AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"Do you think . . . could the vampires have made their first attack against Myst? And could I be their weapon?" I pushed myself out of bed, striding to the dresser, where I leaned toward the mirror. I knew it--knew it in my gut. The vampires had used me as their own personal Typhoid Mary. "I wonder if this thing can spread? And if so . . .">"I don't want to know this--"
"You asked! Once a month, I owe him a cup of my lifeblood, or however much he seems to want. Maybe I should just forfeit my life over to them for good now and get it over with. You should know what it's like to work for unyielding despots."
I expected him to walk out the door, to jump out the window and be gone. But Grieve just dropped to the bed.
"I never thought you'd go to that length to get them back," he whispered.
"Just what did you think? That we'd let your newfound family tear them to shreds without putting up a fight? Bleed them out, rip them to pieces? Rhiannon and I are cousins. Heather's my aunt--or was. Now she's Dead Woman Walking and guess what? It's tearing us apart. Do you know what happened when Heather came here? Rhiannon tried to fry her own mother."
At his startled look, I moved in closer.
"Yeah, that's right. I said she tried to fry her--tried to burn Heather to ashes. Her mother's a vampire, a slave to a sadistic queen. Heather's magic is a weapon of the Court now. So Rhiannon tried to kill her."
Grieve dropped his head to his hands and his shoulders started to shake. I stared at him, shocked into silence. He was crying, and they weren't crocodile tears. I knelt beside him, tipped his chin up, looked him square in the face.
"I was coming to tell you tonight about Heather. I was so afraid you'd tell me to leave, that you would never want to see me again."
The tears streaked his face, winding in rivulets down his cheeks. He was so alien, and yet so familiar to me. I knew him, knew him from the inside out. I was wondering when to tell him about discovering the truth about myself when I flashed . . .
We were sitting together on the top of a hill, and he was holding my hand. Only he wasn't Grieve, and I wasn't Cicely, but we were there, together, staring at a bloody pile of bodies that surrounded us.
"My love, we're doomed. You know that, don't you?"
And I--and yet it was not me--nodded. "They'll be here any minute. This time, they'll never let us go. What are we going to do?"
He held up a bottle. "We can escape to the future with this. We drink this together and we'll be bound to return, to find one another again in a different time. And with the grace of the gods, we won't be torn apart by our families, by our cultures."
He stroked my long hair back, shaking his head. "I love you more than life itself," he whispered. "They're going to kill us, you know that. They're going to torture us, tear us to shreds."
I nodded. They were coming for our heads, and there was no place left to run. I took the bottle, recognizing the potion within. We'd die, yes, but it would set in motion a future for us to return, to find each other again, to finish what we'd started in this life.
"We've left a trail of carnage, that's for sure. Your people can't stand my shadows," I said.
"And your people can't stand my light. My sweet Cherish. Please--don't let them part us. Who knows if we'll find each other in the Land of the Silver Falls? This will bind us to the Wheel and we will return, together."
I popped the top on the bottle. "Remember me, Shy. Remember me, and come find me. If I choose to return to this world, then I must have your promise that you'll look for me."
He placed his hand over mine as I held the bottle to my lips. "I promise to you, Cherish, by my blood and my heart, I will search for you with my dying breath."
I tipped the bottle. Drank half the potion and handed it to him. He downed the rest, and we curled up, holding one another, listening to the distant shouts of those hunting us. They'd find us, all right, but we'd be out of their touch. We'd be off into the future.
And we'd find each other again, one way or another.
Shaking, I sat back and stared at him. "We were together . . . before. I thought we might have been."
"Cicely . . ." Grieve gathered me into his arms, the tears flowing freely now. "I told you that I've been waiting for you. And now you've remembered, and we can truly be together again. I love you. I've loved you for lifetimes. And now, here we are and I won't let you slip away this time."
Together, yes, but once more, on opposite sides. Working for bitter enemies, pledged to ruthless factions out for each other's blood. But all of it washed away as he sought my lips, kissing me deep. He washed away the feel of Lannan's hands on me. Grieve slid his lips against mine, against my throat, licking at the marks that Lannan had left, leaving his own scent, his own claim. I tugged at his shirt and within seconds, he was as naked as I was.
I wanted him, needed him to cleanse me of the memory of Lannan's touch. I ran my tongue down his stomach, down his thigh, around him as he grew thick and hungry. Grieve moaned and pulled me up to face him. He slid me onto his lap and I knelt, straddling him. He tucked one arm around my waist, the other under my butt, holding me, keeping me balanced, and as we rocked, rhythmically, I lost myself in the reflection of his eyes. And as we rode the dark wave, I forgot about vampires and wars and humiliation, and remembered what love was.
Chapter 22
After, Grieve took me in his arms and the swirl of stars in the black globes of his eyes made me dizzy. "I know you flew last night. I know you found out what you are. I couldn't tell you--I had to let you find out on your own."
Feeling slightly feverish, I leaned my head against his shoulder. "I wouldn't have believed you if you did. What do we do now, Grieve? Myst controls you and I work for her enemies. And now, she's got Heather--a very powerful witch--and who knows how many others of the magic-born that she's turned?" Lainule's warning hung heavy in my heart and though I wanted to tell him--wanted to assure him she was okay, I kept my mouth shut.
"I'll help you get Peyton back. I'll think of something . . . there has to be a way." He slid back into his clothing.
