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“I told them . . . about Vanzir . . .”
“I thought you might have,” Shade said. “I could feel his dragon rising from down here. In fact, I’m getting ready to leave for a little while. All it would take is one wrong word from me to set him off.”
I nodded. “That’s a good idea. I’m going to take a walk. I need to get out of here, but I don’t want to drive anywhere.” I hunted in the laundry room and pulled on my walking skirt—which Iris had washed—and one of Delilah’s turtlenecks. It was too tight, especially around the bust, and I stretched it all out of proportion, but I’d buy her a new one. Throwing my cape over my shoulders, I let Shade walk me to the door.
Delilah gave me a kiss on the head. “Everything will be okay. Vanzir took off. He took the Chevy.” We’d bought a couple of spare cars for the guys to use—not as pretty as ours, but serviceable.
“Good. But Smoky could trace him in a heartbeat. Okay, I’ll be back in an hour or so. If I get too cold, I’ll hang out at the studio.” We’d turned a large shed on the property into a studio for Shamas, Roz, and Vanzir to sleep in. Occasionally, I sent my husbands down there to get them out of my hair when I wanted a night to myself.
As Shade walked me out into the snowy afternoon, the light was beginning to fade. Late afternoon might as well be dusk—the shortest day of the year was barely a week away. As we wandered into the twilight, I prayed to the Moon Mother that things would calm down. I’d never fully trusted Vanzir, but I knew he hadn’t hurt me on purpose, and I wasn’t one to hold grudges when I knew it had truly been circumstance and not premeditation at play.
Shade cocked his head to one side. “Give him time. His ego’s been hurt.”
“Ego—” I started to protest, but he held up one hand.
“You must understand the nature of dragons. He wasn’t there to protect you. You were hurt. You didn’t tell him about it immediately. Those three things came to a damning head. He might still have wanted to kill Vanzir, but he wouldn’t have been so angry at you. He feels humiliated that he could not keep his family safe. Hell, I feel responsible for you, too, and you are not even my mate. You are my beloved’s sister. And if I feel this bad, can you imagine how much worse your husband feels?”
Shade and I reached the driveway. “Smoky absolutely worships the ground you walk on. The thought of anyone hurting you drives him into a frenzy. He is dragon . . . it is the way.”
I nodded. “Yeah, I think I’m beginning to understand that. It’s easy to forget I’m not dealing with just a man—a gorgeous, strong, stubborn man. But he is a dragon. He’s not a human in a dragon suit. Not even a Fae in a dragon suit.”
“Exactly. Now, would you like me to walk with you? I will if you want, but it might not be wise should he come to find you and discover another dragon at your side . . . even though I’m only half. Hell, I’m not even going to hug you, though I think you need a hug. My smell on you? It would be suicide.” Shade laughed then, and I smiled for the first time in what seemed like forever.
“No, I’ll be fine. We have the wards up. Delilah will come find me if something happens. I could use a little time to myself . . . to think.”
“Then I’ll pop out and go look for Vanzir. I’ll try to help him sort out what to do now. Maybe we can pull everyone through this without a problem.”
“Delilah sure found a keeper, that’s for certain.” I waved as he vanished into the shadows and popped out of sight. Thank gods for levelheaded men. Or at least as levelheaded as they were going to get. And on that note, I also sent a mental kiss toward Trillian. Maybe Smoky would listen to him. Maybe Trillian could calm him down.
After Shade left, I turned toward the trail leading to Birchwater Pond. Delilah had been right. A walk would do me good. I decided that, come rain or shine, I’d manage to get out every day for a quiet stroll. The snow had stopped falling and now a patch of sky was glimmering from between the clouds. Another hour and the stars would come creeping out.
The familiar footpath was welcoming, and my boots left soft impressions in the snow. I sucked in a deep breath, letting the chill fill my lungs as I strolled toward the pond. It had been a long time since I’d taken a walk by myself. Even during the full moons, I was in the sky, running with the Moon Mother on the Hunt, along with a passel of warriors and other witches who followed the Lady of the Hunt.
No, I needed more time by myself.
Up ahead was a bend in the trail, one fork leading deeper into the woods, the other leading to Birchwater Pond, where we often held rituals for the holidays. Where I’d married Smoky and Morio.
As I came closer, I saw a tall form in the trees, clad in a white cloak. His long hair floated on the breeze.
Smoky! Smoky had come to find me! I hurried to meet him. Trillian must have gotten through to him. Thank gods. Now we could get on with taking care of this and figuring out some compromise to keep Vanzir alive and my husband happy. My heart skipped a beat, and the worry and heartache began to ease.
As I rounded the fir tree standing between us, I held out my arms, wanting only to feel his embrace, his kiss. To beg his forgiveness for not trusting him enough to tell him when everything had first happened.
“Smoky, please, please don’t be angry at me—”
But my words fell away as I stared at the man who towered over me. He gave me a slow, lecherous smile.
Taller than Smoky, his hair, almost as long as Smoky’s, was pure white instead of spun silver—now that I was close enough, I could see the difference. He looked somewhat older, though it would be hard to place his age, but I knew he was ancient . . . dangerous and ruthless.
My heart began to race as I turned to run, but his hair reached out to grab me and he dragged me to him.
“No! No! Let me go, let me go . . . please, please let me go.”
I wanted to wake up. To wake screaming to find it had all been a dream. But I was here, facing my worst nightmare.
Clenching his arm around my waist, he pulled me up to stare into his eyes, leaning his head against mine as I struggled to free myself. He pressed his mouth against mine, forcing his way between my lips. I choked as he deep-throated me. I tried to bite his tongue, but a strand of his hair caught me around the neck and squeezed until I stopped.
“What’s the matter, Camille? You aren’t being very friendly. That’s no way to greet a relative, is it? After all, aren’t you glad to see your father-in-law?”
