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I caught my breath. Grieve was really pissed. Anger wasn’t the only reason he took wolf form, but Lannan had pushed his buttons—his territorial instincts had been invaded. He stood his ground, forcing Lannan away from me, his gaze never leaving the vampire. I poised, ready to throw myself between the two. But then Wrath came to my rescue.
“Altos, put down the book. Leave it for now. Grieve—back away. The vampire will not hurt our Cicely tonight.” It was a command, not a question.
Lannan turned to my father, locking his gaze. After a moment, he shrugged and deliberately dropped the book on the floor at my feet. “No matter if you have it. We are not terribly vulnerable to your kind, so feel free to read it. If nothing else, perhaps you’ll learn why you should pay proper respect.”
He sauntered past Grieve, refusing to acknowledge him. Grieve shifted back, but I could feel my wolf tattoo still snuffling. Chatter reached out, touched Grieve on the arm and gave him a warning shake of the head. Grieve glowered and shook him off but did nothing.
Cambyra Fae were known as the shifting Fae. My father—Wrath—was an owl shifter, as was I, even though I was only a half-breed. Grieve could shift into wolf form, and Chatter could turn into a pillar of flame, I’d found out.
From the very beginning, when Krystal had dragged me away from the Veil House, I’d dreamed of a wolf following me, watching over me. When I was fourteen, I began to see him in the shadows, watching me, and I thought he might be a guardian of some sort. I still hadn’t known at that time that Grieve could take wolf form. A year later, Dane—my mother’s boyfriend of the month—and I got high one night while she was out turning tricks, and he tattooed my vision onto my stomach.
Dane had already given me three other tattoos. On my left breast, a feral Fae girl peeked through the leaves of a deadly nightshade plant. Both upper arms were banded with identical blackwork tats—a pair of owls flying over a silver moon, with a dagger piercing through it. And then he tattooed my wolf for me.>“Stop, please. And don’t defend Leo.”
Lannan snorted. “Girl, if Geoffrey gives him what he wants, your cousin better lock her doors at night, because he’ll be coming for her. I know his type.”
“If he hurts her, I’ll never forgive him.” If Leo came after Rhiannon, I’d stake him myself.
Tipping my chin up with his index finger, Lannan shook his head. “My sweet Cicely…if Geoffrey turns him, Leo won’t bother asking for forgiveness. Vampires have neither need nor desire for atonement. I am what I am. I’m a predator. I’m your master. And I have no remorse for any of the things I’ve done in my life. Save, perhaps, for leaving Regina behind. The thought of my beautiful sister in that house with Geoffrey…I fear for her safety, even though she’s the Emissary to the Crimson Court.”
I pulled away and kicked at the rubble. There was nothing else of value here. “You had to. You didn’t have a choice.”
“Now you come to my defense? You’re a confusing one, Cicely. Perhaps you’re right, perhaps not. But we should go, if you are done. Here come your father and Kaylin.” And once again, he was all business.
We carried what bags and boxes we’d found out to the car and eased out of the driveway to head back to the warehouse that had become our temporary home. All the way there, Lannan leaned over the backseat, resting a hand on my shoulder.
I knew Wrath and Kaylin were watching, but there was nothing I could do to stop him. Lannan was an ally we needed, and if I protested, he’d only find another way to screw with my head. And another mind-fuck was the last thing I needed right now.
Chapter 2
By the time we got back to the warehouse, I’d managed to regain some of my composure. We made sure we hadn’t been followed as we pulled into the parking lot and drove around the back, parking behind an old school bus that had long ago seen better days.
I cut the engine and leaned back, breathing a sigh of relief. As much as I longed for the Veil House, this was more familiar to me—living on the run, hiding in abandoned buildings, keeping one eye open as I slept. Maybe I wasn’t cut out for a normal life. Maybe I was destined for life on the wing.
As we carried our loot to the back entrance that Kaylin had cleverly hidden with a tangle of loose boards, a stack of old tires, and several abandoned vehicles, Peyton opened the door. She’d been on the watch for us and she took one of the bags from me, carrying it into the living quarters we’d quickly pulled together for ourselves.
The building had been a warehouse in better days, and the stark industrial walls were gunmetal gray, with beams and poles and odd little cubbyholes lining the inner chambers. Kaylin had been living here for a while before he’d invited us in, so we had jury-rigged electricity. He hadn’t wanted to draw attention by using too much, though, so for heat we were using a burn barrel. The warehouse was big enough, the ceilings high enough, and several windows were cracked and broken, so the smoke wasn’t much of a bother and it dissipated by the time it reached the outdoors. But it was cold and chilly and grim.
While we were gone, the rest of our little band—Peyton, Rhiannon, Luna, Chatter, and Grieve—had lined up several tables and now, we spread out the contents of our goods on them. Grieve moved over to my side and slid his arm around me. I caught my breath, this time in a good way.
“I was worried about you. I sensed…” He let his words drift off, but his gaze flickered to Lannan. “Are you all right?”
Nodding, I ducked my head. “I’m fine. There were a few tense moments, but everything’s okay.” I leaned in, feeling Lannan watching every move I made, and rested my mouth against Grieve’s soft lips. He pulled me to him and I lost myself in his touch, in his kiss. Grieve was my love, and no matter how my body responded to Lannan, my heart would forever belong to the Fae Prince with the shining stars in his eyes.
A slow warmth rose in my belly, his body felt right against my own, and I inhaled deeply, filling myself full with his scent. He smelled like autumn leaves and rain showers and danger and safety all rolled into one. His heart beat fast against my touch as I laid my hand on his chest. Grieve was alive, and he loved me.
“I want you,” I whispered, hungering to sneak off, to drive away the cold and the snow with his touch. But we couldn’t—not just yet. “I feel safe with you.”
“Later. I promise.” His words were so low that I was the only one who could hear him, but his touch pledged so much more than those words could express.
I nodded, not trusting myself to say more, and gently moved away. Everyone was looking at us, especially Lannan with his cold, dark stare, but I didn’t care. I cleared my throat and searched for what to say. Rhiannon gave me a pleading look and I nodded, knowing what she desperately wanted to hear. Time to get down to business.
“First—some good news. The Veil House isn’t nearly as far gone as we feared.”
Rhiannon let out a little cry and her fingers flew to her mouth. Chatter—Grieve’s friend and another of the Cambyra Fae—moved to rest his arm gently around her waist. I noticed the quick smile she flashed him. As I had thought. Leo had been her way of settling. She’d loved Chatter all along.
“Does it really still stand?” She leaned forward, breathless. “You aren’t joking?”
“I’d never joke about something like that. Oh, it’s definitely taken some heavy damage. The kitchen and basement will have to be rebuilt, but with work, we can restore it. However, that idea is on hold until we destroy Myst. We killed two of her Shadow Hunters while we were there.”
