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He sighed, then nodded. “I will do so. And in return, I will outfit you with a blade from my realm that will leave you joyful, but not a monster at heart. I have a silver dagger that I saved for you, when I knew Krystal was pregnant.”
That was the first time he’d ever said her name, and I glanced at him. “Did you like her?” Please, oh please, say you liked her. Please say you didn’t just fuck her because Lainule ordered you to.
As the streets glided by in a silent blur of snowflakes and flickering streetlights, Wrath let out a long sigh.
“She was a troubled young woman. I wanted to help, but it would have interfered with your future. I could have taken her to my realm, kept her among my consorts where she would have been happy—or at least, less troubled. But Lainule foresaw the future . . . she knew you would need the childhood you had in order to toughen you up. Your mother was . . . a sacrifice so that you might become the woman you are.”
Tears streaming down my face, I pressed my lips shut and followed Kaylin and Rhiannon. He was driving her car, with Peyton and Grieve and Chatter inside. As we wove through the night, a strange inky cloak seemed to surround both vehicles and I knew it was coming from Kaylin.
His night-veil is awake, and it can create shadows to cloak movement. No one can see the cars or feel our presence.
Thank you. And Ulean, I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you earlier. I was caught up in the rush of the blade, in the power of the hunt.
I understand. But Cicely, there are long, dark days ahead. Don’t be so rash. Don’t be so quick to lead the brigade. A good leader learns when to hang back and let someone more experienced take over.
It was Kaylin’s idea for me to use the obsidian knife. Do you think he knew what would happen?
I don’t know . . . but Kaylin runs clean energy, even now with his night-veil demon awake.
A peal of bells rang twelve times as we turned into the industrial district right outside town and crept into a maze of a parking lot. Old junkers filled the lot and we parked near the edge of a huge warehouse and climbed out.
“Welcome to your new home,” Kaylin said. “Follow me.”
And, under the veil of night, we followed the night-veil, carrying seven cats, into the heart of the darkness.
Chapter 23
Grieve and I stood in the middle of a makeshift bedroom, staring at one another. This was the first time we’d had a chance to be alone since our brief talk in the bedroom. I turned to him, still bloody from the fight.
“My love, what have we come to?”
He pulled me into his embrace. “We’ve come to a crossroads. We go into hiding and we fight from the dark. We become the monsters to fear, now. But not for the townsfolk . . . only for Myst and her people.”
“Can you control yourself?” I whispered, hoping he wouldn’t hear me but having to ask, having to take a chance.
“I’ll try. We’ve come so far from when you were little and I first found you. Lainule knew you’d return—she promised me she’d help me find you again. And she did. I had no clue what she was grooming you for—what she and Geoffrey tried to pull. I wouldn’t have asked for her help if I’d thought this would happen.”
He slid onto a dilapidated sofa that was to be our bed and pulled me down on his lap. Kaylin was setting up operations in the other room, and everybody had graciously left us alone to get ourselves sorted out. Even my father, who didn’t look all that thrilled when we slipped away out of the room.
I snuggled against him and rested my head on his shoulder and pushed the world away. The only thing I wanted to focus on right now was the fact that I had Grieve back, that we were together. Lannan would be a problem, I already knew that, and we had lost our home and all our memories, but we had each other and we had seven cats and soon enough, we’d have the Consortium behind us.
And Lainule and Geoffrey . . . we’d have to see how the shit hit the fan with them.
I wrapped my arms around Grieve and kissed him slowly, leisurely, my blood boiling. But as he began to nip at my shoulder, I realized—the bite wasn’t enthralling me. He suckled the blood, one drop at a time, but as sensuous as it felt, his venom wasn’t pulling me in. Anadey’s spell had actually had an effect.
Deciding not to mention it to him—not just yet—I pulled away, slowly, and stared up at the towering ceilings of the warehouse. Rusty metal cans and stacks of boxes surrounded us, and the place felt dark and full of shadows. It was huge; when Kaylin had led us in, a shiver of fear had run through me because it reminded me of old graveyards and haunted warships. The place had once been a shipping warehouse, but now it was closed, standing empty on the outskirts of New Forest. We were nearer the mountains, away from the Golden Woods, at the base of the Cascade foothills. Here we could hide in the forest and not be immediately subject to Myst, although I wasn’t sure how far she’d spread her poison.
And we had room here to spread out, to make plans and formalize our Society. Then I’d call Ysandra and talk to her. Or maybe take a day trip out to the local Consortium headquarters over in Seattle. Geoffrey was afraid the Consortium would take over, but he’d outed his own agenda. No more time to play favorites. We needed all the help we could get.
The warehouse was old and falling apart, but it was protected, and the suite of rooms Kaylin led us to had obviously been used as a home for a long time. His home. This was where he’d holed up. It was warm enough, with steam heat racing through the pipes, and he’d jury-rigged electricity. We had water and plumbing, and though Kaylin had warned us against using too much of anything lest we set off suspicion, we should be okay.
Yeah, it was creepy, but there were no Shadow Hunters here. I would have felt them on the slipstream.
Sometimes, the brightest light can he found amid the darkness. And sometimes, the best allies, as well. Ulean murmured an assent and passed by—I knew she was exploring the place.
I let out a long sigh and leaned back, staring at Grieve. “So, here we are. Together, on the run, with friends. I have an idea, you know—of how to win Lainule back to our side.”
“How so, my love?” He nuzzled my neck. “You are so sweet, you taste so sweet.”
