“That would be bad. Very bad.” I shuddered to think about what could all too easily happen.
The governments of the world liked their nuclear bombs. What they did not realize—because they didn’t know about the demons yet—was that uranium and radioactivity only made Demonkin stronger. If the president got it into his head to go on the attack, chances were he was going to plunge us into a dark hole so deep that you’d have to look up to see bottom.
“Bad doesn’t begin to encompass the danger.” Chase shifted in his chair. “I’ve got a call in to a few of the guys I know. They’re higher up in the Department of Defense. In fact, I worked directly with them when we were creating the FH-CSI. I’ll try to explain it to them. How they’ll take it, I can’t even begin to guess. But I’ll do my best to make them understand that we absolutely have to keep this under wraps, that we cannot let the politicians take control of this situation, and above all—no nukes.”
He let out a long sigh. “The day we feared was coming has arrived, girls. The world is about to find out that the demons exist. Given the hate groups that sprang up against you, I dread to think what’s going to happen.”
I closed my eyes, envisioning the potential for disaster. Human supremacist groups were already on the rampage. And we all knew they wouldn’t differentiate between the demons and any other Supe. This was just the extra fuel they needed to blow their campaigns sky high, turning the sparks of a wildfire into a massive conflagration.
“What can we do?” Delilah’s voice was hushed, almost reverently afraid.
“Stop Telazhar. That’s the only way. Take him down, wipe him out, drink his blood. I don’t care what method you choose, but he has to be destroyed. Then we worry about Shadow Wing.” And with that, Chase stood. “I need to get back to the office. I’ve been working eighteen-hour days the past few weeks.” He turned to Iris. “Thank you for watching Astrid while I’m there. I haven’t heard from Sharah in a few weeks. Sometimes I feel like taking my daughter and heading over to Otherworld to be with her mother, and leaving all of this behind.”
Iris nodded, her eyes wet with tears. “I understand. Bruce was talking about heading back to Ireland, but as I told him—it doesn’t matter where we go. Shadow Wing is determined to burn everything to the ground and it won’t matter what country we’re in. Or even what world. We’re all in danger until he’s destroyed.”
With that, we saw Chase to the door.
Camille turned to us as we returned to the living room. “I’ll head out to Talamh Lonrach Oll tonight. I’m tired, but I think we should ask Merlin to go to the U.K. He might be able to quash the mess over there.”
Delilah nodded, her expression fading from worried to dark and beautiful. She had changed a lot since her last round of training with the Death Maidens. Now she routinely saw ghosts and spirits, but they couldn’t touch her unless she chose to allow it. And she was transforming even still.
“I’ll talk to the Supe Community Council.” She stretched, yawning. “We have the militia here, but it’s time to call up reinforcements everywhere.”
I let out a long sigh. “I’ve got time before sunrise to go talk to Roman. We can marshal the vampires. It’s time we all pulled together and walked into the fires of war united.”
And with that, we were off, doing what needed to be done even as the clock seemed to tick away all too fast.
Chapter 2
Sunrise was clocking in at five forty-five, so I headed out as soon as it seemed we were good for the night, in order to talk to Roman. We’d been lucky—no other calls, though the guys had taken down a few muggers and freaks out to cause trouble. It was three thirty when I climbed in my Mustang. The car still felt odd—I missed my Jag but then again, I missed a lot of things.
As I sped through the silent streets, I thought over the past couple of years. My sisters and I had come Earthside expecting the equivalent of a sabbatical. We weren’t that great at our jobs, and because Camille wouldn’t give a blowjob to her boss, he managed to get us assigned Earthside. We had crossed between the worlds, our main worry being—would we be able to manage life in what was essentially an alien culture? Our mother was human, but our father was full-blooded Fae. And the three of us? Half-breeds, each with an odd mix of powers due to our mixed heritages.
Our mother, Maria D’Artigo, had fallen for Sephreh ob Tanu during the later days of World War II, when she had moved to Spain to go to college. With no roots to tie her to Earthside, she chose love, crossing worlds to be with him. They married, to the chagrin of the Court and Crown, and a few years later, along came the three of us.
First Camille—the oldest. She’s a Moon Witch and Priestess, and far more to come—she’s slated to take over as the Fae Queen of Dusk and Twilight. But her natural powers fritz out when she least expects it, though that happens less now that she’s taken to death magic. It seems she plays well in the dark, which is a good thing given the destiny waiting for her. She’s married to three men: Smoky, a prince among the Dragonkin; Morio, a youkai-kitsune from Japan; and Trillian, a Svartan, one of the Dark and Charming Fae.
Second born were our sisters Delilah and her twin, Arial, but Arial died at birth and we only found out about her a few years ago. Delilah’s natural form is that of a werecat. She’s a beautiful, silken long-haired golden tabby. But when the Autumn Lord—one of the Harvestmen and an Elemental Lord—claimed her as his only living Death Maiden, a second Were form emerged, that of a black panther. Delilah’s come a long way from the naïve young woman she started out as. She now walks with one foot in the world of ghosts and spirits, and she’s engaged to Shade and is destined to one day bear the child of the Autumn Lord.
And then there’s me. I’m Menolly. And I’m a vampire. I was a jian-tu by trade and birth, which simply means that I’ve got incredible acrobatic abilities, and therefore I made a pretty good spy. But when the Y’Elestrial Intelligence Agency assigned me to spy on a nest of dangerous vampires, my half-human heritage kicked in. I fell—literally—into their midst. Dredge, the biggest, baddest vamp around, caught hold of me. What he did to me still haunts my dreams, but a few years ago I got my revenge and staked him dead. But I will forever walk in the world of the living dead, my soul trapped in an ageless body until either I choose to walk into the sun or someone manages to stake me. I constantly struggle to keep a leash on my inner predator, forever watchful that my nature doesn’t turn into the monster I’m fully capable of being. Nerissa, a werepuma, is my gorgeous Amazon of a wife. And I’m also the official consort to Roman, son of Blood Wyne, Queen of the Vampire Nation.
Together the three of us and our lovers and friends watch over Seattle and the surrounding area. Because when we came Earthside, little did we realize we were walking into a minefield. We stepped one foot over the line and found ourselves at the front of a demonic war.
Shadow Wing, Demon Lord of the Subterranean Realms, has been trying to break through the portals that separate the worlds. He aims to turn both Earthside and Otherworld into his private playgrounds, razing the beauty that exists as he blights everything alive with his fiery hell. Telazhar, an ancient necromancer from Otherworld, has become his right-hand man. The leader of an army of upstarts in Otherworld, they’ve nearly destroyed the Elfin lands and race, razed several other cities, and now . . . and now, Telazhar is setting his sights Earthside.
Camille’s right. It’s time to call in the dragons, and anybody else we can get to help. Because it’s only a matter of time before Shadow Wing breaks through from the Sub-Realms. And between Telazhar’s armies and Shadow Wing’s demons, we haven’t got a prayer of a chance.
* * *
Roman wasn’t at home, but I knew where to find him. He was at the Seattle Vampire Nexus. My daughter was there, as well. I had never meant to sire another vampire, but Erin had been our friend, and she ended up collateral damage when Dredge hunted me down. He left her for me, nearly dead, and the on
ly choices we had were either to let her die, or I could turn her. So I offered her the chance to become a vampire. I didn’t want to do it, but it was her choice, and I capitulated. And now she worked for Roman in the security division. She was good at her job and I was proud of her for integrating so seamlessly into the vampire community. It hadn’t been an easy road, but she had managed it.
I hustled through the doors and over to the receptionist’s desk. The building was actually a mansion that had belonged to Sassy Branson, a vampire who had been a friend of mine until her inner predator took over and I had to make good on a promise to destroy her. Doing so had been one of the hardest tasks I’d ever faced, and even now I hated thinking about it.
The secretary glanced up and immediately recognized me. I was consort to the Regent. It stood the vamps in the area good fortune to know who I was.
“Lord Roman is in his office. I’ll buzz ahead that you’re on the way in, Lady Menolly.”
I still wasn’t used to the “Lady” business, but that was okay. I swung around behind the desk and headed for the office. As I entered the room, once again, Roman’s sense of style overwhelmed me. He loved lavish. Opulent for him was over the top for me. Antique letter openers and original Monets and one-of-a-kind porcelain sculptures were scattered around like a cloud of beautiful clutter. When I was at his place, or in his office, I often felt like I was in the middle of a treasure chest filled with disparate but exquisite items. I wouldn’t call him a hoarder, but he was definitely on the road to starring in a bad reality TV show.
Roman, son of Blood Wyne, the Queen of the Vampire Nation, was behind his desk. His long brown hair hung in a neat ponytail, not a wisp out of place, and he was so old that his eyes were almost entirely white. He had a long, regal nose, and I knew from experience that beneath the black turtleneck and neat black trousers were a number of long scars—legacies of his life as a warrior prince from thousands of years back. Roman was an ancient vampire, and how he had managed to keep his inner predator in check eluded me. It was a rare feat for someone his age.
He had re-sired me to break another bond that was proving dangerous, and I felt the tug of allegiance pull on me. As I entered the room, shutting the door behind me, he rose and was at my side in a whisper of movement. He pulled me to him and lightly pressed a kiss to my forehead.
“My darling Menolly, I returned not an hour ago from visiting Mother. I’m so glad you decided to come welcome me home.” He glanced at the very large, ornate grandfather clock sitting in the corner. “But it’s so late. Shouldn’t you be home, just in case? What’s going on?” Every time he visited Blood Wyne, he came home sounding like Prince Charming.
I gave him a light peck on the cheek. “We have a problem. I need your help.”
He stepped back, glanced at my face, and shook his head. The pretense of graciousness dropped and the prince was gone. He was just Roman again. “What’s going on? What happened since I left?”
I started to explain, a rush of words forming on my lips, and then I just collapsed in one of the nearby chairs, leaning my elbows on my knees, staring at the floor. “We’re at war.” I mumbled the words, not wanting to hear myself say them aloud.
“What?” He sat beside me, not touching me, not offering any comfort or care. His voice was measured, but clear. His behavior was precisely what I needed. He knew me well enough by now to know that if he tried to comfort me, I might not be able to keep it together.
I paused to collect myself, then straightened my shoulders. “We’re at war. Telazhar has figured out how to get his army over here. So far, his incursions are on the smaller side, but we think it’s only a matter of time before he is able to send larger contingents, and then we’ll be screwed. Once he’s over here with his armies, he can work on breaking open the portals to the Sub-Realms so Shadow Wing can come through. We’ve been fighting nonstop every night for the past two weeks. The insurgents are growing in number each time.”
“So it has finally come to this.” Roman eased back in his seat, crossing his legs. He examined his nails, but I knew it wasn’t a stalling technique or a brush-off. When Roman thought things over, he often engaged in behavior that seemed dismissive, but it was just him allowing his brain time to process and plan. While he was thinking, I stood and headed for the door.
“I’m going to see Erin. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” I paused, my hand on the doorknob. “Roman, I need you to align the vampires with the Supes. We need backup out there. I would have asked for it before you got back, but this . . . this is big. I must know if you’re behind us in this.” And with that, I slipped out the door. Giving Roman the space to plan would be a better use of my energy than sitting there wheedling. And I wasn’t the begging kind.
Erin was part of Roman’s security team now, working her way up the ranks. He had her in mind for one of the leads in the operations room, I knew that, but she started out at the bottom like everybody else. Security was found in the basement—it made for the best protection—and so I headed for the stairs, passing several other vamps hurrying around. A familiar voice stopped me.
“Menolly? Hey, it’s been a while.” Wade was standing there, a sheaf of papers in his hands. He had a Bluetooth headset in one ear, and he was dressed in tight-fitting leather jeans and a simple button-down shirt. His tousled curly hair was its usual jumble, and he had long lost the glasses that he had relied on as a crutch even after he was turned.
Wade and I had dated briefly, before I met his mother—Belinda Stevens—who was also a vampire. Whoever had turned Wade had a nasty sense of humor. It took a real sadist to turn your overprotective, annoying, intrusive mother into a vampire after they turned you into one. As long as Belinda walked this earth, she would be breathing down his neck, chasing off his girlfriends, and embarrassing him at social gatherings. It was a wonder that he hadn’t staked her himself.
“Long time no see.” I paused, feeling a fleeting sadness drift by. We had been good friends, then dated, then had been enemies, and now . . . it felt like we were back to acquaintances with a lot of water under the bridge. “How are you doing?”
“Not bad. I do have exciting news. I don’t know if Roman told you, but my idea for Vampires Anonymous? Apparently the Queen loved the concept and she has put me in charge of a nationwide program. I’m setting up new groups all up and down the coast.”
He beamed, a sparkle of excitement in his eyes. Wade had been a psychologist when he was alive, and after he had been turned, force of habit led him to attempt to ease the way for vampires new to the undead life. He had set up a support group to keep newly minted vamps from running off and turning everybody in sight. Once Roman instituted the Seattle Vampire Nexus, Vampires Anonymous was sucked in under the umbrella organization.
I smiled for real, for the first time that night. “Good news is welcome right now. I’m so happy for you. I think it’s a wonderful idea. How are you otherwise?”
He shrugged. “Dating a woman I met a few months ago. Life is good, overall. And you?” Wade didn’t know everything about what was going on, but he knew enough.
“We’re in a rough spot, in terms of fighting the bad guys. But my sisters and I are well, and so are our loved ones. I guess that’s all that counts.”
Wade’s face clouded. “I heard about your father. I’m sorry.”
“Yes, well . . . war doesn’t play favorites and life isn’t fair. That’s why we’re fighting. I have to go, but we need to catch up soon. I’ll give you a call.” And with that, I waved and moved on. The fact that he was dating made me happy, but I wondered if his girlfriend had met his mother yet.
Erin was in the main room of Security Ops, clipboard in hand. While Roman was training her for combat—as he did all his security personnel—he also was fast-tracking her through a computer course. Erin was a middle-aged, short, stocky woman who preferred jeans and a flannel shirt, but dress codes ruled in Roman’s employ. Sh
e was wearing a neatly tailored black pantsuit with a pale blue sweater peeking out beneath the jacket. She had a short butch cut and looked smart and chic. The vampire glamour that emerged at the moment of turning and increased throughout the years worked for all body types and all ages.
“Menolly!” She lit up. The siring effect would hold for a long, long time—for some vamps forever. At least she had quit kneeling when I came into the room, but she still gave me a low bow. But I knew she did it partially for show, because I was Roman’s consort, and it was a sign of respect in front of the others.
I held out my hand and she took it, briefly and lightly. Vampires didn’t generally touch much. A light handshake was as good as a hug among the majority of our kind.
“Erin, I thought I’d drop down to say hello and see how you are getting on while Roman is thinking over a situation I need his advice on.” I glanced around. “How do you like the new job?”
She, like Wade, was sparkling with excitement. “I love it. At last, I feel useful. In fact, I have to tell you—I never thought I’d be interested in computer work, but I love it. Roman told me he thought I’d have a knack for it, and he was right. I don’t know how he knew, but I’m glad he enlisted me. Thank you for giving me permission.”
As a relatively new sireling, Erin still technically needed my permission to change jobs, residences, or any other number of things, though as the decades had gone on, the rules of the Vampire Nation had evolved and changed. But with Blood Wyne’s reemergence into mainstream vampire society, I had a feeling we were headed back into a more regimented manner of decorum.
“I’m just glad it agrees with you. Listen, Erin—I have to cancel our plans next week. I can’t tell you exactly why, but trust me, I’d rather not have to bail on you. But right now, my sisters and I are into something pretty deep and we need all our focus.” I had recently begun instituting a weekly get-together with Erin. I didn’t want her to feel like I had just left her to fend for herself, and since she had moved to the Seattle Vampire Nexus to work, chances were I was going to run into her more and more.