deserted back alley behind a dining establishment. But it wasn’t just the where of things that mattered. It was the why. The who. And the how.
Hours after attending her own engagement party, Pippa stood in the darkness outside of Jacques’, hoping to speak to a young man. A young man who was not her intended.
As far as Pippa was concerned, she had no choice in the matter. Her friend was in danger. When Pippa had returned less than half an hour ago to the pied-à-terre she shared with Celine, her friend was nowhere to be found.
So Pippa had made her way to Jacques’, hoping to speak with Sébastien Saint Germain. To beg him to do something so that Celine would stay safe. Would stay far away from these . . . odd creatures. For if Pippa could be certain of one thing, it was that they were not human.
She’d discovered this truth in the days following Celine’s attack. Not once had Pippa pressed for answers, but she’d seen enough to know they were not what they appeared to be. Human beings did not move as they did, as if they were shrouded in smoke. Nor had she ever encountered so many faultlessly beautiful men and women in her entire life. Lastly, they never seemed to eat or need rest or appear the slightest bit tired. Often they blinked as if it were an afterthought.
Pippa fretted to herself, wringing her hands as if they’d been soaked by a rain shower.
If Sébastien Saint Germain refused to speak to her tonight, she would have to seek out his uncle, and she dreaded the thought. His uncle frightened Pippa greatly. Whatever dark magic he wielded—whatever powers he used to shield Celine from the worst of her memories—none of it was working. Not anymore.
Even more pressing was the fact that Pippa could no longer maintain this charade. It had been taxing enough concealing the truth from her best friend, but the entire time, Pippa had believed it was for the best. No one should be forced to relive the details of such an ordeal. Pippa should know. It had taken her years to find a measure of peace after all she’d suffered as a child in Yorkshire.
These last few weeks, many worries kept Pippa up at night. She’d listened to Celine cry out in her sleep, and she’d tossed and turned in her own bed, thinking she might have made a mistake. Was it right to take someone’s memories from them, even if it spared that person pain?
Pippa had experienced a great deal of pain in her past. One could argue that pain had taught her valuable lessons. Her expression hardened. She didn’t want Celine to suffer pain in order to learn about life. No one who loved someone as she loved Celine would ever wish such memories upon another.
The door at Pippa’s back creaked open. She spun in place, the words already forming on her tongue, only to die the next instant.
“Why are you here?” she said at once, aware of how peevish she sounded.
Arjun Desai—the Court of the Lions’ smarmy solicitor—smiled at her without showing his teeth. “You’re not even the slightest bit pleased to see me?”
Pippa crossed her arms. “I asked to speak with Bastien.”
“Bastien is . . . indisposed at the moment. I was sent here in his stead.” Arjun crossed his arms as well, mocking her with every movement. “How may I help you tonight, Miss Montrose?” His head tilted to one side. “Was this not the evening of your engagement party?” He made a show of searching his pockets, then brushed his fingers through his unruly black hair. “Dash it all, I forgot my hat. Otherwise I would tip it in salute to your lifetime of happiness.”
“You’re coarse and conceited, sir,” Pippa said in a cool tone. “And this conversation has gone on long enough. If Bastien is unavailable, then I’d like to speak with”—she grimaced—“his uncle.”
Arjun laughed. “You really are serious, aren’t you, pet?”
“I am not now nor have I ever been your pet, Mr. Desai. If you refuse to help me, then—”
He held up his arm to keep her from leaving. “Nicodemus is not going to speak with you. Your best bet is to tell me what you want.”
Pippa harrumphed. Then began toying with the golden cross around her neck. “I came to tell you that Celine is starting to remember. And that I can no longer keep your secrets.”