Moon Shimmers

  Trillian wasn’t much of a swimmer, unfortunately. Iris was, but she couldn’t risk it, given the twins. But Rozurial raised his hand.

  “I’m in, too. I can swim. But I need to breathe, as well. I’ll need whatever sort of magical scroll or spell you can scrape up.” He paused, then hesitantly asked, “You aren’t going to try to cast it yourself, are you?”

  “I’d resent that, if I had a leg to stand on.” I stuck my tongue out at him. “No, don’t worry. I’m not that stupid. Morio, you coming with us?”

  “Yeah, but like everybody else, I need magical help.”

  Delilah shrugged. “Tell you what, I’ll research who can help us since I’m not going to be any good under the water. Meanwhile, Trillian, why don’t you take on K’thbar—see what references you can find about him.” She paused as my phone rang.

  I glanced at the Caller ID. It was Menolly. “Hello? Anything wrong?”

  “No, I’m at the Fly by Night Agency, and I just talked to Shimmer.”

  I didn’t ask how she’d gotten there so quickly. Ever since my sister had been re-sired by Roman, the prince of the Vampire Nation, her abilities as a vampire had greatly increased. Her ability to take the form of a bat had gone from graceless to graceful—she could do more than hover a few feet off the ground and then flop around helplessly. And her speed had increased. Vampires could blur their speed to levels that put everybody else to shame. Menolly’s skills had picked up significantly, even over the past few weeks.

  “What did she say?”

  “She’s happy to help. She said just let her know when.”

  I decided the sooner the better. “Tell her tomorrow at noon, if she could meet us here. We’ll have to find some way for us all to breathe underwater—except for her and Shade—but there has to be some witch around who can work a spell for us.”

  “I’ll tell her. I’m going down to the Wayfarer for a little while. I’m feeling the need to touch base with Digger and Derrick.” A tinge of sadness echoed in her voice and I realized that I wasn’t the only one pining for the way things had been.

  Our jobs had, at first, been smokescreens to hide behind. The OIA had wanted us to remain covert. After a while, Menolly had grown to love the bar she first tended, and now owned. And I had fallen in love with the Indigo Crescent, my bookstore. But more and more we had to leave them in the hands of others as we faced the demons down. Now, with Menolly a princess in Blood Wyne’s court, and me taking on the role of the Queen of Dusk and Twilight, maybe it was time for us both to face the truth and let go.

  I slid my phone back in my pocket and turned to the others. “Shimmer’s in. She’ll be here tomorrow around noon. That should give us time enough to get up to Camano Island and take care of this before night and the full moon. But Delilah’s right. We need sleep. Tomorrow morning, we have to find a way for us to breathe underwater. But for now, let’s just get some rest.”

  As Morio, Trillian, and I slowly headed up to the second floor—where my suite of rooms was—I realized that, for once, all I wanted to do was get into bed and curl into a ball and pretend everything was just business as usual.

  Chapter 4

  I WOKE TO someone licking my face. And my ear.

  “Stop it, you two. At least until I manage to open my eyes.” I tried to push them away, expecting to find two naked men, but instead, I felt two squirming balls of fluff. “Huh?” I squinted, opening one eye to find a fuzzy black face staring down at me.

  I turned my head to see who was licking my ear. One of the calicoes. Laughing, I slowly rolled up, scooting back to rest against the headboard. All four kittens were on the bed, and one of them was batting at Trillian’s nose. The white kitten was kneading Morio on the shoulder, making biscuits for all she—or he—was worth. I pulled the two who had attacked me into my arms and nuzzled them, waiting for the inevitable explosions.

  Trillian was first, grumbling as he waved in the air. He suddenly stopped as his fingers met the kitten, and he let out a cross between a sigh and a snort. “Okay, I’m awake, you little runt. I’m awake. Quit tickling my nose.”

  Morio rolled over, yawning, and caught up the white kitten in his arms, pulling it to him before starting to snore again. I stared at my husbands, smiling. We were spread out in the bed that could—and usually did—hold all four of us. With Smoky off in the Dragon Reaches, we were all taking advantage of the extra space.

  “What are you going to name them?” Trillian asked, shifting till he was sitting up beside me. By the look of the blanket over his lap, I could tell he was greeting the morning with all due excitement.

  “I don’t know yet. I was thinking of a childhood game my mother played with me. Maybe I’ll name them Eeny, Meeny, Miny, and Mo.” I jumped as a whisper-soft energy ruffled around me. Misty appeared. The little gray cat spirit looked at me with wide eyes, and I suddenly realized why she looked so worried. I ran my hand over her back, lightly fluffing her energy. “Don’t worry, Misty. We aren’t replacing you. You can play with your…well…at least two of them are girls, we know that. You’ll have buddies.”

  She gave me a soft “mew” before bouncing off the bed and running to the window to watch the crows that were perched in the window. I could see the birds from where I was sitting. Hopefully, Raven Mother wasn’t hanging with them today. That was the last complication I needed right now.

  Morio finally gave up any pretense of sleep and sat up, holding up the white kitten, who was still doing his best to leave a row of needle marks along Morio’s arm. “You need your claws trimmed, little one. A visit to the vet is in order, I think.”

  “I’ll have Hanna take them in.” I gathered them all in my lap and, after giving each of them a kiss, shooed them away. They bounced over to Misty and the five of them began to play. The kittens seemed confused as to why they couldn’t tackle her, but it only seemed to strengthen their resolve and they darted around the room, looking like they had already acclimated to the house.

  Morio gave me a smoldering look. “I think I want a morning snack before breakfast.”

  Trillian arched his eyebrows, throwing back the covers to show off his magnificent body. “I second that thought. What about you, babe? Are you hungry?”

  A glance at the kittens told me they were occupied. We were late for breakfast but now that I was awake, I needed something to rev up my motor. Usually it was caffeine, but today, a little extra spice might be nice.

  I slid out from beneath the comforter. I was wearing nothing, as usual, and my nipples had already stiffened in anticipation. A ripple of hunger raced through my body as I decided who I wanted, and in which way. I lay back, hands beneath my head, spreading my legs and bending my knees.

  “Somebody say they needed a snack?” I reached down and ran my hands over the curly black hair that covered my sex. Then, sliding one finger onto my clit, I began to circle it, my breath coming in hard, short bursts. “Who’s game?”

  Trillian nodded to Morio. “Be my guest. I’ll take care of other matters.” And he leaned down, taking one of my nipples in his mouth. As his lips closed over it, he began to suck, then gave it a sharp nip. The pain rippled through me, setting off little earthquakes of desire. At that moment, Morio settled between my legs, his tongue bathing my clit as he slid two fingers inside me, stroking me until I was so wet that they slid easily in my cunt.

  I moaned softly, one hand coming to rest on Morio’s head as he picked up the pace, the other hand cupping Trillian’s back.

  Trillian rose up, his cock tight and firm, and straddled my chest. As he leaned down onto his hands and knees, aiming himself toward my mouth, I opened my lips, frantic to taste him. The stimulation from Morio’s tongue was setting off a cascade of sparks, rippling through me like a net of twinkling lights.

  Trillian’s long, thick shaft was smooth as he entered my mouth and I tightened my lips around the head, giving him firm suction as he slowly thrust himself deeper into my throat. I had learned to tak
e my men in deep. Now, I slid my lips along his cock, relaxing my throat muscles in the process. I used my tongue to flutter against the ridge on the back of his penis, and Trillian rewarded me with a groan as he grabbed hold of the headboard to keep his balance.

  Morio must have heard him, because Trillian’s excitement seemed to spark him off. He tongued me harder, swirling the nub of my clit so quickly that I had to watch my breath control—especially with my mouth full of Trillian’s cock. I arched my back, pressing against Morio’s tongue, as he slid a third finger inside me and finger-fucked me hard. Another moment, and Trillian let out a growl as he came. I drank him down, swallowing his cum, milking his cock as he emptied it into my mouth.

  He pulled out, his eyes afire, and his cock still hard. “Tit fuck me, woman, and then I’ll give it to you, hard.”

  As he barked out his order, Morio suddenly nipped me, just enough to send me over the edge, and I came, crying out. He pulled away and after the orgasm settled, I rose to my knees, holding my breasts around Trillian’s erection, pressing them hard as he thrust between them. He grunted, squeezing my tits, and then rolled onto his back.

  Still frantic with hunger, I straddled him and leaned forward as I slid down on his cock, driving him deep within me. Morio swung around behind me, and I felt him lubing up my ass, his fingers greasing me, getting me ready. He slid a finger inside my ass and I let out a cry, and then another as Trillian thrust upward, filling my vaj full with his girth and length. The jet of his skin shone against the pale shimmer of my own.

  “Ready, love?” Morio’s voice was harsh, telling me that he was more than ready.

  I relaxed, falling into the sway of the chemistry that held us all bound. “Yes, please.”

  Placing the tip of his cock at my ass, he slowly began to drive himself inward, penetrating me slowly, moving with care so that I felt every stretch, every shift, every thrust forward as he worked the head of his penis into my ass. And then he pushed on, sliding his length in against my squirming butt as he impaled me on his shaft, holding my hips firm so I couldn’t wiggle away. I let out a low moan as both my lovers took up thrusting, first Morio, then Trillian, as I became both the rider and the ridden, sandwiched between them.

  Trillian’s brow was covered with perspiration, his eyes lit with his passion. I gazed down into his face. He was my alpha lover, and yet, he was willing to share me with both of my other loves. That made my heart swell even more. I loved them all—all three of my men.

  Too often people asked me, “But who would you pick if you could only have one?” There was never an answer, for what I loved in each one only complemented the love I had for the other two. No one man could make me complete. I was complete in myself. Yet they all added a richness to my life that I could never think of being without.

  “I love you,” I whispered as Trillian thrust harder. “I love you all so much.”

  Morio let out a loud moan from behind me as he picked up the pace, still careful to not tear me, to not hurt me. He laughed, the wildness of his kitsune nature taking over, and drove himself as deep as he could, holding me very still. At the same time, Trillian thrust upward till he could fill me no deeper, and I hung suspended between them, dizzy and awash as my breath came quicker and the energy began to build, spiraling outward like concentric ripples on a pond.

  And then, without warning, I came, painfully hard, and the orgasm rolled through me like a massive wave, a tsunami of emotion that racked my heart and body. I came again and again, as Morio and Trillian joined in with their cries.

  In a puddle of limp limbs and cold sweat, we lay in a tangle, exhausted and yet vibrating. I managed to slide gracefully out from between them and, standing there, covered in their cum and their sweat, I realized how lucky I was. Love was hard to find in this world—or any world. And I had been blessed three times over.

  But all I could say was, “I’m taking a shower. You guys care to join me?”

  Then, before I could stop myself, I raced back to the bed and jumped in the middle of the tangle. I kissed Trillian, all over his face, and then Morio. “I love you. Do you both understand how very much I love you?”

  Laughing, Trillian wrapped his arms around my shoulders. “We love you too, woman. Now get in there and turn on the shower. I’ll feed the cats—they’re milling.”

  Morio just slapped me on the ass as I padded across the floor toward the bath on the other side of the hall. As I stepped beneath the steaming spray and lathered up with an amber bath gel, I lingered in the glow of our lovemaking as long as I could, not willing to face the rest of the day quite yet.

  DELILAH WAS ON the phone when we clattered down the stairs. Hanna glanced at the clock, then gave us a withering stare.

  “I’m not serving brunch, you know,” she grumbled her way back to the stove, pulling out a pan for eggs and firing up the griddle. “Pancakes and eggs coming up, but the bacon disappeared an hour ago. You come to your meals late, you get what’s left.”

  “It’s only nine.” Trillian pressed a soft kiss against her forehead. “Hanna, no bacon, even for me?”

  She swatted at him, but smiled. “That might work on Iris, but it won’t work on me. If you want bacon, you’ll have to fetch it from the refrigerator and set it to cook yourself.”

  Trillian did just that, arranging twelve slices of bacon on a foil-lined pan and sliding it into the oven while I poured orange juice and then hovered over the espresso machine that Delilah had bought me.

  “Hanna, will you take the kittens to the vet today? They’ll need exams, nail trims, and vaccinations. Please?” I pulled four shots, adding caramel syrup, milk, and ice to the latte.

  “Oh, all right. Honestly—this household gathers more strays than it knows what to do with.”

  “Thank you, love.” Giving her a quick hug, I carried my drink over to the table. I was already feeling the pull of the Moon Mother, even though the Hunt would not ride until midnight, and it was distracting me. “We’d better find that spirit seal today.”

  “You think Shadow Wing may know where it is?” Delilah asked. “Remember, the full moon is tonight.”

  “I know. That’s why I don’t want to take any chances. I suppose we could wait one more day but if we know where it is, there’s always the chance that Shadow Wing will know. We can’t rest on hope that he won’t. He’s got one chance left to claim one of the seals and you can bet that he’ll be on alert for it, especially after we destroyed his faux Keraastar Knights.”

  I fired up Petunia—the espresso machine—and began pulling shots. Five today would be a good start. “I use the word we loosely, of course, considering neither you nor I was there. Even though Menolly told us what it was like, part of me would like to see the Sub-Realms for myself.”

  Delilah let out a choking sound. “Not me. I’d be happy if we never heard a word about the Sub-Realms again.” She was poring over her laptop. “I found some information about K’thbar but I don’t know how reliable it is. I called Carter, and he didn’t have much to add, though he did verify that K’thbar is rumored to be off the Puget Sound coast. He said that a number of water-born Elder Fae live on the coast lines, and most within swimming distance of a big city so that they have ready access to food. Food meaning people.”

  “Lovely. This is going to be a load of fun. So, any ideas of how we breathe underwater? Besides a scuba suit?” I accepted a stack of pancakes and three fried eggs from Hanna. Our food bill was, as usual, steep, given just about every one of us ate like a trucker. Minus Menolly, of course. As I slathered the pancakes with butter and maple syrup, Trillian and Morio joined me with their own plates, compliments of Hanna. She brought over the bacon when it was ready.

  “I found a way,” Roz said from the other end of the table. “A witch named Fresia. She lives up in Edmonds, and she’s originally from Otherworld. She’s a Water Witch and a priestess of the goddess Yemaya. She’s offered to cast the spell for us if we bring her a perfect pearl for eac
h scroll. The ability to breathe beneath the water will last for three hours.”

  “Perfect pearls, hmm?” I didn’t want to think about what this was going to cost us.

  Shade, who was in the rocking chair near the stove, spoke up. “I can get them. Don’t forget, I’m part dragon. Dragons—even half-breeds—always have a hoard of some sort. I know I have a couple strings of pearls lying around.” He jumped up and put down the book he was reading. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.” He headed out the back door.

  “Where’s he going?” Vanzir asked.

  Delilah lowered her voice. “To turn into his dragon self. Since he lost his Stradolan powers, he can’t make the shift into the other realms in human form, remember?”

  Vanzir clamped his mouth shut, nodding. We were all acutely aware of how uncomfortable the situation was for both Shade and Delilah, and did our best to make the transition he was going through as easy as possible. But sometimes, we forgot. At least Shade had been out of the house this time and not in the next room.

  “Did this witch say when she’d see us?” Delilah asked.

  “At eleven, so we’d better start out soon, given the possibilities of heavy traffic.” Roz held up a piece of paper on which he had scribbled what looked like a shop name, address, and number.

  “Good going. I guess we just gather together the pearls and our weapons and get a move on.” I thought for a moment. “What weapons do we have that will work underwater? I don’t know that Morio and I can do much in the way of magic down there. I guess we can try, but we’d better take something to back up our spells.”

  “Spears, swords, daggers. I’d say that hammers won’t be much good, given the resistance the water will provide to our swings. Anything that can stab will work. Poison’s no good unless it’s on a blade. I rather doubt we have any tridents or harpoons in stock.” Roz flashed a sad look at his duster, which was hanging over the back of the chair next to him.