Love Spell: Book 2 of The Grimm Laws

by Youngblood, Jennifer

  “How dare you!” The man stepped over to the nearby sink and swiped across the counter, sending the pitcher of water flying through the room where it sloshed up the wall.

  This stunned everyone into silence. Jack’s dad gathered himself up and glared at Elle. “I’m gonna get me a lawyer! And I’m gonna sue you and your family for all of the pain and suffering you’ve caused my boy! When I’m done with you, you won’t have a penny left to your name!” His lower lip began to jiggle as tears brimmed in his eyes. “You’d better hope that he lives through this,” he said hoarsely, leaning against the bed for support. “Now, get out! It’s family only!”

  * * *

  Rushton was surprised to see that Jack’s previous acquaintance with Largot earned him little more than a ghost of a smile when they entered the room. Largot was big and muscular with closely cropped gray hair that made his blocky head appear nearly square. His steely eyes raked over them—a wolf assessing his prey. The hair on Rushton’s neck stood on ends, and he had to suppress the urge to flee. Largot motioned for them to sit.

  “Jack Swift, it has been too long. To what do I owe this honor?” The words seemed to rumble forth from his expansive chest.

  “I have a few gold pieces that I need to exchange for crowns, marks, and shillings.”

  Largot sat silently, assessing them.

  “I have ten gold pieces,” Jack explained.

  Largot nodded.

  “And what will ye give me in return?”

  “One gold piece.”

  A thoughtful expression crossed Largot’s features, and he leaned back, stroking his chin. He motioned at Rushton. “What does thy friend here have to say?”

  “I speak for us both,” Jack said quickly before Rushton could answer.

  Largot frowned.

  Rushton leaned forward. “One gold piece is a fair payment,” he said firmly, making eye contact with Largot.

  “Is that so?” Largot lifted an eyebrow. “I shall require two gold pieces as payment for exchanging the ten.”

  “Robbery!” Jack blurted. “I can’t believe ye have the audacity to treat a family member this way.” He stood and grabbed Rushton’s arm. “Let us go We are done here.”

  Largot seemed amused by Jack’s outburst. “The fact that ye are Tallia’s cousin is the sole reason I am even speaking with thee.”

  “Sit down, Jack!” Rushton commanded.

  “What?” Jack gave him an incredulous look.

  “Sit! Now!” Rushton hissed.

  Jack sat back down. Rushton looked Largot in the eye. “Agreed.”

  Largot nodded. Rushton opened his pouch, counted out twelve gold pieces, and placed them on the table. Largot walked over and retrieved a metal chest. He opened it and began counting out the money for exchange. When he was done, Rushton reached for it, but Largot stopped him. “Not so fast.”

  “We made a fair trade,” Rushton said, his hand going to his dagger.

  “Aye, we made a trade for the gold exchange, but my silence is going to cost thee a little more.”

  “Ye thieving scoundrel!” Jack seethed. “We came here because I believed I could trust thee.”

  Largot gave them a cold smile. “Trust is a precious commodity.” He placed a parchment before them. It was a drawing of Rushton with a posted reward, much like the ones they’d seen pinned on the trees in the previous village. “I am a business man. I can be trusted … for a price.”

  Rushton’s eyes narrowed. The man was an ox. Even so, he wouldn’t go down without a fight. “What is thy price for silence?” He kept his voice even.

  “Seven gold pieces.”

  “Hah!” Jack balked.

  “Four,” Rushton said, locking eyes with the man.

  “Six.”

  “Five.”

  “Done.”

  Rushton released his hold on the dagger. “And we will need a place to stay for the night. We will be gone after first light.”

  “Agreed,” Largot said, “but I will need payment for the food and drink ye had in the tavern this night.”

  Rushton reached in his pouch for the gold pieces.

  Tallia burst into the room. With her was the redheaded girl Rushton saw earlier. Largot stood, his jaw hardening. “What is the meaning of this, wife? I am conducting a business transaction. Ye know better than to interrupt.”

  “Aye, husband, I am indeed sorry, but this could not wait.” She pointed at Jack. “Is that him?”

  The girl stepped forward. “Aye,” she said, scowling at Jack. “’Tis him. I would recognize that yellow-belly lizard anywhere!”

  “Somebody had better tell me what is going on here!” Largot rumbled. He raised his hand to strike Tallia, and she shrank back, shielding her face with her hands.

  Jack stood and backed against the wall. “There must be some mistake, for I have never laid eyes on her before this moment.” He looked at Rushton. “She is confusing me with someone else.”

  “Liar!” the girl yelled. Her face was contorted with rage. She rushed to get at Jack, but Largot held her back.

  “Cease this!” Largot said, glaring at Tallia. “Ye know I do not involve myself with petty quarrels. So, Jack broke another heart.” He let out a husky laugh. “Slap him and be done with it.”

  “I could kill you for what you did,” the girl said, balling her fists.

  She had fine-boned features and ivory skin that looked almost translucent. Her cheekbones were a little too pronounced, suggesting that she was in need of a hearty meal. Still, she was beautiful in a statuesque, untouchable way. Her unruly red hair resembled flames, flickering around her slender face. There was haughtiness in her expression and a certain bearing about her that spoke of nobility, letting Rushton know that this was no ordinary peasant girl. How had Jack managed to cross paths with her, and what could he possibly have done? Maybe she was confusing him with someone else … he hoped.

  Tears sprang to her eyes. “Because of thee, my love, my dear Brindley was blinded. You took everything from me!”

  Jack scoffed. “My mother and I were starving! I did what I had to do to save us! How was I supposed to know that hag was going to throw him headfirst out of the tower? Furthermore, thy dear Brindley is a coward. If he truly loved thee he would have stayed and fought for thee.”

  “He did fight for me, fool, which is why he was blinded!”

  “As it turns out, thy noble prince was not so noble after all. Brindley was planning on running like a scared rabbit back to his kingdom.” He jutted out his chest. “Until I bade him to stay and defend thee! If ye ask me, Brindley got exactly what he deserved.”

  The girl’s ragged intake of breath seemed to suck all of the air out of the room. All eyes turned to Jack. Rushton was the first to speak. “You said you did not know her.”

  A nervous laugh escaped Jack’s lips. “Oops.”

  Largot shook his head. “I do not like the sound of this, Jack.” He stroked his chin. “I do not like the sound of this at all.”

  Tallia put a hand on his arm. “Ye cannot let him get away with this.”

  Largot gave his wife a strange look. “Art thou so quick to turn on thy cousin, wife?”

  A deep blush rose in Tallia’s cheeks. “These are extreme circumstances, husband,” she stammered, furiously batting her eyelashes.

  “Indeed,” Largot said, “indeed.” He sat down. “I must give this some thought.”

  Rushton looked at the girl. There was something terrible in her beauty as she stood there, hatred emanating from her eyes, which were the color of leafy ferns.

  Largot scratched his head and looked at the girl. “I feel the passion of thy words, and thy loss moves me to pity.”

  “Ye are taking her word for the whole thing?” Jack threw his hands in the air. “Ye have not heard my version of the story. That hag she calls a mother nearly ruined me!” He leaned forward, closing the space between him and the girl. “I should have left thee in that tower. I should have let thee die!”

  She
spit in his face. Jack started cursing. “Ye flame-haired fiend of the devil! Ye maggot-infested, rotten-smelling, loathsome wench! I ought to snap thy skinny neck for that!”

  “Silence!” Largot yelled. He pointed at Jack. “Ye will keep silent!” He turned to the girl. “As much as I would savor putting this man in the stocks—” he gave Jack a scathing look “—were I to take action against him, I would then be forced to take like action against every other person that came to me with a personal vendetta. I am a businessman. I cannot involve myself in such matters.”

  Jack gave the girl a mocking smile.

  “But, husband,” Tallia began.

  “Enough!”

  Tallia rocked back, shaking her head. She turned to the girl. “I am sorry.” Without another word, she turned and fled.

  “I also am sorry that I cannot help thee,” Largot said, looking old for the first time. “Ye should go now.” He raised his arm in a farewell gesture.

  “I understand,” the girl said quietly. She took a step back like she was leaving but instead pulled a necklace from underneath her clothing. A large, clear stone was fastened on the end of a chain. Rushton heard Jack gasp when the stone started glowing amber like the eyes of a cat. The girl mumbled something under her breath, and the stone began shooting out rays of light. She held the stone so that it shone directly into Largot’s eyes.

  He stumbled backwards. “What is this witchery?”

  “You will arrest these men,” she said.

  “Nay.” He shook his head. “Nay!”

  The light from the stone grew brighter. “Arrest them! Earn thyself a fine reward from the king. You will be a hero.”

  He grabbed his head as if he were writhing in pain.

  “ARREST THEM!”

  Largot stood up straight. A dull look formed in his eyes as he looked straight ahead. “I will arrest them.”

  “Magic!” Jack sputtered. “Can ye not see that she is controlling thee with that thing?”

  Rushton clutched Jack’s arm. “‘Tis an amulet.” Amulets were extremely rare and powerful. He had only seen his mother use one once when he was very young, but that was enough to burn the experience into his memory. His mother had singlehandedly defeated an entire band of bandits with an amulet. “Do not look at it,” Rushton warned. “If you look into it, she will hold thee in her power. Do not—”

  It was too late. The light flashed in their eyes. “You will surrender,” she ordered.

  “Nay!”

  She repeated the words again. Rushton felt his will as it split into two parts. To obey was insanity. To resist was unthinkable. A white-hot pain ripped through his head. Surrender. The word encircled him, growing larger and more terrible in its intensity. SURRENDER!

  Do NOT do it, his mind screamed. Fight! Fight to the bitter end! He grasped his dagger, but the blinding light was too powerful to resist. It burned fire as it coursed through his veins, cutting off all reason. He thought he heard a part of him weeping as the last of his will gave way. A curious blankness settled over him, drowning out the hurt, as he sheathed his dagger and obeyed the commands of the light.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Choices and Consequences

  A curious numbness settled over Elle as she collapsed in the chair beside her bed and sat there, staring into the distance. After Jack’s dad ordered them out of the hospital room, they’d made their way to the small chapel that was just down the hall from the main lobby. Rae had broken down crying, and Elle had done her best to comfort her, but the truth was—they were all scared. Rush had sat as still as a statue while all of this was going on, a stoic expression on his face.

  Finally, realizing there was nothing else they could do, Rae drove them home. That’s when things went from bad to worse. Sera was waiting for her at the front door. Evidently, a police officer had called, requesting that Elle come to the station the following morning to answer more questions about the accident. This was followed by a phone call from Jack’s dad, breathing out threats about a lawsuit.

  “Why did you not call me right away?” Sera wanted to know. “You caused an accident that put a boy in the hospital! I knew you were irresponsible, but this beats all I’ve ever seen.” The blood vessel in the center of her head began to bulge, and her voice became screeching. On and on she went—growing more furious by the minute. All Elle could do was sit there mutely with tears pooling in her eyes, looking straight ahead. Sera ranted and raved, kicked the baseboards, and stomped around the living room. She told Elle how worthless she was and that she would be the cause of bringing the family to financial ruin. To add to the humiliation, Josselyn and Huntsden sat in the other room, hanging on every word. When her anger was spent, Sera ordered Elle to go to her room. “I don’t want to see your wretched face the rest of the night,” she said.

  Elle had gladly hurried up the stairs. She didn’t need to look at Josselyn and Huntsden to know that they were gloating over her misfortune.

  As she sat, staring into nothingness, the full scale of her predicament hit her full force. The accident was under investigation, and she’d received a summons to appear before a judge eight days from today’s date. She’d overheard the police officers speaking to one other in hush tones, saying that if Jack didn’t make it then she could possibly be charged with vehicular homicide, which was considered a second or third-degree felony that levied jail time and a large fine. Add to the fact that Jack’s dad was going to sue, and things weren’t looking too promising. She’d taken the wrap for the accident on the spur of the moment because she couldn’t stand the thought of Rush going to jail. Dread knotted her stomach. Would she end up going to jail over this? A cold sweat broke out over her forehead. Her phone buzzed. She looked down to see that her dad was calling. She swallowed down the emotion that was building and answered the phone.

  “Hi, Dad.”

  “Honey,” he began abruptly, “Sera tells me that you’re in a bit of trouble.”

  Tears glistened. “Yes,” she croaked.

  “What happened?”

  She rehearsed the same story that she’d told the police. When she finished, there was a long pause. She clutched the phone. “Dad, are you still there?”

  “I’m here.” He hesitated. “Look, Elle, this is serious. If Jack doesn’t make it …”

  A hideous fear rose in her breast.

  “Look, I have an attorney friend that I can contact. I’ll give him a call first thing in the morning. Sera tells me that you’re being called into the station for questioning tomorrow morning.”

  “Yes.” She raked her hair out of her face. It felt dirty and grimy from the day’s events.

  “Listen to me. Tell them that you won’t answer any questions without your lawyer being present.”

  She heard the words, but they sounded like they were coming from far away.

  “Elle, do you understand what I’m saying?”

  “Yes, I understand.”

  “Okay … then. Try and get some sleep. I’ll be in touch in the morning.”

  “Thanks … Dad.” Before she could get the last word out, he ended the call. Tears stung her eyes. What had she gotten herself into?

  * * *

  Two excruciatingly long days passed before Edward sent for her. The invitation to join him for an evening meal came at the very moment when Cinderella thought she would go mad, trying to find things to do to keep her mind occupied. Seraphina had been colder than usual and Josselyn more spiteful—their way of making Cinderella pay for the display of tears that she’d been unable to contain during Wisteria’s song. How the words had cut through her heart on that dreadful night, further condemning her.

  She looked down at the square of parchment that contained Edward’s near-perfect handwriting, a further testament of his royal breeding and another example of how she didn’t belong here, with him. She traced her finger along the refined quill marks, marveling at how precise and beautiful each stroke was. Edward was tutored by the most brilliant scholars in the kingdom
while she, on the other hand, had gotten the majority of her education from the books in her father’s study, the ones she could tuck away when Seraphina wasn’t looking. It was only when her chores were completed that she could find time to steal away and curl up with a book. Thankfully, her father had taught her to read and write before his passing. Otherwise, she would be exactly like all of the other peasants that never had the opportunity or means for higher learning.

  It was concerning that Edward had sent a servant to deliver the invitation rather than bringing it himself. Before the incident with Rushton, her relationship with Edward had been comfortable and informal. Now everything was so complicated and stiff. She placed the invitation on the silver tray, stood, and went to the window. She looked out at the rolling green hills that were framed in the distance by tall, leafy trees. Her gaze went higher to the snow-capped mountain peaks in the distance. Her eyes caught on black dots of birds, flying in the bright blue sky. She wondered fleetingly how it must feel to be that free. No commitments. No constraints. Just simple, splendid freedom.

  “Well, it seems, dear sister, that you are being given the opportunity to get back into Edward’s good graces. That is, if you do not spoil it as you usually do.” Josselyn held up the invitation.

  Cinderella kept standing there, staring out at the mountains.

  “I will go and tell Mother. She will want to know.”

  “Of course you will.” She didn’t try to hide the bitterness in her voice.

  “You do not see it now, but Mother and I are only trying to help.” Josselyn stepped up beside Cinderella and put a hand on her arm.

  “I am not in need of thy sort of help.” She’d had just about enough of Seraphina and Josselyn. She turned and faced Josselyn, her eyes burning with all of the pent-up indignation she was feeling. Josselyn rocked back, surprised at the outburst, but Cinderella was not finished. “You forget yourself. The only reason that you and your mother are living here in this palace is because of me. I am the one who is engaged to Edward. The moment I am wed, I can have thee banished with the snap of my finger.”