BY THE TIME we left the station, it was nearly 3:00 a.m. All of us were tired, so Delia had one of her deputies drive us back to my place.
“It’s so late. I’d rather not worry about you driving, even with that spell on your car. Stay the night. What good are four guest rooms if I don’t have somebody in there?” I wrapped my arm around Sandy’s waist as we hurried from car to kitchen. Aegis kept a watch until we reached the back patio and had entered the house.
“I guess you can talk me into it, if you give me plenty of coffee in the morning. But if you don’t mind, I’m going to crash now. I’m so freaking sleepy.” Sandy yawned. “I can sleep in the room where I took the shower. That looked comfortable.”
“Oh, the Garden Room? Yeah, go ahead. I specifically infused that room with earth energy to give it that nurturing, growing sensation. I’ll head up in a few. Aegis will keep watch over the house till morning. Won’t you, sweetheart?” I turned to him as he reached out to rub my back.
“Of course. There should be a few snacks in the mini-bar, Sandy. Don’t worry about messing up anything. It will be a quick cleanup tomorrow.” Aegis waved as Sandy heaved a sigh and began to drag herself up to the second story.
When she was out of sight, I let out a slow breath and dropped into the rocking chair in the kitchen, pulling Drofur into my lap. The stuffed unicorn said nothing, but he smelled like cotton candy and bubblegum. “This has been one hell of a day.”
“And night. You’ve been up too long. You look beat, Maddy. Why don’t you go to bed and sleep now?”
“I will in a moment,” I said. “My brain’s churning so much that I’m not sure I’ll be able to sleep.” I glanced at the clock. “I wonder where Linda and Patty are by now? I hate to think of them alone in the world, but I guess they’re beyond our reach now.” And then it hit me: I was the new High Priestess of the Moonrise Coven. I felt totally unprepared for the job, like a deer caught in the headlights.
Aegis pulled one of the kitchen chairs over to my side and took my hand. “Maddy? Are you all right?”
“I just realized that I’m going to have to take over the coven and be responsible for it, starting tomorrow morning. Its failure or success will depend on me. It all comes down to the High Priestess, and I’m not at all certain I have the expertise that’s needed.”
“You most definitely do. You just lack the confidence. I hope you don’t sell yourself short. Sandy will be there to help you.”
I straightened, turning to him. “But what am I going to tell them? I can’t tell them that Linda was turning on them, handing them over to the vampires.”
“They have to know. You have to be transparent with them, or they’ll sense you’re hiding something and become suspicious. Linda hid her secrets and look what happened to her. That put her at the mercy of Essie and her ilk. I may be a vampire, but this is why I do not get involved in the politics of Fangdom. It’s a dangerous, murky area. We’re fighting for our rights, but so many of my kind make that difficult by being exactly the type of creature that makes others run in fear. Go to bed, Maddy. Sleep. Everything will look clearer in the morning.”
Deciding there was nothing else I could do for the night, I agreed. But it was a long time before I could sleep, and I tossed and turned all night, running from shadows in my dreams, and from a dark figure wearing a bright crown of sparkling blood, frozen into crystal form.
I GROANED AS the alarm clock went off at 8:00 a.m. I really didn’t want to get up, but then I remembered the meeting at the Town Hall and grimaced, slipping out from beneath the covers. Bubba was staring out the window, but when I stirred, he merely glanced at me and let out a “Murp?”
“Yes, I’m getting up. Good morning, you little tosser. By the way, thank you for helping Linda and her daughter. I know you had something to do with it and that nothing got twisted around. You’re a sweetie, you know that?” I reached down to run my hand over his tail as I stared out the window. The morning was starting off with a pale shimmer of sunlight breaking through the clouds, but even the sun looked cold at this point. Given the amount of snow and storms we had had, magic use must be up.
Bubba just flicked his tail and haughtily strutted over to the door. “Mrow.”
“I know you’re hungry. I’ll be down in a few minutes. Go wake up Sandy, if she’s not already up.” I waved him off and he darted out the door.
A quick shower later, I dressed in my best indigo wash jeans, a mauve V-neck sweater, and a silver belt. I slipped on my big old Fugly-Boots, my favorite brand. Knee-high, they were leather and laced up the front. They had thick wedge heels, non-skid. They were stiff enough to keep my ankles from turning, and easily navigated the snow.
By the time I made it downstairs, I smelled espresso brewing. Sure enough, Sandy was at the helm and a frothy hot latte was waiting for me, along with toast and jam.
“I don’t think we have time for much more before the meeting, but at least this will get us through an hour or so of the shockwaves about to hit the community.”
“What should we tell them? Aegis thinks we should tell them the truth. But won’t that make people paranoid against the vampires?”
“Well, maybe they should be. I think he’s correct. But if you phrase it right, it won’t sound like we’re under siege.” She shifted her shoulders, then lifted her shirt to adjust her bra. “This is the last time I ever buy a Naomi Varjhas bra. The damned band won’t lay flat.”
Bubba leaped up on the table and stared at her.
“You little perv. Quit watching me.”
I laughed. “Bubba’s just waiting for you to ignore your toast. He likes toast and tries to steal mine whenever he gets the chance. I doubt if he’s entranced by your boobs.”
She snorted. “Neither am I. I accidentally caught my right one in the door yesterday when I leaned too close while shutting it. Mother-freaking son of a bitch, but that hurt.”
I snorted latte out my nose. “Thank you for that. I needed a sinus irrigation, yes indeed. Okay then, so we head out to this meeting in a few minutes. I don’t care if you think you’re not invited, I’m dragging you along.” Sobering, I set down my cup. “I don’t know about all this, Sandy. I’m not sure how to be the High Priestess. Am I serious enough for it? You know as well as I do, I don’t take things as reverently as I should. Won’t Temple HQ decide that I’m unfit for the job?”
She frowned. “Maybe it’s time we had somebody who wasn’t exactly a model-fit for it. Look at what happened with Linda. You’d think she’d be perfect but the vamps found a way to exploit her and turn her to their own use. I don’t know where the Aunties transported her to, but I can tell you this: if someone as strong and as serious as she was can be so easy to blackmail, maybe it takes somebody with a sense of humor and an alternative view on life to run things properly.”
“I’m glad you have faith in me, because without it, I’d probably just pack up and move.” I glanced around the kitchen, realizing how much I had come to love the mansion. “Or maybe not. Whatever the case, let’s get this show on the road. Delia will be waiting.”
WE HEADED OUT to the Town Hall. Bedlam during the day looked quite a bit different than Bedlam did during the night. Both times the town was magical, but during the day Bedlam was a cheerful, bright spot. At night, she was a mysterious, moody town.
“The snowfall this year is ridiculous,” Sandy said as we maneuvered through the freshly plowed streets. “We have to have close to three feet. None of the other islands have that.”
“The Winter Fae are having one hell of a party this season.”