Wicked Enchantment (10 page)

Kendal looked ready to explode. Gabriel placed his hand on her lower back and guided her through the staring and snickering throng, out of the ballroom.

“Why did you do that?” she asked as soon as they were clear of the people. “Now he’s going to be insufferable.”

“Do what?” Gabriel answered smoothly, seeming completely unruffled. “Why did I kiss you or why did I say that?”

She stopped at the bottom of the curving red carpeted stairs that led up to her floor. “Both.”

“The comment was to shock his ugly mouth into silence.” He reached out and pulled her up against him. “The kiss was because I wanted it and he provided a great excuse for me to take it.” His lips brushed hers very lightly, then he rocked back onto his heels.

She had to shake off the warmth from the light buss of his lips. “
Don’t
use that magick on me.”

“I didn’t use even one tiny little bit of magick on you, Aislinn.” He arched his brow. “I never have and I never will. I swear it. Whatever response you have to me, it’s all you. It’s all natural.”

She stared at him a moment, trying to be angry, but seeing Kendal’s face when he’d come up to them and seen her kissing Gabriel had been far too delicious. “I’m not some silly woman. I’m not going to fall right into your bed. You can just forget that.” She pushed past him and mounted the stairs.

“I love a challenge, Aislinn,” he called after her.

She almost missed a step.

 

 

 

 

AISLINN
ran her hand along the smooth rose marble of the corridor’s wall, deep in thought. She was waiting for Carina. They had plans to go to a dress shop in downtown Piefferburg today. That was all her life was—an endless loop of teas, lunches, clothes, parties, and cocktails. Was it wrong that she wanted more?

Why was she the only one who did? There had to be more to life than this. She couldn’t be the only one in the Rose who wondered what it might be.

Her friend Bella had yearned to travel. She had felt trapped at Seelie Court and wanted more than anything to see the rest of Piefferburg and beyond. Her friend had received her wish—not in the best of all possible ways—when she’d been banished from the Rose.

The fae lived long lives. There had to be more Seelie Tuatha Dé bored with the expectations placed on them to stay elevated on their pillars for the sake of the troop. If Aislinn wanted to work, she couldn’t. If she wanted to develop her magickal skill, it wasn’t allowed. If she wanted to go off for an afternoon to visit Goblin Town or the Boundary Lands or the Water Realm, that was forbidden. That was what Gabriel didn’t understand. The Seelie were just as trapped by illusion as everyone else.

Or, at least, she was.

Her fingers slid along the wall until she eventually halted in front of a shadow. She turned her head and focused her eyes. Gabriel came into view.

“I watched you walk the entire length of the corridor. It’s like you were sleepwalking. What’s on your mind this morning, beautiful?”

Beautiful
. He probably called every woman he knew beautiful.

“I don’t know.” The last thing she was going to do was spill her heart to this guy. “I was just thinking.” She shrugged.

“Hmmm.” He studied her. “Not just about new clothes, I would make a guess.”

“What? How could you know that? I didn’t tell you my plans for this morning.”

Carina showed up at his arm. “I told him. I thought it would be fun if he came along.”

Her gaze snapped to Gabriel. She had been hoping to escape him for a little while. He made her feel . . . well, he made her
feel
. She didn’t want that now. She didn’t want to feel attracted, compelled, interested . . . and maybe just a little bit crowded. But Aislinn understood Carina’s game. She wanted to make a match between them. Her friend thought an affair with Gabriel would be a good thing—no matter how short and shallow.

Aislinn simply didn’t want short and shallow.

She laughed. “Come on, Carina, Gabriel doesn’t want to be dragged to the dress shop with us. I’m sure he’d rather spend time . . .” She eyed him from head to toe. Today he wore a pair of faded jeans that did nice things for his already nice butt and a navy sweater covering his broad chest. “Doing whatever it is he spends time doing.”

“Nonsense.” Carina hooked her arm with his. “I’m sure he can’t think of anything more interesting than spending time with one beautiful woman and a less-pretty married one.”

“I enjoy spending time with gorgeous women and you definitely fall into that category, Carina,” answered Gabriel with a smile.

Carina grinned at Aislinn. “I
really
like this man.”

“Yes,” Aislinn murmured. “So does everyone else, it seems.”

“Except for Kendal,” Carina answered. “Everyone’s talking about what happened last night. That was some kiss and Kendal’s reaction was classically jealous.”

Aislinn sighed. “I noticed that, but it’s not because he loves me. It’s only because he loves himself.” She turned her gaze to Gabriel. “So you’re coming along, then?”

“I can hardly wait to go dress shopping.”

“It takes a man who is very secure in his masculinity to say that,” snickered Carina.

Together they walked to the entrance of the building that faced the streets of downtown Piefferburg. The hobgoblin servant at the double doors of the Rose Tower greeted them with an incline of his small, bald head. “Miss Finvarra, your car is here.”

The three of them exited onto the street, where a cool, early spring breeze blew, and allowed the driver to usher them into the back of the limo she’d ordered to take them to the shop. The back of both the towers looked out on Piefferburg Square, where no cars were allowed, only pedestrian traffic. Along the edges of the huge cobblestone square were the most successful of troop businesses—some securities and law firms, a few cafés, and some retail shops.

In the center of the square was the charmed iron statue of Jules Piefferburg, founder of their prison. The statue could not be taken down because of its magick, but it could be altered and maligned, and usually it was . . . badly . . . profanely. Sometimes it was dressed up according to holiday or season, but usually in a way that disrespected the man it represented. The only other notable landmark of Piefferburg Square was the clock tower on the north side, perfectly in between the two courts, like it was counting down to something.

The area around the front of the Rose Tower was the richest and poshest of downtown Piefferburg, complete with all the troop-run jewelry stores, clothing establishments, swanky restaurants, and coffee shops. Piefferburg and Piefferburg City had a thriving economy, though it still received much financial help from the world outside its borders and many shipments of supplies. Aislinn figured they were entitled to it, since they were keeping them in prison.

She understood the area around the Black Tower was also posh, except inclined toward the nightmarish portion of the fae troop. Aislinn was curious to see it, though she’d never say so out loud.

The car pulled away from the curb and started down the street. Troop passersby were dressed nicely in this part of town and paid very little attention to Seelie vehicles, which were commonplace here.

“You said Ronan and Bella are doing well,” Aislinn said to Gabriel once they were moving, “but you didn’t really elaborate. Can you?”

Gabriel gazed out the window as he spoke. She sat across from him in the back of the limo and Carina sat beside him. “They came to the Unseelie Court under the Summer Queen’s banishment last winter. The Shadow King took them in immediately. Ronan was far more at ease in the Black Tower than Bella was, but it didn’t take long for her to see it wasn’t as bad a place as most Seelie believe it to be. They have an apartment there, have made friends, and seem to be happy. I believe they’re trying to have children, may the powers that be allow it.”

No fae could really
try
to have children. Fae fertility didn’t work that way. Women couldn’t use birth control to prevent a pregnancy, it never worked. Just as women couldn’t time intercourse to increase the chance of conception. Pregnancy was at the whim of the Goddess Danu.

Aislinn blew out a slow breath. “I hope you’re telling me the truth.”

He turned his face from the window to study her. “Why would I lie?”

She looked him in the eye. “There’s something about you I don’t trust. Call it my intuition.”

“Still? I think that’s your ex talking, Aislinn. You don’t truly believe I’d lie to you. Or perhaps you hold the same bias against me that Kendal does.”

“Of course not. It’s just that I don’t understand why the Shadow King would take Ronan back so easily. I mean, he defected the Black for the Rose and then pulled that job for the Phaendir—he
worked
for the Phaendir, Gabriel—I’m surprised the Shadow King didn’t kill him on the spot.”

“He defected to the Rose for Bella,
for love
. The Shadow King understood that. He’s not without a heart. Also, Ronan is a powerful mage, Aislinn. You’d be surprised how much currency you have in the Black if you possess strong magicks.” He paused and his eyelids lowered halfway. Lazily, he asked, “Satisfied?”

“It sounds plausible enough.”

“I’m happy you think so,” he replied with a wry twist to his lips. “I aim to please you.” The last words were spoken in a low, smooth voice and with a double entendre that made her lower stomach flip. She looked out the window at the stores they were passing.

The car reached the dress shop and let them out. The driver would return when they called for him. On their way into the small, high-class establishment, Carina squeezed Aislinn’s upper arm and hissed, “Be nice!” Gabriel was already on his way inside.

“I’m honest and I always voice my feelings and opinions.” She hesitated outside the door. “I can’t pretend to be anything but what I am, Carina.”

“Okay, but there’s this little thing called tact. Try some, you’ll like it.”

GABRIEL
was glad she was both honest and intuitive. For her sake it was better, though it was making his job much harder than he’d ever imagined it would be.

He watched her enter the store, having heard every word of their hushed conversation. It was good that she didn’t trust him. Healthy. She shouldn’t trust him. Gabriel liked her honesty, too. He knew where he stood with her. No guessing. And that was refreshing.

Aislinn was an intelligent person and insightful, too. Those two things, combined with her beauty and the mystery of her magick, made her intriguing to him on a level not many women were.

He genuinely liked her.

Too bad he was duping her.

An odd, heavy sensation filled his chest, wilting the smile he wore as he gazed at her. For some inexplicable reason his thought process had diminished his pleasure. What was this feeling? Aislinn breezed past him, touching the gowns hanging on the racks near the door of the small, crowded shop. His smile completely faded and the heavy weight grew as he watched her. Was this regret?

Gods . . . was it . . .
guilt
?

Carina hit him playfully on the shoulder. “You’re frowning. What’s wrong?”

He blinked and jerked, not sure how long he’d been standing there so annoyingly confused. “Where’s the lingerie and let’s see if we can get Aislinn into some,” he growled and walked toward his prey.

“There’s my boy,” Carina purred.

Aislinn had stopped to finger the material of a dark red gown with a plunging neckline and back. It was sleeveless and had a long straight sheath skirt. Aislinn would be a knockout in that dress. It would set off her light skin tone, the silver blond fall of her subtly curling hair, and her beautiful light gray eyes.

“It’s beautiful,” he murmured as he imagined taking it off her. She’d look even better swathed in nothing but moonlight. Or just his hands.

She flipped the tag up at him. “It’s Valentino and it’s twelve thousand dollars.”

“You can’t afford it?”

“Oh, yes, I can afford it,” she said, moving to the next rack of gowns. “My family had money before Piefferburg was created.” She flicked him a sour glance. “
We
don’t live off the backs of the troop. However, I make it a point never to spend that much on any article of clothing for myself. It’s too self-indulgent.”

“I would spend that much in a heartbeat,” murmured Carina, coming to stand beside Gabriel. She fingered the rich material of the dress, then wandered off toward the purses.

“Okay,” answered Gabriel, pushing past Carina. “Then let
me
buy you something expensive and self-indulgent.”

She turned and narrowed her eyes at him. “No.”

“You have to let me. It’s to show you my appreciation for being my guide this week.”

She turned her back to him. “No, thank you. It’s not necessary.”