Blood Bonds

by Yasmine Galenorn

  I remembered Camille’s advice to me when I married Roman. Assume the title and wear it like you mean it. If you don’t, nobody will take you seriously.

  I brushed Erin’s hair back from her face. “Go, and may the gods be with you. Keep us informed of your progress. I wish you all the luck in the world.”

  And with that, Erin turned and walked out of the room and out of my life, for at least the foreseeable future. I wondered how long she’d be gone—the project was supposed to take a couple of years. Feeling both proud and worried, I returned to my duties.

  BY MIDNIGHT, I had finished up most of my drudge work—the thank-yous, and the answers to all sorts of requests—and Nerissa and I took a break. She was hungry, and I wanted out of my office. We returned to our suite where she could eat in peace without feeling like a sideshow. Granted, all the human employees and servants in Roman’s mansion ate, but they did so out of sight. Most of the vamps weren’t used to food around them and I knew that Nerissa felt out of place because she needed to eat.

  She opened a can of soup to heat while piling a piece of bread high with sliced turkey and cheddar. I dropped onto the sofa and leaned back. Roman had promised when we moved in that we could have our own private suite of rooms and he had made good on his word. We had a living room–kitchenette, an office–library, a workout room, a storage room, and our bedroom. The bath was huge and he had installed a soaker-tub, as well as a double-sink vanity.

  “Erin came to say good-bye today. I doubt if she’ll get a chance to see me again before she and Wade head out,” I said, staring at the ceiling.

  Nerissa cut her sandwich in half. “Want a drink?”

  “No, I had a big breakfast.” I had drunk two bottles of waffle-flavored blood, thanks to Morio. He had taught one of the witches Roman kept on staff how to spell a bottle of blood so it tasted like anything but what it was.

  “How do you feel about her leaving?”

  I considered the question. “Worried. Proud. Hopeful. I told her, finally, about Grandmother Coyote’s prophecy. And speaking of the Hags of Fate, Camille visited Grandmother Coyote last night. She had a message for me. For us, I assume.”

  Nerissa shuddered. “Uh-oh. Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?”

  I read her Camille’s email.

  “So then, the Fates think we can make this life work.” Nerissa sat down opposite me, her sandwich and a mug of soup in hand. Placing the mug on the coffee table, she curled up on the sofa, resting her left arm on the arm of the sofa and balancing the sandwich in front of her. “I hope so, because I really need a little more freedom, and I can only see the net tightening as the years go by.”

  “We’ll make it work, I promise,” I said. I was about to ask her what her view of the optimal situation would be when my phone jangled. I glanced at my texts. “Hmm, it’s from Carter.”

  “What does he want?” Nerissa bit into her sandwich, wiping her chin with a napkin.

  I scanned over his words. “He wants us to come over. He says he has further information, but it would be better if I visit him rather than my sisters. I wonder what’s up.” I knew that if I called to ask, he wouldn’t budge. Carter was secretive when he felt it benefited the situation.

  “When does he want you over there?”

  I texted him back, asking. A moment later, he answered.

  “He says tonight, if possible. In the next hour or so. I might as well go now. I finally finished answering all the correspondence on my desk, and since Roman’s away, there isn’t much going on here.” I glanced at her. “You want to come?”

  Nerissa shook her head. “No, I’ll stay here and get in a quick workout before I take a bath. Besides, Carter asked for you, not me. Go ahead. I’m good.”

  She looked so comfortable and settled that I didn’t have the heart to cajole her into going out with me. I gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, then lingered for a moment, nuzzling her ear.

  “Come back soon,” she whispered. “We can lock away the world and pretend that we’re the only ones who exist.”

  I stroked her cheek, then reluctantly pulled away. “I’m holding you to that.”

  As I threw on a light jacket and headed for the door, she turned on the TV and went back to her dinner.

  CARTER LIVED IN a basement apartment. He could have lived just about anywhere. Hell, he was the son of both the Titan Hyperion and a demon. As a demigod, he could have lived anywhere. He certainly didn’t have to hole up in a seedy part of Seattle, in an underground rat hole. To be fair, he kept the apartment nice—in a vintage sort of way—but it was still a basement apartment in a rundown neighborhood. But Carter seemed to like it, and that was all that mattered.

  I parked my Mustang in one of the spaces I knew was included in his magical circle of protection. He had hired a high-powered witch to cast protection charms for him and his place, and that included a few parking spots next to the sidewalk.

  As I clattered down the stairs, I wondered who would be opening the door this time. Every few months, Carter found himself a new housekeeper/lover. We had broached the outer skirts of the subject a few times, just enough for me to know that Carter was into some hardcore S&M play, and he was definitely the top. He didn’t act it on the outside, but then again, he was half-demon and he had the horns to prove it.

  He took me by surprise when he opened the door himself. “Menolly, I’m glad you’re here. Come in.”

  I raised my eyebrows as he moved aside to let me in. “What happened to Mera?” His latest concubine had been a member of the Elder Fae, and I figured she would last longer than most.

  “I asked her to step out for a few moments,” Carter said. He ushered me into the living room, where a tall man was standing. He looked familiar, though I couldn’t place him, but he felt odd. Not human, though he looked to be so. “I asked you here because I felt you’d be the most adept in meeting Joreal.”

  For a moment, the name didn’t ring a bell, but then I remembered our conversation from the night before. Trytian’s father, the daemon general who was leading a roust against Shadow Wing. And that was where the familiarity came in. Like his son, Joreal had wavy dark hair, and angular features. He was larger, though, with broad shoulders and brilliant blue eyes. And he had a mean look to him that did wonders at setting off my “Danger danger Will Robinson” alarms. But I smoothly stepped forward, stopping in front of the daemon. I considered holding out my hand, but decided that a nod was as good as a shake.

  “How do you do, Lord Joreal? I’m Menolly D’Artigo. Please allow me to express our sorrow at your son’s death. Trytian died honorably, and he helped us more than we had any reason to expect.” I had learned some diplomacy since taking my place as Roman’s wife. A little sugar went a long way in sanding out the rough patches.

  “My son had a soft spot for humans,” Joreal said with a stoic face. “And by human, I include your own kind. He did what was required, and his death wasn’t in vain. I can only hope that his sacrifice will be worth it.”

  He clasped his hands behind him. As he appraised me with his gaze, I held my ground. Daemons were not as unpredictable as demons, but I was still wary. The fact that he was standing in Carter’s living room said something for his nature, but I had learned long ago not to offer trust before it was earned.

  Carter seemed to sense the standoff as he smoothly passed between us carrying a tray of tea and cookies. The tray contained a bottle of blood as well. I had to hand it to Carter, he was gracious to a fault. He sat down in a chair in between the two of us, and motioned for me to sit on the loveseat and Joreal to have a seat on the sofa. As the daemon took his place, I slowly sat down.

  “Carter called me here because he says you have the means with which to destroy Shadow Wing.” Joreal was blunt to a point. He didn’t waste any time with small talk, though I rather doubted whether any of the daemons found chit-chat to their liking.

  “We think we do, yes.” I wasn’t sure exactly what Carter was up to. We had been secretive fo
r so long, protecting our fight for the spirit seals so no one else would find out. Although since Trytian had known about them, it made sense that his father did as well.

  “Then we must coordinate. I do not want my armies to get in your way if you truly can destroy him. As you know, we are waging a major offense against him down in the Subterranean Realms. The Unraveller has gone rogue. He’s an unpredictable factor determined to throw the Sub-Realms into chaos.” He paused, holding my gaze. His eyes were like ice, although I knew mine were just as frosty. “Carter thought it best that we meet to discuss a possible alliance.”

  I readied a question to which I already knew the answer, but I wanted to hear it from Joreal himself. “Once Shadow Wing is gone from the Sub-Realms, who plans to take over?”

  Joreal wasted no time. “I will take over. It’s time to take control away from the demons. They’re far too chaotic. I have plans, once Shadow Wing is destroyed, to seal off the Sub-Realms for good.”

  Now that I hadn’t known. We knew, thanks to Trytian, that Joreal was looking to wrench away control, but that he planned to wall off the Sub-Realms from the other worlds was new information. I wondered what his reasoning was, although I wasn’t about to fault it.

  But I had to ask. “Out of curiosity, why are you sealing them off?”

  “I don’t believe that either demons or daemons should interact with the other realms. We’re not all out for absolute control and destruction, contrary to what you may think. Some of us are reasonable. But I’m also a purist. I think too much intermingling between those who inhabit the Sub-Realms and the non-demonic is a bad idea. My son didn’t agree with me, but since he was involved in the fight against Shadow Wing’s ill-advised attempt to gather the spirit seals, I supported his endeavors and his communications over here.”

  I had the feeling that humanity as a whole, as well as the entire Supe community, had just been insulted. On the other hand, the fact that Joreal didn’t believe in mingling with humanity made me feel a little better. And the fact that he was willing to confine his own kind to the Sub-Realms was another positive mark.

  “I see,” I said. “I think it would benefit my sisters and me if we were to sit down with you and discuss our strategy. Perhaps you can help. We face one major obstacle.”

  “And what is that?” Joreal asked.

  “What to do between the time we gate Shadow Wing over here, and the time my sister and the Keraastar Knights can affect an attack. We’re not at all sure that we can contain him at that point.” I sat back, chugging down the drink Carter passed to me.

  “Well, we’ll just have to figure out a way to help you, because down in the Sub-Realms, even my comrades and I know that the only way to defeat Shadow Wing is through the Keraastar Knights. The great Fae Lords set up that prophecy, foolishly.”

  “Why foolishly?”

  Joreal snorted. “Because by enacting such a destiny, they insured that my own armies can never fully throttle him. It’s as though they gave Shadow Wing a form of immortality when they created the Spirit Seal. In their attempts to lock us away in the Sub-Realms, they effectively offered him the chance to go undefeated.”

  I had never thought of it that way, but Joreal was right. Thanks to the prophecy and the Spirit Seal, the great Fae Lords had very nearly created an impervious enemy. When they divided the worlds during the Great Divide, they had, in essence, sealed their own fates.

  “Why don’t you let me call my sisters and set up a meeting? If they can’t make it tonight, can you come back tomorrow night?”

  Joreal arched his eyebrows, reminding me for all the world of Trytian. The smirk on his face reinforced the familiarity.

  “I was hoping that you could make it tonight. I don’t fancy staying up here for another day. But if not, I will make myself available.”

  I thanked him, and excused myself to step into Carter’s kitchen to call my sisters.

  Chapter 5

  Delilah

  “WILL IT LIVE?” My eyes were glued to Tim’s fingers as they flew over the keys. I needed my laptop to be ready by the time we met with Joreal, and it had chosen to conk out on me an hour ago, blue-screening for all it was worth. “I really need it later tonight.”

  I still couldn’t believe that the daemon general had actually come over Earthside to meet us, although I had a feeling Carter had a great deal to do with the matter. When Menolly had called the night before, Shade and I had been out on a date and I had set my phone to ignore. By the time we got home, it was too late to set up the meeting. And Camille was unavailable as well, so we had agreed to meet tonight.

  I was uncomfortable having Joreal come to our house, even though Trytian had been here numerous times, so we were meeting at Carter’s, even though the space was limited. Camille wanted to bring the Keraastar Knights with her, so that we could all have input. Menolly had offered to hold the meeting in a conference room in her mansion, but the head of security had put up a fuss once he knew she was bringing a daemon home with her. Rather than just throw around her authority, she had decided to let this one go.

  Tim glanced over at me, his fingers pausing midair. He shook his head, a somber look on his face. “I’m thinking you need to buy a new laptop. I can get this one working, but I can’t guarantee how long it will last, or even whether it will save the data appropriately. What the hell did you do to it?”

  I stared at the ceiling. “I might have been in my tabby form a couple days ago, and I might have gotten a tad rambunctious and knocked it off the table.” Embarrassed, I confessed, “I didn’t even remember doing it until Shade reminded me this morning, after I tried to turn the laptop on and it wouldn’t boot up. And I suppose it didn’t help that I also spilled a bottle of soda on it. I did that last week. I dried it out and it seemed to work, but maybe the insides got gummed up from that, too?”

  As he sat back in his chair, Tim let out a long sigh. “I thought by now I had taught you how to treat your electronics. I can give you a loaner for tonight, if you like. Even if you bought a new one today, we’d just have to set up all your programs again and that would take at least a two days, given how much software you have on here. If you want, I’ll buy one for you, and get it ready.”

  I groaned, but handed over my credit card. “Go ahead and do that. And if you have a computer I could borrow, I’d appreciate it. Maybe make it one that isn’t your favorite?” I didn’t anticipate another rousing fight with the computer in my tabby form, but I couldn’t guarantee anything. I could control my panther herself for the most part, but Tabby had remained an irrepressible force within me.

  “Wait here.” Tim rose and went into the back room of his shop. Ever since he had opened his computer consulting business, he had been slammed with customers, and both he and Jason were doing well in an economy that was struggling. He returned with a computer that looked like a clone of my own. As he sat down and opened it up to set up a temporary account, Jason peeked in from the back. A tall black man, he had a smoothly shaven head and muscles that had muscles of their own.

  “Hey love, I’m headed out for the garage.” When he saw me, Jason waved. “Hey Delilah, how are you doing? How are your sisters? I haven’t seen Nerissa for a while. She decide to stop her training sessions at the gym?” In his spare time, Jason taught martial arts.

  “We’re fine, although it’s odd with Camille living out at the Barrow, and Menolly and Nerissa living over at Roman’s. I’m pretty sure that Nerissa’s been kept busy at the mansion. But we’re all doing okay. How are you?”

  “Business is good, life is good, I can’t complain. Did Tim tell you our news?” Jason moved forward, to stand beside his husband.

  Tim shook his head. “I was going to as soon as I finished with the computer, but I might as well do it now since you’re here.” He turned back to me, looking as excited as a kid in a candy shop. “Jason and I are adopting!”

  My heart warmed. Jason and Tim would make incredible parents, and any child would be lucky to have them. “Con
gratulations! I’m so excited for you. When?”

  “We’re adopting twins. They’re two years old—a brother and a sister—and they lost their parents in an auto accident early this year. One of them is a special-needs child, the boy, and the state has had a hard time adopting them out because of that. There are in foster care right now, but they can’t stay there much longer. The state’s trying to adopt them out together, and while they’ve had a lot of requests for the little girl, so far nobody’s wanted to take the boy on as well.”

  Jason produced a picture from his wallet. The children were adorable—and they were obviously twins, dark skinned with shiny black hair. But the little boy was missing his lower left leg.

  “Was there an accident? Or a birth defect?”

  “The children were in the car accident with their parents. Althea came through unscathed, but Douglas lost his leg. They don’t have any other family—no one who’s in a position to take them on. They’re actually children who belonged to one of my customers. Unfortunately, he let his car maintenance slide for too long, and his brakes gave out while he and his wife were busting ass on the freeway, trying to get home so they could get the kids to bed at a reasonable time,” Jason said. “So at least they aren’t going to total strangers.”

  I nodded. “Well, they’re absolutely lovely. I hope you let me babysit. I love babies.”

  Jason beamed, and Tim was looking misty eyed.

  “I’d better get going,” Jason said, “but we’re going to have a party when we bring them home next month. I hope you can make it.”

  As Jason headed out the door, Tim’s gaze followed him.

  “So you’re going to be a papa again?” I asked. Tim already had a daughter from a previous marriage, but his ex-wife still bore a grudge against him and didn’t let him see her very often. Tim wanted to be a good father to his daughter, and he did the best he could under the circumstances.