Panther Prowling

by Yasmine Galenorn

  I came back to the conversation as Menolly was practically scolding Camille for not saying no.

  “Stop.”

  “What?” Menolly looked at me, and so did Camille.

  “Enough bickering. Enough mulling. It’s a cold, blustery evening, and we’re lucky enough to have some downtime to spend with each other. Can we just stop and enjoy it? I want to sit here with the two of you and just let everything be.” I reached out and took Camille’s hand in my left, and Menolly’s in my right.

  Menolly laughed. “All right, Kitten. I’m sorry—I get fired up and forget to stop, don’t I?”

  Camille squeezed my hand. “I’m up for just relaxing.”

  So we sat, hand in hand, as the wind whistled at the windows. The candles flickered softly and the fire danced in the hearth. We had a new demon general to find and destroy. Both Camille and I were facing major changes in our lives. And Menolly? I had the feeling she’d have to face her own inner demons soon enough, with what Nerissa had told me.

  But for now, we could push the world out. Lovers were wonderful, but sometimes we needed sister-time. To have a moment when it was just the three of us, each with our own lives, but still united.

  I looked over at the fire. The ghosts were walking tonight. They filled the world, hidden and unseen by most. But in my world they were now very real and very visible. Every day, it seemed, I slid more into the realm of the Autumn Lord.

  But right now, at this moment, I was just Delilah. Just Kitten, and Menolly and Camille and I were safe and together. We generated as much light as we could to face the growing darkness, and what kept us going was the love that united us in blood and in spirit. And so we sat in silence, with only the crackling fire singing its song to us as evening turned into night.

  CAST OF MAJOR CHARACTERS

  The D’Artigo Family

  Arial Lianan te Maria: Delilah’s twin, who died at birth. Half-Fae, half-human.

  Camille Sepharial te Maria, aka Camille D’Artigo: The oldest sister; a Moon Witch and Priestess. Half-Fae, half-human.

  Daniel George Fredericks: The D’Artigo sisters’ half cousin; FBH.

  Delilah Maria te Maria, aka Delilah D’Artigo: The middle sister; a werecat.

  Hester Lou Fredericks: The D’Artigo sisters’ half cousin; FBH.

  Maria D’Artigo: The D’Artigo sisters’ mother. Human. Deceased.

  Menolly Rosabelle te Maria, aka Menolly D’Artigo: The youngest sister; a vampire and jian-tu: extraordinary acrobat. Half-Fae, half-human.

  Sephreh ob Tanu: The D’Artigo sisters’ father. Full Fae. Deceased.

  Shamas ob Olanda: The D’Artigo sisters’ cousin. Full Fae. Deceased.

  The D’Artigo Sisters’ Lovers and Close Friends

  Astrid (Johnson): Chase and Sharah’s baby daughter.

  Bruce O’Shea: Iris’s husband. Leprechaun.

  Carter: Leader of the Demonica Vacana Society, a group that watches and records the interactions of Demonkin and human through the ages. Carter is half-demon and half-Titan—his father was Hyperion, one of the Greek Titans.

  Chase Garden Johnson: Detective, director of the Faerie-Human Crime Scene Investigation (FH-CSI) team. Human who has taken the Nectar of Life, which extends his life span beyond that of any ordinary mortal, and has opened up his psychic abilities.

  Chrysandra: Waitress at the Wayfarer Bar & Grill. Human. Deceased.

  Derrick Means: Bartender at the Wayfarer Bar & Grill. Werebadger.

  Erin Mathews: Former president of the Faerie Watchers Club and former owner of the Scarlet Harlot Boutique. Turned into a vampire by Menolly, her sire, moments before her death. Human.

  Greta: Leader of the Death Maidens; Delilah’s tutor.

  Iris (Kuusi) O’Shea: Friend and companion of the girls. Priestess of Undutar. Talon-haltija (Finnish house sprite).

  Lindsey Katharine Cartridge: Director of the Green Goddess Women’s Shelter. Pagan and witch. Human.

  Maria O’Shea: Iris and Bruce’s baby daughter.

  Marion Vespa: Coyote shifter; owner of the Supe-Urban Café.

  Morio Kuroyama: One of Camille’s lovers and husbands. Essentially the grandson of Grandmother Coyote. Youkai-kitsune (roughly translated: Japanese fox demon).

  Nerissa Shale: Menolly’s wife. Worked for Department of Social and Health Services. Now working for Chase Johnson as a victims-rights counselor for the FH-CSI. Werepuma and member of the Rainier Puma Pride.

  Roman: Ancient vampire; son of Blood Wyne, Queen of the Crimson Veil. Menolly’s official consort in the Vampire Nation and her new sire.

  Queen Asteria: The former Elfin Queen. Deceased.

  Queen Sharah: Was an elfin medic, now the new Elfin Queen; Chase’s girlfriend.

  Rozurial, aka Roz: Mercenary. Menolly’s secondary lover. Incubus who used to be Fae before Zeus and Hera destroyed his marriage.

  Shade: Delilah’s fiancé. Part Stradolan, part black (shadow) dragon.

  Siobhan Morgan: One of the sisters’ friends. Selkie (wereseal); member of the Puget Sound Harbor Seal Pod.

  Smoky: One of Camille’s lovers and husbands. Half-white, half-silver dragon.

  Tanne Baum: One of the Black Forest Woodland Fae. A member of the Hunter’s Glen Clan.

  Tavah: Guardian of the portal at the Wayfarer Bar & Grill. Vampire (full Fae).

  Tim Winthrop, aka Cleo Blanco: Computer student/genius, female impersonator. FBH. Now owns the Scarlet Harlot.

  Trillian: Mercenary. Camille’s alpha lover and one of her three husbands. Svartan (one of the Charming Fae).

  Ukkonen O’Shea: Iris and Bruce’s baby son.

  Vanzir: Was an indentured slave to the sisters, by his own choice. Dream-chaser demon who lost his powers and now is regaining new ones.

  Venus the Moon Child: Former shaman of the Rainier Puma Pride. Werepuma. One of the Keraastar Knights.

  Wade Stevens: President of Vampires Anonymous. Vampire (human).

  Zachary Lyonnesse: Former member of the Rainier Puma Pride Council of Elders. Werepuma living in Otherworld.

  GLOSSARY

  Black Unicorn/Black Beast: Father of the Dahns Unicorns, a magical unicorn that is reborn like the phoenix and lives in Darkynwyrd and Thistlewyd Deep. Raven Mother is his consort, and he is more a force of nature than a unicorn.

  Calouk: The rough, common dialect used by a number of Otherworld inhabitants.

  Court and Crown: “Crown” refers to the Queen of Y’Elestrial. “Court” refers to the nobility and military personnel that surround the queen. “Court and Crown” together refer to the entire government of Y’Elestrial.

  Court of the Three Queens: The newly risen Court of the three Earthside Fae Queens: Titania, the Fae Queen of Light and Morning; Morgaine, the half-Fae Queen of Dusk and Twilight; and Aeval, the Fae Queen of Shadow and Night.

  Crypto: One of the Cryptozoid races. Cryptos include creatures out of legend that are not technically of the Fae races: gargoyles, unicorns, gryphons, chimeras, and so on. Most primarily inhabit Otherworld, but some have Earthside cousins.

  Demon Gate: A gate through which demons may be summoned by a powerful sorcerer or necromancer.

  Demonica Vacana Society: A society run by a number of ancient entities, including Carter, who study and record the history of demonic activity over Earthside. The archives of the society are found in the Demonica Catacombs, deep within an uninhabited island of the Cyclades, a group of Grecian islands in the Aegean Sea.

  Dreyerie: A dragon lair.

  Earthside: Everything that exists on the Earth side of the portals.

  Elemental Lords: The elemental beings—both male and female—who, along with the Hags of Fate and the Harvestmen, are the only true Immortals. They are avatars of various elements and energies, and they inhabit all realms. They do as they will and seldom concern themse
lves with humankind or Fae unless summoned. If asked for help, they often exact steep prices in return. The Elemental Lords are not concerned with balance like the Hags of Fate.

  Elqaneve: The capital Elfin city in Otherworld, located in Kelvashan—the Elfin lands.

  FBH: Full-Blooded Human (usually refers to Earthside humans).

  FH-CSI: The Faerie-Human Crime Scene Investigation team. The brainchild of Detective Chase Johnson, it was first formed as a collaboration between the OIA and the Seattle police department. Other FH-CSI units have been created around the country, based on the Seattle prototype. The FH-CSI takes care of both medical and criminal emergencies involving visitors from Otherworld.

  Great Divide: A time of immense turmoil when the Elemental Lords and some of the High Court of Fae decided to rip apart the worlds. Until then, the Fae existed primarily on Earth, their lives and worlds mingling with those of humans. The Great Divide tore everything asunder, splitting off another dimension, which became Otherworld. At that time, the Twin Courts of Fae were disbanded and their queens and the Merlin were stripped of power. This was the time during which the Spirit Seal was formed and broken in order to seal off the realms from each other. Some Fae chose to stay Earthside, others moved to the realm of Otherworld, and the demons were—for the most part—sealed in the Subterranean Realms.

  Guard Des’Estar: The military of Y’Elestrial.

  Hags of Fates: The women of destiny who keep the balance righted. Neither good nor evil, they observe the flow of destiny. When events get too far out of balance, they step in and take action, usually using humans, Fae, Supes, and other creatures as pawns to bring the path of destiny back into line.

  Harvestmen: The lords of death—a few cross over and are also Elemental Lords. The Harvestmen, along with their followers (the Valkyries and the Death Maidens, for example), reap the souls of the dead.

  Haseofon: The abode of the Death Maidens—where they stay and where they train.

  Ionyc Lands: The astral, etheric, and spirit realms, along with several other lesser-known noncorporeal dimensions, form the Ionyc Lands. These realms are separated by the Ionyc Seas, a current of energy that prevents the Ionyc Lands from colliding, thereby sparking off an explosion of universal proportions.

  Ionyc Seas: The currents of energy that separate the Ionyc Lands. Certain creatures, especially those connected with the elemental energies of ice, snow, and wind, can travel through the Ionyc Seas without protection.

  Kelvashan: The lands of the elves.

  Koyanni: The coyote shifters who took an evil path away from the Great Coyote; followers of Nukpana.

  Melosealfôr: A rare Crypto dialect learned by powerful Cryptos and all Moon Witches.

  The Nectar of Life: An elixir that can extend the life span of humans to nearly the length of a Fae’s years. Highly prized and cautiously used. Can drive someone insane if he or she doesn’t have the emotional capacity to handle the changes incurred.

  Oblition: The act of a Death Maiden sucking the soul out of one of her targets.

  OIA: The Otherworld Intelligence Agency; the “brains” behind the Guard Des’Estar. Earthside Division now run by Camille, Menolly, and Delilah.

  Otherworld/OW: The human term for the “United Nations” of Faerie Land. A dimension apart from ours that contains creatures from legend and lore, pathways to the gods, and various other places, such as Olympus. Otherworld’s actual name varies among the differing dialects of the many races of Cryptos and Fae.

  Portal/Portals: The interdimensional gates that connect the different realms. Some were created during the Great Divide; others open up randomly.

  Seelie Court: The Earthside Fae Court of Light and Summer, disbanded during the Great Divide. Titania was the Seelie Queen.

  Spirit Seals: A magical crystal artifact, the Spirit Seal was created during the Great Divide. When the portals were sealed, the Spirit Seal was broken into nine gems and each piece was given to an Elemental Lord or Lady. These gems each have varying powers. Even possessing one of the spirit seals can allow the wielder to weaken the portals that divide Otherworld, Earthside, and the Subterranean Realms. If all of the seals are joined together again, then all of the portals will open.

  Stradolan: A being who can walk between worlds, who can walk through the shadows, using them as a method of transportation.

  Supe/Supes: Short for Supernaturals. Refers to Earthside supernatural beings who are not of Fae nature. Refers to Weres, especially.

  Talamh Lonrach Oll: The name for the Earthside Sovereign Fae Nation.

  Triple Threat: Camille’s nickname for the newly risen three Earthside Queens of Fae.

  Unseelie Court: The Earthside Fae Court of Shadow and Winter, disbanded during the Great Divide. Aeval was the Unseelie Queen.

  VA/Vampires Anonymous: The Earthside group started by Wade Stevens, a vampire who was a psychiatrist during life. The group is focused on helping newly born vampires adjust to their new state of existence, and to encourage vampires to avoid harming the innocent as much as possible. The VA is vying for control. Their goal is to rule the vampires of the United States and to set up an internal policing agency.

  Whispering Mirror: A magical communications device that links Otherworld and Earthside. Think magical video phone.

  Y’Eírialiastar: The Sidhe/Fae name for Otherworld.

  Y’Elestrial: The city-state in Otherworld where the D’Artigo sisters were born and raised. A Fae city, recently embroiled in a civil war between the drug-crazed tyrannical Queen Lethesanar and her more level-headed sister Tanaquar, who managed to claim the throne for herself. The civil war has ended and Tanaquar is restoring order to the land.

  Youkai: Loosely (very loosely) translated as Japanese demon/nature spirit. For the purposes of this series, the youkai have three shapes: the animal form, the human form, and the true demon form. Unlike the demons of the Subterranean Realms, youkai are not necessarily evil by nature.

  PLAYLIST FOR PANTHER PROWLING

  I write to music a good share of the time, and so I always put my playlists in the back of each book so you can see which artists/songs I listened to during the writing. Here’s the playlist for Panther Prowling:

  AJ Roach: “Devil May Dance”

  Android Lust: “Saint Over,” “Here and Now,” “God in the Hole”

  Awolnation: “Sail”

  The Black Angels: “The Return,” “You on the Run,” “Evil Things,” “Black Isn’t Black,” “Young Men Dead,” “Manipulation,” “Phosphene Dream”

  Black Rebel Motorcycle Club: “Feel It Now”

  The Bravery: “Believe”

  Broken Bells: “The Ghost Inside,” “The High Road”

  Crazy Town: “Butterfly”

  The Cure: “From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea,” “The Hanging Garden”

  Death Cab for Cutie: “I Will Possess Your Heart”

  Eastern Sun: “Beautiful Being”

  Eels: “Souljacker Part 1”

  Faun: “Iduna,” “Hymn to Pan,” “Arcadia,” “Sieben,” “Rad”

  The Feeling: “Sewn”

  Foster the People: “Pumped Up Kicks”

  Garbage: “Queer,” “#1 Crush,” “I Think I’m Paranoid”

  Gary Numan: “I Am Dust,” “Here in the Black,” “Everything Comes Down to This,” “A Shadow Falls on Me,” “Splinter,” “Haunted,” “Melt,” “Cars (re-mix),” “Petals”

  Godsmack: “Voodoo”

  In Strict Confidence: “Silver Bullets,” “Snow White,” “Tiefer,” “Silver Tongues”

  Kyuss: “Space Cadet”

  Lady Gaga: “Teeth,” “I Like It Rough,” “Paparazzi”

  Ladytron: “Destroy Everything You Touch,” “I’m Not Scared,” “Ghosts,” “Black Cat”

  Mark Lanegan: “Methamphetamine Blues,” “Phantasmagoria Blues,�
�� “Gravedigger’s Song,” “Riot in My House,” “Black Pudding,” “Pentacostal”

  Morcheeba: “Even Though”

  Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: “Red Right Hand,” “Ain’t Gonna Rain Anymore”

  REM: “Drive”

  Screaming Trees: “Where the Twain Shall Meet,” “Dime Western,” “Gospel Plow”

  Stone Temple Pilots: “Sour Girl,” “Atlanta”

  Tamaryn: “While You’re Sleeping, I’m Dreaming,” “Violet’s in a Pool,” “The Waves,” “Afterlight,” “Transcendent Blue”

  Tom Petty: “Mary Jane’s Last Dance”

  The Verve: “Bittersweet Symphony”

  Voxhaul Broadcast: “You Are the Wilderness”

  Warchild: “Ash”

  Zero 7: “In the Waiting Line”

  Dear Reader:

  I hope you enjoyed Panther Prowling. I love writing this world—seeing it develop and grow with each book. As I finish another volume in the series, I grow a bit closer to my envisioned end. For a long time, I didn’t have an end point in mind, but now I do, though it won’t take place in the next book. The characters are developing and changing along with their world in ways that make me both smile and a little teary. Please note: there will only be one Otherworld book this year and next—so look for Darkness Raging next year, around this time.

  However, I’m thrilled to announce the beginning of the Otherworld spinoff series—the Fly by Night Series. Follow the exploits of Alex Radcliffe, the gorgeous expat Aussie vampire who owns the Fly by Night Magical Investigations Agency, and Shimmer, a blue dragon shifter who was exiled from the Dragon Reaches and must go to work for Alex. They take on all manner of beasties while trying to keep their escalating love-hate relationship under control. The first book in this series will be Flight from Death, coming this year, in July 2015. I’m enclosing the first chapter here as a teaser, to give you a taste of what’s coming up for Alex and Shimmer.

  And then, this autumn, you’ll get to read Autumn Thorns, the first book in yet another new series I’m writing. The Whisper Hollow Series follows the story of Kerris Fellwater, a shrine keeper who attempts to put the dead to rest. Kerris returns to her hometown of Whisper Hollow, Washington, after her grandparents die and leave her their home. Located near Lake Crescent on the Olympic Peninsula, Whisper Hollow is a town where ghosts walk among the living and Bigfoot makes house calls. In Whisper Hollow, not only do monsters hide in the shadows, but so do secrets of the heart, and love can be as dangerous as anything else that lurks in the dark.