then I saw Bruce’s driver standing by the door. He gave us a little bow.
“Thank you, Tony,” I said. “You didn’t have to wait for us. You must be exhausted, too.”
“Mistress Nerissa asked that I do so. She said she’ll catch a ride with Mistress Menolly.” He was oh-so-formal and looked so young, but I had a feeling he wasn’t as young as he appeared.
I flashed him a weary smile. “Oh, Tony, skip the titles. It’s just Delilah, Nerissa, and Menolly. We’ll be out in a minute.”
“Yes, Mistress.” He tapped his hat and exited the building. I turned to Chase.
“So, can you meet me here tomorrow morning? I’d really like you to come along when I question them.” He tapped my head with the file folder, smiling faintly. “Please?”
“I can’t go with you
tomorrow
. It’s Iris’s wedding. I need to help with preparations.” I knew talking to the families was important, but sometimes you just had to say no. “And you’d better show up at the wedding. Iris has done a lot for you.”
He closed his eyes and let out a long, loud sigh. “I’ll be there, no problem. It’s in the evening, anyway. But can’t you come in for a few hours in the morning? I need your help, Delilah. I wouldn’t ask, but…”
“But you can trust me.” It was my turn to sigh, and as I did so, I blew my bangs off my forehead. He knew I’d say yes; I could tell by his hopeful stance.
Shade wrapped his arms around my waist. “You could come in for the morning. Iris won’t mind.”
“All right. I’ll be here around ten but I have to leave by one. Maybe Iris will be too excited to notice.” Were we ever going to be able to cut loose again without some trauma spoiling our fun? Were we ever going to catch another break?
Chase hugged me, then shook hands with Shade, and we headed out to Bruce’s limo. It boggled the mind that only a couple hours before we’d been on stage, singing and drinking, and now we were facing another ride on the demon-go-round. I slid into the car and stretched out, and without a word, we headed off into the darkness.
Chapter 4
The alarm blared through my dreams, and I blinked, glaring at the light that was filtering through the curtains. My head was plagued with a case of thunderbolts from hell, and I realized this was the side effect of the damishanya. The pounding was worse than any hangover I could imagine.
There was something else…something about today that I needed to remember…
“Get a move on, woman!” Shade’s voice penetrated my foggy mind as he yanked the covers off me, exposing my all-too-naked body to the chilly air. “In the shower with you. You can’t go help Chase, or attend Iris’s wedding, smelling like a wet cat.”
Iris’s wedding!
That’s right, tonight she was getting married and we had to set up all the decorations and get everything ready. I tried to force my eyes open as Shade grabbed my arm, yanked me none too gently to my feet, and gently trundled me over to the bathroom, where I heard the water running.
Grimacing, I squinted, trying to see through my eyelids,which were stuck together by gunk. I hadn’t taken off my makeup the night before. A glance in the mirror told me I looked like a fright.
The shock of the warm water on my skin hit me like a thunderbolt. I hated getting wet but couldn’t stand the thought of being dirty for long. Sometimes I wished I could just give myself a bath in cat form and turn back nice and spiffy clean, never needing a shower. I even refused bubble baths—the thought of soaking in a tub gave me the willies. No, showers were definitely the lesser of two evils. Sputtering, I ducked my head under and lathered up, quickly washing away any lingering grime, sweat, and mascara. As soon as I felt clean, I hopped out of the shower and pressed a soft towel to my face, wiping the water out of my eyes.
“Feel better?”
I peered over the top of the towel. Shade was leaning against the door, looking all too sexy and
“Thank you, Tony,” I said. “You didn’t have to wait for us. You must be exhausted, too.”
“Mistress Nerissa asked that I do so. She said she’ll catch a ride with Mistress Menolly.” He was oh-so-formal and looked so young, but I had a feeling he wasn’t as young as he appeared.
I flashed him a weary smile. “Oh, Tony, skip the titles. It’s just Delilah, Nerissa, and Menolly. We’ll be out in a minute.”
“Yes, Mistress.” He tapped his hat and exited the building. I turned to Chase.
“So, can you meet me here tomorrow morning? I’d really like you to come along when I question them.” He tapped my head with the file folder, smiling faintly. “Please?”
“I can’t go with you
tomorrow
. It’s Iris’s wedding. I need to help with preparations.” I knew talking to the families was important, but sometimes you just had to say no. “And you’d better show up at the wedding. Iris has done a lot for you.”
He closed his eyes and let out a long, loud sigh. “I’ll be there, no problem. It’s in the evening, anyway. But can’t you come in for a few hours in the morning? I need your help, Delilah. I wouldn’t ask, but…”
“But you can trust me.” It was my turn to sigh, and as I did so, I blew my bangs off my forehead. He knew I’d say yes; I could tell by his hopeful stance.
Shade wrapped his arms around my waist. “You could come in for the morning. Iris won’t mind.”
“All right. I’ll be here around ten but I have to leave by one. Maybe Iris will be too excited to notice.” Were we ever going to be able to cut loose again without some trauma spoiling our fun? Were we ever going to catch another break?
Chase hugged me, then shook hands with Shade, and we headed out to Bruce’s limo. It boggled the mind that only a couple hours before we’d been on stage, singing and drinking, and now we were facing another ride on the demon-go-round. I slid into the car and stretched out, and without a word, we headed off into the darkness.
Chapter 4
The alarm blared through my dreams, and I blinked, glaring at the light that was filtering through the curtains. My head was plagued with a case of thunderbolts from hell, and I realized this was the side effect of the damishanya. The pounding was worse than any hangover I could imagine.
There was something else…something about today that I needed to remember…
“Get a move on, woman!” Shade’s voice penetrated my foggy mind as he yanked the covers off me, exposing my all-too-naked body to the chilly air. “In the shower with you. You can’t go help Chase, or attend Iris’s wedding, smelling like a wet cat.”
Iris’s wedding!
That’s right, tonight she was getting married and we had to set up all the decorations and get everything ready. I tried to force my eyes open as Shade grabbed my arm, yanked me none too gently to my feet, and gently trundled me over to the bathroom, where I heard the water running.
Grimacing, I squinted, trying to see through my eyelids,which were stuck together by gunk. I hadn’t taken off my makeup the night before. A glance in the mirror told me I looked like a fright.
The shock of the warm water on my skin hit me like a thunderbolt. I hated getting wet but couldn’t stand the thought of being dirty for long. Sometimes I wished I could just give myself a bath in cat form and turn back nice and spiffy clean, never needing a shower. I even refused bubble baths—the thought of soaking in a tub gave me the willies. No, showers were definitely the lesser of two evils. Sputtering, I ducked my head under and lathered up, quickly washing away any lingering grime, sweat, and mascara. As soon as I felt clean, I hopped out of the shower and pressed a soft towel to my face, wiping the water out of my eyes.
“Feel better?”
I peered over the top of the towel. Shade was leaning against the door, looking all too sexy and
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