Well it doesn't seem like that many people are interested in this story but I promised somebody that I would update. But after this chapter if I don't get anymore feedback I will stop this and finish my other stories. But thanks to the people who did review this story. For those who just read it but didn't review I just wanted to say even if you don't like this story you could leave a review where you kindly tell me what you think is wrong with it in your opinion. But please leave a review. I live for them!
Chapter 2
Two goblins, clothed in Faerie glamour that made them looklike street-dwelling mortals, rose from nearby benches, darting suspicious glances around the docks as if assassins might be lurking behind any tree. When the Queen strode purposefully toward the apartment building where Elizabeth lived, Jason hurried to follow, the goblins falling into step behind them. They were the Queen's bodyguards, but Jason couldn't help feeling like they were in equal part his own jailors, keeping him trapped in his mother's company when his soul screamed for release.
Elizabeth tried to focus her attention back on her book, but her eyes kept straying. The man who had caught her eye stood on the border of the square, waiting to cross the street. She could see only his back now, but his image was still clear in her mind's eye: light blue eyes that looked sad and haunted, skin that should have reddened in the cold but didn't, and spiky brown hair that stood out from his leather jacket. He was crossing the street now, walking just behind a tall, elegant woman wearing a full-length mink coat.
Elizabeth was surprised no one had egged her yet. But she remembered the woman's face too, remembered the beauty of those patrician features, and the aura of power that radiated from her.
When Elizabeth tried to imagine someone tossing an egg on that monstrosity of a coat, her mind rebelled and she actually shivered. What an odd reaction, she thought. When she noticed the pair of them entering the lobby of her apartment building, she felt even more uneasy. Wondering at herself, Elizabeth dog-eared her page and stuck the book back in her coat pocket.
Being self-employed and working from her home, it was too easy to turn into a recluse, so she forced herself to venture out at least once a day. Today, she had crossed to a coffee shop on the other side of town sitting in a plush couch sipping espresso and reading her book until she'd felt suddenly antsy. Not sure whether that was just the effect of too much espresso, she'd thought to sit out in the cold air for a while to refresh her mind. Now, she didn't know what to do. It was colder out than she'd realized, and she very much wanted to go inside. Besides, she had work to do today. But for reasons she didn't want to examine too closely, she didn't want to go into her building while the woman in the mink coat was in there.
She licked her chapped lips, wondering if her body could take another espresso. Maybe a decaf. But then the woman in the mink coat emerged from Elizabeth's building, striding off toward Walnut Street. She seemed to have attracted the attention of a couple of street bums, who followed about five yards behind. Elizabeth didn't imagine the woman would take kindly to panhandling. The cold now seeping into her bones despite the fluffy coat and the heavy wool sweater she wore underneath, Elizabeth hurried across the street, her face tucked into her scarf to protect her cheeks and lips from the biting wind. She pulled the scarf down when she stepped through the glass doorway, flashing her habitual smile at the doorman.
"Thank you," she said as he held the door for her, and was rewarded with the warmth of an answering smile.
When she'd been dating Lucky, he had needled her about saying "thank you" to the doorman every single time she passed through the doorway. He'd thought it excessive courtesy, but she couldn't bring herself to walk through without acknowledgment. She even waved to Carl, the ancient man who sat at the front desk. He didn't respond to her greeting, and she realized he had nodded off, his chin tucked against his chest. She smiled and shook her head, but didn't have the heart to wake him.
When Elizabeth stepped into the cranky old elevator, she immediately noticed an unusual scent. There had been many a day when she'd ridden the elevator holding her breath because someone had apparently bathed in perfume, but this scent was different. The doors slid closed, and the elevator groaned and grumbled a bit before grudgingly beginning its ascent. Elizabeth closed her eyes and inhaled. Bay leaves and sandalwood and something else she couldn't define. Not a food scent, but like no perfume or cologne she'd ever smelled before. Elizabeth reluctantly opened her eyes when the elevator dinged to let her know she'd reached her floor. Sighing, she stepped out, the tantalizing scent seeming to follow her to her door. The uneasiness that had plagued her from the moment she'd set eyes on that man in the square showed no sign of going away. She tried to ignore it as she shed her heavy winter wear and sat in front of her computer. She really needed to get some work done. Designing a website for Courtney's pet-sitting services wasn't exactly the contract of a lifetime, but she was paying her for it, and she had said she'd get it done by tomorrow. Feeling strangely grim for a woman who was playing around with pictures of kittens and puppies, Elizabeth tried to concentrate on her work.
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