One . . . two . . . three . . . holy hell! One moment I was standing there, dagger out, waiting to see what would happen and the next, an explosion rocked the area in which we were standing, sending us all flying. Blown off my feet, I landed a good two yards back on the grass.

I scrambled up, checking to see if anything was broken, but by now my clothes were so heavy with water they’d cushioned my fall. Looking around, I tried to see if something had slipped through. Nothing . . . nothing . . . and then I saw Wilbur. He was on the ground, clawing at his neck.

“Wilbur—help him!” I raced over to his side.

Menolly got there before me. She went down on her knees and frantically started waving her arms over him. “I can’t see what’s got him.”

“I can!” Morio shoved her aside.

Startled, Menolly hissed, but recovered quickly and crouched next to him, ready to help.

“What is it?” I knelt on the other side of the necromancer.

Morio waved his hand across Wilbur’s neck and whispered something. The outline of a gremlin came into view. Originating in the Netherworld, gremlins were implike spirits. While not fully demonic, they were dangerous and fed off psychic energy. The Yodalike creature splayed its wide hands across Wilbur’s head, while its feet were wrapped around his throat.

“What can we do? How do we kill it?”

Delilah motioned me aside. “I don’t know what can, but I know who can. Move back, everybody.” She spoke so forcefully that everybody stopped to stare at her for a second before scrambling back. As she closed her eyes, her energy shifted. And then, before we could say a word, the air around her rippled and she transformed into her black panther self, but she wasn’t alone. The misty outline of a golden spotted leopard stood beside her.

“Arial!” I let out a small gasp.

“Who’s that?” Morio said, his eyes wide.

Menolly glanced around, looking frantically from side to side. “Who’s who? What are you talking about?”

Chase and Trillian looked just as confused, but Roz said, “I see her,” and Vanzir added, “So do I.”

I turned to them. “Our sister—Delilah’s twin. She died at birth but she keeps watch over Delilah in her Were shape.”

Trillian blinked. “So it’s true.”

I turned back to Delilah and Arial, who grabbed the gremlin in their mouths, one on either side. The creature was screaming, struggling to break free, as it loosened its grip on Wilbur. Menolly dashed forward and dragged him away from beneath the gremlin, who was now one big chew toy for the two big cats.

Arial and Delilah proceeded to play tug-of-war with the creature, which I really didn’t want to watch but couldn’t help myself—it was like a train wreck, impossible to look away from—and then Delilah let go and Arial vanished, the limp gremlin in her mouth.

Delilah padded over to Wilbur and licked his face, then gazed up at me. I dropped to my knees beside her and threw my arms around her neck, planting a big kiss on her nose. She let out a soft growl and then rubbed her head against me, purring loudly. As soon as she started her singing, I backed away. Within a few seconds, she was herself again, crouched on the ground, shaking her head. I helped her up, steadying her as she blinked.

“Is he okay?”

“He will be,” Trillian said. He and Chase were kneeling by the necromancer, checking his pulse and pupils. Wilbur seemed to be coming around and they pulled him to his feet.

He rubbed his throat, wincing. “That hurt like hell. What the fuck was that critter?”

“A gremlin. I’m surprised you haven’t dealt with them before, being a necromancer,” I said.

“Oh, I’ve dealt with several beasties from that realm, but never one of those. Are they common?” He stretched his neck, rolling it from side to side. “The thing had one hell of a death grip, I’ll tell you that. I feel like it was trying to suck out my soul.”

“There are a number of creatures who feed off psychic energy,” Vanzir said, stepping forward. “I’m one of them, but I don’t have to in order to live, so I do my best to curtail the desire. But gremlins and small creatures of the sort need it to survive. And yes, they are common. People who wake up feeling tired all the time but can’t find any reason, or who feel drained when they go certain places, often have encountered gremlins without ever realizing it.”

“Any way to keep them out of the house? I should ward against them,” Wilbur said.

“We’ll talk protection spells a little later,” I broke in. “Meanwhile, Delilah saved you and the thing is gone.” I turned to Iris. “Was that all that broke through?”

She nodded. “Yes, I felt one rush at the gates, so to speak, and that was it. But we shouldn’t tarry. We have no idea how long it will be before the Bonecrusher realizes that her spell isn’t working, and we don’t want to be here when she arrives, wondering why.”

“Maybe we do,” Vanzir said. “Maybe we should stake out the area—what better way to find out where she’s at?”

“But would she have to show up? Can’t she just figure it out and cut her losses from wherever she’s hiding?” I frowned. “I hate to leave somebody out here like that—it’s too dangerous, and it also puts us a man down.”

“Not if we bug the area with a camera,” Chase said. “I could have my men in here in no time with a wireless surveillance unit. They can hide it in the trees, facing the area where Iris broke the spell. Then, if the lamia shows up, we’ll catch it back at the station. At least we’ll be able to get a bead on her.”

“How soon can they get down here?”

“Within the next hour or so.”

I glanced at Menolly, who nodded.

“We have time, I think,” she said. “It’s still early in the night; I can wait here for them and guard them.”

“Okay, let’s do it. Menolly, you and Chase stay here until it’s done. The rest of us—back to the house.” As we headed toward the cars, leaving Chase’s so he could drive Menolly home afterward, Delilah sidled up to me and pulled me off to one side.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

She frowned. “I wanted to talk to you about something . . . before we do it. This may not be the best time, but somehow I don’t think we’re going to get a lot of best times from now on. I’m not asking permission, our minds are made up, but I need to tell you and Menolly’s going to be pissed when she finds out.”

“What did you do now?” I turned to her, studying her face. There was a faint look of guilt in those emerald eyes, but more than guilt—fear. “You’re afraid of what I’m going to say. Tell me. It can’t be that bad.”

“Chase and I’ve come to a decision. I stole a bottle of the nectar of life during the Litha festival that Aeval, Titania, and Morgaine held. Chase is going to drink it. So we can be together for a long time.” She dropped her voice to a whisper. “We’re planning on him doing it during the equinox.”

No. No, no, no. This was so wrong. “Kitten, listen to me. You can’t just let him guzzle it down. There are rituals that need to be performed when an FBH drinks the nectar of life. They must be prepared for the ramifications. You’re risking his sanity if you do it any other way.”

“But what can we do? Who would perform the ritual? You know nobody back home would. Even Father—even though he loved Mother and offered her the same chance, he’d never go for it. I don’t think he believes any men are good enough for us.” She looked ready to cry. “I just want Chase to feel like he’ll have the chance to be with me always.”

“Babe, you listen to me. Promise me you won’t do this—it’s rash and dangerous. If you give me your word, I promise to find someone who can guide you through the ritual. It won’t be by the equinox, but I will help you. I just want both of you to come through this safe and sane.”

Actually, what I wanted was for them to forget about it. Chase didn’t strike me as someone who could handle a thousand-year stint very well, but then, I could be wrong. I just knew that if they carried out their plans, our detective would go bye-bye, and in a very bad way.

She bit her lip, then finally nodded. “All right. But you promised to help me and I’m keeping you to it.”

“Yeah, I know,” I said, thinking about all the promises we’d made over the years, and how some of them were coming back to bite us in the butt. And then there were the promises that had been made to us, the ones that threatened to shatter at our feet.

Smoky, for one. Smoky and Morio and I were soul bound, but would that promise—that oath and binding—carry through the will of his family? He was waiting for me to come home, but with what news? Would he stay? Or would his family force him to return to the fold? Would he rip apart the bond that tied our souls together?

And if he stayed, Smoky and Trillian would come face-to-face again. Only now Smoky had a claim over me Trillian didn’t, and how would that shift the balance of power? Although I knew I should be thinking about our problems with the Bonecrusher, all I could think about as we climbed in the cars was the love that Smoky had offered me, and whether it would still be there when I got home.

CHAPTER 19

The lights in the house were a welcome sight as we drove up through the ever-pounding rain. Parts of the path bordering the driveway were a mud bath, and I was grateful we’d thought to have the actual drive graveled. I stepped out of the car and looked at the house.

Morio rested a hand against my back and even Trillian seemed to sense my mood. He took my other hand.

“No matter what, Camille, you belong to me. No matter who else you’re bound to, you and I will always be together,” he whispered.

Morio heard. He gave Trillian a long look and said, “Me, too. You go in, we’ll head out to the studio and hang out until you’ve had your talk.” He motioned to Roz and Vanzir and the four of them headed off to the shed-turned-studio apartment that we’d had outfitted. Our little family had expanded by more than half and the added space made a world of difference.

Iris, Bruce, and Delilah were still standing beside me.

“I’m going to scout the perimeter of the land,” Delilah said.

“But the wards were shining strong when we came in,” I said, then stopped. She was offering me privacy. “Thanks, hon.”

Iris took Bruce’s hand. “We’ll go in the back way and have a snack, then put Maggie to bed. Smoky said he’d be in the parlor.”

The parlor. Not our bedroom. That didn’t bode well. I sucked in a deep breath and strode up the stairs, my footsteps firm, shoulders back. If it was bad news, I’d take it like a D’Artigo—I’d suck it up and deal with it the way I dealt with all the pain in my life. I’d push it out of the way and move on, because there weren’t really any other options.

I slipped into the living room. The door to the parlor was ajar and I could smell him there. Smoky. He smelled like cedar and cinnamon and old library dust. My heart leaping into my chest, I slowly pushed the door open.

Smoky was standing there, waiting for me, his gaze fastened on the doorway. He stared at me for what seemed like a million years, then his lip curved in a triumphant smile and he opened his arms.

“Camille, my Camille. I’m back.”

Not trusting what that meant, but praying it meant what I thought it did, I dropped everything and flew into his embrace. He swung me up and around, covering my face with kisses, his lips soft and passionate. I grabbed him around the neck and held on, letting him spin me at a dizzying speed.

“I love you, I love you, and I’m home,” he said. “My Camille, I told you nothing would part us.”

“I love you, too, but can you please put me down?” As ecstatic as I was, my stomach was beginning to shift into queasy from the makeshift carousel ride.

He abruptly stopped and dropped into the loveseat, pulling me down on his lap. I cuddled against him, resting my head on his shoulder as he gently kissed the top of my head, my forehead, my nose.

“So you’re staying? You aren’t going back to the Northlands? You aren’t going to marry Hotlips?” My voice broke over the last one and regardless of my decision to be calm and collected, I burst into tears.

“Sweet one, oh my lovely one.” He cupped my chin in his hand and gazed into my eyes. “I’ve made you cry. I’m sorry.” Wiping away my tears, his masks dropped and the millennia passed through his eyes, this thousands-year-old beast I’d fallen in love with.

“No, I’m not leaving you. I told you I wouldn’t. I’d part ways with my family if I had to. But Hotlips has been paid off. She’s of no concern to us now. My mother wasn’t terribly thrilled but she’s . . . she’s not my father.” His voice dropped and I glanced up to see a cloud cross those glacial eyes.

“What happened?” I asked, pushing myself off his lap. “Are you okay? Did they kick you out?”

He shook his head. “No. No, as a matter of fact, the Dragon Council was so appreciative of the news about Shadow Wing that they gave us their blessing. Basically, they told Hotlips to take the money and shut up.”

But there was something else. Something not so good. I could hear it in his voice and see it in the troubled expression playing across his face.

“You aren’t telling me everything. I want you to be honest with me. No more surprises.” My decisiveness returned after the little jaunt into maudlin-land and I sucked in a deep breath. “Smoky, I can’t afford to be worrying about us when I’m facing down demons and ghouls.”