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As for the yummanii, they had always known about the magic-born, and they accepted us. Just like they knew about the Weres and the vampires and Fae.
“Perhaps they can’t leave. It costs money to pull up stakes, to head out of town and start a new life. And if you have a good job, or children, then it’s that much harder. Unemployment is low here in New Forest and—until Myst came—life was relatively safe. Geoffrey keeps a watch on the vampires and doesn’t allow many rogues. All sound reasons to stay put.” Kaylin shrugged. “It’s easier to take a few precautions and hope for the best.”
I nodded. The dreamwalker made a lot of sense.
“We need to get moving. Geoffrey will have us by the neck if we’re late.” Leo shuffled, glancing at the door as if it might burst open to reveal the Regent.
I shook my head. “If he’s so all fired up to talk to me, why the hell has he kept me waiting this long?”
“Calm down, Cicely.” Chatter’s voice whispered softly from behind me. I whirled to see the Fae leaning against the arch leading into the dining room and kitchen. “You cannot help Grieve if you lose the support of the vampires. Myst cannot be defeated without them and you know it.”
“I know. Trust me, I know. I can’t get away from them no matter how much I might want to. They own me for the rest of my life. How can I ever forget that?” With a snort, I added, “Let’s get this show on the road.”
Leo, Rhiannon, and I headed out, leaving Chatter and Kaylin to watch over the house. As we stepped into the icy night, a lazy shower of snow drifted down. Myst had brought with her a long winter to blanket the town, a cold and chill premonition of what life under her rule would be like.
The Queen of Winter, a tainted Fae Queen whom the vampires had once tried to turn as if she were human, Myst had risen from her deathbed before she could die, fully alive and far more dangerous than the vampires ever dreamed possible, and from her descended the Vampiric Fae. They could breed, and they were ruthless killing machines who lived to feed and spread across the land.
And now she had traced down her maker and looked to wipe out Geoffrey and his people. She aspired to take over the land, one town at a time.
I climbed into the driver’s seat of Favonis, my Pontiac GTO, and, making sure our doors were locked, we headed over to Geoffrey’s to plan out a war.
Geoffrey’s mansion sat on two acres, and it was truly a manor, three stories high. Who knew how far it extended underground? As it glittered white with gold trim, a dizzying array of lights sparkled from inside the building and armed guards—all vampires since we were into the night—wandered the grounds.
Last time I’d been here, I’d unwittingly signed away my freedom, but there was nothing I could do about it, so I decided to let it go and move on. We drove up to the valet, who took one look at Leo and nodded us toward the entrance.
At the door, a tall, broad-shouldered guard stopped us. Like all of the true vampires, his eyes were jet-black, gleaming like obsidian with no patches of white or other color marring their surface. That alone spooked me about the Vein Lords: How could they see through those inky orbs?
He searched all of us, including Leo, and then opened the door. A maid—a bloodwhore by the look of her outfit and the fact that she wasn’t a vampire—motioned for us to follow her.
I’d thought we might be heading into Geoffrey’s office, but instead she led us to a room to the right of the grand staircase and opened the door, all without a word. Peering in, I saw Geoffrey—he motioned for us to enter, and the maid closed the door behind us.
A glance around the room told me that the parlor was really a royal hall in disguise. The room was geared for an audience, and the chair in which Geoffrey sat might as well be a throne, with its crimson velvet and placement.
The Vein Lord wasn’t very tall, but the power he wielded hit me over the head like a brick. He reeked of authority. He wore his long black hair smoothed back in a French braid; a royal purple jacket with ruffled sleeves, open to show his bare chest; and leather pants.
As he leaned back in his chair, crossing his legs, a faint smile flickered across his lips. One thing I had to say about Geoffrey: Of all the vampires we’d met, he was the most polite and deliberate of action. Sure, he could rip your head off in a second, but he’d think it through first and say “Pardon me” afterward.
“Please, sit and be comfortable.” He motioned to the semicircle of chairs, all facing his own. “Welcome. Our other guests should be here shortly.”
Now that I thought about it, Geoffrey reminded me of a vampire version of Kaylin, only more seductive and dangerous. According to history, he’d been some sort of warlord during the Xiongnu period, in a region that would later become Mongolia.
I nodded and slipped into the seat opposite him. Leo and Rhiannon sat on my right. Just then, the door opened again and Regina and Lannan Altos sauntered in. Well, Lannan sauntered. Regina’s heels clipped on the hardwood floor at a quick, steady pace. Twins and lovers, they were dangerous and both of them were freakshows, though Regina had more restraint than her brother. Regina was the Emissary to the Crimson Court, and she was top dog around here.
I opened my mouth to speak, but Geoffrey held up one hand and I quickly shut up. When the Vein Lords order silence, obey.
“We are waiting on Lainule; save your words for when she arrives.”
And so we sat in silence for another moment until the door opened again and the Queen of Summer came gliding in. Even in the dim light, her brilliance shone against the others. Without thinking, I rose and knelt before her.
Lainule smiled down at me, then leaned down and cupped my chin in her hand. “Take your seat, Cicely.”
I silently obeyed.
Geoffrey cleared his throat. “Welcome, Your Majesty. My home is graced by the presence of the Queen of Rivers and Rushes—”
She waved his words away. The three of us stared. Nobody ever cut off Geoffrey, unless it was Regina. Or the Crimson Queen herself.
“Save your chatter, Regent. We have no time for pleasantries, nor am I in the mood for small talk.” She grew taller in her impatience. “Have you figured out whether the Consortium knows what’s going on?”
