Creative Matchmaker (The Inscrutable Paris Beaufont Book 6)

by Sarah Noffke

  “I’ll look into it immediately,” Stefan said with confidence.

  Haro sighed, looking relieved. “It seems as though many problems that have been plaguing us will soon disappear. I hope so, at least.

  “It’s good to have you two back.” Hester looked between Liv and Stefan. “When you disappeared, we were all devastated. Without you fighting for justice and protecting the magical world, we’ve all suffered.”

  Liv, still with Stefan’s arm around her, lifted her arm and laid it across Paris’ shoulder. “That’s nice to hear. Once we had our family back together and safe, we were happy to return to the world.”

  Hester smiled at Paris. “It’s an honor to meet you, Paris Beaufont. You must know that you’re one of a kind.”

  She nodded. “Yes, because I’m a halfling.”

  “With demon blood,” Raina added.

  “And the first offspring of two Royals,” Clark stated.

  “Yes, all that,” Hester agreed. “But I think she’s one of a kind because she’s the daughter of Liv and Stefan, two of the most extraordinary people I’ve ever met.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  “I can’t believe you went to the House of Fourteen without me,” Faraday complained as he pawed through a magazine.

  “Well, you weren’t around when I was leaving.” Paris wished she didn’t look so tired, but her schedule hadn’t been conducive for much sleep.

  “Wilfred had me picking out countertops for the workspaces for the lab the headmistress is having built for me,” Faraday explained while turning another page of the magazine, which was full of chemistry tools and supplies. “I went with a neutral gray. I think you’ll really like it.”

  “You know how I get about countertops,” Paris teased. “Gray, talk about a showstopper color. Do you think you’ll be able to focus with that much color seeking your attention?”

  He batted his long eyelashes at her, not appearing amused. “It’s a good canvas. That’s the point.”

  “You’re a squirrel who does science projects, not Van Gogh,” Paris remarked, patting the skin under her eyes, trying to make herself look more awake.

  “It’s Van Gogh,” he corrected, saying the last word as if he was coughing, making a sharp “f” sound.

  “Sure, whatever you say,” Paris teased. “I think that if a van can go, then Van Gogh does too.”

  Faraday cringed. “Please stop saying his name like that. It’s common knowledge that it’s pronounced Van Gogh.”

  “I love it when I debate common knowledge with a talking squirrel,” Paris deadpanned, turning away from her vanity mirror—giving up on the cause of making herself look more awake. “Also, you should take something for that cough.”

  “What?” Faraday looked up suddenly, confused. “I don’t have a cough… Oh, you mean… Very funny.”

  “Anyway, I’ll take you on the next adventure I have to make up for you missing out on the House of Fourteen.” Paris headed for the door. The sun wasn’t even fully risen over the Enchanted Grounds of Happily Ever After College. “For right now, I have to go brush up on my foxtrot and practice making something that looks and tastes delicious.”

  “Make a cheesecake,” Faraday offered. “Everyone loves a cheesecake.”

  “You love it because you’re the strangest squirrel in the world.”

  “I am not,” he argued, feigning offense as he glanced back down at his magazine. “Real quick before you leave, do you think I should go with a color-coded or photographic periodic table?”

  Paris rolled her eyes and opened the door to her room. “Climb a tree, squirrel. That’s what you should do.”

  He shivered again while turning another page of the magazine. “No, thanks. I’ll hold off on the periodic table until we’ve had time to discuss it more. It isn’t a decision to rush.”

  “You’re so weird,” Paris sang, heading out into the hallway and for the ballroom downstairs to meet Hemingway to practice. She couldn’t believe that her fate at Happily Ever After College depended on dancing and baking, but Paris would do whatever it took to keep her place there. With all the options she had laid before her, all she wanted was to become a fairy godmother.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Unfortunately, Paris wouldn’t know the results of her exams immediately. It was standard for the instructors to have some time to grade. However, on top of that, many of them and the students had suddenly fallen ill. It was a strange illness, Hemingway had explained at dinner that night as he and Paris dined on the patio.

  Since no one knew what the cause was or if it was contagious, the students had been encouraged not to congregate in large groups.

  “Classes are all suspended until the headmistress knows more,” Hemingway explained, pushing his salad around but not looking all that hungry to eat the leafy greens.

  “Yeah, there weren’t that many students in most of my exams.” Paris looked out on the grounds as the setting sun made the grassy lawn glisten.

  He nodded. “Which is another reason for the delayed results, until everyone can sit for their exams.”

  “Or dance,” Paris joked. Hemingway had helped her that morning, and she felt better about her performance in front of Wilfred than if she hadn’t practiced. Whether it was enough to pass, she’d have to wait to find out, although the butler had looked somewhat impressed.

  However, when Paris presented a chocolate cheesecake with raspberry compote and edible flowers to Virginia Montgomery, the fairy godmother’s expression didn’t give anything away. Chef Ash had said that if he were grading, she would have gotten top marks, but unfortunately for her, he wasn’t and she’d have to wait to find out how she did.

  “Are you worried about being replaced?” Paris asked Hemingway, sensing his worry.

  “As an instructor?” he asked. “Yeah, although they’ve delayed making replacements due to this mystery illness. They aren’t allowing any new instructors until we know what’s causing people to get sick.”

  “It’s weird, isn’t it?” Paris remarked. “I mean, Christine said that she feels lethargic and depressed. Penny too. It’s not a common illness. How do you feel?”

  Hemingway shrugged, pushing his plate away. “I’m fine. You?”

  Paris yawned, having been going all day and still running on fumes. “I’m good. I’m tired, but that’s because I had little sleep and I’ve been stressing about my exams.”

  “You’ll pass,” he encouraged, smiling at her across the table.

  “I don’t know,” Paris argued, looking out at the Bewilder Forest, noticing how much it had changed in a day or so. “Virginia Meany-Face has it out for me. The Montgomerys won’t be happy until they’ve turned this place back into a socialite club. They think they’re superior to everyone else, and it drives me crazy.”

  “Good.” He drank some mint lemonade. “I like that about you.”

  Paris blushed, taking a drink too to cover her expression. “I don’t get why people like them think they’re so much better than everyone else.”

  “You know what the famous Hemingway said on the matter?” He flashed a sideways smile.

  “Tell me,” she encouraged.

  “There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.”

  Paris smiled. “I like that. And I appreciate that you, Mr. Hemingway Noble, quote the other Hemingway on the subject of nobility. There’s a nice symmetry to the whole thing.”

  He bowed his head. “Why, thank you, Ms. Paris Beaufont.”

  “Don’t worry,” she offered. “Headmistress Starr won’t let you go. No one can teach your class better than you. I think she’s struggling with the board breathing down her neck.”

  He nodded. “Yes, I think Willow is picking her battles right now. Emotions are heightened with so many not feeling themselves suddenly. I hope that we get to the bottom of whatever is causing it. Seeing so many like this is bizarre when they’re all usually so happy and full of
energy.”

  Paris was about to agree when her phone buzzed in her pocket. Since only people like Papa Creola could override silent mode on her phone, she decided to retrieve it. When she saw who it was, she knew she had to take the call.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  “Sorry, I have to take this.” Paris gave Hemingway an apologetic look as she held up her ringing phone. “It’s my dad.”

  He nodded understandingly. “When your long-lost father calls, you take it no matter what. Really, I think if your dad calls at all you’re supposed to answer it.”

  Paris smiled at him. “Hey, Dad,” she said into the phone, realizing how weird and right it felt to call him that.

  “Hey, Pare,” Stefan replied. “I’m sorry to bother you. I know you had exams today. How did they go?”

  There was another strange thing. Paris was hanging out on the deserted grounds of Happily Ever After College having a phone call with her dad, who thoughtfully asked about her exams. “They went fine, I think. I won’t know the results for a while. There’s been an outbreak of an illness here.”

  “Are you okay?” Stefan asked in a rush.

  “Yeah, I feel fine,” she admitted, watching as Hemingway pretended not to listen, making another attempt at eating his salad.

  “I figured you would be okay,” Stefan said over the phone.

  “Really? Why?” Paris wondered if he’d called about her exams. That did seem like a father thing to do. Uncle John had sent her a series of encouraging text messages that day, which was very thoughtful since he was facing so much turmoil after being kicked off Roya Lane. He said he was fine and happy to return to the real world, but Paris knew that it would be a big change for him. She was planning on checking on him now that she’d finished her exams.

  “I think I know what’s causing the fairies at the college to be ill,” Stefan began. “It’s a problem the Council was talking about. I think you have a demon infestation there at the college.”

  “What?” Paris exclaimed suddenly, making Hemingway’s eyes jerk up to meet her frantic expression. She mouthed the word “demon” to clue him in immediately.

  His eyes widened in shock.

  “Yeah, I tracked a source that’s around FGA headquarters,” Stefan stated. “I can’t get into the building though, because of its heavy wards against outsiders. That’s usually how the fairies keep demons out because they’re a huge energy source to demons—like a Thanksgiving dinner of emotions.

  “Before, I thought that demons were leeching fairies when in transit, but even then, they usually have protective wards. Demons of fifteen years ago, when I was hunting them, didn’t bother with fairies. They’d given up and fueled themselves on mortals mostly. However, something seems to have changed.”

  “How could a demon get in here?” Paris questioned. “Or FGA headquarters?”

  “That’s what I need to find out, but eradicating them is the first step,” Stefan answered.

  “If we have a demon hanging out here, leeching the fairies, shouldn’t I be able to sense it?” Paris questioned.

  “Yes, but you’ve been stressed about your exams,” Stefan stated. “You might have read any extra emotions as being related to that.”

  Paris nodded, also thinking that the excitement and stress of her parents returning to the House of Fourteen would have overshadowed any emotion related to a neighboring demon. “If there is a demon here, how are we not seeing it?”

  “They’re masters of hiding,” Stefan stated. “Most don’t see them because they don’t want to. Mortals especially don’t see what they don’t want to be real. Fairies too. I need to get in there to investigate.”

  “I can open a portal for you,” Paris offered, but Hemingway shook his head immediately.

  “You can’t,” Stefan said over the phone. “One must be invited to enter Happily Ever After College.”

  “I brought Faraday in here,” she argued.

  “He’s a squirrel,” her father replied. “I tried to speak with Saint Valentine, but due to the recent murder attempts and Agent Ruby being at large, he’s refusing to talk to anyone. He’s understandably paranoid now that Matters of the Heart, FGA, and Happily Ever After College are all plagued by a mysterious illness.”

  “Well, that’s stupid,” Paris spat. “You’re trying to help.”

  Stefan sighed. “I know, but you have to realize that fairies and FGA specifically have operated very separately from the rest of the magical world. They don’t like magicians much, thinking that we’re cold and calculated, rather than emotional and all warm, fuzzy feelings.”

  “Well, I’ll talk to Headmistress Starr and get you an invitation,” Paris stated. “She’s reasonable and respects magicians.”

  She glanced at Hemingway, sharing his secret about being a magician, which only she, Willow, and Mae Ling knew.

  “Thank you,” Stefan stated with a sigh of relief. “I was hoping you could help.”

  “Willow will be very grateful that you’ve found the cause of the illness,” Paris stated. “With you on the job, the demons will be eradicated in no time.”

  “I appreciate that.” Paris heard the smile in his voice. “I hope that it will be easy, but someone let demons into FGA and Happily Ever After College, which is my bigger concern. I can’t get in there, so whoever did it, well, they’re the real problem.”

  “Agent Ruby,” Paris said with a sudden realization. “Of course, it has to be him.”

  “I would agree,” Stefan stated. “Which means he’s probably lurking somewhere around there, so you need to be careful. I suspect he wants revenge since you linked him to the murders of Agent Topaz and Agent Opal.”

  “Right.” Paris gulped as she looked around the Enchanted Grounds. They didn’t appear as warm and inviting as they had moments prior. The Bewilder Forest loomed with a dark, ominous presence.

  “Of course, you need to be careful about the infestation you have at the college,” Stefan continued. “I don’t know that there’s a demon there, but I tracked one to FGA headquarters, and the symptoms of the fairies suggest you do.”

  “I feel fine though,” Paris stated. “Both Hemingway, my friend who is with me now, and I seem okay.”

  He glanced at her with a smile in his eyes at the mention of him being a friend rather than an instructor.

  “Is Hemingway a fairy?” Stefan asked boldly.

  “Well…” Paris didn't want to divulge his secret but was unable to lie to her dad.

  “He’s a magician, isn’t he?” Stefan questioned.

  “Yeah,” she admitted, giving Hemingway a look of apology, although he didn’t know she’d revealed his secret.

  “Demons can’t leech magicians the same as fairies,” her father explained. “Your demon blood makes it so your fairy side wouldn’t be affected.”

  “Oh, that’s good news.” Paris tilted the phone to the side to talk to Hemingway. “You and I are protected in a way from demons leeching us.”

  He nodded, filling in the rest that it was because they were magicians.

  “However,” Stefan said, an edge to his voice. “There’s a bigger danger for your magician friend. Only we can turn into demons. If he gets bitten, the odds of him surviving it and not turning are small—you know that, Pare.”

  She nodded, gulped, and averted her eyes from Hemingway.

  “I’d suggest that Hemingway leave the college until I get there and hunt down this demon,” Stefan continued. “If he’s the only magician amid fairies, he’ll be too tantalizing for the demon to resist. They leech emotions to get stronger, and their main desire is to spread demonism. The one you have there is feasting, and it’s only a matter of time before it’s so strong that it will give me a run for my money before I get there to take it out.”

  “Okay,” Paris said, still unable to look at Hemingway. She knew the last thing he’d want would be to leave Happily Ever After College. He had only gone a few times in his entire life, and it had always been with her. This was his
home, and he was desperately attached to it.

  “I’ll get you an invitation to Happily Ever After College and FGA,” Paris continued over the phone. “Then you can do what you do best and hunt down these demons.”

  “Thanks.” Stefan laughed. “What I do best is loving and protecting my family, and that’s what I’m going to do first. Be careful, Pare.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  “Demons.” Headmistress Starr’s head was leaning on her hand, and her face was pale. She didn’t look like herself.

  “It makes perfect sense.” Mae Ling sat in her usual chair in the headmistress’ office. She didn’t look as bad as Willow, slumped behind her desk, but she wasn’t faring very well.

  Paris nodded, giving Hemingway a look beside her. She’d asked him to leave right away, explaining what her father had told her. He agreed but said that he couldn’t leave until he knew that a solution was in the works. Paris sensed that he was stalling, not knowing where to go, not having spent much time outside the college.

  “My father, Stefan Ludwig, can hunt the demons down and get rid of them,” Paris continued. “The problem is that he can’t get in here or FGA. He tried to contact Saint Valentine but was unable to. He needs an invitation.”

  Willow glanced at the love meter, which was dangerously low, yet again. “I wish I could help, but honestly, I don’t think I can. Our magic as fairies is low, and as you can see, that’s affecting love worldwide.”

  Mae Ling drew in a breath. “Fairies aren’t able to create matches due to this sickness that’s befallen us. No one is working. We can’t.”

  “We have to get you out of here,” Paris encouraged. “Can you send a message to Saint Valentine?”

  Willow shook her head. “As you said, he can’t be reached. He’s gone into hiding, knowing that Agent Ruby is out there.”

  “But his fairies are under attack,” Paris stated, her voice rising.