Even though Ember and Angel promised they were bringing over dinner, I decided to make a batch of cookies. First, though, I fixed Raj a steak. He’d been so good around Kipa the past few weeks, and I wanted to make sure he knew how much I appreciated it. While he was happily gnawing on the porterhouse bone, I told him that Ember and Angel were coming over.
“Raj like Ember and Angel,” Raj said.
I sat down beside him on the floor, eating chocolate chips out of the bag. “Does Raj think he might ever want to talk to Ember or Angel?” I kept my voice light, trying not to stress him out.
He stopped eating for a moment, cocking his head. Then he looked back at his food, as if contemplating what that would mean. After a moment, he let out an odd noise, then said, “Maybe. Someday, Raj say hello to them. Raj eat now?”
“Raj eat now.” I stroked his leathery head. “Doodlebug knows Raven loves him, right?”
“Doodlebug” was my nickname for him. I didn’t use it often, mostly when I wanted to reassure him how much I loved him.
“Doodlebug knows.” He smiled then—a gargoyle smiling was almost more frightening than one with a grim expression—and went back to his food.
By the time I finished making the cookies, it was almost time for Ember and Angel to arrive. I set out a bottle of wine and three goblets. The doorbell rang and I dashed to get it.
“Hey, Raven.” Ember’s jacket was covered with a dusting of snow. I peered beyond her to see that several inches had piled up on the sidewalk since I’d gotten home.
“Snowing much?” I blinked, not expecting to see the blanket of white.
They stomped their boots before they crowded in.
Angel shivered as she unwound the scarf from around her neck. “The weatherman said the storm took a detour and we’re right in the convergence zone—Seattle and the Eastside. We’re supposed to get at least five to eight inches tonight. Ember and I didn’t realize it was going to be this bad before we decided to make a trip over to Serena’s Day Spa.”
“Day spa, huh? Sounds like fun.” Actually, it didn’t. I loved massages and getting my nails and hair done, but I wasn’t into the whole bathhouse, sit-in-mud, hot-tub experience. But I knew Angel was, and I thought Ember might be, and I wasn’t going to rain on their parade.
“I needed that,” Ember said, glowing. “It was a belated birthday present from my bestie, here.” She leaned her head against Angel’s arm. “By the way, thank you so much for showing up at my party. I love the conch shell!”
I had attended Ember’s birthday party earlier in the week. Since I knew she was part Leannan Sidhe—and pledged to Morgana—I had traded a reading for a sea shell that had come from a siren’s collection. It was highly polished with the residue of the ocean’s energy clinging to it. It felt like just the right thing, and Ember seemed happy with it.
“I’m glad.” I hung their coats on the coat rack as they took off their boots, then led them into the dining room. Raj meandered over to the door and looked at me, so I let him out, chaining him up by his doghouse. Raj had a propensity for taking off on walks by himself and it wasn’t safe. At least, I didn’t think it was safe. Not with the Bucks of the world out there.
When I returned to the dining room, Ember was opening the wine, while Angel was arranging the takeout containers. Apparently we were eating Chinese tonight, and the smells of egg rolls and pot stickers filled the air.
“So what’s shaking?” I asked, getting plates from the kitchen. “Any news on the front with the Tuathan Brotherhood?” Ember and the Wild Hunt were chasing down a ruthless hate group purporting to be Fae in nature. They had already caused massive political unrest, including getting the Fae Courts suspended from the United Coalition, an act that had far-reaching ramifications in a number of quarters.
Ember shook her head. “No, but we’re trying to track down Nuanda. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much left of the compound, so we don’t have a lot of leads at the moment.” She looked tired.
“You’re dragging butt, girl. What’s going on?”
Angel sighed. “Tell her. Maybe Raven will have some insight on what’s going down in your dreams.”
I perked up. “Dreams?” I was always interested in discussing dreams. The Dreamtime was close to the Aetheric realm, and sometimes I went dreamwalking in my sleep.
“Nightmares is more like it,” Ember said, frowning. “I’ve been having recurring dreams that scare the hell out of me, and I’m not sure why. They don’t seem like they should be so frightening, but they are.”
“What are they about?” I asked, pouring the wine. Ember handed me the carton of egg rolls and I took two of them, putting them on my plate. Angel was spooning chicken fried rice onto her plate, and Ember had hold of the orange chicken.
Ember took a deep breath, then sat back, staring at her plate. “I keep dreaming of a tall man—I can’t see his face, but he’s as tall as a giant. He’s in silhouette against the sun, which is rising behind a mountain. He holds a spear over one shoulder, and behind him stands an army of soldiers, ready for battle. I can’t see them distinctly, but I can feel they’re hungry to be on the battlefield, spilling blood. The next moment, a flaming golden arrow soars through the air. I’m not sure from where it’s coming from, though I know it isn’t the man with the spear. It lands directly in front of my feet. The fire clinging to it feels clean and fierce. As I look down at the arrow, I’m compelled to take hold of it, and it turns into a sword in my hand. I pull the sword from the ground, and find that it was actually caught in a low well, and the blade’s dripping with water and moss. The man with the spear lets out a war cry, and in the distance, a horn sounds. As his army begins to move forward, I realize that I’m directly in their path. Then I wake up.”
I blinked. “That’s a pretty specific dream. You say it’s the same every time? How many times have you dreamed it?”
She bit her lip, thinking. After a moment, she said, “About five times. It started right after we took down the compound over on the Olympic Peninsula. And yes, it’s the same every time. I know it has something to do with the brotherhood. I’ve asked Morgana, but she’s been pretty tight-lipped lately. I have a weird feeling that there’s a great deal going on behind the scenes that we’re not allowed to know yet, and I’m almost afraid of when Cernunnos and Morgana decide it’s time to fill us in.”
“Has Herne said anything?”
She shook her head. “He’s in the dark as much as I am.”
I wasn’t so sure I believed that, given Herne was the son of Cernunnos and Morgana, and he ran the Wild Hunt for them, but Ember seemed sure so I didn’t question her.
“What do you think?” I turned to Angel. “About the dream?”
She blinked, her eyes luminous against the glow of her dark skin. She easily could have been a model—she was tall enough and lean enough, and she had a striking look to her. But she had opted to go a vastly different route.
“Ember’s right that it’s connected to the Tuathan Brotherhood, that much I can sense. But I don’t know how. And it also has something to do with a promise Ember made.” She gazed pointedly at Ember. “You know what I’m talking about. The bow?”
“Don’t remind me.” Ember ducked her head, staring at her plate. “I just… I don’t want to do this, Angel. I don’t. But I told Morgana I would, and she’s pushing on it.”
“Pushing you about what? Is it private, or can you tell me?” The last thing I wanted to do was force secrets out of her that she wasn’t allowed to discuss. I knew that a lot of the cases that went on at the Wild Hunt were classified, under an NDA. But she seemed so distressed that I wanted to help if I could.
“Yes, I can tell you,” she said. “After we wrapped up the mess over on the peninsula, Morgana told me that I had to go to both TirNaNog and Navane. In TirNaNog, I’m to contact my great-uncle—my grandfather’s brother. Apparently he has a bow that’s mine, by right of inheritance. And in Navane, my great-grandmother has a crown that belongs to me. I’m to retrieve both.” The look in her eyes told me just how much those visits would cost her.
Ember’s parents had been from the opposing Courts. Her mother had been Light Fae, her father Dark Fae. Their love had cost them their lives, and almost cost Ember hers.
When her family—her paternal grandfather, to be specific—had reached out to her, he had attempted to strip her of her Light Fae heritage. When that didn’t work, he tried to kill her. She had ended up killing him first, which cost her an emotional fortune. Queen Saílle had made reparations to keep the whole incident quiet, but the impact had been a lasting one.
I frowned. “Given Morgana told you to do that, then you have no choice, I’m assuming?”
Ember held my gaze for a moment. “This is one of the only times I’ve been tempted to defy her. But there’s no getting around it. It’s something I have to do, even though I’m dreading it.”
I turned to Angel. “Are you going with her?”
Angel shook her head. “I would, but neither Court would allow me in, given I’m human.”
I suspected that Angel had a touch of the magic-born in her, given her empathic abilities, but even if she did, the Fae Queens wouldn’t open their gates to her.
“What about Herne?”
Again, Ember shook her head. “No. Because he runs the Wild Hunt, Morgana thinks it’s best if he stay away from the Courts unless he’s on official business. And this is personal. I really don’t want to go in there alone. I was hoping Rafé could go with me to TirNaNog, but he’s still healing up.” She paused, and I could practically hear the wheels turning in her head. “You wouldn’t be up for a trip, would you?”
I gave her a skeptical grin. “You do realize that I’m more likely to be a liability than a help, don’t you?”
“You’re one of the Ante-Fae, though. They have to respect you.”
That made me laugh. I leaned back in my chair, shaking my head.
“It’s true that my people are the predecessors to both the Light and the Dark Fae. However, neither race wants to admit it. They prefer to think they jumped full-blown into this world, like Venus on the clamshell, or Athena springing out of Zeus’s head. Anything or anyone reminding them that they were birthed from the same stock drives them into a frenzy.”
“That’s stupid.” Angel blushed when Ember looked at her. “You know I love you, chica, but your people are wacked sometimes.”
“That’s the truth,” Ember said.
“Angel’s right,” I said. “I know that you come from both sides, Ember, but the truth is—the Fae—both Light and Dark—are entirely too arrogant. That’s a weakness that will be their downfall one of these days. I’m amazed that the two Courts haven’t killed each other off yet. The war between them has been going on since the beginning of time, or at least since the beginning of their time. If I go waltzing in there with you, it will just antagonize them against you even more, because I’m a reminder that they aren’t quite so powerful as they like to believe.”
Ember shook her head, a stubborn look on her face. “I don’t care. As long as there isn’t a rule against it, and as long as you don’t mind, I’d feel more comfortable having you by my side.”
I tried to suppress a smile, but after a moment, my shoulders shook with laughter. “I’ll go with you. Let me know when. If anyone bothers us, they’ll learn exactly why the Ante-Fae consider them no better than toddlers.”
That settled, I turned to Angel as we started to eat. “So how is Rafé? You said he’s still healing up?”
She nodded, biting into a pot sticker, then wiped her lips with a napkin.
“He should be getting out of his casts soon. His arm is almost healed up, and his leg is better. He’ll be walking with a cane for a while. His ribs have healed as well, though Ferosyn has forbidden him to do anything strenuous for a long while. He’ll need physical therapy, considering just how badly his bones were shattered. I’m just grateful that Cernunnos brought in his personal healer. I don’t think Rafé would be so far along if he had stuck with the doctor that he usually goes to.”
“How is he emotionally?” I asked, finishing my wine and pouring another glass. “That stint must have taken a terrible emotional toll on him.” I had gone with the Wild Hunt on their trip over to the peninsula, and I had seen just how horribly Rafé had been treated. He had been tortured and beaten to within an inch of his life.
“He has flashbacks now and then,” she said. “I worry that he’s angry at Herne over what happened to him. He hasn’t said anything, but there seems to be this…darkness…inside him, ever since we rescued him.” She paused, then added, “Let’s change the subject, please. I don’t like thinking about what went on. I was wondering—I have some material that a friend gave me. It’s right up your alley. Black velvet with an embossed purple pattern on it—and woven with gold metallic threads. It would make a gorgeous dress, but it’s not my style, or Ember’s.”
“Sure, drop it by. I can find a tailor to make me something fabulous—” I paused as a noise sounded from outside. Like a crash, followed by a loud yelp that I recognized as Raj’s cry.
I was on my feet immediately, tipping my chair over as I raced toward the door, with Ember and Angel right behind me. I yanked open the door, screaming when I saw Buck and two other men crowding around Raj, hitting him with sticks.
I launched myself toward them, conjuring up a ball of fire in my hand. Snarling, I slammed the flame against Buck’s chest. He shrieked as the fire bit into his clothes and began to smolder. As he stumbled back, I backhanded him so hard that he went flying across the sidewalk, sprawling down the concrete steps that led up to my porch. There were only two steps, but the way he shouted made it sound as though he had fallen down an entire flight.
Ember was shouting something, and I glanced over my shoulder to see her kicking one of the men in the balls. He let out a loud groan, bending over as he staggered back.
I stomped over to Buck, kicking him in the ribs. If I could have burned a hole through him with my gaze, I would have.
“What the fuck are you doing on my property? I swear, if you ever come near Raj or me again, if you ever set foot on my property again, I will take a knife and I will gut you. I won’t ask questions, I won’t ask why you’re here or what you want. I’ll just take my blade and rip you open from collar to cock. Do you understand?”
“Bitch—”
“Shut up.” I lifted one foot, placing the chunky heel of my boot on his balls, leaning on him just enough so that the pressure was a warning. “I suggest that you do understand, or you’ll never father another child again. In fact, you won’t even be able to practice fathering a child. Got it?”
The two other men were backing away, the one Ember had kicked in the nuts still bent over. They stumbled their way across the street to Buck’s yard, opposite the cul-de-sac.
“I’m waiting.” I held up my hand conjuring up another ball of fire, which I held out over Buck’s face.
“I understand.” His words were garbled, and he was snarling, but I had put the fear of the gods in him. I could see it in his eyes.
I slowly removed my foot from his genitals, and as he rolled over, trying to stand, I gave him a swift, hard kick, sending him sprawling down the sidewalk, sliding through the snow that was accumulating. He swore, but said nothing else as he stood, giving me a nervous look as he headed back to his house.
I turned. Angel was cuddling Raj.
“Raj, are you all right? Are you okay?” I glanced up at Angel, who had been looking him over.
“He’ll be okay. I called the police. You can’t let them get away with this. They’re members of the HLA, aren’t they?”
I nodded. “Buck’s been having a lot of meetings over there lately. I think he’s wrapped up tight in the organization. I’ve been doing my best to drive them out of the neighborhood, but no luck so far.”
I wrapped my arm around Raj’s neck, holding him tight as he whimpered and leaned against my shoulder. Angel unchained him and we took him inside while we waited for the cops. They wouldn’t be able to do much except file a report, and perhaps talk to Buck. But I made myself and Raj a promise right there. Another week wouldn’t go by before I ousted him and his freakshow family from the neighborhood. However I had to do it, I was getting rid of my neighbors once and for all.