The back porch of the Veil House had been fully repaired and I bounded up the steps, glancing over my shoulder. No sign of the guards.
Ulean, can you warn Lainule we might need help?
I will. Be cautious, Cicely. I do not know what's going on in there. I cannot read the vampires' energies.
With Rhiannon on my heels, I slammed through the door and into the kitchen, skidding to a halt in case they were there. Nothing but a silent room.
The kitchen had been entirely rebuilt. The new color was chiffon yellow, pale as the cool morning light in early spring, and it spread across the room, a gradient of apricot blushing toward the ceiling. The trim had been replaced, and all the cabinets and cupboards. The workmanship was meticulous.
I glanced around, trying to decide whether to go up the back staircase to the bedrooms or—
A noise from the living room caught my attention and I slowed, motioning for Rhiannon to stay behind me. I felt for the sheath hanging off my belt, gripping the hilt of my new dagger. Lainule herself had given it to me, and it was fit for a queen—wickedly sharp, a magical silver alloy, and deadly. Behind me, Rhiannon drew her matching gilt-edged one. I wasn't sure how I felt about that. Rhia hadn't been trained in use of a blade, and I didn't want her stabbing me by accident. Or herself.
We peeked around the wall leading to the living room. Here, where the smoke had damaged furniture and wallpaper but not the actual structure, the walls had been stripped and now a pale green illuminated the room, and the antiques had been restored where they could be. New furniture replaced the pieces too broken to be fixed.
Standing in the middle of the room were two men—vampires by the looks of their eyes—wearing dark suits. Between them, they restrained Luna, each holding one of her arms. They were ignoring her as they talked in soft whispers over her head.
Luna was crying, softly, and I saw her shiver as one of the vamps reached down to tip her chin up so she was staring him in the face. He said something—I couldn't hear what—and she let out a whimper, then pressed her lips together.
"So, what the fuck do you plan on doing with my friend?" I stepped out from around the wall. I wanted more backup, but we had to do something.
The vamps glanced over at me, and then one snorted.
"Took you long enough, witch. We're here to deliver a message." He let go of Luna and shoved her forward with so much force that she went sprawling at my feet.
She landed hard on the floor, and I quickly bent to help her up. Struggling, she looked up at me, dazed. Her eyes were wide, and two ragged punctures marred her neck, dried blood from them coating her skin. I knew exactly what that meant.
"Fucking perverts, you fed from her." I whirled on them. "You'd better not be aligned with Lannan, or I swear, I'm—"
The first vamp sneered. "Shut up, cunt. Try being a little more respectful. You see, we don't give a fuck about your powers or your lineage or the fact that your oh-so-fragile neck is going to hold up a pretty little diadem."
"Quiet," his partner said. He pointed to Luna. "The girl is your message." They turned to leave, but he stopped and glanced back. "Next time we meet, the warning will be harsher. You might caution your friend about being so carefree. We could have broken her neck without blinking an eye and left her on the street. We could have turned her and taken her with us."
"Who sent you? Who are you working for?"
He laughed. "You'll find out soon enough. We're just administering a gentle reminder that not all vampires in New Forest are as entranced with you as that sycophant Altos and his bitch whore sister."
I drew back my dagger, knowing it was a foolish move. But I had to do something. I couldn't take them down with it, but I could do my best to protect us—at least for a while. I moved in front of Luna.
"I don't care who hates me. Just don't take it out on my friends—" And then I paused. Crap. I knew who had sent them. At least, I was fairly certain. "Geoffrey and Leo sent you, didn't they?" Behind me, Rhiannon gasped. "Get back, don't let them near you." I glanced over my shoulder to make sure nobody was behind us.
The larger vampire snorted. He cocked his head to the side, his obsidian eyes gleaming. "Don't worry your scrawny neck about it. We're not out for the win. Yet. Just consider this visit a promise of things to come. Geoffrey loves the chase, and the hunt. But you'd better prepare yourselves, because when it's time to get real, little girl, you can be sure there won't be any place to hide."
And then, in a blur so fast I couldn't see them move, they were gone.
I stared at the front door. It was open, blowing in the wind.
"We're in deep shit, aren't we?" Rhiannon leaned close to me.
I nodded, staring at the snow that swirled in on the wind. "Yeah," I said softly. "And somehow, I don't think it's going to get any easier. Not for a long time."
Rhia and I managed to get Luna onto the sofa. I was attending to her wounds—the punctures were jagged and deep, and she'd lost a fair amount of blood—when Grieve burst through, followed by Kaylin and several guards.
Kaylin took one look at Luna, on whom he was crushing bad, and rushed over, sliding to the floor beside the couch. "Is she—" He glanced up at me.
"I'm not dead, if that's what you mean." Luna groaned and sat up, gently pressing her hand to the bandage on her neck. "But damn, I hurt, and I'm dizzy."
"There's no food in this place. We need to get you something to eat."