A shaft of sunlight peeked through the clouds then, splashing through the window to fal across the table, and the late autumn light bathed the room in a golden glow. I closed my eyes for a moment, enjoying the sudden quietude the light brought to the room. But al too quickly, it vanished as the clouds moved in again.

"Wow. So . . . just . . . wow." Camil e put down her fork and stared at me. "The Nectar of Life hit him hard. I feel sorry for the man."

Iris smiled softly. "It makes sense, my dear. Think if you were expecting another thirty or forty years of life, and then you're mortal y wounded. And the only thing that saves your life--that can possibly save you--suddenly throws you into staring at a thousand or more years stretching out in front of you now.

Such a thing is bound to mess with the mind, especial y when he wasn't properly prepared for it."

I hung my head. "Why do I feel like a failure, then?"

Camil e grabbed my hand. "No--don't say that. Not every relationship is going to work. And you . . . Delilah, you're incredible. Chase just needs time to figure out his new life now."

I stared at her. It al made sense, but that didn't make it any easier to hear.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," I said. "And I guess I just make it harder on him, with al the issues facing us."

"I think Chase needs to simplify his life right now. Let's face it: You can never be the little woman who waits at home for him at night with dinner and his slippers. You're not just eye candy; you're not here to stroke his ego," Iris said. "And right now, even that is probably even more than he can handle."

"Thank you . . ." After a moment, I added, "I'l be okay. It hurts, but when I think about it like this, it makes so much sense." I looked up, my gut twisted in knots. "I guess my dance card's wide open again."

Just then the door opened, and Vanzir and Rozurial came traipsing into the kitchen. They looked weary, but their eyes widened when they saw the spread on the table.

"Wash your hands," Iris said automatical y.

After obliging her, Rozurial set two plates on the table, while Vanzir got the silverware from the drawer. They scooted in beside us.

"Were you by chance up when Menol y came home?" Roz asked.

Camil e shook her head. "No, I don't think any of us were. What happened with the Tregart you took down to the Wayfarer?"

Vanzir shook his head. "You don't want to know. We had quite a fight on our hands, but we might have managed to obtain some useful information."

"Such as?" I handed them the platter with the scrambled eggs and bacon.

Roz speared four sausages and scooped some of the eggs onto his dish and offered the rest to Vanzir. There were plenty of pancakes left, and when their plates were ful , they leaned back, eying the three of us.

"Stacia Bonecrusher is so deep in hiding, I don't know how we're going to find her. But there are apparently rumors going around that she's running a training camp for recruits. And you can bet that Trytian's recruits are there, too." Vanzir bit into the pancake, which he ate without syrup, and chewed thoughtful y.

"Where's it supposed to be located?" A long shot, but I had to ask.

Swal owing a mouthful of eggs, Roz shook his head. "Are you kidding? She's not stupid. I have no idea, and neither did the Tregart we captured last night. He wasn't part of the Bonecrusher's army . . . he managed to cross through the Demon Gate when Stacia entered Earthside. He and his buddy went AWOL from the Subterranean Realms. I suppose we should start searching for the camp."

"But is that a good idea?" I asked.

Camil e pushed her empty plate to the side and leaned her elbows on the table. "Um, how is it not a good idea, Kitten?"

I frowned. "The thing is--we waste time on chasing her training camp right now, we lose time on finding the sixth spirit seal. You know as wel as I do that Stacia's cloaked. Not to mention, say we find this camp? We're going to need more help before we can take on a camp ful of demons. She's out to annihilate Shadow Wing, so right now she's focused and centered and not paying attention to us. Shouldn't we quietly go about finding the sixth spirit seal? She may be looking for the seals, too, but I guarantee you, her attention is centered on building up her army against her boss."

Camil e frowned but nodded. Roz and Vanzir looked at each other like I'd just grown another head.

"Don't be so surprised. I do have a brain, you know."

Roz laughed, then leaned back. "Good observation, Miss Kitty. And might I say, you don't reek quite as bad this morning."

"Stick to the point, bud. Stick to the point." I wrinkled my nose. "I'l be getting the deodorizer from Luke today. But seriously, what do you guys think about tracking down the spirit seal first?"

Camil e sucked on her lip. "That's a tempting idea. Only then we have to turn it over to Queen Asteria, and with her new idea to use them with the Keraastar Knights, I'm afraid of what's going to happen."

"What do you think she's doing with the seals?" I asked. Camil e was the only one who Queen Asteria had told about it, and I stil wasn't clear on the plan.

"She's up to something. Like I mentioned before, she's gathered Venus the Moon Child, Tam Lin, and Benjamin to her to form the basis of what she's cal ing the Keraastar Knights. From what I can tel , she's giving them back the seals and means to create some magical warrior force to fight against Shadow Wing. I'm not sure what prompted her to do this, but whatever it was, it had to be big. I'm almost afraid to find out."

"That's right." I almost wished I hadn't asked. The idea was insane, but you don't tel an Elfin Queen she's nuts.

"She shook her head. "The whole thing scares me, actual y. But back to the matter at hand. Vanzir and Roz, can you spend the day researching any potential place where we should begin looking for the next spirit seal?"

She paused, then looked at the Demon Twins. "By the way, what happened to the Tregart we captured?"

Vanzir looked her straight in the eye. "He's dead."

She nodded. I said nothing. There was nothing more to say about that particular matter. We al knew there was no other choice.

I pushed back my chair. "Sounds good. Okay, Roz, Vanzir, take a hike after you eat. Be careful; don't let anybody know what you're looking for. Camil e, let's get dressed and head down to the bar and get me de-stinkafied. While we're there, remember to ask if Luke has a picture of Amber's husband Rice.

Then we'l hit the hotel and find out what we can about her."

Camil e and the others stood. As we waved to Iris and headed out of the kitchen, I could feel life shifting and turning. Off one rol er coaster and onto another.

CHAPTER 6

Luke was at the bar early, mainly because we'd cal ed and asked him to meet us there. He handed me a spray bottle with a homemade label on it.

"Go into Menol y's office, strip, and spray yourself with it from head to toe, including your hair. The smel should dissipate for the most part." He waved me off, and I headed for Menol y's office.

I pul ed off my clothes and squirted myself sil y with the stuff. Immediately, I noticed a difference for the better as the skunk smel faded. After a moment, I decided to spray down my clothes, too. Wonder of wonders, it worked, and a whole lot faster than I thought. I might stil have a cool punk do, but at least I didn't reek. I slipped back into my clothes, then stopped. On Menol y's desk was a cream-colored envelope with a large crimson dagger printed on it and Menol y's name written in large, sloping letters across the front.

Peeking out the door, I made sure Camil e was busy with Luke, then slipped into Menol y's chair and gingerly picked up the letter. It had already been opened, so al I had to do was slide the pages out and look at what it said. My conscience tweaked a little, but I figured hel , she'd do the same if she was worried about me. And the dagger on the front of that envelope worried me.

A note card slid out--the fancy ones invitations were sent on--and I held it by the edges and flipped it open. The card simply read: To Ms. Menolly D'Artigo,

I summon the pleasure of your company, to be spent as my companion for the Winter Solstice Vampire Ball, to be held at the Clockwork Club on the evening of December 17th. My limousine will arrive for you at precisely eleven P.M., at your home, to bring you to the club. No RSVP necessary--I trust you will comply.

Roman

What the fuck? Who was Roman? The name seemed familiar, but I couldn't place it, although I knew I'd heard it before. I slipped the note back in the envelope and replaced it on her desk. That she hadn't told us about this made me wonder al the more.

"Delilah?" Luke's voice echoed through the door. "You okay?"

Hastily, I zipped up my pants and tucked in my sweater and, grabbing the spray bottle, I opened the door.

"Yah, just did my clothes, too. Even if it fades them, it's got to be better than the smel they were accumulating. You should market this stuff--it's a miracle. Hey, did Camil e ask you about a picture of Amber's husband?"

He walked me to the front, frowning. "No, should she have?"

"Should she have what?" Camil e asked. "And who's she?"

"The picture--remember? We need a picture of Amber's husband, if possible. I thought you asked Luke for one on the phone this morning when you cal ed him."

"Damn it, I forgot--"

Luke stopped her. "That's okay. I happen to have a picture of the two of them together in my wal et. You can have it." He pul ed out his wal et and fished out the picture. "Here you go--that's Rice, her husband. Fucking scumbag."

"So you said," I murmured, taking the picture. "Okay, we're heading over to the hotel now." Stopping as we headed for the door, I turned back to the werewolf. "Luke, have there been any . . . strange . . . vampires around the bar lately? Or other denizens that seem . . . out of place. Wealthy, maybe?"

He frowned, leaning on the bar, his biceps bulging through the shirt. Oh yeah, the man had muscles. "You know, someone came in the other night who I thought might be vampire, but I wasn't sure. He delivered a note for your sister. That who you talking about?"

I shrugged, not wanting him to think it over so much that he mentioned my curiosity to Menol y. "Nah, probably not. But thanks just the same."

Camil e tugged on my arm, but I shook my head and led the way out of the bar. When we were outside, I pul ed my jacket tighter against the gusting wind and led the way to my Jeep. We jumped in, and after fastening seat belts, Camil e turned to me.

"So what was that al about?"

"Just this--I found a note on Menol y's desk. It was an invitation . . . no--make that a demand--that she go to a vampire bal at the Clockwork Club with someone named Roman. Fancy paper, parchment, sloping cal igraphy. If it was delivered by a man in a limousine, then he's probably rich."

She turned over the thought in her mind--I could almost see the wheels grinding away. Then she snapped her fingers. "Roman! I remember her mentioning him. He's some ancient vampire that she went to see when we were investigating Sabele's disappearance. I think she said he's even older than Dredge was. Which means . . . he's very powerful. What the fuck does he want with Menol y? I mean, I love her, but he's like . . . what . . . a rock star among vampires?"

"I don't know, but I have a very odd feeling about it, and I want to know what the hel 's going on. We can't afford to keep secrets anymore." I turned the ignition and pul ed out of the parking spot as the rain hit again, and speeding along the glistening city streets, we were off for the hotel.

Amber had checked in at the Jefferson Inn, a moderately priced hotel with a standard diner attached. Families on vacation stayed here, people dumped unwanted relatives here during holiday visits, and salesmen who weren't making enough to afford the Hyatt scored rooms at the inn.

Luke had told us that Amber was paid up for several days, so we wandered over to the registration desk. Camil e unmasked her glamour, and we leaned across the counter.

"Yes, may I help you?" The clerk turned around and blinked. Twice. His harried expression dropped away as Camil e let out a bril iant smile.

"We need some information, and you're just the man who can help us." She winked, and he blushed. Yep, bottle her sex appeal, and we could rule the world. That, together with Luke's deodorizer, were two of the best inventions since sliced bread.

"What do you want to know?" He leaned over the counter to meet her gaze, and his eyes grew big and dark and wide as he breathed in the pheromones coming off of my sister. He inhaled deeply and held his breath, closing his eyes for a moment.

"We need information on Amber Johansen, who checked into the hotel yesterday. Do you know who we're talking about? She's seven months pregnant."

I held out the picture of Amber and her husband. "And have you seen the man who's with her in this picture?"

The clerk stared at the photographs for a moment, then slowly nodded. "That's her--I recognize her. I don't know if he's been around."

"Can you give us a passkey and her room number? We need to check on Amber and make certain she's okay. And of course, we know you'l keep this our little secret." Camil e smiled again and licked her lips.

The clerk just about fel over himself coding another key card for the room. He handed it over and let out a long sigh.

"Room 422. Just bring it back when you're done, please." He cocked his head and looked expectantly at Camil e. She languorously kissed her fingertips and blew the kiss to him. He let out a happy shudder, and I quickly looked away. Some men were so easy . . .