“We seem to be at a standstill. I will not harm your sister if you keep quiet, and you stay away in return for her continued well-being.”
I turned toward Lannan, wondering. Could he really believe what Geoffrey said? As much as I wanted to stake him, Lannan was taking my side. I sidled over to Grieve and quietly took his hand. I wanted to kiss him, to hold him and ask how he was, but we both knew better. This was not the time for a reunion.
“Lannan, leave my house. Cicely, you, too. I wish you luck in keeping alive without our protection. Tell Leo he must choose—either work with me, or align himself to you and your cousin, but he cannot do both. If he does not report for work tomorrow, tomorrow night he will be taken off the rolls. Just pray you do not meet me on the opposite side of the battleground. Lainule, attend me.”
Geoffrey turned away and stormed out the door.
Lannan let out a sigh. “Geoffrey has always been—and will always be—a warlord. He misses the battle, he misses the conquest. He may be Regent, but once the Crimson Queen understands how deep his ambitions lie, I can only hope she’s not too late in putting a stop to them. Because the day he can, he will topple her from the throne and take control. And my sister will be next in line to die.”
At the door, Lainule turned back to us, her gaze fastened on Wrath. “Be cautious—you have no allies. Return to the fold; accept that only through solidarity can we defeat the Winter.”
“Not at the sacrifice of my daughter,” Wrath said.
“Then prepare to meet your doom—but never at my hands.” She motioned to Anadey and they slowly followed Geoffrey out of the room.
I turned to Wrath, Lannan, and Grieve. “What the fuck are we supposed to do now? I couldn’t do it . . . I couldn’t let Geoffrey turn me.”
Wrath shook his head. “I have been the King of Summer for eons, but my Lady doesn’t always tell me her plans. And she is terrified—her heartstone still lies within the boundaries of the Golden Wood. If Myst finds it . . .”
“She’ll destroy Lainule.” And there it was—the fear within Lainule was born of self-preservation.
“What if we get it back?” Grieve turned to me. “Cicely, my love . . . I am cured of the light-rage, but I am still part of Myst’s people. I will do my best to control my impulses. And if I can’t . . .”
“Then we will have to destroy you,” Lannan said. “I must figure out a way to warn my sister so she can get out before Geoffrey does something to her, but we can’t tarry here. Geoffrey will return and he will kill us if we’re still around. Of that much, I guarantee.”
Grieve slowly turned. “
You.
You’re the one I smelled on her—you filthy bloodsucker! What have you been doing to my Cicely?” He shoved Lannan back and took a step toward him.
Lannan laughed. “Not as much as I want to.” He made an obscene gesture with his hands.
“Stop it, both of you.” Wrath lashed out and within seconds had separated both men. “We cannot afford to be divided. Leave it for now. We’ll sort everything out once we’re away from here. Come, let us leave.”
“What about Lainule?” I glanced at the door. “Are you just going to leave her?”
“I’m afraid we don’t have much of a choice. We’re running on borrowed time, whether it be from Geoffrey or from Myst.” Wrath led us out. The butler gazed at us, unreadable, but he did nothing to prevent us from leaving.
“I didn’t bring my car,” I said, pausing. “I came in Geoffrey’s limo.”
“I’ve got my BMW here.” Lannan motioned us toward it. He flipped open his phone, trying to contact Regina, but after a moment, hung up. “She’s not answering. I don’t like this.”
Grieve hung back. “I won’t get in the car with him. Cicely, how can you?”
In tears, frustrated and confused, I swung on him. “You’ll get in the fucking car. Do you know how much we risked for you? And now we’re on our own. We no longer have the backing of the vampires, and trust me, to defeat Myst, we need as many allies as we can gather. So shut up—both you and Lannan—and just get in the damned thing. Lannan—we’ll keep calling Regina, trying to warn her.”
Lannan rolled his eyes but said nothing. Grieve stared at me, his lips full, and I wanted again to rush into his arms, to feel his heart beating against mine. After a moment, he inclined his head.
“Very well. I will obey.”
“The machine will be painful, but I can withstand it for a short time,” Wrath said. “We have a long night ahead of us.”
But before I could climb into the car, my cell phone rang. Exasperated, I flipped it open. “Hello?”
“Cicely, can you get home, now? And bring help.” Rhia sounded frantic.
“What’s wrong?”
“The Shadow Hunters have broken through the wards and they’re on the way toward the house. We can’t fight them alone.”
Crap!
“We’re on our way. I’m bringing Wrath, Grieve, and Lannan with me. Get whatever weapons you can together.”
“Lannan?”
“Yes,
Lannan
. We’ll tell you all about it when we have the time. Now just get off the phone and be fucking careful.”
I took off for Lannan’s car. “Myst broke through the wards. They’re in danger.” The squabbling stopped as they followed me. I shoved Lannan away from the wheel and took over. “I drive faster than you.”
“I doubt it,” he said, but he let me get behind the wheel.
We sped through the dark streets as I counted off the minutes. As we rounded the corner onto Vyne Street, I closed my eyes.
Ulean, are you there? Can you hear me?
I am here—the Shadow Hunters are circling the house, coming closer. They seem cautious, as if they expect a trap.
Is everyone still okay?
Yes, so far. But there are seven of the Indigo Court out there—and the energy on the slipstream is roiling with anger. Myst is awake and hunting for Grieve.
And I was bringing him right to her. I thought about how we’d make it into the house—all my weapons were there. “We have to fly in. Grieve, you and Lannan will have to make a run for the door, but Wrath and I can shift and fly in the upper windows.” I tossed Lannan my phone. “Call them and tell them to be ready at the front door and my bedroom window.”
Lannan put in the call and, whatever he said, it was brief and to the point. I wasn’t paying attention. I was focused on the battle ahead. I had my fan, of course, and my switchblade, but that alone wasn’t going to be enough.
“Iron stakes. We need them—they’ll work on the Shadow Hunters.”
Wrath peered over the backseat. “The gate. There’s a gate made of iron in front of the house next door. But neither Grieve nor I can touch the stakes. You can, since you are only half-Fae—you don’t seem bothered by the iron. Even this car hurts me, but I bear it because of necessity.”
“I can get them.” I said. “And Lannan can.”
Lannan leaned forward. It was disconcerting to have him at my shoulder but not to be able to see him in the rearview mirror. “Are you willing to put your life in my hands? I can rip the stakes out of the gate. You fly in with your father. The Prince will have to make a run for it on his own.”
I bit my lip. “Are you sure you can make it without getting caught?”
“If you cause a distraction, yes. Once you’re inside, do something to draw their attention to the back of the house.”
I sucked in a deep breath. “Okay. That’s how it is. Grieve, when you hit the ground, don’t stop running. Meanwhile . . .” I cringed. “I’m going to have to take off my clothes before we get there if I expect to be able to transform into owl shape. Lannan, I guess you’d better take the wheel.” I abruptly pulled to a halt and we played musical seats, with me running to the back of the car and Lannan leaping into the driver’s seat.
I began to yank off my clothes and had the distinct feeling Lannan was watching me through the rearview mirror, though there was no way I could prove it, since I couldn’t see him other than the back of his head. I slid beneath a throw in the back of the car and pulled it around my shoulders as we drove off again.
Grieve simmered, but he simmered at me, his eyes drinking their fill as I disrobed. Hard as it was, I forced myself to hold back, to keep from tumbling into his arms. But I did kiss my fingers and press them against his lips.
“You make me want to—” Lannan started, but my father interrupted him.
“Be cautious, vampire. That’s my daughter you’re talking to,” Wrath said, his voice thick with warning. “You will behave like a gentleman.”
“You may be the King of Summer, but Cicely owes me more than you want to know and I intend to collect. And chill out, Wolf Boy, because I know she only has eyes for you.” Lannan’s words took on an edge as he added, “She’s made that all too apparent.”
I pulled back, not wanting to start any more arguments. Grieve gave me a curt nod, but his eyes promised me that once we were finished, if we managed to come through this alive, he’d prove to me just how much he missed me.
Ulean, we’re near. Did you hear our plans?
I did—your thoughts were clear.
Can you start a distraction in the backyard?
I can, but if you can get to your fan, we can wreak much more havoc together. You have yet to use the most powerful force that it can summon.
I’ve created a tornado before—and gale-force winds; what more can there be?
Hurricane force. Typhoon. But beware, Cicely—it can devastate an area.
We may have no choice. I’ll meet you in my bedroom.
And then we turned on to Vyne Street. As we raced along the silent asphalt, I shivered, more out of fear than cold. Before we arrived, I leaned over and pressed my lips against Grieve’s. He gathered me close and I ached, wanting him to reach out and touch my breasts, to slide his hands along my body. But, mindful of my father’s presence, he simply pulled me close, and I found myself falling deep, sucking under, into the spiral of love and lust that permeated our connection.
And then we were there, and the car screeched to a halt. We slammed out of the doors, Wrath and I transforming into our owl selves and winging into the sky. Last I saw, Grieve was racing for the house as Lannan began yanking iron stakes off the neighbor’s gate. And then, as I neared my bedroom window, I could see them out back—the Shadow Hunters, gauging the house.
It was official. We were at war.
Chapter 22
I swooped high enough to stay out of range should they have archers, but low enough to fly directly in the window, which was open, with Kaylin waiting to slam it shut the minute I was through.
I landed on my dresser, then hopped to the floor and quickly transformed, my moonstone pendant lightly hitting against my breasts. As I spilled forward, Kaylin quickly handed me a pair of jeans, a bra, and a turtleneck. I wriggled into my clothes.
“We have big trouble—but we don’t have time to tell you. Just know that Lainule, Anadey, and Geoffrey are no longer on our side. Lannan and Wrath, however, are. Grieve’s back, too.”
At his startled look, I shook my head. “Don’t ask—it’s just too complicated right now. Have the Shadow Hunters made any attack?”
“Not yet, but I think they were waiting for you. They made themselves obvious, and then held off, keeping us in the house.”
“They must have seen me leave earlier. And Myst knows we have Grieve—how can she not?” I slid on a pair of lace-up steel-toed boots and then strapped my blade to my wrist and grabbed my fan. “I need a better blade.”
“What about the obsidian one? The one we caught when we fought Myst and her cronies last week? Remember?”
I thought back. When we’d rescued Peyton, we had picked up an obsidian blade off one of the Shadow Hunters. “Oh hell, yeah. And it wants blood. Bring it to me.”
Kaylin hurried out of the room, returning with the sealed box. I cautiously opened it and pulled out the blade. Obsidian, it was fashioned with a bone handle. I cautiously reached out to touch it. The one time before when I’d picked it up, it had immediately tried to possess me, but I had the feeling that now that I knew about my heritage as Myst’s daughter, I might be able to wrest control of it.
As my hand slid around the handle, I felt a shudder of joy run through me, a delight in the sharpness of the edge, the piercing point that could drive through bone and steel. This blade was magic, and it had an essence—a strength all its own. I clasped my fingers around the handle and a ripple of delight echoed through my breasts, my body . . . it was better than sex.
“I can mow them down with this,” I said, looking up at Kaylin slyly.
And indeed, a swath of blood and destruction spread in front of me, and I knew that whatever might come, this blade would sever limb from bone, it would slice throats and pierce hearts and do anything I asked it to, sucking the pain right into itself as food, and with each kill, it would grow stronger, and so would I.