Its unbelonging presence repulses me. It seems to be glowing a deeper rosy hue than it had been this morning, which is better than the black-grey it had once been, and yet it is still an unwanted intrusion in my body. I wish I could rip it out. Only the memory of the pain the one time I had tried stops me. It had felt like I was trying to tear my insides out, like it would kill me.
I take a deep breath and look away from it. The rest of me looks normal. But for that stone, I wouldn’t have to spend my whole life worrying someone will find me out and punish me for being me. Being the Angel of Death, will never be fine. Never.
Feeling defeated I head to my wardrobe to find something to cover myself up and hide my secret. I’ll pretend like I always do. I’ll smile so that no one at the party can look at my face and see my fears and insecurities. I’ll be brave.
Nobody needs to know that Storm rejected me, or laugh because I might be trying to win him back. I must give them no reason to doubt that I am anything other than completely normal as I prowl the party, on the lookout for a killer to prove Storm wrong. I must make sure to look the part.
By its description in the schedule, tonight’s ball promises to be wild. I open my wardrobe and contemplate my choices. The slinky red dress that Lila tried to make me wear yesterday would be perfect for grabbing Storm’s attention. It screams confidence. But does it say I’m trustworthy? Will it tell him I am not a raving loony if the words ‘Devil Claw Killer’ happen to come out of my mouth?
I run my fingers down the thin and clingy scarlet fabric, and a shiver trembles through my body. The color reminds me too much of blood on a white shirt, of blood on white bed sheets. And imagine if my navelstone started vibrating again. This dress would do nothing to hide it.
I put on a gown of midnight velvet instead. Its fitted sleeveless bodice is encrusted with sparkling silver, and its multi-layered skirt flares out from my waist. It is gothic yet elegant, the sort of fairytale ball gown a movie star would wear to the Oscars. I hope it will help me blend in.
I force a spring into my step as I go downstairs. It is not difficult to find the ballroom. All I have to do is follow the distant noise. It grows louder as I get closer, the sound of a live band playing exuberant dance music, a crowd of people reveling in drink and dance. By the time I arrive, the party is in full swing.
I pause in the doorway. The room is a gallery, a wide long room with huge canvases of classical art hung high on the walls. White marble statues are dotted around. The massive chandeliers hanging from the vaulted ceiling above are only dimly lit. Strobe lights sweep the room, lighting up faces in their glare. I can feel the bass thumping like a physical thing. And everyone is dressed in their finest or most outrageous spangly clothes. Like a futuristic Cinderella’s ball.
The dance floor is packed with couples shaking and shimmying, unashamedly displaying their party moves — some quite amusing, some very good. It looks like five hundred guests must be in here, twice the number that had been at the welcoming drinks on the first night. Clearly people who are not staying at the castle have arrived specifically for this event. My heart sinks. How on earth am I going to find a killer in all this?
I cannot see Storm. The crowd is too tightly packed. The thought of walking into it is almost overwhelming. The only solace is that it is too crowded for anyone to try to strangle Storm without being stopped. If I can hover in his vicinity, maybe I will spot someone checking him out.
But where is he? I see very few faces that I actually know. The last thing I want to do is enter the heaving mass of bodies, and yet I had told myself I wasn’t going to be a coward anymore, so I dive in, muttering, “Excuse me. Excuse me.” And then shouting it when it becomes clear that the music is too loud for anyone to hear me.
I do not find Storm. But I eventually see Lila. She is dancing with a group of succubae and their partners, all banded together and having a lot of fun. The girls are showing off their moves outrageously, and urging the men to do the same. The men are half drunk, and the braver ones amongst them shake their hips and shimmy their shoulders, showing off for the girls.
Lila spots me and beams. It makes me smile that she is so glad to see me. She reaches out to pull me in through her sea of admirers. She throws her arms open and wraps me in her embrace.
“Where have you been?” she shouts in my ear over the music.
I take my turn shouting in her ear. “I went on a picnic with Storm.”
She raises her eyebrows, making a facial expression that says she is both impressed and outraged at my temerity. Clearly she still doesn’t fully approve of Storm.
But she doesn’t seem to hold it against me, because she shrugs and links her arm with mine, and dances with me. She grabs a drink from the tray of a struggling waiter and thrusts it into my hand, and insists that I down it in one. Laughing, she puts the empty glass back on the waiter’s tray, and takes another one for herself. When she only sips it instead of downing it, I playfully slap her arm for making me down mine. She laughs hysterically, pleased with my fake outrage.
I lean close to her and yell in her ear, “Does anyone here look like a murderer to you?” I am only half-joking. She might have seen more than she knows.
She shrieks in laughter, and then shouts in my ear, “How much have you had to drink?”
“Nothing!”
She shrugs, then shouts, “I want to hear every detail about what happened.”
“Later.” I mime that it is too loud.
She nods. “At midnight. By the fountain in the Rose Garden.”
She has to repeat it a couple of times before I can be sure of what she said. I nod in agreement. I know where that is. It’s where I bumped into Xander the first night. I don’t particularly want to go there, but chickening out goes against tonight’s mantra of being a brave new me.
“Promise!” she insists.
I promise. Lila seems to know everyone worth knowing. If I can’t get a clue on the killer’s identity before then, maybe she can help me. But how to find the killer? I cannot even find Storm, so how can I possibly mingle with all the people in this room in the hopes one will trigger a premonition or do something suspicious?
Hands on my shoulders startle me. One of the other girls has come up behind me. It is the raven-haired succubus who is staying in the room opposite me, the one who was with Freddie the first day. Her name is Maxima. She has barely spoken a word to me before. She is smirking.
She points through the crowd. “There’s your lover boy,” she shouts in my ear.
Feeling tense, I look in the direction of her pointing finger. But it is not Freddie. It is Storm. He is half way across the room, dancing with Princess Caroline. Slow dancing. Her hand is on his shoulder. She is gazing tenderly up at his face.
Chapter 30
DIANA
The sight of Storm and Caroline together sends a shock through me. He seems to sense my eyes on him. He looks right at me. I almost expect him to look guilty but he does not. They continue to dance. I look away quickly.
I wanted to save him. I wanted to help him, but he has moved on already. Why the hell is he dancing with her? Is it to hurt me? Doesn’t he know that she is dangerous?
The raven-haired succubus Maxima who pointed Storm and Caroline out to me is watching my face greedily. She had done it just to see my pain and humiliation.
This sparks my anger. I will not give her that. I crook my finger at her. If she likes gossip, I’ll give her some. She brings her face close to mine eagerly.
“So who do you think is the murderer?” I ask her.
Her eyes widen in surprise. “What murderer?”
“Haven’t you heard? A psychic said there is going to be a brutal murder soon, and the murderer is in this room right now!”
Her eyes go wide. “Who is the victim?”
I shrug.
“One of us?” she shouts.
“Someone important,” I tell her. “Someone very important.”
A look of glee spreads across
her face. She doesn’t care whether what I have said is true or not. This piece of news is too interesting to keep to herself. She hurries off to share it. I watch her work through the crowd, shouting into the ears of her friends, gleefully speculating with them who the victim and killer might be.
“What did you tell her?” Lila asks.
When I confide in her, she looks astonished. “But you can’t be serious!”
I nod. Suddenly I feel in a much better mood. It is as if a burden has been lifted from my shoulders. What I have done is the right move. Somehow it is going to flush the killer out, and make them reveal themselves. All I have to do is sit back and watch.
I wonder what Storm will think when the rumor reaches him? Will he know it came from me? Is it going to make him mad? I determinedly refuse to give him the gratification of knowing I am upset with him. A song comes on that I like, sung by a diva, her powerful voice sending a thrill through me. I sing along and begin dancing to it, pretending that I am not feeling self-conscious. It’s my birthday and I’ll dance alone if I want to.
As I spin, I see that Storm has finished dancing with Caroline. She guides him back towards her group of friends, Xander among them. A waiter rushes to hand them drinks. The group is animated, talking about something. Caroline looks annoyed about whatever her friend has just told her. She rolls her eyes, but she leans over to tell Storm anyway. I seem him stiffen.
Then he turns to look right at me, a scowl like thunder on his face, and I realize my little rumor has reached them. I raise my eyebrow at him in a challenge. Oh, he’s mad. But I don’t give a damn. I may not be a princess, but right now I would rather be a psychic trying to save lives. For the first time in my life it feels a little bit good to be me. This feeling might be fleeting, but I am damn well going to enjoy it while it is here.
I see Xander is glowering broodily at me. I don’t care. Princess Caroline, ever aware of her fiancé’s mood, has caught him looking my way and she is scowling. She says something to her friends and they all look at me and smirk. I ignore her. It is me that has Storm’s attention now. I hold Storm’s gaze as I move to the music, swinging my arms and swaying my waist in free abandon. I take a few steps towards him as if daring him to come and get me. Lila snatches my arm.
“You should make him come to you,” she says.
“You’re damn right.”
I blow him a kiss, and turn away from him abruptly. He can do what he wants. Seizing hold of Lila’s arms, I make her dance with me. We are soon laughing and trying to outdo each other with our moves. She glances over my shoulder and makes a face which lets me know that Storm is heading our way.
Lila shouts in my ear. “He looks mad.”
“Let him be mad.”
“You’re going to go with him, aren’t you?”
I nod.
She pouts. “Remember to meet me later tonight. I want to talk to you. Midnight by the fountain. You promised.”
I nod in agreement, and then Storm taps my shoulder and I turn to face him. He looks angrier than I have ever seen him. I raise my eyebrows mockingly, daring him to admonish me. I keep dancing. I spin around, my arms in the air, moving my body unashamedly, letting the music fill me and soar inside me. When he tries to take hold of my hand I twist away from him and move deeper into the crowd.
I am dressed in a fairytale ball gown, and I am at a fairytale ball, and if an angry prince charming wants to yell at me, he is going to have to come and get me. He comes after me, stalking me like prey. I lead him on a chase, staying just out of reach, until finally he manages to catch my wrist. He seizes me by the waist and hustles me out of the ballroom and into a corridor.
The relative quiet is disconcerting. “What do you want?” I snap, my elation evaporating as nerves take their place.
“What the hell do you think you are doing? Was it you who spread that rumor?”
“So what if I did? I told you what I saw, but you didn’t believe me.”
“Do not make this crap up to—”
“Crap?” I snap. “Do you think I did it for attention? There is a killer here. I did it to flush them out.”
He groans, and presses his fingers into his temples like he is stressed. He says through gritted teeth, “Every time I think I know what to do with you, you make me change my mind.”
My heart skips a beat. “You… you believe me then?” I ask.
“No!” he snarls. Then, reluctantly, “Yes… Maybe.”
With a squeal of relief, I throw my arms around him. “Oh good! Because I was so worried. Now all you have to do is be careful until my rumor flushes them out.”
“Genius plan,” he mutters. “If what you say is true, all you did is put yourself in danger.”
He sounds annoyed, but I don’t care. He has not pushed me away. When I hugged him his arms went around me. They are still there.
“Pah,” I say cheekily. “I never told them that I was the psychic. I’m not stupid.”
“At least there is that,” he mutters.
He looks deep in thought. I take his hand and drag him back towards the doorway. “Let’s dance.”
He digs his heels in, refusing to come with me. “We need to speak about this.”
“One dance first. And then we can talk.”
“No. I need to talk to you now.”
“Please. Just one dance. It’s my birthday, and all I want is to dance with you.”
When we talk I am going to have to tell him that he is not the only one I think is in danger. That Xander is too. That I think the killer is DCK. I don’t want to get into all that just yet. I just want a little time to ourselves first before I have to tell him something else he is going to have trouble believing.
Sighing, he gives in and lets me lead him back on to the dance floor with its booming music. He looks like the weight of the world is on his shoulders. I shout into his ear, “He’s not likely to strangle you here!”
He scowls at me. I exaggeratedly pout. I perform a silly disco move, channeling Lila’s confident spirit, until he begins to laugh. I cannot resist that grin. I reach my arms out to him, inviting him to join me. Suddenly all I want is to spend the rest of my birthday night dancing with him. Can’t real life wait until after one evening of carefree bliss?
He takes me in his arms, turning me in an exaggerated spin and then dipping me low. He is not ashamed to be silly. He tries to outdo me in funny moves until we’re both laughing so hard we can’t dance any more. The crowd opens up around us, watching us, most people looking amused.
We dance until I am thirsty. And then he gives me his arm, and clears the path for us to get to the bar. I tell him I don’t know what to order, so he orders me a kumquat mojito, telling me I will like it. He is right. It is delicious.
As we sip our drinks, gazing at each other, that serious expression comes over his face again. He nods towards the door, letting me know that he still wants to talk.
I shrug sadly, accepting that it is time. I am about to follow him when Caroline descends on us, along with two serious looking bodyguards. She shouts something into Storm’s ear. I cannot hear it. He shakes his head. She insists, taking hold of his arm, trying to lead him away. The two bodyguards flank him, looking rather menacing.
Storm scowls, looking like he would happily take them on. He turns to me and says, “I need to deal with this, then we’ll talk. I’ll come and find you. Stay with your friends.”
“Be careful!” I warn him, and watch anxiously as he goes.
Chapter 31
DIANA
As she leads Storm away, Princess Caroline looks over her shoulder to give me a victorious smirk. Relishing her small victory. Not for long though. He wanted to come back to me.
I watch him leave the ballroom with her. Once he has disappeared from sight, I no longer feel in the mood to stay here. I look around for Lila, wanting to tell her I am going to my room and ask her to tell Storm so that he will know where to find me. Lila is nowhere to be seen.
I realize i
t is nearly midnight. I had promised to meet her in the rose garden. I don’t even have her number so I can’t even rearrange. I hurry out of the ballroom, and in the direction of the central lobby. The rose garden is all the way at the other end of the castle, which is dimly lit and quiet, tonight’s main focus being on the ballroom. My heels click rapidly against the mosaic stone tiles underfoot as I rush to get to Lila on time.
I find myself humming under my breath as I go, reliving the moments I had danced with Storm. I am so glad to be back on good terms with him. It seems stupid that I had thought he was the killer. I will not allow him to become a victim. Lila will be able to tell me if my rumor pays off. She is on good terms with the other succubae and they will keep their ears open if she asks them to.
Psychic for Hire Series Box Set Page 17