Kaylin pulled a candy bar out of his pocket and pressed it into her hands. "What happened? Did you cut yourself? Lainule said there were vampires up here…" He glanced around. The guards had already spread out through the house, making sure the coast was clear.
"The vamps are gone, for now." I let out a deep breath. "Geoffrey and Leo sent them. Luna…they…" My gaze went to the bandage on her neck.
Kaylin followed my look. "Those fuckers drank from her?"
His eyes grew dark. He was Chinese, and his long hair was pulled back in a ponytail. He looked our age—around his mid-to-late twenties—but in reality he was more than a hundred years old. With a night-veil demon wedded to his soul, Kaylin walked in shadows. He played in the dark.
"Yeah," I said slowly, standing so I could stop him if he tried to follow them. His eyes flashed dangerously, lighting with a fire I had seen only once or twice. "She'll be okay, Kaylin. They didn't feed enough to endanger her life."
Waiting for a moment till he calmed down and sat beside her, I turned to Luna. "Can you tell us what happened?"
She shuddered. "I was on my way to the market—I wanted to make apple pie, but they didn't have everything I needed at the Barrow. I thought I'd be fine. If anybody had to worry about going out alone during the day, I thought it would be you and Rhiannon. I argued with the guards until they let me go alone."
"Right. I heard." I'd vouched for her, told Lainule she'd be okay. I hung my head, sorry I'd ever opened my mouth. "You left around four, right?"
"Yes. I wanted to stop in at the bookstore to see if a book I ordered last week had come in. It felt so good to walk down the sidewalk without being afraid that the Shadow Hunters would be hiding in the alleys." She grimaced and stretched her neck, wincing from the pain of the bite. Vampires could make you come by drinking from you, but the aftermath? Not so much fun. Kaylin and I helped her sit down again.
"I guess you should have taken a guard with you." I stopped, realizing I'd just spouted off the same advice Rhia and I had refused to take. With a sigh, I shrugged. "What happened?"
"I stopped at a coffee shop after that, then the market. When I came out, it was just after sunset. I was waiting at a bus stop to return here when they appeared, out from the alleyway. Before I knew what was happening, they grabbed me and dragged me into the shadows. My packages were on the ground, and they pressed me up against the wall. One of them turned to look at me, and that's when I realized they were vampires. I tried to look away, but…"
Vampires could mesmerize with their gazes, and Luna, as magical as she was, couldn't possibly hope to stand up against them.
"They both fed on me." Her voice was thick, and she blushed. "I liked it. They made me like it. I feel…dirty. Used."
"Yeah, they do that." I flashed a look at Kaylin that said, Don't say a word, and then knelt beside her. "Did they do anything…else to you?"
She shook her head. "They dragged me into a limo. And then…we were here. I thought they were going to kill me, but the one—the bigger one—just told me that I was lucky this time. Then he grinned and said that next time, he'd finish me himself. He said my blood was sweet." Another shudder, another look of horror. "That's right when you came in."
"Kaylin, take her back to the Barrow and make sure she's okay."
Kaylin said nothing but wrapped his arms around her shoulders and, once again, helped her stand. It was obvious she was weak. Luna was short, plump, and pretty. The demon within Kaylin's soul had given him extra strength and speed, though, and he picked her up as if she were light as a feather and carried her out the door, calling to one of the guards to accompany him.
As they left, I turned to Grieve and Rhiannon. "Want to make a bet this has something to do with our meeting with Regina?"
"You need to take guards with you, since I am specifically not invited." Grieve glowered. He hated it when I went into Lannan's territory without him, but there wasn't much we could do. Having them in the same room together was pretty much like holding a lit rag to a can of gasoline.
I bit my lip. "Twenty minutes ago, I would have said no. Now? Not so much. But they can't ride in the car. The iron would hurt them." I pulled out my cell phone and dialed Regina's private number.
Within seconds, the Emissary for the Crimson Court answered, her voice slick like honey and oil.
"Regina, Geoffrey and Leo just delivered a bloody message to us. I need to bring guards with us tonight. You will allow them through the gate, right?"
Silence for a count of one…two…three. Then she answered, in a voice that wavered only in the slightest. But that faint quiver told me there was cause for concern. "Of course. I'll tell my guards to be ready for them. How many are you bringing?"
"Five should do it. And Regina, thank you." Without waiting for an answer, I punched the End Talk button. I knew Regina well enough to know that she wasn't going to say anything more over the phone. I notified the guards of the sudden change in plans, and they took off, heading for Lannan and Regina's mansion.
As Rhiannon and I prepared to leave, I held out my arms. Grieve, my Fae Prince, slid willingly into my embrace. "I wish you could go with me, but so not a good idea." Softly, I kissed his lips, and he growled a little, causing the wolf tattoo on my stomach to respond. "I'll be careful, I promise."
"See that you are." His dark eyes were as black as those of the vampires, but their onyx cores were filled with gleaming stars. Platinum hair cascaded down his shoulders, and he reached up, solemnly, to stroke my face, smelling of cinnamon and apples. "You are my everything. You are my Queen. Do not let the darkness swallow you, my love."
Nodding, I turned to Rhiannon, who followed me out the door. The guards were already off and running toward Regina and Lannan's mansion. They would meet us there.
As we hurried to my beloved Pontiac GTO, several armed guards waited beside it, making sure we were safely tucked inside. I turned the ignition, dreading what the rest of the night held. Because I knew in my heart the news was only going to get worse.
"They're never going to give up until they get even, are they?" Rhia leaned her head against the window, watching as the evening dusk grew deeper.
I shook my head. "No. I don't think so. I wish I could say yes and mean it, but Leo and Geoffrey are dangerous. Not as dangerous as Myst, but we can't underestimate them. Regina sounded almost…afraid."