restless—”
“Why were you restless? The girls were dancing, partying, playing games…you love that.”
“I know, but I…I…” Kiki stopped and frowned. The restlessness hit her, agitation flowed through her, and she bounced up from the chair. The pervasive weakness was no match for the urge to go. She walked to the door, but the handle wouldn’t turn. She pulled at it twice.
“You want to go now, don’t you?” The cool splash of words halted her jerks on the door. She glanced down at her hands and then the door handle. She barely even remembered standing up.
“What’s wrong with me, Heidi?”
“Short answer? You’re cursed. You have a show in two hours. You’re still improvising it. You’re still leading it. But you have to stay in the theatre until the final curtain drops. After that, you can go to him.”
“Him?” Richard? The urge to rip the door out of the frame struck her again. She needed to go now. She didn’t have time to wait.
“The show, Kiki. You have to focus on it.” The command resonated inside her, clashing with the urge to go.
“I went because he called me.” She spit the thought out swiftly, before it slipped away.
“Yes, you did.”
“He’s calling me now.” How had he called her before he bit her? Didn’t they have to share a blood tie or something? Or at least be compelled before? “Oh crap. Is that why I can’t remember anything before being here? He compelled me?”
The stage manager didn’t answer. Instead, she rose, file in hand and walked over to the cabinet beneath her shelved collection of puzzle boxes.
“Heidi? Is that what’s wrong with me?”
“You have a show to put on. You should probably shower and find some costumes and let the others know what you’re doing.” The stage manager didn’t look back at her.
Pushing away from the door, Kiki stalked across the office. Stifling the urge to go left her twisted in knots inside. “You have to tell me.”
“He is the reason you came here, but he is not the reason you stayed.” Heidi locked the cabinet.
“That doesn’t really answer my question.”
“And yet, it is the only answer you will get tonight. You have a puzzle to solve and resources to call upon. Figure out the puzzle and you will know what you need. But be careful…I can only protect you for so long.”
Dread curled in her stomach at the warning. “I want to see him after the show.”
“Okay.”
The anticlimactic response surprised her. “That’s it? Just okay?”
“Yes. You have an hour and fifty-five minutes now. You should go.”
“Heidi!”
“One hour and fifty-four minutes.” The doors behind Kiki swung open, and Heidi returned to her desk and turned to the computer screen.
Suppressing the urge to scream, she pivoted and stomped out of the office, and found Minion. The imp bounced up from a sofa, magazines tumbling to the floor to fling herself at Kiki.
“Can I be in the show tonight? Can I? Please? Please?” The enthusiastic hug and eager bounce helped restore Kiki’s equilibrium. She gave her an affectionate squeeze and settled the imp onto her shoulder, tail curled around Kiki’s neck.
“I don’t even know what I’m doing for the show—”
“I do!” Minion tossed a look behind her at Heidi’s office door and crouched, murmuring into Kiki’s ear.
Laughter welled up, the amusement loosening the pull of Richard’s call on her body. Minion’s idea was just enough out there that it might work. In fact…
“I like that. And I’ll make you a deal,” she scratched the imp’s ears affectionately as she put distance between them and Heidi. “You can totally be in the show if you’ll do me one little favor.”
“I love favors.” Minion promised.
“Well, it might be hard…”
“I like hard favors even more. What is it?”
“Now, don’t agree so quickly.” Ahead of her she could see the dancers stirring and waved to Peppermint and Britta. “It could be tricky.”
“Tell me!”
“Why were you restless? The girls were dancing, partying, playing games…you love that.”
“I know, but I…I…” Kiki stopped and frowned. The restlessness hit her, agitation flowed through her, and she bounced up from the chair. The pervasive weakness was no match for the urge to go. She walked to the door, but the handle wouldn’t turn. She pulled at it twice.
“You want to go now, don’t you?” The cool splash of words halted her jerks on the door. She glanced down at her hands and then the door handle. She barely even remembered standing up.
“What’s wrong with me, Heidi?”
“Short answer? You’re cursed. You have a show in two hours. You’re still improvising it. You’re still leading it. But you have to stay in the theatre until the final curtain drops. After that, you can go to him.”
“Him?” Richard? The urge to rip the door out of the frame struck her again. She needed to go now. She didn’t have time to wait.
“The show, Kiki. You have to focus on it.” The command resonated inside her, clashing with the urge to go.
“I went because he called me.” She spit the thought out swiftly, before it slipped away.
“Yes, you did.”
“He’s calling me now.” How had he called her before he bit her? Didn’t they have to share a blood tie or something? Or at least be compelled before? “Oh crap. Is that why I can’t remember anything before being here? He compelled me?”
The stage manager didn’t answer. Instead, she rose, file in hand and walked over to the cabinet beneath her shelved collection of puzzle boxes.
“Heidi? Is that what’s wrong with me?”
“You have a show to put on. You should probably shower and find some costumes and let the others know what you’re doing.” The stage manager didn’t look back at her.
Pushing away from the door, Kiki stalked across the office. Stifling the urge to go left her twisted in knots inside. “You have to tell me.”
“He is the reason you came here, but he is not the reason you stayed.” Heidi locked the cabinet.
“That doesn’t really answer my question.”
“And yet, it is the only answer you will get tonight. You have a puzzle to solve and resources to call upon. Figure out the puzzle and you will know what you need. But be careful…I can only protect you for so long.”
Dread curled in her stomach at the warning. “I want to see him after the show.”
“Okay.”
The anticlimactic response surprised her. “That’s it? Just okay?”
“Yes. You have an hour and fifty-five minutes now. You should go.”
“Heidi!”
“One hour and fifty-four minutes.” The doors behind Kiki swung open, and Heidi returned to her desk and turned to the computer screen.
Suppressing the urge to scream, she pivoted and stomped out of the office, and found Minion. The imp bounced up from a sofa, magazines tumbling to the floor to fling herself at Kiki.
“Can I be in the show tonight? Can I? Please? Please?” The enthusiastic hug and eager bounce helped restore Kiki’s equilibrium. She gave her an affectionate squeeze and settled the imp onto her shoulder, tail curled around Kiki’s neck.
“I don’t even know what I’m doing for the show—”
“I do!” Minion tossed a look behind her at Heidi’s office door and crouched, murmuring into Kiki’s ear.
Laughter welled up, the amusement loosening the pull of Richard’s call on her body. Minion’s idea was just enough out there that it might work. In fact…
“I like that. And I’ll make you a deal,” she scratched the imp’s ears affectionately as she put distance between them and Heidi. “You can totally be in the show if you’ll do me one little favor.”
“I love favors.” Minion promised.
“Well, it might be hard…”
“I like hard favors even more. What is it?”
“Now, don’t agree so quickly.” Ahead of her she could see the dancers stirring and waved to Peppermint and Britta. “It could be tricky.”
“Tell me!”
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