Night Veil

by Galenorn, Yasmine

  “You were there. Which side were you on?”

  “I was Shy’s brother. Don’t you remember?” His words hit like a sledgehammer, and I started to cry.

  “No, no . . .” But the room started to fall away, and I went spiraling into the past.

  Grieve and I were standing there, only he was Shy and I was Cherish, and now I could see myself for who I was—Myst’s daughter. We were poised, waiting as the first front of those hunting for us came up the slope. Shy turned to me and blinked, his long lashes dusted with a lazy skiff of pollen from the deep grass in which we’d been lying. We were in Summer’s land, and the Queen was hunting for us. Or rather, her servants were.

  “Stop!” A man who looked very much like Shy stepped to the forefront. He carried a long, razor-edged silverplated dagger and was wearing the armor of the knights of Summer. “In the name of Lainule, I command you to stop. Shy, return to us now, for punishment. The girl may go if she departs our lands and never returns.”

  Shy glanced at me, and I could tell he was nervous. “You have a chance to survive. If they take me home, I’ll be punished for treason. But you—my Cherish, my love, you can escape.”

  I stared at him, my heart racing. “Surely you jest. Leave you to them? Leave you to death? Never. We fight together and if necessary, we die together.”

  “But love, they’ll crucify you if you fight and falter.” His eyes were wet, and he looked so forlorn that I wished once again we’d never met. It had been instant attraction, a deep and abiding need to be together that burned its way through my heart. Through his, too.

  “Then let them do their worst. I will not leave you.” I paused, resisting the urge to just go barreling into the fray with teeth sharp and jaws unhinged. I could mow down a good five or six of them before they had a chance to blink. But I was trying to resist instinct, trying to use reason.

  There was one other factor to think about. “He’s your brother,” I said slowly. “Can you resist him? Do you want to? If you truly wish me to go, I will.”

  Shy bit his lip, glancing from his brother back to me, then back to his brother again. He pressed his lips shut, pulling me to him. “I cannot give you up. Not now. Not ever. We belong together, and if they can’t see that . . .”

  We turned, facing his brother, who was leading the band of warriors, and steeled ourselves for the attack. Shy’s brother caught my gaze. I readied myself. And when they charged, he fell first under my attack . . . and the bloodlust raged, and soon, the field was soaked in their life force as Shy and I stood triumphant, with tears falling, unwilling victors against a force that would destroy our love.

  “No . . . Chatter—I would never hurt you—”

  “Sshh . . . but you did, Cicely. Or rather, Cherish did. And Shy was not innocent in the act.” He gently stroked my forehead, then my face, searching my eyes with a terrified look. “Please don’t hate me for forcing you to remember. But you have to know the truth—you have to have all of the information you can in order to make clear decisions.”

  I blankly shook my head. “I don’t hate you. How could I hate you, Chatter? But . . . she knows, she really does know that I was her daughter. That’s why Myst is out to destroy me as much as she’s out to destroy Geoffrey, isn’t she?”

  “She’ll hurt you in any way she can. And she knows Grieve was your lover back then—how best to hurt you except to steal him away and turn him into the monster you were supposed to become?” He tightened his embrace. “Grieve did his best to deflect her from you, and I think even now he tries. But the more you and he connect, the more arsenal she has.”

  I gazed up into his face. He was so like Grieve and yet so unlike him. “What are you, Chatter? I know you’re Cambyra like Grieve . . . like . . . me . . . so what are you? What kind of shifter?”

  He let out a long sigh. “I do not shift into animal form like you and Grieve. My powers are different. I can’t show you here.”

  “How come?” I was beginning to relax into a drowsy state in his arms. It was almost as if Grieve were holding me, without the intense pressure between us.

  Chatter leaned close and whispered in my ear. “Because I turn into a pillar of fire. I’m deadly, Cicely—when I change, I have no control over my actions. Fire lives to burn, and when I transform, all I want is to consume.”

  That broke the spell. I jerked my head up to stare at him. “Fire? Is that why you are so pulled to Rhiannon?”

  He blinked. “You can tell?”

  “I can tell a mile away that you’ve got it bad for her.”

  “No,” he said softly. “You misunderstand. I’m pulled to her flame—it sings within my own heart. But Miss Rhiannon, she is a gentle soul and I would never intrude on her relationship.”

  You’re lying to yourself, I thought, but said nothing. Instead, I let his information settle. Chatter, who seemed so quiet and unassuming, turned into a raging inferno.

  “When was the last time you transformed?”

  “Years ago. I started a wildfire and burned one of my friends. Grieve, actually. It was long before you were born, and I meant no harm, but it hurt him for a long time. I swore then I’d never take a chance on hurting someone else I cared about. But it’s not the same as Rhiannon repressing her powers. When the magic-born do not practice their magic, it backs up in them, and eventually it will implode. With the Cambyra, it’s not as much pressure.” He sucked in a long breath, then let it out. “Don’t tell her—please. And don’t tell Leo.”

  “Leo wouldn’t like the connection.” I frowned.

  “No, he wouldn’t.”

  I let out a long sigh. “We’d better get this done. Thank you—for everything. I’ll think about what you said, but . . .” As I stood, it was all I could do to shrug. Nothing could make me give up Grieve.

  Chatter nodded, his eyes dark and glowing. “You will do as you see fit. But Cicely, Myst will use anything against you she can. You were her blood. And you betrayed her.”

  “And she remembers . . . even if I don’t.” I shrugged off the weight of his words and turned to Kaylin. “We need to start the ritual. Are you ready to start?”

  He nodded. I explained what we needed to do and we began to forge the magical circle of salt, then belladonna and lastly, the quartz. I crawled on the bed and straddled Kaylin’s naked body, feeling inappropriate, and yet something within me stirred as I sank down, sitting on his stomach.

  Slowly I began to chant.

  Demon waken, demon dreams,

  demon days, demon wings,

  night-veil, creature of shade,

  wake to your host, fulfill the pact you made.

  Chatter stood beside me, his voice weaving with mine, providing a countertonal response. Surprised, I glanced at him—he had an excellent voice and could have easily been a professional singer.

  Waken to life, waken to death,

  Waken to void, waken to breath,

  Waken to the world, waken to the grave,

  Waken to your host, wake and be saved.

  Kaylin began to stir. Or rather, he began to convulse. I motioned to Chatter, who hurried over to my side. Kaylin was shaking and it was all I could do to keep him down. He frothed at the mouth, his eyes rolling back in his head, and I leaned forward, pressing his shoulders down, holding him still. He’d be bruised and sore, but it would be worse if I just let him flail.

  Chatter pulled out a little bottle that the shaman had given me before we left the Court of Dreams and dropped three drops of the potion into Kaylin’s mouth. Kaylin let out a long scream—really more of a howl—and I felt his arousal as he began to wake. Crap. This could end badly.

  Kaylin thrashed and I suddenly found myself flying through the air, onto the floor, as he stood. He rose up, standing over me, erect and hair flowing, his eyes flashing with an odd light. Chatter backed up, reaching down to grab my hand, pulling me out of the way.

  As if he’d never seen himself before, Kaylin held out his arms, examining them, then glanced down at his
erection and let out a low, throaty laugh as he turned toward me.

  “Thank you for waking me, Cicely. Let me show you just how grateful I am.” The look on his face was insolent and yet—and yet—there was Kaylin, behind the new attitude.

  “Kaylin—do you remember what happened?” The thought ran through my mind that maybe this hadn’t been the best idea, but Lainule had insisted we needed him and how could I leave him in a vegetative state? I might as well have killed him as done that.

  “Oh, I remember,” he said, slowly stepping toward me. “I was sleeping for a long, long time and then . . . something stirred and it was time for me to wake.”

  “You’re the night-veil—where’s Kaylin? I see him in there. Let him through. It’s his body and you only share it.”

  “Share it? No, I think not. I’m going to take this body and thoroughly enjoy the freedom.” The demon laughed, holding out his hand. He made a fist and brought it up, gazing at it joyfully.

  “Cicely—you have the fetish!” Chatter frantically motioned to my hand.

  Crap! I was supposed to break the fetish against Kaylin’s heart! Otherwise the demon would be free to control him. I scrambled to my feet, nodding.

  “Help me, Chatter—I can’t do it by myself.”

  The demon snorted. “You think I’m going to let you carry through with the rest of the spell? I know perfectly well what you’re up to and it’s not going to work.”

  I glanced at Chatter, wondering if we could take him. We didn’t dare let him loose. “We have to,” I murmured. And so, without another word, we both jumped Kaylin, trying to take him down.

  Chapter 8

  Kaylin burst out in laughter again and he swung his fist, connecting with my stomach to send me reeling across the room. I landed hard on my tailbone, feeling like my midsection had met a sledgehammer. But I still had hold of the fetish. I wheezed, struggling to right myself as Chatter landed a blow on Kaylin, my wolf growling low and long.

  “Cicely! Chatter! What the fuck’s going on in there?” Leo pounded on the door. “Open up!”

  “Stay out until we call you!” I didn’t want them in the way of those fists. As it was, my midsection was going to be sporting a nasty bruise for a couple of weeks. I rolled to my feet while Chatter and Kaylin engaged. Chatter was stronger than I was, but Kaylin had suddenly developed a strength that could match—or best—one of the Shadow Hunters. I glanced around the room and suddenly remembered my street-fighting days and the advice from Uncle Brody: When facing the enemy, think dirty. Anything for a weapon.

  I grabbed a bottle of cologne off Kaylin’s dresser and aimed it for his eyes, then pressed the button. The scented spray of Spice hit him directly in the face, and he let out a roar as he covered his eyes with his hands and stumbled back.

  Chatter tackled him, knocking him to the floor as I scrambled over to his side and brought the fetish down hard against his heart. The clay figurine shattered into pieces and I leaned over him.

  “Egrend . . . Egrend . . . I command you to submit your will to Kaylin. You are no longer in control. Merge, and become one.”

  Kaylin’s eyes jerked open, glowing with a pale yellow light, and he struggled, but after a moment the light faded and he slumped on the floor, breathing softly. I looked for any sign that the creature was playing possum, but I was fairly certain the spell had worked.

  Chatter gathered him up and laid him on the bed. “He’s exhausted, I think. Being ridden by a demon can drain a person in no time. And when his demon woke, it rode him like a horse.”

  “Yeah,” I said, staring down at the bed. “It was out for blood, all right. I wonder how this will change the Kaylin we know.”

  “There’s no telling. Not yet. We just have to hope for the best. If we hadn’t done this, Cicely, he would have faded and never again been able to wake. You saved his life.” Chatter placed a hand on my arm, and I smiled gratefully.

  “Then why do I feel so strangely guilty? Like I’ve just altered him forever?”

  “Because you have. But we had no choice. Come on, let him rest. He’s no longer unconscious, just asleep. I can feel the difference.” Chatter led me to the door and, with a backward glance at Kaylin’s slumbering form, we left the room.

  Leo and Rhiannon were both looking terrified, although with Leo, an undercurrent of anger ran through his worry. We told them what happened, and he just shook his head in disgust.

  “I thought we were working together on this—why the fuck did you shut us out? Or at least me. And you put Rhiannon in danger.” The muscles on the side of his neck tensed and his ears were turning red.

  I had to nip this attitude in the bud. “Listen to me, Leo. I did as Lainule asked. She told me to take Chatter and Peyton with me, that you and Rhiannon couldn’t handle the journey, and she was right. Until you get up to speed on your fighting skills, deal with it. You’re a healer—we need you in the background. You are vital to the continued health of our group, and that’s not a front-line job. If you get hurt, it hurts all of us. Got it?”

  Though I’d started off trying to appeal to his ego, I realized that what I was saying was true. If Leo got hurt, none of the rest of us could work healing magic or knew what to do with the herbs that my aunt had so carefully cultivated.

  I led them into my room, away from Kaylin’s door, and dropped onto the bed. “Listen, I’m exhausted. I have no doubt Peyton is, too—and even Chatter is looking worn out. We had a long trip and haven’t slept since we left.”

  “Don’t try to make me feel better,” Leo grumbled.

  “I don’t have the time or energy to patronize you. What I’m saying is true. You’re the only one who knows what to do with that huge stash of herbs down there. We can’t rely on anybody else. Who knows where Myst has sent her feelers through this town? And the vampires aren’t going to give a fuck about our health. You know that.”

  He bit his lip, glancing over at Rhiannon, who nodded, then plunked himself down on the window seat. “Whatever. I never thought about it that way.”

  “No, you didn’t.” Peyton stretched and yawned. “You just tripped over your ego like most guys. But she’s telling the truth, you big goofball. So accept that you have a vital place in the group and act accordingly.” Peyton wasn’t particularly verbal, but when she did speak, she usually had something to say.

  “Honey,” Rhiannon said gently, “they’re right. They aren’t shutting us out, they’re protecting us. I’m not all that competent either when it comes to fighting—I’m still learning the ropes. I can handle short skirmishes like with the goblin the other day, but I couldn’t have taken on this trip. I know it. We’ll be up to speed soon enough.”

  A smile broke over Leo’s face and the gloom lifted. “Yeah, yeah . . . okay. Quit making me sound like some pathetic basket case. I’ll quit being such a jerk. Now that Kaylin’s back . . .” He stopped. “He is back, isn’t he?”

  I shrugged. “I hope so. I did what the shaman of the Bat People told me to do. And trust me, that was one freakshow of a trip. If someone will go fix us some dinner, Peyton and I will take showers and then eat and then sleep for a week.”

  “Not a week.” Leo frowned again. “As I said, Lannan’s been asking for you. He’s pissed that you up and disappeared. I’m worried about what he might do to you for running off like that.” He gazed at me, a bleak expression on his face. Leo knew what Lannan wanted from me. What Lannan had already done to me. And he knew the vampires better than any of us.

  I swallowed the lump that formed in the bottom of my stomach. “Nothing I can do about Lannan’s wrath right now, unless I want to drag myself over to his place, and in this condition, there’s no way I can face him.”

  “No, but you’ll have to confront him soon. And . . . as I said, I’m afraid what he might do to you.” This time, Leo’s words were soft, almost consoling.

  “Crap. Yeah. Well, I’ll deal with that when it gets here. Meanwhile, some eggs and ham and waffles or pancakes would be great, befor
e I crash. Peyton, you should stay here. I don’t trust you driving. Why don’t you call your mother and let her know you’re home and then use the downstairs shower?”

  She smiled. “I already called her—while you and Chatter were busy with Kaylin. But thanks anyway. I’ll definitely take that shower and a place to crash. I’m starting to feel the lost time catching up with me.”

  She wasn’t the only one. My body was suddenly aware I’d been on my feet pretty much for two days and had walked for at least forty to fifty miles. Not to mention the cold that had set into my bones, and the adrenaline rush from the entire journey and the blow from our fight with Kaylin.

  I waited till Leo and Chatter withdrew, then took off my clothes. Rhiannon and Peyton gasped as they eyed the bruise blossoming across my midsection. My wolf paced—or would have if the tattoo could have gotten up and walked off my stomach—and I knew that Grieve had felt the blow to me and that he was angry and feeling helpless.

  Be cautious—he may be out tonight and he will surely be looking for whoever hurt you. Ulean swept around me, a gentle cloak against the raw nerves that jangled.

  Hell, I can’t let him in here. If he got hold of Kaylin while he’s sleeping, Grieve could eat him alive—literally. And if Kaylin’s awake, then they might do each other irreparable harm. What should I do?

  May I suggest you calm your wolf down and take a mild sedative to relieve the pain?

  I laughed. Leave it to my Wind Elemental to think of the most practical course of action. Good idea . . . thank you.

  “Rhia—can you go ask Leo if he has something for my bruise and to help me sleep? I have to calm my wolf down before Grieve comes here to find out what the hell happened to me. We can’t risk him getting hold of Kaylin. Meanwhile, I’m heading into the bathtub.”

  Peyton headed downstairs with my cousin as I filled the bath with some of the bubble bath my aunt had made before the Indigo Court caught her. As I eased down into the warm suds, lying back against the porcelain, my body groaned and then let go. I was so tired, my eyes were beginning to play tricks on me and I was seeing sparkles—tracers that spiraled and looped as I followed the sparks of light with my fingers. I rested my head against the back of the tub and gave in, closing my eyes as I softly breathed in the gentle scent of lilac and lavender.