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“Nessa, baby? Wake up.” I gently shook her awake, hungry for her lips as she woke from her drowsy state.
She glanced at the clock. “Three o’clock?” She pushed herself to a sitting position, her knit chemise stretching over her rounded breasts. I soaked in the vision of her, her scent filling me full, making me so horny I could hardly sit still. Just the sight of her turned me on, and when she was tousled from sleep, even more. I slid up on the sofa next to her and wrapped my arm around her. She was warm and her skin was silky, and all I could think of was how much I wanted to kiss her, everywhere.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.>As we waited for him, my phone jangled. I pulled it out and glanced at the text. It was from Nerissa. Are you okay, and are you ever coming home?
Shit…I knew she was feeling left out, even though she understood what we were facing. But she’d gone out shopping for our wedding and I hadn’t even glanced at what she’d bought.
I frowned and texted back, We’re fine. At Carter’s. Camille had a run-in with a bhout. Be home as soon as we can. Go to sleep, will wake you up when I get there. Love you.
A few seconds later, she texted back, Love you, too. You owe me big, babe.
I glanced up. They were looking at me, quizzically. After a moment, I rolled my eyes and said, “Nerissa. She’s pissed at me again and I don’t really blame her. She went out and shopped for our wedding and I haven’t had the chance to see anything she bought.” I sighed. “I wish she could understand that it doesn’t mean I don’t love her.”
Camille nodded. “She’ll be okay. As long as you give her some input.”
“Well, I told her about a gown I thought I might like to wear. Honestly, I was winging it. I don’t know what I want—I always thought I’d like to wear something someone in our family made. Aunt Rythwar is a beautiful seamstress. But I doubt that’s going to happen. I’m just no good at these things.”
“Good at it or not, sometimes you just have to fake it.”
Morio grinned. “You never fake it, babe.” He leered at her and licked his lips, and Camille gave him a withering look but then laughed.
“This is neither the time nor the place for that.” She pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulders as Carter returned.
He was carrying a tray with sandwiches and cookies, and a goblet of blood. “We all need something to eat.”
I looked at the blood and realized that I was hungry. Accepting the goblet, I tried to drink it without spilling any. No sense in squicking everybody out. As I tucked a sandwich into Camille’s hand and encouraged her to eat, Carter poured himself an aperitif of cognac and settled into the rocking chair.
“All right, here’s what I’ve found. The bhouts aren’t easily controlled—it requires a central, physical anchor to control them, and all of them are controlled through this anchor. Only the most powerful sorcerers or demons can control bhouts—they’re strong-willed spirits and only the strongest of bindings can bend them to your will.” Carter set aside one piece of paper and picked up another.
“Does the anchor have to be in the actual possession of the demon—or sorcerer—who’s summoning the demons?” If so, we were screwed.
At least Carter had good news on that front. “No. In fact, the anchor for this sort of gate is far too big to carry around. It’s more of a place, than a thing. In my opinion,” he said, glancing over the page he held, “you’re looking for a cave. A good-sized one in which to hide the operation necessary to open a gate the size of a Demon Gate. Not only that, but for what he’s up to, it must be near running water—a stream or a creek rather than a pond.” He looked up. “That may narrow your search.”
Delilah frowned. “A cave? That indicates a place out of town. There are a few small cubbyholes in the city, but nothing the size of what you’re talking about. Do you think that means Gulakah is hiding out of the city proper?”
Shade chimed in. “I know something of Gulakah, being from the Netherworld.” He rubbed his hands together. “Gulakah was the Lord of Dreams, as you know, and was cast out into the Subterranean Realms for misusing his powers. He isn’t the sort of demon who enjoys skulking around in corners. He likes to be honored, respected—though that came to mean through fear rather than love.”
“So he’s a ham. What’s that got to do with it?” Delilah was getting punchy; she was listing to the side and looked like she might drop at any moment. Everybody needed sleep.
“It means this, my little pussycat. While Gulakah might have to do his dirty work in the dark corners of caverns, he’s not one to stay there the rest of the time. He has to be the one summoning the bhouts. Telazhar is in Otherworld and you cannot be that far from an anchor to control your minions.”
Carter slowly thumbed through the rest of his papers. “That coincides with the information I have here. Gulakah is, to put it mildly, pompous and egotistical. He needs to see the results of his havoc. No, he’s in Seattle somewhere, except for when he needs to summon more creatures. He hasn’t revealed himself yet, probably due to direct orders from Shadow Wing, but the time is coming when he’ll slip up.”
“Until then, what do we do?” Morio asked.
“Simple. Find the cave and destroy the Gate. However…” Here, Carter paused, shaking his head, “That’s not going to be as easily done as said.”
“What haven’t you told us yet?” I could tell by the look in his eye that there was something else—something we weren’t going to want to hear.
Carter winced, then shrugged. “All right, here it is…none of you are strong enough to destroy a Demon Gate of this magnitude. Morio and Camille don’t even dare try—if they go near it, they’ll immediately be attacked by the bhouts. There are few creatures who are immune to them.”
Shade blinked. “Dragons, for one.”
“Yes, dragons. And some demons. And…vampires. Very few others.” Carter tossed the papers on the table. “If you send in a human with magical abilities, they’ll be a target. Same with one of the Fae. Send in an FBH without magical powers and they’ll be ripped to shreds as the bhouts send objects flying through their bodies. Because with the bhouts come ghosts of all kinds.”
“Crap. So Smoky, Shade, Vanzir, Roz, and I can go after them, but Camille and Morio, not?” It wasn’t a bad force, but it would have been nice to be able to wield magic against them.
“What about me?” Delilah sat up straighter. “I don’t use magic.”
