Slumber (10 page)

Finally! Ruby didn't know whether to be happy he admitted it or to dread what he was about to say. Or maybe she was just going insane—she was having a hard time telling the difference lately. Her pulse quickened as she said, “Go on.”

“It's because I'm a—”

A word came out of his mouth that Ruby couldn't understand, wrapped in a strident note like a raven's caw or a wildcat's scream. She flinched and instinctively knew that it was old, older than any living language, potent, outlandish. And sinister.

Her confusion must have shown on her face because he went on. “You'd call us
moiari
,
fata
,
sidh
. Or, um…” He pondered a little before snapping his fingers. “
Faerie
.”

“Fairies,” she said blankly.

“Sure. Everyone at Cottingley is
fae
: Violet, Cosette, Ash, Aryenis…”

“And you.”

He nodded.

Ruby had nerved herself for something like this, but to have Tam baldly confirm her suspicions was mind-blowing. As in, this could not be real.
Fairies?
A million questions formed, but the first one out of her mouth was, “What are a bunch of fairies doing living in the Hamptons?”

Tam's usual expression of ironic amusement was back. He rose and wandered over to his desk, where he began goofing with an expensive-looking MP3 player with its tiny earbuds. “Yeah, we've seen your books and TV shows about us. Did you think we'd live at the end of a rainbow or in a forest capering around toadstools? Typical human blindness, dismissing what you don't understand. Why shouldn't we live where we like, do what we like, take what we want?”

“Including…people?”

Tam shrugged and tossed the gadget aside. “It's not as if you can stop us.”

He made cruel, horrible sense. How could humans stop supernatural beings from doing whatever they wanted?

“But why are you living
here
? Don't you have somewhere more…magical to live?”
Magical.
Ruby could barely get the word out. She seriously thought she was tripping.

“We do come from somewhere else. A place we call the Old Country.” He tracked the shadows patterning against the wall, his eyes moving from side to side like he was reading a newspaper. “But
fae
live everywhere among humans. It's so much more entertaining than at home. More exciting experiences, substances, and people to, um, play with.”

“Play with? Is that what you do? Is that what
I
am? Just a sick game?”

“Sick is relative.” He sat back down on the bed and leaned indolently on the coverlet. “American humans are especially amusing. There's a refreshing candor in your manner. Most faeries are old, some older than memory, and like I said, it takes a lot to keep some of us amused.”

“Oh really? Well, as a candidly speaking American, I think the way you and your magical friends operate is gross.”

“Don't blame me if they pick up on your human weaknesses.”

“Like Violet picked up on mine, for example?”

His expression darkened.

“Exactly. She gets off on it. She's the one who put your family under a spell of
maladie
. It intensifies the negative cycle. So now your mother's illness has become fatal, you're completely broke, and your grades are so bad you'll never get into drama school. Your life is now destined to be tainted by bad luck for as long as you live. Which probably won't be much longer.”

Ruby stared at him in horror.

“Hey, don't blame me—I tried to help you. I made a counter-spell of
fortuna
to protect you, and I told you to stay with me, where you'd be safe. But you broke the spell when you ripped my gift of the
bon chance
rose at the party. So now you're shit out of luck, as you Americans say.”

He at least seemed regretful, which through her panic Ruby supposed should be flattering.

“What if I give the necklace back to Violet? Will she call it quits and let me go?”

“No. You put the necklace on
because
Violet cast a spell on you, not the other way around. She doesn't care about it. She only cares that it hurts you.”

“But why? I barely
know
her!”

“Well…” Tam shrugged. “Well, fine, I guess because I'm interested in you. It makes her jealous. So I suppose your situation is my fault.”

He hesitated, as though there was something he wanted to say but didn't know how.

“You remember Selena?” he said, finally. “The girl Violet was talking about, when I made you the coffee?”

Ruby nodded. She was afraid to hear what he was going to say next.

“She was a human, just like you. I knew her a long time ago. And when I say a long time ago, I mean a
really
long time.” He was gazing into the distance now, lost in thought. “She was the first human I— Well. We
fae
don't normally
feel
things like you do. Not normally.”

“What happened?” Ruby asked. She needed to know.

“Violet didn't like me being with her. She thought if Selena wasn't around anymore, maybe I'd get with her instead. So she ended it. Her. Selena.”

There was a long silence.

Ruby felt sick. “Violet killed her, you mean?” She stood up, ran her hands through her hair. “And that's what she'll do to me, and Mom, and Shelley…Come on, Tam! There has to be something I can do to stop Violet's magic. Stop her hurting my family.”

Tam leaned forward eagerly. “Yes. There's a way you can make sure her curses can't touch you. You can come live with me here at Cottingley. Forever. You can be
fae
, just like me.”

Ruby snorted and buried her head in her hands. “You have to be kidding me.”

“Just hear me out, Ruby,” Tam said quickly. “You'll never grow old or die. Violet won't be able to go near you. You can do what you want, spend what you want, and have fun every day. You'll never have to work shitty jobs ever again. You'll be beautiful, rich, and young forever. And…you can be with me.”

He gave her a shy smile. Despite herself, Ruby felt it worm its way past her defenses—and common sense. She knew Tam was not above using trickery to get what he wanted. This could be another one of his ploys. But…could
she
be what he wanted? To be with her forever?

“Would that be so bad?” he pressed when she made no reply. He ducked his head like he was making an embarrassing confession. Maybe for Tam he was. “I'm into you, Ruby. Please believe me.”

“But how long would it last?” She rose and went to the window, peeking through a gap in the tapestry drapes. She pushed them back. Down on the lawn, lush with rain, someone had ripped up and scattered rose petals like a spray of blood on green velvet. Beyond, the guardian woods loomed, the tips of the trees scraping the soggy clouds that hung over Cottingley.

Against her throat, the necklace seemed to cinch a fraction tighter. “I don't like it here, Tam. I don't want to be a part of the balls-to-the-wall partying lifestyle with the drugs and the sleeping with like eight people at once. And I don't want to go 'round using people for my entertainment like Violet. I just want to be with my family and be normal again.”

“Why do you persist in lying to yourself, Ruby? You crave the good life. It's nothing to be ashamed of.”

“Fine. Yes, I want the good life, who doesn't? I'd like have some extra money to buy nice things and not worry about overdue bills and pay my college tuition without taking out a massive loan. But I want to earn it myself. I want to control my life—and I don't want to be controlled by magic.”

Tam's eyes gleamed with excitement. “See, that's what I find so fascinating about you, Ruby Benson. You've hung on to scruples through thick and thin. It's so unusual for a human.”

“Really? You can't have known very many decent people.”

“Maybe. But no one ever holds out on me this long. All I know is that I'm never bored around you.”

“Thanks. I'm flattered you find my moral compass so entertaining.”

“You're welcome,” he replied without a trace of irony.

Ruby made a mental note to remember that Tam's ability to pick up on sarcasm was basically nonexistent. “Since you find decency so amusing, would you like to experience it yourself and free me from Violet's spell?”

“Ruby, don't you think I'd do that if I could? No. Our charms and curses have rules, older than human memory. I can't put another
fortuna
spell on you because you broke the last one yourself. That's an immutable law. So basically you screwed up.”

Lovely
. “So there's nothing that can be done?” Ruby tried to keep her voice steady and her eyes dry. She was going to choke to death slowly. She thought of her mother lying in a hospital bed, IVs and tubes running out of her arms. She thought of her sister sheltering at the Garcias', waiting for Ruby to return.

“Just because I don't know a counter-spell other than the
fortuna
, it doesn't mean that one doesn't exist.” He lifted a shoulder. “You'll have to stay here until we figure out another way to break Violet's curse.”

She studied him suspiciously. “Another one of your tricks to keep me at Cottingley?”

“I'm hurt that you think everything I do is based on selfishness. But in this case,” he said hastily in response to her raised eyebrow, “I really want to help you.”

His sincere expression made her knees go weak. Attraction tugged at her again.
Watch it, Ruby
.
Remember, Mom and Shelley are counting on you not to mess this up. Focus.

“I'll make a deal with you,” she said. “I'll stay at Cottingley until we figure out a way to break the spell. But only on the condition that I can leave once that's done. And then you must never contact me again.”

“Ever?”

“Ever. I'm not made for your world, Tam. You must realize that by now. I love my mother and sister too much to ever leave them.”

A puzzled frown darkened his features. “That's a strange sort of love, to throw away a chance at having everything you ever wanted.”

She ignored him. “Do we have a deal?”

After a long moment thinking over what she said, he held out his hand. A heavy gold band carved with curling symbols shone dully against the skin of his index finger. “Deal,” he said.

Ruby gazed at his outstretched hand. Did she really want to make a magical bargain with a fairy right now?

Did she have a choice?

She put her hand in his and they shook. Immediately, warmth traveled up her arm from their clasped palms. She gasped as she recognized the feeling as a spell being invoked, and it took every ounce of resolve not to jerk her hand away from his. Tam was binding them to their bargain by magic. Now there was no turning back.

She just hoped she wasn't making the mistake of her life.

“What if Violet finds out I'm here?” Ruby asked. She flexed her hand, still tingling from the handshake. “She won't be happy.”

“True. If she discovers that I've allied with you, she might go completely insane with rage and do something even worse.” Tam rubbed the skin around the ring on his finger as if it ached.

“Worse than slowly strangling me and giving my mother a fatal disease?”

“Her mind is really inventive.” Tam contemplated Ruby thoughtfully. “I'll have to cast the
glamour
to hide you from her.”

“The what?”

“
Glamour
. It's an appearance charm. Usually it's used to make someone or something irresistibly beautiful, but it can also be used to disguise. All us
fae
wear the
glamour
to some degree and use it on our humans to make them more, um, inviting. Violet won't even notice another Cottingley resident under the spell.”

“That sounds okay, I guess. Will it hurt?”

A slumberous smile inched across his face. “You're going to love it. Hang tight, I'll be right back.”

While he was gone, Ruby went to the window again and peered out. The breeze had picked up and the rose petals were beginning to whirl away in the wind. She thought about Shelley and her mother and wondered if they were thinking of her too. A wave of loneliness hit her. She missed them so much. She even missed their crummy trailer.
God, I hope I'm doing the right thing. Please let this work out.

Tam wasn't gone long. He returned with his arms full of silky garments and a pair of strappy stilettos dangling off one finger. “Before we begin, you need the right clothes,” he told her. “No one at Cottingley would wear what you're wearing, Ruby. No offense.”

She looked down at her faded jeans and basic t-shirt. “None taken.”

Tam grinned wickedly when she told him to turn around, as if her modesty amused him and he couldn't be trusted. But he turned away while she changed into a beautiful designer dress, its buttery, whisper-soft fabric flawlessly hugging her curves. She toed out of her destroyed chucks and slipped her feet into the Louboutin stilettos. They also fit like they were custom made. She just hoped she wouldn't break her neck tramping around Cottingley in five-inch heels.

When she turned back around, Tam said nothing. But she could see admiration flash across his face. “Now for the spell. Stand in front of the mirror. That's it. This won't hurt a bit.”

Ruby gazed at her reflection in the ornate full-length mirror while Tam's fingers lightly stroked her hair. Shimmering warmth enveloped her, and right before her eyes, her messy hair transformed into a honey-toned curtain as smooth as glass. “What the…?” she breathed as he moved to her face. Her features altered under his touch, her eyes sparkling a bit brighter, her skin more velvety, her brows shaping to winged perfection, her lips pouting. It was her—and yet it wasn't.

She stared at herself in wonderment, and the stunning, model-esque creature in the mirror stared back. She'd wouldn't have recognized herself if it weren't for the awed trepidation on the girl's face. “This is really disturbing,” she said.

“I'm pretty good at casting the
glamour
,” said Tam with a touch of pride.

“You're like the Michael Phelps of
glamour
.” She could hardly tear away from her own reflection.

“If that means I'm the best at what I do, then yeah.” Tam flicked an appreciative glance at her rear. He caught her watching him in the mirror and grinned.

“Remember our deal,” she reminded him.

“I don't remember agreeing not to flirt occasionally.”

She rolled her eyes. Of course, asking Tam not to flirt was like asking the sea to hold back the tide or Violet not to be a bitch, but still. Tam could have his pick of girls to flirt with.

Yeah
, said a voice at the back of her mind.
And he picked you
.

“There's a problem,” Ruby said, gesturing to her throat. The plunging neckline of the dress gave no cover to the ruby necklace. Tam offered a solution there too, handing her a crushed velvet scarf that she was able to wrap around her throat.

“You'll need a new name so Violet won't clue in. We'll pretend you're a human I brought here for sex.”

“That's disgusting!”

“No, it's not. Anyway, none of the others will believe that I'd be entertaining a human for days on end if there wasn't something in it for me.”

Blech.
“Do you often keep random people around just for hookups?”

Tam opened the top drawer of the heavy oak bureau and pawed through the shirts. “Of course. It's fun.”

At least he was honest. “Is that why you were so nice to me the first day I was here? To try to get me in the sack?”

He took a fawn-colored cashmere shirt out of the drawer. “If I wanted just to sleep with you, it would have happened. Most humans aren't as interesting to talk to as you've been.” He stripped off the shirt he had on, revealing his cut torso. “Or as much trouble.”

She tried to look stern, but there was something refreshing about his directness. When he raised his arms to pull the clean shirt on, she suddenly got really interested in examining the intricate carvings on the bedpost. She hoped the dings and notches didn't indicate all the people Tam had slept with over the millennia.

He didn't seem to notice her sudden quiet. “Ready to go downstairs and meet the others?”

“Do we have to? I thought we were going to sneak into Violet's room and see if she's hiding something there that can break the spell.”

“No point. It's only 2 p.m., so she's still asleep. The easiest way to work around Violet is to blend in with the Cottingley way of life and find an opportunity when we know she's busy doing something—or someone—else.”

“Oh.” Blend in with the other Cottingley residents? Did he mean by acting as crazy as they did?

“What's wrong? Are you chickening out?”

She thought of Mom and Shelley. “No. I'm not chickening out. Let's go for it.”

Mindful to walk carefully in the stilettos and avoid stepping on random bits of trash or treasure, she followed him downstairs. Voices drew them to the bar lounge where Tam had made her the deliciously-flavored coffee. Her mouth watered at the memory of it. The sofas had been pushed in a big U-shaped circle around a massive teak table loaded with flowers of every different kind. An odd smell filled the air: musk, a smoky char, and the greeny-floral scent of cut flowers. A group of teens—fairies, she reminded herself, since they all wore that impossible physical perfection she was beginning to recognize as
glamour
—were draped on the leather, toying with the stems and petals. Including the couple from the gallery party, Cosette and Ash.

Oh shit! Will they recognize me?

“Everyone, this is, um—” Tam paused, gave Ruby a questioning look.

“Madison,” she supplied. “Hi.”

She held her breath. Was it her imagination but did Ash do a double-take?

Tam drew Ruby possessively to his side. “What's going on?”

“We're playing a game,” said one of the guys, a gorgeous Asian with his hair spiked all over his head like an anime character. “It's called Burn the Flowers.” He threw a handful of rose petals into a big silver bowl on the table, where they disappeared in a magical burst of flame. “If you miss, you have to do a forfeit.”

How lame
, crossed Ruby's mind, but Tam laughed. “Does Aryenis know you've gotten into her garden?” he asked.

“Nope.” Ash tossed a daisy into the fire while Cosette slid a possessive hand between his legs.

“She's going to be pissed off.”

“Probably,” the Asian boy answered. He ripped the petals off an exotic purple bloom Ruby didn't recognize. “That's why it's fun.”

“Can't argue with that.” Tam glanced at Ruby, then gave her a wink and said, “Hey, Madison, would you like a drink? I make a mean coffee.”

Ruby felt a smile cross her lips. “I'll have a cappuccino, thanks.”

She caught the other fairies giving her and Tam sideways glances as he made the coffee and pressed it into her hand. What did they think of her? Did they see her as some kind of disposable plaything, someone Tam would get bored of and send back to real life after a couple of nights?

Tam tugged Ruby down with him to the sofa, where the others made room for them. A lily found its way into her hand.

She watched while the fairies took turns throwing flowers into the bowl and laughing while the pretty petals incinerated like it was the most hilarious thing ever. When it came to her turn, Ruby managed not to roll her eyes as she tossed a petal in. The Asian guy, however, missed.

“Well, fuck,” he said.

“Forfeit, Yukio! Forfeit!” the others yelled.

Yukio sighed. “Just don't make it stupid.”

“You have to clean the kitchen,” Ash told him.

“Aw Ash, man, that's cold. The kitchen's been lost for five years.” Tam draped a casual arm around Ruby's shoulders and tucked her closer to his side. She gave him a questioning look, which he returned with a
gotta play the part, sweetie
expression.

“How about making Yukio tell Violet she smells like vomit,” shrieked an icy blonde girl fairy who Ruby vaguely recognized from the sextacular cuddle-puddle the first day she'd worked at Cottingley. The girl was even wearing the same turquoise lace teddie.

“No, no,
écoutez-moi,
I got it,” Cosette giggled. “You have to be ugly for
two whole days
.”

The other fairies gave a collective
oooh
.

“Yeah, ugly!”

“Ha ha ugly, that's classic!”

“Yukio, has to be an uggo for two whole days, I can't even.”

“Not only does he have to be ugly,” Cosette added, “but he has to be ugly and
old
.” An evil grin twisted her cupid-bow mouth.

“Whaaat?” Yukio appealed to Tam. “C'mon, have them pick something else. That's way too harsh.”

Tam made a big show of considering his plea, scratching his chin and looking at the ceiling.

Why do they always seem to defer to you?
Ruby wondered.

Tam shrugged. “Rules are rules, man.”

Yukio grimaced. He stood up and took a deep breath. Ruby blinked as Yukio's handsome features started morphing into a wrinkled old man with a bulbous nose, mismatched eyes, and empty gums. His athletic body shriveled with age until he was bent over like a question mark.

“OHHHHHHH!” the fairies yelled. Then they busted up laughing.

“Dude, don't start cruising the retirement homes for chicks,” Ash catcalled.

“Or leave your Depends lying around,” Cosette tittered.

Yukio's young voice came out of his old body. “This is so embarrassing.”

Ruby couldn't hold back a laugh. It was just too insane, Yukio scowling at them like an old man yelling at the kids to get off his lawn, his hipster clothes looking ridiculous on his withered frame.

One of the boy fairies stood up. Ruby hadn't caught his name. “Bet you can't take a punch anymore, bro.” He gave Yukio a thump on his shoulder. Yukio staggered and fell over the girl fairy wearing the turquoise teddie.

Without missing a beat, she lifted her leg and slammed her toe into his stomach. “Yeah, bet you can't take a punch.”

Yukio went flying and landed spread-eagled in front of the fireplace.

Ruby gasped. She turned to Tam, expecting him to tell them to knock it off, but no emotion registered on his face as he regarded Yukio sprawled on the ground.

The boy who hit Yukio first landed another kick to his prone body, which made him whimper and cover his head. Cosette and the other girl jumped up, laughing, and started kicking Yukio too. “You're so
old
, Yukio!” the girl in the teddie squealed.

“Damn, girls can be vicious,” Ash said to Tam, while Yukio curled into a fetal position to shield himself from the blows. “Skye is really giving it to him.”

The girl in the teddie stomped on Yukio's brittle ribs. Her skin gleamed with sweat and excitement.

Nausea bubbled up inside Ruby. “Aren't you going to stop them?” she said to Tam.

Tam gave her a strained smile. “He'll be fine, Madison.” Nuzzling her neck, he murmured, “He'll be safer if I don't try to interfere…”

Yukio cried out.

“But they're hurting him!” Ruby got up and shoved the skimpily-dressed girl away before she could deliver a blow to Yukio's spine. “Knock it off. You too, Cosette.” She swung around to the boy fairy and pushed him back too. “And you.”

“What the hell's your problem?” the guy fairy said.

“My problem is you're going to seriously hurt him.”

“So?”

“Yeah, so?” Skye was breathing heavily from the exertion, her teddie hanging loose to expose a breast.

Ruby stared at them, appalled. Seriously? But they seemed really puzzled over why she would be concerned about someone getting hurt. Yukio took advantage of the lull by scrambling up and staggering out of the room.

“Aw, now look what you've done, you've let him escape,” the boy fairy said in mild annoyance. “Can't you control your human, Tam?”

Tam grinned lazily. “Not this one. She's special.”

“In my opinion,
chéri
, your Madison needs an extra strong dose of the Slumber.” Cosette balefully rubbed her arm where Ruby shoved her.

“No one asked your opinion, Cosette.”

She made an irritated sound, but before she could snap a retort, Ash held out his hand to her. “Come on, baby, Tam can deal with his human. Let's keep playing the game.”

“We need more flowers,” Cosette said sulkily, plopping down on Ash's lap and allowing herself to be mollified with a kiss.