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“She’s allergic to fish and shellfish. This, I told you. Who put fish in the sauce?”
“It has lobster in it, Master, not fish.” The voice was high and breathless. I glanced over to see a young woman—probably in her early twenties—wincing as she glanced over at me.
“Imbecile! Lobster is a crustacean.” At her blank look, he really let go, screaming in her face. “Shellfish. Are you brainless? Dolt! I want you out of my stable. I should punish you, but I don’t want to waste the energy. Gather your things and be out of this house in fifteen minutes.” He turned his back on her.
The girl fell to her knees, crying. “No, please, Master. Please don’t turn me away!”
Lannan whirled back around. His voice was low this time, so controlled that I shivered. “I gave you an order. One more outburst and I’ll rip out your throat. Go now, while you still live. And be glad for my mercy. You won’t get a second chance.”
The girl backed away, then scrambled to her feet and ran out of the room weeping. Lannan strode over to my side, pushing everyone away. He leaned down, took my hand in his.
“Do you need a physician? Shall I summon a doctor?” He sounded worried. Too worried for my comfort. I liked Lannan better when he was ignoring me.
But he was right, I needed to assess my health and whether I’d make it without a second injection. Sometimes one dose of epinephrine just wouldn’t do it. But the itching in my mouth and throat were subsiding, and I could breathe, and it didn’t feel like anything was starting back up.
“No…wait…” I squinted, trying to remember if I had another EpiPen in my dresser. I usually carried three. And yes, I’d replenished them the last time I’d inadvertently swallowed a piece of cod. And they were still good. “I’ll be okay for now, though tomorrow I should replace this EpiPen.”
Regina frowned lightly. “You know, if you would let us turn you, you would never again have to worry about dying from a bite of fish.” Her offer sounded genuine, and she looked almost confused when I shook my head.
“Thanks but…um…no. That’s not enough reason for me to give up life as I know it and take up feasting off blood. But I appreciate the offer.” I tried to smile at her, to show her I wasn’t being sarcastic. Hell, after a jolt of epinephrine, sarcasm was the last thing on my mind. But the adrenaline flowing through my body would sustain me until I crashed.
“Let me help you upstairs.” Rhia turned to Lannan. “The rest of us can discuss matters afterward. Cicely’s going to need to rest. These attacks are pretty harsh on the system and she’s already drained her energy today.”
He frowned but nodded and stood back as Grieve and Wrath edged him out of the way. My father picked me up, and as if I were no heavier than a stuffed animal, he carried me upstairs to my room. Rhia and Grieve followed. Rhia helped me get into a nightgown and she crawled into bed next to me.
“I don’t want to leave her alone in case she has another reaction. You guys go down and talk to the others. You can tell us what went on later.”
As Grieve and Wrath left the room, I leaned against Rhia’s side—she was sitting up against the headboard—and closed my eyes. I was tired, very tired, but I was also jittery from the medication. But after a few minutes, the sound of her breathing began to calm me, and she stroked my head gently, smoothing my hair, until I closed my eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
I found myself in a frozen wasteland, wearing a pale blue gown that shimmered with silver embroidery. At first I wondered that I was not cold, but then I realized the snowflakes felt good against my skin, cooling me and soothing my thoughts. As I turned, a pale bird appeared—an owl. I raised one hand in greeting to it, and it dipped low, winging by, to land on my outstretched arm. I slowly brought it toward me, bending my elbow, keeping my arm straight, and the owl gazed into my eyes, and its eyes burned with frozen fire.>I couldn’t hold on to the energy any longer, and I let out a long breath, the twister vanishing as quickly as I’d summoned it. The last of the Vampiric Fae came tumbling out of the sky to land at my feet. I bent over, and he opened his eyes, still alive. Without thought, without mercy, I drove my dagger down, slicing through his throat, pinning him to the ground. He jerked spasmodically and was silent.
As I turned around, the others were staring at me. I didn’t care what they thought, didn’t care if they approved. The only thing I could think about was destroying Myst and saving my love, my friends, and me.
But as I walked back to them, Kaylin clapped me on the back, and even my father smiled at me. Grimly, yes, but it was still a smile. Grieve slipped one arm around my waist, and Peyton took the other side. Leaning on them for support, I slowly climbed the grand steps as we headed inside, shutting the rest of the world out.
Regina was waiting. Despite her cool demeanor, I could tell she’d been worried. She raced over to Lannan and encircled his waist with her arms, drawing him to her. They looked a lot alike; I wasn’t positive if they were twins but it sure looked that way. Her hair was as golden as his and they were both so gorgeous it hurt to look at them. As her lips sought his, he sank into her embrace and they kissed, deep, dark, and sensuous.
I turned away, heading toward the stairs. I just wanted some peace and quiet, even for a moment, to relax.
But Regina’s voice rang out behind me. “Don’t be so quick, Cicely. We have to discuss what happened.”
I turned to find her staring at me, coyly giving me a sly smile. “I’m exhausted. I thought I’d take a quick shower to wash the dust and grime off of me first, before we talked.” We were safe enough in the mansion, and whatever might be going on outside tonight, there wasn’t much we could do about it.
She caught my gaze, and slowly licked her lips. Once. Then with a throaty laugh, she shrugged. “Perhaps that is best. You all look worn out. Go take your shower and I will tell the cook to prepare you food. But do not take long—tarrying is not advised at this point, and there is much to discuss.”
And with that, she led Lannan away.
Relieved that she didn’t offer to come with me, and that she didn’t order me to go with them, I motioned to the others.
“Let’s get cleaned up. She’s right. We have a lot to discuss and not much time in which to do it. Let’s go.” But the stairs were more than my legs could muster. I was exhausted, bone-weary. Summoning up the twister had drained me and three steps up, I crumbled and sank down, leaning my head against the railing. Grieve was at my side instantly, sweeping me up and carrying me up to my room.
He set me down on the bed. “Undress. I will prepare a bath for you.” He disappeared into the bathroom and I heard the sound of running water and smelled sweet vanilla and warm musk.
Even though I’d had at least three showers already, the thought of a bubble bath suddenly took over. I pulled off my clothes, realizing just how bruised I was from the shattered building, and how exhausted I was from calling up the winds. I was shivering because, although the mansion was warm enough, the cold outside had gotten to me, and I couldn’t seem to shake the chill that had crept into my bones.
I glanced at the clock. It was well past midnight, and I wondered if the day would ever end. Or would we just keep going and going until finally, we faded into history?
My clothes in a pile on the floor, I pulled a throw from the foot of the bed around my shoulders and closed my eyes, leaning against one of the bedposts, taking stock. My ribs hurt, my muscles hurt, my joints ached, and my mind was so cloudy I could barely think. Not even Grieve’s exercise on pulling on my Fae nature would help me this time. A moment later, I felt him near me.
