She curtseyed, turned, and left.
I pushed back from the vanity and turned to see that Grieve had emerged from the bed and was fully dressed. Of course, all he had to do was to focus on what he wanted to wear and, bingo, there it was. Today he was looking fine, in a pair of khaki cargo pants, with a royal blue V-neck shirt that showed off his biceps quite nicely.
I moved to him, and he held out his arm, slipping it around my waist and kissing me soundly. Glancing over my shoulder, I stared at the bed. It was so hard to believe that everything was happening so fast. Just a few weeks ago, I'd been in La-La Land, when Ulean had warned me that my aunt and cousin were in trouble. One phone call later and I was on the road, headed north, on a long drive up the I-5 freeway. And now…here I was in the palace of the Summer Queen, waiting for my new life to begin.
"What are you thinking?" Grieve asked.
I shook my head. "I don't know. Just…I'm watching things parade forward at a rate that boggles my mind. But no matter what, I'm with you, and that's all that counts."
And try as he might, that was all he could get me to say on the matter.
Everybody was waiting for us in the common room. We'd have brunch later on, so for now, we munched on a little fruit. As Peyton entered the room, I stopped short, staring at her. She looked so different.
Peyton was part Native American, on her father's side. She was also half-breed when it came to her powers. Her father, Rex, was a werepuma. He'd just reentered her life after being absent for most of her youth. Her mother had made sure that none of his letters ever reached her hands.
Anadey—her mother—was one of the magic-born. Peyton wasn't speaking to her right now. Anadey had tried to kill both Rex and me, and that didn't go down too well, with Peyton or with the rest of us.
Usually, Peyton was dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt, with a ponytail. But today her hair was long and gleaming, and she was wearing a pair of black trousers, with a peach tunic that set off the warm glow of her skin. Tall and statuesque, she looked radiant.
Kaylin let out a low whistle, grinning. "Pretty lady."
Peyton snorted. "If my business is going to open next week, then I need to start dressing the part."
Before the house had burned, we'd gone into business together—with me opening Wind Charms, a magic shop with spell components, and Peyton starting up the Mystical Eye—a magical investigations firm. Now, of course, it was out of the question for me to have a business, so I'd turned the reins over to Luna and she would take my place at the Veil House, together with Peyton.
"Well, the way you look would inspire me to hire you." I handed her a pear. "We're just grabbing a little something to tide us over till we get there. As soon as everybody's ready, we'll stop at Starbucks, then head over to your father's. If it's still okay with Rex, that is."
She slid into a chair and bit into the fruit. "Yeah, he's totally fine with us barging in on him. But it's cold out. If I didn't know better, I'd swear Myst and her Shadow Hunters are nearby."
I shivered, folding my arms across my chest. For a few minutes, I'd been able to push thoughts of Myst to the back burner, but now they came rushing back, and all of the warmth seemed to drain out of the room. Sure, Rhia and I were taking the thrones of Summer and Winter. And yes, our weddings were coming up. But nothing in the world could change the fact that we had enemies on all sides, and they were all out to see us dead. With a small sigh, I picked up a peach.
As I raised it to my lips, something made me pause and I glanced down at it. There, wriggling out through the skin, was a worm. And in that moment, I had my doubts as to whether any of us would survive through the winter to actually see spring come again.
Chapter 4
New Forest seemed like a different town in the daylight. Oh, the snow and ice were everywhere, and there was a bitter, frosty chill to the streets, but the downtown area was bustling with shoppers. But on closer inspection, they were hurrying, their expressions drawn and tense, like they were looking over their shoulders.
The same way we are. But at least Leo and Geoffrey were asleep for the day, and we had enough people with us that we could handle day-runners.
Grieve and Chatter didn't want to ride in the car. Along with a few guards, they would meet us at Rex's alone. So I drove, with Rhia riding shotgun. Kaylin, Peyton, and Luna sat in the back. As I navigated the streets, it occurred to me that in a few days, this—driving—might be a thing of the past. Lainule said that after the initiation, I'd be learning to travel like the Fae. Apparently, there were ways of allowing half-bloods to use some of the full-blood powers.
"Why so solemn?" Luna asked, looking over at me.
I shrugged. "Just thinking."
I should be happy. I should be thrilled. Didn't every little girl want to be a princess? And didn't every little girl long for a happily-ever-after with her Prince Charming? Then why was I on the verge of tears? I blinked them away, and then, shrugging, I forced a smile.
"Peyton, what did Rex say when you told him we were going to converge on his house for brunch?"
She laughed. "He said as long as we chip in for the groceries, he'll cook."
"How's his leg doing?" Rhia asked.
Rex had been injured in a major skirmish with the Shadow Hunters. One of them had taken a chunk of flesh out of his leg, and without us he would have bled to death, if the Vampiric Fae hadn't finished him off first. He was on crutches but healing up fairly quickly. Luckily there was no infection—Weres weren't prone to them. But the wound had been bad, and he wouldn't be fully back in action for a while.
"He'll be off the crutches in a day or so—being a werepuma has its benefits, but he'll probably have a limp for months. At least he lives in a security building." She frowned, jabbing her thumb into her knee. After a moment, she let out a huff. "Mother called me yesterday."
The car fell silent.