by Ashley Meira
With a sigh of relief, I pulled the lilac covers up to my shoulders. At least I was in a safe place now. The dungeon I’d dreamt of was safe the way water was dry, but it had shone some light on what happened last night.
“Break his magic.”
That’s what I did. Considering I’d never heard of that before, it probably was a Fireborn thing. Fantastic. Just what I needed right now.
A cursory examination of the room revealed a distinct lack of giant phoenixes or the handsome men they masqueraded as on a daily basis. I frowned. Waking up in a room like this made me feel like a princess, but it was meaningless without a prince at my side. Honestly, I felt a little jilted — and hurt, I forced myself to admit. Why did he leave me here by myself?
I got dressed, making sure my sweater, jeans, and boots looked relatively coordinated. For myself. Not for someone who left me to wake up alone. The smell of warm bread and bacon drew me to the kitchen, which seemed twice as big as last night. Who needed this much room to cook? No one. Not even…. Damn it. I really needed to learn the name of at least one famous magical chef.
“Good morning.”
Adam came up to me, his dark hair no longer deliciously disheveled but groomed in a way that still made it look tousled. The smile on his face was nothing short of angelic as he looked down at me. I frowned, refusing to let his hotness drown out my — admittedly irrational — annoyance.
“I think we should visit Jeffery,” he continued, seemingly ignorant of the dirty look I was giving him. “I know you don’t like him, but he was Sandra’s boyfriend. He might be able to point us in the right direction— Why are you glaring at me?”
There were teeth-shaped indents in my lower lip by the time I decided to say, “I woke up alone.”
His brows shot up. “I…. Yes. Well—”
“Well?” I crossed my arms and tapped my foot.
“I don’t get into women’s beds without their permission.”
I would’ve found that sweet and considerate, but the dark side of me said to focus on the part implying he’d been in other women’s beds. My glare intensified.
“Not that I’ve asked for any woman’s permission lately,” he tried. “Besides you, of course. You said no, remember?”
“I didn’t say no to staying with me,” I said, narrowing my eyes further. He was a handsome blur at this point.
“Um,” he stammered. “I’m sorry, and you’re very beautiful?”
“Beautiful?” Fiona snorted from somewhere nearby. “Her face is so scrunched up she looks like she swallowed a lemon tree.”
We turned to glare at her.
Unperturbed, she waved at us from the kitchen island, glamours making her look fresh-faced and well-coiffed. “Yeah, I’m here too, lovebirds.”
“Go away,” I huffed.
“She just woke up,” Fiona told Adam as if I wasn’t here. “I couldn’t hear what you did to piss her off, but she’s going to be mad for a while. Try plying her with coffee and food. That should perk her up enough.” She bit into a piece of bacon and regarded me carefully. “Maybe sacrifice a goat in her honor, too. What’d you do? I’ve never seen her this mad.”
“Tell her, and you die,” I said as he opened his mouth.
He kissed my cheek. “I made you breakfast.”
“That just means she no longer has a reason to keep you alive,” Fiona muttered to her eggs.
I sat next to her, lemon-sucking face still in place. “I’m capable of drowning you in those eggs.”
“I can visit Jeffery alone if you’re too tired,” he said, sliding a plate in front of me. He froze, taking in my expression. “That was the wrong thing to say, wasn’t it?”
“Everything is wrong when she first wakes up,” Fiona said. “Don’t worry. If she wanted you dead, you’d already be dead. And don’t bother, I just finished my eggs.” She stuck her tongue out at me.
The eggs, bacon, and delicious-smelling bread were jabbing at my defenses. Hesitantly, I began eating.
Damn it. What kind of rich dude knew how to cook? I mean, the Pierces were essentially magical royalty. What the hell? Adam was good at going against the grain and defying my expectations in the best ways.
I shoveled more egg into my mouth. He should market this stuff as an “anti-bitch breakfast.” Hell, he could. For some reason, Pierce Incorporated had a fine foods division.
“Remember what happened the last time you went off alone?” I said dryly. Okay, “anti-bitch breakfast lite.”
“I—”
“Got arrested.”
“Sophia’s very territorial,” Fiona said. “Only she can handcuff you. But later. Now, you should run before she tries to kill you.”
Adam leaned against the counter across from us. “Kill me?”
“I’m her sister. She has to deal with me.” Fiona made a shoo-ing motion with her hands. “Skedaddle.”
My anger faded into shock as I watched him obey her command. Just like every other time. “Seriously, how do you do that?”
“I was born with it.” She shrugged, swiveling around to face me head-on. “You want to tell me what’s up? Despite what I told Adam, this ’tude is way beyond your normal morning evil.”
“Look who’s talking,” I muttered. “Last week, you threw a piece of toast at me.”
She rolled her eyes. “Big baby.”
“It was cut into triangles and toasted. I could’ve lost an eye.”
“You’re going to lose one now if you don’t talk.”
“I am talking.”
“Sophia…. Damn it,” she huffed. “You need a middle name.”
“You don’t have one.”
“I’m not infuriating.”
I raised a brow.
“At the moment.”
I nodded, but told her what happened anyway. Mostly. I PG-13’d what happened with Adam last night before filling her in on my dream and what happened with Ollie. She rewarded my storytelling with the remainder of her bacon.
“Ollie is one of our best friends,” she said softly. “He adores you.”
I nodded, unconvinced.
“You saved his life,” she continued. “He was probably just overwhelmed. I bet he’ll greet you with open arms today.”
“What if he knows?” I whispered. “He saw me break their magic.”
“He doesn’t know that’s a Fireborn thing. Neither did we, for that matter.” She took back a piece of bacon. “It’s not like there’s a Fireborn section in the public library.”
“No, but his dad is—”
“That doesn’t mean he knows more than the rest of us,” she said firmly. “Look, you saved Ollie’s life and gained a new ability. That’s it.”
I gaped at her. “Are you kidding me? This is a downward slope. First Snow and the man who took us, now this? It’s not going to stop.”
“No, probably not.” There was no humor on her face as she took my hand. “But we’ll deal with it the same way we deal with everything: together.”
“This isn’t where Jeffery lives,” I told Adam as he opened the car door for me. “His house is in the Garden District, not Water Nymph Bay. I know because he tried to bribe Fiona with his indoor heated pool.”
“How’d that work out?” Adam asked.
“If Roger hadn’t stopped her, she’d have broken his nose.”
He chuckled, leading us to a tower three down from Symeon’s. “So, I shouldn’t tell her about my heated pool?”
“You have a heated pool?”
“Yes, and you’re welcome to use it at any time.”
I pursed my lips, unwilling to admit how awesome that sounded. “You just want to see me in a swimsuit.”
“Actually, I hadn’t considered that—”
“You’re a strategist. You consider everything.”
“—but now that you mention it…. Are your swimsuits also lace?” he asked, his eyes lingering on my exposed bra strap.
“Jefferey doesn’t live here,” I repeated.
&nbs
p; “Maybe,” he said as we entered the elevator, “but this is listed as his newest residence.”
I stared at him. “Should I ask?”
“I’m a Pierce.”
“That is no longer a suitable excuse.”
“I’m head of my family’s security— Stop looking at me like that. I apologized, didn’t I?” He grinned, making me nervous. “Next time you fall asleep, I’ll climb into bed with you. Promise.”
“I am over that,” I said firmly, swiping at him. “Don’t ever come near me when I’m in bed.”
He dodged my attack before leaning over to kiss my cheek. “If you’re sure.”
I stepped into the hall as soon as the doors opened. Strong hands gripped my waist and pulled me back against a firm chest. Hugging me from behind, he kissed my other cheek.
“What?” I huffed.
“You have to say it.” He chuckled. “That you don’t want me to—”
“Aren’t we here on business?” I said, glad he couldn’t see my blushing face. He could probably feel the heat though. Crap.
“Say it.”
With a frustrated growl, I whipped around and grabbed his face, pulling him into a kiss. Mauling might have been a better word. My teeth bit at his lower lip before I mashed our mouths together. He didn’t seem to mind — if the way he backed me against the wall was any indication. My fingers dug into the defined edges of his cheekbones as our tongues battled for dominance. I won — though I couldn’t shake the feeling he’d let me win — and gave his lip one last nip before pulling away. Swollen lips looked good on him.
“You too,” he breathed.
Damn it. I’d said that out loud.
With a smug grin, he said, “You know, I’m getting mixed signals.”
“You’re being childish,” I declared before stomping away like, well, a child.
“His apartment’s this way,” Adam called, jutting a thumb toward the opposite hallway.
I spun around, marched past him, and threw a rude gesture over my shoulder. At his laugh, I reached for my sword, but he was too fast. He took my hand, kissing each knuckle, and laced our fingers together.
Joke was on him — I could stab with my left hand too.
We had to ring the doorbell three times before Jeffery answered the door. He was dressed in all white, from his sport shoes to the sweater tied around his shoulders. He was dressed for a tennis game, as usual. Though now that I thought about it, I’d never seen him with a racket. Like his brother, Jeffery was heavy-handed with his hair products, though his blond hair didn’t shine as much as Thomas’ did in the light.
“Finally,” he said, phone in hand. “I’ve been calling you for— Oh. Sorry, I thought you were someone else.”
“Jeffery,” Adam greeted. “Could we come in?”
I pulled my hand from his, drawing Jeffery’s attention. “Yeah, hi.”
Jeffery raised a brow, the corners of his lips quirking. Damn it. I forgot he was into girls who played hard-to-get. He stepped aside to let us in. “Sophia, how are you doing today?”
It was an innocent question. Or it would have been if not for the look in his eyes. Sandra died less than twenty-four hours ago, and he was already pulling this crap? “You moved.”
Adam gave me a look as we entered the apartment. I shrugged. It was the only thing I could say that wasn’t mean or crass.
“Nah.” He grinned. “I bought this for Sandra.”
That made me pause. “You bought her a penthouse?”
“Mhm,” he said, nodding. “She’s been really down lately. Her aunt died, you know. Thought I’d get her a present. Plus, she likes the beach, so I figured this would be the perfect gift.”
I blinked a few times, trying to make sense of that. This penthouse was laid out like Symeon’s, though the decorator definitely had Sandra in mind. Unlike his city view, this apartment had a view of the ocean, glimmering blue for miles. Geez. I didn’t know Jeffery was this generous. I could’ve dated him for a while.
“Have a seat,” Jeffery said, gesturing to the cream-colored sofas in the living room. They looked like the ones Sandra had at her place. “Though if you’re looking for her, she isn’t here.”
I froze mid-sit and looked at Adam. He didn’t know?
Adam sat beside me. “Have you spoken to your brother recently?”
Jeffery nodded, taking the seat across from us. “Yesterday afternoon. He was supposed to bring Sandra here last night so I could give her the keys. This is a surprise, so if you see her, keep it hush-hush, okay?”
I nodded dumbly. How the hell was I supposed to tell him? “Um….”
“I know,” Jeffery said. “The light here is wonderful. Makes me look even more handsome than usual.”
It just got a little easier. “We have some bad news.”
He frowned, which always managed to make him look like a confused puppy. “What? Oh, did you want to buy this place? Sorry. Guess I was too fast for you.”
There wasn’t a hint of sarcasm in his voice. He honestly believed I could afford a place like this. Despite his pompous attitude, he was surprisingly blind to class. He assumed everyone was well off, and that some people just had bad taste.
“Elizabeth was murdered last night,” Adam said. “You know her, right?”
“Wow,” he said, slack-jawed. “Yeah. She’s Sandra’s best friend. Was. Whoa.”
Either Jeffery was a terrific actor, or he was genuinely shocked. I licked my lips. Should’ve let Adam come alone. “And later that night, Sandra was found dead in her home.”
Jeffery looked at me, blinked twice, then turned to Adam expectantly. When Adam stayed silent, he turned back to me. “Huh?”
“Sandra and Elizabeth were murdered—”
A laugh cut me off. Jeffery was clutching his stomach, his perfectly tanned skin flushed from the exertion. “Dude. Nice.”
“This isn’t a joke,” Adam said.
That made Jeffery laugh harder, until a tear fell down his face. “Who put you up to this? Was it Sandra? No, she’s not that dark. Lizzie, maybe. She’s got some bite. Or—”
“Jeffery,” Adam said firmly, catching the blonde’s attention. “This isn’t a joke. They’re dead. I’m sorry.”
Jeffery stammered out a few sounds before shaking his head. “No. What are you? She— I— No.” His shoulders dropped and he looked at his hands. “No. No! What the—”
I reeled back at the feel of Jeffery’s magic. It rolled off him in waves of anguish, bringing tears to my eyes and breakfast up my throat. Clamping a hand over my mouth, I looked for a trash can. The last thing Jeffery needed right now was me throwing up on this couch.
“I’m sorry,” I said softly.
“How?” he said in less than a whisper. “Why? Who?”
“We don’t know yet,” Adam said. “Thomas is in charge of the investigation. He didn’t tell you?”
Jeffery’s head shot up. “What? No, he didn’t. I’ve been calling him non-stop wondering where the hell he is. I’ve been waiting for him and Sandra all night. Maybe he’s been so busy that he forgot to check his phone.”
“Does he do that often?” Adam asked.
He scoffed. “Have you met my brother? He’s the poster boy for workaholics. He’d forget to eat if he didn’t have a personal chef to remind him.”
“We’re here because we need your help filling in some blanks. Can you do that?” Adam asked.
Jeffery stared at us with a blank expression. He was completely shellshocked. “Okay.”
“Were you with Sandra yesterday?”
He nodded.
“What did she do?”
“Um,” he paused, running a hand through his hair. I was amazed it could move under all that gel. “She woke up late. Around noon. At my place. Then I brought her here for lunch — at the restaurant down the street. I wanted her to take in the atmosphere. Get her excited about moving, you know?”
“How long did that take?” Adam asked.
“We ate, then wal
ked along the beach. We left around two. Then, Sandra went shopping with Lizzie for a date she had. I dropped her off at home to pick up her aunt’s necklace — Lizzie wanted to borrow it — before driving her to the fashion district. She kissed me goodbye and—” He cut off as the realization hit. “That was the last time I saw her.”
“Do you want something to drink?” I asked.
“No, thank you.” This time, the tears on his face weren’t from laughter. “I don’t know exactly what she did after that, but she said she had to finish an article for work. I assume she went home for the night. That’s where I told Thomas to pick her up. Oh,” he said, reaching into his pocket. “She asked me if I could drive her to Adrienne’s tomorrow, but I got a message from her saying they were meeting last night.”
I frowned. We already knew that. “When did— Wait.”
Adam met my wide eyes. “Sandra lent Elizabeth her aunt’s necklace? The magical one that creeped her out?”
Jeffery nodded. “Wait, how’d you know it creeped—”
“And when her date was postponed, Elizabeth had dinner with Sandra and returned the necklace to her before she was killed,” Adam continued.
“Adrienne visited Sandra to break the news about Elizabeth and probably checked out the necklace before leaving. Then, Sandra was killed,” I finished. “Shit.”
“What?” Jeffery frowned. “What’s wrong?”
“The necklace was in both their possessions shortly before they were killed,” Adam said. “Elizabeth had it and died, then Sandra. You think the lilac-scented magic at both scenes was from the necklace?”
“I don’t know,” I said.
“For what it’s worth,” Jeffery said, “Sandra’s second cousin couldn’t stop sneezing when they were handing things out for the will. He’s a tracker — and allergic to flowers.”
“It’s more than we had yesterday,” Adam said. “We need to find that necklace.”
“It wasn’t at Sandra’s,” I said, wondering if I missed something in her room. “I checked. Maybe the killer— Oh no. No, no, no.”
“Sophia—” Adam grabbed me by the shoulders “—calm down.”
“She has it, doesn’t she? Adrienne has the necklace. Sandra gave it to her for appraisal.”
“Calm—”
