Tab Bennett and the Inbetween

by Jes Young

  Alex looked from me to Robbin’s cat that ate the canary grin—all suspicious. “What happened last night?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Trust me, what happened last night was definitely something.” Robbin’s voice was soft and whispery and sexy and his eyes held a look that would have melted my panties if I wasn’t so unbelievably annoyed at him.

  “There is a limit to my patience, Turnbough,” Alex snarled, “and you are quickly approaching it.”

  “Am I supposed to care?”

  There’s nothing charming or sexy about having two men fight over you, in spite of what you may have heard. Mostly, it’s annoying to watch people who are old enough to know better act like children.

  Alex stood up and got right in Robbin’s face. “What did you do with her?”

  Robbin smiled. “You don’t really want to know.”

  All right, maybe it’s a little sexy. Still, I couldn’t let them start fighting and breaking up the antiques just because I found the whole thing to be a bit of a turn-on.

  I grabbed Alex’s hand just in time to keep him from throwing the first punch. He glared at me for a long cold moment; I could tell he was wondering if I could possibly be worth all this trouble – if the whole kingdom was worth this much trouble. Then he looked up and smiled at me, making my stomach flip flop and I knew he wasn’t mad anymore, not at me anyway. I found myself smiling back, thinking about how beautiful he was with his pale gold hair and his bright blue eyes. I wanted to reach out and trace the shape of his mouth with my fingertips. Or with my tongue.

  “You may go now,” he said, waving at Robbin in an offhand way.

  From the corner of my eye I saw Robbin walk towards the door. I was beginning to assume he had gone when he said, “So I guess I’ll wait for you in the kitchen?”

  I nodded – at least I think I nodded. I was pretty busy looking at Alex, remembering what it felt like to kiss him. The enchantment, long denied the pleasure of his company, was buzzing and crackling now that we were together and so very close to being alone. I was vaguely aware of the clash of feelings I had for Robbin, of the sweetness of being with him, and the bitterness of being left by him – but only vaguely. The enchantment was in control of me and it wanted Alex.

  “Okay. I’ll just wait for you in the kitchen,” Robbin said. But he continued to linger in the doorway.

  “Close it and go, Turnbough.”

  Finally, I heard the door click shut. Alex and I were alone.

  I pulled my eyes away from Alex’s and started unbraiding my hair just so I’d have something to think about but kissing him, just to distract myself from staring at him. He swept my hands aside so he could do it, gently unwinding the complicated plait.

  “You made your mother proud today. Francis was right; winning Estella’s approval was an important victory for you.”

  “I didn’t know there was a reason for me to worry about winning anyone’s approval.”

  “There’s not really. The Inbetween is yours to rule. Still, it’s always good to have powerful friends.” He ran his fingers through my hair until it hung around my face in soft waves.

  “I’m having trouble concentrating,” I said.

  “Why?”

  “Because you have your hands on me.” One on the back of my neck, the other resting on my hip.

  He shrugged and smiled. “Should I not to touch you?”

  “No, I want you to.”

  What are you saying? I could feel my face get red.

  “Good,” he whispered, pulling me a little closer, “because I don’t want to stop.”

  The enchantment was vibrating around us, eager and demanding.

  “You didn’t give Pop my key.”

  “I told you I wouldn’t, didn’t I?”

  “People lie to me a lot. I’ve developed some trust issues.” I promised the enchantment if he didn’t kiss me soon I would kiss him. “I want to trust you.”

  Oh my God! Shut up.

  “You can trust me.” He brushed his fingers against my face. I pulled myself away from him and sat down on the dais stairs.

  “What are you thinking about? Your eyes are darting back and forth so fast it’s making me dizzy.”

  “I’m thinking about you, I guess.”

  Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!

  “I’ve been thinking about you for days.” He frowned, then knelt on the stair below me to run his hand down my calf and lift my foot in the air. “I like your shoes. A lot.”

  I was thrilled that he liked them and sorry I was wearing them. I wanted him to stop touching my legs and to slide his hand between them. I sighed, half frustration, half a different kind of frustration entirely. When he looked up at me, desire was plain in his eyes. I inched closer to him. He leaned into kiss me and, much to my surprise, I heard myself say, “We should talk.”

  His mouth curved into a devilish grin. “I’d much rather show than tell.”

  “I want you to show me everything,” I whispered as he leaned over and brushed his lips against my cheek, moving slowly toward my neck. “But we should really talk first.”

  He leaned back and ran his fingers through his hair. “The enchantment has all the subtlety of a freight train today. I suppose I missed seeing you.” He got easily to his feet and walked to the window, giving us both a chance to catch our breath. “What do you want to talk about?”

  “Robbin.” I hesitated for a second to gauge his reaction before I added, “He had a key. Last night he just let himself in and something happened.”

  “I gathered that from his performance just now,” he said, shaking his head. “But I’d rather not hear the details, if you don’t mind.”

  I slipped the red heels off, kicking them away. “I don’t even want to tell you. But I keep doing things I don’t mean to do. It’s the enchantment, like you said. It makes me feel…”

  “What?” he asked gently. “What does the enchantment make you feel?”

  I tried to think of a word that described the whirl of emotions I felt whenever I was near him, the hum of excitement and need and contentment. “It makes me feel confused. It makes me want to touch you and tell you things, secret things.”

  He took a deep breath, bracing himself, and said, “You can talk to me about him if you need to.”

  “I just don’t want a lot of secrets to start collecting between us. I’m tired of secrets.” A look of genuine discomfort clouded his beautiful face. “Are you mad?”

  “Not at you. But if I didn’t think it would upset you, I’d beat the light out of Turnbough and give him straight to the Dark.”

  “It would upset me.”

  “I know, love. I know.” He sighed. “I was so happy when he said he’d come to the World with Bennett that I failed to see the many ways it could go wrong. It was a mistake to let him come here. I’ve lost him and I could lose you to him. It would serve me right if I did.”

  “I don’t think you have to worry about losing me to him. He made his position pretty clear last night and I don’t think I can stand anymore hot and cold with him. Maybe it’s better this way.” It was easy to say that while Alex was sitting next to me holding my hand.

  “Hot and cold?”

  “We’ve always been sort of the opposite of the cliché, Robbin and me. I didn’t know why he was saying no so I pressured him for sex constantly and he made excuses about why he couldn’t do it. You can’t believe how many times he rejected me. A smarter girl would have given up and found a new boyfriend years ago. But then last night he came to the cottage and I guess having you here spurred him into action, which I just realized is kind of creepy. I don’t know why I’m telling you all this. I’m so sorry.”

  I had been sure Alex and I would end up doing it on the sideboard the moment Robbin left the dining room; I had already figured out which drawer pulls I was going to brace myself against. I kept looking over at it wistfully, some part of me hoping that maybe we still would.

  “He’s afraid of losing you now.
He would do anything to keep you.” Alex said in a voice that told me he was in the mood to tell secrets too. He started to pace back and forth, running his fingers through his hair. “I’ve made this so much harder than it should have been.”

  He drew back the curtain and the light and the breeze and the waving banners that adorned the room for the court visit disappeared. It was just the dining room again.

  “I can’t imagine what could have made this any easier. Even if there was no Robbin to lose, there’s my whole life – my friends and my home. Even if things had gone completely according to plan, I’m pretty sure this would‘ve been a rough transition.” He stood by the window, framed in the sunlight, too beautiful to be true. He didn’t belong in the World, anyone could see that. “Can I ask you something?”

  Years of experience have taught me that the answer to that question is always a cautious ‘You can ask.’ That’s a good answer because it encourages the asker to put his cards on the table even as it implies that asking won’t necessarily result in an answer. You should never, ever, ever, say ‘anything’ in this situation. But ‘anything’ is exactly what Alex said. He didn’t know what he was getting into; it was a rookie mistake.

  “You left your life in the Inbetween to come here even though you knew I was engaged to Robbin, that I had no idea who you were, and that someone was trying to kill me but usually ends up killing the people I love.”

  He nodded.

  “You must have a girlfriend there, someone who loves you? And you probably have friends or a family too, don’t you? Why would you leave them to come here to participate in this whole crazy mess even though no one knows when it will be over; even though it will probably end with my death and possibly also with yours?”

  I could tell he didn’t want to answer when he sighed and said, “There’s no doubt in my mind that I will defeat your enemy and take you as my wife just as I am meant to.”

  “Fine, but even putting all that aside, how do you know you want to marry me? You don’t even know me. What if I’m horrible and irritating? What if I snore really loud or clip my nails in bed? Ask around. Ask Robbin, I’m a very difficult person. So could you just tell me, do you want to be king so badly that all this risk seems worth it to you?”

  He looked worried. “I’ve been preparing to rule the Inbetween since I was a child and I am a stubborn man who is very unlikely to give up his birthright because of some little war with They of the Dark or an ill-advised union between you and the hired help. I don’t know if I like you because I don’t know you well enough to decide. But you seem funny and smart. I realize that this is a complicated situation, and that there’s a lot we don’t know about each other. You may well be, as you say, difficult but I don’t mind a challenge. But all of that…. ” He was about to say something more but he caught himself just in time. He stood there with his mouth slightly open, looking bemused. “I think I should go.” He turned and started for the door, nearly running in his haste to get away from me.

  “Alex, wait,” I called, stopping him just as he reached for the doorknob. He reluctantly turned around.

  “Yes?” his voice was pleasant enough but his irritation at failing to escape was obvious in the tense way he held his body.

  “What were you going to say?” He looked at me for a moment, his eyes intense, so bright and blue. “No secrets, remember?” I asked.

  “No secrets,” he echoed without enthusiasm. “I was going to say… I was going to say that all those other things are irrelevant compared to how badly I want to lay you on the dining room table and put myself inside you.”

  And then he left the room.

  *******

  The door of Pop’s study was closed, as it almost always was, but I could hear him and Francis on the other side. “It’s Tab,” I said, knocking twice on the door. “I want to return the crown.”

  After a brief pause the door opened, revealing Pop’s surprised face. “Why would you return it? It’s yours to keep.”

  I looked at it, sparkling there in my hand. “I think it’s better if we keep it in here. It looks sort of priceless.”

  He studied me for a moment, probably remembering my unfortunate tendency to leave my purse behind at restaurants and movie theaters and the number of times per year I lose my ATM card.

  He took the crown from me and returned to his seat behind the desk where he set in gingerly inside its box and closed the lid. Pop looked at Francis, inclining his head ever so slightly toward the door.

  Francis took his cue. “I’ll let you two talk. Tab, let me know when you’re ready to go home. Good job today, by the way.”

  “It’s the role I was born to play, Frannie.”

  He was laughing as he left, closing the door softly behind him.

  Pop beamed at me from the other side of the desk. “It is you know. The role you were born to play. I don’t think you fully appreciate what you’ve accomplished today. Estella wields a great deal of power in the Inbetween. Having her support will mean a great deal. A great deal indeed.”

  Apparently, not everyone back in fairyland was busy baking a cake for my homecoming party. I guess they thought the idea of putting a for-all-intents-and-purposes-human woman with little or no knowledge of her people and no idea how to run a country on the throne was ridiculous. I could see their point. But Pop and Francis were determined that I would, that I must reclaim the throne.

  “When your mother was killed and then the Council of Our Mothers was taken from us so soon after, we had no choice but to create an interim council to rule the Inbetween until you were of age. The group consisted of me, five Generals of your army, and a few others who would see to affairs of state until such time as you could return to the Inbetween and manage things yourself. Each was chosen for their bravery, valor, and loyalty to your mother. Unfortunately, in the last twenty years or so some of the members of the interim council have forgotten their place and their purpose. They have begun to think of their positions as permanent. The number loyal to you is still in our favor—but the margin is close. Estella is likely to be the one to turn the tide. Somehow, even as things have become quite contentious amongst the council members, she has managed to stay completely outside of the fray. She takes no sides, states no opinion. I believe she was waiting to see you; to discover if you were more human girl or Elvish Queen. In your conversation with her today you proved yourself more than Elf enough. With Estella on your side the others will fall back in line. I predict we’ll all be home by Christmas.”

  I guess it didn’t occur to him that I was home, there at Witchwood Manor, and that maybe I didn’t want to leave.

  “Maybe she should be queen? Estella? She’s already powerful and influential. She probably wouldn’t be terrified at the very idea of it and I definitely am. Also she looks great in that helmet, doesn’t she? I’m not really a hat person.”

  Pop frowned at me. “That cannot be. You are queen after your mother and someday your daughter will be queen after you. That is simply the way the magic works, irrefutable and eternal.”

  “Then why all the dissent in the ranks? If I’m queen even if I don’t want to be why would they fight it?”

  “Because Elves, like men, can be very stupid sometimes.” Pop looked everywhere but at me and I’ve found shifty eyes are never a good sign. He put the crown away in the drawer of his desk and then very deliberately looked directly at me. “No matter. What is will be and there is nothing the foolish or the pigheaded can do to stop it.”

  I wondered which group he put himself in, foolish or pigheaded.

  “Thank you for stopping by.” He smiled and clapped his hands together lightly. I was dismissed.

  “Before I go, something seems wonky with the enchantment.”

  Pop raised an eyebrow, waiting for me to continue. “Go on,” he said. He folded his hands together and leaned back in his chair. He had the ease of man used to power, used to listening to complaints and settling them. I didn’t know if that came from raising seve
n children or from ruling the Inbetween. Either way, I wondered if it would be hard for him to give up his power too, when the time came.

  “Just now in the dining room, when Alex and I were alone together we couldn’t seem to tell each other anything but the truth. Even when I really tried to stop myself, I couldn’t. I just said some things I’m really going to regret later, things I definitely wouldn’t have said on my own.” I pictured Pop’s dining room table and blushed. “So did he. You need to fix it.” The last thing I needed was to start saying everything I thought about Alex every time I thought about him. None of us needed that.