“What do I get in exchange for all this?” asks Bry.
“Le Charme will pay you a wildly inappropriate salary, whether or not you crack one word of the hidden code. We even have furnished apartments here in the building. You could work round the clock, if you wanted to. That’s what interests you, doesn’t it? The papyri in our collection and being independent?”
“Possibly.”
Oh, she’s interested all right. I flash yet another in my collection of compelling grins. “So, consider it.”
Knox steps between me and Bry. He spies the edge of a brochure in Bry’s bag. The title is something about Magicorum and the Denarii league. Uh oh. Knox’s favorite past time is trying to kill Jules. Failing that, Knox takes down Jules’ minions … and many of those folks are in that league.
Knox plucks the brochure from Bry’s bag. “You really think you’re in the Magicorum, yeah?”
“I know that I am.” Bry snatches the brochure back. “Don’t touch my stuff.”
Knox rubs his chin. This Denarii thing has him worried, clearly. No one gets more protective than a shifter. Even if Knox thinks he doesn’t like Bry, he’ll want her safe.
“If you’re in the Magicorum, then what’s your fairy tale template?”
I open my mouth, ready to point out that it’s obvious how Bry is part of the Magciorum. Yet I can imagine where Knox is coming from here. No doubt, part of him hopes she’s not Magicorum and this attraction is all some fluke.
Been there, tried to rationalize that.
“Not answering,” says Bry.
Knox works his I’m an alpha warden stare on the girl. In my opinion, this tactic is far more effective than growling. Bry takes in a deep breath.
“My template is Sleeping Beauty.”
“Then why are you after all these papyri?” asks Knox. “Shouldn’t you be out in the woods looking for your prince?”
“I have other interests.” Bry looks to me once more. “I’d like to find out more about your internship.”
“No,” says Knox. “She wouldn’t.”
“Yes.” Bry counters. “She would. Don’t order me around.” As she says those last four words, Bry pokes Knox in the chest. My buddy’s eyes widen. For shifters, touch is important. Pretty sure Knox is debating whether or not to kiss Bry at this point. With his alpha shifter power, most girls would just kiss him first.
Again, Bry surprises.
Bry steps away from Knox and looks to me. “Like I said, Alec. I’ll be in touch.”
How did she walk away? Shifter mojo is next to impossible to ignore. Hell, I have trouble with Knox sometimes. What’s going on here?
My eyes widen. It could be a life mate thing. When shifters find their mate, it can break all the rules. Perhaps that’s why Bry can walk away so easily. It’s something to consider after on. For now, I have an internship to finalize.
“Stop by my office anytime,” I tell Bry. “Only it’s preferable if you visit during working hours. I’m here every day during the summer.” Or I will be now that Elle may be stopping by. “All they do is pay me to dress up and surf the web. I’d love some good company.”
“Hey, I’m here with you,” growls Knox.
I wink. “Like I said. I’d love some good company.”
“I’ll stop by.” Bry shoots one last glare in Knox’s direction before hustling herself out the door. Knox watches her leave, his body still as a statue.
He’s got it bad, all right.
“An internship.” I round on Knox. “Tell me that wasn’t brilliant.”
“You cannot hire her.”
“Why not? I like her. And if she can get something new of out those papyri, we need to try.”
“We’ll figure it out on our own.”
“If there’s some secret in there, our people haven’t found it in the last—what is it again?—oh yeah, that’s right. Two thousand years. I don’t see the harm in giving Bryar Rose a chance. Besides, she’ll just keep trying to copy them illegally otherwise.”
“No.”
“No?”
“You heard me.”
“We’ll drop the subject… for now.” Mostly because I have a spell to cast. Since Bry called Elle, the room still holds a bit of their mutual energy. It’s not the kind of thing a junior wizard could use in a spell.
Then again, I’m not a junior wizard.
And I will find Elle.
5
Elle
I’m not freaking out.
I’m not freaking out.
I’m not freaking out.
Okay, I’m freaking out.
It’s the day after Bry got discovered breaking into Alec Le Charme’s office. I’m now back in Alec’s office or the first day of our internship.
Yipes.
Bry is off playing with her papyri. Alec has a pretty fancy lunch laid out… just for the two of us.
Trouble is, people keep walking by the glass door and staring. It’s a little nerve wracking.
All right. It’s a lot nerve wracking.
Alec sets his hands in his pockets. It’s like he posing for the cover of a magazine or something. He gestures across the low coffee table that sits across from his couch. The thing is covered in fancy plates with little silver domes on top. And does one of those have a Bunsen burner under it? It does.
“About lunch.” Alec points across the food once more. “We have a choice of steak, chicken, salad and…” Alec peeps under one of the little domes. “Falafel. I wasn’t sure if you were vegan.”
“Oh.” I try not to notice how the hallway outside Alec’s office is getting more clogged with people. Total fail. “Are you not in here much or something?”
“In this office, you mean?”
“Yes.”
“To do actual work?”
“Yes again.”
“No. Never. I mean, sometimes I have to sit at the desk because there’s a photo shoot or something, so I keep a pile of Sudoku in the top drawer. It looks like I’m signing contracts.”
“Is that why everyone is staring at us?”
Alec turns. “Oh, I hadn’t noticed that.”
“I guess you wouldn’t.” I sidestep toward the wall and take care to keep my back toward the window. A flash of light comes from the hallway. “Did someone just take our picture?”
Alec frowns. “I’m afraid they did.”
My self-preservation instinct kicks into high gear. “Look, this was a bad idea. You’re Alec Le Charme and I’m not someone who should ever be in the spotlight. At all.” I scoop up my purse from a nearby table. “I should probably go.”
Alec shoots me a million watt smile. “Want to get something incognito?”
“You? Incognito?” But even as I ask the question, I remember how Alec popped on a baseball cap and became Fred.
This might work.
“What about the food?” I ask.
“Office buildings are essentially the same as vulture packs. The moment I leave the premises, they will pick over the leavings within minutes.”
I tilt my head, unsure. “Really?”
“Oh yes. And to answer your other question, going incognito is one of my greatest skills.” Alec bobs his brows. “Prepare to be dazzled.” Spinning about, he marches up to the door and pulls it open. Reaching into his pocket, Alec pulls out a handful of gemstones and grips them in his fist. Closing his eyes, he focuses on his spell. A plume of red mist bursts out from his hand and fills the entire hallway. After that, the air clears. Alec turns to me. “Let’s go.”
I tilt my head. “What did you do?”
“Nothing too evil.” He winks.
Now I have to see.
I step up to the door, glance out into the hallway and smile. Everyone is frozen in place. A light dusting of red covers them. “You cast a time stop.”
“It will only last another minute.” Alec steps into the hallway and gestures toward the back of the building. “I expect you know where the private family elevators are?”
&nb
sp; “I do.” Mostly because I break in here all the time.
We reach the elevators. Just as the silver doors close on us, everyone on the floor comes back to life. Leaning against the elevator wall, I try to jam my hands in my pockets. But this suit doesn’t have any. So annoying.
“So what’s next?” I ask.
“The dazzling will continue,” says Alec.
We step out into the sub-basement. There Alec keeps a leather bomber jacket, baseball cap, and sunglasses. He swaps out his suit jacket for the casual ensemble and does another magazine style pose, this time where he leans against the wall with his right shoulder. “What do you think?”
“I’d never recognize you… Fred.”
Alec whips off the sunglasses. “So you remember that?”
I shrug. “Of course.”
“I never forgot it, either.” Alec steps closer. My stomach decides to practice aerobics again. “And MingMart would not disclose their supplier. I even tried magic. Nothing.”
A zing of happy moves through my soul. He tried to find me. “That was probably my parents. They cast lots of security spells over my identity.”
“It was some good stuff. I’m a warden.”
There’s no hiding the mini gasp I let out. “You are? No one writes about that.”
“I keep a low profile.” Alec leans in even closer. “And you read about me?”
“You’re hard to miss.” I don’t mean to say this, but my lips seem to move on their own. “I’m a warden, too.”
“No way. You hide it really well.”
“I’m sure you get why.”
“Of course.”
I want to face palm myself. Hanging around Alec is dangerous. Now I just told him I’m the warden of fae magic. How dumb is that? “It has to stay secret.”
“I’d never risk you.” Alec is usually such a player. Not in this moment, though. Nothing but sincerity shines in his blue eyes. “You need to know that.”
The force of his emotion slams into me. I want to say a million things, like how I’ve never forgotten him … how he awakens my heart … And how happy I am in this moment. All those thoughts wrap into a single word. “Thanks.”
A flash of red light floods the basement. The next thing I know, there’s a dwarf standing between me and Alec. I step backward in shock. Words tumble from my mouth. “I’ve never met a dwarf before.” And this is a real dwarfy-looking dwarf, if you know what I mean. Huge brown beard. Long tunic. Pointy-toed boots. The whole deal.
“I’m Wilhelm.”
Alec sighs. “Why are you here?”
Wilhelm arrows his eyes at me. “I wish to discover your intentions toward our Prince.”
Now I’m really lost. “Prince?”
“Wilhelm and his crew are pledged to serve the Le Charme family,” Alec explains. “We’re a Cinderella template, so that makes me their you know what.”
Wilhelm dramatically scans the empty basement, as if spies could be lurking in any random corner. “We serve Le Charme by digging up jewels… and information.”
My eyes widen. “Were you the ones who cracked the internet backbone under the Russian Embassy?”
Wilhelm puffs out his chest. “Why, yes.”
I nod, impressed. “I heard it was a dwarven job, but no one knew there was a senior crew operating in Manhattan.”
“We’ve been here since the Le Charmes came over form Europe.” Wilhelm clears his throat. “But enough about my crew.” He wags a meaty finger in my direction. “Answer the question. What are your intentions?”
“Nothing but good stuff.”
“And you’ll respect his innate decency?” asks Wilhelm.
Alec groans, but there’s no real anger in it. I focus on Wilhelm. “Absolutely,” I reply. “His decency is safe with me.”
“I suppose it’s all right.” Wilhelm pulls off his cute pointy hat and rubs his bald head. “Not sure why the Queen of Hearts is up in arms about you two.”
All the blood in my body seems to sink to my toes. I’d forgotten about the Queen of Hearts. “What do you know about that?”
“Nothing you need be concerned about.” Another flash of red light illuminates the basement. When the brightness is gone, so is Wilhelm.
Alec pretends to be very interested in wiping dust off his sunglasses. “Sorry about that.”
“No, Wilhelm is sweet. It’s clear he cares about you.” And because I can’t help myself, I add one more question. “Does he do that a lot?”
“That’s the first time,” says Alec.
“Oh,” I say. And that’s all I can get out at the moment.
“I should be honest here,” says Alec. “Wilhelm knows I had a dream about the Queen of Hearts ages ago. She said that Legend would keep my from my true love.”
“Oh,” I say again.
And this would be the perfect place to add in how I actually met the Queen of Hearts. She told me the same thing, only the queen added that it would be none other than Marchesa and Legend who would try to spoil my love life.
But I can’t get the words out.
Sadly, that confession feels sealed behind a heavy wall. A memory appears. I’m in the Cynder basement with Marchesa. She’s tried to lock me in. Both my parents are gone. Sorrow weighs into my soul with such force, it’s like I can’t breathe.
So much pain. And I bricked it away years ago.
I haven’t really gone past that wall ever since.
Yes, there’s Bry. But having someone like Alec in my life? That’s more than a new friend. It explodes my whole life. It could rip down that wall. All the hurt would escape and overwhelm. And if things with Alec didn’t work out? I don’t know that I’d have the strength to build myself up again.
“Elle? Can you hear me?” It’s Alec.
I clear my throat. “Yes?”
“You seemed a little lost just then. I hope the stuff about the Queen of Hearts didn’t upset you. If Wilhelm says not to worry, then we’re safe. Really.”
“No, it’s fine.” I force on a smile. “I just need some lunch.”
“Sure,” says Alec. But a question lingers in his eyes. “Why don’t we head out the back alley exit? There’s a hot dog cart not far from here. We could get something to eat and chat.”
I take in a deep breath and clear my thoughts. “That sounds perfect.”
As we step outside, my thoughts go back to Bry. All these feelings for Alec remind me how much I already care for my best friend. And her eighteenth birthday is coming up. Again, that’s never a great date for anyone with a fairy tale life template. No matter what, I’ve got to keep my eye on her.
And protect my heart.
6
Alec
A shadow falls over Elle’s face. I step closer. Every impulse in my being wants to enfold her in my arms. Still there’s no missing the chill around her. It’s not a physical sense of cold, mind you. It’s more something inside.
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
“It’s nothing.” She forces a smile. “Let’s get some lunch.”
I slip in my sunglasses. “Hot dogs, here we come!” I push out the back door.
Together, Elle and I step into the alley and merge with the foot traffic on the sidewalk. My disguise works and happily, there are no fans or paparazzi to bother us.
Now we can get down to business.
I’ve spent years wondering what happened to Elle. All we had was a small chat by a loading dock. At last, I can fill in the blanks.
“What’s your favorite color?” I ask.
Elle’s blue eyes dance with humor. “Color?” she echoes.
“Yes, I want to know all about you.”
Her cheeks redden. “It might be the same for me. Curious, you know.”
“Perfect.” Seeing Elle blush brings out my mischievous side. “How about we play Truth or Dare?”
“What? You mean that we either answer a question honestly… or perform any dare the other person demands? are you honestly suggesting we play a game popu
lar with eight-year-olds everywhere?”
I make my best poor you face. “Scared, huh?”
“Bring it on.”
“Huh.” I tap my chin dramatically. “Why were you sad before?”
“Before?” Elle asks the question as if she’s confused, but I think she knows exactly what I’m talking about. And I could back off. Yet I still want to know everything about this girl.
“In the basement,” I explain. “You seemed a little blue.”
Elle nods slowly. “Okay. The answer to your question is orange.”
“What?” I shake my head. “You were unhappy about orange?”
“No. Your first question was my favorite color.” Elle wags her finger at me. “You can’t switch now.”
“Fair enough.” I chuckle. “Your turn.”
“Truth or dare?”
No question. “Truth.”
Elle eyes me for a long moment. “When is your Glass Slipper Ball?”
I set my hands over my heart and stagger. “Ouch.”
“Not your favorite subject?”
“Let’s say it’s a tough topic with my parents.” I sigh. “Right now, it’s scheduled for Valentine’s Day. That’s right before my nineteenth birthday. It’s traditional for Queen of Hearts to bind a couple at the ball.”
Elle hugs her elbows. “Bind?”
“It’s a magical marriage. Normally a real wedding follows a few weeks after the ball.”
“I don’t know a lot about the Queen of Hearts. Why would she bother with your family’s marriage ceremonies?”
“It’s unclear. And believe me, I’ve read everything I can find on the subject. The founder of Le Charme Jewelers, Charles, once said he won a bet with the queen. Other than that, I know nothing.”
At this point, it’s on the tip of my tongue to share about the family curse, but I hold back. I did promise my father to keep it secret. But also? I’m unsure how I really feel about the whole thing. Before, I hated the idea. Yet now that Elle is back in my life? Things might be changing.
We reach the hot dog cart. “Here we are! Your lunch, Milady.”
Elle grins. “Can’t wait.”
We get our grub and hoof it over to Central Park. There’s a spot along the sidewalk with a bench and overarching trees. We take our seats. For a time, we eat in friendly silence. Then I ask the question. “Truth or dare?”
Slippers and Thieves Special Edition Page 10