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"Yes, I realize that." Camil e leaned cautiously against one of the tables, biting her lip. "Our lives are about to get so fucking complicated we'l long for the days we were just fighting Degath Squads. But before we focus on this little goody, we'd damned wel better get a line on where the coyote shifters are and get that spirit seal before Stacia figures it out."
"That we can help with." Morio began picking shards out of Camil e's flesh. She winced but said nothing as blood tickled down her arms and the backs of her legs. I shuddered to think how long it was going to take to get al the glass out of her. "Marion cal ed the house after you left the cafe. Apparently, she talked to a friend of hers and . . . long story short: We have an address."
"Thank gods. That's the first real break we've gotten in awhile. So, where the fuck did Jaycee and Van disappear to? And what are they?" My mind was spinning with everything that had gone on.
"You stil don't recognize them when you see them, do you?" Vanzir shook his head.
"Stop trying to be enigmatic. You don't wear it wel ," I said, glaring at him. "We don't have time for riddles."
"They're Tregarts. Human looking--but demonic. Add in that they're sorcerers, and you're both lucky to come out alive."
"I thought they smel ed close to Demonkin but . . . why didn't I sense them?" Camil e stifled a cry as she reached down to yank a particularly nasty looking piece of glass out of her leg. "Cripes, this goddamn stuff hurts. Now I know how it feels to be inside a Cuisinart."
"Most likely, the pair were masked. Sorcerers with the power they have can easily cloak their demonic nature, so don't blame yourself. Though it doesn't look like you went easy on the spel tossing either, toots. You do skylights pretty damned good." Vanzir glanced up at the gaping hole in the wal where the lightning bolt had ripped through, then gave her the once-over. "We'd better get you to the doctor."
"Uh, yeah, I think that might be an opportune suggestion." She began to hobble toward the door, sucking in a deep breath, then stopped. "Every step I take drives some of the shards deeper. The stairs are going to be murder."
"I can take you." Roz leapt to her side and wrapped his arm gently around her waist. "I'l carry you through the Ionyc Sea to the FH-CSI. The rest of you--
go plan what you need to do next. I'l see you in a bit."
"Hold on," she said, fishing out her car keys and tossing them to me. "Okay. Let's get this over with."
Roz closed his eyes, and they wavered out of sight. The Ionyc Sea wasn't the ideal way to travel, and both Smoky and Roz only took us with them when it was absolutely necessary, but travel through the frozen astral realms came in handy when necessary.
Vanzir, Tril ian, Morio, and I trudged up the stairs. There was nothing left here but destruction. They probably never bothered to use the rest of the house, just the lab in the basement. And the pedestal, where they . . . Images of what was left of Paulo filtered through my mind, and I pressed my lips together.
We'd track them down and destroy them. And we'd put a stop to the Koyanni while we were at it.
Outside, I leaned against Camil e's Lexus. "Where to? I'd like to have Menol y with me when we go after the coyote shifters. She tends to be real handy in situations where we might have to hold our breath. We have an address, but we're definitely down manpower without her and Smoky. Camil e's going to be laid up again, if I don't miss my guess."
"Camil e's probably going to be okay to go in unless she contracts an infection from the cuts, but she'l hurt. You know she won't stay home if there's danger to the rest of us. You head over to the FH-CSI building and see how she is. We'l head out and see what we can track down about the address Marion gave us. Drive by, get a look at it . . . anything we can use for an advantage right now." Vanzir motioned for me to take off as he, Morio, and Tril ian headed for Morio's SUV.
I gave him a long look. At this point, if there was a way we could remove the soul binder, I'd consider it. Vanzir had earned his place with us, but the enslavement lasted for life. He'd never be free. But we were coming to trust him more and more. With one last glance over my shoulder, I hopped in Camil e's car and headed, once again, to the hospital.
Sharah grimaced when she saw me come in. "Again? What's with you two? I think you just like us too much."
"How is she?" I glanced around, looking for any sign of Chase, but if he was here, he was in his office, not in the medic unit.
"We're tweezing out the shards. There are so many that it's going to take a while longer. For the first twenty minutes we used clear strapping tape--
plastered it to her skin and then pul ed. Brought the majority of the bigger pieces and a lot of smal er slivers off. It's a good thing she shaved her legs recently, I can tel you that." Sharah bit her lip, then said, "I need to talk to you about something. They're working on her, so you're going to have to wait for a while anyway."
Worried they'd found something else wrong with Camil e, I fol owed her as she led me back into her office. "What's wrong? She's going to be okay, isn't she?"
"Camil e? Oh, yes--she'l hurt and probably have a number of tiny scars, but she'l be al right. This is something else, something private I needed to ask you." She let out a long breath and sat down--not behind her desk but in the chair next to me. "Delilah, I have something to ask you, and you probably won't like it, but I can't just keep quiet. I have to know."
Sharah was friendly, but she seldom confided in us, and I'd never had a heart-to-heart with her until Chase had been in the ICU.
"What's up? Is something wrong with Chase?"
"That's debatable. We've got a long ways to know how the Nectar of Life wil ultimately affect him. But, no, that's not what I wanted to talk about. Not directly. I know you broke up--he told me, and he told me it was his doing, and that it had nothing to do with you." She cleared her throat, looking definitely uncomfortable.
"Uh . . . yeah. He's right on al counts."
"I know he's not ready for a relationship, but do you think . . . when he is . . . are you planning on getting back together with him?" She glanced up at me then, and I saw it in her eyes. I saw the same look I'd felt at the beginning, after the newness wore off and the affection crept in. Sharah was in love with Chase.
Hel . How was I supposed to respond? Did I even know the answer to her question? We'd only been separated for a day or two. Was I ready to give up the hope of being with him forever? But as I searched my heart, I knew my response, and it wasn't what I expected to feel.
