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“Sorry. You just made me think—Sultan wasn’t at the bar because of his dick or because he had a fang-on for my Indian Princess blood or whatever. He looked surprised to see me when he walked in. Like he didn’t know I was going to be there.”
Blaire squints at my face. “Fang-on… Ah, right.” She nods, the tension easing from her expression. “Like a hard-on, but with fangs. I get it. Cute.”
“Thanks, but did you hear the other part?”
She crosses her arms and leans a hip against the giant sideboard. “Yeah, but are you sure? He could have been faking surprise to throw you off your guard before he went for your throat. Darcy said there’s a good chance he planned to kidnap you and deliver you to the Shadowbanes to use as leverage against the Blackmores. Not to scare you, but…why else would he be at the Pug and Crone so late?”
“I don’t know.” I chew the inside of my lip. “Maybe Darcy’s right, but Sultan’s surprise seemed genuine. And if it was, that means I had nothing to do with him being at the bar.”
“Which means he was there for some other reason,” Blaire finishes. “Maybe to summon the portal in private?”
“Or maybe the portal was just a way to escape after he got caught and he was really there for something else…” I pace over to the matching sideboard on the opposite wall, grabbing a plate and lifting the silver domes off several platters before I find a pile of silver dollar pancakes.
This day is looking up already. First a mental breakthrough, now pancakes.
Tonging several onto the plate for Amy, along with some fruit salad in a nod to health, I ask Blaire, “So, what do you think? Are our suspicions worth a trip back to the Pug and Crone to nose around a little before Emily opens for the day? Especially if you think your ability to talk to cats might extend to rats, as well?”
I fill her in on the rat who warned us that Sultan was getting away before it was too late, and Blaire nods, “Yeah, I’m pretty sure I can shoot the shit with a rat.” She glances around the still empty room. “But we should leave soon, before Darcy gets up from his nap. Baron’s so worried, he practically has Annie chained to the bed in their room. We should skedaddle before he gives Edmond and Darcy any ideas.” She points to the door. “Should I get one of the nice maids to come watch Amy in your room?”
“Yes, perfect. I’ll take her back and serve her breakfast there.”
Blaire snags my elbow on my way by. “Don’t forget to grab something for yourself. You’re looking a little bony lately. I hope you’re not starving yourself to look good in your wedding dress or something silly like that because you’re already perfect.”
“Thanks, and no, no starvation plans here. I’ve just been…a little stressed.” About my husband dying on New Year’s Day, I add silently before forcing a lighter tone, “I’ve come to terms with the fact that Edmond will be the beautiful one at our wedding.”
“Edmond is unnaturally pretty, but so are you,” Blaire says, ever the loyal big sister. “You’re supermodel material, babe. I hope Edmond makes you feel that way, like a rare and beautiful creature worthy of his undying love and devotion.” She drops her voice to a whisper, “Assuming this marriage is for real.”
“Of course, it is,” I say, sticking to the script. It’s highly unlikely demons are spying on us in the Blackmore breakfast room, but when it comes to my daughter’s safety, I don’t take chances.
Blaire exhales. “Right. Of course, it is. Meet you in your room in fifteen?”
“Fifteen,” I agree, lifting my plate full of goodies with a smile as I cross back to Amy. “Look what I found! Pancakes and straw-babies.”
Amy pops her now empty sippy cup from her mouth with a big grin. “Yay, pancakes!”
She reaches for me, and I scoop her up, propping her on one hip as I hustle back to our room.
Twenty minutes later, Sherry, one of the sweet human maids, who’s always been great to Amy, is on babysitting duty, and I’m dressed and ready to go. Blaire and I leave Amy and Sherry giggling over the opening credits of a princess cartoon I was surprised to find in the Blackmore’s streaming library and sneak out the back way, taking the path down the cliffs into town to avoid being spotted on the tram. The sun is up and most of the vampires asleep or in the underground rooms, but they have eyes everywhere.
Half the servants double as spies for one vampire master or another, including Sherry, who I’m pretty sure is on Blaire’s payroll.
“I’ll pay you back,” I say as we hurry down the path, the cool sea breeze damp on our cheeks. “Whatever you paid Sherry for babysitting.”
“Don’t worry about it,” she says. “Sherry and I are good.”
“Because she’s your spy and already on salary?”
Blaire glances over her shoulder, arching a brow. “Of course not. Why would I need a spy? I’m an upstart witch raised in the human world who swooped in and took one of the Blackmores’ most eligible bachelors off the market before I started bossing everyone around and insisting they do things my way. They love me up there.”
I grunt and she smiles, making it clear she isn’t going to spill her spy secrets today. Which is fine. I have my secrets; she has hers. There’s nothing wrong with that. Sisters don’t have to share everything.
Though I wish I could share the details of Edmond’s curse and ask for Blaire’s help finding a way to break it. Edmond swears he’s talked to witches all over the world and they all assured him the curse was unbreakable. Asking Blaire or anyone else for help is probably pointless, but maybe, if everything goes smoothly today, I’ll broach the subject on the way back to the estate. A part of me hates to violate Edmond’s trust, but I was running low on time even before the Shadowbanes became an active threat.
Now, it’s going to be even harder to find the time and opportunity to investigate curse-breaking leads.
Or so I think…
And then I see it. We’re climbing up the rocky path at the edge of the beach, passing the main marina building on our way to the road leading into town when I spot a pale pink yacht docked at the second pier, a gaudy beast of a boat I’ve never noticed before.
