Authors: Yasmine Galenorn
Night Veil (38 page)
Lannan took a step back, and I could see his eyes grow wide, the shining black orbs glistening in the dim light.
“You’ve never understood the finer points of living. You thrive on bloodshed, and this time is not kind to warlords. You’ve outlived your place, Geoffrey. You should just walk into the sun while you still have your dignity.”
With a low growl, Geoffrey strode over to clasp Lannan by the collar and lift him off the ground. Lannan didn’t resist, and though I was glad to see him get smacked down, the fact that someone could force him to endure such an indignity scared the fuck out of me.
Lannan let out a short laugh, but Geoffrey choked it off. “Laugh if you will, for now, boy. But don’t
ever
forget how we met. I took down a hundred of Regina’s men, singlehandedly. I bloodied your palace and captured Crawl for the Crimson Queen. I had the Oracle on a collar when I took him to the Queen, when she laid the curse on him. And you . . . you and your sister crawled on your bellies at my feet, begging for your lives. Regina has her position solely with my backing, and you live only because she has a passion for you. Interfere with my plans, and you’ll watch your stable die one by one, before I make you my whipping boy.”
ever
forget how we met. I took down a hundred of Regina’s men, singlehandedly. I bloodied your palace and captured Crawl for the Crimson Queen. I had the Oracle on a collar when I took him to the Queen, when she laid the curse on him. And you . . . you and your sister crawled on your bellies at my feet, begging for your lives. Regina has her position solely with my backing, and you live only because she has a passion for you. Interfere with my plans, and you’ll watch your stable die one by one, before I make you my whipping boy.”
Lannan let out a short sound, but quieted, and Geoffrey lowered him back to the ground.
“Tsk, tsk, Regent. Best watch your temper. If our Cicely finds out about your past—your present—truly, she’s not going to want to cooperate with you.” Lannan shook his head and turned away. “I won’t interfere, but I won’t help you, either. Not unless the Crimson Queen directly orders me to. I know too much about you.”
He looked up, turning my way, and for a moment I thought he could see me. As he stared in our direction, he added, “Geoffrey, you’d best walk softly. Myst is out for your head, and there are many who would serve you up to her on a silver platter. And Lainule, I urge you to be cautious. I would not see you hurt—you are too bright, too beautiful. Don’t trust this blood-monger. And don’t trust that breeding won’t play true. Cicely was Myst’s daughter. Do you truly believe her soul energy can’t outweigh mere blood?”
Lainule, who had remained silent through the vampires’ altercation, shook her head. “She will not revert. I have seen her heart, as have you, Lannan Altos. You seek to defile her; I seek to uplift her. Geoffrey is the fulcrum, a middle balance. And though I had to dissuade him of his original plan, the current one bears more promise. We have no hope left but to try it.
Myst
. . . you know nothing of the Queen of Shadow and Winter. She is evil incarnate. She is the long, dark deep of the winter. She is the shadow of the moon and the chill of bone and blade. I know her—she is my counterpart. She is my alter ego, my doom. Cicely is the key—her decisions set in motion events leading to an ending of this war. Geoffrey may have started it by himself, but he cannot finish it alone.”
Myst
. . . you know nothing of the Queen of Shadow and Winter. She is evil incarnate. She is the long, dark deep of the winter. She is the shadow of the moon and the chill of bone and blade. I know her—she is my counterpart. She is my alter ego, my doom. Cicely is the key—her decisions set in motion events leading to an ending of this war. Geoffrey may have started it by himself, but he cannot finish it alone.”
“I sincerely hope for your sake that you’re right. And for your information, I do not seek to defile the girl. I enjoy toying with her because nothing can quench her spirit. I’ve seen both sides within her—the dark and the light. Which way she turns remains to be seen.” Lannan turned and began walking over the top of the snow, his feet leaving no prints on the surface of the glistening white.
I shivered. Everything was in a tailspin, and I felt like I was falling into darkness, into the shadows, into a vortex of decisions needing to be made. Geoffrey—was he truly a warmonger? Did Lannan actually mean what he said? And just what influence did Geoffrey have with the Crimson Queen? Or Lainule, for that matter?
Kaylin tapped me on the shoulder, and I glanced over at him. His aura flared with energy, some golden, some dark red, and I knew he was angry for me. I nodded that I was okay, although I felt anything but, and turned back to watch as Lannan strode out of sight and then a great black bat filled the sky, flying off.
Geoffrey turned back to Wrath, who stood, arms folded, waiting. “Continue. I’m sorry for the interruption. Will this cause a problem in proceeding?”
“Tell me what you plan with my daughter.”
Geoffrey would not answer, but Lainule spoke up, her voice smooth. “There is no need to fret, husband. I have approved the plans and they will not be in vain.”
Wrath shook his head. “As you will, my love. We will need to recover the energy before continuing. It has seeped away, and the only manner in which to be certain the antidote takes is to build the cone once again. So you must wait for a few more moments, Regent, before administering the serum.”
“I still think this is premature, but we must take steps before Cicely insists on doing something rash. For she is as headstrong as her sire,” Lainule said, then laughed. “My Wrath, you begot a daughter to be proud of, even if she is a handful. Lannan Altos is wrong. She is now ours, fully and forever. And if it took our finding Grieve again in order to bring her spirit to us, then that is a small price to pay. His love for her will not go unrewarded. Nor hers for him. If she but agrees to the plans Geoffrey and I have made, all will be well.”
“We have much to speak of, my lady,” Geoffrey said, turning to Lainule. “You owe me for this, remember.”
Lainule inclined her head. “The Court of Rivers and Rushes never forgets its debts.”
Confused, but convinced that it was better if I found out what they were talking about on my own, rather than be seen and have them angry I was spying, I motioned to Kaylin that we should leave. He took my hand and we slipped away.
As we were headed back to the house, still on the plane of shadow and smoke, a blur and a flash interrupted us. Kaylin stopped short, slamming me in back of him, and stretched out his arms.
“Do not attempt to pass. She is not one of the Bat People, nor of their children. You cannot claim her.”
“I need to settle—I need a host.” The words echoed through me with the force of a sledgehammer and I caught a glimpse of the creature over Kaylin’s shoulder. It reminded me of something . . . the fetish! The twisted creature, part bat, part—something else—had to be one of the night-veil demons. Oh crap, was it thinking it could nest in me?
“Then you must find a host elsewhere. Go to the Court of Dreams; find a host among the Chosen Ones. She is not yours and never will be yours.” Kaylin clapped his hands and the energy reverberated through the air, sending the night-veil head over heels, gusting away from us. It howled once, a pained shriek, then raced off.
“What did you do to it?”
Kaylin glanced back at me and, even in his murky, shadow-stuff form, I caught sight of those glowing eyes. He smirked. “I told it to go away.”
“So you did, so you did.” I debated pressing the matter. Kaylin was strong—I already knew that—but I’d never seen him use energy like that. “Ever since your demon awoke, you’ve been different.”
“Yes, I have.” No denials, no defensiveness. Just a calm, clear statement.
“It’s your demon doing this, isn’t it?”
“My hatchling is under my control now, so no—it’s me doing it, but the demon gives me the power. We work together.” He frowned. “If you’re concerned, you needn’t be. I’ll continue to evolve, but unlike the Bat People, I am not enamored of the night-veil demons. I simply accept them for what they are, a tool to an end.”
“A tool? But they are sentient—they have a will of their own. Yours decked me a good one and I have the bruises to prove it.” I wasn’t sure how I felt about anyone referring to another creature as their
tool
, even a demon.
tool
, even a demon.
“They are what they are, Cicely. There are so many aspects to this universe that you do not understand—that none of us understands. There is no absolute black or white. Even Myst has a side to her, somewhere, that walks in shades of gray. You may see it one day, and I pray it won’t be your downfall.”
I bit my lip. Nothing could make me feel sorry for Myst, but even as I thought the words, I decided not to utter them aloud. No sense in jinxing myself. Besides, Kaylin would just argue with me.
“Let’s go home. I have a lot to think about before meeting with Geoffrey and Lainule tomorrow night.”
We headed back to the house, and Kaylin helped me leap off the astral, back into the physical realm. I shivered, icy cold. Before he left my room, he brushed back the strands of my hair and smiled softly.
“You brought Luna into the house. For that I thank you. I feel a pull to her, as I’ve never felt a pull toward any woman. I only hope she isn’t spoken for.”
“She’s not,” I said automatically, before thinking I should have kept my mouth shut. She might not be interested in Kaylin—although if I read her energy correctly at dinner, there had been mutual sparks. But whatever the case, the cat was out of the bag.
“That’s all I wanted to know.” He paused. “Cicely, don’t worry—if she’s not interested, I won’t press the matter or make her uncomfortable. I’m not the one you have to watch out for.”
He left, closing the door behind him. I locked it, hating the fact that I felt like I had to lock my door now, that I didn’t know if I could trust everyone in the house. After Anadey, I had lost confidence in my ability to know whom to trust. What if Luna wasn’t who I thought she was? What if Leo really was in cahoots with . . . well, at this point, was Lannan worse than Geoffrey? And Geoffrey had seemed nice compared to the others, but Lannan’s words rang in my head. And so did Geoffrey’s own—how he had bragged about the swath of destruction he left behind him.
I crawled back onto the bed, pulling the quilt around my shoulders and wrapping my arms around my knees. As I huddled, another knock sounded at the door.
“Am I Grand Central Station tonight?” I grumbled to myself, but then called, “Come in.”
“It’s locked.”
I clambered out of bed and opened the door.
Peyton entered the room. She followed me back to the bed and—without the pretense of small talk—sat down beside me.
“What did my mother do to you? You have to tell me.”
I thought about what Lainule had ordered and shook my head. “Don’t want to talk about it.”
“I know it was worse than you let on. I know she fucked you over a good one—and I know that it has something to do with me.” Her eyes flared. “I’m moving out for good. I’ve talked to Rhiannon, and she said I can move in here. I’ll be taking the downstairs maid’s bedroom. I can’t trust my own mother, and if I find out she put you in danger . . .”
“Stop. Stop right there.” I was furious at Anadey, but the last thing we needed was for Peyton to go all wild child on her. “I can’t say anything right now, but yes—she did try to fuck me over. And yes, it does have something to do with you.” I paused, remembering Anadey’s rant about Peyton’s father. “Have you talked to your father recently?”
Peyton shook her head. “I was going to call him, set up a time to meet him here.”
“Call him now, but hold off on the meeting for a few days. Do not tell
anybody
else about it, and do not use your own phone. Use Kaylin’s phone.” Anadey had access to Rhiannon’s cell phone when she helped her with her magic, and she’d have access to Peyton’s cell phone without any trouble. Who knew whether she’d messed with mine while I was there? But Kaylin—she barely had anything to do with Kaylin. “Go ask him to borrow it now, then come back here.”
anybody
else about it, and do not use your own phone. Use Kaylin’s phone.” Anadey had access to Rhiannon’s cell phone when she helped her with her magic, and she’d have access to Peyton’s cell phone without any trouble. Who knew whether she’d messed with mine while I was there? But Kaylin—she barely had anything to do with Kaylin. “Go ask him to borrow it now, then come back here.”
I waited for her. After a few minutes, she returned. I prayed her father would still answer—if Anadey had been using me to . . .
“Dad? This is Peyton . . .” A pause, and she frowned. “What? Where are you? Why . . . okay . . .” A pause, and then a longer pause. After a few minutes, she whispered, “Please, be careful. I’ll call you back when I’ve thought of what to do.” As she hung up, she gazed up at me. “You knew he was in danger, didn’t you?”
I bit my lip. “I suspected. I don’t know the details, and as I said, I can’t tell you everything that happened . . . yet . . . but you have to warn him to be careful. Don’t try to see him yet. He needs to lie low and not tell anybody where he is. And whatever you do, don’t talk to him on your phone or on Rhiannon’s phone.”
After a moment, a light flashed in Peyton’s eyes. “Mother. Mother’s behind whatever is happening to him. He told me that he’s been followed for the past two days—that he was almost sideswiped by a black limousine today and only managed to escape by driving into a parking lot and losing himself in the crowd. He grew suspicious and decided to go into hiding.”
“I think Anadey
is
behind this, but she’s working with someone and we’re trying to find out who. You absolutely have to keep quiet. Anybody could be in on this.”
is
behind this, but she’s working with someone and we’re trying to find out who. You absolutely have to keep quiet. Anybody could be in on this.”
“By
anybody
, you mean Leo. Black limousines? Come on, that has
vampire
written all over it.”
anybody
, you mean Leo. Black limousines? Come on, that has
vampire
written all over it.”
I realized that she thought Leo might have been the one driving the car that tried to sideswipe Rex. The thought hadn’t occurred to me—I’d just assumed it was some vamp for hire that Anadey had come in contact with. But now, the idea that it might have been Leo loomed large in my mind. Anadey had been trying to strip away my connection to Grieve, and Leo had been on a real bender lately about that same subject. Suppose he’d promised her something in return—such as Rex never getting to see and talk to Peyton?
“I really hope you’re wrong. I want Leo to be a good guy. I want him to have our back. But . . .” I rubbed my cheek where he’d backhanded me. “Any man who hits a woman out of frustration . . . I just can’t trust him, even if that’s the only bad thing he ever does. I’m nobody’s punching bag.”
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