Haunted Moon

Page 27

Blinking, I opened my eyes, forcing myself to a sitting position. The light filtering in through the room showed the pale glow of the approaching sunset. Apparently my storm had worked its way through and out. The window was cracked open and a gust of fresh air rushed through, invigorating my mind. I stretched and yawned, shaking the cobwebs from my brain.
Morio was sitting on the bed next to me, legs crossed, meditating. Smoky and Trillian were nowhere to be seen. Without opening his eyes, he whispered, “Good evening, sleepyhead.”
“How long was I sleeping? I had no idea I was that tired.” I looked for the clock. Seven thirty. Forty-five minutes till sunset.
“You slept like the dead.” Morio opened his eyes as he reached for me. I crawled across the bed, through the blankets, and he pulled me into his arms.
“I’m a little sore,” I whispered. “But I loved this afternoon. Thank you.”
“We should be thanking you.” His lips were soft on mine as he gave me a long, lingering kiss, and his hair tickled my breasts. His scent was musky, but he’d taken a shower after sex, that much I could tell, and I wanted to just slip into his arms and curl up and snuggle. “I love you, Camille. And so do Trillian and Smoky. We all love you.”
I knew they loved me, they knew I loved them, but we didn’t always talk about it. Worried a little, I bopped his nose. “Of course you do. And I love you. But…is anything wrong? Has something new and extraordinarily bad happened?”
“No, nothing,” he murmured. “We’re just lucky to have you. I’m lucky. Sometimes I don’t think we say it enough. You are an incredibly difficult woman, you know. You’re stubborn, you’re bossy, and you’ve invested a fortune in corsets and makeup.” He grinned.
“And this is supposed to win me over how?” I cocked my head at him, waiting. I couldn’t deny any of it, everything he said was true, but there better be a but coming up soon.
He didn’t disappoint me. “But…you’re also an incredibly strong woman. You’re loving, sexy, and you never, ever quit. And all of those qualities—all of them, including the bossiness, they make you who you are. The only woman I know that I’d ever want to marry.” And once again, he kissed me, his hand running up and down my back.
“I’m the lucky one,” I murmured, meaning every word. I was a lucky, lucky woman. Three times over.
Morio reached up and caressed my face, staring into my eyes, his own flashing dark, with flecks of topaz. The curve of his eyelids, the long silky black hair, the slight upturn of his lips—he was a gorgeous man.
I traced my finger over his lips. “What did Aeval say to you? When they brought you out to Talamh Lonrach Oll?” I wanted to know. Wanted to understand what they had in store for us, and Aeval sure as hell wasn’t telling me.
He lightly bit the end of my finger, nipping it gently, then kissed it. “There are things I can tell you, and others I can’t. I promised Aeval that—as long as it wouldn’t hurt you—I would keep her secrets.”
“I’m not sure I like you having secrets with the Queen of Darkness.” I sat back against the head of the bed and pursed my lips as I drew my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them.
“Can’t be helped, babe. Deal with it.” He winked at me. “You know no one can replace you in my heart.”
“My sister almost did.” The words slipped out before I could stop them, but I realized how unfair they were even as I said them. “I’m sorry. That was uncalled for. It wasn’t your fault, or hers, what happened. And it’s resolved now. I promise not to mention it again.”
Morio rolled his eyes. “If it’s all the same to you, I’d rather forget all about that. I like Menolly, but you’re right—it wasn’t my fault, or hers. And she took care of the issue before anything happened.”
“Right,” I said, frowning. I didn’t like jealousy in myself. It wasn’t becoming, and it didn’t feel right. Mostly, it was Mother’s blood that brought it out in me, but I preferred to mute it when I could. Jealousy had caused too many heartaches over the years, and I knew Morio loved me.
After a moment, I gave him a please-forgive-me smile. “Back to what we were talking about…so, before I take a shower, dish, babe. And don’t leave out any details you’re allowed to tell me.”
Morio let out a long breath and then leaned back, resting on his elbows. “Okay. Here goes.” He leaned his head back and stared at the ceiling. “There is a reason you have to be paired with a priest—and no, they didn’t tell me why, so don’t ask. But whatever the case, you need to be paired up. And since you are already married, to three men, and one of them—namely me—happens to work death magic with you, it would be an…inconvenience…to match you with another man.” He looked up, and I could see the dark shine to his eyes. His demonic form was close to the surface and I could practically smell the jealousy.
And then I knew. “You went to them. They didn’t call you.”
He considered the question, still gazing into my eyes. When I’d first met him, I’d thought Morio wasn’t the jealous type, and to some extent I was right. As long as I was happy, he stood back and let me have my way. But he wasn’t a pushover. He wasn’t afraid of me, either.
Once we had gotten married, he’d changed. It was like he’d staked his claim, and during the Soul Symbiont ritual he had also bonded with Smoky, and then with Trillian. The three of them formed a protective triangle around me, in silent agreement—or maybe they’d actually talked it out—to keep me as safe as they could, given the circumstances. I was their wife, and they were my protectors and consorts.
“They did call me. But it was to ask my opinion on the subject. I told them that while we support you entirely, I also understand how deep magic can create a bond between a man and a woman. And that while I might understand, I wouldn’t be happy about it. And Smoky? He would never accept the possibility that you might have to be intimate with another man in the name of the gods.”
Morio cleared his throat as a slow smile washed across my face. I rested my chin on my knees. “So you volunteered.” But I didn’t need an answer. His expression said it all. “You did, didn’t you?”
After a moment, he gave me a slight nod. “Yes, I did. Because babe, I’m going to tell you something and I want you to listen. You are a priestess of the Moon Mother. You have certain obligations to fulfill. But you and I—our magical connection goes soul deep and we have a bond that I won’t allow any other man to interfere with. This is our special place. You can’t give up being who you are. I would never expect that. But I won’t allow another man to interfere with our magic.”
I wanted to smile. Now, I understood. He would share my body with Smoky and Trillian, but my magical side—it was his. Just like Trillian would share me, but I always acknowledged he was my alpha. And Smoky shared me as long as nobody else was brought into the mix.
A thought popped into my head, and I grimaced. “Not Bran. They weren’t thinking of…”
Morio shook his head, grinning, and jumped off the bed. “Don’t even go there, because it’s not going to happen. All I can tell you is that I agreed to undergo initiation. While I’m not a priest of the Moon Mother, I am now a priest in Aeval’s Court, and therefore able to officially stand as your consort in magic for the Triple Threat.”
And that was that. If he said he couldn’t tell me more, then he couldn’t tell me more. I slid from beneath the covers, padding across the floor toward the bathroom door. Pausing, I glanced back.
“Thank you.”
“For what, babe?” Morio was making the bed.
“For…being you. For caring. For sharing a part of me that no one else has ever shared. I’m going to go take a shower. I’ll meet you downstairs.” As I left the room, he was standing there, watching me, eyes glittering.
Once I was clean and dressed, I headed down the stairs. Menolly would be up soon, and I wanted to find out if Chase had discovered anything new. I also wanted to examine the talisman that Trillian and Smoky had brought back with them, because in twenty-four hours, give or take an hour, I’d be ferreting an undercover path into the Aleksais Psychic Network and I’d damned well better be able to bluff my way through. Plus, we still had to attend to the zombie panic that was spreading through the city.
I found everybody gathered in the living room. Another fifteen minutes until sunset, and Menolly would be up then. It seemed easiest to wait till she was awake to discuss what we were going to do.
Trillian, Smoky, and Bruce were examining the blueprints to Iris and Bruce’s house, going over their plans for the next day. Nerissa and Rozurial were folding laundry with Hanna, and Vanzir was looking up something on the computer. Shamas was apparently still at work. Delilah played with Maggie, and Iris was in the kitchen.
Smelling cookies in the air, I wandered in to give her a hand. “Hey, Little Mama. How are you doing?”
Iris was about to take two pans of cookies out of the oven, and I took the oven mitt from her and shooed her away from the stove. She was almost four months pregnant by now. As she backed away, I did a double take. Her boobs were definitely starting to grow.
She noticed my look and grinned. “Yes, Bruce is a very happy leprechaun. But I’m going to need new bras very soon. Twins seem to speed up the…enhancement.” As she dropped into the rocking chair with a grateful sigh and put her feet up, I also noticed the dark circles under her eyes.
I took the cookies out of the oven and set them on the hot pads, then used the spatula to loosen them and place them on the racks. Peanut butter chocolate chip. Delilah was going to be overjoyed.
“You aren’t sleeping, are you? How’s the morning sickness?”
“The morning sickness has died down a little, but I get tired a lot easier now. I take more naps. And no, I’m not sleeping all that great.” She stared at her hands. “I can’t seem to sleep deep, or stay asleep.”
“What seems to be the problem? Does Bruce snore?”
“No, he doesn’t snore.” She paused, then laughed. “At least, not much. No, I think…”
“What is it?” I could tell she didn’t want to talk about it, but I had the feeling that it was important. “Tell me, or I’ll tell Menolly you’re hiding something.” I didn’t like using blackmail, but I sure as hell wasn’t above it when necessary.
Iris sat forward and stopped rocking. “You wouldn’t dare.”
I leaned down and planted a kiss on her cheek. “Try me.”
She grumbled, and then with an irritated shrug she leaned back again. “Okay, but don’t you make a big deal about this.”
“Just tell me what’s going on. The more you dance around this, the more I’m going to worry. And I do not need to worry any more than I already do.” I knelt by her side. “Tell me.”
“If I do, you have to promise me—”
“No promises. Tell me.”
“Oh, all right. I can’t sleep because of the damned trailer. It’s the most uncomfortable piece of crap I’ve ever lived in. It reminds me of a big tin can.” To my horror, she burst into tears, and I recognized them as hormone-enhanced.
“I hate it—I hear every noise at night and it keeps me awake. Now that I’m pregnant, it seems like I can’t control anything happening to my body. I can’t wait till my house is built, but to be honest, I miss living with the rest of you! I feel like I’ve been exiled, and I know I did it to myself.”
As her expression crumbled, I gathered her in my arms and let her cry against my shoulder. “Oh honey, oh, Iris. I’m so sorry. If you want, we can make up the parlor for you now that Douglas and Marion moved out.”
Iris sniffed, then sat back, a sad smile on her face. “You are so sweet, but no. We’ve got a perfectly usable trailer and we’ve paid for the rental already.”
I shook my head. “The month is almost over. Move back in here. It will only be another month until the house is ready. Sure, we’re crowded, but aren’t we always? No problem with that! Bruce is rich, he’s not going to care about one month’s trailer rental—”
The kitchen bookshelf opened, along with the steel door behind it as Menolly appeared. She grinned. “Before you even try to cover your tracks, Iris, I overheard what you two were talking about. Camille is right. You and Bruce will sleep in the parlor until your house is done. The trailer can go back tomorrow. No arguments or I’ll get pissed and you really don’t want me pissed at you.”
Iris blushed, then ducked her head. “If you’re sure it won’t be too much trouble…”
“Go tell Bruce right now, so the guys can bring in some of your clothes for the night.” Menolly waved her off and, smiling, our house sprite took off for the living room. After Iris was gone, she laughed. “Hormones. Gotta love them. That’s one thing I’ll never have to worry about.” But her voice was wistful.
I stared at her. “You want children?” My biological clock had never gone off, though I’d half-promised to think about kids with the guys, if Smoky could find a way around the fact that we were from different species. But if I had a child with him, I’d have to have one with Trillian first, because he was my alpha. If we ever did end up parents, I had the sinking feeling I’d be the mother of three. And I really wasn’t keen on the idea. At least not right now. But we had a long, long time to decide, and I wasn’t about to let anybody rush me into it.