Ivory Inferno Page 6

  “Oh, my goodness, Bianca, we never knew!” Elsie whisper-exclaimed, reaching a weathered hand to grip the one I still had wrapped around the pen, inkblot forever expanding. The squeeze she delivered pulled my attention back to her tanned, age-lined face where I noticed a glimmer of the astute nature I knew of Allya’s great-aunt. Maybe she wasn’t as taken with the earth Mage as it seemed. Would she see my turmoil? I widened my eyes, a silent attempt so as not to make too big of a scene in the middle of the diner. Where everyone would listen and gossip heatedly about whatever they saw.

  Shrugging off the probing line of questioning, I demanded my limbs loosen from the paralyzed clench they’d adopted from those first uttered words.

  I didn’t want to talk to her any more than needed. I knew there would be questions asked but none that I was prepared to answer just then. The urge to flee writhed just beneath my skin, making me twitchy. My shoulders bunched and knees locked in an effort to stay put as long as strictly necessary.

  These were the respected magical Elders, after all. Jasper was the head honcho of my magical faction in Grimm Hollow. I needed to show him the proper respect. Elsie had no direct authority over me, but I adored her, not to mention her great-niece.

  For them, I would pull it together. “What can I bring y’all to drink?”

  “A water for me, please, Bianca,” Jasper answered politely, a small smile gracing his goateed face. He had a very distinguished look that permeated his demeanor, the overall persona. A man I respected, even if he intimidated me. Did he, too, think I was a worthless Mage because I couldn’t produce my element?

  “Same for me, dear,” Elsie seconded.

  “I’ll have a merlot.”

  But, of course, she would. Maybe I could borrow on the confidence I’d been slowly building. Confidence she’d stripped from me so long ago. Had she successfully done the same to my father in the years I’d been gone? Had that contributed to his passing? It was just so… odd.

  If I had stayed, gone to him, could I have changed his fate? No. If I had gone to him, to them, I would be dead. One way or another, Circe would have found a way to complete what she’d started when she’d sent that Mage to my house…

  “I’m sorry. It’s a little loud in here. The Shifters are starting to pile in. Can you repeat?” I asked with a hand cupped around an ear for contrary emphasis.

  It wasn’t a lie; the chatter and clanking had definitely picked up, but she knew I’d heard her. Narrowing her eyes at me again, she plastered on her own plastic smile before repeating. “Merlot. Please.” The request had teeth, which she flashed at me before leaning in to give me her reunion hug. The one she wanted to convey how grateful she was to have found me.

  Yeah. Right.

  “Coming right up. Feel free to take a peek at the menu, and I’ll be back to take your order in a moment.” Without waiting for confirmation, I turned and marched steadily toward the kitchen, heartbeat pounding in my ears. Just a few more feet…

  “Whoa there, Firebird,” Rune admonished, clearly startled by my forceful arrival through the door. “What’s wrong?” He would be the one quickest to pick up on my distressed state, but that one question brought the entirety of the kitchen’s activity to a halt. Seven sets of eyes pinned to me where I leaned against the wall, needing the plaster to keep me upright.

  Proud of my civility and composure while facing the harpy, it all fell apart here behind the scenes surrounded by people who would understand. “Circe is here.”

  CHAPTER 9

  C ontinuing to serve the trio, to be civil, bubbly even, was this odd mix of empowering and nausea-inducing. Luckily, they hadn’t lingered too long, and I was able to keep my interaction with the table minimal and professional. Kudos to me.

  After closing the diner, once we were all back home, when I had nothing else to occupy my mind, the past crept over me. I’d thought maybe a shower would help the tension slide from my still clenched muscles. As the warm water sluiced over my skin, face upturned toward the spray with eyes closed, my mind flashed with a vivid movie.

  “You can’t have her.”

  I forced my eyes open, hoping to eradicate the memory. What a backfire!

  Sleeping wasn’t any easier. My mind wouldn’t stop flashing to the past. The horror of the Mage coming for me. My mom’s death. Fleeing with the dwarfs, who had come through Andersenville to deliver the only thing that might have saved my mother. They’d left with a traumatized, stuck in shock ten-year-old Mage fleeing for her life. We hadn’t looked back. At least, I hadn’t. Not until now.

  I should have been more broken up about Renauld, my father, but I found it hard to do so considering the lack of give-a-crap he’d shown once Circe had entered the picture. I wasn’t sure if she had broken up my parents or if that relationship had ended naturally once I’d come along. Dad hadn’t been the fatherly type.

  And around and around I went.

  Saturday morning couldn’t come soon enough. The moment the sun crested the horizon, I tore the covers from my exhausted body and worked to get ready for the day. The diner needed opening. The task, its normalcy, would help dispel the lingering memories.

  I hoped.

  And it did. I was tired but returning to myself. Laughing, smiling, everything was real this morning. I had a remembered appreciation for life. I was grateful. The customers were happy and polite, enjoying the start to their weekend with a hearty meal provided by me and my guardians, who took every opportunity to check in on me from the back. I lost count of how many times I saw a little bearded man pop over or around the bar counter or the door. Their support added a layer of security I hadn’t praised in quite some time. I’d need to make sure they knew how much I appreciated them.

  That I loved them all like family.

  “Morning.” The deep, cheerful voice pulled my attention from where I’d focused on putting pen to paper and toward the beautifully masculine face I wished I’d been dreaming about the night before. “What does a guy have to do to get some waffles around here?” Sitting crooked in the booth with one arm slung across the top of the bench seat and the other resting along the table, Nick’s characteristic grin glittered at me.

  “You look awfully cheery this morning. Are you one of those annoying ‘morning’ people?” I asked, hand on hip to portray more life than I felt quite this early after a night of little sleep.

  “Things turned out all right last night, so I’m grateful. It’s made me appreciate things a bit more than I have in a bit.”

  “What happened last night? Wasn’t that Rory’s inauguration?” I felt my brow furrow in concern. “Is he okay?”

  “Rory’s fine. Everyone is fine. Now.” I didn’t miss how his eyes dove over my shoulder and his shoulders tightened.

  “Uh-huh, what happened, Teddy?” My foot tapped; an eyebrow quirked. I wasn’t letting his handsome face distract me. Not from this. “Tell me.”

  With a visible exhale, he relented. “Mae was lost in the woods for a spell, but she’s fine. We found her. Well, Rory found her, and she’s recovering at the mansion. Sleeping probably.” He made sure to placate me when he saw my body begin to coil.

  “Why didn’t anyone tell me? I would have helped you look for her. She’s my friend, too.” I shouldn’t feel slighted, and yet…

  “It all happened so quickly. Once we realized she was gone, there was no stopping Rory. Honestly, we were mainly focused on containing him. He’d already demonstrated his connection, his commitment to her, which is what led to the problem, but never mind that. All fixed now. Now, I just need some breakfast. I’m famished.”

  With a very ladylike snort, I caved. For the moment. “I suppose you’ll want some form of protein with your carbs?”

  “How’d you know?”

  “Lucky guess. Sausage or bacon?”

  “Is that even a question?”

  I paused, pen to paper, and thought. “Well, I’m telling you right now there is only one right answer. What is yours?” My eyelashes batted
while I waited for his reply.

  Don’t smile B. Be firm. Curling my lips inward, I clamped down on them to keep from smiling. This was a serious topic.

  “Psh. Bacon. Hands down. Crispy. Don’t bring me any of that limp stuff.” He fought a smile of his own, still reclining in the crook of the booth.

  I sized him up, weighing his answer with a raised chin and lowered lashes. “Okay, you pass. I will allow you to receive sustenance. What to drink?”

  “Orange juice, please. And can I get those waffles all done up? With whipped cream and strawberries?” His turn to bat lashes, smiling widely, cute little creases forming in the hollows of his tanned cheeks, accented by a bit of dark stubble lining his strong jaw.

  With a roll of my eyes to hide my amusement, I turned on my heel. “Yeah, I guess I can get that for you.” Traipsing off, I went to the bar to get the juice. I may or may not have been grinning like a fool. Glass in hand, I schooled my features and headed back.

  “Ah, there you are.”

  That damn voice hit me like I’d been thrown into a frozen lake, and my body seized. Fingers going slack, the cup of tangy liquid plummeted to the floor where the glass shattered, leaving a yellowish-orange puddle spreading with searching tendrils across the fairly clean floor. This early, spills such as this and general grunginess of traffic hadn’t much affected the surface. But I stood glued to the spot, staring at the widening puddle.

  At least, the pool reached the toes of her stylish, black, booted heels. Maybe I’d even managed to get a bit on her elsewhere. Seeing as Circe was seated at a booth, there was only so far she could scoot to flee. It was a pleasant thought, a mild consolation to the reality of her continued presence. And she would never flee.

  Neither would I. Not again.

  “Dear God, girl. You’re supposed to keep those things in one piece.” The honeyed words were barbed, poisonous. Just like the woman they spewed from. She covered her spite with a tinkling laugh.

  “If any marred your clothes, I think it ended up just where it needed to be. Unlike you.” I made a show of looking around the moderately crowded seating. “Where are your escorts?”

  “I told them I could find my way back here. Their food has been ordered to-go.”

  “I think you should do the same,” I answered, turning away to go retrieve something for the spill, though I hated the thought of ending up on my knees in front of Circe.

  Towel in hand, I returned a few moments later, prepared to do just that even if my body physically fought against the action of lowering.

  She just smiled, looking as over-the-top as she had the night before, this time in a purple sweater dress and black, heeled boots. Her hair was loosely styled in waves that fell heavily down her back. Those damn teal eyes and red lips baited me.

  “I think you need to leave. Here are the orders I received from Jasper. We need the booth for parties who wish to eat on the premises.” Hearing Rune’s unwavering baritone at my back had me straightening my spine just a little more. If my shy dwarf could stand his ground, by golly, so could I.

  My chin ticked up as I looked down on the Evil Queen. The newest Mage Elder of Andersenville, apparently. She’d finally climbed the ladder she’d been grasping at for a decade.

  What took her so long? She was so not a patient person…

  “Who are you, little man?” Circe asked, her head cocked in mock curiosity. She didn’t care.

  “This is my place. Take your orders to the Elders with my compliments.” He held a bag aloft, waiting for her to acquiesce. Circe smirked, unwrapping a red-striped mint candy, using her long purple-clad nails that matched her dress perfectly and popping it into her mouth with a flourish.

  “Sure. As you wish.” I stepped backward into Florian’s space when Circe rose from the booth, pushing her lithe body into mine. She took a moment to look down on me from her new, higher position, rolling the candy in her mouth and wafting the pungent scent of peppermint across my face.

  I would not take another step in retreat.

  “It was good seeing you again, Bianca,” she cooed, reaching around me to relieve Rune of the edible burden he still presented. That thing had to be getting heavy, but he showed no sign of fatigue, his arm still straight and strong as he stared her down. Holding out another clear-wrapped mint, she held the candy with an air of offering, shrugging as if it mattered not when I didn’t acknowledge the gesture. Setting the refused sweet back atop the worn tabletop, Circe turned, sauntering her shapely self toward the door with a ridiculous finger wave.

  When the bell finally chimed, I felt Rune’s hand at my back. A quick reassurance before he made his way back to the kitchen, satisfied by the outcome of the confrontation. “Here, let me take this from you, I’ll come back and make sure all the shards are lifted. Go,” he said, physically pushing at my back.

  “Hey, hey, are you okay? Who was that?” Nick asked, startling me, making his way over to check on me. He peered around me toward the door where Circe had disappeared. I thought I’d hid my disgust and panic pretty well, except there at the beginning, but seeing as I hadn’t even heard him approach, or any other sounds, which only now started filtering back through my consciousness…

  “My stepmother.”

  “Wait. Stepmother?” There was a myriad of questions lingering in those liquid chocolate eyes when I craned my head to see him, but he didn’t push. Considering his nature, I imagined how hard that was for him, but I was grateful because I so did not want to dig up the past for an audience that encompassed every patron of the restaurant.

  I wasn’t even sure I wanted to discuss it with Nick.

  “Why don’t you take the day off? Go have breakfast with your beau. I’ll bring you something,” Rune said softly, having reappeared at my side. His eyes burned with a fire rarely seen in their depths. It was quite hard to rile the quiet dwarf, but Circe had a direct line. He knew what she was capable of. All of my guardians did. The fact that she had just popped up in Grimm Hollow, and as a new Elder of Andersenville?

  Why is she here? I hadn’t spoken with my father, let alone Circe, since the night I’d fled. My life had depended on it. Why then was she here? Why now? To rub it in that my father was dead? That she’d been successful in killing the last of my family? Did she think that would break me?

  “Come keep me company, will ya? I need nourishment,” Nick said corralling me back toward his booth with a hand at my back. “Maybe I’ll even let you have a piece of my coveted bacon.”

  Half an hour later, I was in an effective bacon coma. It was nice to sit in the diner with the chatter and clinking of other diners without needing to wait on them. The company was rather nice as well.

  “Enough about me. Can you take me to see Mae? I’d love to make sure she’s all right. I absolutely cannot believe that they tried to run her out of town!” My anger refocused into righteous indignation on behalf of my newest friend. Over our meal, Nick had filled me in on more details concerning the previous night’s events. Rory, thankfully, had not let it lie and had gone in search of his lady love along with Allya, Jason, and Nick.

  “Sure.” Nick pushed that trademark smile onto his face, pretending that he didn’t mind my complete redirect, angling from the booth, he smoothly stood to his full, impressive height, crooking an arm for me to grasp like some old-timey gentleman.

  I wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity, especially since I now had the day off. Once I’d extricated myself from my own seat, I slid my hand to grasp his thick bicep as he moved us toward the diner’s door. I had to admit, it was an effective way to completely sway my thoughts, a smile even gracing my lips as the giddy schoolgirl in me bubbled just below the surface.

  I’d leave the problem of Circe’s presence for another day.

  Nick pulled a mint from his pocket, the plastic wrapper crackling as he untwisted one side to free the candy. With one massive hand, he popped the circle into his maw as he ushered me out of the diner with the other.

  “What is the
appeal of those things?” I mumbled. The image of Circe’s swollen red lips wrapping around another of the peppermints came unbidden to my mind. Ew. “Now, reassure me that all is well in the Shifter community this morning,” I pressed, hoping to distract myself from the vomit-worthy visual.

  “Rory, with Mae at his side, has taken his rightful place as Regent and has sequestered his mother within the walls of their home, threatening her with ‘exile’ should she do anything meddlesome or untoward. His words, not mine.”

  I chuckled. “Yeah, that doesn’t sound much like you,” I teased. This was nice, walking the streets of Grimm Hollow in the brisk late autumn morning with Nick at my side. Something I could get used to, given the chance.

  A rough cough barked from Nick, and I jerked my head in his direction, thinking maybe my words had offended him. His face was red as another cough broke loose, followed by yet another. Each increasing in effort and intensity. The mint ejected from his mouth, a small sliver of its original size, with the force of his heaving. So he wasn’t choking on that. What was wrong?

  He jerked himself free of me to double over, bent at the waist. Alarmed now, I slapped at his broad back as if I were beating a drum, hoping to help clear his airway or whatever…

  I kept hitting, and he kept coughing as though neither action was helping matters at all. “I’ll go for help!” I shouted to be heard over the noise as panic began to make me jittery. There was no way I could do those compressions —whatever they were called where you have to squeeze someone from behind— on someone so massive. There would be zero chance of me getting the leverage needed to expel… whatever from within him.

  “Something’s wrong,” he mumbled, finally managing to drag in a breath enough to speak.