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“Just don’t barge in without knocking,” I said. As they both left the room, I claimed their spot on the sofa. “Chase, how’s it hanging?”
He let out a long sigh. “You be the judge. The Wedgewood Cemetery seems to be the place to hang out and party. At least, it is if you’re a ghoul or ghost or whatever those creatures are. Last night all hell broke loose. I’ve got the area cordoned off but pretty soon one of those creatures is going to wander off the green, so to speak. I wish you’d been here to help out.”
“Full Moon,” I said. “I was running with the Hunt to the point of madness. I’d have been less help to you than Delilah was in her kitty-cat form. So, have the papers gotten wind of the undead brigade yet?”
Chase jerked his head in a short, grim nod. “Yeah, oh yeah. Andy Gambit’s all over it.”
Gambit reported for the Seattle Tattler, a rag that thrived on ignorance, bigotry, and yellow journalism. “What the hell is he saying now?”
“He’s trying to blame the FH-CSI for the problem. And he’s inciting that damned Brotherhood of the EarthBorn—the new church that the Freedom’s Angels group and the Guardian Watchdogs are forming? He’s inciting them to haul their asses out to the various cemeteries and pray for the souls of the dead. He’s going to get a lot of people hurt if he doesn’t watch it.”
Delilah’s eyes narrowed. “Prayers won’t do any good. Not unless they contain the right spells to calm the dead. And then only if you’ve got a powerful enough mage or witch to cast them.”
“I know that, and you know that, but Gambit doesn’t believe it.” Chase leaned back against the cushion and rubbed his eyes. “I’m so tired. Last night Delilah decided to play chase—and I’m not talking about me—all night long. She was going nuts, tearing around the room, knocking stuff off the nightstand, pouncing on my toes. I had to kick her outside the bedroom so I could sleep.”
“I can’t help it if that catnip mouse you gave me was so strong,” she said, laughing.
“Sure, blame me.” He gave her a kiss on the forehead. “Seriously, Camille, I wish there had been somebody around to help me last night. Menolly couldn’t go out with me. She had to watch over the house.”
“Next month we’ll make certain you aren’t alone without backup during the full Moon.” I shook my head. “The trip home was insane. I’ll go into detail once Menolly’s awake, but last night the Moon Mother . . . she promoted me, so to speak. I’m now a priestess.” I pulled down my top to show them the new tattoo.
Delilah gasped. “Oh great gods! Congratulations!” She flew out of her chair and pulled me to my feet, hugging me tightly. “I know how much you’ve always hoped this would happen! But how? Why?”
I glanced around the room. “Are the wards up?”
“Still tight and active,” she said.
“Okay, here’s the short story. I’ll tell you more tonight, so no questions till then. Talking about this is . . . difficult.” The words came harder than I thought they would. They felt so harsh on my tongue. “Last night I sacrificed the Black Unicorn with his own horn. With my horn.” And for the first time since I’d woken up, I burst into tears.
Delilah stumbled back. Even Chase looked appalled, but neither of them said a word, for which I was grateful. After a moment, Iris came out of the kitchen, holding Maggie propped against one hip. The gargoyle reached out to me and I took her in my arms. Her wide eyes glowed softly and she gently licked the tears rolling down my face.
“No sad, Camey . . . no sad . . .”
“Somebody misses her Camille.” Iris gave me a long look. “You okay?”
I nodded. “Yeah, just overemotional.”
“Well, then. Delilah,” Iris said, holding up a roll of toilet paper that had been ripped to shreds. “I see you discovered a new toy last night.”
Delilah blushed. “Oh . . . uh . . . yeah. Where did you find it?”
“The guest bathroom. I hope you had fun because you knocked everything off the counter, ripped up the toilet paper, and climbed the shower curtain.”
“Camey! Camey!” Maggie interrupted.
I cooed softly as her wispy fur tickled my nose. She snuggled against me, moophing gently. She clutched my hair and closed her eyes, resting her head on my shoulder. I kissed her forehead and settled into the rocking chair, gently rocking back and forth as she fell asleep. My tears began to recede.
“She had a busy morning,” Delilah said, a guilty look crossing her face. “I left her alone in the kitchen while I bathed, and she tipped over her new playpen, managed to get out, and opened the cupboard under the sink. She dumped the garbage and was eating stale pizza when I found her, though she was wearing more of it than she got in her mouth.”
“Oh hell, I wish I’d been here to see that,” I said, laughing and kissing Maggie again. She was child and cat all rolled into one. The best of both worlds only with wings and really big ears. “Do you think it’s okay she ate pizza?”
“I got pictures,” Chase said, a grin on his face. “I found her when I wandered in to make coffee while Delilah was sleeping off her escapades. I stayed here, by the way, to help Menolly keep an eye on things. And no, I do not think you should feed her pizza. She threw up on my feet right after I snapped the shot. I did not take a picture of that.”
“Well, she seems okay now. By the way, where were Rozurial and Vanzir when you needed extra hands?” The pair had been making themselves scarce lately and I wondered what was up.
“They were scouting around, trying to dredge up more about this Bonecrusher woman.”
“She’s a demon,” I said automatically.
