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"I'm glad I don't have to breathe." Menol y laughed again.
"I can help with the smel , I believe," Luke said, leaning back in his chair. "But I ain't even gonna try to touch that mop on your head."
Blinking at him, I frowned. "Yeah, I have a bad feeling I'm stuck with it until it grows out."
Menol y stifled a snort. I flashed her a nasty look, but she shrugged. "What? It's funny--and if anybody can pul off the look, you can."
"Right, that and a dime wil buy you the Brooklyn Bridge." I let out a long sigh. "What about Nerissa? Shouldn't you take care of her? She looks about ready to pass out. How much did you--she--drink, anyway?"
Menol y flashed me a toothy grin. "I think she downed a bottle of champagne on her own. Camil e and her harem wil be home pretty soon, by the way.
They stuck around to say good night to some of the stragglers. But before she gets here, I better warn you: Tread careful y around the whole issue of our il ustrious father's bailing on her wedding to Tril ian. It hit her hard. I heard her talking to Iris earlier, and she was trying not to cry."
"Crap. Why couldn't he have played the good guy this time? He's never been this mean to Camil e."
"Yeah, he's never turned his back on her except when she first came out about being involved with Tril ian. For him to do so now after al she's done for the agency and our family, it fucking sucks. I'm so pissed at him; he can shove his attitude right up his tight--"
"You're talking about our father!" Wrong or not, I couldn't help but stand up for him. It was ingrained in my nature, even though my heart wasn't holding much in the way of his defense this time.
"I don't care if I'm talking about Zeus. He had no right to do that to her." She tossed a look at Nerissa. "She'l be okay. She's comfy. Where's Vanzir?"
"He went out to the studio," Iris said.
She nodded. "Okay, so Luke--tel me what's going down."
As Luke ran down the info about his missing sister, I stared at the window. Menol y was right. Father ignoring Camil e, after al we'd been through in the past year, was worse than a slap in the face.
So who am I? Some days, I'm not sure myself, not any longer--things have shifted so much over the past year or so. I used to think life and people were relatively good, now I live in a war zone and pretty much have discarded the naive attitude I first toted Earthside. Most of the FBHs--ful -blooded humans--
walking down the street don't realize it, but their lives, their world, is in danger. I'm just one of the very few warriors on the vanguard, trying to prevent disaster.
I never would have described myself as a soldier a year ago. An agent, yes, for the Otherworld Intel igence Agency, but not a soldier. But we've al become warriors, my sisters and me and our friends, and we're fighting a horde of demons intent on breaking through the portals that separate the worlds.
Shadow Wing, the leader of the Subterranean Realms, intends to make both Earth and Otherworld his private stomping ground by gathering the spirit seals--an ancient artifact that was broken into nine sections and scattered to prevent the worlds of Fae and Earth from being accessed by the monsters from the Subterranean Realms. But the seals are surfacing again, and it's a race as to who can find them first: the demon lord or us. As of right now, we're standing in the way, trying to keep the floodgates closed.
My name is Delilah D'Artigo, and I'm a werecat. But I've also discovered another side to my shifting nature. A black panther self emerges when coaxed by my master--the Autumn Lord, one of the Harvestmen. He marked me as his only living Death Maiden, and someday, I'm destined to bear his child. My panther side is feral, fierce, and I'm beginning to love rather than fear her. She's becoming a part of me in a way that I never thought possible. I'm owning my predator nature--both in housecat and big cat. I have a twin--Arial--who died at birth, and she comes, a ghost leopard by nature, to help me at times. I can feel her near; she's a guardian and watches over me. I only wish that someday, we could real y sit down and talk.
My sisters--Menol y, a vampire, and Camil e, a Moon Witch recently promoted to priestess--and I are half-human, half-Fae, and our heritage short-circuits our powers at al the wrong times. Let's just say we've never won any employee-of-the-month awards, and not for lack of trying.
Our mother, Maria D'Artigo, a human, fel in love with our father, who is one of the Sidhe. She fol owed him back to Otherworld during the tail end of World War I . They married, had an exquisite romance, and she gave birth to us. Camil e first, then a couple years later me, then another couple years, Menol y. We look in our early twenties to humans. Maturity wise, we're right about there, too, though we've grown up fast the past couple of years. But we're al around sixty-some Earthside years old.
When we were fairly young, Mother died. She fel from a horse. Camil e took over and tried to fil her shoes, a daunting task for any young girl. And around thirteen years ago, ES time, Menol y was transformed into a vampire. But we always were sure of our father. Until this past month, he was a rock, and we were certain of his support. Now, things are changing, the Wheel is turning, and nothing is what it seems anymore.
And we've run out of time to adjust. The cards have been dealt, and we're in a life-and-death tournament from which there's no exit.
Menol y sat back, staring at Luke. "We'l do everything we can to find her. And if her fucking jerk of a husband is after her, we'l make certain he doesn't try it again." Abusive men didn't last long around her, often becoming her dinner. She fed on the lowlifes and violent criminals of the world.
Luke gave her a thin smile. "Thanks, boss. I don't want to seem like an overprotective brother, but the fact is that Amber's never been in a big city before, and I can't help but be worried."
Menol y leaned forward, the ivory beads in her cornrows clicking. Her hair was the color of burnished copper, and she was as petite as I was tal .
"Luke, can I ask you something?"
"Sure, what?"
"Why didn't the Pack do something about her husband, if he was abusing her?" Menol y frowned, tapping her nails on the arm of the chair.
He sighed. "That was one of the reasons I left. Wel , actual y, I was excommunicated. I don't talk about it much. The males of the Zone Red Pack are extreme alphas--in a bad way. I couldn't take it."
