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"No wonder we haven't been able to get to the bitch!" Morio grumbled, slamming his fist on the table.
"What are you going to do with Kim after we've got our information?" Camil e caught Carter's gaze.
He met her eyes, unblinking. "Traitors are worse than enemies. There is only one punishment for treason. It can be quick, or it can be drawn out. I have no taste for torture, but I'm sure that if I told Stacia that Kim confessed she'd been spying, the Bonecrusher would love to have her little stool pigeon back.
But there's an old adage among my mother's people: Do not leave your enemy alive. They will return to bite you. Kim is now one of the enemy. If I let her go, she'l come back to haunt us. As much as this whole affair pains me, I'm afraid I'l have to put her to death."
The words were cold but true. If we left her alive, she'd be so angry we found out that she'd do her best to run back to Stacia and do her best to help them against us. "How . . ." I wasn't sure how to ask what I wanted to ask.
Carter gave me a cold smile. "I have many powers from both my father, Hyperion, and my mother. Don't forget, I am of the Demonkin as wel . I'l give her better than she deserves--a quick and painless end. But make no mistake: Kim has chosen her fate."
As Morio took Maggie on his lap, there was a shimmer in the kitchen. I pul ed out my dagger, jumping to my feet, but Arial, who was padding around in her spirit shape, growled a warning.
No, don't attack.
"Arial says don't attack." I lowered my blade, waiting to see what was coming through. The men stood at the ready, waiting. As the shimmer grew brighter, a low sepia-toned mist spil ed out from its center, and then, a bril iant light flashed as two figures stepped out of the roiling smoke.
Out of the mist stepped a man, a wave of energy rocking the kitchen. He stopped, his gaze fastened on me.
Shade.
And behind him raced a much shorter figure. Iris. As they materialized in the room, Arial quietly slipped away, brushing me with her astral tail. I smiled, content that I knew how to contact her now.
Iris gave one long cry of joy and threw herself into Camil e's arms.
Smoky let out a low growl as he faced Shade, but I pushed past him. First, before anything, I yanked Iris into my own embrace and kissed her forehead.
"Thank the gods you're alive--we were terrified Stacia got hold of you. What happened? Where did you come from?"
I found her when I showed up, looking for you." Shade's voice, honey on peaches, washed over me, and I turned, sliding into his arms as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "I felt you put on my ring."
In a louder voice so everyone could hear, he said, "I came as soon as I could. I had no idea I'd show up in the middle of an invasion. Your friend was running from one of the beasts in the woods. I caught her up and shifted over to the shadow realm before she could be mauled by that mockery of a life-form."
"You're Shade," Camil e said, stepping forward. "Delilah's new . . . her . . ." She stopped, blushing. "Welcome, and please, don't mind some of us who happen to be a bit churlish." She gave Smoky a long look. "We came home to find Iris missing and demons rampaging through the place. It's been one hel of a night, and we're suspicious about everything and everyone."
The others gathered in, greeting him and hugging Iris as I stood back, wondering how this was going to play out.
Smoky and Shade circled each other warily, eyeing one another like two male lions. Camil e looked at me, then grabbed my hand and dragged me into the center between them.
"Listen, dudes--we have no time for your posturing. We have a crisis on hand, and if you two want to play king of the dreyerie, it wil just have to fucking wait. Got it?" She rested her hands on her hips, glaring at Smoky.
His lip twitched, even as his gaze flickered over our heads to stare at Shade. A moment later, he let out a long sigh and backed off.
"My wife requests we give it a rest. What say you, Master of Shadows?"
Shade glanced at Camil e, then at me. "Is her sister just as demanding?"
"In other ways, I'm sure. At least my wife doesn't turn into a tabby cat and play with my toes at night, as I've heard Delilah is wont to do." Smoky gave me a snarky grin, then abruptly sat down again, pul ing Camil e onto his lap.>Tril ian motioned to Morio. "Come with me, and we'l check the wild patch of woods out back." They hurried off.
Smoky said nothing but was away, heading toward the front perimeter of the land. I whirled and grabbed Menol y.
"Come on, let's check the trail down to Birchwater Pond." As we raced toward the tree line, I prayed under my breath that we'd find her. She'd be okay; everything would be fine. "She has to be," I whispered, as I caught a glimpse of Arial, on the astral, running beside us.
"Where could she be hiding?" Menol y stopped at the trail mouth, eyeing the path. "Would she be off path, or on?"
"Off, I guess. Let's just cal her out. It's safe to do so now." I cupped my mouth with my hands like a megaphone and shouted, "Iris! Iris! It's safe to come out! Where are you? Are you okay?"
"Iris!" Menol y started cal ing, too, heading down the path. "You go off path to the left, and I'l head down to the pond. Iris!"
