Grim Lovelies (Grim Lovelies 1)

“You’re supposed to be in love with him,” Hunter Black said.

“Him?” Cricket sneered.

Anouk could feel Viggo’s hot gaze like sunlight—?warm at first, but the longer she was exposed, the closer she was to burning.

“Open the door,” Viggo said in a hoarse voice.

Beau clenched his fists. “Not happening.”

“No, it’s okay. Do it.” Anouk’s stomach twisted in hitches. Beau grumbled his disapproval, but he unlocked the door.

Viggo staggered out. His clothes were wrinkled, his hair streaked and in disarray, but his eyes were alight. He took a step past Beau. One past Petra. And then straight past Cricket, as though this girl whose love he’d craved above all else had ceased to exist.

He collapsed to his knees at Anouk’s feet.

“Viggo,” Hunter Black growled. “What are you doing? Get up.”

Anouk rubbed the back of her scalp. It still stung from where she’d pulled out a strand of her hair and then cut it so it was the same length as Cricket’s. In the dark cellar, no one had noticed the hair that was supposed to be Cricket’s was tawny, not cinnamon-brown.

“Oh, merde,” Beau cursed, finally understanding.

Cricket realized at the same time and burst out laughing.

On his knees, Viggo bent to kiss Anouk’s bare toes. “My love. My angel. My dream. Command me, because my heart is yours.”

Chapter 20

Twenty-One Hours of Enchantment Remain

“No.” Beau dragged Anouk to the cellar staircase, out of earshot of the others. “Absolutely not. I’m not okay with this. How are you okay with this? I’m not okay with this.”

“We don’t have a choice.”

“You made him fall in love with you. You! Not with Cricket.”

“Beau, this is a good thing. He’ll do whatever I ask. Mada Zola helped me rewrite the love spell so that it’s a particularly devoted type of love. He’ll fall all over himself to please me. You saw him back there, worshiping at my feet. He’s practically our—”

“Our slave.” Beau spat the word.

She rested her hands on her hips. “Temporarily. We made the elixir potent but not long-lasting. It’ll work two, maybe three days; we need only one. Besides, how long have we been slaves to him? Fetching him tea, polishing his boots, staying awake all night in case he passed out and needed to be carried to bed? Don’t you remember how he snapped his fingers at you like a dog? How he pawed at Cricket? It’s only fair he gets a taste of what it’s like to serve.”

Beau folded his arms. “We aren’t going to free ourselves by imprisoning others, even crétins like him.”

But Anouk knew that falter in his voice. Was he jealous? His confession was still fresh on his lips, as were their kisses from the night before. He had to know that this thing with Viggo wasn’t real love. Still, he glowered at the wall.

She poked the top button of his shirt and said softly, “Easy, there, or I’ll work the spell on you too.”

He caught her hand at the collar of his shirt and held it. On flat ground he towered over her, but she was perched one stair higher, and for once they were eye to eye.

“It wouldn’t work on me.”

“You don’t think me capable?”

“Try all you want. Whisper the strongest love spell you know. They’d only be words—?I’m already in love with you.”

Anouk felt her cheeks burn in that pleasantly unpleasant way. She wrapped her other hand around his, squeezed almost painfully. “Tell me again that you didn’t kill her.”

“I didn’t.”