Chapter 8
Chapter
Eight
Iwas in the kitchen, washing my skirt in the sink when Richard leaned on the counter next to me and held out a cupcake.
“We should talk,” he said.
I gave him a stiff smile. “Would you like me to prepare a proper ancient cure-all after your poisoning? I might be able to really hurt you.”
His smile positively glimmered. He was wearing pants. That was good. He grabbed an apple and bit into it. He chewed and swallowed while I focused on my specked skirt. “Any idea who’s behind the assassination attempts?”
“No.” I didn’t look at him.
“Do you know what that thing was, pretending to be Zander?”
“No.” I wouldn’t ever look at him again. After his heroic rescue, no way the audience would let me vote him off. Sigh.
“One word you could use, probably the most relevant is: expensive. And the goblin worked for the Scholar, right? That means someone who could buy or manipulate practically anyone.”
“Yes, all wealthy and influential people despise my birth father or the Scholar or both. I try not to take it personally, but it’s hard when people keep dying.” I scrubbed the skirt too hard, and it went down into the sudsy water, splashing more water all over me in my white petticoat.
He spoke languidly, so close to me. “Assassins keep dying. I try not to think of them as people.”
I turned to glare at him. His eyes were bright, not nearly as apathetic as he sounded.
I elbowed him away before I drained the water.
“I taught Mini how to use eye shadow. She had a crush on Mitt for two years that I was trying to help her with. But no, I can see how she wasn’t a person.
” He was such a jerk! Seriously, how could anyone be so horrible?
His eyes softened and he shook his head. “Can I tell you a secret?”
I blinked at him. About assassins? About Mini? What did he know? “Can I stop you?” I stammered, mouth suddenly dry.
He gave me a full smile that was so gloriously golden I wanted to bite it. “I’m SunRae.”
I froze, undone for the second time today. “SunRae? What?”
He patted my shoulder, giving me a flash of warmth and comfort before he pulled away with a broad smile.
“I’m a serial hobbyist. I get bored and take up something new.
It never lasts, but I started baking for Vesper, that’s my Pegasus, Vesper, because we were having a rough time.
Not sure if you know how absolutely bull-headed and obnoxious Pegasus’s are, but he gives me a run for my money.
” He flashed a grin and showed a dimple in his cheek.
“So I baked for him, because it’s bonding to cook for your pets.
Have you cooked for your kittens yet? I can help you if you’d like. ”
I stared at him, heart pounding faster and faster. Richard the Lion was SunRae? I nodded slowly. “That explains the counter in the photo. It explains literally nothing else. You didn’t dispose of her, did you?” My heart constricted at the thought.
He shrugged and leaned heavily against the counter, head cocked.
“You followed my LionFire account five years ago. I make a point to reciprocate to everyone who follows me. It’s a matter of intel.
Because if you want to kill someone or destroy their organization the first step is to follow them.
I’ve unrooted some nice conspiracies that way.
I couldn’t follow you back because your account was so steeped in camouflaging magic.
So I worked through all those layers of spells until I uncovered the pastel princess.
And there you were, the Scholar’s ward. Mystery solved.
You were hidden by him for your protection.
That’s why you had four followers, all people you already knew and he approved of.
Your content’s awesome. You deserve all the followers, but I get him trying to protect you.
” He took another large bite of the red apple while I stared at him.
He was SunRae all along? And also, the Scholar had blocked my account for that long?
I was almost fifty! When would he stop treating me like a child?
But that wasn’t as important as SunRae in the flesh, in my kitchen, eating an apple.
I’d spent five years texting ridiculous nonsense with the angel everyone despised?
He’d said we couldn’t meet because of his personality issues.
I started giggling.
He smiled back at me, charming and cheerful.
I pointed at him. “You really do have the worst personality. But I love you anyway.” I beamed at him while my heart pounded harder and harder. I was going to squeal. “Sunrae?! Really? It’s you!? Eeee!” I threw my arms around him and squeezed him as tight as I could.
He creaked because I was channeling too much vampire.
I pulled away, beaming at him, a real smile I could feel down to my toes, which I was bouncing on.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to crush you. And after you were poisoned!
That’s why you don’t want me to die, because we’re friends!
And you don’t want to kill me!” I frowned at a sudden thought.
“Although you might change your mind if someone gave you an offer you couldn’t refuse.
What would it take for you to kill me? Someone could threaten your family, your sister or father.
Never mind. We won’t worry about that. You could really help me bake something for my kitties?
You haven’t met them. I haven’t come up with names because I don’t want to mess up.
I’m thinking stormy for the gray one, but is that too basic?
And Tiger for the orange stripes, but that’s obviously too basic, but still, that’s what I think when I pick him up.
And the black one…” I winced. “Blackie. Why can’t I think of good names?
Like Vesper is so good! Oh! Can I meet your horse?
Can I call him a horse or will he bite me?
I probably won’t mind if he does. He’s so pretty.
Do you have to brush him to keep him so shiny, or do you actually use heavenly fire? ”
I bounced, holding onto his arms and beaming up at him.
SunRae was here, and I thought she’d been worried about the assassins, but it was him all along.
“You really are crazy, being a closet animal baker this whole time you’re not off fighting wars and whatever.
Could Lorien the Cupid really not make it, or did you want to come because you’re better at keeping people alive? ”
He wrinkled his nose. “No, Lorien’s fine at keeping people alive, but he just flaked. Went chasing after this weapon in the middle east from the crusades.”
I beamed at him. “Too bad. He’s super pretty.”
He nodded, agreeably. “Super. And he’s all about the romance, so even if the two of you didn’t hit it off, he could help you with whoever else you wanted to end up with.
He’s good at plotting that kind of thing, secret assignations, not to be mistaken for assassinations, which we’re definitely trying to stay away from.
So, you don’t have any idea who could be behind it all?
” He leaned closer, eyes intent, serious about getting to the bottom of these assassinations.
I shrugged. “You probably know more of the world’s evil power players than I do.
The thing is that I’m not really valuable to the Scholar or the Vampire King.
If I was killed, I don’t see how that would actually hurt either one of them.
Other than maybe a hit to the ego.” I shouldn’t say that to someone, but if he was SunRae, then he’d already heard all of my personal ramblings over the past five years.
He frowned all the way to his warm blue eyes. “The Scholar would definitely miss you.”
I shrugged. “He’d feel guilty for not doing his duty, but he’s busy with his ancient languages and the laboratory and Libby.
I don’t mind. It’s just that…” I leaned closer to him and lowered my voice.
“I don’t actually like translating languages.
It’s so boring. I want to rip out my eyeballs every time I do.
And restoring weapons is like cleaning the closet. Useful, but not fun.”
“What is fun?” he whispered, leaning closer, like we were conspirators.
I hesitated and then whispered in his ear, “Shopping for princess dresses.” I pulled away, waiting for him to mock me for being superficial and idiotic.
He flashed me a grin that was absolute mischief and mayhem.
His voice was low, conspiratorial. “I have a pan fetish. I own over three hundred pans in different shapes and sizes. I use the same half dozen every time I bake, but I can’t help checking to see if there’s anything new.
I have this pan shaped like a fish. Ooh!
” He grabbed my arm, his eyes lighting up.
“We could make a tuna cake for the kittens! What do you think?”
“That’ll be so cute!” I bounced around with him until we knocked into the counter and he caught me around the waist. For a second we stood too close, almost awkward before I remembered that he was SunRae and my bestie forever and ever the end.
I kissed his cheek and pulled back beaming. “You have a dimple. It’s so cute. When can we make the fish cake?”
He cocked his head as he thought then said decisively, “Tomorrow morning. I’ll order ingredients. Vesper will get jealous if he thinks I’m cooking for someone else’s pets, so don’t tell him.”
I nodded soberly. “Your secret’s safe with me.” I beamed at him and bounced. “You’re really here.”
He smiled back, eyes dancing. “I really am. Now, you should go back to your cottage and order at least a dozen fabulous dresses to replace all the ones this show has trashed. Who knew reality tv would be so hard on wardrobe?”
“It’s probably in the fine print.” I grabbed his hands, squeezing them. “I’m so glad you came.”
He squeezed my hands back. “Me too.”