Her body became motionless, and her eyes hooded. They flickered rapidly trying to watch a million things at once. My hand grew hot and she gripped me tighter. I flinched to pull away, but she held on, astonishingly strong. She shrieked, a loud, short sound of pain and denial. A pulse of energy shot down my arm, and my hand was wrenched from hers. We staggered back in shock of the connection being broken, and I curled in on myself, blowing on my heated palm.
Ana face was clouded with indecision. "Oh Rae, what have you done," she whispered.
Conall had a big question in his voice, "What have you seen?"
Ana said nothing, but watched me absorbedly. "Could you give us some space?"
He hesitated, but then nodded. Releasing me he blurred into a sprint and rocketed out of sight. Again, it seemed demons were not big on goodbyes. After a few seconds deep silence, I fidgeted at how intense Ana had become. My eyes darted to and from her gaze that never wavered from its mark.
"Rae, you have many futures but two are clear. You stand at a precipice and I'm telling you, for your own sake you need to step back."
"I don't know what you mean." I made a helpless gesture.
"The vampire, I see him in your future. He hails the end of people you care about and those you have not yet met. Hear me." Ana stepped forward, hand outstretched and face anguished. "You must stop what you're doing. Turn away from that future. Plain enough for you?"
Understanding came to me then, and a name slipped through my parted lips. "Tomas."
She paled to gray. "I warned Breandan he would seek you out. I thought he was deflected. They've been hunting him for nearly a month now." She swallowed, her unsteady breathing plainly revealing her angst. "You must stay away from him. He is bad news," she said. "You have no idea what he is capable of. If he gets a hold on you we will be lost."
"You don't have to worry." I tired to sound calm and reassuring because she was freaking out. Her face was all red and her hands waved about in the air frantically. "He's okay. He just wants to talk. I'll hear him out and then he'll go."
"You don't really believe that, do you? That a vampire has risked his life to come and tell you something then run away into the night and leave you be?"
I flushed. It did sound improbable that Tomas would want to tell me something then leave, but what else could he want?
"You have to tell me what's going on."
Ana did not answer. Instead she drew herself up and was glaring at me again.
"There was a decision I did not understand, but now I see." A sound of frustration gurgled in the back of her throat. "I will not look further down that road, it is a disaster. If you keep this secret about Maeve for much longer, it'll be the beginning of the end. Breandan may seem cold at times, but he needs to be able to trust you. It is my purpose to reveal what counts, but if I tell him Maeve may be If I tell him everything falls apart." I said and did nothing. I stood and stared at nothing, because once again I hadn't a clue what was going on. Ana cocked her head. "He hasn't explained anything to you, has he?"
"We only met this morning and he's been busy hunting Tomas."
Who I'm hiding in my wardrobe, I added silently. Realizing I'd rallied to Breandan's defense, I pressed my lips together.
Exasperated, a hand flew to her hips, and she tutted. "Lochlann, Breandan's older brother is the leader of a group of fairies who have broken away from Devlin's rule, and therefore the Tribe. Rebels."
My mouth flapped open. "What?" I spluttered. "Fairies have Tribes?"
Ana yawned, rubbed at her ear. "There is only one Tribe, the Tribe, ruled over by the fairy High Lord, Devlin. Lochlann is a lord too, from one of the older families. After disagreeing with Devlin about" Her eyes flicked back to me, and she dropped the ends of her sentence. "He took his family and a few others with him. Then he left a month ago, and didn't say why or where he was going. He just left us." Her shoulders jerked once. "Some panicked and started to lose faith. A few even went back to Devlin."
Shaking my head, I caught up, and frowned. "Breandan took his place?"
