Her eyes went wide as he launched himself and jumped. Leo dove between them, but not before the Shadow Hunter caught Rhiannon and took her down. At that point, the Shadow Hunter pounding on the bathroom door broke through the wood, and the one heading toward the kitchen ducked as the cleaver came flying out from behind the stove.
“What kind of game are we playing now?” A familiar voice rang over the chaos from the door of the diner and I whirled around to see Lannan enter the room, leading a group of eight vampires. They were dressed to kill, in black leather, and their fangs were gleaming in the dim light. For once, I was relieved to see the bloodsucker.
Without another word, the air blurred as the vamps sprang into action. They were all over the Shadow Hunters and the blood began to flow.
A hiss here. A shout there. The lights flickered again. Outside the snow was falling at a steady clip and people passed by, their car doors locked to keep the monsters at bay. The woman on the floor was dead—one of the vamps had gotten distracted and was licking up her blood. Lannan had the Shadow Hunter by the throat—the one who’d grabbed Rhiannon—and was holding him off the floor, squeezing as hard as he could. Rhiannon scrambled out of the way.
Two of the other vamps had routed the Indigo Court Fae from the bathroom and as I watched, one of them plunged a cast-iron spike through the Shadow Hunter’s heart. He shrieked and dropped, dead.
So iron stakes can kill them.
Ulean swept around me. Yes, they can, it appears. Be cautious of using your fan, Cicely. It has powers that you do not yet realize and they can captivate—
But I shook off her warning. At that moment, Anadey stumbled out, helped by none other than one of the Lupa Clan. She looked dazed. At that moment, the other two Shadow Hunters raced out of the diner, followed by five of the vampires. There were screams from the parking lot, and then all was silent. One of the vamps returned a few minutes later.
“All taken care of.”
I stood very still, keenly aware of how much blood was staining the diner, and how easily it could set off the vampires. I stared at Lannan, who swaggered over to me. He said nothing, but reached down to cup my chin. I waited. He planted a long, slow kiss on my lips and, still in shock, I found myself responding. As I pulled away, he whispered, “You can thank me for saving your cousin later.”
And then, as quickly as they’d come, the vampires disappeared into the darkness and we were alone, knee-deep in carnage. The night closed in and Winter howled her wrath.
Anadey slowly came around the counter to the front. “All right, who’s hurt?” She stared down at the woman’s torn body and shook her head, her expression fractured between shock and pain. “That was Eva. She comes in here every night for coffee and pie . . .” She turned away, looking over the remains of her restaurant.
A handful of people filed out of the restroom. They looked bruised but no worse for the wear. A couple of people were hurt; one man looked seriously injured, but it wasn’t apparent whether it had been the Shadow Hunters who’d hurt him or the broken glass from the windows. As Anadey picked up the phone to call for an ambulance, Leo sidled up to me.
“And you still want to bring one of them into the house. You like fucking danger, don’t you? I bet you even want Lannan—you protest, but you weren’t putting him off last night. He was all up inside you—I saw it. I’ll bet you get down on your knees like a dog for him—” He whispered low enough so that Rhiannon didn’t hear me, but I whirled around and smacked him across the face.
“Better him than you. Just give it a fucking rest, dude. I told you I wasn’t planning on bringing Grieve into the house, but you just fucking didn’t bother to listen.”
He let out a long sigh but made no move to return my blow.
Peyton padded over and growled at both of us before transforming back into herself. She stood, naked. Her clothes were on the floor in the flurry of debris and she began hunting them out. One of the women standing nearby helped her find them and she dressed, then went to help her mother.
Rhiannon brushed a strand of hair out of her way. “Leo, I heard what you said to Cicely and believe me, if she hadn’t backhanded you for it, I would have.”
“The antidote won’t turn him back into what he was. It will only take away his vulnerability to light and make him stronger. And who knows what side effects it’s going to produce?”
I stared at him, wanting to flail him a good one, but his eyes registered fear. Leo was scared. He was terrified, and nothing in the world would take that away. I let out a long breath and pulled one of the chairs up off the floor where my windstorm had tossed it.
“I understand your fear, Leo. I just wish you could understand what I’m saying.”
“You did have sex with Grieve again,” Kaylin said, wandering up. “Remember—every time he bites you, you’re under his charm a little bit more.”
“He wouldn’t let me bring him back. He said he didn’t want to put you in danger,” I muttered.
“This isn’t about gaining access to the house,” Kaylin said. “It’s obvious he’s fixated on you. You’re soul mates, he wants back with his other half. And his nature is highly dangerous right now. Just remember: The venom from his bite can cloud your judgment.”
I swallowed, and it was a bitter pill. Kaylin was right about that. Every time Grieve bit me, his saliva injected a toxin into my system that brought me a little bit further under his dominion.
“But you were willing to help me get the antidote.” I stared up at him bleakly, totally confused.
“I believe he can harness his nature, but it’s going to take a lot of work. We need to find a safe place to keep him. Somewhere he can’t break out of.”
“You mean lock him up?” I let out a long breath. “Like an animal.”
“You know what the Shadow Hunters can do. Even if he wasn’t born to the nature, if Grieve does lose control . . .” Kaylin knelt beside me and took my hand. “I’ll help you, but this isn’t a Cinderella story and you aren’t rescuing a fair princess caught by the minions of darkness. You’re rescuing one of the minions, and one who may just get terribly, terribly hungry.”
I nodded, silent. I had to find a haven for Grieve—a place where I could hide him, yet keep myself and the others safe. I couldn’t ask Geoffrey; that would tip him off to my plans. It wasn’t like I had access to dungeons or cells or anything like that, and most apartments weren’t built to keep someone in.
And then I thought about my earlier plan. I had one ally who might be able to help me, who wouldn’t feel the need to blab to Geoffrey about my plans. And he might be able to help us get in and get hold of the antidote. But was I willing to pay the price? Could I face myself in the mirror again?
How far am I willing to go to save Grieve?
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.”