by Tegan Maher
Colin tilted his head and ran his claw down the guy’s cheek. “That’s where you’re wrong. She’s well worth it to me. She’s worth way more than your life, and you’d do well to remember that.” He gave him just the tiniest nick on the chin before retracting his claws and straightening the guy’s cravat. He paused and gave the guy a feral smile. “Are we in accord?”
“We are, sir.”
That feeling you get when somebody’s behind you tingled and I shifted to see who it was. Another man dressed in similar but much more tasteful fashion was approaching. The man was stunning. Tall, with dark hair and broad shoulders and chest that tapered to what I was sure would be a full six-pack of abs. His hosiery clung to well-defined leg muscles.
His full lips turned up into a good-natured grin.
“Making friends again, Albert? You seem to do that everywhere you go.”
He turned to Colin and I. “Pardon my brother. No matter how many times he finds himself on the wrong end of a knife or fist, he doesn’t seem to learn. Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Prince Alexander.”
I’m not the swoony type, but if I were, I surely would have when he picked up my hand and kissed my fingertips. I noticed his gaze held no lechery—it was just friendly.
Colin and I introduced ourselves.
“Your brother is treading dangerous waters,” Colin said. “He can only mess with the lion so many times before he gets the teeth.”
Alexander bent his head. “As I’ve told him more times than I can count. He’s my younger brother. So far, I’ve managed to save him from himself, but I fear his day will come.”
Albert snorted. “I suppose I should try to be more like you, big brother. Always the hero.”
There was an undertone there that gave me the feeling there was more to the statement than what was obvious on the surface, but that was the way it always was with siblings. I didn’t figure it mattered which time period you were from.
Alexander’s eyes darkened and disgust flitted quickly across his features. “Perhaps life would be easier for you if you learned some discretion.”
That easy smile returned, but I couldn’t help but wonder what I’d glimpsed between them.
“It was a pleasure to meet you both,” Alexander said, “but I’m sure you’re in as big a rush as we are to prepare for the ball. Perhaps we’ll see you there.”
Colin returned his smile, but not with nearly the same level of enthusiasm. “Perhaps.”
With that, he pushed open the door to our suite and waited for Tempest and me to enter first.
“Well that was certainly interesting,” she said as she hopped onto my bed. “I think I’m glad we don’t live in those times. You’d spend half your time cursing people, and I’d spend half mine keeping you off the stake.”
I spotted a silver serving tray covered by a domed lid sitting on a side table and lifted the lid. A wide array of fruits, veggies, and cheeses sat on the tray, and I plucked a grape from the middle.
“You’re probably right,” I said, popping it into my mouth. “Plus I’m not sure the biome could support that many frogs.”
“That’s so cliché,” she said, jumping onto my shoulder so she could see what all was on the platter. “I don’t know why it’s your go-to threat. You’re so much better than that.”
I lifted the shoulder she wasn’t sitting on as I handed her a chunk of pineapple. “It’s what people understand. No need to rock the boat.”
“Maybe,” she said, her tone distracted. In the presence of food, her stomach tended to override her brain, not that I could say much.
“Well do me a favor, at least,” Colin said. “Avoid him. We don’t need to go looking for trouble.”
And yet, it always seemed to find us, anyway.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Since we still had almost two hours before the feast started, we decided to take a power nap. Before I knew it, somebody was knocking at the door. Colin was instantly awake and on his feet before I could even sit up. I stumbled over to open it and was surprised to find a pretty woman wearing what appeared to be a uniform of sorts even though it was more elegant than anything I owned.
“Hello,” she said, smiling at me. “My name’s Althea. I’m here to help you dress.”
“Uh, hello, Althea,” I replied, yawning and stepping back to let her in. “I’m Destiny and this is Colin.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you both.” She looked around the room expectantly. “Where’s your dress?”
“Oh,” I said, frowning and motioning to the settee where I’d tossed the bag. “It’s over there in my bag. I forgot to take it out and hang it up.” I worried my lip. Satin was notorious for wrinkling, and the last thing I wanted to do was show up looking like I’d just stepped out of an envelope. Lucy would kill me if word got back to her.
“No worries,” she replied, waving a dismissive hand as she strode toward the settee. “I’ll set it to order in no time. Do you require assistance too, Mr. Colin?”
He shook his head. “No, thanks. I’ll get out of your way, though. Des, can you dig my clothes out for me?”
Althea was gazing at the settee, her brow furrowed. “I’m sorry, Miss, but where’s the dress again?”
I smiled and picked up the well-worn backpack. “It’s in here. Let me get his stuff out, since I packed it last.”
“You have everything both of you need for a formal ball in there?”
“Sure enough,” I said, shoving my arm into the backpack clear to the shoulder. “I hate carrying luggage.”
Her eyes widened as I pulled out his tux and shoes, then his cosmetic bag, and handed them to him.
“That’s ... impressive.” She stepped closer and tried to peer into it as I pulled out the garment bag that held my gown and draped it over the back of the settee.
I pressed my lips together and furrowed my brow, digging around for my shoes. I really needed to put some shelves in there.
“Ah, here they are.” I tossed first one ballet flat then the other onto the floor, then reached back in for my makeup caddy.
She shook her head. “I’d pay good gold for one of those. I’ve worked here for almost a millennium and have never seen the like.”
I shrugged and smiled at her. “If you bring me a bag, I’ll gladly spell it for you. I don’t know how I ever got by without it.”
“Let’s get you dressed first, but I’ll surely do that. I’ll just leave it here for you while you’re at the ball. I’ll be the envy of all my coworkers!”
Happy to have made her happy, I pulled the gown from the garment bag. Surprisingly, there wasn’t a single wrinkle in it, and it still shimmered with magic.
She gasped. “That’s one of the most beautiful creations I’ve ever seen. Surely you must be royalty.” Her eyes flew to mine and she dipped into a curtsy. “I’m sorry, Miss. They didn’t tell me.”
“Not even close,” I said, touching her on the arm. “I’m just blessed to have a generous, extremely gifted friend.”
“That you are,” she said, running her hand down the skirt of the gown in awe. “Now let’s get you ready. I think we should do your hair and makeup before you put that on.”
“Oh, I don’t think I’ll need more than just some lip gloss,” I said. “My mask takes up most of my face.”
I took a seat on a small chair in front of a vanity and spread out everything I’d brought for my hair. She twisted and curled my long, unruly red curls into what I could only describe as a work of art. She managed to get it to do exactly what she wanted, whereas on a good day, the best I could do was try to tame it into something that didn’t resemble a bird’s nest, even using magical products Mila made for me.
Within twenty minutes, she had it piled high on top of my head with the length of it spilling down my back. She left a few ringlets to frame my face, somehow making it look accidental rather than contrived.
“I know you said you didn’t need any makeup,” she said, “but let me do just a little.”
When she turned me around to look, I was amazed. I couldn’t tell exactly what the difference was because there was no obvious color, but my skin shimmered, giving me a glamorous, magical appearance that I could have never achieved myself. Even the annoying freckles that dusted my cheeks and nose were covered—a feat I’d never been able to accomplish.
“I’ll totally trade you some ... whatever that cover-up is for spelling your bag, if you’re allowed to give me any. I’ll pay for it if it’s expensive.”
She laughed. “Nothing costs actual money in Celestial City, at least not if it’s to provide for guests. I’ll gladly bring you some.”
I narrowed my eyes, thinking of the whole timeline thing. My thoughts drifted to some of the women in Hollywood, both current and past, who never appeared to age and who always looked perfect. “I’m not the first woman to ask for some of that secret sauce am I?”
Althea shook her head, still grinning. “No, you’re not. But we don’t give it to just anybody.” she winked. “For that matter, we don’t use it on just anybody.”
I gave her a sly smile. “I get you. I make my living waiting on rich people, too. Of all species. If they go out of their way to be nice, so do I. And if they don’t ...” I shrugged.
“Then neither do you,” she finished for me. “That seems to be the way it works no matter what plane of existence you’re on.”
I realized she probably talked to the other girls, and my nosy side took over. Well, that and my concerned side.
“Do you know anything about a servant named Ella?”
She frowned. “I do. But it’s an odd thing. The people she serves ... they treat her like a servant, but we have orders directly from them that she’s to be put in nice quarters—not like these, but ones for higher-up servants, with comfortable beds and nicer furnishings than what we have in the servant quarters. And she’s supposed to get the same foods that they do.”
“That is odd.” I didn’t know much about that time period, but I did know that classes were clearly defined.
“Yes, but I’ve seen many strange things. It’s not for me to question.”
“I suppose not,” I said. “After all, tomorrow she’ll go back to her time and I’ll go back to mine. How do you do it?”
“Do what?”
“Deal with people from more ... barbaric times?”
She lifted a shoulder. “I guess it’s easier for me to see the big picture. In order for people to affect change, they must be driven to it. Plus, you can’t change people overnight. History is an ever-evolving thing. What seems barbaric to you was just life to them. For example, people had to get so tired of going outside to use the restroom or fetch water that they wanted a better option. Such is the way of change. First the problem has to be deemed such, then enough people have to get tired of it that they find a solution. You can’t just fast-forward to the good parts.”
That made sense, I supposed.
“And you’ll be surprised to learn that your time seems barbaric to those from a couple centuries down the road. Perspective is quite dependent on where you’re standing.”
“Really?” I asked. I hadn’t really considered that there were probably people there from my future as well as my past. “Tell me more.”
Her eyes sparkled. “Now that would be breaking rule number one. But I can tell you that you’ll see some amazing things just in your lifetime.”
That would have to be good enough, because no matter how I tried to get hints, she stood firm.
Inside of ten more minutes, she had me laced up into my gown.
“Now for the mask,” she said, handing it to me.
When I held it to my face, she sucked in a breath.
“I know, gorgeous, isn’t it? My friend really outdid herself.”
“Yes,” she said, distracted as she stepped forward to peer closer at Stephanie’s bracelet. “Is that a Valkyrie’s bracelet?”
I held my wrist out and twisted it so that the light caught the gold and gems. “Yeah. My friend Stephanie loaned it to me. Beautiful, isn’t it?”
“And terrible,” she replied, reaching out to touch it but yanking her hand back before she actually did. “There’s powerful magic in it—she must love you to loan you the magic of her kind.”
“The magic of her kind?” As far as I knew, it was basically a magical pager.
“Yes,” she said, giving me a quizzical look. “A Valkyrie’s bracelet is imbued with the magic of the gods. It’s one of her most powerful tools.”
I thought back to Steph’s words. Be careful with it. You’ll put your eye out.
The bracelet pulsed when I thought of its owner, and I remembered the rush of magic that had almost knocked me over when I’d put it on. Surely, she wouldn’t have turned me loose with something so powerful without at least giving me instructions. It probably had some sort of safeguard that kept anybody but her from using it.
Althea cleared her throat. “Well, I’m sure she knew what she was doing.”
For the first time, she seemed to notice the mask. “Whoa,” she breathed, reaching up to touch it. “That’s incredible.”
She pulled me back a bit so that I could see myself in the mirror.
“What do you think?”
Between the magic Lucinda had worked and the amazing job Althea had done on my hair and face, I didn’t even look like myself. I looked like some glamorous chick from a fairy tale. And I felt that way, too.
The door between my room and Colin’s opened, and I turned toward it.
“Wow,” he said, giving me a slow, head-to-toe once-over. “You look ... magical.”
“I should hope so,” I said, warmed by his words. “I’m wearing a gown made by a fairy godmother and just had my hair and makeup done by a stylist of angels.”
Althea smiled. “I had a good place to start. I can only do so much, and the results depend on the canvas I’m handed.”
“And you were given quite a lot to work with. Ready, Princess?” Colin asked, holding out his elbow.
“Ready, my Prince,” I replied, smiling as I took it.
“Have a great time,” Althea said. “I’ll go get the primer and powder for you. It’ll be waiting when you get back.”
“Thanks, Althea,” I muttered, distracted for a minute by the way Colin was looking down at me. “Oh, and don’t forget to bring me your bag. Tempest, are you coming?”
She’d been curled up on the bed sleeping, and I had to wait for her to stretch and run her claws through her tail to straighten her fur before she deigned to saunter toward us and out the door.
The latch clicked shut behind us, and I blinked when I saw the transformation the hallway had undergone in the two hours since I’d been in it last. The modern lighting was gone, replaced with romantic wall sconces that flickered while providing just the right amount of light to allow me to navigate the hallway without falling on my face.
A red runner covered the white marble floor, and I was glad I’d opted for flats instead of heels; there was a reason the universe hadn’t let my parents name me Grace.
There were enough people moving in one direction that even if Ari hadn’t shown us the banquet room, we wouldn’t have had any trouble finding it. The others wore a strange menagerie of styles. Everything from Victorian gowns to futuristic attire designed with sharp angles and points, in fabric that seemed to shimmer without needing any light. Of course, my gown and mask did too, so that wasn’t necessarily a time thing.
The one thing everyone had in common was that they were all smiling and having a good time.
Except for one trio of women dressed like something out of a fairy tale. They wore ball gowns, each a different jewel tone with matching masks, and two of them were
heckling one of the the small serving girls who was following them.
“My hair doesn’t feel like it’s going to hold, Ella.”
“You left a wrinkle in my dress, Ella.”
As if those weren’t bad enough, the oldest one—the stepmother, I presumed—stopped in the middle of the hall and turned to face my new friend.
“Why are you still following us? You know you’re not to be seen anywhere other than in the servant’s quarters.”
“Yes, Ma’am,” Ella responded, head down, “but I thought to catch a glimpse of the ball. You know, just from afar. It’s all Rowena and Ursula have spoken of for months.”
The woman cast a glare at the two older girls, who looked at their toes.
“Rowena and Ursula should be excited, but that’s not for you. This place is not for you, and you’re not to interact with any of the guests, do you hear me? Now go straight back to your chambers. You’re not to leave them.”
“Yes, Mistress. I’m sorry.”
The subservient way that Ella was behaving made me want to both cry for her and punch the three women out. Colin placed his hand over mine and held it in the crook of his arm.
“You heard what Ari said. Leave it. You’ll make things worse for her.”
Like I ever listened.
“She’s a human being, you know,” I said, digging my feet in and turning to face the group. “Ella, you’re your own person. You have the right to be happy.”
The stepmother’s eyes turned cold. “I’m aware she’s a human being. She’s my responsibility, so I’ll thank you to stay out of my affairs.”
Before I could say another word, Colin squeezed my fingers and tugged me forward.
Tempest butted me with her head. “He’s right, Destiny. You can’t interfere. Who knows what effect it might have on things?”
I scowled at her. “You mean that doesn’t bug you?”
She glowered back. “Of course it does. But not as much as the concept of destroying life as we know it, or even of making her lot in life worse because they can strike at her instead of us.”
I sighed but, after shooting an apologetic look toward Ella, I turned away and kept walking.