Blood Bonds Read online

  I’ll be home for Yule, and I’ll see all of you then. Give my love to everybody.

  Your daughter,

  Maggie.

  And they all lived happily ever after.

  And so we come to the end of the line. Every journey has a beginning, and every journey has an end point. And this series is no exception. Thank you, my friends, from the bottom of my heart, for being part of this incredible journey.

  Want to know what to read next?

  If you loved Otherworld, I’m pretty sure you’ll like my new series—The Wild Hunt Series. The first five books are available: THE SILVER STAG, OAK & THORNS, IRON BONES, A SHADOW OF CROWS, and THE HALLOWED HUNT. The sixth, THE SILVER MIST, will be out in a couple of months.

  I also invite you to visit Fury’s world. Bound to Hecate, Fury is a minor goddess, taking care of the Abominations who come off the World Tree. The first story arc of the Fury Unbound Series is complete with: FURY RISING, FURY’S MAGIC, FURY AWAKENED, FURY CALLING, and FURY’S MANTLE.

  If you prefer a lighter hearted paranormal romance, meet the wild and magical residents of Bedlam in my Bewitching Bedlam Series. Fun-loving witch Maddy Gallowglass, her smoking-hot vampire lover Aegis, and their crazed cjinn Bubba (part djinn, all cat) rock it out in Bedlam, a magical town on a magical island. THE WISH FACTOR, BLOOD MUSIC, BEWITCHING BEDLAM, BLOOD VENGEANCE, TIGER TAILS, MAUDLIN’S MAYHEM, SIREN’S SONG, WITCHES WILD, and CASTING CURSES are available.

  For a dark, gritty, steamy series, try my world of the Indigo Court, where the long winter has come, and the Vampiric Fae are on the rise. NIGHT MYST, NIGHT VEIL, NIGHT SEEKER, NIGHT VISION, NIGHT’S END, and NIGHT SHIVERS are all available now.

  If you like cozies with an edge, try my Chintz ‘n China paranormal mysteries. The series is complete with: GHOST OF A CHANCE, LEGEND OF THE JADE DRAGON, MURDER UNDER A MYSTIC MOON, A HARVEST OF BONES, ONE HEX OF A WEDDING, and a wrap-up novella: HOLIDAY SPIRITS.

  For all of my work, both published and upcoming releases, see the Bibliography at the end of this book, or check out my website at Galenorn.com and be sure and sign up for my newsletter to receive news about all my new releases.

  Playlist

  I often write to music, and BLOOD BONDS was no exception. Here’s the playlist I used for this book:

  Three Doors Down: Kryptonite

  AJ Roach: Devil May Dance

  Android Lust: Here and Now

  Arcade Fire: Abraham’s Daughter

  Arch Leaves: Nowhere to Go

  The Animals: Bury My Body

  AWOLNATION: Sail

  Band of Skulls: I Know What I Am

  Beck: Farewell Ride; Emergency Exit

  The Black Angels: Half Believing; Hunt Me Down; Death March

  Black Mountain: Queens Will Play

  Bon Jovi: Wanted Dead or Alive

  The Bravery: Believe

  Broken Bells: The Ghost Inside

  Buffalo Springfield: For What It’s Worth

  Camouflage Nights: (It Could Be) Love

  Cobra Verde: Play With Fire

  Colin Foulke: Emergence

  Crazytown: Butterfly

  David Bowie: Golden Years; I’m Afraid of Americans

  Death Cab For Cutie: I Will Possess Your Heart

  Eastern Sun: Beautiful Being

  Eels: Souljacker Part 1

  Everlast: Black Jesus; I Can’t Move

  FC Kahuna: Hayling

  Garbage: Queer

  The Gospel Whiskey Runners: Muddy Waters

  Gypsy Soul: Who?

  The Hang Drum Project: Sukram; Shaken Oak; St. Chartier

  Harvey Danger: Sad Sweetheart of the Rodeo

  The Hollies: Long Cool Woman

  Jessica Bates: The Hanging Tree

  John Fogerty: The Old Man Down the Road

  The Kills: Nail in My Coffin; You Don’t Own the Road

  Lorde: Royals; Yellow Flicker Beat

  Pearl Jam: Even Flow; Jeremy

  PJ Harvey: Let England Shake; The Glorious Land; The Words that Maketh Murder; In the Dark Places; The Colour of the Earth

  Rob Zombie: Living Dead Girl

  Robin Schultz: Sugar

  Saliva: Ladies and Gentlemen

  Scorpions: The Zoo

  Seether: Remedy

  Shriekback: And The Rain; Wriggle and Drone; Church of the Louder Light; Now These Days Are Gone

  Tina Turner: We Don’t Need Another Hero; One of the Living; I Can’t Stand The Rain

  Tom Petty: Mary Jane’s Last Dance

  Traffic: The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys

  The Verve: Bitter Sweet Symphony

  Yoko Kanno: Lithium Flower

  Zero 7: In the Waiting Line

  Cast of Major Characters

  The D’Artigo Family:

  Arial Lianan te Maria: Delilah’s twin who died at birth. Half-Fae, half-human.

  Camille Sepharial te Maria, aka Camille D’Artigo: The oldest sister; a Moon Witch and Priestess. Half-Fae, half-human.

  Daniel George Fredericks: The D’Artigo sisters’ half cousin; FBH.

  Delilah Maria te Maria, aka Delilah D’Artigo: The middle sister; a werecat.

  Hester Lou Fredericks: The D’Artigo sisters’ half cousin; FBH.

  Maria D’Artigo: The D’Artigo Sisters’ mother. Human. Deceased.

  Menolly Rosabelle te Maria, aka Menolly D’Artigo: The youngest sister; a vampire and jian-tu: extraordinary acrobat. Half-Fae, half-human.

  Sephreh ob Tanu: The D’Artigo Sisters’ father. Full Fae. Deceased.

  Shamas ob Olanda: The D’Artigo girls’ cousin. Full Fae. Deceased.

  The D’Artigo Sisters’ Lovers & Close Friends:

  Astrid (Johnson): Chase and Sharah’s baby daughter.

  Bruce O’Shea: Iris’s husband. Leprechaun.

  Carter: Leader of the Demonica Vacana Society, a group that watches and records the interactions of Demonkin and human through the ages. Carter is half demon and half Titan—his father was Hyperion, one of the Greek Titans.

  Chase Garden Johnson: Detective, director of the Faerie–Human Crime Scene Investigation (FH-CSI) team. Human who has taken the Nectar of Life, which extends his life span beyond any ordinary mortal and has opened up his psychic abilities.

  Chrysandra: Waitress at the Wayfarer Bar & Grill. Human. Deceased.

  Derrick Means: Bartender at the Wayfarer Bar & Grill. Werebadger.

  Erin Mathews: Former president of the Faerie Watchers Club and former owner of the Scarlet Harlot Boutique. Turned into a vampire by Menolly, her sire, moments before her death. Human.

  Greta: Leader of the Death Maidens; Delilah’s tutor.

  Iris (Kuusi) O’Shea: Friend and companion of the girls. Priestess of Undutar. Talon-haltija (Finnish house sprite).

  Lindsey Katharine Cartridge: Director of the Green Goddess Women’s Shelter. Pagan and witch. Human.

  Maria O’Shea: Iris and Bruce’s baby daughter.

  Marion Vespa: Coyote shifter; owner of the Supe-Urban Café.

  Morio Kuroyama: One of Camille’s lovers and husbands. Essentially the grandson of Grandmother Coyote. Youkai-kitsune (roughly translated: Japanese fox demon).

  Nerissa Shale: Menolly’s wife. Worked for DSHS. Now working for Chase Johnson as a victims-rights counselor for the FH-CSI. Werepuma and member of the Rainier Puma Pride.

  Roman: Ancient vampire; son of Blood Wyne, Queen of the Crimson Veil. Menolly’s official consort in the Vampire Nation and her new sire.

  Queen Asteria: The former Elfin Queen. Deceased.

  Queen Sharah: Was an elfin medic, now the new Elfin Queen; Chase’s girlfriend.

  Rozurial, aka Roz: Mercenary. Menolly’s secondary lover. Incubus who used to be Fae before Zeus and Hera destroyed his marriage.

  Shade: Delilah’s fiancé. Part Stradolan, part black (shadow) dragon.

  Siobhan Morgan: One of the girls’ friends. Selkie (wereseal); member of the Puget Sound Harbor Seal Pod.

  Smoky: One of Camille’s lovers and husba
nds. Half-white, half-silver dragon.

  Tanne Baum: One of the Black Forest woodland Fae. A member of the Hunter’s Glen Clan.

  Tavah: Guardian of the portal at the Wayfarer Bar & Grill. Vampire (full Fae).

  Tim Winthrop, aka Cleo Blanco: Computer student/genius, female impersonator. FBH. Now owns the Scarlet Harlot.

  Trillian: Mercenary. Camille’s alpha lover and one of her three husbands. Svartan (one of the Charming Fae).

  Ukkonen O’Shea: Iris and Bruce’s baby son.

  Vanzir: Was indentured slave to the Sisters, by his own choice. Dream-chaser demon who lost his powers and now is regaining new ones.

  Venus the Moon Child: Former shaman of the Rainier Puma Pride. Werepuma. One of the Keraastar Knights.

  Wade Stevens: President of Vampires Anonymous. Vampire (human).

  Zachary Lyonnesse: Former member of the Rainier Puma Pride Council of Elders. Werepuma living in Otherworld.

  Glossary

  Black Unicorn/Black Beast: Father of the Dahns unicorns, a magical unicorn that is reborn like the phoenix and lives in Darkynwyrd and Thistlewyd Deep. Raven Mother is his consort, and he is more a force of nature than a unicorn.

  Calouk: The rough, common dialect used by a number of Otherworld inhabitants.

  Court and Crown: “Crown” refers to the Queen of Y’Elestrial. “Court” refers to the nobility and military personnel that surround the Queen. “Court and Crown” together refer to the entire government of Y’Elestrial.

  Court of the Three Queens: The newly risen Court of the three Earthside Fae Queens: Titania, the Fae Queen of Light and Morning; Morgaine, the half-Fae Queen of Dusk and Twilight; and Aeval, the Fae Queen of Shadow and Night.

  Crypto: One of the Cryptozoid races. Cryptos include creatures out of legend that are not technically of the Fae races: gargoyles, unicorns, gryphons, chimeras, and so on. Most primarily inhabit Otherworld, but some have Earthside cousins.

  Demon Gate: A gate through which demons may be summoned by a powerful sorcerer or necromancer.

  Demonica Vacana Society: A society run by a number of ancient entities, including Carter, who study and record the history of demonic activity over Earthside. The archives of the society are found in the Demonica Catacombs, deep within an uninhabited island of the Cyclades, a group of Grecian islands in the Aegean Sea.

  Dreyerie: A dragon lair.

  Earthside: Everything that exists on the Earth side of the portals.

  Elqaneve: The Elfin city in Otherworld, located in Kelvashan—the Elfin lands.

  Elemental Lords: The elemental beings—both male and female—who, along with the Hags of Fate and the Harvestmen, are the only true Immortals. They are avatars of various elements and energies, and they inhabit all realms. They do as they will and seldom concern themselves with humankind or Fae unless summoned. If asked for help, they often exact steep prices in return. The Elemental Lords are not concerned with balance like the Hags of Fate.

  FBH: Full-Blooded Human (usually refers to Earthside humans).

  FH-CSI: The Faerie–Human Crime Scene Investigation team. The brainchild of Detective Chase Johnson, it was first formed as a collaboration between the OIA and the Seattle police department. Other FH-CSI units have been created around the country, based on the Seattle prototype. The FH-CSI takes care of both medical and criminal emergencies involving visitors from Otherworld.

  Great Divide: A time of immense turmoil when the Elemental Lords and some of the High Court of Fae decided to rip apart the worlds. Until then, the Fae existed primarily on Earth, their lives and worlds mingling with those of humans. The Great Divide tore everything asunder, splitting off another dimension, which became Otherworld. At that time, the Twin Courts of Fae were disbanded and their queens and the Merlin were stripped of power. This was the time during which the Spirit Seal was formed and broken in order to seal off the realms from each other. Some Fae chose to stay Earthside, while others moved to the realm of Otherworld, and the demons were—for the most part—sealed in the Subterranean Realms.

  Guard Des’Estar: The military of Y’Elestrial.

  Hags of Fates: The women of destiny who keep the balance righted. Neither good nor evil, they observe the flow of destiny. When events get too far out of balance, they step in and take action, usually using humans, Fae, Supes, and other creatures as pawns to bring the path of destiny back into line.

  Harvestmen: The lords of death—a few cross over and are also Elemental Lords. The Harvestmen, along with their followers (the Valkyries and the Death Maidens, for example), reap the souls of the dead.

  Haseofon: The abode of the Death Maidens—where they stay and where they train.

  Ionyc Lands: The astral, etheric, and spirit realms, along with several other lesser-known noncorporeal dimensions, form the Ionyc Lands. These realms are separated by the Ionyc Seas, a current of energy that prevents the Ionyc Lands from colliding, thereby sparking off an explosion of universal proportions.

  Ionyc Seas: The currents of energy that separate the Ionyc Lands. Certain creatures, especially those connected with the elemental energies of ice, snow, and wind, can travel through the Ionyc Seas without protection.

  Kelvashan: The lands of the elves.

  Koyanni: The coyote shifters who took an evil path away from the Great Coyote; followers of Nukpana.

  Melosealfôr: A rare Crypto dialect learned by powerful Cryptos and all Moon Witches.

  The Nectar of Life: An elixir that can extend the life span of humans to nearly the length of a Fae’s years. Highly prized and cautiously used. Can drive someone insane if he or she doesn’t have the emotional capacity to handle the changes incurred.

  Oblition: The act of a Death Maiden sucking the soul out of one of their targets.

  OIA: The Otherworld Intelligence Agency; the “brains” behind the Guard Des’Estar. Earthside Division now run by Camille, Menolly, and Delilah.

  Otherworld/OW: The human term for the “United Nations” of Faerie Land. A dimension apart from ours that contains creatures from legend and lore, pathways to the gods, and various other places, such as Olympus. Otherworld’s actual name varies among the differing dialects of the many races of Cryptos and Fae.

  Portal, Portals: The interdimensional gates that connect the different realms. Some were created during the Great Divide; others open up randomly.

  Seelie Court: The Earthside Fae Court of Light and Summer, disbanded during the Great Divide. Titania was the Seelie Queen.

  Soul Statues: In Otherworld, small figurines created for the Fae of certain races and magically linked with the baby. These figurines reside in family shrines and when one of the Fae dies, their soul statue shatters. In Menolly’s case, when she was reborn as a vampire, her soul statue re-formed, although twisted. If a family member disappears, his or her family can always tell if their loved one is alive or dead if they have access to the soul statue.

  Spirit Seals: A magical crystal artifact, the Spirit Seal was created during the Great Divide. When the portals were sealed, the Spirit Seal was broken into nine gems and each piece was given to an Elemental Lord or Lady. These gems each have varying powers. Even possessing one of the spirit seals can allow the wielder to weaken the portals that divide Otherworld, Earthside, and the Subterranean Realms. If all of the seals are joined together again, then all of the portals will open.

  Stradolan: A being who can walk between worlds, who can walk through the shadows, using them as a method of transportation.

  Supe/Supes: Short for Supernaturals. Refers to Earthside supernatural beings who are not of Fae nature. Refers to Weres, especially.

  Talamh Lonrach Oll: The name for the Earthside Sovereign Fae Nation.

  Triple Threat: Camille’s nickname for the newly risen three Earthside Queens of Fae.

  Unseelie Court: The Earthside Fae Court of Shadow and Winter, disbanded during the Great Divide. Aeval was the Unseelie Queen.

  VA/Vampires Anonymous: The Earthside group started by Wade Stevens, a
vampire who was a psychiatrist during life. The group is focused on helping newly born vampires adjust to their new state of existence, and to encourage vampires to avoid harming the innocent as much as possible. The VA is vying for control. Their goal is to rule the vampires of the United States and to set up an internal policing agency.

  Whispering Mirror: A magical communications device that links Otherworld and Earth. Think magical video phone.

  Y’Eírialiastar: The Sidhe/Fae name for Otherworld.

  Y’Elestrial: The city-state in Otherworld where the D’Artigo girls were born and raised. A Fae city, recently embroiled in a civil war between the drug-crazed tyrannical Queen Lethesanar and her more level-headed sister Tanaquar, who managed to claim the throne for herself. The civil war has ended and Tanaquar is restoring order to the land.

  Youkai: Loosely (very loosely) translated as Japanese demon/nature spirit. For the purposes of this series, the youkai have three shapes: the animal, the human form, and the true demon form. Unlike the demons of the Subterranean Realms, youkai are not necessarily evil by nature.

  Biography

  New York Times, Publishers Weekly, and USA Today bestselling author Yasmine Galenorn writes urban fantasy and paranormal romance, and is the author of over sixty books, including the Wild Hunt Series, the Fury Unbound Series, the Bewitching Bedlam Series, and the Otherworld Series, among others. She’s also written nonfiction metaphysical books. She is the 2011 Career Achievement Award Winner in Urban Fantasy, given by RT Magazine. Yasmine has been in the Craft since 1980, is a shamanic witch and High Priestess. She describes her life as a blend of teacups and tattoos. She lives in Kirkland, WA, with her husband Samwise and their cats. Yasmine can be reached via her website at Galenorn.com.

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