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"So, Cicely, you're Rhiannon's cousin?"
"Here, you're on toast duty." I thrust the bread into his hands. "And yes, I'm Rhia's cousin." While Rhiannon whipped eggs for omelets, I dug through the fridge for a ham I'd seen earlier and began cubing the meat to go in the eggs.
"Then you're in off the pipelines," he said, pulling his chair over to the counter where he began to toast the bread. I handed him the butter and as the slices came popping out of the toaster, he spread them thickly and covered the stack with a tea towel to keep the toast warm.
I gave him a questioning look, but it was Rhiannon who answered. "Pipelines--that's what Kaylin calls the freeways."
Curious, I thought, but didn't ask why. Instead, I examined the two spirits who stood by his back. As I let myself drift, listening to the wind, I realized that they were a man and a woman, both dressed in long white robes that sparkled with golden embroidery. They seemed oblivious to me, standing at attention, focused solely on Kaylin, almost as if they were guarding him. And then, I knew who they were.
"They're your parents."
Kaylin shifted, barely, but enough to tell me I'd nailed it. He set down the loaf and gazed at me. "How can you tell?"
"It makes sense. The way they're standing reminds me of the cops--or security guards."
Rhiannon scrambled the eggs and ham, sprinkling in a handful of grated cheese, then divided them onto four plates. She glanced up from her work, frowning at the both of us. "What are you two talking about?"
"Cicely can see something neither of you can." He shrugged. "My family has my back. Literally. My parents' spirits travel with me, watch out for me, tell me who to avoid. They don't know everything, but it gives me an edge and I'm trying to get them to help me look for my best friend's killer."
"Then you think the Indigo Court staged his car wreck?" I asked.
"The Indigo Court? I'm not familiar with the name." He finished up the toast and brought it over to the table. "But I know something's taken control of the town and whatever it is, it was responsible for my bro's death. Derek was one of a kind . . . he didn't make simple mistakes like driving when he was too tired."
"You willing to go up against his murderers?" Leo asked.
Kaylin gave us a long look. "I've been looking for a way to fight whatever this force is for months now. I'm already on the front lines."
I bit my lip, trying to decide just how I felt about him. But Leo and Rhia trusted him and they'd know better than I would. "You willing to take a little trip out into the ravine with us today? We're looking for Heather, and for Peyton Moon Runner."
"Haven't got anything else to do. Sure." He dug into breakfast with such gusto that I wondered how long it had been since he'd eaten. But he didn't look poor. In fact, his clothing looked remarkably well made and expensive. Kaylin was an odd duck and I wanted to know more.
"Before this goes any further, how do you feel about telling me who and what you are? It's only fair." I'd had enough of making deals unseen. My pact with the vampires was weighing heavy on my mind and I wasn't about to fall in unaware with someone else who might try to pull one over on me.
"She's safe," Leo said. "We both vouch for her. By blood, bro."
Kaylin eyed me closely, then shrugged. "All right. I trust you to that." He pushed back his chair and wiped his mouth on his napkin. "I'm a dreamwalker, Cicely. When I was in the womb, my mother was initiated into an ancient shamanic tradition. There was a demon hanging out nearby and it took the chance to enter my soul. It's not in me--not as possessing me. But the experience changed my very DNA. It opened me up on a psychic level. When the demon entered me, it died, but its essence blended into my own soul during the ritual and now we are one. I am both Kaylin, and what's left of the night-veil."
"Night-veil?" Oh wonderful. Now we were dealing with demons. Although it was hard to imagine any demon worse than the Vampiric Fae.
"They're the creatures that you catch a glimpse of in the shadows--they hide in dusty attics, creep into old basements, and live in rotting barns. Only during the cover of night do they emerge, and they're connected to the Bat Tribe."
I had a lot to learn. So much of this had gone under my radar, living all those years on the road.
"I feel so stupid compared to all of you. So unprepared. Half this stuff . . . I knew it existed because, hell, I'm magic-born. But my life was so far removed from most magic except the spells I could summon. My existence with Krystal was like a bad seventies road movie. I learned what I could, but there are times I think I'm going to be a detriment because of my ignorance."
"You'll be fine. There's more to you than meets the eye. Just remember: When in doubt, ask." Kaylin gave me a gentle smile and I suddenly felt safe with him. His eyes promised that he'd do his best to help us, and that was good enough for me. He was on our side, and right now that's what we needed.
And so, like that, we had our fourth. We spent the rest of breakfast filling him in on the Indigo Court, and what was waiting for us in the wood.
"I don't like this," Leo said as he carried our plates to the sink. Kaylin was washing the dishes, while Rhiannon and I cleaned the counters. "We're going to get ourselves killed."
"That's probably going to happen anyway, if we don't do something about the Shadow Hunters. But we know Heather and Peyton are out there and we have to at least give it a try. If the four of us go together, we might be able to hold off the tillynoks and whatever else might be out there."
Kaylin stared at me for a moment, then wiped his mouth on a napkin. "Leo's right. We're probably going to get ourselves hurt, but I'm in."
I folded the tea towel and hung it over the refrigerator handle. "Since it's still fairly early, we might luck out and Myst's people will be asleep."
Some of them will be, but be careful, Cicely. Not all beasts thrive in the dark and the shadow. Ulean's voice rang clear in my head, and so did her concern.
