“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?”

She leaned her head against the back of the chair, weary. “No. Thanks, but…there’s nothing anybody can do now except to find Geoffrey and kill him.” After a pause, she added, “I suppose I need to find out where the police took Rex’s body and go about claiming it. And then, I guess…I bury my father.”

I waited for the tears but they didn’t come. “Peyton…”

As if she knew what I was thinking, she set her teacup aside and pressed one hand over mine. “I’m all cried out, Cicely. I guess…I’ll cry again later…when I’ve had time to sleep. But for now…I’m just numb.”

I brought her hand to my lips and kissed it softly, then reached out and stroked the bangs out of her eyes, brushing her hair back. “Drink your tea. Close your eyes. Rest. That’s probably the best thing you can do right now. Tomorrow, we’ll help you with the…arrangements.”

“Tomorrow, you’ll need my help. Leo has Rhiannon. Geoffrey killed my father. I’ll be damned if I let those bloodsuckers take her, too.” She closed her eyes and within a few moments was breathing softly, asleep.

I glanced at Luna, questioning.

She shrugged. “I spiked her drink with a strong herbal sedative. She’ll sleep through the rest of the night, so we might want to carry her up to her room when we’re done.”

“You’re sure it’s safe?”

“Yes, positive.” She handed the rest of the teacups around and passed the cookies. I took one, realizing I was starving even though it was hard to think about food right now.

Turning to Grieve, I slumped down by his side and leaned my head on his shoulder, rubbing his sleeve with my fingers. “What are you doing here? Should we all be away from the Barrows right now?” The thought that Myst might choose this time to attack again, when we were at our most vulnerable, wasn’t all that far from my mind, but I didn’t want to voice it.

Grieve shook his head. “No, they’ll be fine. The guards are thick as honey there, and Strict and Edge are watching over the Courts. Now…tell us everything that happened.”

And so, with Luna’s help, I did. As we came to the part where Leo snatched away Rhiannon, Chatter paled, and anger flashed in his usually agreeable gaze. The room grew warm, and a light breeze swept around him.

Ulean, what’s going on with Chatter?

Can you feel the heat? His fire is up. He’s repressing the instinct to summon the flames, but you can still feel them rising in his fury. But he has experience and even in his grief and anger, he can control them, I think.

Unlike a number of the Cambyra Fae, Chatter didn’t shift into an animal or bird, but instead a pillar of fire. He was unusual in that way, but the ability wasn’t unknown.

Grieve was watching him, and I felt the wolf tattoo on my stomach pacing uneasily. “Hold yourself steady. You can’t do anything to help her if you lose control.”

Chatter gave him an abrupt nod, and within the blink of an eye ceased to be Grieve’s buddy and became the fiancé of my cousin. The easygoing nature was gone, replaced by a man who loved his sweetheart and would kill to get her back. He leaned back in his chair, crossing one leg across the other knee, silent and brooding.

“So what do we do?” Grieve looked at me. “I can send men out to search for them, but the vampires are difficult to find when they want to hide.”

I glanced at Luna. “You said…if we didn’t get the seer, you could help?”

She hung her head. After a moment, she let out a short sigh and toyed with the edge of the throw that hung over the back of the sofa.

“Yes, I can do it. And I will. But…I’ll need sleep first. I’m exhausted, and if I hope to control the energy, I have to be at the top of my game.” She glanced at the clock. It was now close to midnight. “Tomorrow morning, we’ll do the ritual. I know it’s a long time to wait—I know it puts Rhiannon in danger—but I can’t make certain the spell doesn’t backfire if I’m not alert.”

I didn’t want to wait, but I knew how exhausted I was, and Luna had to be close on my heels. The last thing we needed was magic gone wrong. I wanted to pace, to move, to do something, but my body refused to respond.

“We’re all exhausted. It’s been a horrid day.” Any excitement or joy of shopping for our wedding gowns was swept away by the reality of the dangers we were facing. Bleakly, I stood. “We all need sleep. Grieve, should we return to the Barrow? Or can we crash here? There are plenty of guards outside, both Fae and vampire.”

He nodded. “We’ll stay here. I’ll send word to Strict and to Edge.” He slipped out the back as I glanced, once again, at Chatter.

“Chatter…” But I stopped when he looked at me. His shrouded gaze was dark and brooding. His long dark hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and while I’d always liked Chatter, I was beginning to see him in a different light. I was beginning to see the man that my cousin had fallen in love with.

“You can’t help me. And I can’t say anything to make you feel better. Except that when we find them, we’ll tear them apart. But, Cicely—” He leaned across the table and took my hand, staring intently into my eyes. “Leo’s mine. Rhiannon may be your cousin, but she’s my fiancée, and she’s my love. And if he touches her, he’ll find out just how ruthless the Fae can be, and why the outer world fears us. Vampires are dangerous, yes, but they flaunt their power. While we nurse our powers, and nurture them, and then use them like a strike of lightning.”

Wearily, I patted his hand and stood. “Yeah…that’s something I’m learning how to do, still.”

Grieve returned, and Luna asked him and Chatter to help her carry Peyton to her bedroom. I followed, trudging up the stairs. After the guys left, Luna and I undressed her and bundled her into her nightgown. The sedative kept her out like a light, and we tucked the blanket around her. Luna sat on the other side of the bed.

In a whisper, she said, “I’m going to sleep here, in case she wakes up with nightmares. The bed’s big enough.”

“Grieve and I will take Kaylin’s room, and Chatter can sleep downstairs on the sofa.”

She nodded, yawning. “I wish I could do the magic for you tonight—”

I stopped her. “Don’t sweat it. You’re right, we all need sleep. We’re on last gasp here.” With a quick hug, I softly closed the door and met Grieve in the hall. Chatter had already gone downstairs.

Kaylin was supposed to sleep in Heather’s old room, and as we entered, memories flooded back. I pressed my lips together, trying not to think about all the bloodshed and carnage that had gone on over the past few weeks. Grieve shed his clothes, as he always did, and I stripped off my own. Climbing under the comforter, I turned out the light and lay on my side, staring at the silent fall of snow outside the window. We didn’t say anything. There wasn’t anything left to say. When I finally fell asleep, my dreams were filled with the mist and snow and ice, and the screams of Rhiannon, begging me to come rescue her.

Morning light didn’t make anything better. The guards were waiting to fill us in on the state of the Barrows—which were, for once, doing fine. Peyton, on the other hand, was quiet and withdrawn. Over breakfast, she toyed with her phone, until I finally asked her what she was thinking about.

“I’m debating on whether to call Mother. She probably doesn’t know Rex is dead. She’d probably be glad for the news.” A gloom had settled over her face, and a cloud seemed to surround her.

I kept my mouth shut. The fact was, Anadey probably would be glad to hear Rex was dead. She’d betrayed our trust, tried to kill me, tried to have Rex killed, and now I wondered if she was in league with Geoffrey and Leo, but I didn’t want to come out and say so.

But Peyton beat me to the punch. “You think she might be acting with them, don’t you? That she might be cozying up to them.”

I shrugged. “I don’t know, but considering what she did, I wouldn’t put it past her.”

Luna handed me a plate of eggs and bacon and set a stack of toast in the center of the table. Grieve took a piece, and so did Chatter, but neither of them was saying much. They seemed to give way to me, and I realized that—even to my love and his friend—the fact that I was now Queen took precedence over just about everything.

As we ate, one of the guards knocked on the kitchen door, then let himself in. He knelt by my side, bowing his head. “Your Majesty, a package was delivered for you. We took the liberty of opening it to make certain there wasn’t anything dangerous inside.” He held out a DVD case, but it was one that you burn yourself, not a preformatted movie.

I gingerly took it, staring at the disk. “Where’s the wrapping?”

He handed it to me. Whoever had opened it had done a good job of keeping it fairly intact, because it was easy to see the postmark—New Forest—but also easy to see there was no return address. Just Her Highness Cicely Waters, Veil House, New Forest, WA. There was no postmark, so whoever had sent it, had to have paid the messenger to deliver it.

A fluttering in my stomach told me this wasn’t good. It wasn’t good at all. I pushed myself back from the table and stood, heading into the living room, where there was a DVD player, the others following.

As I slid the disk into the machine and turned it on, Luna flipped on the television. I didn’t want to sit down. For some reason, I was sweating cold, and it felt like I might be better able to handle whatever was on the disk if I was standing up. Chatter joined us, and I suddenly turned to Grieve.

“Take him out. Just do it. Both of you go outside.”

“No,” Chatter said. “If this has anything to do with Rhiannon, I need to see it. And you can’t stop me, Queen or not, Cicely.” There was a finality to his words that made me shiver, and so I just shrugged and hit the Play button.

The screen flickered, and then a room came into view. It was dimly lit, with a red ambiance. Several people were in the room, but they were on their knees, staring at the floor. By the furnishings, I knew they were in a dungeon somewhere. I’d spent enough time hanging around the scene with my mother to recognize a fetish setup when I saw one, though most were run by perfectly respectable and sane people, not sadistic vampires. To the left sat a spanking bench; to the right, stocks and a bondage table. There was what looked like a metal web or netting that covered a redbrick wall.