Night's End

Chapter 7

The kiss went on and on, drawing me in. Lannan’s hands slid around my waist. I should have pulled away right there, but I couldn’t. He was comforting in his strength. I didn’t have to worry about hurting him—about loving him. He pulled me closer, his hair draping down to tickle my cheek. A slow heat began to rise, from my belly, snaking up through my breasts so that I could barely catch my breath. I throbbed, wanting him. Slick now, wet and moist, I shifted, spreading my legs slightly. My jeans chafed against me, suddenly feeling too tight.

“We could sneak away to my room.” His words were gravelly, low in my ear.

“I can’t. I can’t do this, Lannan.” I tried to pull myself out of the mesmerizing hold he had on me, but his grip grew more insistent and he slid one leg between my thighs, prying them open. As I rode his knee, rubbing my crotch against his pants, hearing the faint squeak of denim on leather, I prayed Grieve wouldn’t come out here. He had to feel what was going on—we were too bound for him not to. How could he not know I was ready to spread my legs, to fuck Lannan again?

Lannan tried to slide his hands under my corset but it was laced too tight. He tugged at the strings. “Take this off. I want to feel your breasts. I want to—”

“Kaylin is done.” Regina’s voice cut through the haze that had risen between us.

Glassy-eyed, feeling wanton and slutty, I gazed over Lannan’s shoulder, into her eyes. She moved forward, circling around behind me, and slid her hands around my back to reach around and cup my breasts. Beneath the leather of my corset, my nipples stiffened and I let out a gasp.

“If you still feel up to playing later, I would happily join you.” Regina’s voice tickled my ear, and I let out a soft moan as she snaked one hand down to grab my crotch, holding it tight, her fingers pressing through the denim against my clit.

Lannan laughed, then. “We could have ourselves quite the party, couldn’t we?”

“Is it a private party, or can anyone join?” Grieve strode up, pulling Lannan off me. He glared at the vampire, then stared at me. The stars glistening in the depths of his eyes glittered harsh and cold.

Stammering, I disentangled myself from both vampires. “Grieve—I . . . I . . .” What could I say? This isn’t what it looks like wasn’t going to cut it.

“Never mind. Kaylin is done. The others are returning.” Grieve turned to go. I shrugged away from Regina and Lannan, hurrying to catch up with him. Behind us, the vampires laughed, and once again, I felt dirty and tainted. I tugged on Grieve’s arm, and he gave me a cursory glance. “You weren’t in the throes of Blood Fever this time, and you’re no longer under contract to the bloodsucker.”

“No . . . no . . .” I didn’t know what else to say. There was no real way to defend myself. The Fae weren’t normally monogamous, but Grieve had a special hatred for Lannan.

“We’ll discuss it later. You are the Queen. You are free to do as you choose, even though I am your consort.” And with that Grieve slammed through the French doors.

I wanted to grab him, make him stop and talk to me, but I could see Kaylin and the others through the window. It would be bad enough facing them, let alone Grieve.

“Cicely—he will come around.” Regina had caught up to me, and now she leisurely draped an arm around my shoulders. “And if not, you always have a place here. Right between Lannan and me.” And with that she entered the office, and I followed.

As I tentatively entered the room, I didn’t know what to expect. I knew they wouldn’t be happy with me, but had I just lost every friend I had?

There was an uncomfortable silence, and then Luna stood. Flushed, her lip trembled as she held on to the back of the chair for support. I waited, not wanting to defend myself. What I’d had Kaylin do was both necessary and yet—indefensible. I wouldn’t apologize, but I wouldn’t try to force them to understand why I’d done what I’d done. I’d explain what was going on, but if they couldn’t see where I was coming from, that was the best I could do.

“Myst has planted a spy in my Court—somewhere among those closest to me. We have no idea who it is . . . yet.” I glanced at Kaylin, who shook his head, giving me the all-clear sign.

Peyton let out a long sigh and crossed her right leg over her left. “In other words, you need to know if anybody close is betraying you.”

“Essentially.” I tried to stand tall—which wasn’t easy at five four. After a moment, I gave up, dropping into a nearby chair. “Don’t you see how dangerous it could be if—”

“If one of us had turned on you.” Luna’s words were soft.

Ysandra dusted her hands, sitting as prim as a librarian on Saturday afternoon around a bunch of screaming kids. Looks were deceiving, though. She was actually a powerful witch, one of the magic-born, and a prime member of the Consortium. “You did what was necessary, but you have so much to learn about how to approach matters like this. Cicely, you might have lost us all.”

“She might still have. At least me.” Luna glared. It was hard to meet her accusatory stare. I was as guilty as she thought I was. “I can’t believe you . . .” And then her voice dropped away. “If you would have told us, and one of us was the spy, we would have alerted Myst.”

Nodding, I gave a helpless shrug. “I was between a rock and a hard place. I had to do what I felt best. For the Barrow. For me. For this war. My people are being tested as well. My guards, the Court advisors, everybody. Rhiannon’s, too. Myst is dangerous, and she’s on the way back in with fresh Shadow Hunters.”

I didn’t want to ask their forgiveness, but I did need to know one thing. “Are you still with me? I’m not going to ask you to like me or like what I did. But are you still with us?”

Peyton scuffed her boot on the floor. “Yeah, I’m in. But I’m pissed, Cicely, and it will take me some time to get over it.”

Ysandra shrugged. “As what you need—I’m here. And I’ll do what I can to make certain the Consortium stands with us.”

I turned to Luna. She blushed again, glancing at Kaylin, who studiously ignored her. Something had gone down between them, but I knew better than to ask in public.

After a moment, she gave me a “whatever” shrug. “Yeah, I’m in. But don’t think we’re friends. Allies, yes. But friends? If you can do that to me, then we never were.”

I wanted to yell at her, to tell her to stop being so stubborn, but the truth was, she had every right to feel the way she did, and I wouldn’t take that away from her. I did what I had to, but I couldn’t allow myself to invalidate her feelings about it.

“I just hope you can someday understand my position. I’ll settle for allies, right now. But I still consider you a friend, and I’ve hurt you.” That was as far as I could go, at least in public.

At that moment, a servant entered and handed a message to Regina. She read it, her lips pursed, then she motioned for the maid to leave. As the door closed behind the girl, she turned to me. “The Shadow Hunters have swarmed the police station. Two or three officers escaped, but except for those who were out patrolling the streets, Myst’s people have turned the law enforcement of New Forest into supper. We have to get in there, and rout them.”

I slammed my hand on the table. If we alerted the guards at home, then the spy would know we were onto them. But then the absurdity of that statement hit me. “It doesn’t matter now if the spy is among my guards. We’re going out after them. Check, how do we get word back to the Barrows without going there ourselves? We need everyone who’s been tested on board, and we don’t have the time it would take to get back there.”

He looked at me. “Your Wind Elemental can take word to the shamans who can contact Strict. They can also contact the shamans at the Marburry Barrow. But Your Majesty, we can’t make it common knowledge. Dispatching the unit? Will have to be done privately.”

Ulean could go. That meant I had to leave the confines of the estate to contact her. I whirled to face Regina. “You hate Elementals, but surely you can make an exception and lower your defenses this time?”

She shook her head. “No, I can’t. The barrier is built into the estate. She couldn’t make it through even if we gave her leave. I will drive you to the gates, and from there you can contact her.”

“Let’s go.” I motioned for the others to stay and begin discussing strategies, while following Regina on a dead run to the front door. Check came running behind me. “We’re going in the car—you can’t ride in it or you’ll feel sick. Wrath did once, and he swore he never again would voluntarily enter one.”

“I will deal with the consequences, Your Highness. I would not allow you to go alone—even with a vampire.” He cast a dark eye at Regina, who ignored the slight.

“I’ll go with her.” Kaylin motioned him aside. “I’ll protect her, and you know I’m safe.”

Check glanced at me, and I nodded, so he gave way. Kaylin followed Regina and me, and we climbed in her limousine. Moments later, we were at the front gate, and the car eased out, guarded by the patrols watching over the estate. I didn’t have to get out. Once we were beyond the barrier, I was able to focus on Ulean and call to her.

Ulean, I need you now. Are you here?

Yes, I’m here. What do you need, Cicely? The slipstream is rocky with energy and emotion. There is danger on the wind, and violence and bloodshed from so many quarters. She came rushing in, swirling the snowflakes in her wake.

I need you to go back to the Eldburry Barrow and talk to the shamans. They can hear you. Tell them we have to marshal our efforts and send troops into town—the Shadow Hunters are feeding. They’ve taken over the police station, and any officer not out on patrol has either been turned or killed by now. My guess is killed. Yummanii aren’t as much use to the Vampiric Fae as are magic-born.

I can do that, Cicely. Anything else? It will take me only minutes to reach the Barrow.

Yes, you must instruct the shamans to contact their counterparts in the Court of Rivers and Rushes and tell them the same. This must be done secretly—with only the guards who are tested through for loyalty being dispatched, and they must tell no one where they are going. We need all the help we can get. Tell them where we are at, but that we don’t have an estimate for when we’re coming back, nor are we sure of our plans at this point. And even if we were, we still can’t take chances that spies wouldn’t report back to Myst. It’s one thing for the Shadow Hunters to know that we are striking back. Quite another for them to know where the Fae Queens are. I paused, then hung my head.

Do you want them to report to you at Lannan’s estate?

I suppose they’d better, though check with me first. We may be back at the Veil House by then. Send one of the shamans with the guards so that you can talk to him—at least if they’re on their way before things are settled. And tell them to hurry. I paused for a moment, the sobering reality of the situation hitting home. Ulean, it’s begun, hasn’t it? Myst has come, and only one of us will walk out alive.

I think so, Cicely. And that someone must be you, or the world is doomed. And with that, Ulean sped off, only a faint hint of mist trailing around my feet to indicate she’d ever been here.

I turned back to Regina. “I’ve put out the call. Now what?”

“We go back to the mansion and plan our attack. It will be all hands on deck. I’m afraid that New Forest will be slick with blood before morning. And thick with the dust of vampires as well. My people will fight alongside yours, and we will shake the town to the core with our resistance.”

And with that the driver turned the limousine around, and we returned to the mansion.

By the time we got back, Lannan and Grieve had put aside their differences and were deep in discussing the layout of New Forest. Chatter was adding his opinion. Rhiannon was in the corner, looking pensive. Ysandra was on the phone, and Luna and Peyton were arguing over something.

As we entered, Ysandra finished with her conversation and slid her phone back into her purse. “I have convinced the Consortium to send a group of our elite fighters—they did not want to, not after losing so many last time, but I told them if they didn’t, they might lose the entire Seattle branch, should Myst win out. They’ll be here in a few hours, providing they can get through the town.”

“Most likely, they’ll face Myst’s Shadow Hunters coming into town.” I tapped my chin. “Once our guards get here, we’ll do our best to post lookouts in order to keep watch for them and help them get here. Or to wherever we happen to be at that point.”

Luna looked up. “I can help. I can summon the dead. They speak through me now, and I can be a conduit for some of the more powerful spirits.”

That sounded dangerous. I started to shake my head, then stopped. “What can these spirits do?” At Peyton’s protest, I held up my hand. “We need all the help we can get. New Forest appears to be under a full-scale attack, and with the police out of action, we have to do something before morning. The vampires can’t fight during the day, and bluntly put, we need whatever help we can get.”

“You’d pay the devil to kill the demon.” Peyton stared at me.

“I’d be the devil to kill the demon we’re facing. And I may well have to be at some point.” I stared back at her, and she grumbled but nodded.

Luna twisted the hem of her blouse, and it was obvious she was nervous, but there wasn’t much we could do to stem that. We were all afraid. “Some of the dead know powerful rituals. Some of them can summon spirits to do their bidding—on the physical plane as well as the astral. If I can contact a woman named Dorthea, who is one of my ancestors, she may be able to bring us a host of spirits to fight on our side.” She shivered. “I will do whatever you need me to, Cicely. I realize how bad things are.”

“What do you need in order to summon her?” Ysandra took Luna’s hands in hers, calming the bard. “I can help.”

“I can’t do it here—the vampires have a very effective dampening field in place. We’ll have to move off the estate. I suppose we could do so at the Veil House—it’s not that far from the center of town.” She shifted, uncomfortable. “I’d feel safer here, but I suppose there really isn’t any place that is truly safe. Not anymore, is there?”

Shaking my head slowly, I said, “No, there isn’t. We’ll go back to the Veil House, then. Lannan, Regina, will you come with us?”

Regina held my gaze. “As Emissary, I cannot. And neither should you and Rhiannon. But we will send a contingent of our men with Luna and Ysandra. They carry weapons that can destroy even Myst’s creatures, but . . . it will still be dangerous.”

“Life’s dangerous.” Ysandra stood. “I will go with you, Luna, and we will do what we can from there. We must stay in contact, though. Make certain your cell phones are charged.”

I jumped up. “On it. Ysandra, can you speak with Ulean?”

She cocked her head. “I might be able to, if she’s willing to try. When she returns, we can give it a go.”

“I will go with Luna and Ysandra, too,” Peyton said. “I can be of use there—even if it’s just to fetch and carry.”

I turned to Grieve, who gave me an impassive look at first, but then he ducked his head and I slipped over for a quick kiss. “My love, what are the plans so far?”

“We take soldiers and head to the town. We kill every Shadow Hunter we find. There’s no way to attack Myst directly yet—not until we find out where she’s hiding. Basically we’re on a seek-and-destroy mission tonight, to save as many of the townsfolk as possible.”

“My grandfather is looking into where she’s hiding. If he’s able to find out, he’ll contact me. I can always call the winds and rage through the town. It will destroy homes, but I can also destroy a number of the Shadow Hunters with a tornado.” I frowned as Rhiannon broke in.

“You can’t use that power much longer without being swept up by the winds themselves. Not until you’re taught properly how to control it.” She had the same tone her mother used to have—unbreakable, undeniable. I stared at her, and for the first time, I saw how closely she resembled Aunt Heather. It made me smile, and yet feel sad at the same time.

“I can’t not use every power at our disposal. But I’ll save it for when we truly need it. If it looks like we’re outnumbered, I’m pulling out all the stops.”

“We are outnumbered, my love.” Grieve pushed away the blueprints. “I think Myst probably raided every camp the Indigo Court had set up for hundreds of miles around, if not farther. I would not expect this to be an easy fight—we are facing a monster and her minions here.”

“Perhaps we are, but all monsters have weak points. We just have to find out what Myst’s are.” I glanced out the window. “It’s snowing heavily. That will help against any fires that my winds stir up should I need to ride the gale through town.”

“I can help with that, too.” Rhiannon smiled at my questioning look. “Among other things, I’ve been learning not only how to control my flame, but how to control other flames as well. I can bend most of them to my will, if I try hard enough, now. I can use flame as a weapon, and I can quench it when it’s used against me.”

“Then we are even better equipped.” We were going to need everything we could possibly put to our advantage.

Kaylin slowly crossed over to where we were standing. “I, too, have something to offer. I might still be weak from my wounds, but I’m strong enough to let my demon loose.”

I stopped. Truth was I had no clue what Kaylin’s demon could do when he let it loose—I didn’t even know that it was being tamed, per se. “You mean that . . . you can let it take control? I thought that we put a stop to that when we fully woke it up so you could come out of your coma?”

The demon, when it first merged with his body in utero, had died—but it had left behind a hatchling. Once the hatchling began to wake up, we’d had to fully help it emerge from its slumber, or Kaylin would have been lost forever, caught in the world of dreams into which he’d slipped.

“I can release it if I need to. We did merge, so there will always be part of me in it, and part of it in me, but I can give it more control. And Cicely, my demon can be horrific when roused. But if I do give over control, there’s always a chance that it won’t retreat so easily, and then . . .” He paused, his gaze meeting mine, and I knew what he wasn’t saying aloud. If he couldn’t rein it in, then he would be more demon than Kaylin, and our friend would retreat from us.

I held my breath, wanting to beg him not to go there, not to chance it. The risk was so great, and the potential loss, hard to think about. But even as I started to say something—to dissuade him—my voice faltered, and the words died on my lips. There were people dying all over town. There would be far too many following if we didn’t stop this.

The best I could manage was, “Keep it in reserve, Kaylin. Like my power over the winds, we unleash these as a last resort. We may have no choice, but don’t play the hand too quickly. Both of us have too much to lose if things go wrong.”

He leaned toward me, ignoring Check’s glower, and pressed his head against mine. “When we first met, I thought I might . . . we might . . . Cicely, I’m glad we met. I’m glad I have the chance to fight alongside you. I’ve been alive a lot longer than you, but in the distant scheme of things, with you being half Cambyra, and more importantly, one of the Fae Queens, a hundred years isn’t going to make a dent in our friendship. I hope always to know you, Your Majesty. And I will always owe you my life.”

Feeling like he was somehow saying good-bye, I turned away. “What do we do now?”

At that moment, a knock on the door brought another servant, with the word that our guards were waiting outside. Which meant Ulean had gotten through to them.

“You should wait here with Regina,” Grieve started to say, but I held up my hand.

“Rhiannon and I are going along. This is our battle as well, and we will have plenty of protection with you and Chatter and the guards. We won’t take the helm without it being absolutely necessary.” I was getting used to stepping back, though I still didn’t like it.

“You might as well let them come.” Check laughed, but there was no joy in his voice. “We can protect them better while there—otherwise, Fearless and I, and the Lady Rhiannon’s guards, would have to stay here to watch over them. And your lordship and Lord Chatter would be too worried and unable to focus.”

Grieve let out a grunt, but shrugged. “Fine, but they need protection. What do we have for them?”

“We bring the Queens’ leathers, Your Lordship.” The guard stepping through the door held up a suit that I had only seen but never worn. Or rather, I’d been fitted for it, but never had the chance to put it on other than when it was being made. Another guard held a similar suit, only it was forged from green leather with gold accents where mine was black with white.

We’d been fitted for them shortly after our coronation, and given the circumstances, the seamstresses had pushed them through, and the shamans had enchanted them quickly. They weren’t foolproof, but they would give us more protection by far than what we were wearing.

I pulled off my cloak and stretched out my arms. Fearless and Check began fitting the gear on me. They had adapted their usual style to my tastes—well, to both Rhiannon’s and my specifications—and now to go with the leather tunic, we had leather pants as well. The pants weren’t quite as protective as the top, but then again, we had to be able to move and run in them. As it was, the outfit was heavy, and chafed annoyingly beneath my arms. The sleeves were a softer suede, again, to allow for movement, but overall, we were a lot more protected in the clothing than out of it. Though one good bite from one of the Shadow Hunters might pierce the hide, it would be hard-pressed to pierce us as well.

When we were decked out, we looked ready for just about anything. Rhiannon shook her head. “I can’t believe we’re here. We’re here, in the Regent’s office, Fae Queens, wearing leather armor, ready to go fight monsters taking over the town. Two months ago, I would have laughed in your face if you told me this was all going to go down.”

“Come on, Monster Fighter! Let’s go out and whip us some Shadow Hunter ass.” Sounding braver than I felt, I sheathed my Queen’s dagger that Regina had ordered brought in—she’d had the guards bring in all our weaponry that we normally left at the gate—and turned to face Check and Grieve. Fearless and one of Rhiannon’s guards had gone to marshal the troops.

“I guess . . . we’re ready?” Not wanting to go but knowing that if we didn’t, the town would be a bloody mess by morning, I motioned to my cousin. “Let’s take the lead, at least until we hit the gates. We need to offer moral support to our soldiers. Remember, some of them fought Myst when she first ripped through the Eldburry Barrow, then worked her way over to the realm of Summer. I doubt if they will be eager to face her and her monsters again.”

“Good point.” Rhia sheathed her dagger, too, and then—with one last look at the others, who were getting ready for their own part in our private little war—we headed out the door, ready to face the monsters hiding under the bed.

Once we were out of the gates, Rhia and I moved back into a protective circle of guards. They had all been vetted through by the shamans, so we were relatively safe where we were at—at least from our own people. Grieve and Chatter took the lead, and we raced through the night toward the town, with Lannan’s people guarding our flanks. Lannan himself was up front between Grieve and Chatter, and whatever differences the men had, they pushed them aside for now. We couldn’t afford to fight among ourselves.

As we sped through the night, through the streets heading toward the center of New Forest, we began to see the signs that the Shadow Hunters had been there before us. There were blood splatters staining the ground, and here and there, cars had skidded off the road, their doors hanging open. From where we were in the middle of the street, we couldn’t see inside of them. For that I was grateful, but the scent of blood was thick in the air along the route.

Scattered houses were lit from within, so we knew that the electricity still held. Some looked barricaded, with smoke still drifting out of their chimneys, and to our thoughts, the people within them were probably still safe. At least, for now. But here and there, a house stood, lights on, but door busted open, or windows broken, and there were no sounds coming from within. And those homes—well, we knew what had happened. It was obvious.

As we were passing one house, we heard a high-pitched scream coming from inside. A girl was begging for help. Immediately, Grieve, Chatter, and Lannan veered, leading our men toward the house. Rhiannon and I were swept along, near the front but not close enough to immediately see what was going on. But we rushed inside, along with the men, and there, the carnage became evident.

The bone and gristle on the floor spoke to wholesale slaughter, and there were at least five Shadow Hunters in various stages of transformation. And then, I saw her—a little girl of about ten, crouching atop an entertainment hutch, bleeding from one arm and a gash on her forehead. How she’d gotten up there, I couldn’t tell, but one of the Shadow Hunters was trying to swing up after her.

The girl had hold of a gun and was unsteadily pointing it at the creature. A glance to the floor showed that she’d already managed to hit one of them—he was back in his Vampiric Fae form, shot through the stomach, lying on the floor growling and bleeding. But he wasn’t dead. It took one hell of a lot to kill the Shadow Hunters.

Our men swarmed the group while Check, Fearless, and Rhia’s two guards pushed us toward the back, keeping us from joining the fray. The Shadow Hunters were whirling dervishes, violent as devils. They never gave ground, never ran, but in their savage fury, rent and tore at the guards. One guard went down with a scream, and his arm disappeared into the mouth of one of the creatures.

Their terrible jaws unhinged, the Shadow Hunters were like blue lions, only they knew no fear, focused only on the fight and the potential for food. They lived to destroy, lived to feed and drink the blood of their enemies, driven on by their need and hunger, and driven on by their love for Myst, who enslaved them all. Mother of the unnatural race, she was also their tormenter.

The little girl atop the hutch caught my eye, and in her expression I saw both horror and hatred. She would carry this for the rest of her life, if she made it through. She had seen them destroy her family, and right there, I knew she’d grow up with vengeance in her heart—it would be her way of surviving. The hope that she might one day return the favor, should any of the Indigo Court survive.

Cicely—there is another. Ulean’s soft whisper hit me full-on. The slipstream let me hear things that were too quiet to overshadow the noise going on around me.

Another what?

Another child. He is upstairs, in a crib—and he will die shortly if someone doesn’t get up there and save him. There’s a Shadow Hunter nearing his room, and the boy is crying loud enough to be heard.

I tried to make myself heard over the din, but Check shook his head, indicating he couldn’t understand me. Frustrated, I shoved him aside and bolted for the stairs. Check and Fearless were on my heels then, and within seconds Check had scrambled by me to take the lead. I shoved at him, indicating that we needed to continue upstairs, and that, he understood.

We came to the hallway, and there, near a door at the end of the passage, stood one of the Shadow Hunters in his creature form. The sound of the baby was clear enough here, and we could hear his piercing cries over the shrieks of the fighting downstairs.

I pushed forward, but Fearless caught me back. Check engaged the Shadow Hunter as it lunged down the hall, and they fell to the fight. But one against one—not so good of odds, not with Myst’s warriors. And so I shoved Fearless in front of me.

“Help Check! I’m getting the baby.” I shook off his hand and raced into the room as both of my guards began to struggle with the Shadow Hunter. A toddler—possibly a year old, maybe a bit more—was standing up, clinging to the side of the crib. His screams pierced the air. I raced over and swung him into my arms.

As I turned around, I saw the Shadow Hunter dart into the room. Fearless and Check were on his ass, but he covered the space between us in one great leap, and I found myself, baby in hand, facing the ruthless monster.