He was a strange, beautiful butterfly of a man, and in moments of quiet reflection, I realized just how weird my life had become since my death only a few decades back. Nowhere in my old life had a Blue ever existed. Taking my new reality for granted had been easy until it dawned on me just how little I still knew about it.
“Working a case is completely different from being permitted entrance into their cloistered sphere,” Blue said. “You will see things. You will be expected to know things. In short, act right, and you might just get to walk out of there.”
My thoughts froze at what I’d just heard between the lines. Going totally still, I gave my head a tiny shake and said, “Are you... worried for me?” My blood turned cold at the thought.
For just a fraction of a second, I saw raw truth glow through his eyes. He was worried. I frowned, but as quickly as I’d spotted the fear, he laughed, tossing his head back and flipping his hand as though to flick at a nonexistent tumble of hair.
“Me. Oh please. I simply don’t wish for my name to get tarnished should you act like a baboon’s arse. I do not associate with baboons. So act right, Scar, and pay attention.”
The fae weren’t exactly known for being the emotional type. In fact, they could often be considered as cold and ruthless as the cold ones, but Blue and I went back well over two decades, and while that wasn’t much in terms of immortals, I understood what he’d never actually say out loud to me.
I mattered to him.
I grinned. “You like me.”
“Oh, shut up.”
I snorted. “You do. Fine.” I tossed up my hands. “Fine. I’ll do this your way. What do you know of the Clan Infantes?”
“Thank you.” He rolled his eyes dramatically. “And of them, nothing in particular. But I’ve been around enough clans to know protocol is mostly the same, no matter where you are. One.” He held up his hand. “Never, ever admit to weakness. Political anarchy reins. What might appear to be an innocent comment made centuries earlier could eventually lead to ruination or even assassination down the line. The cold ones never forget another Veiler’s weakness.”
“Okay, sounds about typical. You fae are pretty much ruthless bastards yourselves”
Rather than bristling at my insult, Blue actually blushed as though I’d offered a compliment instead.
“What else?”
The heavy ivory drapes were pushed aside, and the faun entered with a vivid red gown that looked like blood sparkling with morning dew draped over her arms. I gasped.
Blue snarled. “You’re fired. Send me Jolene.”
The pretty little faun blinked and glanced at me swiftly before turning on her heels and stomping away.
Okay, so maybe she hadn’t been about to cry. Home girl looked as though she wanted to kick some serious pretty-boy ass.
“Blue!” I made grabby hands toward the gown that was already heading back to whatever wonderfully magickal storeroom it’d come from. “I loved that one!”
“Blood, Scar. It looked like blood.”
“Exactly!” I snapped back. “It was perfect.”
“In a room full of vampires? Have you lost your mind! The point isn’t to stand out like a bold, beautiful peacock.” He brushed a hand down his chest as though complimenting himself.
“Ugh, but you just said—”
“No-o-o.” His mouth formed an exaggerated O. “I did not. If you’ll recall, I said you must convey power. But you don’t want to remind them of dinner. I mean, that’s just asinine.”
“Lord, give me strength,” I muttered sarcastically.
Plopping his tight little butt back on the divan, he stretched one arm over the back and crossed his legs. Then he snatched up a crystal goblet full of golden nectar and sipped at it.
“Okay.” I held up both hands, reminding myself that just a few minutes before, I’d promised to be good and listen. “What else?”
“Never, ever walk in with a weapon of any sort. It would be considered a declaration of war for most.”
As a former cop and occasional private investigator, I didn’t like that part one bit. I grumped.
“Three. Never go in without a weapon.” He pursed his lips.
“But—” Slack jawed and wondering if Blue had drunk way too much of the potent dew, I shook my head.
Anticipating me already, he had a finger held up. “It’s obvious, Scar. You’re a detective. Think about it. Never provoke a lion, but don’t walk into the lion’s den unprepared.”
In other words, hide it on myself. However, considering that vampires had a heightened sense of smell, sight, and just about every other friggin’ perception out there, I wasn’t exactly certain I’d be able to hide anything, especially with the cut and tightness of the gowns being presented me. Maybe if I was really slick, I might be able to fit a nail file between my boobs, but considering nail files did nothing to my kind, the thought was rather pointless.
Then a creature the likes of which I’d never seen before but had only ever read about in fae-drenched history books stepped inside. I couldn’t say the thing was either male or female. It was a twisted amalgam of vines, twigs, and leaves for arms, legs, torso, and head. Upon its head rested a crown of thorns. Its eyes burned the deepest red of molten magma, but it moved with the grace and casual elegance of a queen.
“Ah, Jolene, at last my prayers have been answered. You look ravishing,” Blue said with a smirk before bowing deeply.
Okay, so clearly female.
The tree woman—cuz really, I didn’t even know what her kind was called—dipped her head in acknowledgement, moving with an unhurried pace that was mesmerizing to watch.
“Blue, why have you insulted all my consultants?” she asked with a voice that carried like the chime of rolling winds.
My skin shivered with goosebumps, and I watched as Blue turned on the charm. There were no more dickery words, only what seemed to be genuine affection.
Grabbing her hand, he brought it toward his lips, nuzzling the crook of her wrist and inhaling deeply. “You smell of the summer winds and the springtime rains. May your fields be ever fertile.”
Again, she nodded, and for a moment, I could almost imagine the strange creature must have once surely been a queen. Something inherently regal emanated from her, something innate and not taught. Moreover, I’d never seen Blue like that, all pretense gone and smiling with true and unaffected warmth.
“And yours.” Her words echoed with power. “I came to see you off, and yet, I find as I always do with you, that I cannot hate you though I often try.”
An impish grin stole across his features.
Then those red glowing eyes found me, and I suddenly didn’t know what to do or how to act. Crossing one foot over the other, I wondered whether I should bow or curtsey or, hell, sing out, “I’m not worthy!” In the end, I opted to do none of those, so I stood there like an ass, staring at those burning eyes and wondering how many people she’d killed just that way.
“What is your name, girl?”
She was an ancient—that much was obvious. Normally, her tone would cause me to bristle, but I felt strangely tongue-tied around Jolene.
“Scarlett Smith.”
“You go to a vampire ball.”
It wasn’t really a question, but I treated it like one anyway. “Yes.”
“Then I would ask you only one question.”
I waited, feeling both elated and queasy at the same time.
“Think of only one word. Whatever first pops into your mind, speak it not, but send it to me.”
Jeez, I didn’t know what to think. Feeling as though I was cramming for a test I’d only learned about the day before, my brain worked furiously to come up with a word, any word. Then there it was.
Her gaze dipped briefly. “I see it. I shall return.”
Just like that, Jolene was gone, and I looked at Blue for help.
He just shrugged. “Don’t look at me. You spoke the word.”
“Can she really read minds?”
“Scarlett, you’ve been granted a gift this night. Jolene is not just any fae but an elemental. She is the raw fury of the beginning and end of all things.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than she was back, and draped over her arms was a thing of such incredible beauty that it actually made me gasp.
The gown was differing shades of white: ecru, ivory, snow, and so many more I could hardly fathom it. She eased me into the princess-style gown, which shimmered like powdery flakes of freshly fallen snow as I twirled in the lighting.
The waist was cinched with a sweetheart cut that exposed the smooth lines of my shoulders. The skirt gave the illusion that my legs were far longer than they actually were, and sewn into the tulle were sparkling gems, which were surely diamonds.
When I finally turned to look at Blue, he had his hands over his mouth and tears shimmering in his eyes, as he gazed upon me like a proud Dad.
“You have outdone yourself, Cliodhna.”
Realizing he’d just called her “fairy queen” in the old fae tongue, I stared at the strange woman in wonder as she accepted his praise with dignity. Then, turning on her heel, she was gone, leaving me alone with a dark fae and a gown that seemed ripped from the pages of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings.
“You called her Queen.”
“That I did,” he said, as serious as I’d ever heard him. “She was once and shall always be so to me. Now...” He strutted up to me, turned me around by the shoulder, and looked at my reflection as I looked at his. “No more are you Scarlett Smith, the weak and fragile newborn. Now, you are the Winter Maiden, who tames the hand of the Queen of Fae.”
His hands were hot as they ran down my nude biceps, trailing languidly down my waist before coming to rest at the spot where hips met legs. My body lit up like a firecracker.
Blue wasn’t trying to come on to me. He was simply a sex fae and couldn’t help what he was.
“And these are not diamonds, my beautiful vampiress, but your power. For these are your weapons, each gem imbued with the potency of ekimmu venom. Should you will it, this gown will become a living nest of poison, killing anything it comes in contact with. You need not worry the vampires will sense it. It is completely undetectable.”
Astounded by that gift, and still reeling from the electric touch of his skin against mine, I didn’t know what to say. “Blue, I don’t... I can’t thank you en—”
Twirling me about, he looked deeply into my eyes and I into his, and for a moment, I forgot all about the long-standing sexual banter we’d always playfully antagonized one another with. Instead, I found myself drowning in the sincerity of his expressive eyes.
He inhaled deeply, patting my back awkwardly as he did so. “Don’t die.”
I frowned hard when he beamed at me as though he’d said nothing full of urgency and dread just seconds before.
“You look gorgeous. But of course, you always know that, I’m sure.” He sniffed.
I opened my mouth, unsure what to say, when he cut in.
“Just make sure you come back, vampire. I’ve grown rather fond of you and would hate to see anything happen.”
Feeling overwhelmed, I rushed him, hugging him hard. For only a second, he was stiff, but after a moment, he hugged me back just as hard before planting a brief but intense kiss upon my cheek.
Then Blue was gone, vanished into the ether, disappearing in the way of his kind. That fae had just shown a non-fae something rarely gifted to another, true kindness. If he was still there, he would have put it, “Things just got too real up in here.”
I twirled back toward the mirrors and notched my chin high. For the fae, names held great power. Blue had called me Winter Maiden, and I had to admit I kinda loved it. I wasn’t sure a dress really had the kind of power Blue claimed it did among my kind, but the gown certainly didn’t hurt.
Staring at the gems that weren’t really gems, I fervently hoped I wouldn’t need to use them, but no matter how hard I tried to think about anything other than my last exchange with Blue, my mind kept returning to how desperate he’d seemed.
Breaking out in a wash of goosebumps, I sighed and planted a hand against my stomach. I wasn’t exactly a superstitious kind of vampire, but things seemed to be changing—big, scary things—and deep down, I knew the biggest change was going to come from me. I just wished to God I knew when and how.
Chapter 12
Scarlett
By the time I returned that evening, Mercer and Steven were fast asleep in my living room.
Merc stirred the moment I entered, glancing up briefly before giving me a sleepy nod and passing out again. Guess he wanted to make sure I made it home safe. I was somewhat disappointed, but considering the sun was only a few minutes away from rising, I hadn’t expected anything different.
I’d been cutting it close getting home lately. Sometimes, I really missed being a day walker. When I awoke, Merc had already left for the night to pick up a short shift at the den. He’d left me a note to meet him at ten.
The time was nine thirty.
Trying to waste some time, I decided to call Carter first, hoping that maybe he’d turned up something.
He picked up on the first ring. “Yell-ow?”
My lips twitched at the familiar greeting. “Hey.”
“Ah, Scar. I was wondering if you’d be calling me today.”
He sounded tired, and I couldn’t help but frown. “You okay? Learn anything?”
“Not much, to be honest. Though I’m following a promising lead right now. I just wish I had more to go on than a scarred lip and a girl’s name.”
I shrugged, picking at a loose thread on my sleeping shorts. “Sorry. Well, actually...” I suddenly recalled the blurry image of the skull in the stone.
“What?” I heard anticipation roll through him.
“I dunno, probably nothing, which is why I hadn’t mentioned this sooner, but the other day, when I was studying that pendant, I could have sworn I saw an image in the stone.”
“What kind of image?” He sounded mildly interested though I’d begun to doubt I’d even seen what I thought I’d seen at all.
“A skull. A black skull inlaid within a rose bloom. But like I said, I’m not even sure it wasn’t just a trick of the light and my own desperate need to make something out of nothing.”
“Hmm. I mean, you’re right, it’s not much. But do you think you could sketch it out for me? It might be nothing, but it could be something.”
“Yeah, sure. I can try. Won’t be a masterpiece, but hopefully it’ll give you something.”
“And how are things besides?”
“Got my dress. Blue took me out yesterday.”
He chuckled, and my lips twitched.
“Yeah, something like that,” I said, realizing that Carter and I were actually talking like friends again, which was odd but also oddly thrilling.
“Anyway,” he said a few seconds into the silence, as if he’d also suddenly become aware of the same thing, “I should probably get back to it. Just shoot me an image, like I said. My contact is, like, ninety percent sure she knows the identity of Juliet, at the very least.”
“I take it Scar Lip is a big fat no, then?” I asked glumly, less interested in Juliet than I was in the mysterious vampire.
“Nothing yet. A scarred lip isn’t exactly much to go on. But I’ll keep digging.”
Blowing a raspberry, I nodded even though he couldn’t see me. “Thanks for this, Carter. I’ll send over the sketch in a minute. Just text me when you learn something.”
“Yup.”
We hung up soon afterward. Our conversation hadn’t been longer than ten minutes, which meant I still had way too much time to burn. After yanking a loose sheet of paper from inside my desk, I sketched out a really crude version of what I’d seen, snapped a pic, and shot it off to him. I doubted I’d learn anything from it, but we were grasping at straws.
Turning on my laptop, I decided to check one last time to see if James had writ
ten me. I expected nothing, so it was a shock to see his email address sitting in my inbox. My chest tightening and feeling suddenly queasy, I clicked and read.
It was short: “When you get this, text me.”
Picking up my phone even as my stomach dive-bombed my knees, I texted for him to call.
He must have been keeping an eagle eye on his phone because he called just a second later.
“James?”
“Scar, you by yourself?” His sexy brogue was thicker than normal, conveying his anxiousness and making my own ratchet up.
Not liking his tone or the rapid way he’d rolled that out, I nodded. “Yeah, but you’re starting to worry me. What’s—”
“Look, I don’t have much time to talk. I’m waiting for the panel to reconvene. But I figured you’d want to hear what’s about to happen from me first.”
Clenching the desk with fingers suddenly numb and cold, I squeezed out a breathless, “What?”
“Looks like they’ll be giving Clarence a pardon.”
The razor-tipped wings of swarming butterflies eased in my belly. Fear was replaced by white-hot rage.
“Of course they are. Do they not understand that he tried to have his own GD son assassinated? But of course, it’s the good-ol’-boys system. Bastard’s gonna get away with murder.”
“Yeah, well, it’s not what ye think, Scar.” His voice lowered, making me wonder just where in the hell he was or whether he should be talking to me at all. “Effective immediately, he’ll be forced to step down as acting Alpha and laird of all McCarrick lands and peoples.”
I sucked in a sharp breath. “What? They said this?”
“No,” he drawled, “but I’ve got it on good authority that it’s the call they’ll be making.”
Blinking and feeling all sorts of confused, I blew out a heavy breath. “So... what exactly does this mean?”
I stared at a bare spot on the wall in front of me. Nothing was on it, save for a nail sticking out. I’d put that thing in there over a year before, planning to return to Magnolia antiques for a Norman Rockwell print, which Teresa had sold out from under my nose. I’d never bothered hanging anything else up or even taking that nail down, for that matter.
Me and You and a Ghost Named Boo (Southern Vampire Detective Book 2) Page 13
