When Rose Wakes (30 page)

Neither Rose nor Aunt Suzette had told the police that a broken neck alone would not have been enough to kill Aunt Fay, that the dark glamour of the Black Heart—the death that Maurelle could wield—had stolen the life from her. Instead, Aunt Suzette had cast a glamour of her own, so that no one involved in the preparation of her sister’s body for burial would notice that she wasn’t human.

Four days had passed since the funeral. Aunt Suzette still had gray hours when she could not stop crying, but Rose comforted her as best she could. It would be just the two of them from now on, and they would give each other strength. More than once she had managed to make Aunt Suzette laugh, and she considered that a victory.

Jared had been by to visit often and twice he had taken her out—once to the movies and once to dinner. Aunt Suzette had taken a liking to him but was still wary. Rose found herself equally wary. She and her aunt had had many conversations about what would happen if she ever decided to have sex with a guy. Did the death of her husband centuries ago mean the curse had been broken then? Maurelle had obviously not thought so. Would the curse still apply if she never married again? Aunt Suzette wasn’t sure. She had promised Rose that they would investigate further, that there were still a handful of other fey in the world who might be able to answer that question. Which was fine. Until she had a real answer, Rose was not in any hurry to risk it.

Jared would have to be patient. They had only just started to really get to know each other, after all. Rose did not know if what she felt for him was love, but she thought it best that they answer that question before worrying too much about the other.

The rest of the world had not stopped to wait for her while she mourned her aunt. Jared kept her up-to-date on the goings-on at school. Both Courtney and Kylie had
turned up the same afternoon that Maurelle had been defeated, her power over them shattered. Courtney’s parents had discovered her sleeping in her own bed covered in dirt and leaves, with no memory of anything since the night of Chloe’s birthday party. Kylie had wandered into the courtyard behind St. Bridget’s shortly after all the students and teachers had been sent home. Her memory loss began about twenty-four hours after Courtney’s. Rose had spoken to her almost every day since but they had not seen each other yet. That reunion was the biggest reason she was so looking forward to returning to school.

There was another question that lingered in Rose’s mind, however. She spent a lot of time wondering what had become of her half brother, Etienne, after he had gone to wander the world. Did he still live? She hoped so, and she hoped that one day she would see him again. Some nights she dreamed about him.

Rose climbed out of bed and went to her window. It was still dark this early in the morning, but the indigo, predawn sky was clear. She glanced at the clock and then dragged on the thick bathrobe Aunt Suzette had bought for her. The heat ticked and hissed but it was still cold in the apartment during these November mornings. She needed to eat breakfast and shower and dress, then make sure she had everything she needed in her backpack.

But first she had another task to see to.

She padded down the hall to Aunt Fay’s old bedroom in the dark, then flipped on the light. The figure lying
on the bed did not stir at all. The iron wire had been removed from her throat and arms and legs. Instead, she was chained to the bedframe with heavy iron cuffs on her wrists and ankles. The poison would not kill her, but really, the chains were only there for Rose and Aunt Suzette’s peace of mind. With the enchantment that Aunt Suzette had placed her under, even if they took all of the iron away, Maurelle would not wake up.

Not for a thousand years.

Her aunts had painted wards on the walls and on the door as well, so that no one who might enter the house would even see that there was a door there at all. To all but Rose and her aunts, it would be as if she no longer existed… as if she were nothing but a fairy tale.

Rose tested the chains, studied the sleeping face a moment, and then turned out the light and padded back down the hall and went downstairs. She could smell bacon frying. Though Rose had told her she didn’t have to do it, Aunt Suzette insisted on waking up early to make her breafast nearly every day. Now she smiled, her stomach rumbling, as she headed for the kitchen. The sky would begin to lighten to that soft November blue while they ate at the small table in front of the window together.

They would be all right, Rose knew. They might not live happily ever after, but they were alive and they were happy enough. That was all anyone could really ask for.

Ever after
only happened in fairy tales.