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"How? We have to act fast--if they try to turn her, her half-breed blood may just very well kill her for good."
Grieve frowned, thinking. "We'll create a diversion so that I--or Chatter--can sneak her out. There has to be something to capture Myst's attention enough to rally most of her guards."
"Burn the forest. We start a fire. That should rout enough of them." I pulled on my nightgown and bathrobe. All I wanted to do was sleep--sleep off the sex, the bloodletting . . . sleep off everything.
"You can't burn the forest! You can't even think of doing something so horrible. The Golden Wood is our home, our land." The look on Grieve's face took me aback.
I shook my head. "I'll do whatever it takes, and nobody else has to like it. Besides, the snow won't let it burn, not more than enough to get her notice."
"Wait--give me tonight. I'll figure out something. Please, don't do something so rash." He sounded so plaintive that I relented.
"All right, but if you haven't got a plan by tomorrow, I'm taking a match out there and torching it. Understand? I'll do whatever I have to in order to save any of their victims who happen to remain alive in the Barrow."
Grieve nodded, then kissed me once more and slid out the window, vanishing into the night. Exhausted, I locked it, replaced the protection charm, and crawled into bed. The wolf on my stomach was rumbling, satisfied, and yet . . . there was something there . . . something odd . . .
Ignoring the slightly queasy feeling I had, I turned out the light and was asleep before my head hit the pillow.
The next morning, Rhiannon was gone to Anadey's by the time I got up. Kaylin had apparently decided to take up residence because he was still there, and making breakfast at that. Leo had crashed out on the sofa in the living room. I frowned. It was time we got some order into the house.
"Yo, Kaylin, you going to live here or what? If so, let's get you set up with a room. And why didn't Leo go to bed last night? He and Rhiannon are sharing her bedroom."
Kaylin flipped the pancakes, then handed me a double-shot latte with a sprinkling of cinnamon. "Yeah, I think I'll stick around for a while. I have a place to live but you need me. As for Leo, he kept saying he could hear things outside. We'd go check every hour or so, but never saw a thing. I guess he couldn't sleep."
"Well, Grieve showed up last night in my room. He's promised to figure out a way to get Peyton out alive." I sipped the steaming liquid, grateful for the faint buzz of caffeine that was already rampaging through my system. I'd heard that it took forty-five minutes for the drug to hit the bloodstream. I didn't believe it. "Damn, dude, this is strong."
"All the better to wake you up. So how's your neck this morning?"
I reached up to finger the area where Lannan had dug into me. The edges felt hot, raw. "Will you take a look? I've been queasy ever since I left his office. And not just because of what happened--it's something else."
As Kaylin gently brushed aside my hair to examine my neck, I winced. My stomach was getting worse. Just then, my wolf rose up, whimpering. A ribbon of fire raced through me, so dry that I felt like I was kindling held to a match. I clutched my stomach. My wolf was sick. Grieve was sick.
"Help me, Kaylin . . . I don't feel so good." I tried to stand up but my knees buckled and Kaylin caught me. Through the fog that was encompassing my mind, I heard him yell for Leo to wake, and then the next thing I knew, he was carrying me upstairs. I let out a little moan as he jostled me, turning at the landing. The sound of footsteps behind us penetrated the haze.
"What's wrong with her?" Leo's voice echoed through the blackness. I realized my eyes were shut and attempted to force them open.
"I don't know. She complained about being hot--not feeling good. Look at the wound on her neck. What the fuck?"
Leo sucked in a hiss and I managed to open my eyes just a crack. "Water. I'm burning up."
Kaylin brushed his hand across my forehead. "She's hot, but not terribly so. Get her some water. Hurry."
My eyes closed again as Leo's face disappeared and I reached out, seeking comfort from the one who knew me best.
Ulean, are you here? Help me, please.
I am here, girl. You will be all right. You're not the one who's sick.
What do you mean? I feel like I'm dying.
I know, girl. I know, but trust me, you aren't. Ride it through, the wave will pass, and I'll do my best to pull you out of it enough for Leo to help you.
What wave? What are you talking about? Why does my stomach hurt so bad if I'm not sick?
Because, girl . . . Grieve is sick. Terribly sick. You have to ride it out, climb out of the communion in order to help him.
And then, Leo's hands were behind me, lifting me up so I could drink. The water was cool as it ran down my throat, ice on a burn, and I let out a single cry as my stomach cramped again.
No! Please, no! Out . . . let me out . . . now . . .
