Read Online Bayou Fairy Tale by Lex Chase - Free Book Online Page A

still read the pertinent information under the markings.
    Devon plucked a cookie off the tray, handed it to Rachel, and winked at Taylor. “Rachel has a present for Corentin, huh?”
    Taylor pressed the letter close to his chest, trying to hide the paper. “Mmmhmm. Very special.”
    Rachel overdramatically swooned in her seat. “When I’m old enough, I’m gunna marry Mr. Ten!”
    Taylor slapped his hand over his mouth and glanced at Devon. Her cheeks puffed as she held in a laugh. Don’t , he tried to tell her.
    Devon grinned instead and gave Rachel an extra cookie. “And you’ll be his princess?”
    Rachel bounced in her seat. “Like Sleeping Beauty!”
    “ Okay !” Taylor squeaked, and all eyes turned to him. He coughed and swallowed as the embarrassment stung every pore. “I’m”—he pointed toward the break room—“going to get some more glitter.”
    He tacked on a smile and hurried to the librarian lounge. Once he crossed the threshold, he made sure to lock the door behind him, then collapsed onto the nearby couch. The letter slipped to the floor.
    Ringo fluttered down from the bookcase and settled on the floor. He paced around the letter and rubbed his chin. “I’m no art critic, but that is a creepy-assed drawing.”
    Taylor folded his arms behind his head and sighed. “Tell me about the Library.”
    Ringo blinked. “We’re in one?”
    Taylor narrowed his eyes. “The Queen of Hearts wants to recruit us.” It wasn’t lying, not really. He pulled his right arm from behind his head, held up his palm, and flexed his fingers, imagining a knife there.
    “Oh,” Ringo said. “ That Library. The Big L .”
    “Yeah. Big L .” Taylor snorted.
    Ringo wrung his hands. “It’s kind of a long story.”
    “Well, skip the ‘Once Upon A Time’ part and get to the point.” Taylor stared at the ceiling. Was this what it was like for Corentin when he had a bad day? Everything going topsy-turvy? Too much to digest all at once? Too many things that were pure coincidence, but had to be fate?
    But the questions remained. Did Corentin really have to kill Taylor to break his curse? And the only part he needed for the spell to work was to make true love’s sacrifice? Taylor knew he had been a selfish person before, but now he had things in order. He’d changed. The truth prickled like the hair on the back of his neck. The selfishness had never left him. He would stay alive if it meant he could be happy with Corentin forever.
    None of it made sense. His eye twitched like someone had taken an icepick to the bridge of his nose. He needed sleep. Who knows how much of the day so far was all in his head. Did he even go to bed last night? Was he dreaming? He snorted in derision. Taylor was Sleeping Beauty after all, the technical expert on dreaming.
    He waited for Ringo to explain it all away so everything would fall into place.
    “They don’t exist.”
    Instead, Ringo’s words ruined everything.
    Taylor fixed him with a dour look. “You’re kidding.”
    Wringing his hands, Ringo hung his head. “They’re kind of an urban legend.”
    “Hello, we come from a race of fairy tales and urban legends.”
    Ringo nodded. “Well. Yeah. You see, the Library is one of those things you’re better off pretending isn’t real.”
    Taylor perked. “Are they spooky or something? C’mon. Give me something.”
    Ringo huffed and tossed up his hands. “Look. I don’t really know the particulars, okay? It’s not like I met anyone from the Library. I just heard rumors about it, is all.”
    Sitting up, Taylor blinked away the dizziness from the lack of sleep. “But I met the Queen of Hearts. She was just here.”
    “So you did.” Ringo paused for far too long and thumbed his chin.
    “Yeah, I di—”
    “Let’s just ignore you did.”
    “What?” Taylor gaped at him.
    Ringo crossed his arms. “We need time to figure this out, okay? No one’s seen the Queen of Hearts for years. Last I heard, they did the whole ‘off