Once Upon Stilettos (Enchanted Inc #2)

by Shanna Swendson

  But I was seeing the illusion now. That could mean only one thing.

  I’d lost my magical immunity.

  In that moment, I felt my world turn upside down. If I was no longer immune, that meant I couldn’t count on anything my senses showed me. I didn’t know how it could have happened or why, and I could only begin to wonder how long it had been going on. I tried to think of the last magical thing I’d seen. I’d seen the gargoyle briefly the day before, but it had been appearing and disappearing. I hadn’t been affected by Idris’s spell in the deli, but it had made my toes tap, now that I thought about it. Since then, I couldn’t recall a thing. All that time I’d been relieved not to see anything weird I’d need to explain to Mom, and maybe I’d really been no longer capable of seeing anything weird. There was no telling what she might have seen that I didn’t.

  But I didn’t have time to process it all at the moment. I was there with my parents and roommates, and I had to respond to Rod. “Hi!” I greeted him, hoping that only a second or two had passed instead of the hours it felt like. “I was showing my parents where I work.” I turned to my parents. “Mom, Dad, this is Rod Gwaltney. He’s the one who recruited me for my new job. Rod, these are my parents, Lois and Frank Chandler. And you remember Gemma and Marcia, of course.”

  “Hi, Rod,” Gemma and Marcia chorused in unison, a lustful sigh in their voices. Hey, didn’t they have boyfriends? What were they doing coming on to him like that? I flipped my hair back over my shoulder and fluttered my eyelashes at him, then remembered that I had a boyfriend, too. Oops.

  Rod shook my parents’ hands. “Nice to meet you,” he said. “Katie’s been such an asset to the company.”

  Mom looked at him, glanced at Gemma, Marcia, and me, then frowned and looked back at him, like she was trying to figure out what all the goo-goo eyes were about. Only then did I remember that it was an illusion and that he must have been using one of those mild attraction spells he’d talked about. I didn’t realize he used it constantly. That explained his spectacularly successful social life.

  I forced myself to stay aware of the illusion and the attraction spell. I was not going to become yet another notch on his bedpost. I’d hate to lose my status as one of the few women in the company who hadn’t gone out with him. To keep myself focused, I tried making a mental list of the women I knew had gone out with him, which was essentially the female side of the company roster and a good portion of the Manhattan residential white pages.

  Before Gemma and Marcia reached the point of throwing themselves at him, I decided it would be best to get away. That would make it easier for me to have him all to myself later. No! I shook my head to clear it and conjured up an image of the female staff members of the accounting department—numbers twenty-four, twenty-five, and twenty-six on my mental list of Rod’s former flings. “It was great running into you,” I said, “but we’ve got to get back home. I’ll see you Monday!”

  “Yeah, see you Monday. And it was nice meeting you all,” he said.

  I practically had to drag Gemma and Marcia to keep them from following him, and it was only my worry about getting them away, along with the thought of an anonymous blond woman in a coffee shop who was the twenty-seventh person I was aware of who’d gone out with Rod in the short time I’d known him, that kept me from wanting to follow him. Besides, I reasoned, I’d have him to myself Monday. Realizing where my thoughts were going, I reminded myself of the two girls in the lab down the hall from Owen’s office who, according to Ari, had been in tears after finding out they’d both gone out with Rod in the same weekend. No. I was not going to fall for that.

  “Well, he was certainly interesting,” Mom said once we were on the subway platform, waiting for a train. “I wish I’d brought some samples with me. I could do a lot to improve his skin.”

  Dad, Gemma, and Marcia all turned to look at her like she was crazy. I finally understood why people reacted to Rod the way they did. Usually, I was the only one wondering what all the fuss was about and wishing I could do a makeover on him to help him make the most of his natural assets so he could quit hiding behind that illusion.

  Then Mom let out a bloodcurdling scream, and we all whirled to see her swinging at thin air with her handbag. “Get away from me, you ugly, nasty thing!” she shrieked, punctuating her words with blows of her huge carryall purse. “There now, you go! That’s it! And stay away!” she shouted defiantly down the subway tunnel.

  Dad looked at the rest of us, concern in his eyes. “Lois, there wasn’t anything there,” he said.

  “There isn’t now. That’s because it flew away. I guess I scared it off.”

  “It was probably a bat that lives down in the tunnels,” I suggested, feeling bad for Mom. I knew she probably really was seeing something the rest of us didn’t. That was a switch for me. I was usually the one seeing things. I felt like I’d lost one of my senses.

  “Biggest bat I ever saw, and hard as a rock, too. I hope I didn’t tear up my purse.”

  “Do they have bats in the subway tunnels?” Gemma asked Marcia quietly, while Dad looked like he was wondering if he should put Mom in a rest home.

  A nearly empty train stopped at the station, saving us from further discussion, and we all boarded. As we rode uptown, I tried to reassure myself. It was probably nothing more than a glitch. Maybe we’d been in a weird zone that reversed the polarity of power, or something like that. I knew that the office building was enhanced with extra power to draw upon. Maybe that had effects in the areas surrounding the building. Come to think of it, I’d never seen anything magical in that particular spot before.

  Or it might be temporary. I’d noticed the gargoyle guarding me the day before, so this hadn’t been going on for long. It might even be a good educational experience. I’d often wondered what other people saw, so spending some time susceptible to illusion would give me a basis for comparison that would help me do a better job.

  Only when we left the train at Union Square did I have another realization that sent shivers down my spine. It wasn’t just illusion that worked on me now. Other magic would affect me as well. If Mr. Bones or his ilk tried to attack me again, those magic fireballs would probably work, and I wouldn’t even see it coming. I was a sitting duck for all of Idris’s minions. I became eager to reach my magically warded home, where I should be safe. I didn’t even want to think about what would happen when I had to go to work Monday morning.

  Sunday passed in blissful peace. If any magical folk were about, they must have stayed out of sight, for Mom didn’t comment on anything odd—or maybe she’d learned not to say anything when she thought she saw something. Although my stress levels were sure to drop considerably once they were gone, my heart was heavy when I stopped by my parents’ hotel Monday morning to say good-bye.

  “I’m so glad you came,” I said, hugging them one last time. And I was, I realized. As much as I’d dreaded their visit, I dreaded seeing them go.

  “We had a real nice time,” Mom said, blinking back her own tears. “I can see why you like it here.”

  “So you’re not going to drag me home?”

  “Is that what you thought?” Dad asked with a chuckle.

  “I knew you weren’t happy about me coming here.”

  “You had to do what was right for you,” Mom said. “And now we know it was coming here. You’ve grown up so much.”

  “And now that we’ve seen it,” Dad added, “it doesn’t seem like such a bad place. You know how to take care of yourself.”

  “It is really weird, though,” Mom said. “No one’s going to believe the things I’ve seen.”

  “I don’t believe the things you’ve seen,” Dad muttered. Mom punched him playfully in the shoulder.

  “I have to get to work,” I said, cutting in before they could start fighting. “Are you sure you’re okay getting to the airport on your own?”

  “We’ll be fine,” Dad said. “We made a shuttle reservation at the front desk.”

  I nodded
with approval. “Good. They’ll get you there on time. Give me a call and let me know when you get in, okay?”

  I waved over my shoulder as I turned and headed down the sidewalk toward Union Square. The hotel was past my apartment, so I hoped Owen wasn’t waiting for me in front of my building like he usually was. It turned out I shouldn’t have worried. He was waiting at the next street corner, as if he’d read my mind or already knew where I’d be. Then again, this was Owen I was dealing with, so he probably did know.

  “Did you have a good visit with your parents?” he asked. “It doesn’t look like they’re forcing you to go home.”

  “It did go well. Now that they know the city isn’t quite the crazy place they thought it was, and now that they’ve seen how I can cope with it, they feel better about me living here.” With my parents on their way out of town, I felt it was probably safe to spill the beans about my mom’s immunity, and if I could trust anyone, I could trust Owen. I was curious to find out what he thought about it. I glanced around to make sure no one was in eavesdropping range, then said, “One crazy thing, though—my mom’s an immune. I had to do some fast talking to explain what she saw, and now she believes there are some truly strange people living here.”

  I expected surprise or shock, but he simply nodded. “That makes sense. It’s an inherited trait, so chances are you got it from at least one of your parents, and living in a place like Texas with such a low level of magical activity, she could have gone through her entire life without seeing anything magical.”

  “And the way my mom is, even if she did see something, my dad would have just thought she was being loopy, as usual. Come to think of it, this explains a lot about my family. But please don’t tell anyone at the company. I don’t want to see her shanghaied into working for us.”

  He laughed. “Is that what you were afraid of? Don’t worry, we generally don’t recruit anyone that age. If she’s lived her entire life ignorant of magic, breaking the news at this point may be too traumatic.”

  “That’s a relief. I know how desperately you’re always trying to recruit immunes.”

  “As desperate as we are, we’re still very selective about who gets let in on the secret.” He suddenly looked worried. “She didn’t figure anything out, did she?”

  “No. She just thinks there are more strange alternative lifestyles in New York than she’d realized. My dad may think she’s a bit crazy, but he’s always thought that. Oh, and she thinks Idris is a drunk.”

  “That would explain a lot,” he replied with a grin. Then he suddenly looked concerned. “Idris was bothering your parents?”

  “Just a little mustache twirling. He didn’t actually do much of anything other than play pranks. And who knew he was such a big fan of old-time musicals?”

  His eyebrows shot up. “Musicals?”

  “Long story.”

  We reached an intersection just as the pedestrian signal switched to WALK. I started to step off the curb, but he put his arm out in front of me, holding me back. The first thought to cross my mind was that we were under magical attack, and I hadn’t spotted it in time. I frantically looked for a walking skeleton, a harpy, or even a deranged wizard geek, but didn’t see anything. A split second later a delivery van screeched through the intersection, running the red light. My heart pounded in my chest as I turned to look at Owen. He’d gone white as a sheet. “Thanks,” I managed to gasp. I wasn’t sure what relieved me most, the fact that I hadn’t been hit by a van or the fact that it was something as ordinary as a van instead of all the other things I’d feared.

  “Don’t mention it,” he replied, his voice sounding a little shaky. Both of us looked carefully before we ventured into the crosswalk. Once we reached the other side safely, he let out a long breath and said with a weak smile, “Sometimes that particular gift really has its moments.”

  It was a harsh reminder of what I’d lost. My gift—which was the complete lack of magical gifts—might not be as dramatic as his, but I’d learned to rely on it, just as he used his gifts. I opened my mouth to tell him what had happened, then shut it again. I didn’t know what was going on yet. I wasn’t even sure the immunity was still gone. I needed to wait until I knew the score before I said anything. My job was based on me being immune to magic. Without that quality, I’d be just another secretary. I didn’t think I’d be fired outright, but I couldn’t be sure. They’d recruited me because I was magically immune. Would they keep me if I wasn’t?

  “So how did your holiday go?” I asked Owen, hoping to distract myself from that line of thought.

  “It was good. Better than I expected, actually. Possibly the best Thanksgiving I can recall.”

  “Really? How so?”

  He shrugged casually, but I could see that his eyes sparkled as he talked. This clearly meant more to him than he was willing to let on. “I don’t know. It wasn’t ever like we didn’t get along, but we really got along this time. We actually seemed to have a real relationship, for the first time in my life. It’s still not what I’d consider a typical parent–child relationship, but it seemed to me that they did care for me, in their own way.”

  “Maybe they see you as a grown-up now, someone they can relate to as a peer. There are people who don’t know how to deal with children, but now that you’re an adult, they can get along with you.”

  “That could be the case. They never had any children of their own, and I don’t think they knew quite what to do with a small child. Whatever the cause, it was a nice change of pace. I still feel like a guest in their home instead of a family member, but now I feel like a welcome guest.” He grinned. “I’m even thinking about going there for Christmas, and that’s something I usually avoid. I haven’t been invited yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised if I am.”

  “That’s wonderful. I’m happy for you.” I couldn’t help but feel a pang of homesickness as I realized that I’d be away from home for Christmas. I’d managed it the year before, but I was so new to New York then. Having my parents around for Thanksgiving made me remember what a Christmas at home was like.

  He gave me a sidelong glance, then looked down at the ground and said, “Could you do me a favor?”

  “Sure. What?”

  A faint stain of pink spread across his cheekbones. “I’d like to get them something special for Christmas, and I’m pretty much helpless when it comes to shopping. Do you think you could help me? Maybe we could go someday after work, or a Saturday afternoon.”

  “Too bad you didn’t catch me while my mom was still here. She’s the shopping pro. But I’d love to help, if I can.”

  “You’ve got to be better than I am.”

  It was nice to know there was one thing I could still do to help, even without my magical immunity intact. I wasn’t totally useless to the entire magical community, although I doubted I could make a living as a personal shopping assistant to socially awkward wizards.

  When we reached our stop and came aboveground, my heart began beating faster. This would be the moment of truth, where I learned whether or not I still had any abilities. There hadn’t yet been a morning when at least one gargoyle hadn’t stood guard on the awning over the building entrance. If I didn’t see one, it meant I’d really lost my immunity.

  To my immense relief, Sam was in his usual spot on the awning. I felt like hugging Owen—well, I often felt like hugging Owen, but this had nothing to do with how cute he was. “Good morning, Sam!” I said cheerfully. Then I noticed that he had what looked like a black eye.

  “What happened to you?” Owen asked.

  “Katie’s ma has a strong right hook. We may not recruit her as a verifier, but I could probably use her on my security team.”

  I cringed. So that’s what my mom had been attacking. “Sorry about that,” I said. Still, as bad as I felt, it didn’t negate the fact that I could see Sam, which was a cause for celebration.

  “Don’t mention it. It’s my own fault for letting her see me, immune or not. I’m supposed to be stealthie
r than that.”

  As we entered the building, I felt like I had Ari’s wings. It had just been a glitch. My career wasn’t over. I was still safely immune to magic.

  “You’re awfully perky for a Monday morning,” Trix remarked when I reached Merlin’s office suite. She had wings and slightly pointed ears, and she hovered over her desk chair, like she always did.

  “I survived my week with the parents,” I said. “It’s good to be back to work—and back to normal.” Back to normal in more ways than one. Or was I? Halfway to my office I paused and turned back. “I’m curious about something. I was thinking about this while I was showing my parents around. How does that veiling thing y’all do to hide yourselves from the rest of the world work? Do you cast a spell on everyone in general to make them see what you want them to see, or is it more specific? Like, do magical people see you as you really are, or does the illusion also work on magical people when you’re out in public?”

  “It depends on how you cast the illusion and which spell you use. Most of the magical creatures generally just set the veiling illusion so it affects nonmagical people. Magical people see us as we really are, while normal people see our human illusions. It takes more energy to affect magical people, so most of us usually don’t amp up the illusion that high. But we could go totally incognito, except with people like you who don’t see illusion. And if you want to get fancy, you can filter it to affect only specific people. The more selective spells are a lot more expensive, of course.”

  I nodded. “I see. So like with Rod, his illusion is pretty universal, working on everyone who isn’t immune. What about Sam? Do all magical people see him sitting out front, or just some?”

  “He only shows himself to employees and expected guests when he’s on guard out front. Otherwise, no matter how powerful a wizard you are, you aren’t going to see him when you walk by. His spell is automatically updated when someone new joins the firm so the new people can see him. You’re probably in there, too, even though you’re immune. I think they feed the whole company roster into the spell. Most of us, except for Rod, the big loser, drop the illusion entirely when we’re not out in public. It’s a real energy drain.”