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“Does that mean you’re planning to kil her?” Camil e bit her lip, tears streaking down her cheeks. “Sassy’s our friend. Is there anything we can do to help her?”
“I am so torn.” I looked up as Iris entered the kitchen, Maggie on her hip. “Hey, Iris—we have company. Don’t go into my lair alone, okay? Erin’s staying with us for a little while and I think she’s safe, but she’s so young I don’t dare trust her alone around you guys.”
Iris blinked, blurry eyed, and nodded. “Sure thing. Care to tel me why we have another vampire staying here?”
“Because Sassy’s crossed the line into her predator.” I held out my arms for our calico girl, and Iris handed her to me. “Maggie, baby, how are you tonight? Did you wake up?”
“Mel y . . . Mel y . . . Maggie threw her fuzzy arms around my neck and buried her head against my chest, promptly fal ing into a light snooze. I cuddled her, burying my face in her soft downy fur, clinging to the innocence in my embrace, holding her tight.
Maggie was the only one in our lives untouched by the demons—though even she had started out her life in a demon’s lunch bag. Luckily, Camil e managed to rescue her. But she was our touchstone to hope, our hearthstone to unconditional love. The baby gargoyle would take a long, long time to grow up—hundreds of years—and we’d be here for her.
Iris started the tea. “I take it we’re up for an al -nighter? Tea and cinnamon toast?”
Camil e moved to the fridge and pul ed out the bread. “Sounds good to me. So you haven’t answered yet.” She glanced at me. “Do you have to kil Sassy?”
Iris set the kettle down. Hard. “Sassy Branson? You’re seriously talking about staking her?”
“I told you, she’s crossed into her predator self. There’s no coming back once that happens.
When the bloodlust takes hold to that degree, it’s easier and easier to slip until there is only the hunt and the chase and the frenzy.” I pressed my lips together as Maggie began to play with my nose, then tugged on my hair. She was the one creature I’d never felt anger at. Somehow, the baby gargoyle effected a soothing balm on my soul and temper.
As Iris made tea, and Camil e and Delilah fixed their toast, I carried Maggie over to the window and peeked out into the winter night. A few snowflakes were fal ing—the first of the season—and I felt a chil inside so deep it shook my core. Sassy had always been a champion of mine. She’d taken my side when Wade dumped me out of Vampires Anonymous, and now . . . now would I stand at her door, stake in hand? Would I take her down in a bloody battle and dust her? Would she curse me or thank me?
Either way, I knew the time was coming when I’d have to deal with her. And meanwhile, what about Erin? She couldn’t stay here. And then there was the vampire serial kil er who was prowling the night.
Feeling bathed in blood, I turned back to my sisters and Iris. “It’s snowing,” was al I said.
CHAPTER 3
That night was the first night anybody had ever stayed in my lair with me, that I knew of.
Sometimes my sisters stashed Maggie down there, or Iris hid there when necessary, but I’d never intentional y invited anybody in for a slumber party.
When I joined Erin, after Camil e and Delilah went to bed, she was sitting in the armchair, watching a late-night monster movie— The Return of Dracula. She startled as I came in, scrambling to kneel. I let her, then gently laughed and sat on the arm of her chair.
“At ease, Erin. Sit down and watch the movie.” I motioned to the screen. “Thank heavens we don’t dress the old-school way anymore, huh?”
She blinked, cautiously taking her seat. “I’d look pretty bad in a cape and low-cut dress. Did you cal Sassy, Mistress?”
“Not yet. And you can cal me Menol y in private.” I really wanted to pay a visit to Sassy, but first I had to think over what I was going to say. But I knew I’d have to talk to her eventual y. As Erin and I settled in to watch the movie, around four thirty the phone rang.
“Menol y! Thank God, you’re there. Is Erin with you?” Sassy sounded flustered. “I just checked on her and she’s not in her room. I’m so sorry—but I thought you might know where she is. I pray she’s not lost.”
Either Sassy was fishing to find out what I knew, or she real y did believe Erin had taken off somewhere and gotten herself lost. Either way, the longer I kept Sassy in the dark about Erin spil ing the beans on her nocturnal blood sports, the better. At least until I decided what to do about the problem.>“Could it be Nerissa?” Delilah stood, but I motioned for her to sit and silently crossed to the door, wishing I hadn’t already taken off my boots.
We were al leery ever since the skirmish in late October when Iris had almost gotten kil ed.
We’d inadvertently left our home open to invasion and paid for it. After that, we begged some brawn from the elven goon squad back in Otherworld. They didn’t look particularly strong, but the three elves posted outside the house were deadly when it came to martial arts and magic.
Trenyth, Queen Asteria’s right-hand man, had arranged for them to stay with us for now.
We had two peepholes, one at Iris’s level and one at Delilah’s. I used Iris’s, and, to my surprise, saw my daughter.
“Erin?” What the hel was she doing here, and alone? I didn’t like her wandering around without supervision. I might be an overprotective mother, but I knew what risks there were out there, how great the hunger was for a fledgling and just how easy it was to slip.
I yanked open the door.
“Erin, what are you doing here? Is Sassy with you?” I glanced outside, scanning the yard, but there was no sign of the older socialite.
