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Sliding off the tree, I wiped my hands on the legs of my jeans. "Our roots are here. My aunt's home is here. She's a member of the Society." Impulsively, I added, "So, what will it take to get you to help me? You want me to beg? To cry? I will--for her life, I'll get down on my knees and beg your forgiveness."
Grieve's eyes flashed and he grabbed my arm again, twisting the leather of my sleeve. "Don't challenge me, Cicely. It's not safe."
The weight of his hand on my body was like fire.
Angry and embarrassed, I tried to pull away. "And don't you push me. I'm harder than you think, and I won't put up with anybody treating me like crap."
Grieve was dangerously close. The truth: I was afraid, but I knew better than to show it. This new Grieve scared the hell out of me, and yet--for all of his fierceness, the headiness I remembered was still there, compounded by whatever this new energy was. I wanted to push his buttons, to throw down the gauntlet. The wolf on my stomach growled, but whether in warning or challenge, I wasn't sure and right now, I didn't care.
"Listen to me and listen good. If you insist on being stupid and staying, then I can't help you. And I very well may . . ." He paused.
"You might what?"
"You are so beautiful and strong," he said, his voice husky. "Your energy still sings to me . . ." His lips were near my ear and his tongue flicked out to tickle my neck. I couldn't help myself. I pressed against him.
He fisted my hair, holding me fast as he whispered, "You know what the men of the Indigo Court do with beautiful women, don't you? You want to find out just how I've changed, don't you, Cicely? I could teach you what it means to be paramour to a dark prince."
"I refuse to play your game," I whispered back. "You can't frighten me."
One more inch and he'd be kissing me. As Grieve pressed his lips to my neck, I caught an odd smell. Dust and chill evenings under the autumn stars. Fields burnt to ashes and musk. The metallic tang of blood. A primal scent that set me on edge and reminded me of graveyards.
"Grieve!" Chatter's voice shattered the silence.
It also seemed to shatter Grieve's focus. He furrowed his brow and roughly shoved me away, ignoring me when I tripped over a root and fell into a soft pile of snow and leaves. "Don't come into the ravine again. Stick to the land around the house. Stay out of the town at night, and you might be safe. At least for now."
"But why is it dangerous for me to be here? What's out here? Why are you pushing me away? What's the Indigo Court? Tell me!"
Chatter backed away as Grieve motioned to him.
"Stubborn woman," Grieve said. "I don't want you here." But the tone of his voice said otherwise. "You don't belong here anymore, Cicely Waters, and if you insist on staying, there's nothing we can do to help you or your aunt. Take my advice and keep your nose out of the world of Fae. It's never been a safe place to play and it's far more dangerous now. Mortals are play toys . . . expendable. The magic-born are in danger."
He paused, then added, "Especially witches. Especially you."
A sudden gust rose up, blowing leaves and snow around my head. As I turned away, shading my eyes from the swirl, there was a quick noise and I heard a faint, "Goodbye, Cicely. It was good to see you again. I'm glad you're back but I sure wish things were different," whirling in the wind.
Chatter's voice. As quickly as it had come, the breeze died and I turned back to find both of them gone. I looked behind a few bushes, but could find no sign that they'd ever been there.
A moment later, a noise from a nearby tree startled me. The owl--a great horned owl--ears tufted up, eyes round and brilliant topaz in the dim afternoon, let out a deep, resonant series of five hoots, sending a chill up my spine as it stared at me with its round, glittering eyes. The bird was huge and I could swear it was studying me. Nervous, I backed away, heading toward the edge of the forest, stopping once to glance behind me. The owl still stared, like it was waiting for me to say something. Hurrying, I turned the bend and broke into the open.
As I raced back across the lawn to the house, Rhiannon and Leo were standing on the porch. When she caught sight of me, she hustled me inside.
"You look frozen through, and scared to death," she said, bustling me into the living room. "What happened? Did you find anything?"
I shook my head, barely able to find my voice. I didn't want to talk about Grieve, about how he'd changed and pushed me away.
"It's . . . Don't go in the woods. Please promise me that you won't go in the woods without me."
She gave me a long look, then nodded and let me go. "The lawyer's booked but he'll meet us in a couple of hours, after he gets off work. He'll meet us at Anadey's Diner."
"Fine. I need a bath." Even though I'd showered before we went out to search for Heather, I felt oddly dirty.
I jogged up to my room and began filling the bathtub with water as hot as I could stand. I poured in several caps of Heather's lavender bubble bath and the steam rose, working its magic as it began to calm me down. The encounter with Grieve had left me feeling like spiders were crawling over my body and I nervously scratched my arm as I waited for the water to warm up.
As the afternoon began to settle, an odd light flickered from somewhere deep in the Golden Wood. I closed my eyes to listen for anything the wind might have to say, but the only image I could see was that of a great horned owl, screeching in the trees. And its piercing shriek sounded for all the world like someone saying, "Leave this place, Cicely--leave while you still can.">But something was different . . . While Chatter's eyes still glistened pale blue, the blue of cornflowers, Grieve's had changed. They'd grown dark--no white showed, and no pupils, just glistening ebony orbs. But unlike a vamp's, scattered amid the inky blackness sparkled a field of glowing white stars. Like the woman in Rhiannon's vision.
"Grieve . . . what happened to you?" My whisper sliced through the silence, my heart thudding in my chest. As I took a step forward, Ulean hissed in my ear, stopping me.
Be cautious, be careful.
