"I don't know for sure, but if we don't find her soon, then yes. Dredge will kill her." I didn't mention torture. Why bother?

"First light is coming, Menolly," Iris said.

"I know, I can feel it." And I could. The slow gentle draw into unconsciousness was tapping at my shoulder. Not long before I'd have to withdraw to sleep. And, if I was lucky, I wouldn't dream. I glanced at the clock. An hour left, at most. "Nerissa, come with me?"

We headed into the parlor from the back way so as not to disturb Camille and Morio. As I closed the door behind me, I said, "Do you want Delilah to drive you home?"

"Now?" she asked, sounding surprised.

Thoughts of Camille's fears echoed through my mind. "Nerissa, our enemies are far more dangerous than you know. You could get hurt if you stick around here. If you get involved with… us… me."

She slowly closed the gap between us and gently raised her hands to cup my face. "I know that. I knew that before I made up my mind that I wanted to be with you. I'm not asking for a lifetime. I'm not asking for any commitments. I just want to be here, right now, tonight."

I searched her eyes, looking up at her. Roz's kiss had burned like fire, almost frightening me, but Nerissa's lips looked warm and inviting, lush and filled with unspoken promises. I thought of what we had to lose if I said no, and slowly reached up on tiptoe to press my lips against hers.

She slid her arms around me, pulling me close, her tongue parting my lips as she explored, searching. I let out a shudder as her hand slid under my shirt, and then jumped away.

"What is it? Did I do something wrong?" A look of disappointment washed over her face.

"I have to tell you something first." Every scar on my body tingled. "My body is covered with scars. And I mean covered!" I looked away. "No one has touched me in… that way… since Dredge finished with me and turned me into a vampire. My sisters think I slept with Wade but the truth is we never reached that point. I've never slept with a human or an Earthside Supe. I don't know what to expect."

"Do you want to be with me?" she asked. "Be honest; it's all right if you say no. I'll be disappointed, but I'm a big girl. I can take rejection."

I shook my head. "It's not that. Just… see, I don't know if I can control myself once you take your clothes off. I had a bad experience at a strip club last summer when Camille got the bright idea we should soak up some of the culture here. There's so much I don't know about that part of myself…" I stopped as she brushed one finger against my mouth.

"Shush," she said. "You don't have to worry about me. I'll be okay. I partnered with Venus the Moon Child. He trained me well."

I blinked, staring at her. "What does that have to do with it?"

Her lip quivered into a smile that lurked between a grin and a leer. "Venus taught me how to master my fear and give in to passion. He taught me how to heal old wounds of the heart and psyche with sex."

Nerissa gave me a gamine smile, but behind that winsome face and proper reserve, I sensed a wild and free spirit. I swallowed my worry and slowly removed my shirt, waiting to see myself reflected in her eyes.

"This is who I am. If you want me, take me. It's all up to you," I said, feeling stripped bare before her.

Her gaze landed on my stomach and trailed up my chest, lingering on my breasts, then up my throat, finally locking with my eyes. She didn't flinch, didn't turn away from the hundreds of white lacerations that signified Dredge's psychotic attentions.

"He did this to you? This Dredge?" she asked after a moment, her voice almost a growl.

I slipped out of my boots and jeans in answer, to show her that the scars continued down my body. My hands, feet, and face were the only places he'd left pristine, untouched by those dagger sharp nails of his. I had no pubic hair; he'd shaved that, and written his name in a coiling scar on the curve of my mound. "I own you," he'd said as he slashed into my flesh. "Body and soul, I claim you and sire you."

Nerissa undressed and tossed her jeans and shirt to the side. She was glorious, with swelling breasts and a golden thatch of hair that nestled around her sacred sex. A Viking warrior, when she shook her hair loose of the chignon and it fell to her shoulders she radiated an energy that I couldn't define.

I wanted to reach out but I was still afraid. Would I hurt her? Would I snap, go into an uncontrollable frenzy when I smelled her perfume, felt her heart beating under my fingers? I was about to turn away when she suddenly covered the distance between us and pulled me into her arms, pressing her mouth against mine. Her lips tasted like sweet honey wine, and I stopped resisting, wanting the kiss to go on and on and on.

"You're beautiful," she whispered, coming up for air, staring into my eyes. And the look in her eyes told me she meant it. She dipped her head again and I let her lead me to the sofa and pull me down on the thick plush rug in front of it. Her lips worked their way down my neck and a small cry ripped from my throat as their sweet touch trailed over my shoulder and to my breasts.

Kissing my scars, she murmured something that sounded like, "We'll kill him, honey. Don't worry, we'll kill him," and then she caught one of my nipples between her teeth and tugged ever so slightly.

Waves of thirst grew in my belly and my fangs began to extend but I forced them to retreat as I reveled in Nerissa's attention. She sucked gently, then harder, and I closed my eyes, letting myself float on the sensations that worked their way up my body. A cloud rising in the brilliant sky, golden sunbeams glistening down on my hair, my face, that was my Nerissa.

Her kisses warmed me for the first time in years and as the lazy pull of first light began to drag me down into lethargic slumber, she parted my legs, gazing down at my sex. The thought of Dredge's name there made me try to pull my legs together, to hide what he'd done to me, but Nerissa gently pried them open again and leaned down to kiss the taint he'd left behind.

"He may have left his name, but he'll never touch you again," she whispered, brushing one finger over the ridged skin as tears welled up in her eyes. She let them fall, then carefully scooped up the sparkling diamonds with one finger and bathed me in them. "With my tears, I reclaim you for yourself. With the salt, I purge him from your body."

A ripple ran through me, whether it was her words or her touch or some strange magic she'd learned from Venus the Moon Child, I didn't know, but as she rested her lips on me, I tumbled into flame and fire. A wracking thirst welled up, a thundering desire to drink deep from the well of her life. I reared up, eyes blazing, fangs extended, unable to stop myself.

Nerissa didn't jump or jerk away. Instead she rested one hand on my shoulder and shook her head. "No, Menolly. Just let yourself drift."

Her lack of fear echoed through my ruby-drenched sight, and I fought for focus, fought my inclination to sink my teeth deep into her neck in a blissful communion. Nerissa pushed me back to the rug, leaning over me. Her lips moved lower on my stomach, leaving a cascade of kisses in their wake.

And then she was there, pressed against me, her tongue swirling a pattern of passion that drove all thoughts out of my mind, leaving only the wave on which I was riding. I stubbornly tried to cling to my fear—if I let go, would I lash out and overpower her? Would I tear her throat open? But the steady lapping of her sandpaper tongue broke through my barriers. I fell, tumbling into a different abyss, this one filled with a lush garden, a rain forest of delight instead of the ever-present bloodlust that ruled my life. With a sharp cry, I gave myself up to her and let the release swallow me whole.

Silence. Peace. And then Nerissa sat up and stretched, lazily glancing at the clock. "It's almost first light. You'd better go to bed before morning hits."

I blinked. "What about you, though? Aren't you…"

She grinned, daintily wiping her mouth. "Don't worry about me. I have my ways. Now go. I'll be a phone call away. I have to go back to the compound. I know you have plans tonight, but call me later, when things calm down. If you'd like." Her smile was infectious and I found myself grinning back, giddy for the first time that I could remember in a long, long while.

"I'll call, Nerissa," I said, hesitating. Then, heedless of what it might mean, I plunged on. "You're incredible. You're beautiful and you're fearless. I never knew…"

She shrugged into her clothes and gave me a quick kiss. "Menolly, I'm not fearless. I'm just aware of what world you live in. Venus the Moon Child walks under the shadow of death. He taught me to look it in the face and find the beauty within all of its aspects. And he taught me how to return from the abyss." And with that, she scurried out of the room.

I watched her retreating back, thinking I should say something, but then she was gone. Anyway, no matter what I said now, it would be anticlimatic. Whatever this thing between us was meant to be, it would grow at its own pace.

With a last glance at the curtained windows, which were starting to show the overcast glimmer of morning, I slid into my jeans and top and hurried into the living room. Everyone was getting ready to crash. Trillian, Morio, and Camille were about to head upstairs, and Tim had fallen asleep in the rocking chair.

Iris wandered in. "The kitchen's clear," she said as Camille said good night. "Delilah's driving Nerissa home." She gave me an expectant look and I just smiled. As I passed her to head down to my lair, she whispered. "Good for you, Menolly. But be careful. There are so many complications."

"I know," I said softly. "I know." And I did. But I wasn't willing to walk away. What I'd told Trillian was the truth: collateral damage was going to happen, like it or not. And it seemed a crime to walk away from friendship and love, the things that make life worth living—even for those of us long past life. Wondering if I'd regret my choice, I stopped to give Maggie a gentle kiss on the forehead, then headed downstairs for the night.

Camille woke me just past dusk. "Menolly, we have to go if we're heading to Aladril."

I sat up, blinking. My dreams had been filled with passion and the vision of a golden goddess, a fiery mane of sun-kissed hair trailing down my skin. A nice change from the usual.

Surprised to hear her so eager to leave, I said, "You still want to go, with what's happened to Erin?"

"Now more than ever. Morio and I did our best last night but we couldn't track them. Dredge is too good at hiding. We have to do something and soon." She paused, then burst out, "It's bad. The local tabloids have gotten wind that at least a half-dozen people are missing and they're screaming at the cops to find them. The one saving grace is that while we know they're dead and that some of them have gone vamp on us, nobody else knows yet. Think of the panic that's going to erupt if this continues."

"What do you mean if? Dredge won't quit until he's stopped." I slipped into a pair of skintight jeans and a long-sleeved tunic made of spider silk, cinching it with a black-studded leather belt. Pulling on a pair of leather gloves and my spiked heel ankle boots, I was ready in five minutes. I nixed the makeup—it took me too long to apply without being able to see my reflection, and why bother when we were headed back to OW anyway?

"It gets worse," Camille said, staring at the floor. She was wearing a flowing skirt from Otherworld, and a custom corset made from a plum-colored jacquard. Unlike me, she was in full makeup. Her hair flowed over her shoulders in a cascade of curls.

"You look like you're made up to pay a visit to Court and Crown," I said. "And what do you mean, 'it gets worse'?"

"Hey, we don't know who we're going to meet over there," she said. "I want to look my best. To answer your question, Chase got a report in from the red light district on the strip near SeaTac. Last night four of the regulars—all girls—disappeared with a couple of rowdy guys and never came back. Their roommate, also a hooker, reported them missing. Chase picked up on it and showed her the photos of the two guys killed at the theater."

"And?" I didn't even have to ask. I knew the answer already.

"She ID'd them all right. Our vamps have struck again, and who knows if those were their only victims. The girl's already on the run—apparently she's afraid it's another Green River Killer thing. Chase couldn't convince her to stay." Camille shook her head. "I want to find Erin, but we can't do that if we can't find Dredge. Maybe this dude in Aladril can help us because we sure aren't having any luck on our own. Queen Asteria seems convinced he can help. We have to go."

"Delilah ready?" I looked around the room, wondering if I should take anything else with me. Deciding that my claws and fangs were better than any weapon I could carry, I motioned to the stairs. "Let's go."

"Delilah's not coming. She's staying here to help Tim on the database. The sooner we can field more info out through the Supe groups, the better. And somebody should stay with Iris and Maggie. It's just you and me. And Trillian."

I let out a low grumble. "Why is he coming along?"

"Because he knows the territory and Tanaquar has called him back for a mission. Which means we'll be shorthanded over here."

"Morio going? I'd like to have the fox demon with us." Morio was good in a fight, and I trusted him to help Camille from going totally haywire on magic.

She sighed. "I'm a little worried taking him into Aladril—he sure doesn't know the customs, but yes, he's willing to come with us."