Midnight Beauties (Grim Lovelies 2)

The five Marble Ladies, stone guardians of Castle Ides, blocked the turnstile that allowed access to the building’s exit. Cricket paced in front of them, tapping them provokingly on the ears and noses, but of course, none of them would move an inch until compelled to.

“Good. You’re here.” Petra nodded approvingly at Anouk and then gestured to the Marble Ladies. “Shall I whisper them out of our way?”

“This is one thing I can do,” Anouk said. She made a gesture toward the Marble Ladies like she was shooing away a fly, and they roused themselves from their stone slumber and stepped away from the turnstile. “I’m the princess of Castle Ides now. They have to obey me whether I wield magic or not.”

“Have a nice journey, Princess,” the closest Marble Lady said with a carved smile.

Cricket snorted as she passed through the turnstile. “We could have used that the last time we tried breaking into this place, Princess.”

Anouk paused at the front door to adjust her jacket. The embroidery under her fingers was like a talisman, giving her strength. She shook away the thoughts crawling around in her head about Rennar’s kiss, Rennar’s confession.

Someone I don’t want to lose.

“Is the car ready?” She peered out the glass door at the snowy city streets.

“December’s pulling it around now,” Beau said.

In another moment an engine roared and headlights shone into the lobby. They pushed outside into the shelter of the porte-cochère, where a spotless Roadster purred with its windshield wipers going.

“Si belle.” Beau sighed contentedly. He tugged on his old leather driving gloves, flexing his fingers.

The car shook a little as though someone was bouncing around inside, and then the driver’s-side door opened and December tumbled out. Anouk wondered if she was drunk.

“December? Is everything okay?” she asked.

“Perfect!” With outstretched arms, December jerkily made her way around the car, and it became apparent that her strange movements were because she was wearing roller skates. They looked ancient, worn white leather and rainbow trim, grungy laces, and scuffed wheels. She grinned uneasily.

“What are those things?” Luc asked.

“Roller skates!”

Beau looked toward the car in alarm. “You drove the car wearing those?”

“Don’t you get it?” December struggled to push herself from the car to one of the porte-cochère columns. “I’m coming with you.” She tromped awkwardly on the skates. “I’m not setting foot in London. That’s the spell, isn’t it? That no living creature imbued with magic can set foot in England? It doesn’t say anything about not setting wheels in England.”

“That’s insane,” Cricket muttered.

“Technically,” Luc pointed out, “she’s not wrong.”

“So I can come?” December beamed.

The beasties all exchanged hesitant looks. December had saved Anouk’s life at the Château des Mille Fleurs with a handful of glitter, so maybe rainbow roller skates would rescue them this time. But December lost her balance and tumbled to her knees. She winced, rolling onto her bottom.

“Um,” Anouk said. “You’re . . . needed here is the thing. Someone has to look after the rest of the Goblins. We can’t have them burning down Castle Ides like they burned down the townhouse.”

December, still wincing, gave her an odd look. But the clock in the church steeple across the street chimed six, and Cricket smacked Anouk lightly.

“Time to go, beasties.”

Anouk knelt down and helped December to her feet. Then she gave her a push toward the doors, and December wheeled her arms forward and caught herself on the door handles.

The rest of them piled into the car, Beau in the driver’s seat, Anouk in the front passenger seat with Cricket in her lap, and Luc, Viggo, Hunter Black, and Petra in the back. “There’d be more room,” Viggo said, “if Cricket hadn’t brought so many knives.”

“I brought toasted-cheese croque-monsieurs too,” she said.

“You took the time to pack sandwiches?” Luc asked.

“Have you had British food?”