“
Valentine’s Day?
That soon? Of course I’ll be your priestess! But why the rush, if I might ask? And I know you need a house—we’re really outgrowing ours with all the additions to the family . . . but there’s room for Bruce until we get yours built.” I grinned at her. “You really love him, don’t you?”
The Talon-haltija broke out into that milkmaid smile that lit up her face and she ducked her head, her golden hair shimmering in the light. “Yes, I do. Though there might be room for Bruce here, well . . . the reason we’re getting married early, and going to need our own cottage right away, is that . . . well . . . I’m going to have a baby.”
Baby?
I straightened up, and then I understood why she looked so radiant. “You’re pregnant?”
She nodded. “I’ve known for a week. It happened so quickly. I thought it might take quite some time after the curse was lifted—but apparently the gods had other plans. The first time after we came back, I guess . . . well . . .
bingo
. Oh Camille,
I’m going to be a mother
and I wanted you to be the first to know, after Bruce! You were there for me when I broke the curse, when I needed help. You’ve always been there for me.”
And then she started to cry. And I started to cry. I pulled her into my arms and held her tight, kissing her cheeks, joining her as she let out a peal of laughter.
“We have to tell the others. You come now, come downstairs with me and let me make you some tea. From now on, little mother, you get special treatment. Hanna—that’s why you’re so glad Hanna’s here!”
Iris nodded. “Yes, she can help with Maggie and the cooking and cleaning. I love our little gargoyle, but I won’t be able to let her near the baby. Not until they both grow up a bit.”
As we headed down the stairs, I thought about what this meant. Even in the midst of darkness and snow, in the midst of demons and men who were so full of hate they had to torture others to make themselves feel better, life could spring forth and bring a ray of joy into the world. As long as there was love, there was hope. And where there was hope . . . there was possibility.
We gathered everyone around the table. Smoky was holding Maggie, who was playing cat’s cradle—or her own particular form of it—with his hair.
As Iris told the others her news, I stood back, watching my family. Watching my lovers, my sisters, my brothers-by-choice. We were a community. We were connected even though we all had our separate lives.
Delilah and Menolly slipped over to my side and took my hands, and I leaned my head on Delilah’s shoulder. We were truly all forking out onto our own paths. Delilah had Shade and the Autumn Lord and her training as a Death Maiden. Menolly was getting ready to pledge herself to Nerissa, and she and Roman had been going to a lot of vampire events lately. And I—I had Smoky, Morio, and Trillian, and the Court of the Three Queens. Add on top of that, we were
all
fighting a war, with all the skirmishes in between.
But come what may, we were forever together.
We would always be sisters.
CAST OF MAJOR CHARACTERS
The D’Artigo Family
Sephreh ob Tanu: The D’Artigo Sisters’ father. Full Fae.
Maria D’Artigo: The D’Artigo Sisters’ mother. Human.
Camille Sepharial te Maria, aka Camille D’Artigo: The oldest sister; a Moon Witch. Half-Fae, half-human.
Delilah Maria te Maria, aka Delilah D’Artigo: The middle sister; a werecat.
Arial Lianan te Maria: Delilah’s twin who died at birth. Half-Fae, half-human.
Menolly Rosabelle te Maria, aka Menolly D’Artigo: The youngest sister; a vampire and
jian-tu
: extraordinary acrobat. Half-Fae, half-human.
Shamas ob Olanda: The D’Artigo girls’ cousin. Full Fae.
The D’Artigo Sisters’ Lovers and Close Friends
Bruce O’Shea: Iris’s fiancé. Leprechaun.
Carter: Leader of the Demonica Vacana Society, a group that watches and records the interactions of Demonkin and human through the ages. Carter is half demon and half Titan-his father was Hyperion, one of the Greek Titans.
Chase Garden Johnson: Detective, director of the Faerie-Human Crime Scene Investigation (FH-CSI) team. Human who has taken the Nectar of Life, which extends his life span beyond any ordinary mortal and has opened up his psychic abilities.
Chrysandra: Waitress at the Wayfarer Bar & Grill. Human.
Derrick Means: Bartender at the Wayfarer Bar & Grill. Werebadger.
Erin Mathews: Former president of the Faerie Watchers Club and owner of the Scarlet Harlot Boutique. Turned into a vampire by Menolly, her sire, moments before her death. Human.
Greta: Leader of the Death Maidens; Delilah’s tutor.
Hanna: One of the Northmen. She was held captive by Hyto for five years and helped Camille escape, returning Earthside with her.
Iris Kuusi: Friend and companion of the girls. Priestess of Undutar. Talon-haltija (Finnish house sprite).
Lindsey Katharine Cartridge: Director of the Green Goddess Women’s Shelter. Pagan and witch. Human.
Marion: Coyote shifter; owner of the Supe-Urban Café.
Morio Kuroyama: One of Camille’s lovers and husbands. Essentially the grandson of Grandmother Coyote. Youkai-kitsune (roughly translated: Japanese fox demon).
Nerissa Shale: Menolly’s lover. Worked for DSHS. Now working for Chase Johnson as a victims-rights counselor for the FH-CSI. Werepuma and member of the Rainier Puma Pride.
Roman: Ancient vampire; son of Blood Wyne, Queen of the Crimson Veil.
Rozurial, aka Roz: Mercenary. Menolly’s secondary lover. Incubus who used to be Fae before Zeus and Hera destroyed his marriage.
Shade: New ally. Delilah’s lover. Part Stradolan, part black (shadow) dragon.
Sharah: Elfin medic; Chase’s new girlfriend.
Siobhan Morgan: One of the girls’ friends. Selkie (wereseal); member of the Puget Sound Harbor Seal Pod.
Smoky: One of Camille’s lovers and husbands. Half-white, half-silver dragon.
Tavah: Guardian of the portal at the Wayfarer Bar & Grill. Vampire (Full Fae).
Tim Winthrop, aka Cleo Blanco: Computer student/genius, female impersonator. Human.
Trillian: Mercenary. Camille’s alpha lover. Svartan (one of the Charming Fae).
Vanzir: Indentured slave to the Sisters, by his own choice. Dream-chaser demon.
Venus the Moon Child: Shaman of the Rainier Puma Pride. Werepuma. One of the Keraastar Knights.
Wade Stevens: President of Vampires Anonymous. Vampire (human).
Zachary Lyonnesse: Junior member of the Rainier Puma Pride Council of Elders. Werepuma.
GLOSSARY
Black Unicorn/Black Beast:
Father of the Dahns unicorns, a magical unicorn that is reborn like the phoenix and lives in Darkynwyrd and Thistlewyd Deep. Raven Mother is his consort, and he is more a force of nature than a unicorn.
Calouk:
The rough, common dialect used by a number of Otherworld inhabitants.
Court and Crown:
“Crown” refers to the queen of Y’Elestrial. “Court” refers to the nobility and military personnel that surround the Queen. “Court and Crown” together refer to the entire government of Y’Elestrial.
Court of the Three Queens:
The newly risen Court of the three Earthside Fae Queens: Titania, the Fae Queen of Light and Morning; Morgaine, the half-Fae Queen of Dusk and Twilight; and Aeval, the Fae Queen of Shadow and Night.
Crypto:
One of the Cryptozoid races. Cryptos include creatures out of legend that are not technically of the Fae races: gargoyles, unicorns, gryphons, chimeras, and so on. Most primarily inhabit Otherworld, but some have Earthside cousins.
Demon Gate:
A gate through which demons may be summoned by a powerful sorcerer or necromancer.
Dreyerie:
A dragon lair.
Earthside:
Everything that exists on the Earth side of the portals.
Elqaneve:
The Elfin lands in Otherworld.
Elemental Lords:
The elemental beings—both male and female—who, along with the Hags of Fate and the Harvestmen, are the only true Immortals. They are avatars of various elements and energies, and they inhabit all realms. They do as they will and seldom concern themselves with humankind or Fae unless summoned. If asked for help, they often exact steep prices in return. The Elemental Lords are not concerned with balance like the Hags of Fate.
FBH:
Full-Blooded Human (usually refers to Earthside humans).
FH-CSI:
The Faerie-Human Crime Scene Investigation team. The brainchild of Detective Chase Johnson, it was first formed as a collaboration between the OIA and the Seattle police department. Other FH-CSI units have been created around the country, based on the Seattle prototype. The FH-CSI takes care of both medical and criminal emergencies involving visitors from Otherworld.
Great Divide:
A time of immense turmoil when the Elemental Lords and some of the High Court of Fae decided to rip apart the worlds. Until then, the Fae existed primarily on Earth, their lives and worlds mingling with those of humans. The Great Divide tore everything asunder, splitting off another dimension, which became Otherworld. At that time, the Twin Courts of Fae were disbanded and their queens stripped of power. This was the time during which the Spirit Seal was formed and broken in order to seal off the realms from each other. Some Fae chose to stay Earthside, others moved to the realm of Otherworld, and the demons were—for the most part—sealed in the Subterranean Realms.
Guard Des’Estar:
The military of Y’Elestrial.
Hags of Fates:
The women of destiny who keep the balance righted. Neither good nor evil, they observe the flow of destiny. When events get too far out of balance, they step in and take action, usually using humans, Fae, Supes, and other creatures as pawns to bring the path of destiny back into line.
Harvestmen:
The lords of death—a few cross over and are also Elemental Lords. The Harvestmen, along with their followers (the Valkyries and the Death Maidens, for example) reap the souls of the dead.
Haseofon:
The abode of the Death Maidens—where they stay and where they train.
Ionyc Lands:
The astral, etheric, and spirit realms, along with several other lesser-known noncorporeal dimensions, form the Ionyc Lands. These realms are separated by the Ionyc Seas, a current of energy that prevents the Ionyc Lands from colliding, thereby sparking off an explosion of universal proportions.
Ionyc Seas:
The current of energy that separates the Ionyc Lands. Certain creatures, especially those connected with the elemental energies of ice, snow, and wind, can travel through the Ionyc Seas without protection.
Koyanni:
The coyote shifters who took an evil path away from the Great Coyote; followers of Nukpana.
Melosealfôr:
A rare Crypto dialect learned by powerful Cryptos and all Moon Witches.
The Nectar of Life:
An elixir that can extend the life span of humans to nearly the length of a Fae’s years. Highly prized and cautiously used. Can drive someone insane if he or she doesn’t have the emotional capacity to handle the changes incurred.
OIA:
The Otherworld Intelligence Agency; the “brains” behind the Guard Des’Estar.
Otherworld/OW:
The human term for the “United Nations” of Faerie Land. A dimension apart from ours that contains creatures from legend and lore, pathways to the gods, and various other places, such as Olympus. Otherworld’s actual name varies among the differing dialects of the many races of Cryptos and Fae.
Portal, Portals:
The interdimensional gates that connect the different realms. Some were created during the Great Divide; others open up randomly.
Seelie Court:
The Earthside Fae Court of Light and Summer, disbanded during the Great Divide. Titania was the Seelie Queen.
Soul Statues:
In Otherworld, small figurines created for the Fae of certain races and magically linked with the baby. These figurines reside in family shrines and when one of the Fae dies, their soul statue shatters. In Menolly’s case, when she was reborn as a vampire, her soul statue re-formed, although twisted. If a family member disappears, his or her family can always tell if their loved one is alive or dead if they have access to the soul statue.
Spirit Seals:
A magical crystal artifact, the Spirit Seal was created during the Great Divide. When the portals were sealed, the Spirit Seal was broken into nine gems and each piece was given to an Elemental Lord or Lady. These gems each have varying powers. Even possessing one of the spirit seals can allow the wielder to weaken the portals that divide Otherworld, Earthside, and the Subterranean Realms. If the all of the seals are joined together again, then all of the portals will open.
Stradolan:
A being who can walk between worlds, who can walk through the shadows, using them as a method of transportation.
Supe/Supes:
Short for Supernaturals. Refers to Earthside supernatural beings who are not of Fae nature. Refers to Weres, especially.
Talamh Lonrach Oll:
The name for the Earthside Sovereign Fae Nation.
Triple Threat:
Camille’s nickname for the newly risen three Earthside Queens of Fae.
Unseelie Court:
The Earthside Fae Court of Shadow and Winter, disbanded during the Great Divide. Aeval was the Unseelie Queen.
VA/Vampires Anonymous:
The Earthside group started by Wade Stevens, a vampire who was a psychiatrist during life. The group is focused on helping newly born vampires adjust to their new state of existence, and to encourage vampires to avoid harming the innocent as much as possible. The VA is vying for control. Their goal is to rule the vampires of the United States and to set up an internal policing agency.