"In theory, it"s a good idea, but we can"t form an allegiance with him," Camille said. "We simply don"t dare get entangled in demon versus demon affairs. I don"t mean to be rude, but Vanzir, let"s face it, most demons don"t play with an open deck. What if this Trytian"s father is out for the seals himself? I"m giving you a blanket order: Don"t tell him, or any other demon, about us or our mission unless we give you our permission. Period. Done deal." She took a deep breath, and Smoky laid a light hand on her left shoulder.

"Got it," Vanzir said, his eyes shifting with their constant kaleidoscope of color. He looked like he wanted to say something else but kept his mouth shut.

Zach pulled the cookie tray over to our side of the table and bit into an Oreo. "So now what? Have you heard anything about where Karvanak is staying?" he asked Vanzir.

"Yeah, that was the second thing I wanted to tell you. I hit pay dirt this morning. I keep my eyes open and my mouth shut. Amazing how much you can learn when people forget you"re in the room. Anyway, you remember that djinn, Ja.s.samin?"

I nodded. Ja.s.samin had been a lesser djinn working with Karvanak. Vanzir had verified she"d been Karvanak"s lover, as well as a source of power. During our battle for the third spirit seal, it had come down to a tense moment in a cave, when Ja.s.samin was about to kill Chase. That"s when Vanzir turned sides and ran her through with a scimitar. "Don"t tell me she"s back."

"No, but there"s another creature running around with the Rksasa. I don"t think she"s a djinn, but I hear tell Karvanak has her under his thumb. This morning, I caught sight of her near the burned remains of the shop. I tracked her as far as I could." He reached in his pocket and pulled out a map, slamming it on the table. As he unfolded it, I spotted a precise red line outlined along the streets. As I leaned in, he moved aside to give me room to look.

"I traced her route in red. I figured maybe there was some importance as to why she was taking the route she did."

"Thanks," I said, peering intently. "She took a lot of twists and turns. Do you think she knew you were following her?" I glanced over at him.

He shrugged. "I wouldn"t be surprised. Karvanak is probably running on the cautious side at this point. He"s been outed-at least to you-and he doesn"t underestimate his enemies. In the year or so I was in his servitude, I began to understand just how vast his intelligence is. Rksasas are terribly cunning. No, it"s his debauchery that"s his downfall."

Zach broke his silence. "Why did you work for him if you don"t like what Shadow Wing is doing?"

Vanzir arched his eyebrows and let out a snort. I grimaced. Iris, my sisters, and I"d heard the story. Zach hadn"t. I wondered if he"d manage to keep his cookies down.

"Work for him? Try again, buddy. I was presented to him as a gift. Nakul, another general in Shadow Wing"s army, won me in a gambling bet. I stupidly wagered more than I had during a game of q"aresh. I know I had the better hand, but Nakul cheated. When I told him that I couldn"t pay up, he dragged me before Shadow Wing. Shadow Wing ordered that I serve Nakul for seven years. He got bored of me a year into the deal, and that"s when he gave me to Karvanak, as a birthday present."

Zach looked queasy. He still didn"t understand just how vile and cruel the world could be, which surprised me, given his background and heritage. It wasn"t that he was such an optimist, but he preferred to hold onto more hope than was good for him. "Why not just free you?"

Vanzir snorted. "Every move in the Sub Realms is about gaining the upper hand. If you can ingratiate yourself through a bribe-or a gift-you do so, because it might save your b.u.t.t later. Nakul knew that Karvanak has diverse diverse tastes in his bedmates. He has a thing for women with magical energy and for hot young demon a.s.s. The women he drains of power each time he f.u.c.ks them, and the men he just brutalizes. When he wears out a new playtoy, he eats them. He did things to me that I"ll never forget. I still owe him five years of my life, but I don"t think I"d survive them. Karvanak is vicious in his f.u.c.k fests." tastes in his bedmates. He has a thing for women with magical energy and for hot young demon a.s.s. The women he drains of power each time he f.u.c.ks them, and the men he just brutalizes. When he wears out a new playtoy, he eats them. He did things to me that I"ll never forget. I still owe him five years of my life, but I don"t think I"d survive them. Karvanak is vicious in his f.u.c.k fests."

I grimaced, my eyes on the map. Next to me, I could feel Zachary tense. Even though he was a member of the most powerful Puma Pride in North America, and even though they could get downright nasty at times, they didn"t hold a candle to the violence rife within the ranks of the Demonkin. Life in the Sub Realms was lived on a kill-or-be-killed basis. Look out for number one, or find yourself staring at the tip of a blade . . . or worse. Vanzir had plenty of reasons to hate Karvanak.

The twisting red line on the map led to a building in south Seattle, in the Industrial District. "Vamp club? She a vampire?" I asked.

Vanzir shook his head. "No, she"s not. That"s the Fangtabula. She entered, but I didn"t see her leave, although I waited around for a while. I want to say she"s a djinn, but she doesn"t smell right. She does have demon scent on her, but I don"t know if that"s just because she"s cuddling up to Karvanak." He reached in his pocket and pulled out a scarf. "The woman dropped this, though. It reeks of her." He laid it on the table.

Camille hesitantly picked it up, sniffed it, then shook her head. "s.e.x," she said. "I smell s.e.x but can"t fix any particular impression other than that."

The scarf made the rounds until it came to Roz, who gave it one whiff and dropped it like he"d been stung.

He glanced at Camille. "You"re right on track. I can tell you exactly who this belongs to. I never thought I"d see her again, though."

"Who is it?" I asked.

He let out a long sigh. "Her name is Fraale. She"s scary-a.s.s freaky and one of the most openhearted women I"ve ever met. Just the right type-if you prefer life on the edge. But I can"t imagine her hiring on to a.s.sist the demons. Seriously. If she"s there, she"s in trouble, too."

Menolly stared at him, her eyes widening. "Fraale? Are you sure?"

"Who the h.e.l.l is Fraale?" I asked. "You sound like you know her."

"I do know her," Roz said, a sheepish grin escaping onto his lips. "Before Fraale was turned into a succubus specializing as a dominatrix, she was my wife."

CHAPTER 23.

Of course, all h.e.l.l broke loose. This was way too Jerry Springer Jerry Springer for me to keep my mouth shut. for me to keep my mouth shut.

"Married? You? You"ve got to be kidding," I said, staring at him like he had just grown another head. "I"ve got to hear that that story-" story-"

"Delilah, shut up," Menolly said softly. So softly that I jerked around. The look on her face was anything but joking.

I bit my tongue and said, "Yeah, okay. Well, then tell us this. Is she freakin" out of her mind, cozying up to Karvanak? Or just plain nuts?" The thought of a dominatrix succubus scared the s.h.i.t out of me. My guess was she"d be tall, lean, wearing lots of leather.

Rozurial"s smile faded. "Neither," he said softly. "Fraale and I . . . when we were . . . let"s just say that if she"s working for Karvanak, chances are she was sold into his hands, like Vanzir, and has no choice in the matter. Fraale may wield one h.e.l.l of a whip, but she"s never been one to raise her hand in violence unless someone"s done her wrong. I think she might be in trouble."

Menolly pushed back her chair. "Then it sounds like we might have two people to rescue," she said. Roz flashed her a grateful smile, and I wondered just what the h.e.l.l was going on. Roz was obviously worried, and Menolly seemed to know more than she was letting on.

I let out a long sigh. "Menolly, you ever been to the Fangtabula?"

She nodded. "Only once, and it was with Wade. Not the cleanest place in the city and definitely on the shady side. They run gambling rooms there, though every time the cops have raided them, the place seems to magically empty, and they can"t find anything. Spooks the cops like crazy to go wandering around a bunch of moody vamps."

"I bet," I said, wondering if Chase had been in on any of the raids. If so, he hadn"t mentioned it.

"Not only that, but I"ll bet a month"s pay they"re running a blood-wh.o.r.e service under the table." She grimaced.

"Blood wh.o.r.e?" Zach looked confused.

Menolly gave him a nod. "Yeah. Vamp wannabes or fang girls and boys hang out. They trade blood for the s.e.xual high that a vamp can give them. They get addicted to the high and end up wasting away unless their "owners" treat them right. Some vampires take care of their pets, but not all of them. The whole situation is illegal, and with good reason. But it"s like prost.i.tution; there"s no way in h.e.l.l you"re going to be able to prevent it. I think the government should legalize it and then tax the h.e.l.l out of the clubs. At least then they could slap some regulations in place so the blood wh.o.r.es aren"t drained or abused."

"Sounds delightful," Camille said as she refilled her cup with tea. "You and Wade ever think of setting up rehab for the addicts?"

"No," Menolly said softly. She squinted. "We"ve been arguing about other issues as of late. You might be onto something, though. I"ll talk to Wade next chance I get. Anyway, back to the Fangtabula. I don"t like the feel of the club though, and it wouldn"t surprise me if Terrance, the owner, is getting down and dirty with a demon or two."

"Good." I stood and stretched. "Then you won"t mind playing spy for us. Somebody"s got to go in and talk to Fraale to see if she"s a willing partic.i.p.ant in Karvanak"s game or if she"s being forced against her will."

A faint look of disgust crossed Menolly"s face. "Well, h.e.l.l." She let out a sigh, which was deliberate, since my sister never had to breathe. When she took a deep breath or sighed or any one of those wonderful oxygen-related activities, it was purely for effect.

"Fine," she said after a moment. "But if I do, you"re coming with me. You can be my pet for the night. You"re used to wearing a collar, aren"t you, Kitten?" She gave me a wicked grin, and I groaned.

"I"m coming, too," Zach said, but I held up my hand.

"No. Too dangerous, even for you. Roz, do you want to come with us?" I tried to soften my voice, but the question still hit home, that much was clear by the look on his face.

"Let me think for a moment," he said, abruptly heading into the living room. Morio, Zach, and Smoky took off after him. Camille joined Iris by the sink, handing her the tea bags as Iris brewed another pot. Menolly wandered over to the window and stared out into the darkness.

Vanzir glanced over at me. "You are a lot like me."

Not really feeling up to a heart-to-heart, I gave him a brief look. "What do you mean by that?"

"I said, you and I are alike, in some ways. You try but you never quite say the right thing, even though you mean to." He leaned back in his chair, lacing his fingers together behind his head. "I don"t fit in my world, you know. I"m good at what I do, but I don"t enjoy it."

That wasn"t quite what I"d expected to hear. "Oh, come on. You"re telling me that you don"t like sucking the life out of people through their dreams? But isn"t that what you do best? I thought demons got off on hurting people."

I couldn"t help being snarky, even though I wanted to be polite. With all that had happened lately and with the demons holding Chase captive, I wasn"t feeling particularly generous.

He frowned. "Now you"re being deliberately insulting. I understand, though. Really, I do do. Some demons are like that. Karvanak likes nothing better than to destroy the will of his subordinates, whether they"ve been captured, bought, or hired. Rksasas are born mean, and they"re arrogant."

"Yeah. I got that impression," I said, playing with my cookie. Vanzir had been one of Karvanak"s victims, too. While it was harder for me to feel sympathy for him, I forced myself to stare him straight in the face.

He returned my look, open-eyed. Vanzir was wiry and lean. His eyes, glimmering like a prism, betrayed his heritage. I"d expected them to be bloodred like Menolly"s eyes turned when something set her off. But they weren"t. They were a rainbow of colors. Against the platinum of his s.h.a.ggy hair, his eyes stuck out, brilliant and shining, and he"d outlined them in dark kohl. Still silent, I lowered my gaze to his lips. They were thin, like those belonging to a number of men, and pale as the night. Dimples punctuated his cheeks, even as gaunt as they were. After another moment, he hiccupped and broke into a slightly mocking smile.

"You finished, or are you still looking for signs of the dog-faced boy?" he said. Pointing to his head, he added, "No horns in sight. And I guarantee you, no pointed tail, either. Nothing"s barbed. Not my fingers, toes, or c.o.c.k c.o.c.k."

As I blushed, he pursed his lips and blew me a kiss. "Oh, poor puddy. Did I embarra.s.s you? How does it feel to be the b.u.t.t of a joke? That"s what Karvanak put me through every day. And he made me feed. I"d managed to go for thirty-five years without draining anybody"s dreams, and the motherf.u.c.ker made me feed the motherf.u.c.ker made me feed."

Vanzir suddenly leaned across the table. I jumped, but he just slid his hand next to mine. He didn"t touch me, just tapped his fingers on the table. "I"m like an alcoholic, you see. Once I taste the energy, I want more. But I don"t like what it turns me into. The Rksasa knew I"d taken a vow to stop, and he threatened to kill his-my-victims if I didn"t drink from their souls. So I did, to save them. I siphoned their souls and fed on their hope and their love and their life force. But at least they were alive alive when I left their dreams. So, when I left their dreams. So, Miss Delilah Miss Delilah, maybe you"re right not to trust me. I can live with that. But stifle the wisecracks until you"ve walked in my world. You aren"t as funny as you think you are."

I felt sick to my stomach as images from my childhood welled up to flood my mind.

. . . a ring of children dancing around my sisters and me, chanting, "Windwalkers, Windwalkers, got no home . . . n.o.body wants you, you"re all alone!" "Windwalkers, Windwalkers, got no home . . . n.o.body wants you, you"re all alone!" They kept it up all the way home until Mother heard them and came out, shooing them away. We didn"t let her see us cry; we didn"t want her to feel bad because it was her blood that made them taunt us . . . They kept it up all the way home until Mother heard them and came out, shooing them away. We didn"t let her see us cry; we didn"t want her to feel bad because it was her blood that made them taunt us . . .. . . one of my uncles pointing at us as we walked into his home during his midsummer gala. He whispered to his lady friend, "Those are the three I was telling you about. My brother"s dirty little half-breeds . . ." "Those are the three I was telling you about. My brother"s dirty little half-breeds . . ." Camille and I forced Menolly to keep her mouth shut so Father wouldn"t know . . . Camille and I forced Menolly to keep her mouth shut so Father wouldn"t know . . .. . . the neighbor boy racing after me with his dog, making me so afraid that I transformed. They treed me, and I couldn"t come down for hours. Camille finally noticed what was going on and beat the living c.r.a.p out of him, then climbed the tree to coax me down. We never told anybody . . .

And here I"d been, doing the same thing to Vanzir because of what what he was. It wasn"t as if he were still our enemy. The ritual had provided us with a safety net. We could kill him on a whim, and he couldn"t raise a hand to defend himself against us. And I"d been taking advantage of that. he was. It wasn"t as if he were still our enemy. The ritual had provided us with a safety net. We could kill him on a whim, and he couldn"t raise a hand to defend himself against us. And I"d been taking advantage of that.

I glanced over at the sink, where Camille was studiously ignoring us, arranging more cookies on a plate while Iris checked the tea. Menolly had hovered her way up to the ceiling and was hanging there, midair, eyes closed. I knew she could hear our conversation, but she"d chosen not to interfere. Voices from the living room told me the boys were coming back.

Hurriedly, I leaned across the table to whisper in Vanzir"s ear. "I"m sorry. Truly. I"ve been an a.s.s, and I apologize." I swallowed my pride. "I"ve been through it before. We all have. I guess sometimes it"s easy to become the very thing you hate."

His gaze still fixated on my face, Vanzir nodded. "Yeah, I know. It"s all too easy to slide into the slot you really don"t want to fit in. Been there, done that, don"t want to go there again." He stretched. His Death Zombies T-shirt was ripped, safety-pinned in a few places, and his black leather pants were dusty, but not dirty. He definitely had the rocker dude look going, I thought.

At that moment, Smoky and Morio entered the room, Zach and Roz trailing behind them. Roz turned to Menolly, his face deadpan. Whatever the guys had discussed, I had a feeling they weren"t going to share it with us.

"I"ll go with you. I want Zach to come, too. You may think he"s too naive, but trust me, he"ll be a good ally. And my ex-wife likes Weres," Roz added softly, glancing at me. "Make no mistake: She plays both sides of the fence."

"I guess we should head out," Menolly said. "Even if Fraale isn"t there anymore, somebody"s bound to have noticed her. Kitten, you need to change."

Wondering just what kind of getup she was going to stuff me into, I slid out of my chair. "Coming. Camille, can you and Morio try to pinpoint Chase with your magic? There are some of his things in my room, if you need them."

Camille nodded. "We"ll get right on it. Smoky"s going to head out to his land to see if the Triple Threat has heard anything." We"d begun using the nickname for t.i.tania, Morgaine, and Aeval sometime back, but usually we only used it between ourselves. Now, the guys glanced at her.

"The Triple Threat? And they know know you call them this?" Roz asked, grinning like a bean Sidhe. you call them this?" Roz asked, grinning like a bean Sidhe.

"Of course not, you idiot," Camille bantered back.

"What about you?" Roz turned to Smoky. "You call them that to their faces?"

Smoky let out a low harrumph. "They"re a pack of kooks, but I"m always a gentleman-"

As Camille, Menolly, and I let out a collective snicker, he just arched an eyebrow. "At least you have to admit that I have more manners than my beloved wife." He leered at Camille. "Isn"t that right? Anyway, I have nothing to fear from them. They aren"t a threat to me."

"Face it, love, you"re stuck with me," Camille said, fondly patting his hand as he laid it on her shoulder. "Rude, crude, and totally lewd."

"I wouldn"t have it any other way," he said, leaning over to kiss her. "Even though I do have to share you with the fox. And the Svartan." And then, like a silent shadow in the night, he slipped out the back door and was gone in under a minute flat.

I whistled. "When the dude moves, he moves."

"You can say that again," Camille said, a sly smile on her lips.

"Oh for criminey"s sake . . . I didn"t mean it like that-"

"Kitten? Get a move on!" Menolly"s voice echoed from the stairwell, and I headed toward the living room.

Menolly was waiting for me by my closet, looking disgusted. "Can"t you be a little more girly? I mean, come on Kitten-your underwear"s okay, but don"t you own anything but tank tops and ripped jeans?" She held up my most comfortable pair of jeans, with the knees and the thighs ripped. "Don"t you have anything with a little lace or some glitter?"

Oh great G.o.ds. She was nitpicking my wardrobe? "Are you serious?"

"You want to get into the club without arousing suspicion or not? You"ve got to look like my pet. And that means showing some cleavage, or leg, or whatever."

I grimaced. "You"re going to laugh your a.s.s off. I"ve never worn this," I added, digging through a box in the back of my closet. "I bought it in a fit of insanity. The moment I left the store, I knew I"d made a mistake, but I was too embarra.s.sed to return it, so I hid it before you or Camille could find it and make fun of me."

I so did not want to show Menolly my secret shame, but she wouldn"t rest now that I"d let the cat-metaphorically speaking-out of the bag. I pulled a plastic shopping bag from the bottom of the box and, rolling my eyes, tossed it to her.

She yanked it open. As she withdrew the gold lame pants and the matching fringe halter top, she began to shake, the smirk on her face growing.

"I told you," I muttered, trying to s.n.a.t.c.h it back from her.

"No you don"t!" she said, darting away. "You are so wearing this tonight! I know it . . . isn"t exactly your style-"

"That"s an understatement." Glaring at her, I flounced over to my bed and flopped down on it, bemoaning my fate. "Being caught out in public decked out in that getup is going to be the most humiliating night of my life . . . well . . . other than walking in on Chase when he was dipping his c.o.c.k into Erika"s p.u.s.s.y."

"Somehow, that that strikes me as more infuriating than humiliating," she said. "You shouldn"t feel embarra.s.sed. If he needs some sniveling, snot-nosed debutante to make him feel like a man, it"s not your fault. But . . ." She paused, looking hesitant, like she wanted to say more. strikes me as more infuriating than humiliating," she said. "You shouldn"t feel embarra.s.sed. If he needs some sniveling, snot-nosed debutante to make him feel like a man, it"s not your fault. But . . ." She paused, looking hesitant, like she wanted to say more.

"What is it? You obviously have an opinion on the subject that you haven"t shared with me." I sat up, waiting.

"Yeah, I do, but I don"t know how you"ll take it."

"Just say it, then."

"All right." Menolly stared at me. "If you want my opinion, Chase was looking for rea.s.surance. It can"t be easy, Kitten, to be an FBH and have your lover not only be stronger than you, but faster, more magical, and more s.e.xual. Let"s face it. Any one of the three of us is a handful for any man-or woman. It takes a strong person to stand beside a partner with Fae blood without feeling emasculated. Chase has been overwhelmed keeping up with both facets of his job. He sees you outfighting and outshining him all the time. I"m just saying, it"s got to sting his ego."

I stared at the quilt on my bed, fighting back a desire to smack her across the face. I never treated Chase like he was subpar. Never. Then I stopped. We all did. Not intentionally, but there was no way around it. We were always telling him to get out of the way in a fight, or get behind us, or stay behind because it was too dangerous. But that was for his own protection, not because we thought he was "lesser" than we were. For the first time, I realized that he might not see it that way, though.

"Oh my G.o.ds," I whispered. "You"re right. He was an a.s.s for lying to me, but you"re right. He might have turned to Erika because he needed to feel like the strong one for a change." I stared at the pattern on my quilt. "Mother never felt like that around Father. Do you think?"