"Shhh," my mother said. "That"s rude."
"What"s he saying?" Tereza asked, searching Sebastian"s face wildly.
"You"ve been asleep," Sebastian explained. Then he started speaking in another language, Romany, I "d hazard to guess.
Tereza looked very pale.
Smitty came out of the kitchen with a steaming cup of tea with milk. He leaned against the stair banister and glanced up at me.
He whispered, "What are they speaking? Russian?"
I shrugged. "What I want to know is what he"s saying to her."
Tereza stood up. "You did this to me!" she shrieked. "How am I supposed to live? Like vermin?"
"Doesn"t look like it"s going well," Smitty observed.
"Vermin?" Sebastian repeated quietly, as he stood up. He said a few more words in their shared language, and I didn"t need a translator to hear the hurt in his tone.
This wasn"t going well. I signaled to William, who came hurrying over to me. I leaned over the railing, "Do you have a way to contact Parrish?"
"Why would I . . . ?" He looked uncomfortable, like I"d busted him on a secret. "Come on, William, just fork it over," I said. "I think we need another vampire perspective."
He gave me a look that said we"d talk about this later. Pulling out his cell, he retreated to the kitchen.
Smitty and I checked in on the action. Tereza"s eyes narrowed. Sebastian looked angry too. I thought Matyas might cry.
Everyone else held their breath.
"That"s my cue," Smitty said, sauntering over with the cup of tea. He offered it to Tereza. "Tea?"
Her lips parted a little, and I thought she might accept with a smile. Then I saw the hint of fang.
Even as I yelled, "Look out!" to Smitty, I dropped my consciousness into my meditative state. If the protection spell I wove earlier still clung to Tereza, maybe I could strengthen it. Ideally, I "d have my whole coven here, and we"d fashion a charm or amulet or something for Tereza to wear to keep the magic close by, but I"d have to make do with what I had.
I could hear pandemonium breaking out. Opening my eyes a crack, I could see Smitty trying to pull his arm away from where Tereza had latched on with her teeth. The teacup and saucer had shattered onto the floor. Sebastian and Matyas were trying to grab Tereza from Smitty, while everyone else shouted helpful remarks like, "Oh my G.o.d!" and "Holy s.h.i.t!"
I needed to hurry if I was going to be any help. It was tempting to call up Lilith to strengthen my spell, but the protection of Tereza was something I"d negotiated with another G.o.ddess. I conjured the image of Athena again. Her bronze war helmet shielded her face, except for jet black eyes that glinted like obsidian. Well-muscled arms hefted a sharp-tipped spear. A burnished breastplate hid her feminine features, as did the knee-length toga and leather belt. She held her shield at her side, and snakes curled and twisted at the edges. I heard a hiss and rattle anytime she moved it. Her otherworldly eyes stared into mine for what seemed an eternity; then, without warning, she quickly turned and tossed the spear directly into Tereza"s heart.
Tereza"s eyes went wide. She looked at me and where the image of Athena stood in my mind "s eye. Releasing Smitty"s bloodied arm from her teeth, Tereza grasped at her heart. Her eyes rolled up into her head, and she fainted.
Smitty grabbed at his arm, which was spurting blood, and swore up a storm. Larry grabbed a handkerchief from his pocket and pressed it against the wound with a lot of fussing. Sebastian and Matyas crouched over Tereza, checking for her pulse.
Athena stood at the bottom of the stairs and glared at me with inhuman eyes. I gave her a salute, and she faded away, her eyes never leaving mine. I wondered how I"d look as a modern-day Athenian priestess.
William came out of the kitchen and looked at a b.l.o.o.d.y Smitty sitting between Larry and Walter, the smashed porcelain, and me waving at the air. "What"d I miss?"
Sebastian looked up at me. "She"s asleep."
"She just fell asleep? What is she, narcoleptic?" My father asked, rubbing his own eyes.
"It"s like someone cast a spell on her," Matyas said, looking up at me accusingly.
Sebastian picked her up off the floor and carried her over to the couch. My dad got out of the way.
"Who would cast a spell on her?" Izzy asked, then followed Matyas"s gaze to where I still stood on the stairway in my stocking feet. "Oh."
I came down slowly. I noticed Sebastian didn"t look at me. His jaw twitched, as he smoothed a strand of Tereza"s hair from her face. "I know what it looks like," I said.
"Looks like you saved my life," Smitty said.
"And sabotaged my mother," Matyas muttered.
"It was a protection spell," I explained. "I didn"t know she"d pa.s.s out. I guess sleep is the best thing for her."
"She does seem peaceful enough," Sebastian said, taking the blanket off the floor and arranging it over her. His eyes skimmed mine before returning to her. "Is Lilith protecting her, then?"
"No," I said. "Athena."
Everyone looked at me then.
"What?"
"You"ve got two G.o.ddesses now?" William asked. "Man, I leave the room for ten minutes, and I miss everything."
"Is she going to be all right?" Matyas asked Sebastian. "I think so. Torpor does seem to do her good. Maybe she needs to heal the damage from being dead."
"Torpor?" Marlena asked. "What"s that?"
Izzy leaned in to explain in quiet tones.
Matyas continued to glower in my general direction.
"You people live the strangest life," Smitty said a bit drunkenly.
The doorbell rang. Since I was standing closest, I opened the door. Parrish stood on the porch. He smiled at me. "h.e.l.lo, love.
You called?"
"Hey," I said. "Come on in."
Sebastian was suddenly at my side. "What"s he doing there?"
"I thought, well, Tereza needs a minder. She may sleep a while, but when she wakes up, well . . . someone has to teach her the ways."
"Him? For all I know, he turned her," Sebastian said.
"He didn"t," I said. "Remember the burn? It"s not like anyone with a blood bond is going to let that happen."
Sebastian"s fists clenched at his side.
Parrish glanced around Sebastian"s shoulder at the room full of people all watching us. "Are you having a party?"
"A private one," Sebastian growled.
"My wedding rehearsal party," I said. "Come on in."
"Ta," he said. With an imaginary tip of the hat, he pushed past Sebastian.
"We need his help," I whispered to Sebastian. "Oh, and I might have promised him a retainer if he helps with Tereza."
"What?" Sebastian snapped.
"Let"s talk about it later," I suggested, giving my chin a jerk in the direction of the room full of people.
Sebastian shook his head in disbelief but let it drop for now.
I made introductions all around. Parrish perched on the end of the couch with a bottle Smitty offered him. He looked down at Tereza. "Sleeping Beauty, eh?"
"A monster in disguise," Smitty said holding up his arm. Teeth marks broke his skin. "She bit me. Like a b.l.o.o.d.y vampire, she is."
Parrish shot a knowing look at Sebastian and Matyas. "Yeah, you"ve got to watch out for those vampires, don"t you?"
"You should clean that, man," William said. "The human mouth is filthy."
"I"ll just pour some alcohol on it," Smitty joked.
My mother, ever sensitive to awkward social situations, sighed. "I can"t believe there really are vampires, can you? And it turns out witchcraft works too. I pray and pray, but does G.o.d answer me? No. My daughter over there says "Boo," and she has G.o.ddesses at her command."
Izzy patted my mom"s knee.
"There are zombies, too," Marlena said. "My sister dated a guy at UW for two weeks before she found out he was, like, totally reanimated."
"No werewolves, though," William said. "I guess the whole shape-shifting thing violates the law of conservation of ma.s.s or something."
"And there"s fairies," Larry said with an exaggerated limp wrist. "I know a whole contingent of them."
"Honey, you"ve dated every fairy in Wisconsin," Walter teased.
Everyone laughed, the tension broken. The wine flowed freely after that. Matyas and Izzy snuggled on the couch. My dad went back to sleep. And, miracle of miracles, Parrish, Matyas, and Sebastian pa.s.sed the evening without trying to kill each other.
Sometime after midnight, we ushered people out the door. Parrish stayed on at my insistence. We all stood around the couch, staring down at Tereza"s inert body.
"Can she stay with you?" I asked. "Thing is, she needs protection from the sun."
Parrish looked at Sebastian. "She does?"
Sebastian nodded.
"She does," Matyas said.
"Well, well," Parrish said. "So another vampire claimed your wife, did he?"
I gave him a punch in the arm. "Parrish, please. Think of it as a wedding gift to me?"
That seemed to soften him. He scrutinized Tereza. "It wouldn"t be such a terrible burden to look after such a beautiful woman."
Sebastian snarled, and, though I shouldn"t have, I felt a pang of jealousy.
I had to admit Tereza had cleaned up pretty well. When she was in torpor, we"d given her a bath, washed and combed her hair. I loaned her some clothes that didn"t fit very well, as I was a little more substantial, shall we say, around the hips. She almost looked like a normal person, except for that crazed, lost look she perpetually had in her eyes.
"That"s my mother you"re talking about," Matyas said.
"She"s still a beautiful woman," Parrish said. "It"s no shame."
"If you lay a hand on her," Matyas threatened. "I"ll haunt your every dream."
Parrish glanced at me as if looking for a translation.
"He"s the bogeyman; he will," I explained. "And Sebastian and I will hunt you down."
"I see," he said, giving each of us a look in turn. "I should hope to be so well-loved."
I reached for Parrish"s hand and held it. "I called you because I trust you."
"And I came because I love you," Parrish said. Then he looked at Sebastian. "Despite everything." Returning his gaze to me, he added, "I should go. If I"m going to get her to a safe, dark place, I need to leave now."
I nodded. "Thank you."
"You owe me," Parrish said, scooping Tereza gently into his arms.
I nodded. "I do. A lot."
As the door closed, Sebastian said, "I don"t like being beholden to him."
"I know. But I don"t know any other vampires, do you?"
We all stared at each other for a moment, then Matyas and Sebastian both shook their heads. "Not in the area," admitted Sebastian.
"Come on," I said to Sebastian. "Let"s go to bed."