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“What was it you wanted to say before we headed out?”
Camille dropped into a chair. “Oh, yeah. That.” She looked exhausted. “I made arrangements today for Father’s body. The Summerland Mortuary picked him up. They’re an Earthside Fae-run business. They will understand the care we need for him. They’re going to cremate him, and we’ll hold a service here until we can take him back to the shrine to rest next to Mother.”
“I think… I think he’s by her side already. All we have left is his shell. She’s waiting for us, you know. I saw her when Dredge killed me. She tried to help me, but when he turned me, she couldn’t hold on.” I’d never mentioned the fact that Mother had been waiting for me, with open arms, when I was killed. Camille knew from going through the ritual with me, where I’d cut Dredge off, but we’d never really talked about it.
Kitten made a small sound as she leaned against the counter. “I didn’t know that. I wish you would have told me earlier.”
I smiled up at her, feeling a hell of a lot older than I had a few years ago when we first came Earthside. “I wish I had, too, Kitten.”
“Enough long faces. I know these days have been hard on you, but you must breathe, let the tension go.” Hanna was busy as ever, and the room smelled like hot chicken soup and biscuits. “I thought you girls might like a bite to eat after all the fighting. You all look too pale.” She frowned. “Before you get too comfortable, everybody get to washing up while I dish up the food.”
“She’s right, but someone should check on Iris.”
“Vanzir has gone down to see her.” Hanna dusted her hands on a dishtowel. “He wanted to make certain she was all right when the driver brought her home.”
Speak of the devil, the kitchen door opened and Vanzir entered. He gave us the once-over. “Damn, you all look nasty. Iris told me all about it.”
“How is she?” Kitten wearily bit into a roll, crumbs trailing down her chin.
“She’s okay. Exhausted. Her mother-in-law was harping in her ear about running off and leaving the twins, but Bruce was seeing to her when I left. I don’t think tonight hurt her, but she’s going to need a good resting up. If I were you, I’d ask Smoky to get his ass back here in case you need any more ice magic.”
“Right. I suppose we have no choice. I’m done in. Let’s go wash up, have a bite to eat, and just… spend some time breathing.” Camille motioned to Morio. “We’ll use our bath. Meet you back here in ten minutes.”>I raced alongside the Fyrun, finally managing to catch her attention by waving the slatted wood almost within her reach. A moment later, she turned, gazing at me calmly. I tossed the wood, hard, a few yards away. If I threw it too far, she might ignore it.
After a moment’s hesitation, she headed toward the wood, her hunger palpable in the night. As she ignited the broken sign, I turned back to see that Bran had managed to get the attention of his opponent. She, too, was beginning to feed. The rain helped us, soaking the wood so that it made it harder to catch flame, and so it was taking them longer to ignite and devour it.
Delilah had lost control of her Fyrun, but Shade had managed to distract his. Iris moved in quickly, aiming her wand at the approaching woman. Another burst of frost, and another flameout as fire and ice met. And then a third, and by that time, the two we’d engaged were barreling down on her. With one last push of effort—Iris looked exhausted—she managed to net both of them at the same time, and with a huge flash, they vanished to wherever it was she sent them.
Iris stared at the empty parking lot, then slowly began to collapse to the ground. Shade caught her up in his arms and we gathered round her. Camille and Morio broke their trance, but the massive rain storm continued.
“Iris, bless you. Are you all right?” Delilah fussed over her, brushing a few stray bangs out of her eyes.
Iris flashed us a weary smile. “I’m all right, yes. Tired? Definitely. Exhausted and needing my bed, I think. But they are gone and they will not return. However, we must find the runes that allowed them entrance and put a stop to them or they can be used again.”
“What should we be looking for?”
“It will look similar to a Demon Gate. And will most likely be where the fire originated. That would burn the brightest and hottest. When you find them, come get me and I will take care of them. I am the only one here who can destroy them.”
As we hesitantly reentered the building, Chase came with us. We left Morio and Bran outside with Iris to protect her. We worked our way through the darkened, soggy remains of the club, and I tried not to think about the Wayfarer and the people who had died under my watch. This one was going to haunt me for a long time. I knew it wasn’t my fault, but knowing something didn’t always translate into feelings. Emotions didn’t play by society’s rules, nor did they pay much attention to logic. But now, I knew that we had to look for signs that more of the Fyrun Fae had been loosed in my bar’s fire. And if so, were they still running around Seattle?
Camille sent out feelers, trying to home in on where the magic that had summoned the Fyrun Fae might be based. And then she paused, as if listening.
“I think I have it. I hear it…” She began to hurry, stumbling over fallen timbers and piles of ash and charcoal. The scent of soot was so thick that she and Delilah were both coughing, but rain was now pouring in through a couple smallish holes on the ceiling and that only added to the confusion. Thank the gods for the lights on our helmets or we’d all have ended up with broken legs.
We passed through a hallway, then into one of the back rooms, following Camille as she sped up. “Here, this way—it’s there, and we have to hurry because whatever it is, it’s still activated.”
Chase reached out to grab her elbow when she stumbled. “Don’t hurt yourself. We’re headed right to the point of origin. We know it broke out back here because a couple of the waitresses who were checking the supply closet noticed the flames when they began. But the fire was so strong, they couldn’t put them out with the fire extinguisher, so they evacuated the building and called the fire department.”
As I looked around at the mess, a shiver ran down my back. There but for the grace of the gods…
“I’m just grateful everyone got out alive.” I set my lips, thinking that it was going to cost Shikra a pretty penny to rebuild. Luckily, she was a vampire and had probably accumulated a good savings by now. That was one advantage to being able to charm almost anyone you chose to. She could have a billionaire boyfriend without too much of a stretch. At least long enough to get her hands on his bank account.
“I guess we aren’t dealing with ghosts after all.” Delilah let out a small sigh of relief.
I echoed her sentiments. Given all that we’d faced, we were getting very tired of spirits and hauntings.
Camille stopped by a storage closet—or what had been a storage closet. It was now a burned-out shell.
“Here. What we’re looking for is in here. Go get Iris.” As she leaned in, shining her light on the walls, Shade took off for the door.
