AllFreeNovel
Share Us
-which could be anything from mild to fatal."
"Wonderful. Okay, what about the scrying? Can you do it?"
"Bring me a bowl of water. Use one of the crystal ones." She sat back down at the table, closing her eyes and breathing softly as I prepared the water for her. We had several silver and crystal bowls that both she and Iris used for magic, and I pul ed out the clearest one. Then, in a spurt of inspiration, I ran up to her study and found the Tygerian wel water from back home in Otherworld. Couldn't hurt to give it a little extra oomph by adding a bit of holy water to the mix.
When I returned, I saw that Camil e was holding Amber's picture. A touchstone. I added a cup of the Tygerian water to the tap water, and it spread through the liquid like oil, then blended, and the liquid took on a startling clarity. Cautiously, I wrapped my arms around the massive bowl and carried it over to the table.
Camil e let out a long breath, and as I watched, she leaned over the bowl and opened her eyes. She searched the water, face pensive, scanning for--
what I didn't know. Magic confounded me, amazed me, and frightened me.
When Camil e was wrapped up in the energy, it was as if she belonged to another realm, one that swept her away and consumed her. I couldn't reach where she went. But then again, she couldn't fol ow me into my realm as tabby and panther. We had our own private kingdoms--the same with Menol y and her bloodlust. And yet, each of us stood stronger together than apart.
A swirl of mist rose from the water, and she gasped and sat back. "Look," she whispered, pointing at the bowl.
I gazed in at the stil surface, waiting til the mist cleared. There she was--Amber. She was in a cage, holding on to the bars, a plaintive look on her face and--wait a second.
"What's that around her neck?"
Camil e leaned forward, squinting. After a moment, she jerked her head up, a frightened look on her face. "That can't be what I think it is, can it?"
Around the frightened Were's neck was a golden chain, and on the chain a pendant of the clearest topaz, bril iant yel ow and sparkling. The setting was ornate, carved, and looked extremely old. And the gem glistened, even in what appeared to be dim light.
"It looks like the others, doesn't it?" I sucked in a deep breath. Could Amber real y have what we thought she did? And if so, how the hel did she get hold of a spirit seal?
"Fuck, fuck, fuck." Camil e frantical y scanned the image again. "I can't make out anything other than that she appears to be in a cel --a cage--and the light there is dim. I have no idea where she is, and I can't see anything to give us a landmark." She slammed the table with her hand. "If she has one of the seals, we have to find her before she's kil ed."
"What would the coyote shifters want with the spirit seals? Would they even know what they were?"
Camil e grabbed her coat. "Iris, we're heading over to Marion's. She should be at her cafe by now."
I grabbed my jacket and purse. "Right behind you. Let's take my--"
" Not your Jeep. The sun may be out, but it's cold and supposed to get colder today. We're taking my Lexus." She held up her keys. I shrugged, giving in before I even bothered arguing, and we headed down the steps.
The Supe-Urban Cafe was on East Pike, and it was a hangout for Supes of al kinds, but especial y Weres. We'd first met Marion--a coyote shifter, the owner--at a Supe Community meeting, and then, a few weeks back, she'd helped Camil e and our friend Siobhan escape from a crazed psycho stalking the selkie.>Eyes shimmered from the mist, gleaming like those of a cat, but this was no feline energy. It felt like Hi'ran, and yet . . . there was something different.
The voice was smoother than his but had the same timbre. "You must be tired. I didn't realize you were so strong at sending."
"Are you . . ." Hi'ran's name would not form on my tongue. "You aren't . . ." My voice fel . "But you feel so much like him. Who are you? Tel me?"
A shadow moved forward; the rush of bonfires came with it, the scent of the autumn wind, boreal and icy, and the silhouette of a man around my height swept me into his arms. Even though I couldn't see him clearly, it felt like the most natural thing in the world.
"Oh, I wish I could take you here. Now . . ." He nuzzled his face in my neck, and I closed my eyes, letting the wash of passion rush over me in one fel swoop. It was like being dragged under dark seas. Welcoming the embrace, I wanted to slide into the sweet taste of restful oblivion.
The shadow kissed me again, and I tasted loganberry wine. He pressed his lips to my neck as his hands searched my body, setting off explosions--a cataclysm of sparks, a rain of la petite mort. It suddenly occurred to me that with Hi'ran, even though I'd felt his energy envelop me and stroke me, this was more tangible, actual fingers touching me, hands sliding across my body.
And then, with a shudder, I climaxed. The shadow kissed me again as I caught my breath, feeling renewed and refreshed.
"I'm not sure who you are," I whispered, "but only one other being has made me feel like this."
"Before long . . ." He paused, and I stared at the dark form that smel ed of bonfire smoke and oak moss.
"Before long . . . what? Is my death drawing near?" I didn't want to know, and yet--I had to know.
"No, my dear one. No . . . nothing of the sort. But keep your eyes open. Listen to your heart."
"What about . . . the Autumn Lord?"
