Part 14 (1/2)

”Gin?”

I gave him another smile, hiding my inner turmoil, then stood on my tiptoes and kissed his cheek. ”I would love to talk about our future-later. Right now, though, we've got a party to attend.”

Sebastian grinned, tightened his grip on my arm, and led me up the stairs and into the mansion. For a moment, I felt a sinking sense of deja vu. I'd jokingly told Fletcher that I wasn't some character out of a fairy tale, doomed to heartbreak, that I wasn't Cinderella, but that's exactly who and what I was tonight, because my time with Sebastian was rapidly running out.

And there was nothing that I could do to keep the clock from striking midnight.

Sebastian led me to the grand ballroom on the second floor of the mansion.

It looked like a scene out of one of those old Hollywood movies that Sophia loved to watch. The wooden parquet floor had been waxed until it glinted like gold underfoot, while the crystal chandeliers dripped down from the ceiling like cl.u.s.ters of diamonds, throwing out rainbow sprays of color in every direction. Vases full of those dark blue roses perched in alcoves in the walls, adding more color to the scene. Food tables had been set up around the perimeter of the room, along with several elemental Ice bars, the frosty surfaces steaming slightly underneath the heat from the lights. Members of an orchestra were checking their instruments and warming up in the back corner of the room. Sebastian had had people working around the clock the last few days to get ready for the party, and it had more than paid off. The ballroom had been transformed from a simple open s.p.a.ce into a place of lush, opulent elegance.

”What do you think?” Sebastian asked.

”It's beautiful.”

”I'm glad you think so, miss,” another voice cut in.

A dwarven woman strode into the ballroom behind us. She held a clipboard in her hand, while a black plastic headset was clamped down over her frizzy black hair. I blinked. Meredith Ruiz. The same event planner who'd put together the dinner at Tobias Dawson's mansion.

Meredith's gaze took in my silver dress, shoes, and purse. I waited for her eyes to narrow and sharpen, but all she did was turn up the wattage on her bland, polite smile. She didn't recognize me. Why would she? I wasn't one of the waitresses she could bully around, so I was of no use to her.

She turned to Sebastian. ”Now, sir, if you'll step over to the patio doors with me, there's something that I need to discuss with you . . .”

Meredith grabbed his arm and led him away, but I stayed where I was, looking at first one thing, then another. The glistening chandeliers, the silver platters of gourmet food, the golden champagne that the bartenders were pouring into delicate crystal flutes. I was so focused on the sights that it took me a few moments to realize that the stone walls of the ballroom were whispering. But not with pride at how the room had been transformed.

No, the stones muttered with malice and ill intent.

I frowned, reaching out with my magic, wondering why the stones were so upset. Now that Vaughn was dead, I'd thought that the harsh whispers would slowly start to fade away, but instead, it seemed as if they'd only intensified since I'd last been in the mansion a few days ago- ”Sorry about that,” Sebastian said, coming back over to me. ”Apparently, there's a last-minute problem with the new fountain that I ordered for the lawn. I wanted the jets hidden inside it to put on a water show to the orchestra music, but the event planner says that Mr. Stills, the blacksmith installing the fountain, tells her that it's not possible on such short notice.” He shrugged, as though it were a minor inconvenience. ”In the meantime, shall we?”

Sebastian held out his arm to me. I shut the sounds of the muttering stones out of my mind, took it, and let him lead me deeper into the ballroom.

Sebastian's guests started arriving shortly after that. I stood by his side inside the ballroom doors. He shook hands with every single person, thanking them all for coming and offering them all a hearty smile. Sometimes he would engage them in brief conversation. Other times, the guests would wander off in search of food and drink. But more than a few folks lingered around the door, wanting some face time with the man of the hour. In fact, so many people cl.u.s.tered around him that I soon had to stand against the wall so I wouldn't be swept away from him entirely.

Sebastian didn't introduce me to anyone, but I didn't mind. This was his night, and I preferred to stay in the background, anyway. I was thinking about slipping away to get a drink when Mab Monroe walked through the open doors.

The Fire elemental was dressed in a strapless velvet gown in a deep, b.l.o.o.d.y crimson that somehow set off her creamy skin and coppery hair at the same time. Her makeup was expertly applied, her eyes made even blacker by the heavy liner and shadow that rimmed them. In contrast, her sunburst necklace flashed like a ring of wavy golden fire around her throat, the ruby in the middle sparking like an ember about to ignite.

The crowd around Sebastian quieted and fell away at Mab's slow approach, and suddenly, I was the only one standing next to him. He reached out and gripped my hand, his palm sweaty against mine. Surprised, I looked at him. He hadn't had any problems greeting any of the other power players. But then again, this was Mab, queen of them all, the person most likely to burn you to death on the spot for the smallest perceived slight.

Sebastian bowed his head as Mab stopped in front of him. ”Ms. Monroe. What an honor to welcome you to my estate tonight.” He held out his hand.

She gave him a slow once-over, then took his hand in hers. ”Being the man of the manor seems to suit you, Sebastian,” Mab murmured, her crimson lips curving up into a small smile, as though she'd made some sort of joke.

He nodded at her in return, but Mab didn't notice. Instead, she looked past him at me. Her black gaze flicked over me, far less interested than she'd been in Sebastian, but she did the polite thing and held out her hand.

I had no choice but to take it.

Tiny, invisible needles started stabbing into my body the second her warm fingers closed over my cool ones. I'd thought that Mab's Fire magic had felt intense when I'd been spying on her through the windows at Dawson's mansion, but the sensation was worse now that I was face-to-face with her-so much worse. My skin felt hot enough to spontaneously combust and the bones underneath liquefy just by touching her. No wonder so many people feared her. All it would take would be the merest wave of her hand to reduce all but the strongest elemental to charred ash. More than once, I'd wondered if Mab could be the Fire elemental who'd murdered my family. She certainly had the magic for it, although I couldn't imagine why she would have targeted any of us.

I had to grind my teeth to keep the pleasant, bland smile fixed on my face as I held her hand, but I managed it. Because if there was one thing that I could not afford to do, it was to draw attention to myself from the likes of Mab Monroe or let her know that I could feel her magic.

Mab quickly dropped my hand and moved farther out into the ballroom, trailed by Elliot Slater, who'd apparently come along as her bodyguard tonight. I looked around, wondering if someone else might be with her, since Fletcher had mentioned that there was another Monroe on the guest list, someone with initials instead of a first name. But I didn't see anyone following along behind Mab or Slater, so I focused on Sebastian again.

He grinned at me. ”Well, I guess that went about as well as could be expected.”

I shrugged. Anything that didn't involve Mab Monroe killing you outright should be considered a victory.

But the next person through the doors surprised me even more than the Fire elemental did: Harry Coolidge.

Like everyone else, he'd dressed up in a black tuxedo, although he kept fiddling with his bow tie, as if he wasn't used to wearing one. Probably not, given that horrible rose-patterned s.h.i.+rt that I'd seen him sporting at the construction compound. Still, the cop cut a handsome figure, and he wasn't alone.

A woman and a young girl stepped into the ballroom behind him. The woman's strawberry-blond hair was swept up into a bun, and her blue eyes were kind in her round face. She wore a modest blue evening gown that clung to what curves she had, and a simple string of small pearls gleamed around her throat. Matching pearl studs adorned her ears.

But it was the girl who captured my attention and made my heart squeeze painfully in my chest-she looked just like Bria.

Long blond hair, rosy cheeks, big blue eyes. The girl couldn't be more than fourteen or fifteen, but she was already stunningly pretty, like a perfect porcelain doll come to life. She wore a simple white dress with a blue ribbon cinched around the waist. A matching blue ribbon circled her throat, although she kept rubbing the blue cameo that dangled off the end between her fingers, as though it annoyed her in the same way that Coolidge's bow tie bothered him.

Coolidge stepped forward. ”Sebastian.”

”Harry.”

They shook hands, but Harry obviously wasn't happy about it. He kept frowning at Sebastian, as if the sight of the younger man greatly upset him for some reason.

I forced myself to focus on Sebastian and put the girl out of my mind. I even went so far as to turn so that I was facing him instead of her. This night was about Sebastian, not me dwelling on ghosts from my past. Besides, this wasn't the first time I'd seen someone who looked like Bria, even if this girl did resemble her a bit more than most.

”Once again, I want to tell you how sorry I am about your father,” Harry said, his blue eyes dark and serious. ”If the police and your investigators don't come up with something soon, I hope that you'll consider letting me take a crack at things.”

Sebastian's mouth puckered. The lack of leads into his father's murder remained a sore spot for him. I tensed too, but for another reason entirely. From what Fletcher had told me, Harry Coolidge was a dedicated cop, the sort who wouldn't stop digging until he found out the truth about Vaughn's murder-and my part in it.

”Where's Charlotte?” the girl asked, interrupting the two men.

I let myself take another quick glance at her. For the first time, I realized that she was carrying a small white box in her hand, tied with a pale pink ribbon. Tonight was Charlotte's birthday, and a pile of presents had acc.u.mulated on a table off to one side of the room. Charlotte had come down to the ballroom when the guests started arriving, but I'd been so focused on Sebastian that I hadn't paid much attention to her. I hadn't seen her in a while, though. I wondered if she was back in the library, hiding under her father's desk again. The thought saddened me, since I was the cause of her grief.

Sebastian waved his hand. ”Oh, I'm sure that Charlotte's around here somewhere.”

The woman held out her hand to the girl. ”Come on, sweetheart. Let's go find Charlotte so you can give her the present you brought her. Sebastian, thank you for inviting us tonight.”

He tipped his head at her. ”Of course, Henrietta. You know that you guys were like family to my father.”

Harry gave Sebastian one more hard stare before moving off into the crowd with his wife and daughter.

”Arrogant a.s.s,” Sebastian muttered under his breath.

”Him?” I asked, focusing on Harry again instead of his daughter. ”What's wrong with him? He seemed okay.”