She pressed her lips to my lips, forcing her tongue between them. I melted under her kiss—so foreign and yet so inviting. Regina shifted, pressed her breasts against my own, and part of me wanted her to continue, while the logical side of me was screaming, Stop! Stop!

After a moment, she quietly pulled back and crossed her arms.

I stared at her. She was beautiful in a frightening way, so pulled together, so confident. But then, she was thousands of years old and Emissary to the Crimson Queen. And she was far more ruthless than her brother. Even I knew that. Lannan was a creature of impulse. Regina was calculating.

“One of these days, I’m going to tell Lannan to drain you dry and make you one of us. Or maybe we should do it together, become your joint sires. Because what my brother wants, I make sure he gets. And your attitude begs for an adjustment, which you would so very much get if you were sprawled prone at our feet.”

She pressed against me again and I flattened myself against the wall, wincing at the pain from the lacerations on my back.

“I like little girls like you, Cicely. I eat them out for breakfast and fuck them for lunch. You remember the party a couple of weeks ago? I can make that look like a play date at the park. I could strap you down and fill every orifice in your body with my toys . . . I have my own harem, you know. I like watching them ravage limpid young women. Do you understand me?”

I nodded, breathless. She was stunning and her charm was working its way through my body, but I still had sense enough to be terrified. I also knew she was referring to her retinue of lesser vamps as a bunch of toys, which told me just how far up the food chain she was in the Crimson Court.

“Yes. I understand. I’m sorry.” When in doubt, apologize.

“One of these days an ‘I’m sorry’ won’t be enough. But perhaps you’ll learn and won’t disparage my brother in public again. And you’ll think twice about your demeanor when he arrives. You’ll enjoy his company. You’ll laugh at his jokes and flirt with him when he winks at you.”

I nodded, silent.

She snorted. “Yes, I’m sure you’ll do your best. You’re smart enough to listen to me. But perhaps not wise enough? Think on this: Leo knows his place, and he is properly subservient to Geoffrey. You have not learned the manners you need with which to survive vampire society. Let us hope that you take etiquette lessons as soon as possible. It would be a shame to lose your services and see you become just . . . one of the throng.”

And with that not-so-veiled warning, Regina turned and smartly strode out of the bathroom, her heels clipping on the tile with precise rhythm. I peeled myself off the wall, leaving a trail of salve and blood, and straightened my dress. Breathless, turned on, and yet petrified, I decided I’d better toe the line and followed her out.

“Lannan! Darling, you’re here.” Regina’s voice filtered through the crowd first, and by the time I squeezed through the throng of vampires surrounding her, her tongue was deep in his throat. His hands were cupping her butt and I watched, both fascinated and repelled, as the brother-sister team were all over each other like puppies in heat.

Leo and Rhiannon found their way to my side and gave me a questioning look. I shook my head and smiled nervously. A waiter came by, stopping to serve us. His tray held goblets of both blood and white wine. He offered us our choice, and we all quietly accepted the wine. He gazed at us for a long time before moving on.

Rhiannon moved closer to Leo, but as I watched him, he seemed to take on a different demeanor. I’d noticed it before. Leo, when he was in Geoffrey’s presence, seemed more imposing, a little more threatening and controloriented. And dressed in the zoot suit, he made the perfect addition to the scene. He blended in, which scared me. I still hadn’t figured out how much he was in Geoffrey’s back pocket.

A sudden movement behind me and hands wrapped around my waist as a low voice whispered in my ear. “Oh, my Cicely. How wonderful of you to dress for me tonight. You remembered my request.”

Lannan. I glanced over my shoulder. Dressed in jeans and a tuxedo jacket with tails, juxtaposed against the formal background, he stood out. The golden tumble of his hair down his back made him even more eye-catching.

I shuddered but, remembering Regina’s admonishments, stood still. I swallowed my desire to spit out some nasty remark and instead slowly smiled. Lannan’s face was inches from mine. His eyes—the purest jet—gleamed, fixated on me, and the tips of his fangs sparkled as he gave me a sinuous smile. My stomach lurched as my body reacted to the sight. Even I couldn’t deny that the vampire was gorgeous, but I hated the loss of control when he was around. I had no ability to keep my body from responding.

“Did you miss me, wherever you disappeared to?” he murmured. “Or did you just decide to vex me, to not answer my call? Hmmm?” He cocked his head, showing a bit more of his fangs, as he pressed against me. I could feel him, straining at his jeans, hard and rigid and waiting for the slightest provocation.

“I’m sorry I didn’t answer.” It took everything I had to keep my voice civil. “I had an errand to do . . . one assigned by Lainule. There was no time to tell anyone where I was going.”

He perked up, his smile growing by a fraction of an inch. “Lainule? An errand, you say? I wonder what this errand was? Did it have anything to do with your wolfen lover, perhaps?”

As I shook my head, he crowded closer and, in a tender voice, said, “Tell me, have you ever fucked Grieve when he was in wolf form? If so, I want to know every detail. And I’ll know if you lie. Remember that, Cicely. I’ll always know if you lie to me. And I’ll punish you.”

Horrified, I whirled around, only to find myself fully in his arms. “No,” I said hoarsely. “No, and I never will—I am not of the wolfen Cambyra.”

He laughed. “You’re blushing! How delightful. What a little priss you are. I’ll just have to find the perfect way to corrupt you. And what fun that will be. Now, be a good little slave and kiss me, Cicely. Give me enough reason not to drink you down tonight.”

I could see Rhiannon and Leo watching from the side. Rhia looked on the verge of tears, and Leo—it was impossible to read his expression. He’d donned a pair of sunglasses and I couldn’t see his eyes. A glance to their right showed Regina watching with a triumphant look. A sick feeling in my stomach, I allowed Lannan to lean in for a kiss.

My wolf began to whimper as Lannan pressed his lips against mine. The taste of the grave, of dust and old embers and bonfires long dead, of death and silk and apple brandy filtered into my mouth along with his tongue. A heat began to burn in my legs, working slowly up my body as I shifted against him. Against my heart, I was kissing him back, rubbing against him as his hands cupped my back and ass. He was intoxicating, passion incarnate, and my body lapped up the feel of his energy like kittens lapping cream.

And then he rubbed his hand along my back and the pain broke through the haze. I let out a little cry and he let go.

“You didn’t resist me. I rather miss that,” he whispered. “But what’s this?” He pulled my shawl away and peeked at my back. “What—who did this to you? What happened?”

I stumbled for words. “I don’t know. It was . . . a magical attack.”

“You’re lying.” His voice was flat, warning me.

“I . . . someone attacked Grieve and his pain became mine.”

Lannan stared at me for a moment, then let out a harsh laugh. “You are so very linked to him that you take on his pain? How brilliant. How utterly precious. Perhaps we can put a stop to that. I will not have you marred by someone other than myself. It’s not becoming.”

I wanted to protest but then shut my mouth as Geoffrey and Regina motioned to us. Lannan joined them.

Geoffrey pointed to me. “Come.” He glanced at Leo and Rhiannon. “You two enjoy the party. Don’t get yourselves in trouble.”

And with that, I followed the three vampires into Geoffrey’s office.

Geoffrey took his place behind his desk, while Regina sat on the corner of it, crossing her legs so that the smooth pale skin of her thigh flashed through the slit in her skirt. Lannan motioned for me to sit on the love seat and then parked himself beside me, his hand on my knee.

I stared at it for a moment, imagining what it would be like to stick a silver pin through his palm, which led me to smile and laugh out loud.

“You have a joke you’d like to share with the rest of us?” Regina asked.

I blinked and lowered my gaze. “Not really . . .”

“So, we have a situation. We need to ask Crawl, the Blood Oracle, for help. But you must be present because you are the fulcrum; you are the closest connection we have to Myst and her secrets. You have locked within you the memories of when you were part of the Indigo Court . . .”

I stared at them. They knew. They knew I’d been Myst’s daughter, just as Chatter knew. “Am I the last one to find out? You know, don’t you?”

Geoffrey searched my face, then nodded, a pale smile crooking his lips. “Yes, my dear. We know. You were Myst’s daughter. We weren’t going to tell you, but obviously you’ve discovered the truth. Or remembered?”

I shook my head. “No, I didn’t remember. I was told.”

The Regent turned a frown on Lannan. “Not from one of us, I presume?”

Lannan snorted. “Retract your fangs, Geoffrey. I didn’t tell her. But you’re right, she needs to visit Crawl. As much as I dislike the messiness of politics, it seems we will not be allowed to live in peace as long as Myst continues to make a nuisance of herself.”

“Nuisance?” I sat up, pulling away from him. “That’s how you think of her? Myst and her people are killing the magic-born and yummanii alike. And she’s coming after you, as well as me. If you haven’t figured out her plans, let me spell it out, Lannan: Your bloodwhores? Your favorites? All targets. Myst is strong. Terribly strong.”

“Cicely is correct,” Regina said. “We cannot ignore Myst and you know it, my brother. The Mistress of Mayhem is out to kill all of us. Winter’s next move is coming, and we must be prepared. We need to know more about her. When you tried to turn her—”

Here, Regina stopped and looked at Geoffrey. He blinked and shrugged. “Yes?”

“When you tried to turn her, Myst was lost to our spies and over the eons, we’ve barely been able to keep track of her. Now we have the chance to find out how strong she’s become since she was turned. We can probe Cicely’s mind, and because in one life, she was Myst’s daughter, Crawl should be able to see back to that time and find out more about our enemy. Not all the information will be up to date, but we can at least get a feel for some of the abilities she gained after we lost sight of her.”

Regina’s words struck terror in my heart. Crawl. My dream came rushing back to me and I leaned over, moaning as I rested my head in my hands.

Lannan’s hand slid around my waist and he slowly raised me back up to a sitting position. “Oh, still the waterworks, girl. Crawl is . . . who he is. One of us will be there with you, to make sure he doesn’t wrap you up and suck you dry like a mosquito caught in a web.”

I turned a bleak eye to Geoffrey. If anybody would be sympathetic, he would. “Do I have to? Crawl gives me the fucking creeps.” I didn’t care if I offended them. The last thing I wanted to do was to visit the Blood Oracle again.

“I’m afraid so. We need to see into your memories—and since you can’t give us a clear view, we need his help. It won’t be pleasant, but it won’t hurt you as long as you don’t resist. And as Lannan so succinctly put it, one of us will be there to ensure your safety.” As he stared at me, once again, his words rang in my head.

I’m offering you my protection again, girl. Join us in our world. I will sire you and keep you safe.

His look was low and sultry, and I felt myself wavering. Being under Geoffrey’s rule wouldn’t be as rough as dealing with Lannan, but then, before I could entertain the idea, a spark of sanity crept in and I shook my head. There wasn’t much I could say. I had no intention of letting anyone turn me into a vampire. Besides, I had the feeling it would spark off a war between Lannan and Geoffrey, with me suffering the consequences.

No thank you, but—thank you, for the offer. If I were to ask anyone to turn me, it would be you.

He inclined his head at the same time that Lannan clamped his hand around my waist. “Then we take you to Crawl. And I claim the right to see you through the ordeal. Can’t have you losing your way, now can we?” And with a look that spoke volumes, he told me exactly what I already knew: If Geoffrey ever turned me, Lannan would be out for blood.

“I think perhaps we’d better let Geoffrey take her. I have another engagement and you, my brother, tend to set Crawl off on his tangents.” Regina stood and smoothed her skirt.

But Geoffrey, his face humorless and taciturn, let out a rough laugh. “No, let Lannan take her. I have guests to attend to.” And with a last look at me, his thoughts were clear.

I offered you safety from him, but you obviously prefer Lannan’s ministrations to mine. Remember: Being a vampire is not altogether unpleasant.

Taken aback, I let out a little cry. No—don’t leave me to him. I’m part Cambyra Fae; you would turn me to something akin to Myst and I could not bear the thought.

You are only half Cambyra . . . I doubt very much that you would shift over to one of the Indigo Court. But this is your choice. Do not come crying to me when he tears you down, although if you change your mind, I am here.

I stared bleakly as he left the room, the door closing behind him with a soft hush. Regina waited for a moment, then turned to me.