A nod, then—“Yeah, balmy sums it up. Marlene and I get together and play poker, and we watch movies, and take walks in her garden because she’s too old to go out in the wild anymore, but I keep an eye on her, you know? Make certain that she’s eaten lately and isn’t just sitting in the garden, dozing during the rain.”
I sighed. In my realm, when dragons reached that age, they slept in their dreyeries until they never woke up again. They were treated by their families as sleeping gods, venerated and waited on. But among humans—and some of the Fae—the aging ones were treated with less respect, and often just left on their own, discarded like used tissue.
“I understand. You make sure she’s okay, and that’s a good thing, Bette. But what’s the problem?”
“Marlene told me a few days ago that she’s dating a young man. I was surprised—she’s no Melusine, and she’s never mentioned wanting to explore that side of her life again. In fact, I thought she was pretty much over any interest in anything but pottering around. But she told me he makes her feel young, and that he romances her.” A dark look flashed through her eyes. “I don’t trust him, Shimmer. Marlene’s a lovely woman but she’s not a cougar, and she’s very, very wealthy.”
I blinked at that. Vampires tended to accumulate wealth. The Fae? Some of them did, but Woodland Fae weren’t that interested in material goods, especially the Earthside ones.
“You think he’s out for a sugar mama?”
Bette croaked out a laugh. “Pumpkin, I think he’s out to get what he can. I can’t come out and tell Marlene what I think, though—it would hurt her feelings terribly. So I’m going to just have to bite the bullet and find out what I can behind the scenes. I’m going to ask Alex if he minds if I use Ralph’s know-how to see what we can find out about the guy. I need his last name, though, and she hasn’t given it to me. I’m supposed to meet her for lunch tomorrow, and thought I’d be able to pick up a few more tidbits then. Would you mind joining us? I know you can read emotion, even though you try to hide it.”
I stared down my nose at her. “Oh, really?” Even though she was spot-on, it surprised the hell out of me to hear that she knew. I hadn’t mentioned it to anybody but Alex. But then, he and Bette were thick as thieves and for all I knew, she was privy to our entire relationship.
“Shimmer, you’ve been working with us for almost seven months. By now, you should know that there aren’t any secrets in the office.” She cackled, then, and puffed on her cigarette again before tamping it out in one of the ashtrays. “Which is why I can tell you this. Glenda? She’s not done with the pair of you. I’d expect trouble from that little bitch, because honey, you cross a succubus? You’ve got a mess of worms on your plate.”
And with that lovely thought filling my head, I agreed to have lunch with Bette and Marlene the next day, but even as she brought me my clothes—now clean and dry—all I could think of was Glenda, the bad and brazen, and what revenge she might be planning.
New York Times bestselling author Yasmine Galenorn writes urban fantasy, mystery, and metaphysical nonfiction. A graduate of Evergreen State College, she majored in theater and creative writing. Yasmine has been in the Craft for more than thirty-four years and is a shamanic witch. She describes her life as a blend of teacups and tattoos, and she lives in the Seattle area with her husband, Samwise, and their cats. Yasmine can be reached at her website at galenorn.com, via Twitter at twitter
.com/yasminegalenorn, and via her publisher. If you send her snail mail, please enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope if you want a reply.