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“She mentioned this had something to do with her exhusband, Rex, and the fact that he’s got ‘powerful allies’ and is back in town. I think she’s afraid he’ll lure Peyton away from her after all these years.” I hesitantly brought the drink to my lips and sipped. The flavor ran through me like sweet wine, and I upturned the mug and emptied it down.
As the liquid spread through me, it felt like it was undoing knots and gnarls in my aura, and I relaxed a little. I found myself smiling, feeling free, and my wolf began to warm again. I placed my hand on the tattoo and felt a low rumble.
“Grieve . . . he’s back . . .”
Lainule reached out and shook my shoulder. “I have reversed her spell, but you must listen to me. You must not follow through on your plan to rescue Grieve. I offer you this bargain: We will rescue him, but in our time, in our own way. Until then, pretend that Anadey’s spell succeeded. We want to ferret out who she’s working with, and if they see that it didn’t take, they might fade away to avoid being noticed.”
That made sense, although something felt off, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.
“All right, I promise.” Again, the feeling that I’d been locked in, thoroughly and tight, rang through me. Promises to the Fae, even by a half-Fae, were binding.
I thought about what it entailed—lying to Rhiannon and the others—but I couldn’t take the chance that one of them might be working against me. Leo, for example. I wouldn’t put it past him to have been behind this mess. Now that I knew Anadey was all too willing to betray me, I couldn’t be sure of anybody. Suddenly feeling much more alone in the world, I hung my head.
“I can’t trust anyone now, can I?”
“You can trust yourself, child.” Wrath patted my shoulder. “I’m proud of you. You’ve struggled against so many hardships over the years, and look at the strength that you’ve evolved. You make me proud to be your father.”
Gazing up at him, I saw the kindly fire in his eyes. He’d never be one to hug me tight, or take in a ball game with me, but he meant what he said and that was more important to me than all the father-daughter outings in the world.
“Thank you,” I whispered. “But what will I say to them? I ran out on Anadey.”
“Keep away from her. She was trying to remove your connection to Grieve. Do your best to pretend that the venom enchantment has been severed. Let them see it’s led you to reconsider rescuing him. Continue with your business. If Grieve tries to contact you, don’t tell anyone and instruct him to do the same.”
I told them what happened when Myst beat Grieve. “I took on his injuries.”
Lainule pressed her lips together, then let out a long sigh. “Obviously, we cannot just leave him with her. Not if it’s going to hurt you. I feared this might come to pass. We have to move quickly. Go home, do as we bid, and we’ll be in touch with you soon. And meanwhile, keep your heritage secret. If Myst finds out you are Wrath’s daughter, she will throw all her efforts into capturing you. She would ignore the vampires and come after you directly.”
“This is why you didn’t tell me about my father isn’t it? You were afraid I couldn’t keep my mouth shut?”
“No, Cicely,” Lainule said softly. “I feared she’d torture it out of you and then all would be lost.”
Wrath walked me back to the edge of the portal. “You will have to tread carefully with what has happened. One misstep and we all lose. I wanted to tell you earlier, you know—about the fact that I’m your father—but we couldn’t take the chance letting you know. Now you do.”
“Now I know,” I repeated softly. Then, without thinking, I threw my arms around him and gave him a long hug. “Thank you. Thank you for being my father.”
“Don’t thank me yet, Cicely. It’s too soon to tell what the fallout of everything is going to be. But know I am watching over you—that’s why I spend so much time in owl form.”
He opened the portal. A dark green sedan was waiting for me. I frowned, staring at it, then looked back at him.
Wrath nodded. “The car will see you safely home. Don’t ask questions, don’t tip the driver. Just get in, be silent, and leave silent.”
I slipped into the backseat and as the driver glanced at me through the rearview mirror, I caught a glimpse of his face. Whatever he was, in the mirror it didn’t translate as human. But I said nothing, just nodded, and as the car pulled out from the parking lot, I settled back for the short but silent ride home.
After I climbed out of the car, I stood watching it speed off into the night. Then, turning back, I stared up at the Veil House. Had Leo been in on Anadey’s little plan? Who was backing her? All answers I needed to know. Steeling myself, I entered the house.
Peyton was there, along with Rhiannon and Kaylin, both of whom looked terribly worried. They rushed over as soon as they saw me.
“Cicely—I’m so sorry. I drove your car home for you and brought your clothes and purse. What did my mother do to you? I knew something was wrong. Why the fuck did I leave when she told me to?” Peyton’s eyes were glittering with tears.
I bit my lip. The last thing I needed was for Peyton to confront Anadey. I hated lying to my friends, to my cousin, but there was no help for it until we found out who might be working with the older witch.
“Your mother broke the venom enchantment, like we wanted. I just don’t like the way she did it—she scared me. I want nothing to do with her for now.” I held her gaze, willing myself to go through with this. “She pissed me off, although I can’t remember much of what happened.”
Peyton paused, sucking in a deep breath. “I’m so sorry. How are you feeling, physically?”
I hesitated, as if searching my feelings, then slowly shook my head. “I don’t know. Numb, I guess. All I know is she drugged me and tied me down—isn’t that enough? No spell should involve that sort of behavior, not when it’s cast on a friend.”
It bothered me to keep it from Peyton that Anadey was working to ensure that her father was out of commission, but there was too much at stake to come clean over that.
