Changeling

Taken aback, I stared at the bottle in my hand. That was an answer I hadn't expected.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound abrupt." I reached out and gently touched his arm. He gave me a long look, and I smiled. "I guess I'm just touchy. Okay, here's the thing. Trillian's an odd duck for a Svartan. He doesn't play by the rules, and he's done a lot of nasty things in his lifetime. But when it comes to Camille, he melts. He doesn't seem to care about her mixed bloodline, which is really strange, considering how elite the Svartans consider themselves. I guess he really does love her. And love isn't a word that applies to many Svartans."

Chase chewed on his lower lip. "It sounds like the Fae connect on a sexual level in a way that humans don't fully understand." He took on a pensive look. "What about you? Do you miss… being with your own kind?"

So that's what this was all about. Chase was fishing to find out whether I wanted to sleep with someone from Otherworld.

Someone not human. Which meant he really did care about me. Otherwise, it wouldn't matter.

When I thought about my reaction to Zachary, it occurred to me that perhaps Chase had a right to be worried. Shit, I so didn't want to think about all this today. I wanted to just shake it all off and say, "Relax! Does it have to be so complicated?" but I knew Chase would never go for that spiel. He wanted answers. The question was, would it matter to him what those answers turned out to be?

Frustrated, I tried to dodge the inevitable.

"Sex is a powerhouse of energy for the Fae. But when you talk about Svartans, it goes deeper than that. Sex is part of their very essence, and anybody they sleep with is in danger of becoming hooked. Camille willingly bound herself to the addiction. It suits her nature. It wouldn't work for me or Menolly. Then again, we have our own quirks when it comes to the bedroom."

I hadn't told Chase that I had sex with tomcats when I was in Were form. Somehow, I didn't think he was ready to hear that yet. As for Menolly, neither Camille nor I knew how she satisfied herself now that she was a vampire. I wasn't sure I wanted to know. The answer might scare the hell out of me.

I paused, then softly said, "Chase, you know I'm new to sex. You know I haven't slept with my father's kind yet. That may happen, and probably will. But for now, I'm with you. For now, I'm happy with that fact. I can't promise to be a one-man woman. Not yet. But I can promise that I'm being honest when I say I love being with you. You're a good man, and sexy, and I enjoy what we have together."

He grunted. The conversation had run its course.

"So, how do I get the varmint out of my house without getting skewered?" he said. "He makes me nervous."

"You could help him find an apartment. Trillian's brilliant, but he has no idea how to look for a place that both suits his needs and his coffers."

Chase snorted. "I love it when you talk all archaic, woman. Coffers; I haven't heard that in years. But you're probably right, though I don't know about the brilliant part. I'll get a copy of the classifieds and help him look. Maybe I can get him out of here in short order. Since he's Svartan, he can damned well turn on that charm and convince potential landlords to lower the rent."

I started to say, "What are you thinking?" but then shut my mouth. Chase and Trillian would be much happier when they ended the roommate shtick.

"I'd better get home," I said, looking at the clock. "And aren't you due back on duty soon. Detective?"

He flashed me a guilty grin. "Yeah, but it's been slow lately. Everyone's behaving themselves as far as I know. I'll run those names through the computer and give you a call later tonight when I see what I come up with. Oh—and what's your friend's name again? And her number? For the medics?"

"Siobhan Morgan. Her number is 555-7325."

He wrote it down. "Siobhan, that's right. I'll have one of the OIA medics give her a call and see if they can help her out." He kissed me gently on the forehead, then pulled me to him and full-on Frenched me.

After I came up for air, he walked me to the parking lot. The snow was starting to fall in earnest. I shivered. Winter was a harsh season, following the frozen lacework of frost trailing from the Autumn Lord's wake. I glanced at the ground, which was covered with a thin layer of white.

"I wonder how long this will keep up," Chase said.

"Camille could tell you. She's tied into the weather. Lightning, snow, anything that comes in on the winds, she's tuned into." I opened the door to my Jeep and swung into the driver's seat. "Talk to you later, babe."

Chase waved as I eased onto the road and headed for home. As the flakes fell from the sky, I had a nasty feeling that the storm presaged a bigger one just over the horizon.

When I pulled into the driveway, Camille's Lexus was already there, which meant that she'd closed the shop early. As I dashed up the steps and into the house, laughter echoed from the living room. I peeked around the corner to see Iris and Camille decorating a tree that was at least twelve feet high. It almost reached the ceiling, and they were bedecking it with crystal moons and golden sun faces and ivory balls with glittering gold trim.

"Iris, I have your package from the Fairy Tale." I held out the box.

"Wonderful!" She motioned to the recliner. "That's my Midwinter gown. Put it on the chair, would you? What do you think?"

As I laid the box on the chair, I gazed around at the brilliantly decorated living room. A garland of strung cranberries wound around the tree. Swags of evergreens held together by big burgundy ribbons and gold garland scalloped their way around the ceiling. Iris stood back, a beatific look on her face. She clapped her hands, and an ornament rose up in the air, hovered for a moment, then carefully flew up to attach itself to one of the upper boughs.

"You and your hearth magic," I said, grinning. "That stuff sure comes in handy."

She nodded. "If it's related to tending the house, chances are I can enchant it."

Camille was beaming. She held out her arm, and I walked over and wrapped my arm around her waist as she leaned her head against my shoulder.

"I wish Mother was alive… that she could be here to see this," I said, wistfully. "It's so beautiful. You know she'd love it."

"That she would," Camille said. "Father, too. I just wish we had some word from him. I don't like worrying like this. Trillian took off for Otherworld to see if he can find out anything. He's going to hunt down Aunt Rythwar and make sure she's okay, and see if she has any information for us."

My irritation faded. Trillian was all right, if you overlooked his natural tendencies. He'd helped us out more than once, and in fact almost lost his life for us. And it looked like he would continue to stand by our side.

The light outside the living room window faded, and the sound of a door closing echoed from the kitchen. Sure enough, after a moment Menolly came gliding in to join us. She never needed more than a moment to fully wake, and another to dress. Her alarm clock was set for the moment dusk hit. She was wearing a pair of black cargo pants and a cobalt-blue long-sleeved V-neck. She looked absolutely gorgeous.

"I see you've been busy while I slept," she said, giving us a toothy grin. I swallowed a queasy feeling when I saw her fangs were partially extended.

"Your tips are showing," I said.

She blinked and ran her tongue around her teeth. "Oops, pardon me. I'm hungry tonight. I'll probably leave early to feed."

Camille nodded, but my attention had turned elsewhere. One of the ornaments on the tree was a beautiful ivory-colored peacock with a long, glittering tail. Something about the feathers made me catch my breath. My nose twitched. Oh hell. I tried to turn, to warn Camille, but was too late. The room began to swirl and, dizzy, I fell into the waiting vortex. A swirl of chaos, a nexus of bodies and forms, spun out of control as I folded into myself, crossing realities, crossing dimensions.

Flash. Tall and blonde on two feet, neither human nor Fae but some strange blend that became a third race unto itself. Hands shrank into paws, nails to claws. Spine lengthened, ears shifted. A wave of sensuality flowed through me as I rolled my head back, reveling as the transformation sped me along a current against which I could not fight.

Flash. Golden fur on four feet, neither cat nor true Were, but a mixture of bloodlines and magic converging into flesh. Everything shifted, and the room grew larger as I grew smaller. Color faded as I entered a world where the only constants were shades of gray. The air became saturated with scent. Camille's perfume, Iris's cinnamon gum, the fir tree's needles, the smell of dinner cooking in the kitchen… Everything smelled so incredibly strong that it sent me reeling.

And then I blinked again, and all was done.

I glanced down at my feet, at the golden fur that quivered in the slightest breeze. I was home again. There were times I wished I never had to change back. Life was easier, choices more simple, and the world seemed clear-cut. Changeling, the children at school used to call me. Changeling, they taunted me. And Changeling, they envied me, because they knew how much I reveled in my alter ego, and how much I hated coming back each time.

And then instinct took over, and I shook off my memories. The room loomed large with the promise of excitement as I focused on the bright, shiny toys dangling just out of reach. The swags were so tempting, looping down on the walls. And the tree—oh the tree! It was a glorious mountain, beckoning me, a medley of toys awaiting the chase. My nose twitched, and I let out a half purr, half mew.

Unable to stop myself, I took off, racing around the room in a frenzied dash that seemed to be just the right thing to do at the time.

Camille lunged at me, but she was huge and clumsy, and I let out a purp as I dodged to the side, a blur of orange fur. No way in hell was she putting a stop to my plans, whatever they might be. I'd know what they were when I got there.

I dashed between her legs and as she stumbled, I heard a vague "Oh fuck!" The floor shook as her shins made full-body contact with the coffee table, and she went sprawling across it with a loud "Oof!"

Menolly jumped in my path. Her reflexes were better than mine, so I jagged a hard left, and my tufted feet slid across the floor as I hit the brakes, spinning and heading directly for the tree.

It was Iris's turn, but a four-footed wonder like me could outrun any house sprite. I sprang over her head, landing on the lower limbs of the tree. The moment I felt the boughs beneath my feet, I scrambled, climbing through the branches, disregarding the sound of breaking ornaments.

As I frantically climbed—no longer sure just what my original plan had been—the sap and resin began to stick to my fur.

Oh shit, everybody was going to be pissed as hell at me. Amid a growing panic, I made my way into the upper regions of the tree, where I found a spot in which to snuggle, right under a delicate five-pointed star that lit up the room like fireworks on the Queen's birthday. Nervous, I peeked out of the branches. I felt safe in my little cubbyhole made of fir branches, and I could see the entire room from my vantage point.

Dizzy with accomplishment, I began to purr.

Down below, Camille and Iris were in an uproar. Iris was grumbling what sounded like obscenities in some obscure Finnish dialect, while Camille was shaking her finger at me.

"You come down here this instant, Delilah! Do you hear me? I know you understand what I'm saying!" She rested her hands on her hips and glared at me.

Vaguely irritated, I let out a loud yowl. Just then, a noise startled me, and I swung my head, only to see Menolly hovering near me.

Damned… silent… vampire… whatever it was…

As she reached for me, whispering, "Here, Kitten, come with me," I decided to forgo the assist. If they wanted me out of the tree, I'd get out of the tree, but I'd do it my way. I gingerly pawed my way out on the branch, but it was too thin, and the next thing I knew, I lost my footing and went sliding down the slopes of Mount Fir in a wild ride, taking any and every ornament with me that was in my path.

Iris yelled something, and I heard Camille give a loud shout. The next thing I knew, I landed hard on the floor, and the shock jolted me so much that I abruptly began to shift back. Too quickly, it seemed, because I was still caught up in the tree limbs, and when my legs lengthened, I twisted wrong.

"Oh shit, look out!"

Menolly's voice cut through my brain fog. I blinked amid the pile of broken glass and boughs that I was lying in and looked over my shoulder just in time to see the twelve-foot fir sway as it gracefully toppled in my direction.

"Out of the way!" Camille screamed, and she and Iris ran for the hall. Menolly lurched midair and fell to the floor in a heap, her concentration broken. As for me, it was like being caught in a nightmare where I knew something horrible was about to happen but found myself paralyzed, unable to move as events played out in slow motion.

I ducked my head under my arm and pressed my face into the rug as the thundering fir, complete with decorations, landed across my back, covering me in a pile of scratchy branches and broken glass. The tub of water the tree had been sitting in tipped as well and streamed along the floor to soak my legs and feet. I breathed very slowly while I waited for the fallout to settle.

"Delilah! Delilah, are you okay?" Camille's frantic voice spiraled into a throaty shriek from the left side of the tree.

"Kitten? Kitten?" Menolly peered through the branches on the right side, though she was cautious to avoid any pointy limbs that might act as a natural stake. "You alive?"

I managed to croak out a reply. "If I wasn't, what would you do? Turn me into a vampire?"