“Those freaks came prepared.” A chill ran through my heart. They were out for trouble, and out to harm. That much was clear. “It could have been so much worse.”
“It probably would have been if we hadn’t arrived when we did. Derrick called us earlier but damn, the town is jumping tonight and there were quite a few calls. We got here as soon as we could.” The way he said it told me that something was up.
“What kind of calls?” I held his eyes.
Yugi’s gaze flickered to the ground. “Apparently the Brethren were holding synchronized events tonight. They also tried to hit the Supe-Urban Café, the Supe Community Council, and a major wedding tonight—two Weres from notable families were getting married. We’ve been fielding one crisis after another. By the way—your vamps? They’ve jumped in and helped us a couple of times already. Tell Lord Roman we appreciate the muscle.”
I nodded, feeling a little overwhelmed. That we were being attacked on two fronts, even though we were helping to save the butts of those who were attacking us, left a bitter taste in my mouth. I slumped back against a wall. “Tell me the truth. Will those guys get any time?”
“We’ll make sure. One way or another, they get some sort of jail time. I don’t care how we have to write up the charges. And remember: all of us at the FH-CSI fully believe they committed twenty-three . . . if not more . . . murders today, regardless of what the courts say about vampire rights. So . . . we’ll jump through every hoop we have to.” He paused.
Then, smiling at me through those gentle blue eyes, he reached out and gently laid a hand on my shoulder. “We’re here to stop this stuff from happening. And when we can’t, we’re here to clean up the mess. Not everything at the station goes on in plain sight. Remember that.” And with that cryptic but oddly comforting remark, he left.
We closed early, paying for all drinks because of the trauma my customers went through. After picking up the bar, I slumped down at one of the tables. Delilah and the guys had gone home, and Roman was sending over a couple of guards to watch over the bar till daybreak, when three of the Supe Militia would come down to stand guard.
Derrick, clutching a club soda, slipped into the chair next to me. He shoved a bottle of blood across the table. “You should drink something.”
I stared at it, then moodily pulled it toward me, drinking deep. It wasn’t as good as fresh, nor as tasty as the flavored blood Morio enchanted for me, but it was nourishment, and right now I needed it to take the edge off.
“Is it worth it, Derrick? First my bar gets torched and burned to the ground, killing eight people, including a friend. Now, we’re being attacked by hate groups. Should I fold up? Say screw it, and sell the joint?” I cocked my head, gazing steadily at the werebadger.
He was a sturdy man, not tall—not short, with a streak of white through his dark hair, and a few scars that marred his face. He shrugged, his T-shirt rising and falling with his shoulders. “That is only something you can answer. But let me ask you this, boss. Have you ever run away from anything in your life? And what about the portal in the basement? You can’t really let that fall into somebody else’s hands.”
I mulled over the question. “Once . . . yes. I ran away from my old sire, Dredge. I ran all the way here to Earthside.”
“And he found you.”
“Yeah, he did.”
“So you had to face him, even though you tried your best to get away?” The corners of his lips tilted up just a little.
I wrinkled my nose. “I hate it when you’re right.”
Exasperated, yet knowing he was only pointing out the obvious, I leaned back in my chair and slowly slid my bottle back and forth on the table.
“I know you’re right. If I sold the Wayfarer, I’d never forgive myself. For one thing, I love this place. I don’t care if it’s just one bar in the middle of a city full of them—it’s my bar. I built it into what it is today. When I first arrived here, I was undercover as bartender. The OIA still owned this joint and they didn’t give a damn about it, as long as they could control the portal in the basement. But now it’s mine. I didn’t buy it because of the portal. I didn’t buy it to get rich. I bought the place because . . .” I paused, not quite sure what I was trying to say.
“Because it spoke to you.” Derrick’s voice was soft. “Because when you thought of walking away, it felt like you’d be leaving an old friend behind.”
Nodding, I took a swig of the blood. It raced down my throat, warm and comforting. Derrick had warmed it to just the right temperature.
“I had no clue what we were in for when we came over here. None of us did. But now . . . we’re all in. That’s the thing—we’re all in and we can’t turn away. And I can’t turn my back on the Wayfarer. This place owns a piece of my heart.”
Derrick finished his club soda. “I know what you mean. In the time I’ve worked here, I’ve come to care about the bar in a way I didn’t expect to. I’ve worked in a lot of places, Menolly. I’ve done a good job most times . . . sometimes had a few problems. But I’ve never looked forward to coming to work like I do here. I’ve got your back, you know? I’m here to watch over the bar when you can’t. I’ll do my best to make sure you don’t feel I ever let you down.”
With that, he pushed himself to his feet. “Go home, boss. Take the night off. Try to relax. I’ll stay till the guards get here—in fact, I think they’re at the door now.” He nodded to two shadowy figures standing outside the door. Sure enough, even from here I could tell they were vamps. “Go on. Rest easy. I’ll see you tomorrow night, if all goes well. If not, just drop me a note and I’ll watch over your baby.”
I swung out of my chair and, taking the werebadger by surprise, gave him a firm hug. “You be careful. We need you here. I need you here.” And with that, I headed for home.
* * *
I arrived home just in time to find Trenyth speaking to the others through the Whispering Mirror. Delilah motioned me over.
“We got home just as he called. Trenyth has news . . .” She looked mildly alarmed.
“Please, let it be good. Or at least something easily dealt with.” I cocked my head to the side. “I really don’t want to hear anything else bad going on.” But, with a sigh, I turned to the mirror. Trenyth couldn’t see me, but he could hear me so I simply said, “Hey, Trenyth. I’m here.”
Delilah cleared her throat. “Hold on, I need a drink of water.” She jumped up and ran into the kitchen.
I frowned. Vanzir offered to bring me a chair, but I shook my head. I wasn’t tired. In fact, the adrenaline was still coursing through my veins from the incident at the bar. It hit me that none of us could withstand more bad news. Morio, Roz, Vanzir, and Shade all looked beat. The war was bearing down on us now. We needed a break—something to reenergize us and give us hope.
By the time we were all gathered again, the tension in the room had built to a point where I could almost rip into it with my fangs. “Sorry, Trenyth. I think we’re all a little antsy. It’s been a rough past couple of weeks. Tell us what’s going on, please.”
The confused expression on his face fell away. “I can understand that. It seems like something’s always coming. There’s always a horror on the horizon, or behind the cliff, or in the cave, or riding the sky. But this time, it’s good news.”
The collective sigh in the room was audible.
“I got a call from Camille about an hour ago. The dragons are coming. She and Smoky asked me to tell you that we need you over here. The dragons are on the way, and they are going to war against Telazhar, but they need you with them.” The joy in his eyes was impossible to ignore. “We’ve finally caught a break. They’ll be here within the hour and they want you all to go with them.”
Even though we knew that they had promised, there had been a little part of me—at least—that had expected them to renege at the last minute. Roz let out a huge cheer, thrusting his fis
t into the air. Vanzir and Morio followed suit, and then we all joined in.
But a thought occurred to me. If I went over there, what would I do come daylight? “What about me? I’m a vamp—”
“Camille and Smoky have rigged something up for you, just in case. You’ll be safe, she promised. I know you hate to leave the house empty, but they said for you to send Maggie and Hanna to a safe location.” Trenyth looked like he was about to cry.
“We’ve needed a break . . . ever since Kelvashan was besieged and Elqaneve fell, my people have been a mass of walking wounded.” His voice was clouded and he wiped his hand across his eyes. “Even those who were unhurt by the destruction . . . everybody lost someone dear. Everybody lost their roots. Elves are grounded to their homeland, you know. The very land gives us strength and it shores us up. The land itself was wounded, and is still bleeding, and as long as it bleeds, so shall we. Now, the dragons will give us hope. Just the news gives me hope.”
I nodded, slowly, even though he couldn’t see me. “We’ll come. We’ll make arrangements and go to Grandmother Coyote’s portal. We’ll be there within the hour. Daylight is still a ways off.”
And with that, the mirror fell silent.
Delilah pulled out her phone. “I’m texting Tanne. We need him with us to work with Iris.”
Iris said nothing, and I realized that she meant to go with us. I turned to the others. “Hanna, take Maggie and stay with Bruce and the babies at the condo. When Nerissa gets home—well, I’ll call her. Her place is big enough for all of you for now. I don’t want her staying here, and we can’t take her with us.”
“Speaking of . . .” Morio nodded to the front door as it opened and Nerissa hustled through.
“I’ll tell her. The rest of you get ready. Hanna, can you pack a small bag for me—you know what I wear. I’ll need boots without heels.” I unbuckled my stiletto knee-highs and slid them off as everybody else jumped to get ready.
Nerissa looked confused as I drew her into the parlor and shut the door.
“We’re heading to Otherworld. Camille and Smoky are on their way to Elqaneve with the dragons, and they want us there. We’re about to go to war against Telazhar. I have to go.” I caught her gaze, holding it steady. “And you can’t come with us. Chase needs you here.”
She hesitated, her tawny hair flowing down her shoulders. I could sense her frustration, probably because I was paying a lot more attention these days. But I also saw the understanding that crept into her eyes.
“I don’t want you to go, you know that.”
“I know, but I have no choice.”
“I love you. Do you know how much I love you?” She pulled me to her. Nerissa was far taller than I, and when I gazed up into her face, I saw only love shining back.
“Yes, I do. And I’m sorry. I’d rather stay here. I’d rather take you with us. But . . .” I sought for the words, which weren’t coming that easily.
Unlike Delilah and Camille, I knew I couldn’t take Nerissa with me. She would distract me—worrying about her safety would take my attention away from where it needed to be. I knew it was unreasonable; after all, she was a werepuma and was learning quickly how to defend herself against all sorts of beasties, but the fact was she was still extremely vulnerable. More importantly, she hadn’t yet learned how to think like a warrior. And that, perhaps, was the biggest danger.
Nerissa was a healer at heart. She knew how to take in pain and transform it. But she still didn’t think in terms of enemies and opponents and sizing up strengths and weaknesses in order to best attack. She thought like a healer, which was wonderful. Beautiful. But not during a battle, when the focus had to be on survival and us versus them.
I rested my head against her and she pressed her lips to my hair, then trailed them down my face, to reach my lips, where she gently—passionately—slid her tongue between them. We kissed, long and lazily, and I pushed the thoughts of the impending battle out of my mind, focusing on her touch, on her smell, on the pulse of her heart against my silent one. I cherished her warmth and every single rise and fall of her chest that meant she was alive, and well, and still my wife.
We stayed like that, frozen, holding each other, until she finally pushed me back to hold me at arm’s length. “I know you have to go.”
“Thank you.” My voice was barely above a whisper. “I will do everything in my power to come back to you alive. I can’t imagine life without you. And Nerissa, I’m so sorry about the past months. I’m sorry I haven’t been able to understand . . .”
“Stop.” She gently pressed her finger against my lips. “Just stop. You’ve made mistakes. I’ve made mistakes. We learn and go on. I’ll be here, waiting, doing my best to keep things moving on this side of the portal. I’ll help Chase. I’ll help Bruce and Hanna watch over the babies. You and your sisters go stop Telazhar.” Pausing, she let a faint smile creep through. “I do wish . . . I wish I could go see the dragons. To see a grandeur of dragons sweeping through the air, to see them going to war? I wish you could take pictures!”
I laughed, then. “You’re like Samwise in The Lord of the Rings. Only instead of wanting to see the elves . . .”
“Yes!” She clapped her hands. “I’d love to see so many dragons filling the sky.” Then the smile faded again. “I wish we had time to spend together before you go. I want to taste you.”
I glanced at the clock. “I know, me, too. But I think . . . I think . . .” But she silenced me, pulling me to her and quickly unzipping my jeans. As her hand slid inside them, her fingers feeling their way down to the thatch between my legs, I slipped my hands under her blouse and unfastened her bra, cupping her breast, pressing my thumb against the erect nipple. She gasped, working me, her mouth crushing mine, in a haste brought on by the desperate fear that we might never see each other again.
We tumbled to the sofa, and with my other hand, I reached beneath her skirt, sliding my fingers inside the thin slip of material that masqueraded as her panties. I quickly found her clit and began to work it, gently, then harder as she moaned.
Her pussy was wet, and I plunged my fingers inside her, smearing the juice up to lubricate her clit, swirling it harder and harder as she began to thrash. Her fingers were deep in my pussy, but she was losing focus as I brought her higher, pressing my breasts against hers, kneading away at the ripe globes. I managed to rip open her blouse and lowered my lips to suck on her nipple, biting just hard enough to elicit a sharp cry.
Then I pushed away from her, pulling away from her touch as I lowered myself to the floor and—holding the material away from her crotch—pressed my lips against her sex, licking and sucking hard. She let out another cry and then—before I could do more—she came, hard, tears pouring down her face. I kissed her inner lips gently, then sat back and watched as she curled on the sofa, weeping.
“I’m so scared you’ll die.” She had climaxed out of fear and need and passion, and her orgasm had released her so that now the tears were able to flow.
“I know. So am I.” I leaned in, gathering her close as she held out her arms to me. “I’ll do my best . . . we all will. I love you.”
She sat up then, trying to wipe her eyes. “I guess . . . you’d better go.”
I nodded. “Yeah. I need to get a move on. Promise me you’ll take Hanna and Maggie with you as soon as we leave?”
“I promise. I’ll watch over them.” She hung her head. “I guess Iris has it worse, leaving her babies and Bruce. She is going with you, isn’t she?”
“We need her and she understands. And we’re taking Tanne. Delilah said something about texting him to come with.” I zipped up my pants and tucked my shirt in again. “Nerissa, if something happens to me . . .”
“Nothing will. Don’t you dare say another word.” She rearranged her skirt and stared at the ripped shirt. “I think this one is for the rag barrel.”
“But if somethin
g does happen—” I wanted to tell her to go to her Were friend, to let him make her happy, but she pressed her lips together firmly and shook her head.
“I don’t want to hear it. I’ll tell Roman you had to go. Now get moving before I have another meltdown.” And with that, she kissed me one last time and pushed me out the door, staying in the parlor. I realized she needed to stay there, to not watch me walk out the door.
The others were waiting. If they knew what had gone on behind the closed door, nobody said anything.
Delilah cleared her throat. “I texted Tanne. He’ll meet us at the edge of Grandmother Coyote’s woods. We’ll run there—it won’t take us long and it will save leaving a car out for somebody to come along and strip.” She tossed me a bag. “Hanna packed for you.”
“Then I guess we’re ready.” I turned to the door. “Let’s go meet the dragons . . . and go to war.”
Chapter 5
The portal to Otherworld from Grandmother Coyote’s lair led to a cave near the great Barrow Mounds outside Elqaneve. The cave, at least, looked like it had taken no damage, and there were seven portals in the giant cavern, all heavily guarded. In fact, I had never seen such a great military force in this area before. Elfin guards, Fae, even a few Goldunsan—the desert Fae—watched over the interdimensional vortexes. They were heavily armed and I had the feeling that some of their weapons weren’t visible—like magic.
As we stepped away from the portal with Delilah and me leading the way, I saw someone who looked suspiciously familiar. Turned out, I was right. He was one of the guards we often saw in the background when we were talking to Trenyth through the mirror.
“I’ve come to escort you into headquarters.” He motioned to the entrance of the cave. “We have carriages waiting, and an escort.”
As we emerged from the cave, I glanced up at the sky. We were near midnight. There were three carriages waiting by the Barrow Mounds. Instead of the noblas stedas of Otherworld—a gorgeous, six-legged horse—they were being pulled by gorts. Gorts were usually found in barren wastelands and were like giant lizards, though a great deal larger, much like a squat Komodo dragon in looks. They were reptilian in nature, like lizards, and they were fast and vicious.
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