Alec motions across his mouth like he’s zipping his lips. He’s trying to be cute, but it only makes me want to kill him even more. And since I only have one best friend, I’d really like to keep Alec around. Gritting my teeth, I stalk away without saying another word.
My wolf starts speaking in my head. “We run?”
“That’s right. We’re getting out of this city and going for a run.”
“After we run, we see mate?”
Again, he’s calling her “our mate.” Frustration tightens up my shoulders. Bryar Rose is a great girl, but she’s not our mate. No one is. Wardens don’t have mates, end of story. Eventually, my wolf will have to accept that. For now, I’m just going to avoid the topic.
I take the elevator down to the main shopping floor and stare at the front door. Do I go for a run or chase after Bry? The more I think about it, the more I realize that there’s only one answer to that question.
“Change of plans,” I tell my wolf. “We’re going to see Bry right now.”
“Her wolf not ready. We run in the woods.”
That’s a crap plan. Running in the woods won’t fix my mood. Only seeing Bryar Rose can do that. She needs the truth, and fast. I check my watch. Damn. Friday commuter traffic has already started.
“Tough. We’re going now.”
My wolf doesn’t say anything in reply. He’s pouting.
“It’ll be hell if we drive over to the Village. Better if we take the subway. Even then, it’ll take a while to reach her.”
“We see mate.” He says that with even more pout in his voice, as well as a special emphasis on the word “mate.”
“Yeah, we’ll see her.” Now, it’s my turn to emphasize the word “her.”
With that, my wolf is on board for the trip to the Village. For now, that’s the best I can expect out of this crap situation. Later on, I can break the news to him that Bry will never be our mate.
We’re wardens, and that’s just how this goes.
Chapter Sixteen
Bryar Rose
I’ve grabbed my favorite spot on Elle’s couch. Chinese takeout sits on the coffee table before us. Sure, Knox said he’d bring over food, but I’ll just eat that too. In my life, carbo-loading is an essential form of therapy. That said, our supplies for the evening go far beyond Chinese takeout. Elle and I also have three pints of Ben & Jerry’s in the freezer, along with a binge-watch fiesta of Stranger Things ready to go on TV. After all the craziness with Philpot at LeCharme, it’s time for some fun with Elle. I grab an eggroll and stuff my face.
Meanwhile, Elle sits at the far end of the couch, staring at her hands and looking super-guilty.
“What?” I speak through a mouthful of food. “Aren’t you going to eat?” I also can’t help notice that Elle is still wearing her suit while I’ve taken it upon myself to borrow a pair of her skinny jeans and a long sweater.
“I just need to clear the air.”
“No you don’t. Eat.”
“I’m so sorry I wasn’t there for you back at LeCharme.” Elle holds up her phone. “You sent me like a million texts.”
I keep stuffing my face, but I don’t correct her. It was totally annoying that we couldn’t get in touch. “What happened? Why’d you go off the grid?”
“Alec and I decided to take a walk and get some coffee. I was teasing him, and we decided to both shut off our phones and, well, that’s it.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“Are you sure? Just so you know, I got you a first edition of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland for your birthday.”
“First of all, that is so awesome about the gift. I can’t believe it.” Elle knows how much I love Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. “But you didn’t need to say a thing about presents. I’m the one who should be giving you gifts and apologizing.”
Elle shrugs. “Right.”
I decide that now is a good time to stare at the floor. Yup. Still there. “No, it’s true. We have bigger things to talk about.”
“Like how you dumped Philpot? That was awesome, by the way.”
“Nope. Even bigger than that.” I set down the dumpling I’d picked up, just to show how serious this particular topic is. “I kissed Knox.”
Elle bounces a little on the couch. “You did?”
“Or he kissed me.” I squint, thinking back through the experience. “Whatever. It was definitely a mutual thing.” I raise my pointer finger. “And it happened twice.”
“And?”
I blush my face off. “It was awesome.”
Elle rips open a little white box that’s filled with mu shu pork. “Details, girlfriend.”
“Not until I get a little intel from your side. Anything happen with you and Alec?”
“Nope. Friends without benefits forever.”
“Is it because of his magic stuff?” I don’t want to come out and say that I guessed Alec is a warden, and Knox confirmed it. That means he can’t get married. Which is a little bit of a bummer, but come on? We’re seventeen, and no one’s worrying about getting hitched now.
“No, it’s not that. It’s his family.”
“Oh.” From the little I know of Alec, his family are all creeps. Who ignores it when you get evidence that you’re selling stolen stuff? Criminals, that’s who.
“Oh is right.” There’s a sadness to her answer that means two things. First, she means this. Second, she’s not ready to talk about it anymore at this moment. I’ve known Elle long enough to realize when I need to be patient.
“Sorry, girlfriend.” I offer her the last egg roll, because that’s Elle’s favorite. She takes it and smiles.
“Thanks.”
“Want to hear about my crap day? It’s certain to make you feel better.”
Elle stuffs the eggroll in her mouth and nods vigorously. There really is nothing like someone else’s crap life to put your own in perspective.
I lean back on the couch and lace my fingers over my waist. That’s my “I’m telling a story, and it’s a good one” pose. “Well, it all started because Knox promised to show me the true nature of the Denarii.”
“He did?”
“Oh yeah, and boy, it is NOT pretty.”
Elle moves her feet up on the couch so she’s sitting bird-style. This is her pose when she’s super-interested. “Keep going.”
Suddenly, twinkling silver lights appear right between us and the opening credits for Stanger Things. Uh oh. I’ve seen this before. It happened the last time Colonel Mallory the Magnificent visited me. Sure enough, he comes into view, looking the same as he did last time. Which is basically a graying version Clark Gable from Gone with the Wind. The nub of an unlit cigar is held in his teeth.
“Good evening, ladies.”
I blink hard, because I’d really convinced myself that the whole “seeing Colonel Mallory” thing was a mirage of some kind. I glance over at Elle. Her eyes are wide with shock, too. In fact, she’s so surprised that she’s holding some chopsticks of mu shu up to her lips but not putting any actually into her mouth.
“You know,” says Colonel Mallory, “in polite society, you’d say good evening.”
Elle slowly resets her little white takeout box onto the coffee table. “Not a lot of fairies could get past the wards in my place. That must make you Colonel Mallory the Magnificent.”
He bows slightly at the waist. “One and the same.”
Elle leaps to her feet. “You bastard! What did you do to my friend?”
Now, I appreciate Elle’s protective instincts, but I summoned Colonel Mallory for a reason. I grab Elle’s wrist and guide her back down. “I called him here, remember?”
“When you were blabbing on Sixth Avenue?” asks Elle. “I thought you were so stressed out that you were acting crazy.”
“I was stressed out, but I really did want to summon Colonel Mallory. You see, he visited me here before.”
“Here? In my condo?”
“After Knox dropped me off. I thought it was a mira
ge, but he said things would be changing—”
Colonel Mallory tips his wide-brimmed black hat. “More specifically, I told Bryar Rose that she would soon be coming into her powers, and therefore, she was in dire need of my expert advice.”
“Well, I don’t know about powers or anything. But strange stuff has certainly been happening. I do want your advice.”
“Advice.” Elle glares at Colonel Mallory. “From him.”
I shrug. “It’s like I told you on Sixth Avenue. Things are going too fast. I need all the perspective I can get.”
Elle lowers her voice. “He cursed you, Bry. Why am I the only one of us who’s remembering that part?”
“Technically, I did not curse Bryar Rose. I saved her.”
Elle flashes him an angry look. “Fairies don’t save anyone.”
Colonel Mallory chuckles, but there’s no humor in the sound. “Bryar Rose seems to think her aunties saved her.”
“Oh, her aunties have an angle,” says Elle. “Mark my words.”
Now it’s my turn for my protective instincts to take over. “Come on, Elle. They took me in.”
“They had their own self-serving reasons.” Elle folds her arms over her chest. “You just don’t know what they are yet.”
“You’ve been saying that since we were kids, and we have yet to find any ulterior motive for them to have adopted me.”
Colonel Mallory rests his elbow onto the top of the television monitor. “Interesting as this conversation may be, I need to chat with Bryar Rose and you need to go somewhere else.”
Elle narrows her eyes. “Dream on. I’m staying.”
The edges of Colonel Mallory’s mouth curl into a sly grin. “You’re powerful, sugar. But not that powerful.”
I frown. “What are you talking about?”
“Your best friend here is a fairy, just like me.”
My spine stiffens with outrage. “That’s impossible! She’d have told me that years ago, if that were true.” I turn to face my best friend. “Right?”
But Elle doesn’t reply. Instead, she starts staring at her hands. That’s not a good sign. In fact, it’s a total guilt move if I’ve ever seen one. The truth hits me like a freight train. “You’re a fairy? Really?”
Elle keeps staring at her hands and not answering me. “I’m not leaving Bryar Rose.”
Holy crap. From Elle, that’s pretty much an admission that she’s known all along that she’s really a fairy. But why would she hide that from me? From everyone?
Colonel Mallory sighs. “Well, sugar, I warned you.” He snaps his fingers, and a cascade of silver dust twinkles around Elle. A second later, Elle yawns, curls up onto the couch like a cat, and falls asleep.
I point at my friend. “You just knocked her out!”
“Sleeping spells are my specialty. But you already knew that, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, I noticed the sleeping spell you put on me all my life. Thanks for the reminder.” I press my palms against my eyes. This isn’t how I pictured this conversation going, at all. In fact, I didn’t even picture having this conversation. I lower my hands. “This is a disaster.”
Colonel Mallory takes the cigar from his mouth and eyes the unlit tip. “I came here to tell you something important about who you are and what powers you have. And I might do just that. But I might not. Depends if you’re ready.” He eyes me carefully. “Are you ready, sugar?”
Frustration twists up my back. “Can you be a little more specific?”
“No, and don’t try to make me. This is how fairies are, in case you haven’t noticed.”
I had, in fact, noticed. Fairies are arbitrary, self-serving, and crazy-making in general. I stare at Elle’s sleeping form. “Is she going to be okay? Because I’ll kill you if you hurt her.”
“Oh, she’ll be fine.” Colonel Mallory sets the nub of the cigar back into the corner of his mouth. “She’ll wake up in a day or so.” He rubs his palms together. “Now. Back to business. When did you summon me?”
“I thought you were trying to figure out if I’m ready.”
“That’s exactly what I’m doing, just not in the way you’d expect.”
This experience is already very weird. I don’t have any compass to judge if this line of questioning is good or bad, so I decide to roll with it. “I spoke your name like an hour ago.”
“An hour, that’s pretty good. I exist on a different plane of time, sugar. Don’t expect me to come running this fast again.”
“I’ll make a note in my diary.” My voice drips with sarcasm. “And I want you to wake up my friend now.”
“I’m not doing that.” He grins around his cigar. “How much do you know about me?”
“You’re a powerful fairy who cast a sleeping curse on me. A few days ago, you said that this spell is actually for my own good.”
“That’s true. I’m also part shifter.”
“You’re a werewolf?”
“No, bless your heart.” Colonel Mallory snaps his fingers again, and black scales appear on his skin. His eyes become yellow orbs with long reptilian slits. “I’m part dragon.”
I try to process this piece of information. “You’re part dragon.”
“That’s right. I’m a fairy lord and a shifter, both.” Colonel Mallory snaps his fingers once more, and his skin returns to normal. “Now that was just a partial shift, in case you were wondering. If I wanted to, I could get bigger than this entire brownstone.”
“Good to know.” I am so screwed. Why did I invite this crazy man over for a chat? “You know what? I’m thinking that maybe we’re done here.”
“Oh, we’re far from done. This is only the beginning. You and I will be spending lots of time together.”
“Something to look forward to.” Not.
“Know what’s the hardest part of being a dragon shifter?”
“I’m sure you’re about to tell me.”
“The smells. We’re sensitive to them like nobody’s business. Everyone has a scent. It can be overwhelming. Intoxicating. Does that ring any bells to you?”
I want to tell him to shut up and glitter his way out of Elle’s condo, but I can’t. Something about his words knock at the back of my consciousness. This is important.
“I can see a few tiny bells ringing away in that pretty little head of yours. Now, reptile shifters soak in their environment. I’m forever too hot or too cold. That’s not the way with other breeds, though. Some stay warm all the time.”
I grip my elbows. “What are you saying?”
“Something important. But you’re not ready to hear it yet. If you were, then you’d be hounding me for the truth. Instead, I’m shoving it at you.”
I roll my eyes. This is such a fairy way of acting. If you let them, they’ll talk riddles at you for hours. “Out with it, already.”
“All right, if you insist. You, Bryar Rose, are part werewolf.”
Relief washes through me. “Oh, my stars. You really had me going there. I am not part werewolf.”
“Yes, you are, sugar. That’s why I saved you. I know what it’s like to be part shifter. I couldn’t stand by and watch someone strip away your animal. They wanted to take even more than that, to be sure. So I stepped in to help. Kept your animal alive with a special spell. It puts you to sleep any time your feral side tries to rise. Now, how’s that for incredible?”
It’s official. Our conversation has crossed the line from stupid to ridiculous. “So, I’m part shifter. Good to know.”
“You don’t believe me.”
“You think?” I grab another dumpling from the table. “Look, I’ve had a long day. Everything’s been one disaster after another. I actually asked you here to see if you could provide some useful information. Like maybe a few tips on how to stop the Denarii.”
“Not my area of expertise, sugar.”
“So you say. But instead of giving me anything useful, you tell me lies about being part werewolf? I’m a Sleeping Beauty template. Look at yourself. You’re a
part dragon who cast a sleeping spell on me. That’s my template. Sleeping Beauty. No werewolves.”
“You’re not a Sleeping Beauty life template.”
“I’m not, eh?”
“That’s right, sugar. You’re something else entirely. That’s what I really came here to talk to you about. But you’re acting mad as a March hare, and we haven’t even gotten past the fact that you’re part werewolf yet. I’m afraid this really isn’t a good use of my time.”
Silver dust starts to sparkle around him. Crap! Colonel Mallory is using fairy magic to glimmer his ass out of here. Even though I haven’t exactly welcomed this conversation, I didn’t mean for him to leave. Maybe. My mind is a mess of questions. The biggest one of which is why I feel panicked that he’s going. The outline of his body is fading. “No, wait! Stop!”
“You’re not ready, sugar. Call me again when you are. I’ll try to get to you as soon as I can.”
With that, Colonel Mallory vanishes entirely.
I run my arms through the airspace where Colonel Mallory once stood. Nothing.
Damn. That visit wasn’t too helpful. I slump back onto the couch again. Beside me, Elle snores away.
Be positive. Elle will wake up soon, and you can resume your original plan of girl-talk. When it comes to scheming, Elle is a pro. She’ll figure something out in no time.
My official phone rings. I scan the screen, and sure enough, it’s my aunties. I’d put the call through to voicemail, but they know where I am. At least, if I pick up, I have a shot at them staying at our penthouse. Not sure if I could handle them coming over to Elle’s. I take the call. “Hello?”
Like always, my aunties have me on speakerphone and are all talking at once. I catch the phrases “worried about you” and “poor Philpot.”
Lauralei’s voice out-shouts the rest. In my mind, I can imagine her elbowing everyone aside as she presses the receiver to her thin lips. “Tomorrow should have been your wedding day.”
At those words, I remember Reggie’s last song in the basement of LeCharme.
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