Yours forever,

Thomas

My eyes brimmed with unshed tears and I clamped my jaws together to keep from crying. I didn’t think the proper way of thanking him for his thoughtfulness was to snot all over his suit. Horror washed into Thomas’s features. I tensed, unsure what had brought on his sudden shift.

“I-I didn’t mean… you don’t have to—” He ran a hand through his hair, tousling his dark locks. “It’s all right if you don’t want to be mine. I-I understand our circumstances aren’t ideal. It’s—”

Relief sluiced through me. He’d misunderstood the source of my tears. It was incredible that his powers of deduction were so lost when it came to reading my emotions. I touched his face gently, my hand fitting around the curve of his cheek, and brought his lips to mine. Showing him, without words, how much he meant to me.

Thomas needed no further explanation. He deepened our kiss, his hands gripping me tighter—but not uncomfortably so—as he closed the space between us. Whenever he held me like that, with his body molded so perfectly against mine, I swore I lost my senses. The world and all its problems settled into a corner far away. There were only the two of us.

I nipped at his bottom lip and his eyes shifted to a molten chocolate that started a fire deep within me. He scooped me into his arms, knocking my cane over in his haste to exit the room and any possible interruptions from the footmen should they come to check on our dinner.

We were fortunate to have made it upstairs to my chambers before we expressed our love more thoroughly. I yanked his shirt open, buttons popping in all directions, and gave him an impish grin as he set me on the bed. He seemed anything but disturbed by my exuberance as he returned the favor and relieved me of my corset. Tonight he didn’t bother with slowly pulling its strings; he practically ripped it apart.

I traced the outline of his tattoo first with my fingertips and then with my lips, never tiring of the way he gasped beneath my careful touch.

If I lived to be one thousand years old, it would never feel like enough time with him.

“I love you, Audrey Rose. More than all the stars in the universe.”

Thomas erased all space between us and gazed down at me as if I were the most perfect person in existence. When he kissed me again, it was so sweet I nearly forgot my own name. It was a good thing he kept whispering it across my skin.

I lightly trailed my nails down his spine and back up, marveling at the goose bumps that rose, the sensation seeming to drive him as wild as it drove me. He repeated my name like an incantation, his tone as reverent as those praising gods. He worshipped my mind and body until I, too, became a believer. Then he brought us both to another realm—one where we were nothing more than love in its purest physical form.

Hours later, after we’d professed our adoration—and while I lay cradled in the safety of Thomas’s arms—the devil stood waiting for me. Silent and watchful as always, as he welcomed me back to his dominion of darkness.

THIRTY-NINE

STRANGE DISAPPEARANCE

1220 WRIGHTWOOD AVENUE

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

15 FEBRUARY 1889

“Miss Wadsworth!” Minnie greeted me warmly at the door. “It’s so lovely of you to call on me. Tell me, have you heard from Mephistopheles? I haven’t been able to locate that scoundrel anywhere.”

It was quite an odd opening, but I handed my cloak to the maid and shook my head. “I’m afraid I haven’t spoken with him since I last saw him with you.” I studied her expression, the nibbling of her lower lip, the crease in her brow. “Is everything all right?”

“I’m sure it is. I just heard a rumor that my understudy hasn’t been seen for ages. It’s a bit strange, given how much she loved playing that role.” She brightened up again. “Come. Harry’s allowed me to decorate the parlor to my liking. Shall we take some tea and coffee there?”

I wished to return to the subject of yet another missing young woman, but something else caught my attention. “Harry?”

Minnie blinked slowly as if awakening from a dream. “Did I say Harry? Goodness me, Henry. My Henry is such a lovely man. Wait until you see this wallpaper. It’s from Paris!”

We situated ourselves in a lovely blue-and-white sitting room, the fabric as rich as any fine dessert. Gold thread shot through navy-and-cream stripes on our chairs. Little gold tassels tied back deep blue curtains that appeared to be made of velvet. A matching blue-and-white tea service was promptly brought out with a stack of freshly baked biscuits.

A proper household always boasted of polished silver, but Minnie took it even further. Crystals dripped off of shining candelabras and hothouse flowers bloomed fragrantly in vases nearly the size of a dog. It was quite a flashy show of excess.

“The flowers are lovely,” I said, motioning around the room. “Are they for a special occasion?”

“Henry is a man of fine refinement and taste.” Minnie poured me tea and herself coffee. “He enjoys beautiful things.”

Her smile seemed to freeze in place, like there was more she wasn’t saying aloud. I accepted my cup of tea, treading carefully. “Does that make you sad?”

“N-no, it’s not that.” She set her cup and saucer in her lap, staring down into the swirling cream. “It’s just… my sister said something rather unflattering the other day when I told her we’d married. I haven’t been able to get it out of my mind. I’m sure I’m simply being silly.” She glanced at the tea service again. “Sugar?”

“No, thank you.” I sipped my tea, enjoying the taste of vanilla and something richer. She added a few cubes to her coffee with silver tongs, seemingly lost in thought. “If you’d like to talk about what your sister said, I’m happy to listen.”

She gave me a grateful smile. “Sisters are wonderful, truly. No one in the world will hug you when you’re breaking and slap sense into you at the same moment.”

While I didn’t have a sister by blood, I thought of Liza and all of the ways that was true. There was no one who’d stand by your side and stare down demons with you as much as a sister would. She’d then kick you for being stupid and getting involved with demons after the fact, but a sister was always there when it counted. Images of Daciana and Ileana sprang to mind, too. I was elated to count them as my sisters as well, regardless of the ruined wedding.

“What did she say that upset you?”

Minnie drew in a deep breath. “I know I’m not… as I said before, Henry enjoys beautiful things. I know I’m plain. My hair is a dull brown; my eyes are utterly ordinary. I often wonder how I drew his attention, but when Anna said I was being foolish… that if he was as handsome and charming as I’d described—” She sniffled. “Well, she doesn’t think his intentions are very pure. You see, we have a small inheritance. And I started thinking about—”

Just then, a man in a bowler hat and matching brown suit stepped into the room. He started forward, then halted when he noticed me. I nearly dropped my tea when I recognized his striking blue eyes. He was the young man who’d given me directions to the pharmacy.

Those same eyes fixed on my face, widening ever so slightly before he blinked. Warmth flooded his features. “Minnie, my dear, I didn’t know you were entertaining. I’m sorry to barge in so rudely.” In a few strides he crossed the room, bending to kiss his new wife. He turned to me, a small grin starting. “Miss Wadsworth, wasn’t it?”

I nodded, impressed he’d recalled my name. “I apologize, but I don’t remember…”

“Please, call me Henry.” At Minnie’s confused expression, he explained. “I ran into Miss Wadsworth and her fiancé on their way to the pharmacy the other day.” He turned back to me, expression polite. “Did you find what you were looking for?”

The bloodstained bedsheet crossed my mind. It was alarming, almost, how I could envision such garish things with startling clarity and pretend them away. “No. I’m afraid we didn’t.” I narrowed my eyes a bit. “You didn’t mention owning the pharmacy.”

“Quite right. I don’t like boasting about my properties and businesses. I own several around Chicago alone. Well,” he said, his attention flicking to the clock on the mantel. “I must be off. I just wanted to give my wife a proper good-bye.”

He kissed the top of Minnie’s head, warmth returning to his features. I studied him, trying to find truth in what Minnie’s sister had worried about. To all outward appearances, he seemed to genuinely care for Minnie. The sparkle in his eyes didn’t appear fake. Though he wasn’t quite as perfect as she’d made him out to be. He was of average build and height, if not a bit on the short side. His face was wholly unremarkable except for his cunning blue gaze. That was shockingly magnetic. I imagined he’d get lost in a room full of men with similar builds.

“Don’t wait up, my dear,” he said. “I have a meeting all the way in the South Side tonight, and you know how that may go. If it gets too late, I may spend the evening in our rooms there.”

With another polite good-bye, he left us to our visit. Minnie’s demeanor had changed, her worry dissipated like morning dew in the sun. Her cheeks flushed pleasantly, and I wondered why she thought herself plain. When she looked at me, her whole face lit up. “Well?”

“He’s very nice,” I said. “I’m sure you’ll both be exquisitely happy.” She sighed dreamily. I wanted to ask further regarding her sister’s worries about him being interested in her money but didn’t wish to upset her again. At any rate, he had several businesses, so it appeared he was doing quite well on his own. “You mentioned your understudy has not been heard from. Is that something she normally did? Disappear for a few days?”

“Oh, no. Trudy wanted that role too much. She’d been a patient understudy, but you can always see the longing, you know?” She rearranged her skirts. “She’d stare at the stage as though it was the very source of her life. The electricity machine Mephistopheles crafted—when she watched it, it was like she’d seen an angel. I can’t imagine her giving it up, not now. And I cannot understand why she’d leave without telling anyone.”