The Beautiful (ARC)
Page 37
of earnestness. “I want to tell Bastien myself, without any of
your spies or henchmen nearby.”
“Why would you think I would agree to such a sentimental
request?”
“Because despite everything, you like me, Monsieur le
Comte,” Celine replied without flinching. “And you love your
380
9781524738174_Beautiful_HC_INT_pass05.indd 380
6/28/19 2:56 PM
nephew. Bastien is your weakness. I’d wager it must pain you to cause him grief.”
Another unreadable emotion crossed his face, the silence
stretching thin for several breaths. “When did you wish to tell
Sébastien?”
Here was the most important question he’d asked yet. Celine
maintained a flat affect while answering. “I suppose it depends
on how soon you wish to see this matter at an end.”
“Tonight, then?”
It was just as she’d hoped. “If you wish, Monsieur le Comte.”
Nicodemus sent her a wry look. “Love is, indeed, a weakness.”
He leaned toward her right ear. “And I do like you, Marceline
Rousseau. Most especially when you do what I want.” The brush
of his threat curdled her spine, sending spiders scurrying across her skin.
Celine smiled to mask her fear. “I understand.”
“Sébastien will meet you on the terrace in twenty minutes.”
381
9781524738174_Beautiful_HC_INT_pass05.indd 381
6/28/19 2:56 PM
Two Sides of the Same Coin
i
The scent of dying flowers wafted past the open doors,
weaving toward Celine. It reminded her of the praline
vendor who idled on the corner of Rue Bourbon and Rue
Toulouse every Saturday, Christmas bells on his wrists and
ankles, a homemade pipe dangling from his lips. Beneath the
moonlight, the travertine balustrade at her fingertips glowed
a pale shade of pink, spidered with veins the color of dried
blood. Vines of bougainvillea and peach begonias wrapped
around the terrace railing, dew glistening on their downy
petals.
From this vantage point, Celine considered her next move.
She’d successfully secured what she most wanted: a mo-
ment alone with Bastien. As a result of the count’s efforts to
keep them apart after Nigel’s murder, Celine had yet to share
what she’d realized while studying the clues on Michael’s slate
chalkboard.
Come with me to the heart of Chartres.
At the very least, it was possible she’d learned the location
of the killer’s lair. What they should do with this information
remained to be seen. She’d considered taking it to Michael, but
382
9781524738174_Beautiful_HC_INT_pass05.indd 382
6/28/19 2:56 PM
he’d already refused to help her once, and the New Orleans Metropolitan Police had thus far been stymied in all their
attempts to catch this otherworldly demon.
Celine didn’t know how much time Nicodemus would give
them now. Would it be enough to secure Arjun’s or Odette’s
help as well? The prospect seemed unlikely. Bastien might
be willing to defy his uncle to catch Nigel’s murderer, but it
would be foolish of Celine to expect the same of anyone else
in the Court, especially given their recent encounter outside
police headquarters several nights ago.
No matter. Celine intended to use every second of her bor-
rowed time with Bastien, especially if it meant they might lure
the killer into the light.
Several other couples mingled at the edge of the balcony.
A trio of young women huddled together, laughing at bawdy
jokes. Their levity brightened the tenor of Celine’s thoughts.
For an instant, she even considered joining them. Especially
when she overheard one of their ranks speaking in animated
tones about Odette Valmont’s costume. How Sébastien Saint
Germain’s scandalous lover had dared to wear fitted breeches
beneath her open mantle, as well as a gentleman’s cravat.
Mischief gleamed in one girl’s brown eyes. “Whom do you
suppose wears the trousers in bed?”
“Neither of them, if they’re doing it correctly,” the young
woman next to her replied.
“Zut alors!” the last girl cried with delight.
Despite everything, Celine could not help but laugh. She’d
meant it when she’d told Nicodemus she liked it here. New
383
9781524738174_Beautiful_HC_INT_pass05.indd 383
6/28/19 2:56 PM
Orleans was a world of contrasts. A city of life and death. A raw and rich tableau.
It suited her.
She traced her fingers along the stone balustrade, sketching
through the thin layer of moisture collecting along its surface.
A pair of footsteps came to an abrupt halt over her shoulder,
too close to be by chance. She turned at once, her words swal-
lowed by a gasp.
“Pippa.” Alarm scalded through Celine’s body.
Anger pinched her lovely friend’s features. “I came here be-
cause I wanted to tell you something.”
“Please, you can’t be seen with—”
“No,” Pippa interrupted. “This time, you will be the one to listen.”
Celine tugged her deeper into the shadows, glancing about
wildly, her features tight. “You don’t understand, I—”
“No!” Tears pooled in Pippa’s eyes as she wrenched herself
free. “I don’t want to give you a chance to offer me an explana-
tion. You’ve . . . wounded me. Immensely. I’ve worried about you every day. A single word or note would have sufficed. But
you’ve cut me out of your life, and I won’t pretend to know
why.” She gesticulated as she spoke, her lace sleeve snagging on
the elegant silver frogging across her baroque stomacher. “Oh,
bother,” she moaned.
“Let me help,” Celine said, reaching for the lace.
Pippa moved to stop her. The next instant, her shoulders
fell, her sigh one of defeat. “Blast it all,” she muttered. “I came outside intent on making an impression, yet here I am in your
384
9781524738174_Beautiful_HC_INT_pass05.indd 384
6/28/19 2:56 PM
debt.” Her wig of powdered sausage curls slid down her brow, the cross on her golden chain catching on a loose tendril. “And
to make matters worse, I look like the Ghost of Christmas Past.”
“Don’t fret.” A smile tugged at Celine’s lips. “I’ll be sure to
heed your warnings, no matter how portentous.”
Cutting her gaze, Pippa sighed once more. “I need you to
know how angry I am . . . and that it doesn’t matter if you ig-
nore me or push me away. I’ll always be here, Celine. I love you
dearly, and that doesn’t change simply because you’re behaving
like a wretch.” She yanked her wig straight, a cloud of powder
diffusing about her head.
Celine detangled the last of the snarled lace. “I love you
dearly, too, and I’m beyond sorry for behaving like a wretch,”
she said in a soft voice. “Please know I have my reasons for
keeping my distance. One day soon, I’ll tell you everything.”
“I’ll hold you to that promi
se.” Pippa nodded. “But never for-
get that I am here, if ever you need me.”
A lump gathered in the base of Celine’s throat. “I won’t forget.
Ever.”
Pippa nodded again, her expression turning morose. “I sup-
pose I should return to the ball. I sent Phoebus for some re-
freshments, and only a total lummox would get lost on his way
to the punch bowl.”
“Is Monsieur Devereux such a lummox?” Celine teased in a
gentle tone.
“I’m sure I don’t know what you mean.” Pippa cast her an
arched glance. “But if you meet me for tea next Thursday, I’m
sure—together—we can divine the truth.”
385
9781524738174_Beautiful_HC_INT_pass05.indd 385
6/28/19 2:56 PM
A part of Celine desperately wanted to be the kind of girl who could make plans next Thursday with a dear friend. But
she had no idea what the next hour would hold, much less the
next few days. It seemed that, no matter where she went in the
world, these two warring sides of her were destined to come to
an impasse. Two sides of the same coin. For Celine was every
bit the girl in a jewel-toned dress who longed for the love and
laughter of an afternoon tea. Just as she was every bit the girl in black, her heart filled with murderous designs, intent on bringing about a killer’s demise.
Could two such opposing forces ever coexist in the same soul?
“I’d love to have tea with you next Thursday,” Celine replied
with conviction.
The best she could do was hope. After all, hope was its own
kind of magic.
j
The sky darkened to a deep purple as the minutes passed.
Celine waited at the edge of the balcony, staring up at the stars.
She didn’t know when she’d first realized how much the sight
of the moon soothed her. Perhaps it had something to do with
her mother.
In the far reaches of her mind, Celine recalled walking along
a rocky shore as a child, hand in hand with a lithe figure whose
black hair fell past her waist in thick waves. In this memory, her mother sang to a full moon, the melody carrying over the inky
water, unfurling into the vast sky above.
Perhaps it was a dream. Nothing more.
386
9781524738174_Beautiful_HC_INT_pass05.indd 386
6/28/19 2:56 PM
A branch snapped in the treetops to Celine’s left, drawing her from her thoughts with a sudden jolt. Molten energy
coursed through her veins, her skin growing hot like embers
stoked to flame. Celine’s eyes flitted in all directions, fear
making her aware of every breath. Every scuttle. Every sigh.
She focused on the grove of looming oaks, her heart careen-
ing in her chest.
A lone owl burst from the shadows, its wings beating in time
with her breath.
She almost laughed. Her fingers trembled as they moved
to the bare skin of her throat in an effort to soothe her raging
nerves.
The next instant, silence fell around her like a hammer on
an anvil. The birds stopped stirring in the treetops, the cicadas ceased with their droning. A dull roar echoed in Celine’s ears
when she twisted toward the open double doors at her back,
intent on making her way inside.
Before she could take a single step, the suddenly mute indi-
viduals along the balcony crowded her path. They turned to
leave in concert, their expressions blank, their footsteps rote.
The trio of girls from earlier linked hands, their eyes glassy as they filed toward the double doors, the last of their ranks pausing to latch them shut behind her, the locks falling into place
with an ominous click.
Was this Nicodemus’ doing?
Panic thrummed through Celine’s body. What kind of dark
magic was this?
Had Nicodemus lied to her? Was he toying with her? Had he
387
9781524738174_Beautiful_HC_INT_pass05.indd 387
6/28/19 2:56 PM
made false promises of his own, all along intending to rid himself of Celine at the first opportunity?
Suddenly each of her memories became that much more pre-
cious. She thought about hitching up her skirts and fleeing.
Considered racing toward the latched doors and pounding on
their oaken surfaces, bellowing for help.
How badly would she injure herself if she were to jump over
the balustrade?
Celine had planned to lure the killer to the location of his first murder. To hem him in along the docks, taking advantage of
the open spaces and the stretch of water at their backs, thereby
thwarting his attempts to escape. And if that didn’t work, she
was determined to root him out of his hiding place in the heart
of Chartres.
He was not meant to trap her.
Was Nicodemus the killer? Had Celine quite literally waltzed
into his clutches?
Her chest rose and fell in rapid succession, the whalebone of
her stays laced tight. The only recourse Celine had was that if
she screamed loud enough, someone inside was sure to hear
her.
But would they reach her in time?
Celine planted her feet, rooting her convictions. If this was to
be her one chance, she would take it. Her fingers moved toward
the hidden pocket at her hip, pausing a hairsbreadth from the
handle of Bastien’s silver dagger.
A murder of crows burst from the branches to her right. She
spun around, watching them soar into the moon, wishing with
388
9781524738174_Beautiful_HC_INT_pass05.indd 388
6/28/19 2:56 PM
all her might that she could sprout wings of her own and take
flight.
Just then, Celine noticed a strange set of markings along the
edge of the balustrade. Her feet carried her closer before she
had a chance to think.
Four symbols had been inked into the travertine stone, their
edges dried to match its veins, their centers a wet, brilliant
crimson:
L, O, U . . . P?
A strangled sound emitted from Celine’s throat. She backed
away, colliding with a wall of stone. Shock took hold of her
when a pair of long arms reached around her waist, gloved
hands running up her rib cage.
“Mon amour,” he rasped behind her ear, his cool breath wash-
ing across her nape. “You are mine forever.”
Celine opened her mouth to scream. Something sharp tore
into the side of her neck, and she was consumed in a dark void.
389
9781524738174_Beautiful_HC_INT_pass05.indd 389
6/28/19 2:56 PM
A Pound of Flesh
i
Something was horribly wrong.
Bastien had known it the instant his uncle had come to
him, a warm smile on his face and an unsettling light in his
gaze. The moment Nicodemus had offered Bastien a chance to
speak with Celine on the terrace in private.
No member of the undead granted such a boon without first
exacting an excruciating price. Especially a theatrical immortal
like Nicodemus Saint Germain. Once, years ago, Bastien had
witnessed his uncle take an actual pound of flesh from an en-
emy, peeli
ng the man’s skin back slowly, relishing each of his
screams. Bastien had been a boy of nine then. And in fairness,
the enemy in question had killed his father.
Unease gathered in the base of Bastien’s throat. His uncle’s
sudden change of heart was sure to be an ill omen. Neverthe-
less, he murmured his thanks and crossed the ballroom, paus-
ing only to nod at those who vied for his attention. To beg their leave, with promises to return in a trice.
All Bastien could think was reaching Celine. Of reassuring
her that his uncle’s wishes had no bearing on his heart.
Not that she needed any man’s reassurances.
390
9781524738174_Beautiful_HC_INT_pass05.indd 390
6/28/19 2:56 PM
An appreciative smile curved up one side of Bastien’s face when he thought of how she’d burst into the ballroom two
hours late, garbed in a gown of mourning, a devil-may-care at-
titude in each of her steps. It was one of the things he loved
most about Celine. How little she gave a damn about anyone’s
good opinion.
Bastien paused before the solid oak double doors leading
onto the terrace, puzzled to find them locked from the inside.
Tension banding in his arms, he unlatched the doors to step
onto the balcony . . . and was met with a sight that iced the marrow in his bones.
No one was there. Not a single soul lingered beneath the
violet sky, taking in the night air.
Celine Rousseau was nowhere to be found.
His teeth clenched and his jaw rippling, Bastien glided to-
ward the empty railing, his eyes scanning every which way.
He did not possess any of his uncle’s preternatural gifts. He
could not see through the darkness unimpeded, nor could he
smell the scent of blood from a vast distance. And he most
definitely could not blur through time and space in the blink
of an eye.
But Bastien had learned as a boy to notice things most mor-
tals would overlook. Like the smear of blood along the ledge,
the color camouflaged in the veined travertine. And the four
smudged symbols nearby, written in macabre ink, smelling of
copper and salt.
There had been a struggle. And it appeared the killer had
taken Celine from the balcony.
391
9781524738174_Beautiful_HC_INT_pass05.indd 391
6/28/19 2:56 PM
Rage spread through Bastien’s veins. The rime of unmitigated rage. Always ice. Never fire.
Bastien ripped the ridiculous mask from his face. Without a