“True. And stagnation isn’t a pretty state.”
Nerissa held out her arms and spun around. “The world is growing, and with the Church of the Earthborn Brethren dismantled as a hate group, and the Freedom’s Angels going bankrupt, we’re paving the way for a better tomorrow. For everybody. Human, Were, Vampire, Fae…we’re making a difference.”
I swallowed a wash of tears that had risen in my throat. “You’re right. We’re making a difference, and this time, it’s out in the open, and a hell of a lot more pleasant.”
She opened her arms and I slid into her embrace and she kissed me soundly. Her lips were warm against my cool ones, and I could hear her heartbeat, whereas mine was still. But we were in love, and married, and we were happy. And that was all that mattered.
“You know, I bless the day that we got involved with the Rainier Puma Pride, because it brought you into my life,” I murmured.
She leaned down, resting her forehead against mine. “Shut up, woman, and kiss me again.”
And I did.
Chapter 14
Delilah: One Year Later
“STOP CHASING FREETO, Astrid!” I had no more finished balancing bread and milk and sandwich fixings in my arms when Astrid waddled past, chasing the puppy we had gotten for her. The puppy was carrying her pull-up pants and she was stark naked.
I juggled the food over to the counter and then dashed after her as she ran into the living room, but Shade was quicker than me and he caught her up, tickling her tummy.
“Enough of that, Miss Priss,” he said, bringing her back into the kitchen. “No more playing nudist.” He glanced at me. “I’ll put another pair of pull-ups on her while you finish making lunch. When’s Hanna getting back from the store?”
“She said in an hour or so. I was going to make sandwiches for lunch. Is that all right?” I wasn’t a great cook, but I was learning. I had a lot more time on my hands now that we had taken out Shadow Wing and weren’t running all over the place chasing demons.
“That’s fine.” Shade retrieved another pair of pull-ups from the laundry room and quickly clothed our foster daughter again. He lifted her up, holding her over his head, and she laughed, waving her hands to the ceiling. Finally, he carried her over to the booster chair at the table and sat her in it, brushing the hair back from her face. He fastened the belt to keep her in the chair, because she was a live wire and would be down and running again within seconds otherwise.
He stared at her for a moment, then said, “She sure looks like Chase. More so every day.”
I nodded, wincing. The very mention of his name still hurt, but time was beginning to help. I didn’t burst into tears every time someone mentioned him. “Sharah said she’s coming over Earthside next week to see Astrid.”
“There’s no chance she can take her home with her?” Shade asked, coming over to wrap his arms around my ever-expanding waist as I fixed the roast beef sandwiches. He kissed my ear, then the back of my neck. “You’re growing so fast that I swear you’re carrying twins.”
I smiled, ducking my head. “No, just one. But she’s active, I’ll tell you that. Only four more months and she’ll be here. The place will be a madhouse, with two children.”
“Well, we can always ask Tim and Jason to babysit. Or make play dates with them and their twins. Although I guess we’ll have to wait and see just what little Chamiya will be like.”
The name meant “good harvest” in the Fae language, and Hi’ran had heartedly approved. The pregnancy was going well, though like the battle against Shadow Wing, I had waited so long for the time to come that when I found out I was actually pregnant, it seemed to appear out of nowhere.
“Yeah, I’m not at all certain what being the mother of an Elemental baby is going to require.” I glanced over at Astrid, handing Shade a bowl of applesauce and half of a sandwich. “Pour her half a cup of milk and give her this, please.” As he obeyed, I answered his earlier question. “Sharah and I talked the other day. She’s got her hands full with the triplets—Trenyth apparently has potent sperm and she had a very ripe egg. There’s no way she can trust a nanny to watch over Astrid properly. The triplet sisters are all that anybody cares about, and almost everybody seems to have forgotten that Sharah and Chase had a daughter. She’d end up being Cinderella over there, and you know it.”
Shade frowned as he placed Astrid’s lunch on the tray in front of her, then got her milk. “I think you’re exaggerating,” he said, turning around just in time to stop her from throwing the sandwich off the table to Freeto.
“No, I’m not. Sharah said as much. She’s worried that Astrid will be ignored in favor of the triplets. In some ways, Sharah reminds me so much of Queen Asteria that it’s scary. Maybe the elves are just like that.” I sighed, sinking into my chair. “I’m just grateful she asked us to take Astrid after…” Shaking my head, I changed the subject. “Can you carry over the sandwiches, please?
We were deep into discussing plans for the nursery when someone knocked on the kitchen door. Shade went to answer, but as he returned, I jumped out of my seat, groaning as my back bitched me out. Behind him stood Bruce.
“Bruce! Is Iris with you?” I looked around, hopeful.
He shook his head, staring at me. “Iris was right. You’ve a bun in the oven! Is it…”
I nodded. “The Autumn Lord’s child? Yes. And that’s Astrid, I’m sure you remember.”
Bruce’s smile faded, but he leaned down and kissed her on the head. “I remember the wee lass. We loved taking care of her for Chase. I’m just sorry he’s not here to see this.”
I said nothing, but right behind Astrid’s chair I could see Chase. He was watching his daughter fondly. Eventually he’d have to transition over, but for now, he was causing no harm to himself or anybody by guarding over his child.
“Sit down, have a sandwich. What brings you back to America? Are you coming back?” I asked, hoping that he’d say yes. But he shook his head.
“No, actually. I came to ask you…to tell you that you might want to find someone to rent the house. Iris and I will be staying in Ireland for at least five years, and after that we plan on going to Finland. Undutar has instructed her that she is to open a temple in her homeland. She’ll be the Temple Mother, and it will be run quite differently than the one in the Northlands. So we’re going to settle in Finland after spending some time in my land.” He scanned my face. “I know you hoped we’d come back to live here, but Fate is drawing us in other directions.”
“That seems to be the case for everything lately,” I said. My hormones were shifting like the tides. I felt a wash of tears well up. “I miss her. And so does Hanna.” As the tears began to spill over, I caught Shade giving Bruce that “There she goes again” look.
“Don’t you dare brush this off as pregnancy hormones! I’m just lonely for Iris, damn it.” I glared at him. At least while I was pregnant my ability to shift conked out, so I wasn’t shifting into my Tabby shape—or Panther—at the drop of a hat.
“Yes, ma’am,” Shade said meekly. But the smile on his face warmed my heart and I suddenly felt guilty for being so bitchy.
“I’m sorry. It’s just…the past year has brought so many changes I’m having a hard time coping with them.” No sooner were the words out of my mouth than Freeto came racing into the kitchen and tried to leap into my lap, missing by just enough that he knocked my plate off the table. He immediately jumped back down and began gobbling up my sandwich as I just stared at the mess.
“I’ll make you another sandwich,” Shade said, jumping up.
“I’ll clean up.” Bruce grabbed the broom and made himself handy.
I turned to Astrid, who was taking apart her sandwich. “No, sweetie, you need to eat the food, not wear it.” She gazed up at me as I maneuvered a piece of beef toward her lips and she laughed, and in that moment, Chase leaned down beside me.
“Delilah, don’t mourn,” I heard him say. “I’m here and I’m watching over my daughter. I’ll keep her a
s safe as I can, and help you while she’s growing up. I’m glad she’s with you.”
I held his gaze, watching his ghostly figure as he gently kissed his daughter’s cheek. She laughed, turning to him, and I realized she could see him, too.
I glanced over my shoulder. Shade and Bruce were in the living room, discussing something. I took the opportunity. “Chase, I promise you this.”
He focused on my face and I knew he could hear me.
“I’ll never let her grow up being teased for being a Windwalker. I’ll watch over her and make sure she’s happy and healthy, and that she knows about her father. I give you my word.” Tears were slowly tracing down my cheeks, but instead of loss, I felt love.
Love for Astrid, who would grow up to know what a brave man her father was. Love for Shade, and our connection. Love for the child growing in my womb, and for Hi’ran, whatever plans he had for me. Love for my sisters and for their loved ones. And after all these years, I realized that I truly could say I loved myself and my life. I was building roots. I was raising a family. I was home.
Chapter 15
Camille: One Year Later
WE WERE GATHERED around the bonfire out at Smoky’s Barrow, just the four of us. I was wearing the Keraastar diamond, which had become such a part of me I couldn’t imagine taking it off. My crown felt heavy on my head as we watched the stars on the cool October evening.
“Five years ago, everything started,” I said. “Five years ago, Jocko died and my sisters and I were caught into Fate’s web.” I glanced at my husbands, each one in turn.
Smoky was leaning on his side beside me. The doctors in the Dragon Reaches couldn’t reattach his arm—too much damage had been done—but thanks to the best techno-mages in Elqaneve and the Dragon Reaches, he had been fitted with a holographic prosthesis that had substance. Better still, it transformed into dragon-size when he shifted form. And he felt no lack, since he was able to use his hair to hold and grip and stroke when he needed to.
Morio was sitting on a boulder, his arms wrapped around his knees. He had emerged unscathed, but the battle had changed him in a way that I couldn’t put my finger on. He was more pensive, more solemn than before.
And Trillian—he had become our rock. Shoring up Smoky when he needed it, helping to pull him out of the angry hole he had slid into after the battle. He would never be the boy next door, never be the “good guy”—but he had taken on the role of anchor and he held things together.
As for me, I could feel the diamond working on me. I had learned its secrets that night with Shadow Wing. I had seen the other demons come and go over the eons, the other knights and queens fighting them. And after the battle, each time, they had drifted for a while before the seals and diamond went into hiding again, only to emerge once again when a great enemy threatened to break through the portals. I had combed the history books, combed the ancient scrolls, but could find no mention of any of this, but in my heart, I knew it was true. And I knew that one day, we would put the seals to rest in a safe place, hiding them for the next battle.
I had told no one about this, though, because it felt like it was my secret to bear. And so I would keep it, and leave it to the Hags of Fate to see that the information was passed on when it was needed.
“What are you thinking about?” Smoky asked, popping a potato chip into his mouth.
I pulled the unicorn hide cloak around me to guard against the wind. “I don’t know, really. The seals. The fight. The fact that Menolly and Nerissa are flying off to London, and that Delilah’s chasing a toddler around the house, getting ready to give birth to another in a few months.” I paused, then said, “I got a letter from our cousin Daniel the other day. He’s heading back from a trip to Amsterdam. He said he’s going to retire, give up the business and settle down.”
“I’ll believe it when I see it,” Morio said with a laugh.
“Yeah, me too.” I leaned back, resting against the grass to watch the stars overhead. “Aeval and Vanzir are coming to dinner tomorrow night. They’re bringing Lahi with them.” Lahi was their daughter.
Aeval had taken Vanzir as her official consort, and her Barrow had accepted the dream-chaser demon better than we could have hoped. He’d never have power there, but he had standing and respect, and together they had a daughter who had his kaleidoscopic eyes and her mother’s raven hair. The girl was smart as a whip, and I had the feeling she’d be breaking hearts and heads before she was grown.
“How’s the build going in the Wildwood Grove?” Smoky asked. “I haven’t had time to look in on it since I got back from Mother’s.” He had stayed in the Dragon Reaches for several weeks so they could better attune his arm for him.
“Good. And we have our first few acolytes lined up. Derisa is sending over several priestesses to take over classes until we can train enough here. We’re already planning exchange classes between the two worlds.”
Trillian stoked the fire and then handed us each a stick with marshmallows on it. We sat up, roasting them as he poured hot cocoa all around. We roasted hot dogs after that, and Smoky brought out more chips, and we talked long and hard about nothing at all, late into the night.
Overhead, the Moon Mother was rising. She wasn’t quite full, but close to it, and I could feel the pull of the Hunt as she rose into the sky.
Each time I went out on the Hunt, Shamas was there, waiting for me, and we’d run side by side until the night was done. It hurt seeing him, but he was content and I was letting go. I had spent a year in mourning for Chase and Shamas, but now the wheel was turning, the future was here, and it was time to mend hearts and move into life again.
Chapter 16
Maggie: Three Hundred Years Later
DEAREST MOTHER CAMILLE, Mother Delilah, and Mother Menolly:
I know you worry about me, but please don’t. The Golden Wood is so beautiful, and I’m doing well in my studies, and I’m learning so much about my heritage. Every day I face challenges that I didn’t expect to face, but I’m meeting them head-on, and I think you’ll all be proud of me when I come home for Yule.
We were given the assignment to talk about our family traditions and what we learned from them. Well, obviously, mine are quite different than anybody else’s here. I’m the only one who grew up away from the forests, and away from her own people. But I regret nothing, and it made me think truly, about the upbringing you gave me.
I wanted you to see what I wrote, so here it is:
“When I think about my babyhood, it’s not filled with the warm fuzzy arms of my birth mother or arguing with my siblings. Nor do I remember days spent in the trees, or learning to hunt, or anything like that. None of those rites and passages that one normally goes through.
What I do remember, though, is this:
Warm nights snuggled in a crib with a teddy bear, with my mother’s spirit watching over me. And three warm and loving mothers who always looked so different than me, but who cared so deeply that their love shrouded me like a blanket. They guarded me as I slept. I remember a kitchen so filled with love and cheer that I couldn’t bear to be put to bed. The food was always so good, and though I mostly ate lamb and porridge and cream-drink, I remember cookies and cakes and pizza and getting in trouble when I’d sneak into the garbage because I couldn’t stand it till I had just one more bite.
I remember the musky smell of strong men who tickled me till I laughed, and when I would cry, a woman with golden hair down to her heels sang lullabies to me, songs that I still remember the words to. I remember the night Mother Menolly came to visit after she moved away, and how frightened she was because somebody had staked the queen, and now she would have to carry the crown.
I remember toys and games of hide and seek, and I remember a tree so shiny that every year Mother Delilah managed to knock off a good half-dozen ornaments when she shifted into her cat form. And everyone would scold her except me. I’d laugh and laugh.
I remember watching Mother Camille put on makeup, and how much care she woul
d take, and when nobody was watching, she’d let me play dress up in her clothes, and she’d sneak me cookies and take me out to work in the herb garden with her. I learned how to heal with herbs thanks to her. She taught me how to sing to the Moon Mother, and to hear her answering.
I remember all these things, and so much more. But mostly?
I remember what my mothers taught me about love. About what it means to be family—how the bonds of love transcend the bonds of blood. I learned that love can transcend the widest of differences. I learned that family is what you make it, that if you care about somebody enough, they are your tribe. They are your family.
I learned that honor wins out, and if you make a promise, you keep it to the best of your ability. I remember the few times I lied as I was growing up, and how the disappointment in Mother Camille’s eyes was greater than any punishment I could have been given. I learned that you do your duty, you honor your commitments, no matter what. And that when all is said and done, love is the last thing you have left.
And so, if I were to name my family traditions, they’re those of love and laughter, of honor and keeping my word. Of being there when I’m needed. And those are the traditions I’ll instill in my children, when I have any, and that I will take to my grave.”
I hope you like my paper. My teacher gave me high marks for it. Anyway, I love you, and as I said, don’t worry—I’m having a blast. I’m also dating a gargoyle named E’lam. He’s handsome and sweet, and he wants to meet you some time. And of course, he knows he has to win your approval.
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