“Let’s pray I don’t have to do that.” After a moment, I asked, “What of the Unseelie? If Myst was Unseelie and she is now Queen of the Indigo Court—what of the rest of the darker Fae? Did they all become part of the Indigo Court? And Lainule, is she the Queen of Seelie?”

Wrath looked surprised at my question but walked me toward the grand staircase leading upstairs. As we ascended, he tried to explain.

“There are the Grand Courts, and then the Lesser Courts. There are Fae Queens all over the world—each rules a different region. Lainule—and I—are Queen and King of about half of this continent. Myst wasn’t the Unseelie Queen before she was turned, but she killed Tabera, who was, by destroying her heartstone and set herself up in her place. She may have taken the title of Winter, but she is not recognized as the Queen of Ice and Snow here, though. She is an upstart.”

“So what happened to the Unseelie under Tabera’s—is that her name—rule?”

“Myst terrified them. They scattered. The Wilding Fae are remnants of some of them, and others joined the Court of Rivers and Rushes even though they don’t really fit in.” Wrath frowned, looking very much like he was trying to decide whether to tell me something.

“What is it?” I pressed him. If the Fae were part of my heritage, it was important I know things like this. “I want to learn. It’s my heritage.”

“So it is.” After a moment, he stopped and leaned on the curved railing. I sat down on the step next to him. “The balance has been disrupted in this region for so long that chaos became normal. As I said, when Myst reemerged, she took the place of the Unseelie Queen—the Queen of Winter, who rules over chaos.”

“Myst doesn’t strike me as someone who likes to share.”

“No, she does not. Myst seeks to conquer. Here, it’s easier to build her armies because the Grand Courts live far away on the other side of the world. Summer and Winter are the sun and the moon—day and night, and while they do not necessarily like each other, they accept the necessity for both powers to instill a natural balance.”

I nodded, slowly beginning to understand. “But why haven’t the Grand Courts stepped in?”

“There are many things that are too difficult to explain in one brief talk. They are old, Cicely, in a way that Lainule and I are not, and they often overlook the dangers that evolve outside of their area. The Grand Courts are so far removed from the world in which we live that they ignore things until it’s too late.”

“Almost like Crawl is for the vampires…”

“Yes, they live in a different realm, so far in the mists…”

“So Myst was able to sneak in and cause havoc.”

Wrath clapped me on the shoulder. “You do understand. Very good. But we cannot allow her to succeed—her idea of normalcy is to fill the world with skulls and sinew, to rip and shred and destroy. She is destruction incarnate, without check. She is the untamed force of the storm, of death on a rampage.”

“If she is a force and fury, then perhaps she cannot help herself,” I said softly. “If Myst killed Tabera, and for a time there was nothing to check Lainule as Myst gained her power, why didn’t Summer rage through, since she has had no opposition all of these long years?”

“My Lady rules with justice. It may not seem kind, at times, but the Queen of Rivers and Rushes understands the nature of checks and balances. She sees the universal scale of creation and destruction and understands the need for both, even if we haven’t had our opposing force for so very long.”

Cautiously, I said, “When we were in the woods, Rhiannon could see the door to Lainule’s chamber. Only Cambyra Fae can see those magical doors.” I looked at him, waiting.

But my father merely shushed me and I knew better than to press the matter for now. “No more questions now. Up and to bed. Sleep deep. We will all need our strength tonight, my daughter.”

As he sent me on my way, I thought about what he’d said but the swirl of his words became a fog in my head, and I yawned again, barely able to drag myself into my room. Ignoring the leering pictures and tapestries around me, I stripped, then crawled into bed, sighing as I drew the soft covers up around my chin. The mattress was heaven. The blankets were soft against my skin. And even the thought of the evening to come couldn’t intervene as sleep claimed me and carried me off to my dreams.

I was walking through the forest, with Rhiannon beside me, and we were holding hands. I turned to her. “Show me. Show me yourself.”

“I don’t know how,” she said, looking over her shoulder. “I don’t even know where to begin.” She let go of my hand and walked over to one of the cedars that towered in the woodland. As she played with one of its boughs, fingering the needles, she said, “These are not the forests of my dreams. I dream of forests filled with oaks…with rowan and hawthorn. I dream of the smell of peat and the misty mornings overlooking the ocean.”

Nodding, I glanced up at the tree. “These are my roots—this land is my anchor. Even when I was Myst’s daughter, this was our homeland. But where were you?”

Rhia smiled faintly. “I’m only beginning to remember. But long ago and far away…it’s in a fog, but I remember the forest. And I was there. I was on my belly…” Her voice dropped and she lowered herself to the ground, stretching out. “I remember, on my belly, through the grass and the trees. Through…”

Silence fell between us. Rhia looked up at me, her irises shifting, her pupils becoming slits. “On my belly…in the grass.” She began to transform, and as I watched, her legs fused together and her arms to her sides.

I stepped back. No, she shouldn’t be this…Danger, my owl self whispered to me. There is danger here. Fly away.

I shifted into owl form effortlessly, still wearing my clothing, and flew up into the branches of the tree. This was my homeland, this was my land, this was my rightful place. And below…

Below, Rhiannon’s skin scaled over, and her hair flowed into the scales, creating a beautiful diamond pattern down her back. She wove back and forth, rising, sleek and muscled and mesmerizing. I watched as she coiled, staring up at me, her tail rattling. I could feel her hunger, and my own was stirred. I had carried off snakes before, my talons keeping them from striking me.

But something stopped me from sweeping down on her to snatch her up. Some recognition that we were both necessary, that we could not harm the other. And in her gaze, I saw the same feeling reflected back at me.

We are the new way. My thoughts reached out to her.

We are two of a kind. We are amber and jet—fire and ice. We are kin. Her voice whispered in my head.

And then the snake wavered back and forth, in a dance of sorts, and turned, slithering off into the undergrowth. I watched her go. There would be other meetings, other altercations, but she and I would remain linked. Forever, whatever shape our bodies might take.

“Cicely, it’s time to get up. Time to get ready.” Peyton shook me awake. I wanted to brush her off, to say “Come back later,” but then I remembered where we were going and I struggled from under the covers. At least the room was warm, unlike the warehouse.

“Do I have time for a shower?” I loved showers. Showers woke me up and made me feel ready for whatever was coming.

She nodded. “Yes. But a quick one. I’ll see you downstairs.” As she left the room, I pulled my hair back in a ponytail to keep it dry, and stepped under the glorious water, rubbing bodywash over my body in a thick sweep, the lather sudsing up to make me inexplicably happy. I rinsed and then stepped out of the stall, wrapping the towel around me.

As I headed back into the bedroom, I heard a noise and whirled around, ready to yell at Grieve for startling me. But it wasn’t Grieve standing there.

Lannan was leaning against the wall, looking golden and brilliant and impeccably dressed. I glanced at the door and saw that he’d turned the lock so no one could get in. He laughed at my expression as he slowly crossed the room.

Frozen, I couldn’t move, my thoughts slogging in slow motion.

As he reached my side, he slid one arm around my waist and drew me to him, his lips bare inches from mine. “Welcome back, Cicely.” His voice was low and I could feel no breath as he spoke, no pulse of heartbeat racing through his fingers. His face crinkled into laughter. “Your expression is priceless. Aren’t you going to greet your Master after being gone for so long?”

Before I could speak, he pressed his lips to mine, and suddenly he was kissing me as an explosion of desire rushed through my body. I struggled against him, but he squeezed my waist a little harder, and then—before I could stop myself—I was kissing him back.

Chapter 15

“What the hell are you doing?” I fought him away as soon as I realized what I was doing.

He didn’t let go of me but broke out of that delicious, decadent kiss. “Why, simply welcoming you to your new home.” His voice dripped with sarcasm. He sat down on my bed, still holding on to my waist, and he pulled me down on his lap so that his knee thrust between my legs. I wasn’t wearing underwear and the knowledge that my pussy was against the denim of his jeans both repulsed me and titillated me.

I wanted to crawl off and hide. Lannan had the perfect knack for making me feel two inches tall. “Thanks, but I need to get dressed now.”

With a laugh, he let go, but as I stood up, he grabbed my towel and it fell away. I grimaced, scrambling to try to cover my boobs, but one look at the delighted expression on his face and I stopped. I stood straight, naked, facing him. Let him look if he liked.

After a moment, I turned to my closet but instantly realized my mistake. He was at my back in a blur of motion, pressing me against the dresser, spooning me. I could feel him rigid beneath the front of his jeans, hard and demanding. He slipped his hands around to run them over my nipples.

“You like this, don’t you?” His voice was rough as he pinched my breasts, rubbing hard. “One word and I’ll fuck you. One simple ‘please’ and my cock will be up in you so fast you won’t be able to blink.”

My wolf growled, low and threatening. “Take your hands off me now before Grieve shows up here with a stake. And he will.”

“Perhaps I should have him put down. Rabid curs are dangerous.” But the next moment, Lannan let go and stepped away. He gave me a narrow look. “Oh, sweet Cicely. I hear you are going to protect me tonight against Myst and her minions.”

“I wouldn’t laugh them off so easily if I were you.” I grabbed a pair of bikinis out of my drawer and stepped into them before he could get a better look at my snatch. I fastened my bra, yanked on my jeans and zipped them up, and pulled a thick sweater over my head.

“Perhaps not, but would you have me turn tail and run from the Goddess of the Ice Sculpture?” His voice was still sarcastic, but he sobered somewhat and I could see beneath the veneer. Lannan wasn’t quite as confident as he sounded.

“Where’s Regina? Will she be there?” Maybe I could get his mind off my body by mentioning the one woman—well, vampire—he seemed to actually give a damn about. The fact that they were brother and sister squicked me out, but hey, it worked for them, and as long as I didn’t have to join their reindeer games…

He shrugged. “She is preparing. She will be there, along with a veritable army of my guards. We should be able to put down any uprising by the Indigo Court.”

“There’s also a group coming in from the Consortium and twelve of Lainule’s elite warriors. As well as the rest of us, for all the good we can do.” I brushed my hair back, sleeking it into a ponytail. I didn’t want to put on makeup, but at a look from Lannan—he pointedly nodded to my dresser, where I saw a palette of cosmetics set out—I sighed and sat down at the vanity, making quick work of painting my face.

“So, you really expect there to be trouble?” This time, his voice was sober, and I could feel his eyes on my back even though I couldn’t see him in the mirror.

I nodded slowly. “Think about it. Not only did we rescue Grieve, but I stole something away from her grasp. Something she wanted so much that I guarantee you she’s out to kill me. Furthermore, when you give the order for the town to evacuate, Myst isn’t going to like the idea of relinquishing her feedlot without a fight.”

“Yes, I know about Lainule’s heartstone. I heard the story. Wrath told me.” Lannan’s hands were on my shoulders, but this time, he didn’t seem out to grope me. He leaned down to whisper in my ear. “You are brave, Cicely, for one of the magic-born.”

“I am also my father’s daughter.” I let out a long sigh and glanced over my shoulder. “Lannan, we can’t let them win. Do you understand why I went to the Consortium?” I was hoping against hope that he wouldn’t hold it against me. “I know Crawl would probably order you to kill me or something equally as bad because of what I did…”

Lannan dropped his hands away from me and strode over to a chair where he could look me in the face. He quietly crossed his right leg over his left, folding his hands on his crotch. Nervous, I waited for a moment, but he showed no sign that he was about to jack off in front of me, so I relaxed.

“Cicely, I am not my predecessor. Yes, I am a hedonist. Yes, I would love to fuck you in every hole you have, but trust me—I do not relish altercations. Though I could probably take them on, I have no desire to fight your father and Grieve. Not at this moment. But you must understand something about me.”

He leaned forward, staring intently at me with those jet obsidian eyes. “I am not stupid. Never underestimate my intelligence. I don’t crave the same type of power Geoffrey sought. I am Regent by default. I would not keep this position if given the choice. I am far happier being free of these responsibilities, but when the Crimson Queen gives a directive, I obey to the best of my abilities.”