Wicked After Midnight

Criminy’s growl made the rest of us laugh; he still couldn’t forgive himself for taking Casper in when he’d appeared as a Stranger on the moors all those years ago, giving him a job and teaching him how to stay alive in Sang. It was bad enough that Casper had become a Bludman; it was even worse that he was now the prince consort of Freesia and thus untouchable without starting an international incident.



“Bloody Strangers,” Crim growled.



Tish smacked his arm lightly. “You did get the girl,” she reminded him. That was enough to recall him to the present, and he gave up on Casper to lean back between us and hold Tish’s hand on the armrest.



“And maybe he’ll introduce you to Ahnastasia if you ask nicely,” I added, which had Criminy leaning forward again, avidly scanning the crowd for his favorite celebrity.



I looked out at the audience, and my heart pounded like it might burst. We had a full house, and the theater was a masterpiece. From the plush boxes like ours that rose all along the walls on three levels, down to the tiered benches for the shopkeeps and artisans, and all the way down to a special sort of elegant cage I’d built so that the Bludmen could finally enjoy a show without terrifying the humans, the design had been a work of love and madness between Vale and me. Turns out he had a good eye for design and knew a little carpentry.



Between the two of us, the girls of Paradis, the recovered victims of the Malediction Club, and a Scottish handyman named Thom whom Casper had recommended, we were able to get the half-decomposed theater up and running and still have some money left over. And just wait until the audience saw the daring costumes designed by Blue and Casper’s daimon friend Reve. London had never seen anything like the show we were about to put on.



Every nerve in my body sang, and I only hoped my wide smile wouldn’t ruin my careful makeup. I would never have admitted it, but throwing open the theater doors for Criminy to show him what I’d made of myself had been one of the proudest moments of my life. I’d left his caravan longing for adventure, and I’d finally found my purpose.



Casper’s song built to a crescendo, and his spotlight snapped off. Vale leaned close to plant a kiss on my hair and squeeze my hand.



“Break a leg, bébé.”



At just the right moment, I stood and let my heavy cloak fall to the ground. A spotlight fell on me, making stars dance all over the walls from the sequins and jewels on my daringly low-cut dress.



“Oh, this’ll be good,” Criminy murmured in approval as I stepped onto the balustrade in knee-high boots.



I slipped the small silver hook from my sleeve onto the invisible wire and struck a pose. A collective gasp went up from the audience, and I heard hundreds of voices murmuring, “Is that Demi? Is that La Demitasse herself?” With a smile on my face, I leaped into the air, hurtling toward the stage on my zip line, my skirt billowing behind me. The curtains opened as I hit the wooden boards, and the first show of the Demimonde Theater began to thunderous applause.