I know, trust me. I know. He can try all he likes, he won't do it.
Ulean brushed me with her impatience. Don't be too cocky. Lannan has thousands of years of experience. He is a master of head games. Just be careful.
I will. Have no fear. I've already made too many mistakes. I'll watch my back.
"Cicely? Promise us you won't go off on Lannan? We can't afford to alienate him." Kaylin caught my gaze and would not let go.
"Because he's helped us so much already?" I shot him a nasty look. "Lannan knew he was infecting me and that I'd infect Grieve, and now look at the whole mess. The Indigo Court is far more dangerous than they were, even if they can no longer walk under the sun. They were bad enough before; now they're like a pack of rabid dogs. With nasty big teeth and soul-sucking abilities."
Geoffrey and Regina, agents for the Crimson Queen—the queen of true vampires—had come up with a hunkydory plan to stop the Vampiric Fae. Only it hadn't worked right. It prevented the Indigo Court Fae from walking abroad during the day all right, but now light sent them into a feeding frenzy—a rage from which they could not extricate themselves until the darkness once again hit. I'd been the weapon, unknowingly passing a plague to them when I'd kissed Grieve, thanks to Lannan's infecting me with his bite, and I'd never forgive them for that.
"He was doing his job," Leo said, grimly. "Remember, when Regina and Geoffrey decide something, everybody jumps. Even Lannan."
"Right. Doing his job, just like the SS during World War Two. Goddamn, I'd like to dust that pervert. He hurt Grieve! And he . . ." I stopped, not wanting to think about what he'd done to me. "You just know Lannan's going to sit there, looking so smug and self-satisfied—"
At Kaylin's raised eyebrows, I stopped, catching my breath. My fury surprised even me. I knew I wanted to dust Lannan, but I didn't expect to be quite so explosive about it. After a moment, I added, "Okay, okay. I promise. I'll keep my mouth shut. But I don't have to like it."
The phone rang and Rhiannon answered while we went on talking.
"Actually, I doubt Lannan had much to do with producing the virus," Leo said, sliding on his gloves. "And he's one of the true vampires—why would he care about Grieve? He cares about no one except his sister and himself. Lannan's not interested in politics, and my bet is he'd rather ignore Myst and her Court. He's too self-centered to really give a fuck about whether the Shadow Hunters take over the town, as long as they leave him and his stable alone."
That was the longest speech I'd heard out of Leo and I wasn't sure I wanted to hear another. He seemed too willing to take Lannan's side. But I had to admit, he was probably right. Lannan wouldn't have been the engineer on this plan. He wasn't that ambitious. It was probably all Regina could do to force him to play his part in carrying it out.
"If Myst gains control of New Forest, his stable will end up as mangled as that goblin did," I muttered.
"Crap, that was Anadey. There's been another attack," Rhiannon said as she replaced the receiver on the cradle. She paled, shaking her head.
"Another? Where? Who?" The past five days had been hell. The attack on a movie theater the other night pretty much outed the fact that a pack of hunters was on the loose. The majority of people didn't know exactly who was behind the attacks, but they knew that anybody was fair game and that people were dying.
"Two. A mother and a child. Eaten down to the bone. Cops found them two hours ago and are circulating the rumor that there are wild dogs in the area."
"That makes ten victims, including two children." I stopped, giving her a bewildered look. "Did you say wild dogs? They really expect people to believe that?"
Kaylin bookmarked his novel and put it on the table. He frowned. "It's amazing what people will accept when they don't want to believe something worse."
"Oh, I don't think people are that dense. They know something's out there. They also must realize by now that the cops aren't going to protect them. I can understand why the magic-born aren't all leaving—we're connected to this land by the energy. But why aren't the yummanii leaving?"
Yummanii was the term the magic-born used among themselves for those born fully human. The yummanii possessed their own kind of magic—not as obvious or flamboyant as the magic-born, but a psychic energy . . . call it instinct, if you will, and the power had grown more noticeable among the yummanii children of the past few generations. Whether the yummanii realized they were growing strong, we did not know. But it wasn't our place to tell them or we risked altering their natural evolution.
As for the yummanii, they had always known about the magic-born, and they accepted us. Just like they knew about the Weres and the vampires and Fae.
"Perhaps they can't leave. It costs money to pull up stakes, to head out of town and start a new life. And if you have a good job, or children, then it's that much harder. Unemployment is low here in New Forest and—until Myst came—life was relatively safe. Geoffrey keeps a watch on the vampires and doesn't allow many rogues. All sound reasons to stay put." Kaylin shrugged. "It's easier to take a few precautions and hope for the best."
I nodded. The dreamwalker made a lot of sense.
"We need to get moving. Geoffrey will have us by the neck if we're late." Leo shuffled, glancing at the door as if it might burst open to reveal the Regent.
I shook my head. "If he's so all fired up to talk to me, why the hell has he kept me waiting this long?"
"Calm down, Cicely." Chatter's voice whispered softly from behind me. I whirled to see the Fae leaning against the arch leading into the dining room and kitchen. "You cannot help Grieve if you lose the support of the vampires. Myst cannot be defeated without them and you know it."
"I know. Trust me, I know. I can't get away from them no matter how much I might want to. They own me for the rest of my life. How can I ever forget that?" With a snort, I added, "Let's get this show on the road."
Leo, Rhiannon, and I headed out, leaving Chatter and Kaylin to watch over the house. As we stepped into the icy night, a lazy shower of snow drifted down. Myst had brought with her a long winter to blanket the town, a cold and chill premonition of what life under her rule would be like.
The Queen of Winter, a tainted Fae Queen whom the vampires had once tried to turn as if she were human, Myst had risen from her deathbed before she could die, fully alive and far more dangerous than the vampires ever dreamed possible, and from her descended the Vampiric Fae. They could breed, and they were ruthless killing machines who lived to feed and spread across the land.
And now she had traced down her maker and looked to wipe out Geoffrey and his people. She aspired to take over the land, one town at a time.