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together, to hide what he'd done to me, but Nerissa gently pried them open
again and leaned down to kiss the taint he'd left behind.
"He may have left his name, but he'll never touch you again," she whispered,
brushing one finger over the ridged skin as tears welled up in her eyes. She
let them fall, then carefully scooped up the sparkling diamonds with one
finger and bathed me in them. "With my tears, I reclaim you for yourself. With
the salt, I purge him from your body."
A ripple ran through me, whether it was her words or her touch or some strange
magic she'd learned from Venus the Moon Child, I didn't know, but as she
rested her lips on me, I tumbled into flame and fire. A wracking thirst welled
up, a thundering desire to drink deep from the well of her life. I reared up,
eyes blazing, fangs extended, unable to stop myself.
Nerissa didn't jump or jerk away. Instead she rested one hand on my shoulder
and shook her head. "No, Menolly. Just let yourself drift."
Her lack of fear echoed through my ruby-drenched sight, and I fought for
focus, fought my inclination to sink my teeth deep into her neck in a blissful
communion. Nerissa pushed me back to the rug, leaning over me. Her lips moved
lower on my stomach, leaving a cascade of kisses in their wake.
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And then she was there, pressed against me, her tongue swirling a pattern of
passion that drove all thoughts out of my mind, leaving only the wave on which
I was riding. I stubbornly tried to cling to my fear if I let go, would I lash
out and overpower her? Would I tear her throat open? But the steady lapping of
her sandpaper tongue broke through my barriers. I fell, tumbling into a
different abyss, this one filled with a lush garden, a rain forest of delight
instead of the ever-present bloodlust that ruled my life. With a sharp cry, I
gave myself up to her and let the release swallow me whole.
Silence. Peace. And then Nerissa sat up and stretched, lazily glancing at the
clock. "It's almost first light. You'd better go to bed before morning hits."
I blinked. "What about you, though? Aren't you& "
She grinned, daintily wiping her mouth. "Don't worry about me. I have my ways.
Now go. I'll be a phone call away. I have to go back to the compound. I know
you have plans tonight, but call me later, when things calm down. If you'd
like." Her smile was infectious and I found myself grinning back, giddy for
the first time that I could remember in a long, long while.
"I'll call, Nerissa," I said, hesitating. Then, heedless of what it might
mean, I plunged on. "You're incredible. You're beautiful and you're fearless.
I never knew& "
She shrugged into her clothes and gave me a quick kiss. "Menolly, I'm not
fearless. I'm just aware of what world you live in. Venus the Moon Child walks
under the shadow of death. He taught me to look it in the face and find the
beauty within all of its aspects. And he taught me how to return from the
abyss." And with that, she scurried out of the room.
I watched her retreating back, thinking I should say something, but then she
was gone. Anyway, no matter what I said now, it would be anticlimatic.
Whatever this thing between us was meant to be, it would grow at its own pace.
With a last glance at the curtained windows, which were starting to show the
overcast glimmer of morning, I slid into my jeans and top and hurried into the
living room. Everyone was getting ready to crash. Trillian, Morio, and Camille
were about to head upstairs, and Tim had fallen asleep in the rocking chair.
Iris wandered in. "The kitchen's clear," she said as Camille said good night.
"Delilah's driving Nerissa home." She gave me an expectant look and I just
smiled. As I passed her to head down to my lair, she whispered. "Good for you,
Menolly. But be careful. There are so many complications."
"I know," I said softly. "I know." And I did. But I wasn't willing to walk
away. What I'd told Trillian was the truth: collateral damage was going to
happen, like it or not. And it seemed a crime to walk away from friendship and
love, the things that make life worth living even for those of us long past
life. Wondering if I'd regret my choice, I stopped to give Maggie a gentle
kiss on the forehead, then headed downstairs for the night.
Camille woke me just past dusk. "Menolly, we have to go if we're heading to
Aladril."
I sat up, blinking. My dreams had been filled with passion and the vision of a
golden goddess, a fiery mane of sun-kissed hair trailing down my skin. A nice
change from the usual.
Surprised to hear her so eager to leave, I said, "You still want to go, with
what's happened to Erin?"
"Now more than ever. Morio and I did our best last night but we couldn't track
them. Dredge is too good at hiding. We have to do something and soon." She
paused, then burst out, "It's bad. The local tabloids have gotten wind that at
least a half-dozen people are missing and they're screaming at the cops to
find them. The one saving grace is that while we know they're dead and that
some of them have gone vamp on us, nobody else knows yet. Think of the panic
that's going to erupt if this continues."
"What do you mean if? Dredge won't quit until he's stopped." I slipped into a
pair of skin-tight jeans and a long-sleeved tunic made of spider silk,
cinching it with a black-studded leather belt. Pulling on a pair of leather
gloves and my spiked heel ankle boots, I was ready in five minutes. I nixed
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the makeup it took me too long to apply without being able to see my
reflection, and why bother when we were headed back to OW anyway?
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