[This post is from Marin’s point of view.]
I went to the fire to wait and Rory returned to his watch post up on the wall with a few members of the Wild Hunt, alert for any trouble that may have trailed Cameron home. What that trouble might have been, though—that was still an unknown, would be an unknown until Cameron came to the fire and spilled his guts.
There was no doubt in my mind that he would, too.
It was actually more like twenty minutes before Cameron appeared, still seeming shaken but a little less than he had been before. He sat down next to me by the fire and said nothing for a few long minutes. I let him have his silence, instead unwrapping the carrying sling that held my newborn against my chest. Cameron watched me, his lips pressed tightly together.
Finally, he exhaled quietly and spoke.
“Leviathan waylaid me on the road. He gave me a message to pass along—a message and a warning.” He hesitated, then asked, “Is she here?”
My stomach dropped. “Is who here?”
“Hecate,” Cameron said. “Is she here, Marin? Was he right?”
How the hell does he know that?
Something told me neither my brother nor his wife would be very happy to hear that particular bit of news.
I nodded slowly. He cursed under his breath.
“What changed? She—I thought—I thought she wanted us all dead or worse. Her creatures almost killed me.”
“It’s complicated,” I murmured. “But at her core, I don’t think she’s a bad person. She just had the shit kicked out of her one too many times and snapped.”
“By Phelan and Teague and Seamus?” All of the blood had drained from Cameron’s face; he was ashen, almost waxy. I swore under my breath.
“No, no,” I said, heart hammering. “No, they were just some of the people she got aimed at. No, Cam. Shit happened to her and it broke her mentally and she’s been searching for centuries for something to make her whole again. She thought Phelan and the rest were a means to that end. They weren’t, not really, but she was jacked up enough to fool herself into thinking they were.”
He shook his head, mute for a moment. His hands tightened into fists.
“Her creatures almost killed me,” he murmured. “They attacked Neve and I on the road.”
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
He stared at me for a long moment. “Leviathan still wants her to fight at his side. He said not to get in his way. She knows what he wants.” He swallowed hard and looked toward the fire. “I think we’re really screwed this time, Marin. I really, really do.”
