Can they see us?

The other owl answered. Yes, ghosts and owls are closely aligned. We are the creatures of dark magic. We ride in the wake of the Bean Sidhe. We bring tidings from the dead. Ghosts and spirits are part of our heritage. Yes, ghosts and owls are closely aligned. We are the creatures of dark magic. We ride in the wake of the Bean Sidhe. We bring tidings from the dead. Ghosts and spirits are part of our heritage.

Who are you? What is this? How am I doing this?

You, like your lover, are part Cambyra Fae. You are not just of the magic-born by birth, but half your heritage lies within the demonic Fae. Your father was one of the Uwilahsidhe, the owl people.

Part Fae. I was part Fae? I was part Fae? My mind tried to process the concept but I kept coming back to one thought. My mind tried to process the concept but I kept coming back to one thought. You knew my father? What was he like? What is his name? Is he still alive? You knew my father? What was he like? What is his name? Is he still alive?

Yes, I knew your father, and your mother, too. And yes, he still lives. His name is Wrath.

I want to meet him-is that possible?

But the owl fell silent as we twisted another loop around the house and he came lightly to rest in the oak again. He let out a piercing call that sliced through the night and I answered.

Not now. Not here. But he knows of you, girl. He knows of you.

And then he leapt and dove, and we were off once more, winging through the dark as he taught me to spread my wings and fly.

Early toward morning, the owl landed on the eaves next to my room. I landed next to him, exhausted, desperately needing to rest. We'd flown through the night, turning, dipping, but ever-always avoiding Myst's forest.

Time for you to return to your other form.

I blinked. My other form. My other form. There had been points through the night when I'd forgotten I had another form. There had been points through the night when I'd forgotten I had another form.

How do I do that? I can't get the pendant off.

Just focus on letting go. But do so inside or you'll topple off the roof. Ulean's voice was clear, distinct from the owl's. Ulean's voice was clear, distinct from the owl's.

As I pondered how to get inside so I could try to change back, Kaylin showed up in my room and eased the window open. He gently reached out and I hopped on his arm, and then he lifted me inside and set me on the ground.

I waddled around, my talons uncomfortable on the hardwood floor, as I tried to figure out how to shift back.

Just let go of the form . . .

Ulean's comforting voice filtered through the slipstream again and I hooted softly, grateful she could read me even though I'd shifted form.

Just let go of the form . . . . . .

I calmed my thoughts, reached down deep. Consciously, I let the owl form dissolve, picturing myself as . . . me . . . Blink. Blink. A few seconds later, I toppled over on the floor, naked except for the necklace. A few seconds later, I toppled over on the floor, naked except for the necklace.

I'll give Kaylin this much: Instead of staring at me, he immediately covered me with a blanket from the bottom of the bed. I slowly sat up, rubbing my head, which hurt like a son of a b.i.t.c.h. The necklace throbbed gently against my chest.

"Before we even start to discuss this, please go downstairs and get me a cup of tea." I slipped out of the blanket and into the thick terry robe that Rhiannon had loaned me. This time, Kaylin watched.

"Dude, eyes back in head." I stared at him and he let out a soft laugh.

"Sorry, but you aren't exactly hiding it."

"I just changed into an owl and flew around the yard for an hour or two or three. Why should I be thinking modesty after that? I mean, come on, it was . . ." I softened my voice, the sarcasm drifting away. "It was the most incredible thing that's ever happened to me."

He relented. "Sorry, but as old as I am, I'm still young compared to others like me. And you're . . . you have a magnetism about you that's hard to ignore. Cicely, what happened out there?"

"Tea first."

While I climbed into bed, shivering because now I felt cold all the way through, Kaylin dashed downstairs and returned ten minutes later with a tea tray holding a pot, two cups, and some toast and jam.

As we drank our tea and ate our toast, I told him everything. Told him about always feeling a connection to the owl, about getting the tattoos even though I didn't know why I had to, about the owl feather that I'd found on my pillow one morning, never questioning why it had come into my life, just accepting.

"The owl in the wood, he said I'm part Cambyra Fae, like Grieve. Can this be possible?" I stared at my hands, looking at them in a different way than I ever had before. I'd always known I was one of the magic-born, but having someone tell me I was part Fae was like finding out that I'd never really known who I was. I'd never known myself. Not fully.

"Possible? Yes. Likely? It seems so. What else could explain what happened? I suppose it could be an elaborate trap, but it doesn't feel like it to me." He made sure I was comfortable, then headed downstairs after securing my window and making sure the protection charms were strong over it.

As I stared out at the growing dawn, I tried to comb every inch of what had happened, but the beauty of the experience kept flooding in and pushing logic and thought to the side. Within half an hour, I found myself dozing off, and in my dreams, I soared with the great horned owl, still gliding the night sky.

Chapter 20.

The next morning, I was so stiff I could barely climb out of bed. At least, my arms were stiff. My shoulder muscles throbbed with a deep, pounding ache that I'd never quite felt before. I flashed back to the night before, wondering if it had been the transformation-if somehow my wings had been virginal and needed to stretch and carry me to build their strength.

Rhiannon was waiting downstairs, along with Leo and Kaylin. They all looked up at me and I realized Kaylin had spilled the beans. Eh, well, it kept me from having to explain again.

"So how was your night?" I asked, sliding into my chair as Leo set a plate of bacon and eggs in front of me. I glanced up to find them all just staring at me, silent. "What? Okay, so I turned into an owl, went gallivanting around the yard, and boom, here I am, hungry and sore as h.e.l.l. What more can I say?"

"So Kaylin told us. What do you think it means?"

I stared at my plate. "What it means," I said softy, "is that I'm not who I've always thought I was, for one thing. Otherwise . . . How can I possibly know everything this signifies? I don't even understand. It's going to take me a long time to sort this out, to a.s.sess what impact it's going to have. I always knew I was of the magic-born, but, Rhiannon . . . if my father is Cambyra Fae . . . does that mean yours might be, too? We were born on the same day. Neither of us ever met our fathers. And now, we can't even ask Heather."

Rhiannon paled. "I didn't even think of that. But wouldn't I know?"

"I didn't." My childhood had been a freak show of abnormality, so I'd always attributed feeling out of place to the environment I'd grown up in, rather than blood. After all, I wasn't fully human-I was a born witch-and had never felt "the odd one out" due to my magic.

"Should we tell Anadey about this? She might be able to shine some light on our heritage." The look in her eyes told me she was hopeful of finding out more about her past, too. Heather wasn't likely to tell her anything, now. Heather was lost to us.

I considered the idea. Anadey was the closest thing to an advisor we had. She was Marta's daughter, though not to the core, and she'd known our mothers before we were born. For a brief moment, I wondered if we could trust her, but tossed that worry out the window. We were long past the trust/don't trust stage. We'd pa.s.sed it the moment we told her about Grieve and the Indigo Court.

"Yeah. I think so. It's Sunday, n.o.body here works today, do they?"

"About that . . ." Leo shifted uncomfortably. "I woke up to an e-mail that one of my tasks today is to chauffer you in for your first blood offering. Lannan wants to see you at seven tonight."

"c.r.a.p, I'd almost forgotten about that. I guess I wanted to forget."

Leo winced. "I feel trapped in the middle. I have the option to leave my contract without retaliation. I'm thinking of giving up my job as a day runner. Especially now that you're working for the vampires, Cicely. I have a feeling you're going to have it harder than any of us, and I don't want to be put in a position to make it worse. I'm afraid that might happen."

I glanced up at him. I hadn't thought about that before. What if they ordered Leo to do something to me-or with me-that neither of us wanted? He'd have no choice but to obey if he was still contracted by them.

Don't let him. Ulean's voice was urgent, prodding. Ulean's voice was urgent, prodding. You'll need him there. I promise you that. You'll need him there. I promise you that.

That took care of that.

"Ulean just told me to tell you: Keep the job for now. I won't say that I trust them, but they aren't stupid. I doubt if they'll put our friendship in jeopardy, considering they believe I'm the key to their upcoming war."

"No, they aren't stupid. I suppose you're right," he said.

"So tell me, what happened at Anadey's? Did she start your training?" I wanted to forget about vampires and Vampiric Fae for the moment and concentrate on the living.

Rhiannon smiled, her face lighting up. "Yes, and it's not as difficult as I feared it would be. I already know quite a bit-I've learned a lot over the years from helping Heather with her spells and wortcunning. I have a lot of practice to do, but Anadey taught me one valuable lesson last night-how to pull back the fire when it starts getting out of control. It was far easier than I thought."

She looked so proud of herself that I jumped up and gave her a hug. At least we had solved one of our problems.

"What do we do today?"

"I thought about going out to find Peyton again, but we barely escaped the first time. I think we should spend the day working on protective charms."

"Are you going to talk to Grieve?" Kaylin gave me a long look.

I bit my lip. "How can I? I'm giving blood to Lannan tonight. Grieve would sense something's up and he'd try to stop me. I need to file a report with Lannan, but I can do that via e-mail. I'll have to tell them about Heather, of course. But I think first I want to take a walk. I won't go in the wood, but I want to find the owl again. See if I can get some answers. Why don't the rest of you start on the charms? I'll be in to help in a little while."

I finished my breakfast and, grabbing my jacket, headed out to the backyard. The oak towered over me and I gazed up through the branches, amazed I'd been able to climb so high the night before. I slowly began to make my way up the lower limbs, cautiously watching my step, and was about halfway up when I heard a quiet susurration, a whispered h.e.l.lo h.e.l.lo. Looking around for the owl, I realized there was no one-be it humanoid or winged creature-around.

Who are you?

You're using me for a perch.

The tree? But then, Ulean had brought me messages off the slipstream from plants before. The land was far more alive and vibrant than most people thought her. I leaned my head against the gnarled bark and sank into the energy of the ancient wood. Old, well past old, far older than I was.

I saw the coming of the new people to this land.

Well over six hundred years old, then. As I snuggled against the tree, letting the trunk shield me from the wind and the chill, I began to doze, sliding easily away from my conscious mind.

Where is the owl?

He will be back. He and I are friends. He guards against the forest creatures, the Shadow Hunters.

Who is he?

The Guardian of the Forest. He was driven out of the ravine along with the Queen of Rivers and Rushes. She is not dead. She is biding her time.

I wish I could talk to her-so much is going on.

You may get your wish, young Cambyra. You may get your wish.

It's true then-what happened last night? I was an owl . . . I flew. And a stream of images from the night before blanketed my mind, taking me back, sinking me deep into the freedom the skies had showered upon me. I murmured gently, almost asleep in the cradle of the tree, feeling protected and cared for. And a stream of images from the night before blanketed my mind, taking me back, sinking me deep into the freedom the skies had showered upon me. I murmured gently, almost asleep in the cradle of the tree, feeling protected and cared for.

You must wake up, owlet. You have miles to go before you sleep . . .

"The woods are lovely, dark and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep . . ." A poem. You can't read, how did you know the words?

So many things pa.s.s through the slipstream. Did you truly believe I would not hear them as they cross my path? I am sorry, owlet, that you must journey to the b.l.o.o.d.y fanged ones . . . but truly, they are less dangerous than what waits in the woodland. Sometimes, the monsters are terribly beautiful, and the heroes loathsome. Go now, rest. Your friend will return for your next lesson in flight. Rest a.s.sured. He keeps watch over you.

And then, my eyes fluttered and I woke to full consciousness, freezing again as I realized it was time to get down, out of the tree.

Ulean rode my shoulder. The tree, he is old and wise, but not so old as me. But you can trust him. Trees are like that-once they choose a side, they seldom switch. The tree, he is old and wise, but not so old as me. But you can trust him. Trees are like that-once they choose a side, they seldom switch.

As I joined the others in making protection charms, I sorted through the herbs and crystals carefully, but my thoughts were a million miles away, soaring in the dark sky.

At seven on the dot, I was standing outside of Lannan's office in Vecktor Hall, at the New Forest Conservatory. Leo stood beside me, the limo we'd arrived in waiting in the street in front of the building. Nervous, wondering how this was going to work, I raised my hand and hesitantly knocked.

"Enter." The word echoed through the hall as the door slid silently open. I glanced inside to see Lannan sitting behind his desk.

Altos's office was as oddly contradictory as was he. The furniture was old, heavy, dark, and handcrafted, but electronics filled the shelves, and just like at Marta's, there was a minimalist feel to the decor once you moved beyond the basic furnishings. But the atmosphere reminded me of peaches left on the vine just a little too long.

The suite was done in burgundy and black, with a large divan against one wall. A tapestry hung on the wall and, as I looked closer, I realized it was a picture of a woman being f.u.c.ked by a large wolf, while a man stood by, masturbating. I shuddered, averting my eyes. A second wall was covered with books, and a desk, ornate and hand-carved from ebony, sat near the books. A door led into another room.

I glanced around for anybody else, but we were alone. Leo stood outside. Lannan glanced at him briefly and waved him off.

"Come back in an hour. We should be done then."

Leo looked like he wanted to do anything but leave me there, but he walked away, his eyes flashing fury. I sucked in a deep breath, stepped over the threshold, and waited for Lannan to speak.

"I see you chose to dress for comfort." A statement. A statement. "Next time, wear something s.e.xy." "Next time, wear something s.e.xy." A demand. A demand.

Great. He wanted the full show. He was a master gamesman, that much I could already tell. But I'd play along. I knew how to pick and choose my battles.

"Yes, sir." My voice sounded like a mouse's squeak in a giant auditorium. I forced myself to stand still in front of his desk. Make him initiate the first move.

Lannan looked up at me, his dark eyes glittering. If there had been some spark of light in them, some semblance of humanity, I might have been able to keep it together. But those abysmal orbs sucked me in and I found myself starting to shake. He was a vampire vampire, a Vein Lord, and he was going to be drinking from my body tonight.

He slid from behind the desk and silently crossed the room. "What brings you to this fear? The thought of offering me blood?" His voice was soft, so soft I could barely catch it, and he leaned in, nuzzling my neck. "You are a lovely thing, and your scent fills the room. You know vampires have a sense of smell, even though we don't need to breathe?"

As he lingered by my shoulder, my heart skidded to the side. I already had come to loathe the man, yet his very proximity was like an aphrodisiac and even though my mind and heart resisted, my body was responding to whatever pheromones he was putting out.

"Oh, Cicely, not all payment has to hurt. Mine usually does, but keep in mind that I can-and shall-make it a pleasure for you. Blood offerings aren't always torture." He lifted my chin with his hands. "Don't worry, in less than ninety minutes, you'll be safe at home, with your friends."

But the look on his face told me I'd never be the same.

Lannan let go and walked over to a small stereo system in an entertainment center and flipped on the music. Sinuous strains wove out, coiling around me, followed by a throbbing beat. He poured a gla.s.s of wine and handed it to me. I stared into the liquid, wondering if it was safe.

"I have no need to drug you. I could mesmerize you and take anything I wanted . . . if I chose chose to." to."

I froze, the drink halfway to my lips. Ice, Ice, I thought. I thought. The ice maiden. Stay still, remain in stasis, freeze-frame, do not respond. Let him do what he will and then walk away like it never happened. The ice maiden. Stay still, remain in stasis, freeze-frame, do not respond. Let him do what he will and then walk away like it never happened.