Slumber

by Tamara Blake

  Ruby was suddenly aware that Tam could turn his moods on and off like a light switch when he needed to. Deception came so naturally to him.

  She needed to remember that—and not how right it felt to be in his arms.

  A gong sounded throughout the house.

  “Time for dinner,” Tam announced. He rose and held out his hand to her.

  “I’ve never seen food here before, just drugs and booze.”

  “Not all of us eat. But some of us have human guests. It wouldn’t be polite to let them starve.”

  I’m surprised starving the humans hasn’t been turned into some sort of fairy game, she thought, following Tam down a hallway and into an opulent dining room. Glittering chandeliers hung over a long table exquisitely laid out with gold plates and crystal goblets. Most of the seats were already occupied. Here and there Ruby picked out a few humans—they were less radiantly beautiful than the fairies and wore the dazed expression of people on the verge of waking up from a dream. Or a really bad acid trip.

  Tam politely seated Ruby before settling in the chair next to her. “Don’t touch,” he said mildly to the human boy on Ruby’s right. The guy shrank back from her.

  Ruby opened her mouth to tell Tam she didn’t need protection, she knew how to take care of herself, when the door to the dining room opened. Violet strode in arrogantly, flanked by two hunky guys wearing low slung leather pants, dog collars, and nothing else. She surveyed the room, green eyes sharp and feral…

  And her gaze stopped right at Ruby.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “A new fuck buddy, Tam?” Violet sneered

  “She calls herself Madison. Right, baby?” Tam slung an arm over Ruby’s shoulders and pulled her in for a quick squeeze.

  Fighting the panic bolting through her, Ruby copied the dazed expression of the other humans and gave what she hoped was a flirtatious giggle up into Tam’s face. He raised a brow at her.

  Violet snorted. “This one’s a step up from your trailer trash playmate, I’ll give you that. Move,” she said to the fairies sitting across from them. She and her entourage took the suddenly vacated seats.

  Ruby tensed. Tam didn’t seem all that thrilled either, but he shrugged and filled their champagne flutes out of one of the bottles of Cristal littering the table.

  “There’s something familiar about you,” Violet said to Ruby, eyes narrowing as they razed her face. “Either that, or the lack of variety in Tam’s bedmates is appalling.”

  “If it ain’t broke,” Tam replied cheerily. “Madison has been highly entertaining.”

  “I’ll bet. You always did like simple creatures, Tam. This one seems even simpler than your usual fare though.”

  I really want to punch you, Ruby thought as she gazed at Violet’s delicate face, marred by her disgusted expression.

  Tam must have felt Ruby make an involuntary movement because under cover of the table he put a restraining hand over her clenched fist. “Simplicity is much more satisfying than trying too hard,” he said. “You should give it a whirl sometime.”

  “No thanks. I like my diversions to be sophisticated.”

  “Like those two, I suppose.” Tam tilted his half-empty flute at the two boys sitting on either side of Violet. “Nothing screams sophistication like half-naked boys in leather.”

  Violet arched a perfect eyebrow. “Exactly.”

  A chime sounded, which thankfully put an end to their banter. To Ruby’s shock, food magically appeared on their plates.

  The dude next to her giggled and started to play with the roasted quail on his plate. “Little birdie, fly fly fly,” he said in a sing-song voice. He picked up the greasy quail and zoomed it around like a toy airplane. Down a few seats, a guy fairy stuffed his mouth with raw meat then grinned, mouth full, to the human girl next to him. She laughed, popped a handful of pills, and washed them down with a chug from a bottle of Grey Goose. Bits of food flew in the air as the fairies and humans tossed their dinner at each other.

  Ruby stared down at her plate. An intricate arrangement of rare tuna and micro-greens dribbled artfully with some sort of sauce lay before her. In a Manhattan restaurant, a dish like this would cost at least a hundred bucks.

  Nothing on earth would get her to take a bite. The less magic she came in contact with, the better, and that included magical food.

  Violet toyed with a lettuce leaf. “So. Madison, is it? How long have you known Tam?”

  Ruby plastered on the spacey expression. “I’m not sure. Couple days, maybe?”

  “We met in the city,” Tam said. He ignored the steak on his plate, sipping champagne instead.

  “The city. Really.” She fed the leaf to one of her pretty boys. “One of the boroughs, you mean. Queens? Brooklyn?”

  Ruby forced herself to reply calmly to the person killing her mother. “Upper East Side.”

  “Huh. I didn’t know you had a taste for uptown girls, Tam.”

  “I didn’t until I met Madison,” Tam said with a sideways grin at Ruby.

  Ruby giggled brainlessly in response. Violet rolled her eyes with an expression of distaste but not with the teeth-gritting hatred she’d displayed toward Ruby. She wondered what it was about her true self that bugged Violet so much.

  The guy next to her launched his quail into the air over the heads of the other guests. It hit the wall with a greasy thud and fell on the floor. He started to cry.

  “I think I’m finished,” Ruby told Tam.

  “You’ve hardly touched your food.”

  “I’m good.”

  Tam shrugged and rose, holding the chair out for her. Some of the other guests had already begun drifting away, especially from the other end of the long table, where the food fight had started to intensify.

  “Let’s go, boys.” Violet rose as well. Studded leather leashes appeared in her hand, which she clipped onto their dog collars. She gave the leashes a tug, and the two boys obediently slithered behind her as she headed out of the room. “Nighty night,” she said over her shoulder.

  Cosette and Ash sauntered up to Ruby and Tam. Ruby hadn’t seen them at dinner—maybe they hadn’t been there at all. Ash was wearing a well-worn leather motorcycle jacket over a muscle-tee while Cosette had changed into skin-tight cigarette pants, a crop-top, and stilettos. They looked like extras from Grease.

  “Your human is so very pretty,” Cosette said to Tam, clinging to Ash’s arm. “Can we borrow her for the night? We’re going to do some role-playing.”

  “Borrow…Madison?” Tam shot Ruby an indecipherable look.

  “We’ll make sure she has a good time,” Ash added.

  “She’ll have a good time, but what about me?” Tam answered lightly.

  Cosette tittered. “Join us, mon chère. My bed’s big enough for all four of us.”

  “Hmm.”

  Was Tam actually considering it? Ruby almost blew her cover to yell HELL NO, but she forced herself to remain docile.

  Tam gave it a beat—to torture her? To see if she’d agree?—and then he said, “This is Madison’s first night at Cottingley. I think I’ll keep her with me. I’m sure you’ll both have fun without her. Come on, baby.” Tam took her hand and started leading her out of the room.

  “If you change your mind,” Cosette said regretfully after them.

  Out in Cottingley’s main lounge, the party was just getting started. Electronica pumped from unseen speakers, and pot smoke thickened the air. Tam kept hold of Ruby’s hand as he weaved between couples making out, doing lines, or tossing back shots of Jagermeister or Patron. In the corner, a group of fairy boys poured sake into the open mouth of a human girl lying prone on the floor. She choked and barfed all over herself. They laughed wildly at her.

  Wooziness dogged Ruby as she followed Tam up the stairs and back to his room. Maybe she was getting high from the secondhand smoke or maybe she should have risked eating some of the food at dinner. Or maybe the disgust was getting to her
. When Tam shut the door, she couldn’t hold back any longer and rounded on him.

  “You fairies are gross! How dare you pass us around like we’re toys, using us for your sick games?”

  Tam leaned back against the door and regarded her with amusement. “I’ve never had any complaints. The humans I’ve brought to Cottingley always have a good time.”

  “Oh, like getting half-drowned in sake or being bedmates in threesomes?”

  “Yeah, like that. Why not? I’ve never forced my guests to do anything they didn’t want to do.”

  “But what about the other fairies, like Violet? Do you think she gives a crap about her human guests?”

  He looked away. “I don’t know. How the others treat their guests is none of my business. The ones who aren’t having fun usually don’t stick around.” He seemed uncertain though.

  The throb of hard partying vibrated up through the floor to the soles of her feet. “You mean the Slumber gets them, and they’re dumped back into the real world with amnesia and a massive hangover—if they’re lucky.”

  “You know what I’ve noticed about you? You worry about others too much. You should think about your own pleasures for once. Why don’t you let me make you feel fantastic?” He pushed off against the door with one shoulder and approached until they were almost toe to toe. She watched in almost hypnotic fascination as his head dipped low toward hers. “Come to bed with me, and I’ll show you how good you can feel.”

  She stared up at him. “Are you serious?”

  “Never more serious in my life.”

  And become another notch in his bedpost? Ruby gave a disbelieving laugh right in his face. “No fucking way, Tam. The last thing I’m interested in is being one of your random hookups. I’ve got a little more self-respect than that.”

  Did she imagine the admiration flickering across his face? Or was it just disappointment? Whatever the emotion, it disappeared in an instant, leaving his expression smooth and in control. He took a step back. “Okay, whatever. Sleep alone, it doesn’t matter to me. I don’t need to force anyone to come to my bed. You can take the spare bedroom at the top of the stairs. No one will bug you there.”

  “Thanks.” She hugged her arms, feeling a chill as he moved away from her. “I appreciate it.”

  “But if you change your mind…” He gave her a flirty grin.

  She couldn’t help laughing at his hopeful expression as she grabbed her backpack and discarded clothes. “Not likely, but you can keep dreaming about it. Good night.”

  “Night, Ruby.”

  The stairway to the third floor was badly lit and cobwebby; the spare room distinctly garret-like, sparse and cold, with a narrow hard bed, ugly furniture, and one lone lamp. Like a poor servant’s room in a story like ‘The Little Princess,’ or ‘Cinderella.’ She had a sneaking suspicion Tam sent her here on purpose to make his own room seem more appealing by comparison. It was kind of working.

  Even three floors up, she could still hear the sounds of partying with the occasional shriek or yell over the music’s muffled beats. She dragged the dresser in front of the door for extra security. She didn’t trust anyone in this place.

  Then she lay on the hard mattress and tried not to think of Tam’s soft bed—or his warm arms.

  Maybe she couldn’t even trust herself.

  She got up, rummaged around her backpack, and pulled out the page with the story of the Ruby Red necklace. She lay back down with her knees drawn up protectively, clutching it.

  “What am I getting myself into?” she said into the silent, cold room.

  But there was no answer, except for the wind rattling against her window like a warning.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Ruby jerked awake. For a wild moment, she had no idea where she was, disoriented by the unfamiliar furniture and bare walls. A paper crumpled as she sat up; when she looked on her lap, she saw it was the story of the Ruby Red necklace—and then she remembered. She was at Cottingley Heights. Tam. The party. She had no idea how long she’d been sleeping, but judging from the half-light trying to claw through the window, it must be morning.

  Drowsily, she rose. The pretty dress was wrinkled. She smoothed it down absently and felt a bump in the pocket. Her phone. Reassured that she hadn’t lost it last night, she slipped into the heels she’d taken off. Amazingly her feet weren’t destroyed by the five-inch stilettos like she thought they would be. She glanced at her jeans and t-shirt tossed on the chair in the corner. She never realized before how ugly her old clothes were.

  After she had made sure the velvet scarf was securely wound over the necklace, she shoved the bureau away from the door and opened it a crack. All was quiet. So the party was over? Only one way to find out. Gingerly she made her way downstairs, wondering if Tam was awake yet. Did he find sleazier company for the night after she’d turned him down? The thought hurt, but she shoved it away. She told herself to remember that Tam’s love life was none of her business.

  If only she could believe it.

  As expected, the house was trashed, but she’d seen worse. “And I’m not cleaning up a damn thing,” she muttered, stepping over a pile of soggy clothes in the doorway of the bar lounge that smelled like booze. Inside, a few fairies drifted sluggishly around, scratching their sleepy heads, but they paid no attention to her. A human boy was passed out in the corner, his shirtless torso covered with doodles and scrawls from a black marker. One of the fairies who’d wandered close prodded the guy with a toe. He whimpered in his sleep but didn’t wake.

  Shrugging, Ruby yawned and went over to the bar while the fairies left the room. She’d give anything for another cup of Tam’s killer coffee, laced with a healthy dribble of that yummy syrup. Unfortunately, the only thing on top of the bar now was an endless row of empty alcohol bottles. The chrome coffee machine was gone.

  Vaguely bummed, she turned away and went to the window where fitful morning light tried to force its way in through the dirty panes. The window overlooked an enormous patio, the granite flagstones running down to steps, which led out to a small lake. Weak sunlight dappled the water. Down by the shore, a movement caught her eye. Aryenis had come out from the woods a few feet from the lakeshore and was walking toward the house with a covered basket on her arm. Behind her, something shimmered between the trees. Or maybe Ruby imagined it because when she blinked, the light disappeared. She really needed some coffee, stat.

  She turned from the window and accidentally kicked over a half-full bottle she hadn’t seen in Cottingley’s gloom. Vodka splashed all over her foot, soaking the shoe.

  “Damn it!” She picked up the bottle. Grey Goose. She remembered a girl chugging Grey Goose last night at the dinner. Ruby knew she could probably get all the pills and Grey Goose she wanted, but to get a cup of coffee in this place? Or some actual food that wasn’t conjured up by fairy magic? Impossible.

  She drew her arm back ready to hurl the bottle across the room when the door opened and Ash entered.

  “Hey, Ruby.”

  Ruby gasped, and her arm lowered. How did he know it was her?

  “Has my glamour worn off?” she blurted.

  Ash shook his head as he headed toward the bar, riffling through the assorted bottles until he found what he wanted. “Nope,” he said, pouring Hennessey into a shot glass. “Tam’s spell is still in place. It’s just that the glamour doesn’t work a hundred percent on me because I’ve only recently become fae. I’ve still got some human left.”

  Recently? “When did that happen?”

  He pondered. “1952, I think. Or maybe ’53. My memory’s getting hazy.”

  Whoa. Time really does fly when you’re a fairy. “Do you know where I can get a cup of coffee around here? You know, with some of that coffee syrup?”

  “Coffee syrup?” Ash downed the shot, winced, poured another. “You mean honey syrup?”

  “I guess. Tam put some in my coffee the other day, and it was so good.” She sighed just thin
king about it.

  Ash swirled the amber liquid in his glass thinking before shrugging and tossing back the second shot. Then he set the shot glass down on the bar and gave her a hard look. “Some free advice, Ruby. Don’t accept any more drinks from Tam. Honey syrup isn’t…good for people like you. I think you’re going to need some time, and the more you have, the quicker it’ll be.”

  Ruby shook her head. His words made no sense. “What do you mean?”

  “Have some booze instead. You’ll feel better in the end, I promise.”

  Then he winked at her and left, closing the door.

  What the hell was that about?

  In the corner, the guy curled up on the floor moaned in his sleep a little, then went quiet. Ruby flopped down on a pile of cushions, suddenly tired herself, and kicked off her shoes. What did Ash mean that honey syrup wasn’t good? She tossed the soaked Louboutin aside. It was so good. So…awesomely…good…

  She blinked. The room was completely dark save for the neon lights glowing behind the bar. Somewhere a clock chimed eight times. Eight o’clock? She turned toward the window and saw that the sky was inky.

  “It was just morning a minute ago. This can’t be right.” She dug the cell phone out of her pocket and checked the time—8:04 p.m. Four missed calls? She stared at the LCD screen. Three days had passed? How did that happen?

  Confusion bolted through her. Was she tripping? Had someone slipped her something? But she’d been so careful! She checked the date on the phone.

  It said Thursday.

  Three days?

  She checked it again, two, three times. There was no way she could have lost three days. Not when she had something so important to do.

  Although she couldn’t seem to remember what it was.

  “There’s a reason I’m here, right? I’m supposed to be doing something.” She searched her memory but drew a complete blank. She turned the phone around and around in her hands, trying to piece it together. “I know I am. But I can’t remember what it is…”