Page 30 of A Hint of Delirium

“Oh, this little thing?” She grinned and lifted it to show me. “This alerts the Ancient Order of Leviathans that a seelie is here.”

I kept my face neutral, when in reality I was shocked. Even with her advanced years, they seemed to be prepared for anything, which meant I didn’t have much time. They would be there any minute.

I walked slowly around her living room, glancing at her porcelain figurines and framed pictures, none of which contained her daughter. “Is there anything you can tell me about your daughter?” I asked nonchalantly, my pace slowing until I stopped right behind where she sat.

She shrugged. “Nothing to tell. The girl is smart. She was raised by the best. She won’t be easily caught.”

“Right,” I murmured as I slowly slid a dagger from my boot. “I guess we’ll just have to do this the old-fashioned way, then.” I grabbed the woman by the hair, tilted her head back, and sliced her throat.

16

VIOLET

The evening rush at the piano bar was just starting to wind down. Since it was a weekday, the nighttime shift wasn’t so bad. I was waiting at the bar for a drink order when Korey slid up beside me wearing a shit-eating grin.

“Hey there. I’m glad you got your job back. It’s been zero fun without you,” he pouted.

I gave an internal sigh. He was too pretty for words. Korey had moved to New York from Georgia to pursue a career in acting, specifically in Broadway. The man had some pipes. He was still struggling to get his big break, and I hoped he would eventually land it.

“Thanks, Korey.” I smiled shyly. “Hopefully I won’t be making any more mistakes,” I mumbled, more of a promise to myself than anything. Now that I knew the truth of what I was seeing, things would get better. They just had to.

“Don’t beat yourself up.” He bumped his shoulder against mine lightly. “That could have happened to anybody.” He tried to play it off, but we both knew it couldn’t. No one in their right mind would mistake money for leaves.

“Have you had any good auditions lately?” I asked, changing the subject.

He deflated immediately. “Don’t ask. I haven’t even gotten a call back.”

I winced. “Just hang in there, Korey. Your shot’s coming.”

He nodded and motioned to the empty piano. “Go on,” he said. “I know you’re itching to play, and Bill is on a break. I’ll take care of your section.”

Bill was the piano player on duty tonight. “Really?” I asked giddily.

As soon as he nodded, I didn’t linger another second. I hurried to the piano and sat on the bench, dusting my hands off on my apron before gliding my fingers across the keys. I hadn’t touched a piano since before I got fired. True, it had only been a couple days, but with everything that had happened in between, it felt like a lifetime.

Taking a deep breath, I let my fingers dance across the keys as I started to playNocturne in E Flat Major. I closed my eyes and swayed as I let the music wash over me, blocking out the chatter of the restaurant patrons, the clanking of utensils against dishes, and the crystal clink of glasses against glasses. In that moment, it was just me and the piano.

I didn’t know how long I played, but when I opened my eyes, I startled when I saw Ansel sitting on the piano bench beside me.

He smiled broadly. “Chopin?”

I nodded. “One of my favorites.”

“He was quite the romantic.” Ansel’s fingers played against the keys, teasing out a soft melody. “Beethoven’sMoonlight Sonatawill always be a favorite of mine.”

I frowned. “It’s beautiful … but also sad.”

He grinned. “I know.”

“This is very human of you, you know,” I said with a chuckle. “How do you know about all of this?”

“I appreciate the bounty of beauty and arts found in humanity,” he said at the end of a long sigh. “Not all human tendencies are bad.” He leaned against me and gifted me with a dazzling smirk.

Down, girl. “What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to see you,” he said plainly. “Is something wrong with that?”

I gulped when he glanced down to my lips and subconsciously licked them, his gaze narrowing and flaring with fire. My eyes widened and I leaned away from him, trying to break out of his spell. “No,” I offered hastily. “There’s nothing wrong with that, but I told you—”

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