Chapter 2
“OH, CRIPES. YOU scared the hell out of me!” I jumped as Shade appeared by my elbow. He slipped his arm around my waist even as Menolly laughed.
“Surprised?” He gave me a hug and a kiss.
“Truly.”
“Really? Nobody said anything?”
“I’m floored. I had no clue.” I still felt uneasy, but figured that I had picked up on the anticipation of the others and interpreted it as danger.
I glanced around. Everybody was here—Chase, Venus the Moon Child, Erin, Morio, Trillian, Roz, Vanzir, Marion Vespa, a couple other friends from the Supe Community Action Council—pretty much anybody who had become a close friend over the past years. The fact that they had all come out to celebrate my upcoming wedding both embarrassed me and yet warmed my heart.
As Lash stepped forward, I swallowed. Like her brother, she was half–shadow dragon, half-Stradolan. Her skin was the same rich brown skin as his, and her hair matched his—amber and honey. Where his eyes were dark brown, hers were the color of topaz. Lash was wearing a brilliant orange gown that set off her skin. She looked radiant, as though she were glowing from within. She might have been, for all that I knew.
“Delilah, well met, I hope? Happy…bridal day?” Her tone was more congenial than the last time we had met. She sounded more confused than anything else.
I instantly understood that she had no frame of reference for “bridal shower.” “It’s a local human tradition. Celebrating an upcoming wedding.”
She grinned. “Good, then you can explain it to Mother.”
I froze.
“Mother?” I had never met Shade’s mother. His father had pretty much washed his hands of Shade. But apparently his mother was still in touch with him.
Lash flashed me a bone-chilling smile. “Yes, our mother decided it was time to meet the woman who will be her daughter-in-law.”
And with that, the parlor door opened again and Shade’s mother stepped through.
THE SILENCE THAT hit the room was about as loud as a semi crashing into a brick wall. Shade plastered a smile on his face and tugged at the collar of his shirt, but he had that terrified oh-shit-my-mother look in his eyes. Smoky was trying to keep a straight face, but his gaze met mine and he flashed me a look of sympathy. And everybody else? Well, they took a step back. Either they had already met Shade’s mama, or they were as frightened of meeting a scary-assed dragon mother as I was.
I swept my gaze over the approaching woman.
She was tall, as were all dragons. Six feet in human form was considered short for dragons. Smoky’s mother stood seven feet tall, but Shade’s mother was even taller than that. I was six-one, and she towered over me. She had to be at least seven-four.
Her gown flowed, the color of smoke. The material shifted from iridescent gray to shimmering white to jet black, depending on how she moved. Her eyes were dark, arrestingly so, and she had rich, full lips and wide-set eyes and she moved as gracefully as a dancer. Her hair coiled down to her feet, continually moving like writhing snakes. All dragons had hair that moved on its own, but even Smoky’s hair never seemed this active. Shade’s was pretty docile in comparison, given he was only half dragon.
She stopped in front of me and I gulped, staring up at her. Shade’s mother wasn’t smiling, but that didn’t necessarily mean anything. Dragons weren’t given to excessive displays, in general.
I waited for her to speak, which was, I felt, the only polite thing to do. As I stood there, forcing a smile to my lips, I realized that I seldom thought of Shade in terms of his parents. Oh, we had talked about them when his sister had first visited to drop the bombshell on me that Shade’s father was akin to an astral judge, jury, and executioner all rolled into one. But mostly, we left the subject alone.
“So you are the woman my son has chosen to take as a mate?” While she didn’t sound aggressive, I still felt like a big juicy steak dangling in front of a hungry lion. She walked around me, slowly circling until I wanted to snap at her. I didn’t like feeling on display. Finally, she came to a stop directly in front of me again. “Well? Nothing to say? Can you speak, girl?”
I jumped at the sudden question, then stammered, “I was waiting for someone to introduce us.” I scrambled, trying to think of something to say that wouldn’t set her off.
She gave me a long look, then turned to Shade. “Your betrothed makes an excellent point. I raised you to be a proper dragon and gentleman. Must I refresh your memory as to the etiquette of this situation? Please tell me that you haven’t become brutish living with these creatures?”
I wasn’t sure whether or not to be offended. But by the look on Shade’s face and the sound of his mother’s voice, I was sincerely grateful that I wasn’t the one on the hot seat.
Shade shot me a dirty look, but obediently cast his eyes down as he turned to his mother.
“I’m sorry, Mother. I wasn’t expecting you. You caught us by surprise. Seratha, please meet my fiancée, Delilah.” He turned to me, motioning for me to step forward. “Delilah, I present my mother, Seratha.”
Seratha slowly held out her hand to me. “Greetings. Now that my son has properly introduced us, I want to welcome you to the family. I realize you had no idea that Lash and I were going to be here, so I apologize for the intrusion. I know that among your kind—both human and Fae—‘meeting the family’ is considered an awkward situation. While I’m here, I must also inform you that Shade’s father will not be in attendance, either now or at your wedding.” A dark look crossed her face. “Do not expect his blessing, for it will never be forthcoming. I’m sure my son has explained the nuances of their relationship. Don’t ever think to interfere, Delilah. There’s absolutely nothing you can say that won’t make it worse. As for me, I prefer to make up my own mind, without undo influence.”
Her tone wasn’t unfriendly, although she spoke in a far more formal manner than I was used to. But I appreciated her making the effort.
“I’m pleased to meet you. I realize that I may not be your first choice for a daughter-in-law, but I want to assure you that I love your son and I hope to make him happy.” I paused, searching for something else to say.
Seratha frowned. “I do believe you in that.” She frowned, then added, “Shade’s devotion to the Autumn Lord was not something that his father and I would have chosen for him. But the Elemental Lords and the Hags of Fate will have their way. His father cannot accept the unchangeable, but I choose to accept what is. I want a relationship with my son, and so I accept his choices. At least I’ll have a grandchild, which is something I never expected to have, given the state of those born to Stradolan–shadow dragon unions. And that warms my heart, even if my grandchild stands to be the child of one of the Immortals.”
That set the rest of the room to whispering. I blushed.
“Well, soon enough. I’m not pregnant yet.” I had a sudden glimpse of what it was going to be like over the next year or so as I envisioned visits from Shade’s mother to “help out.”
Behind me, Vanzir let out a stifled laugh. I glanced over my shoulder, sticking out my tongue out at him.
“Mother, please. This is a delicate subject.” Shade squirmed a little.
“What was Shade like as a little boy?” I asked impulsively.
Seratha laughed then, and her laughter lit up the room. “He was a willful little boy, that much I will tell you. I had to constantly be after him to mind his manners and not be disrespectful to his elders. He’s lucky we did not live in the Dragon Reaches.”
Shade shot another dirty look my way. “Quit asking her to tell tales on me.” He glanced back at his mother. “I’m happy here. I don’t think there’s any place better for me. Especially since…” He trailed off, shaking his head. “Especially since I lost my Stradolan powers.”
“Yes, about that.” Seratha’s focus narrowed and I had the feeling she forgot about everyone else in the room. She truly loved her son.
“I’m sorry we didn’t offer you the support you needed. Your father’s still angry, so it’s probably best that you continue to keep your distance from home. It’s not that I don’t want you there, but…you know his temper. I promise I’ll visit more often.” She turned to me. “Take care of my son, Delilah. I’ll be sending you a wedding gift soon. And let me know when I’m expecting a grandchild.” She turned to her daughter. “Lash, I know you’d like to stay and talk to your brother, but we have business to attend to. Make your farewells.”
As Lash quietly said good-bye to her brother, I breathed a sigh of relief. That had gone far better than I had any right to expect. A moment later, Seratha and Lash shimmered out of sight, disappearing as if they’d never been there.
Shade dropped into one of the chairs, leaning his head back. “I swear to you, I had no clue they were going to show up. Lash contacted me the other day and I told her what I was planning, but I never in the world expected for her and Mother to crash the party.” He looked up at me. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I had no intention of subjecting you to their scrutiny tonight.”
I gave him a quick kiss on the forehead. “I’m just grateful that I passed muster.” I glanced around at everybody else. “All right, then. Let’s get this party started. Camille, Menolly, did you know about this?”
They nodded, grinning.
Iris piped up. “Of course we knew about it. Do you think that the guys could pull this off on their own? Hanna and I worked for several days on the food. We cooked it all at my house so that you wouldn’t see it.”
I perked up at that. “There’s food? Cake? Please tell me there’s cake!”
Hanna laughed. “Of course there’s cake. This party’s for you, so it’s jampacked full of sugary sweets. And Cheetos.”
After that, we got into full swing, trooping into the kitchen to the big buffet that was spread across the dining room table. It felt like old times, with all of us gathered together. As they brought out presents, it dawned on me that I was getting married in less than two weeks. There was still a part of me that wanted to run away, not because I didn’t love Shade but because everything was moving so fast that it made my head spin. I was a cat. I didn’t like change, even when I knew it was for the best.
As the evening wore away, people made their farewells until it was just our core group left. Camille and her husbands, with her guards keeping watch outside. Nerissa and Menolly, and Vanzir and Roz stayed. Bruce left for home to take over care of the twins. His mother was still visiting from the summer. The Duchess had arrived in early June to help Iris while Bruce taught a course in Ireland for two months. She had stuck around after he returned in August. As much as the leprechaun might put on airs, she was always available to help out when needed. It occurred to me that, even though she was looking forward to a grandchild, Seratha wouldn’t be quite the same type of doting grandmother. I doubted we could call on her to dash over from the Netherworld to babysit on date night.
We were sitting around the living room, finishing off the last of the chocolate cake. I was poring over the loot that people had given us—mostly personal things, since we already had a house full of stuff—when Shade pointed at my laptop.
“I have a present for you. You’ll find it in your email.” He looked like the cat that not only ate the canary, but spit out the feathers.
I frowned. “Email?” Opening my laptop, I brought up my email program and waited while it loaded. Sure enough, there was an email from Shade. I opened it, and inside was a link. Clicking on the link, I was surprised to see a registration form pop up. “What’s this—?” I started to say, but then froze as I read the text printed on it.
“You didn’t!”
“I did. And I’ll even go with you, I love you that much.” He snorted. “And you have to know that I love you, if I’m willing to do this.”
“What is it?” Camille asked.
I turned the laptop around so she could see the screen. On it was the form indicating that I was the proud bearer of two tickets to the Jerry Springer show, a special edition that would be taped in Seattle come January.
“I can’t believe this!” I clapped, blushing. I had been infatuated with Jerry Springer ever since I first came Earthside. I couldn’t explain it—there was no rhyme or reason to it, but something about the man fascinated me.
Camille burst out laughing. “Best. Fiancé. Evah! You win the prize, Shade.”
I threw my arms around him. “I love you, even though you did sic your mother on me.”
“She was more on my case than yours,” he said, laughing.
An hour later, as we were winding up the evening, Roz and Vanzir disappeared with Iris. Vanzir had promised Camille he would gather some flower starts from Iris’s greenhouse for her. Hanna and Nerissa were in the kitchen washing up, while Camille played with Maggie, our baby calico gargoyle. I was in the living room, along with Menolly, Smoky, Trillian, Morio, and Shade, when a massive thump sounded from the front porch. It sounded like a large rock hitting the porch.
“What the—?” I started, but Shade motioned for me to sit down.
“I’ll check,” he said.
As he headed for the front door, I froze. The feeling I had earlier—that something was wrong—suddenly swept back full force. I had ascribed it to Lash and Seratha showing up, but now it was back. A wave of panic swept over me.
“Wait!” I jumped up, calling to him. But I was too late.
As Shade opened the door, a wall of flame drove itself through the opening, hitting him square on. He shouted, stumbling back as the door slammed open. There, standing in the doorway, was a burly man carrying a massive iron sword, followed by at least two demons. He took one look at Shade, who had dropped to the ground to roll out the flames, and plunged his sword deep into Shade’s side.
A MOMENT LATER, I realized that the scream ringing in my ears was my own. By then, Smoky had shoved me out of the way as he, Morio, and Trillian raced past. Menolly followed them.
I was getting my bearings as Smoky took on the man with the sword. From where I stood, it looked like Trillian, Morio, and Menolly were engaging the demons, but they were blocking the door, and I couldn’t get through to Shade. Cursing, I headed for the front window, shoving the sill up and busting out the screen so I could scramble onto the porch. It was then that I saw two more demons waiting behind the others. One of them turned on me, charging my way.
The demons weren't simple Tregarts, nor bloatworgles, nor any other type I was used to. These were midnight horror-movie types, bipedal with ruddy orange skin and curling horns rising off their heads. Their long claws glistened in the glow of the soft white faerie lights that Iris had strung around the porch, and their eyes glimmered with a dangerous light.
I didn’t have my dagger with me, so I did the next best thing and landed a strong kick to the demon’s stomach. My foot landed hard against him and for a moment, I could have sworn my leg had shattered. Groaning, I staggered back, grateful as I realized that nothing was actually broken. He dove for me, and I grabbed the porch railing and vaulted over it, dropping into the grass below, wincing as my sore leg hit the ground.
I raced toward the back of the house, intent on getting to Shade via the back porch, but I froze when I saw a light from what looked like a portal in the trees nearby.
The demon lunged at me and I took off again, heading for the back porch. At that moment, the porch door slammed open and Camille came racing down the steps, Maggie in her arms. Hanna was right behind her. My sister thrust Maggie at Hanna, who instantly took her.
“Take Maggie to Iris’s! Tell them what’s happening!” Camille shoved Hanna toward Iris’s house, then turned back to me.
“Duck!” Camille shouted, holding out her hands.
I dove for cover as a blast of energy shot out from her fingertips, landing square on the demon. It knocked him back, dropping him to the ground, giving me time to make it over to her side. At that point, Morio joined her, and they grasped hands.
My sister’s third husband was a youkai-kitsune, and he was proficient in death magic. They worked in tandem, and now they began moving toward the demon, driving a purple mist in front of them. The hesitation Camille had once possessed toward her magic had vanished. She and Morio forged powerful spells together, a deadly force.
Leaving them to take care of the demon, I headed up the stairs. Shouts echoed from inside, and I burst through the kitchen door, trying to take stock of the situation. Iris was standing on the table amidst the remains of the buffet, and one of the demons was splayed on the ground, inside out. The resulting mess had splattered over everything, and Iris had a crazed look on her face. Her brilliant blue eyes were lit up as a chilling power oozed from her.
Darting around the pile of demon guts, I searched anxiously for Shade. Sounds of fighting echoed from the living room, and Smoky bellowed something in his native language. Trillian suddenly appeared, blocking my way as he cast his gaze around the kitchen.
“Where is he? Where did he go?”
“Who? Where did who go?”
“The man who stabbed Shade,” the Svartan growled. He stopped, suddenly, as the blood drained out of my face.
“Shade—where is he? Trillian? Where’s Shade?”
Trillian clasped my shoulders, forcing me to focus on him. “Delilah, did you see the man? We have to stop him. We’ve killed one of the demons and Smoky’s on the other, but the man got away.” He didn’t apologize, that wasn’t his way. Instead, he gave me a slight shake, speaking firmly. “We need you strong and fighting. None of us will be okay if we don’t stop him.”
Suppressing my panic, I nodded. I knew the routine by now. No matter what, keep going. Deal with the aftermath after everything was done.
I forced myself to calm down. “Right. I didn’t see where he went. Camille and Morio are out back, taking care of the last demon.”
Trillian pushed past me, slipping out the back door. I heard a thud and made for the foyer, where I saw Menolly, her eyes crimson and her fangs dripping with blood.
At that moment, I heard Camille’s voice from out front. We raced through the door just in time to see the man who had stabbed Shade flicker out of sight, vanishing as Camille and Morio descended on him. He was there one moment, then poof—disappeared.
I staggered back, intent on searching for Shade, but something caught my attention. Smell. There was a smell I recognized.
“Crap, fire!” I hurried toward the kitchen, where Iris was frantically trying to quench a massive flame that licked through the door from the back porch. She had summoned an ice storm, aiming it toward the crackling flames that had overtaken the porch. They were licking at the walls of the kitchen.
I suddenly remembered the gas range as the fire blew through the door, knocking Iris back into the kitchen. She landed in the slimy remains of the demon, letting out a shout as I hurried to her side. The flames had caught hold of the curtains and were headed directly for the stove. I dragged the house sprite off the floor and headed toward the front door with her, even though she was struggling.
“I can put it out—”
“Stop fighting me. The gas—the fire’s going to reach the gas!”
I shoved her through the door onto the front porch as a massive ice storm engulfed the entire house and yard. Smoky was standing to one side, focusing on the kitchen as he brought the storm to bear. Iris pushed out of my arms and joined him, adding her powers as the temperature around us plunged at least forty degrees and a blizzard obscured everything, blanketing the house.
Nerissa joined me, tugging on my arm.
“Shade! I found Shade,” she said, and I realized she was carrying him over her shoulder. The werepuma, like most Weres, was incredibly strong. She was covered in blood and I suspected it wasn’t her own. I helped her ease him down the steps and over to the car.
“I called Mallen. We’re going to need him. And the fire department.” She was panting, shivering in the icy chill of the sudden snowstorm.
We stretched out Shade on the hood of my Jeep. He was slick with blood, the scent cloying and metallic, and he wasn’t moving. He didn’t even moan.
“Shade! Shade!” I leaned down, pressing my ear to his chest. I could still detect a faint rise and fall. He was breathing, and his heart was still beating. But if he hadn’t been part dragon, he’d have been a goner. The gash in his side was a good eight inches long.
Camille was by my side then, and she took one look at Shade and turned to hurry over to Iris and Smoky. She whispered something to Iris, who nodded. Smoky paused, then swept up Iris and in a blur, was gone.
Camille returned to my side. “It looks like the fire is out. Smoky’s taken Iris to fetch the Duchess. She’s skilled at healing.” She glanced around. “The demons are dead but we have no clue who was with them, or where he went. He just—”
“Vanished,” I said. “I saw.” I stared at Shade, mute for a moment. Then, feeling as though I was running on autopilot, I turned back to her. “The gas? In the kitchen?”
“Morio managed to turn off the valve. Smoky and Iris extinguished the flames, but I don’t think there’s much left of the kitchen and back porch.” She shook her head. “The guards are hunting for the man, though my personal guards refuse to let me out of their sight.” She pointed to the men who were standing by the car, keeping a close watch on her.
“Shade’s… Shade is…” I couldn’t get the words out. He was hurt, I knew that much. “He won’t wake up. He can’t hear me. Camille, what if he dies?”
She brushed back his hair. “He’s hurt, but the bleeding has slowed. Remember, he’s part dragon and part Stradolan. He’s got the blood of his ancestors in him. We’ll get him through this. I promise you that.”
At that moment, Vanzir jogged into the yard. Smoky appeared, stepping out of the Ionyc Seas, carrying Iris and the Duchess, who was holding a first-aid kit.
“Where’s the dragon?” She went straight to the point.
Iris pointed toward Shade and I moved, giving the Duchess room to work. She lithely crawled up on the hood of my Jeep alongside Shade and began to examine him.
Vanzir was scanning the yard. “Roz is staying with Bruce and the twins, along with Hanna and Maggie. What the fuck happened?” He froze when he saw Shade. “Crap.”
“We’re still sorting things out. A man and four demons showed up at the door and…then this,” Camille said, pointing to the house where the smoke was still rising. “Iris and Smoky managed to extinguish the flames, but we have no idea who he was, or why they were here.” She paused as a familiar truck came screeching up the driveway, an old beat-up pickup. “Just who we need. Wilbur’s here.”
Wilbur, our neighbor who resembled the scragglier members of ZZ Top, hopped out. He was managing his artificial leg fairly well now, and had only the smallest of limps as he hurried over to us. He was human and a powerful necromancer, but sleazy as hell, and he kept his brother’s corpse around as a ghoul, out of survivor’s guilt.
“What the hell?” He stared at the carnage. “That must have been some party.”
“Demons.”
Wilbur let out a grunt, then glanced at Shade. “Where are the medics?”
“Coming,” Camille said.
“I’m going to take a look around.” Wilbur headed off around back. “I’ll let you know if I find anything.”
Camille watched him go, then quietly said, “I have to admit, even though he’s a pain at times, Wilbur’s all right.”
Menolly joined us at that moment. “Whoever the fuck was leading those demons, he’s the one who set the porch on fire. I saw him before he ran around front.”
“Who the hell was he? What did he want?” I reached for Shade’s hand, unable to take my eyes off of him. I was trying to keep it together, but it wasn’t easy.
“There could be any number of reasons. It’s not like we don’t have our share of enemies.” Menolly suddenly took a big step back, her eyes widening as she glanced at Shade. “I’m on edge enough as it is. I’d better back off. Too much blood in the air.”
I gave her an absent nod. “Go on.” Menolly knew her limitations, and she always erred on the side of caution when family and friends were in the way. As she moved off, I leaned against the car, feeling bleak, hugging myself. “I wish Chase was still the head of the FH-CSI.”
The Faerie-Human Crime Scene Investigations unit had been Chase’s brainchild, but during Camille’s coronation in June, he had been swept into the Keraastar Knights, and now his right-hand man had taken over. Yugi was good, but he wasn’t Chase.
“Chase wouldn’t be able to do anything.” Camille shaded her eyes, staring at the house. “We were always the ones he called in for attacks like this.” She sounded slightly defensive and I realized she might be thinking that I blamed her.
“I know that destiny played itself out. I know you weren’t responsible for Chase’s transformation. I just… Damn it. I thought I was acclimating to all of the changes. I felt like I was finally on board with the way our lives were turning. Now I’m terrified again.” I wanted nothing more than to turn into Tabby and leap into Camille’s arms and huddle against her.
She took my hand, squeezing tight. “I know. I’m frightened too. Until we know who’s behind this, we can’t figure out how to proceed.” She paused as Wilbur returned.
“All right, girls,” he said, his tone devoid of his usual lecherous insinuations, “I found some things that might be helpful. For one thing, I discovered a weird energy signature over by two trees near the driveway.” Wilbur was a necromancer who understood all about magic.
“A rogue portal? I saw it too,” I said.
“I think it was temporary because it’s not there now. The trees are fried—they look scorched. You might ask someone to check it out. Second, the demons? I recognize the type, even as splattered as you left them. I have to say, when you throw it down, you throw it down. Some of the sorcerers I’ve known over the years have attempted to summon them and I had the misfortune to witness what happened when one of the bastards was successful. I told him not to try it, but oh no, he didn’t want to listen to me.”
“What happened? And where did the demons come from?” I stiffened. I had the feeling we were about to hear something we really didn’t want to hear.
“You already know what I’m about to say, Pussycat. These demons were from hell. The Sub-Realms, as you call them. And what happened? The demon appeared through the gate and promptly ripped off the sorcerer’s head. Literally. Blood everywhere. It was a nasty business, and the only way that I escaped is that I happened to be near the door. Since there was a lock on the outside, I was able to lock the demon in and hightail it out of there before it could break through to attack me. I never went back. Grapevine has it the demon disappeared somewhere into the hills and for all I know, he’s still out there. Meanwhile, Juan’s head stayed separated from his body and that was the end of that.”
“Lovely.” I pressed my lips together for a moment, then asked, “So, the temporary portal. Did you sense any sort of sorcerer’s energy off of it?” I glanced at Camille, not wanting to remind her that Shamas, our cousin, had studied with a rogue group of sorcerers before he first came Earthside. The fact that he had returned from the dead only a month ago, however, was something we couldn’t overlook. I was fairly certain that he knew how to summon demons. I wasn’t going to outright accuse him of doing this, but I didn’t trust him.
Wilbur shook his head. “That’s the odd thing. No, Pussycat, I didn’t. I could feel the demonic energy thick around it, but nothing else.” He stiffened. “Who’s that?”
We turned to see another figure jogging from around back. He looked like a crazed Keanu Reeves, with longer dark hair and pale skin, and just enough mayhem in his eyes to make him feel dangerous.
“Trytian,” Camille said, stiffening. “What’s he doing here?”
Trytian was the son of the daemon general who was at war against Shadow Wing. He was always making a play for my sister, even though her husbands had threatened to gut him several times. If they weren’t around, there was no way we’d trust him alone with her. But right now, we were on the same side, and we needed to work together.
“I just came through the portal,” he said, sounding slightly winded. He glanced at Shade, then back at the house. “Fuck. I’m too late.”
“What? Too late for what?” I froze.
Trytian let out a long breath, then shrugged. “I came to warn you. Shadow Wing found a way to transport Yerghan the Blade out of the Sub-Realms. He sent him here to kill you.”
And with that, we knew who our enemy was.