Charming (Exiled Book 3)

by Victoria Danann

  “I don’t know what ‘system’ means.”

  She sighed. “It means I went to live in a foster home and it sucked. The other kids in the house were, well, they weren’t like me. They were all tough and hard edges, never expecting that one good thing might happen for them. Soon enough I found out what made them that way.

  “Some of the people who take in foster kids are nice enough folks with decent motives, but some are double dippers. They get money from the government for housing and feeding orphans and they get off on making life hell for kids.

  “I managed to stick around for a year or so, but then this one guy… Well, he thought the girls that came through his house owed him more than what he got from the state. I took off and I was still under age. Where I came from that means under eighteen.”

  Charming listened quietly stroking her shoulder while she talked. “Go on.”

  “There was no place to go but the streets. I had no money, no relatives. There’s only one way to survive that.” She paused and Charming waited patiently for her to be ready to tell what she wanted to tell in her own good time. “Do you know what drugs are?”

  “Drugs? Uh, yeah. It’s chemicals that doctors use to heal people.”

  “That’s what drugs are supposed to do, but in my world bad people got ahold of the idea and used it to create drugs that make people feel good. Those drugs weren’t illegal because they made people feel good. They were illegal because they’re addictive and sometimes they change people’s personalities so that they do things they wouldn’t want to do if they were themselves.

  “Anyway, it’s not a good life, being around drugs, the people who use them, or the people who profit because of them. It’s a nasty business, which is why they can get street kids to commit crimes in exchange for a sandwich.”

  “What kind of crimes?”

  “Usually just carrying illegal drugs from one place to another. When I was first on the street, they said I looked cornfield fresh and innocent. But the thing is, I met a boy.” She felt Charming stiffen and heard the rumbling of a little growl. “There’s no point in being jealous Charming. He doesn’t even live in this world. And I’m over him. Really over him.”

  When she felt Charming relax again, she continued.

  “He told me he’d be able to protect me. A teenage girl on the streets of a city is a target, you know? Protection was the one word I needed to hear more than anything. More than food, water, place to sleep. So I stayed with him.

  “After I turned eighteen I could have left him, but I still didn’t have any place to go. I still didn’t have any money or any relatives. I hadn’t finished school. I pretty much just owned the clothes I was wearing. So I was trapped with no way out.

  “Well,” she laughed derisively, “I guess this was a way out. Far out.

  “My boyfriend stole drugs worth a lot of money from the guy he worked for. He left without even telling me what he’d done or that he was running. This guy he worked for, Ernesto, was a seriously scary individual. Probably psychotic if I understand what it means.

  “So Joey, he was my boyfriend, left me to deal. Ernesto isn’t the kind to accept an apology and go away. He’s the sort who lives on a reputation for being cruel. Ruthless.

  “When I figured out that he and his minions were after me, I was running for my life. I knew that, if they caught me, they’d torture me for information about Joey or the drugs or the money and I didn’t know anything about any of it. I knew they’d do stuff that would make me beg for death until they figured out that I didn’t know squat. They they’d kill me. End of story.

  “Like I said, I was running. Literally. Two of Ernesto’s guys saw me. I ran around a corner and right into that, um, Rosie. She could tell how scared I was. I asked her for help and the next thing I know we were someplace else.

  “I told her my story and she brought me here. She’s either my guardian angel or I’m really lucky.”

  “She’s no angel.”

  “What?”

  “I know an angel. He’s the one who dropped her off with us in the first place.”

  “I can’t tell if you’re being serious.”

  He chuckled and gave her a little squeeze.

  Ana was quiet for a few seconds. Then she said, “So now you know why I don’t know how to do anything.”

  Charming encircled her in his arms and pulled her closer. “You know how to do much more than you give yourself credit for. Scar gave you five days to learn how to bake cookies good enough to sell at the pub. Five days. You know how long it took?” He felt her nod her head. “That’s right. One day. And you know those cookies are better than anything they sell over at Cookie Man’s Bakery. And don’t even get me started on your Shepherd’s Pie. It’s worthy of poetry.”

  She smiled. “Okay. I get it. You think I’m salvageable. Still worthwhile.”

  “I don’t think you’re salvageable because I don’t think you’re salvage. If anything, you saved me.”

  “From what?”

  “Loneliness, for one thing. Had no idea that I was lonely before you came, but if I woke up tomorrow and you were gone? Well, I hope I never have to face that.”

  “Charming. You make it sound like you need me.”

  “I do need you, Ana.”

  “But Snow…”

  He rolled over on top of her and nestled into the cradle between her legs, demonstrating how perfectly right it felt to be in that position.

  “Snow’s not here. Snow will never be here. You’re mine. I’m yours. That’s it.”

  She smiled. “Okay.”

  “Okay.”

  As he began to kiss her softly, he also began to purr. It was a deep, but gentle rumbling that vibrated against her body.

  “What is that?” She jerked away, alarmed.

  He chuckled. “The purring? It’s an indicator that this is exactly where I should be and exactly who I should be with. There’s one more thing I need to know.”

  “What is it?”

  “Someday Rosie will come back. When she does, are going to want to go back? Where you came from?”

  Ana was shaking her head no before he finished the question. “Never,” she whispered. “As long as I’m with you, this is where I belong.”

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Excitement had been building in the city for days. Tents, temporary buildings, and makeshift booths were erected all over the park. City Hall had been unexpectedly open to the idea of changing the name and focus of the event to Jubilee: A Multicultural Festival. They were still planning a massive fireworks display directly over the park just after dark.

  Charming and Ana had decided to put off their mating ceremony until after Jubilee. Free and Serene would be using the bedroom in Charming’s apartment that had recently been vacated, since Ana slept with him.

  As he’d predicted, his family had welcomed Ana and seemed to be genuinely pleased.

  Crave and Dandy were splitting up to help chaperone Newland kids who were being farmed out to a host of different homes providing an overnight stay.

  Charming had been on edge, hoping they could get through Jubilee without another murder. There had been reports that the hate groups planned to turn the park into a melee of anti-hybrid demonstrations. Apparently their goal was to get one of the hybrids to lose control and attack a human in front of a large gathering.

  He was asking all the hybrids to pass the word that they were not to react no matter what. He knew that was a lot to ask, but they’d been putting that burden on their adolescents for years. If the adolescents could manage to confine their aggression to the scruffal field or the iron gamut, then he should be able to expect their more mature counterparts to do the same. The uncertainty of that was a worry like a mental plague that clawed at him night and day.

  Everything they’d worked for could be undone in one random act of violence.

  Ana tried to relieve his stress by pairing a serene environment with a vigorous sex life, but Charming’s fear of what could h
appen ran hot and deep.

  On the morning of Jubilee, a victim was found behind one of the temporary buildings. It had been covered with a tarp. The murderer was apparently hoping the body wouldn’t be found right away. When Charming got word, he thought that, he and the murderer could agree on that. He wished it hadn’t been discovered until the next day, when Jubilee would be over. When the people who were crowding into the city, swelling its population, would be safely tucked away at home.

  Ana had gotten permission from Scar to bake hundreds of extra cookies and Bowman built her a little booth across the street at the edge of the park. Charming did his best to hide his anxiety from her because she was vibrating with anticipation, almost as much as the children.

  Charming and the mayor brought all the pressure they could to bear on the police department to withhold the news until after Jubilee. They also put pressure on the man who discovered the body to keep it under wraps for twenty four hours.

  Crowley was torn. On the one hand, he understood how the news could escalate an already volatile situation and turn the night something more like a war zone than a celebration. On the other hand, he believed to his core that people had a right to know what was going on in their community.

  In the end, even though he feared the slippery slope, he was persuaded that the people would best be served by delaying release of the news for one day. The Farsuitwail police had enough to do trying to prepare for potential skirmishes. Or worse.

  Raze and Ember waited on the sidewalk. Dread was late.

  “We were definitely supposed to meet here, right?” Ember said.

  “Yeah. As demonstrated by the fact that you and I are standing here.” He laughed.

  “Smart ass,” she said. “Dread’s never late. Time is like a religion with him.”

  “If he doesn’t show up soon, we’re going without him. There’s stuff I want to see and do before it gets dark.”

  “I take that to mean you’re not worried.”

  He laughed again. “Why would I be worried?”

  “Murders.” She leaned closer and said it under her breath, lips not moving.

  He mimicked her delivery, saying, “Humans.”

  “I know. It’s just that everybody is so tense all the time…”

  “I’m not.” He yawned just to punctuate his point.

  She rolled her eyes. “Well, Dread is tense enough for all of us.”

  “He is, isn’t he? Life’s too short.”

  As they were both looking into the park, deciding on what they were going to do first, Dread jogged up behind them. “Hey.”

  “Where have you been?” Ember said. “Never mind, let’s get going. It’ll be dark in a couple of hours.” She paused. “Wait.” She reached up to his collar. “What’s this?”

  Raze looked closer. “Blood.”

  “What?” Dread asked.

  “It’s a drop of blood,” Ember said.

  “Must have gotten it shaving.”

  “I don’t see any nicks,” she said.

  “Come on,” Raze coaxed. “We’re not going to wait for him to go change.” He resumed walking. “Personally I think shaving is wrong on so many levels. If we were meant to have smooth faces, we’d have smooth faces. Right?”

  “Yes, but hair on your faces would only make the humans more, ah, unsettled.” Ember reminded him.

  “And we must protect the fragile sensibilities of humans at all costs,” Dread said not bothering to disguise the hint of bitterness.

  “Maybe they’re not as fragile as you think. They know that death is a fact of life. There was another murder early this morning, but you don’t see them staying home. No. They’re out in herds. Like sheep.” Raze said.

  Dread and Ember exchanged a look of confusion.

  “I didn’t hear about another murder.” Ember turned to Dread. “Did you?”

  He shook his head. “No, but I’ve been busy. News could have gotten by me. Easily.” He grinned. “Hey. There’s Charming’s friend, Ana.”

  Ember looked at Dread. “She’s human.”

  He shrugged. “I know.”

  “You don’t usually go for humans.”

  “Well, things change.”

  “She’s not Charming’s friend, Dread,” Raze said. “She’s Charming’s squeeze.”

  Dread looked a little perplexed. “You sure about that?”

  “Pretty sure. You know we’ll see him around here. You can ask him yourself.” Raze laughed.

  “Leave him alone,” Ember cautioned. She looked at the little building where Ana was busy restocking her cookie displays that were already promising to sell out early. “Let’s go say hello.”

  When Dread didn’t move, Ember grabbed his shirt sleeve and pulled him along.

  “Wow,” she said when she stood in front of Ana. “You sell cookies. And they’re beautiful!”

  Ana laughed. “I do. I make them as well. For A Far Scar.” She pointed across the street. “The pub across the street.” Her eyes moved to Raze and then Dread. “Dread! Would you like a sample?”

  “Sure,” he said. Ember elbowed him in the side. “Uh, this is my sister, Ember, and my brother, Raze.”

  Ana smiled. “Well, I guess I should offer you samples as well, since you’re family.”

  “Speaking of family,” Raze said. Dread shot him a glare, but Raze just chuckled and forged ahead. “We’ve seen you with Charming. You guys friends or what?”

  The color in Ana’s cheeks rose just a little. They hadn’t discussed announcements, but she’d met most of Charming’s family so she reasoned it was okay to answer honestly.

  “We’re actually planning a mating ceremony. Next month. Of course you’re invited.”

  “Mating!” Raze looked pleased until he saw the look of disappointment on Dread’s face.

  “That’s so nice, Ana,” Ember said. “We’ll offer Charming congratulations when we see him.” She looked as if she’d suddenly had a fine idea. “You have to go to Brides’ Bliss! It’s an unbelievable shop. They sell outfits for brides that are out of this world.” Since Ember knew the story about how Dandelion got her bridal costume and started a trend, she knew that ‘out of this world’ was literally true.

  “I haven’t gotten that far and don’t know if I could afford it. I work at the pub.” She pointed across the street again. “But it sounds great.”

  “What’s this?” They turned when Charming came up behind them. “Paying customers?”

  Ana laughed. “No. They’re freeloaders claiming to know you. So I gave them samples.”

  “I see you’ve met my mate.” Charming smiled as he gave Ember a hug. “Seen your parents?”

  “No, but they should be easy to spot. They’ll be the ones trying to herd a hundred kids.”

  He looked between Dread and Raze. “Since I insisted they bring the kids down for this, I really should help.”

  All three said, “Naaaaah,” at once and laughed.

  Detectives Crowley and Hogshead strolled by just as Charming was about to say goodbye and make his way to the bandstand in the middle of the park. Crowley nodded as they walked by and Charming gave him a chin raise.

  “Well, I should be heading toward the center of things,” Charming said.

  Ember gave Charming an affectionate pat on the arm. “Things are going pretty well, considering that there was another murder this morning.”

  Charming froze for a second before his brows came down. “Where did you hear that? We have a lockdown on that news.”

  She half turned and motioned to Raze. “I heard it from…”

  Charming’s gaze jerked to Raze and saw what he’d feared most, that the murders actually had been committed by one of them. A hybrid.

  His first thought was that the hate groups would never die away.

  His second thought was that the situation was going to destroy Crave.

  “Raze,” Charming said quietly, “you’re under arrest for murder.”

  Raze sneered. “I don’t thi
nk so.”

  While Charming was plotting his next move, trying to decide how to accomplish what needed to be done quietly, so as not to cause a disturbance that would disrupt the festivities, Raze leaped over the cookie booth counter without touching a single cookie. He grabbed Ana and held her immobile. She tried to fight, but her strength couldn’t compare to that of a hybrid.

  His fangs extended and rested against her neck. If he moved the width of an eyelash, he’d break the skin. He pulled back a tiny fraction of an inch, just far enough to say, “I’ll trade her life for immunity.”

  Charming felt a cold fear begin at the base of his spine and radiate through his whole body. It shot through his nervous system accompanied by painful needle pricks of adrenaline. He didn’t have a plan. His mind couldn’t get past the single thought, “I can’t lose her.”

  Ana didn’t scream or cry out, but her eyes conveyed terror. Like any male whose mate is threatened, Charming was at risk of going feral. His fangs descended, his claws extended, and his voice dropped to a deep growl that seemed all the more menacing because of its low volume.

  Hearing alarmed voices, the detectives had hurried back the way they’d come, along with several other police nearby.

  Charming heard Crowley speak from behind him, “Let the woman go.”

  Raze repeated his demand. “I’ll trade her life for immunity.”

  “Immunity’s not on the table,” Crowley said, “but we’re willing to negotiate. First, let the woman go.”

  Raze snarled ferociously. It startled Ana. Charming was losing his control quickly. When he saw a single tear roll down Ana’s cheek, he snarled just as ferociously.

  Dread finally shook himself out of his state of shock. He turned to Ember, who was staring at Raze with wide eyes. “Ember. Go find Dad.” She didn’t move or take her eyes off of Raze. He turned her to face him, grabbed her by the shoulders and gave her a little shake. “Go find Dad. And hurry!” Her eyes seem to clear. “Hurry!”

  She nodded and took off at a sprint.

  Dread stepped close to Charming and whispered. “Don’t do anything. Stay calm. Ember’s gone to get Crave. Just let me talk to Raze.”