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Not wanting to scare him, I forced myself to speak. “No, I’ve never been back there.” A wave of horror swept over me at the thought of setting foot back in the cavern. I’d thought myself over the fear. Dredge was dead. I had staked him. I was free. Or, at least, I thought I was free.
“I’m so sorry. Menolly, I should never have asked. I’m so stupid.” Somehow, Chase’s contrition was worse than the question he’d asked.
“It’s not your fault.” I hurried to reassure him. He’d asked a simple question. The fact that the question had hit me so hard worried the fuck out of me.
The others had noticed our conversation and stopped. Camille and Delilah surreptitiously moved to stand behind Chase, and I realized—again, with a touch of horror—that they feared I might attack him.
Feeling both mute, and muted, I shook my head. “I’m okay. Just…I never…nobody ever asked me that before. I’ve never thought of going back. Ever.”
Camille stepped back. Delilah, more slowly. But Chase didn’t flinch. He just stood there, his gaze softly fastened on my own, and held out his hand. I stared at his fingers, warm and pulsing with blood, and a thirst welled up in me that I didn’t like.
“Take my hand. I trust you.” His words hit like a ton of bricks, and I realized he was offering me something that few mortals would ever dare. Trust that I wouldn’t hurt him, that I wouldn’t fall prey to my nature.
I swallowed my thirst and tentatively took his hand, entwining my fingers in his. I didn’t like touching people—or being touched unless it was on my own terms. But this was important. He squeezed my hand and I returned it, though cautiously. I could crush his fingers with one quick grip.
And then the moment passed and the tension lifted. As I let go of his hand, I gave him a silent nod, and he smiled.
“You can never go home again.” Delilah looked at me. “But that’s not what we’re doing. Even if we go back to the house, we’re not going home. We’re going to…the place we were born.”
Shade slid his arm around her waist. “You have a home Earthside. And if you return to Otherworld, you’ll build a new home.” And then, everything was normal again, and we continued down the street.
But something still felt off. I sidled over to Camille. “Use your senses. Something’s wrong.”
She stopped, and I could feel the swell of magic as she started to close her eyes. But before she could do anything, a crash broke through the night as a large group of men emerged from the shadows of the nearby alley.
They weren’t Tregarts, they were Fae, but one look at their faces and I realized that they wouldn’t be any picnic to deal with. Armed with long knives, they were dressed in black to cloak themselves within the shadows. The leader, at least I thought he was a leader, was slender, with long dark hair pulled back in a ponytail, and a silver bandanna wrapped around his head. Silver chains draped around his neck, and in his hand, he circled a nasty-looking serrated blade at us. But that wasn’t what made me nervous.
As he approached, I knew what he was. There was no mistaking the grace and fluidity with which he moved. A rogue jian-tu. Which meant he’d be more flexible and quicker than anyone in our group except for me. He and his group arced around us in a half circle, cutting off our path.>Trenyth waited for a beat and then, seeing that we had run out of steam, brought the conversation back to the present day. “Quall is under orders to infiltrate his father’s inner circle. His father is a known sympathizer to the sorcerers.”
Delilah voiced the question running through my mind. “What if Quall takes a notion to change sides when he meets his father? He may have grown up in Elqaneve, but if he’s a desert raider by birth, what’s to say that blood won’t out and he’ll return to the fold?”
“There’s never a guarantee that something like that won’t happen,” Queen Asteria said. “Anyone can go rogue at any time. However, remember—his father sold him. There’s no love lost there. And despite his demeanor, Quall is one of the most loyal hires we have. He’s been on a number of missions and come through with not a single smirch on his record.” She gave us a quiet look, indicating the matter was settled. “We have to trust him. He’s our best chance at finding out just what Telazhar is plotting. We know what, but we don’t know how.”
We’d have to be satisfied with that.
“And now, I must attend another matter. Trenyth will see you out. Thank you for answering my summons so quickly.” The aged queen swept out of the room, still a fountain of power.
“Then we wait for Darynal to contact us through the Whispering Mirror,” Camille said. She glanced at me. “How long before morning?”
I closed my eyes. “A while yet. It’s barely past midnight.”
“Your evening is far from over. As we told you earlier, you must go to Y’Elestrial.” Trenyth sighed, pushing himself back away from the table.
“Yeah, about that. You mentioned that our father wanted to see us. But that’s not possible. Camille’s proscribed from setting foot through the gates. And didn’t you tell us some time ago that our father and Tanaquar are on the outs?”
He grimaced. “Your father is muchly changed this past month. He’s become withdrawn and silent, and while he is still working for Queen Tanaquar, he confided to me that he made a grievous mistake when he did not stand behind your choice, Lady Camille.”
Her lip trembled. Father’s denouncement had cost her a price far more than any she had ever paid. It had cost all of us. We’d always done everything to make him proud, but he was quick to judge. He’d judged me since the day I came home a vampire—he hated vampires, and I knew it took every ounce of self-control he had to remain civil to me. But I didn’t care. Not like Camille.
“He truly wants to see us?” A flicker of hope lit up her voice, but I heard doubt behind it. And fear.
Trenyth pressed his lips together, a gentle smile playing across them. “Yes, my dear. He truly wants to see you.”
And so, without another word, he bundled us back in the carriages and we were on the way to the portals, to travel to our home. For the first time in several years, we’d all be together at home again.
Chapter 3
As we were on the way to the portals, Camille pulled her cloak around her shoulders and shivered. “Is it just me, or does it feel colder than usual out here?” She rubbed her temples. “I have such a headache. What the hell are we supposed to do? I don’t want to go but we don’t have any choice.”
