Kingdom of Mirrors and Roses

by A. W. Cross

  Cillian’s returning smile was brittle. “I’m afraid I must. If I don’t, I suspect Serena will eat me alive.” His gaze flicked to the purple-gowned woman who’d been so eager to see him earlier. She hovered now on the edge of the crowd, her eyes pinned to him.

  “Ugh, that woman.” Beauty’s partner shook his head. “Not one for a subtle chase.” For a moment, it seemed as though he would still refuse then he loosened his grip and leaned back to look down at her. “I’m sorry our time’s been cut short, little rabbit.” He raised her hand to his lips. “Perhaps we will meet again, in more…secluded circumstances.” As he stalked away, he said something to Cillian too low for Beauty to hear. Which was probably for the best, given Cillian’s dark expression.

  As the other man was swallowed by the crowd, Cillian picked up Beauty’s hand and slid his own arm around her waist. She opened her mouth to speak and he shook his head. “Not yet.” He moved them in unison with the other dancers, twirling Beauty through the throng until they came to the edge of the dance floor—the opposite side from the now-glaring Serena—where they still blended with the crowd yet had a modicum of privacy.

  “I thought we couldn’t be seen together.” She kept her voice as quiet as possible, barely moving her lips.

  “I know, but watching Gideon come on to you like that…that was a path I couldn’t let you go down.” His grip tightened as he spoke.

  “Who is he?”

  “The man I answer to.” Loathing lurked under his calm tone.

  “He seems…”

  Cillian’s grip tightened further, and a muscle twitched in his jaw. What was going on with him? “Yes?”

  “Creepy, to be honest.”

  His hand loosened, albeit only a fraction. “That he is.”

  “And her? That woman who was…talking to you? On the stairs? Who is she?” She forced herself to be nonchalant. Her eyes focused on his left shoulder, where a strand of hair had fallen.

  “Serena? She’s…”

  “A beautiful woman. And she seems to like you—” What was she saying? Heat crept up her neck and into her face. Hopefully he’ll think it’s just from the dancing.

  His arm around her waist stiffened, his metal fingertips pressing into the small of her back. Had she said something wrong?

  “She’s not beautiful to me. And she likes anything damaged.”

  Indignation stiffened her own arms. “Cillian, you’re not—” She stopped as his hand tightened on hers again. Why was he so agitated? His movements were irregular, almost clumsy, and his grip was becoming painful.

  “Are you okay? You’re…you’re going to break my fingers.”

  He stopped and looked at their entwined hands, her reddened fingertips. Chastened, he loosened his hold. “Beauty, I’m sorry. I—”

  “Come on.” She tugged his hand, pulling him away from the dance floor and behind one of the great pillars that lined the room. All along the wall were small, cushioned alcoves, thankfully empty. Maybe here they could speak properly without being overheard.

  “What’s going on with you?”

  “I just… This was a stupid risk, Beauty. We never should’ve come here.”

  Was that why he was so upset? It wasn’t going that badly, was it? At least now she knew the truth, had seen it with her own eyes. That was what they’d come here to do, after all.

  “But it’s fine, Cillian. I believe everything you told me now. I—”

  “It’s not fine. It’s far from fine.” He bit off each word, and his inhuman irises blazed—not the pale light she’d seen in the darkness but the shrinking of his pupils, a warning.

  Was he angry with her? “Cillian, I’m sorry. I—”

  “We have to get out of here, now.”

  Already? True, only moments before, she couldn’t wait to leave. But now they were together, and there was still so much to see. Surely they could stay just a little longer, watching from the shadows? She might never get another chance to see a life so exotically different from her own. “But—”

  “Do not forget where you are.” The edge of his voice was diamond-sharp, slicing through the seductive miasma of the ball.

  He was right. What the hell was she thinking? These people were perfectly happy to keep her and her kin in squalor, working their nails down to the quick so they could while away their lives at parties like this. There was more food on that table than the Hallow Hands saw in a month. She peered around the pillar.

  She could see it now, so clearly, the decay underneath the shiny veneer. How easy it was to forget, to admire them. And the worst part was that if anyone from The Vault saw what she was seeing, they would only redouble their efforts, determined to one day make it into this heaven. They wouldn’t even care about the lies, the lost years. They would get down on their knees and thank these monsters for their salvation.

  She pulled back and looked up at him. His face was pale under his mask, and something wild fretted in his eyes. What might it cost him to have brought her here? She was suddenly aware of how great a risk he’d taken, just so she would believe him. He didn’t have to bring her here, risk everything for her if they were caught. But it had been so important to him that she believe, and she’d insisted that this was the only way. He had much more to lose than she did, and still he had put himself in danger. For her.

  Beauty stood on her tiptoes and cupped Cillian’s face between her hands.

  “Beauty—”

  She pulled his face down to hers and kissed him. His mouth opened in surprise, and she took the opportunity to deepen the kiss. He sighed against her mouth with a shudder then wrapped his arms around her, his human hand tangling in her hair.

  She traced her fingers over the seam on his face as he shifted her around and pushed her back to the pillar. She arched her back against the cool stone, pressing against the unyielding plates of his mesh chest until she could feel his heart beating over hers. Could he feel it? Their hearts, beating together? As though in answer, his mouth hardened on hers, became more insistent. His metal fingers slid up her spine, coaxing a small moan from her throat. Her first kiss, with him. With—

  He pulled back abruptly, and she staggered in the sudden void between them. “Cillian?”

  He turned away from her. “We have to go. We can’t—”

  What was wrong? Did he regret what had just happened? Mortification shortened her breath. He’d seemed like he’d wanted it as much as she did. Maybe she’d misread him. Her head spun. She shouldn’t have drunk that glass of…whatever it was. Here they were, supposed to be keeping their wits about them, and she’d kissed him. What was wrong with her? “Cillian—”

  “Now.”

  Bowing her head so he couldn’t see her shame, she began walking back toward the dance floor.

  “Not that way.” He grabbed her hand, and she tried to ignore the heat that crackled up her arm at his touch. “Down here.”

  He led them swiftly through a series of corridors. How many times had he been here, to know his way around such a maze? But then, it wasn’t that different from home.

  Just more traps to fall into.

  At last, they came to a much smaller door. A smaller, locked door. Cillian swore.

  “Can you open it?” If not, they were going to be trapped here.

  “Yes, but not without leaving a trace.” He sighed. “Well, there’s nothing to be done about it. We can’t stay here.” He pressed his hand to the panel on the wall and a moment later, the door slid open to reveal a set of stairs and the night sky. He stepped out first and scanned the vast lawn. “Come on, let’s go.”

  The door had led them to a side exit of the manor, out of sight of the main entrance. Light spilled onto the front lawn, and laughter carried over to them, but they kept to the cover of the sculpted ornamental bushes, darting from shadow to shadow like a pair of apparitions. Finally, they reached the line where the manicured lawn again became wilderness, and Cillian allowed her to slow to a walk.

  She pulled her hand from
his and bent over, trying to catching her breath. A stitch protested in her side, and she held up a hand as he looked questioningly down at her.

  “I’m okay. I just need a minute.”

  He nodded, though his expression was anything but happy. He kept glancing back toward the manor, as though he expected someone to come after them. But no one had seen, she was sure of it. “Okay, let’s go.”

  The ride home was tense. Pain still lanced her side, and Cillian kept his face turned away from her, studiously staring out the window into the darkness. Should she apologize for kissing him? Would that make things even more awkward? His hand rested on his lap. What would he do if she touched it? Would he pull away? He’d held her hand while they were running, but that was different. That was for survival. This was for…what?

  In the end, confusion kept her hands where they were. What had been in that drink? Her head was muddled, her body in a state of chaos. Her lips still tingled from his, her fingertips remembered the silkiness of the hair at the nape of his neck. She pressed her forehead to the cold glass on her side and closed her eyes.

  Just think about something, anything else.

  But she couldn’t.

  13

  Cillian closed his eyes against his reflection as they barreled through the dark. His heart beat so painfully, so loudly, it seemed to fill the small shuttle. In just a few short hours, his world had been turned upside down again, by both Gideon and the young woman beside him.

  Gideon was going to kill everyone in The Vault.

  And Beauty had kissed him.

  He couldn’t decide which was worse.

  What the hell was he supposed to do now? That single kiss had changed things, had changed him, a sweet, intoxicating poison. The only thing he knew for certain now was that no matter what else, he wasn’t leaving Beauty to the fate of The Vault.

  A month, Gideon had said. One month until the end. It’ll probably be the only promise he ever keeps. Cillian was under no impression that Gideon would keep his promise to him. A home. Retirement. A lie. He would be retired all right—to his death.

  That wasn’t going to happen. They could leave, tonight. He would take Cybel and Beauty somewhere hidden, somewhere safe. Where that would be, he had no idea, but it wasn’t important. Right now, getting them out was all that mattered. Anything could happen to him between now and then. When he’d spoken to Gideon, there’d been something in the other man’s demeanor, as though Cillian was already under suspicion. But how was that even possible?

  You’re just being paranoid. Besides, you haven’t done anything yet.

  Except ask questions. And people like him had disappeared for less.

  It had to be tonight. Tomorrow at the latest.

  Decided, he leaned against the window, staring into the gloom.

  She’d taken his face in her hands, as though it were a normal face. And she’d kissed him like…like it was a normal kiss, a moment of genuine passion. Spontaneous. Because of him. Before when he’d been kissed by women, they’d done so with only their own pleasure in mind, for the thrill of making love to a man who was mostly a machine. He had all the exotic spice of an android but a mind of his own, which made it a challenge. Cillian was a rare prize indeed. Others like him enjoyed the attention, but he never had.

  But someone like Beauty…it was more than he’d ever hoped for. When he’d been cyberized, he’d given up the expectation of a normal relationship, of an equal love.

  Who said that’s what she’s offering you?

  It must’ve been a heady night for her in so many ways. Now that they were back in the shadows, did she regret the moment of impulse? The softness of her lips, the desire in her hands as she’d pulled him down to her. Giddiness wanted him to touch his hand to his lips, to feel the invisible mark she’d left there.

  He hadn’t wanted to pull away. If he could have, he’d have stayed in that moment forever. It might be the only moment they ever had, given their fate. After the initial surprise, the flush of pleasure, all he could see was The Vault, caving in and entombing the people within its protection. Entombing her. What would she say when she found out what Grace Alpha had planned? Would she blame him?

  He’d find out soon. The shuttle came to a smooth stop, and the door slid open to reveal Cybel, waiting, her face blank. At the sound of Cillian’s boots on the platform, her eyes blazed into life. She must’ve been waiting there the whole time. Affection rushed through him. Another to keep safe at all costs. She was the most loyal friend he’d ever had.

  And the nosiest.

  “Well? How did it go?” She made a whirring noise, her equivalent of an excited squeal. All her resentment at being left behind seemed forgotten.

  “It was…interesting.” He turned away from her to help Beauty off the shuttle. She was perfectly capable of getting off herself, but he didn’t trust that damn dress, stunning though it might be.

  You just want an excuse to touch her.

  She didn’t look at him, although she did accept the hand he offered her. “Thank you.” Her voice was barely more than a whisper, and as soon as her feet touched the ground, she was off, hurrying away from them without a backward glance.

  What was going on with her? He’d thought she’d come back home to Cybel and he’d have to spend the next few hours listening to them go over every tiny detail from the party.

  Cybel waited until she’d turned the corner before rounding on Cillian. “What did you do?”

  “Me? Nothing! Why do you think I did anything?” Although she was only three feet tall, the small bot had a way of making him feel like a child. Her child.

  “Well, something happened. Was it the party? Was someone mean to her?” Her ocular interface flashed.

  “No. I—” Might as well come clean. She’d find out sooner or later. “She— We kissed.”

  “You what?” There was no mistaking the glee in her tinny tone. “Cillian!”

  “I— Don’t make a big deal out of it, please. I’m not sure if she’s happy about it. You saw what happened just now.” He dropped his voice as low as he could. “And Cybel, we’ve got bigger problems.”

  “Bigger than you finding love? How is that possible?”

  “Cybel, I’m not joking. It was a kiss, nothing more.”

  “Yet.”

  She was exasperating. “Look, let’s go inside. I need you to bring Beauty to the library. Please. I have to talk to both of you.”

  Where could he start? How could he possibly tell Beauty that in one month, everyone they knew in The Vault, even The Vault itself, would be gone? What Grace Alpha was already doing was bad enough, but at least there’d still been some kind of hope, hadn’t there?

  He paced alongside the bookshelves. Where the hell were they? How long did it take to get out of a dress? He’d been too agitated to change his own clothes, conceding only to remove his mask and jacket, and loosen his stiflingly high collar.

  Just as he was about to erupt, Beauty and Cybel arrived. Finally. “Sit.”

  She can’t even look at me.

  It didn’t matter. She could regret everything that had happened since they’d met—including the kiss—all she wanted, he still wasn’t leaving her to the mercy of Grace Alpha.

  He softened his tone. “Please.”

  Beauty sat, still carefully avoiding his eyes. Cybel remained by her side, her little fingers curled over the arm of her chair.

  He cleared his throat. “Something happened tonight. Something that changes everything. Something terrible.” Why was he stalling? Just say it. “I—”

  “I’m sorry!” Beauty was on her feet, her eyes blazing. “I thought…I thought you—”

  Cillian blinked. What was she talking about? “Beauty, I’m sorry, I don’t—”

  “You don’t have to apologize.” Indeed, her expression suggested that apologizing made it a hundred times worse. Whatever it was. “It was my fault, and I understand that you don’t want… That I—” She drew a shuddering breath.


  Cillian dove in before she could speak again. They didn’t have time for this. “Beauty, what the hell are you talking about?”

  Now it was her turn to blink. She frowned. “The kiss.” When he didn’t reply, she rushed on, the words tumbling over each other. “Look, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have kissed you. But I thought…I thought you—” She inhaled deeply. “I thought you wouldn’t hate it. And I’m sorry. I won’t do it again. Things can go back to the way they were, and—”

  “No, they can’t.” That was what she thought this was about? How could she think he’d be anything but thrilled about what had happened between them? It was all he could do not to sweep her off her feet and kiss her again. He would’ve laughed if he wasn’t about to break her heart—just not in the way she expected.

  “I’ll go then. I can go back—”

  He crossed the space between them in three steps. “Beauty, stop.”

  She bit her lip and looked up at him.

  He put his hands on her shoulders. “That’s not what this is about, I promise. Why would you even think that?”

  “Because you pulled away. I— It’s fine, if you don’t see me that way.” But her expression suggested it was anything but fine.

  A wild dizziness nearly overcame him. She thought he’d pulled away because he didn’t want her? He almost wished that were true. Even that would be better than the news he had.

  “Beauty.” He cupped her face in his human hand, running his thumb over her cheekbone. “I didn’t pull away because I don’t want you.” He leaned down and brushed his lips against hers as she stiffened in surprise. “Believe me, I want you to kiss me, Beauty, and I want to kiss you back. I can think of few things I’ve wanted more.”

  She searched his face, as if she could see the truth there. “Then why?”

  “Because I have something else to tell you.” He led her gently back to her chair. “Please, sit.” As she did, Cybel shifted closer, curling her fingers around Beauty’s. They both stared at Cillian, and for a moment, he considered simply not telling them. Why not just whisk them away from here?