I didn't bother to remind him that I was half-human and had as much right to be on Earth as I did to be in Otherworld. "You're like a fussy old mother hen, Chase. Chill. I just warded the store against snooping yesterday. We should be safe enough."

"Uh-huh, sure you did. You positive you didn't turn the place into a bullhorn by mistake?" He laughed so loud it turned into a snort.

"Excuse me?" I leaned across the table and flicked his nose. "It was bad enough back home, but now I should put up with this c.r.a.p from an FBH FBH? I don't think so! I happen to be magically challenged. You have a problem with that?"

"Magically challenged, so that's how you're describing it now? Hey, far be it from me to give you grief, but I'm not the one who ended up nekkid for the whole world to see," he said, grinning as his gaze ran up and down my body.

"Get your mind off my naked body, Johnson. While you're at it, let's see you try your hand at a little magic," I said curtly. "Care to show me what you've got, Superman?"

That shut him up. One thing I'd discovered since we arrived in Belles-Faire, a seedy suburb city of Seattle, was that Chase craved power. He couldn't wield magic himself, so he did the next best thing when he found out about the OIA. He went to work for them. Sometimes I thought he actually enjoyed it when my spells backfired.

He held up his hands to ward me off. "Sorry! I didn't mean to strike a sore spot. Truce?"

I let out a long sigh. Tactless or not, he had a point. And with the pall on that rope, we had bigger fish to worry about than my ego.

"Yeah, yeah. Truce. As to my warding, don't have a hissy fit. To back up my magic, Delilah installed an electronic surveillance system. She has a knack for your technology, and she rewired it to pick up on any bugs or other listening devices that may have been planted around here."

I didn't tell him that she'd also blown a fuse and sparked herself a good one. The resulting flash of electricity threw her across the room. But Delilah was no quitter. Eventually she'd figured it out and got it working.

"Good girl. I knew you wouldn't let us down."

"Girl?" I gave him a long look. "Chase, I'm old enough to be your mother."

He blinked. "I tend to forget that. You don't look it."

"I'd better not look it," I said, raising an eyebrow. I was d.a.m.ned proud of my looks and took pains to accentuate the positive. One perk about living Earthside: The makeup was fantastic. For one thing, it didn't stain like cosmetics made from herbs and berries. Back in Otherworld, I'd spent longer than I'd ever planned to looking like a Pict when I tried out some face paint made out of woad. Never again. When I returned home, I'd be carting a b.u.t.t load of M*A*C cosmetics with me, especially tubes of Verushka lipstick and tubs of Soft Brown eye shadow. I nurtured my little vanities.

Chase coughed, and I saw the glimmer of a smile behind his eyes. "All right," he said. "Here's how it went down. This morning I took a call from one of the homeless guys who live in the alley around back of the Wayfarer. He found Jocko's body. The dude's been one of my informants in the past and was scrounging for a few bucks. So I got there first, which was a good thing, considering Jocko wasn't looking all too pretty. Of course, I immediately activated the FH-CSI."

I stifled a smile. The Faerie-Human Crime Scene Investigations team was Chase's brainchild and was a mix of human and Otherworld agents, specially trained to deal with the problem of crimes against OW citizens. Chase had initiative and foresight, I had to give him that. It was unfortunate that he had to answer to Devins, a real p.r.i.c.k who was a few offices higher up than Chase, but usually he was able to keep his boss out of the loop.

"We're using an OIA medical examiner, and all the info has been sealed."

I slumped. Suddenly it all seemed too real. The thought of Jocko meeting his end in a back alley made me cringe. He may not have been the brightest bulb in the socket, but he made up for it in congeniality, and I'd genuinely liked the gentle giant.

"Jocko was one of the most even-tempered giants I've ever met. That's why he got the job, you know. He could interact with others without pounding them into the ground when he got irritable. He was a good-hearted man who did his best. I'll miss him."

"He wasn't a man," Chase said, wrinkling his nose. "He was a giant. And he was crude, loutish, and made fun of my suits."

"As you said, he was a giant giant. Giants are like that, only most are much worse. What do you expect?"

Chase gave me an exasperated look. "I have no idea. I don't know any other giants. I never met a vampire or a lycanthrope either, until I met your sisters, so give me a break if I don't react with much enthusiasm. Giants and bloodsuckers and werewolves-"

"Werecat. Lycanthrope means werewolf. It's not synonymous with Were. Delilah would scratch your eyes out if she heard you lumping her with the Canids."

"Right, werecat. What was I thinking? Sorry," he said, his voice anything but. "Section five of the handbook. Not all Weres are the same Not all Weres are the same."

"d.a.m.ned straight they aren't, and don't you forget it. Some of them would slit your throat for even suggesting it." I was giving him a hard time, but better that than let Chase learn the hard way. The point of a sword or fang was a whole lot sharper than my tongue.

"Whatever. What I'm trying to say is that all of you were simply tales of myth and legend until a few years ago, when you crawled out of the woodwork. Even you-you're a witch. And half-Faerie at that. I'm still wrapping my mind around all this."

"Point taken," I said, grinning. "I guess we do come as quite a shock, especially when you've been taught your whole life that we don't exist. Okay, back to business. Tell me more about Jocko's death."

"Well, other than the fact that the killer had to be at least as big and as strong as he was, there's not much to tell. Nothing in the bar to give us any idea what happened. Nothing in the portal log to indicate that somebody new came through last night. Basically, it boils down to the fact that the Wayfarer is out one bartender, and HQ wants you to take care of it."

The Wayfarer Bar & Grill, like the Indigo Crescent, was OIA run and operated, and part of a worldwide network of safe houses and portals. The bar was also a hub for FBHs who wanted to meet the Fae. And there were plenty of admirers who lined up for a chance to see, or talk to, or screw us. The crowds were thick and the partying hard.

My sister Menolly worked night shift at the bar. She listened for gossip and rumors that might be important among the travelers who came through from Otherworld. Having her there was a good way to spot potential trouble, since the grapevine always ran faster than official channels. It was also one of the few night jobs she could find, and she was strong enough to stand in for the bouncer if need be.

Chase pulled out a pack of cigarettes but stuffed them back in his pocket when I shook my head. Cigarette smoke raised havoc with my lungs and was even worse for Delilah. Menolly didn't care anymore. She was dead. Well, undead. The only things she could smell were blood, fear, and pheromones.

I glanced at the clock. "I can't wake Menolly until dark. Delilah's out on a case and won't be back until late afternoon. Why don't you meet me here at six, and we'll go back to the house? That way you'll have had a chance to contact HQ again. And by then the sun will be set."

"Can't you wake Menolly up now since it's overcast?" Chase said.

"Chase, get a grip. Vampires and daylight just do not mix. Besides, it's rough on her to be locked in the house all day. Better for her to sleep as much as she can; it keeps her from getting claustrophobia. Menolly hasn't been a vampire very long, not by our standards. She's still learning to adjust, and we're making it as easy as we can on her. I'm doing my best to help her, but it's rough going at times. In fact, I'm working on a surprise that she'll probably hate me for, but it will be good for her."

"I see your point," Chase said, musing. "All right, I'll try to raise HQ again and tell them what you said about the rope. But if I were Menolly, I'd call in sick tonight. If there is is a demon behind this, he might be after OIA agents. And if he had inside help, then he might know that Menolly is an operative." a demon behind this, he might be after OIA agents. And if he had inside help, then he might know that Menolly is an operative."

An inside job? That thought hadn't crossed my mind. "Great, that's all I need to think about," I said, grinning. "Okay, see you tonight."

Chase headed for the door. As I watched him leave, a shadow seemed to pa.s.s through the shop, and I reached out to touch it, but it shuddered and dissipated into the gloomy day. Jocko's murder had set in motion dangerous events to come. I could feel it on the wind, though any clear picture eluded my sight. I went back to my work, trying to muster up a smile for the Faerie Watchers who would be here in full force in less than an hour.

BE SURE TO LOOK FOR.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR.

YASMINE GALENORN'S NEXT TWO PARANORMAL ROMANCES.

NIGHT MYST.

The first book in Galenorn's new Indigo Court series features Cicely Waters, a witch who must battle the very darkest of evils: the Vampirics Fae, demons bent on destroying the world.

Coming June 2010!

AND.

HARVEST HUNTING.

The eighth book in Galenorn's Otherworld series The harvest has come again, and with it, new lessons and new mysteries for Delilah, who finds her life changing dramatically as the Autumn Lord begins her training as a Death Maiden.

Coming October 2010!

Berkley t.i.tles by Yasmine Galenorn

The Otherworld Series

WITCHLING.

CHANGELING.

DARKLING.

DRAGON WYTCH.

NIGHT HUNTRESS.

DEMON MISTRESS.

BONE MAGIC.

Berkley Prime Crime t.i.tles by Yasmine Galenorn GHOST OF A CHANCE.

LEGEND OF THE JADE DRAGON.

MURDER UNDER A MYSTIC MOON.

A HARVEST OF BONES.

ONE HEX OF A WEDDING.

SCENT TO HER GRAVE.

A BLUSH WITH DEATH.

GLOSSED AND FOUND.