TheSmallPrint (33 page)

“Isn’t it a bit early for Christmas?” someone said at her ear.

Not a voice she knew but the comment had been directed at her. She turned to find herself facing yet another stunning guy. Matty might have taken that as evidence she was making all this up, except not every guy around was so gorgeous. Silky blond hair fell to broad shoulders that were covered by a long, dark woolen coat. He was staring at the conga procession. Maybe he hadn’t been talking to her and just babbling to himself.

“It’s supposed to be a celebration of everything to do with winter, but I don’t think they’re very imaginative,” Matty said as a test.

He laughed and she held back her gasp. He
could
see her. Was he a vampire?

“What would you dress as?” He turned to look straight at her.

Wow, silvery eyes. “The snow queen.”

“In a long white dress dripping with crystals, trimmed with fur. Wild flowers in your beautiful white hair.”

He reached toward her hair and Matty stepped back.

“Not fur. Feathers,” she said. “I’m not a wicked snow queen. I don’t believe in cruelty to animals.”

“Only birds?”

She laughed. “I hadn’t thought about that. Well, my feather trim would be harvested one bit of fluff at a time from places birds wouldn’t miss it. Oh, except is that from their backsides?”

He smiled. He might be good-looking but he didn’t make her heart leap.

“Stay with me,” he said.

“No thanks. Enjoy Winterval.” Matty danced off toward the end of the conga.

Maybe everyone could see her now. Matty spotted residents of Milford among the crowds, people she went to school with, but one experimental greeting told her she was still invisible. So was that man a friend of the guys? Or an enemy?

Matty wasn’t sure she had her head around the vampire thing. Keeping an open mind wasn’t easy when weird stuff leapt in to tease her. What sort of proof did she want? She already knew Turner slept during the day. He didn’t eat or drink anything but that stuff in the fridge. He felt—old somehow, though he looked in his thirties. None of that was proof.

She lingered by the cotton candy machine, inhaling the sweet aroma, and peeled a tiny pink strip from a child’s stick as he walked past. Matty let it melt in her mouth, enjoying the way it shrank and dissolved on her tongue, the nearest she’d get to eating it.

“I saw that.”

She turned and glared at Blondie. “Are you following me?”

“I think I might be.”

“Why?”

“I’m considering making you my snow queen.” He changed to a slow whisper. “Come with me. I can promise you a life like no other.”

She laughed. “I already have a life like no other.” Talking to her in a sultry voice would get him nowhere.

He gave her a puzzled look.

“Will you settle for taking me for a ride on that?” Matty pointed to a ride called the Crazy Orbiter.

His lips tightened and Matty sniggered.

“Gabriel!” A slender woman in an elegant red coat came up and tugged on his sleeve. “I want—”

“Not now.”

He never took his eyes from Matty, and despite a warning bell ringing in her head, she felt flattered.

“But—”

“Not. Now.”

Matty caught her fierce glare as Gabriel gestured for Matty to join the line for the ride.

“So you now know my name. What’s yours?” he asked.

“Matty. Was that your wife? Partner? Poodle? Parasite?”

He laughed. “She works for me.”

Two people who could see her. It was on the tip of her tongue to ask if they were vampires but figured it wasn’t good etiquette. For all she knew, they could be were-creatures or faeries or—oh yeah, demons. Didn’t seem that unusual to find weird people at a festival celebrating the darkness.

They stepped forward to get on the ride and he helped Matty into the carriage. The guy in charge slapped down the restraining bar and took the money from Gabriel.

“You’ve given me too much, mate,” the operator said.

Gabriel stared at the coins thrust back into his hand.

“I know him, so I go free,” Matty blurted before Gabriel began asking awkward questions.

Then there was no chance to ask anything as the ride swept them into the air, spinning the carriage they sat in, turning the arm it was attached to and twisting the central mechanism so that everything was in motion, whirling faster and faster. Matty adored it. She felt as though she was flying on the edge of control.

“Yay,” Matty screamed. “This is great.”

Oh fuck.
Now Gabriel remembered why it had been a long time since he’d been on a fairground ride. His brain was circling inside his skull while his heart bounced on his stomach. The noise, a cacophony of pounding music, screaming women and roaring generators, filled his head. The only redeeming feature was the small hand clutching his sleeve, that and the radiant smile on her face.

He tried to forget about the ride and concentrate on her. She was exquisite. Flawless skin, delicate jawline, perfect lips, amazing hair. There was a purity and innocence about her that he found fascinating. She’d look perfect by his side. He wanted her but not through thrall, which was just as well because she appeared to be immune.
Fascinating.
Gabriel needed her to want him. The thought shocked him.

Then he remembered the twenty years of nothing but his hands and a rough blanket, and realized he was merely making up for lost time.

The agony finally came to a halt and the ride stopped spinning. His brain didn’t. The operator flipped up the bar and she hopped off first.

“Thanks. That was fun,” she said.

He watched her go, surprised he’d let her walk away, but then things hard to get were usually the sweeter for it. As Gabriel stepped off the ride and staggered, he saw Pete coming toward him.

“That looks great,” Pete said, nodding toward the stomach churner.

Gabriel shuddered. “One of us thought so.”

Pete furrowed his brow. “One of you?”

“The woman riding with me.”

“I didn’t see you with anyone.”

Gabriel frowned. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

“Gabriel, are you going to listen now?” Dava yanked at his arm. “I’ve found Turner.”

She had his full attention. “Where?”

“Come with me.”

Gabriel followed Dava through the crowds to a large white marquee.

“He’s in here, judging cakes.” She smirked.

“He hasn’t seen you?”

“No.”

Gabriel headed toward the entrance only to have a squat woman dressed as a bat bar his way.

“No entry until the judging has finished,” she snapped, her furry ears flapping.

“But I’m sure you’d like us to come in,” Dava said.

“The judge has to be left undisturbed to make his decisions once the judging’s started.” The rotund bat crossed her arms.

Gabriel restrained his snigger. Dava had always been less successful with women. He could have taken over and used his thrall, but it was amusing to see Dava frustrated. Even more amusing to think of Turner judging a cake competition. Gabriel’s smile slipped when he saw Matty walk out of the marquee.

“How come she got in?” Dava snapped.

“Who?” the bat asked.

One smile from Matty in his direction and Gabriel turned from the marquee and followed her, a moth drawn to her light.
Her own thrall, how delicious.

“You again?” Matty said when they reached the Ghost Train.

There was the hint of a smile on her face and Gabriel relaxed.

“I need you to fight off the parasite,” he said.

She laughed.

“Want to go on this?” he asked.

It looked a damn sight more sedate than the other nightmare. A series of open carts on a track facing a dark tunnel. No doubt a few scary monsters waiting to jump out, though Matty couldn’t know she had one right next to her. He smiled.

“Okay.”

They stepped into an empty carriage at the end of the track, waiting their turn to move forward.

“What was happening in the marquee?” Gabriel asked.

“Turner judging a mountain of cakes.”

Questions flooded Gabriel’s head and he settled on one. “You know Turner?”

Matty turned to look at him as the carriage slid forward. “Yes, do you?”

She probably lived in Milford. Maybe worked at the hall. Gabriel wondered why he was so desperate it was nothing more than that.

“We’re old friends,” he said. “How about you?”

“I live here.”

“At Milford Hall?”

Her answer was a loud shriek as a blast of cold air greeted their entry into the tunnel.

“You live with Turner?” he asked.

“Yes.”

Another squeal as a phantom sprang out of a door on their right. Gabriel sighed. Didn’t mean he couldn’t have her, but she might be more use to him in another way. He jumped when she grabbed for his hand and hit his crotch.

“Sorry,” she whispered.

Had she noticed his erection? How could she not? The ride was an escalating series of surprises that affected all senses—sudden appearances of grotesques, loud bangs and screams, cold and hot blasts of air. Gabriel sat stonelike through them all until the sensation of something pressing behind his knees made him lurch forward so hard he bent the restraining bar. Matty jumped too and she looked at him and laughed as they turned a corner.

“You like to be scared?” he asked.

“Sort of.”

Gabriel smiled. “Good.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

Matty still pondered Gabriel’s remark as they stepped off the ride. Why was he pleased she liked to be scared? He grabbed her arm.

“Ouch. Let me go,” she said.

“There’s something I’d like you to see.”

“No thanks.”

He wrapped his arm around her, tucking her inside his coat, and dragged her away from the crowds and the rides. The harder Matty struggled, the tighter he held her and the louder she screamed.

“Keep screaming and I’ll rip out your tongue,” Gabriel said in a calm voice.

Oh God.
No point screaming when the only people who might hear were Turner and Catch, and she suspected they’d still be in the marquee. Gabriel bustled her past the generators and mobile homes toward the car park.

Guys, I need you.
In the marquee, she’d said sorry for running off and forgiven the bastards for not telling her what they’d talked about while she slept but had seen they had a lot of
cakes still to get through. They’d promised to take her skating and on all the rides and win her an ugly cuddly toy. Only now it wasn’t going to happen. Matty fought harder, but he was so strong he even managed to use his phone without loosening his grip.

“Pete, get back to the motor home now.”

Matty tried going stiff, going limp but it was hopeless. Fear roared through her. She’d changed her mind. She didn’t like to be scared at all. Gabriel carried her farther from Winterval, through the parked cars and on toward the end of the field. He opened the door of a motor home and thrust her inside. Matty fell to her knees and scrambled away from him. Not hard to guess what he wanted. One well-placed kick in his balls would make him think again. When she pushed up on shaky legs and swiveled round, the bastard stood with his back to the only exit.

“How long have you been with Turner?” he asked.

Ah, that was why he wanted her.
“Ages.”

A knock on the door and Gabriel opened it to let in a youth with greasy hair. Pete presumably.

“Tie her up. Don’t let her get away,” Gabriel said, and slipped out, closing the door behind him.

“What? But—” Pete opened the door, opened his mouth and then slammed both shut with a groan. He leaned back against the door and looked around in despair.

Matty grinned. He couldn’t see her.

* * * * *

“Nice chocolaty flavor, good texture, slightly overcooked.” Catch put the fork down.

Turner scribbled down his comments. “Score?”

“Fifteen out of twenty.”

Catch had started off eating a whole slice but quickly realized he’d make himself sick. Now he took a forkful.

“Not enough sugar, nice presentation, twelve out of twenty. Christ, how many more?”

Turner lifted his head from the score sheet. “Thirteen. Hurry up. I want to go and win Matty this huge soft toy she’s so desperate for.”

“What, so you can hold it while I take her on the scary rides?”

“Damn, am I that obvious?” Turner grinned.

Catch almost spat out the next mouthful. “Yeuch. Too dry, bitter and burnt. Four out of twenty. When we’ve finished in here, we’ll meet her at the ghost train and then take her on every ride, saving the best until last.” Catch winked.

Turner rolled his eyes. “I saw what you bought in town. You had Matty intrigued.”