Beautiful nightmares, p.23
Beautiful Nightmares, page 23
“So how did you and Laurie meet?” I asked impulsively, swallowing.
Tabitha didn’t hesitate, and her response was matter-of-fact as she gathered my thick hair and secured it into a high ponytail. “Sixteen years ago, His Majesty purchased me at a black market in Cairo. After the auction, he brought me to an apartment that was furnished and paid for. The deed was in my name, he said. Those were the first words I ever heard him say. There was also a bank account that would help me survive for several months. And then he offered a job, a position in his inner circle. If I turned him down, he would leave and never return. The apartment and the account were mine, no strings attached.”
“There are always strings,” I retorted, eating the last bite of the sandwich. Why was she telling me this so freely?
Tabitha’s rosebud lips curled into a wry smile. She plucked the crumpled paper bag out of my hands and stepped away. She put the bag in a small trash bin, then went to the bed to retrieve some of her makeup supplies. She came back to the chair and said, “Of course. King Laurelis had been watching me at the market, you see. He saw the vengeance burning in my eyes. He knew I would not be able to resist a chance to undermine the creatures who had raped me and killed my family.”
“Faeries,” I said. It wasn’t a question; my voice was flat.
“Faeries.” Tabitha’s dark eyes met mine in the mirror. Her smile became bitter, her eyes two hollows. “They wore masks, but I could see their ears. They moved like only faeries could, as well. I still don’t know which ones broke into our home that night, though it doesn’t really matter anymore. I live here, ruining them one by one. Learning their secrets. Making them dance like puppets. They look at me and see a slave, and I allow it because it suits my needs right now.”
“Not to mention, it pads that bank account,” I remarked. Tabitha made a sound of acknowledgement. I absorbed her story while she circled the chair. It was a mutually beneficial partnership—Laurie got a loyal spy, and she got her revenge. She was the king’s secret weapon; all he had to do was point her in a certain direction. But somewhere along the way, as things usually did, it had gotten more complicated than that. Real warmth had formed between them.
Unaware of my thoughts, Tabitha bent and touched my face with a makeup brush. Every few seconds, she dipped it on a pallet of powders. Once she was finished with a layer of foundation, the female picked up a tube of eyeliner. “Don’t move,” she instructed.
I nodded and closed my eyes, inwardly struggling. I wanted to ask Tabitha what she was, but amongst Fallenkind, it was generally considered rude. I’d also been meaning to ask her about Gil. The eye makeup took longer, though, and I got distracted by more thoughts, other worries.
When Tabitha leaned away, my eyes went to the mirror again. I didn’t care about how I looked; I focused on the wardrobe, where the dress still hung in its protective sheath. My forehead wrinkled with lines of apprehension. “Do I want to know what he picked out for tonight?”
“As annoying as he is, King Laurelis does have excellent taste,” Tabitha said in her monotone way. She walked briskly over to the dress and pulled down the zipper. Her white-tipped nails gleamed as she pulled the flaps apart, revealing the gown tucked inside to give me a good look.
“Fuck,” I said on an exhale, staring. “He really does have good taste. If I told him that, though, I’d never win another argument.”
“To be fair, have you really won any so far?” Tabitha asked, cocking her head.
I laughed, and a shock went through me at the sound. I was still smiling as I stood. “You have a point there. You’ll have to let me in on your secret; you took him down without even trying.”
Releasing the dress, the dark-haired female took several steps closer. Her expression had hardened. “Ah, but secrets are never free, Lady Sworn. Fortunately, the cost for mine is simple. A secret for a secret.”
I wasn’t smiling anymore. I reached for her mind with my own, readying to defend myself. Laurie was across the suite, and I didn’t know how fast Tabitha could move—she might be capable of killing me before I could gather enough breath to scream.
“Ask me whatever you want to know. No need to play their games,” I said, hoping to distract her. Sometimes, if my victims focused on something else, they weren’t aware of my presence inside their head.
“What do you want from him?” Tabitha asked bluntly, her mental walls slamming down. I went tumbling backward, the connection completely severed. Tabitha quirked a brow and added, “No need to play their games.”
My temples pulsed. I ignored it and considered the question she’d asked. For once, I didn’t say the first words that came to mind, which would be nothing more than a naive denial. Everyone gained from a relationship, no matter what kind it was. True to her word, Tabitha had already told me her driving force, the purpose to her bond with Laurie—that was why she hadn’t hesitated sharing something so personal.
Whatever she was, Tabitha was trying to protect Laurie. Because she cared about him.
I wasn’t sure what I’d expected of the people in the Seelie King’s life, but I definitely hadn’t imagined these genuine connections I was encountering. There had even been something human and surprising in the moments I’d witnessed between Laurie and his mother.
“I don’t know,” I said truthfully, hoping Tabitha would hear it in my voice. “I don’t know what I want from Laurie. He… confuses me. More than anyone I’ve ever known. But I do know I care about him, and I consider the Seelie Prince a friend. I’d fight anyone who tried to hurt him.”
This seemed to be good enough for Laurie’s assistant; she took my dress off the hook and closed the wardrobe door. I finally thought to ask about Gil just as she said, “You should put this on. The fundraiser has already begun, and it’s not fashionable for the royal family to be late.”
The royal family. Her words struck a chord inside me as I realized there was a possibility I’d be seeing Belanor soon. If he was still alive when we left that blood-sprayed cell, it had been a night and a day since then—more than enough time to heal from the damage of that last encounter. I refocused on Tabitha, struggling to conceal the strangled feeling gripping my throat.
“Remember,” she said, still devoid of all feeling. “Remember what he did to you. Feed your rage like a flame.”
Though I got the feeling Tabitha was trying to encourage me, I couldn’t help but feel a chill at the sight of her. She’d paused in the doorway, tall and silent, making me think of an assassin or an animal hidden in the shadows. Her beauty was the kind that felt dangerous, like thorns on a rose. She could have you bleeding in seconds.
Slowly I said, “I would never want you for an enemy.”
Tabitha’s eyes flickered, and I couldn’t tell if that faint, fleeting light was agreement or amusement. “Good luck tonight, Lady Sworn,” she replied.
Her heels clipped against the floor as Tabitha fetched the makeup bag. I stayed where I was, watching her with equal parts wariness and admiration. She left the room without a backward glance, and almost immediately, a tension I hadn’t known I was holding in my shoulders melted away. I was glad I hadn’t given in to the urge to ask Tabitha what she was.
Some mysteries, I’d learned, really were best left alone.
CHAPTER TWELVE
The gown Laurie had chosen for tonight was… striking.
It was a combination of black lace and, beneath that, silk the color of bare skin. The skirt was long and flared behind me like a black river. I wouldn’t be able to fight in it, but I was glad not to be wearing the nightgown anymore. I stood in front of the mirror, the chair returned to its place against the wall. Searching my body for any place that might conceal a weapon, I tilted my head and tugged at the ends of my tight sleeves. Too tight for a knife. “Damn it,” I muttered.
A pale face appeared over my shoulder. Then, before I could release a startled breath, Laurie’s silken voice said in my ear, “Tabby liked you.”
I turned to face him, adjusting the heavy skirt. As I straightened, I scanned Laurie, starting at his feet and ending at his throat. The faerie prince was in a suit of blue satin, and over this he wore a frock coat with silver embroidery. The pattern was distinctly floral. There was a wide jewelry box in one of his hands, and when I saw what he held in the other, I pursed my lips to suppress a smile.
“Are you seriously holding a top hat?” was all I said.
Laurie’s eyes narrowed. “Excuse you. You’re just lashing out because you can’t bring your knives or guns along. The Guardians would’ve taken them at the door, anyway. This tailcoat is from the Baroque Collection by Mario Moreno Moyano. How am I not going to wear a top hat with it?”
I wasn’t sure how to argue with that. I eyed the silver embroidery and rhinestones on his suit. There was also a crystal brooch at the center of his chest. “I’m scared to see what you brought for me.”
“Turn back around,” Laurie ordered. I gave him a look of warning—don’t get used to this, it said—and obeyed.
He tossed his hat onto the bed, needing both of his hands free to open the jewelry box. I heard the hinges give a faint creak. Laurie reached over my head a moment later, and something heavy settled on my chest an instant before there came the sound of a clasp clicking shut.
I lifted my head, looking into the mirror again. The necklace was made of golden, shining chains, so delicate and numerous that the dress beneath it was all but hidden. It wasn’t the first time Laurie had given me something like this, and I couldn’t bring myself to tell him I didn’t wear jewelry, as a general rule.
While I was still staring at it, Laurie placed a black rose behind my ear. He handled the delicate stem as though it were made of glass. I didn’t look at him, but I was sure he could hear my traitorous heart reacting to his closeness. Before I could make up a lie, Laurie stepped back and snapped his fingers. “Oh, I almost forgot.”
He fetched something from the bed. Two somethings, I saw as he returned to me. Laurie was holding masks, both of them mounted at the ends of satin-covered sticks. Until that moment, I had forgotten, as well.
The one he gave me was a confection of black lace and golden feathers. It matched my outfit perfectly, of course. I held it up and peered at the dimming room through two holes. I was still looking through them as I turned back to Laurie.
“‘We wear the mask that grins and lies, it hides our cheeks and shades our eyes. This debt we pay to human guile, with torn and bleeding hearts we smile,’” he murmured. His tone had the connotation of a sonnet or a poem.
I searched his eyes, though I wasn’t really sure what I was looking for, and my voice was low as I replied, “Except we are not humans.”
“That is very true, Fortuna Sworn. Shall we?” the faerie prince added, arching a brow behind the dramatic mask he’d held up, too. Something about the beaded whorls made me think of The Starry Night painting.
I didn’t answer Laurie’s question, because I knew he would hear the fear in my voice. Too much of his plan depended on people I didn’t know or trust. I wanted Finn back, and I longed for our freedom, but the thought of leaving these rooms terrified me. Thankfully, Laurie’s gaze went back to my hair and it instantly distracted him. His brows drew together. “One moment. Let me fix that first.”
He turned me back to the mirror, and I lowered my mask. Making a fierce effort to hide my reservations, I watched Laurie’s reflection, drawn to the graceful movements of his fingers as they fixed wayward strands of my hair. I noticed the rose again; I’d never seen a black one before. The petals looked like velvet. “Why did you choose that flower?” I asked.
Laurie was still preoccupied with my hair. His gaze met mine fleetingly as he said, “Isn’t it obvious? The bud represents death. Which is exactly what you are.”
His tone made it clear he meant this as a compliment, but I frowned. “I’d like to think there’s a little more to me than that.”
“Of course there is. But its darkness only makes the rose more beautiful, wouldn’t you agree?” With that, Laurie moved to my side and extended his arm.
I was anxious to see Gil, so I didn’t hesitate to take it. But as my hand settled on the crisp material of Laurie’s suit, my other one holding the mask, something inside me reacted to the contact. A sort of… shift. Why did it always startle me when I remembered he had muscles? Maybe because he kept them hidden, a mystery beneath all those pretty clothes. I tipped my head back to see Laurie’s face, like a flower to the sun. Drawn to the source of warmth and light, the attraction as inevitable as winter or daylight.
As if he knew exactly what I was thinking about, Laurie’s expression intensified.
Fear exhaled over my heart, its breath so cold that an icy layer formed. I forced myself to look away and turn my thoughts to the night ahead. We walked through the bedroom doors and into the foyer, the heels I wore making sounds that echoed off the high ceiling. They weren’t exactly practical, but there was a slit in the skirt that made it impossible to get away with boots or sneakers. If Laurie even owned a pair of either.
As I’d hoped, Gil stood near the outer doors. The vampire looked uncomfortable in black slacks and a white dress shirt, his posture making me think of a wet cat. A uniform, Laurie had called it. So Gil was going to be part of the wait staff tonight.
“Before you ask, no, I’m not all right,” he said the moment our eyes met. “I’ve been through a lot of fucking trauma in the past twenty-four hours, and I plan to schedule many, many sessions with my therapist when this is all over.”
I nodded. “Okay. Noted. We can talk later, if you want to. You know, if we survive this party.”
Despite my nonchalant tone, I was trying not to stare. There wasn’t much physically different about Gil, but something had changed. Unlike the creatures of urban legend, real vampires weren’t always beautiful. There was always a sense of attraction toward them, though. It was an inexplicable allure that most people responded to, because most of us enjoyed a subtle, momentary sense of danger. And to look into a vampire’s red-rimmed eyes was to know danger. Intimately. Like someone pressing a kiss against the hollow of your throat.
Then logic always found a way into your thoughts, dismissing the warning from your survival instincts. A human would probably shake their head and continue on.
But I wasn’t afraid of Gil. I knew the shape of his soul, and however dark it had become, it wasn’t evil. He was grieving… and probably hungry. Tonight would be a battle for him in more ways than one.
Directing my thoughts elsewhere, I discovered another problem while Laurie stepped forward and took hold of the long, curled doorknob. “What if a Guardian sees us on the way to the fundraiser?” I asked, squeezing my intricate skirt in my free fist. The other clenched around the mask. “Will they try to take me and Gil back to that cell?”
Laurie paused to answer. “At the Seelie Court, parties are the equivalent of a ceasefire. Not once the actual party starts, of course, but it’s like the hours before a battle. Everyone is allowed to get ready and establish the appearance of civility.”
“Just before you slaughter each other,” I muttered.
“Precisely.” He pulled the door open.
I rolled my eyes at Laurie’s response and stepped forward, directly into a slant of pink dusk. I didn’t hesitate—if there had been an ambush waiting, Gil or Laurie would’ve sensed the guards. Their heartbeats, the air going in and out of their lungs. As much as it was a pain in my ass, sometimes having Fallen creatures for friends was handy.
Laurie closed the door behind us and moved at a brisk pace. It felt strange to be walking the halls, unhurried and unafraid, when we’d been running through them only a day before. There were others leaving their rooms, too, dressed as elaborately as we were. I saw a male in a tailcoat bow and extend his hand to a female in a pink gown, the sleeves puffed around her shoulders. Laughter tinkled in the air. Jewelry flashed in the dying sunlight. I observed everything in sight, constantly making comparisons between the two faerie Courts.
Then we rounded a corner, and I felt my lips part in awe. My thoughts evaporated like steam hitting open air.
“Welcome to Stone Hall,” Laurie murmured. I couldn’t look away long enough to acknowledge him.
It was the most beautiful room I’d ever seen.
Sunset poured through the lattice windows across from us. Dapples of light and dust motes moved in the shades of yellow and pink. The ceiling was three stories above our heads. Covering every inch of that arched surface was a painting of rainbows, flowers, trees, clouds, and elegantly-dressed figures. I stared at it as a voice rang through the air, announcing the arrival of a couple in front of us. I tore my eyes away from the vibrant images overhead and took in the rest of the space. Lustrous braziers attached to each of the travertine columns lit up most of the hall, filling it with dancing shadows and a warm radiance. The floor was made of red and white tiles.
“So what is—” I started, turning. That was when I realized Gil was gone.
“He’s fine,” Laurie said under his breath, flashing a brilliant smile at someone. He must’ve seen the panic on my face. His lips barely moved as he added, “The vampire knows his part for the night. Now it’s time to play yours.”
Finished with his latest announcement, the herald spun on his heel, facing us. I tried to hide my surprise at the sight of a tail coming out between the flaps of his long, brocade coat. The shapeshifter spotted me first, and I saw his gaze flare with immediate interest.
It had been days since anyone had reacted to me—to the Nightmare within, presenting the face they would think the most beautiful—and my first instinct was to reach for him. Touch his arm. Feast on the fears waiting beneath his skin. We drew up alongside him and I held the shapeshifter’s gaze.
Laurie let out a delicate cough. My head swiveled toward him, and I was already scowling. Annoyed at the interruption, because he’d disrupted the hunt.
