Long Night Moon (The Bradbury Institute Book 2) (3 page)

“Are you mad?”

“Yes!”

“That’s just because you haven’t
had any honey mead yet.”

Eve gave him another acid glare as
she unlocked her door. He covered the distance between them quickly, a sheepish
look taking years off his face. “Come on, don’t be angry. I didn’t mean
anything. Let’s just enjoy tonight, okay?” He covered one side of her neck with
his big hand, running his thumb over her pulse. “Come into the forest with me.”

A desperate melancholy filled his
voice, his eyes, body language, everything about him. It called to the
loneliness she did her best to hide, the attraction she couldn’t make up her
mind about. It made her want to be reckless and drag him inside her apartment.
Mostly, it made her want to give him whatever he asked for. “Let me get my
toboggan and gloves. I forgot them this morning.”

Pete smiled. “I’ll wait right
here.”

Laughter echoed through the forest,
amplified by the snow and curling through the trees like a live thing. Pete led
Eve to a small clearing near a large twisted oak. The others were already
there, gathered in front of a pine tree that must have been about seven feet
tall judging from how far it towered over Rami, the person closest to it. The
wizard held an axe in one hand.

Franny met Eve with her coat.
Shrugging into it, Eve said, “If we’re having a big long ritual can there be a
bonfire?”

Franny laughed. Judith answered,
“We won’t stay out here long. It does seem colder this year.”

“Midnight must be closer to the
gate this year than it was last,” Pete said.

Eve’s confusion must have shown on
her face. Franny explained, “The Court of Earth and Winter, Midnight and North.
The Courts can be called by any of their names so we have to learn them all.
Sometimes things can kind of bleed over, so if Midnight is close to the gate
we’re going to feel it. Especially out here in the forest.”

“Is there a book on the temporal
physics of Faery I can read?” Eve pulled her toboggan down tighter over her
ears.

“Yeah but why would you want to?”
Chet sipped from a travel mug that Eve suspected did not contain coffee. “You
just have to go with it, Evie.”

Bettine laughed, the sound sharp
and almost as cold as the air. “Such a book wouldn’t be accurate anyway.
Sideways and the laws of physics don’t have much use for each other.”

Rami leaned the axe against his leg
and clapped his hands together. “Come on, let’s do this!”

For a long moment the forest filled
with loud whooping and hollering as everyone vented their excitement. Eve was
delighted to discover this whole different side to her Bradbury
colleagues. 

Judith raised her arms and shushed
the group. “Okay, okay. We have a newcomer this year and we need to explain to
Eve how we do this.” She shifted to better face Eve. “In exchange for the tree
we do two things. We leave fresh baked bread and a bowl of honey mead.”

Chet interrupted. “And we stay the
hell inside while the pixies are drunk off their asses.”

Judith talked over the round of
laughter that rippled through the group. “And we do something that Pete thinks
is far too touchy-feely for his dignity but I make him do it anyway because I
am the boss.” She grinned as he nodded. “It’s a little tradition that started
many years ago. After the tree is cut down everyone hugs each other. It’s a
nice way to leave a little love in the forest.”

“It’s too damn cold for anything
else this time of year,” Chet said.

Another burst of giggles from the
group made Eve wonder if she was the only one who wasn’t half drunk on honey
mead.

“So without further ado.” Judith
had to pause to stifle her own laughter. “Rami, if you please.”

Rami rubbed his hands together,
grinning madly. “Stand back, I’ve got an axe!”

It didn’t take long for him to have
the tree cut down and on its side in the snow. Eve leaned toward Franny and
whispered, “Did he use magic to make that easier?”

Franny grinned. “Totally.”

Before Eve could reply Franny
dragged her into a hug. “Happy Yule, Evie!”

Eve returned the good wishes and
found herself hugging her way through the group in a clockwise circle.

Sanngrid offered her a nip from a
flask. Eve demurred. “I’m not sure I want any honey mead.”

“Maura’s special recipe does seem
to bring out a certain aspect in people. You think this is bad, wait for
Midsummer.” She raised her eyebrows twice in rapid succession. “That’s when it
really lives up to its nickname.”

“What’s that?”

“Horny mead.”

“Oh my god.” A burst of embarrassed
laughter escaped Eve. No wonder Pete had been so different with her earlier.
Her amusement was cut short as she realized what that meant. He may have given
the impression of being attracted to her back in the hallway of her building,
but it was nothing more than the mead. Disappointment sank her mood.

“Strawberry schnapps, I promise.”
Sanngrid held out the flask.

Eve took it. “Happy Yule.” As she
drank Pete approached, tossing a handful of snow on Sanngrid before embracing
her. They exchanged their good wishes in German. Eve tried to slip away but
Sanngrid caught her arm.

Taking her flask, Sanngrid said,
“There’s plenty of mead back in the Oracle if you decide you want to try it.”
She winked at Eve as she stepped away.

Eve steeled herself and met the
twilight of Pete’s gaze. Normally she could read nothing there but tonight his
eyes burned with an intensity that sent heat curling through every part of
her. 

“Good Yule to you, Miss Kane.” He
pulled her into his arms in a rough motion, holding her tight for a long
moment. She stood on tiptoe and wrapped her arms around him, the holiday
salutation stuck in her throat. He released her abruptly and walked away,
leaving her standing alone and a bit shell-shocked. It was just the honey mead
making him act this way, she told herself over and over. It meant nothing.

Chet, Rami, Pete, Sanngrid, and
Niall hefted the tree to carry it to the institute. Judith led the way with
Franny, Bettine, and Maura arrayed around them. Eve watched them maneuver
through the forest, knowing she should follow too but lingering for some
reason. Maybe it was the peace of the snow-filled woods that soothed her
troubled mind. Maybe she wanted to watch the pixies as they began to drink from
the bowl of mead left on the tree stump. Or maybe she just wanted to hide her
embarrassment as long as possible.

Pete might be attracted to her, but
he had to be drunk to show it. That didn’t say much for either of them, but
especially him. She’d seen flashes of what he could be like when he dropped the
attitude. She liked that version of Pete very much, but had no idea how to get
him to open up and show it more often.

Eve blinked, not sure how long
she’d been standing there. The talk and laughter from the group was gone,
leaving nothing but an eerie silence in its wake. She glanced around the small
clearing, surprised to find it bathed in light.

The strange, large tree with
twisted limbs and a hollow in the bottom was nowhere to be seen. An old
fashioned Victorian-era street lamp had replaced it, throwing a warm glow over
that patch of woods.

“The temporal physics of Faery,”
she said. Her voice rippled through the air and the heavy layer of magic that
had fallen over the area. “If I start walking back to the compound will I get
there or will I wind up somewhere else? Oh god.”

“But stepping off the map can be so
exhilarating!”

Eve spun to find the source of the
voice. Perhaps twenty feet away, still in shadow the lamp couldn’t reach, was a
man coming toward her. “Uh.”

The stranger raised a hand. “If
you’ll wait for me to finish crossing we can walk together.” He made quick time
across the snow.

Excitement replaced fear and she
dared to take one step closer. “And who might you be?” She kept her tone light,
friendly, as non-threatening as possible in case she was wrong.

He stepped into the light. Six feet
tall with broad shoulders filling out a strange black overcoat of some odd kind
of leather, he had glossy black hair cut short with one heavy lock falling
across his forehead. Arresting blue eyes full of mischief and a generous mouth
curved into a smile dominated a classically handsome face. “Who might I be? I
suppose I could have been any number of people, had I stepped right instead of
left.”

“Zigged instead of zagged?”

He reached the lamp, running a hand
down its surface. “Indeed.”

It’s him, ohmygod it’s really
him
. “Welcome to the Gateway Forest.”

Cocking his head he said, “Why,
thank you! You’re new.”

“Yes.”

He leaned down to mock-whisper.
“You really shouldn’t issue a welcome like that until I identify myself.
Protocol, temporal physics, all that.” As well as mischief there was an
intoxicating heat in his eyes.

“Oh, I didn’t realize.”

“It’s perfectly fine.” He waved a
hand, then stood at attention. “Allow me to introduce myself. I am Captain
George Francis Irvine, late of the East India Company, Knight Errant to the
Queen of Twilight, Sworn Enemy of the Prince of Sorrows, Ambassador at Large to
the Courts of the Good Folk.” He looked at her expectantly.

That was such an impressive list of
titles, Eve felt mildly embarrassed she had none of her own. “I’m Eve Kane,
Assistant to the Archivist. You can call me Evie.”

“I am delighted to meet you, Evie.”
He took her hand, pressing his lips against her skin. A pleasant shock ran
through her flesh. “Absolutely delighted.”

Decorating the Oracle for the
holiday lasted well past midnight. Laughter and music filled the room, adding
to the party atmosphere. Judith, Chet, and Pete spent time huddled in a corner
with Captain Irvine before joining the festivities.

Except for Pete, of course, who
could not be bothered to be festive, or even polite, and instead glowered at
Eve from a spot against the wall. She turned her back to him and made her way
to the punch bowl. She’d had about enough of Pete running hot and cold. He
needed to pick a temperature, make up his mind, something.

In the meantime Eve would enjoy
herself. She poured a glass of punch and watched Captain Irvine twirl Judith
around in a fast jitterbug. An hour ago the space had been taken up by several
tables and chairs, now pushed out of the way. A dance floor was a much better
use of space, Eve thought. Chet drew Bettine on to the floor, then Maura and
Niall joined in. Rami danced with both Franny and Sanngrid.

The music segued to a slower
number. Captain Irvine kissed Judith on the cheek and swept off the dance
floor, heading straight for the refreshment table. Eve handed him a glass of
punch. “I’ve read your first book,” she said. “I enjoyed it very much.”

“Thank you.” The dancing and the
booze left his cheeks red and his eyes bright and glittering. “Sideways is the
most extraordinary place.”

“Is that why you stay there, or is
it so you don’t grow old?” As soon as the words were out of her mouth Eve
realized it was probably not the most polite question to ask.

Irvine grinned, downing his punch
before answering. “I like you, you’re direct.” He set the empty glass on the
table. “That’s part of it, yes. I’m not through living yet.”

“And what a life. So much adventure
and intrigue.”

“And that’s just what made the
books.” He leaned over the punch bowl, lips curved in a tempting smile.
“Imagine all the things I left out.”

Pete approached the table, eyes
narrowed and face puckered in his usual pissed off expression. “Go perv on
somebody else, George.”

“Pete, you’re as charming as ever,
old boy.” Irvine clapped Pete on the shoulder and nodded at Evie before finding
his way back to the dance floor.

“That was rude,” Eve said. “Not
that I expect anything else from you.”

“Don’t think you’re special just
because he flirted with you. He flirts with everyone.” Pete grabbed the punch
ladle and slopped liquid into a glass.

“Two hours ago you were flirting
with me. You really need to make up your mind.” Eve stalked around the table,
intent on the dance floor.

Not caring if Bettine threatened
her with evisceration, Eve grabbed Chet as Brenda Lee’s
Rockin’ Around the
Christmas Tree
started up from the sound system.

Chet said, “I’m really not that
much of a dancer, you might have noticed earlier.”

“I don’t care,” Eve snapped.

Chet didn’t say another word.

***

Winter cold wrapped around Pete
like a comforting blanket. He stood on the small balcony of his third floor
office, a glass of scotch in one hand and the bottle resting on the railing.
The Gateway Forest hummed with energy. It called to him, and for a long moment
he listened.

Drunk pixies danced and fought in
the trees. Soon they’d be saturating the air with a more sensual energy as the
honey mead worked its magic.

He should have stayed away from the
honey mead. Drinking it had been stupid, knowing what it did to him. But it had
been nice, letting it strip away the barriers he’d built around himself. Those
barriers might keep him safe, but they also kept him alone. He’d been fine with
that until Eve.

Kissing her in the forest that night
months ago had been a mistake. Also glorious, and fantastic, and something he
very much wanted to do again. He just couldn’t seem to get out of his own way.

Someone knocked on his office door.
“I’m on the balcony,” he called out.

Sanngrid appeared in the narrow
balcony door. “It’s freezing.”

“I like it,” he said. “Feels good.”

“You’re not normal.” She ducked
back into the office and returned with a glass in her hand. “Why’d you leave
the party early?”

He poured liquor into her glass. “I
don’t like  parties.”

She took a sip and grinned behind
the glass. “I thought maybe it was seeing Eve flirt with George. Or was it her
dancing with Chet that sent you running”

He tried not to glare and failed.
“Nothing sent me running. I chose to leave. There’s a difference.”

Sanngrid rolled her eyes.
“Whatever. Bettine only let her have the one dance anyway. Besides, Eve’s not
his type.”

“Yeah, Chet does seem to prefer
dangerous women.” He gave Sanngrid a sidelong glance. “Got a real Bond girl
fetish.”

Red stained her pale cheeks. “I
never should have told you he made a pass at me once. That was a long time
ago.”

“Moneypenny.”

“Shut up.” She punched his arm.
“You’re just trying to change the subject.”

Pete rubbed his arm. “That hurt.
Hell yeah, I’m trying to change the subject. I don’t want to talk about Eve.”

Sanngrid grabbed the bottle and
topped off both their glasses. “Fine. I’ll talk, you listen.”

“Give me a break.”

“I’m doing you the courtesy of
having this conversation in private, so shut up and listen. You can’t keep
doing what you’re doing with Eve. The back and forth, the hot and cold. You
need to make up your mind.”

Pete followed a stream of color
flying through the trees. Must have been at least half a dozen pixies. “I
know.”

“She likes you but she’s not going
to wait forever. She may be a nice girl, but she’s no doormat. You keep acting
like an ass, she’ll find someone who can do better.”

“I know that, too.” He drew the
cold to him, where it mingled with the magic in his blood. It wasn’t simply
winter cold, it was Winter. Close to the gate and spreading its energy into the
mundane world. Even after all this time, there was a familiarity to it. It
settled easily inside him, like a curled up cat returned home after a long
walkabout. He’d been at ease in all the Courts of Sideways but Winter…Winter
had felt like home.

“Whatever it is that’s holding you
back,” Sanngrid said. “Let it go.” She took a long drink. “We don’t always get
second chances.”

Pete studied his best friend for a
long moment, wondering what she wanted a second chance with. Or who.