AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Leo hoisted his pack over one shoulder and picked up the other suitcase. Taking one last look around the silent apartment, he flipped the lights and locked the door. But even though he said nothing, as we clattered down the front steps, I could tell he was thinking about his sister.
The ride back to Veil House was quiet except for the occasional yowl from Bart. "He doesn't like cars?" I asked.
"Not many cats do," Leo said, shaking his head. "But Bart's not really complaining, he's just asking how much longer he has to stay in the carrier."
"He an indoor-only?"
"Yeah, he's afraid of the outdoors. I don't trust the forest near your house. Do you let the cats out?"
"Not the indoor babies," Rhiannon said. "Four of them are feral and won't put up with being caged. But the other three stay inside the house." As we pulled into the driveway, she looked at me. "Be sure to lock Favonis. We don't want any nasty surprises waiting in case we have to take off during the middle of the night."
The Fae could probably unlock the car, I thought, but then again, with the steel and iron, maybe not. I hoped that side of legend and lore stood to the test.
Dusk had hit by the time we got back to Veil House. As we headed for the front porch, I kept a close eye on the forest. Nothing stirred, nothing showed itself, but I could feel them there, watching us.
"Check every room," I said, setting down Bart's cat carrier. "Before anything else, let's secure the house."
We spread out. Rhiannon and I checked the upstairs while Leo combed the main floor. Rhiannon did a head count of the indoor cats. All but two were sprawled in the living room, and the third--Beastbaby--was waiting by the food dish, yowling for his dinner. As we gathered in the living room, I shut the drapes.
"So, what now?" Leo said.
We looked at each other. Heather was missing. We were facing a group of Vampiric Fae who were far more deadly than their dark kin on either side. I was about to embark on starting a business I knew nothing about, didn't know how to run, and wasn't sure I could pull off.
Oh yes, and we were sitting ducks, just waiting for the other shoe to drop.
"We eat dinner and then we ward the house. You call Geoffrey and get us an appointment if you can. We read up on the Indigo Court and find out every scrap of information that we can on them."
Rhiannon nodded. "And you and Peyton start planning your business. The more magic you work with, the better for us in the long run."
"I still think we're going to need more help." Leo pulled Bart's carrier over to the table and opened it. Bart slowly slunk out, glancing around. Leo sprawled on the sofa, crossing his legs in the lotus position. He whistled and Bart leisurely leapt up on his lap. Stroking the Maine Coon around the ears and chin, he said, "Who else can we trust?"
"Don't look at me," I said. "I just hit town. I don't know anybody. Except Peyton."
"I think she's going to be very useful. Tomorrow during your workout with her, steer the conversation around to asking just what she's strongest at." Rhiannon sat down at Heather's desk and snapped her fingers. "I know! What about Kaylin?"
"Who's he?" I pulled off my jacket and sat on the corner of the sofa arm.
"Kaylin Chen. He's a goth-type computer geek. He's also a martial arts sensei. He could probably snap your neck with one blow. Quiet. Intense. Independently wealthy. And he can sing and play kodo drums like there's no tomorrow. He teaches martial arts at the conservatory." She glanced over at Leo. "I bet he'd get along with Cicely."
Leo snorted. "You might be right."
Feeling simultaneously left out and picked on, I folded my arms across my chest and tapped my toe. "Don't count your chickens before they turn into KFC. Just why do you think he might be able to help us?"
"Because he's a rebel, and his best friend was a member of the Society. He was killed in a car wreck, though I suspect now it was the Indigo Court." Leo's face went dark. "Kaylin . . . is a special sort. He's far more than he lets on to be. He went into hiding. Right now, nobody knows where he's at, but I bet I can get him over here. I'll give him a call."
I stared at Leo as he fished out his cell phone. It began to dawn on me just how far things had gone. People were missing, people were dead, the cops couldn't be trusted . . .
"Why haven't the Feds sent in an investigation team?"
Rhiannon shook her head, a grim look on her face as she stood up. "My guess is that the news never hit the major papers. Heather thought . . . I think information's being squelched."
"Conspiracy?"
"Think about it. The cops don't give a damn that people are dying and vanishing. Grieve himself told you that Myst controls the town. She must have some way of controlling the authorities. It's probably easy for her to keep stories like this from ever making it out of this burg." She began searching through the desk.
"But surely people talk . . . What are you looking for?"
"Anything that might help us. Anything my mother might have written down or hidden that we can use." Pausing, she glanced over her shoulder. "We should go through the entire house. Can you check out the buffet over there?" She nodded to an antique buffet standing against the wall.
