Crown of Glass

by Isabella August

  “You demand everything from me?” Mourning Glory asked. “Every candle in my wax cathedral? I have spent centuries collecting them.”

  “And you’ll get to start all over again,” Gabe told her. His golden eyes looked pained. “I can’t blame the people who come to you looking to save someone else. I was that desperate once. I won’t take that option away from someone who’s really determined to have it.” He shook his head. “But you have to swear that you’ll never accept a life traded by someone else, ever again. Arcadia might believe that people can own one another, but I don’t.”

  Gabe looked toward Jenna. “Is that… all right?” he asked uncertainly.

  Jenna blinked, shocked by the question. “You’re asking me?” she managed hoarsely. When he didn’t look away, she nodded slowly. “Do what you need to do,” she said quietly.

  Gabe glanced back toward Mourning Glory. “That’s my offer, then,” he said, more firmly this time. “Take it or leave it.”

  The Lady of Mourning Glory considered him, long and silent. Her waxen face gave no indication of her feelings on the matter.

  “I don’t want to kill you,” Gabe said softly. “It would hurt me to do it. But I won’t spare myself that if it means other people suffer for it.”

  “I have never, in all of my years, traded away again a life once traded to me,” the Lady of Mourning Glory said slowly. “But it is true that my bargains shall be undone without me, either way. And as I have trespassed, you are within your rights to ask me for recompense.” She drew herself up, and fixed her pinprick eyes upon him. “So it shall be, Lord of the Looking Glass. I accept your bargain.”

  Gabe’s sigh of relief shivered through the whole of the Looking Glass. Jenna breathed out with him, dizzy-headed. Maybe she should have been upset that Mourning Glory was walking away from all of this after trying to kill her, but the thought of Gabe having to hurt someone on purpose made her sick to her stomach. I wouldn’t make him do that, she thought. Not when there’s literally any other way.

  The images that surrounded the Lady of Mourning Glory fell away, scattering into motes of golden light. A strange tension threaded through the air between Gabe and the waxen faerie lord. The banked flames within her crown shivered with her oath.

  Somewhere deep within the Looking Glass, a black candle went out.

  A terrible weight lifted all at once from Jenna’s shoulders — a burden she hadn’t even realized she was carrying. She closed her eyes, overwhelmed by the sudden lightness.

  Gabe was behind her then, his arm curled around her waist. There was a sense of unbearable power to him, this close up. But somewhere underneath that mantle was the scent of soap and terrible coffee, and Jenna turned to bury her face in his shoulder, breathing him in.

  “I shall hope never to see you again, Lord of the Looking Glass,” Mourning Glory told him calmly. “But for today, I acknowledge your victory. Savor such bright moments while they last.”

  She turned for the mirror behind her… and disappeared, back into the depths of Arcadia.

  There was a long silence between the people in the museum after that. But eventually, Valentine broke the tension.

  “You’re a good man, Tootles,” she said. It was an unexpected compliment, doubly strange as she ground it out in her harsh voice.

  Gabe breathed out, tightening his arms on Jenna. “Great,” he said. “Glad you think so. Because I’m seriously just making all this up as I go along.”

  Valentine smiled wryly. “Everyone is,” she said.

  Liam considered Gabe seriously. The two men made a stark contrast against one another — even with his mantle dimmed, Liam’s dark figure seemed to pull in the light that shone from the glass crown upon Gabe’s head. “You made the right choice,” Liam agreed with Valentine. “If you’d killed her, someone else would have eventually picked up the mantle, and they would have become just like her all over again. But as long as this Mourning Glory wears the mantle, her oath to you will hold. You’ve made a real difference, this way.”

  Gabe hesitated at that. “Is that what’s going to happen to me?” he asked. “Is the mantle going to turn me into… something else?”

  Jenna’s heart seized in her chest. I told him about the mantle, she thought. If he loses himself all over again…

  Liam shook his head. “I don’t think so,” he said, and the fear inside her eased somewhat on the certainty in his voice. “The Looking Glass has always been unusually passive. I think you’ve had more of an effect on it yourself than it will ever have on you.” He raised an eyebrow. “I do think your life is about to get a lot more interesting, though. I’d be happy to help you through the rocky parts. I was side-blinded an awful lot within my first year, and it didn’t need to be that way.”

  Relief flickered over Gabe’s face. “That’s a generous offer,” he said. “I think I’ll take you up on it.”

  Elaine crossed the space between them, making a beeline for Jenna. Her mentor tugged her shamelessly away from Gabe, hugging her tightly. Her soft cardigan was familiar and reassuring, and the smell of roses still clung to every inch of her. “You’re all right?” Elaine asked, concerned. “Does this mean you’re cured?”

  Jenna wrapped her arms around her mentor. Maybe she ought to have been crying, or smiling, or laughing — but there was instead a dull confusion inside her, as her mind struggled to accept the idea that she was free. “I think so,” Jenna managed. “I just… I don’t know. It hasn’t sunk in.”

  I’m alive. I’m not going to die young. I won’t even have those attacks anymore. None of it seemed real.

  Elaine’s eyes softened. “I can head back to Toronto with you if you want,” she said.

  Jenna shook her head numbly. “No. I mean, thanks for the offer. But I’ve got some stuff to sort through first.” She sighed heavily. “If you could just check in and make sure no one thinks I’m dead though, that would be great.”

  Elaine smiled ruefully. “I can do that,” she promised. “When you do figure some things out, you know where to call. I might not always be around immediately, but Valentine’s been sending messages when it’s important.”

  “I’ll call,” Jenna said. Her voice was thick on the words. “Don’t worry about me. Everything’s… well, it’s not all right, but it’s sure looking up.”

  Elaine hugged her one more time, before rejoining the others. Liam nodded toward Gabe. “We’ll be in touch,” he said.

  Valentine snorted. “I’ll be in touch,” she corrected. “You never run your own messages these days.” She glanced back toward Gabe as they headed for the mirror that looked out onto the Hedge, her sightless eyes locking unerringly onto the crown that shone above his head. “Hold onto that room at th’ Ritz. If I’m playin’ faerie messenger, I might need it for a night or two.”

  The shadows lifted on the Looking Glass, as Lord Blackfrost and his entourage departed.

  Jenna let out a long breath. She turned toward Gabe once again… and caught sight of another Jenna, standing in the mirror behind him.

  “Hey,” she said. “You gonna be okay?”

  The other Jenna managed another weak smile. “Gonna be okay,” she murmured.

  Jenna knitted her brow. “So, you’re clearly not the Lord of the Looking Glass. I’ve just realized I have no idea what to call you. Do you have a name?”

  “I have no name,” Jenna’s voice murmured back. “I, of the Looking Glass.”

  Jenna raised an eyebrow. “Uh… do you want a name, then?” she offered.

  Her reflection considered this curiously. Finally, she gave a slow, imperious nod.

  “It’s too bad Valentine left,” Gabe observed wryly. “She seems quick on the nicknames.”

  “I don’t figure she wants to be called Your Shinyness,” Jenna mused. She frowned. “How about Echo?”

  “Echo,” her reflection repeated thoughtfully, instantly proving out the name. “How about Echo?”

  Gabe snorted. “Isn’t that a bit on the nose?”
he asked.

  “You’re a bit on the nose,” Jenna shot back grumpily. “Anyway, I’ll have you know that was a very witty Greek mythology reference. Echo was a nymph, and there was this reflecting pool—”

  “I give, I give.” Gabe held up his hands, bemused. He ran his hands back through his hair. “It is really weird to be my own boss, by the way. I’ve gotta be honest, I think I might have preferred it the other way around. Way less pressure.”

  Echo glanced over toward him, with an arched eyebrow. “Boss,” his own voice repeated back to him. “Be my boss. Less pressure.”

  “Yeah,” Gabe sighed. “I bet it wasn’t a lot of fun for you either. Sorry about that.”

  Jenna almost repeated to Gabe what Valentine had said to her about ‘thank you’ and ‘sorry’… but she paused, and shook her head. The faerie had fairly earned a debt or two by now.

  “Hey,” Jenna said quietly, pressing her hand to the glass. Echo turned golden eyes upon her, curious. “I think it’s safe to say you don’t owe me any favors. You’ve spent the last few years taking care of Gabe. I didn’t understand that, at the time.”

  Echo scrunched up her nose in a strange imitation of Jenna. “I don’t owe you?” she muttered, as though it was a bizarre statement. It was probably uncommon, Jenna realized, for faeries to have favors handed back to them.

  Jenna’s lips quirked. “Yeah,” she said. “You’ll get over it eventually.”

  Slowly, the band of light above Gabe’s head faded. Jenna glanced at him, surprised. He’d dimmed the crown on purpose, she suspected, but his golden eyes were brighter than ever, shining with a light he couldn’t suppress. He was still so distant and ethereal — but she could see the uncertainty in his expression as he shoved his hands into his pockets.

  Jenna smiled at him. “Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?” she asked. She paused then, frowning. “Crap. I was supposed to put a pause in there, wasn’t I? This is why I don’t do pick-up lines.”

  Gabe managed a smile back, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “It’s not as bad as Eiffel for you,” he assured her. But he looked terribly alone, suddenly. “What happens now?” he asked quietly.

  Jenna softened. She took the last step back toward him, wrapping her arms around his neck and leaning up to kiss him on the lips. “I have no idea,” she admitted in a whisper. “But it’ll be an adventure, won’t it?”

  Slowly, Gabe’s arms settled around her, warm and familiar. He let out a breath. “Yeah. Two people makes it an adventure.”

  Chapter 16

  Jenna woke up for the second time in Gabe’s bed, blinking tiredly. She’d shed her jeans, at least, but she was still disappointingly overdressed for the occasion. With a hint of struggle, she managed to recall the previous evening, when she’d stuffed herself full of pork dumplings and tumbled into bed with Gabe. They’d both been numb and exhausted, and she wasn’t entirely sure how many hours had passed since then.

  There was an empty spot next to her where Gabe should have been; she saw him leaning against the doorframe of the apartment, staring out at a dark, empty version of Times Square. His expression was distant, and she suspected he was still processing everything that had happened.

  Jenna curled into the pillow, studying his profile. For just a little bit, Gabe had been whole, nearly himself. Now, he was something more than just himself — a whole world had claimed him, and he had claimed it in return. Starlight trapped itself in his aura, scattering upon him as though he were water. He seemed so bright and intangible that Jenna’s heart ached at the sight of him. She needed to touch him, to reassure herself that he was still real.

  Jenna slipped out of bed and padded over toward him, sliding her arms around him from behind and pressing her forehead against his warm back. Gabe turned his head to glance at her, blinking.

  “You’re too pretty for me now,” she complained with a yawn. “It’s okay. I won’t hold it against you.”

  Gabe raised an eyebrow, humored. “Too pretty?” he asked.

  “Mmhmm,” Jenna mumbled. “You kind of… sparkle.” She grinned against his shirt.

  “Glitter on command,” Gabe observed. “I knew this mantle was good for something.” He twisted his body in her grip, tugging her forward against him. His fingers ran absently through her loose hair, and Jenna sighed into his chest.

  “…all this time, sleeping in this tiny, crummy apartment,” Gabe murmured. His golden eyes fixed again on the empty world outside. “I think I knew all along what was going on. I acted like I could somehow hide from the Looking Glass in here.” He shook his head. “It seems so stupid now.”

  Jenna frowned dimly. “It’s not stupid to want something familiar,” she told him. “You left your whole world behind at once. If being here made you feel better — if it still makes you feel better — then that’s all that matters.”

  Gabe shot her a wry smile. “You can’t seriously like this place,” he said. “The faucet still leaks, for god’s sake.”

  “It's a total dump,” Jenna agreed sagely. Gabe’s heart was beating more quickly against her again. Her sleepy smile turned suggestive at the thought. She slid her palms up under his untucked shirt. Gabe sucked in his breath, and she felt his muscles tighten underneath her fingers. “I might have a kind of attachment to it myself, though. Don’t judge me… but I’ve got a few fantasies that involve all the things I should have done to you here.”

  Gabe’s fingers tightened on her hips. He glanced down at the top few buttons of her borrowed shirt, still undone. “Yeah?” he asked breathlessly. The statement had successfully diverted him from his train of thought. “You, uh… mind telling me a few?”

  Jenna gave him a slow, sensual smile. “I was here when you came back from a shift, once or twice. That was probably when I came the closest to jumping your bones.”

  Gabe choked on a laugh. “When I sweaty and in a terrible mood?” he asked. “You can’t be serious.”

  “Mmhmm,” Jenna mumbled again. “When you were all tired and stressed, I just wanted to…” She ducked her head, pressing her lips delicately to the crease of his shirt. “…help you unwind.”

  Gabe closed his eyes, breathing in again. He looked like a man hearing words straight out of his wildest dreams. “How — how exactly—”

  Jenna kissed her way further down his shirt, and Gabe let his head fall back against the doorframe with a strangled sound. Slowly, she lowered herself until her bare knees hit the wooden floor, and her face was level with his very obvious erection.

  His fingers threaded through her hair, tugging her head back. “That’s really not…” he stuttered. “You don’t have to…”

  Jenna neatly flipped open the button of his jeans, glancing up at him with a wicked smile. “Are you gonna make me beg to suck your cock, Gabe?” she murmured. “That’s so mean. But I’ll do it if I have to, I guess.”

  The look he gave her was so deliciously desperate and incredulous that she had to hold back a laugh. Instead, she lifted her chin to look him in the eyes as she slowly tugged his pants down his hips, sliding her fingers firmly around the length of him. “Please let me suck your cock, Gabe,” she breathed against his skin.

  His erection jerked in her hand, and there was another choked noise deep in his throat. “Oh, god,” he managed, in a feverish tone. He stared down at her with wide, disbelieving eyes. “Jen—”

  She darted her tongue out to taste him, and the rest of her name became a low groan. His fingers tightened in her hair again, and she swirled her tongue approvingly around his tip.

  “Please,” Gabe managed, his eyes still fixed on her face. “Keep… keep going.”

  Jenna gave him another long, slow lick. “I said I’d beg you,” she teased him. But she sucked him slowly into her mouth anyway, savoring the way he moaned and stiffened against her tongue. His other hand joined the first to knot in her hair, and she let out a choked sound of approval, encouraging him to take control.

  He pressed her mouth down onto his
cock with shaking fingers, and a slow, warm heat flared to life in her center, winding its way down between her legs. The sounds he made — the obvious desperation in his eyes — satisfied that primal, deeply possessive part of her, and she knew she would never get tired of seeing him look at her that way.

  As he eased her mouth back down his length, Jenna let out a long, low moan of her own, to let him know how much she was enjoying herself. Gabe’s breath stuttered, coming more quickly, and he slammed into her mouth again, unable to help himself. The loss of control sent a thrill through her, and she sucked harder, urging him on.

  As Gabe groaned and gave himself up to her mouth on his cock, Jenna decided that her fantasies had fallen far short of the reality. That raw sound in his voice as she dragged those moans from his throat was yet another piece of him she’d never gotten to enjoy before, and it was an experience she knew she’d definitely need to repeat.

  His breath came shorter and more ragged as he pumped into her mouth, twisting his fingers in her hair. Just as she was certain he would come in her mouth though, he jerked her head back and reached down to curl his hand in her borrowed shirt.

  Gabe hauled Jenna up off her knees. He turned her around with a sharp, demanding shove, and pushed her down face-first into the kitchen table, tugging down her panties.

  He slammed into her from behind, so hard that it took her breath away. A whimper of pleasure trickled from her lips anyway. Having him inside her felt so good, so full. It wasn’t just a tease now as she begged for more, harder, faster. Gabe obliged, with his lips at her ear and one hand still tangled in her hair.

  “You’re going to come for me again,” he breathed, demanding. “Tell me… tell me that. You’re going to come for me.”

  “I’m…” Jenna gasped as he slammed into her again. “I’m going to come for you, Gabe. Oh god, yes.” She leaned back into the next thrust with a hard cry, grinding herself against him. His fingers slid down between her legs then, pressing at that perfect spot, and pleasure rushed through her in a sharp, overwhelming burst. She cried out his name, clamping her muscles down on him and bringing him with her.