Page 46 of Tragic Ink
Chapter 15
Iwas lostin a sea of ghostly masks, and for a split second, I couldn’t breathe at the sight of all the people filling the ballroom at Whisper Falls Inn. Coming to the party was a huge risk—which was sort of the point. It was also grating on my rebellion against every commercial thing about this stupid holiday. And to top it off, I’d somehow been convinced to wear a formal dress. “For the mission,” Rhys had insisted. “To really sell this we have to blend in,” he’d added. I’d shot back that if we really were doing this for the mission, it meant full sleeves to hide my tattoos and a wig to cover my hair. But even with all that, Rhys had stared at me the entire drive over, and I wondered if his reasons hadn’t been more selfish. Either way, we were here now. With any luck, we wouldn’t need to staylong.
Beside me, Rhys was silent as he surveyed the crowded room from the entryway. We were what Aelwyn would have called “fashionably late,” which meant soft music was already playing from the orchestra in the corner. Couples were already swaying to the song. And well-dressed waiters wandered between milling guests, offering hors d’oeuvres. A familiar face caught my eye—the only face not wearing a full white mask. Our hostess, Michaela Petran, was fast approaching us. She wore a forced smile wide enough I thought her face wouldcrack.
“Gwen Facharro, holy shit! I can’t believe you’re here! And Rhys. So glad you guys could make it. Nice to see you two together.” She added more emphasis on the last word than was necessary, but I didn’targue.
“Thanks for having us,” Rhys said, a lot less enthusiastically than Michaela. “What do we need to do,exactly?”
“Well, first off, you both need masks.” She thrust white masks at each of us, stillgrinning.
“And why is that, exactly?” Iasked.
Rhys shot me a scowl. I knew I shouldn’t question this. It was one of the reasons we’d chosen this venue to lure our dark fae out of hiding—the masks. The anonymity. But I couldn’t go quietly,apparently.
“Love goes beyond what we can see on the outside,” Michaela explained. “Cupid’s aim strikes at the heart—that’s how you know it’s truelove.”
I did my best to hold in the snort. I didn’t disagree with the sentiment; true love was about much more than looks. But the idea that these silly arrows could help someone find their soul mate was such a gimmick. Everyone knew love spells weren’treal.
“Got it,” Imumbled.
Rhys stayedsilent.
We each took our masks and slid them on. I adjusted mine carefully so that I could see out of the tiny eye-holes, but the visibility wasn’t great. My muscles tensed as I realized spotting our guy before he attacked was going to be even harder without peripheralvision.
“And here are your arrows.” Michaela held out two white arrows trimmed in gold, one for each ofus.
Rhys grabbed his and nodded at Michaela. “Thanks.”
I took mine gingerly. Michaela smiled at that and winked. “When their aim is true, they’ll light up for you. Follow the arrow’s tip to your special lover’slips.”
I blinked. Was she forreal?
Rhys shifted. “Um,thanks.”
Michaela herded us inside. “Happy kissing,” she called as we walkedoff.
I decided to pretend I hadn’t heard her. She was becoming more and more like her old bubbly high-school self, whom I’d never been a fanof.
Rhys let me lead the way, and I wove through the guests toward the bar at the far end of the room. If I had to be here, I needed a stiff drink, that was for sure. Skirts swished at my feet, and people in masks murmured hellos as we weaved in and out of the bodies. Rhys stayed close on my heels, and I knew he was nervous about the anonymity. But it was the best idea we’d had, and Elsmed had actually endorsed it when I’d insisted on pitching it to him last night. In fact, he had assured us he’d have a security team stationed around the room, too, including two gargoyles I’d never met, but who made excellent protectors, according to Rhys. And, of course, Michaela had been alerted that there was a possibility of an arrest tonight. She didn’t know we were involved, and I was glad for that. I’d hate to be the one to ruin her party. From the looks of it, she’d put a lot of effort into this night, her first big event since taking over theinn.
If I thought the town square had been lavish, this was opulent. White roses were everywhere. In the centerpieces for the standing tables, draped from the stage, and hovering above us along the walls, held in place by some sort of magic—or really strong duct tape. And carefully placed among all the white were pops of red. Roses, silks, and even mixed in among the glassware, everywhere I looked, the red grabbed at me. It was supposed to be classy romance, I was sure. But it reminded me too much of the blood dripping from my hands as I’d kneeled over Aelwyn’sbody.
“Gwen?”
I blinked, snapping back to the party as if the whole thing had reappeared out of thin air. Rhys was waiting, and I wracked my brain, trying to recall what he’d just said. “Um,wine?”
It was, thankfully, the rightanswer.
Rhys nodded and turned back to the bartender. I scanned the room, forcing myself to breathe evenly and focus on the moment at hand. Elsmed promised his men would be here, but so far, no one was standing out as possible undercover agent. Everyone seemed to be here for drinks and kisses—and there were plenty of both to goaround.
I thought of the weapons we’d smuggled inside—several of them worn in the form of fresh ink against our skin—and hoped they would be enough. Or that our dark fae would show up at all. Maybe kissing strangers wasn’t histhing.
We got our drinks and then wandered to the edge of the room. I felt a lot better with my back against the wall, and I suspected Rhys wouldtoo.
“Do you think he’ll come?” I asked, facing the crowd, constantly searching the anonymous faces for some sign of ourkiller.
“I think if he does, we’ll be ready for him,” Rhys said quietly. I’d been amazed at the sheer amount of knives he’d managed to attach and conceal on his body before we’d left. How he could walk like that, while still bending his knees, was pretty impressive. Still, I’d seen enough damage left by this guy to be nervous for Rhys. For both ofus.
