"Good evening," I said, giving her a quick smile. Janet had a strong influence on Sa.s.sy. Stay on her good side and treat her with respect and she'd go out of her way to help you if she could. Sa.s.sy was rather scatterbrained, and Janet watched over her like a mother hen.

"Evening, Miss Menolly," the older woman said. Tall, with snow white hair and skin barely beyond the albino white of my own complexion, Janet carried herself with a Julia Child hump. She never gave any indications of being tired or in pain, and was always impeccably dressed in a linen skirt suit.

"Miss Sa.s.sy's waiting in the parlor for you." She gestured to the first door on the right.

"Thank you." As I opened the door, the stark whiteness of the room blinded me, contrasting with the brick red of the stuccoed hallway.

Sa.s.sy's parlor was as cla.s.sy as her entire life had been. Not a speck of dust dared to linger on the highly polished tables, every plant was lush and green. Each morning, Janet opened the heavy velvet drapes and windows, allowing the room to air out so it always smelled fresh and clean.

Sa.s.sy, wearing a pale blue Ann Taylor pantsuit, was sitting in a wingback chair upholstered in a neutral jacquard. Her hair, as usual, was perfectly coiffed. She'd been agonizing whether or not to dye it for weeks now.

"If it's horrid, then I'll have to bleach it back," she'd say.

"So don't do it," I'd answered back.

"But I miss having gorgeous red hair-I want hair the color of yours."

And I'd shake my head and remind her that, vampire or not, abuse the hair often enough and she'd end up sporting an eternal bald spot.

I knew it wasn't exactly PC, but at the core, I was relieved that-if I had to be turned into a vampire-at least I'd been young and in good health when it happened. Barring the little gifts gifts Dredge left on my skin, that is. Dredge left on my skin, that is.

"Menolly!" Sa.s.sy jumped up, a brilliant smile spreading across her face. She held out her arms and I reluctantly let her embrace me. She kissed me on both cheeks. Air kisses, yeah, but I didn't really like being touched by anyone other than my sisters or Iris. "What brings you to visit?"

"May I?" I pointed to a rocking chair. Single seat, so Sa.s.sy couldn't sit too close.

"Of course. Make yourself comfortable."

I glanced around the room, taking in the fine art and sculptures and baby grand piano, all of which reminded visitors they were in the presence of old money. "I wondered if you'd heard about anything odd going on in the vampire community during the last few days?"

She narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean? What's happened?"

"There have been seven murders this week that we know of. Three last night in the Green Lake area. They were all killed by vampires, and all of them rose." I watched her closely, looking for some sign of recognition in her face, but she only looked shocked.

"No," she said, her hand fluttering to her throat. "Seven? Are you sure? How horrible."

I believed her. Sa.s.sy was good, but not good enough to hide guilt. Unlike a lot of vamps, she still had a conscience.

"All too sure. I had to kill three of them tonight. Staked them with the help of an incubus bounty hunter." I paused, then plunged ahead. "I've only told you a little about my own transformation. Thing is, we think that the vamps who tortured and turned me have made their way Earthside. For what ends, I'm not sure, but whatever it is, trust me, it's not good. Their leader-Dredge, my sire-is a s.a.d.i.s.t. His greatest joy is inflicting pain on others."

Sa.s.sy's look of disbelief shifted into dumbfoundedness. "Oh my G.o.d. Menolly, do you think they're after you?"

I stopped short. That particular thought hadn't really occurred to me. We'd a.s.sumed they were searching for a way into the Subterranean Realms, but maybe we were wrong. Wisteria also had a grudge against me-against all of us, actually. If she had paired up specifically with the Elwing Blood Clan, there might be a personal motive behind the attacks, rather than some grand plan involving Shadow Wing.

"Holy s.h.i.t, I hadn't thought of that," I said.

Sa.s.sy shook her head. "I'm not sure what else you think they might be up to, but that would be my first line of thought. Does your sire have a grudge against you?"

I blinked. "That's like asking if Hannibal Lecter has a grudge against his victims. It's simply... my sire enjoyed playing with toys."

"But you escaped. You aren't with the clan, are you?" She stared right through me and I got the feeling she was reading more than I wanted her to. "Just what did he do to you?"

I debated. Could she handle it? She was a vampire, true, but she still had that gentle side to her that had won her a whole pa.s.sel of friends during life.

"You know," she said, leaning back on the divan where she was sitting as she dangled one diamond-studded wrist over the back. "I have my own secrets. If they'd have gotten out while I was alive, they could have destroyed my place in society. Especially when I was a teenager in the late sixties."

Not sure where she was going with this, I c.o.c.ked my head. "Really?"

She nodded. "Oh my, yes. For me, the sixties were an era of parties and sororities and finishing schools. The unrest of the youth culture pa.s.sed me by, much to my parents' relief. They bundled me off to a finishing school in France, sure that I'd come home the perfect, proper young socialite ready to take her place in society."

"And did you?"

She gave me a slow smile and I realized just how stunning she must have been when she was young. She was still a beauty, but the bloom of youth must have added a striking flourish to her looks.

"What my parents didn't realize is that during those last two years in France, I discovered that I prefer... the company of women. Thanks to a wonderful girl named Claudine. I realized that I'm a lesbienne lesbienne, as Claudine put it. We had a torrid affair for ten months, and then fought over something-I don't remember what. I was devastated. Claudine left me and I finished up school and returned home." Sa.s.sy motioned to the walls and the ceiling. "And this, this is where I ended up."

Delilah had mentioned something about Sa.s.sy making a pa.s.s at her but I thought that had started after she'd been turned, not before. "But you were married for years and years..."

"Oh yes," Sa.s.sy said. "I was married, and Johan was a lovely man. He took care of me and I looked good on his arm at parties and dinner functions. I stood behind him, put my money and family name behind him. He rose in the world of medicine and made sure that I never wanted for anything. He had a few affairs, but then, so did I. We were both discreet. And then, he retired, and three months later, he died." Her eyes clouded over with tears, bloodred, and she blinked them away.

"Did you love him?" I asked, caught up in her story.

She thought about it for a moment. "Yes, I believe I did. But not in the way one has pa.s.sion for a lover. I loved him because he was a good man, he respected me, and he never embarra.s.sed me. When he died I thought, Perhaps now I can come out of the closet Perhaps now I can come out of the closet-reveal myself for who I really am. But then I looked around at my friends. They're wonderful people, but set in their ways, and I knew... I knew that if I told them the truth, they'd leave me."

"I see." And I did. If her friends deserted her, she'd have no one to turn to. She'd had one daughter, who died young from a drowning accident. Most of Sa.s.sy's own family was probably dead by now.

"Well, it didn't matter so much at first. I had finally made the decision to disrupt my life, shake things up a little. I thought about moving to Soho or San Francisco. But then one night I met Takiya at a party. He was handsome, and suave. I thought he just wanted a friend, and when he called, he sounded lonely so I invited him over for dinner. I had no idea I was on the menu."

She raised her head, a rueful smile on her lips. "He'd fallen for me and turned me into a vampire to keep me with him. I was horrified. The irony, though, is that two nights after I rose, someone staked Takiya. He vanished in a puff of ash, and now I have to face eternity alone."

"Who staked him?" I had a sneaking suspicion of the answer.

With a toothy grin, she said, "I did. I had just started figuring out how to spend the rest of my life in the open, to be who I really am, and he went and screwed it up." She c.o.c.ked her head. "Do you know why I'm telling you all of this?"

At my bewildered shake of the head, she laughed. "I thought not. I told you my story for two reasons. One: If I tell you my secrets, you'll know that you can tell me yours. Sharing builds trust, Menolly. And the second reason... I don't approve of siring others. Not unless they beg for it, not unless they're dying and they ask you for help and you know-you absolutely know-they won't regret it. Whoever's attacking these poor people has to be stopped. It's bad enough to bleed them dry, but to raise them into the life against their will? That's unconscionable."

As she spoke, I began to sense her strength, the will behind her words. I gazed into her eyes and thought, Here's a woman who understands what it means to stand up for a cause you believe in Here's a woman who understands what it means to stand up for a cause you believe in. She'd staked her own sire-an invitation to disaster if any of his other children of blood were in the area.

"Wade and the V.A. group are the only reasons I haven't walked out into the daylight," she added. "He gives me hope. Maybe we can't stop vampirism from spreading, but maybe we can put a dent in the violence and b.l.o.o.d.y mess it causes. We can't deny our natures, but we can control them."

I leaned back, positive that she had nothing to do with the murders. "I take it that you haven't heard anything that would lead you to suspect any local vamps who might be doing this?"

"The sun is due to rise in an hour or so. You'd better get along home." She rose and rang the bell to summon Janet. "It's well known that I staked Takiya. I sincerely doubt if I'll ever be privy to any secrets from other vampires. I'll keep my ears open, though. And do a little snooping. I still have a few contacts in the right places."

I took the hint and rose, heading toward the foyer. "Thanks, Sa.s.sy."

At the door, I paused, my hand on the k.n.o.b. Without looking back, I said, "Dredge tortured me until I went mad. First, he used his fingernails and a small dull knife to lacerate every inch of my body except my hands, feet, and face. He worked slowly, millimeter by millimeter. Then he raped me until I thought I was going to die from the bitter chill of his flesh. After that, Dredge slit his wrist and forced me to drink. When I rose, he sent me home to feed on my family."

Behind me, Sa.s.sy gasped.

"Some secrets are better left secrets," I said. "But you asked. I want you to understand just what kind of monsters we're up against. Are you game? Will you help us if we need you?"

"You can count on me," she murmured.

I nodded before closing the door behind me. First light wasn't far off, and it was time to sleep.

CHAPTER 8.

My dreams were silent on Sat.u.r.day, a welcome relief. When Camille woke me near sundown, she and Delilah had already eaten. Iris was busy burping Maggie. I dressed quickly, throwing on a pair of black jeans and a brick red turtleneck, then a black denim jacket to match. As I slid on my stiletto ankle boots, Camille sat on the bed decked out in a gauzy skirt and skintight bustier, a preoccupied look on her face.

"Something wrong?" I slipped into my bathroom and quickly lined my lips with peach gloss, adding a dusting of emerald shadow and a thin line of black around my eyes before finishing up with a sweep of mascara.

I'd never felt the need for makeup until my skin color decided to move beyond the pale. Even then, it took coming Earthside to jog me into action. After a few disasters thanks to the twenty-four-hour drugstore cosmetics counter, Camille had gotten into the act. She went shopping for me during the day, when the department stores were open, and came home carrying bag after bag of cosmetics until we'd found the perfect look using cosmetics that didn't react with my skin's chemistry. Now, five minutes in front of the mirror made me go from death warmed over to glamour chic. I was still terribly pale, but at least I looked good.

She sighed as I returned to the bedroom. "I spent the afternoon with Morio. Trillian walked in on us."

I let out a loud guffaw. "Oh boy, I wish I'd been a fly on the wall for that one! What happened?" Unlike Delilah, I dove right in with questions unless the topic was off-limits. Blunt was my middle name. Okay, it wasn't. My middle name was Rosabelle, but I wasn't reticent about poking about when the door was left ajar.

Camille leaned back, her arms folded behind her head. She stared at the ceiling. "Morio had partially transformed and we were getting pretty d.a.m.ned hot. His fangs were out in full force and his claws had emerged. Not only that, but his eyes were glowing and he looked like he'd jumped right out of the bowels of h.e.l.l. Gorgeous, but scary."

"You really don't like vanilla, do you?" I stared at her, grinning. So she liked f.u.c.king Morio when he was in his demonic form? And apparently this hadn't been the first time. "Go on, what happened?"

"The thing is, Trillian's never asked much about what I do with Morio. As long as we all keep our calendars straight." She sat up, the corners of her eyes crinkling. "Oh Menolly, I had such a hard time keeping from laughing. Trillian looked like he was going to have a fit."

"p.i.s.sed, huh?"

"No, that's the thing. He wasn't mad, he was just... well... he looked almost shocked. I guess he didn't know just how far on the fringe I'm willing to play. But you see, when Morio transforms, he takes me to a whole different place-it's like we enter a different world. I can't reach there with anybody else."

"Did Trillian threaten to Cuisinart Morio?" Her oath-lover routinely threatened to slice up the fox demon but we all knew it was just talk. At least, it was just talk as long as Morio acknowledged that Trillian held alpha male status in Camille's life.

With a visible swallow, Camille shook her head. "Not exactly."

"Then what's the problem?" I asked, getting a little impatient.

"I don't know if there is one. You see, Trillian demanded to stay and watch. Before I knew what was happening, he was right in there with us. Trillian isn't bi, he isn't into men, and neither is Morio. And I ended up having the best s.e.x of my life. Now Trillian's decided that a real triad isn't such a bad idea. He likes to see me... happy."

Well, this this wasn't what I'd expected to hear. I scrunched up beside her, folding my legs into the lotus position. "So how does Morio feel about this?" I asked, suddenly grinning. It felt so good to dish like normal sisters about something other than Shadow Wing and war and bloodshed. wasn't what I'd expected to hear. I scrunched up beside her, folding my legs into the lotus position. "So how does Morio feel about this?" I asked, suddenly grinning. It felt so good to dish like normal sisters about something other than Shadow Wing and war and bloodshed.

Camille let out a low laugh. "He's hard to read. He's not possessive, though if I were in danger he'd kill for me without a second thought. But he... he just welcomed Trillian onto the bed." She gave me a soft smile.

"As long as you're happy," I said, gazing at her.

"I am," she said. "I guess I take after our father's people a lot more than Mother's, but I know I'll never fit into either world."

I shook my head. "You fit fine in both. You just stand out. Delilah's the one who has trouble fitting in, back home in OW. Regardless of the mercy f.u.c.k she gave to Zachary, you know her heart belongs to Chase."

Camille made a face. "Yeah, and only the G.o.ds know how she ended up with him. But that's her business." Abruptly she stood and shook out her skirt. "Ready to go? We'd better get to the meeting before too many people show up. Trillian and Morio are going to join us at the community center. Smoky said he's busy and won't be there. I have no idea what he's doing, nor did I ask."

I raised an eyebrow. "Smoky's a big complication in your life. And there isn't much you can do about it." Dragons made their own rules. Learn that and you were halfway home to avoid being eaten by one.

"Tell me something I don't know," she said. "Think we'll ever know his real name?"

I snorted. "Oh sure, any day now. Hey, if he decides to kill us, he might just spill it." At her look, I said, "Honestly, ask a stupid question, get a stupid answer. You know very well that dragons guard their names like they horde gold. They're all a bunch of mercenaries." I expected her to argue but she just laughed.

"You got me there," she said as she headed up the stairs. "But sometimes they're too d.a.m.ned gorgeous for their own good-or ours." I followed silently behind her. At least we couldn't complain that our lives were boring.

Chase was waiting for us when we entered the living room. Delilah had volunteered him to watch Maggie, and he'd reluctantly agreed.

"I still think I should go to the meeting with you," he said.

Delilah laughed. "Oh come on, Chase. No way. For one thing, we promised everybody that at the first meeting, we wouldn't allow any FBHs around. If we break that promise, there will never be another meeting, I'll guarantee you that. I'll fill you in on everything when we get home. Be good, sweetie." She leaned down to cadge a kiss from him. He broke into a boyish grin and pulled her onto his lap.

"All right, you two, break it up," I said, bringing Maggie in from the kitchen. Her face, oddly cherubic, lit up when she saw Chase. For some reason, the gargoyle liked him. "Here, lover boy, take care of her while we're gone."

"Okay, okay," he said as Delilah climbed off his lap and he cuddled Maggie in the nook of his arm. "Just make sure that you don't leave me here all night. I'm not cut out for babysitting."

"Tell me another one," I said. "You look every bit the part of a proud papa."

Chase planted Maggie on one knee as Delilah handed him the remote. Iris brought him a tray with a bowl of chips and a couple cans of Sprite. She set it on the table next to him. Maggie busied herself playing with a plush bear that he'd bought her for Yuletide, and together, they looked entirely comfortable.

"Okay, okay... get out of here. Be safe. Hurry back," he said, shooing us out.

Iris rode with me as we headed out to the Supe meeting. Delilah took her Jeep and Camille, her Lexus. We might have to split up afterward and we'd learned the value in taking multiple vehicles. It cut down on scrambling for a ride. The motor of my Jag purred in the dark crystalline night as we sped along toward the V.A. building.

Iris had donned her blue dress and white cloak for the meeting. Her ankle-length golden hair was braided into an intricate design on her head. After a moment she said, "Bruce called me today."

"Bruce?" For a moment I drew a blank, then I remembered. "The sprite in the bar the other night?"

"Actually, he's a leprechaun. He asked me out on a date next week. I can't believe it-after thirty years, I'm finally wading back into the dating pool!"

"It's not like you haven't had other offers," I said. "Henry Jeffries adores you."

She made a face. "Henry Jeffries is a very nice man, but I'm not looking for a human companion, and he's too old for me. I may be older than he is in terms of years, but I'm still young enough to want a family and he's... well... it's just out of the question."

I repressed a smile. When Camille's devoted customer, Henry Jeffries, had finally steeled up his nerve to ask Iris out, she'd pleaded a stomachache. The second time, she feigned a headache. The third time, she couldn't come up with an excuse and had half-heartedly gone to the movies with him. He'd been a perfect, old-school gentleman and she'd been bored out of her mind. Since then, she'd made sure to stay out of the Indigo Crescent on the days she thought he was likely to come in. One of these days, she was going to deal with his infatuation.

"You're underestimating your influence on men, my dear."