Frosted Croakies Read online

  My gaze flew to Grym. He gave me wide eyes.

  The door between the library and the bookstore slammed open, and Sebille came running through, her eyes wild.

  I caught her gaze and pointed to the top of the shelf.

  She went pale, her freckles standing out like mud spots on her cheeks.

  “Is it mechanical?” Mrs. Foxladle asked, a happy smile on her face.

  “It’s very lifelike, isn’t it?” Mr. Peabody asked, chuckling.

  I gave Sebille wide eyes and she nodded.

  “We have lots of delicious food over here,” I told the group. “Would everybody like some eggnog? Or maybe a cup of tea?”

  I ushered them toward the food table as Sebille ran toward the shelves, gesturing wildly at Hobs.

  With a delighted cackle, the little hobgoblin shot off the shelf and disappeared into the library, leaving a cartoon-like speed trail in his path, along with the dregs of his naughty cackle.

  Sebille closed the door behind him and waved a hand over the knob, a suspicious green glow telling me she’d magically locked it against the little prankster.

  “Wherever did you get it?” Claudette Baxter asked me. “He’s so adorable. I’d love to get one for my kids.”

  I glanced toward the spot where Hobs had been and saw a blank-eyed replacement. Not quite as cute as the real thing, but much safer by far. I mouthed, “Thank you,” to Sebille. She patted her chest to indicate that the hobgoblin had scared her near to death.

  The bell on the front door jangled again and another group of party guests came inside, stomping snow off their boots and shivering dramatically. Lea came in on the tail end of the group, looking beautiful in a shimmery green sweater and black velvet skirt with tall leather boots. She’d pulled her long, light brown hair back into an intricate knot of braids and pinned a tiny red bow at the crown of her head.

  She looked around, her turquoise eyes sparkling. “It looks beautiful, Naida.” She clasped my hands and gave them a squeeze. “Lowering the lights was an inspired idea.”

  I greeted each of the new partygoers and sent them toward the food table.

  “How can I help,” Lea asked.

  “Make sure people mingle?”

  “I can do that.” Lea headed toward the food, a wide smile on her pretty face. I thanked the goddess that she was my friend. Lea was a natural people-er, where I was less comfortable interacting on a personal level. People seemed to like her too, which made it a perfect situation.

  The bell jangled again, a frosty blast of air blew another couple into the shop, the man having to duck quite a bit to keep from clocking his head on the door. I grinned when I saw who it was. “Theo!” Running over to embrace the giant, I felt like a three-year-old hugging her father. Even in his human-appropriate form, Theo was close to seven feet tall and probably weighed five to six hundred pounds. I turned to give his girlfriend, Birte, a hug. As always, she looked small standing next to Theo but was really of average height like I was. Birte was a beautiful silver dragon in her magic form, but as a human she was less attractive, with a muscular frame, sun-reddened skin that looked like she’d spent too much time outside, nervous pale-blue eyes, and wavy brown hair.

  The pair were an odd match, but also proof that everybody could find love. Even a giant and a dragon.

  “You look beautiful,” I told Birte. She flushed, the color heightening her already ruddy completion. Her blue eyes sparkled with pleasure as she ran her hands over the silky black blouse she’d tucked into a pair of black jeans. “Thank you. Are the shoes too much?” I glanced down at the bright red pumps on her small feet.

  “They’re perfect!” I told her, giving her an impulsive hug. “Very festive.”

  Theo beamed at me when I glanced back his way. He held out an enormous hand to give me a wrapped gift. “For you.”

  Horror swamped me. I hadn’t gotten him a gift. “Oh, Theo, you shouldn’t have.”

  He inclined his head. “It was my pleasure.”

  “But I didn’t get gifts…”

  “He doesn’t want anything in return, Naida,” Birte said with an adoring look up at Theo. “He just likes to give.” Her fingers touched a beautiful silver and diamond dragon hanging in the vee of her neckline.

  “Birte, it’s gorgeous!” I meant it too. The dragon was every bit as elegant as she was in her natural form.

  “Thank you. I love it.” She looked down at her hands, seeming to realize she was holding a Holiday-decorated tin. “Oh, Theo made these. For the party.”

  A happy rumble sounded in Theo’s throat. “Frosted Kabittle cookies. It’s an ancient Gigantu family recipe.”

  “I’ll just put these on the table,” I told him. “Why don’t you go say hi to Sebille.”

  To my everlasting shock, I noticed my assistant was holding court over by the tea counter. I assumed she was brewing tea for the gathering of regular customers there. I took a moment to enjoy Sebille’s outfit for the night. In honor of the holidays, her usual knee-hi stockings were red, white, and green striped. She wore a bright green dress with a wide, shiny red belt that matched her red, Wicked Witch of the West shoes. With her pointed ears, red hair and luminous green eyes, she looked like a perfect Christmas Elf.

  Grym stood apart from the others a bit. He didn’t have a plate and was staring down at Mr. Slimy, whose glass tank was decorated with a drape of holly, complete with red berries. Sebille’s idea.

  “You should get some food,” I told him, stopping beside the tank to catch his eye.

  He glanced up, his face sad. “I will. In a minute.”

  I nodded, not sure what else to say. After a moment of silence, I started to move away.

  Grym stopped me with a gentle hand on my wrist. “How’s Rustin?”

  I shrugged. “I’m not sure. I haven’t heard from him since the whole Margot thing.”

  We’d all fought side by side a few weeks earlier to vanquish our mutual enemy Margot Quilleran, and the event had been a turning point for my friend, the ghost witch. Not in a good way.

  I looked down at Mr. Slimy, whose blank, black gaze was watching me with more intensity than one would expect from a frog. “Mr. Slimy hasn’t spoken to me since that night either.” The frog had been infused with magic when Rustin had been sent into its body by his evil uncle and had begun to speak after a while. I missed his interminable questions and slightly snotty advice.

  Grym’s face turned more…well…grim. “That’s not good.”

  I agreed but didn’t want to think about it too much, for fear it would depress me. A hostess should definitely strive not to be depressed at her own party.

  “Madeline will find a way to help them,” Grym said. His hand slid from my wrist and clasped mine for a beat, giving it a squeeze before letting go.

  I nodded, praying he was right.

  “I’ll just go get some tea,” he said on a grin.

  I laughed, knowing Sebille would slip a little something extra into Grym’s tea. I hoped it warmed him up enough to enjoy himself a bit. I was mad at him, but that didn’t mean I wanted him to be unhappy.

  Much.

  A soft clanging sound in my ear stopped me as I started toward my guests. I waited a bit, and it didn’t sound again, so I forgot it.

  I was saying goodbye to some early departing human guests who were worried about getting home in the snow when the clanging sounded again. I looked at Sebille. She pointed toward the connecting door.

  Ah. Someone was trying to contact me through the communication mirror in the artifact library. Sebille had told me she’d spelled the mirror so I’d know when her mother, Queen Sindra of the local Fae, was trying to reach me.

  I hurried across the bookstore and ducked quickly through the door. Two absolutely silent forms flashed past, brushing against my ankles as I hurried forward. I stumbled sideways, the cats nearly knocking me on my posterior. “Hey, you two,” I yelled at the cats. They ignored me, of course, disappearing around the end of the artifact stacks.
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  The mirror was pulsing green around the edges of a black cloaking cloth as I approached it. Ever since I’d had a close call with a doppelganger spirit at Samhain, I’d been a little leery of mirrors, spending a lot less time in front of them than I used to.

  Which was why the communication mirror was draped.

  I tugged the black cloth away and found Queen Sindra hovering on the air, her wings throbbing at a speed that told me she was agitated. The familiar lushness of Lea’s greenhouse, which was the Fae’s new home, spread out behind her.

  “Oh, thank the goddess, Naida. I’ve been so worried. Is everything okay there?”

  “Everything’s fine,” I told her. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

  “I felt a magic wave a while ago. A powerful one.” She squinted at me. “You didn’t feel it?”

  “No, I… Hold on.” I glanced around for the Book of Pages, finding it on Shakespeare’s desk where I’d left it. I touched the front of the book and the leather warmed beneath my touch, rolling as the magic engaged.

  The book flipped open, the pages turning only two times before they stopped. A faint outline formed on the page, it looked like the beginning of an artist’s sketch, the detail pale and unfocused. I carried the book back to the mirror. “Something’s forming on this page, but it’s very faint. I can’t tell what it is.”

  She nodded. “If you’d like, I can bring a few of my soldiers to the party.”

  I considered her offer. “I’d love to have you come, Sindra. As guests. You did get the invite, didn’t you?”

  She flushed slightly. “Yes. I’m sorry we couldn’t make it. We’re having our own Yule celebration tonight.”

  “I completely understand. Maybe you’d like to stop by later? As guests. Whatever this wave means, Sebille and I can handle it.”

  She didn’t look convinced. “It felt dark, Naida. Oily. And the city is about to close down under a weather advisory. You’ll be trapped there.”

  “We’ll be fine. Grym’s here too. And Theo and Birte. We have a lot of firepower in this building right now.”

  Her hand twisting slowed along with her wings. “That’s good news. But my offer stands. If you need some fairy muscle.” She grinned. It always surprised me when the queen sounded like her daughter, rather than the cultured, elegant creature she was. I couldn’t help wondering if Sebille had gotten her earthy side from her mother, or if she was corrupting the queen with her own earthiness. “Merry Christmas, Queen Sindra.”

  “Happy Yule to you, child. Take care.”

  I hung the cloth back over the mirror as she disappeared from view.

  3

  Not Fit For Man Nor Beastie

  The bell jangled as I came back into the bookstore. Sebille was hurrying toward the door and I headed toward the food table. Mrs. Foxladle was in an earnest conversation with Grym about their favorite cozy mystery series. It made me smile. I’d never get used to the idea of the big, burly cop reading cozy mysteries.

  I spoke to Claudette and Mr. Peabody for a few minutes, lamenting the lack of desire to hit the busy stores for Christmas shopping.

  A peal of happy laughter drew my attention to the door, and my eyes went wide as Sebille hugged a young, dark-haired man with rosy cheeks and wide, hazel eyes.

  The man handed Sebille a package, and she tore the wrapping off of it like a child on Christmas morning. She pulled out a new e-cigarette kit and realization set in. I was probably looking at Devard, the owner of the vapery across the street. I’d pictured him much older and a lot grumpier.

  The woman standing next to Devard handed my assistant a tin. She was tall for a woman, probably around five-nine or five-ten, and had pulled her light brown, curly hair back into a queue at the back of her neck and fixed a black velvet bow over it. The black dress she wore fit her shapely form snugly, the sleeves long enough to flare over her hands.

  Sebille thanked her for the tin of goodies and hurried over to set it on the table. I was surprised when the three of them dropped into chairs by the window and fell into a pleasant conversation that might have revolved around vaping since they all broke out their e-cigs and proceeded to puff away.

  I’d thought Sebille and Devard were on the outs, ever since he’d evicted Sebille from her tiny apartment above the vapery for turning one of Devard’s customers into a slug in the midst of a vaped fog.

  Now, before you say, but vaping doesn’t alter the mind, you must realize you haven’t tried one of Sebille’s “special” vape mixtures.

  I had a sudden horrified thought and started toward them, worried that Sebille might break out some of her special brew at the party.

  The last thing I needed was for her to turn Mr. Peabody into a slimy critter from the terrestrial gastropod mollusk family.

  They looked up as I approached. Devard stood, smiling widely. He held out a hand as I reached him. “You must be Naida. I’m Devard Othco. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. I’m sorry I haven’t made it over here to introduce myself.”

  I shook his hand, returning his smile. “The pleasure’s mine.”

  He nodded. “Thank you for inviting me to the party.”

  I barely kept from skimming Sebille a glance. I hadn’t invited Devard since the last I’d heard he and Sebille were on the outs. Which meant Sebille had invited him. “I’m so glad you could come.”

  “Have you met Rhonda?” Sebille asked.

  Rhonda clutched an e-cig between long, perfectly manicured nails, which I noticed were bright red with tiny white Christmas trees on them. The woman gave me a crooked smile. “Hey, Naida.”

  I offered her my hand. “It’s nice to meet you.” I didn’t remember inviting a Rhonda to the party. “How do you and Sebille know each other?”

  “She lives in the building next to mine,” Devard said. “She comes into the vapery a lot.”

  “Ahh,” I nodded. I’d bet my favorite boots, Rhonda was the Banshee Sebille always complained about because of her screaming. “I’m really glad you could make it.”

  Devard nodded toward the last three remaining non-magic guests. “There are humans here?”

  I nodded, pleased by the opening he’d given me. “Mrs. Foxladle, Claudette, and Mr. Peabody are some of my best customers. If you could keep the magic vaping down until they leave, I’d greatly appreciate it.”

  Devard slid Sebille a glance, his grin widening. “You heard the woman, Sebille. No turning anyone into slugs.”

  My cranky assistant giggled. She. Actually. Giggled. I swallowed hard, remembering Sindra’s warning. Was the dark magic infecting Sebille?

  “You have to try one of these,” Lea said from behind me.

  I turned to find a frosted sugar cookie under my nose. The delightful scent of sugar and vanilla drifted into my sinuses and lured me like a siren’s song. I took the cookie and bit into it, my eyes going closed in pure bliss. “Oh, that’s amazing. Who brought these?”

  Lea shrugged, polishing off her own cookie. “I don’t know, but whoever it was, they’re magical. Theo’s had about ten of them, but the supply just keeps replenishing.”

  I excused myself and surreptitiously dropped the cookie into the trash behind the sales counter. I couldn’t afford to fall under the magical influence of sugar and butter. I needed to keep my wits about me so I could watch for potential problems at the party. Having my human and magical acquaintances together in one place was a bit nerve-making. I was confident that my magical guests had lived among humans long enough to be aware of the pitfalls and savvy enough to avoid them, but there was always the Hobs side of the equation, which gave me plenty to worry about.

  I glanced toward the dividing door, seeing the faint green glow on the knob that told me it was still painted with Sebille’s magical lock.

  Good. That should keep Hobs out of the bookstore.

  I relaxed slightly.

  “Who’s that guy?” a deep voice asked.

  I looked up to find Grym shoving a bite of cookie into his mouth. He held a second
cookie in his other hand.

  “Those are good, aren’t they?”

  He made a delirious face that turned my belly warm. “Incredible. I need to find out who brought them. I want the recipe.”

  The enticing scent of sugar and vanilla wafted through the air and my fingers twitched toward the cookie he was still holding. I fisted my hand and fought the impulse to steal it. “If I had to guess, I’d say it was Mrs. Foxladle. She’s an amazing cook.”

  He shook his head. “I’ve asked everybody.”

  “Not even Theo? He brought cookies.”

  “Theo’s mouth hasn’t been empty enough to talk in ten minutes.”

  I laughed. “Well, giants do love their sugar.”

  Rhonda walked past us and smiled, disappearing into the bathroom.

  Grym nodded toward Devard. “Who’s the guy with Sebille?”

  “That’s her friend from across the street. Devard owns the vapery where she used to have an apartment.”

  “The guy who kicked her out?”

  I nodded, frowning slightly.

  “They look pretty chummy.”

  “Yes, they do, don’t they?”

  “Have you seen my hair bow?” Lea asked me, reaching up to feel around in the spot where the velvet hair decoration had been.

  “No. It’s probably somewhere near those cookies,” I teased her. “You’ve been spending all your time there.”

  “Ha,” she said, narrowing her eyes at me.

  The bell jangled as the front door opened, letting a blustery slice of winter inside to dust the carpet with snow. A very small couple with red noses and bead-like black eyes that were barely visible under a matching pair of red knitted hats stumbled in, shivering violently. I’d never seen the couple before, but they seemed to be in some distress.

  Grym and I hurried over. “Are you okay?”

  The man draped an arm around his wife, tugging her close as she shivered so hard her teeth clanked together. “Our car slid off the road a couple of miles from here. We’ve been trying to find a place to call for help. This is the first place we saw that was open.”