“It has?” Rory looked surprised. “I didn’t know that!”
“Oh, yes, my dears! Why, when I was a girl, States Street was the poshest neighborhood in town! Of course, things have changed somewhat…” She sniffed. “But it’s still very respectable and historical. I’m sure your art guests would love to see it—and to see all your art set up in it, too.”
Cass sat up and looked around, seeing the house where she’d grown up in a whole new light.
“You know—it might work.” She tried to keep the note of excitement out of her voice and failed. “We’d have to move the furniture around and get some kind of catering, which won’t be easy at the last minute…”
Rory made a face. “Who needs catering? We’ll just go get some mini quiches and petit fours from Costco and raid Nana’s wine collection—it’ll be perfect and way cheaper than catering too.”
“Good idea!” Cass got up and started pacing. “We’ll need someone to serve the snacks…”
“Me—I’ll help! And Phil and Josh will be back in town by then too—I’m picking them up at the airport tomorrow morning. I’m sure they won’t mind helping.”
Cass felt a warm glow when she thought of her older sister coming home. She’d really missed Phil the past few days. Their family didn’t feel complete without all three sisters at home.
“You call and ask her, would you?” she said to Rory. “And I’ve got to start calling Lady Blankenship and her crowd and telling her about the change of venue for tomorrow night.”
“Oh, tomorrow night?” Nana’s face fell. “Oh dear—I have a date set for tomorrow night with a nice man from Lake Como Resort.”
“Lake Como?” Rory frowned. “I think I read something about that resort. Isn’t it the place where—”
“Never mind,” Nana interrupted, lifting her chin. “I’ll change the date. I don’t want to miss Cassandra’s art show.”
“Are you sure, Nana?” Cass asked. She loved her grandmother but she wasn’t sure how well she would fit in with Lady Blankenship’s crowd.
“I think that’s a wonderful idea,” Rory said quickly, before their grandmother could answer. She shot Cass a meaningful look. “Especially considering how your last two dates turned out.”
“Oh, right.” Cass nodded quickly. “Yes, Nana—if you don’t mind I’d love for you to be at my show.”
“Then I’ll be there.” Nana nodded her head decisively, her swirl of silver hair dancing with the motion. “And Sir Percy will just have to be understanding.”
“Sir Percy?” Cass raised her eyebrows. “What is he, a Duke or something?”
“It’s an honorary title,” Nana explained, with a toss of her head. “You girls wouldn’t understand.”
“I’m sure we wouldn’t, Nana,” Rory said, smiling. “But that’s okay. It’s sweet of you to cancel your date so you can be here tomorrow night.”
“Tomorrow night—and the day is half gone already!” Cass jumped to her feet. “We have a lot to do.”
“Let’s get to work,” Rory said. “We’re going to make this the best art show anyone has ever seen.”
“I don’t know about that,” Cass said. “But if we can just persuade Lady Blankenship to come see my art in the first place, it’ll be good enough for me.”
Thirty-Five
For once in Cass’s life, everything seemed to be going right. With her birthday wish fixed and her art on track, it seemed like everything else was falling into place too.
She had called Lady Blankenship personally and explained what was happening with Albert and the I.C.U. gallery. To her surprise and gratification, the Grande Dame of the Tampa Bay art scene had been completely incensed at the gallery owner’s perfidy and had agreed at once to a change of venue.
“And I’ll be certain my whole circle knows too,” she’d told Cass. “He tried this once before, you know—promised us a show by a very talented young artist from the Lutz area and then subbed in some niece of his at the last moment. Her work was dreadful.”
Cass had made all the appropriate noises of commiseration and had given Lady Blankenship her home address and told her what hour the show began. Then she and Rory had run to Costco to get all the necessary snacks and she’d begun working on a plan for where to display her art. They had decided to keep everything to the downstairs area and keep everyone out of the upper story of the house.
“Because what if someone walks into the spare room looking for the bathroom and finds all the Brandon clones instead?” Rory had pointed out. “I can’t lock the door—I lost the key.”
Cass shivered at the thought.
“Right—keep everyone downstairs. Good idea.”
She’d been up late getting her planning done and then, right on time, Phil and her fiancée, Josh, had gotten back into town. The good-natured Josh had immediately started moving furniture to make room for the displays and both of them had promised to play waiter and waitress for the night.
Everything was coming together beautifully, Cass thought. The art was all arranged and displayed perfectly, Rory was in the kitchen heating up the hors d’oeuvres, Phil and Josh were dressed in black trousers and neat white shirts and ready to serve—(Josh was tending the wine bar and Phil was ready to start bringing out trays of baby quiches and petite fours.) And Nana, all in a flutter of excitement, was waiting at the front door to greet the first guests.
It was only an hour until her show and Cass was getting dressed, her stomach a mass of butterflies, when Jake suddenly poofed into her room unannounced.
“Oh, Jake!” She went to him at once and threw her arms around him. “I’m so glad to see you—you’re just in time for my art show! It starts in an hour.”
He frowned. “You’re having it now?”
“Well, yes—isn’t that why you’re here?” Cass frowned. She hadn’t told the big elf what was going on but she knew he kept an eye on her so she’d assumed that he knew.
“No.” He shook his head. “I’m actually here to take you to the Summer’s End ball. It’s about to begin.”
“Now?” Cass bit her lip. But now that she thought about it, she should have guessed that was his intent. He was dressed to the nines in a perfectly tailored black tux that made him look even more imposing and gorgeous than usual.
“Yes, now—have you changed your mind about accompanying me?” Jake raised an eyebrow at her. “Of course, I understand if you have. Especially since your art show is about to commence. I know how important that is to you.”
“Not any more important than the Summer’s End ball is to you,” Cass protested. “Look, there’s no reason I have to miss either the ball or my show,” she pointed out. “Time moves slower here—I can go to the ball with you and still be back in time for my show, right?”
Jake looked thoughtful.
“Yes, that should be possible. Of course time moves a little differently in the Cathedral of the Oaks, where the ball is being held, but it shouldn’t present a problem.”
“Perfect,” Cass exclaimed. “Okay, well…I was going to wear this to my show.” She had on the same black jeans and silky black shirt she’d worn the second time she’d gone to court with Jake—minus the hooker heels, which she’d thrown away because they hurt her feet. “But considering how you’re dressed, I doubt this outfit is going to work for the ball.”
“It won’t,” Jake said, smiling. “But not to worry—I’ve got you covered, as you humans say. Both literally and figuratively.”
He said a word of power and a long, gift-wrapped box appeared in his arms. He handed it to Cass with a smile.
“For you, my darling.”
“Oh…” Cass took it from him, not knowing what to say. “Is this…?”
“Open it,” the big elf urged. “See for yourself.”
Cass wasn’t usually the type of girl to get excited over new clothes but the moment she opened the box, she sucked in a breath in awe.
Nestled in the box, wrapped in white tissue paper, was the most el
egant dress she’d ever seen.
It appeared to be made of black velvet and encrusted with tiny purple gems around the bodice. It was strapless and when Cass lifted it out of the box, she saw it was a mermaid cut with a skirt that came down tight to her knees and then flared out dramatically into a rounded train. The purple gems covered it all the way down, their color gradually changing to silvery-white so that the bottom of the dress looked like a night sky, studded with stars. There was even a pair of strappy black heels to go with it that looked to be exactly her size.
“Oh my,” Cass breathed as she studied the exquisite dress. She mostly lived in jeans and t-shirts and yoga pants—she’d never worn anything this fancy in her life. She turned it from side to side, watching the way the tiny purple, silver, and white gems glittered as they caught the light.
“Do you like it? You’re always talking about fairies being ‘sparkly,’ Jake murmured, smiling at her reaction. “I thought you ought to feel as sparkly as any of them tonight.”
“Like it? I love it!” Cass put the dress down and gave him another hug…as well as a deep, appreciative kiss. “It’s amazing! Did you have it made just for me? It must have cost you an arm and a leg!”
“I wanted something to go with your eyes, my darling.” He smiled. “And I noticed you always prefer to wear black.”
“Yes, mostly because it matches everything,” Cass admitted. “But this is beautiful! Just wait a minute while I try it on.”
Luckily, her hair and make-up were already done so all she had to do was slip out of her clothes and put on the dress. She couldn’t wear a bra with it, she found, but the bodice held her up and supported her breasts beautifully so it didn’t matter. Plus, Jake seemed to very much enjoy helping her get tucked into the gown in all the right places.
“If you keep on touching me like that, I won’t care about missing the ball or my show,” Cass told him breathlessly, trying not to moan at the feeling of his big hands on her body.
“Well, we can’t have that.” He leaned down and kissed her, then straightened up and held her at arm’s length. “Cassandra, you look ravishing.”
“I do?” Turning to the long mirror on the back of her bathroom door, Cass took herself in. “Oh,” she breathed. “It’s amazing.”
The dress fit her perfectly—the bodice hugging her curves and giving her an hourglass shape that really did look fabulous.
“I told you—gorgeous.” Jake smiled at her. “You know, after my ball and your show are over, I’d love to take you back to my place and help you out of that dress as I helped you into it. Of course…” he hesitated delicately. “That would depend on your decision.”
Cass felt her heart flutter and her heart start to pound.
“You mean if I agree that you and I should…become an item?” she asked, picking her words carefully.
“It’s more than that, and you know it.” Jake was giving her that intense look again. “I want you as my own, Cassandra—I want to own you, body and soul. But I need to know you’re willing to give yourself to me mentally before I can take you physically.”
“Oh,” Cass whispered. Her pulse was racing so fast she felt dizzy. How could he do this to her? How could he make her feel this off-balance with just a few words and that look in his pale green eyes?
“I want you, Cassandra,” he growled softly and kissed her again, making her feel weak in the knees. Finally, though, she got the strength to put a little space between them.
“Jake, please—I know it’s probably been days for you but I’ve only had a day and a half back here. I haven’t even had a chance to talk to Brandon yet. I called him but he didn’t answer his phone so I left him a message that I needed to see him as soon as possible.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“And he has not yet had the courtesy to return your call or come to see you?”
Cass shrugged. “That’s Brandon. He’s not exactly the most reliable guy around.”
“So I am learning.” Jake sighed. “Well, we can worry about him later. For now, please just consider my offer.”
“I will,” Cass promised earnestly, her heart still pounding. “I’ll consider it very carefully, Jake.”
“All right.” He squeezed her hand and smiled. “Then let’s put everything out of our heads except for tonight’s festivities.”
Cass nodded. “Yes, let’s. Um…should I tell my family where I’m going?”
“There’s probably no need. You will only spend a few hours with me in the Realm of the Fae—I doubt more than five or ten minutes will have passed when we come back.”
“Okay, well—then let’s go.” Cass smiled up at him and looped her arm through his. “I already feel like Cinderella, so take me to the ball, Prince Charming.”
“Those are real people, you know,” Jake remarked, smiling down at her. “They lived in the Realm but their story became so famous it crossed into the human world.”
“Really?” Cass was amazed. “Are other fairy tales about real people too? Snow White?”
Jake nodded. “And her wicked step mother. The dwarves as well.”
“Rumpelstiltskin? Beauty and the Beast? The Little Mermaid?”
“All based on true events,” Jake assured her. “But now I’m afraid it’s time to go.”
Cass wanted to ask more but at that moment she felt the familiar rushing sensation and everything disappeared in a puff of spicy, navy-blue smoke.
Thirty-Six
The Cathedral of the Oaks was amazing—as they rolled towards it in an honest-to-God horse-drawn carriage, Cass couldn’t take her eyes off of it. It was an immensely high structure and all the walls were made of living oaks which were perfectly spaced as they spread their well-trimmed branches skyward. Golden light was pouring out through the broad green oak leaves as their carriage driver—a small dwarf-like person with a beard that reached his knees—drove them around to the front.
They stepped out onto what Cass first thought was a traditional red carpet. But when it moved under her feet, she gasped and looked down to get a better view of it.
The “red carpet” was actually a bunch of tiny red flowers, each only a little bigger than the head of a pin. The flowers undulated again and she nearly fell—only Jake’s strong grip on her arm kept her upright.
“Careful, darling,” he murmured. “Just stand still and let the move-alongs bring us into the Cathedral.”
“Move-alongs?” Cass asked as the carpet rippled again and the two of them began gliding forward without taking a single step.
“A type of flower bred by the Little People,” he explained.
“Little People? But I thought that was just another name for fairies,” Cass protested.
Jake laughed grimly. “Don’t let any pureblooded fairies hear you say that—they’d be most offended. No, the Little People do look a bit like miniature fairies but they’re quite different in temperament. Much more mischievous and given to pranks.”
“Pranks?” Cass frowned.
“Oh, yes. In fact, that was the reason they cultivated the move-alongs in the first place. If an unwary human traveler stumbled into their territory, they would lay a sleep enchantment on him or her and make certain they fell asleep in the move-alongs. The flowers would then carry the sleeping traveler far from the Little People’s territory—sometimes for miles out of their way. The Little People found it funny.”
“Right, sounds hilarious,” Cass murmured dryly as the moving carpet of flowers finally deposited her and Jake just inside the entrance of the Cathedral—a rounded opening in the tall wall of living trees.
“Not for the travelers, it wasn’t,” Jake remarked. “Come on, darlin—we’re here.”
Cass looked up from her feet as she stepped off the carpet and caught her breath in surprise. After seeing that the ball was being held in what was basically just a huge rectangular clearing in the middle of a lot of trees, she’d expected a rustic scene inside. Probably a carpet of grass and fallen leaves with maybe a b
ush or two here and there and tree stumps to serve as tables and chairs.
What she saw instead took her breath away.
Though she’d never been to Europe, Cass had spent one entire semester studying French design in an art history class she’d taken as an elective. The inside of the Cathedral of the Oaks reminded her of something you might see at the Palace of Versailles.
A rich parquet covered the floor and looked like it had been polished within an inch of its life. There were no walls, of course, but the bark of the trees surrounding the vast space had all be polished—it looked as smooth as glass. Gold, silver, and mother-of-pearl candelabras blazing with thousands of magical candles hung in the air at two different levels—once closer to the floor, just ten feet above Cass’s head and another much higher, among the swaying tops of the trees.
Looking up, she could see why the second level was there—dozens of richly dressed fairy couples were dancing in the higher area, their wings flapping slowly as they swooped together in lazy swirls and figure-eights. It was only the Fae who couldn’t fly who were relegated to dancing on the lower level on the parquet floor.
“Talk about a class divide,” Cass murmured, staring up at the spinning, twirling, sparkly beings. They looked like well-dressed angels, flying around like that, she decided—well dressed snobby angels.
“The Summer’s End Ball is a very public opportunity for the fairies to show their superiority to the rest of the Fae,” Jake said, following her gaze.
As he spoke, a familiar pair of fairies detached themselves from the group above and fluttered gracefully down to stand before them. It was Glorianna and her brownie boytoy, Valen.
Great, just great, Cass thought. She wasn’t happy to see the two of them but she supposed she couldn’t exactly be surprised—after all, one of the reasons she was here with Jake tonight was so that he wouldn’t have to attend alone while his ex-fiancé flaunted her non-single status.
Tonight the anorexicly thin fairy was dressed in a flowing lavender gown that was straining over her large, and obviously fake, breasts and Valen was wearing a brown tux which matched his hair and eye color perfectly.
Be Careful What You Wish For (The Swann Sisters Chronicles Book 2) Page 33