Chapter 9
Lunch started out with a bang. We were gathered
around the table when Bruce stood up and cleared his throat. Iris
stared at him, her mouth full of spaghetti. I grabbed Smoky’s hand
under the table. He gave me an inscrutable look but smiled at
me.
“Iris and I’ve been courting for a while now,
and though I’ve been a fool at times, she’s made me a better man.”
Bruce shifted from one foot to the other. “I know her secrets, she
knows mine. And now, ’tis time to step up and be the man she’s
helped me become. I know you all consider Iris part of your family.
Therefore it is only fitting that I beg your permission to ask for
her hand in marriage. She is—and always will be—the girl of my
dreams.”
He was grinning like an idiot, but I could see
fear masked behind his eyes—the fear of being rejected.
Iris gasped, but he looked at me and then
Delilah. “You two might as well be her sisters . . . and Miss
Menolly, too. Would you object to having me for a brother-in-law,
should Iris accept my proposal?”
I broke into a smile a mile wide, wanting to
cry. So often our meals were tempered with bad news, but this . . .
“I have no objection, but know you this, Master Leprechaun: If you
hurt our Iris, you’ll have all of us to deal with.”
Delilah laughed and clapped her hands. “I agree.
I so agree. Oh, I wish Menolly were awake, but Iris, you can tell
her first thing.”
The men murmured, but I shut them up with a
look. I turned back to Bruce. “Go on, then. If you want some
privacy, the parlor is free.”
“No,” Iris said, slowly. “You are family. You’ve
seen me through so much. It’s only fitting you should share this.”
She stood and Bruce knelt at her feet, taking her hand in
his.
“I am not of your race, I am not of your
background. But I come to you, a son of the Rainbow Goddess. A son
bound by the golden locks of both the goddess Iris, and my love,
Iris.” He clasped her hand to his lips and kissed it. “I promise
you: I will honor you, give you shelter, give you children if it be
the will of the gods, and love you as long as love shall last. Will
you, Iris Kuusi, accept my offer of marriage and join me as my
wife?”
Iris stared at him, her eyes glazing over like
clouds in a blue sky. She sucked in a deep breath and let it out
slowly. “Bruce O’Shea, I am not of your race. I am not of your
background. I am the daughter of the goddess Undutar, priestess to
the snow and mist. I am a child of the ice floes. I accept your
offer to marry. I will honor you, make a home for you and our
children, should the gods bless us. I will protect the household,
and love you as long as love shall last.”
And then she burst into tears, smiling, and fell
into his arms, kissing his face, his eyes, even as he sought her
lips.
After lunch, Smoky, Trillian, and I wandered into
the living room. Delilah and Shade had volunteered to clean up so
that Bruce and Iris could have the afternoon to themselves, and
they were also taking care of Maggie.
Roz meandered in, looking bored. “Vanzir called.
He’ll be home in a few minutes.” He gave me a short but meaningful
look, and I gave him a quick nod. Crap. We’d have to be on guard.
Again. Everybody but my husbands knew what had gone down.
I decided to fill the guys in on what Delilah
and I had found. During lunch, Bruce’s proposal had taken
precedence and I didn’t want to spoil it for Iris. Whether we
discussed what next to do then or at dinner wouldn’t matter.
“Come upstairs—you, too, Roz. I want to tell you
all something, and I should tell Morio while I’m at it. Delilah
will fill Shade in on matters.” I dashed down the hall and stuck my
head in the kitchen. “I sent the guys upstairs. I’m going to tell
them about Chase. You run down the situation with Shade and come up
after you’re done with the dishes.”
“No problem.” Delilah waved me on. I’d started
up the stairs to meet the guys when I heard the front door open.
Must be Vanzir. And once again, we’d be walking on eggshells.
Smoky and Trillian sprawled on the sofa in
Morio’s room, while Roz sat on a nearby ottoman. Morio was propped
up by a wall of pillows. He looked a little stronger today. I
hurried to his side and planted a long kiss on his lips.
“How was your day?” He stroked my cheek, his
nails black and sharp. He hadn’t changed into either his fox or
demonic form since he’d been hurt—he wouldn’t have the energy to
change back.
I pressed his hand to my lips and kissed each
finger, licking the tips gently. He shuddered, closing his eyes.
Morio had seldom talked about his heritage—he was Japanese and had
come over when summoned by Grandmother Coyote, one of the Hags of
Fate—but I suddenly wondered: What would his family think of me? He
was married now. Had he told them? I’d never even thought to
ask.
“Love, does your family know about your marriage
to me?” I tilted my head, waiting.
He cupped my chin, lifting it slightly. “Yes,
they know about you and your sisters. They know about us. Someday,
you will meet them. They were . . . not entirely pleased, but
neither were they against it. They reserve judgment. And they trust
my instincts.”
That was more than I’d hoped for. I nodded and
didn’t bother to press the subject. As far as Trillian was
concerned, I knew that he had long ago left his home and abandoned
his family—or rather, they’d abandoned him. It wasn’t even an issue
with him.
Just then, Vanzir came creeping into the room.
He was pale, which was normal—he looked a lot like David Bowie as
the Goblin King in Labyrinth—but tonight he
looked even more withdrawn. His eyes were luminous, swirling
kaleidoscopes of a color to which we couldn’t even put a
name.
He slid onto a far chair and stared at me, his
gaze focused on me. What the hell could have happened?
“Hey, where have you been?” Trillian asked him,
staring at him a little too long for comfort. And then, without
missing a beat, he turned his gaze to me, then back to Vanzir, and
I saw understanding flash through his eyes.
Oh fucking hell. He
knew. Somehow, he’d picked up on it. But
when? Just now? Or had he known for a while? My stomach began to
churn as Vanzir shrugged.
“I was hanging out in the Demon Underground for
a while. Hey, dude . . . Smoky . . . have you heard the rumors
about your father?” Vanzir was struggling to keep his voice
neutral, but I could sense the fear beneath it.
Smoky gave him a short nod. “Yes.
Unfortunately.”
I broke in, trying to control my nerves. “We have further problems.” I outlined
what had happened to Delilah and me, first in the portal, and then
what I’d learned down at the bookstore.
“So we’ve got to figure out what to do about
Chase, and . . . I think the person looking for me at the shop was
the snow monkey that Trytian mentioned.”
My words died on my lips as I stared at the
floor. The room was silent for a moment, and then before the
testosterone could fly, I added, “I am thinking of selling the
bookstore. I’m afraid for the people who come in. I’m afraid more
innocent people will die because of the demons, or an irate dragon,
or just because I’m a handy target for the Fae-haters.”
Morio shook his head. “You can’t let fear rule
your life. If you do, you’ll lose more than you know. Everyone on
this planet takes a chance the moment they wake up in the morning
and get out of bed. You’ve seen Earth’s history—the wars in the
Middle East, the world wars, the natural disasters . . . people
dealt with them. Now, the biggest war is headed our way and you’re
doing everything you can to stop it. Closing the Indigo Crescent
isn’t going to prevent people from getting hurt.”
“He’s right,” Trillian said, his voice
surprisingly soft. “You have never been one to run in fear. That’s
one thing I’ve always loved about you. You said the hell with it and faced danger time and again.
And now, my lovely wife, you need to stand up and face the facts of
what’s going down. All the facts.”
It was both a question and a demand. And I knew
right then that Trillian would bring it up if I didn’t. And
Trillian didn’t mince words. He didn’t play fair, and he didn’t
sidestep delicate issues.
I sucked in a deep breath. “Yeah. I’d better.
Vanzir . . . will you please leave the room? In fact, you might
want to go for a long walk. Roz, you, too.
I’ve got something to talk over with my husbands.”
Vanzir jerked around. He stared at me, then bit
his lip, nodded, and left without a word, Roz following behind
him.
Smoky looked puzzled, Morio perplexed. I walked
over and locked the door. As if that could stop Smoky from breaking
through the wall if he wanted, but hey, it was something. And it
might give Vanzir an extra moment to make a break for it.
I turned, scarcely able to breathe. My loves
stared back at me. Trillian nodded, and I realized that he was on
my side. How he found out—and just how much he knew—I had no idea.
But he wasn’t going to go apeshit. Morio was still too wounded to
throttle the demon. That left . . .
“I have something to tell you. You have to
promise to remain calm. I need you to be calm for me. Before we
left for the Northlands, something happened.” I could barely
whisper. “There was no way to avoid it. You have to understand this . . . you have to understand . . . Morio—remember how bad
it was? Smoky, you were off helping your mother. And Trillian
wasn’t there. We didn’t have enough people in the tunnels when the
ghosts attacked. It was bad . . . so bad . . .”
“Camille . . . what happened?” Smoky shifted,
his hair coiling out to trail along my shoulder, but I pulled away,
shaking my head.
“When Morio was hurt, Menolly and Chase were up
top in the snow, trying to keep him alive till Sharah could get
there.”
“I don’t even remember that,” Morio said. “Just
the pain and the feeling that my life force was draining
away.”
I pressed my hand to my stomach. “Yeah . . . I
know. I know what that feels like. In the
tunnels . . . Vanzir and I were left down there alone. We were
fighting for our lives. I was throwing spells right and left.
Vanzir was feeding so deeply from the ghosts that he was lost in
the energy and couldn’t break free.”
Memories flashed through my mind, vivid, like a
waking dream. It had been so surreal, and yet, all too real. “When
we tried to get to the ladder, I couldn’t find my gloves—and the
rungs were iron.”
Trillian nodded, and I could see he’d already
forgiven me. He, of all three, would understand the most. He was my
alpha, but he had the same Fae nature I did. Possessive? Yes. But
to the point of stupidity? No.
Turning away, I walked over to the door and
leaned against it, my head resting on the cool wood. Then I whirled
around and pressed my back against it . . . eyeing the three men
from whom I knew I could never keep secrets. They were my all. My
everything. My loves.
I just hoped they’d feel the same about me after
tonight.
Smoky started to stand, but I motioned for him
to sit down.
“As I said, I threw some hefty energy bolts that
night . . . the air was charged, drenched in energy. Vanzir was
trying to feed on the ghosts, to keep them away from us. It was
like being trapped in a horror movie with no one from the cavalry
coming to save us. I got too close to Vanzir—he warned me not to,
but I was trying to get his attention, to see if he knew where my
gloves were.”
I paused, waiting, searching Smoky’s face. But
Morio, I couldn’t look at Morio. How could I, when he’d been
bleeding to death while I’d been down below, fucking a demon?
“What did he do?” Trillian asked, his voice
even.
“His feelers were out, seeking energy, and right
then we were attacked again. I cast another spell—a huge mother of
an energy bolt. Vanzir latched onto me and began to feed.”
Smoky stood, his eyes draining to cold, flat
gray.
“Stop! Please stop. Wait. Let me finish,” I
begged him, still unable to leave the door. After a moment he sat
back down, but his back was stiff, his expression unreadable.
“Vanzir didn’t want to
feed on me. He tried to stop himself, but
his nature overtook him. He was draining me. It was horrible, but
even through the pain and the invasiveness, I could feel his
anguish. There was only one way I knew how to stop him. One way to
make him break off from my mind.”
I was crying now, both in fear and in sadness.
So much had gone wrong. I held out my hands. “I gave myself to him.
It stopped him from feeding on me.”
Smoky slowly stood again, then stepped forward,
staring at me with a look so harsh that I cringed. Trillian noticed
and tried to intervene, but Smoky’s hair thrashed, whipping him out
of the way. Morio let out a cry.
“He touched you?” Every
word punctuated by another step, Smoky reached my side. He grabbed
my wrist and held it tight, shaking me as he drew me forward. His
hair wrapped around my waist, lifting me up to face him at eye
level. “I asked you if he touched you! Answer me!”
“Yes, he did. But he didn’t have any choice—” My
teeth were chattering now. Smoky caught my gaze and then, after a
horrible moment in which I was truly afraid he might lose control,
he very quietly put me down and gently pushed me away from the
door. “Don’t—don’t go after him! He doesn’t have his powers
anymore! He can’t defend himself.”
Trillian and Smoky both turned to me. Morio was
sitting forward as far as he could. I swallowed my fear.
“The Moon Mother came through me while he was .
. . while we were . . . she stripped him of his powers and the soul
binder. He might as well be mortal, except for his innate strength.
She took away his ability to feed.”
Smoky began to laugh then, but it was a horrible
laugh, one filled with retribution and glee. “And so the Moon would
wreak her justice before I have my chance. But I will have my say.
Vanzir will know why even the gods fear a dragon.” He turned and
wrenched open the door so quickly that he tore it off its hinges.
Tossing it aside, he made for the stairs with me running after
him.
“Stop! Smoky! No.” I put all the force I could
muster in my voice.
He turned at the landing. “Why? Did you enjoy
him so much? Are you so hungry for him that you would take a
fourth?”
I let out a little cry. “How dare you? How dare you make light of what was one of
the worst nights of my life? He fed on my mind—he didn’t want to,
but his nature pushed him over the edge. And just where the fucking
hell were your ears when I was telling you about the attack? We
were at war with a pack of hungry ghosts.
They almost killed Morio—they would have
killed both of us!”
Smoky let out a harsh cry. “I cannot stand that
he touched you! That he violated not only your body but your
mind!”
“He didn’t rape me! I offered myself to
him—”
“To get him out of your mind. Both attacks were
violations—and in no way do I believe that he couldn’t stop
himself. He’s probably been sniffing after your skirts since the
beginning.”
Smoky circled me, glaring.
“You’re my
wife—Trillian’s wife. Morio’s wife. I share you with them because
it is what it is. But I refuse to share you with anyone else. I
won’t share you with some filthy stinking demon who worms his way
into your magic and your mind. You are a priestess! He should have
had respect for you. How can you defend
him?”
Before I thought of what I was doing, I reached
out to slap him across the face. A strand of his hair caught my
wrist and held it taut. Smoky pulled me to him.
“You’re my wife. No one gets away with harming
you. No one. Do you understand?” His voice
was thick, and he reeked of musk and anger. “You belong to me. We
are paired. Mated. I should carry you off to a dreyerie. I should
keep you as a queen.”
I could feel the energy of his dragon self
rising around him. The thought that he might actually go through
with it this time—he might carry me off along with Trillian and
Morio—terrified me. Reasoning with men was bad enough, with all the
testosterone, but Smoky was, beneath the gorgeous exterior, all
dragon. And a thousand times more stubborn.
“Smoky. I love you. Please, believe me, I love
you. But Vanzir . . . he got the short end of the stick. I’m okay.
He’s not. He has already been punished by my goddess. She did
something far worse to him than kill him. She stripped him of his
very nature.”
Smoky trembled, nuzzling my neck. He pressed his
lips to mine, savagely kissing me. And then he slowly put me down.
When he spoke again, his voice was barely contained. “Go. Give me
time. I can’t think straight. If you stay here, I will find him and
kill him. Once you are out of the way, I’ll go to my barrow for the
night. I can’t look at you right now or all I want to do is hunt
down the demon dog and destroy him.”
I stumbled away from him, still afraid but
clinging to the ray of hope he offered. Trillian didn’t touch me as
I walked by, but he whispered, “I’ll try to talk to him. Best if
you clear out for an hour or so.”
“Morio—?”
“He’ll be okay. Just go, my sweet.” And as I
hurried down the stairs, angry and afraid and in tears, Trillian
turned to Smoky.
The minute I got downstairs, I hurried into the
kitchen. “Did Vanzir get out of here?”
Delilah nodded, her eyes wide. Shade looked like
he was ready to tackle something. I glanced at my sister, then her
lover, shaking my head.
“I told them . . . about Vanzir . . .”
“I thought you might have,” Shade said. “I could
feel his dragon rising from down here. In fact, I’m getting ready
to leave for a little while. All it would take is one wrong word
from me to set him off.”
I nodded. “That’s a good idea. I’m going to take
a walk. I need to get out of here, but I don’t want to drive
anywhere.” I hunted in the laundry room and pulled on my walking
skirt—which Iris had washed—and one of Delilah’s turtlenecks. It
was too tight, especially around the bust, and I stretched it all
out of proportion, but I’d buy her a new one. Throwing my cape over
my shoulders, I let Shade walk me to the door.
Delilah gave me a kiss on the head. “Everything
will be okay. Vanzir took off. He took the Chevy.” We’d bought a
couple of spare cars for the guys to use—not as pretty as ours, but
serviceable.
“Good. But Smoky could trace him in a heartbeat.
Okay, I’ll be back in an hour or so. If I get too cold, I’ll hang
out at the studio.” We’d turned a large shed on the property into a
studio for Shamas, Roz, and Vanzir to sleep in. Occasionally, I
sent my husbands down there to get them out of my hair when I
wanted a night to myself.
As Shade walked me out into the snowy afternoon,
the light was beginning to fade. Late afternoon might as well be
dusk—the shortest day of the year was barely a week away. As we
wandered into the twilight, I prayed to the Moon Mother that things
would calm down. I’d never fully trusted Vanzir, but I knew he
hadn’t hurt me on purpose, and I wasn’t one to hold grudges when I
knew it had truly been circumstance and not premeditation at
play.
Shade cocked his head to one side. “Give him
time. His ego’s been hurt.”
“Ego—” I started to protest, but he held up one
hand.
“You must understand the nature of dragons. He
wasn’t there to protect you. You were hurt. You didn’t tell him
about it immediately. Those three things came to a damning head. He
might still have wanted to kill Vanzir, but he wouldn’t have been
so angry at you. He feels humiliated that he could not keep his
family safe. Hell, I feel responsible for you, too, and you are not
even my mate. You are my beloved’s sister. And if I feel this bad,
can you imagine how much worse your husband feels?”
Shade and I reached the driveway. “Smoky
absolutely worships the ground you walk on. The thought of anyone
hurting you drives him into a frenzy. He is dragon . . . it is the
way.”
I nodded. “Yeah, I think I’m beginning to
understand that. It’s easy to forget I’m not dealing with just a
man—a gorgeous, strong, stubborn man. But he is a dragon. He’s not a human in a dragon suit. Not
even a Fae in a dragon suit.”
“Exactly. Now, would you like me to walk with
you? I will if you want, but it might not be wise should he come to
find you and discover another dragon at your side . . . even though
I’m only half. Hell, I’m not even going to hug you, though I think
you need a hug. My smell on you? It would be suicide.” Shade
laughed then, and I smiled for the first time in what seemed like
forever.
“No, I’ll be fine. We have the wards up. Delilah
will come find me if something happens. I could use a little time
to myself . . . to think.”
“Then I’ll pop out and go look for Vanzir. I’ll
try to help him sort out what to do now. Maybe we can pull everyone
through this without a problem.”
“Delilah sure found a keeper, that’s for
certain.” I waved as he vanished into the shadows and popped out of
sight. Thank gods for levelheaded men. Or at least as levelheaded
as they were going to get. And on that note, I also sent a mental
kiss toward Trillian. Maybe Smoky would listen to him. Maybe
Trillian could calm him down.
After Shade left, I turned toward the trail
leading to Birchwater Pond. Delilah had been right. A walk would do
me good. I decided that, come rain or shine, I’d manage to get out
every day for a quiet stroll. The snow had stopped falling and now
a patch of sky was glimmering from between the clouds. Another hour
and the stars would come creeping out.
The familiar footpath was welcoming, and my
boots left soft impressions in the snow. I sucked in a deep breath,
letting the chill fill my lungs as I strolled toward the pond. It
had been a long time since I’d taken a walk by myself. Even during
the full moons, I was in the sky, running with the Moon Mother on
the Hunt, along with a passel of warriors and other witches who
followed the Lady of the Hunt.
No, I needed more time by myself.
Up ahead was a bend in the trail, one fork
leading deeper into the woods, the other leading to Birchwater
Pond, where we often held rituals for the holidays. Where I’d
married Smoky and Morio.
As I came closer, I saw a tall form in the
trees, clad in a white cloak. His long hair floated on the
breeze.
Smoky! Smoky had come to find me! I hurried to
meet him. Trillian must have gotten through to him. Thank gods. Now
we could get on with taking care of this and figuring out some
compromise to keep Vanzir alive and my husband happy. My heart
skipped a beat, and the worry and heartache began to ease.
As I rounded the fir tree standing between us, I
held out my arms, wanting only to feel his embrace, his kiss. To
beg his forgiveness for not trusting him enough to tell him when
everything had first happened.
“Smoky, please, please don’t be angry at
me—”
But my words fell away as I stared at the man
who towered over me. He gave me a slow, lecherous smile.
Taller than Smoky, his hair, almost as long as
Smoky’s, was pure white instead of spun silver—now that I was close
enough, I could see the difference. He looked somewhat older,
though it would be hard to place his age, but I knew he was ancient
. . . dangerous and ruthless.
My heart began to race as I turned to run, but
his hair reached out to grab me and he dragged me to him.
“No! No! Let me go, let me go . . . please,
please let me go.”
I wanted to wake up. To wake screaming to find
it had all been a dream. But I was here, facing my worst
nightmare.
Clenching his arm around my waist, he pulled me
up to stare into his eyes, leaning his head against mine as I
struggled to free myself. He pressed his mouth against mine,
forcing his way between my lips. I choked as he deep-throated me. I
tried to bite his tongue, but a strand of his hair caught me around
the neck and squeezed until I stopped.
“What’s the matter, Camille? You aren’t being
very friendly. That’s no way to greet a relative, is it? After all,
aren’t you glad to see your father-in-law?”
And then, as Hyto laughed, I began to
scream.