Blood, stark against the pallor of Smoky's skin, trickled down from one nostril but my lover ignored it. He stood there, shoulders back, and slowly shook his head. "She may be your your better but she is not one of better but she is not one of mine mine. You're a white wing, but I am born of a silver silver mother, and I bear her status. The golden wings are of worthy caste, but not of mother, and I bear her status. The golden wings are of worthy caste, but not of my my stature." stature."

Hotlips's eyes flared, but she said nothing, bowing her head in accordance.

"You dare to contradict me in front of a human? What a failure of a son you are! Have you forgotten every duty you owe your family?" Smoky's father hit him once again, this time hard enough to leave a small gash on Smoky's cheek from a silver ring the dragon wore. It looked like a wedding ring.

Again, Smoky took it, not raising his hand in return. But his eyes were swirling. "I no longer recognize your dominion over me. I would willingly serve my family if if my family listened to me. But you have no idea what's going on down here. You care only for your own gain through this . . . this . . ." He gestured toward Hotlips. ". . . this political alliance." my family listened to me. But you have no idea what's going on down here. You care only for your own gain through this . . . this . . ." He gestured toward Hotlips. ". . . this political alliance."

He turned to the golden dragon and said, "You are being used, my lady. I will not demean you, but know this: I am not the husband you seek. An alliance with me may increase your family's holdings as well as my own, and yes, it will increase my father's honor and the honor of any children you you bear. But the fact is, I do not love you. Like my grandfather before me, I refuse to marry out of duty. Beyond all of these issues, there stands another brooding matter. War is coming, and you have no idea just what we're up against." bear. But the fact is, I do not love you. Like my grandfather before me, I refuse to marry out of duty. Beyond all of these issues, there stands another brooding matter. War is coming, and you have no idea just what we're up against."

I fully expected Smoky's father to throttle him, but he stopped and c.o.c.ked his head. "War? What sort of war?"

Smoky relaxed just enough for me to notice. "If you thought Grandfather's war was bad, what we face here is ten times worse. The demons are breaking through the portals and all worlds will be at risk. If they overrun the Earth and Otherworld, they will overrun the Northlands eventually."

The elder dragon narrowed his eyes and glanced at me. "What does she have to do with this?"

"More than you realize," Smoky said, nodding to me. "Camille and her sisters are our primary hope. The last thing I need to think about is a marriage I'm not interested in, children at this early age, and kowtowing so you can move up the social ladder. And if Mother were here, she'd agree with me."

Smoky's father scowled but he said nothing. Then, he slowly walked over to me, looking me up and down like I was a prize cow. I steeled myself, ready to make tracks if he decided to land a fist on me like he had his son.

"Camille, is it? So you've enchanted my son. You must have some incredible talents to pluck his heartstrings thusly." A slow, lecherous smile crept over his face and he leaned too close, crowding me. "Or perhaps it's not so much his heartstrings that you pluck, but another part of his body. Your Fae blood may give you something worth tasting, after all. You are comely enough, for your kind."

His gaze fastened on my b.o.o.bs. He reached out with one hand and stroked my chin. I shivered. His touch was covetous and grasping, not smooth and caressing like Smoky's. A touch that promised to overpower, to take what he wanted with-or without-permission. Yeah, the old rape-and-pillage mentality, but he had the force to back it up. I steeled myself and looked him straight in the eye as he leaned down and planted a kiss on my lips. His tongue played against them, but I refused to open my mouth and he let out a soft grunt.

"Welcome to the family . . . for as long as we decide to humor my son's whims," he whispered in my ear. "But remember, as Iampaatar's father, I have the right to demand access to anything he possesses and it is his sworn duty to hand it over, to use or abuse as I wish."

I did stumble then, and he caught me up, his fingers too eager to rub against me as he deposited me on the sofa. I wanted nothing more than to crawl away and take a shower to wash the feel of his hands off of me.

Turning to Smoky, who looked as close to pure rage as I'd ever seen him, he said, "We have much to discuss. Whether I will allow you to pay the release fee for the marriage is still to be determined. But we must talk to the council about this war. You will tell us what you know, my son. And then, we will discuss your nuptials."

Hotlips looked p.i.s.sed. Arms folded across her chest, she tapped one gorgeous clawed nail against her skin. "You're a fool if you let him talk you out of this marriage, Hyto. This will strengthen your position in the council chambers." Apparently, she had no qualms about revealing the elder dragon's common name in front of me.

Hyto merely shrugged. "The final decision will be up to my wife, of course, since she bears the higher ranking. Meanwhile, we shall return to the Northlands and explore this warfare my son speaks of. Iampaatar, come." The word was definite and even I knew that Smoky couldn't get out of the trip.

He nodded, bowing ever so slightly to his father, and walked over to me; he picked me up, bundling me in his arms. His gaze fastened on mine, he carried me out of the room, into the parlor. There, he shut the door and pulled me over to the far corner, into his arms.

"I am so sorry about my father. If he had tried to actually harm you, I'd have fought him off. Please, never think anything else. But this is such a delicate balancing act . . ."

I sought his lips, and he kissed me long, slow, his tongue coiling around mine, his hands holding me firmly, reminding me I was his. I relaxed finally. The difference between him and his father was as huge as the Grand Canyon. The apple fell far, far from the tree in this case.

I melted into the kiss, afraid that when he left, I'd never see him again. "Come back to me," I whispered. "Don't let them keep you there. Come back to me . . . to us. We need you. I need you I need you."

Smoky leaned down and placed his forehead against mine. "Camille, I promise you on my word of honor. By my smoke-stacks and whiskers, I won't let them separate us. I will return to you and your sisters. Your family is now my family, and if it ends up being the only family I have, then I can accept that. You belong to me. I belong to you. Nothing-not demons, not dragons, not promises made before I was born-can ever change that."

Tears were streaking down my cheeks now and I clung to him, my arms tight around his neck. "I lost Trillian," I whispered. "And though I know he's coming back, what if something goes wrong? I can't lose you, too. I can't lose any of you. You and Morio and Trillian are my loves, my life. You make me whole. You keep me sane."

He pressed his finger against my lips. "Sshhh . . . everything will work out. I promise you. I am not like my father. My mother has honor, though she's haughty and stern as is her birthright. My father has the white dragon's grasping nature. He comes from a lower caste and married into his position, and he's always seeking something higher. My grandfather, though . . . is more like me. You'd like him and he'd like you."

"I doubt I'll ever get the chance to meet him," I said, unaccountably sad.

"Never say never, my love." Smoky kissed me again. "I am not going to marry Hotlips, regardless of whether it gets me thrown out of my dreyerie." He paused, then slowly said, "I mean it when I say we're soul mates. The ritual bound us together forever. Camille-before I go, I have to tell you something. I think I've discovered a way that we can have a child."

I stared up at him, the meaning of his words crashing in on me. "What? That isn't possible!"

"Yes, it is is. I know of a magical ritual that can pave the way. The child would be a true shifter-a dragon shifter, though not fully dragon."

"I don't know what to say." I stared at him, terrified. He wanted me to have a child. His His child. A child. A dragon dragon child. Thoughts of C-sections and movies like child. Thoughts of C-sections and movies like It's Alive It's Alive raced through my head. raced through my head.

"Just think about it," he whispered. "If we were to have a child, this would cement you into my family. And it would take care of one of my duties to pa.s.s on my heritage. Please don't say no without thinking about it." He swallowed, looking more nervous than I'd ever seen him.

I let the possibility settle in my heart. Then softly, so softly I was barely speaking aloud, I said, "You know I have no maternal instincts. But I . . . I'll think about it. I can't make you any promises, though."

"We have plenty of time, and your promise to think about it is good enough for me," he said, wrapping his arms around me. "Remember-there are nannies who can look after the children. And now, I must go."

I stepped back, my eyes dry but inside my heart was aching, wanting to cry, wanting this to all just go away. So much stress, so much worry, and now coping with angry dragons on top of the demon threat . . . it was just too much. "Smoky, go and get this over and done with. I'll be waiting for you."

He reluctantly let go of me. I followed him out into the living room where his father was impatiently tapping one foot on the floor. Hotlips gave me a triumphant grin like she'd won some major victory over me, and Hyto grabbed my a.s.s and pinched so hard I knew it would leave a bruise. Smoky wasn't watching and I decided to keep my mouth shut. No use starting World War III right here in the house.

"Let's get this over," Smoky said.

Without another word, Hyto reached for his son with one hand, and for Hotlips with the other, and they vanished, out of the living room into the Ionyc Sea. I watched as they faded from sight, wondering if I'd ever see my beloved dragon again.

CHAPTER 7.

As I stared at the spot where the three dragons had been standing, Morio, Iris, and Delilah filed into the room. I took a long, shuddering breath and turned to them. "You heard?"

"We couldn't help hearing," Iris said. She motioned to the tea tray that Morio was holding. "I made you some Sweet Blossom tea. I thought it might calm your nerves. The G.o.ds only know, my my nerves are on edge and I was only in the room with them for a bit, and neither his father nor the fiancee spoke to me." nerves are on edge and I was only in the room with them for a bit, and neither his father nor the fiancee spoke to me."

Delilah slid onto the arm of the sofa. "What will you do if they don't let him come back?"

I jerked my head around to stare at her. "Don't even go there. Smoky will come back. I know it. He has to." I sank into the rocking chair, cradling my head in my hands. "This is just too much. And that father of his is a freak. The way he touched me-I felt two seconds away from being raped. Or being dinner. Or both, in that order. He hates humans. And I get the feeling he lumps all Fae into the same category. The way he looked at me . . ." I shuddered, remembering those cold, lecherous eyes. He could f.u.c.k me, kill me, use my bones for toothpicks, and not feel a shred of remorse or concern.

"If he'd made one move to hurt you, I would have been in there. And you know Smoky wouldn't have let it go that far." Morio stood behind me, rubbing my shoulders. "He loves you. He's bound to us and he won't let us down."

"Well, Hotlips sure doesn't love me, and she wants Smoky to herself. I gather she's a golden dragon and that means . . . well, I don't know what it means but it's obviously important to Hyto." I grimaced. Even saying his name made me feel dirty.

"Relax," Iris said. "I'll pour the tea. And yes, you're right. She's a golden dragon and they are second rung at the top of the hierarchy. Silvers are the most powerful of all the dragon lords."

I must have looked confused because she let out a little sigh. "Did Smoky tell you nothing over the past months?" She handed round the tea, then settled on the ottoman, teacup in hand.

"I never thought to ask," I said.

"Dragons live within a strict caste system. You can marry up or down, but if you're on a lower rung, even if you marry up you retain less stature than your mate. However, the more sons and daughters who marry higher than your station, the more brownie points you accrue with the council. It's terribly complex, but then again, they have eons to figure out everything. Anyway, what it boils down to is this: Smoky is part of the highest echelon, among the Emperor Dragons. He can't move any higher. But his father father can gain stature if Smoky marries someone above a white dragon, because that's the caste his father belongs to." can gain stature if Smoky marries someone above a white dragon, because that's the caste his father belongs to."

"Smoky is part of the Emperor caste?" If silver dragons were among the highest echelon of dragon society, then what he'd said about taking his mother's status since he was mixed blood made sense.

"Yes, because of his mother's blood. Children take on the caste of the higher parent's bloodline. Smoky and any of his siblings through his mother belong to the highest ruling caste. His father hangs out a few rungs lower on the pole. The only dragons to live outside the caste system are the black dragons, and they exist within a hierarchy all their own because of their special abilities."

I tried to sort out all this information.

"I should have asked before, but it never occurred to me that they'd have such a complicated social system." I sipped the steaming brew. The fragrance and delicate blush of the Sweet Blossom plant immediately went to work, calming me down. "I guess my mind has been on the demons, not dragon etiquette."

Iris snorted. "Trust me, girl, you haven't heard the tip of it, yet. When I lived in the Northlands, I learned more about dragons than I ever wanted to, especially white dragons. They're thick as thieves there, and it pays to know just who you might run up against. Now silvers-like Smoky's mother-have a sense of honor and generally keep their promises. They're not as dangerous-at least not until you do something to p.i.s.s them off. Come to think of it, even though they don't live in the Northlands, the golden wings and the greenbacks are like that, too. But whites-and the indigos and reds-happen to be another matter."

"So not all dragons live in the Northlands," Delilah said, pulling the basket of fruit over to her and pawing through it. Iris was on a health kick, trying to curb my sister's frantic junk food habit, but it wasn't going to take. Sure enough, Delilah wrinkled her nose and shoved it away. "I guess we're out of cookies?"

Iris let out a long sigh. "I'll make some later. Girl . . . oh, never mind. But to answer your question, no-redbacks and golden wings live in the Southlands, and the indigos and greenbacks-well, I'm not sure where they harken from. Black dragons exist mainly on the astral."

"And white dragons are dangerous," I said, grinning at Delilah's dejected look as she gave the fruit basket another once-over and shook her head.

"White dragons are the most volatile, that's for sure, and the most grasping," Iris continued. "That's why I took my time to a.s.sess Smoky's demeanor when I first met him. Mixed bloods can favor either-or both-parents, just like the Fae. But Smoky has proved himself time and again. His mother's blood shines through, even if he has a roguish way and tends to be self-centered."

"He told me that he'd found a way for me to have his child," I blurted out.

Morio and Delilah stared at me like I was crazy.

Iris swallowed her tea, set down the cup, and folded her arms. "I so so need to hear more about this." need to hear more about this."

I could tell they were all waiting for me to continue, but having burst out my little secret, I had no idea what else to say. For one thing, I was clueless as to what I was planning to do about the matter.

Just as the silence was getting a bit thick, the door burst open and Vanzir rushed in, followed by Roz. They both looked like they hadn't slept in days.

"Yo, dudes, where have you been?" I jumped up, eager to change the subject. Right now the whole Smoky-dragon-father-fiancee-children conversation was starting to give me a headache, and the demon twins provided a handy excuse to exit the subject, stage left.

"Where else? Looking for clues to Stacia's whereabouts." Vanzir dropped onto the sofa next to Delilah and leaned back, his legs spread wide. Why did all guys have to act like their nuts were the size of tennis b.a.l.l.s?

But he was cute, in a David-Bowie-as-Jareth-the-Goblin-King sort of way. His hair was short and spiky, bleached so blonde it was jarring, and he wore leather pants tight enough to show off every curve of his goodies. I blinked. Maybe he did need to sit with his legs that far apart. Whatever woman-or man-Vanzir set his sights on, was going to be a very happy camper, all right.

Roz was wearing his duster c.u.m armory. The flasher from h.e.l.l, I thought, as he slid off the heavy coat and hung it carefully over the back of a chair. Considering the firepower-both magical and technological-he had in there, I was grateful he took pains not to make anything go boom by accident.

He sprawled out in the chair next to mine, jeans black as night, mesh tank showing off nicely defined abs. Oh yeah, leave it to an incubus to find the perfect bad-boy look. He noticed me staring and slowly winked, then glanced around nervously. "Where's Smoky?"

I grinned. "Why, afraid he's going to beat the c.r.a.p out of you again?"

Roz growled, but I wasn't going to let him live down his claim to fame. A few months before, Smoky had made Roz his whipping boy and the incubus spent two weeks with bruises that covered his body. But most of all, he'd nursed a wounded ego and learned a severe lesson in restraining his wandering hands. At least around me.

"You're setting me up, aren't you?" He gave me one of those pleading ba.s.set-hound looks and I relented.

"Don't sweat it. Smoky was called away for a while." As quickly as I'd smiled, I sobered. "His father came to get him. Apparently there's some unfinished business Smoky ran out on. His father is a freak of nature and not to be trusted. Smoky had no choice. He had to go. He'll be back as soon as he can."

"The lizard has parents? Parents who can make him behave?" Roz shuddered. "I wouldn't want to end up on their s.h.i.t list."

"I already am," I muttered. "So, what news on the Bonecrusher?"

"Not much more than we had before. The information we had was correct. She can shift into human shape, meaning she could pa.s.s for a very tall, muscled FBH woman. She's obviously pa.s.sing right now, keeping out of sight and we can't seem to get a lead on her."

I had the feeling when we actually ferreted her out, we were going to be facing her natural form. And her natural form was truly creepshow fodder. Tales from the Crypt Tales from the Crypt scary. Otherworld scary. When she was in natural form, her torso and head were female-very human, but her body was that of a twenty-foot-long anaconda, with all the crushing power of the giant snake. scary. Otherworld scary. When she was in natural form, her torso and head were female-very human, but her body was that of a twenty-foot-long anaconda, with all the crushing power of the giant snake.

Vanzir accepted a cuppa from Iris. He balanced the saucer on one knee and took a slow sip from the steaming tea. "Carter has feelers out everywhere. He seems to think we're getting closer, but so far she's managed to elude us. She's either got one h.e.l.l of a safe house going, or some innate ability to cloak against anybody scrying for her. And none of the scouts has been able to ferret her out."

I bit my lip. "Not good. And nothing on the half-demon wizard who gated her in?"

"Again, a dead end. All the demons who've come over are accounted for-at least the ones who run in the network. Somewhere out there is a half-demon who managed to sneak Earthside and set this all up. Carter's got scouts on that trail, too."

Frustrated, I set down my cup. "We have have to know where she is and what she's up to. If she's allowed to run around loose too long, we're going to see a body count rack up." to know where she is and what she's up to. If she's allowed to run around loose too long, we're going to see a body count rack up."

"Do you think she might have something to do with the ley line energy that's been shifting?" Iris asked, sitting next to Roz, who gave her a long, slow wink. The incubus had tried getting every one of us women in bed. He'd only succeeded with Menolly at this point.

"I think it's a possibility." Morio paced over to the window, staring out. "Stacia Bonecrusher is a lamia, which means she's more powerful than Karvanak was. And we know what a ch.o.r.e it was to bring him down. We almost lost Chase and Zach to that skirmish."

"Does anybody know what kind of magic she wields? Or does she even wield magic, other than whatever she has up her sleeve naturally?" Delilah hopped up and dashed into the kitchen, and we heard the sound of cupboard doors quickly slamming open and shut. She returned with a bag of Cheetos and settled down on the sofa with her treasure.

Roz shrugged. "That's another thing we don't know." He turned to Vanzir. "Do you think Carter has anything on her magical abilities?"

"I imagine he would have told us if he has, but I'll give him a call. Wait here," the demon said and headed into the kitchen.

Delilah, whose fingers were already orange from the cheese crisps, glanced at the clock. "When are you leaving for Dahnsburg?"

I closed my eyes, resting my head against Morio's shoulder as he settled back down next to me in the overstuffed chair. "I want to leave tonight, after Menolly's awake. Delilah, you're in charge here until we get back, and I'm not sure how long it will take. We'll portal hop once we're there. We certainly don't have the time to travel by ground."

The thought of making a trip back to Otherworld both thrilled and terrified me. We didn't have time for vacations, not with the lamia in town. And now with Smoky off in the Northlands, I was worried about being a man down. But I'd been instructed to go to OW near the equinox to meet Trillian, and I desperately wanted to bring him home.

"You'll be in charge of Maggie," Iris told Delilah. "You and Menolly. I've got some things to attend to in OW and I might as well go with Camille and Morio. It's just safer that way. Roz and Vanzir will be here. Shamas, too, and Chase if you can get him free of that job of his."

"I wish Zachary was out of that wheelchair," Delilah said. "I can't believe how long he's been laid up. Karvanak almost broke his back."

"Karvanak may not have broken his spine, but he did break enough bones to keep Zach out of commission for a while, and that's not easy when you're dealing with a werepuma. I'm just grateful he survived," I said.

Weary, I glanced at the others. "Okay, we'll leave shortly after sundown, as soon as Menolly wakes up. I'm hoping we'll be back before the Moon Mother goes ripe, but I have a feeling we may not be, so tell Menolly to take the next couple of nights off and stay home because you'll be out catting around in your tabby form. There's no getting around the pull of the moon on us." I glanced over at Morio, tired and sleepy. "We'd better get changed and pull together our packs. I'd like to get in a short nap before we head out."

As we stood, Vanzir returned. His subdued look worried me. Something was up. Iris noticed it, too.

"What's going on?" she asked. "Was Carter able to tell you anything?"

He nodded. "Yeah, he managed to dig up a little more on her, but I guarantee you, you don't want to hear it. The information was hidden between the lines in her dossier. Shadow Wing's kept a tight wrap on her history because she's one of his generals, but Carter found what we're looking for, all right. The b.i.t.c.h is a necromancer."

"A necromancer?" I blinked, resisting the urge to just fall on the sofa in a stupor. "Motherf.u.c.king son of a b.i.t.c.h. No wonder we've had such a problem with creatures coming in from the Netherworld."

This was not good. So not good. Toss in the fact that she was a demon general meant Stacia wouldn't be just any ordinary bring-out-your-dead warped puppy. No, she'd be packing one h.e.l.l of an a.r.s.enal in terms of spells and firepower, and could probably wipe out Morio and me with one easy conjuration.

"What the h.e.l.l do we do now?" Roz leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and clasping his hands. "This is bad news. I wish Smoky was around."

"Should we still go?" I turned to Morio. "This puts a different spin on things."