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“But would she have to show up? Can’t she just figure it out and cut her losses from wherever she’s hiding?” I frowned. “I hate to leave somebody out here like that—it’s too dangerous, and it also puts us a man down.”
“Not if we bug the area with a camera,” Chase said. “I could have my men in here in no time with a wireless surveillance unit. They can hide it in the trees, facing the area where Iris broke the spell. Then, if the lamia shows up, we’ll catch it back at the station. At least we’ll be able to get a bead on her.”
“How soon can they get down here?”
“Within the next hour or so.”
I glanced at Menolly, who nodded.
“We have time, I think,” she said. “It’s still early in the night; I can wait here for them and guard them.”
“Okay, let’s do it. Menolly, you and Chase stay here until it’s done. The rest of us—back to the house.” As we headed toward the cars, leaving Chase’s so he could drive Menolly home afterward, Delilah sidled up to me and pulled me off to one side.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
She frowned. “I wanted to talk to you about something . . . before we do it. This may not be the best time, but somehow I don’t think we’re going to get a lot of best times from now on. I’m not asking permission, our minds are made up, but I need to tell you and Menolly’s going to be pissed when she finds out.”
“What did you do now?” I turned to her, studying her face. There was a faint look of guilt in those emerald eyes, but more than guilt—fear. “You’re afraid of what I’m going to say. Tell me. It can’t be that bad.”
“Chase and I’ve come to a decision. I stole a bottle of the nectar of life during the Litha festival that Aeval, Titania, and Morgaine held. Chase is going to drink it. So we can be together for a long time.” She dropped her voice to a whisper. “We’re planning on him doing it during the equinox.”
No. No, no, no. This was so wrong. “Kitten, listen to me. You can’t just let him guzzle it down. There are rituals that need to be performed when an FBH drinks the nectar of life. They must be prepared for the ramifications. You’re risking his sanity if you do it any other way.”
“But what can we do? Who would perform the ritual? You know nobody back home would. Even Father—even though he loved Mother and offered her the same chance, he’d never go for it. I don’t think he believes any men are good enough for us.” She looked ready to cry. “I just want Chase to feel like he’ll have the chance to be with me always.”
“Babe, you listen to me. Promise me you won’t do this—it’s rash and dangerous. If you give me your word, I promise to find someone who can guide you through the ritual. It won’t be by the equinox, but I will help you. I just want both of you to come through this safe and sane.”
Actually, what I wanted was for them to forget about it. Chase didn’t strike me as someone who could handle a thousand-year stint very well, but then, I could be wrong. I just knew that if they carried out their plans, our detective would go bye-bye, and in a very bad way.
She bit her lip, then finally nodded. “All right. But you promised to help me and I’m keeping you to it.”
“Yeah, I know,” I said, thinking about all the promises we’d made over the years, and how some of them were coming back to bite us in the butt. And then there were the promises that had been made to us, the ones that threatened to shatter at our feet.
Smoky, for one. Smoky and Morio and I were soul bound, but would that promise—that oath and binding—carry through the will of his family? He was waiting for me to come home, but with what news? Would he stay? Or would his family force him to return to the fold? Would he rip apart the bond that tied our souls together?
And if he stayed, Smoky and Trillian would come face-to-face again. Only now Smoky had a claim over me Trillian didn’t, and how would that shift the balance of power? Although I knew I should be thinking about our problems with the Bonecrusher, all I could think about as we climbed in the cars was the love that Smoky had offered me, and whether it would still be there when I got home.
CHAPTER 19
The lights in the house were a welcome sight as we drove up through the ever-pounding rain. Parts of the path bordering the driveway were a mud bath, and I was grateful we’d thought to have the actual drive graveled. I stepped out of the car and looked at the house.
Morio rested a hand against my back and even Trillian seemed to sense my mood. He took my other hand.
“No matter what, Camille, you belong to me. No matter who else you’re bound to, you and I will always be together,” he whispered.
Morio heard. He gave Trillian a long look and said, “Me, too. You go in, we’ll head out to the studio and hang out until you’ve had your talk.” He motioned to Roz and Vanzir and the four of them headed off to the shed-turned-studio apartment that we’d had outfitted. Our little family had expanded by more than half and the added space made a world of difference.
Iris, Bruce, and Delilah were still standing beside me.
“I’m going to scout the perimeter of the land,” Delilah said.
“But the wards were shining strong when we came in,” I said, then stopped. She was offering me privacy. “Thanks, hon.”
Iris took Bruce’s hand. “We’ll go in the back way and have a snack, then put Maggie to bed. Smoky said he’d be in the parlor.”
The parlor. Not our bedroom. That didn’t bode well. I sucked in a deep breath and strode up the stairs, my footsteps firm, shoulders back. If it was bad news, I’d take it like a D’Artigo—I’d suck it up and deal with it the way I dealt with all the pain in my life. I’d push it out of the way and move on, because there weren’t really any other options.
I slipped into the living room. The door to the parlor was ajar and I could smell him there. Smoky. He smelled like cedar and cinnamon and old library dust. My heart leaping into my chest, I slowly pushed the door open.
