AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"We?" I glanced around, realizing Chase's car was in the driveway. "Chase is here?"
"Yes, he is, and he's frothing at the mouth for word of your return. He came over as soon as he got off work. Oh, and Trillian's back. It's been an interesting evening, I'll tell you that." The look on her face was worth a thousand words, and I had the feeling that Chase and Trillian had been more than a handful.
"I can imagine the conversation," I said, then stopped. "Is something wrong, Iris?"
"Yes, well, several things have happened this evening." By her tone, the news wasn't good. She stared at me for a moment, then tilted her head to one side. "Delilah, what's on your forehead?"
"More news… and I'm not sure if it's good or bad." I pointed to the living room. "Are Trillian and Chase in there?"
She nodded. "I'll hustle into the kitchen and fix you something to eat. Go in and sit down. And don't start without me!" And with that, we were dismissed.
We filed into the living room, and it occurred to me that at least I wouldn't have to call Chase about the waterfall question. It also occurred to me that I'd kissed Zachary and probably should tell Chase. I didn't want to, but I owed him that much. My spirits sinking, I looked around the room for him.
To my surprise, he and Trillian were sitting at the game table, playing a round of chess. Trillian was playing black, Chase, white, which seemed fitting, and they were both so intent on the game that neither one noticed us enter.
Camille gave me a snarky look and started to sneak up on them, but she must have made some noise, because Trillian suddenly jumped out of his chair and grabbed her before she could startle them. He pulled her into his arms and, with a defiant look at Smoky, gave her a long, dark kiss.
"Good to have you home where you belong," he said, loud enough for everyone to hear. "Right by my side." He looked directly at Smoky and gave him a What are you going to do about it? look.
Smoky didn't rise to the bait, merely moved to the sofa, where he sat, crossing his legs. Morio gave Trillian and Chase a nod and dropped onto one of the ottomans, letting out a long sigh. Zach was staring at Chase. If we didn't do something soon, we'd be in the middle of an all-out testosterone war.
Chase held out his arms. "Baby, I'm so relieved you made it home safe."
What the hell was I going to do? Camille knew how to handle this sort of situation, and her lovers knew they were sharing her attentions. But I didn't.
I sucked in a deep breath and walked over to Chase, giving him a warm, happy-to-be-here kiss. He wrapped his arms around me, a sense of security and safety washing through my frazzled nerves. But were safety and security enough?
As Iris entered the room with a tray of cold cuts, cheeses, spreads, and bread, I motioned for everyone to take a seat. "Where's Menolly?" I asked, glancing at the clock. Dusk had fallen over two hours ago. Where was she?
"Right here," came a familiar voice from the door. I whirled around, and there stood Menolly. "You made it back safe," she said, then did a double take. "Kitten, come here," she said. It wasn't a request. I hurried over to her side, and she motioned for me to bend down. After a moment, her fingers barely touching the outlines of the mark on my forehead, she hissed and moved back. "Who did this to you?"
"The Autumn Lord," I whispered. "Why? What are you sensing?"
Her irises had turned brick red, and when she spoke, I could see her fangs were fully extended. "He's marked you. Territory. What the hell did you do? Promise yourself to him? You're wearing the mark of a Death Maiden, Kitten. And there's no way I know of to get rid of it."
"May the gods have mercy," Iris whispered.
"No," I whispered. "That's not possible. I didn't agree to anything like that. He said he'd exact payment from me, but he wouldn't tell me what it was."
But in my heart, I knew I was screwed. Iris was right: the Elemental Lords were terrifying and lived far apart from human or Sidhe. They played by their own rules, making them up as they went.
Chase shot to his feet. "What the hell is going on? What are you saying? Delilah would never make such a promise!"
Menolly gave him a cool look. "Of course she wouldn't. But understand this, Chase, and listen carefully so I don't have to repeat myself. The Elemental Lords don't care what humans think. They don't care what the Fae think. Extensions of the very essence of both Earth and Otherworld, the Elemental Lords are encapsulations of primal power. They are who they are, and neither your rules nor ours apply to them. They have the power to bind anyone they choose to their will, and none but the gods can interfere."
Pale, looking almost stricken, Chase slowly took his seat again. "Good God, what's going to happen to you?"
I glanced at Menolly. "I don't know, but whatever it is, I'll do my best to stop it. I think… let's start from the beginning. We found out our enemy is a lot more than just a bunch of werespiders under the thumb of a Degath Squad."
Camille silently fixed two sandwiches. She handed one to me, then walked over and hopped up on the desk, dangling her feet over the edge. Menolly floated up to sit on the top of the ladder by the tree. I glanced at the sparkling ornaments but couldn't bring myself to go near them. Iris's spell must be working. I polished off my dinner without tasting a bite, I was so worn out.
With a glance at Camille, I said, "Let's dive in. I don't know how much longer I can hold out before I fall asleep."
She nodded. "I was thinking the same thing." With a quick look at Trillian, she added, "As much as I want to know what's going on at home right now, we'll start with our trip so that Zachary can take off."
Between the five of us, we filled Chase, Trillian, and Iris in on what had happened. I left out the kiss with Zach, as did everybody else, thankfully, but when I came to my vision of the Autumn Lord in the car, Camille gasped and looked over at Menolly, who merely nodded.
"That clinches it. He's claimed you."
