Late Eclipses
Page 32
“What?” He shot me a startled glance. “No. I’ve been here all night. What’s going on?”
“. . . Right.” I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Luna collapsed outside the Beltane Ball. I think she was poisoned.”
“She sent you to your death once, in case you’ve forgotten,” he said, a sudden chill dropping into his voice. “Why should her collapse concern me?”
I paused. Tybalt was a cat before he was anything else. If something didn’t affect him personally, he was unlikely to give a damn. Slowly, I said, “Because Rayseline is blaming me, and if Luna dies—”
“The little bitch will push for your execution under Oberon’s law,” he snarled. I blinked. I’d expected a reaction, but nothing that strong. “She’ll want your head. Titania’s bones, Toby, what happened?”
“I’m not sure anymore. Remember Karen?” He nodded. “Well, she sent me a dream about Oleander, and then I thought I caught a trace of Oleander’s magic at the Ball. People keep saying Oleander wouldn’t come back here, but I can’t think of any other way to explain what I felt.”
“I believe you.”
The words were so simple and so calmly said that it took me a moment to find my voice. Finally, I managed, “Why?”
“If you were killing people, you wouldn’t start with Luna.” His smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Besides, you’re smarter than that. You wouldn’t get caught.”
“What, are you waiting for me to snap?”
Tybalt shrugged. “I’m waiting for everyone to snap.”
I decided to let that slide. There wasn’t time to think about what it really meant. “If it’s Oleander—if I’m right—then she’s also the one responsible for whatever’s happening to Lily. She has to be stopped.”
“Why would she attack the Lady of the Tea Gardens?”
“Lily kept Oleander from killing me once, and she’s a nutcase. Does she need more of a motive than that?”
“I suppose not, especially since attacking that particular pair implicates you nicely. They’re very . . . unique women. It would take an intimate knowledge of the both of them to accomplish something like this.”
I stopped, suddenly wary. “What do you mean?”
He sighed. “Please don’t treat me like a kitten. I know what Luna Torquill is, and I’ll grant that Oleander has motive. Still, why would she risk coming back here? Being caught in this Kingdom would mean her life.”
“I don’t know. People say she kills for money. Maybe she’s here on a job and just having a little fun on the side.” I rubbed my forehead, longing for aspirin. “There’s no one else who works with poisons the way she does and has a grudge against me. I came to look for signs that she was behind the attack on Lily, and I saw her across the parking lot. I chased her into the botanical gardens, but she vanished, and—” Tybalt was looking at me oddly. I frowned. “What?”
“No one but the two of us has been here in hours. I don’t smell her, or anything like her magic, anywhere around us.”
“Somehow, I’m not surprised.” Weariness washed over me. “I’m too tired for this shit.”
“Liar.” Tybalt glared at me. “Forgive me for calling you on it, but you’re lying. You aren’t tired. You’re exhausted. You keep squinting like you have a migraine, your voice is raspy, and you look like you haven’t slept in a week. You’re going to run yourself to death.”
“It’s been a long night,” I snapped.
He snorted. “Maybe it’ll be a relief to bury you. You’ll be quieter. Now what?”
“I need to check in with the Tea Gardens,” I said. “After that . . . I need to find Oleander. I don’t know what I was chasing, but if it wasn’t her, I need to know what it was.”
“A tall order.”
“Yeah, well, thinking small hasn’t been working out too well so far, now, has it?”
The briefest flicker of a smile crossed his lips. “Fair enough, and I suppose it’s a start.” He turned to start down the path toward the parking lot. Lacking any other options, I followed. “I’ll tell my people to watch for her, and I’ll send Raj if we find anything. If she hurts you . . . my eyes are everywhere. She’ll find no peace and no rest until I have my vengeance.”
I blinked. “Tybalt—”
“You’re more fun alive than dead.” He gave my hacked-off dress a once-over before adding, “You look like an idiot. Although I must say I approve of the jacket.”
“Asshole.”
Tybalt’s smirk was short-lived, quickly replaced by something less familiar: concern. “I do have to wonder what it is you were chasing. If Oleander is involved . . . ”
“She hasn’t gotten to me, if that’s what you’re wondering. She hasn’t had a chance.” I didn’t drink anything I couldn’t identify after getting to the Ball, and Sylvester’s staff was well-screened enough that I wasn’t worried about my single glass of wine.
Tybalt looked at me dubiously, and kept walking. Much as I hated to admit it, his presence was reassuring; if Oleander wanted to come back, she wouldn’t catch me alone.
I stopped when we reached the Tea Garden gates, squinting as I tried to work out the best way of getting inside. Shouting would just attract the police, and that was a complication we didn’t need. “Care for a little trip through the shadows?”
“Always amusing, but not necessary tonight.” Tybalt pointed off to my left.
I turned.
Marcia was standing a few feet away, arms wrapped around herself, crying. She’d been crying for a while. Her mascara was running in patchy streaks, and her fairy ointment was all but washed away.
My stomach sank, but I held to hope, asking, “Marcia? Honey, what’s wrong?”
“I called the apartment, and May said you were here. I knew if I waited long enough, you’d come. I just had to wait until . . . ”
Tybalt’s hand was on my shoulder, steadying me. “Marcia, what’s going on?”
“It’s Lily.” Those two words held all the things I didn’t want to hear. “She’s been asking for you.”
“. . . Right.” I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Luna collapsed outside the Beltane Ball. I think she was poisoned.”
“She sent you to your death once, in case you’ve forgotten,” he said, a sudden chill dropping into his voice. “Why should her collapse concern me?”
I paused. Tybalt was a cat before he was anything else. If something didn’t affect him personally, he was unlikely to give a damn. Slowly, I said, “Because Rayseline is blaming me, and if Luna dies—”
“The little bitch will push for your execution under Oberon’s law,” he snarled. I blinked. I’d expected a reaction, but nothing that strong. “She’ll want your head. Titania’s bones, Toby, what happened?”
“I’m not sure anymore. Remember Karen?” He nodded. “Well, she sent me a dream about Oleander, and then I thought I caught a trace of Oleander’s magic at the Ball. People keep saying Oleander wouldn’t come back here, but I can’t think of any other way to explain what I felt.”
“I believe you.”
The words were so simple and so calmly said that it took me a moment to find my voice. Finally, I managed, “Why?”
“If you were killing people, you wouldn’t start with Luna.” His smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Besides, you’re smarter than that. You wouldn’t get caught.”
“What, are you waiting for me to snap?”
Tybalt shrugged. “I’m waiting for everyone to snap.”
I decided to let that slide. There wasn’t time to think about what it really meant. “If it’s Oleander—if I’m right—then she’s also the one responsible for whatever’s happening to Lily. She has to be stopped.”
“Why would she attack the Lady of the Tea Gardens?”
“Lily kept Oleander from killing me once, and she’s a nutcase. Does she need more of a motive than that?”
“I suppose not, especially since attacking that particular pair implicates you nicely. They’re very . . . unique women. It would take an intimate knowledge of the both of them to accomplish something like this.”
I stopped, suddenly wary. “What do you mean?”
He sighed. “Please don’t treat me like a kitten. I know what Luna Torquill is, and I’ll grant that Oleander has motive. Still, why would she risk coming back here? Being caught in this Kingdom would mean her life.”
“I don’t know. People say she kills for money. Maybe she’s here on a job and just having a little fun on the side.” I rubbed my forehead, longing for aspirin. “There’s no one else who works with poisons the way she does and has a grudge against me. I came to look for signs that she was behind the attack on Lily, and I saw her across the parking lot. I chased her into the botanical gardens, but she vanished, and—” Tybalt was looking at me oddly. I frowned. “What?”
“No one but the two of us has been here in hours. I don’t smell her, or anything like her magic, anywhere around us.”
“Somehow, I’m not surprised.” Weariness washed over me. “I’m too tired for this shit.”
“Liar.” Tybalt glared at me. “Forgive me for calling you on it, but you’re lying. You aren’t tired. You’re exhausted. You keep squinting like you have a migraine, your voice is raspy, and you look like you haven’t slept in a week. You’re going to run yourself to death.”
“It’s been a long night,” I snapped.
He snorted. “Maybe it’ll be a relief to bury you. You’ll be quieter. Now what?”
“I need to check in with the Tea Gardens,” I said. “After that . . . I need to find Oleander. I don’t know what I was chasing, but if it wasn’t her, I need to know what it was.”
“A tall order.”
“Yeah, well, thinking small hasn’t been working out too well so far, now, has it?”
The briefest flicker of a smile crossed his lips. “Fair enough, and I suppose it’s a start.” He turned to start down the path toward the parking lot. Lacking any other options, I followed. “I’ll tell my people to watch for her, and I’ll send Raj if we find anything. If she hurts you . . . my eyes are everywhere. She’ll find no peace and no rest until I have my vengeance.”
I blinked. “Tybalt—”
“You’re more fun alive than dead.” He gave my hacked-off dress a once-over before adding, “You look like an idiot. Although I must say I approve of the jacket.”
“Asshole.”
Tybalt’s smirk was short-lived, quickly replaced by something less familiar: concern. “I do have to wonder what it is you were chasing. If Oleander is involved . . . ”
“She hasn’t gotten to me, if that’s what you’re wondering. She hasn’t had a chance.” I didn’t drink anything I couldn’t identify after getting to the Ball, and Sylvester’s staff was well-screened enough that I wasn’t worried about my single glass of wine.
Tybalt looked at me dubiously, and kept walking. Much as I hated to admit it, his presence was reassuring; if Oleander wanted to come back, she wouldn’t catch me alone.
I stopped when we reached the Tea Garden gates, squinting as I tried to work out the best way of getting inside. Shouting would just attract the police, and that was a complication we didn’t need. “Care for a little trip through the shadows?”
“Always amusing, but not necessary tonight.” Tybalt pointed off to my left.
I turned.
Marcia was standing a few feet away, arms wrapped around herself, crying. She’d been crying for a while. Her mascara was running in patchy streaks, and her fairy ointment was all but washed away.
My stomach sank, but I held to hope, asking, “Marcia? Honey, what’s wrong?”
“I called the apartment, and May said you were here. I knew if I waited long enough, you’d come. I just had to wait until . . . ”
Tybalt’s hand was on my shoulder, steadying me. “Marcia, what’s going on?”
“It’s Lily.” Those two words held all the things I didn’t want to hear. “She’s been asking for you.”
