Beautiful nightmares, p.25
Beautiful Nightmares, page 25
“How do you know he isn’t coming?” his sister demanded, voicing the question I’d been thinking.
“He would’ve arrived by now. This is a good thing, Lensa. But the longer we stay, the more we risk being present when the ceasefire does end. I believe we’ve fulfilled our purpose in being here. Let’s make the switch and send you on your way, Queen Fortuna.”
“Prince Laurelis!”
“Oh, fuck. No, don’t turn around,” Laurie muttered out of the corner of his mouth. “That’s Lady Trellis. She’s married to the wealthiest selkie in the world, so no one dares to offend her. She wants one of her daughters to be the first selkie to marry into a royal family—say what you will about seals, but they’re relentlessly ambitious. Shit, she’s coming this way. Help me.”
“This is for not telling me about the cherubim,” I chirped back, patting him on the shoulder before I whirled away and pursued another person carrying a tray. This one had some kind of meaty appetizer on it. I could hear Laurie greeting Lady Trellis as I nodded my thanks at the human. The man gave me a dreamy smile in return.
“He acts like himself around you,” Lensa’s voice said from behind. She, too, had abandoned Laurie.
I moved to stand beside her, starting on another appetizer that I’d snatched. “Laurie doesn’t seem like the kind of person to hide who he is,” I remarked.
Lensa scanned the crowd, her eyes bright with the same intelligence and alertness I always saw in Laurie’s. I supposed growing up as the heir to a throne made it necessary, learning how to survive. To protect oneself. In a way, despite his childish tendencies, Laurie had never gotten to have a childhood. I felt a pang of pity for him. I felt another one when I looked over and saw that Lady Trellis had latched onto his arm, physically keeping Laurie from leaving.
“He has his weaknesses,” Lensa said finally, startling me. The pause had been so long that I’d assumed our conversation was over. I turned back to her, but Lensa kept her eyes on Laurie as she continued, “You may have noticed that he’s as vain as a peacock. Still, Laurie took his position seriously. He played the game with the courtiers because he had to.”
“And because he thrives on it,” I countered.
She acknowledged this with a tilt of her head. “True. He did thrive from being king… and now that’s been taken from him. Which is why I should mention that if you cost Laurelis anything else, I will find you and slit your throat.”
Laurie’s gaze met mine at the same moment his sister finished her threat. There must’ve been something in our faces that hinted at tension, because his brow lowered in a silent question. I gave him a reassuring smile, accompanying it with a jaunty wave. From the corner of my mouth I said, “Tabitha is scarier than you, and she already asked about my relationship with Laurie. I’ll tell you what I told her. I consider your brother a friend, and I’d fight anyone who tried to hurt him.”
The subject of our conversation finally succeeded in extracting himself from Lady Trellis. Laurie evaded her hand, his laugh tinkling through the air as if he found her charming. But he was scowling as he returned to us, his face like a stormy sky.
“Infernal creature. Barely escaped with my life,” he muttered. “Is she still watching me?”
I started to respond, but a commotion drew all of our attention to the edge of the dance floor. Lord Arthion was upset about something; he spoke to Simone in a furious whisper, the words so sharp that they sliced through the air. He patted his pockets and his eyes searched the floor. Simone pulled one of the servers aside, her demeanor calm and her movements unhurried.
A hand clamped around my arm and steered me deeper into the shadows. I’d known it was Laurie the moment I caught his scent, so I didn’t struggle. I quickly realized we were heading for the doorway that would lead us to Sorcha.
Smart, I thought. Laurie had seen an opportunity and seized it—everyone in the room was distracted by Lord Arthion. The attention was finally off us.
But it wouldn’t be for long.
“Lensa will worry about the other two,” Laurie said. “The rest of my circle are waiting near the front door. They’ll surround you and your… companions as you make your way down the steps.”
It was easy to imagine the scene Laurie was going for. Everyone would probably be wearing coats, and clustered in a group to ward off the cold. What kind of condition would Finn be in, though? What if he couldn’t walk on his own? There were so many variables that Laurie didn’t seem concerned about. I felt another burst of frustration toward him, and I smothered it like a small flame, reminding myself yet again of the sacrifice he’d made.
“Is there a Door nearby?” I asked. “I don’t exactly have a passport on me.”
Laurie guided us through the doorway and down a narrow hallway. The ceiling was much lower than the others I’d seen, and the lights on the walls were so weak that most of the way was shrouded in darkness. Laurie talked while we hurried through the quiet space, the noise of the ballroom already muffled and distant. “There should be a car waiting for you. The driver is named Riggs, and he’ll help you get to safety.”
Before I could ask him about Gil and Finn again, a voice drifted past. “I was starting to think you’d stood me up.”
Hearing my own voice was eerie and unsettling. Turning, my body stiff as the ice sculpture I’d seen in Stone Hall, I watched myself step out of the shadows.
Sorcha had gotten every detail correct. Laurie must’ve made preparations while I’d been sleeping—before he’d even told me about Sorcha’s part in tonight’s plan—because she wore a gown identical to mine. Her makeup, her hair, the way she held herself. All of it was me. She was even arching her eyebrow like I did sometimes, her expression slightly haughty.
She’d achieved this from memory?
My mind flashed back to the last time Sorcha and I had seen each other. We’d been standing on an icy, night-covered street in Denver. Sorcha had just decided not to kill me, despite the money she’d been paid by yet another one of my enemies. Our friendship didn’t mean nothing, Your Majesty. Let tonight be the proof, she’d said.
“It’s good to see you again, Fortuna,” she murmured now, her overly sweet voice triggering more of the past. I thought again of the summer Sorcha had seduced me. She’d known exactly what she was doing with every innocent kiss and moonlit conversation, drawing confessions and secrets from my heart with her cloying voice. That time, she hadn’t done it for money—she’d done it for fun.
“Who left your cage open?” I asked flatly. It was the only greeting she would get from me.
Sorcha just smiled. She brought her hand into the open, revealing that she held something. With a single flick of her wrist, the material unfolded and fell to the ground. A cloak. Coming closer than necessary, Sorcha put it around me and secured the front clasp.
“Good luck,” she said, drawing the hood up. Her breath touched my lips. “I genuinely hope you survive Belanor. I never imagined that a summer fling with a broody teenage Nightmare would end up being so enterprising.”
My blood cooled. I caught myself wondering what the inside of her mind looked like. What her fear tasted like. “You know, faeries like you are treasures, Sorcha,” I replied. “You just want to bury them.”
“We may have a problem, Lady Cralynn,” Laurie said abruptly, appearing at my side. He probably just didn’t want to deal with Sorcha’s body after I killed her. He ignored my glare and continued, “Princess Lensa hasn’t heard from Morelli, and he’s a vital part of the plan for your extraction. But I have another idea, should my brother cause trouble.”
Sorcha’s gaze shifted to him. Looking at my own face was still disconcerting, so I dropped the mask at her feet and left the two of them to their plotting. I picked up my skirt to walk toward the door at the other end of the hall. The cloak was heavier than I thought it would be, and the hood made the room feel even darker.
Maybe that was why I didn’t notice the Guardian.
He’d opened another door soundlessly, and his body filled the entire frame, bulky with armor. By the time I noticed him, I almost collided with that round, plated chest. I watched the male’s eyes go to Sorcha, then back to me. Shit. I was frozen in indecision. For an instant, everyone was utterly silent. It felt like even our hearts and lungs had stopped.
Then the faerie’s throat split open. A spray of blood hit my face.
I jumped with slow shock, staring first at the gore-covered tip of a blade protruding from his neck, then up at the Guardian’s startled expression. I knew I probably wore a similar one.
Eyes wide and unseeing, the male tipped forward and crashed face-first onto the unforgiving floor.
Gil and Laurie stood on the other side of him.
“What the hell, Laurie?” I snapped. He must’ve sifted the moment he heard the door open, I realized. Where had Gil come from? I turned to the vampire, but his eyes were fastened to the unconscious faerie at his feet. The smell of blood filled the corridor.
My insides were already getting shredded by guilt’s relentless claws. I saw a flash of that tree-surrounded clearing again, bodies strewn everywhere, blood soaking into the ground. I saw myself throwing that Agatha Christie novel down onto a dead person’s chest, their eyes as dull and vacant as the eyes of the Guardian at my feet now.
Laurie’s arm moved, and I heard a clink against the tiles; he’d thrown a dagger next to the body. “Give a man a fish, and he’ll eat for a day,” he quipped, straightening his suit. “But give him a knife in the base of the skull, and he’ll never be hungry again.”
I sputtered. Blood flew off my lips with every exhale. “That doesn’t even make sense, you fucking—”
“Well, I couldn’t very well break his neck, now, could I?” Laurie’s tone was exasperated. He gestured impatiently at the dead guard’s pointed ears. “He would’ve just healed!”
“That’s not the issue—”
“Wait, are you honestly endangering our escape for a philosophy debate?”
“Stop interrupting me, damn it!”
“Holy shit,” someone said. Laurie and I turned at the same time. Lensa stood behind us, gripping her bright hair. Tufts of it stuck up between her fingers. “Please, don’t ever get married. You two would be a terrible couple.”
Gil moved past her and stopped when he reached my side. I was too furious to greet him. Laurie’s eyes had narrowed at his sister. “I think I’m offended,” he decided. “Fortuna, are you offended?”
“Oh, for Christ’s sake.” I stalked away from them both. I stormed back a moment later, realizing that Lensa hadn’t brought anyone else with her. “Wait, where is Finn?”
“I went back to the rendezvous point, and he still wasn’t there.” She glanced at Laurie again, and her jaw tightened. “Something else was waiting for me. I’m sorry, Laurelis, but Morelli is dead. Belanor must’ve found out where his true loyalties were. From the state of the body, I’d say he was tortured.”
“Fuck.” Laurie let out a breath. He spun away, putting one hand on his hip while the other rubbed his mouth. The line of his shoulders was taut, his movements thoughtless. He walked one way, stopped, then walked past us.
I was struggling, too. Morelli and I hadn’t exchanged more than a few words, and he’d been generally unpleasant during those brief interactions, but someone else had died because of me. Someone else would be talking to a headstone instead of the person they loved. A person who had liked red cars and could make Laurie smile his real smile. I tried to blame Belanor again. This time, my conviction felt flimsy. False.
When Laurie finally turned back to Lensa, I saw real grief in his eyes, and I remembered that Lensa had called Morelli his Right Hand. The guilt ripped into me even deeper.
“Fuck,” Laurie said again, his eyes too bright. “Has anyone told Anne yet?”
She shook her head, her lips a dark slash. “No. We thought it should come from you.”
I felt like an intruder to their shared sorrow. Thinking to give the siblings a moment of privacy, I sidestepped the pool of blood on the floor and reached for Gil’s arm without thinking. It was like I’d known him my entire life, and the gesture was as natural as it would’ve been if I had touched Damon or Matthew. I was about to let go, but then I noticed how the vampire’s side of the bond had lit up. I barely had to wonder what he was thinking before I could hear them. His thoughts and feelings. The core of Gil, the warm and gently-lit soul within the shroud of death that now surrounded it.
Being near me made Gilbert Payne feel calmer. Stronger. He knew I was there, lingering in the light of him, a silent observer to every secret and impulse. He didn’t care; he just knew it was easier for him to resist the blood when he could feel my cool presence, pressing against him like a cold compress against this fever dream he’d been in since those fuckers took him in London. The blood, the blood, the blood. God, he wanted the blood. He wanted to get down on his hands and knees and lap it off the tiles like a goddamn dog.
I blinked, pulling back from Gil’s thoughts. He wasn’t even looking at me; he stared down at the body again and I could sense his unraveling control. Laurie and Lensa were still speaking, their silver heads bent toward each other. I pulled Gil away. Away from the blood and the conversation I didn’t want to hear. Thankfully, Gil didn’t fight me.
I wasn’t sure what made me slow down, then stop altogether. One moment I was drowning in guilt, and the next I heard a whisper at the edge of my senses. A sense that we were being watched.
Vulen’s voice crept into my ear; he was standing right behind me. “Don’t turn around. Lose the Dondarte siblings and meet His Majesty in the library. Or the werewolf dies. Come alone, or—”
“—the werewolf dies,” I finished tersely. “Yeah, I think I got it.”
Gil gave Vulen a hiss of warning, but I held out my hand. The vampire leaned back, his fangs extended over his lower lip. I longed to kill Vulen then and there. What would that cost Finn, though? Every decision had consequences.
“Gil stays with me, though,” I added. “If Belanor doesn’t like that, you can tell him to go fuck himself.”
Without giving the faerie a chance to respond, I turned and stalked back to Laurie. Lensa tensed, reaching for a sword that wasn’t there. You and me both, I thought. I’d feel much better with a knife in my hand right now.
“Keep your mind empty for what I’m about to say, or better yet, hide your reaction with mundane thoughts,” I instructed under my breath. Laurie’s expression didn’t change, but his eyes darted to the stretch of hallway where I’d been standing. I knew, without turning, that Vulen would be gone. “Belanor is alive and just sent Vulen to fetch me. He said to come to the library alone or they’d kill Finn.”
I watched Laurie’s mind work. I didn’t need to be a telepath to know at least some of those thoughts. The allies he’d been counting on were missing. We’d already put the decoy Fortuna in place. There was no going back, and there was no going forward. Not without Finn, who Laurie knew I wouldn’t leave behind.
“Do as Belanor says. Look for the red doors, and when you get there, stall for time,” he said back, the words barely audible. Louder he added, “We’ll have to split up. Lensa and I will deal with the wolf. Take the vampire and get off palace grounds. Wait for us at the next rendezvous point.”
This was for Vulen’s benefit, I realized. Laurie knew he’d be listening to every word we exchanged, making sure I followed the parameters Belanor had set.
Tensing at the thought, I imagined my mind as the wall of a prison, thick and impenetrable with barbed wire along the top. What was Laurie’s new plan, then? He and Belanor kept dancing around each other, making every effort to avoid a physical or public confrontation. How could he help me save Finn without being seen or using his powers? Laurie may have vowed to kill Belanor, but when it came down to it, was that something he was truly capable of?
I wanted to argue, but anything I said would be overheard. There was no time, anyway. I nodded to Laurie, then at Lensa, hoping they would see the genuine gratitude in my eyes. They were risking everything to help me, and I wanted to acknowledge that before I went to face Belanor.
Sparing them the discomfort of responding, I picked up my heavy skirt and walked away. Gil kept up effortlessly, and I suspected he’d heard everything, because he didn’t ask any questions. I could feel Laurie’s eyes on my back for a moment, and then the sensation vanished. We hurried down the empty hallway, sounds from the party drifting past. Most of the lights were dimmed in this part of the palace, though, and soon it felt like we were completely alone. Just as Belanor wanted.
“This way,” Gil muttered. He could probably smell the books, or Finn, or both. It was a good thing I’d insisted on bringing him, I thought as I followed his lead. Neither Vulen or Laurie had bothered giving me directions. We snuck through the shadows, weaving behind pillars and plants. Then I turned my head and saw them.
The red doors, Laurie had said.
For once, he hadn’t been speaking in metaphor or riddles—two doors towered over us, painted the color of a tree at the peak of autumn. They stood wide open, allowing any passerby to see the shelves of books inside.
Gil held up two fingers. Two people were in there, the gesture meant. I nodded to indicate I’d understood. My heart was unsteady, but there was nothing hesitant about how I crossed the threshold. Gil moved in a blur and appeared at my side again.
Together, we walked into the library.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Like the rest of the palace, the high-ceilinged room was lit by wall sconces and lamps.
There was a chandelier overhead here, as well, but every bulb and dangling bit of glass was shrouded in darkness. I didn’t need to ask any of the palace staff to know why—this was not a time for being seen. For Fallen, this was a time of slinking through the shadows and hunting our prey.
And hunting me was exactly what Belanor had been doing all night.
He stood in front of an enormous window, holding the edge of a dagger to Finn’s throat. No doubt it had been soaked in holy water. The werewolf was in his human-shaped body, wearing identical scrubs to the ones I’d been put in. He knelt at Belanor’s feet, hands bound in front of him.
