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Shade and Delilah headed up to their room, and I used Hanna’s bath, washing my hands and face. A glance at the clock told me it was barely seven thirty. I’d risen at four thirty, as soon as the sun set, and the ordeal with the Fyrun Fae had taken us around two and a half hours. As I headed back to the kitchen, Nerissa arrived home. She looked wiped, too.
I wrapped my arms around her. “I missed you. ”
She kissed me, long and slow, her tongue playing over mine as a hazy wash of desire raced through me. I melted into her kiss, once again thanking my lucky stars I’d found her.
“You smell like you just came from a bonfire. Dancing around one out back?” She laughed lightly, but I shook my head and the smile died on her face. “What happened? Another fire?”
“Yeah. I guess you didn’t hear? The Utopia went up in flames. Luckily, they managed to save it, and we fought off several Fyrun Fae, though we had to bring Iris in to help. She’s exhausted, but we needed her ice magic, and since Smoky’s not here, we had to ask her to join us. ”
Nerissa paled. “I had no clue. I stopped off to do some shopping on the way home. Is everyone okay? Did anyone…”
I shook my head. “No, no casualties this time, thank the gods. The club suffered heavy damage but it was all superficial. We ended up fighting some Fyrun Fae, though, and had to call in Iris to take care of them. She destroyed the gate through which they were coming. But she wore herself out big-time. ”
A sound in the living room alerted us. The Whispering Mirror. Again. Since Camille was still upstairs, I went to answer it. As the fog cleared, I spoke to let Trenyth know I was there.
“It’s me, Menolly. What’s up?” Every time the mirror chimed now, we feared the news, because it kept getting darker and darker.
Trenyth motioned to the side and a rustling told me someone was there. A few seconds later, Aunt Rythwar appeared. Taller than Delilah, she was statuesque and regal, with hair as dark as Father’s and Camille’s, and eyes that were a brilliant blue. She was wearing a pair of trousers—which I’d never seen her in before, and a tunic. A dagger was strapped to her thigh, and she had a bow slung over her shoulder. This was a new side of Aunt Rythwar, for sure.
Her brow creasing, she cocked her head. “Menolly? I see Nerissa there in the background. ”
“Yes, it’s me. The others are washing up. ” Even as I spoke, a noise on the stairs alerted me to Camille and Delilah coming down. Shade and Morio followed them. “Just a minute. ”
I called out, “In the living room! Aunt Rythwar is in the mirror!”
As they crowded in, I gave up my seat to Camille. She was keeper of the Whispering Mirror, and I was all too aware of how disconcerting it could be to talk to someone you couldn’t see.
“My girls… I’m so sorry. ” Her own face was a mask, neutral. Full-blooded Fae could be incredibly volatile, and they could also be incredibly stoic. Right now, Rythwar in no way looked like she’d just lost her dearest brother.
“We cremated Father’s body today. We’ll bring him back to Otherworld when it’s safe enough. I hope you don’t mind. We’re going to hold a brief ceremony over here on Samhain, but we’ll wait till we can bring him home for full rites. ” Camille let out a long breath.
Our aunt nodded. “I think that’s best. Meanwhile, I wanted to let you girls know that I’m moving into your father’s house—well, now it’s yours. But I’ve decided we can’t afford to leave it unguarded. So I’m taking some of my household guards and going to stay there. ”
“Is that why you’re dressed like that?” I couldn’t help but ask. Aunt Rythwar had never worn anything but the most extravagant of outfits, and now she looked ready for a jaunt through the forest.
“There is too much danger to go about in fancy robes and gowns. I was trained in combat early—all of those who sit in the Court are. I still practice my skills and work with my trainer every month. I can handle myself. At least, I am not a burden to any who travel with me. ” She winked in the direction of my voice. “I love you all, and wish you could come home, but Y’Eírialiastar is not a safe place to be. I heard about your escape from the palace. Your father would be so proud of you. ”
I swallowed hard, choking back my tears. Camille and Delilah were trying to do the same; I could see it in their shoulders, in their faces. It was going to be rough for the next few months; that was obvious. We didn’t have the luxury to really let go and grieve.
“Auntie, please, be careful. ” Delilah leaned toward the screen. “We can’t lose you, too. ”
“I’ll do my best, and I’m taking guards with me. Tell my foster son Shamas I love him and miss him. And girls… be safe. Be careful. And I’ll see you as soon as we can meet. ” She moved away from the mirror and Trenyth returned.
“I have more news. ” He looked somber. “Smoky and Trillian found Venus the Moon Child. They will be returning home in a short while. ”
There was more. There had to be, or he wouldn’t look so solemn.
“What’s going on, Trenyth? Was Venus dead when they found him? Or—Roz? He’s not hurt, is he?” I leaned over Camille’s shoulder, even though he couldn’t see me.
“No, both Rozurial and Venus are alive. Venus has his spirit seal. But your men found Benjamin’s body. The seal was missing. We don’t know where it went or who has it. ”
Camille let out a soft murmur. “Not Ben. He was such a nice young man. And for so long, he thought he was crazy. ”
“I’m sorry, I know you neither wanted nor needed this news. But you must know the truth of where we stand. As of now, we have no idea who possesses that seal. It could be Telazhar, it could be some random creature. All we know is that Benjamin was murdered, and whoever did it wanted to make sure he stayed dead. ” He grimaced. “I will spare you the details. If you want to know, ask your men. They will be home within the hour. ”
He leaned back in his chair. “I think, girls, that we have to settle in and accept this is going to be a long road to haul. We aren’t going to win this one overnight. Telazhar has seen to that. We are witnessing the dawn of a new age in Otherworld. Or perhaps, the reemergence of an old one—one we hoped never to repeat. Whatever the case, cinch yourselves in for a rough ride. ”
“To quote an Earthside movie, Fasten your seat belts. It’s going to be a bumpy night. ” Delilah chewed on her bottom lip. “All we can do is our best. Meanwhile, the world will keep turning. ”
“That about sums it up,” I muttered. “We’re a cheerful little group here, aren’t we? But seriously, is there anything else we can do that we’re not doing?”
Trenyth slowly shook his head. “No. Just protect the Keraastar Knights and the four spirit seals we have in our possession. And find that last spirit seal remaining Earthside if you can. Meanwhile, we will search here for the one that belonged to Benjamin. We know that Shadow Wing possesses at least three. We cannot allow him to gain control of any more, or all is lost. ”
And with that, he saluted us, and the mirror faded to mist again. Camille covered it with the black cloth that protected it and sat back, staring at the wall.
“Things are so fucked. Things are beyond fucked. I’d ask where we go from here, but there is no where. We just… maneuver through this mire one step at a time, and hope to hell we are still on the right path. ” She sighed as Hanna entered the room.
“Time for food. You can worry later. ” Her voice was as stern as Iris’s and we all jumped to attention.
As we filed into the kitchen, Nerissa spoke up. “While we eat dinner, why don’t we revisit my idea of creating a profile on Supe Matchups?”
Too tired to fight anymore, I gave in. “Fine. But I don’t like it. Two rules, though: You run all e-mails past us. And you don’t agree to anything without our permission. ”
Nerissa stuck her tongue out at me, but nodded. “Oh, all right. ”
Delilah fetched her bag and pulled out her l
aptop. As we gathered around the table, she fired up the computer and set it to the side of her plate. Thanks to the huge wooden table that Smoky had bought, we were able to seat a veritable army in the kitchen. And after they built Iris and Bruce’s house, the men had finished the addition to our dining area, which gave us plenty of room.
As Hanna served the food, Delilah pulled up the website, then slid the computer in front of Nerissa, who pored over the information.
“I still don’t like this. ” I sat back, grumbling. “But if we’re going to do this, let’s do this right. Do we have a clue as to what they’re looking for?”
Camille frowned. “Violet was into bondage and domination. She was looking for multiple playmates. She wasn’t into pain, but that wouldn’t matter to the sex slave industry. They don’t care what their victims want or don’t want. ”
She looked Nerissa up and down. “You should change clothes, though, if we’re going to shoot a video and put it up. Show off those amazing boobs of yours. ” She wiggled her eyebrows at my wife. “How about a kiss, sweetheart?” Her attempt at a Humphrey Bogart impression fell as flat as the cake I’d attempted to make for Nerissa’s birthday.
I cracked up. “Oh please, if the two of you ever ended up trying to kiss, you couldn’t even reach each other. Between the two of you, the cleavage factor would keep you at arm’s length. ” Shaking my head, I turned to Nerissa. “She’s right, though. You should probably put on something skanky. Or sexy. Whichever you choose. ”
Nerissa headed toward my lair. “Will do, but if anybody touches my dinner, they’re dead meat. ”
By the time she returned, everyone had been served. Chicken soup and biscuits and a hearty bowl of fruit salad were on the menu for the others. For me, Morio had enchanted a bottle of blood to taste like soup. Heated, it did my spirits more good than just about anything else could tonight.
Ever since he’d volunteered to give me some sense of my old life back through food-flavored blood, I hadn’t felt quite so much the outsider. I realized I’d never fully told him how much this meant to me. I’d have to remedy that. Maybe a present, or maybe just a quiet word when we had a moment.
Nerissa returned to the kitchen, wearing an off-the-shoulder cream top that gave full vantage to her ample bosom, and a high-waisted pink miniskirt with ruffles that grazed her mid-thighs. I set down the bottle of blood, the fire rising as I stared at her. I wanted to drag her down to the floor and fuck her brains out right here. I let out a low growl.
She picked up on it; her eyes met mine. “Tonight,” she mouthed, and I nodded. It had been several days—too long for us, but what with all the crap going down, sex wasn’t exactly high on the priority list.
As she passed by, resting a hand on my shoulder, I grabbed her fingers and brought them to my lips, turning them so I could kiss her palm. Then I let go, and she settled in front of the laptop.
“What should I say? I guess I use the webcam to make a video?” She licked her lips to moisten them, then glanced over at me. “I really don’t flirt. Well, I haven’t much since I met you. ”
As the others dove into their food, I took notes.
Delilah and Camille threw out possible lines. Some of them Vanzir and Morio nixed on account of “a guy wouldn’t respond to that,” but finally, we had a short, sexy script and Nerissa fluffed up her hair, adjusted her off-the-shoulder top to reveal as much as she could without showing her boobs in toto, and she stood back so the webcam could catch her entire outfit and recorded the canned dating video. After that, she created an account under the name of “Puma Girl” and filled out the forms, uploaded the video, and that was that.
“Now we just wait for them to take the bait. ” She sat back, frowning. “I just hope they do. ”
“I think… whoever Lowestar chooses to replace Hanson will want to make a name for himself. He will probably be trolling the new members for any likely subjects. ” Delilah frowned. “That’s what I’d do. ”
Nerissa bit into a biscuit. “I have e-mail on my phone, of course, so I’ll add the account I created to use for the profile. I didn’t want them checking into my personal account. I tried to leave as little of a trail as possible that they might be able to track back here. Can’t help if they figure out that I’m not just renting my condo. But I doubt they’ll check on who owns the place. And I’ve been seen with you guys, but I’m not that high profile. ”
My wife had just bought a condo when we decided to get married. She rented it out now, but it had stood empty for the past month after the last renter had to abruptly vacate for a new job.
“With a little luck…” Camille let out a sigh. “And we need a little luck right now. ”
As they ate, and I drank my bottle of blood, there was a noise in the living room. I was closest so I ran in to find out what was going on. As I entered the room, I saw Smoky and Venus standing there. Roz showed up a moment later, his arm around Trillian.
For a long time, Roz had been unsure about ferrying people through the Ionyc Seas, but after a little practice on me—I was already dead and he couldn’t do much to hurt me—he’d discovered that he could take a passenger with him. One at a time, but he could do it. That little discovery had made life easier over the past months.
Delilah, who was right behind me, gave out a little squeal. The others followed behind her.
“Venus!” She ran to the old shaman. He looked older than the average Were, which meant he was incredibly old, but his hair still streamed golden down his back, and his eyes were the same color as Nerissa’s—a brilliant topaz. He was handsome, sturdy, and solid.
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