Page 20 of Gilded Wicked Mirrors
Jane’s gaze jolted to his, and she said, “Shouldn’t you already know exactly where it is?”
“It doesn’t work that way,” the silver-eyed man said. “Peri might be able to find it, but she’s more talented with knowledge than I am.”
“Then ask Periwinkle, not me.”
“This isn’t a game, Jane,” Emrys snarled. “I need to know where it is.”
“No one should ever know where it is.” Jane crossed her arms. “It’s too dangerous—and so are you.”
A storm of questions laced Quinn’s mind. The scene was more than just shocking. It was disturbing. Jane was clearly involved in dark matters. A prince, a gang member, and a mysterious Mirror-Blessed were not people anyone would want to mess with.
Quinn shifted slightly, and the wooden floorboard beneath her feet cracked.
Dirty fucking mirrors.
Fuck me.The last thing she needed was to get caught eavesdropping on Emrys. Quinn slowly stepped deep into the shadows, hoping the prince hadn’t seen her. But as if summoned by bad luck, Emrys’s eyes latched on to hers and stole her breath.
“Filthy, nasty mirrors,” she cursed under her breath. “Fuck.”
"Hello, Ginger." His smile was wicked but not disturbed. He clearly didn't care that she was listening. Instead, he walked toward her as if she were prey. Fear spiked in her body, chilling her bones.
"I am sorry . . ." Quinn sputtered. "I didn't hear anything."
“You are a terrible liar." Emrys's eyes sparkled with amusement and mischief, and his mouth curved farther with sinister delight. "It's okay. We weren't talking about much of interest. You should just forget about it.” His voice was laced with sugar, andQuinn’s mind twisted and melted, as if magic’s claws were digging into it.
Jane rushed up, grabbed the prince, and harshly said, “No. Don’t you dare!”
The prince’s lips turned into a hard line. “As you wish.” He waved his hand, and whatever enchantment he was spinning unraveled.
Was he Mirror-Blessed?
Jane glanced back at the silver-eyed man. “Remember, Darcy, hurt her, and I’ll hurt you.”
“You’re worse than my paramour, Harlowe.” Darcy rolled his eyes. “Besides, what’s done is done. It is her actions that will decide her fate.”
“And yours, it would seem.” Jane stepped forward, laced her arm through Quinn’s, and guided her away from the scene.
The entire exchange left Quinn reeling, and a shiver coursed through her bones. Jane had a lot of explaining to do, and as soon as Quinn completed her rite, she would get those answers because none of it made sense. But the one thing abundantly clear was that something was terribly wrong—like Quinn had walked into a secret underworld of peril and mystery.
Seven
“Wait,” Quinn said, pulling out of Jane’s grip. “You are going to tell me what all of that was about, but first, I have the Mirror-Rite to complete.” Before Jane could stop her, she’d turned on pointe and strode back to the alcoves.
Twenty minutes.Jane could wait . . . for now.
Jane’s voice called after her. “I can’t follow you in this, Quinny. You’re on your own.”
“I understand.”
The curtains were closed again, but the voices still escaped the alcove. The three men spoke in hushed, serious tones. Quinn tiptoed up again with no plan other than parting the curtains, which were like scarlet waterfalls dripping from the ceiling.
“I’m worried about her,” one of the male voices she didn’t recognize said.
“Jane is used to danger.”
“Yes, but this one is personal, and we all know when it’s personal, it gets messy.”
“Unfortunately,”—this time, it was Emrys’s voice—“it is personal for all of us.”
