Authors: Yasmine Galenorn
Night Veil (46 page)
Following is a special excerpt from
COURTING DARKNESS
the next book in the Otherworld series by Yasmine Galenorn
Coming November 2011!
Home.
There it was—waiting for us. Home, with smoke drifting from the chimney, and clear sparkling lights surrounding the porch. From the driveway, the three-story Victorian shimmered like a beacon, both in the physical and in the astral realms. Flares of energy shot up like sunspots. I leaned back in the car, smiling. Our home, our haven against the demons.
A dragon built from snow guarded the lawn and driveway, rising stark and white out of the banks piled high around the yard. My herb garden hid under the creature, nestled under mulch until spring. Winter had claimed the land, full force, and we were getting hit hard. La Niña held sway and we were all her toys. At least it wasn’t Loki this time. The Norse giant had brought the ice and snow with him a year back, until we’d dispatched his servant.
But as cold as it was, this was nothing compared to the Northlands, from where I’d just returned. There, in the high reaches, the winds had raged starkly through the winter woodland, shaking the timbers and sending avalanches down the mountainsides. There, life was harsh and often short, and fire a lifeline. As Smoky, Iris, Rozurial and I’d struggled through the woods, ranging higher and higher toward the lair of Howl, the Elemental Wolf Lord of the snow, more than once I’d thought we’d end up as Popsicles, frozen to the rocks.
But the trip had been worth it. We’d helped Iris come to terms with her past and forge a future for herself. Now, she stood clear and free, able to marry the man she loved. But she’d been through hell, and now she, like I, faced a future that promised to swallow her up, to force her into a position she wasn’t sure she was ready to shoulder.
As the car slowed to a stop and Delilah turned off the engine, the weariness of the past few months welled up in my throat and I blinked away tears. So much had happened, and yet, so much still lay before us. We were a week from midwinter, and I was facing initiation into Aeval’s Court, where I would willingly hand myself over to the Dark Queen.
As I let out a long breath and climbed out of the Jeep, a crisp wind swept through the night and I pulled the elfin cloak tighter around me. I was wearing the cloak of the Black Beast beneath that, but even with both, they couldn’t fend off the chill that had lodged itself in my bones and I wondered if I’d ever manage to get warm again.
“You okay?” Delilah wrapped her arm around my shoulders. She’d picked us up at Grandmother Coyote’s portal and now all I wanted was a hot bath, a soft bed, and a lot of sleep. As Smoky hopped out of her Jeep, then helped Iris to the ground, Roz slowly hoisted himself out the other side.
“You’re a good sister,” I said, leaning against her arm. “I’m just tired. The journey was harder than I thought it would be. And cold—so cold.”
“How’d it go? Did Iris . . .”
I just shook my head. “It’s her place to speak or not, as she will. She’s with us, and Vikkommin is dead for good. She survived. But the Northlands are terrifying. I’d hate to be caught up there.”
We headed toward the house just as Menolly came racing out, the beads in her braids clicking in the chill night. She was carrying my purse.
“Finally! I’ve been waiting at the door for you. I just got a call from Derrick. We’ve got problems. Turn right around and head for the cars. Sorry to do this to you, Camille, but you need to be there.”
“What’s going on?” My heart sank. I was tired. I didn’t want to fight goblins or ghosts.
“Demon in the bar, demanding to talk to you. He’s already mowed down an elf and Derrick’s got him in a standoff. Iris, you, Roz, and Vanzir stay with Morio and Maggie. Shade and Trillian are on their way out—there they are!”
Shade, Delilah’s new love, and Trillian—my alpha husband—rushed out of the house and clambered down the steps. Shade was part dragon, part Stradolan—a shadow walker, and Trillian was Svartan—one of the dark and charming Fae. They both wore jeans and heavy jackets and Trillian was carrying a serrated edged sword he’d recently taken up training with.
“Demon? Asking for
me
? How delightful.
Not
.” I didn’t bother asking if they knew why he wanted me. I’d find out soon enough, and probably—knowing my luck—I’d find out the hard way.
me
? How delightful.
Not
.” I didn’t bother asking if they knew why he wanted me. I’d find out soon enough, and probably—knowing my luck—I’d find out the hard way.
Menolly whipped around, barking out orders. “Delilah—you and Shade take your Jeep.” She tossed me my purse and keys. “Camille, here you go. You drive Smoky and Trillian. I’ll go in alone.”
And once again, we moved to our respective cars, off and running. There was no down time anymore. Everything had taken on immediacy. With that thought, I put the Lexus in gear and—as Smoky and Trillian jumped in—hit the gas and plowed out of the driveway.
We pulled into a parking place that miraculously opened up as we neared the Wayfarer Bar & Grill. With a quick nod to the parking goddess, I forced myself out of the driver’s seat. In the midst of the holiday season, a space along Seattle’s city streets was insanely hard to find. But I had luck with finding open spots, and embraced it. Hell, considering the rest of my track record when it came to serendipity, the smallest good fortune was cause for celebration.
As Trillian opened the door for me, I paused to give him a long kiss. “I missed you,” I whispered. “I missed you a lot.”
“Tonight, we’ll see about wiping away those longings.” He brushed my hair back from my face. “I never spend an hour without thinking about you.”
Smoky grunted. “Come. We have a fight to take care of. I assure you, I took pains to make sure she didn’t miss you or the fox too terribly.” He arched his eyebrows in a knowing way and two tendrils of his hair rose to wrap themselves around my shoulders.
I bit back a retort. My three husbands were constantly zinging each other, each one striving for the top place in my heart, but I knew that, beneath all the bluster and insults, they’d developed a healthy respect for one another. None of them would ever admit it, but I suspected they even liked each other—at least a little. On more than one occasion I’d caught Smoky and Trillian playing chess, or Morio helping Smoky carry in firewood without being asked.
The bar looked lively but I could hear the commotion from outside. We trailed behind Menolly as she slammed her way into the bar. She owned the Wayfarer Bar & Grill, and it was a hangout for Supes from all backgrounds, as well as the first stop on the journey for a number of Otherworld visitors. And now, the Wayfarer also sported seven rooms, a makeshift bed and breakfast.
As we hit the polished wood floors, I skidded to a halt, catching my breath. The bar patrons were crowded against the back wall, huddled together, terrified. Some were trying to edge toward a side exit, but for the most part, they stuck together in a little clump, afraid to move.
At the front of the bar, a demon watched them, his head bobbing back and forth like a snake. There was no passing for any generic Supe with this creature. He looked like the full-fledged demon of nightmares—with smoky skin and coiled horns rising high over his head. His skin, leathery and taut, shimmered across muscle hard enough to beat a sledgehammer against. He towered seven feet high on cloven hooves, and his hands bore long, razor-sharp nails.
And he was standing over one very dead body.
Derrick, the werebadger bartender, had wedged himself between the patrons and the demon, a sawed-off shotgun aimed at the creature, but the gun had a better chance of tickling the hell spawn than it did of hurting him.
Menolly let out a long sigh. “Yeah, that’s one dead elf.”
I nodded. “And one freaky-assed demon.”
We were too late to help the elf, but with a little luck, we might be able to prevent wholesale carnage. We spread out, motioning for Derrick to move to one side. He waited for Menolly’s okay, then nodded and stepped out of the way. As I turned toward the demon, I was clueless as to what we were dealing with—Vanzir could have told us, but it wasn’t fully safe to have him and Smoky in the same room just yet. Smoky still didn’t know what had happened between us, and I intended to keep it that way, at least until I could ensure he wouldn’t go wholesale whoop-ass on Vanzir.
Menolly snarled. “What the fuck are you doing in my bar? Get your ass back to the Sub-Realms, and tell Shadow Wing we said hello.” She strode forward, but the demon raised his head and his gaze caught her full on. She let out a squeak and dropped to the floor.
I rushed over to help her, but before I could get there, she sat up and shook her head, looking stunned. “What the hell . . .”
Damn, this was not the time for Morio to be laid up. Our death magic was far more powerful than my moon magic. Or at least, it tended not to backfire
so much
. But he still had a long ways to go before he was healed, and would be out of commission for quite some time. The hungry ghosts from our last skirmish had siphoned a dangerous amount of life force from him and left him bedridden for now.
so much
. But he still had a long ways to go before he was healed, and would be out of commission for quite some time. The hungry ghosts from our last skirmish had siphoned a dangerous amount of life force from him and left him bedridden for now.
“Stand your ground.” The creature spoke. “I bring you a message from Trytian.”
Trytian?
Holy crap, this thing wasn’t a demon—it was a
daemon
! No wonder we hadn’t been able to tell what it was.
Holy crap, this thing wasn’t a demon—it was a
daemon
! No wonder we hadn’t been able to tell what it was.
“What does he want?” I didn’t trust Trytian. Not only was he a daemon, but he’d tried to blow us up when we were fighting the Bonecrusher. That didn’t make for neighborly feelings, even if he was fighting against the same Demon Lord as we were.
“You are the one named Camille?”
I nodded.
“I speak with you. Alone.”
Alone? No way in freaking hell was I cozying up with this creature alone.
“Um. Can I just say,
no
? Whatever you have to say, you can say it in front of the others.” I backed up, motioning for Delilah to move. If he could knock a vampire off her feet with just a look, I didn’t want to see what he could do with those claws and muscles against someone who was still alive.
no
? Whatever you have to say, you can say it in front of the others.” I backed up, motioning for Delilah to move. If he could knock a vampire off her feet with just a look, I didn’t want to see what he could do with those claws and muscles against someone who was still alive.
“You wish me to speak freely in front of all of these patrons? You really want them to know about Shadow—”
“Stop!” I glanced back at Menolly. We couldn’t let him talk about Shadow Wing. No one in the general public knew that Earth was on the verge of a demonic war.
Yet.
And we were inclined to keep it that way to stave off panic.
Yet.
And we were inclined to keep it that way to stave off panic.
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