Night Vision (28 page)

“Are you…” I’d started to ask if she was okay, but that was stupid. Of course she wasn’t okay. Feeling helpless, I looked over at Luna.

Luna rubbed Peyton’s shoulder. “What do you need from us?”

Peyton gave her a sideways glance. “A good bed without the fear that somebody’s trying to kill me or my friends. A stiff drink. Maybe someone to sing me to sleep.” She shrugged.

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.

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.