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The drive back toward Mount Rainier and the Puyallup Valley was fraught with cars swerving on the ice. Highway 167 was insane, but we finally managed to get away from the mishmash of rush-hour traffic—and rush hour was about three hours long around here—and drive through the back roads to the turnoff leading to Smoky’s land.
We were nearly to the barrow when Smoky asked me to turn up the drive instead. Over the past months, he’d created a rough road leading closer to the barrow so we didn’t have to park at the house.
But now we stopped in front of the house where Tom Lane—Tam Lin—used to live when Titania had hung out on the land, bothering Smoky, deep in her cups. Things had changed so much, in a little over a year—so much so it was hard to remember what life had been like before we’d taken on Bad-Ass Luke and first found ourselves thrust into a demonic war.
As we got out, Smoky motioned for just Delilah and me to join him. We headed up the steps, toward the glowing lights that emanated from within the house. Smoky knocked lightly, and within seconds, the door opened.
Estelle Dugan stood there, eyeing us with a half smile. “He’s practicing his swordsmanship today.”
Smoky nodded. “Any better?”
She shook her head. “I’d invite you in, but I’m trying to keep him calm. He fades in and out, but yes, for now he has some semblance of . . . where he is. But I think Georgio is long gone. It’s just St. George left.” She smiled then, fully, looking like a mother glowing over her child.
St. George. Georgio Profeta. We’d first met last year, when he was prowling around our windows. Don Quixote, jousting at windmills. Lancelot, trying to win fair Guinevere. Georgio was every wounded hero who’d found a real live dragon to slay. With his plastic armor and his toy sword, he’d struck at Smoky. And Smoky—being who he was—let the poor man live. Even took him in, set him up with a nurse. No one mentioned it much—Smoky wasn’t one for praise—but we all knew that he felt sorry for the man. That somehow, Georgio had touched his dragon’s heart.
“I want you to be careful. I have guards out in the forests, but I tell you now: My father is on the loose and he’s out for blood. Keep St. George inside. My father doesn’t care for humans.” Smoky stared at Estelle for a moment. “Are you okay? Do you need anything?”
She shook her head. “No, Lord Smoky. We are well taken care of. I will watch over Georgio. He’s . . . I’m all he’s got, you know. As far as humans go.”
Smoky nodded. “I know. That’s why I check on you every few days. If you should see anyone strange lurking around—especially someone who looks like me—be sure to call the guards the way I told you to. Tell them to come get me immediately. If I send for you, come immediately to the barrow.”
And then we turned and, without another word, descended the stairs. I glanced up at the moon, needing her strength. Needing her comfort. “I need to be outside when we return to the barrow. I need to meditate beneath the Moon Mother.”
Smoky swept me into his arms. “Then I will stand by you and keep watch. I will never leave you alone again—not until Hyto is dead. I will not let him touch you again, if I have to fly with you to the farthest heights of the Dragon Reaches. I will not let you down again.”
His forehead touched mine again, and I reached up and kissed his lips. Gently at first, then as he held me, I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him deeply, hungry for his touch. I needed them all—my men, to wipe away the memory of Hyto’s fingers on me, to wipe away the memory of his taste, of him inside me.
“I need you tonight. Trillian, too . . . and Morio. If he can possibly join us. I need you all. I need you to reaffirm that I’m yours. That you’re mine. That we are bound and that nothing can break those bonds.”
Smoky bit his lip, looking uncertain. “You are still hurt, Camille.”
“I may be hurt, but I’m hurting worse inside. And you . . . the three of you can heal what’s in my heart. Bruises on the body will fade. The memory is what haunts me.”
He shook his head. “Not yet. Trust me, you aren’t ready yet. I know—don’t ask me how, but I know. But we will be with you tonight, and sleep by your side, and guard you. We will be there when you fall asleep, and there when you wake.” And then he carried me to the car and slid me into the driver’s seat.
As I put the car in gear, I took one last look at Georgio’s house, and thought that if such a fragile man could manage to have so much courage, how could I do any different?
When I entered the barrow, the first thing I did was make a run for the bedroom where Morio was, in a bed that Shade and Roz had specially set up for him. I raced over the side and jumped on the mattress beside him.
Morio gave out a cry. “Camille! Babe! They told me the truth. You’re . . .” He stopped, eyeing me up and down. “You’re not okay. I can see it in your aura. But you will be. Trust me, you will be. We’ll see to it.”
He leaned up, and I covered his face with kisses, not caring that it might tire him. “I missed you so much. How are you feeling?” The last thing I wanted to talk about right now was Hyto, and I prayed that somebody had already covered what had happened with him.
Morio gathered me into his arms, gently encircling my waist in a way that told me he knew how damaged my body had been. He held me at arm’s length after a moment.
“By now, you’ve heard how crazy Smoky went when you were kidnapped.” A statement. “What you may not know is that Vanzir went down to the Triple Threat to beg for their help.”
“Vanzir? Went to Aeval?” I vaguely remembered him saying something about it but had for the most part forgotten. I blinked.
“Yes, and they’re the ones who empowered him to travel through the astral realm. He has no clue they were the ones who did it, but I can tell. He’s wearing Fae energy in his aura now, and I’m not quite sure what the hell went on with him. Howl sent the word to Smoky while he was still in the Dragon Reaches.”
“A lot went on I wasn’t aware of.” I paused. “Do you know . . . what happened to me?”
He gave me a long look, then nodded. “I do. Camille, I love you, to the ends of the Earth. I am not angry about Vanzir, not in the least. I understand the gray areas in life and you know I’m not the possessive type. I will be at your back forever, in whatever you need. I can share you and be content . . . but only when you want to be touched.”
I nodded. Sometimes I thought Morio understood me better than just about anybody. We had a connection that broke through shoulds and shouldn’ts . . . Perhaps it was brought about by our magic together, perhaps by some other free force that rang deep inside us.
Leaning my head against his shoulder, I let out a long sigh. “I wanted Smoky and Trillian and you . . . tonight. I want to wipe the memory of Hyto off my body, but Smoky won’t. I think he’s afraid it’s too soon, that you’d hurt me. But nothing can hurt me worse than what Hyto did to me. I want a good memory to replace the vile ones.”
