AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I twisted, hard, not wanting to have to use my teeth to sever the flesh, but if need be, I’d do it. I was stronger than he was, by a long shot, so even though it might take a little while, I could rip him apart, limb from limb.
Unfortunately, as I was focused on carving up our new friend, I wasn’t paying attention to what was going on behind me. A hefty kick to my back knocked me off balance.
I went down but immediately tucked and rolled, flipping onto my feet again à la Bruce Lee. As I whirled around, I found myself staring into the face of a tall man wearing a leather jacket. He was sporting a bushy head of hair down to his shoulders, and an even bushier beard. Think ZZ Top, only muscle-bound and not so friendly looking.
Fangs extended, eyes crimson and burning, I dropped into fighting stance, ready to take him out.
He smiled softly and pulled out a long wooden stake, pointing it directly at me. “You really want to take me on? Fight me, and I’ll dust you so fast you won’t have time to blink those beautiful bloody eyes of yours. Now, step away from the ghoul, or you’ll find yourself a pretty shish kebab. Your choice. What’s it going to be?”>We were weaning her off the cream, sugar, cinnamon, and sage drink that had made up the bulk of her diet until recently. The book on woodland gargoyles said she was ready for her secondary food stage—ground meat with herbs and vegetables twice a day, and the drink—which simulated mother gargoyle milk—once a day. Eventually, we’d bring her mice to hunt and teach her how to fend for herself.
Iris offered Maggie the lamb again. This time, the calico fuzzball scooped up a handful of the ground meat mixture but instead of eating it, she sent it sailing my direction, hitting me square in the face.
“Thank you,” I said, grimacing as Iris handed me a towel. I wiped the meat off my face. “Trolls on a stick, why don’t we just give her the bowl of cream? We can’t let her go hungry, and it’s obvious she’s not going to eat her dinner tonight.”
“No,” Camille broke in. “She’ll be perfectly fine if she misses one meal, and she has to learn how to eat meat. She needs it to support those growing bones and wings. She can just go without her dinner tonight.”
Iris sighed. “You’re right. I’m going to take her into my bedroom and put her down for the night.”
As Iris left the room with the wailing Maggie, Camille and I sat down at the kitchen table. “Where were we?” she asked.
“You were going to tell me about this Harold fellow mentioned in the diary. Do you think he had anything to do with the elf boyfriend?”
“Oh, that’s right! No, not in any way, shape, or form. Harish, her boyfriend, is apparently over here on a long-term assignment for Queen Asteria. He’s a technomage learning all he can about Earthside technology so he can take the information home and find a way to make it mesh with the elfin magic.”
“You think he’s still around?” I leaned my elbows on the table and reached out to play with one of the toothpicks sitting in a crystal container.
“I can find out.” Delilah poked her head into the kitchen from the hallway. She slipped in and opened the refrigerator, pouring herself a glass of milk and slicing off a piece of apple pie. “Sorry about that back there,” she said with a grin. “Your head’s just a whirlwind of temptation to a cat, you know.”
Camille pulled out a chair for her. “Yeah, we know.”
“As I said, Tim and I can comb the Supe Community rolls and see if we find any mention of a male elf named Harish. It shouldn’t take more than a few minutes using the search function.”
“Good idea,” Camille said. “If that fails, we’ll ask Morgaine if she knows of any. The Triple Threat keep an active eye on the local OW elf and Fae population.”
Delilah let out a snort so loud that milk sprayed out of her nose. “One of these days they’re going to whip your butt for that. And you’re not gonna be able to grovel low enough or fast enough.”
Some time back, Camille had begun referring to the three Queens of Earthside Fae as the Triple Threat. So far, Titania, Aeval, and Morgaine hadn’t caught wind of it.
“Eh, if they do, Camille can just send a lightning bolt their way using the horn of the Black Unicorn. That’ll fry them,” I said, slapping the table. “Come on, time’s wasting. I don’t have long during the summer, so let’s get busy.”
Just then, Iris reappeared. “She’s down for the night. I hope.” She glanced at the clock. “I’ve got a date tonight, so I won’t be home to watch her.”
“Bruce?” Camille asked.
“Oh yes, he’ll be here in an hour or so.”
I cleared my throat. “You really like Bruce, don’t you?”
She blushed. “Yes, I do. He might be a leprechaun, but he’s a good soul. Even if he does have too much blarney in him. We’re celebrating tonight.”
“What, did a new beer come out?” I liked Bruce, but I had to admit, I wasn’t all that happy that Iris had a life on the side. If she ever decided to run off and get married, I didn’t know what we’d do.
Iris flashed me a withering stare as she finished putting the dishes in the dishwasher. “No. And don’t you go being so snide about my boyfriend. Bruce got hired on by the University of Washington. He’ll be teaching Irish history and Celtic mythology. It’s temporary—one semester only, starting in the fall. Their usual professor is taking a mini sabbatical to have a baby.”
Delilah swallowed the last of her pie. “You think you can be a little nicer to the guy? He’s a sweetheart, and funny as hell.”
“I get it, I get it,” I said. “And I’m sorry. I just keep thinking you’re going to elope and move out. And trust me, none of us want that.”
With a laugh as clear as a mountain stream, Iris shook her head. “Oh my stars, is that why you always ignore Bruce? He thought you didn’t like his kind! Menolly, you most of all should know that you girls are my family now. If Bruce and I get married, we’ll just have to build a little cottage out back and live here. I’m pledged to fight at your side in this war against Shadow Wing. I won’t let you down.”
