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Taking her hand, Luna squeezed it tightly. “I can at least sing you to sleep. I’ll stay in your room tonight. I’m sure we’ll have enough guards posted around the house to stave off an army. Anyway…they got what they wanted.” With a quick look at me, she murmured, “Almost.”
“You don’t have to walk softly around my feelings, Luna. I know that Geoffrey wants me as much as Leo wanted Rhiannon, though for different reasons. And he’s not going to give up yet. Nor will Crawl.” Standing up, I started to pace, folding my arms across my chest. “Oh, why won’t they hurry? I have to find Rhia…I need to find her tonight.”
Ysandra cleared her throat. “They will take as long as they take. There is nothing to do that will hurry the Council.” She sat down beside Peyton and pressed a small bottle into her hand. “Take four drops of this on the tongue. It will help, but it will not dull your senses.”
As she proceeded to try to persuade Peyton to take whatever was in the bottle, Luna motioned me off to one side.
When we were away from the area, she turned to me and, in low whispers, said, “If they won’t help us, I might be able to do the job. You need a seer. While I’m not a natural-born clairvoyant, I do have a spell that might work. It requires a great deal of energy and runs to shadow magic, but I’d be willing to do it. We have to get Rhiannon back.”
I gazed at her, gauging her expression. “You’re afraid,” I finally said. “Whatever this spell is, it will work, but you’re afraid of it. Why?”
Luna rubbed the back of her neck, but all she would say was, “The price is high. But it’s a price I would be willing to pay.”
I tried to get more information out of her, but she clammed up. A noise at the back of the stage signaled the Council’s return.
They motioned for us to reconvene, and we took our seats again. After a moment, Ysandra stood and we followed suit, remaining on our feet.
The Reverend Mother cleared her throat. “In the matter of the Petros appeal for help, the Council has deemed this: We will lay the spell of Greater Protection on the house and woodland in which the members of the Moon Spinners reside. In the matter of providing a seer, we decline.”
I started to say something, but Ysandra grabbed my arm, warning me with a shake of her head to shut my mouth. She turned back to the Council.
“In the matter of the Moon Spinners’ eligibility for membership now that two of the members are royalty of a sovereign nation, we will address that after this situation is resolved. This meeting is adjourned.”
As the Reverend Mother stood and headed back the way she’d come, followed by the others, I wanted to jump on the stage, to drag her back and hammer home why we needed the seer. But Ysandra held me back, her nails digging through my turtleneck, into my arm.
After the auditorium was empty, she let out a long breath.
“Never, ever contradict the Council. They can be deadly foes, and they have long memories.” She frowned. “I’ll do what I can to find a seer on the side, someone who can divine the whereabouts of Rhiannon and Geoffrey and Leo.”
I waited for a moment but was surprised when Luna didn’t speak up about her spell. After a moment’s hesitation, I simply gave Ysandra a gracious smile.
“Thank you. We need rest. We’re exhausted. Grieve must be worried sick about me. I have to let Chatter know what’s happened.” The weight of so much pressing on my shoulders was almost more than I could bear. I dropped to the nearest chair. “I’m so tired. Even getting back to the Barrow’s going to be a chore tonight.”
“The guards will help,” Luna said, softly taking me by the arm. “Ysandra, Rex’s car is still at the Regent’s mansion. We have no way home tonight. Can you drive us back to the Veil House?”
She held up her keys. “I was planning on it. I’ll talk to the guards, tell them to meet us there. Meanwhile, let’s get you something to keep you on your feet until you get home.”
On the way out, she stopped at the information counter and talked to the girl behind the desk. After a moment, the girl handed her a small paper bag and Ysandra gave each one of us a cookie. It smelled heavenly, but when I bit into the ginger-molasses round, a warmth flooded through me, lifting my energy until I could manage my way to the car. Peyton was still quiet but seemed a little calmer, and Luna—whom I’d seen surreptitiously sliding her cookie into her pocket—tucked her in the back of the car.
Two other cars pulled out with us. Ysandra told us they contained members of the Consortium’s Elite Force—guards to make certain we found our way home. All the way home, I rested my head against the back of the seat, staring out into the darkened night. All I could think of was that Rhiannon was out there somewhere, in the hands of an abusive, vicious vampire, who wanted to turn her, use her, and make her his slave.
Chapter 13
By the time we reached the Veil House, the guards were there, with extra sentries stationed around the perimeter of the land—both from the Summer Court and from Regina’s camp. The vampires and Fae kept a close watch on each other but seemed to be coexisting without a problem, at least for now.
Chatter was there, too, waiting for us, as we entered the house. The look on his face told me he knew what had gone down. Heartbroken, I opened my arms and he slowly embraced me, tears flickering on his lashes.
Grieve was in the corner, and after a moment, he came forward and took Chatter by the shoulders, leading him to the sofa. Luna steered Peyton into one of the rocking chairs and tucked an afghan over her, then went in the kitchen to make a pot of tea.
Bleakly, I sat down at the desk and ran my hand over the restored surface. Heather had loved this desk, and Rhiannon, too. And Heather had been turned by Myst. We had staked her when we found her in the woods. Now…would I be forced to take the same measures to my cousin? Would I be forced to drive a stake through her heart, too?
“Damn Leo. Damn him to fucking hell.” I slammed my fist down on the desk. “I’ll stake the motherfucker and cut off his head and fill it with garlic.”
Everybody stared at me. At that point, Luna returned from the kitchen, a tray of tea and cookies in hand. She pressed a cup into Peyton’s hand, waiting until she had taken a sip before moving on.
I winced. Peyton had lost her father—right before her eyes. Geoffrey had ripped him to shreds and she’d been forced to witness the murder. She was hurting as much as I was. I crossed to her chair and knelt by her side, taking her hands in mine.
“What can we do? Is there anything we can do to help?”
