Midnight Beauties (Grim Lovelies 2)

Second, Sinjin opened his palm to reveal his ruby earring stud.

Third, the golden hare leaped into his arms and ate the stud in one quick swallow.

It happened so fast and was so unexpected that at first Anouk wasn’t certain she had seen it correctly. But before she could wonder what such a strange thing meant, the hare leaped out of Sinjin’s arms onto the taxidermied lion’s back, then onto a vase, and then down to Cricket’s feet, where it started hopping in a circle around her.

Saint cawed and took flight, wings flapping wildly.

The vase teetered precariously before falling in a spectacular crash.

Cricket twisted in circles, trying to catch the hare. She said, “Stop Sinjin!” and threw one of her blades, but all the spinning threw off her aim. The blade flew an inch from Sinjin’s ear and lodged in a totem pole. The snow started to lessen and Cricket cursed and began the whisper again.

In the chaos, Sinjin pulled an amber stone from his jacket pocket and hurled it at the floor. It broke into clumps of resin, emitting a smell that was musky and rotten. Beau and Luc pulled their shirts up over their mouths against the smell.

Anouk didn’t know what kind of gem or jewel could smell like that, but it couldn’t be good. She could feel magic spreading through the room, warm bilious clouds of the reeking smell floating toward the vents. Something groaned high up in the upper floors of the museum, as though the entire building were waking from a long slumber.

“Don’t follow me,” Sinjin warned. “They aren’t human anymore—?and they haven’t eaten in a thousand years.”

He ran out the door before anyone could stop him.

Chapter 31

“They?” Beau asked. “Who are they?”

Everyone’s head tilted upward as the building groaned again. A fine dust rained down. There was the sound of stone scraping. Luc consulted the map. “That sound’s coming from the Egyptian Wing.”

Jak, reclining in the throne, clapped his hands together in delight. “Ah! Frankincense. It has the ability to hold necromancy spells, but I haven’t seen it used in centuries.”

Anouk whirled to face him. “Sinjin woke the dead?”

“He didn’t, but the spell stored within the frankincense did, yes.”

Cricket, in shock, stopped whispering again. The last flakes fluttered to the ground. A second before they landed, Jak turned to Anouk with a flash of urgency in his eyes.

“It’s snowing in Wiltshire, lovely.”

Then he was gone.

The fallen snow blanketed the Nutcracker set as though a ballet production had just ended and janitors would soon come sweep it away. But it was real snow, not cotton, and it melted into a puddle that soaked the presents and other props.

She turned to Beau. “What’s in Wiltshire?”

Beau shrugged, and before she could puzzle out the meaning of Jak’s final words, another one of Cricket’s blades whizzed just over Anouk’s head. She ducked. The blade sank into the leather of Viggo’s jacket sleeve. He let out a wail. “You stabbed me!”

“Cricket, be careful!” Anouk cried.

“I was aiming for the rabbit! I just woke up in a sarcophagus and now there are dead Egyptian kings after us. Sorry if my aim is off!”

“It’s fine.” Viggo staggered backward and collapsed on the ottoman. “I deserve it. I deserve this and more. Impale me again, Cricket!”

Anouk grabbed him by his jacket collar, looked at the wound, rolled her eyes, and tossed the knife to the floor. “It barely scratched you. You’ll live. Now knock it off!”

Viggo whimpered, cradling his bleeding arm.

She sighed, knelt in front of him, took his face in her hands, and said kindly, “You can help us, Viggo. You’re a witch’s boy too. You must know something. That ruby earring—?what was it? One of the jewels that can store magic?”

He blinked fiercely. “The ruby. Yes, it’s enchanted. Gems like that are extremely rare. Londoner witches particularly favor gems. Rubies are for . . . merde, I forget. Oh! Safe passage!” He seemed very pleased with himself.

“Why would a rabbit need safe passage?” Anouk asked.