“George? Master of Night Haven? I thought they broke up the nest into independent covens?”
“They did. Night Haven is much smaller than it once was but quadruple the size of Liberty coven. He’s got to be the most powerful vampire on the East Coast. And you are the reason.”
I try not to think about how George sired me by having Marabella feed me his blood in the protein shakes she served me, without my consent. While he did immediately free me from the sire bond following my transformation, it was still a dick move. I always liked George, but I don’t think I could ever trust him again.
“How have the changes been received by the masses?”
“You can ask him yourself. He and Marabella will be at the wedding tomorrow.”
“You invited them?” I shove another bite into my mouth, wondering what it will be like to face those two after all this time. Now that I know what they’d planned for me all along, I find it hard to reconcile that with thefact that Ren intentionally invited them to the happy occasion. It all worked out for me, but it might have ended differently. I deserved to be in on the plan. I deserved better than what they did to me. And although I can’t claim that what they did, they did out of malice—in their minds, I’m sure they felt like they were helping me, albeit in the only way that was sure to preserve their interests—I have no desire to break bread with them.
Ren must notice the mix of emotions that course through me—betrayal, anger, and also resolve—because her own face echoes all of them. “Marabella used us,” she finally says. “She created a system designed to make it nearly impossible for us to buy our way out. But she did help me. I’d still be in the gutter without her. And in the end, she used her position to do what was right for all of us.”
“Because what was right for all of us was also good for business,” I murmur.
“There is that.” She laughs and takes another sip of tea, but I don’t miss the way Maeve’s scowl betrays her feelings on the matter. “I just felt like she was too big a part of my life not to invite her. It surprised me when she accepted our invitation.”
“Anyway,” Maeve adds. “It’s done. She’s coming. And to accommodate our vampire and shade guests, the ceremony will begin at sunset tomorrow evening.”
“Great. Um, I hope it’s okay if I stay for a few days. I have some business to attend to after the wedding.”
Maeve pushes her glasses up her nose. “Stay as long as you like. We have your old room all set up. However, we are leaving on our honeymoon right after the wedding, so you’ll be on your own.”
I nod. “I’ll make sure to lock up before I go.” On a whim, I reach for the box I brought. “Since I won’t be here when you get back, I thought you might open your gift.”
Ren takes the small gold-and-silver box and, with a happy glance at Maeve, pulls one end of the bow and makes short work of the paper. But when she lifts the lid, her face falls.
“What is it, Ren?” Maeve rises to look inside.
“I know it seems weird, okay? But there’s a reason?—”
“A vial of your blood? You gave us a vial of blood for our wedding?” Ren asks, looking mildly disgusted.
Maeve snort-laughs.
“It’s enchanted, okay?” I say, laughing. “If you dribble it on the key sigil upstairs, the portal will bring you to me, wherever I am in the universe. I don’t suggest coming now, considering my world is it war, but someday, it could be the trip of a lifetime.”
Maeve brightens and hugs me, hard. “I love it. It’s like the world’s most universal plane ticket.”
Ren seems less enthusiastic but gives me a warm “thank you” before unloading the box on Maeve.
Sleepingin my old room the next day brings back memories. Before I left for Night Haven, I watched the sunrise beyond the cliffs that border this property with only a blanket over my shoulders. I thought I was saying goodbye to the sun before I risked everything to save Damien. I never expected to come home again. I was ready to die to save him.
Once again, I’m ready to die for him, this time to puthim back on the throne. I guess the more things change, the more they stay the same. Maybe Damien is right that I am terrible at self-preservation.
I no longer need a blanket for warmth, but walking out to the cliffs this morning is out of the question. I watch the sunrise from the shadows, thankful for the angle of the house, which gives me a decent view of the sun’s ascent, while allowing me to stay safely and painlessly behind a panel of curtains. I remember sunrises—dozens of them—but this one hits differently. It’s a spectacular show from a planet I once took for granted.
As I close the drapes against the morning light and lie down on the bed that was once mine for my day’s slumber, the strongest wistfulness washes over me. I can almost hear Grams’s footsteps in the kitchen, smell her perfume. Memories spark like exploding fireworks in my mind—painting with my mother, swinging from my father’s arms as he spun me in the yard, eating pizza and watching movies with Maeve, Grams’s famous chocolate chip cookies at a small worn table with mismatched chairs.
This is no longer my home, and I don’t wish to move back here. Those memories are yearnings for a place and a time that no longer exist. But it also makes me realize how Damien and I have nowhere to call home right now. The place we sleep each night changes often. We may share hope for a future home, but nothing is certain. Nothing is ours. Maybe there never will be a place for us again.
This war we will wage against New Stygarde is not just to overthrow a tyrant and save Damien’s people; it’s also a war to reclaim his home. As I lie in the bed in thehouse where I was raised, I see everything so clearly. Damien once helped me fight for my home, and now I’m helping him fight for his. But everything changed when I became his mate. My home is wherever he is. His people are my people. His world is my world. Fighting New Stygardeisfighting for home. My home as well as Damien’s.
I have to find a way to persuade Cassius and Morpheus to help us.
Before sunset, I snap awake like I’m hardwired to the rising of the moon. I dress in one of the floaty, feminine dresses I find in my closet. This one is royal blue and accentuates my pale skin and bright-red curls. I step into a pair of stilettos I haven’t worn in over a year and catch my reflection in the pedestal mirror in the corner of my room. I am dressed like a human, but no one could mistake me for one. My green eyes give off their own light, and my complexion is the color of starlight. But it’s my body that gives me away more than anything. I’m lean but solid, and when I move, it’s silent and smooth as gathering shadows. Grace bound to unmatched power.
Ren and Maeve are already at the old mill getting ready, so I run the short distance to the venue and blend into an eclectic crowd gathering among rows of white chairs. Humans, witches, and vampires are in attendance, although not exactly commingling at the happy event. Ren’s relatives stand in a tight circle, eyeing the other guests with obvious curiosity. I wonder how much she’s explained to them about the supernatural world.
