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Peyton waited another beat, then slowly nodded. “Yeah, I hear you. Loud and clear. Maybe I’ll stay over here for the night—that is, if you don’t mind me being here after what happened.”
I shrugged. “No, you weren’t the one who did that to me.”
Rhiannon and Kaylin pummeled me with questions, but I played dumb and managed to get out of any protracted conversation by pleading exhaustion. Rhia followed me upstairs, and as I drew a bath, she pulled out my nightgown and robe for me. I wanted to break down, to tell her everything that was happening, but a spark of fear held me back.
Lainule and Wrath were going to rescue Grieve, and they were going to find out who was behind Anadey’s bizarre behavior. I couldn’t sell them out just because Rhia was my cousin. I felt like I was walking a razor’s edge—so many conflicting forces, so many potential enemies. But as soon as they gave the okay, I would sit her down and tell her everything.
My wolf growled slightly, but I forced my hands to keep away from my stomach. I pulled off my clothes and stepped into the bubbling tub of lavender and lemon, sliding down into the comforting water as the steam loosened my joints. Rhia sat on the edge of the tub.
“Do you want me here?” She bit her lip, looking torn. “I can leave if you want to be alone.”
“Nah, that’s okay.” I blinked back tears, thinking I’d cried all too much in the past few weeks. But these were tears of weariness and of joy. Meeting Wrath had brought with it an underlying sense of peace, even though it left me with more questions than ever. Such as: How had he enticed my mother? Had he cared for her at all, or was it simply a mission to ensure that I return as Cambyra Fae? And Krystal . . . had she fallen for him, only to be left alone and pregnant?
“Anadey . . . I don’t know what to think about this. Did her spell work, though? Do you think the venom from Grieve will still intoxicate you? Or did she . . . did she do anything else to you?” Rhia was astute, that much I already knew. And she knew something was going on.
I closed my eyes, leaning back against the warm porcelain as the water soaked through my aching muscles. After a moment, I shrugged. “I doubt the venom will be a bother anymore.”
“Peyton says you flew away into the night. Were you wearing your pendant? I thought you left it at home.”
“No . . . I had it with me. But the transformations are getting easier.” I sat very still.
“You’re changing, evolving. Very quickly. I hope it’s not too much for you.”
“I think I’d like to just relax now,” I said, closing my eyes. “Can you light a candle and turn off the overhead on your way out?”
Rhia stood, brushing the front of her skirt nervously. “Cicely, are you going to go after Anadey for what she did to you?”
And then I realized she was afraid I’d attack the older woman, that I’d go off half-cocked and kill her or something. I laughed softly. “No, don’t worry yourself over that. Trust me. I don’t really consider her a friend right now—not after drugging me—but attack her? No.” At least not now.
With a sigh of relief, Rhiannon lit a candle and turned to leave, softly closing the door behind her. As soon as she was gone, I let everything go and suddenly found myself weeping, silently and uncontrollably. I let the tears run down my face, not bothering to wipe them away. I was crying for Grieve and our people—the Cambyra Fae. I cried for Chatter, whom I’d betrayed in my former life. And for Rhiannon and Heather. For Anadey, who had proved herself to be false-tongued. I cried for Leo, so caught up in his need for validation that he’d actually slap a woman. I cried for Kaylin, tied to the Bat People, who seemed so very harsh.
And lastly, I cried for myself . . . because I had no clue how we were going to come out of this with any sense of happiness. In fact, happiness seemed a million miles away.
Chapter 17
I slept uneasy, guarding my dreams. The thought that Kaylin might be able to slip in, to sense them, bothered me more than I thought it had. I wanted something private, that was my own, and each time someone linked to me, it took a little of my privacy away.
Early in the morning, I woke to the sound of the owl outside my window. Wrath was perching in the oak. I opened the window and saw that he was carrying a note in his beak. Cautiously, I crawled out on the snow and ice, shivering, and he flew by, dropping the paper on the roof, then soared off to the tree line again.
I snatched up the folded paper and headed back inside, slamming the window again. As I unfolded the thick, papyrus-like paper, a thin spidery writing leaped out to catch my eye. Not from the vampires, that was for sure. The paper reeked of Fae energy. Glancing at the signature, I saw that it was from Lainule.
It read:
Cicely, I’m going to talk to Geoffrey about these issues.
Keep strong. Keep to our agreement.
Tucking it away in a desk drawer, I stared at myself in the mirror. I looked haggard. My wolf growled and I gently rubbed across it, sending soothing thoughts to Grieve. Thank the gods that Anadey hadn’t been able to complete her spell or I’d be dead.
With that thought, I took a quick shower, dressed, and ran down the stairs. As I shot into the kitchen, I skidded to a halt. Everybody was gathered around the kitchen table: Rhia, Leo, Kaylin, Chatter, and Peyton. They all looked up at me, as if expecting a thundercloud to break.
“What? What’s going on?”
“How are you doing?” Rhia looked uncomfortable.
I shrugged. “Fine, I guess. I feel a bit discombobulated, but it was probably just Anadey’s magic. It’s different than my own.”
“Did you want to go dreamwalking at Geoffrey’s today?” Kaylin gave me a long look, speculative, and I realized he didn’t believe me.
