I pointed to the booth. “We’re here to meet her.”

As Rae-Ann led us through the carpeted dining room, quiet music played in the background. It wasn’t wet-dream elevator music but classical, and it soothed my thoughts as I tried to relax.

Ysandra looked as prim and proper as I remembered—with a high-button, ruffled yoke shirt in a rich plum that contrasted with her black skirt. Her blond hair was pulled back in a chignon, with lacquered chopsticks holding it in place. A pair of leather driving gloves were neatly folded across her handbag. And it was a proper handbag, double strap, designer by the looks, in classic ecru.

She wore half-glasses, and if I tried to put an age on her, I’d place her somewhere between thirty and seventy, which pretty much meant I had no clue—she didn’t look old but she didn’t feel young. Ysandra was one of the magic-born and a very powerful witch. We slid into the booth as she gestured for us to join her. As she closed her menu, she smiled.

“Kaylin, Cicely, Rhiannon—I’m pleased to see you again.”

The waitress waited until we were seated before handing us menus.

“Please, my treat. Have a bite to eat.” Ysandra glanced at the three of us. “Peyton isn’t joining us?”

I shook my head. “Family business. Her father returned. He’s been gone since she was young.” Not sure how to approach what we were about to tell her, I glanced through the menu.

The waitress waited, pencil poised over her pad. “Do you need a few minutes, or do you know what I can get for you folks?”

Ysandra nodded at me. “Please, go ahead.”

I folded the menu. “Cheeseburger, please, with a salad instead of fries. And hot chocolate. I’m allergic—anaphylactic—to fish and shellfish. Please tell the chef.”

“You got it, honey. And I’ll make sure the chef knows about your allergy.” She jotted down a note on the pad.

Rhiannon handed her the menu. “Chicken soup and grilled cheese. Hot chocolate sounds good.”

“And for you, hon?” She turned to Ysandra and I stifled a giggle. Anybody who called Ysandra “hon” was a brave, brave woman.

Ysandra apparently thought so, too, by the look on her face, but she was polite enough to avoid commenting. “A bowl of your creamy potato soup and turkey on rye, please. No mayonnaise. Butter instead.”

The waitress nodded, jotting it down. She looked over at Kaylin and a slow smile spread across her lips as she drank him in. I glanced at him. He’d been handsome when I met him, but ever since the night-veil demon awaked in his soul, his charm had increased.

“Burger and fries. A large glass of milk.” He gave her a half wink and she hurried off, giggling.

“You have a way with the ladies, young man.” Ysandra gave him a measured smile. “How does your wife feel about your flirting?”

I sucked in a deep breath. Time for the truth. “Yeah, about that. We have a lot to tell you, and I’m not quite sure how to start. It’s complicated.”

“Perhaps at the beginning? That’s generally the easiest, most direct route.” She folded her hands, patiently waiting. I could feel a slight hum of energy surrounding her.

Magic…she’s using some sort of magic. Ulean swept by.

Can she sense you?

I don’t know. She is a powerful witch, but I cannot fathom where her powers lie.

I glanced at the others, then steeled my courage and dove in, telling her—as briefly as I could—how I’d been called back here to find Marta dead at the hands of the Indigo Court, the Thirteen Moons Society defunct, my aunt turned into a vampire, the Summer Court rousted from their woodlands, Myst taking over the Golden Wood, myself embroiled in a lopsided deal with Geoffrey and the vampires, Lannan’s hold on me, and the burning of the Veil House. She remained silent as I continued to lay out the fallout from the whole mess.

“When you showed up the other day, we were afraid—we didn’t know what to tell you and I’d been ordered to keep my mouth shut by Geoffrey. We panicked and Kaylin thought we’d appear more stable if we told you we were married. The truth is, we’re not and we have no plans to be.”

I sat back, shutting my mouth as abruptly as I’d opened it. I’d kept a few things from her. I did not tell her about the heartstones. I wasn’t ready to, not until we found Lainule’s gem and returned it to her.

Ysandra’s expression remained calm as the waitress set out our drinks, but I could feel the wheels turning at a furious pace. After a moment, she withdrew a sheaf of papers from a briefcase sitting by her side. Pushing them across the table, to me, she handed me a pen.

“Fill these out. Now. I’m authorized to offer a special dispensation and induct you directly into the Consortium in case of an emergency. And I think we’ve long passed that state. We’ve known about some of this for a long time but haven’t had the chance to investigate it. Had we realized how bad it’s gotten, we’d have already been into New Forest. With the town under siege, and since you are Marta’s heir, that makes you the magical authority for New Forest. We need to seal this officially and bring you and your Society into the Consortium. Have you picked a name for yourselves?”

I nodded. “The Moon Spinners. We’ve held a couple of brief rituals to bind ourselves, but that’s all we’ve had time for.”

“Then the Moon Spinners it will be. And all you need is the consent of all members. Their names, please? List them on that field there. And also, you need to list the person whom you would choose to lead the group should something happen to you. Do not select your cousin. Do not ask why.” She pointed to several blank lines on the form.

As I stared at the form, my mind reeling, Kaylin cleared his throat.

“It does not bother you that we aren’t all of the magic-born? Peyton’s half-werepuma. Grieve is…well…Cambyra Fae and Indigo Court. Chatter is Cambyra Fae. Even Cicely here…”

“Yummanii, magic-born, Were, contrary to rumor, we do not care about heritage as long as the applicant wields magic in some form and is willing to abide by the Consortium’s rules.” She let out a long sigh. “This will also protect your lover from being targeted by our members. Because the moment you sign that form, the Indigo Court becomes the enemy of the Consortium.”

“You don’t need to check out our story?”

“Oh, trust me, I know you are telling the truth.” A sly smile fluttered across her face.

Deciding not to press the matter—I wasn’t sure I wanted to know the answer anyway—I paused, my pen hovering over the form. “The vampires already own me. Can I legally sign this contract as well as the one with them?”

“Unfortunately, Geoffrey’s contract will not be nullified by the tricks he attempted to pull. However, your contract with the Consortium does not conflict with your connection to the vampires, and we are not claiming you as an employee. We are requiring you to swear an oath not to betray us, but that should not conflict with your servitude to the Vampire Nation.” She grimaced even as she said the words.

I hung my head. “I did what I had to.”

“I never said you made the wrong choice. We all do what we have to when duty calls. That is one of the hardest lessons in life. Sometimes we are required to do what we do not wish to do. Sometimes we sacrifice our own happiness for the good of the whole.”

We fell silent as the waitress brought our food. The smell was tantalizing—it had been a while since we’d had a decent meal, but I still felt awkward, as if I’d confessed dirty secrets to Ysandra. As the waitress spread out our food, I toyed with my burger.

“Eat. You need the strength. I am not judging you, Cicely.” Ysandra’s voice was gentle and the look on her face, concerned.

She speaks the truth. Give her a chance. This one’s energy is helpful and powerful. She speaks only when she’s thought through her words. She says what she means. As Ulean gusted around me, Ysandra shivered.

“Cicely, would you tell your Elemental to hold off on the breeze? It’s cold enough outside without bringing the storm in here.” Ysandra winked at me.

I jumped. “You know I have a Wind Elemental? How did you find out?”

“I think the question is more how can I not know?” She spooned her soup, properly and with a sense of authority. “Eat. Then finish the paperwork and we’ll be off. The sooner I get back to the Consortium, the quicker we can discuss how we can help you.”

I bit into my sandwich, holding it with my right hand as I finished filling out the forms with my left. I had a feeling some of the horror stories I’d heard of the Consortium had been exacerbated by those who had been rejected by the organization.

Rhiannon swigged down her drink, then opened the pamphlet that Ysandra handed her. “Rules and bylaws?”

Ysandra nodded. “There is an expected level of decorum. Once a member, during any time when you officially represent the Consortium, you must abide by certain regulations. This means that any function the Moon Spinners attend as a group, you are attending as members of the Consortium. It also plays into your magical business, Cicely, and that of Peyton’s. There are ethical standards you will be expected to abide by.”

“Somehow I doubt we’ll be needing those rules, since both our businesses went up in smoke when the Veil House burned.” I smiled ruefully. “We can rebuild, but it’s going to take money, which we don’t have. And we have to eliminate Myst first. If we went back now, she’d just send her Shadow Hunters after us again.”

Ysandra dabbed the side of her lips with her napkin. “Money is not necessarily an issue. The Consortium has its own worldwide financial institutions for our members. We issue our own credit cards, make loans, offer complete banking services—everything you could possibly need. Open only to members, of course, and their immediate families.”

Startled, I laughed. The sudden turn in the discussion seemed so alien from what we’d been discussing. “Do you offer a free toaster with every new account?”

Ysandra chuckled as she tucked the papers into her briefcase and handed me a certificate, already prepared, with the Moon Spinners name, and my own, on it. “No, but we offer a free prosperity charm or a dozen green enchanted candles. Will that suffice?” And with that the tension seemed to break and we all relaxed and finished our meals.

Kaylin glanced at his watch. “We’d better get moving. It’s growing dark, the roads are treacherous, and the danger increases after dark.”

As Ysandra began to stand, I stopped her. “You had the certificate already prepared. And you seem…I don’t know…when we told you about Myst you were quiet, but you didn’t seem terribly surprised.”

Her gaze flickered from my face to Rhiannon’s, then to Kaylin’s. “The Consortium makes it our business to know everything we need to know. I knew that I’d be giving you that certificate today. One of our seers told the Council that it would be necessary. And…as to Myst…as I said, we’ve always known about the Indigo Fae.”

I must have looked startled because she laughed lightly and touched my arm. A tingle raced through my body like a jolt of lightning—not painful but not exactly pleasant. But it was strong enough to leave me jarred.

“The vampires think they have an exclusive hold on that knowledge, but they are mistaken. The Vein Lords have long considered themselves to be the top of the food chain, but they have never crossed the Consortium. They have no real clue about the power our Society wields. And we intend to keep it that way until the day they choose to waken the sleeping dragon.”

Her lips stopped moving, but I could still hear her inside my head. Cicely, know this: If push comes to shove, the vampires could never win against us. And we should prove a sturdy force against Myst. We have an elite task force with whom I will discuss this situation. That is all I can tell you for now. Keep the knowledge to yourselves, and do not tell Lannan Altos or any of the vampires. But look for us to send help shortly.

I glanced at Kaylin and Rhiannon. They, too, wore surprised looks and I had the feeling they’d heard everything I had. We all nodded.

As we headed for the door, I asked, “What magic do you work with? You are one of the magic-born, correct?”

She nodded. “I am. I work with pure energy. The energy of thought, of communication, and of lightning.”

I pushed open the door and we headed out into the snow. As we were about to separate, her to her car and us to ours, a growl—low and threatening—alerted me.

Incoming. Werewolves. At least five.

Shit! I hadn’t been prepared for a fight. My belly was full and I was already tired from the altercation with the day-runners earlier. I whirled around to see the pack headed for us.

“Werewolves!” They didn’t look like they were from the Lupa Clan. In fact, they looked even surlier and nastier.

“I smell the stench of magic-born.” The tallest one stepped forward and—before I could say or do anything—he threw a punch my way, hitting me in the stomach and knocking me back into a snowbank.

Kaylin had his shurikens out within seconds, and Rhiannon jumped back, squinting as she whispered some chant. I struggled to my feet.

Ysandra, on the other hand, simply placed her briefcase and bag down behind her in the snow and held up one hand, palm toward the lycanthropes. They jostled for position, but within a moment a shockwave raced through the air, knocking all of us on our butts. The werewolves looked startled, nervous.

Kaylin grabbed Rhiannon and helped her up, then me.

Ysandra simply stood where she was.

“You have a choice.” Her voice was even and so scary cold that it frightened even me. “You can turn tail and leave us be, or you can lose your hearing forever, along with your equilibrium. If you don’t think I can do it, you’d be sadly mistaken. I am no youthful witch, new to her magic.”