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Baby? I straightened up, and then I understood why she looked so radiant. “You’re pregnant?”
She nodded. “I’ve known for a week. It happened so quickly. I thought it might take quite some time after the curse was lifted—but apparently the gods had other plans. The first time after we came back, I guess . . . well . . . bingo. Oh Camille, I’m going to be a mother and I wanted you to be the first to know, after Bruce! You were there for me when I broke the curse, when I needed help. You’ve always been there for me.”
And then she started to cry. And I started to cry. I pulled her into my arms and held her tight, kissing her cheeks, joining her as she let out a peal of laughter.
“We have to tell the others. You come now, come downstairs with me and let me make you some tea. From now on, little mother, you get special treatment. Hanna—that’s why you’re so glad Hanna’s here!”
Iris nodded. “Yes, she can help with Maggie and the cooking and cleaning. I love our little gargoyle, but I won’t be able to let her near the baby. Not until they both grow up a bit.”
As we headed down the stairs, I thought about what this meant. Even in the midst of darkness and snow, in the midst of demons and men who were so full of hate they had to torture others to make themselves feel better, life could spring forth and bring a ray of joy into the world. As long as there was love, there was hope. And where there was hope . . . there was possibility.
We gathered everyone around the table. Smoky was holding Maggie, who was playing cat’s cradle—or her own particular form of it—with his hair.
As Iris told the others her news, I stood back, watching my family. Watching my lovers, my sisters, my brothers-by-choice. We were a community. We were connected even though we all had our separate lives.
Delilah and Menolly slipped over to my side and took my hands, and I leaned my head on Delilah’s shoulder. We were truly all forking out onto our own paths. Delilah had Shade and the Autumn Lord and her training as a Death Maiden. Menolly was getting ready to pledge herself to Nerissa, and she and Roman had been going to a lot of vampire events lately. And I—I had Smoky, Morio, and Trillian, and the Court of the Three Queens. Add on top of that, we were all fighting a war, with all the skirmishes in between.
But come what may, we were forever together.
We would always be sisters.
>We were gathered around the Yule tree, the room lit only by the sparkling lights that glittered on the tree and around the windows. I glanced around, thinking that our living room, once spacious, was now crowded with our family. Crowded with chaos and love. In the corner, Nerissa and Menolly curled in the oversized chair, whispering together.
Shouts echoed from the coffee table—Delilah, Shade, Rozurial, and Vanzir were sitting cross-legged around it, playing some card game that seemed to require slapping the table every minute or so. Vanzir raised his gaze to meet mine and a smile played at the corners of his lips before he turned his attention back to the game.
Iris and Maggie played beneath the tree, the lights glowing like a halo around them. Maggie was enjoying her new doll. G.I. Joe and Yobie were apparently kissing cousins. I snorted, wondering what the hell the good ol’ boys’ brigade would think of that mashup.
A noise from the kitchen made us all look toward the archway, where Trillian and Bruce appeared, carrying trays filled with sugar cookies and hot cocoa and fudge. Delilah’s eyes lit up like she hadn’t seen food for days.
“Bring me some of that, please,” Morio said. He was feeling strong enough to sit in the rocking chair, and though I saw the glances darting between him and Menolly, I took a deep breath and let it go. Life happened. My sister had saved my husband and it had created a bond that we still didn’t understand. But he was alive, thanks to her.
As Bruce handed Morio a mug of hot cocoa, I turned to Smoky. I was sitting on his lap on the sofa, his hand on my thigh beneath my skirt. His hair played lightly around my shoulders, touching me as if he were reassuring himself I was there.
The snow was falling gently outside; we could see it drifting lazily to the ground, and I was about to suggest a moonlight walk when Delilah jumped up.
“I want to give Camille her present now,” she said.
I grinned. “But we already exchanged gifts . . . granted, a day later than the Solstice, but you gave me a M.A.C. gift certificate.”
She shook her head, grinning. “That wasn’t your real present. I needed Shade’s help to get you this one. And I’m so glad I did, considering what you gave me. Thank you, Camille. I never would have bought this for myself.” With a sideways glance at the bottle of Chanel No. 5—our mother’s perfume—that I’d given her, she smiled shyly.
Curious, now, wondering what could require Shade’s help to purchase, I slid off Smoky’s lap and leaned forward. “What is it?”
Delilah nodded to Shade, who sucked in a deep breath and held out his hands. A shadow slowly filtered out of his fingers to settle in front of me, and out of the shadow walked . . . a cat? But it looked different—ever so slightly ghostly, caught between the physical and the astral.
At my look of confusion, Shade said, “There are many creatures wandering the Netherworld who don’t realize they’re dead. We help some of them cross over, but others, like this little girl, prefer to just remain in between.”
The shadow cat, a long-haired gray girl, leaped up on my lap. I could feel her energy, almost as if she really had weight, and she leaned against me, purring. Hesitantly, I ran my hand along her side. She was just corporeal enough for me to feel a faint wash of silk under my hands. When she rubbed her chin against my boobs, I knew I was lost.
“She’s beautiful . . . and loving.”
“She isn’t ready to move on—but she misses people. She was looking for a person, and when I told Delilah about her, she thought you might just be the one. For one thing, with you working death magic, you can sense spirits easier, so she can manifest for you.” Shade smiled as I broke into a wide grin.
“And for another thing, she doesn’t set off my territorial instincts. And I knew you wanted a kitty so bad.” Delilah beamed at me and leaned forward.
I took her hands and kissed her, the cat between us.
“What are you going to name her? And thank goodness I won’t have another litter box to look after,” Iris said.
