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We walk the world in our sleep, walk through air and shadow, through dream and projection.
Before I’d staked Dredge, I’d relived my torture and turning nearly every night, unable to break free from the horror.
But more and more, my dreams carried me out on a wave across the ocean, to wade through the depths of Earth, to spiral out into space and watch the turning of the world. Each time I returned and woke to the night, there was a little part of me that regretted coming back, because my dreams had gone from nightmares to visions of beauty, and they never seemed long enough.
I found myself in a long, narrow room and knew I was dreaming, but my surroundings were so vivid and bril iant that I paused to look around. The wal s were heavy, Old World paneling and paper; the floors marbled white with veins of gray. Heavy walnut furniture was arranged in a precise manner, and my instinct told me I could sit and relax. It wasn’t that I was tired, but the room invited visitors to rest a spel , and as I took my place on a velveteen sofa, the strains of a harpsichord filtered through the air, like spun glass pipes or chimes in the wind.
Not sure what I was here for, I decided to wait. After al , the sun burned high in the sky and there was no waking for me til she sank beneath the horizon. It wasn’t like I was going anywhere in a hurry.
As I passed the time examining the patterns on the wal paper—the king stag was fighting a hunter, and it looked like he was winning—the door at the far end of the room opened and a figure glided through.
Roman. It was Roman.
I slowly rose and waited for him. The ancient vampire looked barely thirty-five, but power rol ed in waves from him, almost knocking me off my feet.
He slowly waved his hand. In that instant, my jeans and jacket vanished and I realized I was wearing a long dress, crimson with rubies awash across the satin material, and a pair of four-inch stiletto pumps. It was a simple sheath, low cut, and my scars showed. Feeling terribly exposed, I glanced over my shoulder, hoping to find my jacket to cover my arms and chest.
“Menol y . . . do not hide who you are. Your lover appreciates the view . . . as do I. ” And with that, he was by my side, silent as the depths of the ocean. He reached forward and I slid into his arms and we were dancing; his embrace a fortress both trapping and protecting me. He leaned forward, his eyes glowing with hoarfrost. Roman’s hair was long and shining, sleeked back into a brunette ponytail, and a goatee graced his chin.
“Roman, is this a dream? Or are you real y here?” We whirled around the room to the music as it rose and shifted from harpsichord to acoustic guitar.
“Oh, I am here, my dear. Make no mistake about that. ” And then he let go of my hand and with a wave, the wal s of the room fel away and we were dancing under the velvet night, the swirl of my skirt a shimmering flutter.
“What do you want with me?” I whispered, staring up at a starry horizon that seemed to stretch forever.
“Have you ever wanted to be a queen, Menol y? Have you ever wanted to rule by the side of someone who can give you more power than you’ve ever dreamed of?”
Before I could answer, before I could even process the thought, he leaned down and kissed me, and al thought was lost in a blur of passion and longing.
CHAPTER 4
I woke before Erin did—the older the vampire, the quicker the waking.
As I bolted up in bed, remembering where I was and who I was, the dream stuck with me.
Roman, the dancing . . . “Have you ever wanted to be a queen, Menolly? Have you ever wanted to rule by the side of someone who can give you more power than you’ve ever dreamed of?”
What had he meant? Had it just been wish fulfil ment? Not likely, considering I’d never aspired to be the consort of any king, be he vampire or Fae.
Shaking off the dream, I turned my thoughts to my daughter. What the hel was I going to do with her for now? She couldn’t stay here. And I most definitely was not going to return her to Sassy. But I couldn’t leave her with any of our human friends. Roman? No way. Especial y after that dream. I thought of Wade and cringed. I couldn’t cal him.
And then it hit me. Tavah. I trusted her to watch over the portal in the bar. I could trust her to watch Erin. I grabbed the phone and punched in Tavah’s cel number. She answered on the third ring.
“Tavah, I have something to ask you. Can you please drop by my house right away? As in the next half hour?”
“Sure thing, boss. What’s up?”
“I’l tel you when you get here,” I muttered. “Can’t talk right now, but it’s important. I have a job for you and I real y need your help. ”
As I hung up, it occurred to me that Erin could stay at the bar, in the hidden chamber down in the basement. The panic room was created to keep magic and intruders out, and anything up to a demon in. No daylight filtered in; no hunters could intrude, stakes in hand. I could tuck Erin in during the day and she would be safe, with no one being the wiser.
“Erin? You awake?” I gave her a few minutes to come out of her stupor. As she sat up, it occurred to me she had no clothes except what she’d been wearing. If there was one thing I didn’t appreciate, it was a vampire who dressed in smel y, messy clothing. It was bad enough we fed on blood; we didn’t have to look the part. She didn’t like Chanel, anyway, and I wasn’t going to force it on her like Sassy had. Erin was a grown woman; she could wear what she wanted.
She blinked, then pushed herself to her elbows. “I’m awake. It takes me a while—Sassy says that wil change. Is she right?”
“As you age into your new life, yes, you wil wake easier and with more clarity. Some of the ancient vampires can last against sunrise for an extra half hour or so, and can wake up even as the sun is starting to dip below the horizon. As long as they aren’t directly in its path. Listen, I’ve got work to do. Important work. I want you to stay with Tavah this evening. She’l take you clothes shopping and then to the bar. I’l meet you there later. ”
Erin nodded, a hopeful look crossing her face. “Can I help you out? Please?” And then her words spil ed out in a rush. “Menol y, I’m bored. I loved running my shop. I hate just sitting around at Sassy’s and playing games or watching TV. Put me to work, and I promise: I won’t let you down. ”
I blinked. The thought of putting Erin to work had never occurred to me. Most vampires I knew were content to run around without a job to impede them. “You’re serious? You wouldn’t mind working in the bar at night?”
Erin flashed me a grateful smile and her eyes lit up in a way I hadn’t seen in a long time. “I’d love it! I miss being busy. I miss . . . being needed. With my store, my clients needed me. Now . . . ”
“Sassy needs you. ” I tried to make her feel better, but that opened up a whole new can of worms.
“I know Sassy needs me, but I feel like her pet. ” She glanced over at me. “You think we’re in love, don’t you?”
I slowly nodded. “Sassy gave me that impression, yes. ”
Erin shifted, obviously uncomfortable. “Sassy is in love with me. But . . . ”
“But you’re not in love with her?” Understanding began to pound its way into my brain. Why, oh why hadn’t I talked this over with Erin before? I’d taken Sassy’s word for everything. Feeling every inch the neglectful parent, I asked, “What do you real y think of her?”
“I am grateful,” Erin said with a shrug. “She’s taken me in and makes sure I’m safe and fed and comfortable. I care about her. Maybe I could love her if we were equals, but we aren’t. She’s my foster mother. She’s a good fifteen years older than me, which wouldn’t matter if I were real y attracted to her in that way. But the whole affair gives me the creeps. I know what she wants and I don’t want to give it to her. Truth is, I’m not that interested in a relationship with anybody. I’ve got too much to learn about myself now. ”
I sat there dumbfounded. Erin made perfect sense. I kept forgetting that ful -blooded hum
ans were more prone to focusing on age than the Fae or half-Fae, or vampires who had been in the life for a long time. Because humans age so quickly, fifteen years could signify a lifetime to some people.
Leaning forward, I propped my elbows on my knees and shook my head. “I’m so sorry, Erin. I never would have left you there if I’d known about this. I should have asked you earlier how you felt. ”
“I wanted to say something, but I didn’t want to displease you. ” Once again, Erin flashed back to the nervous daughter.
“How’s your inner predator?” I asked, cautiously watching her.
“Hungry, but oddly enough—I don’t feel the urge to hunt. I’m thirsty, but usual y I’m just as good with the bottles of blood as I am with a host. I was a pacifist in life, you know. And somehow . . .
that seems to have rubbed off on me in death. Undeath? ” She laughed then, and I saw a little of the old Erin in the twinkle of her eyes. “I think I can control it, but I guess I should be watched a while longer to make sure. ”
Completely at a loss for words, I dropped onto the bed beside her. After a moment, I shrugged.
“Okay, if you want to work, I’l put you to work. You can sleep at the bar during the day, in the safe room unless we need to use it. Nobody wil find you there. I’l teach you how to hunt so you don’t go over the edge if your instinct does flare up. I stick to the lowlifes, the scum. Or, if I have to choose an innocent, I curtail how much I drink and leave the person with very good memories and the desire for a thick steak. ”
Erin grinned at me, her fangs barely showing. “Thank you. I’ve been so worried about how I was going to make it through the next year—let alone the next hundred years. I need to be busy. I’ve always worked, ever since I was eighteen. I didn’t have a chance to go to col ege and my parents kicked me out of the house, so I got a job and learned how to take care of myself. I scrimped and saved to open the Scarlet Harlot, and it about kil ed me to sel it to Tim, though I know he’l do a great job with it. ”
“Why did your parents kick you out?” I’d never real y asked Erin about her background. I knew that her parents were both dead, but her sister and brother were alive. Apparently they didn’t like the thought of having a gay member of the family. Or a vampire.
“My parents were fanatics—very right-wing religious types. I wouldn’t join their church—it was more a cult than a church, actual y. So they kicked me out when I graduated from high school. I stayed with a friend until I got a job and saved up enough for a studio apartment. ”
Wincing, I couldn’t help but think that in some ways, Sephreh, our father, was just as bad. He was a bigot, too, hating Tril ian, angry enough at Camil e to kick her out.
“I’m sorry it came to that. But I’m your family now. And my sisters, and Tim and Jason. We’re here for you. ”
She smiled shyly. “Thank you, Mis—Menol y. ”
“So here’s what I need: someone to clean the upstairs guest rooms, to keep track of inventory, to sweep and mop the floors after we close. You wil ing to do that? I’l pay you what I would pay anybody for the job. ” I knew it was below Erin’s level of expertise, but it was al I could offer at the moment.
She, however, seemed thril ed. “I’d love it. Can I rent my own place again? Now that I don’t have to go back to Sassy’s?”
“No, you don’t have to go back to Sassy’s, but as far as getting your own place, I think you should live at the bar for a while. But I promise that you’l have more freedom. We’l fix up one of the guest rooms upstairs for you at night. You can watch television and read, play on the computer
—I’l buy you a laptop. And you’l sleep in the panic room. ”
If we needed the safe room to hold another demon or some such creature, I could bring Erin back to the house.
She smiled, looking content. “I’m thirsty,” she said, her voice rustling.
I gazed into her eyes. Erin might think she had her predator under control, but she stil had a ways to go. But for now, there was blood in the fridge and it tasted like beef stew.
“Listen to me, Erin. I’m going to do my best to help you grow into your new life. But if you ever, ever raise a fang against my family—anyone on this property or who belongs to my family—I wil stake you. Do you understand?”
She nodded. “I don’t ever want to become like Sassy has. Promise me that?”
“I promise, if you do, I’l put a stop to it. ” Fal ing silent for a moment, I gazed at her. My daughter.
I’d birthed a monster, but she was also a caring, vibrant person. Trying to lighten the mood, I added, “Come on. You’re in for a treat. ”
As I led her upstairs, I wondered how things were going to shake out with Sassy. But after Erin’s disclosure, I wasn’t going to worry myself over the socialite’s reaction. She had bigger problems than losing a houseguest.
Iris was in the kitchen, putting the finishing touches on dinner. Morio was helping her. The smel of roast beef permeated the air, along with mashed potatoes and gravy and a Dutch apple pie. I glanced at Erin, who was eyeing the food wistful y.
“I have a treat for you,” I said, pul ing two bottles of the magical y enhanced blood out of the refrigerator and popping them in the microwave. “Wait til you taste our dinner. ”
The doorbel rang and Camil e cal ed out, “It’s Tavah. ”
“I’l be right there,” I cal ed, then turned to Morio. “When the blood’s ready, can you pour a goblet for Erin?”
He grinned. “My pleasure. Does she know about the spel ?”