Harvest Hunting

by Galenorn, Yasmine

  Carter nodded for me to sit. We were all here—all except Iris—and I was frustrated, wanting to find her. Now.

  “I hate to interrupt, but considering what your sisters have told me,” he said, nodding to me, “it’s imperative that I do.”

  “What is it?” I looked over at Kim, who sat unmoving, eyes cast down at the floor. A red mark on her cheek told me she’d been slapped and slapped hard.

  “Remember how you were thinking there might be a leak in information? Someone feeding your moves to the Bonecrusher so she’d stay one step ahead of you?” His lips were tight, and I suddenly understood the chains around Kim.

  “Oh, not you, Kim.” I looked at her, but she wouldn’t meet my eyes. I glanced over at Camille and Menolly. Both looked ready to kill. “Is this true?”

  “It’s true,” Carter said. “I found her copying my notes, and she also had a tape—she’s been recording our conversations and taking them back to her new mistress. My foster daughter has put you into grave danger. There’s no way I can ever atone for her actions, but I can help you now.”

  “But why? How? I thought Kim was . . .”

  “She doesn’t have to speak to relay information. She’s highly intelligent, can read and write with ease . . . she’s mute, not mentally deficient. And apparently her mother’s blood is stronger than her father’s, because she’s chosen to walk the path of the Demonkin rather than find her own balance within society.”

  Carter glared at her, and she shrank back, wincing. “I should kill you here, now, without another word. You ungrateful turncoat. You traitorous bitch. I treat you like my own daughter, and this is how you repay me.”

  The look in Carter’s eyes made my stomach knot. He was furious, and I was afraid he’d make good on his threat. “We need to know what she told them. We need to know what she knows about them. Don’t hurt her. Yet.” I glanced at her, and she met my eyes then, contemptuous and sullen. “We can’t trust her to give us the proper information, so what do we do? And she can’t talk . . .”

  Vanzir stood up. “You know I can get in her mind. Knock her out, and I’ll go in and find out what she knows. I can dig through her defenses, and she won’t be able to stop me.”

  A dream chaser demon, Vanzir could do exactly what he said. He could feed on her life force, too, if he wanted. I looked at Menolly and Camille. They nodded. We had no choice—we had to know what Kim had told Stacia. She’d probably listened in on every conversation we’d had with Carter and every bit of information he’d called us about.

  “Do it. You can find out why she’s chosen to align herself with them, too.” I stood up and walked over to Kim, who flinched away. “Menolly, can you mesmerize her like you can an FBH?”

  “I’m more than willing to try.” She strode over to where Kim was sitting and yanked her to her feet, baring her fangs. “Don’t resist, or I will do it the bloody way. Got it?”

  The girl nodded, now looking petrified more than angry. Menolly leaned close and whispered something in her ear, grazing Kim’s neck with her fangs, slowly slicing through the flesh to bite deep and hard. Kim gave a silent gasp, and a look of bliss washed across her face as Menolly lapped at the blood trickling out of the puncture.

  After a moment, my sister pulled back. Kim was in a stupor, and Menolly said, “Sleep. Sleep until you are commanded to wake. Do not resist—open your mind, and slumber.” Her voice was so hypnotic it made me want to sleep, but I shook my head and caught Kim as her knees buckled. We laid her out on the sofa.

  “Do you need privacy?” I asked Vanzir.

  “It would probably help. I’ll let you know when I’m done. It shouldn’t be too long.” He flushed, and I remembered how much he loved to feed and how he did his best to avoid it. Life force was addictive, and Vanzir was a demon who didn’t really like himself or what he did.

  As we escorted Carter into the kitchen, Menolly opted to stay and guard Vanzir, just in case anything went awry.

  I placed Iris’s wand on the table. It looked forlorn, and I winced, hanging my head. “I can’t stand that she’s in danger. I can’t stand that they may have her.”

  “I can’t believe that Kim is a traitor.” Camille leaned over and pulled Iris’s wand to her. “I hope we’re wrong. I hope Iris is just hiding someplace where she can’t hear us. Carter, how did Kim fool you?”

  He blushed, staring at his hands on the table. “Again, my apologies. I thought Kim was happy. I thought . . .” With a shrug, the demon leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. “I came home today and found Kim listening to a tape. She didn’t expect me till later, and she had all sorts of documents lined up on the desk—private, confidential documents. Not only about you but about other members of the Demon Underground here . . . the demons who all hope Shadow Wing will fail. When she saw me, she tried to hide everything, but despite my brace, I’m quick, and I’m powerful. I stayed her, and once I looked through the reports, it was obvious she was spying on my clients and me. I wasn’t sure who for first, but then . . . then I found this in her purse.”

  He tossed a necklace on the table. A gold snake. “That’s the symbol of Stacia’s troops—the golden serpent. Only her most trusted confidants wear them, her spies and cronies. I recognized it from all the research I’ve done on her. Kim’s been a spy for her since . . . well . . . I don’t know how long. But long enough to muck things up for you.”

  “We talked about the ley line that ran through Harold Young’s house into the graveyard in front of her—after you bought the land. Stacia must know we’re the ones who broke her spell.” I moaned, rubbing my head. “You tell us every time you’ve got a new sighting, but by the time we get there, she’s gone. Kim’s been warning her.”

  “No wonder we haven’t been able to get to the bitch!” Morio grumbled, slamming his fist on the table.

  “What are you going to do with Kim after we’ve got our information?” Camille caught Carter’s gaze.

  He met her eyes, unblinking. “Traitors are worse than enemies. There is only one punishment for treason. It can be quick, or it can be drawn out. I have no taste for torture, but I’m sure that if I told Stacia that Kim confessed she’d been spying, the Bonecrusher would love to have her little stool pigeon back. But there’s an old adage among my mother’s people: Do not leave your enemy alive. They will return to bite you. Kim is now one of the enemy. If I let her go, she’ll come back to haunt us. As much as this whole affair pains me, I’m afraid I’ll have to put her to death.”

  The words were cold but true. If we left her alive, she’d be so angry we found out that she’d do her best to run back to Stacia and do her best to help them against us. “How . . .” I wasn’t sure how to ask what I wanted to ask.

  Carter gave me a cold smile. “I have many powers from both my father, Hyperion, and my mother. Don’t forget, I am of the Demonkin as well. I’ll give her better than she deserves—a quick and painless end. But make no mistake: Kim has chosen her fate.”

  As Morio took Maggie on his lap, there was a shimmer in the kitchen. I pulled out my dagger, jumping to my feet, but Arial, who was padding around in her spirit shape, growled a warning.

  No, don’t attack.

  “Arial says don’t attack.” I lowered my blade, waiting to see what was coming through. The men stood at the ready, waiting. As the shimmer grew brighter, a low sepia-toned mist spilled out from its center, and then, a brilliant light flashed as two figures stepped out of the roiling smoke.

  Out of the mist stepped a man, a wave of energy rocking the kitchen. He stopped, his gaze fastened on me.

  Shade.

  And behind him raced a much shorter figure. Iris. As they materialized in the room, Arial quietly slipped away, brushing me with her astral tail. I smiled, content that I knew how to contact her now.

  Iris gave one long cry of joy and threw herself into Camille’s arms.

  Smoky let out a low growl as he faced Shade, but I pushed past him. First, before anything, I yanked Iris into my
own embrace and kissed her forehead.

  “Thank the gods you’re alive—we were terrified Stacia got hold of you. What happened? Where did you come from?”

  I found her when I showed up, looking for you.” Shade’s voice, honey on peaches, washed over me, and I turned, sliding into his arms as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “I felt you put on my ring.”

  In a louder voice so everyone could hear, he said, “I came as soon as I could. I had no idea I’d show up in the middle of an invasion. Your friend was running from one of the beasts in the woods. I caught her up and shifted over to the shadow realm before she could be mauled by that mockery of a life-form.”

  “You’re Shade,” Camille said, stepping forward. “Delilah’s new . . . her . . .” She stopped, blushing. “Welcome, and please, don’t mind some of us who happen to be a bit churlish.” She gave Smoky a long look. “We came home to find Iris missing and demons rampaging through the place. It’s been one hell of a night, and we’re suspicious about everything and everyone.”

  The others gathered in, greeting him and hugging Iris as I stood back, wondering how this was going to play out.

  Smoky and Shade circled each other warily, eyeing one another like two male lions. Camille looked at me, then grabbed my hand and dragged me into the center between them.

  “Listen, dudes—we have no time for your posturing. We have a crisis on hand, and if you two want to play king of the dreyerie, it will just have to fucking wait. Got it?” She rested her hands on her hips, glaring at Smoky.

  His lip twitched, even as his gaze flickered over our heads to stare at Shade. A moment later, he let out a long sigh and backed off.

  “My wife requests we give it a rest. What say you, Master of Shadows?”

  Shade glanced at Camille, then at me. “Is her sister just as demanding?”

  “In other ways, I’m sure. At least my wife doesn’t turn into a tabby cat and play with my toes at night, as I’ve heard Delilah is wont to do.” Smoky gave me a snarky grin, then abruptly sat down again, pulling Camille onto his lap.

  Shade nodded to him, taking a seat and motioning for me to sit near him. “Have you told them, my dear?”

  “Yeah, I thought it best not to leave you for a last-minute surprise.” I laughed. “Of course I told them.”

  “Already she starts,” Shade said. He turned to Iris. “Milady, did you suffer any damage traveling through the astral?”

  Roz held out a chair for Iris, and she settled herself into it. “No, I’m fine. And thank you again for saving my life.”

  “How about you tell us what went down?” I gave her the once-over. She didn’t look hurt. Shook up? Yes. But Iris was a lot tougher than she looked.

  She picked up her wand, making sure it was all right, fingering the crystal reverently. “I was tending Maggie in the kitchen, when I heard a noise out front. I had a really bad feeling, so I ran Maggie to her playpen in Menolly’s lair and then came back to see what was going on. I went outside and saw the Tregarts. I raced back into the house to get my wand and call you when I heard them coming through the front door, so I dropped out of my bedroom window—and let me tell you, that’s a long drop for someone like me—and raced into the woods.”

  She sucked in deep breath, wincing. “I thought I was a goner. One of those beasts saw me. He followed me into the woods, and I got myself off the trail. He followed me and was using his fiery breath, but I hit him a good one with frost shards from my wand, and it stopped him. I started to run again but tripped and lost hold of my wand. By that point, he was coming at me again, and I left the wand and ran through the woods. I could hear him as I backtracked, trying to reach the path so I could move faster.”

  I could see it—Iris, racing through the undergrowth, trying to scramble over the tree trunks that were nearly as tall as she was, with a fire-breathing demon on her tail. The thought made me shiver. We’d lost friends. We could lose her, too.

  “I’m so sorry—we should never have left you alone.” Rage flooded over me. “Stacia can’t have another one of our friends. She killed Henry, and it stops there. I promise, we’ll make sure we leave you with a guard from now on. And we’ll reinforce the house against the demons.” A snarl rose up, and I wanted nothing more than to shift back into panther form and go rip up the nearest enemy—which happened to be Kim.

  Shade reached over and placed a hand on my shoulder. I looked into his eyes and lost myself in the molten chocolate. His touch was like warm sugar on a cool autumn night.

  Taking a deep breath, I shook off the desire to destroy and exhaled in a long, slow stream. “What happened after that?”

  Iris bit her lip, drawing blood. “I made it to the path, and as I raced out of the wood, I ran smack into Shade here. I knew who he was immediately—you described him very well.” She flushed, giving him a shy smile. “And he whisked me up and over to the realm of shadow. Anyway, Master Shade here, he saved my butt, and I will forever be grateful to him.”

  “My pleasure, Mistress Ar’jant d’tel.” At her sharp look, he smiled gently. “Make no mistake, I see the cloak you wore—and you still wear in your aura. You cannot wield such power and expect to hide it from Dragonfolk, nor deny you own it. Can she, Master Smoky?”

  Smoky let out a harrumph and cleared his throat. “I refrained from bringing it up because I believe it involves some painful memories, but yes. There is truth in what you say. I lived in the Northlands. You are steeped in the energy of the ice and snow, Iris, and anybody who’s lived in the high ranges can sense it.”

  Just then, Vanzir came in, followed by Menolly. We all stopped, waiting.

  “I know where Stacia is hiding.” He motioned toward Menolly, who tossed a steno pad on the table. “We can get her, if we go now. We can take her down, because she won’t be expecting this. She has no clue Kim’s been outted. There’s not a single cord connecting the two psychically. I also know her weakness—Kim observed it, though Stacia seems to have no clue that anybody else knows.”

  “Why . . . why did my foster daughter do this?” Carter started to stand, then fell back in his chair, his voice cracking.

  This was tearing him up. I could see it, and it made me want to go over and wrap my arms around him and whisper that everything would be okay. Which it wouldn’t, but the desire was still there.

  “Kim wants to be powerful. She hates her human half, and she hates her mother for abandoning her. Stacia’s a strong role model, if you like überbitches. Kim wanted to explore her demon heritage, and you never gave her permission for that. You raised her to be human. She despises what she perceives as her vulnerabilities.” Menolly was reading off the steno pad. She looked up and shrugged. “I just took down what Vanzir told me.”

  Carter hung his head. “I was trying to raise her to be civilized. I would have eventually taken her to meet her grandfather and asked that he help her.”

  “Does she know who you are?” I asked.

  He shook his head. “No . . . I had not yet told her. I didn’t want . . . I didn’t want her to grow up thinking she could have everything she wanted just by asking merely because she’s the foster daughter of a half-Titan. I couldn’t give her back her speech, but there are so many things I would have given her over time.”

  “I’m afraid it’s too late.” Vanzir let out a long sigh—whether of impatience or frustration, I wasn’t sure.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Kim couldn’t handle having me probe her mind. She went into a deep coma—so deep I couldn’t reach her. When I disconnected . . . she died.”

  Carter let out a cry and pushed away from the table. For a moment I thought he was going to attack Vanzir, but he just limped past him, heading toward the living room. We could hear him sobbing.

  “He really did love her.” I glanced at the hallway. “Someone should go comfort him, but I’m not sure who would do best.”

  “Let me,” Camille said. “I did this for you when Mother died. I’m used to it.” She
headed down the hall, and we could hear her voice, slightly muffled, settle into a soothing cadence.

  Smoky frowned but said nothing.

  Trillian shook his head. “Damn it . . . she shouldn’t have to do that. She’s suffering enough right now, with her father disowning her. Speaking of which, I’d like to kill that fucking self-righteous bastard. I don’t care what you”—he glanced at Menolly—“or you”—and then at me—“think about that. I won’t touch him because Sephreh is your father, and Camille wouldn’t forgive me, but the man makes me want to kick his ass from here to Dahnsburg.”

  “Camille gives help as a matter of course,” I said. “I think it’s part of who she is. And when she hurts, it makes her feel better to help someone else. A displaced way of soothing her own worries. We can talk about Father later, though. Right now, we need to plan out a strike on Stacia. Vanzir, do you really think it’s possible?”

  He thought for a moment, then nodded. “It won’t be easy, that I can tell you—but I guarantee you, if we go in fully armed and with every person we can, we have a chance of taking her down.”

  “Then let’s do it.” I pulled over the steno pad and got out my laptop. “Tell us everything you know—and everything that we need to know. And don’t leave anything out. When we walk out of her safe house, I want her head on a stick and her body sliced to ribbons. Leave no one standing.”

  CHAPTER 22

  After Carter left, carrying Kim’s body with him, we swung into action, printing out maps and raiding our arsenal as we gathered anything and everything we could take with us that might have an effect on the Bonecrusher.

  Vanzir came through the door, leading Amber by the hand. Chase was right on his heels. “I called him,” he said before I could ask why Chase was following him. “After I realized what Kim had done. I figured we’d be going for Stacia, and Amber would need to be protected.”

  Amber looked shaken. “All the dead bodies out there . . .”