He gave me a look that asked if I'd gotten up on the blonde side of the bed. "Don't worry yourself about it. And don't even think about trying to strengthen them for me. I've seen the results of your magic," he added with a smirk.

"Hey, I'll have you know, I'm pretty formidable when it comes to death magic," I said, shaking my head. "Listen, you were going to tell us what you knew about the Raksasas, by the way."

Smoky nodded. "Last night, while you slept, I transcribed what I learned so you can show your sisters. Let me get my notes for you." He bounded away into the bedroom.

Morio leaned forward and whispered, "He plugged directly into the Energizer Bunny?"

I thought of the throbbing ache between my legs. He'd managed to introduce me to muscles that I didn't know existed.

"Well, he does keep going and going and going. Nice in some respects but…"

Morio snorted. "Finally found somebody who can outride you? Maybe I should have stuck around last night, just to witness the miracle."

I swatted him lightly on the arm. "Yeah, right, you should talk. Between you and Trillian, it's a wonder I ever get any sleep."

He winked at me, then leaned over to plant a quick kiss on my cheek. He backed away then, just an inch or so, and held my gaze, searching my face. "You aren't going to leave us for him, are you?" he asked.

And once again, I was pulled back into my reality.

"No," I said. "Trust me, I have no plans on deserting either of you for Smoky. But it's been like a bizarre dream. He's incredible, but his life feels so… outside of my reality."

"Maybe that's what he's meant to be for you. A retreat—a safe haven perhaps—for you when you need to get away from who you are and from what's going on." Morio slid back into his chair as Smoky returned to the room, a sheaf of papers in his hand.

As Smoky handed the papers to me, I thought about what Morio had said. Was the dragon my safety net, where I could come when I needed to feel isolated and insular? Could I play Persephone, spend part of my time in Smoky's world, the rest out where I was needed—fighting demons and saving worlds? And would Smoky be content with that?

"Thank you," I said as I leafed through the neatly printed notes. "You're a sweetheart, even if you won't admit it." He looked pleased as I leaned over to plant a peck on his cheek. "You really are," I whispered. "I would have come to you even if we didn't have a contract between us."

Smoky relented then and pulled me to him for a long, slow kiss, then let go with a huff, but this time he didn't sound put out.

I glanced at the papers. His handwriting was precise, and he used blue ink on a frost-white notepad. I decided to wait until I got home to read it, so I could talk everything over with Menolly and Delilah.

"We'd better be going," I said, standing. "Morio, did you drive out here?"

Morio arched an eyebrow. "No, I flew. Of course I drove. My car is near Georgio's house." He turned to Smoky. "With your leave?"

Smoky slipped into his white trench, and I found myself entranced by his beauty again. The man was just too gorgeous to be real. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and hoisted my overnight bag with his other hand. "I'll walk you to the house. I should ask Estelle how Georgio's doing today."

As we wended our way through the woodland, I felt like I could breathe again. The barrow had been too confined, but out here it felt perfectly natural for Smoky to have his arm around me. I leaned my head against his shoulder.

"I'm sorry we have to split up the week," I said.

"No you're not," he countered. "But that's all right. It just means you'll be bound to me longer than you thought—what with all the days in between. I'm not going to insist you come out tonight. I know you'll be busy with the demon business."

"Thanks." And there was far more at stake than just the demon business, I thought.

Titania was scary-powerful again, and Morgaine was no slouch, herself. What if Titania encouraged Morgaine to take over the Unseelie crown, and they raised the courts that way? What if Morgaine decided to try to kill Titania? That alone would marshal the Fae from both OW and Earthside into action. But not the kind of action we needed.

I stared at the path. The leaf debris from last autumn had worked its way into the mulch of soil and undergrowth, and the trail was wet but not sink-to-your-boot-tops muddy. As we stepped over rock and branch, I tried to tune into the land to see if I could find out what Titania and Morgaine were up to.

For a few moments, all I could sense were the usual comings and goings of the forest, the scurrying of creatures, the wind whistling through the branches, the sun trying to break through a heavy cloud cover. And then, slowly, my attention narrowed. I could feel the signature of a huckleberry deva as we passed by a stand of the shrubs. And over there, a group of nature sprites working on a fir who was ailing.

Then I felt it—a stirring, almost like a vortex.

"There's a disturbance in the force, Luke," I muttered.

Smoky frowned. "What does that mean?"

"No kidding," Morio said. "Even I can feel it. Something big is on the horizon."

As I sorted through the energies whirling in the maelstrom, I began to sort out two distinct presences. One, a swirl of leaf and branch, of stone and wood and autumn colors and summer scents… the other a cacophony of mist and shadow, of starlight and crystals and deep caverns, but the energies weren't in conflict.

"It's almost as if… oh gods. Oh Great Moon Mother, what the hell are they up to now?" I jerked out of my trance and opened my eyes before they could sense me. The sudden jolt almost sent me sprawling across a root that caught my toe as I stepped forward.

"Who?" Smoky's tone demanded an immediate answer as he caught my elbow, keeping me from falling.

"Titania and Morgaine. They're working together. I dunno what they're up to, but whatever it is, you can bet it's going to cause major havoc. Last night they were almost at each other's throats. What happened between then and now?" I tried to zero in on the exact nature of the energy, but nobody was giving away any secrets.

Morio joined me, taking my hands in his. Even with his added boost of power, we couldn't pinpoint the nature of the spell they were casting together.

"Okay, that makes me nervous." I glanced over my shoulder at the forest behind us but could see nothing out of the ordinary.

"Don't let it bother you," Smoky said as we entered the clearing near the house that had once belonged to Tom Lane. The place now housed a broken, fragile soul named Georgio Profeta. Or Saint George, as he thought of himself. Saint George was forever trying to slay the dragon. Namely, Smoky. Georgio's plastic chain mail and foam sword couldn't do much damage, but in his eyes, they were the finest armor, fit for a royal knight.

Morio's SUV was parked off to one side, and as he unlocked the doors, I said good-bye to Smoky.

"Call me if you need me," he said, softly nuzzling my face. "For anything."

"Thank you," I whispered back. "Thank you for offering me a glimpse of your life, of your love."

He shook his head. "Don't thank me for that until you accept my invitation."

With a short laugh, I turned toward the car. "Think about it. I cannot bear dragon babies, and you'll want to father children someday, being the ninth son of a ninth son of a ninth son. And you know perfectly well—"

"Yes, yes, I know," he said. "You love Trillian. You love Morio. But Camille, I know you love me, too. For now go and do what you must. You'll return. And I'll be waiting." He winked at me then, waving as we drove off, heading back to the city. Heading back to the reality of my life.

Chapter Eighteen

Morio and I didn't speak much on the way. There wasn't much to say, really, and I wanted to save speculation for when we could talk to Delilah and Menolly so we didn't have to cover old territory.

As we pulled into the driveway, a thought occurred to me. "You didn't tell me the rest of what happened at the rug shop."

"Not much. I tried to poke around, but that djinn was watching my every movement once she figured out that I wasn't really in the market for a carpet. There was no reason for me to hang out, so I left. But I'll bet they have security cameras and now have my picture plastered on their back wall as a 'to-watch' individual."

He opened my door for me, and I slipped out, taking a long breath. It was good to be home. As I stared up at our house, I felt like I'd spent the past eighteen hours in a dream. I grabbed my overnight bag and dashed up the stairs, throwing the door wide as I burst into the house.

"I'm home!" I called, but my words were lost in an uproar.

Iris and Delilah were in the living room, Delilah frantically punching buttons on her cell phone.

"Camille! Thank heavens you're here. I've been trying to call you for the past half hour. We have an emergency." She slapped her phone closed and jammed it in the pocket of her jeans. They were ripped, as usual, and her shirt was a tank top with a pretty white Persian on it. Cat, that is. Not demon.

"What's wrong?" I pulled out my cell and groaned. "Great. Looks like being in Smoky's barrow fried my battery or something."

Morio checked his. "Mine, too. Okay, note: leave all cell phones outside the barrow. Also laptop computers, BlackBerries, and anything else that might get fried."

"No time for that." Iris was pulling on a sweater. "We've got problems. Come on, we'll tell you on the way to the car."

It suddenly occurred to me that she wasn't at the store. "Excuse me, but what the hell is going on? You aren't at the Indigo Crescent, so who is? And where's Maggie? Where are we going?"

Delilah pushed me out the door while Iris shoved Morio along. "We don't have any time to waste. Chase needs us. Now."

"Chase? Why?" I hurried down the stairs, the rest of them following. "Is he hurt?"

"No, but he might be if we don't get downtown," Iris said. She pointed toward my car. "You're the designated driver, since we can all fit in your car."

"Get in," I said, pulling out my keys. "And for heaven's sake, answer my questions."

As I clicked my seat belt into place, they piled into the car. Morio rode in back with Iris while Delilah rode shotgun with me. I started the ignition. "Where are we going, and why?"

"Downtown. Pioneer Square." Delilah bit her lip. I thought she was going to cry, she looked so worried. "We need to get there ASAP."

"Maggie's in Menolly's lair. She'll be fine until we get back. I know you hate to leave her there, but you're going to need my help." Iris fiddled with something in her pocket.

"Chase is fighting a band of goblins who broke through a newly opened portal. They're terrorizing Pioneer Square. People are being hurt, one woman's already reported being robbed and assaulted. These suckers mean business." There was a catch in Delilah's voice. "I'm worried that Chase and his men won't be able to fend them off—goblins have magic. Humans don't."

"Goblins… goblins'? Why the hell didn't you say so sooner?" I slammed on the gas, and my Lexus jumped into high gear as we sailed down the street. "Damn it, I wish Smoky was here."

"He can sense if you're thinking about him, remember? He said so a couple months ago," Iris said. "At least until you've completed your contract. Focus on him; maybe he'll sense your need."

I glanced back at Iris before returning my attention to the road. "You're a genius. Hold on." I swerved off to the shoulder and jumped out. "Delilah, you drive while I try to get through to him. Otherwise we could end up in a ditch." We changed places, and she took the wheel while I leaned back in the shotgun seat and let my mind drift back to the dragon and his dreyerie.

Forming a mental image in my mind wasn't hard. Once again, I found myself swept back into his bed, with him—naked and ready—leaning over me.

Whoa! Slow down. I tried to focus on his face, on our need for his help, on my own desire to see him again away from his land. There was a tiny click, which might mean I'd gotten through—or maybe not. I couldn't tell. Whatever the case, I shook myself out of the trance and glanced over at Delilah.

"There. We'll see if he answers."

"So, did you have fun out there?" Iris asked, an impish grin slipping across her face.

I tried to glare at her but ended up with a stupid grin on my face instead. "Oh yeah."

"Details!" Delilah said. "Take my mind off worrying about Chase."

"Hmm," I said. "You want details? He's as controlling as I thought, but… it's pretty damned easy to obey him. Under those clothes lurks the body of a god. After I managed to keep from swallowing my tongue, I found out that he's one of the three best lovers I've ever had."

I glanced over my shoulder at Morio. "And you know who the other two are, so don't get yourself in an uproar. Hmmm… Smoky's hair does pretty kinky things all on its own, which I really have to admit was pretty damned hot. And… he says he's in love with me and wants me to be his 'mate.' Just what that entails, I dunno, since I can't bear his children."

Iris let out a strangled gack as Delilah swerved into the other lane before she regained control of my car. Morio was the only one who remained calm, but then, he knew the story already.