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"Let's get moving. We have work to do." As we headed toward Morio's SUV, I added softly, "I love both of you. I hope you know just how much. And I love Trillian. If we rescue him, I'll expect you to bring him into our marriage. I'll be honored to be wife to both of you. But remember, I'm already Trillian's wife, even if we've never mentioned marriage. Are you both willing to share me with him?" I looked at Smoky. Moment of truth here.
Morio opened the passenger door and stood aside, waiting for me to get in. "I know, and I have no problem with the idea. Provided…"
"Provided what?" I asked.
"Provided Trillian's still sane and on our side," Smoky finished. "I acquiesce." He climbed in the back next to Menolly.
Morio shut the door, and I fastened my seat belt, thinking about the future. Delilah reached through the front seats to rest a hand on my shoulder, and I absently patted it.
I bleakly stared out the window. With such odds facing us, it seemed insane to make any lasting commitments, to form any long-term attachments. And yet, they were already formed. Without benefit of ceremony or certificate, I was bound to Morio and Smoky, as I was to Trillian. Why not make it official? Why not give ourselves an edge that might prove handy later on?
Letting out a long sigh, I looked over my shoulder at Smoky.
He gave me a little wink—just a tiny one, but it said everything I needed to hear. I'm here. I'll help you. I love you. You're mine, but I've decided I'm willing to share you with the ones you love. "Let's get this show on the road," I said, as Morio pulled out of the drive and we headed out toward Smoky's land.
Chapter Twenty-five
Morio cast an illusion spell over the car and cranked up the speed. We arrived in record time. As we eased into the driveway leading to Tom Lane's house, or rather, Georgio's house, I sensed a looming presence overshadowing the land.
"What the fuck is that?" I said, jumping out of the car the moment we pulled to a stop. I glanced around, looking to find the magical party-hearty scene going on. A tremendous pressure felt like it was suffocating me: deep magic, ancient magic, Fae magic, Sidhe magic. Oh hell. Titania and Morgaine.
"The demons?" Delilah asked, as she emerged from the SUV next.
I shook my head. "I don't think they've found their way here yet. No, I'm sensing heavy Fae magic. Moon magic, too—and Morgaine is a Daughter of the Moon like I am."
Everybody poured out of the car then, and Smoky's nose twitched. He growled, low in his throat, and I quickly looked around to see if he was transforming, but he stood there, tall and cool against the night sky.
"Titania and Morgaine are searching for the cave," he said. "I can feel them opening rifts, searching out the hidden niches of magic in the land. They'll find it, and we need to be there when they do."
I closed my eyes, buoyed up by the stiff breeze that had started to blow. The winds were shaking the trees, bending branch and limb, moaning softly as they swept in from the west. "It's coming from the west, from the shining shores."
"From Avalon?" Menolly asked.
Listening, I tried to pinpoint the origin of the currents of air that swept past us. They were rife with ocean salt and seaweed and the call of the gulls, and the sparkling phosphorescence that glittered in the water on warm nights when the tides were full. Fae magic, those shimmering lights were, trapped in the realm of the sea creatures.
As I followed the trail of kelp, it led me right back to myself. I was standing in the inner sanctum of the Black Unicorn's room, staring at the Lord of the Depths. He swam toward me, his long hair glistening with faerie light, his eyes round and brilliant in their darkness. As the merman rose out of the water, I saw that he was accompanied by a pod of dolphins.
I curtsied, and he quickly inclined his head in a deep bow. "Lady Camille, what is your wish?"
"Does this magic originate from Avalon? Is the isle still lost in the mists, or has it returned?" I waited, counting the seconds as he closed his eyes and plunged his hands into the water. When I'd counted to twenty, he looked up again, gazing at me through the mirror.
"No, this magic is not Avalon in nature. The sacred isle has drifted so far in the mists that no one—not even I—can find it. This is the magic of the Moon Mother's waves, of the crashing ocean currents, of the great goddesses of the sea and ocean. This is Grandmother Water's magic, and she sings on the wind tonight, for she is being summoned."
That was all he could tell me. I thanked him and withdrew, easing out of my trance as easily as I might shake out of a sudden nap.
"Not Avalon. They aren't trying to reawaken Arthur, that's for sure." I closed my eyes and caught the thread of magic again. It called to me, summoned me, beckoned me on, and I couldn't help myself—I had to follow. "Come on! It's deep in the forest, near where Benjamin told us he found the cave. Let's go."
I started off, but Smoky held out his hand. "Stop. There are traps aplenty. Let me go first," he said, taking the lead. "I can negate them."
Sanity prevailed, and I stood back, letting him move to the front. Morio and I were next, followed by Menolly, Delilah, and Chase.
We set off into the night, under the sliver of moonlight that peered down from behind a thin veil of clouds. I could feel her up there, watching with her frost-borne eyes. The Crone Mother had thrown off her black veils and was now peeking out into the heavens, the barest of Maidens once again. She would grow full and lush and ripe over the next two weeks, dripping with passion and lust and eggs ripe for the quickening, and then she would bid us race into her skies with the Hunt, scouring the land for those ready to join the parade of hunters and prey.
The forest was a variation of grays and blacks, with auras flaring brightly in the monochromatic night. Smoky swiftly navigated through brush and tree, around bends in the path that would have sent me careening into the undergrowth. During the Hunt I could see clearly, but other nights, though my sight was better than most FBHs, I still had to slow down when in strange territory.
I paused as Smoky held up one hand. Waiting as he trod on ahead, the others stood behind me. There was a muffled whoomf and the sound of a small explosion rocked the immediate area, but there was no sign of smoke nor fire, and Smoky looked unharmed. He glanced down at me as he turned back to us, and I could feel him reach out to embrace me, to pull me into his energy field and hold me secure.
The path led on, past the turnoff to where Morgaine had made camp. A fire flickered in the distance, no doubt next to their caravan. Smoky motioned for us to stop once more as he raced down the path. After a moment, the flames disappeared, and the darkness pulled in around us again. I shivered unaccountably. I wasn't cold, but the Fae energy—Grandmother Water's magic—was growing stronger by the minute, and I could barely think, it was so thick.
