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“Mocha would be better.” Peyton grinned. “I need me some chocolate!” She glanced around. “Where are the guys?”
“Out and about. At least Leo is. Kaylin might be with Chatter, wherever he is. One mocha, coming up. Iced or hot?”
Peyton glanced outside at the blowing drifts. “Hot. Today I need warming inside—something to convince me that there’s hope and sunlight around the bend.” We headed toward the kitchen.
“Sometimes I think it would be a whole lot simpler to be a vampire, you know? They don’t feel the cold or heat, they have their own agendas, they . . .” I stopped. “Geoffrey offered to take me into his stable, to turn me.”
“No! You can’t let him do that. I know you’re upset, but Cicely—that’s not the answer.” Peyton looked horrified.
“No, it’s not,” I said slowly. “But . . . what if he thought I was interested? What if I asked him to show me his stable of vamps, to introduce me, so I could think about it? And what if I brought you and Rhiannon with me, and while Geoffrey was off with me, you guys just happened to find the antidote? I know it’s a long shot. I know it’s dangerous, but damn it, that’s the only way I can think of to get invited into his house without waiting for him.”
Peyton stared at me, her mouth agape. “I dunno about that. It sounds like a setup for a bad end. You know I’ll do whatever you need me to, but are you sure you want to put your cousin in danger? What if they catch us?”
Reality hit with a sledgehammer. “Yeah . . . I know. A bad idea all the way around, I guess—”
“What if who catches us?” Rhiannon entered the kitchen, cocking her head to the side. “What’s going on? What are you planning?”
I frowned. “I thought of a way to go after the antidote. But Peyton’s right. I can’t risk you guys.” I quickly explained Geoffrey’s offer to her. “If I could get in there, keep him occupied, maybe . . .”
“Too dicey. But what about this? It’s still dangerous, but . . .” She hesitated.
“What is it? Dangerous I can handle, as long as there’s a chance of breaking through.”
“Kaylin took you dreamwalking once before. Suppose you go dreamwalking through Geoffrey’s mansion and find out where he’s keeping the antidote? If you can find it, and nobody’s guarding it, maybe you can manage to steal some for Grieve?”
Rhiannon looked positively shocked at herself, and I almost laughed. She had spent so long keeping her nature under wraps that it was going to take some time for her to get used to putting herself out there.
“That’s actually got a chance of working. It means getting Kaylin on our side.” I bit my lip. “But it’s the only way I can think of. It also means I have to find a safe place to keep him once we have him free, because even though I love him with all of my life, I won’t chance you guys living in the same house with him. I’m not that stupid. Even without the light-rage, he’s still plenty dangerous.”
I thought of Leo, of how he’d react. “We’re going to have to tell all the guys, but we have to put up a united front or they’ll let testosterone get in the way. This isn’t up for a vote. I’m going to do this . . . well, if Kaylin agrees.”
“Leo will be home in a few minutes for an early dinner. He’s got some evening chores to attend to for Geoffrey. I guess I’ll go get Chatter and Kaylin.” Rhiannon pulled out a frozen pizza. “Here, stick this in the oven. Make sure we have something sweet for dessert. You know the best way to influence men is through their stomachs, and we need all the help we can get.”
Then she took off to look for Kaylin and Chatter. Peyton unwrapped the pizza while I dug through the cupboards and found pudding mix and cookies. I whipped up some instant chocolate pudding and topped it with whipped cream, then set it in the refrigerator and opened the cookies.
“Do you trust Leo?” Peyton suddenly asked, her voice low.
I glanced at her, surprised. “He can be a butthead, but yeah, I guess. Why?” Actually, I’d had nagging doubts over the past week or so, but ascribed it to my own nerves.
“I don’t know. He’s in thick with the vampires. He owes his loyalty to Geoffrey—and every time we bring up your connection with the vamps, he seems defensive, like he thinks he’s being edged out.” She shrugged. “Maybe I’m imagining things, but I am a little uneasy with the way he acts.”
I blinked. I’d had the same thoughts but hadn’t wanted to articulate them because they sounded petty. Coming from Peyton, they sounded reasonable.
“I . . . I’m not sure. I kind of wondered, but Leo’s in love with my cousin. They’re engaged to be married. I can’t just up and ask him, ‘Are you jealous because I’m indentured to Geoffrey and Regina? And Lannan, by default.’”
“Yeah, I guess not. If he were, he wouldn’t admit it. And if he’s spying on you for them, he’s not going to tip his hand.”
Now I was nervous. The thought that Leo might be spying on me for Lannan made me queasy, and I would have wiped the thought right out of my mind if I were sure about him. But honestly, I didn’t know. I couldn’t say for sure how much I trusted him.
Stricken, I stared at Peyton. “What if you’re right? What happens if he runs back and tells Geoffrey what I’m planning?”
“Then I guess we’d better be ready for the shit to hit the fan. Because I don’t think we can pull this off without everybody in this house knowing what’s up.” She began to set the table as I checked on the pizza.
“Fifteen more minutes.” I stared out the window. We were all in the midst of personal crises. And things didn’t seem to be lightening up any. “Have you decided what to do about your father?” I finally asked, pushing the matter of the antidote to the side.
Peyton nodded. “I’m going to see him, but do you mind if he visits me here? I can’t ask him to come to my house, not with my mother there. And I’d rather chat someplace where we’ll have more privacy than a coffee shop.”
I nodded, absently wishing my only problem were meeting my father for the first time, then immediately felt guilty for thinking that. Peyton had a lot riding on getting to know her father.
