Midnight Beauties (Grim Lovelies 2)

In the next moment, with a flash of brilliant light, there was a boy on the floor and a girl in Luc’s lap. Two pelts fell to the rug like fur coats sliding off hangers. Beau was crouched, his blond hair hanging in his face, light reflecting off his naked back and thighs. Cricket’s tea-brown limbs were tangled in Luc’s arms as she sputtered and shrieked, scratching him with fingernails. Luc caught her wrists.

“Cricket! It’s me! It’s Luc.”

Cricket was breathing so fast that Anouk was afraid she’d pass out. Her head whipped around the room, blankly taking in the unfamiliar wall of chessboards, the billiard tables, Rennar, Queen Violante sipping her cocktail, Hunter Black, and Viggo.

“What the . . .” Cricket pressed her fingers against her temples.

Anouk felt a gentle touch on her shoulder, and she spun around. Beau squinted at her with dazed eyes. He rubbed the back of his neck groggily. “Anouk?” His voice was hoarse, as though he’d been asleep for days.

She threw her arms around him, knocking them both completely over. “Beau!” She couldn’t touch him enough. His hair. His cheeks. The off-center bridge of his nose.

He looked around the room, bewildered. “I’m . . . confused.”

She laughed and buried her face against his shoulder. She drew in the very human smell of him, sweat and stale breath and boy.

“What happened?” he muttered.

Petra whistled low. “How much time do you have?”

Anouk pressed her palms against his cheeks and turned his head to face her. She grinned so hard it hurt. “Beau. You’re back. You’re really back.”

His eyebrows knit together as he looked at his bare limbs. On impulse, Anouk kissed him. His lips against hers were big and clumsy, but he kissed her back. She leaned against his chest, slid a hand around his side. His lips were like honey. His pulse was quick, almost too quick, but so was hers.

“Dust Bunny?”

“Yes, it’s really me, Beau. You’re back.”

He touched her face. His thumb brushed her cheek and she leaned into it, closing her eyes. Waiting for him to kiss her again. Her lips parted.

But the kiss never came. He pulled his hand away, and her eyes shot open in alarm, but she saw that he was grinning and holding up an accusatory finger smeared in frosting. She touched the part of her face that must have collided with the engagement-party cake during the commotion.

He gave a lopsided grin. “Some things never change.” He popped his thumb into his mouth.

“What. The. Hell. Is. Going. On?” Cricket’s eyes were glassy. “My head is killing me.”

“Welcome back.” Luc released her wrists and she massaged them, scowling, but then she saw the bleeding claw marks on his arms and made a small squeak.

“Christ, did I do that?” She peered at her fingernails.

“Cricket!” Anouk let go of Beau, crawled over to Cricket, and swept her into a hug. She smelled like cherry Pop Rocks. Her hair tickled Anouk’s cheeks. Luc wrapped his arms around them both, and then pulled Beau into the embrace as well. Anouk wasn’t sure where she ended and they started. She only felt marvelously warm in her heart. They were together again.

Well. Except.

Hunter Black, still weak, leaned back in the armchair and scowled at their public display of affection.

Anouk rolled her eyes.

But even Hunter Black couldn’t keep up his moody pretense for long, and his scowl, despite his best efforts, changed into a smile as Cricket and Beau both stretched out their arms and tested their fingers.

“How did this happen?” Beau asked.

Anouk twisted around to point to Rennar, whom she’d halfway forgotten about in her excitement. Her grin vanished. He was slumped against the billiard table. His face had lost its color. Queen Violante was dabbing a silk handkerchief against his brow. Anouk shoved herself up from the rug.

“Rennar! Are you okay?”

He mumbled something that sounded like the opposite of okay.

“It’s a difficult spell, that one,” Violante said. “Even with all that powder, he was already weak.” She went to the bar cart and rummaged around for something to strengthen him.