Page 10

BEAU

" F uuuuuck," Sparkle turns in the foyer and looks up to the chandelier. "I knew he had to be loaded, but this is an honest to goodness palace."

"Right?!" I spin like Sparkle with my head back, just taking in the decor. The marble floor is so clean, like the kitchen, I can see our reflection.

Sparkle drops a bag he brought on a decorative table with a vase of wispy flowers that sway in the artificial wind he created.

"So, Poe said the best places will be his bedroom and his closet, so obviously we'll snoop there first. Then I want to see if he has a big theater room somewhere. We could watch something naughty on the big screen." He wiggles his brows. "Oh, and I want to test out a bed, so I'll need a nap sometime."

"The beds are nice."

"Beds? Beds?" He eyes me up and down. "How many beds have you slept in?"

I hold up two fingers and he squeals.

"Tell me everything!"

"It's not exactly exciting." But I tell him everything. By the time I finish, he's frowning.

"I'm really concerned about you." He squeezes my arm but pulls me into a hug. "I hope Poe can help. If not, you know I'm here for you, right? You never have to go through anything alone ever again."

I lean into his hold and he stays wrapped around me until I pull away.

"Thank you, Sparkle."

"Anytime." He swipes my bangs from my eyes. He's always so caring and it's no wonder his six siblings adore him. He's a master at helping people feel better.

"Let's get to snooping!" he says. "I brought snacks!" He lifts his bag from the table. "Lead the way to the demon's bedroom." He threads his arm through mine and we skip up the stairs.

With Sparkle, it's easy to find myself having fun.

" Prrummph! " Creamsicle says as she meets us at the landing.

"Oh! Who is this?" Sparkle drops to his knees and starts scratching her head. "You're so sweet. You remind me of my sisters."

"That's Creamsicle. She's a normie."

"I love her." He rubs his cheek against her head, then Creamsicle follows us to Poe's bedroom.

As soon as we make it to Poe’s room, Sparkle spins again, taking in the entire room. “The dresser. There’s gotta be good stuff in there.”

“Like underwear? That’s not very interesting.”

“No, but some people store secrets among their panties.”

I cock a brow. “Weird place to put their secrets, but you’re the expert.”

“Follow me.” Sparkle skips to the four drawer dresser pressed against the wall opposite of the bed. He squats and opens the bottom drawer. “We’ll work our way up.” He lifts the piles of clothes and places them on the floor and frowns. “Hmmm.”

“What are you hoping to find?” I squat to join him, poking at a pair of socks.

“Something interesting.”

“Like what?”

“Dunno. Scandalous pictures from the nineties or something. Naked pictures. Lacy panties. Dildos. Anal beads.”

“What makes any of that interesting?”

“You sweet summertime child.”

“I was born in the spring.”

Sparkle pinches the bridge of his nose like Poe does. He sighs. “It’s a saying. Means you’re innocent.”

I blink back at him and shrug. “I guess?”

Sparkle snorts and turns back to the dresser. “Nothing here.” He refills the dresser exactly how he found it. “The trick is to memorize where everything was so the person doesn’t know you snooped around.”

“But Poe already knows we’re snooping.”

“True and in this case it’ll just be rude if I don’t put things back.” He shifts through the other three drawers and comes up even more disappointed. “Nothing. Maybe the nightstand.” He rushes over and I sit on the edge of the bed while he rummages around. “Ah ha!” He lifts something that looks like a flashlight. “A fleshlight!” Sparkle gives it a full examination, right down to sniffing it. “Clean. Probably hasn’t been used in a while. If ever.” He places it back in its spot in the drawer. “Boring so far. Let’s try the closet.”

I follow him into the walk-in closet. I just don’t understand this whole snooping business.

“This is bigger than my entire house.” Sparkle takes it all in as well.

Poe has a lot of clothes and shoes and boots. The boots… I’d love to see him in a pair. My imagination plugs in an image of him in leather pants and boots and nothing else.

“What are you thinking about?” Sparkle grins as he flips through Poe’s hanging shirts.

“Nothing.”

“Sure. Sure.” Sparkle rolls his eyes and pulls a cowboy hat from a shelf above. “Interesting. Interesting.” He plops it on his head and goes back to rummaging around.

“What’s that for?” I point to another door on the far wall.

Sparkle scrambles to investigate and yanks it open. His eyes go wide. “It could be a murder room.”

“We shouldn’t go in.” I grab his hand.

“Poe said we can snoop.” Sparkle takes a step inside and disappears. There’s a thump and a scream, then a giggle.

“Sparkle!”

Creamsicle rubs her face against my shin before following.

“Creamsicle!”

“It’s okay,” Sparkle laughs. “It’s a slide. Come down here, it’s so fucking cool!”

I take a tentative step forward and slide down. My heart pounds and I land on a soft pillow.

“Where are we?” I ask as I push to my feet.

“Well, not a murder room.”

There’s a soft glow along the wall. It takes a few moments for my eyes to adjust to the even dimmer light.

“I think we found that theater room.” Sparkle skips to a row of several plush seats and plops down on one before he bounces over to a wall with a projector and instructions.

“Wanna watch something? I can connect my phone.”

“Sure.” It’s less nerve-wracking than watching Sparkle parade around Poe’s house looking for things to investigate.

“Oh! He has so many blankets and stuffies to choose from!” He’s got his head inside a box and pulls out several blankets and stuffed toys. “And candy!” He grabs several boxes. “Let’s sit together and snuggle.”

Creamsicle meows and hops into my lap as soon as we’re settled.

“Any requests?” Sparkle asks as he wiggles his phone.

“Something funny,” I suggest.

“Perfect.”

I adjust my headphones so they don’t slip back. Sparkle picks a movie he says was popular before either of us were born and we relax into the story.