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He let out a long sigh but made no move to return my blow.
Peyton padded over and growled at both of us before transforming back into herself. She stood, naked. Her clothes were on the floor in the flurry of debris and she began hunting them out. One of the women standing nearby helped her find them and she dressed, then went to help her mother.
Rhiannon brushed a strand of hair out of her way. “Leo, I heard what you said to Cicely and believe me, if she hadn’t backhanded you for it, I would have.”
“The antidote won’t turn him back into what he was. It will only take away his vulnerability to light and make him stronger. And who knows what side effects it’s going to produce?”
I stared at him, wanting to flail him a good one, but his eyes registered fear. Leo was scared. He was terrified, and nothing in the world would take that away. I let out a long breath and pulled one of the chairs up off the floor where my windstorm had tossed it.
“I understand your fear, Leo. I just wish you could understand what I’m saying.”
“You did have sex with Grieve again,” Kaylin said, wandering up. “Remember—every time he bites you, you’re under his charm a little bit more.”
“He wouldn’t let me bring him back. He said he didn’t want to put you in danger,” I muttered.
“This isn’t about gaining access to the house,” Kaylin said. “It’s obvious he’s fixated on you. You’re soul mates, he wants back with his other half. And his nature is highly dangerous right now. Just remember: The venom from his bite can cloud your judgment.”
I swallowed, and it was a bitter pill. Kaylin was right about that. Every time Grieve bit me, his saliva injected a toxin into my system that brought me a little bit further under his dominion.
“But you were willing to help me get the antidote.” I stared up at him bleakly, totally confused.
“I believe he can harness his nature, but it’s going to take a lot of work. We need to find a safe place to keep him. Somewhere he can’t break out of.”
“You mean lock him up?” I let out a long breath. “Like an animal.”
“You know what the Shadow Hunters can do. Even if he wasn’t born to the nature, if Grieve does lose control . . .” Kaylin knelt beside me and took my hand. “I’ll help you, but this isn’t a Cinderella story and you aren’t rescuing a fair princess caught by the minions of darkness. You’re rescuing one of the minions, and one who may just get terribly, terribly hungry.”
I nodded, silent. I had to find a haven for Grieve—a place where I could hide him, yet keep myself and the others safe. I couldn’t ask Geoffrey; that would tip him off to my plans. It wasn’t like I had access to dungeons or cells or anything like that, and most apartments weren’t built to keep someone in.
And then I thought about my earlier plan. I had one ally who might be able to help me, who wouldn’t feel the need to blab to Geoffrey about my plans. And he might be able to help us get in and get hold of the antidote. But was I willing to pay the price? Could I face myself in the mirror again?
How far am I willing to go to save Grieve?
Cicely—don’t do it, please. There has to be another way.
I’m running out of options, Ulean—I’m running out of time.
Quietly, I turned to Anadey. “What’s the damage?”
She pressed her lips together, then let out a strangled sound. “One dead, three severely wounded and I hope they don’t die before the ambulance gets here. Four others hurt, but they’ll live. What do we tell the emergency techs?”
Geoffrey’s whole tactic about wild dogs did not sit well with me. I stared at Leo, who was glowering at me, and said, “Tell them the truth. A group of deranged Fae broke in and tore up the joint.”
“You can’t—Geoffrey would object—” Leo started but I swung on him.
“I don’t give a flying fuck about what Geoffrey would say. People need to know that there’s danger out there in the woods. For the sake of the gods, they already know it, but nobody’s doing anything and they feel abandoned. Geoffrey controls the town; let Geoffrey fucking step up to the fucking plate and do something about it. Passing off urban legends about wild dogs is just going to get a bunch of pets killed. And you can tell Geoffrey exactly what I said. I don’t care!”
With that, I pushed him aside and swung out into the chill air. I needed to get my head straight. Kaylin joined me.
He shoved his hands into his pockets and stared up into the sky. “Snow won’t stop till we stop Myst.”
“I know. So what do you suggest? Where should I hide Grieve when we rescue him?”
“A secret place—hidden and hard to escape from.” Kaylin began to whistle, gently, and I turned to him.
“What do you know?”
“I might have access to such a place. You’ll remember, I’ve spent the past year off the grid. Before I moved into your cousin’s house, I hid in a number of places that might do the trick.” He gave me a contemplative look. “I’ll help you but I advise you not to tell Leo where you’re stashing the Fae. In his anger, he might take it upon himself to . . .”
