"

  Hatter jumps into the conversation before I can punch her right in her smug face. "Belle has been extremely helpful coordinating everything for the rest of us. And she has been guarding the Library to make sure Pan and the princes don't try to steal anything, which I am certain you'll agree is incredibly important."

  She looks down her nose at Hatter like she's personally offended he dares to address her directly. "If she has been doing that, who is there now guarding it?"

  "Jackie the Giant Killer. Nothing will get past her."

  Mary sniffs again. "She is a bit of a brute. I am sure she is doing fine, but the Library is your job. And if you aren't there, the French Chief Librarian should be there and that's Red. One of you should always be present."

  If she sniffs one more time, the scream I've been holding in for days will erupt from my throat. "Do you need a tissue?"

  "What?" Mary frowns, confused at the change of subject. Keep up, Mary.

  Hatter cuts back into the conversation. "Of course. I'll get her back there right away. With the mob outside, I'm sure you're way too busy to worry about the rest of this."

  "The protesters outside wouldn't be there if it wasn't for Pan and the prison break."

  "Something Belle had nothing to do with."

  Mary tuts. "Of course. But she is expected to help when these sort of problems come in. And she is supposed to be helping with providing information to the Constabulary Department, not sending Librarians out into the field. This is not a long-lost relic."

  I'm done. "Actually, from the beginning we knew Pan was using a powerful relic. And we discovered Pan has been using the seven league boots. So that does make it at least partially my department."

  "I see. And where was the phone call informing me of this new development?" A triumphant expression takes over her pale, sour face. It's terrifying.

  "Do you not check your email? Because I sent you one yesterday."

  "I am too busy to keep up with my email. I prefer phone calls." She says it completely seriously.

  I don't bother hiding my irritation. "And I prefer emails. I sent them to all the French Premiers. Did none of you get the information?"

  She takes a slight step back. "I am not certain. I haven't spoken with them."

  I almost crow in her face. "Maybe the communication problem isn't me. If you'll excuse us, I need to get back to the Library since Red may be a while and I would hate to leave it unattended by a Head Librarian. I am sure you understand."

  I herd Hatter from the office before Mary can come up with a response. If the Constabulary officers had any relevant information, Mary would have rubbed it in my face.

  "Careful or smoke is going to start pouring from your ears."

  It wouldn't surprise me. I'm so furious, I've broken out into a sweat. I'll need a shower when we get back to my place. "She is the literal worst. I prefer the Beast to her. At least him I can stick a sword in without going to prison."

  "She's definitely not very enjoyable company." He slides on my spare helmet, buckling it so tightly it cuts into his skin.

  "You have a gift for the understatement."

  "I know."

  I throw a leg over the bike's seat. "I do not understand her."

  Hatter climbs onto the back. "How did she get the job?"

  "Bored everyone to death until they gave it to her." I turn the key, a little of my rage bleeding away when my motorcycle purrs at me so sweetly.

  Hatter barks a laugh. "Probably. Now, can you please take the curves a little slower on the way back?"

  "Sure."

  "Liar."

  Chapter 29

  Bo and Jackie meet us at the door of my shop brandishing weapons. They shove them behind their backs and move so we can come inside.

  "What's going on?" I look back and forth between the both of them.

  Bo's lips settle in a grim line. "We had another delivery."

  "What do you mean?" I set my helmet and bag on the desk.

  "Roses."

  My keys drop to the floor with a crash. "In the middle of the day? How is he doing this without anyone seeing or hearing him?"

  Jackie bends down for my keys and sets them beside my bag. "He must have used the boots. We were downstairs in the Library, so we didn’t hear a thing. It's definitely past time you got security cameras."

  I have them inside the shop by the Library door and down in the Library itself. I never bothered with my shop, figuring there was nothing worth stealing to anyone but me.

  "I guess it is."

  Bo opens and closes her mouth before finding the words she's searching for. "He also left something else."

  My calming pulse speeds back up again. "What?"

  Bo holds out a white cloth. "Edmond's handkerchief."

  My knees weaken and my head spins as I reach out a trembling hand for the scrap of fabric.

  "Are you sure?" Hatter's voice hitches.

  "It's monogrammed with his initials." Restrained fury rasps from Jackie.

  "How ostentatious." I fight the urge to bring the handkerchief to my nose and sniff it. "So they have him too."

  "Looks that way. We tried calling and nothing. What is it with Pan and kidnapping? Especially kidnapping our lovers?" Bo won't stop watching me, waiting for me to fall apart.

  First Hatter and now Edmond. Hopefully we'll get the same happily ever after Bo and Hatter did. But if I've learned one thing from being a fictional character, it's that happily ever after is usually a lie. It's worked out for some, but there are way more with ruined relationships and lives.

  "All right." I force myself to focus and ignore the worry pounding in my temples. "Were your animals able to lead Red anywhere useful?"

  Bo checks her phone and runs a hand through her pastel locks. "I don't know. I haven't heard from her and none of my animals have returned."

  I free myself of jacket and scarf, so overheated I'm having trouble breathing. "Well, we have one piece of good news in this garbage pile of a day."

  "We could use it. We already heard about the protests." Bo shakes her head in frustration.

  "How?" Hatter asks.

  Jackie gestures at the open laptop in the desk. "It's on the news."

  "Excellent. But the animals we thought were dead last night were actually in some kind of magical coma."

  Bo's face lights up brighter than the sun. "Really? They're okay?"

  Hatter nods. "They're going to be fine."

  "Oh, thank Grimm." She sinks onto one of the black plastic stools I use to reach high shelves. "Thank Grimm."

  Hatter rubs the back of her neck and she reaches back to clasp his hand.

  I toss my coat and scarf at the coat rack, watching as it catches them. "I'm going to go wash Mary Bennet off of me. Come get me if Red comes back before I'm done."

  Bo's teeth show in a wide grimace. "Oh no. You ran into her?"

  "Yeah. Hatter can tell you all about it."

  Once I'm out of sight upstairs, I allow my shoulders to droop and my steps to drag. The Beast took Dantès. He must have been watching me, watching us. His temper is legendary, Edmond is probably dead.

  And it's my fault.

 
Inside my room, I sink onto the edge of my bed, and stare down at the handkerchief. I smooth it out against my thighs to rid it of the wrinkles I twisted into the fabric. I keep swallowing to try to alleviate the pain in the back of my throat, but it refuses to budge.

  My fingers trace his initials along the edge. The Beast could be torturing him if he's even still alive. And there’s no telling what August has in store for Cinderella. It's been almost twenty-four hours. She could be dead too.

  We've gotten nowhere. The Constabulary has gotten even less. Mary Bennet and the other Premiers want me sitting here like a good little girl surrounded by books, but this time my books have failed me. All the knowledge I've accrued over the centuries are useless in this situation. I've figured out part of Pan's plan, but it hasn't helped. I figured out which relic they're using, but it hasn't helped. Nothing has.

  I know one thing that will. And I should have done it from the beginning, but I let my fear of the Beast keep me from trying.

  But no more.

  I pull my phone from the pocket in my jacket and shoot Red a text, telling her I need to talk to her alone as soon as she gets back.

  I won't let them hurt anyone else. It's time to end this.

  Chapter 30

  Finished with my shower, I dress in warm, comfortable clothes easy to move in—black leggings, an over-sized black sweater, red scarf. I top the outfit off with a pair of combat boots Bo said were too boring for her. They're bright red. I don't see how they're boring. Maybe because they don't sparkle.

  They'll work perfectly for my plan since they're the exact same shade of the roses the Beast keeps leaving for me. Once he's back in prison or dead, I'll have to donate them, the scarf, and anything else red in my closet. He's ruined it just like he ruins everything.

  Knuckles tap at my door.

  "Come in."

  Red slips inside as I finish tying the boots. "You wanted to talk?"

  "First, tell me. Were you successful?"