“You heard the queen,” Liana said, grabbing a wig from the bed and tossing it at Jax.
The queen sighed and muttered something inaudible. She tapped her foot against the carpet, and the second Jax had pulled the wig on, she said, “Right, let’s go. And don’t rush; that’ll look suspicious. We are simply five ladies going to tea.” She reached for the door handle, but Elle grabbed her arm. The queen swung her hard gaze instantly toward Elle, and Elle snatched her hand back, feeling as though she might shrivel up and disappear into the carpet. But she needed to ask what she’d been about to ask.
“Why are you helping us?”
The queen’s gaze softened somewhat as it traveled Elle’s face. Quietly, she said, “You care for him.”
Though it wasn’t a question, Elle answered, “Yes. Very much.”
“You saved his life with a wish.”
“Of course I did. He would have done the same for me.”
“Well, that’s why I’m helping you. The others … I hadn’t planned to help them, but you’d already freed them so …” She exhaled sharply through her nose. “Well, this seems the least complicated way forward.”
Without another word, she pasted a serene smile onto her face, opened the door, and walked out. Elle followed, trying her best to smile naturally and walk casually. Liana whispered something about laughing, so Elle forced out a polite chuckle. The queen made a comment about never understanding why Liana had simply vanished years ago, and Liana laughed loudly and told her she should ask her husband about the time he tried—and failed—to murder the nanny. Jax snickered, Elle tried not to cringe, and somehow, the five of them arrived at an open doorway on the ground floor without anyone stopping to ask if they were escaped prisoners.
A man standing at the doorway nodded politely as they passed, and outside, a limousine was already waiting for them. The driver asked no questions as he opened the door to the back compartment, and no one yelled out for them to stop as all five of them climbed inside. Nevertheless, Elle found herself holding her breath as the vehicle pulled smoothly away from the door, drove around the side of the palace, and headed for the gate. Only once they were beyond it did she finally relax against the leather seat and draw a breath.
“The car will stop at the edge of the city and let you out,” the queen said, remaining rigid and staring straight ahead. “From there, you’re on your own.”
“Why haven’t you found her yet?” King Belaric demanded of his Captain of the Guard, bringing his fist down on the desk. Dex flinched, along with the other six or seven people standing in the king’s study.
“We’ve followed every rumor, sire,” said the captain. “Every whisper, every hint. But this is the Godmother we’re talking about. If she doesn’t want to be found, I don’t think there’s anything more we can do.”
Dex pressed his lips together as he stared at the floor. He knew which Eternal Night the Godmother was hiding out in, but he couldn’t decide what to do with that knowledge. He should probably tell his father. After all, he didn’t want the Godmother descending on Belmont Palace out of the blue and killing everyone in their sleep. But he didn’t want his father racing off to the Jade Eternal Night and taking with him an army of fae who would probably all end up dead when they found themselves facing a force of enhanced, magical vampires.
So what was he supposed to do? Which course of action would lead to fewer deaths?
He needed more time. He needed to get through tomorrow night. He had a plan for this party his mother was forcing on him, and once that was done, he could focus on everything else.
“Of course there’s more you can do,” his father snapped at the Captain of the Guard. “Do your damn job, for a start. I want the Godmother dead, and I want to wipe her vampire army into oblivion. That means you need to find—” A knock at the door interrupted him. “What?” he shouted.
The door swung open, and Dex recognized one of the prison guards who’d stopped him from going down to the hidden dungeon this morning. “I apologize for interrupting, your majesty. The, uh, the human girl who was brought in last night. The one with—”
“Yes, I know who you’re talking about,” the king said.
“She, uh … she escaped.”
Dex’s heart leaped, but he managed to keep his expression neutral as his eyes darted back to his father. The king appeared frozen, though his face was slowly turning purplish red. He bit out a single word: “How?”
“I—I don’t know, your majesty. She had magic. Perhaps human magic is different from ours. More power—”
“Nonsense,” the king snapped. “Of course she didn’t have magic. Now get out. All of you, out!” Everyone shuffled toward the door, but when Dex made to move, his father said, “Not you.”
As the last person filed out and the door clicked shut, the king turned his thunderous expression on Dex. “What have you done?”
“I haven’t done a thing,” Dex said, pushing away from the wall and moving closer to the desk. “I’ve been stuck in this room all morning with you, and—as I’m sure you’re aware—your guards wouldn’t let me anywhere near the dungeon when I tried to get down there early this morning to see Elle.”
“I know you’ve done—”
“I’ve done nothing,” Dex shouted. “Question every one of your guards. They’ll tell you they didn’t allow me down there. Though I wish I’d fought past them. I wish I had freed her. If she’s gone, I’ll probably never find her again.” Not true, but it was what he needed his father to hear. Let the king think Elle was long gone. Let him think Dex was unlikely to ever see her again. That way, he’d be completely blindsided when together, Elle and Dex revealed the truth about humans to the whole world.
“You owe me big time,” Cress said as she let Elle and her companions in through the back door of Apollo’s Apothecary.
“I know,” Elle answered immediately. “I am a thousand percent aware of that. If there was anyone else I felt safe going to, I’d be bothering them instead of you.”
“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Cress drawled, closing the door and stepping past Elle and the others. She walked ahead of them toward one of the apothecary’s back lounges. “I’m not exactly surprised that you’re here. Dex already sent a message to tell me to keep an eye out for you.”
“He did?”
“He didn’t mention you’d have three escaped convicts with you, though.” Cress gestured to two couches covered in colorful throws.
“I’d like to object to the term ‘convict,’” Jax interjected before taking a seat.
“But like I said,” Cress continued, ignoring Jax, “it’s fine. Mostly, I’m just insanely curious to see your magic, Elle.”
Elle pulled the wig of dark hair off her head and tossed it onto one of the couches as a grin spread across her face. “It’s amazing, Cress. I have actual magic. I have no clue what to do with it, but I have it.”
“One step at a time, honey,” Cress said, her smile mirroring Elle’s. “You’ll learn. I’m still amazed it’s even possible.” With a wave of her hand, she moved a few beaded cushions—and the wig—out of the way before taking a seat on the couch. “So,” she said as Elle sat beside her, “are you going to show me, or what?”
Elle tipped her head to the side. “Don’t you have a store to manage right now?”
“My daughter’s in there. She’s old to take care of things. Now stop being such a tease.”
“Excuse me,” Liana interrupted as she slowly lowered herself between Jax and Myra on the other couch. “Could I perhaps … use a laptop? Or a phone? After so many years of being locked away without my family and friends knowing I’m alive, I don’t even know where to start. I don’t know where anyone is, or who to contact first or … anything.”
“Same here,” Jax said, and Myra nodded along with them.
“Yes, of course,” Cress said. “Let me find you a laptop. Then Elle and I can talk.”
She disappeared from the room, and Elle looked at the other thre
e women. “This must be really weird for you guys. Finally free after so many years of being locked away in the dark.”
Liana looked toward the window, where sunlight filtered through a peach-colored scarf partly draped across the glass. “The sun is the best thing ever. Seriously. I don’t know how vampires survive a lifetime without it.”
“It is weird,” Jax murmured. “I don’t know who’s still alive. I don’t know what’s changed in my pack. If my pack even exists still. I’m both excited and scared to find out.”
“It’s all the little things, you know?” Myra said quietly. “All the advertisements out there look different. I don’t recognize most of the products. We passed people using phones and other devices, and they all look different from what I remember. It’s like coming out and finding a slightly different world from the one I left behind.”
Elle nodded. “That does sound quite … unsettling.”
“Here you go,” Cress said, bustling back into the room with a laptop. She handed it to Liana. “And Elle, I sent Dex a quick message to let him know you’re here.”
“Oh, thanks.”
“Now.” Cress settled herself on the couch and ran one hand through her sleek purple hair. “Show me this magic of yours.”
Elle demonstrated as much as she could—which wasn’t much—and then Cress asked if she wanted to try out a few things to see if human magic was anything like fae magic. Elle’s answer to that was yes, of course. So Cress started with the basics. It turned out that a lot of it was simply about intent. She had to push her magic out and intend to move the coffee table, or the pot with the giant fern in it, or the stack of books.
By the time Cress’s phone pinged with a message from Dex, Elle could lift a cushion, make it move in a shaky circle above her head, and lower it back down to the couch. It took a great deal of effort though. Far more than the kind of magic that happened without really thinking about it—like the force that had thrown Salvia across a room.
“Dex says he’ll reach the apothecary in less than a minute,” Cress said, looking at her phone. “He’s heading for the back entrance. Do you want to let him in?”
“Yes,” Elle answered immediately in a voice that was probably a little too loud.
Cress arched an eyebrow. “Excited to see him? It’s been, what? Five minutes since you parted?”
“It was last night,” Elle said defensively. “And it feels like a lot has happened since then.”
Cress shooed her toward the door. “Go and have your happy reunion.”
Elle rolled her eyes and stood, leaving Cress with a smirk on her face and Liana, Jax and Myra crowding the single laptop. She hurried to the back door and opened it, but Dex wasn’t there yet. So she closed the door a little—who knew if there might be someone dangerous nearby, like a palace guard who’d managed to track her this far and was now looking out for any sign of her—and watched through the narrow gap.
Something small darted across her line of vision and came to a halt somewhere on the ground. She looked down at the doormat and saw a pixie standing there. “Tash?” she asked, bending slightly to get a better look. But before she could figure out if the pixie was familiar—and if the shape on top of her tiny head was half a pistachio shell—the pixie launched forward, zoomed beneath Elle’s arm, and disappeared inside the apothecary.
“Elle?” She looked up at the sound of Dex’s voice, a smile already on her lips. She pulled the door open fully, and a moment later, Dex’s arms were around her. He hugged her tightly, and then his hands slid into her hair, and his lips were against hers, and he was kicking the door shut as they stumbled further inside.
“I’m sorry,” Elle mumbled against his lips. “I’m probably gross and smelly—”
“I don’t care.” Dex kissed her again. “I’m just so happy you got yourself out of that dungeon.” He pressed his lips against hers once more. “And I’m so sorry about my father. I honestly had no idea that he already knew—”
“It’s okay.” Elle pressed one more kiss to his lips before stepping back and taking his hand in hers. “You don’t have to apologize for him.”
“He’s a monster.”
“He—” She blinked. “He’s your father.”
Dex shook his head. “He’s not a father. He hasn’t been for a long time. He’s become something else.” He leaned forward and rested his forehead against hers. “I could kiss you all day, but there are things we need to talk about.”
“Yes,” Elle murmured. “I know.” She led him to a smaller lounge—the one where he’d slept on the futon as he recovered after Elle first saw the Darkness come over him—so they could talk in private. “What are we doing about the Godmother?” she asked as they sat. “Have you told your father where to find her?”
Dex sighed. “No. But let’s deal with one problem at a time. The world needs to know about the Starlight Quest and what’s possible for humans. That has to happen, regardless of who ends up ruling this country—my father or the Godmother. So first, we need to make sure the truth gets out. After that’s done, we can face everything else. So my plan for that is—”
“Wait.” Elle paused, trying to formulate her tangled thoughts into words that made sense. “Why do you think the Godmother made me go through the quest? Why did she want me to end up with magic? Maybe she wants me to spread the word. Maybe she wants the world to know. Maybe, if she defeats your father, it’ll actually be easier to get the truth out there.”
Dex shook his head. “If that were the case, then why hasn’t she told anyone before now? She’s the Godmother. She could make sure the whole world knew if she wanted to.”
Elle sighed and placed her head in her hands. “You’re right. In fact, I’m pretty sure I asked her the same thing. It’s just … I don’t understand her.” She lowered her hands and focused on Dex. “What does she actually want?”
Dex shrugged. “To play around with people’s lives?”
“Yeah. Maybe. Okay, so one problem at a time. You said we should get the truth out there first. How are we going to do that?”
“So, tomorrow night, at the party—”
“Party?”
“Remember I told you my mother is organizing another event, since the masquerade ball was a disaster? Something smaller and more exclusive, which I’m pretty sure only fae have been invited to. Another chance for me to apparently find someone to marry.”
“Oh, yes,” Elle said, trying not to dwell on the idea of Dex marrying someone else. “You called it The Ball 2.0.”
“Right. That party. It’s tomorrow night, and I’m hoping you’ll come with me. It’s smaller than the Moonlight Masquerade Ball, but there’ll still be plenty of people there. All it’ll take is one demonstration for everyone to see the truth. Word will begin to spread immediately. You know everyone will have their phones there. They’ll be taking selfies and posting them on social media, letting the whole world know they were lucky enough to be invited to an exclusive royal event. There’ll probably be a video online of you demonstrating your magic within minutes of you showing everyone.”
Elle shook her head. “No, there won’t be, because your father would never let things get that far. He’ll throw me back into a dungeon before a sparkle of magic has left my fingertips. And if the guests at the party do happen to see something, your father will probably kill them all to stop the truth from spreading.”
“He won’t get a chance to do that. There’s … there’s something else I’ve been thinking about.” Dex took a deep breath and stood. “I can’t believe I’m about to suggest this,” he muttered as he began pacing.
“What?” Elle asked, apprehension creeping in at the edges of her mind.
Dex stopped. He stared at the floor. “Sometimes I wonder if the Godmother knew exactly what she was doing when she decided on the price of my father’s wish all those years ago.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean … maybe my soul is just as black as the Darkness the Godmother placed up
on me.”
“Dex—”
“I’ve thought about killing him, Elle. That thought has actually entered my mind. If it wouldn’t guarantee a swift death for me, I might have seriously considered killing my own father. I would never want to, but he’s so terrible, and I’m so desperate for him not to end up ruining our country and the lives of all humans, and I just … there’s nothing I’ve been able to do. Until now.”
“What are you talking about?”
He raised his eyes and met hers. “There’s something we haven’t had a chance to speak of since you first told me about it. Your ability to remove memories.”
Elle stared at him, her lips parted. He couldn’t possibly be asking her this, could he? “You want me to … take away all your father’s memories? Remove his mind to the point of death?”
“What? No! I didn’t even know that was—NO. I would never ask that of you. It would probably end up killing you instead of him—because of that blasted wish he made—but even if that wasn’t the case, I would never ask you to murder someone. No, I’m just asking you to take enough of his memories that he forgets his hatred of humans. That’s what’s poisoned him. That’s what has influenced all the terrible decisions he’s made in recent years. If he could go back to a point where he’s still questioning the way he feels about humans, and then we show him that humans can also have magic and are equal to all other High Raes, I think he’ll accept that.”
Elle stood. She needed to pace. She couldn’t seem to think clearly while sitting still. “So … I would need to go as far back as …”
“As far back as my grandmother’s death. That was the event that sent him over the edge.”
“But that means I’ll have to remove everything from that time until the present,” Elle pointed out. “Surely there would be far too many other important things that I’d be erasing from his memory?”
The Everafter Wish Page 6