Wickedly Ever After

by Tegan Maher

  He disappeared as quickly as he’d appeared, then popped back in not ten seconds later.

  “He’s gone. Alexander. Along with his belongings.”

  The maid’s terrified gaze shot toward me. “What can we do? I have no magic and no knowledge of this godforsaken land.”

  Ari’s brow raised. “We’re hardly forsaken by the gods. In fact, there are several in attendance at this very moment.”

  Typical angel, being literal.

  Colin waved a hand. “Now’s not the time to pick at semantics. She’s right; we need a plan. Is Alexander familiar with Celestial City? Where would he take her?”

  “Endeara, first,” I said. We may need her if he curse is triggered.”

  “What curse?” Ari asked, his brow creased. I explained and he pulled in a deep breath then let it out through his cheeks. “This isn’t good,” he said.

  “No, and Endeara’s protective spell is broken. Syri was able to call Ella by her title.” Colin shook his head. “We have to find them if we’re going to save Endeara, Ella, and their kingdom.”

  Wow. Not only had I messed up one poor girl’s life, I’d put an entire kingdom at risk. If nothing else, nobody could accuse me of half-assing it. I’d gone in whole-hog.

  Rage rushed through me, partly at myself, but mostly at Alexander. Something about Ella had drawn her to me, and I thought of her as a friend. Maybe it was because I felt responsible, but it was more than just that.

  Possibilities flashed through my head, and inspiration struck.

  “I know where they’re at. They’re at Aphrodite’s.” I turned to Syri. “Go guard your mistress, and if you’ve brought any wizards or mages with you, gather them.” I didn’t even know if that was a thing. I mean, I knew they existed in that time, but I didn’t know if they’d passed from being right-hand men and women to being Satan’s advocates yet in the mind of the people. Endeara was obviously a witch, but I didn’t know if she practiced openly or had just been clever enough to hide her magic during her reign.

  She nodded. “We brought our wisest one. He advises Endeara in matters of the court, and he’s powerful.”

  I gave a sigh of relief. “Fetch him, please. He’ll know what to do.” At the very least, he could protect her. At best, he could break the curse. I was gonna have to trust Endeara’s judgment, but she hadn’t given me a reason to doubt it so far.

  Ari laid one hand on my shoulder and the other on Colin’s. Tempest wrapped herself around my neck, understanding before I did what was coming. Before I knew it, I was on my knees in a shadowed part of Ari’s yard. The nausea that I’d felt when we’ jumped planes was blissfully absent.

  I jumped to my feet and took two steps toward Aphrodite’s house, but Colin stopped me.

  “We need a plan,” he said.

  “We have one,” I snapped. “We’re gonna go in and rescue Ella.”

  “Use your head,” Ari growled back. “Now’s no time to be rash.”

  I sucked in a couple of calming breaths. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

  His eyes softened. “Sometimes I forget how young you are because of the power I can sense in you. You need to learn how to best use that power. Rarely will it serve you to rush into anything blind.”

  “Okay,” I replied, trying to slow the rush of adrenaline so I could think. “Do either of you have any suggestions?”

  Ari nodded. “I should be able to mask my presence. I’ll go in and see what we’re facing. Then we can strategize. I’ll be right back.”

  “Wait,” I said as he faded. “What if you don’t come back?” He didn’t answer though, and I was left standing there with more questions than answers. I had no idea what sort of powers Mitzy might have, nor did I know what sort of power Alexander had at his disposal.

  “We’ll figure it out if that happens,” Tempest said. “But I doubt they’ll be able to thwart an angel. I won’t be surprised if he handles it himself while he’s in there.”

  “But he said he was just gonna scope things out,” I replied, and she rolled her eyes.

  “Of course he said that. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have stayed put.”

  She was probably right, but I still ran through the scenarios in my head. I could handle a mage with one hand tied behind my back as long as he didn’t know I was coming. But a full-fledged witch might pose a problem. I’d never been in any sort of battle, and though I knew I was powerful, I wasn’t trained. I may be rash, but I’m not stupid. They got the jump on Endeara, who was much more experienced than I am, and I wouldn’t be able to help Ella if I ended up like her.

  We waited a full five minutes, and my nerves stretched to the breaking point as more time ticked by and Ari didn’t return. I glanced at Colin; the worry on his face pushed me almost to the point of panic. I took three deep, calming breaths, forcing my mind to evaluate our options.

  “I say we give him three more minutes before we sneak closer to the house and find out what’s going on,” I said.

  Colin was shimmering—a sure sign that he was preparing to wolf out.

  “I’m going to change. I’m useless in human form, but in my wolf form, I’ll at least have the element of surprise on my side.”

  I nodded. Not only that, but he’d also be able to channel his healing abilities if worse came to worst. Plus, he would be a force to be reckoned with no matter how much magic was cloaked within those walls. Shifters had their own kind of magic.

  He knelt with his palms on the ground and I watched in fascination as he shifted. No matter how many times I saw him do it, the magic never ceased to amaze me.

  “It’s been three minutes,” I said, bouncing on the balls of my feet. I called my magic to the surface and shivered as it danced across my skin. Stephanie’s bracelet grew warm against my wrist and I wondered if I should call her. No, I decided. If I absolutely needed her, I would, but I’d hold off. She tended to be a bull in a china shop, and Ari’s words came back to me. We needed stealth, not a nuclear bomb. At least for now.

  Colin bumped against me, his shoulder at my hip. He was a big man and an even bigger wolf. His dark fur blended into the night and I wound my fingers in it for comfort. It was obvious by that point that Ari wasn’t coming back, and it would be stupid not to be a little scared; fear could save your life as long as you managed it.

  We crept closer to the house toward a side window that was hidden in the shadow of the house. There was only a space of a few yards where we’d be exposed, and I held my breath as we paused and watched for a twitch of the curtains or any other sign that they were watching. When none came, we rushed across the space and I pressed my back to the side of the house.

  The window was higher than I’d estimated, but Colin sat back on his haunches and put his paws against the outside of the house. He was barely tall enough to see in. Tempest ran up his back to look for herself. The terror on her face did nothing to calm my nerves; if she was scared, there was good reason.

  Colin dropped back to all fours, then knelt in front of me, indicating I should climb on. I did, and he stepped back to the window. I rose, planting my feet on his shoulder blades and my hands against the side of the house. Ella was asleep on a chaise lounge and Ari was gagged and bound, blood running from a wound on his forehead. He was conscious, but barely.

  Three men and one woman stood in the room—Mitzy, Alexander, Albert, and a man dressed in archaic wizard robes. He was pacing, but he stopped mid-stride, his gaze snapping toward us. He narrowed his eyes and flicked a wrist, and I sucked in a breath when the side of the house gave way under my hands.

  Before I could pull back and get my balance, I was falling forward, straight into the house. The wall sealed shut behind me, leaving Colin outside. The wizard uttered a phrase in Latin, and I struggled to understand the words. I hadn’t spoken it since high school, but I picked out enough to know that he’d just sealed the house. Unless I was way off, he’d also made it invisible.

  I glanced from one face to the other and cringed when Alexande
r’s face curved into a smug smile.

  “If it isn’t the little witch who delivered my kingdom right into my hands.” He moved toward me, his steps smooth with confidence. “And you’re pretty, too. Mayhap I’ll keep you for a pet.”

  Tempest hissed and struck out at him from her place on my shoulder, her sharp teeth almost—but not quite—clamping down on his hand.

  The wizard made a sweeping gesture toward us, then waggled his finger. “Not so fast, little girl. It won’t due to be spiteful toward your king.”

  Alexander ran his knuckle down my cheek, and sheer rage streaked through my veins when I realized I couldn’t move. Tempest growled, but was also powerless to do anything else. Ari groaned.

  “I’ll be glad to take her when you’re done with her, brother,” Albert sneered. A shudder of revulsion swept over my body, but I didn’t miss the look of disbelief and jealousy that crossed Mitzy’s face.

  “You hear that, Mitzy?” I asked. “He’s already proving himself to be faithless, right here in your own house. He’s using you.”

  She glanced back and forth between the two of us, her eyes narrowed. “I’m granddaughter to Aphrodite, Goddess of Love.”

  I snorted. “Maybe, but from what he said, you missed a few of the genes.”

  Up close, her nose was a little crooked and her eyes a bit too close together. She wasn’t ugly by a long shot, but unless I missed my guess, she’d held herself up to Aphrodite’s image and found herself lacking. After all, who wouldn’t?

  She drew herself up to her full height. “I exceed even my grandmother’s beauty and grace.”

  “Hey,” I said when she stalked toward me, no doubt ready to claw my eyes out. “I’m just repeating what I heard Albert there say at the ball earlier, when he was chatting up some brunette hottie in a short skirt.”

  That was, of course, one huge load of crap, but she didn’t know that, and I was counting on her insecurity to possibly turn the tides for me.

  “Untie me, and—”

  The wizard swept his arm again and pinned me against the wall with such force that it slammed the breath out of me. My hands were above my head, tied together with the same magical handcuffs that were binding Ari. If an angel couldn’t get out of them, I wasn’t holding out much hope that I could.

  “Be silent!” he roared. I opened my mouth to say something back, but discovered to my horror that the words wouldn’t come. Probably for the best, truth be told. I didn’t seem to be doing myself any favors by running my mouth.

  Her lips curled into a snarl as she reached toward me and pulled Tempest, who was also paralyzed, from around my neck. She turned her and looked her in the eyes.

  “What a beautiful coat you have. You’ll make a beautiful stole. Or if your hide’s not big enough, I may have to make do with a muff.” She shrugged. “Either way.”

  “What did you do to her?” Alexander yelled, drawing my attention away from Tempest and Mitzy.

  “Do to who?” I asked, my brain still muddled.

  “Ella. I used my charm to get her to come with me. I gave her just a little kiss in the carriage, and she passed out.” He narrowed his eyes at me. “I know who she is. She’s the spitting image of her father, so don’t try to lie to me. I’ll have that kingdom, and you will tell me how to fix her.”

  “Sorry,” I said. “Your dude there cursed the only chance you had of fixing it.”

  “Then I’ll kill her.” His threat was empty, though, at least for now. As long as Ella was unconscious, he couldn’t fulfill the terms of the contract.

  My mind raced, trying to find a solution, but I’d hit the wall so hard that I was having problems focusing. I closed my eyes and tried to summon my magic. It was there, just under the surface, but I couldn’t access it. Again, no surprise, since he’d subdued an angel. What kind of magic was the dude using, anyway? It had to be wicked dark.

  Something slammed against the outside wall of the house—Colin, no doubt. He’d be beyond reason by this point, but all he was gonna get were bruises.

  Helpless fury all but consumed me as I watched Mitzy stroke Tempest’s fur. The expression in Tempe’s eyes alternated between fear and rage, and just a trickle of magic returned to me.

  I tried to wiggle my fingers and was surprised when they moved.

  Ari groaned, and I glanced toward him. He was awake and staring at me through slitted eyes. The wound on his forehead had quit bleeding, but it looked bad. In my concern, I’d failed to notice right off the bat that he was moving his gaze from my eyes to a point just above my head. I tilted my head, trying to figure out what he was trying to tell me, then a moment of clarity pushed the fog from my brain.

  Stephanie’s bracelet. But I couldn’t speak to call for her. Still desperation guided me.

  With my arms pinned above me, it had slid down a bit, but I was able to get the tip of my middle finger on the edge of the warm gold. I tried to pull it up further, but it was stuck to my arm. That would have to do. I closed my eyes and poured what little magic I could summon into calling to her in my mind.

  Ari nodded.

  Nothing happened and I hunched my shoulders. That was the only card I’d had. We were well and truly screwed.

  Then it was as if a bomb exploded. Part of the roof in the front of the house collapsed, and what I saw standing in the rubble almost brought me to tears. Buttercup, Stephanie’s massive black Pegasus, reared and snorted, tucking his wings back to protect his mistress’s legs. He charged forward at the wizard, who had his hands up, preparing to cast a spell.

  Buttercup’s head lashed forward faster than a cobra, taking off a hand, and Stehanie drew her bow and fired at the prince, who’d pulled his sword. Her arrow struck true, piercing his heart. Colin crashed through the hole in the ceiling, snarling, and was on Albert, who’d made a mad dash toward the back of the house.

  My bindings gave way and my voice returned, no doubt because the wizard was using all his mojo to keep himself from bleeding out. I rushed toward Colin, who had his teeth at Albert’s throat. I barked out his name as I laid my hand on his shoulder, and he whipped his head around, almost biting me before he realized who I was. His eyes were red with bloodlust, and I spoke softly, talking him down from ripping Albert’s throat out.

  That would be more hassle than it was worth.

  I caught a flash of white out of the corner of my eye. Mitzy was dragging a half-conscious Ella down the hallway. I dashed after her and snatched her by her hair, yanking her backward onto her back. Forget magic—she’d threatened Tempest, and that earned her a good old-fashioned beat-down.

  Tempe wasn’t far behind me—she sank her teeth into Mitzy’s ankle and helped me drag her down.

  My fist connected with her eye, and I followed it up with a punch to the nose with my other hand. My temper took over and red tinged the outer edges of my vision as she put her forearms over her face to protect herself. I got in a couple more before somebody grabbed me around the waist and pulled me off her.

  I panted as I struggled to regain control. The smell of Colin’s cologne finally reached my senses, and I collapsed backward against him, the anger draining from me. Well, most of it, anyway.

  I looked around at the destruction and was surprised to see that, with the exception of the Pegasus-sized hole in the foyer roof, there was very little damage.

  Colin and Ari were tending to Ella. Confusion and shame etched her face, and I hoped that now things would get better for her. She was, afterall, a princess.

  Alexander was lying on his back in front of the couch, the black-fletched arrow sticking out of his still chest. Buttercup had one hoof on the wizard’s chest, holding him down. His had was a goner, but he’d manage some sort of spell to stop the bleeding.

  Stephanie was smiling at me. “Thank the goddesses you called. I was bored out of my mind. That stupid accountant has been hounding me since you left, and I was about to feed him to Buttercup for sport.”

  I glanced around, surprised by how quickly every
thing had gone down, and smiled back at her. “Sorry it was such a short battle. I would have put together something a little more epic for you if I’d had a little notice.”

  I slid the bracelet off my wrist and held it out to her. “Seriously though, Steph, thank you. You saved our lives, and I’ll always owe you for that.”

  Her face pinked beneath her tan and she gave me a small smile.

  “It was nothing. That’s what friends are for. Keep the bracelet; you never know when you might need it again.”

  I laughed and looked at the carnage around me. It was a strange friendship, but one I’d be forever grateful for.

  Chapter 11

  Ari forced the wizard to break the curse on Endeara, then put him to death. I thought that was fair.

  Aphrodite was royally pissed about her house but blamed Mitzy, which was only right. I had no idea the goddess was almost as well known for her wrath toward those who disrespected her as she was for the love stuff. Mitzy sure did see the bad side of her grandmammy, though.

  The angels had been able to keep everything mostly hush-hush, but the brothers Grimm apparently picked up on enough of the details to keep them intrigued. I was wandering through the art gallery and found them at a table in the corner, heads together while one of them—I couldn’t remember which one he was—scribbled frantically on a piece of parchment.

  “Whatcha doin’ fellas?”

  The one who wasn’t writing glanced up. “We’ve been working on putting some stories together, and ... inspiration struck. We decided to write it down before the idea fled.” The German accent was thick but still easy to understand.

  “Uh-huh,” I said. “That story isn’t by chance about Ella, is it?”

  They shifted uncomfortably. “Perhaps loosely,” the one with the quill said.

  I nodded, lips pressed together. “So what’s it about?”

  “A powerful magical princess who’s pursued by a prince.”

  “I see,” I said. “And does this princess by chance lose a glass slipper at a ball? Did a fairy godmother make her a beautiful gown?”