*
I wanted to go out on the hunt with everybody else, but Camille and Delilah encouraged me to stay at home instead. I begged them to stay with me while the men all went out hunting the demons, along with the massive legion of vampires Roman had managed to drum up. There were at least one hundred vamps roaming the back roads of the city, looking for the demons.
Pacing, I felt like I was wearing a hole in the carpet. Camille fretted, doing the dishes for Hanna and tidying up, while Delilah sat, polishing Lysanthra—her dagger—and honing the edge of it with a sharpening stone.
After a moment, she said, “You wouldn’t believe how many ghosts I saw at your wedding.”
That brought me out of my thoughts. I turned. “What are you talking about?”
“The wedding . . . with Roman. I saw so many ghosts hanging around that theater it felt like a convention.” She shrugged. “I debated whether to mention it, but it was just odd. I didn’t let them notice that I could see them, but it was disconcerting to say the least.”
Delilah had recently developed the ability to see—and interact with—ghosts. She had returned to Haseofon, the temple of the Death Maidens, to learn how to harness the power and to avoid being overrun by panicking ghosts who wanted her help. Apparently, it came at a certain level of being in the service of the Autumn Lord, and it meant she was progressing in her training. Sometimes I wondered just where she would end up. She was destined to have the Elemental Lord’s child, via Shade as a proxy father, but what would that mean? And what would the child be like?
“Where do you think they all came from? Do you think they are attached to the theater?” The last thing I wanted to do right now was go ghost hunting, but at least this gave me something to focus on other than letting my mind run crazy over what was going on with Nerissa.
“I don’t think so. See, I think the vampires brought them in.” She frowned, adjusting her stance so she could work the stone around the slight curve in the blade. “They were all in the audience, some standing two or three deep behind some of the vamps.”
And then I knew what they were. “They’re spirits of people who were killed but not turned by the vampires, don’t you think? Do . . . do I have any with me?” I wasn’t sure I wanted to know, but then again, maybe knowing was a good thing.
Delilah gazed up at me, her eyes soft-focusing. After a moment, she shook her head. “No, you don’t. I would tell you if I saw any, but you seem to be free of them. Either they deserved what they got, or they moved on already.”
Relieved, I dropped onto the sofa beside her. Camille moved past, sorting through the magazines on the side table and carrying an armful away to put in the recycling barrel.
“I feel like I’m becoming unglued. I wish I could just fall asleep, but I can’t. I want to go railing off into the Sub-Realms but until we know more, I can’t. Come sunrise, I’ll go to my bed freaking out because I won’t be able to wake up if something happens, not until night falls once more. Some days I hate what I am, Kitten.”
She put down her dagger and the stone. “Sometimes we don’t have a choice. So we do what we can and try to do it in the best way we can.” She reached out, stroked my braids back. “I’ve had to learn to accept living in a path I never could have imagined for myself.”
Camille finished straightening up. She walked over and turned on the television, finding an old black-and-white science fiction movie. It looked archaic, considering the technology abounding around us, but it was interesting enough to keep my focus diverted from my thoughts. We had watched through about seventy minutes of it when my phone rang. I jumped, grabbing the cell from the table where I had set it for easy access. Roman.
“Yes? Did you find them?” I didn’t even bother with a hello. I knew he’d understand.
“Yes, we helped Smoky and Trillian take down the pair. Smoky suggested taking them to the safe room at your bar.”
“Good idea. We’ll meet you there.” I wanted to ask if there was any sign of Nerissa but decided to wait. If it was bad news, better to hear it in person. As I jammed my arms into my jacket, Camille and Delilah followed suit. “They have the Shelakig and the Varcont. They’re headed for the Wayfarer—to the safe room. Let’s go.” As we headed out the door, I called Derrick to warn him. “Close early. Get everybody out of there. These are very dangerous demons and I don’t want any customers hurt.”
“Will do, boss.” He hung up without further ado.