Tiddly Jinx (10 page)

Cheney laughed. “At least you could leave the purse.” He plucked at the strap of my bag, but I caught him by the wrist, a flash of anger coursing through me again.

“Don’t touch that.” My voice was hardly recognizable, but I was too angry to care. Everything unfair about life flooded me while the contents of the bag promised to give me the power to set it all right.

Cheney didn’t try to pull away. “Selene,” he said in a soft, measured voice. “Take off the bag.” He held my gaze with his swirling golden eyes that had no sense of malice in them.

Speck by speck, the anger chipped away until I felt more like me again. I swallowed, and with a shaking hand I eased the strap off my shoulders and dropped the bag to the floor. Cheney pulled me to him and away from the purse as if his embrace alone could protect me from its call.

“You can’t use that book,” he said quietly. “I thought you might be strong enough to resist, but…”

“I haven’t even opened it,” I said, still flabbergasted how quickly and silently it affected me. The book found weakness in me, and that was all the invitation it needed. If I used the book, I would destroy the world with good intentions.

SELENE WAS PALE AND distracted through most of dinner. We stashed the book in the safe in the office until a better solution could be found. When we sat at the table she tried to interact, but eventually slipped into long periods of silence as she pushed food around her plate. If Lily noticed, she covered it well. She talked and joked with Selene’s coven and Sy used his natural charms to their fullest, assuring that at least two of the women would be desperately in love with him by the end of the dinner.

Sebastian cleared his throat to my right and spoke under his breath. “What happened?”

I raised my eyebrow and he shifted his eyes to Selene, who had abandoned her fork altogether and now sat with her hands folded in her lap, a blank expression on her face. “If she does the spell, she’ll turn. There’s no question anymore.”

Sebastian nodded. “What’s the new plan?”

“We’ll talk about it later.” I forced a smile then reached over to my left and took Selene’s hand, jolting her back to the present.

She blinked a few times, glancing around the table. “I have a headache. I’m going to lie down.”

Before I could respond, an irritated looking guard came through the door. I struggled to remember his name. “The queen has a visitor.” His words were clipped and lips thin.

After confusion passed over her face, she took a deep breath and nodded. “Corbin,” she said to me then looked to the guard. “I’ll be right out.”

“No need. I’m here,” Corbin said as he slipped through the two guards who were attempting to block the door.

I waved the guard who had spoken off, his name finally popping into my mind. “Thank you, Gudaer.” He left, shooting the vampire a hateful look. “Corbin. What a pleasant surprise. Would you like to sit?” I offered him my chair. I had no idea what he was doing here, but obviously Selene expected him. She’d told me he loved her, and while that was irritating, I would rather him be in love with her and help us than work against us, so any jealousy would have to take a backseat to survival.

Selene stood as well. “No. We should…” she tilted her head toward the door, her eyes saying what her mouth didn’t. She wanted to go back down to the dungeon.

I nodded. “I’ll join you shortly.”

After a few minutes of mindless chatter, I couldn’t take any more. Not voicing my jealousy was one thing, but leaving her alone with him was another. I stood up and addressed the others. “Please stay as long as you like. I apologize, but another matter has come up.” I started for the door.

“You know we’re all just going to follow you, right?” Jessica said. “You might as well tell us what’s happening.”

I turned back to see that they were all standing and looking at me. No use hiding it from them, then. “We located the necromancer and the vampire is here to help us find out what we need to know about the location of the Pole.”

“I could help,” Jessica offered. “I have that whole lie-detection thing.”

Each of Selene’s friends had their talents. Jessica could tell if someone was lying, which definitely had its uses. I shook my head. “You can’t touch her skin or you’ll die. The vampire is the only one of us immune because he’s already dead.”

Sy snorted. “He might be able to touch her, but he’s dead. That’s her wheelhouse. He certainly isn’t immune.”

I once again silently cursed my complete lack of interest in other races and cultures before I became the Erlking. “Nevertheless, I don’t think we’re ready for the coven’s help.” I turned to Lily. “Sorry to cut dinner short.”

She smiled. “Do what you have to do. If you need anything, you know where to find me.” She linked her arm through Sy’s. “I’ll be chatting with this one.”

Sy grinned at her and nodded to me that he would stay with the women.

“What’s really happening?” Sebastian asked as we walked toward the dungeon.

I gave him a rundown on recent events and he listened quietly until I was finished. “There has to be another way.”

“No one has given up. I took the book from her. Frost is the best lead we have, but she isn’t talking.”

“There has to be some way to appeal to her,” Sebastian said.

“As far as I know, the only thing that motivates someone like Frost is money.”

Selene and Corbin’s heated voices carried down the hallway before I could see them.

“You aren’t going to hurt her,” Selene said. “That’s not going to help. We have to fix what I have already done, not make it worse.”

“You’re wasting precious time, pet. If you want to find the bloody Pole, then leave me alone with her. She’ll talk. Part of you agrees with me. I can see it.”

They came into view. Corbin was leaning against the iron door with one knee bent and the sole of his foot resting against the door. Selene paced the hallway with her hands clenched into fists at her side, shooting him angry looks.

“Selene’s right. I don’t think you can beat it out of her,” I said.

Corbin didn’t bother looking at me. “Should we try hugs and cakes?”

“First thing we need to do is unchain her,” Selene said with a grimace.

“You chained her?” Sebastian asked at the same time Corbin said, “And she’ll promptly kill you.”

“Let me talk to her,” I said. “Before we do anything, let me go in there and speak with her.”

Corbin pushed off the door and went to stand—too close, I thought—to Selene. I bit back a comment and went inside the cell. She waited in the darkness, her white hair almost glowing and a smirk playing around the edges of her mouth. “What have you come to threaten me with, Erlking?”

“Nothing.” I pulled a key from my pocket and undid the cuffs around her wrists.

She rubbed her small, ghostly white wrists and looked at me with narrow eyes. “So I’m free to go?”

I nodded. Either my gamble would work or it wouldn’t. “Yes. Thank you for saving Selene and our daughter yesterday. It isn’t fair to expect you to do it twice in as many days. We have no quarrel with you.”

When she was nearly at the door, I spoke again. “She’s going to use dark magic to find the Pole.” Her steps faltered. “We both know what that will do…you saw what just carrying a dark spell book did to her, but there’s no choice. We can’t allow the Abyss to be destroyed, even if it means sacrificing two lives.”

She turned to me. “Two lives?”

“When Selene turns, she’ll have to be killed. She’ll be too powerful to contain for long.”

Understanding blanketed her face. She took the bait. Frost went out of her way to make sure our child lived yesterday, and there was no money involved. It was a gamble, but the baby seemed to be a soft spot for her. Technically what I said was true, two people would die: me and Selene. “She has a dark spell book?”

I nodded. “A powerful one.”

“This isn’t my problem,” she said to herself. She sighed. “Where did she get it? They aren’t exactly easy to find. Most dark witches absorb their spells, so they don’t tend to have need of spell books.”

I slipped my hands in my pockets. “Helping us wasn’t your problem yesterday, either. I’m sorry to have gotten you involved and for bringing you here today. Have a good night.”

She didn’t move, an internal war clearly raging within her. Her face twisted in a pained expression. “How are you going to kill her if she’s as powerful as you say?”

“We know a jinni who’s willing.”

“It isn’t easy to kill a dark witch. Especially one who has been trained.”

“Isn’t it?” I asked.

She shook her head. “No. Regardless of whether or not the jinni succeeds, she’ll die as soon as she has the child.” Her eyes were huge and haunted, making her look very young and fragile.

My heart stilled, all the worst possible scenarios drifting through my mind. “Why do you say that?”

“Dark witches always die in childbirth. Always.” She rubbed her hands together. “A magical child born of darkness can only be one thing.” She held her hands out. “A necromancer. And we can’t be touched.”

Elves may not be particularly expressive with their feelings, but we still had family and friends and connections. Frost didn’t have any of that. She never had any of that. If Selene did this and we kept her alive long enough to have the baby, we would be cursing our daughter to a life of solitude—to the life of a necromancer.

“No child should grow up like that. I’ll help. In return, I want the dark magic book.”

“It’s not mine to give.”

“Oh, I imagine you could find a way to get it for me. That’s the deal, Erlking. Take it or leave it. The safety of your family for a book you have no business possessing.”

“What will you do with it?”

Her dark eyes met mine. “Whatever I please.”

I didn’t really have to think about it. It was no contest. “Fine.”

She smiled. “I’d shake your hand, but that’d be counterproductive.” She moved to open the door.

“Better let me go first,” I said and she stepped back. Everyone looked up when I stepped out. “She’ll help. Let’s go up to my office.”

Selene’s smile lit the dreary corridor and she pressed her soft lips to mine. “You’re amazing,” she breathed.

“For what?” Corbin asked, eyes narrowed. “No necromancer works for free.”

“Like you do?” Frost shot back.

“As I said.” Corbin gestured to her. “What does she want? We could still force her to talk.”

I shook my head. “The arrangement is between us, not you. Let’s go upstairs.”

Selene bit her lip, though a frown still tugged at her mouth. Her eyes darted to Frost before she took my arm. Sebastian led the way up and I followed behind the group to make sure we didn’t lose anyone in the castle. I gave Selene my chair and stood behind her. Corbin positioned himself between her and Frost, which was both appreciated and annoying. When everyone was settled, all eyes turned to Frost.

“What happened when you took the Pole into the crypt?” Selene asked.

“The door closed, then everything went dark. I remember the sensation of falling; tumbling end over end, only I never hit the ground. I heard voices and something pulled at the Pole as if trying to take it, but I held on.” She sat on her hands to keep them from fidgeting. “I couldn’t hold on. Next thing I knew, I hit water.”

Judging by the expression on Selene’s face she was thinking the exact same thing as me. This, while informative, wasn’t helpful at all.

“So basically, you have no idea where they took the Pole. Could have been a much shorter story,” Corbin said.

“Go to hell, you undead piece of shit,” Frost snapped back.

He stretched his arms above his head and smiled. “Fun place. Could use a better bartender.”

“One more word out of you and I’ll make you my fangy puppet.” She crossed her arms over her chest and turned away from him.

He bared his teeth, about to retort when Selene interrupted him.

“Corbin. Stop. If you can’t be helpful then leave.” Selene sighed and refocused on Frost. “But he’s not wrong, is he? You can’t really help if that’s all you have to offer.”

“I said I can help and I will.” She licked her lips. “I’ll cast the spell.”

We all stared at her, but no one spoke. A million thoughts zipped through my mind at once, but I settled on the one that seemed the most pressing. Whoever cast the spell would be the one to retrieve the Pole. Did we want to trust her with it? If she had the book and the Pole, could we even stop her?

Selene rubbed the space between her eyebrows.

“But you’re a necromancer, not a witch,” Sebastian finally said.

Frost rolled her eyes. “My mother was a witch. I think I’ll be fine.”

Selene shook her head. “You haven’t trained as a witch. It’s not really as easy as saying a couple words in Latin and
poof,
there’s magic. You have to
make
it happen. Magic is like a muscle. You may have it in your blood, but if you don’t use it and train it you can’t cast. You’re years from being able to cast a spell of this magnitude. You simply won’t have the power.”

“Look, I don’t see anyone else volunteering. You’ll have to give me a crash course.”

Selene leaned back in the chair, studying her. “You would be the logical choice…if we could trust you.” Before Frost could object she held up a hand. “You didn’t come back here after you disappeared with the Pole. You refused to help us when we asked. What would stop you from taking the Pole once you got it and disappearing with it?”