Dead Man's Deal The Asylum Tales - By Jocelynn Drake Page 0,61
it might be a good idea for the king and I’m sure the queen would agree with me.”
I leaned forward and grabbed my mug. I drained the last of my coffee, grateful that the wheels were starting to turn a little. “I think I’ve got some pruning shears somewhere at the shop. Just a quick snip.”
“For you or him?”
“Him,” I growled, earning me a low chuckle that sent a ripple through my stomach. If we survived all this with the elves, Reave, and the Towers, I swear I was going to lock this woman in some secluded spot with me for a week, and when we were done, we weren’t going to be able to walk right for a goddamn month. Trixie had a way about her that wiped every sane thought from my head.
Winding through the park to an empty row of parking spots, Trixie settled her little green hybrid between a silver minivan and a black sedan baking in the sun. She turned off the engine and dropped her hands into her lap as she stared straight ahead. I reached over and twined my fingers through hers on her right hand, drawing her gaze up to me.
“We’re just meeting to talk,” I said calmly, as I placed my sunglasses on the dashboard. “Get a little information. I’ll be there the whole time and I’m leaving this park with you beside me.”
She nodded, forcing a smile onto her lips. I took in her brown hair, brown eyes, and lovely heart-shaped face. She was putting on the glamour spell out of habit, whether she needed it or not. The human version of her was beautiful, but it rankled me at the same time. It wasn’t Trixie. It wasn’t the green-eyed vixen that I loved. “I think it’s safe to lose the spell. I’m sure the queen would appreciate it.”
Her smile wavered a bit, but with a blink of her eyes, the spell faded away to be replaced by a vision of blond hair and green eyes.
“We should get going. I’d rather not be late,” she murmured as she leaned in and pressed a kiss against my cheek. I released her hand as we got out of the car, but grabbed it again when we started toward the park and the man-made lake with the geyser-like fountain in the center. The area surrounding Mirror Lake was open with neatly trimmed green grass and a scattering of flower beds showing off the last of their summer blooms. There were a few people jogging around the lake and a few others walking their dogs, but otherwise the park was quiet in the warm afternoon sun.
“The gazebo,” Trixie said with a jerk of her head toward the far end of the park.
I squinted against the sun glinting off the water as we turned toward the gazebo. “It’s been a while since I was here. I don’t remember that.” The small open building was painted white with a blue roof and was surrounded by a profusion of flowers. Within the shadows of the gazebo, I could see a few figures, but I couldn’t tell how many.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if she had it built for today’s meeting. She is the queen after all.”
“True.” I gave her hand a little squeeze. “How many are here?”
“Other than the queen, twenty-three. All guards.”
“I don’t think she could fit twenty-three guards in that little gazebo with her,” I said with a grin.
“There are three guards in the gazebo with her. The rest are spread around the park, hiding just past the tree line.”
I suppressed a shiver, clenching my teeth. I couldn’t see them and I wasn’t even sure that I would be able to pick them out using magic. Elves were one of the few races that I hadn’t had a lot of experience with. After the Great War, they kept a distance from the rest of the world, particularly warlocks and witches. I couldn’t help but wonder if I had found yet another way to get in over my head.
Trixie’s pace slowed as we reached the small stepping-stones leading up to the gazebo. She tightened her grip on my hand, her touch growing cold. The guard at the entrance to the gazebo glowered at us, his hand resting heavily on the short sword that hung at his hip, before he stepped aside. Gazing in, I found two more guards standing on either side of a lovely woman seated on a cushioned bench near the back of the structure.