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“Thank heavens for smal favors. But girl, you opened a can of worms. The best we can hope for is that she forgets you. That you slid beneath her notice.” With a swish of her robe, Iris returned to the rocking chair and curled up in it.
I didn’t want to tel her, but given how grave she felt my error was, I thought I’d better. “When we parted, she said that I could contact her again.”
Iris let out a long sigh. “Then it is done. She wil remember you. And you wil have to deal with her in the future. Pray she’s distracted for some time.” Iris shook her head. “Don’t they teach you anything over in Otherworld? I’m sure some of the Elders crossed over during the Great Divide.”
Shamas cleared his throat. “Don’t be too hard on Menol y, Iris. We have Elder Fae over in OW, too, but they are usual y left to themselves. In the city-states like Y’Elestrial, they are banned and do not have truck with most city folk.”
“I wanted to go back down in the tunnel tonight, while the ghosts are gone.” I told them what Ivana had done. Iris said nothing but stared at me, a grave expression on her face. Trying to avoid her gaze, I glanced at the clock. “It’s nearing five. I have two and a half hours that I could put to good use.”
“No.” Shamas crossed his arms. “Not unless you take me with you.”
“I can come,” Vanzir said.
At that moment, a sound caught my attention and I looked up to see Nerissa, rubbing her eyes, enter the room. She was wearing a long pale pink gown and her golden hair trailed down her shoulders. Without her makeup, without the skirt suit, she looked vulnerable, soft, and dewy.
Breathless at her beauty, I crossed to her side and gathered her into my arms, pressing my lips to hers, drinking in deep the fragrance of sleep and perfume and the scent of her body. After a moment, I stood back.
“I love you. It’s that simple. I love you. ”
Nerissa stared at me, her mouth curving into a bow. Her eyes glittered. “I love you, too. Now tel me what’s going on? I heard some of it on the way in.”
“Great, ruin a romantic moment.” I sighed. “I apparently screwed up in trying to help out.” I explained what I’d done. “Have you ever heard of the Elder Fae?” I wasn’t sure if the Weres were aware of the differing flavors of the Fae race.
Nerissa frowned. “I don’t know. Venus the Moon Child would have known, but he didn’t talk about stuff like that much. Not before you guys opened the portals and came over. We knew the Fae existed, but they were stil in the closet. It was hard to mingle when you never knew who your enemies were, or who might out you.”
I grinned. “Now you’re out in more than one way.”
“Check and mate. So are you sure you can get down in those tunnels and out before dawn? You don’t want to be caught out of your lair when the sun rises.” She ran one hand along my arm, and I caught my breath. Standing next to my half-naked girlfriend who was al softness and bed-headed made me want to forget al about the tunnels and the serial kil er and spend some serious time exploring her mysteries.>Without a second thought, I raced across the street and gave chase into the park.
CHAPTER 16
As I ran, my feet flying over the snow-clad sidewalk, a thousand thoughts fil ed my head. Usual y my sisters were with me when I was about to face a major foe. Usual y we took things on together.
Right now, the best I could hope for was that it took Ivana a lot longer in the tunnels than it had taken in the diner. Of course, if she brought the roof down, it might take her out and I’d never have to worry about her again.
My quarry dodged off the sidewalk into a patch of undergrowth, and I fol owed. I couldn’t hear him, but the fleeing blur—the quicksilver movement—spel ed vampire to me. As I went plowing through a hedgerow, I slowed to a walk. One wrong skewer of a bare branch could act like a stake. Not so good for continued existence. Fighting my way past the last part of the hedge, I stumbled out into a circular clearing. Benches curved around the center fountain, which was turned off for the winter. On the other side stood another figure, but it wasn’t the one I’d seen before. No, I was staring at Wade.
“Wade? What the fuck are you doing here?”
“I was out looking for your pervert,” he said, as we met by the fountain. “I saw someone come through the hedge, but then . . . I don’t know what happened, but he vanished. I know some vampires can turn invisible, but they’re rare.”
“Rare is right, and that skil usual y takes a long time to master. If this was our suspect, he’d have to be a lot older than we think he is.” I dropped to the edge of the fountain, sitting on the snowy rim. Wade joined me.
“I talked to Erin at the bar tonight,” he said.
Glancing at him, I gave him a weary smile. I wasn’t physical y tired, but the stress was catching up with me. “And?”
“She’l move into Sassy’s mansion once we get it outfitted. Meanwhile, I’ve asked her to come over and help us turn it into the haven we need. With her experience running a business during life, she could be a damned good project manager. I guess I should have asked your permission first, but it just seemed—”
“Perfect. Which it is. That’s fine, I real y hated seeing her waste her time cleaning the Wayfarer.
You’l send an escort with her to and from work each night? She’s stil so unaccustomed to being out on her own.”
He nodded. “I understand. And yes, in fact, I think she and Brett might get along. Both misfits.
He’s been a vampire for longer than I have, to be honest, so he’l do just fine on helping her adjust.”
“Brett . . . he stil on his superhero craze?” Brett was young when he was turned—in his early twenties. He’d been a comic book fan and had always wanted to be a superhero, so now he went around dressed as his alter ego, Vamp-Bat, looking for ways to use his life as a vampire to help people. He’d saved several women from being raped and a handful of citizens from being mugged, and he fed only on blood bank blood except when he couldn’t help it.
