I cut the engine and leaned back, breathing a sigh of relief. As much as I longed for the Veil House, this was more familiar to me—living on the run, hiding in abandoned buildings, keeping one eye open as I slept. Maybe I wasn't cut out for a normal life. Maybe I was destined for life on the wing.
As we carried our loot to the back entrance that Kaylin had cleverly hidden with a tangle of loose boards, a stack of old tires, and several abandoned vehicles, Peyton opened the door. She'd been on the watch for us and she took one of the bags from me, carrying it into the living quarters we'd quickly pulled together for ourselves.
The building had been a warehouse in better days, and the stark industrial walls were gunmetal gray, with beams and poles and odd little cubbyholes lining the inner chambers. Kaylin had been living here for a while before he'd invited us in, so we had jury-rigged electricity. He hadn't wanted to draw attention by using too much, though, so for heat we were using a burn barrel. The warehouse was big enough, the ceilings high enough, and several windows were cracked and broken, so the smoke wasn't much of a bother and it dissipated by the time it reached the outdoors. But it was cold and chilly and grim.
While we were gone, the rest of our little band—Peyton, Rhiannon, Luna, Chatter, and Grieve—had lined up several tables and now, we spread out the contents of our goods on them. Grieve moved over to my side and slid his arm around me. I caught my breath, this time in a good way.
"I was worried about you. I sensed…" He let his words drift off, but his gaze flickered to Lannan. "Are you all right?"
Nodding, I ducked my head. "I'm fine. There were a few tense moments, but everything's okay." I leaned in, feeling Lannan watching every move I made, and rested my mouth against Grieve's soft lips. He pulled me to him and I lost myself in his touch, in his kiss. Grieve was my love, and no matter how my body responded to Lannan, my heart would forever belong to the Fae Prince with the shining stars in his eyes.
A slow warmth rose in my belly, his body felt right against my own, and I inhaled deeply, filling myself full with his scent. He smelled like autumn leaves and rain showers and danger and safety all rolled into one. His heart beat fast against my touch as I laid my hand on his chest. Grieve was alive, and he loved me.
"I want you," I whispered, hungering to sneak off, to drive away the cold and the snow with his touch. But we couldn't—not just yet. "I feel safe with you."
"Later. I promise." His words were so low that I was the only one who could hear him, but his touch pledged so much more than those words could express.
I nodded, not trusting myself to say more, and gently moved away. Everyone was looking at us, especially Lannan with his cold, dark stare, but I didn't care. I cleared my throat and searched for what to say. Rhiannon gave me a pleading look and I nodded, knowing what she desperately wanted to hear. Time to get down to business.
"First—some good news. The Veil House isn't nearly as far gone as we feared."
Rhiannon let out a little cry and her fingers flew to her mouth. Chatter—Grieve's friend and another of the Cambyra Fae—moved to rest his arm gently around her waist. I noticed the quick smile she flashed him. As I had thought. Leo had been her way of settling. She'd loved Chatter all along.
"Does it really still stand?" She leaned forward, breathless. "You aren't joking?"
"I'd never joke about something like that. Oh, it's definitely taken some heavy damage. The kitchen and basement will have to be rebuilt, but with work, we can restore it. However, that idea is on hold until we destroy Myst. We killed two of her Shadow Hunters while we were there."
"I have another surprise." Grieve held up his hand and dashed into a side room, returning after a few seconds with his arms full. "While you were gone, I scouted around this rambling monster of a building and found two space heaters. They're good-sized."
"Heat! Glorious heat!" Luna rubbed her hands together as Kaylin took them from him and plugged them in.
Grieve frowned. "I hope they still work. The burn barrel helps, but it doesn't do much good over here by the table."
Kaylin flipped the switch and bingo, a draft of air began to blow toward the table. The space heaters must have been used during power outages, because they were big enough to heat a small room. As the elements heated up, warm air began to take the edge off the biting chill. I smiled, and so did the others. There was nothing like heat to lift the spirits when the wind was howling at the door.
"Good job, man." Kaylin clapped Grieve on the back. "I've lived here for quite a while and didn't know about them."
"I've a knack for finding things." Grieve smiled then, and laughed. "I wish I could have gone with you today."
"Yes, but the Veil House is so close to the Golden Wood, it would be too easy for Myst to latch onto you again. And this helps us so much more—we needed the heat." I leaned in and kissed him soundly. My stomach rumbled. "First heat and now, I hope…food?" I looked at Luna. "Is there anything to eat?"
She nodded, and while Kaylin and Wrath sorted through what we'd brought back with us, Rhiannon and Luna set out a loaf of bread, some peanut butter, and a large packet of beef jerky. Rhiannon added a two-liter bottle of Coke, while Luna carried a large pot of chicken noodle soup over to the table. Peyton brought the mugs and plates.
I stared at the meal. Good. I could eat everything. I knew the soup was safe, and that was the only thing potentially a danger. I was deathly allergic to fish and carried an EpiPen wherever I went.
Luna shrugged, looking embarrassed. "I'm sorry it's not anything fancy, but…"
"Hey, it's food. I ate out of Dumpsters when I was a kid, so this is a feast in comparison to some of the meals I've had. I'm not turning up my nose at anything on this table."
The soda was cold and I chugged down two glasses before moving on to the bread and peanut butter. Grieve stared at the food, finally accepting a hank of the beef jerky and a plain piece of bread. My father sniffed the peanut butter and opted for the jerky and bread, too. Chatter decided to be adventurous and bit into a p.b. sandwich, his face taking on the look of a confused cat with peanut butter stuck to the roof of his mouth.
The soup was like those Lipton soups—mainly just noodles and broth—but it was hot and salty and filled that need for something warm in my belly.
After the gnaw of hunger faded, we began to sort through the bags, able to take off our jackets thanks to Grieve's space heaters. I held up Heather's journal. "I found this. We might be able to use it."
Kaylin handed me a small bag and I stared at it, knowing exactly what was in there. "You found my magical tools."
"I checked upstairs. It wasn't all that dangerous. The steps were in no hurry to collapse under me. I think they're still structurally sound. Anyway, yes—I found your magical tools. I also packed a bag with clothes for all four of you girls. I brought whatever seemed appropriate for our situation." His dark eyes flashed with a glimmer of a smile and I found myself grateful he was on our side.