A Little Night Muse(64)

                He did not say her name aloud, only whispered it in his head                     with longing. Could she hear him somehow? Did he believe in such magic?

                He wanted to. Oh, how he wanted to.

                Question was, would she believe?

                “There she is,” murmured the Queen from behind him. “Take her                     if you will.”

                And as the crowd edged back, she was revealed. In the fall of                     silky crimson around her, she was every bit the erotic fairy princess. She held                     out one hand to him and he let the iron spear waver to one side, so he didn’t                     hurt her.

                The eyes were too pale, a blue almost white with coldness.

                He snapped the spear ahead of him and the fake Adelyn recoiled                     with a growl. The illusion wavered and he caught a glimpse of bristling fur.

                Behind him, the Queen pealed with cruel laughter. “At least                     that one would keep you warm at night, human. The musetta can offer you nothing of herself. After you strip past the                     veils, there is nothing to her, only a reflection of                     what you make of her.”

                Josh gritted his teeth. How did the Queen know who he was                     looking for? And how could he be sure when he actually found Adelyn if these                     lies were all around him? He had done a terrible job of spotting such illusions                     before: I promise...To have and to hold...’Til death do us                         part...

                He wavered.

                Another phae waited in his path.                     She also looked like Adelyn, with her veils in a simple drape around the body he                     had come to know in such a short time. But what could he really know after such                     a short time? Could he believe even what he saw? Though his scarred eye seemed                     clearer than his good eye in this place.

                He kept the spear point out, but the one ahead did not flinch.                     She stared at him over the half-mask of her veil. “Why did you follow me?”

                It was Adelyn. He didn’t have to see her. He could feel it. “Because I had to know...” He had to know if                     what they had was real, if anything that had been whispered or shared had been                     true, or all just one of her illusions.

                He took another step toward her and still she did not back away                     from the iron. Around her form, the air seemed to flicker, alive with                     secrets.