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“We could not catch her. She is still out there, but she had only one Shadow Hunter with her. She’ll likely gather the remnants of her people to her before she makes another attempt. Is there a way to guard the woodland so she can’t summon new recruits?”
Ysandra, who looked weary beyond belief, nodded. “We can set a ring of wards around the Golden Wood, but it will be a great task. We need a treaty with the Queen of Rivers and Rushes before we can set to such an undertaking.”
Lainule let out a small laugh. “I will make such a treaty as one of my last acts here.” She turned to Rhiannon and me. “You must undergo your initiations as soon as possible, so that Wrath and I may take our places with the others who have reigned and passed out of this realm.”
I stared at her. “It’s all happening so quickly.”
“And so it must. There is no time to process the journey, owl-daughter. If we had time, I would willingly give you more. But so it must be…and so it will be.” And with that, she dropped to one of the divans that had escaped being splattered with blood. “I already feel my power beginning to wane. Night is coming for me, at least here in this world.”
Lainule and Wrath sent us back to the mansion for the night while their people cleaned the barrow. Myst had vanished, and no one knew where she was. Ysandra and her squad from the Consortium returned to Lannan’s estate with us. We reached the gates late—and apparently every vampire on the premises was out looking for us.
As we wandered through the doors, blood-soaked, cold, and exhausted, Lannan was standing there, waiting. He stared at me, his gaze holding me fast. After a moment, he scanned the rest of the crowd.
“Get them clean clothing, showers, and food. Cicely, you will attend me in my office when you are warm and clean and dressed.” And with that, he turned and exited the room.
I didn’t have the energy to argue. So much had gone on that I almost welcomed the chance to sit and talk about it with someone who wasn’t entirely involved. Grieve glowered, but I just shook my head as we trudged up to my room.
“Don’t even go there. Just don’t. All I want to think about right now is a hot bath and clean clothes, and to feel like maybe, for just an hour, we can breathe without something else happening.” I kissed him on the nose, then stripped off my clothes.
Grieve let out a snort. “You know as well as I do that he’ll try anything to get in your pants. But my love, you will do as you must. As you always do.” He seemed at ease with himself, no longer struggling with his inner demons since the ritual, as if a constant edge were gone. “Shower, and I will lay out an outfit for you.”
The water sang against my skin, and I embraced the heat, drawing it in, letting the stream pound on my sore muscles. It began to ease the knots in my back and my legs. Soaping up with a lavender-scented bath gel, I lingered under the shower as long as I could, until the water began to cool.
As I stepped out and wrapped a towel around myself, I wiped the fog off the mirror and stared at myself. So much had happened. So much was happening still, and I wasn’t quite sure how to take it all in. Staring at my reflection, I finally shook my head and stepped out of the bathroom.
Grieve was waiting for me, and before I could say a word, he drew me to him and silently, slowly, kissed me. But instead of moving to make love to me, he stood back and handed me my bra and a clean pair of jeans and comfortable turtleneck.
“You will not be wearing these much longer, my love. The Queen of Snow and Ice will not wear jeans.” His voice was wistful, and I realized he’d been hoping we’d return to the land of Summer. That we’d live in the perpetual warmth and light of his homeland.
“I don’t even pretend to grasp the significance of what this all means. But all my life I knew I’d return to New Forest, and that I’d return to you. And I have, and I am with you. As long as Myst lives, we’re still in danger, but now…I feel we have a fighting chance. We have the possibility of life beyond her reign.” I sat down on the bed as I dressed. “But I’m bone-weary and have no clue where we go from here.”
“Lainule was correct. The rituals must be done quickly. She will fade, and she must be out of this world before that happens. If she returns to the land in which she was born, then she and Wrath will live and grow old together. If she stays here now, she will fade into a spirit, into vapor and mist and a ghost.” He hung his head. “I have never known any other mother except for her—my own mother died when I was young. Lainule is my aunt. Her sister was my mother. And before you ask, yes, Rhiannon is my cousin as well, by Fae blood.”
“How long have you known?” I finally dared ask him the question that I’d been putting off. Somehow the answer didn’t seem to mean as much now.
“Since before you were born. Remember, there are many levels of fate working here—the one we brought upon ourselves when you were Myst’s daughter. The one brought about by Lainule and Wrath when they realized Myst was encroaching. The one by your mothers, who both agreed to bear daughters of the Seelie realm. Don’t for one minute think that Heather and Krystal didn’t realize what was going on. They knew.”
I motioned to the floor. “Hand me my shoes, will you? So…they knew? Then why did my mother run?”
He handed me my sneakers and I welcomed them after wearing boots in the recent battle. “She changed her mind. She couldn’t handle the powers she had, let alone think of a daughter who might one day be destined to rule over the Fae. Things are changing. The Courts here—they have long been insular, and inbreeding has been a problem. You are not fully of Fae blood, you bring a new life to the realm. It is time we opened up, spread out in the world.”
“What about the purity of the line? If we have children, they will not be fully Fae.” I couldn’t believe we were even talking about a family. And while I knew we had to hunt down Myst and destroy her for good, I realized, too, that I wanted Grieve’s children. I wanted to create the family I never really had.
“Trust me, the Grand Courts will always remain Fae alone, but we are of the Lesser Courts, and there has been too much isolation for too long. Lainule saw this, and while she and Wrath could not break the cycle themselves, they could ensure that our people grow and thrive into the future. We must join the world that moves around us.”
A knock on the door interrupted us. It was one of Lannan’s servants. “The Master bids you to attend him.” But the look on her face told me he hadn’t put it quite like that.
“In other words, get my ass in gear. Right?” I smiled at her, and she smiled back. For some reason, the thought of dropping the bomb on Lannan that I was to become the Queen of Snow and Ice seemed like icing on the cake. I knew he’d be pissed.
With another kiss from Grieve, I headed out the door and down to Lannan’s study. The mansion was bustling now that the vampires had woken up, and I saw several groups of them arming themselves. Regina was organizing them. She waved me over.
“You had quite a little adventure out in the woods, I hear.” She was walking down the line of vampires, adjusting a strap here, a weapon there. They stood at attention and I realized these were the guards that the Crimson Court had sent out to replace those who’d died. “We were hoping for a bigger piece of the action, but there are still Shadow Hunters to be found and so I send my men out to battle them. Lainule’s warriors are tired and weary. These men will take their place.”
I waited. Regina didn’t make small talk. She had to have some reason for calling me over, and until I knew what it was, I didn’t want to chance saying the wrong thing. After a moment, she turned to me and with those glassy obsidian eyes, she held my gaze.
“I have heard what is in store for you and your cousin. Don’t ask how—I have my ways of finding out what I need to know. I think it a good thing. The Cambyra have cordoned themselves off from society too long. You will bring a much-needed infusion of reality to the Courts. I’m not sure if you can handle the job. You and your cousin are young by many standards, though if we’re speaking in yummanii years, many a woman has become queen far younger than you. Whatever the case, the Crimson Court will wish an audience with you both, to forge new treaties, to discuss alliances.”
I stared at her. For once, she was treating me with respect, instead of like a toy or a plaything.
