East Garden Gab
When Starla and her father rejoin us on a stone patio overlooking the west garden, she is all smiles. Her arm is looped through the councilman’s. She’s laughing, and while I still wouldn’t call his expression happy, he’s missing any of the tension or wrinkles that increased when he frowned.
Approval, perhaps?
The most noticeable thing about either of them, however, is visible on Starla’s arms. Her tattoos are gone. The gorgeous blackwork pieces depicting everything from a stingray to a shark to a shell to a lightning strike. They’ve entirely ceased to exist.
Her hair is also longer, sweeping in loose curls over her shoulder and devoid of blue streaks.
My eyes widen, but I don’t dare say anything.
“Carolina, there you are!” She lets go of her father’s arm and flounces over to me.
My mouth hinges open, but I cover it up by taking a sip of my champagne. The name I can understand. Her father used the same one. But her voice.
Her entire accent has changed, and she’s now sporting something that is almost transatlantic in nature. Not quite British, like Jackal’s, but a far cry from her usual Southern drawl.
And decidedly more posh.
“Dennis, charming to see you again this evening,” she greets the warlock who tried to kidnap her as he steps between Starla and me.
There’s only the faintest glint of a flash in her blue eyes.
“It’s all right, Dennis. We have an understanding,” the councilman calls.
Dennis steps to the side and then melts back into the crowd.
Starla plucks her own glass of champagne off a passing tray.
“If you enjoy this view, then you simply must let me show you the east garden with its unique floral offerings. Truly spectacular!”
Starla tugs my arm, and I begin to follow her down some stone steps that lead off the patio.
“Dinner will be served soon,” Councilman Taylor tells her, having closed in on us after greeting a few other guests in the crowd.
“We won’t be long. And this will be a good chance to brief my security on the layout of the estate’s exterior.”
The three of us exit the veranda, Exos tailing us at a respectful distance.
I don’t see Ji-hwan or Jackal, but when we make our way around the manor and reach the entrance to the opposite garden, they’re both waiting.
Jackal maintains his distance, but he smiles as we approach.
“Knew all our time avoiding the crowds at things like this would come in handy someday,” he tells Starla.
She rolls her eyes.
“While my father has not ever been hospitable enough to offer our dear hyena a tour of the manor’s interior, Jackal is vastly familiar with places perfect for avoiding events. The gardens, the kitchens, the library, and the woods surrounding the property.”
“Yes, and that meant I was able to tell you which ones were empty when you needed somewhere to go to escape whatever ludicrous demands your father had placed on you for the evening,” he counters.
She scowls, tugging on her new hair.
“My father has outdone himself this time.”
“The flowers out here are beautiful,” I say, making an attempt to lighten her mood.
She nods.
“The hedges here can feel like a bit of a maze, but if you follow the different varieties of flowers, you’ll know where you are. Of course, they wouldn’t all bloom in winter, but Father contracts with some talented witches to ensure they remain the same year-round.”
“With this being a winter ball, I’m surprised there’s not Christmas trees or more festive decor,” I observe.
Starla sighs.
“All part of the magic. You’ll see as the weekend goes along. When you’re rich, the whole garden can be in eternal summer. But they’ll celebrate in their own ways.”
She leads us farther from the entrance before coming to a stop at an area with some stone benches and a fountain that features a satyr.
“Now then, about my cherished parent,” Starla starts.
“Hedges could still have ears,” Jackal says in a low voice.
The witch nods, not disagreeing.
“I can handle that, but just for a short while.”
Her eyes flash, and the air around us shimmers with magic. Her cheeks lose some color, even beneath the blush she’s got on.
“Starla! Your magic—”
“Will hold out for a short conversation,” she says, cutting me off. “It’s awfully lucky that I decided to dedicate myself to such intense spell study, even if I don’t have the juice to pull most of them off well.”
I bite my tongue.
“My father reiterated his desire to see me settled with an ‘acceptable’ gentleman. While going through with an actual match is not part of our deal, Grammy did say to go along with the event. In that spirit, I have agreed to let him make formal introductions for me, so I’ll be spending nearly every moment on the arm of some gentleman or another. Sorry.”
She looks over at Exos as she says the last word.
“Part of the mission,” he says, arms crossed over his chest.
I can’t always get a read on him, but Starla has him figured out. Maybe it’s the tone of his voice, or the way his eyes soften when they look at her. Either way, she smiles in response to his brief reassurance.
“My father insisted that I cover my ‘vulgar’ tattoos and hide my ‘hillbilly white trash’ accent, along with my ‘abhorrent’ hair color. As you saw and heard, I have given in on that front. But I used his demands as a chance to do a bit of bargaining. After tonight’s ball, Leena and I will go back to Zyra’s with you. ”
“Thank goodness!”
“That will simplify things.”
“Even if it means fewer opportunities to gather clues, it’ll be safer overall.”
She waits for us all to finish as we trip over one another expressing our relief.
“We will go back, but only to get our luggage. At least that’s what I told him.
He offered to have the manor staff pick it up, but of course I wasn’t going to give away our location.
It won’t help us the rest of the weekend, but it’ll buy us a couple hours tonight where we can debrief on any useful tidbits we pick up.
Since Grammy did not share when during this weekend we might stumble upon one or all of the bits of vital information we need, it’s possible we could gather it all today. ”
Then we’ll have to return late tonight, but I do feel better knowing I’ll have at least a brief opportunity to be myself with Jackal before we jump back into the fray.
“During the events, we will engage with the guests, and I’ll do what my father says.
Leena, I’m afraid you’ll have to do the same.
That bit about introducing you to people wasn’t lip service.
I think he’s decided that buddying up to my best friend will win him my affection.
More fool him, but it could get you closer to people who might otherwise snub you. ”
“Just like they snub me!” Jackal grins. “It’s a perfect strategy. Some information is gathered better at the source, and some through being in the shadows, where people don’t know they’re being overheard. We’ll have all angles covered.”
I turn to him, putting a hand on his chest and looking up at him.
“And you really don’t mind that I’ll be there, flirting information out of people, right in front of you?”
He wraps an arm around my shoulders.
“It’s as Exos said: we’re doing what’s necessary. But I’m not above saying I hope one of the men ends up somehow responsible for helping Leon. We’d be able to punish them for that, and I’d get to express my frustration for watching them flirt with my mate. Two birds. One stone.”
I smile.
“I wouldn’t be sorry to see that.”
Starla is breathing heavily.
“All right. Dropping this magic before I get sweaty and too tired to stay upright, which would not make me a good dance partner for anyone.”
She leads us back out of the garden.
Just in time, because the people on the patio are headed in for dinner, followed by dancing.
“Shall we go mingle?” Ji-hwan asks, clapping his hands together. The Were’s eyes glimmer, and I can see him getting into his element.
I do my best to try to think flirtatious thoughts and not focus on the ones banging on the door of my mind, threatening to break loose as they predict our impending doom.