Wicked Enchantment (14 page)

“Fair enough.”

“For the record, I think you’re right, Gabriel. She’s taking a big risk hiding the secret and I suspect she would like to develop her magick. You’re going to have to approach the subject carefully, though, because to reveal you know what she’s hiding will threaten her.”

Yes, he’d seen that already.

“Still,” Bella continued, “that’s where you both have common ground. If you really care about Aislinn and want the best for her, if you truly want something more than a one-night stand with her, that’s where you should start.” She paused and drew a sharp breath. “I can’t believe I’m helping you do this.”

“You have my absolute word that I won’t hurt your friend.”

“That’s good, because you know my magick, right, Gabriel? I’m not someone you want to piss off.”

No, she wasn’t. Bella had the ability to curse people. All she had to do was wish something bad happened to you and it would. Her husband was no slouch in the magick department, either. Ronan was a class A sorcerer, a mage with druid blood. Ronan had a brother here at court with much the same magick, though Niall was even more powerful, even darker. No one doubted Niall had a touch of Phaendir. People gave him a wide berth because of it.

“One more thing you might want to know about Aislinn,” she said, fingering a sapphire drop pendant nestled in the hollow of her throat. She smiled. “Tomorrow is her birthday.”

 

 

AISLINN
opened the door at an insistent knock and found one of the Rose Tower footmen on the other side, holding a large white box wrapped with a red bow. Frowning, she took the box, thanked the footman, and closed the door. Once inside she laid it on her coffee table and stared at it.

There were only a couple of people who might send her a gift on her birthday. As a general rule, the fae didn’t make much out of them. After all, they were such a long-lived race that birthday celebrations got old after a while. Her mother may have done it, though she hadn’t sent her anything in several years. Bella would have done it for certain. Bella had sent her a gift every year on her birthday for all their lives. But Bella was gone now, so it couldn’t be from her. Tears stung her eyes at the prick of pain the thought caused. Carina might have done it, but Aislinn doubted it. Kendal definitely wouldn’t have sent anything. Her friends were more the superficial kind.

That left one last possibility.

There was only one way to find out. She untied the ribbon and let the velvet strand lay across the table. After she pulled off the top of the box and folded back the tissue paper, she found the gown from the shop, the too-expensive dark red Valentino, along with a pair of gorgeous matching shoes. A card lay in the box, too.

Tonight. She frowned. He must mean at the ball. She reached in and fingered the expensive material of the gown. It truly was gorgeous and she would never have bought it for herself. It touched her deeply that he’d done so for her.

She hadn’t been planning to attend tonight. The first kiss they’d shared she’d been able to sweep under the carpet because he’d only kissed her to dig at Kendal. The second was impossible because he’d kissed her out of desire and pure desire only.

And she’d kissed him back that way and wanted more.

Her intention had been to avoid him until the queen made her final decision about his petition. If she accepted it, her stint as Seelie companion to the petitioner would be over and life would return to normal. If the queen denied Gabriel, he would return to the Unseelie Court to beg for his head and his former place back.

Aislinn would miss him. She’d even worry about him.

However, she had every reason to believe that the queen would allow him to stay, as long as he hadn’t shot off his mouth about the Seelie within her hearing. He was far too colorful and beautiful a man to refuse. He was the type that was like candy to the Summer Queen.

Then he’d gone and bought her an expensive birthday present. Of more concern, he was growing on her. She actually liked him. She was attracted to him. There was no denying it. Even worse? Nightmarishly worse? She was developing
feelings
for him. Feelings that eclipsed the good sense she should have, to stay away from him because of her prophetic dream. Even if Gabriel wasn’t going to do it intentionally,
somehow
he was going to lead to her death.

How stupid could she be?

Apparently since she’d met Gabriel her IQ had dropped a bajillion points because despite what her good sense told her, she was putting on that gown, slipping into those shoes, and going down to the ball.

Willpower had never been her strong suit.

 

 

GABRIEL
watched Aislinn come toward him, parting the crowd of fae around her like an ocean. The gown fit her perfectly, clinging to every luscious curve so closely it made him jealous. The dress was backless and if it dipped any farther than it did, all the men in the room would’ve been very happy instead of just teased beyond belief.

She’d done her light hair up on the top of her head, leaving her slender throat and the back of her neck bare. His fingers itched to caress her nape and free her hair so it fell down around her shoulders. The color of the dress set off her gray eyes and the shade of her skin.

The knowledge that it was the gown he’d bought for her that encased her body and rubbed against her skin aroused him beyond belief. It was erotic to watch the way she moved in the garment, knowing he’d held it in his hands that morning. Why he should be struck with this oddness now was a mystery. After all, he’d purchased many gowns for many women, yet this one was different.

Everything about Aislinn was different.

Gabriel had seen many women in his life, but Aislinn was by far the most beautiful. That beauty came from more than just her physical appearance. It came from her intelligence and her strong backbone. It came from her wit and her deep compassion for others. Hells, he even loved her stubborn streak and that far-too-honest mouth. He could think of lots of things to do with that mouth, too. . . .

The bottom line was that he wanted to get to know her even better.

For the first time in more years than he could remember, he wanted a relationship with a woman. Hells, he just wanted Aislinn, whatever way he could get her, for as long as he could have her.

Coldness washed through him, followed by a wave of warmth. This faint beginning of a deeper caring for a woman scared the hell out of him. He frowned. It wasn’t like he was a sociopath; he cared about all the women he was involved with. He’d cared for Caitlin deeply.

But this was different. More involved or something. Honestly, he wasn’t quite sure what this was yet. He only knew that he was in unfamiliar territory, and that watching her walk toward him right now made him happy.

“Hello,” she said, looking up at him with a smile. Every person around them seemed to be watching, murmuring. Gabriel had no doubt they were admiring Aislinn. She was a knockout every night, but more so tonight.

And tonight, she was his.
His
. And no way was she escaping him.

Without a word, he pulled her forward into his arms and up against him. The movement was purely instinctual and completely impulsive. She gave a little cry of surprise but allowed him to drag her up against his body.

“Gabriel, Kendal isn’t here tonight. You don’t have to put on an act for him.”

“Who’s acting?” he growled. “You have a short memory. I tried this the other night, but you ran away from me, as I recall.”

“I know. I’m sorry about that, I really am.”

“I can forgive you, but you’ll have to make it up to me.”

Her cheeks colored a little and she licked her lips. His gaze ate up every movement. “Maybe I will.”

“Tonight?”

“We’ll see.” She glanced around. “Everyone is watching us, Gabriel.”

“There are other people in the room? I don’t see anyone but you.”

She ducked her head a little and smiled. “Thank you for the dress.”

“Happy birthday.” He turned her in time to the music and pressed his chest to her back. In one smooth movement, he pulled a necklace from his pocket and looped it around her throat, securing it in back.

She turned toward him, touching the sapphire pendant. “I know this necklace. This is Bella’s.”

“She asked me to give it to you for your birthday.”

She looked up at him, a wet sheen in her eyes. “Thank you.” She stroked the top of it with the pad of her index finger. “It means so much to have something of her. I miss her.”

He took her into his arms and they began to dance. “I know. She misses you, too.”

“But how did you get it?” She frowned. “I don’t understand. Did she give it to you before you came to petition?”

He opened his mouth, intending to lie. To say, yes, that was exactly how he’d come to possess the necklace, but this curious thing happened. As he looked into her eyes, he became totally and utterly unable to force a lie through his lips.

Ah, there was that cold-warm rush of fear chased by contentment through his veins again. What the hell was that?

“Bella gave it to me last night, Aislinn.” He paused, watching her jerk in surprise. “I can go back to the Unseelie Court when I choose and I have on several occasions since I came to petition the Summer Queen.”

“How?”

“One day I hope I’ll be able to tell you.”

She shook her head. “I don’t understand. Why can’t you tell me now?”

“Let’s just say that I have a good relationship with my king.”

“Strong enough to withstand your attempted defection?”

Theoretically, it might be. The Shadow King didn’t have the same vanity that the Summer Queen possessed. Ronan had gone from the Unseelie to the Seelie and back, though he was the only one who ever had. That situation had been different for a number of reasons, one of which involved Bella.

But mostly it had been because of the piece of the
bosca fadbh.

That was the artifact Ronan had stolen for the Phaendir. He’d bought Bella’s life and his freedom by giving it to the Summer Queen. The piece of the
bosca fadbh,
when combined with the other two pieces and used with a spell from the Book of Bindings, had the power to break the warding that imprisoned the fae in Piefferburg. Obtaining the other pieces was a long shot at best, but Gabriel had no doubt both the courts were trying. They might even be competing.

The Seelie and the Unseelie, the Summer Queen and the Shadow King, might war, they might hate each other—but there was one area in which they were united. All fae hated the Phaendir and most fae wanted out of Piefferburg. Almost everyone wanted the freedom to live in the world again.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

Gabriel knew firsthand that the Summer Queen and the Shadow King were already talking about combining forces to make a move on the Phaendir. It was only a question of time.

So when Ronan and Bella had shown up on the stairs of the Black Tower, refugees from the Seelie Court with nowhere else to go, the Shadow King had had his fun, but there had been no doubt they would have a home there.

They needed Ronan.

They would need Bella, too, and Gabriel, along with many others, if they planned to make a move for the rest of the
bosca fadbh
and the Book of Bindings.

“I think my relationship with my king is strong enough to withstand an attempted defection, yes.”

She looked at him sharply. “
My
king.” She stopped moving, stepped back, and blinked. “You don’t intend to stay here, do you? No matter how the Summer Queen rules.”

He glanced around them at the rest of the dancing and conversing Seelie Court. “Can we talk about this later?”

She pressed her lips together and gave a curt nod.

“Good.” He took her hand and whirled her out, around, and back against him.

She laughed out loud, the prettiest sound he could imagine. “You’re a great dancer.”

“Thanks.” He stared down into her eyes and put everything he was thinking about doing to her into his gaze. “It’s the second best thing I can do.”

She swallowed hard and glanced away. “Yes, I can imagine what the first thing is,” she answered in her characteristically dry tone of voice.

“I’d be more than happy to show you.”

“You have to know by now I’m not that easy.”

“Easy things are generally not worth the time and trouble, sweetness.”

“And you, Gabriel, you’re just trouble.”

“Not as much as you’d think. Anyway, I think you could use a little trouble in your life, the right kind of trouble, anyway. My kind of trouble.” He growled the words and held her tight. Gods, he wanted her so badly. Having her body pressed against his, her hips to his, her breasts to his chest. It was driving him insane.

She stopped dancing and moved away, drawing a shaky breath. Could she be feeling it, too? “I think I need a drink.”

A familiar figure caught Gabriel’s eye. “Looks like Kendal decided to come after all.” He was accompanied by his floozy of the moment.

“Correction, I think I need to get out of here.”

What a great idea. “Then let’s do it.”

 

 

 

 

SHE
took him to her apartment with every intention of seducing him.

He wasn’t staying here. She’d heard it in his voice and seen it on his face. Gabriel still swore allegiance to the Shadow King. Why he’d even come here at all was a mystery to her. Tomorrow, unless the Summer Queen had sensed Gabriel’s distaste for the Rose, she would probably extend him an invitation.

He wouldn’t accept.

By tomorrow he would be gone, back to the place where he’d come, and she’d never see him again. She assumed he’d already been to see the Shadow King about returning. That was likely how he’d obtained Bella’s pendant. Just that morning she’d been thinking about how she’d miss Gabriel if he left. Now that it was a reality, she realized just how much.