by Valerie Mars
“To Mallory’s first digestif, I presume.”
I raise mine to his. “You would be correct. Any advice?” Seriously, what am I about to drink? I don’t need any Alice in Wonderland stuff going down tonight.
“Pace yourself if you’ve had little to eat, or you could be going to bed hungry.”
“Or you’ll be going to someone else’s bed,” Yael adds.
“Wait, what? Is this alcohol?”
Twyla lays a hand on my arm. “Digestifs at the citadel serve two purposes: to lighten the stomach after an indulgent event, and to ensure everyone goes home happy.”
“Where has this been my entire life? Does it lighten the calorie load, too?”
“We wish,” Twyla replies, and everyone chuckles.
“Absolutely useless,” I mutter. Our glasses meet in the center.
“Cheers!” Fenrik toasts, tossing back the entire thing in one go.
“Cheers,” we reply, Yael mirroring Fenrik while Twyla samples it with a sip.
“Ooo, it’s raspberry tonight. I do hate the mint ones.” She turns to me. “Have you had raspberry?”
I laugh. “I’m a fiend for raspberry. Here goes nothing.” I start with a baby sip, but go back for an adult-sized swallow when I realize it’s not only raspberry, but raspberry and chocolate. “This feels like a second round of dessert.” I take another sip before Twyla pulls it from my hand.
“Easy, champ. I’m going to wager your tolerance is low.”
I pout, because it’s delicious. And I feel fine.
Before we can go any further, the tinkling sound of someone hitting their wine glass creates silence as we direct our attention to Speaker Celeste. I’m close enough to see her this time. Her cheeks are rosy—perhaps from drinking on the job? Judging by the stack of papers and ink smeared all over her hands, it hasn’t impacted her work in the slightest.
“Speaking for myself and the council, I would like to thank everyone for making this such a pleasant evening. We were able to make a lot of headway on the immense process of matching your quads, and it’s all thanks to your willingness to interact with each other.”
The council members descend from the dais, fanning out to the nearest tables. Roslyn takes the rose quartz section, which seems more appropriate than serendipitous given the color of her hair and name. A little on the nose, guys.
“We’re going to end the gala by creating pairs from your current seating, and we request that everyone remove their glamours in front of their partner before leaving tonight. With some luck, you may have found the first member of your quad. You are free to linger and mingle to your heart’s content, for there will be no events tomorrow. Instructions for the next one will be delivered to your quarters tomorrow afternoon. Once again, thank you for your sacrifice. Goodnight, everyone.” She collects her papers, and Roslyn starts appointing pairs from a few tables down.
“How many rounds did the two of you have together?” Twyla asks.
Fenrik answers. “Every single one. I’m feeling sure of what Roslyn’s about to tell us,” he grins.
“Yep. We’re proper soul mates now, eh buddy?” Yael positions his hand for a high-five, and Fenrik completes it in a pure act of bro-love.
Hearing Roslyn announce pairs at the next table brings me to the realization that I better dig my glamour ring out from my tits if I’m to participate without causing a scene. I peer into my cleavage and pretend to spot some food I’ve dropped.
“Oh my goodness. I think that’s—wow, that’s a flax seed from the appetizer course. How embarrassing! I am so sorry, you guys, I’ve got to take care of this real quick.” I tug on my dress a little while recoiling to make it very clear what I’m about to do when I duck under the table.
“Let us know if you need any help!” Yael says while Fenrik laughs from above.
“No! I think I feel it—yeah, I’ve got it,” I say, seizing the ring from its clammy coffin and jamming it onto my finger. I sniff furiously for a hint of citrus. Not picking up on any, I determine the earring glamour is still holding.
Twyla peels back the tablecloth, face appearing sideways as she looks underneath. “Roslyn’s here.”
Her face doesn’t betray any surprise, so maybe I’m good to go. I scuttle out from underneath the table and back onto my seat, beside which stands a very amused Roslyn.
“This one’s easy.” She places her hands together before parting them sideways like the Red Sea. “Boys and girls, pair one and pair two. Goodnight!”
The guys high-five again, and Twyla moves to unclasp her necklace. When she does, it’s lilac hair and blue-gray eyes that greet me. She has the same cheekbones and lips as Ryland, but features like her nose and jaw line are more rounded; feminine.
“Ah! I saw you talking to Ryland in the amphitheater—I was wondering if that was you. I guess I’m next.”
Alright, no whammy on the OG glamour, please. I remove one earring, then the next. Twyla gasps. I follow the length of my ear from lobe to end, finding my elf-like tips are still in place. Phew.
“I get it now,” she says, beaming.
“Get what?”
“Why he speaks so poorly of you.”
“I’d love to hear it, because I can’t decide if it’s my people or my gender he hates more.” My hands have a mind of their own, viciously punctuating each word.
The way her eyes widen and hand flies to her mouth confirms I’ve soured the night. Great, now I’ll have the entire family working against me. I’m waiting for the wind to pick up, or maybe she has lightning powers and will casually lean a hand on my neck so she can zap the shit out of me. She can tell everyone I’m a sep and they’ll step over my collapsed body on their way home.
Twyla’s shock gives way to sadness, brows furrowed as her plump lips part. She shakes her head vigorously. “That’s not it at all. I can see my remarks were too vague.” She leans close, her storm-kissed eyes cutting right to my bones. “Mallory, I’m inclined to say he favors you.”
I shrink away from her face, away from the table and everything I’ve experienced the past week. I ooze into the chair, cranking back my neck until I’m gazing at the hundreds of tiny candles above us, almost wishing they’d set this place on fire the way I envisioned earlier.
We linger in silence for a spell until I sigh and grit out my words to the stubborn chandeliers. “Well, he shows it like a child.”
“I know.”
Somewhere deep inside—underneath the layers of anxiety, learned behavior, and mishaps with Ryland—my gut screams that I also know.
24
Mallory
Both my stomach and mood are lighter when Twyla and I depart the ballroom. She offered to take me shopping tomorrow, but more importantly promised to talk about the Ryland situation in further detail. It should fill me with dread over what his reaction to this is going to be, but those are troubles for tomorrow’s Mallory. Tonight Mallory is excited to be making a friend.
Not three steps into the long corridor, an animated Bash with Kai trailing behind rushes up to us, mouth wide open and eyes glittering. “Everhart and Meadowbrook, together as one?”
“One half of a quad,” Twyla corrects.
“No way! Does he know?” Bash turns to Kai. “Do you think he knows?”
“Shout it out a few more times and there won’t be anyone left who doesn’t,” Kai scolds. “Why don’t you tell them who you ended up with?”
If Kai’s acting sassy, it’s got to be good. Bash crosses his arms. Now I know it’s good.
The name cascades from his mouth as if he believes ending the moment sooner will make it less heard. But we hear it. “Larkin Voss.”
It isn’t often I get to see Bash act…bashful. I pretend not to hear. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”
He leans in closer to us ladies, looking around. “Larkin Voss, okay? The Prince of Spring.”
“Tell them how long you were paired, Bash.” Sassy Kai can stay.
His head drops dramatically, his
body sagging forward. “The entire night.”
“Looks like you snagged yourself a Spring beauty after all, Bash!” I clap him on the back.
“Yeah, but it’s not the one I wanted,” he mumbles.
“Who did you get, Kaiser?” Twyla asks.
The shy assassin winces. “Just ‘Kai’ is fine in close company, Miss Everhart.”
“Then you will call me ‘Twyla,’” she returns.
He smiles. “Twyla, then. It was a Spring female Separatist named Murphy.”
My Murphy? “Did she have peachy hair and blue eyes that rival yours?”
The corners of his mouth tug upward. “That same Murphy. I hope you got on with her as well as I did.”
A surge of unearned jealousy floods my stomach. “We met over breakfast. She thinks I’m more of a Summer.”
Bash bursts into laughter. “With freckles as delicate as those? Not a chance.”
I scowl and drape my arm over Kai’s before facing Twyla. “Kai and I are going on a date now, but I can’t wait to go shopping with you tomorrow. I appreciate your understanding back there.”
Bash protests, but I don’t have ears for him right now. Kai’s soft chuckles shake beside me.
“The two of you?” she asks, eyes darting between our faces. “You’ll tell me all about it tomorrow.” She performs a flawless curtsy that leaves me wondering where she found the room to do that inside her tight mermaid silhouette. Not that I would know if it’s flawless, but it’s a ten in my book. “Tomorrow around noon. See you then!” She nods to Kai and Bash before continuing down the corridor alone.
“Shopping with the little sister. You don’t intend to end this week quietly, do you?” Kai muses.
“Cool guys don’t look at explosions, Kai. Lesson One of being a spy.”
“If it bothers Everhart, I’m good with it,” says Bash.
I extend my other arm to him. “Ready to go, Summer boy?”
He blinks a few times before taking it. They lead me down a shorter corridor, clear of other gala attendees.
“Digestif or wine?” Bash asks.
My stomach growls.
“Likely both,” is Kai’s reply.
“My body is ready. Where to, guys?”
Kai points straight out the door we’re about to exit. “Stargazer’s Point.”
“Aww, that sounds roman—are you guys trying to kill me?” It’s evident now that the backside of the castle sits on a cliff, this portion of the capital city twinkling far below what I’ve seen from the garden or training ground views of the lower ring.
“Yeah, there’s a reason we entered on the Autumn and Winter side,” Kai says. “The paths winding around the cliff are steep for defensive reasons.”
“You don’t say.”
“It’ll be worth it,” Bash assures. “Like having a sea of fireflies in your lap.”
“And I suspect your digestif will reach full stride very soon,” Kai adds. “That will help with any nerves.”
“The raspberry stuff? Nah, I only had a bit.” My traitorous stomach growls again. “Really, I didn’t eat much because I knew we’d be doing s’mores.”
Kai does a full face-palm. “That will only intensify the effect.”
“So I guess it’ll be a fun time!” I remove my dainty lady shoes, gather my dress, and take off jogging down the path, the cool marble biting at my skin.
“We’re in for it,” I hear Kai say.
“I’m here for it,” Bash asserts before taking off behind me. I squeal, picking up my pace before getting tangled in my dress and nearly face-planting. I put my shoes back on and abandon trying to hold the skirt of my dress.
“I’m walking now,” I announce.
Bash arrives at my side, hooking my arm into his once more. “With moves like that, you better.”
“Hey, I didn’t fall!”
“Not yet,” Kai snorts from my other side.
The surrounding land narrows until we’re on a section that juts out from the rest of the cliff-side. Marble gives way to a wooden observation deck the size of a convenience store. A small brazier surrounded by pillows and a basket waits in the center, and I even spy some sticks. They really came through.
“How did you guys find the time to prepare this?”
“Guys don’t take as long to get ready,” Kai smirks.
I take in his wavy hair tied halfway up, and his high-collared black doublet fastened by dark leather straps with silver buckles. It tapers tightly into his black woolen pants, accentuating his toned form. “And someone as yummy as you wouldn’t need to.”
His brows furrow together over a half-smile, looking intensely perplexed. “Thanks?” Bash’s deep laughter bellows out beside us.
I’m a nanosecond away from replying, “No. Thank you,” when I realize I may in fact be intoxicated. Not in the sense that my thinking or senses are impaired, but that I’m less reserved. I’m not the type to squeal and take off running in the night, and I sure as hell wouldn’t tell Kai he’s yummy when I could barely spy on him as Balcony Bae without blushing.
We’re all in for it.
Bash kneels on a pillow near the basket and pats the one beside it. “Alright, we have everything ready to go. What first?”
“You start a fire!” I answer like an enthusiastic school child, despite being the one supposedly teaching. I thank every divine being that I’m not in a mermaid gown and lower myself to the pillow with plenty of dress leftover to burrito my legs once they’re crossed. Kai falls in on my left side.
The logs are already in formation. All Bash has to do is employ his jazz hands. His eyes begin to glow in the darkness, like he’s filling himself with fire before sharing it with the rest of us. Flames flicker to life in his hands, which he holds to some kindling, blowing until it catches. In seconds, we have the makings of a grand fire.
He turns back to me, and I watch the light in his eyes dim like the coals of a dying fire. The rest of him is lit by firelight, reminding me of my first night in Faerie. “I don’t think I’d ever tire of this,” I utter softly.
Kai passes out the sticks. “Marshmallows next?”
“Yes! Did you find big ones?”
Bash uncovers a dish from the basket. “Will these do?”
“Those are perfection. Let’s roast these bad boys.” I skewer mine and find a low part of the fire. “I find this works best toasted low and slow; it gets the insides all gooey.”
“If you say so, Marshmallory sensei,” Kai snickers.
I almost ask him. I almost ask why he knows the Japanese honorific for “teacher,” as if he was reading their comics alongside Pride and Prejudice all this time.
But that would detract from the s’mores and alienate Bash.
“I’m going to let that one pass because you’re yummy,” I return, realizing too late that I used that word again. S’mores. Yes, let’s make s’mores. Innocent s’mores.
“Bash, what did you find for the graham cracker substitute?”
“Sweet-flour crackers. They seem similar.” He reaches into the basket and passes me a paper-wrapped bundle. I awkwardly unwrap it with one hand, finding they’re basically copies of English digestive biscuits.
“That’ll do! And the chocolate?” Am I shouting because I’m excited, or am I shouting because of the digestif? But I guess the digestif would only be revealing my true excitement, anyway.
“Chocolate is the same in both worlds,” Kai answers.
“That makes chocolate, coffee, and bacon that are the same.” I sigh contentedly. But there’s something worrying me deep in my soul. “Kai?” I ask, boring into his eyes. “Are there tacos here?”
He shakes his head. “Not like yours, no.”
“Then I’ll be missing the fourth piece of my heart during my stay. It’s a shame, Faerie had a lot going for it.” I turn to Bash. “Pass me some chocolate and I’ll show you guys how it’s done.” He obliges. “Kai, can you hold my stick?”
“Stick is secure.”
&nbs
p; “Thanks. Alright, so you’re going to lay chocolate over most of one cracker. That will be the side you lay the marshmallow on.” I throw out my hand. “Stick me, Kai.”
“You’ve been stuck, ma’am.”
“Thank you, sir. What I’ll typically do is use a second cracker to help scrape off the marshmallow, which then becomes the top of our sandwich. Just…like…so.” I present the sweet mess to them like a game show model, then bring it to my face with reverence and dig in.
It tastes like America. I lick the chocolate that escapes down the sides. “You guys jealous yet?”
“Depends on what we’re to be jealous of,” Bash rasps.
Kai reaches across me to grab building materials, my apology muffled by ooey-gooey-goodness. He assembles his s’more like he’s been doing it his entire life, then holds it up for my approval.
“You’re ready.”
He clinks an imaginary toast, then takes a bite, chewing with a thoughtful expression. I wait for his opinion while Bash begins assembling his own. He finally swallows, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand. “It’s…” His brows furrow. “…making my teeth hurt.”
I full-on belly laugh. “It’s super sweet, right?”
“How do you do it?”
“I’m an American, Kai. It’s in my blood. You don’t have to—” Too late, he’s taking a second bite. He chews twice before freezing, his ears twitching. Both males rise to their feet. “Guys? What’s going—”
They shush me in unison. I turn around to see someone materialize ten feet away, dressed in all black. Kai steps forward to meet him. “State your purpose, Zeke.”
“Councilman Varigarde requests your presence at his quarters forthright, sir.”
He curses underneath his breath. “Heard. You may take your leave.”
“Sir.” Zeke salutes, then dissolves back into the shadows.
If that isn’t what nightmares are made of. You may not see the Boogeyman when checking under your bed, but in Faerie that doesn’t guarantee he isn’t there.
Kai’s lips purse to the side. “I can’t keep him waiting.” He waves the s’more. “Thank you for including me tonight. It’s definitely an experience I missed in Meadowbrook.” He eyes Bash. “See her home, yeah?”
