Chapter 20
The first few items
were easy, and rather boring. I stopped at Cheri’s Alterations
& Dry Cleaning and picked up Geoffrey’s clothing, marveling at
the rampant textures and colors of the Regent’s smoking jackets.
There were ten. He must change clothes twice a day, I thought, to
go through this many.
As I pulled out of
the mini-mall’s parking lot, Favonis purred and I cruised along the
streets, watching passersby. It might have been any other year, any
holiday shopping rush, except people walked in groups, and cars
were no longer single-occupant. Carpooling had suddenly become
popular in New Forest.
I turned up the
music—“Napalm Love” by Air pounded out of the speakers and I
thought about Lannan’s note. There were no demands in it, no orders
to pay him back for his advice. For once, I had the feeling he
might be stepping outside his comfort zone and doing something
altruistic.
Don’t believe it. He has an agenda: keeping you alive. He
wants you, and he can’t have you if Geoffrey wins you
over.
I sighed.
Ulean, sometimes you’re a killjoy. But yeah, I
hear what you’re saying.
As I pulled into a
parking lot at the next stop, I glanced up at the store. Leo was
supposed to pick up a package for Geoffrey here—that was the only
notation, so I guessed that whatever it was, was ready. I slid out
of the car and pushed through the door to the little
shop.
The store turned out
to be an art shop, and the package I was to pick up was a framed
print. The cashier motioned for me to have a seat at one of the
desks.
“I’ll just get your
print and you can approve or disapprove the framing job. One
moment, please.” She disappeared into the back.
Nervous now—what if I
approved something that was fucked up? Geoffrey would be furious,
and Leo would be in trouble.
Just go through with it. There is something important here
for you to learn, though I don’t know what it is. The energy on the
slipstream is crackling around this shop.
I nodded, sliding
into the chair to which the woman had gestured. As I waited, I
glanced around the shop. The walls were filled with frames—all
sorts from inexpensive plastic to what looked like ornate gold-leaf
embossed etched frames. There was a huge table next to the cash
register with a variety of measuring tools on it and what looked
like several projects in the middle of completion.
After a moment, the
woman returned with a bag. She withdrew a painting that was about
ten by ten inches, not including the frame, and placed it in front
of me.
“I hope you and your
employer will like this. It was a joy to work with the Regent, and
we’re grateful that he trusted our shop to get the job done.” She
paused, staring at the painting, then at me. “You were wearing a
lovely costume.”
“What?” I took the
painting and stared at it. Sure enough, there I was—or rather . . .
someone who looked a lot like me, in a gossamer gown. And next to
the woman stood Geoffrey, wearing what looked like a costume from
long ago. His arms were around the woman’s waist, embracing her,
and they were both laughing. I could see his fangs and—holy crap! I
recognized the woman now. She was fuller, not so thin, and not
quite so . . . stretched . . . but it was definitely her. Myst—but
without the cerulean cast to her skin.
The more I looked at
the painting, the more I realized that it had to have been painted
before Myst had been turned. Or rather . . . I touched the canvas
lightly. This was a print. A picture of a painting. The original
was probably in a vault somewhere.
“Thank you,” I
murmured. “Is there a balance due?”
She shook her head.
“We charged your account. Or rather, the Regent’s account. Please,
if there’s any problem, don’t hesitate to let us
know.”
I took the receipt,
slid the painting back into the wrapper, then slowly returned to
Favonis. After I slid into the front seat, I took another look at
the print. Sure enough, that had to be Myst—before she was turned.
She might have been Unseelie at that point, but she looked far more
human . . . far more humane . . . than
she did now. And the way Geoffrey was holding her waist . . .
almost like a lover.
A thought occurred to
me and I tried to brush it away, but it kept coming back. What if
Geoffrey had tried to turn her with her
permission? What if he hadn’t captured the Unseelie, but the rumor
had gotten started that he had? What if they’d been lovers and
she’d agreed to let him turn her, but something had gone horribly
wrong?
As I started up the
car, I gave one last glance to the print before tucking it back
into the sack. Myst and I looked alike, all right. And Geoffrey had
offered to sire me. I wasn’t sure what was up, but whatever it was,
I had an uneasy feeling about it.
None of the other
errands revealed anything more worth noting, other than the fact
that Geoffrey’s servants or stable apparently liked chocolate
mint—I ended up picking up five pounds of chocolate mints at one
store. When I was finished, I thought about dropping in at the
diner and giving Anadey a scare, but the fleeting chuckle I got was
immediately replaced by a sense of sadness and anger. We needed
her, and she had turned her back on us. On me.
I spotted a
drive-through a few blocks away and pulled in. Since I wasn’t sure
if their French fry fryer was dedicated or whether they fried fish
fillets in it, I just ordered a strawberry shake and a cookie. As I
scarfed down my sugar fix, I thought about what Geoffrey would say
tonight when I delivered the picture. Was it safe to mention what
I’d noticed? It began to occur to me that I might have made a
serious mistake—Leo would have been the one picking it up and Leo
had never . . . wait a minute.
Leo had seen Myst. He knew what she looked like, and
Geoffrey had to be aware of it. Which meant, if Leo picked up the
picture, he’d have to have dropped it off. And surely he’d
recognize Myst in it and know that . . .
Shit. I slammed my
shake into the cup holder. Leo constantly defended Geoffrey. And
that alone meant he knew more than he let on. I wondered if
Geoffrey confided in him, but that seemed out of character. Then
again, Leo had worked for the vampire for quite some time. Chances
were Geoffrey forgot he was in the room during some conversations.
Yummanii and magic-born were a lot like furniture to the
vampires.
Glancing at the print
again, I pressed my lips together. There was something I wasn’t
getting—parts I couldn’t put together. The equation didn’t add up,
and I was afraid that by the time I fully understood, it would be
too late.
I finished off the
shake and, unable to figure out anything more than I had, pulled
out of the lot and headed home. Now I just had to decide whether to
confront Leo or lie low. But I was sure as hell going to show
Kaylin the print—and Peyton. My cousin was still in love with Leo.
And I wasn’t sure. I wasn’t sure about anything
anymore.
At least I didn’t
have to worry about Leo insisting on going out—he was out cold, a
jolt of Heather’s cold medicine down his throat. Kaylin and Peyton
weren’t around, so I helped Luna clean the kitchen and made sure
she was doing okay before heading upstairs to change for
Geoffrey’s.
“How is Leo doing?” I
asked, peeking in on him. Rhiannon was just gathering up a bowl and
a washcloth. She motioned me out of the room.
“He’s got a horrible
sore throat, but I don’t think it’s strep. I got his fever down to
a manageable level, and now he needs sleep. A lot of sleep. He
won’t be getting out of bed for a few days, though. Can you tell
Geoffrey tonight . . .” She paused, staring at me. “What
happened?”
“Nothing. Or . . .
well . . . I don’t know yet. I need some time to figure it
out.”
“So many secrets
lately. Anadey and Peyton’s father and now this . . .” Rhia shook
her head. “I am half-sick of shadows . .
.”
“. . . Said the Lady of Shalott.” I smiled softly.
When we were teens and I visited, we’d read poetry to each other
and that had been one of our favorites.
“We haven’t done
anything fun like that in years.” She gazed at me, her doe eyes
softening. “I missed you so much while you were gone. I hated
Krystal for taking you away. Then, when you phoned to tell us she’d
died, I secretly dreamed you’d come back. I fantasized about
it—daydreamed that you would come back and marry Grieve, and I’d
marry Cha—I’d marry someone . . . and we’d settle down and raise
babies and be the two old witches of the village when we grew
old.”
“Chatter? You started
to say Chatter.” I cocked my head. “Rhia . . . please, promise me
you won’t settle. That you won’t tie yourself to someone you aren’t
sure about.”
She bit her lip,
staring at the floor. “I know . . . I know . . . but what is love?
Love brings pain and sorrow. Isn’t it better to marry someone you
consider a good friend rather than getting your heart
broken?”
I pulled her close,
kissing her cheek. “Oh, Rhiannon . . . whether they’re friends or
lovers or both, we’ll always have broken hearts. When they reject
us, if they love us and then leave . . . if we live with them a
hundred years loving them, and then they die—our hearts are bound
to break. Why cut yourself off from the wonderful part just to
avoid the sad?”
She shivered. “What
if . . . what if I throw away something good to find I’m chasing an
illusion? What if I discover that I’ve built something up in my
mind? Can I hurt him, because I just maybe think I might be in love with someone
else?”
“You’re walking on a
tightrope. Please promise you’ll talk to Chatter? Find out how he
feels before you say anything to Leo?”
She glanced at the
closed door behind us. “That feels so wrong. Like I’m going behind
his back.”
I bit my lip, not
sure what to say. “Just promise me you’ll think long and hard
before you actually get married. Breaking an engagement is a lot
easier than five years down the line when you’re filing for
divorce.”
Rhiannon let out a
low sigh. “Yeah, I know. I’ll think about it.” She shrugged. “Come
on, let’s get you dolled up.”
As we entered my
bedroom and I closed the door, Rhiannon sat cross-legged on the
floor next to the bed, resting her elbows on her knees. She played
with the hem of my blanket as I slipped out of my clothes and into
my bathrobe.
“I’ll be back in a
few—I just need a quick rinse off.” I headed into the shower and,
dropping my bathrobe, called out to Rhiannon. “Can you find me
something nice to wear? I’m not sure what, but it’s not a party, as
far as I know, although he said formal dress.”
When I finished
soaping up and rinsing off, I climbed out of the shower to find her
holding up a gorgeous cobalt blue sleeveless dress. Low cut, it was
made of a simple jersey, with gathered shoulders and a woven black
belt. I stared at it, struck by its beauty. The color was rich—so
rich it was hard to look at.
“Where did you find
that? I know full well I don’t own anything like
that.”
She grinned. “I
raided Heather’s back closet. This never fit her—it was too short
and too . . . well . . . a couple sizes too big. But it looks like
it’s made for you. I think she bought it for you on your last trip
home, but you didn’t stay long enough for her to give it to you.
Not after you and Grieve . . .”
“After we broke up.”
I’d taken off, wanting nothing more than to get out of New Forest,
to forget the look of pain on his face when I’d told him I wasn’t
ready to come home. Now I’d give anything to go back to that moment
in time, to take it back. But then again, would I? Would I give up
being who I’d become?
I shook off the
thought. “Let me try it on.” I dried off and fastened my underwire
bra, then slipped the dress over my head. It clung in all the right
places and was just the right color for my skin and hair. As I
gazed into the mirror and saw the beaming smile of Rhia behind me,
a crack in my mood started to fracture. I tried to repress it, but
within minutes, like a glacier calving, the façade fell away and I
sank to my knees, in tears.
Rhia was by my side
instantly. “Cicely, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”
I shook my head,
weeping into my hands. “I want to tell you things, I want to so
bad, but I’m afraid to because of Leo. Because I don’t know where
your loyalties lie. I want to talk to you, but I can’t . . . I
can’t trust anybody but myself—and I feel so alone. I’m walking
into a vampire’s lair tonight and I don’t trust him. But I have to
go, and I have to go alone.”
“I’ll go if you
like—I’ll be there with you.”
“No, Geoffrey told me
to come alone. Oh, Rhia . . .” I turned to her, grasping her hands.
“I know Leo trusts him. I know Leo works for him, but Geoffrey’s
not the fair, just leader we think. I know. Trust me, I know. And
I’m afraid that he’s using me for something . . . something that
could lead to everybody’s destruction.”
“What are you talking
about? I promise you—I give you my word to keep it silent, upon our
mothers and our grandmothers. On the Veil House itself . . .” She
held up her hand to swear.
I quickly grabbed her
fingers. “Before you do that, you should know—I saw the Veil House
from the astral. This land is almost a living being. Its energy is
brilliant, a beacon in the night. We live on top of Grand Central
Station—we’re the blue-light special at Kmart. If you swear on the
house, the land will hear and hold you to it. Don’t say anything
rashly.”
She nodded, serious
now, and pulled her hand away. After a moment, she held it up
again. “I swear to you on the memory of our mothers, on our legacy
with this land and this house, on flame and fire, on the Veil House
itself, I will not betray your confidence. You are my cousin and we
are in this together. Neither love nor men nor circumstance will
sway me from my oath. You have my back, Cicely. And I have
yours.”
A pale light, orange
and flickering, formed around her hand. I stared at it, feeling a
pull I’d never felt before. I held up my hand opposite
hers.
“I swear to you on
the memory of our mothers, on our legacy with this land and this
house, on wind and air, on the Veil House itself, I will not betray
your confidence. You are my cousin, and we are in this together.
Neither love nor men nor circumstance will sway me from my oath.
You have my back, Rhiannon. And I have yours.”
From my hand spun a
whirlwind, tiny and gray; it began to increase, as did her flame,
and the two met in the air, producing a firestorm of sparks, but
none that stung as they landed on our skin. We brought our hands
together, clasping them. The energy spiraled around us and as we
held tight, we were dancing through a vortex, through a spiraling
tunnel that wended with flame and cloud.
And then, we were
aloft, spinning in a dance through the stars, while the pounding
beat of drums in the night surrounded us.
“We are powerful
together,” I whispered. “We can move mountains.”
“We can take down
armies. We combine our powers and we are the sun and the
moon.”
“The night and the
day. The summer and winter.” I let my head drop back and laughed
wildly as we began to spin faster, and then I was standing outside
myself, watching as we spiraled even higher. I glanced to one side
and saw Rhiannon’s spirit there, too, watching, laughing joyfully.
And then, before our spirits could journey too far from our bodies,
we were back in the room, dancing, laughing, stomping on the floor
until we collapsed in a pile in the center of the
room.
After a few moments,
I looked up, surprised no one had come to find out what the fuck we
were doing. Rhiannon looked just as confused.
“I guess . . . we
were hearing everything on an internal level?”
“Could be,” I said.
After a few minutes I sat back and stared at her. “Okay, you want
to know what’s going on? Lainule and the rest of them be damned.
I’ll tell you, but you can’t tell anyone at this
point.”
“I promise. What the
hell happened with Anadey?”
I slowly started, and
then the words spilled out and I told her, told her everything.
About Anadey drugging me and tying me down and trying to strip away
my feelings for Grieve. About Wrath being my father, and the plan
to find out who Anadey was working with. About the picture with
Myst—who looked like me—and Geoffrey. By the time I finished
telling her about what Kaylin and I had witnessed, she was staring
slack-jawed, shaking her head.
“I can’t even begin
to put it all together, but, Cicely, I’m afraid. You know
too much. You’re walking into a lion’s
den. And somehow, I don’t think Lannan is the lion in this
cage.”
I nodded. “You think
Geoffrey was behind Anadey’s actions?”
“I don’t know, but I
don’t like you going out there by yourself.”
“I can’t take
anybody—the vamps would be pissed and the last thing we want to do
is stomp on any vampire egos. Lannan . . . he tried to warn me in
that e-mail and if I hadn’t seen what Kaylin took me to see, or the
print . . . I wouldn’t have believed him. I’d have thought it was
yet another trick to get me into his clutches. But now, I don’t
think so.”
“Don’t trust him too
much, Cicely. He’s not one of the good guys.”
“I don’t. I know he
still wants me and will do what it takes to get hold of me. But
now—alliances are running deep and hidden, and I’m realizing
there’s a lot more to this than what’s on the surface.” I stood and
straightened the dress. “This is really pretty. I wish . . . I wish
I could have thanked Heather for it.”
“I wish so, too,”
Rhia said. “I miss her so much. I hate that she’s out there, a
spawn of the Indigo Court. I hate that they transformed her. She
was so wonderful and now, now she’s Myst’s confidant.”
“That’s another
thing,” I said. “Myst has to be fuming. Wrath and Lainule managed
to capture Grieve. Myst will be on the hunt for her chosen one. And
she’s going to blame me for his disappearance. You have to keep
watch—the wards may not hold out against an all-out assault. And
you can bet that tonight, Myst will realize Grieve is gone, and she
may send her people.”
I braided my hair
back in a French braid, slipped on some simple gold hoops and a
pair of black pumps, and whisked on a quick, five-minute face for
evening. Standing back, I observed myself in the
mirror.
“You look elegant.”
Rhiannon hunted through the closet and pulled out a simple black
velvet cape. “Here, this will make the outfit.” She stood back as I
slid my arms through the slits and fastened it by the single button
in front. “There, see—you look incredible.”
The cape transformed
the outfit. I paused long enough to slide the moonstone pendant
over my head. “I wish I were going to visit Wrath and Lainule
instead of Geoffrey.”
“I know. I wish we
could go with you. I wish you didn’t have to face them alone.” She
opened the door and handed me my purse. “Call us if you need us.
We’ll be there . . . in fact, I’ll ask Kaylin and Peyton to drive
out and park nearby. They can hide in the car and wait in case you
need them.”
“Normally I’d say no,
because the Shadow Hunters will be out tonight in full force, but I
think I’d feel better if you did that. Tell them to be cautious,
though, and keep a low profile. Don’t hang out on the streets. Take
weapons.”
I wish I could go, my dear Cicely . . . watch how much you
reveal. Sometimes silence brings life and to speak is to
die.
Ulean couldn’t attend
me—but I had learned the secret why. The Elementals could sense the
vampires but not the other way around. Until now, we thought the
vamps just didn’t like them. I thought about asking her to go with
me now that we knew the truth, but the chance that someone there
might be able to sense her—perhaps one of the bloodwhores—and rat
us out was too great. I didn’t dare tick off Geoffrey.
I sucked in a deep
breath and swallowed my fear. “I have survived worse fears before.
When you’re six, facing the streets with a junkie mother tends to
leave you immune to lesser threats.”
Besides, I would—if I
read things right—be seeing my beloved Grieve tonight. And that . .
. that one fact alone was enough to sustain me. I followed Rhiannon
downstairs and peered out the living room window. Geoffrey was
sending a limousine and I wanted to meet it outside rather than
wait for them to come knocking.
A glance over at the
Golden Wood told me that Myst had most likely discovered Grieve was
missing. The forest was lit up like a house afire—the sickly glow
that permeated the area was shining brightly, flaring with fits and
sparks. I looked for Wrath, but he was nowhere in sight and I could
only hope that he’d be there tonight when I arrived at Geoffrey’s.
I wanted someone on my side who I felt I could believe in, and
among all the major players, my father would be most likely to take
my part. Lainule was ruthless in her own way, and the vampires were
using me to their own ends, but Wrath . . . he was my father. And
he’d been watching over me since I returned to New
Forest.
A black sedan pulled
up in our driveway and out stepped one of the vampires that I
recognized by now from Geoffrey’s mansion. I exhaled slowly,
steeling myself for the coming meeting. Picking up the bags with
Geoffrey’s laundry, the chocolates, and the framed print, I stepped
out into the icy night. I was headed straight into the arms of
destiny. I only hoped she’d cover me with kisses, instead of
flogging me with her whip.
As we pulled out of
the driveway, I looked back at the Veil House, wondering how much
longer we could hold the front line against Myst. Our wards were
strong, but her desire was stronger.