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We all examined ourselves. I had a skinned knee, but that was from scraping against a broken piece of tombstone. But Mallen insisted on dousing it with an antibiotic. The brown liquid stung, but I said nothing. Better safe than sorry.
I leaned my head wearily against Smoky’s shoulder, and he wrapped his arm around me. “I’m tired and worn out. I don’t think I can face any more monsters tonight.”
He rubbed my temples gently, kissing me softly. “Then you’d better make sure to take home that ice cream, or you’ll never get any sleep.”
Laughing, I pulled out my keys. Mallen was helping Chase into his squad car. Another officer would drive him back. The men returned, carrying the body bags. We waited until they had all pulled out before getting ready to go. We weren’t needed at headquarters tonight. Chase knew everything that we did.
“I’ll drive Shade, and we’ll stop for the food.” Delilah kissed me on the cheek. “You just go home and have a long, hot bath.”
“Thanks, Kitten.” I was weary, and the promise of a bubble bath made the drive home seem tolerable. As we headed out, Smoky riding shotgun and Morio resting in the back, I was relieved that we weren’t far from home, because once I walked through the front door, I was going to be toast for the evening.
Chapter 3
By the time we arrived home, I was the physical and emotional equivalent of a ramen noodle: limp, tasteless, and with no nutritional value whatsoever.
Iris was sitting in the rocking chair, eyeing the door.
I forestalled the question with a raised hand. “Delilah’s getting the food.”
The glare quickly turned to concern. “Oh, you poor dear. You look done in. Are you hurt, girl?” She started to push herself out of the chair, but Trillian, who was fixing some tea, stopped her.
“Let us worry about Camille. You just rest. You’ve had a hard evening.” He glanced over at me and tipped his head, motioning for me to follow him into the living room.
Hanna, our new house helper, was sitting on the sofa, folding clothes. Maggie, our baby calico gargoyle, was playing on the floor next to her.
“What happened? Is Iris okay?” I dropped into the recliner and leaned back, not daring to close my eyes. If I did, I’d be asleep in a minute.
Hanna glanced up. “She will be fine, but Maggie, she accidentally tripped Iris, and we had to send for the midwife to make certain everything is all right.”
“Oh, no! Is she—”
Hanna stopped me before I could continue. “Iris is fine, but the midwife, she tell her, ‘Don’t you do any heavy lifting for a while.’ So, I will do the heavy work, and she can do whatever she feels capable of.”
Trillian knelt down and began unlacing my boots for me. “Let me get these off you. The midwife also feels it might be best if Iris stops looking after Maggie until she’s given birth. Playing with her is no problem, but to actually attend to her feedings and so forth…not such a good idea. Maggie didn’t mean to trip Iris, but baby or not, she’s still a gargoyle and she can be dangerous. More so, since she doesn’t understand what’s going on.”
I sighed. We knew the time would come when Iris would have to turn over primary care of Maggie, but we’d all hoped it would be later on.
“Hanna, it looks like you’re going to be taking care of Maggie more. We’ll all pitch in as much as we can. We can make sure her cream drinks are mixed up in the proper proportion and in the fridge, and that her lamb and beef are ground to the right texture. Meanwhile, do you need someone to help with the housework? We can hire someone.”
There was a lot to do, looking after everyone who was living here. Iris had managed it without complaint, but she was a house sprite and it was in her nature to look after others.
But Hanna reassured me. “I can do this work. If I need help, I will tell you. Remember where you found me…the work here is easy and fulfilling. Working for Hyto, that was a nightmare.”
As she said his name, she glanced into my eyes. A look passed between us. Hanna and I had a connection—one forged from bearing the brunt of cruelty and fear. I’d been there; I knew what she’d faced. And Hanna had watched me endure Hyto’s brutality and helped me pick up the pieces afterward. In different ways, we’d both faced the long night of the dragon and come through alive, and there was no need for words.
“Whatever you need to make your job easier, just ask.” I let out a little sigh of satisfaction as Trillian slipped off my boots. My feet were tired. I loved my heels, but after a full day and then a graveyard fight in them, I was ready to let my feet breathe.
I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees as my skirt draped between my legs. Hanna went back to folding clothes. Maggie toddled up to me and I swept her into my arms, hugging her tightly.
“You okay?” Trillian slipped into the oversized chair beside me.
I shook my head. “Two dead cops. Zombies got them. We found goblins out there. And bone-walkers. And a bloatworgle. And if that’s not enough, something sucked away every spirit in that graveyard. It felt so good to have a break from fighting. I guess, even though I knew it was a pipe dream, I was hoping maybe we’d lucked out. Maybe Shadow Wing called Gulakah back to the Sub-Realms. But that isn’t going to happen, is it?”
Trillian shook his head. “No. It’s not going to happen. You know it, in your heart. We’re in this war for the long haul, and there’s no walking away. A year ago I would have said, let’s get the fuck out. But now, I guess I’m as invested as you are.”
I gazed into his eyes and reached up to stroke his cheek. Trillian’s jet black skin gleamed against my pale hand. His eyes, a piercing blue, stood out like snow against a forest, and his silver hair tumbled down his back in a neat ponytail, the cerulean highlights glimmering in the warm light of our living room.
“I love you more each day. You’ve always been my alpha, and I’ve always loved you, but now…thank you for coming back into my life, for not letting me walk away. Thank you for reminding me of why we came together.”
