Midnight Beauties (Grim Lovelies 2)

“That is a problem,” he continued. “After the Coal Baths, the other Royals were, shall we say, less than willing to entertain the idea of the Code of Courts. I interfered with something ancient to save your life, I broke a lot of rules, and for that, they believe that the entire Parisian Court should be ostracized. Except.”

“Except what?” Anouk said breathlessly as they turned down another hall. The box was nearly forgotten in her arms. Sounds of clanking silverware and soft music came from a distant room. Probably the Goblins—?except there was no rock music.

“You really should change into something more festive. And are you certain you want to carry that around with you?” he said, nodding toward the box. “If anyone sees it now, it’ll ruin your entrance on our wedding day.”

“Forget about the dress! Rennar, what happened? What were you going to say?”

“Ah.” His eyes gleamed darkly. “The Parisian Court was ostracized, yes. Stricken from our position as head of the Haute. Not even the Crimson Queen would speak to me at first, and Queen Violante and I have, ah, a history.” He smirked, but it soon faded. “But then something happened to the Lunar Court. Just two days after the disaster that was the Coal Baths, King Kaspar’s eyesight started to go. His tongue started to blacken. Prince Aleksi reluctantly came to me for help. He alone believed me when I said that the Coven of Oxford was dangerous and might even be behind his father’s sickness, though no one knows how they’re getting to him. Aleksi and I have been researching long-lost traditions to invoke the Code of Courts. If the other Royals won’t voluntarily agree to help, we will force their hand.”

“What does that have to do with me?”

“The Nochte Pax. I told you that it’s a wedding gift. More specifically, it’s a request the wedding couple can make and that the others can’t refuse. Once we’re married, I’m going to use the Nochte Pax to invoke the Code of Courts. The other Royals will have no choice but to help Prince Aleksi and I put up a protection spell to keep the Coven from spreading beyond London.”

“That doesn’t sound like much of a solution,” she said.

“It isn’t a solution,” he said gruffly. “At the moment, I’m just trying to keep us alive.” His hand went instinctively to the glossy mark on his neck where the border spell had nearly split him down the middle. His expression soured. “The rumors coming out of London are bleak. The smoke has filled the catacombs and the subterranean tunnels. Whoever breathes it in chokes.”

The artifact hallway ended in a set of double doors, but instead of opening them, he turned to a plain door in the corner that looked like a closet. It had a knob like an old man’s bulbous nose. He opened the door and she stopped behind him abruptly. On the other side, as the clocks chimed a new hour, it transformed into the double-door entryway of the Castle Ides ballroom. It looked like something out of a dream, grander than anything she’d read in books about Versailles or royal palaces. There was no single crystal chandelier but hundreds of lit crystals suspended from the ceiling like falling stars.

Dancing couples in beautiful gowns swept across the floor. Anouk saw the few remaining Parisian Royals, Mia and some lesser dukes and duchesses. Prince Aleksi of the Lunar Court stood alone by the fireplace; his ailing father, King Kaspar, was slumped in a chair, wearing a crown of lustrous black stone. The beautiful Crimson Queen, Violante, and her two sisters were there. Goblins had taken over the balconies of the ballroom and were drinking and eating and dancing jigs. Viggo was chastising one who’d climbed on a table. Luc was there, still disguised as a Royal in his baron’s crest, at a table set with fine china. There were a few young men of questionable background, probably Pretty brokers. One had a series of zeros and ones tattooed on his neck, and he wore black gloves that ran past his elbows; he clutched a live golden hare in the crook of his elbow. Another was bedecked with exotic flowers in every buttonhole.

If Mada Vittora were alive, she would have died all over again out of jealousy. The part of Anouk that remembered being a maid couldn’t stop looking at the chandeliers (not a speck of dust!) and the polished silver (spotless!) and the dishes of perfect food that a whole fleet of cooks must have spent hours preparing. She turned to Rennar in bewilderment. “Goblins . . . Pretties . . . Royals . . . Viggo . . . Luc . . . what is this?”

“This, my dear, is why you should have changed into something else.”

For the first time, she thought to wonder why he was so meticulously groomed, with his fresh-shaved chin and cravat and cufflinks, and now she dreaded the answer. He touched the mark on his neck one final time, then took her hand.

“This is our engagement party.”

Chapter 20

Before she could sputter a reaction, she saw a dark shadow flying toward her. She dropped the box and ducked, and it narrowly missed her head before sweeping out into the hallway.

“Saint!” she whispered, her eyes following the falcon.

Prince Rennar motioned to Duke Karolinge, who was somberly eating sugared plums at a table by himself. But Luc signaled her to catch her attention, then surreptitiously pointed to a cage sitting on a chair two tables away. It held a small white cat that was hissing at anyone who dared come close; not far from the table was another cage that held a muzzled wolf.

“Cricket!” Anouk gasped. “And Hunter Black!”

She pushed her way through the crowd. Music and laughter deafened her.

Women wore gowns of gold and silk that fanned out wide, blocking her path. She bumped into a Pretty servant carrying a tray of champagne. She pushed her way between the two princesses of the Crimson Court only to find herself stumbling into a clear area surrounded by the crowd. In the middle of it were two acrobats suspended by silken ropes that hung in midair, not attached to anything. One of them gracefully slid down the rope and threw his weight backward, which made the rope arch toward Anouk. He grinned and reached out for her.

She shrieked and dived back into the crowd.

After a few minutes of fighting her way through dancing couples, she managed to get to the banquet table. She grabbed the cage and dragged it close. “Cricket. Oh, Cricket. You poor thing.” The cat inside was hunched on a velvet cushion that she’d shredded with her claws until it was nothing more than stuffing and threads. “I’ll turn you back, I promise. I’ll find a way.”

The cat’s green eyes looked at her in disdain. Just a cat. Not her friend. Though the flick of the cat’s tail did remind her a little of Cricket when she was pissed off.

“Can’t we let her out of the cage?” Anouk whispered to Luc. He was disguised as a Royal, and she was careful not to look directly at him. The crowd was impatient enough with Rennar’s fondness for her; they’d never tolerate another beastie at their tables.

He picked up his water glass, pretended to take a sip, and whispered from the side of his mouth, “We tried. She ran away and hid in the vents and ate half the Goblins’ pet rats. There was a mass funeral. Better to keep her here, where at least we know where she is.”

Anouk stroked the cat through the bars with one finger. She glanced around the room at the partygoers. “Have you found out anything else about the Noirceur?”

“Not yet. I still have half the Duke’s books to read through.”

She remembered her vision and that uncanny feeling that maybe the Noirceur and the Dark Thing were one and the same, but before she could mention it, Luc said in an odd tone, “I’ve heard some disturbing rumors.”