To The Fairest Page 13

  Among the plays that had been performed there, Alice in Wonderland was the most recent. It had been popular enough that there was even talk of hosting a production of Through the Looking Glass next. Accordingly, the prop department had a 7 ft. engraved mirror currently collecting dust behind stage.

  That mirror was our gateway to other side.

  Which is why I found myself scrambling through a window and hoping desperately that I wouldn’t get caught with my ass in the air again. My second break-in in 24 hours. If I kept this up I was going to have to start taking things on my way out to make the experience complete. When we had arrived the parking lot had been completely empty. They must have a security guard around somewhere however, which just meant that we needed to be gone before he found us.

  Chris was alarmingly adept at picking locks and before I knew it we were in. Instead of turning on the overhead light we all whipped out our cell phones and used them like flashlights. The room was the holy grail of all things drama and more than once I had to drag Rachel away from the racks of costumes that took up one side of the room. I understood her fascination, but time was of the essence. The mirror was located near the very back of the room. The edges draped in feather boas and precariously balanced top hat.

  Our reflections in the mirror were shadowed, the light from our phones bouncing off the glass. I touched the surface of the mirror, unsurprised to find it solid and cool beneath my palm. Like any portal, it would need to be fed a thread of magic to open it. I made the mistake of meeting my own gaze in the mirror and I flinched away, unaccustomed to seeing myself in Maleficent’s skin. This whole switcheroo thing was turning out to be a lot harder than I’d thought it would be. I couldn’t enjoy my new hotness because I was too creeped out by it. Plus walking around in heels all the time was working out muscles in my thighs and ass that should never be disturbed. Also, my feet hurt like an SOB. The only plus side was that no matter how delicate the shoes seemed, they hadn’t once given out beneath my weight.

  I let my magic uncoil so that it traveled from the center of my body down my arm in a thin spool of power. It filled my palm and I sent it into the mirror by careful degrees. Too much and the glass would shatter. When I felt the mirror ripple beneath my hand like water I pulled my hand away, sending my magic back to that place in my being where it rested. Chris and Rachel gripped one another’s hand as we watched the glass began to swirl.

  Rachel’s breath caught and I saw her pale, taking an instinctive step back.

  “You can do this.” Chris told her. His words were confident but there was a question in his eyes. I knew that if Rachel said that she didn’t want to go then neither of us would blame her. I was grateful however, when she nodded and squeezed his hand in reassurance.

  “I know.” She said. “It’s just that I thought I was done with veils and fairytale worlds.”

  Silently I agreed with her. I wish that I had the option of throwing in the towel. That I could turn my back on the mirror and leave everyone else to fix the mess the world had become. But somewhere along the line I’d begun to feel responsible for everything that was happening. I had to see it through till the end. Make sure that one way or another, it all came to an end soon. Most importantly, I knew that if I didn’t go I’d just sit around worrying myself sick until everyone came home.

  Besides, my baby’s future depended on us succeeding. Out of all of us, I had the most at stake and I felt the truth of it weigh heavy on my shoulders. I hadn’t given the mirror much magic, and a quick glance at my phone showed that it was already 11:59pm. Once the clock hit midnight we had to leave, otherwise the portal would close and we’d have to wait until noon to try again. Which would be damn near impossible since the theatre would be open by then. I couldn’t stand another day without Sam. Without knowing if he’d fought Paiden already and won. I refused to wait another day before I saw him again. I stared down at the display on my phone, my eyes blurring and my fingers digging into its sides. The time changed so abruptly that my heart leapt.

  “See you on the other side.” I said over my shoulder. Without waiting for a reply, I took a deep breath and stepped through the mirror before I could over think what I was doing. The mirror coated me in a cool film and the world disappeared beneath my feet. For a second all was darkness, as if I were passing beneath the shadow of some great tree. When I finally stepped past that darkness, I looked up to find myself surrounded by dragons.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Dragon lands were coated in ice and snow.

  It was an unpleasant surprise, especially since some of the said snow slipped in over the edge of my slippers to coat my bare feet. I stood on a plateau overlooking the ocean. All around me were great homes made of stone and rock. Streets had been melted out from amongst the ice, while curving bits of giant bone edged the roads. Dragon flame sat at the tops of the bone, burning merrily. Each dragon that passed the lamppost ran their fingers along the bones to send their own flame to join the rest so that the light never dimmed or extinguished. While some of the dragons were in human form going about their business, others flew overhead. I could see a few in the distance hunting fish in the oceans with their giant claws and fighting in midair when a dispute arose about whose kill it was.

  There only about two dozen dragons milling about. The community stretched out into the distance however and the sight of so many abandoned houses made my heart hurt. Knowing their numbers had been reduced was different than seeing stark truth of it.

  For all intents and purposes I had just stepped out of midair. Once I realized just how close to the edge of the cliff I’d come I took three quick steps forward, my heels biting into the ice beneath me. The dragons looked over at me, curious to see who had come through the door. As soon as they saw my face, the screaming started.

  “It’s the witch!”

  Honestly, out of all the reactions I’d expected, that one had been towards the bottom of the list. Even as I stared, horrified, a little girl with scales decorating her human arms and legs threw back her head and started to cry. A woman, presumably her mother, scooped the child up and took off running. She wasn’t the only one either. I felt the portal convulse as Rachel and Chris came to join me. Rachel’s jaw dropped and Chris whistled, obviously impressed by the amount of trouble that I’d managed to cause in the three seconds I’d been on my own.

  “Holy shit.” Rachel whispered.

  Chris chuckled in agreement.

  I didn’t have time to snap at them. We were too busy ducking out of the way when a dragon shot over our heads, streaming destruction down on us. I felt the heat from his dragon fire scorch the fine hair on my arms and my insides cringed, ready for a deeper, more consuming pain. But nothing happened. Instead of the pain of being turned into a pile of ash, I was met with the discontented rumblings of the clutch. I peeked out from behind my fingers to see a lone figure standing before us. The members of the clutch who were behind him were collectively enraged.

  “Why would you stop us from defending ourselves?”

  “He cares nothing for us or our lives. His loyalty lies with the Widows now. Or do you not recall how Diedric died?”

  “Is that true Rom baro?” The woman who spoke was calmer than the other but there was still anger etched in every line of her face. She gazed up at Sam in disgust and spit into the dirt at his feet. “Would you see us all dead and buried? Have you not done enough already?”

  The rage that took over Sam in that moment began with flash of hurt, of frustration and helplessness. I know because I saw it in his eyes just before his face contorted and he swung on the woman with teeth bared. The woman didn’t try and get out of the way, instead she smirked slightly and her eyes closed, as if she wanted him to hit her. I surged to my feet.

  “Sam.” Maleficent’s voice made my words come out with more power than I was used to and Sam wasn’t the only one who froze mid-motion. The woman turned to snarl at me, her grey blue eyes swimming and contracting as the dragon within her began to
rise beneath the surface of her skin.

  “How dare you.” She growled. Her nails lengthened into claws and her dragon armor began to take over her human flesh until she was protected from head to toe in overlapping metal plating. “How dare you address him that way?” her voice was a dancing growl and I hesitated as the other members of the clutch began to edge forward, sensing weakness.

  I was shaking and breathing felt like swallowing my own fear. My gaze dropped to my hands and somehow, being unable to recognize them as my own galvanized me. I wasn’t Alex. Not right now anyway. I was Maleficent. Or at least that’s who they thought I was. It was high time I took advantage of that. Flipping my blond hair over one shoulder, I straightened my spine and shot the woman a little half smile.

  “Sorry love.” I told her with a pout. “But I don’t talk to cannon fodder. Now if you’ll excuse us, Your Rom Baro and I have business to discuss.” I said, striding past her with my head held high and my hips swaying. The musical clack of my heels as I moved was a nice backdrop. I lifted my hand and snapped my finger for Chris and Rachel to join me. I could hear them hurrying after me and I had to force myself not to turn and check on them. The dragons, startled by my approach, moved instinctively out of my way. I was only a few feet from Sam when the woman who had spoken grabbed me by the arm and whipped me around to face her.

  “I wasn’t done talking to you.” She growled thickly, talons digging into tender flesh. I wanted to cringe, to struggle, but instead I looked down at her hand from the corner of my eye and sneered. Then I leaned forward and spoke on a whisper, as if we were sharing a confidence.

  “Do you know what the ‘Chain of Command’ is?” I asked her sweetly. I was betting on the idea that no one in this world had ever watched the television show Firefly, and sure enough she blinked in confusion. “It’s the chain I go get and beat you with ‘til ya understand who’s in ruttin’ command.” I quoted the familiar dialogue from between clenched teeth and let my eyes and smile get all wide and crazy. I don’t think it would have worked if Maleficent hadn’t managed to build up a reputation for being…pugnacious. The woman studied my face for a moment, decided that I was all too capable of doing her serious bodily damage and let me go. She stepped back and her eyes averted in a show of submission and I turned away as if I’d expected it all along.

  As I came even with Sam, I linked our arms together and forced him to match my stride.

  “Samuel, love.” I said gaily. “If you’d be so kind as to take me somewhere private? I find that I don’t particularly care for our current company.”

  He didn’t respond, and I looked up at him to gauge his reaction. He was staring down at me with narrowed eyes and I gulped at the heat in his gaze? Was he angry? He’d stopped them from hurting us and I’d assumed that he’d been happy to see Maleficent. Or at least not opposed to her presence. But a muscle in his jaw was ticking and I realized abruptly that I actually had no idea how Sam and Mal reacted around one another when I wasn’t there as a buffer. Now that I thought about it, the only reason Sam had come to me when Mal had first sent him was because he’d owed her some sort of favor. Their relationship had always seemed strained but I’d just thought it had to do with Mal’s lack of boundaries and her seemingly insatiable desire to get slapped with as many sexual harassment lawsuits as possible before she died.

  What if they actually hated each other?

  “Samuel.” I said, beginning to panic when I pulled away from our linked arms only to have him grab me and jerk me back on track. “I mean, Sam. Maybe you should calm down a little?” We were headed for one of the larger buildings and my slipped on my way up the wide stone steps. Sam caught me about the waist and tucked me under his arm like a football. I squealed. I could hear Rachel and Chris shouting something from behind us, but Sam threw open the door of the house and slammed it shut again before they could take a step inside.

  “Hey.” I exclaimed. “You can’t just leave them out there. Something could happen to them.”

  “If I were you,” He answered, his voice dark and practically steaming with whatever emotion rode him. “I’d be more concerned with what’s about to happen to you.”

  Uh oh.

  We were in the entranceway of a modest-sized house and my head swam as Sam set me back on my feet. One look at his face had me stumbling back.

  “Sam.” I said, trying to keep my voice soothing. His eyes were glowing amethysts. The purple a sharp contrast to the darkness of his skin and hair. He seemed bigger somehow, wider than I remembered. Had he always been that imposing? That strong? Or had I somehow gotten used to seeing him every day. He reached for me and I took another step away, careful not to make my movements too sudden. “Sam, it’s m—”

  He lunged for me and my explanation broke off with a cry. From over his shoulder I saw the door open and I had a moment to meet Chris and Rachel’s terrified gazes, before Sam waved a negligent hand and sent the door crashing closed again. There was a sizzle, a pop, as he welded the door to its frame with a concentrated burst of heat. I had time to note that, thanks to my newfound height we were nearly eye to eye, and then his mouth was on mine and his hands were ripping at the seams of my clothes.

  Shock and hurt kept me immobile at first, but I couldn’t resist the sensual glide of his tongue for long. Even as I succumbed to the drugging rhythm of his tongue and the heat of his skin, my heart cried out that what was happening wasn’t right. How could he do this to me? How could he kiss me, grab me around my waist, and lower me to the ground all the while thinking that I was someone else? He cupped my breast, and my back arched so that my hardened nipple pressed flush against the palm of his hand. He growled into my mouth and I tore away from the kiss to beat at his chest.

  “You son of a bitch.” I said raggedly, slapping at his hands as he continued to touch me, twisting under him in an attempt to escape that traitorous, delicious, mouth. “Don’t touch me.” I snarled, my legs scrambling as he position himself between my thighs. He pressed forward and I could feel the length of his cock pressing against the front of his jeans, pressing against me, and my head fall back as both agony and ecstasy raced through my veins.

  “I’ll kill you for this.” I sobbed, my eyes filling with tears. “I swear to god, I’ll kill you Sam.” Ignoring me he bent his head to capture my nipple between his teeth and I cried out again and slapped him across the face. My hand stung but he seemed unaffected by the abuse, his hands traveling over my hips and down my calves. Then, very deliberately, he reached back, lifted my right foot, and slipped the glass slipper off. I froze as I felt the magic disguising me as Maleficent fade away in a glittering cloud. Sam looked down, met my eyes, and smiled. His expression softening instantly as he drank in my features. His eyes were still bright purple, but gazing into their depths I found a purpose to the chaos. The heart of the storm.

  “There you are.” He said, and my heart broke with just how much love I felt for him in that moment. When next my voice escaped in a sob, it was from joy rather than grief. The feeling of betrayal fell away, a weight lifted. He bent over me and I lifted myself to meet him, our movements clumsy and rushed as we both reached for the clasp of my jeans. I couldn’t take them off completely since I was still wearing my left shoe. Removing it, would remove the illusion from Mal, and I wouldn’t risk revealing her around Danielle. Sam seemed to understand what was needed because he actually wrapped his hand around my arch and the top of my foot to hold the shoe in place.

  Panties and jeans dangling from around my ankle, he leaned forward and nipped my bottom lip just as he thrust deep inside of me. Neither one of us wanted, or needed, foreplay in that instance. It was all about feeling his width and length stretching my inner walls. Feeling the way the head of his cock struck the mouth of my womb. Feeling his arms like bands of steel clutching me close and holding me still against the hungry thrusting of his hips. I turned his name into a chant, a prayer. He was the only song I would ever know and my lips were playing on repeat.

&n
bsp; “Sam. Sam. Sam.”

  “My girl.” He said, guttural and fierce. His thumb brushed across my cheekbone, tangled into my hair, and I was lost in him. “My Alex. My sweet, sweet, siren.”

  The rest of the world disappeared beneath the weight of his body and I found myself drowning in the ocean of his eyes. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I pulled him close, content for the first time since he’d left my side.

  * * * *

  My body ached and I winced as I turned into Sam’s heat. We were still on the floor but the venue had changed multiple times in the past two hour. My left shoe was still safely in place, though my jeans and underwear had been left in shreds in a corner somewhere. The same with my shirt and bra. As it was, I threw my left leg over Sam’s thigh, enjoying the way the muscles there bunched like cables at the contact. My one glass slipper shone with a brilliance all its own, and Sam was sending tendrils of dragon fire to dance around the bottom of it so that the refraction of light cast a rainbow over the two of us. I couldn’t feel the heat of the flame through the sole of the shoe, and again I marveled at just how resilient it was.

  “How’d you know it was me?” I asked, finally voicing the question that had been plaguing me. He looked down at me in honest confusion.

  “How would I not know? I felt you the second you crossed over.” He laughed. “Besides, you're good, but you’re not that good. The Maleficent strut is patented and unique all on its own.”

  I buried my face in his side, mortified that I’d actually thought I was fooling him.