Eyes shimmered from the mist, gleaming like those of a cat, but this was no feline energy. It felt like Hi'ran, and yet . . . there was something different.
The voice was smoother than his but had the same timbre. "You must be tired. I didn't realize you were so strong at sending."
"Are you . . ." Hi'ran's name would not form on my tongue. "You aren't . . ." My voice fel . "But you feel so much like him. Who are you? Tel me?"
A shadow moved forward; the rush of bonfires came with it, the scent of the autumn wind, boreal and icy, and the silhouette of a man around my height swept me into his arms. Even though I couldn't see him clearly, it felt like the most natural thing in the world.
"Oh, I wish I could take you here. Now . . ." He nuzzled his face in my neck, and I closed my eyes, letting the wash of passion rush over me in one fel swoop. It was like being dragged under dark seas. Welcoming the embrace, I wanted to slide into the sweet taste of restful oblivion.
The shadow kissed me again, and I tasted loganberry wine. He pressed his lips to my neck as his hands searched my body, setting off explosions--a cataclysm of sparks, a rain of la petite mort. It suddenly occurred to me that with Hi'ran, even though I'd felt his energy envelop me and stroke me, this was more tangible, actual fingers touching me, hands sliding across my body.
And then, with a shudder, I climaxed. The shadow kissed me again as I caught my breath, feeling renewed and refreshed.
"I'm not sure who you are," I whispered, "but only one other being has made me feel like this."
"Before long . . ." He paused, and I stared at the dark form that smel ed of bonfire smoke and oak moss.
"Before long . . . what? Is my death drawing near?" I didn't want to know, and yet--I had to know.
"No, my dear one. No . . . nothing of the sort. But keep your eyes open. Listen to your heart."
"What about . . . the Autumn Lord?"
And then Hi'ran himself was there, strong and looming in back of me, and the shadow faded from view. He enfolded me in his cloak and once again, it was his energy touching mine, not the touch of fingertips.
"While you are mine in the end scheme of things, I am not a jealous master as long as you remember that I am your master."
And then--like the wind--he was gone, and I opened my eyes. Iris stared at me, grinning.
" Him . . . again?" She could feel the energy. I could see it in her face.
"Yes, him. The Autumn Lord. He makes me feel . . . beautiful and bril iant and powerful. I both fear him and desire him in a way I've never wanted anyone else before. But . . ." How could I explain there had been someone else, someone who felt like Hi'ran but wasn't him? I decided to keep that to myself for now. "I don't feel quite so worn out."
I was tired but no longer heartsick. I felt like I'd just had the mother of al massages, and in a way, I had. Orgasms given by the gods--priceless. I finished my tea and picked up my Cheetos.
"I'm going to go to my room, finish eating these, then sleep for a good eight hours. I'l see you in the morning, dear Iris." As I kissed her, she smiled, but behind that smile I sensed worry. And then I remembered--she was carrying a secret of her own, one that she had yet to tel Menol y and me. "And tomorrow, perhaps you can tel me what's going on with you--why you need to go to the Northlands."
The house sprite dipped her head. "You'l know at some point. But for now, sleep wel , my dear. Sleep wel ."
As I headed upstairs, I pondered what Iris could be keeping secret. It was enough that Camil e had promised to visit the Northlands with her--a journey not for the faint of heart. In fact, it was a daunting journey and--with what we knew about Smoky's father and him being on the rampage against my sister and her husband--potential y dangerous.
My thoughts whirling, I slipped into my Hel o Kitty night-shirt, flipped on the TV in my room, and settled in for an hour or two of late-night TV and junk food. And I realized that even though the other side of the bed was empty, I wasn't lonely. I felt secure and comfortable, and for once I was glad to be alone with my thoughts. It was a soothing end to an otherwise stressful day.
CHAPTER 13
For once, a beam of sunlight broke through my window the next morning. I woke, blinking against the light, and found that I'd buried not only myself but the mostly empty bowl of Cheetos, a half-eaten Snickers bar, and a bottle of water under the brand-new quilt I'd bought a month ago. The Snickers bar was melted to my pil ow. Delightful. The water bottle had come open, and I was lying in a wet spot. Lovely. The Cheetos had stained the sheets, but against the earthen tones of the comforter, the orange wasn't that noticeable. One out of three isn't too bad.
Since I kept a mattress protector beneath the sheets--my hairbal s were a constant threat--only the sheet had gotten wet and stained, and remembering Iris's last reminder when she'd dumped my cat box on top of my bed, I stripped the sheet and put it in the hamper. She didn't mind making the beds, but she and my sisters had pounded through my head just how much of a slob I was and how badly I'd abused her services. I was trying to make sure that I helped out more.
I opened the window and immediately slammed it shut. The sun might be shining, but it couldn't be more than forty degrees outside. Digging through my closet, I came out with a pair of brown cords and a green pul over. I slipped my feet into a pair of cowboy boots, spiked up my hair with a dab of gel, and brushed my teeth. Earthside had it al over Otherworld when it came to dental hygiene technology, that was for sure. And being half-human, our teeth weren't as strong as our father's people.
When I was done, I grabbed my purse and headed downstairs. The smel of bacon and eggs drifted up the stairs, and I inhaled deeply, my stomach rumbling. We had a lot to do today, and in the back of my mind, I couldn't forget the fact that every moment her captors had her, the danger to Amber grew.
Iris and Camil e were at the table, Maggie in her playpen. The kitchen was otherwise empty. I glanced around.
"Wow. Where is everybody?" The breakfast table was usual y jumping. I glanced over to the sink and saw the pile of rinsed dishes. "Looks like everybody's already had a go at the food."
Camil e grinned. She looked better. "Tril ian, Smoky, and Morio have enlisted Roz and Vanzir to expand the studio into a multiroom apartment. It's not the best weather for building, but I think they can get a lot done today if the rain holds off. The guys certainly could use the room, and now and then I real y want my bedroom to myself and the three of them out of the house. Husbands or not, they can be a pain in the ass." She dotted the corners of her lips with her napkin. "When do we head out for Mary Mae's?"
Iris handed me a sandwich of eggs, bacon, and toast. I wolfed it down, feeling oddly energized. My encounter the night before had done more than comfort me. I felt recharged.
"She said to come over around ten A.M."
The phone rang, and she answered. After a moment, she handed it to me.
"Luke here. I just heard from Jason."
"And?"
"Rice has been placed in Arizona. He's not up here. And something else--Jason told me that there's some big to-do going on in the desert down there, among one of the minor Packs."
Damn it, that meant likely Rice had nothing to do with his wife's disappearance, and we were back to square one. "What kind of to-do?"
"A string of deaths occurred in one of the werewolf Packs down there. Five beta males, al turned up dissected, their scent glands and other organs missing. They've cleared al the rival clans in the lycanthrope community. But there's more. The scent of magic was picked up at one of the bodies-
- trickster energy . Dark trickster energy."
Trickster. There were a few clans that fed on trickster energy. Rabbits, jackals, hyenas . . . coyotes. "Coyotes--coyote shifters. From what Wilbur said, the coyote shifters down in the jungle use Wolf Briar to take over territory and kil off their rivals."
"Fuck. Territory wars?" Luke fel silent for a moment, then said, "Coyotes--the good ones--are helpful to no end. But the bad ones . . . they're dangerous and ruthless. They give Demonkin a run for their money."
"We'd better look into the coyote Packs around here. Although what they might want with Amber is anybody's guess. Nothing against your sister, Luke, but she's a solitary pregnant female, and she's not the Alpha's wife."
"Yeah, I hear you. So how's Camil e doing today? The Wolf Briar wear off?"
"She's feeling better. We're going to talk to Paulo's fiancee, and I think we'l also drop in on Marion at the Supe-Urban Cafe and see what she can tel us. Meanwhile, you try to figure out what the hel a group of coyote shifters would want with your sister."
"The question for the win. I have no idea. I haven't talked to her much over the years, until she cal ed saying she needed to move up here. She sounded slightly crazed, but I thought it was the hormones from the pregnancy. Okay, I'l let you get busy." He hung up, and I stared at the phone before handing it back to Iris.
"This is as bad as fighting the werespiders. We didn't know what they wanted, but in the end, it wasn't anything good." I ran down what Luke had told me about the trickster energy and the werewolf deaths in Arizona.
"Somebody in Arizona is producing Wolf Briar then. And so is someone up here. We have to make three stops today--Marion's, Franco's, and Madame Pompey's Magical Emporium. I hate that we aren't closer to finding Amber," Camil e said, carrying her dishes over to the sink and rinsing them off to stack them with the rest. "I keep thinking they're torturing her or that she's already dead. And there's no good way to find out."
"Is there any way you could scry on her? Find out if she's stil alive?"
Camil e frowned, thinking. "I might. My spel of Finding won't do anything more than point the way if she's being held captive. Unless it backfired and dropped us into the captive's lair."
"Hel , I'd almost go for that--but not without backup. One whiff of the Wolf Briar, and we'd both be down for the count."
"Yeah, about that. Sharah cal ed today, told me be careful because I'm sensitized to it now, and subsequent exposures could cause an al ergic reaction-
-which could be anything from mild to fatal."
"Wonderful. Okay, what about the scrying? Can you do it?"
"Bring me a bowl of water. Use one of the crystal ones." She sat back down at the table, closing her eyes and breathing softly as I prepared the water for her. We had several silver and crystal bowls that both she and Iris used for magic, and I pul ed out the clearest one. Then, in a spurt of inspiration, I ran up to her study and found the Tygerian wel water from back home in Otherworld. Couldn't hurt to give it a little extra oomph by adding a bit of holy water to the mix.
When I returned, I saw that Camil e was holding Amber's picture. A touchstone. I added a cup of the Tygerian water to the tap water, and it spread through the liquid like oil, then blended, and the liquid took on a startling clarity. Cautiously, I wrapped my arms around the massive bowl and carried it over to the table.
Camil e let out a long breath, and as I watched, she leaned over the bowl and opened her eyes. She searched the water, face pensive, scanning for--
what I didn't know. Magic confounded me, amazed me, and frightened me.
When Camil e was wrapped up in the energy, it was as if she belonged to another realm, one that swept her away and consumed her. I couldn't reach where she went. But then again, she couldn't fol ow me into my realm as tabby and panther. We had our own private kingdoms--the same with Menol y and her bloodlust. And yet, each of us stood stronger together than apart.
A swirl of mist rose from the water, and she gasped and sat back. "Look," she whispered, pointing at the bowl.
I gazed in at the stil surface, waiting til the mist cleared. There she was--Amber. She was in a cage, holding on to the bars, a plaintive look on her face and--wait a second.
"What's that around her neck?"
Camil e leaned forward, squinting. After a moment, she jerked her head up, a frightened look on her face. "That can't be what I think it is, can it?"
Around the frightened Were's neck was a golden chain, and on the chain a pendant of the clearest topaz, bril iant yel ow and sparkling. The setting was ornate, carved, and looked extremely old. And the gem glistened, even in what appeared to be dim light.
"It looks like the others, doesn't it?" I sucked in a deep breath. Could Amber real y have what we thought she did? And if so, how the hel did she get hold of a spirit seal?
"Fuck, fuck, fuck." Camil e frantical y scanned the image again. "I can't make out anything other than that she appears to be in a cel --a cage--and the light there is dim. I have no idea where she is, and I can't see anything to give us a landmark." She slammed the table with her hand. "If she has one of the seals, we have to find her before she's kil ed."
"What would the coyote shifters want with the spirit seals? Would they even know what they were?"
Camil e grabbed her coat. "Iris, we're heading over to Marion's. She should be at her cafe by now."
I grabbed my jacket and purse. "Right behind you. Let's take my--"
" Not your Jeep. The sun may be out, but it's cold and supposed to get colder today. We're taking my Lexus." She held up her keys. I shrugged, giving in before I even bothered arguing, and we headed down the steps.
The Supe-Urban Cafe was on East Pike, and it was a hangout for Supes of al kinds, but especial y Weres. We'd first met Marion--a coyote shifter, the owner--at a Supe Community meeting, and then, a few weeks back, she'd helped Camil e and our friend Siobhan escape from a crazed psycho stalking the selkie.