Shade’s voice was soft, but it still resonated through the clearing. “I approach voluntarily, of my own volition and will.”
“You have written your own vows. State them now in the presence of your friends and family, knowing that what you pledge here binds you to your future. This pledge is sacred, not to be broken.” She turned to me, her wings fluttering gently in the wind. They were gossamer, and I had to resist the momentary urge to spring after them and play with them. “Delilah, state your vows to Shade.”
I turned to my love. “I, Delilah D’Artigo, pledge to you, Shade, my undying love and devotion. I pledge my support in good times and in bad times. I pledge my heart and my soul, as long as love shall last. I promise my loyalty, my honesty, my passion, and my devotion to the Autumn Lord and what he has planned for us. All of this I give to you, as your wife and mate.”
She turned to Shade, motioning for him to go ahead.
“I, Shade, shadow dragon of the Netherworld, pledge to you, Delilah, my undying love and devotion. I pledge my loyalty, my honesty, my passion, and my protection. I will stand by you in good times, and I will stand by you in bad times, I pledge my devotion to the Autumn Lord and what he has planned for us, and all of this I give to you, as your husband and mate, as long as love shall last.”
She motioned for us to hold out our hands. I held out my right hand, and Shade held out his left. Camille took a heavily braided cord and wrapped it around our wrists, binding us together.
“As this cord so binds your wrists, it binds your vows together. You have made these vows under the watchful eyes of the gods. You have made them in front of family and friends. You have made them to me, High Priestess of the Moon Mother. Be aware, should you break your oath, you do so at your own risk, dishonoring your name forever. Answer me now, and your answers will hold. Delilah D’Artigo, do you take Shade to be your wedded husband, to have and to hold, as long as love shall last?”
I sucked in a deep breath, letting it out slowly, and then feeling my choice settle on my shoulders, I turned to Shade and, looking into his eyes, said, “I do thee promise.”
“Shade, shadow dragon of the Netherworld, do you take Delilah to be your wedded wife, to have and to hold, as long as love shall last?”
Without hesitation, Shade looked at me and said, “I do thee promise.”
Camille placed her hand atop the cord that bound our wrists together. “Then in the sight of the gods, and under the pledge of the Immortals, and in the presence of your friends and family, I now pronounce you husband and wife, bound by oath, bound by love, for as long as your love shall last.” She unwound the cord, then motioned to Shade. “You may kiss the bride.”
Shade pulled me into his arms, kissing me deeply. Then he whispered, “I will never let you down. I will never hurt you. I love you, Delilah, and I always will.”
CAMILLE AND MENOLLY and I walked along the side of the pond. The guys were manning the grills, and the smell of food filled the air. The crickets were chirping, echoing through the clearing, and everything felt exactly as it was supposed to be.
“How many times have we taken this walk together?” I stopped, cautiously sitting on a log, trying not to tear my wedding dress. Camille and Menolly sat beside me as we stared at the pond.
“I have no idea,” Camille said. “Too many times, and never enough. How does it feel to be an old married lady now?” She smiled at me, then laughed and gave me a big hug. “I’m so happy for you and Shade. And I’m so happy he’s got his powers back. I know we’re facing the greatest test yet, but right now I couldn’t be happier.”
I felt like crying and laughing at the same time. So many emotions were racing through me, and yet the words I’m married, I’m Shade’s wife, kept running through my head like an earworm.
“I can’t believe I’m actually married now. We actually made it to our wedding in one piece, and now…” I let the words drift, thinking ahead to Samhain, and the next ritual that we would face. “I think I’m scared. I’m happy, I couldn’t be more happy, but I’m scared. What if I’m not going to be a good mother? What if I don’t know how to be a mother? What if—”
“What if you quit worrying, and let life happen?” Menolly said. “We all have our inner demons, and they can haunt us night and day. But if the Land of Wandering Souls has taught you anything, maybe it’s that sometimes we have to leap on fate. We have to take that leap and trust that we’re going to land on our feet. We have to quiet those demons, shut them down, and stamp them out because they only hold us back. They stop us from doing the important things in life, they’re roadblocks and obstacles and landmines.”
Camille nodded. “I was terrified when I took the throne out at Talamh Lonrach Oll. I didn’t know if I could be queen over a kingdom. I mean hell, look at me—I’m about as refined as a lumberjack.” She paused, holding up her hand when we started to protest. “No, don’t stop me. The thing is, I’m learning. Yeah, I’m learning on the job, but I’ve got this. And you can do this too. You’re going to be a wonderful mother, whether it’s to the child of the Autumn Lord or a litter of your own kits. You’ve got the heart for it, Delilah. You’ve got that instinct. And that’s a wonderful thing.”
“I wish Father could have been here to see. And Mother. I wish Arial could be here. But I guess they are in spirit.” Even as I spoke I looked up toward the woods, and saw the faint image of a big leopard, watching. I realized Arial had been at my wedding after all. I started to cry, overcome by emotion.
Camille and Menolly let me cry, handing me tissues, not asking what was wrong because they knew very well that nothing was wrong. Sometimes joy carried its own form of heartache. Sometimes our emotions welled up so strong and so thick that the only way to express them was through tears. They were cathartic, allowing us to release into the world the emotions that ran so deep there were no words.
As my tears slowed, I stared out the pond, realizing that this wasn’t the end. And even after we took care of Shadow Wing, our lives would go on. For the first time, I felt hope that we would destroy him and then go on to live the rest of our lives in…if not peace, hopefully joy.
There would be more tears, and more laughter, and probably more weddings. There would be pomp and circumstance, protests and fighting for what was right, magic and mayhem. There would be a child in my future, and maybe more than one if I was lucky.
But right now, at this very moment, the only thing I wanted was to sit here with my sisters as my husband grilled our wedding feast, and our friends and family mingled and chatted and laughed. All I wanted was to celebrate the fact that we were together, and regardless of all the pain and loss that we had gone through, our love still stood as the pillar of our foundation, keeping us strong, keeping us whole.
I hope you enjoyed this book. The last Otherworld Book, BLOOD BONDS, will be out in 2019.
Meanwhile, I invite you to try my new Wild Hunt Series, which began with THE SILVER STAG. The second, OAK & THORNS, will be out in a few months.
I also invite you to visit Fury’s world. Bound to Hecate, Fury is a minor goddess, taking care of the Abominations who come off the World Tree. The first story arc of the Fury Unbound Series is complete with: FURY RISING, FURY’S MAGIC, FURY AWAKENED, and FURY CALLING.
If you prefer a lighter-hearted paranormal romance, meet the wild and magical residents of Bedlam in my Bewitching Bedlam Series. Fun-loving witch Maddy Gallowglass, her smoking-hot vampire lover Aegis, and their crazed cjinn Bubba (part djinn, all cat) rock it out in Bedlam, a magical town on a magical island. BLOOD MUSIC, BEWITCHING BEDLAM, MAUDLIN’S MAYHEM, SIREN’S SONG, WITCHES WILD, BLOOD VENGEANCE and TIGER TAILS are available. And more are on the way!
If you like cozies with an edge, try my Chintz ‘n China paranormal mysteries. The series is complete with: GHOST OF A CHANCE, LEGEND OF THE JADE DRAGON, MURDER UNDER A MYSTIC MOON, A HARVEST OF BONES, ONE HEX OF A WEDDING, and a wrap-up novella: HOLIDAY SPIRITS.
For all of my w
ork, both published and upcoming releases, see the Bibliography at the end of this book, or check out my website at Galenorn.com and be sure and sign up for my newsletter to receive news about all my new releases.
Playlist
I often write to music, and HARVEST SONG was no exception. Here’s the playlist I used for this book:
Android Lust: Here and Now
The Bravery: Believe
Broken Bells: The Ghost Inside
Buffalo Springfield: For What It's Worth
Chumbawumba: Tubthumping
Corvus Corax: In Taberna, Ballade de Mercy, Bucca
The Cure: The Hanging Garden, Cold, From The Edge of the Deep Green Sea
Damh the Bard: Silent Moon, Tomb of the King, Obsession, Cloak of Feathers, Grimspound, The Wicker Man, The Cutty Wren, Matty Groves, Twa Corbies
David and Steve Gordon: Shaman's Drum Dance
Dire Straits: Down to the Waterline
Don Henley: Sunset Grill
Eagles: Life in the Fast Lane
Eastern Sun: Beautiful Being
Eels: Souljacker Part 1: Love of the Loveless
Faun: Lupercalia, Iduna, The Market Song, Golden Apples, Adam Lay Ybounden, Rad, Sieben, Tinta, Tanz mit mir
Foo Fighters: The Pretender, All My Life
Foster the People: Pumped Up Kicks
Gabrielle Roth: Raven, Red Wind, Cloud Mountain
Gerry Rafferty: Baker Street
Gorillaz: Hongkongaton, Rockit, Kids with Guns, Dirty Harry, Last Living Souls, Feel Good Inc., Dare; Fire Coming Out of the Monkey's Head, Demon Days, Stylo
Harry Nilsson: Coconut
Eric Burdon & War: Spill the Wine
Hedningarna: Tulli, Chicago, Ukkonen, Grodan/Widergrenen (Toadeater), Raven (Fox Woman), Juopolle Joutunut, Drafur & Gildur
The Herbaliser: You're Not All That
In Strict Confidence: Wintermoon, Tiefer, Snow White, Silver Bullets, Silver Tongues
Ladytron: I'm Not Scared, Burning Up, Ghosts
Mark Lanegan: The Gravedigger's Song, Bleeding Muddy Water, Riot in My House, Wedding Dress, Phantasmagoria Blues, Methamphetamine Blues, Creeping Coastline of Lights, Little Sadie
Ohio Players: Fire
Oingo Boingo: Dead Man's Party, Elevator Man
The Police: Don't Stand so Close to Me, King of Pain
Queen: We Will Rock You
REM: Drive
Screaming Trees: Where the Twain Shall Meet, Dime Western, Gospel Plow
Sister Sledge: We Are Family
Spiral Dance: The Goddess and the Weaver, Boys of Bedlam, Asgard's Chase, Tarry Trousers, Rise Up
Stealers Wheel: Stuck in the Middle with You
Steppenwolf: Born To Be Wild, Magic Carpet Ride, Twisted
Tempest: Queen of Argyll, Nottamun Town, Buffalo Jump, Black Jack Davey
Three Dog Night: Mama Told Me
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Mary Jane's Last Dance
Wendy Rule: The Circle Song, The Wolf Sky, Evolution, Elemental Chant
Woodland: Silent Dance, Blood of the Moon, Golden Raven's Eye, First Melt, Conjure, Bacchus and the Maenads, Secrets Told
Zero 7: In the Waiting Line
Cast of Major Characters
The D’Artigo Family:
Arial Lianan te Maria: Delilah’s twin who died at birth. Half Fae, half human.
Camille Sepharial te Maria, aka Camille D’Artigo: The oldest sister; a Moon Witch and Priestess. Half Fae, half human.
Daniel George Fredericks: The D’Artigo sisters’ half cousin; FBH.
Delilah Maria te Maria, aka Delilah D’Artigo: The middle sister; a werecat.
Hester Lou Fredericks: The D’Artigo sisters’ half cousin; FBH.
Maria D’Artigo: The D’Artigo Sisters’ mother. Human. Deceased.
Menolly Rosabelle te Maria, aka Menolly D’Artigo: The youngest sister; a vampire and jian-tu: extraordinary acrobat. Half Fae, half human.
Sephreh ob Tanu: The D’Artigo Sisters’ father. Full Fae. Deceased.
Shamas ob Olanda: The D’Artigo girls’ cousin. Full Fae. Deceased, but returned to life as one of the Keraastar Knights.
The D’Artigo Sisters’ Lovers & Close Friends:
Astrid (Johnson): Chase and Sharah’s baby daughter.
Bruce O’Shea: Iris’s husband. 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. Deceased.
Derrick Means: Bartender at the Wayfarer Bar & Grill. Werebadger.
Erin Mathews: Former president of the Faerie Watchers Club and former 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.
Iris (Kuusi) O’Shea: 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.
Maria O’Shea: Iris and Bruce’s baby daughter.
Marion Vespa: 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 wife. 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. Menolly’s official consort in the Vampire Nation and her new sire.
Queen Asteria: The former Elfin Queen. Deceased.
Queen Sharah: Was an elfin medic, now the new Elfin Queen; Chase’s girlfriend.
Rozurial, aka Roz: Mercenary. Menolly’s secondary lover. Incubus who used to be Fae before Zeus and Hera destroyed his marriage.
Shade: Delilah’s fiancé. Part Stradolan, part black (shadow) dragon.
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.
Tanne Baum: One of the Black Forest woodland Fae. A member of the Hunter’s Glen Clan.
Tavah: Guardian of the portal at the Wayfarer Bar & Grill. Vampire (full Fae).
Tim Winthrop, aka Cleo Blanco: Computer student/genius, female impersonator. FBH. Now owns the Scarlet Harlot.
Trillian: Mercenary. Camille’s alpha lover and one of her three husbands. Svartan (one of the Charming Fae).
Ukkonen O’Shea: Iris and Bruce’s baby son.
Vanzir: Was indentured slave to the Sisters, by his own choice. Dream-chaser demon who lost his powers and now is regaining new ones.
Venus the Moon Child: Former shaman of the Rainier Puma Pride. Werepuma. One of the Keraastar Knights.
Wade Stevens: President of Vampires Anonymous. Vampire (human).
Zachary Lyonnesse: Former member of the Rainier Puma Pride Council of Elders. Werepuma living in Otherworld.
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 militar
y 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.
Demonica Vacana Society: A society run by a number of ancient entities, including Carter, who study and record the history of demonic activity over Earthside. The archives of the society are found in the Demonica Catacombs, deep within an uninhabited island of the Cyclades, a group of Grecian islands in the Aegean Sea.
Dreyerie: A dragon lair.
Earthside: Everything that exists on the Earth side of the portals.
Elqaneve: The Elfin city in Otherworld, located in Kelvashan—the Elfin lands.
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.