Night Seeker (34 page)

We were managing to stay alive, and we’d taken out a sizable number of Myst’s guards—but at a great cost. We’d lost almost as many of our own. I looked up, staring at the others with a bleak heart. It was time to pick up the pieces and decide our next move.

“What next? What the fuck do we do next?”

“We go down to the station and I make my announcement. We have to do it tonight or we’ll never get another chance. Not after this fiasco.” Lannan’s voice was clear, showing none of the antagonism he’d aimed at me only a few minutes ago. I was beginning to think he was bipolar.

I let out a long sigh. “And then?” But I knew what came
after that. We would sleep, and tomorrow we would perform the ritual on Grieve. And maybe, with a little luck, the tide would turn and something would go our way for once.

Lainule moved to my side. She rested her hand on my good shoulder and leaned down to whisper in my ear. “You must see that Grieve maintains control. I can only hope this ritual works. Much depends on it.”

Startled, I turned. “You know what we’re planning?”

She nodded. “Wrath told me. Cicely, so much more depends on you and Grieve than you realize. And on Chatter and Rhiannon, too. The four of you must stay alive, no matter the cost. Before, there were other options, but now…those are gone. You four are the hope for the future. Remember that. Be safe. Do what you need to in order to stay alive.
Anything you need to.
” With that pointed bit of advice, she moved away again, leaving me to wonder how much worse things could get.

We had to clean up before we could head to the radio station, and so I took my third shower of the day. Grieve came in with me, for which I was both grateful and nervous. I didn’t tell him about Lannan’s kiss. We were under enough pressure as it was, and if he knew Lannan had been groping me again, well, that would just put the nail in the coffin. Or the stake in the vampire.

“Where did they put the cats? I can’t stand to think of them in danger from Lannan’s people.” Cats didn’t like vampires. They had good reason.

Grieve smiled softly as he washed my hair. “Worry not about the furry creatures. Luna has been given a large suite and they’re all in there with her, safe and sound. I have to admit, for all of his folly, Altos seems to like Luna—he treats her with a respect that surprises me. I saw it while you were out of the room today.”

“She has a way of inspiring that in both man and beast.” I paused, my hands on the knobs of the shower. “I was worried she might be too easily hurt, too vulnerable, but I have the feeling she has a lot more power than I gave her credit for. It’s a quiet energy but runs strong in her.”

As I turned off the water and we dried off, I wanted nothing more than to take another nap. I was bone-weary, more tired than I’d ever been. The battle had been draining, even with allies, and the adrenaline that had been coursing through my body was now just as quickly departing.

I leaned against the wall, trying to focus. “I need more coffee or something.”

Grieve pulled me over to the bed.

As much as I loved him, as turned on as I’d been a half hour before, now I couldn’t muster up enough oomph to even
think
about sex. “I’m sorry, I just don’t have the energy—”

“No, my love. That’s not what I had in mind.” He sat me down and took my hands. “I taught you many things when you were little. Now I will teach you again. You are half–Cambyra Fae. You have the blood of a king in your veins. You will have some of the powers of the Fae, but you have to learn how to call upon them, to activate them.”

I waited, letting him hold my hands, drifting on his words. I was so sleepy, I just wanted to sail out to sea, to glide on the winds, to let the currents take me where they desired.

“Close your eyes. Listen to my voice. Follow me down, into the energy, into the slipstream.”

I followed his instructions, slipping into a light trance, letting his voice lead me into a somnolent state. The energy swirled around us, light whisperings on the slipstream, and I listened as they fluttered past, the light pattering of butterfly wings on the current.

Grieve’s voice echoed past. “Now enter the slipstream and follow me inward. Follow the trail I leave.”

And so I dove into the slipstream, and there it was, the trail of lights that signaled his energy, the trail of bread crumbs leading me onward. I spiraled and looped, the wind racing through my hair, through my thoughts, clearing the cobwebs out, refreshing me. We were running, racing through the slipstream, letting it carry us along, and for one moment, everything felt perfect.

“Now jump…follow me. Keep your eyes closed.”

I jumped. And the scent around me was of autumn and
bonfires, and I felt it lure me in because it was Grieve’s energy. He was no longer the sweet freshly mown grass of summer, but the sound of crisp autumn leaves beneath my feet, and the scent of rain on cedars, and his lips tasted like sweet pumpkin and cinnamon sticks. I embraced his change, sank into it, realizing he was no longer of the Summer Court, but neither did Winter fully claim him. He was balanced between the two realms, walking a thin line.

And then his voice swirled around me like a flurry of leaves. “Cicely. Look deep inside. Find the part of yourself that connects to the owl. Find the Uwilahsidhe within you.”

I sank deeper, following the path inward. The slipstream seemed very far away now as I lowered myself into my core, as I let his voice lead me into myself. Past the jaded exterior, past the fear, past the weariness, past the loss, deep into my center where I felt a warm glow. And there…there waited my owl. There waited my father’s blood.

“Draw on that strength. Draw on that reserve. You have so much power there for the using. Feel your spirit rise, lifted on owl wings. Do not shift in body, but draw on your owl to carry you aloft, to free you from the weariness, to buoy you up. Can you do this?”

I inhaled deeply and connected with my owl. And then a rush of energy raced through me—of renewal, the rush of wind in my hair, of wind beneath my wings, the exaltation of being aloft, and yet I did not transform.

“Can you feel it?” His voice slid over the words, sultry and seductive.

“Yes,” I whispered.

“Claim it. Coax it out. Let it be your source right now.”

And so I claimed the Cambyra side of me, and my doubts slid away, my worry that I might not be worthy of the blood. And as it did, I began to rise, back into the slipstream.

“Come back now. Return to here, to now, reenergized, refreshed, aware of your inner power, and your connection to that power.”

As his words drifted away, I slowly rose through the slipstream and out, and opened my eyes. The weariness
was still there but much diminished, and my body didn’t ache nearly as much as it had. Best, my mind felt clear, replenished, and I realized that I could think again.

“Thank you.” I took Grieve’s hand and pressed it to my lips. “I love you so much.”

“You are my everything.” He reached out and stroked my face. “I mean it, Cicely. You are why I have resisted Myst, why I have had the courage to still live, even as the monster I’ve become.”

“You’re not a monster. You’re a Fae Prince. The sentinel in Lainule’s secret chamber called you the Wounded King. And so you are. You are wounded, deeply, but even with all the dangers you’ve faced, the hell you’ve been through, you waited for me, and you’ve done your best to harness the wild blood that runs through your veins.” I pressed my lips against his hand again. “We will perform the ritual and do whatever we can to free you from Myst’s chains.”

“If Myst should die…I think I could control this much easier.”

“She will. We will find her weakness, and we will exploit it. I pledge to you with my life, I will do whatever it takes to destroy her.” As I gazed into his eyes, my heart swelled, my love for him sweeping through me.

“Come, we’d best be off. Altos will need us. Even though the enemy came to us, I don’t trust them allowing him to reach the station unharmed.”

Grieve rose and, taking my hand, headed for the door. I followed, ready to face whatever it was that waited for us on the other side.

The guards escorted us out to our cars. Lannan’s crew followed us. We were in the big limousine. Lannan sat in front with the driver, while Grieve, Chatter, Rhiannon, Peyton, Kaylin, Wrath, and I sat in back. We’d left Luna, Zoey, and Rex behind. Rex was in no shape to fight, and Luna and Zoey were preparing for the ritual.

Lainule’s warriors—the survivors—were to meet us at the building. They would not travel via car, but they assured
us they would be okay. The surviving members of the Consortium, including Ysandra, rode in another limousine, under the protection of more of Lannan’s guards.

The streets were a silent shroud of snow, sleeting down with bulletlike intensity. I wondered if Myst knew yet just how many men she’d lost. And if another contingent had been dispatched to the radio station. We’d find out soon enough, one way or another.

As the limo glided over the snow and ice, the tension built. Regina had stayed back at the mansion. The Emissary could not knowingly walk into battle without approval from the Queen of the Crimson Court. But she had promised to contact the vampire queen and ask for advice.

We approached the WorldCom Building, which was in downtown New Forest. The streets were empty, under a curfew that Lannan had ordered. My heart sank as I realized just what the beautiful little town had come to: a haven for terror, a horror-movie director’s wet dream.

As the cars pulled to the curb, parking, we cautiously stepped out of them. A third, fourth, and fifth car arrived, filled with vampires who immediately formed a protective circle around us. We slowly began the walk to the building. I could feel creatures watching from the shadows of the alleyways and the hidden recesses, nooks, and crannies that we could not see, but that I knew were there.

“They’re here. I can feel them.” I glanced over at Lannan.

Grieve nodded. “I can, too. My blood is singing with recognition.” He slipped an arm around my waist and pulled me close.

“Cowards.” Lannan stared at the shadows. “Come out, come out, wherever you are, and show yourselves.”

But nothing moved, not even a whisper. We approached the building, Lannan’s guards going first. They were joined by a group of approaching Fae warriors. Ysandra and her witches stayed near us. The guards unceremoniously yanked open every door in the hallway, peering in to see if anybody was hiding, and we slowly made our way to the studio. The guards fanned out, covering every entrance to the building.

Lannan cautiously entered the radio station. He glanced around, but there seemed to be nothing amiss. As the workers in the booth fired up the mike, he motioned to me.

“I obviously cannot see myself in a mirror, so attend me. Make certain I look the part and do not fail me. While I may not be on camera, I want to feel as if I could be without embarrassing myself.” His voice was cool, but I recognized a faint tremor in his voice. For once, he was nervous.

I managed to tidy him up and brush out that glorious golden hair—it was like silk in my hands. Peyton watched me, and at one point Lannan stared at her till she looked away. No words passed between them. None were necessary.

“Fifteen minutes, Lord Altos.” The camera man motioned to the clock.

“No.” Lannan shook his head. “We go on
now
. Trust me.” He took his place in the booth. The announcer scrambled, the radio lights blinked, and the rest of us huddled outside the glass. The aide gave the
five four three two one
sign with his fingers, and Lannan turned to the microphone.

The announcer took a deep breath, then said, “Citizens of New Forest, we are interrupting our regularly scheduled programming for an important announcement from the Regent of the Vampire Nation, Lord Lannan Altos. His speech will be simultaneously broadcast on television and will be replayed throughout tonight and tomorrow. Please listen carefully. This concerns the safety of every person within this town. And now, Lord Lannan Altos.”