The room was glowing softly and I gasped as I looked around. Candles lit up the room, long tapers of silver and purple and black gracing a dozen candleholders scattered around on the dresser, my vanity, and the end tables. A canopy had been erected over the bed, and from it draped sheer silk drapes, swept back to reveal a shower of rose petals covering the comforter, scenting the room with the fragrance of long-lost summer. Romance at its most seductive. But I hadn"t done this so who who . . . ? . . . ?
A movement from the bathroom caught my attention as Smoky entered the room, wearing a robe as silver as the moon. He gave me a soft smile.
"Like it?"
"Oh yes, it"s beautiful. Did you do this?" Once again, relief swept over me. Smoky was home, with me, and he wasn"t going to leave.
"Not alone," he said, nodding over my shoulder.
I turned. Morio entered the bedroom behind me, wearing his black kimono embroidered with gold.
"My Camille . . . my lady," he said, catching my hand up and kissing it. "We thought you could use something to lift your spirits."
Grateful, I ducked my head. "It"s working. Thank you."
"It was actually Trillian"s idea," Smoky said, and Trillian stepped into the room, wearing a crimson velvet smoking robe.
"Trillian?" My voice caught. I"d been worried about this moment-how they"d adjust when we were all together. How My voice caught. I"d been worried about this moment-how they"d adjust when we were all together. How I"d I"d handle the potential land mines. handle the potential land mines.
He stepped forward and stroked my cheek. "It occurred to me that, since I"m going to have to share you, and since I"m going to be your alpha husband, we"d better learn how to work together. At least in the bedroom." Trillian"s lip curled into that arrogant smirk I loved so much, but behind it was an offer that I knew was costing him.
I stood in silence in the center of my triad of lovers, looking from one to the other. They stared back, silent and waiting. My lovers. The men of my heart, who completed me, who accepted my strengths and my flaws, my pa.s.sion and my tears. Who would fight beside me till the death in our war against the demons.
Slowly, I began to undress, one b.u.t.ton, one tie, one inch at a time, until I stepped out of my clothes and tossed them to the side. I straightened my shoulders, standing naked before them, the tattoos on my shoulder blades glimmering in the light. The energy of the Moon Mother flowed through me, but from her dark mother phase, b.l.o.o.d.y and hidden and pa.s.sionate and magical, death and s.e.x stalking in shadows.
I moved lightly toward Trillian and he lifted his hand to caress my b.r.e.a.s.t.s as I stood before him, not touching him, simply letting him touch me. And then, he lowered his hand and gazed into my eyes.
"What is your will, my love? This is your night. We are your servants."
I pulled him to me and kissed him deeply, my lips hungry for his. As his arms slid around me I reached up and brushed the robe away from his shoulders. He let go of me long enough for the cloth to fall and I stepped back, looking at him from head to toe, slowly, drinking in the site of my glorious Svartan. Rock-hard abs, toned biceps, skin as smooth as silk and glowing dark under the amber candlelight. His eyes glittered-the blue of frozen lakes.
"You are my alpha, my fire and pa.s.sion, always and forever," I said, and he inclined his head.
Turning, I moved to Smoky. Two strands of his hair rose to play with my neck, my lips, my hair. I breathed his fragrance, the scent of dragon, the scent of power, the scent of fire, and then I opened my arms and his hair boosted me up. I kissed him, eye level, then slid his robe off his shoulders.
He lowered me back to the floor, stark, pale beyond pale in the glow of the night, tall and strong and rigidly hungry.
"You are my dragon lord, and protector," I whispered.
And then, I moved to stand before Morio, and he reached out-not with his hands-but with a cord of energy that swirled in ribbons around me, tingling as it fluttered over my thighs, my stomach, the curve of my hips. I stepped forward, cupping his chin in my hand, bringing his lips down to mine where I sank deep into the energy that was his demon nature. His kimono opened and drifted lightly to the side.
"You are my consort, my priest under the Moon Mother, my dark demon," I said, and he knelt before me and kissed my stomach, just below my navel.
I backed away, looking at the three of them as they waited for my command. This was our night to find our united rhythm. Our night to find our place within this relationship that had expanded beyond what I ever expected to have. It was at that moment that I realized: This was it it. These men were with me to the end, to whatever end we came to. They were my lovers and my loves. Their heartbeats echoed my own, and in our communion, we made up a powerful force. Perhaps the outside world didn"t understand, but that didn"t matter. In my heart, I loved each one just as much as the others, and they accepted that I had equal love for all three. And that was enough. No one else"s permission or approval mattered.
"You are all a part of me." I walked over to the bed, and waited. "I want you, all . . . now . . . together, touching me, filling me full, reminding me of what it means to be your beloved."
Morio moved first, lying down on his back, his lips full and promising the darkest delights. I swung over him, straddling him on my hands and knees so that I was facing his legs. He slipped his fingers inside me, making me wetter still, then reached down and slowly lubricated his c.o.c.k and slid it between my b.r.e.a.s.t.s. As they cushioned him, he reached up and began to bathe me, gently sucking on my c.l.i.t. The steady stroke set me on fire and I moaned.
"Smoky," I whispered, letting out a little gasp as Morio seriously set to tongue-bathing me.
Silently, Smoky crawled on the bed behind me, his c.o.c.k slowly teasing my lower lips, setting off every nerve that surrounded the entrance to my p.u.s.s.y. I squirmed, wanting him in me, deep and hard and furious.
"Please, f.u.c.k me, just f.u.c.k me." I moaned.
"Oh, have no fear, my love, I plan on it," he said, driving himself in with one strong thrust. I opened up, widening to accept his presence, thrilling to the feel of him inside me. As his hair tendriled up to clasp my waist and help me balance, a wave of dizziness rushed over me and I echoed a sharp cry.
And then Trillian was kneeling in front of me, leaning in to kiss me. His tongue tripped over mine, his gaze locking with my own. He gently ran his fingers through my hair, eyes glittering.
And then he pulled back. "Are you happy, love? Is this what you truly want? The three of us, with you, always? Fox Boy, the lizard, and me?"
The scent of their musk was thick in the room, mingling with the fragrance of my own pa.s.sion. Smoky paused, deep inside of me. Morio"s lips went still, hovering as his breath lightly tickled my c.l.i.t. I realized they were all waiting for my answer.
I sought Trillian"s face, searching for any sign that he was angry, but in the depths of his gaze I could find only understanding . . . and love. and love.
"Yes, I"m happy," I whispered, tears choking my throat.
The world held so much hatred, so much fear and anger. And here-love ruled. Love and creation, for what was s.e.x if not the opposite of destruction? s.e.x embodied the energies of creation and movement and life. Yet so many people feared its power, or used it as a weapon, or tried to contain it within rigid rules instead of setting it free to touch the people in their hearts.
"I"m happy," I said again, the tears starting to flow. "More than anything, this is what I want-the three of you, all of you all of you, with me till the end of time. You are part of my family, you are my lovers, my husbands. You are my warriors, my comrades. I want you here, by my side in the daylight when we are fighting the demons of the world, and inside of me at night, helping me to forget the blood and the pain. You complete me, all of you, and I complete you."
"Then that"s what you"ll have, my love," Trillian said. "Until the end of time, we are with you, arguments, faults, insults, and all-we are yours. We"ll try not to fight. Too much."
"Speak for yourself," Smoky said, beginning to thrust within me, setting up a delicious friction, but I heard the smile in his voice and his words drifted away in the haze of s.e.x. Morio remained silent, simply setting off a riff of explosions within me with his fluttering tongue, as his c.o.c.k slowly glided between my b.r.e.a.s.t.s.
I glanced at Trillian. He rose before me. Eagerly, I fastened my lips around him, tasting the sweet wine of his body, the salt of his skin, the essence of his being.
And then, there was no more to be said. I was complete, we were together, all of us, and for this night, the worry and fear vanished as everything except the four of us fell away in the flickering light of the candles. Under the sacred Moon Mother"s light, we cemented our union in a rite as old as the human race.
Later, late in the night, Menolly, Delilah, and I sat outside, on my balcony. The rain was pounding down but the awning protected us, and we had bundled up. Feeling deliciously satisfied, I leaned back in my chair and told them what Derisa had said. They stared at me.
"You"ve had a lot of changes the past week," Menolly said. "How are you feeling?"
"It"s going to be a long time before I sort them out. I have no idea what I"m going to tell Father-if anything. Apparently the magic I"m doing with Morio has shifted me over to the Moon Mother"s shadow side. Where this all will lead . . . I don"t know, although I have the feeling that Morgaine and Raven Mother are connected somehow. I"m not done with my dealings with Raven Mother, or the Black Unicorn. My gut"s registering ten-point-oh on the Richter scale right now. At least the guys aren"t arguing. Yet."
I let out a long sigh and then turned to Delilah. "What"s Sharah say about Chase?"
She smiled, but it was strained. "He"s healing remarkably fast. But now we have to cope with him drinking the nectar of life without any preparation. Who knows what it will do to him? He has some spark of psychic ability-we figured that out long ago. This might set it off . . . for good or ill." She wiped away a tear that slid out of the corner of her eye. "But at least he"ll survive."
"Are you afraid it will change your relationship?" I asked.
"We were planning on doing this, but now . . . it was so sudden. There"s no way it can"t can"t change our relationship. I don"t know what to expect. I"m afraid, to be honest. I have a nasty feeling nothing"s going to work out the way we wanted it to. What if something goes wrong? What if . . . what if he regrets this? So many things to think about." Her expression darkened. "And what about the Autumn Lord? I have so many years left-he might not want me to bear his child for many years to come . . . but when he does . . ." change our relationship. I don"t know what to expect. I"m afraid, to be honest. I have a nasty feeling nothing"s going to work out the way we wanted it to. What if something goes wrong? What if . . . what if he regrets this? So many things to think about." Her expression darkened. "And what about the Autumn Lord? I have so many years left-he might not want me to bear his child for many years to come . . . but when he does . . ."
"Don"t borrow trouble," Menolly said. "Leave it for tomorrow. There"s nothing we can do tonight about Chase, and Sharah"s looking after him. And the Autumn Lord will move on his own time." She crossed to the railing and stared out into the night. "So where do we go from here?"
"We find the Bonecrusher again and we take her down. I pledge myself to Aeval"s court. We find the next spirit seal and you two give it to Queen Asteria because once they find out I"m switching sides . . ." I bit my lip, not wanting to think of the daunting tasks that lay in wait for us.
Just then, a tap on the French doors caught our attention. It was Trillian, along with Smoky and Morio. They were dressed, looking quite dapper, actually-more so than usual. Morio and Smoky stood to the side while Trillian walked over to my chair and knelt in front of me on one knee.
"Call me old-fashioned," he said, "but I still think the man should be the one to propose. So, Camille, will you marry me and let me join with you, Morio, and Smoky in the Soul Symbiont ritual?"
I stared at him. In the midst of chaos came a glimmer of hope. In the midst of sorrow a glimmer of joy. I clasped his hands and nodded. "Of course, Trillian. You"re my first love, my alpha love. I can"t imagine life without you."
"You deserve a wedding fit for a queen. And we"ll have one-with all of your family and friends. I"m only getting married this once-I want it to be special." He pulled me to my feet.
I glanced back at my sisters. "I"m going back to bed." They nodded, Menolly grinning like a banshee.
As the four of us headed back to my bedroom-to our our bedroom-this time to sleep and dream, I shivered as I remembered their hands on my skin, their lips against my lips, their bodies pressed against mine. And I realized that I wanted to make them as happy as they made me. Because that"s really what made life worthwhile-the giving of pleasure and joy and happiness to those we called our loves. bedroom-this time to sleep and dream, I shivered as I remembered their hands on my skin, their lips against my lips, their bodies pressed against mine. And I realized that I wanted to make them as happy as they made me. Because that"s really what made life worthwhile-the giving of pleasure and joy and happiness to those we called our loves.
For whether we pledged ourselves to one person or to four, whether we were drawn to men or women or both, whether we walked the path of the priestess or the path of a witch or a bookstore owner, life without pa.s.sion was no life at all.
CAST OF MAJOR CHARACTERS.
The D"Artigo Family Sephreh ob Tanu: The D"Artigo Sisters" father. Full-Fae.
Maria D"Artigo: The D"Artigo Sisters" mother. Human.
Camille Sepharial te Maria, aka Camille D"Artigo: The oldest sister; a Moon Witch and priestess of the Moon Mother. Half-Fae, Half-Human.
Delilah Maria te Maria, aka Delilah D"Artigo: The middle sister; a werecat, Death Maiden.
Arial Lianan te Maria: Delilah"s twin who died at birth. Half-Fae, Half-Human. Ghost leopard.
Menolly Rosabelle te Maria, aka Menolly D"Artigo: The youngest sister; a vampire and extraordinary acrobat. Half-Fae, Half-Human.
Shamas ob Olanda: The D"Artigo girls" cousin. Full-Fae.
The D"Artigo Sisters" Lovers and Close Friends Bruce O"Shea: Iris"s boyfriend. Leprechaun.
Chase Garden Johnson: Detective, Director of the Faerie-Human Crime Scene Investigation Team (FH-CSI). One of Delilah"s lovers. Human.
Chrysandra: Waitress at the Wayfarer Bar & Grill. Human.
Erin Mathews: Former president of the Faerie Watchers Club and owner of the Scarlet Harlot Boutique. Turned into a vampire by Menolly, Her sire, moments before Her death. Human.
Henry Jeffries: First a customer at the Indigo Crescent, then part-time employee. Human.
Iris Kuusi: Friend and companion of the girls. Priestess of Undutar. Talon-Haltija (Finnish House sprite). Formerly one of the Ar"jant d"tel (chosen of the G.o.ds).
Lindsey Katharine Cartridge: Director of the Green G.o.ddess Women"s Shelter. Pagan and Witch. Human.
Luke: Bartender at the Wayfarer Bar & Grill. Werewolf. Lone wolf-packless.
Morio Kuroyama: One of Camille"s lovers and Husbands. Essentially the grandson of Grandmother Coyote. Youkaikitsune (roughly translated: j.a.panese fox demon).
Nerissa Shale: Menolly"s lover. Works for DSHS and is running for City Council. Werepuma and member of the Rainier Puma Pride.
Rozurial, aka Roz: Mercenary. Menolly"s secondary lover. Incubus who used to be Fae before Zeus and Hera destroyed His marriage.
Sa.s.sy Branson: Socialite. Philanthropist. Vampire (Human).
Siobhan Morgan: One of the girls" friends. Selkie (wereseal), member of the Puget Sound Harbor Seal Pod.
Smoky: One of Camille"s lovers and Husbands. Half-white, Half-silver dragon.
Tavah: Guardian of the portal at the Wayfarer Bar & Grill. Vampire (Full-Fae).
Tim Winthrop, aka Cleo Blanco: computer student/genius, female impersonator. Human.
Trillian: Mercenary currently working for Queen Tanaquar. Camille"s alpha lover. Svartan (one of the Charming Fae).
Vanzir: Indentured slave to the Sisters, by His own choice. Dream-chaser demon.
Venus the Moon Child: The shaman of the Rainier Puma Pride. Werepuma.
Wade Stevens: President of Vampires Anonymous. Vampire (Human).
Zachary Lyonnesse: Junior member of the Rainier Puma Pride Council of Elders. One of Delilah"s lovers. Werepuma.
GLOSSARY.
Black Unicorn/Black Beast: Father of the Dahns Unicorns, a magical unicorn who is reborn like the phoenix and lives in Darkynwyrd and Thistlewyd Deep. Raven Mother is His consort, and He is more a force of nature than a unicorn.
Calouk: The rough, common dialect used by a number of Otherworld inhabitants.
Court and Crown: The "Crown" refers to the Queen of Y"Elestrial. The "Court" refers to the n.o.bility and military personnel who surround the Queen. Court and Crown together refer to the entire government of Y"Elestrial.
Court of the Three Queens: The newly risen Court of the three Earthside Fae Queens: t.i.tania, the Fae Queen of Light and Morning; Morgaine, the Half-Fae Queen of Shadow and Dusk; and Aeval, the Fae Queen of Shadow and Night.
Crypto: One of the Cryptozoid races. Cryptos include creatures out of legend that are not technically of the Fae races: gargoyles, unicorns, gryphons, chimeras, etc. Most primarily inhabit Otherworld, but some Have Earthside cousins.
Demon Gate: A gate through which demons may be summoned by a powerful sorcerer or necromancer.
Earthside: Everything that exists on the earth side of the portals.
Elqaneve: The elfin city in Otherworld.
Elemental Lords: The elemental beings-both male and female-who, along with the Hags of Fate and the Harvestmen, are the only true Immortals. They are avatars of various elements and energies, and they inhabit all realms. They do as they will and seldom concern themselves with Humankind or Fae unless summoned. If asked for Help, they often exact steep prices in return. The Elemental Lords are not concerned with balance like the Hags of Fate.
FBH: Full-Blooded Human (usually refers to Earthside Humans).