Chapter 12

12

We crowded around a table at the greasy spoon down the street from the hotel. We’d snuck out through the back once more, with the prince wearing a baseball cap and a tie-dyed T-shirt that swirled enough to make anyone staring too long dizzy.

The vinyl-covered booths weren’t meant for large men. I got jammed on one side with Levi—thigh to thigh—while Killian sat across with Hannah. Gerome leaned against the counter, while the other Knights roamed around the block, watching for trouble. It hadn’t taken much to convince the patrons to leave. Levi’s glare sent them scattering, although as each person exited, Hannah mollified them somewhat by handing them hundred-dollar bills for their trouble. The owner had been more than happy to accommodate with the wad of cash thrust her way.

We had the place to ourselves but not a great view since Levi insisted we sit far from the window.

The food emerged quickly and copiously, with Levi tasting everything I loaded onto my plate while Gerome did the same for Killian. Which led to Hannah scowling. “I’m perfectly capable of testing his food.” To which Gerome muttered, “Your taste buds can’t tell good from bad.”

“Are you still going to harp on that damned cake?” Hannah huffed. “It was my first time baking. How was I supposed to know the container with white powdery shit was salt and not sugar?”

“I rest my case.” Gerome moved back to the counter after he’d taken a bite of everything and not croaked from poison.

We ate for a bit before Killian broke the sound of chewing to say, “One good thing that emerged from this morning. I think we’ve found a solution to the Cinderella problem at the upcoming ball.”

My fork paused midway to my mouth as Levi asked softly, “How do you figure?”

“The old woman backed down when I declared Cinder as my intended.”

“And if she hadn’t? Cinder would have been dead.” Levi’s flat reply.

“But she isn’t. It worked.” Killian grinned.

“This time.” Levi’s dour summary.

“It wouldn’t be that hard to test it again,” Killian declared.

“Meaning what?” Levi gruffly questioned. “You going to parade Cinder in front of the hopefuls mobbing the hotel and see if they all decide to suddenly go home?”

The prince shrugged. “It’s a thought.”

“And if they all turn into dragons?”

Killian’s expression turned thoughtful. “That might be a bit of a problem.”

To my surprise, Hannah jumped in to agree with the prince. “He might be onto something. What if we brought in a random wannabe Cinderella and tested in a controlled environment?”

Before Levi could object, I threw my approval into the ring. “I think it’s a splendid idea and, honestly, not something I’ve heard being tried before.” Usually, the prince fell under the spell and wanted to find his Cinderella, just like Little Ash couldn’t wait to meet her prince. It was only after the wedding the problems usually arose. But in this case, neither of us wanted the other. Could the cure to The Little Ash story be as simple as Killian declaring himself already taken? I wouldn’t have thought the curse would be so easily fooled. Then again, the old lady hadn’t been cured. She’d exited one curse, only to get caught in the other. What would happen if all those Cinderellas had their storyline changed? Would we have a city full of dragons? Perhaps Levi had a point. At the same time, what if we could help some of these women escape the Grimm Effect?

Levi drummed his fingers on the table. “Guess I’m out voted. If we’re going to do this, then it’s going to be under strict supervision. The Knights will be armed; guns, tasers, spears. I want to be ready for all possibilities. As well, all Cinderellas-in-waiting will be frisked before entry for weapons. Even if we declare them clear, neither Cinder nor the prince is to touch or come within reach of any of the potentials.”

As he ticked off the don’ts, I almost rolled my eyes but held back, mostly because I realized he had a point. We had no idea what to expect or how these women would react. It also occurred to me that his aggressive orders might be because he cared. All of those weeks of us dancing around each other at the bureau and I’d never seen him so focused and grim. I mean, yes, he took his missions seriously, but this felt next level.

As we packed up to leave—and by pack up I meant ordered coffees and pastries to go because Killian was a bottomless pit—a discordant melody made me glance out the window. I blinked at the sight of a cat, upright on its hind legs, walking down the sidewalk, holding a banjo, which it played badly, while yowling.

Lucky me with my affinity for animals, I could understand the rhyme, although it differed from the original.

A cat came strumming out of the alley,

With a banjo in his hands.

He could sing nothing but “Grim-de-dee,

The prince will marry his Ashy lady.

Growl, Sir Knight.

Cry, jilted lover!

For a wedding there will be at the ball.

Killian snorted. “Next thing you know, pigs will be flying and we’ll see cows jumping over the moon.”

“I’d think you’d be more worried with your appetite that the dish might run away with the spoon before you’re done eating,” Hannah teased.

As for Levi, he muttered, “The world has gone mad.”

It had, but at least we’d found each other.

For now.

Look at me, my thoughts now sounding as ominous as my future lover.