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"Camille could tell you. She's tied into the weather. Lightning, snow, anything that comes in on the winds, she's tuned into." I opened the door to my Jeep and swung into the driver's seat. "Talk to you later, babe."
Chase waved as I eased onto the road and headed for home. As the flakes fell from the sky, I had a nasty feeling that the storm presaged a bigger one just over the horizon.
When I pulled into the driveway, Camille's Lexus was already there, which meant that she'd closed the shop early. As I dashed up the steps and into the house, laughter echoed from the living room. I peeked around the corner to see Iris and Camille decorating a tree that was at least twelve feet high. It almost reached the ceiling, and they were bedecking it with crystal moons and golden sun faces and ivory balls with glittering gold trim.
"Iris, I have your package from the Fairy Tale." I held out the box.
"Wonderful!" She motioned to the recliner. "That's my Midwinter gown. Put it on the chair, would you? What do you think?"
As I laid the box on the chair, I gazed around at the brilliantly decorated living room. A garland of strung cranberries wound around the tree. Swags of evergreens held together by big burgundy ribbons and gold garland scalloped their way around the ceiling. Iris stood back, a beatific look on her face. She clapped her hands, and an ornament rose up in the air, hovered for a moment, then carefully flew up to attach itself to one of the upper boughs.
"You and your hearth magic," I said, grinning. "That stuff sure comes in handy."
She nodded. "If it's related to tending the house, chances are I can enchant it."
Camille was beaming. She held out her arm, and I walked over and wrapped my arm around her waist as she leaned her head against my shoulder.
"I wish Mother was alive… that she could be here to see this," I said, wistfully. "It's so beautiful. You know she'd love it."
"That she would," Camille said. "Father, too. I just wish we had some word from him. I don't like worrying like this. Trillian took off for Otherworld to see if he can find out anything. He's going to hunt down Aunt Rythwar and make sure she's okay, and see if she has any information for us."
My irritation faded. Trillian was all right, if you overlooked his natural tendencies. He'd helped us out more than once, and in fact almost lost his life for us. And it looked like he would continue to stand by our side.
The light outside the living room window faded, and the sound of a door closing echoed from the kitchen. Sure enough, after a moment Menolly came gliding in to join us. She never needed more than a moment to fully wake, and another to dress. Her alarm clock was set for the moment dusk hit. She was wearing a pair of black cargo pants and a cobalt-blue long-sleeved V-neck. She looked absolutely gorgeous.
"I see you've been busy while I slept," she said, giving us a toothy grin. I swallowed a queasy feeling when I saw her fangs were partially extended.
"Your tips are showing," I said.
She blinked and ran her tongue around her teeth. "Oops, pardon me. I'm hungry tonight. I'll probably leave early to feed."
Camille nodded, but my attention had turned elsewhere. One of the ornaments on the tree was a beautiful ivory-colored peacock with a long, glittering tail. Something about the feathers made me catch my breath. My nose twitched. Oh hell. I tried to turn, to warn Camille, but was too late. The room began to swirl and, dizzy, I fell into the waiting vortex. A swirl of chaos, a nexus of bodies and forms, spun out of control as I folded into myself, crossing realities, crossing dimensions.
Flash. Tall and blonde on two feet, neither human nor Fae but some strange blend that became a third race unto itself. Hands shrank into paws, nails to claws. Spine lengthened, ears shifted. A wave of sensuality flowed through me as I rolled my head back, reveling as the transformation sped me along a current against which I could not fight.
Flash. Golden fur on four feet, neither cat nor true Were, but a mixture of bloodlines and magic converging into flesh. Everything shifted, and the room grew larger as I grew smaller. Color faded as I entered a world where the only constants were shades of gray. The air became saturated with scent. Camille's perfume, Iris's cinnamon gum, the fir tree's needles, the smell of dinner cooking in the kitchen… Everything smelled so incredibly strong that it sent me reeling.
And then I blinked again, and all was done.
I glanced down at my feet, at the golden fur that quivered in the slightest breeze. I was home again. There were times I wished I never had to change back. Life was easier, choices more simple, and the world seemed clear-cut. Changeling, the children at school used to call me. Changeling, they taunted me. And Changeling, they envied me, because they knew how much I reveled in my alter ego, and how much I hated coming back each time.
And then instinct took over, and I shook off my memories. The room loomed large with the promise of excitement as I focused on the bright, shiny toys dangling just out of reach. The swags were so tempting, looping down on the walls. And the tree—oh the tree! It was a glorious mountain, beckoning me, a medley of toys awaiting the chase. My nose twitched, and I let out a half purr, half mew.
Unable to stop myself, I took off, racing around the room in a frenzied dash that seemed to be just the right thing to do at the time.
Camille lunged at me, but she was huge and clumsy, and I let out a purp as I dodged to the side, a blur of orange fur. No way in hell was she putting a stop to my plans, whatever they might be. I'd know what they were when I got there.
I dashed between her legs and as she stumbled, I heard a vague "Oh fuck!" The floor shook as her shins made full-body contact with the coffee table, and she went sprawling across it with a loud "Oof!"
Menolly jumped in my path. Her reflexes were better than mine, so I jagged a hard left, and my tufted feet slid across the floor as I hit the brakes, spinning and heading directly for the tree.
It was Iris's turn, but a four-footed wonder like me could outrun any house sprite. I sprang over her head, landing on the lower limbs of the tree. The moment I felt the boughs beneath my feet, I scrambled, climbing through the branches, disregarding the sound of breaking ornaments.
As I frantically climbed—no longer sure just what my original plan had been—the sap and resin began to stick to my fur.
Oh shit, everybody was going to be pissed as hell at me. Amid a growing panic, I made my way into the upper regions of the tree, where I found a spot in which to snuggle, right under a delicate five-pointed star that lit up the room like fireworks on the Queen's birthday. Nervous, I peeked out of the branches. I felt safe in my little cubbyhole made of fir branches, and I could see the entire room from my vantage point.
Dizzy with accomplishment, I began to purr.
