Magicorum Box Set (Books 1-5)

9. Chapter Nine-2

“What is it?” asks Lauralei.

“You’ve heard of the LeCharme employee discount?” asks Elle. “Sixty percent off.”

I want to suck in a gasp, but I stop myself. I know for a fact that there’s no such thing as a LeCharme employee discount. We hacked into their finance systems on more than one occasion. I can’t wait to see where Elle is going with this.

“Oh, my.” Lauralei’s beady bird eyes glitter with interest. “Sixty percent?”

Now, some fairies wouldn’t care about retail discounts, but those would be the ones who can magic up whatever they want. My aunties aren’t necessarily strong in the magical arena—and they do like bright, shiny objects—so this is of definite interest to them. I’m starting to see where Elle is going with this, and my girl is a genius.

“Our Bryar Rose has a chance to get that discount for her friends and family.”

“How?” asks Philpot. He looks overly interested as well, which is somehow creepy. Who’s he buying jewels for, anyway? Not that I really care if he disrespects our fake relationship, but still. It’s the principle of the thing.

“Bryar has an opportunity to work as an intern at LeCharme. That’s how she’d get the discount.” Elle sighs dramatically, complete with setting the back of her palm against her forehead. “Only she doesn’t want to do it.”

Now all my aunties talk in quick succession. As always, Lauralei starts. “Why ever wouldn’t you want an internship at LeCharme?”

“What do they want her to do?” asks Fanna. “There’s no way she can be around other people. She could have an episode.”

“Bryar Rose is not really ready to work with customers or anything.” That’s Mirabelle. “We’d be concerned about her getting a big head.”

Or any sense of self-confidence, it would seem. I’d call them out on this, but I don’t want to bust up whatever con Elle’s working. Instead, I decide to step in and help out. It’s a passive-aggressive way to get my revenge, but I’ll take it.

I put on my most serious face. “My job would be maintaining the rose garden on the roof.” This way, there are thorns and greenery involved, which fits with my Sleeping Beauty template. They should like that.

“A greenhouse on a skyscraper?” asks Fanna. “That sounds incredibly dangerous. What if you have an episode and fall off the roof?” On a positive note, Fanna is consistently considerate of my safety.

“Did Bryar Rose say gardening?” asks Elle. “That’s not correct. Actually, she has to scrub toilets.” Now, that’s a more Cinderella template thing, but it just might work.

Lauralei grins. “That seems a little more her speed.”

I shiver dramatically. “It’s a skyscraper, aunties. There are so many disgusting, dirty toilets. That’s why I’m so unsure.”

“You’ll do it.” Lauralei turns to Elle. “How does the discount work?”

“I’m going to be interning, too, so I’ll manage everything.”

Actual tears glisten in Lauralei’s eyes. “That’s so kind of you.”

“Hey, that’s just who I am.” Elle’s huge blue eyes never looked larger or more innocent than they do in this moment.

Philpot steps forward. “What about me?”

“You’re absolutely included, Protus.”

“It’s Philpot Herbert Utrecht the Third.”

Elle shrugs. “That’s what I said.”

Lauralei rounds on me. “You must accept this opportunity, Bryar Rose. We simply can’t have you sitting around all summer doing nothing.”

I shiver again, just to look even more convincing in my fake uncertainty. “Well…”

“We insist,” adds Fanna. “You owe us.”

“You’re right. I’ll help out. After all, it’s the least I can do. You know, after all you’ve sacrificed for me.”

“Everything is decided then.” Elle opens the door and gestures to the hallway beyond. “Now, if you don’t mind, we’re off to bed.”

Philpot looks confused. “What?”

Lauralei steps toward the door. “Didn’t you hear? Our sweet Elle has been up all night convincing Bryar Rose to take this internship. They both need their sleep now. Mostly Elle.”

I yawn. “That’s right.” And in truth, I am feeling way tired.

“Shouldn’t she come back to the penthouse?” asks Mirabelle.

“Nope, I need to keep her here.” Elle grins again, and I swear I can hear another silent awwwww fill the air. “I’m not taking any chances with her chickening out. Can’t be late for our first day!”

“Today is Thursday,” says Lauralei, Mistress of the Obvious. “When would you start work?” Fairies always find it hard to remember that there are specific days for humans to earn wages.

“We start tomorrow. Friday.” Elle says it with such conviction, I’m sure it’s the truth. Or it will be, soon enough.

“Of course, Elle.” Lauralei is so happy she almost skips out into the hallway. “You really are a marvel.”

Elle winks. “This, I know.”

Philpot starts toward me. “I need to give my girl a good-bye kiss.” There’s that predatory look in his eyes again.

Come on, Saturday.

“Not now,” says Elle. My best friend knows all about the no-touching rule. “Bryar has a mouth full of cold sores. Long story.”

I point to my lips and shake my head no. “Yucky, honestly.”

“It’s all right,” says Philpot. “I understand. Happens to me all the time.”

My stomach twists with nausea. Happens to him all the time? Gross. “See you later.”

Elle says something about the markets opening in Asia and ushers Philpot out into the hallway. The minute they’re gone, Elle leans against the closed door. “All the people in your life? They suck. Hard.”

“I know.”

“No, I don’t think you do know. We keep having this talk, and you keep not wanting to see the full scope of the nastiness here. There’s something wrong with that whole scene.”

All of a sudden, I’ve never felt more exhausted. The last twenty-four hours with no sleep come crashing over me. “Look, I know you’ve got a point, but I’m way overwhelmed right now. Can we save this chat for later?”

“You aren’t going to address the thing with your aunties and Philpot?”

“No.”

“I won’t drop this. You realize that, don’t you?”

I point to the ladder set onto the wall. “Sleep first. Boy-talk second. Crazy aunties and Philpot a distant third.”

“So, we’ll talk eventually. Fine.” Elle steps over to the ladder and pauses. “I love you. You know that, right?”

My heart warms with her words. “I do. And I love you, too. Thanks for lying your ass off to get me that internship.” I grin. “Although I can’t help but notice you got one for yourself too, along with another line of semi-illegal income. You know Alec will also pay you an insane salary, right?”

“It’s a win-win. My specialty.”

“Well, whatever it is, thanks. I really appreciate it.” My voice shakes a little as I talk. What would I do without Elle?

“Sleep well, Bry. I wasn’t lying about starting on Friday. I talked to Alec.”

I shouldn’t be surprised, but I am. “You already set this all up?”

“Sure, I did.” Her big blue eyes narrow. “You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to, you know.”

“Oh, I want to.” Excitement zings through me. “I can’t wait to start my internship.” And the fact that Knox promised to show me something about the Denarii while I was at LeCharme? That has nothing to do with my level of happy here. Nothing at all.

“Cool.” With that, Elle climbs up the ladder and into her loft bed. I turn, ready for some sleep action on the futon. That’s not what happens, though.

A man now stands in the room. He’s tall with a wide-brimmed hat and snarky smile on his handsome face. He reminds me of that guy from Gone with the Wind, but with salt and pepper hair. Clark Gable, that’s it. The unlit stub of a cigar sits in the corner of his mouth. All of this is way surprising and even more alarming. But it’s not the most dangerous part of this situation.

That would be the fact that this guy is surrounded by more fairy dust than I’ve ever seen in my life.

Now, I’ve seen my aunties cast a spell a few times in the past. When they do, they use a little sprinkle of silver dust. But this guy? He’s positively surrounded by a cloud of it.

So. Strange.

Magic of that level? It isn’t supposed to exist anymore. He could cause some serious damage. And that is definitely something to be worried about, especially when it comes to fairies. They aren’t exactly known to be predictable.

That said, I haven’t lived my whole life with fairies for nothing. I know you have to play it cool around them, so I give the stranger a casual wave. “How did you get in here? Elle had like a thousand wards on this place. No one is supposed to transport in without permission.”

“I’m not no one.” He grins, and I guess that answer is his way of saying that he’s powerful enough to do whatever he wants.

“Who are you?”

“Forgive my manners, sugar.” He’s got a lilting Southern accent. “I’m Colonel Mallory the Magnificent. Call me Colonel Mallory.”

Every inch of my body goes on alert. Oh, no. This is the same guy who cursed me with my sleeping sickness…the very spell that is supposed to end on Saturday when I turn eighteen. And now, he’s here again?

I can’t handle another curse, so I decide to call in the big guns. “Elle, you want to come down here and meet our guest?”

“Your friend can’t see or hear me.” Colonel Mallory flicks his fingers, and more silver particles tumble to the floor. “That’s why I need all this fairy dust. Keep her asleep and happy, so to speak. She’s a powerful one, you know that?”

“Powerful how?”

“Ah then, you don’t know that.” Colonel Mallory shakes his head. “I shouldn’t have stayed away for so long. A mistake on my part, clearly.” He straightens the lapels of his dark jacket. “That said, there’s no point dwelling on the past. Right now, you and I need to have a little chat.”

I can only stare at the guy. “What?”

“You caught my name, right? Colonel Mallory the Magnificent.”

“Yes, you’re the one they call Mallifi—”

“No, that’s not me.” Colonel Mallory flashes his palms in the universal gesture for stop right there. “And never, ever call a fairy by their true name. Well, not unless you want them to show up. You were about to summon my cousin. Take my advice. Don’t.” He lowers his voice. “Makes her peevish.”

“Uh. Okay.” This is happening. The fairy who cursed me is actually standing in Elle’s condo. What should I do? I’m so stunned the words seem to form on their own. “You look like Clark Gable.”

“No, sugar. He looks like me.” Colonel Mallory pulls the cigar from his mouth. “You caught up with me yet? Gotten your sweet self over the shock? Because I got a lot to chat with y’all about.”

The little wheels of my mind start spinning again. I’m on the ball once more, and I know the deal. This guy is a creep. “You ruined my life.”

“Wrong.”

“What? You cursed me with this sleeping sickness.”

“No, I saved you, sugar.” Colonel Mallory raises his hand. My inhaler is clasped in his fingers. He tosses it in my direction. “You’ll need that.”

The world is starting to look a little hazy around the edges, so I take a puff of medicine. This definitely can’t be happening. I mean, how long does it take before sleep deprivation causes you to hallucinate? Not long, I’d guess, especially if someone tried to kill you along the way. I fold my arms over my chest. “This is a dream. A really, really bad dream. You, Colonel Mallory, are an illusion.”

“I’m not, and you know it.”

I take another puff of my inhaler, just to be safe. “In that case, I’m losing my mind.”

“You’re perfectly sane. I come here with good news for you, sugar. What I gave you is not a curse, but a blessing.”

“Fairies don’t do blessings.”

“Not as a rule. But you and I, we’re different. One of a kind. And I’m here to tell you that you’re about to get back everything you lost.”

“I lost something?”

“More like had it placed under my protection.”

“Huh. Are we talking about how I lost my life because of the spell you cast on me?”

“No, sugar. Something else.”

My mouth falls open. “Something other than being transformed into a freaky Magicorum when I should have been a regular human.”

Colonel Mallory laughs so hard he tilts his head back and almost loses his hat. “You were never a regular anything. That’s why I came to visit y’all tonight after so many years. Your life is about to turn quite strange. See, you’re coming up on your eighteenth birthday, and your powers are starting to shine through.”

A chill prickles across my skin. “Powers? I’m human. My aunties have powers.”

“What a pretty pack of liars they are.” Colonel Mallory sets the cigar back in his mouth and gives a white-toothed smile. “You wait and see, sugar. Those powers will show. Or more likely, break through.”

Every cell in my body goes on alert. “Break through how?”

“I think you know that already. I locked up all your powers for you, good and tight.” He taps the center of his chest. “Should feel like a lockbox deep in your soul.”

A chill crawls up my neck. The container in my soul. I feel it every time I’m about to have an episode. I always thought it was Colonel Mallory’s curse trying to break out and freeze me… But could I have been wrong? Did Colonel Mallory merely take my magic and lock it up to help me somehow?

I shake my head. Colonel Mallory is a fairy and a liar. There’s no way I have magic. And I don’t need to listen to any of this garbage. I’ve lived with his crazy curse my entire life. There’s no way he can come in here and pretend that his freezing spell is some kind of blessing.

“I don’t have any powers.” My voice takes on a desperate edge. “I’m human. The only reason I qualify as Magicorum is because I was adopted by my aunties and cursed by you. Once I turn eighteen, the curse is over. I won’t need my aunties to give me medicine. I’ll be a normal human who has a normal life…normal high school…normal everything.” My dream seems to be vanishing before my eyes. “You’re totally lying.”

Colonel Mallory only grins once more. “I see. Well, when you’re ready to learn about your powers, you just say my name. I’ll be close by.” With that, he takes the unlit cigar from his teeth. When he breathes on the end, it ignites.

Wait…did he just light a cigar with his breath?

Of all the things that Colonel Mallory has done, that is by far the strangest.

I point right at his face. It’s rude, but I can’t help it. “How did you do that? Fairies do not conjure fire. That’s a shifter skill for…for…” I can’t bring myself to say “dragons.”

“You’re quite right, sugar. Think on it a spell. You’ll figure it out.” Colonel Mallory tips his hat. “Good night, sweet Bryar Rose.”

The silver light of fairy dust slowly disappears. Along with it goes Colonel Mallory.

He’s gone.

Vanished.

I shake my head. He was here. The man who cursed my life. For a long time, I can only stare at the spot where he stood.

What. The. Hell.

This situation has gone way over the edge. Clearly, I need some rest. I quickly set up Elle’s futon and slip under the covers. It takes me a while, but I eventually fall asleep. By the time I wake up again, I’ve almost convinced myself that seeing Colonel Mallory the Magnificent was all a dream. Almost.