“What about me? Do you think you pegged me wrong?” Lannan cocked his head, flirting.
I glanced over at Grieve. “No, I think I’ve got your number down pat. Here, have a necklace.” I tossed the garlic charm his way but Kaylin caught it midair and pocketed it.
“What was that?” Lannan stepped forward.
“Nothing, just a stupid impulse,” Kaylin said. “Ignore her. She’s tired.”
“I see.” Lannan continued to stare at me.
I decided that retreat was my best ally. “I’m going to sleep. We’ll talk more in the morning. Grieve, join me, my love?” I’d been an idiot. Sassing Lannan was one thing. If he was in a good mood, he’d overlook it. But actively throwing a garlic charm at him? Stupid beyond the max. I could only chalk it up to exhaustion. I turned to Grieve. “Come with me?”
But he glanced at my father, who shook his head no, and reluctantly, Grieve leaned over to kiss me. “Not this evening. I suggest you and the other girls retire to your bedroom. We spruced it up today so it’s a little more comfortable. You’ll be safe there. Chatter and I will watch over you during the night.”
I wanted to protest that we didn’t need watching over, but that was stupid. We needed all the help we could get. We were all strong, but none of us was invincible, and even with Ulean at my side, I was as vulnerable as Myst’s next victim. Perhaps even more so.
I yawned, stretching as I avoided looking at Lannan. “Yeah, we’ll sleep. We need to rest. My body is weary and my mind-wearier.” I motioned to Luna, Peyton, and Rhiannon. “Come on, girls. Let’s get some downtime.”
“Here, take these.” Chatter handed us cherry-stone warmers-cherry stones my aunt had sewn into bags that were heated in either a microwave or-in this case-in the range oven. We’d tuck them under the covers near our feet and they’d keep us toasty into the cold, chill night.
“Thank you. What about the space heaters?”
“Not a good idea to have around so many flammable items,” Kaylin said. “But the blankets are piled high like they were last night and the stone warmers should help take the edge off.”
And with that, we entered the shrouded room.
I made sure the door was closed before we tucked the warmers under the covers and changed for the night. We were relieved to have nightclothes again. The past couple of nights, we’d slept in our jeans and sweatshirts. While upstairs at the Veil House, Kaylin had managed to scavenge enough clothing to provide each of us with several changes of jeans, shirts, along with underwear, nightgowns, and robes. He’d also scrounged up a few more personal items that we might need and for that, I blessed his heart. I was PMSing like crazy and cracked open the ibuprofen after I slid into the comfy flannel gown.
The room was set up with a bunch of old cushions serving as one big bed. The four of us women could easily fit on the makeshift mattress. A half bath to the left offered a working toilet and sink. I longed for a toothbrush, but for now the tube of toothpaste Kaylin had found, and our fingers, would have to do. If we did make a supply run, we were laying in a supply of toothbrushes.
After we changed and washed up as best as we could, lingering under the hot water as it splashed across our hands, we slid beneath the covers, our heads together in the center.
“Do you think we can win? Do you really think we can take down Myst?” Rhiannon said after a moment.
“Dark thoughts aren’t the best thing to discuss before bedtime.” I must have sounded a little too harsh because Rhia looked hurt. Relenting, I burrowed under the covers as far as I could and added, “I don’t know, but we’ll try. If we can get hold of Lainule’s heartstone, we’ll stand a better chance.”
Peyton sounded strained. “I wonder what my father will be like. You know what it’s like, Cicely-never to know your father. How do you feel now that you’ve met him?”
I thought about her question before answering. “Honestly? Relieved that he wasn’t some freak. That he wasn’t a junkie. Given Krystal’s addictions, there was no way to tell. It’s odd, because my birth was planned by Lainule and Wrath. Krystal was a tool. A pawn to bring me back into this world. I can’t help but wonder if Wrath cared about her. He…he’s so far beyond what my mother could ever have hoped to be. Or anyone she could hope to be with.”
Ever since finding out he was my father I’d played out a dozen scenarios in my head about how they met. Maybe she was out in the woods, walking, and he showed up out of nowhere and stole her breath away. Maybe he snuck into her room in bird form and then, like a prince out of a Faerie tale, turned into the handsome king, promising to take away her worries. Maybe…maybe I’d never know, and maybe that was best.
Peyton sniffled. “I used to imagine that Rex had to be dead. Otherwise, surely he would have come back to find me, to find out if we were okay. I couldn’t let myself believe that he was alive and happy, knowing that he’d left behind a daughter who never got to know him.”
Rhiannon murmured in soft agreement. “I’m still in the dark about my father. I have no clue who he was, or what I am. I’m just…a woman who once killed a little girl with my fire, and my mother is a vampire, working for an evil queen.” She sounded lost and frightened.
“Are you thinking about Leo?” I sat up, gathering the covers around me to wrap them tight against the cold.
Rhia let out a forced laugh as she scooted over next to me and leaned her head on my shoulder. “Leo? I don’t know if I ever really knew him. I thought I did, but now I think…I was in love with the idea of being in love. Or maybe I loved the man I thought he was, but in reality it was a sham. He let me believe he was who I wanted him to be. Not once did he ever tell me he was interested in being a vampire.”
I hated sticking up for the scum, but there was a part of Leo that I understood. The all-too human side. “He probably knew how you felt. He wanted you to love him and said the right things, made the right moves…Don’t we all do that at times?” I paused, wondering whether I should ask the next question. But since we were having an impromptu girls’ night, I decided to go ahead. “And what about Chatter? Did you ever talk to Leo about him?”
She shook her head. “No, never.”
“But you thought about him.”
Rhiannon let out a soft sigh. “I met Chatter in the woods a few times when I was a teenager-I don’t think Grieve knew, we kept it secret. But I couldn’t believe we had a chance.” She looked up at me. “I don’t think I’ve ever loved anybody else. And I always remembered him. How caring he was, how gentle, how I trusted him and he never let me down. He gave me my first kiss, out there in the woods, when I was fifteen. But I couldn’t tell him about the little girl. I was too ashamed. I thought he’d hate me, so I never went back again.”
Luna had been listening to us, watching us in the dim light of the twenty-five-watt exposed bulb that lit our chamber. She pushed herself to sitting, too, huddling under the covers. “I listen to all of you and I think how lucky I had it. My family loves me, even if they don’t understand me. I’ve never had a great love, but I’ve never had great loss, either. I’ve only sung about it. I guess I’ve lived vicariously through my music.”
I reached over and took her hand. “You are holding up remarkably well. And we’re grateful-and glad-you’re here.”
She crossed her legs. “It’s nearly midnight. I should call Zoey. It’s morning where she’s at.”
“Where are the Akazzani located?” Peyton asked.
Luna shook her head. “I can’t tell you that. I don’t even know myself. But I do know the time zone difference. It’s midmorning where she is.”
“Go ahead. I don’t think we should keep this secret any longer. Myst is determined to spread her contagion. If we don’t survive, someone outside of New Forest should know what’s going on. That’s why we’re going to the Consortium, too.” It was time to spread the word. If Lainule was right, Myst had other cells of the Vampiric Fae scattered around the world.
Luna moved to a quieter spot in the room and flipped open her cell phone. Not wanting to make her any more uncomfortable than she might already be about asking for her sister’s help, I turned to Peyton.
“Did your father say when he was going to be here?”
“Around eight or nine.” She rested her chin on her knees. “I really don’t know what to expect, so I’m trying to expect nothing.”
I stared at my feet, poking up under the covers, and wiggled my toes against the cherry stone warmer. It was toasty, and I tried to relax into the warmth and coax it up my body.
“This is just too bizarre. It feels like a million miles and a thousand years since I left La La land to return home,
