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Two of the other vamps had routed the Indigo Court Fae from the bathroom and as I watched, one of them plunged a cast-iron spike through the Shadow Hunter’s heart. He shrieked and dropped, dead.
So iron stakes can kill them.
Ulean swept around me. Yes, they can, it appears. Be cautious of using your fan, Cicely. It has powers that you do not yet realize and they can captivate—
But I shook off her warning. At that moment, Anadey stumbled out, helped by none other than one of the Lupa Clan. She looked dazed. At that moment, the other two Shadow Hunters raced out of the diner, followed by five of the vampires. There were screams from the parking lot, and then all was silent. One of the vamps returned a few minutes later.
“All taken care of.”
I stood very still, keenly aware of how much blood was staining the diner, and how easily it could set off the vampires. I stared at Lannan, who swaggered over to me. He said nothing, but reached down to cup my chin. I waited. He planted a long, slow kiss on my lips and, still in shock, I found myself responding. As I pulled away, he whispered, “You can thank me for saving your cousin later.”
And then, as quickly as they’d come, the vampires disappeared into the darkness and we were alone, knee-deep in carnage. The night closed in and Winter howled her wrath.
Anadey slowly came around the counter to the front. “All right, who’s hurt?” She stared down at the woman’s torn body and shook her head, her expression fractured between shock and pain. “That was Eva. She comes in here every night for coffee and pie . . .” She turned away, looking over the remains of her restaurant.
A handful of people filed out of the restroom. They looked bruised but no worse for the wear. A couple of people were hurt; one man looked seriously injured, but it wasn’t apparent whether it had been the Shadow Hunters who’d hurt him or the broken glass from the windows. As Anadey picked up the phone to call for an ambulance, Leo sidled up to me.
“And you still want to bring one of them into the house. You like fucking danger, don’t you? I bet you even want Lannan—you protest, but you weren’t putting him off last night. He was all up inside you—I saw it. I’ll bet you get down on your knees like a dog for him—” He whispered low enough so that Rhiannon didn’t hear me, but I whirled around and smacked him across the face.
“Better him than you. Just give it a fucking rest, dude. I told you I wasn’t planning on bringing Grieve into the house, but you just fucking didn’t bother to listen.”
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.
