Page 41 of Cinder's Trial

“But she isn’t. It worked.” Killian grinned.

“This time.” Levi’s dour summary.

“It wouldn’t be that hard to test it again,” Killian declared.

“Meaning what?” Levi gruffly questioned. “You going to parade Cinder in front of the hopefuls mobbing the hotel and see if they all decide to suddenly go home?”

The prince shrugged. “It’s a thought.”

“And if they all turn into dragons?”

Killian’s expression turned thoughtful. “That might be a bit of a problem.”

To my surprise, Hannah jumped in to agree with the prince. “He might be onto something. What if we brought in a random wannabe Cinderella and tested in a controlled environment?”

Before Levi could object, I threw my approval into the ring. “I think it’s a splendid idea and, honestly, not something I’ve heard being tried before.” Usually, the prince fell under the spell and wanted to find his Cinderella, just like Little Ash couldn’t wait to meet her prince. It was only after the wedding the problems usually arose. But in this case, neither of us wanted the other. Could the cure to The Little Ash story be as simple as Killian declaring himself already taken? I wouldn’t have thought the curse would be so easily fooled. Then again, the old lady hadn’t been cured. She’d exited one curse, only to get caught in the other. What would happen if all those Cinderellas had their storyline changed? Would we have a city full of dragons? Perhaps Levi had a point. At the same time, what if we could help some of these women escape the Grimm Effect?

Levi drummed his fingers on the table. “Guess I’m out voted. If we’re going to do this, then it’s going to be under strict supervision. The Knights will be armed; guns, tasers, spears. I want to be ready for all possibilities. As well, all Cinderellas-in-waiting will be frisked before entry for weapons. Even if we declare them clear, neither Cinder nor the prince is to touch or come within reach of any of the potentials.”

As he ticked off the don’ts, I almost rolled my eyes but held back, mostly because I realized he had a point. We had no idea what to expect or how these women would react. It also occurred to me that his aggressive orders might be because he cared. All of those weeks of us dancing around each other at the bureau and I’d never seen him so focused and grim. I mean, yes, he took his missions seriously, but this felt next level.

As we packed up to leave—and by pack up I meant ordered coffees and pastries to go because Killian was a bottomless pit—a discordant melody made me glance out the window. I blinked at the sight of a cat, upright on its hind legs, walking down the sidewalk, holding a banjo, which it played badly, while yowling.

Lucky me with my affinity for animals, I could understand the rhyme, although it differed from the original.

A cat came strumming out of the alley,

With a banjo in his hands.

He could sing nothing but “Grim-de-dee,

The prince will marry his Ashy lady.

Growl, Sir Knight.

Cry, jilted lover!

For a wedding there will be at the ball.

Killian snorted. “Next thing you know, pigs will be flying and we’ll see cows jumping over the moon.”

“I’d think you’d be more worried with your appetite that the dish might run away with the spoon before you’re done eating,” Hannah teased.

As for Levi, he muttered, “The world has gone mad.”

It had, but at least we’d found each other.

For now.

Look at me, my thoughts now sounding as ominous as my future lover.

13

Since no one mentioned it, I assumed my companions had not heard the cat’s odd rhyme. Probably a good thing seeing as how the verse claimed there would be a marriage at the ball. For some reason, remembering it left me chilled to the bone. I didn’t want to assume it referred to me, and yet, the word knight could only refer to Levi. Who else would be growling and upset?

This had to be the Grimm Effect doing its best to throw me off balance, to push for the conclusion it wanted. Never mind the fact neither Killian nor I wanted to get married. Not to each other at least.

I might have dwelled on it more, but the afternoon proved busy. For one, we relocated the prince to the same floor as the Knights—Gerome gave up his room for the prince. Smaller and less luxurious but Killian preferred to remain in the hotel because, as he claimed, the ball was only two days away and he should be nearby in case management needed him to make any last-minute changes or decisions.

---