by S. E. Babin
I sipped my wine as I people-watched, recognizing many but not everyone who filed through the doors. There was a strong glamour through the area, but I could see through most of it. Part of the perks of still belonging to the Enchanted Forest. The ability was fading. I could feel it as I pieced together who was who, but for now, I still held that one tiny power within me. I saw several fairies walk gracefully through the crowd and find their table next to us. The dwarves sat a few places down, Grumpy grumbling the entire time about the seating chart. I waved as Robin walked past us and sat down at the fairy table. Of course he’d be there. Lots of pretty women fawning over his every word. He winked and gave me a dirty grin as he settled in next to one dressed in a vivid purple. I saw Belle glaring daggers at the both of them, but I didn’t say anything. She’d tell me when she was ready. Then maybe we could see about getting those two crazy kids together. Until then I was going to zip my lips and put up with their passive aggressiveness.
A few people I didn’t recognize sat down at our table, and we exchanged polite smiles. Red leaned over and whispered in my ear, “The queen’s guards. Take care in what you say.”
I nodded, but then jerked. “Umm,” I whispered back, “why are the queen’s guards sitting with us?”
In answer, Red’s gaze swept up and rested on the man who had just stopped in front of us. A cold chill swept down my spine. Max stood there, his face carefully blank and his gaze trained on me.
Fuck.
7
They say you’re only as lucky as you feel and right now I felt as lucky as a recovering alcoholic gambler who just got asked to go to a bachelor party in Vegas. I clasped my hands together to keep them from shaking. I shook my head. Whoever was the organizer of this affair hated me. What were the odds we’d be seated right next to Red, at the same table, at the same time I just saw her for the first time in ten years?
And, what were the odds I’d be forced to sit next to Max, the one man I couldn’t resist and the one man I couldn’t be with because of his murderous fantasies concerning yours truly? Granted, he was under compulsion, but I wasn’t going to date the man, for crying out loud. Could you even imagine how a sleepover would turn out? I shuddered as I imagined red blood flowing out from my newly sliced neck and Max leaning against the pillow like he was experiencing post-coital bliss.
Jesus, Snow. Chill the hell out.
A slight frown twisted his mouth. “Looks like it’s our lucky day,” he said. “To be in the presence of such beauty for the first time in a decade is cause for celebration, is it not?”
I had a million things I wanted to say, a million smart-ass comebacks, all of them sure to bite me in the ass. I was no longer an “earthling” per se, I was a princess, a displaced one, but still a princess. And, by God, I was going to act like one. I straightened in my seat, composed my face into a blank mask and said, “Normally when one addresses someone of higher rank, especially when that person happens to be the princess of your lands, you would bow, would you not?” Cyndi gasped beside me, and I saw Red cover her mouth with her hand to hide the smile forming there. I offered Max a blank smile.
His eyes flickered hot and his lips twitched. “Ah,” he said and bowed deeply, “forgive me, Princess Snow, my manners are much lacking in that respect. We have not seen our errant princess in so long that I’ve forgotten how to behave.”
I nodded as he straightened. “Your transgression is forgiven, but not forgotten.” I could feel dozens of people watching our interaction with rapt fascination. “You may be seated.”
“How gracious, Princess,” he said drolly as he pulled his seat out and settled himself in.
I let out a silent, shuddering breath. Red leaned over and whispered, “That was completely badass. Good job, Princess.”
I couldn’t even speak I was so freaked out. I did a mental check of the weapons I had on me. My Sig was tucked into my waistband. Check. I had a knife strapped to my inner thigh, but I was going to have to drop my trousers to get to it. Hopefully nudity wouldn’t be necessary, but I was prepared to go full monty if it meant my life. I wore a jeweled hair barrette, the ends sharpened to wicked points, and I had a tiny canister of pepper spray hidden in my bra. I could do this. These were not enchanted forest weapons, these were mine. And therefore foreign to almost everyone in this room. I wouldn’t doubt Max knew about them, especially since he found me on Earth. If he sought me out, I’d bet money he’d spent some time there. I was not an easy person to track down…on purpose.
Plus, Belle had technomancy, and I wasn’t quite sure what the hell Cyndi was capable of. I could also count Red in, considering she’d taken a big-ass wolf down when she was just a teen. By the stare she was giving Max, I could tell she was thirsting a bit for violence. To tell you the truth, so was I. So far, we’d been involved in a decade-long game of cat and mouse. He was the cat, and I was the mouse, content to skulk in my hiding place and dash out here and there for some human contact.
His studied me for a moment longer than necessary before he turned to Belle. “Historian,” he said as he inclined his head. Belle cautiously nodded back. “Cinderella,” he acknowledged. “I am not surprised to find the both of you taken up with Princess Snow. And, Red…” He chuckled as he looked upon the beauty sitting next to me. “Why didn’t I see this coming?” He made a tsk tsk sound which should have annoyed me, but instead turned me on. I squirmed in my seat, wishing I had magical powers so I could blink out of here. “Naomi will be most displeased to see who you’ve chosen to associate with.”
Red made a disgusted noise. “Naomi can bite my lily white ass. I’ve never made a secret of my disdain for our queen.” She spat out the last word.
“Right on,” I whispered.
Max clucked his tongue and picked up his wine glass, his long tan fingers holding the glass like a lover’s caress. I cleared my throat and silently wished for some Clorox so I could bleach all the dirty thoughts of him right out of my head. I looked to my left, to my right, anywhere except at Max. How long were we going to have to pretend to be cordial to one another? I could see the glimmer of fiery red magic behind his eyes that told me the compulsion he was under was strong. His temper looked to be simmering right under the surface, ready to blow at any minute. I shuddered as I thought of what could happen to me if I left this area alone.
The fairy lights surrounding the trees blinked on and off a few times, letting everyone know the mixer was about to start. I was sort of confused about the setup here, but the Enchanted Forest folks always did things a little less normal than what I was used to. A mixer from where we were from involved booze, walking around, and pretending to be involved in intellectually stimulating conversation. With the table setup, it looked like we were prepared for a formal sit down dinner. Of course, I wasn’t opposed to that because I was starving, but I wouldn’t be able to get up and mingle.
From the stares I was getting, I could tell there were quite a few people who would rather not mingle, but if I could find a few more people like Red, I’d call it good. The lights flicked back on for good, and the room fell silent. Spotlights fell upon the dark stage, surprising me. I hadn’t seen a stage when I walked in, which told me the glamour it was under was done by strong magic.
More fairy lights appeared on the stage, strung across the branches that now filled the entire room. A woman in silhouette walked out from behind the dark purple curtains. She was curvy and walked with a familiar gait. All the hope I had for a successful mixer started going down the drain as I realized who that walk belonged to.
The lights flashed on all of a sudden, blinding in their intensity. On the stage, wearing a slinky red dress, a la Jessica Rabbit, stood Naomi. Long red hair flowed down in waves past her waist. Her blood-red lips were pasted in a polite, friendly smile.
A long, low groan elicited from Belle. “Are you kidding me?” she whispered.
The two guards sitting at our table turned their attention to Belle. I gave her a warning look and mouthed shhh to her
. Halfhearted applause rang out through the ballroom, and I watched as Naomi’s brilliant smile faltered. She knew the people were tiring of her. I wondered what her game was.
One of her minions ran out onto the stage and handed her a microphone before he scurried away. She held it up to her lips and her smoky voice announced her pleasure at being in attendance of this conference. Yeah right, I thought. She droned on for a couple of minutes, thanking the magicians who decorated the ballroom and all of the special people who set everything up. Then, as if she knew right where I was sitting, she turned her gaze to mine.
It should have been impossible. The light shining on her should have been too bright to make out any facial features, yet she was staring right at me. I straightened, on guard and wary.
“And I do have to make a special announcement. After ten long years, Snow White has deigned to make an appearance. Aren’t we all so happy to see her again?”
You could hear a pin drop in the room. Ninety-eight percent of the audience knew exactly what happened to me, and I could only imagine the stories about my disappearance had filtered down to everyone else. I inched my hand down to my waistband, my trigger finger itching to fire if she made one move in my direction.
“What, no applause?” She pouted. “As you know, when Snow abandoned her post, I was the only one left who had the smarts and know-how to run a kingdom.” I saw Max stiffen out of the corner of my eye. The gasps of my friends followed this shocking announcement. I felt numb. How dare she! I scraped back my chair and stood.
She smiled even wider. “Ah, hello, Snow! I can only imagine how much you wanted to be here for this announcement. After all, it will give you the freedom you’ve been searching for all this time. It must be difficult to be the princess of an unwanted kingdom.”
Anger and embarrassment flooded my body. The accusing stares of my former subjects burned holes in my back. “I’m not sure what announcement you’re talking about, but everyone sitting here knows what happened to me all those years ago.”
Naomi waved a hand at me and made her way down the stage steps. She was coming in my direction, milking her words for all they were worth. “People change, Snow. That was eons ago.” She chuckled, and the audience laughed uncomfortably with her. “Now, I’m sure you want to hear the announcement.”
She slunk over and stood a few feet away, the spotlight highlighting her ethereal beauty. “It’s been almost ten years to the day since Snow left the Enchanted Forest. And,” she pursed her lips, “I’m sure everyone missed her horribly. But life goes on and a competent and fair ruler stepped in.”
A coughed over “bullshit” was heard in the audience, then frantic shushing. Naomi’s gaze flicked across the room and rested at the table of dwarves. I wasn’t sure who said it, but my money was on Grumpy. I felt the smile crease on my face. He might not like me but he wasn’t on Naomi’s side.
Naomi produced a scroll in a plume of red smoke. She held it up in her hands to show the audience. I heard a shocked gasp and as I turned, I noticed Belle’s pale face and rounded mouth. Cyndi clenched Belle’s arm hard enough to leave her white-knuckled, and even Red looked unsettled.
What the hell was going on? I shrugged. “It’s a scroll. So what?” I whispered. I didn’t understand the murmurs going through the crowd or why Naomi looked so satisfied.
If possible, her grin got even wider. “This scroll contains the laws of the Enchanted Forest, written by your father and his father before him. There’s one rule in particular you should be aware of.” She made a show of unrolling it, my heart beginning to sink as I realized what might lie within. I glanced over to Max. He sat stone-faced, no emotion visible, but his arms lay across his chest and his jaw was tense.
Naomi made a show of pretending to read the scroll, clucking here and there, and making tsking noises. The entire room began to erupt in a low murmur, the stares coming my way turning less hostile and more sympathetic. My heart began to sink.
“Here it is!” Naomi crowed and read aloud. “If the next heir to the throne dies, becomes an invalid, or otherwise disappears from the Enchanted Forest for a period of ten years, the throne will succeed to the person the king declares as fit to rule.” She glanced up at me, satisfaction and cruelty glinting in her eyes. “Would you care to make a guess as to who your father thought was the most fit to rule?”
I’d kill her. I straightened my spine and steeled my jaw. “I’m here now.”
She smiled. “But you aren’t in the Enchanted Forest, are you? Rules are rules.”
I did the math in my head. I had seventy-two hours to make it back to the Enchanted Forest. And I didn’t have a clue how to do it. Even if I got there, I knew Naomi would make it as difficult as possible for me to reclaim my crown. I’d been thinking about returning before, but seeing her and hearing the dissatisfaction of the people had made my mind up. It was time to take her down. Her desperation oozed out of her pores, and even though she presented a cool and calm façade to everyone else, I recognized fear when I saw it. Behind that beautiful face and calm demeanor lay a woman who was scared to lose her power. And the threat to it loomed right in front of her.
She was going to try to kill me in the next three days. I could feel it in my bones.
Naomi turned to address her unadoring audience. “Snow here is out of luck and just about out of time. Any hope you were holding out of your long lost regent returning home has blown away with the wind.” She held up the scroll. “This is the law of the Enchanted Forest. And I always enforce the law.” She grinned cruelly and strode back up to the stage.
Someone from the audience, feeling braver than everyone else, shouted, “We all know how you love to twist the laws for your own gain!” I didn’t recognize the voice, but I did recognize the hitch in Naomi’s step. She stopped, turned back to the audience and swept her gaze across the tables until they fell upon a nondescript man wearing a white collared shirt and no tie. I’d never seen him before. The way Naomi was looking at him now told me I might not get the opportunity to see him again.
She strode over to the table. The air was tight with tension, and terrified eyes widened as everyone imagined what horrible fate would befall the man who dared to speak up to her. “And who are you?” she asked him coolly.
I had to hand it to the poor bastard. He looked like he was about to pee himself, but he jutted out his jaw and met her stare directly. “Gerald,” he said after a long pause.
“Gerald.” Naomi rolled the name around, tasting. “And what part of the Forest are you from?” He hesitated, and Naomi loomed over him. “If you lie to me,” she said through gritted teeth, all pretense of friendliness falling away, “I will pull the thoughts right out of your brain. And if I find out you have a wife or children I will slaughter them in front of you.”
For one brief moment I lamented the loss of a nice dinner and catching up with friends. Normal just wasn’t possible around me. Once I’d had my brief pity party, I lowered my head, thinking furiously. I had twelve bullets in my clip, a hair barrette and about four bursts of pepper spray left in my canister. What were the odds I could take out a master sorceress, while not hitting any bystanders and, oh yeah, maybe not go to prison? If we were home, I wouldn’t hesitate to go kamikaze on her ass. But we were in a public hotel, and although I’m sure we were all under a heavy glamour in this room, the sound of gunshots tended to carry. Making a decision I might later regret, I looked up, saw Naomi looming over a terrified Gerald, and bit my lip.
Even knowing this would surely come back to bite me later, I pulled out my Sig and clicked the cocker. The sound of the hammer being pulled back caught her attention, and as she turned I noted with satisfaction the flicker of surprise over her face until she replaced it with her usual cool mask of indifference. I moved forward swiftly through the tables until I stood just a couple of feet away. I was a helluva good shot. I wouldn’t miss. We both knew it.
A collective gasp of shock rounded the room, and murmured whispers about what the hel
l I was holding in my hand made it to my ears. When Naomi’s brain exploded across their fancy china, they wouldn’t care what it was, but they’d know I meant business. I held the gun at eye-level, pointed at her face. “Leave Gerald alone,” I said, my tone brooking no argument.
Naomi stepped away from the table. “You think a weapon will protect you against my magic?”
I grinned and saw her mask of confidence slip. “Yup.” I waggled my eyebrows. “Unless you can conjure your magic to travel a couple of thousand miles per hour, the odds are you’ll have a bullet in your brain way before you even think about firing off one of your fancy spells.”
The room was tense, but I was confident. I’d trained for this, damn it, against some of the best people in the world. They might not be magical, but they didn’t have to be. We weren’t immortals; we were merely more than humans. Harder to hurt because many of us possessed magic, but not impossible to kill. The smile held firm on my face as I watched Naomi’s mind work furiously to think of a solution that still involved killing Gerald but not taking a bullet herself.
“It’s not going to happen,” I said. “You walk away now, and I give you my word I’ll let you live. If you raise one finger against Gerald or anyone else in this room, I’ll riddle your body with holes and throw your body into the closest pit I can find.”
The sound of one person clapping rang out in the back of the room, the sound like a gunshot in the quiet room. I flinched, but held the gun steady. Seconds later, the sound of a second person clapping rang out, then a third. A fourth, and soon the entire room rang out with roars of approval and the sound of hundreds of people clapping. Goosebumps ran down my skin, but still the gun remained trained on her. Anger bloomed on Naomi’s face, redness spreading across her cheeks and down her neck.
