After a few minutes it was apparent she wasn’t going to budge.
Shade pushed himself to a sitting position. What could he use to get her out? He glanced around the room, and then saw the plant mister. He’d used it on occasion when she got too rambunctious and he wanted her to quit bugging him. Now, he picked it up and leaned over so she could see him.
“I don’t want to have to use this. Delilah, come out of there.” He shook the bottle.
The water sloshed. Delilah let out another mew and began to back toward the other side of the bed. As he shook it again, she popped out the other side and headed for the door. Without pausing, Shade dropped the mister and once again, shifted through the Ionyc Seas, emerging behind her. If she tried to race back under the bed, she’d have to go around him.
She darted to the left, but he was faster this time and caught her up, trying to avoid hurting her further. Delilah let out a soft cry, then snuggled against him. Shade carried her downstairs where she reluctantly allowed him put her in the carrier. As they headed out into the night, he was grateful he’d gotten his license and could drive her Jeep. Otherwise it would be a cold, blustery walk in the rain.
The vet stared at Delilah. “Last time I saw her, she was six feet tall.” He let out a laugh. “She brought in a couple of mice for treatment.”
Not only was the vet aware of who Delilah was, but Mallen had been correct: He was Earthside Fae.
“She’s under a spell that backfired. Either she can’t—or won’t—turn back. A gremlin snagged her a good one.” Shade frowned. “She’ll be okay, won’t she, doc?”
Dr. Burberry listened to her heart and then gently examined the scratches. “I’ll get you some salve for these so they’ll heal up without infection. She’s lucky. The gremlin didn’t scratch terribly deep. That and the fact that she’s a Were made all the difference. If she were just a regular cat? She’d probably need to be hospitalized.” He paused, then a sly grin stole across his face. “You say she can’t turn back just yet? What a pity. Oh, but I forgot—I really need to take her temperature.” He winked at Shade and held up the thermometer. “Hold her while I grab her tail, won’t you?”
Delilah yowled, loudly, and seconds later, her golden fur shimmered as she shifted back into human form. The next moment, she had practically fallen off the exam table, which was made for regular size cats, not six-foot tall women.
“Welcome back.” Dr. Burberry laughed. “I thought that might make a difference.”
Shade stared at Delilah. He didn’t know whether to hug her or scold her. “You weren’t stuck?”
She blushed. “Um…no. I was…oh never mind.”
The veterinarian motioned for her to raise her shirt. “This salve will work on you regardless if you’re in cat form or Fae.” As he slathered on the medication, the bright red slashes on her side began to fade. “There. Next time, run away. Tangling with gremlins isn’t a good idea for a kitty-cat. Next time, it could be worse.”
As Shade led a very penitent Delilah out of the room, he contemplated just how much good it would do to tell her just how pissed he was. But he brushed it away. Might as well just chalk it up to a bad Friday night. And the fact was, she’d alerted him to the gremlin who had somehow managed to get through the wards.
As they headed back to the car, she reached out and took his hand.
“Forgive me? I guess…when I shifted form, I realized that I was angry. You never really asked me if I wanted to stay home. You told me we needed to. I wanted to go with the rest of our family and you didn’t listen to me at all.”
Shade bit his lip. He had known how devoted to her family she was when he met her. He just had to accept it as one of her traits.
“Yeah, I did ride over your wishes. I guess I wanted to feel like I was special in your life. Like you wanted to be with me—without needing anybody else around.”
Delilah whirled around, her eyes blazing. “I love you, Shade. Always know that. Along with my sisters, you’re the most important thing in the world to me. But face it, we’re a package deal—all of us.”
She paused, then, glancing up at the sky. The clouds were socked in, and a chill wind gusted by. “But…you know what? A weekend at home without the others might be nice. Maybe we can go out to breakfast tomorrow, and then drive out to Snoqualmie and hike around the Falls?”
Shade smiled softly. She was offering an olive branch, and so could he. “All right. Then, why don’t we plan out a big dinner for Sunday night, for when the others come back? Sunday, we can see an early movie, go shopping for groceries, and then spend the afternoon cooking. When your sisters get back, we’ll have a party.”
Delilah squeezed his hand and he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “I’d like that. A lot. It’s going to be the purr-fect weekend,” she added, as she snuggled into his embrace.
Biography:
New York Times, Publishers Weekly, and USA Today bestselling author Yasmine Galenorn writes urban fantasy and paranormal romance for Berkley: the Otherworld Series, and the upcoming Fly By Night Series and Whisper Hollow Series. In the past, she wrote the Indigo Court Series, the Chintz ‘n China Series, the Bath and Body Series (under the name India Ink). She also wrote eight nonfiction metaphysical books. She is the 2011 Career Achievement Award Winner in Urban Fantasy, given by RT Magazine.
Yasmine has been in the Craft since 1980, is a shamanic witch, and describes her life as a blend of teacups and tattoos. She lives in Kirkland WA with her husband Samwise and their cats. Yasmine can be reached via her website at www.galenorn.com.
Books by Yasmine Galenorn:
Whisper Hollow Series (in order):
Autumn Thorns (Oct 2015)
Dreaming Death (Oct 2016)
Fly By Night Series (in order):
Flight from Death (June 2015)
Flight from Mayhem (June 2016)
Otherworld Series (in order):
From Berkley and Berkley Jove
Witchling
Changeling
Darkling
Dragon Wytch
Night Huntress
Demon Mistress
Bone Magic
Harvest Hunting
Blood Wyne
Courting Darkness
Shaded Vision
Shadow Rising
Haunted Moon
Autumn Whispers
Crimson Veil
Priestess Dreaming
Panther Prowling (Jan 27, 2015)
Darkness Raging (Jan 2016)
Indigo Court Series (in order):
From Berkley and Berkley Jove
Night Myst
Night Veil
Night Seeker
Night Vision
Night’s End
Chintz ‘n China Series (in order):
From Berkley Prime Crime
Ghost of a Chance
Legend of the Jade Dragon
Murder Under a Mystic Moon
A Harvest of Bones
One Hex of a Wedding
Bath and Body Series (under the name India Ink) (in order):
From Berkley Prime Crime
Scent to Her Grave
A Blush With Death
Glossed and Found
Anthologies:
From Berkley/Berkley Jove:
Never After (Otherworld novella: The Shadow of Mist)
Inked (Otherworld novella: Etched in Silver)
Hexed (Otherworld novella: Ice Shards)
E-Novellas:
From Berkley/Berkley Jove/Berkley InterMix
The Shadow of Mist: Otherworld novella
Etched in Silver: Otherworld novella
Ice Shards: Otherworld novella
Flight From Hell: Otherworld-Fly By Night crossover novella
E-Publications
From Nightqueen Enterprises LLC
Tales From Otherworld: Collection One
Mists and Shadows: Short Tales From Dark Haunts
Men of Otherworld: Collection One
Other Anthologies:
From Simon & Schuster, Pocket Star, Smart Pop Books, Poisoned Pen Press, Nightqueen Enterprise LLC:
Songs of Love & Death (short story: Man in the Mirror)
Songs of Love and Darkness (short story: Man in the Mirror)
Nyx in the House of Night (article: She is Goddess)
A Second Helping of Murder (recipe: Clam Chowder)
Magickal Nonfiction:
From Llewellyn Publications and Ten Speed Press:
Trancing the Witch’s Wheel
Embracing the Moon
Dancing with the Sun
Tarot Journeys
Crafting the Body Divine
Sexual Ecstasy and the Divine
Totem Magic
Magical Meditations
The Men of Otherworld: Collection One Page 7