Page 32 of Only in Moonlight (The Moonlit Court #1)

Emmeline

S hit! She knows! I—

Then she kissed me.

I quickly lowered my fist, heart pounding as I realized she wasn’t attacking me. My brain got stuck for a moment, nothing but “ew, ew, ew” running through my thoughts. Then I recovered, slipped my arms around her waist, and leaned in to the kiss.

If you could call it a kiss. She was just mashing her mouth against mine.

Even Philippe had performed better, and I refused to think of Valen’s kisses in relation to hers.

It was like comparing curdled milk to the finest cheese.

Speaking of curdled milk, her breath stank.

Every time I’d run through the heist in my head, I’d hoped to knock her out before we got to this point.

Why couldn’t she have waited until we got to the balcony?

She pulled away. I breathed rapidly like passion had overwhelmed me and waited several moments before I let my hands slip from her waist, like I was reluctant to let go.

Really, I couldn’t let go soon enough. That had been worse than the time the city guards had caught me, and I’d spent a night in a shit-stained, rat-infested dungeon before escaping.

It took every scrap of self-control I possessed to smile at her.

“Did I shock you?” she asked with a smirk.

“In the best possible way,” I said in a breathy voice. “Shall we move this to the balcony?”

Thankfully, she let me escort her through the door.

It had only been five feet ahead of us. Five more feet, and I could’ve avoided the kiss of my nightmares.

But we’d made it at last, and the cool night air soothed me after that suffocating lip lock.

The balcony was long and narrow. Delicate white flowers grew along the railing, almost luminous in the starlight, and stone benches waited every few feet in case people wanted to sit and enjoy the view.

Valen had said it was secluded, that the view didn’t compare to the west balcony’s, so nobody went there. He’d said I’d find it empty.

Liar.

A plump young woman leaned against the railing, shoulders curled in, head bowed, and looking altogether despondent. She wore a gorgeous, glittery dress and had long, silvery hair like Prince Cael’s.

“Lurena!” Regula snapped.

The woman spun around with a frightened squeak.

“What are you doing out here?” Regula stalked toward her. “You should be inside with your fiancé. The deal isn’t done until you’re married, and he’s in there dancing with another woman right now.”

Right. Regula had a daughter named Lurena. Which made her fiancé Aristoph.

And I’d thought my life was terrible.

Lurena cringed. “I’m just taking a quick break—”

“Spare me your excuses,” Regula hissed. “I can’t afford for you to mess this up.”

“I won’t mess it up. Aristoph is so drunk that he won’t remember anything that happens tonight.”

“But other people will.”

Regula had Lurena backed up against the railing like a cornered mark, only inches separating them. Lurena’s lips pressed together like she knew better than to argue any further.

“I don’t care if he’s passed out drunk in the middle of the dance floor.

Get back inside and act madly in love with him.

And if you don’t think he’ll remember tonight, then you’d better make sure he wakes up next to you tomorrow morning.

He’s from the richest family of merchants in the realm, and I will not lose their support because of your selfishness. ”

Lurena stared at her feet.

“And stop pulling up your neckline.” Regula gave the front of her daughter’s dress a hard yank. “If you’re going to be fat, at least take advantage of your cleavage.”

I’d hated the Moonlit Court when I’d learned about my father.

And I wasn’t too proud to admit I’d felt jealous of them, too.

They lived a life of magical luxury, untouched by the trials suffered by us poor, lowly humans.

I doubted Lurena had ever eaten a dinner of moldy bread or picked bugs out of her straw mattress.

She didn’t dread the winter, fearing her ramshackle shelter and measly food stores weren’t enough for survival.

But I wouldn’t trade my loving mother for any wealth, comfort, or privilege in the universe.

Lurena scurried past me with her head bowed, and Regula stood there scowling and muttering. After a second, she remembered my existence.

She drew herself up. “I’m sorry you had to witness that.”

Shit, what should I say? I wanted to call her a shitty excuse for a mother, a bullying wench, and a stain on the name of princesses everywhere… But I needed to seduce her into lowering her guard, not piss her off so she vaporized me with magic.

“You amaze me,” I said. “That you can shoulder the burden of motherhood on top of your royal duties and tireless crusade to enrich our people…”

A relaxed smile crossed Regula’s face, and I wanted to gag. But now I saw my opening.

I reached into my pocket. “I want to offer you—“ I pulled out my hand and looked down. “No, I couldn’t.”

Regula crossed the distance between us. “What?”

“It’s too meager a gift for you.” With my shapeshifting magic, I added a blush to my cheeks. “You deserve something much grander.”

“Let me be the judge of that. Show me what you’ve brought.”

I removed the silk pouch of dream dust from my pocket.

The air itself seemed to stand still in anticipation—which was my imagination acting up.

I breathed steadily and kept my eyes on Regula’s face, trying not to focus on the sensation of sand shifting within the bag.

Regula stood about a foot away. I could probably hit her from here, but closer would be better.

“This was difficult to acquire,” I said in a low voice.

“Something from Earth?”

“From the Thornroot Court there, yes.”

She took a step closer, squinting at the bag.

Sweat dripped down the back of my neck with an irritating tickle. She couldn’t know I held dream dust, but no matter how many times I told myself that, it didn’t calm my nerves. I wanted this over with, but I couldn’t rush. I counted my frantic heartbeats, letting the moment draw out.

“Would you like to see it?” I whispered.

She blinked her long-lashed eyes flirtatiously. “Dazzle me.”

Slowly and purposefully, I tugged on the drawstring, my fingers hypersensitive to its fibers. Regula leaned closer for a better look as I carefully pulled it open. The sweat had migrated to my hands now, and I couldn’t afford to slip even a fraction of an inch.

Three, two, one… I inhaled sharply—

—and flung the contents into her face.

She jerked back with a yelp as the silvery dust hit her eyes, nose, mouth—everywhere, really. Then she gaped at me, sputtering in shock and outrage.

Oh, shit. It hadn’t worked. Had Valen set me up? Was the dream dust defective? I needed to run. I needed—

Regula collapsed to the floor in a heap of feathers.

I stood frozen for a moment, feeling lightheaded.The edges of my vision blurred, the balcony seeming to shimmer. Peering down at Regula, I jabbed my foot into her ribs.

She didn’t move. Fast asleep, then.

“Thank God and Goddess,” I breathed. Then I bent down and rolled Regula onto her stomach.

The rigid metal necklace clung tightly to her neck, not large enough to yank over her head.

That was probably a security feature, though a determined—and brutal—thief could just cut off her head.

Luckily, I didn’t need to get that messy.

I pulled out the beautiful lock pick set Valen had given me and got to work on the clasp.

I hadn’t considered how dark the balcony would be.

More light would help, but I would have to rely on touch.

I’d practiced so many times that the lock felt like an old friend.

Each delicate movement scraped faintly in the near silence, punctuated only by the chirping of crickets in the garden below.

A prickle of anxiety ran down my spine, offset by the thrill of the challenge and the satisfying click as the clasp finally yielded.

I seized the necklace, but the moment my fingers brushed the jewel, magic bombarded me. It felt like a buzz beneath my skin, so strong it made my jaw clench. I fell backwards onto my ass, suddenly tangled up in an overlarge ballgown.

What the hell? I stared down at myself, small breasts visible because the gown’s bodice didn’t fit my original body. I summoned my magic to return to the fey man’s form.

Nothing happened.

I couldn’t shapeshift.