Shadow Rising (34 page)

“You go. You go—do whatever it is rats do and don’t come back to the house. I can’t vouch for Iris and Delilah’s self-control. Get it?” I waited, but the rat just twitched his ears. “You don’t understand a thing I’m saying, do you? Maybe you understood Delilah, though. Either way, go on. Have a good life. Eat lots of…garbage.” I set him down and he paused, looking back at me, then raced off into the undergrowth. For some reason I felt a little sad to see him go.

As I stood and dusted my hands on my jeans, I glanced around. Now to find Morio. Where would a fox go? A sentient demonic fox, at that?

I was due at Roman’s in a little over an hour, and I still needed to find out what the others had discovered while I was sleeping. The last thing I wanted to do was find Morio, alone, out here in the dark. I knew he’d be down with me breaking the bond between us, but I didn’t want to chance anything going wrong.

After a few minutes, I decided to hell with it and headed back inside. The kitchen was back to normal and Iris was sorting through some cookies to provide an extra dessert. The guys ate like bulldozers, and my sisters weren’t shy around food either. The Fae needed extra food—we all had higher metabolisms, even the half-Fae. While I no longer required the hearty meals my sisters did, the food bill around here was massive.

“I don’t know where Morio is. Chaka is, however, off and pursuing all things ratty.” I looked around. None of the men were in the kitchen, and usually at least one or two of them were helping Iris and Hanna. “Where are the guys?”

“Morio’s outside playing fox. Vanzir and Roz are down at the studio, mending a leak in the roof. Shamas is at work—he’s on duty the next few nights. Shade’s over at Wilbur’s, helping Marion and Douglas settle in because Wilbur’s coming back home tomorrow. He took Martin with him and apparently was able to corral him into behaving. They’re leaving
Snickers here until they get their own house because they don’t trust Martin not to eat the cat. Smoky and Trillian are off getting takeout for dinner. Iris made dessert but we decided to forgo a big family dinner tonight in favor of Chinese.” Camille set the plates on the table and Delilah put out the pies and cookies.

Iris added silverware, chopsticks, and a bag of paper napkins, while Hanna carried the laundry over to the rocking chair. Maggie was in her playpen, playing with her Yobie doll—it had Yoda’s head and Barbie’s body and was pretty beat up by now with plenty of teeth marks, but she loved the thing with a passion and we didn’t dare take it away from her.

I looked around for something to do. Motioning to Hanna, I said, “I’ll fold the towels. You go ahead and take a break. Make some tea or something.”

“I will take my break when it’s time to eat. There is so little work here compared to Hyto’s cavern, I am not tired.” Hanna was sturdy, from the Northlands, and she never shirked on helping out. She was around her late thirties, early forties, and seemed content. But, while she was friendly, she seemed to have a very strong sense of boundaries.

“That’s okay—you don’t have to be tired to take a break.” I reached for the basket, but she stopped me.

“
No
. This is
my
work. Menolly, you have important tasks. You and your sisters battle evil creatures. My duties are to support and tend to you. You saved me from Hyto’s grasp, and for that, I will serve you willingly.” Her English was still broken, though every day it seemed stronger, but she spoke with strength and conviction.

“You aren’t our servant, Hanna.” I shook my head. “But if you want to take on the duties of housekeeper, we’re happy to pay you. We pay Iris.”

“Iris is your family. I am not. Payment is welcome, but I am your servant and I am content in my place. This is what I know how to do.” Her voice dropped. “When I lived in the Northlands, before Hyto destroyed my life, my husband—he was stern. The house and gardens and children, all were mine to care for while he was off hunting. He loved his children, and he treated me with respect, but nothing was
easy.” She struggled with some thought, trying to put it into words. “I…I was born a warrior woman, and would have…preferred to travel unmarried to make my own way.”

“Why did you get married?” Delilah asked.

“My father owed a blood debt to Thaylon’s father. I was payment, as wife to his son. It was my duty to fulfill my father’s honor, and so I did. Such are the ways of my people. Honor is sacred.” She shrugged, looking over one of the towels that had a rip in it. “I will mend this.”

“Did you love him?” I let go of the towel I’d been holding, beginning to understand her a little better. Hanna had been tight-lipped over the couple of months she’d been with us, but she was starting to open up, little by little.

“Love my father? Yes. Oh, you speak of Thaylon.” She smiled with her eyes. “He was a good man. He never misused me. He was proud of our children. I suppose…yes, I came to love him over the years and we had a good life, until Hyto found us.” A shiver raced down her, I could see it visibly, and she pressed her lips together and said no more.

We left her to her thoughts as she set down the towel to comfort Maggie, who had started fussing. I glanced at the clock. Six forty-five.

“I have to be at Roman’s at seven thirty. Tell me what you found out, if anything, before I go.” I straddled a chair as Iris fixed a pot of tea. Camille was drinking what looked like a megashot mocha from Starbucks. Delilah opened the fridge and pulled out the milk, pouring glasses for both herself and Hanna.

Camille took out a notebook. “Yeah. We found two places that fit the requirements and are near enough here that either might be the anchor for Gulakah. One is out near Snoqualmie. Another is on the way to Mount Rainier.”

“Great, near Smoky’s barrow?” Smoky had a barrow that was near Mount Rainier. At first we’d thought he’d co-opted it from Titania, but the size of the underground chamber that allowed him to change into his dragon self kind of put that idea to rest. It had been she who tried to wrest it away from him instead of living in the cave she’d been hiding in. I was a
little fuzzy on how he got out from the barrow once he shifted because, hey, dragons were big. Very big.
So
big.

“No, a little farther up the mountain than that. An access road leads there. It’s a ways out, but not out of the scope of possibility.” Camille finished sucking down the last of her drink and poured the ice into the sink, then dropped the cup in the recycling bin. “The one near Snoqualmie is in the general area where we found the fourth spirit seal.” She paused, glancing at Delilah. “I don’t mean to bring up bad memories.”

Delilah let out a short sigh. She wiped off the frothy milk mustache and shrugged. “Zachary is happier where he is now. And Chase…he’s living with what Karvanak did to him. We can’t dwell on the past. What happened, happened. We can only move forward.”

“You’ve grown up so much, Kitten.” I crossed to her, kissing her gently on the cheek. “You’re right. We can’t go back. We don’t even have time to
look
back. So we have two possibilities? Have the guys checked them out?”

Iris shook her head. “They only came up with the information this afternoon. There’s been no time.”

“Smoky and Shade are going to check out the cave near his barrow, and then they’ll check the one near Snoqualmie. They’ve promised not to do anything until we’ve all discussed what they find out. They’ll leave after dinner. So we have a much-needed night of downtime.”

“What about Andrees? Did the forensics team turn up anything on him?” It felt like we were leaving our friend in the dust, though we had nothing to do with his death. He wasn’t even collateral damage, as far as I knew.

“Not yet. We contacted Father through the Whispering Mirror.” Camille picked up one of the cookies and began to munch on it. “Where the hell are the guys? I’m hungry.” She wiped her fingers on a napkin and let out a sigh, leaning back in her chair. “Andrees’s family will be notified.”

“And Father’s moving ahead on our request to set up the Earthside headquarters the way they were meant to be. He wasn’t all that keen on the idea, but for once, he didn’t argue.”
She leaned on the table. “Chase says that Andrees was killed by a bullet—and it has gangland execution all over it. Somehow, he pissed off somebody he shouldn’t have and they took him out. We may never know who. The mutilation came later. Again, no idea what caused it. Not dogs and not even a cougar or bear.”

“Elder Fae is my guess. Remember, the Bog Eater is running wild over here.” I glanced at the clock again. “I have to leave in about fifteen minutes. Anything else?”

Iris spoke up. “Menolly, I wanted to tell you—”

I groaned. “No, please. You’re not going to bitch at me again about Ivana? I did what I needed—”

Iris held up her hand. “No, no. I’m not. It worked out, even though I still think it’s a mistake to meddle with them. At least the world didn’t implode when she and Aeval met.” She set a bowl of whipped cream on the table. “What I wanted to say was this: I’m glad you spent some time with Nerissa last night. She was much happier this morning and was going on about the wedding in a way I haven’t heard her talk for the past couple of weeks.”

I stared at my hands. “I wish I hadn’t been so blind.” I glanced over at her. “Has she been depressed for long? Do you think I damaged
us
permanently?”

Iris turned as the door opened and Smoky and Trillian walked through, carrying at least a dozen large containers of food. It looked really good, but one piece through my lips would make me sick as a dog.

Morio followed them through, his jeans and turtleneck covered with dirt and twigs, and his bag carrying his anchor slung over his shoulder. Youkai needed an anchor in order to turn back into themselves from their demonic and animal forms. Morio’s was a skull. He slid the bag over his head and put it on the floor near the door leading into the pantry.

Iris glanced at him, then patted my arm. “No, dear. I don’t think you did any permanent damage. But don’t let her down on your promise to find a place for the wedding. That would be bad. Very bad.”

I nodded, then headed toward the door. “I need to go over to Roman’s. Don’t do anything without me unless it’s an
emergency. I’ll be home as soon as I can.” As I passed Morio, I glanced at him and paused. I wanted to tell him what I was going to do. He
would
be affected. But really, I was just putting right what had gone wrong. Returning things to normal. So, instead, I quietly gathered my keys and purse and left.

Roman was waiting for me as I dashed through the rain and up the steps to his mansion. The maid who answered waved me in. She knew who I was and treated me with deference. All I’d have to do is tell Roman that she was rude to me and he’d have her killed. I knew that much, so I never, ever complained about any member of his staff being slow or making a mistake when they called me Melanie instead of Menolly.

I handed the maid my jacket—which I wore more for fashion than for need—and purse. “Here you go, Alice. Thank you.”

She curtsied. “Yes, Miss Menolly. You’re welcome, I’m sure.” As she turned to put them in the hall closet, she added, “The Master is in his study, waiting for you.”

I hurried into the study. I was fifteen minutes late, and Roman always got a little testy when he was kept waiting. I never complained about his OCD tendencies on the subject. He
was
the son of a queen, and he did have standards to uphold. But when I entered the room, he just held out his hands to me.

“My dear.” He kissed me on the cheek, then pulled me into his arms and pressed his lips to mine. “I have the ritual set up for you.”

I stepped back, not knowing how to ask what I wanted to ask. “Roman…before we begin. The other night…you and me and Nerissa…you vanished. Why did you leave?”

Roman’s shrouded gaze held me fast. He did not blink, nor did his expression change. “I wanted to be a part of your life—in a way more than this. In a way more than your being my
official
consort.” He cupped my chin. “Every time you talk about her, your face lights up in a way that I haven’t felt since—since I was young and alive, and in love with a village girl.”

My lips trembled. “What happened?”

“To the girl? Her father sold her to a passing horseman. I wanted to marry her, but her father hated my family. I arrived at her home too late. All I could hear were distant screams.” He lifted his shirt and showed me the long scar on one side. “That’s how I got this. Her father’s men fought me, prevented me from following them.”

“Oh, Roman. I’m sorry—”

“It’s long past…she turned to dust when the world was still much younger. Even though my mother avenged me—she had the father strung up in the square and gutted him while he was still alive—I never forgave him. I searched for her, everywhere. But I never saw her again. Every night for months, I dreamed about her, screaming as the warrior rode away with her. I kept imaging what he put her through.” He stared into the gas fireplace as it burned brightly, caught in his memory.

“What was her name?” I touched him gently on the arm.

He ducked his head, then shrugged. “I don’t remember. But when I see you talk about Nerissa, the look on your face reminds me of her when she’d run to me, run to kiss me. And it makes me…nostalgic.”

I nodded, finally understanding. Roman didn’t want to break us up. He wanted to recapture the one time in his life he’d actually been in love.

“Roman, I…”

“Say no more. I accept what you can give. But never bring Nerissa back to my house unless it’s an emergency. I cannot stand watching the two of you together.” He turned away. “Now you’ll think I’m weak.”

“Never. I think that you are still…somewhere deep inside…human. For what it’s worth, Roman, I do love you. As much as I can. Nerissa is my soul mate, but you…you and I share something I can’t share with anyone else. That I
choose
not to share with anyone else.” And I wrapped my arms around his waist, kissing his shoulder through the velvet smoking jacket.

Roman paused for a moment, then slipped out of my embrace, and when he turned back to me, he was a mask of
gentility, smiling again, with no sign of the suffering I’d seen a few moments before.