Cicely—don’t do it, please. There has to be another way.
I’m running out of options, Ulean—I’m running out of time.
Quietly, I turned to Anadey. “What’s the damage?”
She pressed her lips together, then let out a strangled sound. “One dead, three severely wounded and I hope they don’t die before the ambulance gets here. Four others hurt, but they’ll live. What do we tell the emergency techs?”
Geoffrey’s whole tactic about wild dogs did not sit well with me. I stared at Leo, who was glowering at me, and said, “Tell them the truth. A group of deranged Fae broke in and tore up the joint.”
“You can’t—Geoffrey would object—” Leo started but I swung on him.
“I don’t give a flying fuck about what Geoffrey would say. People need to know that there’s danger out there in the woods. For the sake of the gods, they
already know it
, but nobody’s doing anything and they feel abandoned. Geoffrey controls the town; let Geoffrey fucking step up to the fucking plate and do something about it. Passing off urban legends about wild dogs is just going to get a bunch of pets killed. And you can tell Geoffrey exactly what I said. I don’t care!”
With that, I pushed him aside and swung out into the chill air. I needed to get my head straight. Kaylin joined me.
He shoved his hands into his pockets and stared up into the sky. “Snow won’t stop till we stop Myst.”
“I know. So what do you suggest? Where should I hide Grieve when we rescue him?”
“A secret place—hidden and hard to escape from.” Kaylin began to whistle, gently, and I turned to him.
“What do you know?”
“I might have access to such a place. You’ll remember, I’ve spent the past year off the grid. Before I moved into your cousin’s house, I hid in a number of places that might do the trick.” He gave me a contemplative look. “I’ll help you but I advise you not to tell Leo where you’re stashing the Fae. In his anger, he might take it upon himself to . . .”
“To rid the world of one more member of the Indigo Court.”
“Exactly.”
“What do you want for helping me?”
Kaylin slowly put his hand on my shoulder and leaned close. “Not everyone is out to use or abuse you. Not everyone has an ulterior motive. You suspect my demon, I can feel it, but not everything that lives in shadows is an automatic threat. Though I can be deadly, I’m not necessarily out to get something from you.”
I raised my gaze to meet his. “You didn’t answer my question.” I’d learned from Lannan and Geoffrey. “What will you ask in return?”
He flashed me an insolent smile, but it wasn’t snide nor was it patronizing. “Only that when I need help, you’ll be there. I watch your back, you watch mine.”
Feeling like a drowning woman clutching at a life preserver that might or might not come from an enemy, I nodded. “Deal. What next?”
“Tomorrow, while the vamps are asleep, we go dreamwalking and find out where that antidote is.” And with a laugh, Kaylin threw his arm around my shoulder and we headed back to the diner.
Chapter 15
As I’d expected, the cops showed up, took the report, and left without a word. No crime scene investigation team, nothing. Either Geoffrey had them firmly cowed or Myst had them charmed. Or maybe a little bit of both. The rest of the patrons wandered off, looking dazed.
Leo headed for Geoffrey’s from the diner while the rest of us offered to stay and help Anadey clean up. She shook her head.
“Go home, kids. You’ve already helped so much. There’s not much left for you to do . . .”
“Yes, there is,” I said, righting a chair. “We can at least clean up and see how much actual damage there is.”
I began tipping tables upright, and Kaylin jumped in to help me. Rhiannon and Peyton pulled out mops and buckets and began cleaning up blood. Anadey looked like she was going to cry.
I said nothing, convinced I was to blame. Anadey was my friend. But she must have noticed my mood because she put her hand on my shoulder.
“This isn’t your fault, Cicely. Myst has it out for all of the magic-born, and remember: She killed my mother to keep her out of the way. We’re all targets. Never let anybody put the blame on your shoulders, regardless of who they are.”
Rhiannon heard but pressed her lips shut. I knew she was torn about Leo’s attitude and accusations, and I decided that I had to put at least some of the tension to rest.
“Guys, gather around a moment.” When they were listening, I took a deep breath. “Kaylin made a valuable point and it’s one I tend to forget. Grieve’s bite enthralls me, and I may act stupid because of it. It’s not Grieve deliberately trying to control me—I’m sure of that. But the fact is, I don’t think things through. I still plan on rescuing him, but I told you that I won’t try to keep him at the house and I want you to know I fully intend to keep my promise.”
“We know that.” Rhiannon rubbed my shoulder. “And Anadey’s right—this isn’t your fault. The Shadow Hunters were taking over the town before you arrived home.”
“Well, Leo’s certainly pissed at me and while I seriously want to smack him down, I get it. Though . . . I have to admit, I’m not sure how much I trust him.” I glanced at Rhiannon and gave her a sad smile. “I’m sorry, Rhia . . . but after he hit me . . .” I shrugged.
“I never expected him to explode like that. I’ve got a lot to think about,” she said quietly.
“Let’s get this place back to some semblance of order.” I returned to clearing up the debris, and with the help of the others and the kitchen staff, we were done in a little over an hour. It wasn’t spotless, and Anadey’d need to bleach the place down because of the blood and call in the health department to check the biohazard level, but at least she wouldn’t return to a mess in the morning. We waited with her while the emergency glass-repair guys came out and boarded up the windows, and then we headed home.
Peyton went with her mother—Anadey needed her.
As we gathered in the living room, I looked over at Chatter. “I suppose you’re against me trying to rescue Grieve, too?”
He surprised me. “Not anymore. If Myst keeps him there, not only will she destroy what control he has left, but she’ll be able to hurt you through hurting him. I think our only choice is to get him out of there. Either that or . . .”
“I know, I have to sever our connection—if I even can—and give up on him. And I can’t do that. I just can’t. And it’s not my hormones or his venom talking. Grieve and I . . .”
“Cicely’s right. She can’t sever the connection.” Chatter looked over at Rhiannon and Kaylin. “I was there when Grieve and Cicely were together, before. It was a terrible battle—I remember the aftermath when Lainule found out Shy—Grieve—was in love with Cherish. She flew into a rage and that just strengthened their resolve. They became so entwined together that nothing in the world could separate them—not Myst, not Lainule, not even heaven itself. I died trying. I was Grieve’s brother back then.”
“I’m sorry.” I stared at him. “There’s so much I still don’t remember, but if there’s anything I regret, it’s hurting . . . killing . . . you.”
Chatter bit his lip. “I wish I could tell you everything, but Lainule would have my head. She’s convinced you need to figure this out for yourself. But I witnessed the devastation the two of you caused in your wake. And though by then I was dead, I now know that the potion you took was created by one of the most powerful sorceresses of that time period. The effects brought you back together in this lifetime, across time and space.”
“I know that—” I started to say, but he shook his head, cutting me off.
“No, you still don’t understand. You’re bound together, and nothing but death can keep you apart. When Grieve is hungry enough for you, he’s going to tear through Myst’s guards until either he’s dead or they’re in shreds, and then he’ll come for you. If we can get him out, so much the better. Because I’ve done some research. Cicely, that potion you took? It did more than simply bind you.”
“I know—it brought us back together this time around.”
“It did more than that,” Chatter said.
A pit in my stomach opened up. How many times Grieve and I’d been together in past lives, I didn’t know and wasn’t sure if Grieve even knew. But our time together as Shy and Cherish had been strong enough to bond us forever. At the end, when we were cornered by our enemies, we’d taken a potion to bring us back together in the next life. But now something tugged at the back of my mind—something I felt I should remember.
“What did it do? Tell me.”
Chatter let out a long sigh. “When one of you dies this time, it will take the other with them. That potion bound you together
forever
. Not just for the next lifetime.”
“Holy crap,” Rhiannon said. “Then if we don’t rescue Grieve . . . if Myst kills him . . .”
“Myst will also kill Cicely.
That’s
why Cicely took on Grieve’s scars from the whip. And if she’s terribly hurt, he’ll be the one to bear her pain.” Chatter looked unhappy. “When Grieve first told me—as Shy—that he intended to have the potion made, I tried to stop him. I tried to persuade Grieve not to go through with it, but he wouldn’t listen. He was blinded by the venom of your bite.”
I stared at him, breathing hard. No . . . no . . . I
couldn’t
have enchanted him. “We loved each other,” I said, hoarsely.
“Yes, you did, just like you love him now. And I’m surprised you’re keeping it together so well this time. But Kaylin was right—you’re sucked in by the intoxication; you can’t help it, just like he couldn’t help it. Another few bites and your common sense may flee.”
That scared the hell out of me. I exhaled and slumped back into the chair. “How do I keep my head clear? What should I do?”
“We can try some sort of counterenchantment.” Kaylin shrugged. “There are some powerful spells that might counter the venom’s effect without breaking your connection to Grieve. Leo was talking about the idea earlier to me. He said that Anadey may know of a way. He asked me to bring it up, because he thought you wouldn’t listen to him if he did.”
That was an even scarier thought, but the more I mulled it over, the more sense it made. I loved Grieve, but my obsession could all too easily put friends in danger. “All right. I’ll ask her. But damn . . . I hate this.”
“I know. But don’t be afraid of breaking your connection—from what Chatter says, I don’t think there’s any real way to do that. You guys are linked, like it or not.”
I picked up the phone, not wanting to bother Anadey after the tragedy at the diner, but this was too important to ignore. As I punched in her number, I realized that I dreaded the thought of countering Grieve’s enchantment over me. Suppose Chatter was wrong? Suppose my love for him died away? Suppose I found out that the venom of his bite was the only true link we had left? What if I emerged from the spell not caring about whether he lived or died?
Anadey picked up the phone and I explained what I wanted. “Leo said you could help. Can you?” I held my breath, hoping she’d say no.
“I think so . . . at least, I can give it a try. Come over now and we’ll see what we can do.” She hung up, sounding tired.
I stared at the receiver. Kaylin was watching me closely, and I realized everybody was waiting to hear what I had to say.
“Yeah, she says she can help.” I reluctantly replaced the receiver on the cradle and let out a long sigh. “I don’t like this, but to make sure you guys are safe, I’ll do it.” I grabbed my keys and slid into my jacket.
“Do you want us to come with you?” Rhiannon asked.
I shook my head. “Nah. Unless you’re afraid I’m not going through with it.” I gave her a long look, challenging her to call me a liar. Of course, Rhia wouldn’t, but I was feeling under the gun and really itching for a place to lash out.
She gazed at me softly, then touched my arm. “Come with me.”
I followed her into the parlor. “What?”
“Cicely, I know you think we’re against you but we’re not. Leo’s being an ass, and I am so sorry for the crap he’s given you—if you want, I’ll put him out. But we all want the same things: Myst dead, the town free, Grieve home safe. And”—she lowered her voice—“my mother . . . I want her to rest. For good. I can’t stand the thought that Myst turned her into a vampire.”
I hung my head, trying to swim up through the depths of depression. Everything was so fucked up that I couldn’t see the bottom from where I was standing. Enfolding my cousin in my arms, I patted her back and kissed her hair.
“I’d give anything—even Grieve—to be able to give you your mother back again. Remember: I loved her, too. She was the only steadying force I ever knew in my life, aside from Ulean. Please, never think I’m angry at you. I hold my anger for those who deserve it. Myst—Lannan . . . even Leo. Right now, I could take them all out. Well, maybe not Leo, but I’d like to give him a bruised butt. But you . . .
chica
, we’re family. We’re twin cousins—remember?”
She smiled then, tears in her eyes. “I remember when we were young. How much fun we had. Life seemed so full of promise, until Krystal took you away. After that, I still had fun, but there was always something missing. And that missing piece was
you
. Cicely, we’re solstice babies; I’m the light, you’re the dark. We balance each other out.”