"What?" Theo and Padraig answer simultaneously, their expressions each a different mask of horror. 

"I looked everywhere they were supposed to be tonight. Waited around to see if they just hadn't arrived yet. Searched the surrounding areas. I picked up their scent in the...first location." Their eyes flash to me and away again. "But nothing recent in the second. And nothing in the others."

The three of them exchange a significant look. The front door swings open, and we all glance up as Nicholai and Butler return. 

"No signs of intruders, unless you count Esca," says Nicholai, looking from one to the next of us. "What's going on?"

While the others circle up and the exchange of information begins, Butler drifts over to me. Reaching out, he takes my left hand in his surprisingly gentle claws, bringing the ring up to the muzzle of his skull and actually sniffing it. Then he drops it and exhales in a sudden snort, shaking his head as if to get rid of a fly. Or a very bad smell.

"I know," I tell him. "It's bad."

He tilts his skull, regarding me for a moment, before stepping forward to engulf me in a surprisingly warm and wonderfully fragrant hug.

"Oh, you smell like cedar," I murmur against his vested chest. "That's really soothing, actually."

"Please tell me you didn't really agree to go to the Esbat," Cash pleads, turning suddenly from the others to address me.

"I—

"She did," Theo grates. 

Cash's sculpted brows shoot upward. "Oh. Fuck."

"Fuck, indeed."

"We'd have had to go anyway," says Padraig, crossing his arms now.

"With Prish and Gaius missing? Really?" balks Cash.

"Really." He says, tone and gaze steady as he levels it on Cash. "They'd want us to do what we need to do to keep everything together. This is one of those things. This is no time to be displeasing the courts or drawing negative attention."

Theo sighs deeply. Nicholai groans. Outside, the horizon is glowing lavender at the edges. The sun's not far off.

"Alright. Here's what we're going to do. Erin, you can't sleep alone until we figure this out, obviously. You need to ride into someone else's realm, otherwise he'll be able to get to you. Butler will take care of that. Tomorrow, we do the shopping trip as planned—Erin will need something to wear to the Esbat. But we keep the stops limited. Padraig, Nicholai, and I go with as guards and driver, obviously. Cash, I'll want you out searching for the parents. Everywhere you can think of. And Erin—" He turns, going from addressing us as a whole to directing his words to me alone. "We'll all have to feed before going out. Cash and I will need you for that. Padraig, you'll take care of Nicholai, of course."

The werewolf nods curtly. 

"Damnit, I was going to take her shopping," complains Cash. "We'll have to go again once everything's back to normal."

"Sure, whatever you want," says Theo, piercing gaze still leveled on me. "And, I'm sorry, but we're going to have to put off your starting school until after we've got this solved."

"But...but then I'll have to wait until next semester, at least!"

"Your safety comes first. And we can't guarantee it if you're apart from us and surrounded by strangers almost every day of the week."

When I sputter, searching for an argument, his brows come together. 

"Please. You have an eternity now, Erin. Just let us protect you."

I suck air in through my teeth, breathe out long and slow.

"Fine," I concede at last. 

"Good." Says Theo. "Now please try to get some more rest." 

~*~

Though I don't expect to be able to fall asleep again for at least another two weeks, I find myself surprisingly comfortable cuddled up in Butler's arms. Still fully-dressed in his brocade suit, he makes a low sort of purring noise that eases me gradually into the Dreamscape. 

A full moon hangs directly overhead, casting everything in a shimmering silver glow. We stand in a lush meadow at the heart of a forest, surrounded by long grass, violet flowers, and dancing fireflies. A few paces away, a creek burbles through the lush landscape. Butler looks down from where he stands at my side, my hand in his. 

"It's beautiful," I say. Lying down in the grass, I pass the rest of our time there in a blissfully unthinking haze. When I feel a cool hand on my shoulder—my physical shoulder, in the waking world—I try to ignore it. I don't want to wake up, don't want to face my current reality. 

But there's no escaping it, not really. Even here in Butler's dream realm, the serpent ring still circles my finger. 

"Wake up, sleeping beauty," calls a now-familiar voice. "Time to get ready for the ball."

"That's two different fairy tales," I groan, opening my bleary eyes to the sight of Cash's face hovering overhead. 

"Sleeping beauty went to balls. She was a princess. That's like, required." 

"Ten more minutes." 

"I forgot to mention that it's also breakfast time. For me." 

"Oh." 

I drag myself up, kicking my legs off the bed to sit at its edge. Behind me, Butler gets up and begins tidying his side of it. 

Cash sits at my side, supporting themselves on one hand while they bring the other up to cradle my jaw, tilting it away. 

"Thank you," they whisper. In the next instant, their lips are pressed to the point where my neck meets my shoulder, soft but unyeilding. Then their fangs drive into my flesh. My back arcs and I gasp at that first searing bolt of pain. Then the pain transforms, melting into an almost drunken, yielding pleasure as the initial surge of venom does its work. There's a reason they call it The Bliss. 

My eyes flutter shut, and I exhale in a long sigh as my blood courses into them. But all too quickly, Cash's fangs retract and they withdraw from me. It's everything I can do not to pull them back. Their expression is odd as they hurry to get up. 

"Wow, I—" they pause, dragging a handkerchief from their pocket to wipe at their lips. "That sample didn't do you justice."

There's a knock at my door. Cash flashes me a look, and I wave the ok before they open it to let Theo in. 

"Good luck," they say as the two brush paths. 

Theo smirks. "I'll be fine. Who do you think cleaned her up?" 

Shaking their head, Cash leaves us to it while Butler hovers around anxiously in the background, probably waiting for a chance to make my side of the bed. Instead of taking the other vampire's place beside me, Theo offers me a hand, helping me to my feet. My head swims, dark stars bursting across my vision. He searches my eyes, brows knit together, but then the stars clear and my stance steadies. I tilt my face away to give him a better angle as he sweeps my hair behind my shoulder. His fangs extend, but he doesn't use them…instead pressing his lips to the wound already there. A part of me is actually disappointed, somehow. 

Who am I, even? 

But again, the Bliss sweeps over me as the first swell of his venom fills the puncture marks. Then, he begins to drink, and I'm lost in it completely. I sigh and wrap my arms about his neck, sinking into thoughtlessness. Welcoming the escape. 

But again, it's over almost as soon as it began. This time, Theo keeps his mouth to my flesh even after he's stopped drawing blood, triggering the second surge of venom, the Salve. The wound goes numb, and then begins to tingle pleasantly. He retracts his fangs a fraction of a second later, cutting off the third surge before it has a chance to begin.

My head and legs feel like cotton candy, and at first I'm not sure how I'm still on my feet. Then I notice the strong, cold arms wrapped tightly around me, and it makes sense.

"I'm sorry," says Theo. "We wouldn't normally do feedings this close together, but under the circumstances—"

"It's...no worries..." I murmur happily, head lolling a bit to the side. His eyebrows shoot upward, and the next thing I know my feet have left the ground entirely. Cradling me to his chest, the vampire carries me out of the room. 

A blurry minute passes during which what remains of my awareness is focused on the pleasure of being wrapped in the arms of a very attractive immortal who smells like a combination of woodsmoke and rainstorms. Then I find myself sitting at the dining table, propped up on my elbows while Theo bolts around the kitchen, doing...something. Padraig enters a moment later, five o-clock shadow now grown to a full beard, and I'm vaguely aware of returning his greeting. 

Another few minutes, and suddenly there are a lot of things on the table in front of me. Coffee. Juice. A toasted croissant with some kind of fancy herbal cheese. A bowl of chopped fruit. 

"Drink this first," says Theo, pushing the glass of juice closer to me. 

"What is it?" I wonder blearily as I loop my hand about the glass and peer down into its pinkish contents.

"Feeder's tonic."

"Oh." Even in this state, I don't need further explanation. Picking it up in both hands, I drink it all down in one go. It tastes of strawberries and cream, honey and spices—absolutely delicious. Almost immediately my head begins to clear as my strength restores. My whole body warms, and I can practically feel it in my bones and veins as my blood begins to replenish itself. A heartbeat later, my appetite kicks into overdrive, and the next thing I know the cheese croissant and fruit are gone. 

With a tired smile and a wink, Padraig snatches away my empty plate and deposits one bearing a stack of banana pancakes with whipped cream in its place.

"Oh my god, thank you so much," I breathe, and you'd think he'd just saved my life from the sound of it. He basically has, as far as I'm concerned. Before long, the pancakes are gone, too, and I'm starting to feel like myself. In fact, I'd probably feel downright radiant at this point...if it weren't for the bone ring locked around my finger and the unwarranted absence of two vampires in particular. 

Cash teleports in briefly to drink coffee and complain about missing the shopping excursion before exploding into nothingness again. 

After that, it's back to my room to get dressed in one of the three outfits I brought with me—a short, forest green cold-shoulder dress, lace tights, and the prerequisite boots and long jacket. Then, piling into the gray car with Padraig, Theo, and Nicholai, we head out. I'm surprised when, instead of turning towards the main road, we head in the opposite direction. 

"Where are we going?"

"It's best we stay out of the city as much as possible, for now," explains Theo from the driver's seat. "We're going to the River Market. We'll let Cash take you city shopping when things are safe again." 

Settling back into the ridiculously plush embrace of the rear passenger seat, I look out the window and watch the darkened scenery whip by. Beside me, Padraig flips a page of his paperback romance novel with a careful claw. With the light of the full moon filtering in through the window, the most human he can manage is around seventy percent. The rest is wolf. 

Heading northwest, we drive ever deeper into the forested foothills. The road winds along a steep incline covered in mossy stones and trees, and it feels very much like we're on our way to go for a nighttime hike. Then, up ahead, I catch sight of a glimmer of lantern light. It reflects off the cars that line the road, pulled off into the dirt of its narrow shoulder. Squeezing into a recently-vacated spot, the others lead me forward along the road until we come to a set of lantern posts flanking a rickety wooden stair leading down through the trees.

On the way we pass a variety of different aetheri. Nocturnal fae, goblins, trolls, vampires, and semi-aquatic folk too—though notably, no Elvari. 

As we reach the bottom of the stair, the view opens up enough for me to see the river running through the valley below. Or at least, what little of it there is to see between the boats that crowd its surface and the structures that line its banks. 

The others maintain a sort of wall around me as we move, Theo bristling subtly when anyone seems to scrutinize me too closely. Nicholai walks at my side, while Padraig takes the lead…guiding us to a three-story building crammed between a goblin restaurant and some sort of apothecary.

Though built of mismatched, cast-off wood colored in places by peeling paint and lichen, it's made itself grand in the details. Brass filigree fixtures and flourishes, clinging moonvine, bright lanterns and colorful paint abound. I almost don't even notice the shop's sign, which reads "The Treasure Trove" in swirly green text tangled up in painted flowers and beads. 

Theo flashes a fang in a crooked smile as Padraig opens the door for us. 

"Good thing we didn't bring Cash along."

"Oh, they'd fire me on the spot if they could" agrees Padraig. "But trust me. This is the place." 

When we step inside, I'm immediately overwhelmed. First, by the scent. The air's heavy with streams of incense smoke, that smells like lemon-lime soda and seasalt. 

Then I'm dazzled by all the colors and textures. Though there are three levels, the space is open to the ceiling at the center, making way for a skylight and a hanging, chandelier-like art installation of driftwood, bone and beach glass. The broken light dances over an array of displays crowded with jewelry and accessories, and along the walls are racks of clothes in every color and texture imaginable. 

Before I have a chance to adjust, someone's hurrying over to us.

"Welcome, welcome!" Calls the woman, a goblin of a little over half my height. "I've been looking forward to you, dear." Reaching for my hand as if to shake it, she clasps it in both of her own and peers up into my eyes, ruby gaze appraising. Her silver hair is curled and falls past her corseted waist, her skirts an extravagant affair of differently patterned silks in shades of off-white and gray that match the tones of her mottled skin. Her long, pointed ears are tipped in black. "You may call me Lady Foxglove. Or Lady Fox, as many do." 

Theo looks questioningly over at Padraig. "You made an appointment?"

The werewolf laughs, shaking his head. "No."

Ignoring them, she smiles beatifically, my hand still in hers, and begins to lead me off. "Come along, dear, let's get you all set up." 

Bemused and curious, I trail along without resistance. 

But instead of leading me to any of the racks or displays or even asking me what I'm looking for, she takes me straight to a curtained dressing room. 

"There you are, dear. Have a look, give things a try-on if you'd like. I'll be right out here if you need me."

Drawing the curtain aside, I find the little room beyond already hung with a selection of clothes and accoutrements from casual to festive—including one floor-length gown, the pièce de résistance. Every last bit of it is exactly to my taste. Not just as though I'd picked it out for myself, but as though it'd been made for me in particular. I turn, gape-jawed, to look back at her.

"I don't understand."

Lady Foxglove leans forward, putting a hand up to her lips. "I'm a seer, darling," she whispers theatrically. 

And a damned good one, I think after pulling the curtains closed and turning back to the selection. 

Just outside my dressing room, Paedrig and Theo speak in hushed tones as I pick through everything, trying on something here and there and finding that each piece fits me perfectly. 

"You brought us to a seer?" Hisses Theo.

"She can hear you. Just trust me. Details later." He speaks in clipped sentences, his elongated canines and muzzle making speech a challenge. 

I can practically feel Theo's scowl. There's a thump as Nicholai leans heavily against the dressing room doorframe.

"I don't see the problem. If she is a seer, she knows what she knows. What difference does our being here make?" 

"She might help us with more than clothes, if we spend enough," adds Padraig. 

Getting back into my own clothes after approving literally everything in the dressing room, I whip the curtain aside. 

"Well, everything fits, and I love all of it. What's our budget?" 

Theo flashes the werewolf a look of grudging amusement. "Spending enough shouldn't be an issue."

After everything's paid for—and I do mean everything—Lady Foxglove claps her hands together happily. 

"Very well, then. Come along. All of you, yes." Beckoning us to the back of the shop, she leads us to a heavy door that hides a descending stair. Past that and down below, we find ourselves in a low-ceilinged basement. The space glitters in the dim amber glow of the single lit lantern. Broken jewlery and bits of old chandeliers are draped everywhere, empty gilt frames clutter the damp stone walls, and the floor is covered in layer-upon-layer of threadbare rugs. 

Theo opens his mouth to speak, but the goblin woman puts up a hand to forestall him. 

"I cannot tell you where your parents are, and I cannot tell you why I cannot tell you. Truly, I'm sorry." 

At that, both vampires bristle—but Padraig looks strangely resigned. 

"However," she says, skirts swishing as she glides over to me. Taking up my left hand, she squeezes it gently and rubs a be-ringed thumb over the unmoving serpent stone. "This, I can tell you about."