Love Spell: Book 2 of The Grimm Laws (9 page)

She could tell that he was mulling it over.

“It would destroy all trust between us,” she continued, the truth of her words settling between them.

Finally, to her relief, he placed the vial back into the pouch around his waist. “Fine. You win. I will not use magic.” He caught her eyes with his. “Look me in the eye and tell me you can simply walk away.”

“Stop this!” she hissed.

“Tell me,” he commanded.

“I am walking away,” she said firmly.

He took a step towards her. “Say it again.”

She jutted out her chin. “I—am—leaving—NOW!”

He stepped so close that she could feel his breath on her hair. “Say it again,” he murmured.

“This is madness, Rushton.” His nearness was intoxicating, and she closed her eyes, breathing in the scent of him.

Gently, he brushed a stray lock of hair that had fallen from her braid. “Say it,” he implored, looking down at her. He lifted her chin with his finger. “Look at me,” he urged.

She opened her eyes. “I am leaving—”

The rest of the words got drowned out as his lips came down on hers. She protested at first, but it was no use as all of her carefully constructed defenses crumbled to ash. A groan issued from her mouth, as she flung her arms around his neck. “Oh, Rushton,” she breathed. He pulled her to him, deepening the kiss, sending fire licking down through her toes. A few moments later, she opened her eyes and tried to pull away from him, but he held her fast. She knew he could feel her heart, racing at full speed.

“Come away with me. I do not need magic to convince thee, only our love.”

She pounded his chest with the palm of her hand. “Stop this! I must leave this moment,” she said, even though her feet stayed rooted to the ground.

He tightened his hold on her. “I will never let thee go,” he said fiercely.

She looked up at him, realizing in that moment that she would never be strong enough to resist him. She didn’t want to keep resisting him. She loved him, and that love would never diminish. Life in the palace … Edward … everything paled in comparison to him. It had always been Rushton … from the very beginning. “What are we going to do?” Regret hung heavy in her voice.

“Over there!” A voice cracked through the stillness.

“By the trees,” another voice shouted.

They looked at the hooded figures on horseback, charging at them full speed. Cinderella clung to Rushton, terror causing her knees to buckle. Time seemed to split from itself, and she felt as though they were suspended over a cliff—impending doom below. “Oh, no! They have found us.”

“Run!” he urged, but it was too late. They were surrounded.

T
he next moments
would forever remain etched in Cinderella’s mind, and she would relive them over and over—trying to imagine what might’ve been had she simply burned the letter and remained in the palace that fateful night.

“Ye are hereby charged with treason against the Crown Prince Edward de Moncier of Aandover. Seize them!”

Cinderella recognized the speaker as the captain of the guard. Edward had introduced her to him on one of their tours. He’d seemed so noble and kind to her then with his distinguished features and graying temples, but tonight his voice cut her like a blade, letting her know there would be no mercy either for her or for Rushton.
Run
, her mind screamed. Run to where?

The guards dismounted from their horses and stepped forward to lay hands on them, but Rushton intervened. “Let her be!” he said, unsheathing his dagger and pointing it toward the guards. This sent off a ripple effect, causing all of the guards to draw their swords.

“Put down thy dagger, or we will run thee through!”

Rushton scoped out the situation as if he were weighing his options. Cinderella saw him tighten his grip on his dagger and knew he was going to attempt to take them on. “Don’t,” she said, touching his arm. He wouldn’t stand a chance against all of them. A look passed between them—his savage and hers pleading.

Begrudgingly, he threw down his dagger … for her. “The princess has done no wrong. She was sent here to deliver a message from Prince Edward. Nothing more.”

A tremor of shock ran through the group. The captain cocked his head and looked at Rushton incredulously. “Thou art telling me that Prince Edward sent this lady on an errand to deliver a message to thee? All alone? In the middle of the night?”

“Aye,” Rushton said, but he didn’t sound as convincing as he had earlier.

“Further evidence of thy treason against the prince,” the captain roared. He motioned, and an invisible line seemed to part the guards. Cinderella gasped when she saw him step through.

“Edward,” she uttered. Her shame was complete. She would’ve died a thousand deaths rather than face the accusation she saw burning in his eyes. “I am so sorry, Edward. I never meant to hurt you. If only you will allow me to explain—”

“Enough!” The bitterness in his voice stopped her cold. “I trusted you.” She looked into his eyes, trying to find a semblance of mercy in them … some hint of the man she knew—the man she was going to marry, but all she could see was hatred.

“I am so sorry,” she whispered, tears pooling in her eyes.

He dismissed her words as if she were lower than the mud on his boots and turned his attention to Rushton. “You betrayed me,” he said through gritted teeth. “I loved you like a brother—gave you everything, and you betrayed me.”

“You gave me nothing,” Rushton said, meeting his glare full on. “I have earned everything I have ever gotten, unlike you who have been handed everything. You don’t own her, prince,” he spat. “She has a right to choose whom she loves!”

“Treason!” the captain yelled. “Silence him!” Two guards encircled Rushton. When he protested, one of them hit him in the face, knocking him to the ground. A trickle of blood ran from his mouth.

Cinderella was sobbing. “Stop it! You are hurting him!”

A guard was on top of Rushton, his knee in the center of his back, pinning him down. Rushton craned his neck to look up at Edward. “Is this how you fight your battles? By getting your guards to do it for you? That’s mighty princely, your majesty.”

Without another word, Edward turned and regally walked away.

The guards fell upon Rushton, beating and kicking him. Rushton thrashed around, wildly. “Edward! Come back! This is not over! Edward!”

A guard grabbed Cinderella and jerked her arms behind her and began binding them with a rope. The full scope of the situation settled in at that moment, and Cinderella felt as helpless as a squirrel caught in a trap. The fringes of hysteria were clawing at her sanity, making her voice shrill. “Stop it! This is a mistake! Stop it!”

“Leave her alone!” Rushton said. “I demand that ye release her at once or I’ll—”

His words got snuffed out by the sound of a fist hitting bone. Not just any bone, but Rushton’s. It was too much. The world started to spin. The last thing Cinderella heard was Rushton’s ragged cry tearing through the night air. Then everything went black.

E
lle purposefully waited
until all of the customers had left The Chocolate Fountain and the “closed” sign was on the door when she looked Adele squarely in the eye. “Something happened to Edward and me last night. Something strange and terrifying.” She shuddered. “I want you to tell me what that thing was.”

Adele’s eyes went wide behind her spectacles, and she started arranging the brownies on the tray and putting them into the glass case. “I’m not sure what you mean, dear,” she blustered.

Elle caught her arm. “Please, tell me.”

Adele stopped and looked at the ceiling and then back at Elle. She glanced over her shoulder. “Come, let’s go up to the study where it is more private.”

Private? Elle scrunched her nose. It was only the two of them. How could it get more private than that? By now, she was growing accustomed to Adele’s eccentricities. “Okay,” she agreed, “let’s go to the study.”

When they reached the stairs, Adele paused. “Oh, dear, I forgot something. Go on up, and I’ll be right there.”

“What did you forget?” Elle fought the urge to roll her eyes. They’d only decided to go to the study a few seconds ago. What could she possibly have forgotten?

“Go on, I’ll be there directly.”

Elle shook her head and walked up the stairs to the study. Adele was just odd. That’s all there was to it. Still, she was starting to care deeply for her aunt. She sat down in one of the wingback chairs. A few minutes later, Adele came into the room, carrying a silver tray with two truffles—one white chocolate, one milk. A sense of déjà vu wafted over Elle as she watched Adele sit down and place the truffles on the ottoman. There was something she was supposed to remember about those truffles. What was it?

Adele shifted, making herself comfortable. Then, she pushed her seafoam spectacles back up on her nose and looked at Elle. “Tell me exactly what happened … in great detail.”

Elle told her about how she and Edward had just finished dinner and were looking at the stars when something dark and slithery surrounded them. “It was more of a feeling than anything. We couldn’t see it, but we could feel it.”

Adele nodded.

It struck Elle that her aunt was not surprised in the least by the strange narrative. Goosebumps rose over her flesh. “You know what I’m talking about, don’t you? What was it?”

Adele hugged her arms as a grim expression came over her face. “It was a shadow crawler.”

Dread pummeled over Elle. Still, she leaned forward, her need to know outweighing her fear. “What is a shadow crawler?”

“The most loathsome of creatures—part man and part monster.” Adele’s eyes took on a far-a-way look. “A long time ago, a wicked sorceress used her beauty to ensnare noble men—knights, royals, kings—they were all playthings to Griselda. She trapped them and turned them into miserable monsters, doomed to do her dark bidding.”

For a split second, a shadow crossed over Elle’s heart, and she felt again that cold ruthlessness of the shadow crawler. Then her rational side took over, and she wanted to start laughing hysterically at the ridiculousness of what she was hearing, but too many strange things had happened. If she’d not experienced a shadow crawler first hand, then she would not have believed it; but now she was starting to consider things she’d never thought possible before. Then she realized that Adele was giving her an admiring look.

“Good for you. You’re starting to open your mind a bit, dear. You’ll come to learn that this newfound understanding is a good thing.”

“I know you can read my mind.” The words were spoken with certainty but without accusation. Adele made no attempt to deny it. She only sat there, staring back at her with that enigmatic smile. “Who is Griselda?” A chill went through the room.

Adele looked nervous. “Sorry, I’m not at liberty to discuss that topic.” She looked at the ceiling.

Elle resisted the temptation to also look at the ceiling. She switched gears. “What did that shadow crawler want with me and Edward?”

Adele’s mouth moved like she was going to answer the question, but then she looked at the ceiling. Her eyes narrowed. “What do you mean,
I can’t tell her
. She needs to know.” The corners of her mouth turned down into a frown. “Puddle wax,” she muttered, looking at Elle. “Merek says I can’t tell you, but I’m going to tell you anyway. The shadow crawlers have one purpose—to gather information and take it back to their master.”

“To Griselda.”

She nodded. “The shadow crawlers feed on fear, and when the mind is in that terrified state, they can access your thoughts and feelings, learning all they can about your weaknesses.”

A shiver went down Elle’s spine. “Why me?”

“Because you’re—” Adele made a gurgling sound, and her hands went to her throat. Her eyes began to bulge.

Panic clawed at Elle. Adele was choking or having a seizure. She sprang into action, jumping out of the chair. “Are you okay?” she screamed. She pulled out her phone and was about to dial 911 when Adele’s throat opened, and she drew in a ragged breath.

“Thank goodness, you’re okay.”

Adele began muttering under her breath. She scowled at the ceiling. “Was that really necessary?” She rubbed her throat. “Ye of little faith. I wasn’t going to spill the beans, Merek.”

Alarm went through Elle. All this time, she’d believed that whenever Adele was talking to the ceiling that she was talking to an imaginary person, but now … There was no way Adele could’ve fabricated that choking incident. Elle was starting to think there might really be someone called Merek. This time, she looked at the ceiling.

“Oh, fiddle faddle! See what you’ve done.” Adele shook her head. “Now, she’s really starting to wonder what is going on here,” she muttered. “Men! You can’t live with them and can’t live without them.”

“So, is Merek your …” she sought for the right word “ … boyfriend?” The term
boyfriend
sounded juvenile where Adele was concerned, but she didn’t know how else to phrase it.

Adele’s lips quivered in amusement. “That’s one way of putting it, I suppose.” She chuckled. “It would take more than a single conversation to explain what Merek and I are, dear. Suffice it to say that we are involved.”

“Okay, so this Merek doesn’t want you to tell me everything, is that it?”

“Bingo,” Adele said, her eyes twinkling. She looked up. “I told you she was a quick study.”

Elle realized then that Adele had done it again. She’d sidetracked her from the important questions. She had to get the conversation back on track. “When that shadow crawler assaulted us, I had a vision of some sort. In that vision, I saw a castle. It looked familiar, and I had the distinct impression that I had been there before.” Her eyes met Adele’s as she leveled her next question. “Have I been there before?”

Adele nodded slowly.

A chill ran through Elle. Could it be true? Had she really been there, or did Adele have her under some sort of sophisticated delusion? As if in answer to her question, Adele motioned, causing a roaring fire to appear in the fireplace. “It’s no delusion, dear, I can assure you of that.” She puckered her lips. “Even I am not that good.” She rolled her eyes. “Good … but not that good.”

Elle jumped back, clutching the arms of the chair. The fire was burning hot. She could feel it. There was no way Adele could create a delusion that she could feel. This had to be real. Blood drained from her face.

Adele gave her a concerned look. “Are you okay, dear?”

“Yes,” Elle croaked. “I’m okay.” Her mind was reeling, trying to take it all in.

“Taking deep breaths helps.” She paused thoughtfully, smoothing her curly hair that was shooting corkscrews in every direction, refusing to be tamed. “Oh, and you might want to take a look at some of Jack’s pictures and compare notes.”

“What does Jack have to do with all of this?” She made a face.

Rather than answering, Adele began peppering her with questions. “When you had this vision, what did you allow the shadow crawler to see?”

The bright flames, eating hungrily at the large sticks of firewood caught her attention. The fact that Adele could start a fire with the flick of a finger was truly extraordinary. She fleetingly wondered what other abilities she had. This was like something out of a sci-fi or fantasy movie, and yet, it was happening here and now! It was real! A part of her was super impressed with her renegade aunt and her quirky ways and the other part … she wrinkled her nose … the other part was scared, she admitted.

“Elle!” A hint of frustration coated Adele’s voice.

She jerked her eyes away from the fire. “What?”

“I know this is a lot to take in, but you need to focus. I’m not trying to alarm you, but you need to know that the shadow crawler was sent to discover your greatest fears and weaknesses. What did you show it?”

Her stomach churned, and she suddenly felt nauseous as the fear returned with a vengeance.

“What did you show it?” Adele prompted.

Elle’s eyes met Adele’s. “Rush,” she whispered, “I showed it Rush.” She clutched the neck of her shirt. “This is bad, isn’t it?” She shook her head, a frantic expression forming on her face. “The fear took hold, and there was nothing I could do.”

Adele put a hand over hers. “Listen to me. The shadow crawlers only have as much power over you as you give them.”

Elle shook her head. “No, there was nothing I could do,” she said sorrowfully. “The power was too great.” She shrank back in the protectiveness of the chair, remembering that cold, hopeless feeling. Realizing that the thing was probing her to discover her fears took the horror to a new level.

“Calm down,” Adele said evenly. She put a comforting hand over Elle’s. “I know things seem daunting, but it is my firm belief that the light will always dispel the darkness. Good will eventually triumph over evil, but you need to stay the course if you want to be the beneficiary of that good. You are stronger than you think. I have seen evidence of your courage many times. You made the decision after your accident to cast off that wicked part of yourself and become a better person. You are trying to make the right choices and are seeking to be honest about your feelings for Rush and Edward. That takes courage, and I’m very pleased with the progress you’re making.”

Had she done all of those things? Was Adele right? The truth of Adele’s words settled over her, and she felt that same peace that she’d felt after the shadow crawler left. “You saved me, didn’t you?” Her eyes went moist. “When I was at my lowest point and afraid that the shadow crawler would destroy me, you came to my rescue and spoke words of encouragement, just as you’re doing now.” Gratitude welled in her breast. “Thank you.”

Adele gave her an encouraging smile. “You are most welcome, dear.” She reached for the silver tray. “I suppose it wasn’t necessary for you to eat a white chocolate truffle tonight, but would you like a milk chocolate one?”

Elle’s mouth watered, but then she remembered the thing about the truffles she was trying to recall—a distinct feeling telling her not to eat another milk chocolate truffle.
Something about making her forget.
“No, I wouldn’t care for a truffle,” she forced herself to say, even though her taste buds were screaming otherwise.

A look of surprise washed over Adele’s features. “Are you sure, dear? I know how much you love them.”

She nodded, giving Adele a firm look. “I’m sure.” Then it came to her as she looked at Adele through new eyes. Her mind was still trying to process it as she spoke. “The white chocolate truffles help me to remember and the milk chocolate ones make me forget.”

Adele smiled as a look of admiration came over her face. “Good girl.” She winked. “You’re going to be just fine.” She looked at the ceiling. “I tell you, this one is on her way to greatness. It’s only a matter of time.”

The low voices were a distant murmur that skirted the edge of her consciousness and then disappeared. Cinderella’s eyelids fluttered, and she tried to open them, but they were too heavy. She sank back into the blessed darkness, going down, down, down. Then a sharp pain shot across her temple, causing her to moan and clutch her head.

She heard the rustle of fabric from a gown. “Mi’ lady?” A hand touched her shoulder. “She is coming to.”

That voice. It sounded so familiar. Where had she heard it before?

“Princess?”

Cinderella turned toward the voice.

“She is awake, go and summon The Lady Seraphina. She wanted to be notified the moment Cinderella awoke.”

“Where am I?” She became aware of the soft sheets and plush pillow beneath her head. Her head was pounding, and she couldn’t push through the haze that was clouding over her. “What happened to me?” She struggled to sit up.

“Ye must rest, mi’ lady.”

She looked up at the woman standing over her, Millicent. Of course, she was in her bedchamber … in the palace. “What happened to me?”

Rather than answering, Millicent started adjusting the bedcovers. “No need to worry. The Lady Seraphina is on her way.”

“My stepmother is here?”

“Aye, mi’ lady, she arrived earlier this morning. She is going to stay until things settle down … er, um, until ye get to feeling better.”

“But I am not ill,” Cinderella protested, although her aching head was proving otherwise.

“Here madam, drink this tea. It will help thee to relax.”

“But I am not thirsty.”

“It will help thee. Please.” Millicent’s voice was kind, yet pleading.

“As you wish. I will drink it,” she huffed. She took the cup and began sipping on the tea that had a faint taste of rosemary, lemon, and an aftertaste of something she didn’t recognize. It had a calming affect, allowing her to search her mind for answers. She was lifting the cup to her lips and stopped mid-stream when she saw the angry whelps on her wrists. It was at that moment that it all came rushing back. She dropped the cup, spilling the hot liquid on her nightgown.

“Oh, no,” Millicent exclaimed, rushing to clean up the mess.

She looked down, confused. Where were her traveling clothes? Had Millicent undressed her? She clutched her chest. Where was the letter? She jumped out of bed. Her knees buckled when her feet hit the floor, and she held onto the bed for support. “Rushton!” She looked wildly around the bedchamber and at Millicent who suddenly became keenly interested in picking up the broken pieces of the teacup off of the floor.