Rituals (Cainsville 5)

"Best not say that in front of her," Alexios said. "I think it would be rude."

She made a face at him, and he squeezed her shoulder, gently steering her back to the couch. "Sit and play hostess. I'll make hot tea for our guest."

--

By the time I got back to Pepper, Veronica had arrived. We all went upstairs, where Helia greeted Pepper with, "My mate is fixing tea, so we may play proper hosts. And, as proper hosts, I will invite you to leave your glamour at the door, along with your jacket, and make yourself comfortable."

Pepper smiled and thanked Helia, relaxing with obvious relief.

Veronica and I went into the bedroom, where Seanna was sleeping. I closed the door behind us. Then I told Veronica what I was looking for. At first she gave a start, and I think she was about to say that it wasn't possible. Then she thought for a moment and said, "Yes, I suppose we should."

Seanna was in a deep sleep and stayed that way as Veronica gently examined her. Three times Veronica said, "I'm not finding anything, Liv." Three times I urged her to keep looking, suggesting new places.

Finally, she stopped, holding aside a lock of Seanna's hair, and said, "Do you have--?" and I handed her the scissors I'd brought.

Veronica clipped a quarter-sized spot, trimming closer and closer, until only scalp remained. And there we saw what looked like a red birthmark. The mark of the sluagh.

--

We'd moved to an empty apartment now, Veronica and Grace and I, our voices lowered as we talked.

"You were right," I said to Grace after we explained. "Seanna is soul-reft."

Veronica shook her head. "Being marked doesn't mean they've taken what passes for a soul. It means they will, on her death."

"But they already have, in a way," I said. "An advance on payment. Rose says Seanna changed around the time she hit puberty. She was always self-centered. Always more fae than most. But there was humanity in her...and then there wasn't, and I bet if we lined up the exact date, it'd coincide with the time you guys made that deal with the sluagh."

Veronica's lips worked, silently calculating. Then she said, "Yes, it does."

"So that's how they got a mother for your Gwynn. Find a girl more fae than human. Mark her and take her nub of a conscience. Make her fully fae."

"I wouldn't say--" Grace began.

"Unruffle your feathers, old friend," Veronica said. "Liv is correct. The difference is that fae are accustomed to the lack of what one might call humanity. Seanna was not prepared for that. We failed to see what had happened and therefore failed to help her. We abandoned her, as much--and as unwittingly--as we did her son."

"I'm not laying blame," I said. "I'm saying this is what we have, and we need to deal with it. The sluagh marked Seanna and took her conscience, which left her vulnerable to their control. She became their marionette, fully open to their manipulation. They could set up her encounter with Patrick. They could convince her to get pregnant, claiming it was a way to blackmail him. They obviously have the power to make sure one time was enough to get her knocked up. They fulfilled their bargain with you by stealing one of your own."

"Stealing her from under our very noses," Grace muttered. "You were right, Veronica. We should never have made that deal. Damn Walter and Ida for talking me into it. If I had cast my vote with yours--"

"The motion would still have passed. As Liv says, this is not the time for blame. It's the time for fixing our mistakes. We're going to need to keep Seanna here longer. If she's marked--"

"Yes, yes, I know." Grace grumbled under her breath but said, "Letting her go wouldn't be right." She glared at me. "See? I do know right from wrong."

I was about to comment when my cell phone rang. It was Gabriel.

I answered and said, "Hey, yeah, sorry I haven't come home yet. I'm chasing down a few things."

"I presumed that, and I wouldn't bother you, but Ricky thought you should know this immediately." Even if I don't agree, his tone added. "Pamela has been taken to the hospital."

"What?" I shifted the phone to my other ear and moved into the next room. "Is she okay?"

His pause told me she wasn't.

"Is it serious?" I said. "Was she attacked again?"

"I don't know. She was found unconscious in the shower. When the prison medical staff couldn't revive her, she was rushed to the hospital, where they are still assessing her condition."

"Has she regained consciousness?"