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Sue Ann broke into a smile. “Government agents, huh? I was a marine up until a few years ago.” She pulled out a chain from beneath her tank top. Dog tags dangled at the end. “I was discharged due to a combat injury that left me with a weak knee. It gives out without warning, but damn, I did my duty and put in my time for my country.” She leaned over and planted a kiss on Hester’s cheek. “I keep telling Hester that some of us are made for fighting. And some aren’t.”
I found myself liking my cousin and her wife. They were open, but not overeager, and neither seemed like they’d take much guff off anybody for anything.
Just then, the door to the shop opened and a rather short, thin man entered. He was around Hester’s age, with a shock of tousled blonde hair that was the same color as mine. He seemed easy in his body, his movements were fluid and graceful, and I had an odd feeling about him as he walked up. Not bad, just odd. His eyes were a piercing blue, shrewd and clever, and a hint of a sarcastic smile played across his lips.
Hester waved him over. “Daniel, you are not going to believe this. Meet our cousins from Otherworld. It seems Mother had a half sister she never knew about.”
As Daniel cocked his head, giving us a bemused look, Hester launched into what we had told her. When she had caught him up, we took over, telling them both about Maria and Sephreh’s meeting, and how he swept her away to Otherworld, how we came along, and finally, how mother had died, how and why we’d joined the OIA, how Menolly had become a vampire, leading to us being sent over Earthside.
When we finished, we sat back and waited.
Hester let out a long whistle. “This morning when I woke up, I never expected to be here, tonight, listening to all of this. But somehow it feels the most natural thing in the world.” She glanced over at Daniel, who gave a noncommittal nod. “We know what you do, let us tell you a little about us. I own a coffee shop in Kirkland. We host local artists now and then. It’s called All The Perks. And Daniel is a private buyer.”
I glanced at him. “What’s that mean?”
He gave a little shrug. “Clients want to procure certain items that are difficult to come by. They hire me, and give me a set price limit. I find it for them for a commission. I make a tidy living.”
It sounded odd, but a number of stores had personal shoppers so why not private clients? Celebrities had them, and there was nothing to say that someone who had money and was in a time crunch couldn’t do the same.
Daniel winked at me. “I love my work and I’m good at it. I look at it like being a form of personal assistant. Now, tell us more about Otherworld. We’re all ears and I know I’m dying to hear more.”
Something about him struck me as off, but he was likable, and Camille seemed at ease with him. She was like a litmus test for freaks. So, I chalked up my feelings to all the stress we’d been under and let it go. We talked late into the night, and when we parted, we had exchanged numbers, e-mail addresses, home addresses, and a big round of hugs. As Hester Lou threw her arms around me, I suddenly flashed back to being a little girl, with my mother hugging me. And I knew right then, I could trust this woman.
• • •
As we left the coffee shop, I stared into the night sky. The rain had let up and the stars were shimmering overhead. I should have felt tired, tired from the mess back in Otherworld and from hearing the news about Father, but now I felt wired. It was like I was watching a movie in which I was starring. Maybe it was a coping mechanism, or maybe it was how exhaustion manifested in me, but I was charged up and ready to go.
“I’ve changed my mind. Let’s go get the dreglins.” I turned to the others. “I know they’re active at night, but I’m ready for a fight. We can swing by home and armor up. Menolly’s here—she obviously can’t go to work tonight.” As soon as I said it, I bit my tongue. I hadn’t meant to be so thoughtless.
But she just shrugged. “You’re right. And I could use a good ass-shaking. I’m in no mood to sit at home and twiddle my thumbs.”
Camille let out a small sound. “I’m in. But let me change clothes. I don’t want this outfit messed up.”
Within ten minutes we were home, and another ten saw us changed and ready. Morio wanted to go, but Camille nixed his offer.
“Listen, you, Shade, and Vanzir have to protect the house and Iris. Shamas will be home soon, but still . . . the elfin guards had to go home to Elqaneve, and Aeval’s new guards aren’t due till tomorrow morning. You can’t come with us. But we’ve fought monsters before without you. We can take on a few by ourselves now.”
Morio glowered but Camille cleared her throat and put her hands on her hips, and he quieted down. Shade harrumphed but he, too, kept quiet. Vanzir just snorted.
“We’re on our way. We’ll call if we get into trouble. One of you take Nerissa and drop over to make sure Iris and her family are okay. Hanna, take care of Maggie.” I gave Shade a quick peck on the cheek and we were out the door.
It was only a few minutes’ drive to where we’d encountered the dreglins before, and we parked off the road, on a turnout near where we’d fought them before. Two miles east, Ivana had said.
“I wish I’d been able to go with you,” Menolly said. “I kind of like Ivana.”
I stared at her. “Are you crazy?”
“Maybe, just a little. But she’s who she is, you’ll have to give her that. Ivana doesn’t change for anybody.” She laughed. “In fact, I know it sounds nuts but given other circumstances, I bet you Ivana could become a good friend, as long as we could keep her off the topic of baby-eating.”
“Yeah, I was saying something like that earlier but Delilah didn’t like the idea.” Camille let out a curt laugh. “Hey, this is the first time in a while that the three of us have been out bashing monsters on our own, without the guys along.” She grinned, shaking her hair back out of her face. “Kind of a chance for the three of us to reconnect.”
“The family that slays together, plays together? Bonding through bloodshed?” I had the worst desire to giggle, but stifled it as we headed off the road and into the woods, heading due east.
Two miles, Ivana had said. With our abilities to navigate through the forest, it wouldn’t take long. We could move faster than FBHs and we had a lot more endurance, and a better ability to navigate during the night.
The October night was chilly and I pulled my jacket tighter. For once, Camille had chosen an outfit that wouldn’t get caught in the bushes—she was wearing her cat suit, which looked better on her because of her exaggerated curves than it had on Emma Peel of The Avengers TV show. A low-slung silver belt held her dagger, and she had traded in her stilettos for a pair of stylish suede boots.
“You giving up on the spikes?” I asked with a laugh.
