Moonlight Prince (Vampire Girl #4)(47)

He eats it voraciously as everyone stares. Then another. And another. He speaks between chews. "Together…" Chew. Chew. "We will…" Chew. Chew. "Defeat." Chew. Chew. "The Darkness." He pauses from his consumption of treats, noticing my wide eyes. "What?" he asks. "It's the curse. I swear."

Dean whispers in my ear. "You get used to this after a while."

Ace sighs like an overworked parent, then offers me his hand. "I need you to see something."

I can tell by his gaze this can't wait, so I take his hand and follow him to the door.

Dean walks behind us.

"Only her," says Ace.

Dean grabs the hilt of his sword. "Not sure I trust the two of you alone."

Ace gestures all around him. "Brother, you are in my fortress, surrounded by thousands of my soldiers. I don't need to lead her into a trap, because you are already trapped if I wish it. Understand?"

Dean looks around, his face suddenly nervous. "Well, bloody hell, when you put it that way."

"We won't be gone long," says Ace. "In the meantime, prepare for battle."

Zeb heads for the exit. "I shall return to my realm at once and gather my army. We suffered casualties fending off the Fae, but there are still many of us. We shall meet your army at the river crossing. I will take position behind the hill. When you send a signal, we will strike at Lucian's force from the flank, breaking his army."

"The signal must be easy to spot," says Ace.

I nudge the little dragon on my shoulder. "I will send the signal. Yami will shoot blue fire straight into the sky."

Zeb nods. "Very well. Then I will see you tomorrow. When we win, I'm buying everyone a round of drinks." He runs out, his footsteps echoing in the halls.

I motion to Dean. "I'll be fine. Prepare the soldiers."

He nods, but doesn't move.

I follow Ace through a small door, down an empty hallway. "When the Fae lost control," I ask, "how did you fare?"

"At first it was chaos. Fae slaughtering Shade and vampire in the streets. But once we understood the problem, I sent my best men to stop the uprising. I ordered them to capture whenever possible. The dungeons are full now, but I wish we could have saved more." He opens a door and leads me through.

Inside lie a variety of golden trinkets, old and dusty. Pots, platters, statuettes. But one trinket catches my eye immediately. "A mirror."

Ace grins. "Each prince keeps one in secret, for—"

"For emergencies, I know. So, where are we going?"

He grabs my hand and leads me forward. "A place you know very well, Princess."

***

We step out into a bathroom. The floor is dirty. The sink filled with snot. The walls… familiar. This is… "This is the bathroom at the Roxy."

"Yes. It's close enough to where we need to go." Ace adjusts his hair in the mirror, straightening it.

"Um," I point at his cape and gadgets. "You know you'll stand out, right?"

He frowns at me. "You're none better," he says.

I look down at my very medieval looking white gown and the two swords I carry. At least Yami is hidden as a dragon necklace. "You're right. I won't blend in either."

He freezes. "Right, well, I'll just say it's Halloween."

"But it's not."

He raises an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"You can't just say it's Halloween. It has to be the actual day."

"Really? Your human customs are so strange."

He turns to the sink to wash his hands.

I sigh. "Okay, we can say we're part of a fantasy game reenactment. Cosplay. That should give us a good cover."

"Cosplay?" he says, holding the word in his mouth like a foreign thing he's afraid to taste.

"Yeah, it's when humans dress up like characters from their favorite… " Ace's eyes are vacant and he looks bored. I sigh again. "Nevermind. Just let me do the talking if anyone questions our choice of clothing."

He washes his hands, then gestures at the door. "After you."

I lead, entering a place I once called a second home. Everything is familiar, everything makes me feel welcome. Jesus eyeing the naked sculptures. The Neon signs. The baby bottles filled with milk for customers' coffee.

"Oh, Ari, sweetie. I didn't see you come in." Sheri runs up to me, wrapping me in a hug. "It's been so long. How have you been? And who's this dashing young man?"

Ace raises his cape in front of his eyes. "It's Halloween."

"No… no…" I shake my head and pull his cape down. "He's a friend. I'm just showing him the sights."

"You want to grab a bite to eat?"

I wear my best sorry face. "Actually, I just wanted to drop by and say high. We have a bus to catch."

"Well drop by more often, okay? You're family here."

"I will." I hug her quickly and smile as Ace pulls me toward the exit, but I pause for one moment, looking at Sheri, in case… in case it’s the last time I see her. "Thank you," I say. "For everything." And then we leave. It's night, of course, for the sun on this world would harm Ace. A light rain falls.