“We can’t, though. We’re grown-ups. Princesses and queens and Death Maidens, oh my. And with all of that, we have to put up with the pomp and circumstance, and the annoying ceremonies.” Even as I said the words, the weight of what we were facing hit home. I could tell they were both feeling it, because Camille leaped to her feet.
“Yes, we do. But tonight, we can just be us. Come on.” And she raced out the gate, kicking off her shoes. We followed, as we had when we were children, as she led us into the meadow beyond our garden gate. As we ran through the dusk, under the silent moon, the scent of wildflowers rose to greet us and I flashed back to when we were children. But the memory vanished as Delilah took my hand, and Camille grabbed hers, and we formed a ring like we used to, careening madly through the grass, shouting and laughing like we were children.
And then, as she stood back, Delilah and I continued to dance, while Camille concentrated. The next moment, we were all hovering in the air—a few feet above the ground, laughing wildly. Of course, she couldn’t hold it for long, and we went tumbling to the ground. Dizzy from the sudden burst of activity, we lay there, watching the stars as they shimmered in their vast panorama. Without the traffic and millions of lights to drown them out, they blazed overhead, gleaming like a thousand diamonds showering us with their light.
A few minutes later, we propped ourselves up on our elbows.
“I guess . . . this is really it. We aren’t coming home to Otherworld to stay. Any of us.” Kitten’s voice quivered, and she sounded ready to cry.
“You never know what the future brings.” Camille pushed herself to a sitting position and crossed her legs. “Look at where we’re at now.”
“She’s right.” I wrapped my arms around my knees, drawing them to my chest. “Unless we have some horrid accident . . . our lives have so much farther to go. How can we predict what’s going to happen beyond this year or next? The Hags of Fate have a way of dipping in and changing things when you least expect it. But for now . . . we go on with our lives. I go to Roman’s, Camille heads out to Talamh Lonrach Oll, and you and Shade get married. And we find Shadow Wing and defeat him for good.”
And so we sat, holding hands, under the brilliant stars. Because sometimes we needed to take life one day at a time. Sometimes, we needed to slow down and dance in the meadow and watch for shooting stars with our best friends.
We needed to savor the victories, because the final battle against Shadow Wing was coming. And we needed all our reserves to face the rising storm.
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 Sisters’ cousin. Full Fae. Deceased.
The D’Artigo Sisters’ Lovers and 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.