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Lainule managed to control them. I have to learn how, too. I sighed. “Well, then. Let’s get in there and find Leo and Geoffrey before they wake.”
“A little late for that, lovely.” The voice to my left chilled me to the bone.
There, within arm’s reach of me, stood Geoffrey, and beside him, Leo. And behind them, what looked to be a good dozen other vampires, all looking ready to rumble. Geoffrey was holding one of my guards, who was slumped forward, and it was obvious he was dead.
As I stared at Geoffrey, Peyton let out a scream and rushed toward him. Although Check caught her before she was in reach of the vampire, that did it. The rumble was on, and we were all in the fray.
Chapter 20
Ignoring Peyton’s rush, Geoffrey tossed the guard aside and turned to me with a wicked grin on his face. He was too close. As I stumbled, I felt—rather than heard—Check deposit Peyton behind him, then race back toward me, with Grieve strong on his heels. But the vampire was too close, and I was still drained from raising the storm. Geoffrey grabbed me by the wrist, dragging me toward him, his fangs flashing in the light of the Faerie fire.
His long dark hair pulled back in a ponytail, he was handsome and mesmerizing and I couldn’t pull my gaze away from him. He was bringing all his charm to bear and, as hard as Lannan was to resist when he pulled out all the stops, Geoffrey was even harder. He was more disciplined than Lannan, and there’d been a good reason that he’d been chosen as Regent.
I wanted to run, but couldn’t, wanted to fight, but my will slipped away. I leaned into him, smelling the dust and the age and the power that emanated off his clothes, his body, his very aura. At that moment, I saw what Myst had seen—brilliance and ruthless ambition, and a charisma hard to ignore.
As he pulled me back, holding me in front of him with his teeth poised above my neck, the other vamps moved forward, with Leo in the lead. Rhiannon let out a low growl as he laughingly turned to her.
“Well, I see your lover welcomed you back. Used goods, Chatter. I hope you remember that every time you fuck her. But wait—there won’t be another time. This time, I’ll kill you and turn her and we’ll all be good.”
And with that, he lunged, lashing out at Rhia. She jumped back, and her eyes began to glow. I couldn’t move, and I couldn’t look away, so tight within Geoffrey’s embrace.
“You signed your final death warrant when you fucked with me, lover boy.” A glow began to surround her and she raised her hands, the flicker of flame springing to life.
The vampires, including Leo, stopped in their tracks. Geoffrey shifted, pulling me back away from the group. And then Leo jumped toward her, meeting her outstretched hand. The flicker of flame became a blazing jet, and the fire struck Leo straight in the face. As the other vamps swarmed around him, taking on the guards, Leo began to burn, bright and hot, and his screams filled the cavern. Rhia had gotten to him before Chatter or I could.
Geoffrey took that moment to drag me away, all the while whispering, “Since I have you, I might as well use you.”
I knew what he meant. I knew what he wanted, and I wasn’t about to allow it. He couldn’t keep his fangs poised on me now that we were in motion, and I took advantage to struggle against his hold. And then an idea hit me. He wouldn’t be expecting it at all. I began to shift.
The transformation was uneven, but I had been right. Startled, Geoffrey let go of me in order to get a better grasp, still not comprehending what was going on. At that moment, I pushed the transformation, hurrying it as fast as I could, and the next second, swooped up toward the high ceiling of the chamber, out of his reach. He thundered, and the next thing I knew, he had changed into a bat and was headed my way.
I swept toward him. In bat form, I had no clue if he was as impervious to damage as he was when he was a vampire, but we were going to find out. As I barreled toward him, talons first as if I were picking a rat off the snow, Geoffrey veered, circling out of the way. But he must have been off his game, because I turned on the wing, a sharp turn, and cut him off. I clipped him a hard one, talons nicking his wing, and—disrupted—he plummeted to the ground, shifting as he fell. I knew I couldn’t damage him while I was still in owl form, so I retreated to a safe distance to transform back into myself.
As I landed, shifting, everything seemed like it was on fast-forward. The vampires and Fae were fighting so quickly, moving so fast, it was a blur of motion, and there was nothing I could do. I couldn’t even tell who was winning.
Leo was burning as Rhiannon pelted him with yet more fire. She seemed to source it out of an endless well of anger and fury. He crisped as ashes flaked off him. And yet she went on, a flamethrower on legs. A moment later, with a last shriek, he turned to dust, and the flames fell silent.
Meanwhile, Geoffrey tangled with Grieve. They were rolling on the floor, and Grieve had a huge wooden stake in his hand. Geoffrey slashed at Grieve and the stake went flying. My love was pouring blood from where the vampire had raked him.
Before I could move, Peyton dove into the fray, somersaulting over the both of them to roll and come up with the stake in hand. Grieve pulled back, and she landed, hard, on Geoffrey, impaling him through the heart. A hushed pause in the cacophony and Geoffrey turned to dust, scattering to the floor.
A few moments later and all the vampires were dead, along with ten of our guards. I pressed my lips together. It was over. We had won, at a cost. Wearily, we all slumped on the floor, staring at one another. Another moment saw Lannan and his men enter the cavern. As I looked at him, I realized there was no turning back. Life would never be the same.
It was time to go home to my icy realm.
Chapter 21
The aftermath of battle is never easy. I could talk about how we made our way back to the Barrows…how we burned our dead on the sacred pyres…how, shell-shocked and tired, we were too weary to even speak. But I won’t. It’s impossibly dreary, and sad, and the cleanup after war isn’t much fun to reminisce over. Lannan and I said very little to each other, and Grieve avoided him, too.
But two days later, sitting in my chamber in the Eldburry Barrow, I began to feel halfway normal again. My leg was healing up—the scabs were starting to flake already, a by-product of drinking vampire blood and being the Winter Queen—and I had slept for hours upon hours.
Now, with the immediate crisis over, and Myst still in hiding, my new life was staring me in the face. I imagined Rhiannon was feeling the same way. I missed her being near. Missed Peyton and Luna, who were staying at the Veil House, with plenty of guards patrolling the borders.
Grieve entered the room as I slid from beneath the covers, yawning and stretching. He glanced at my legs, then at my thighs where the bruises were fading. After a moment, he motioned for Druise to leave the room and crossed over to sit next to me.
Silent, I brought my knees up, wrapping my arms around them, careful not to jar the flaking skin on my shins. I waited.
“I told you, not long ago, that I realized that someday you might end up bedding the vampire, and that I would accept it if necessary. When I saw you bleeding…the blood—there was so much blood coming so fast that I knew the only way to save you was to let you go into his arms.”
