Shaded Vision: An Otherworld Novel Read online

  He shook his head. “I’m still not ready to talk about that yet. It’s all so new. No, this is something bigger than that. I asked Sharah if I could tell you.” He scuffed the floor. “Please, don’t tell the others yet. We didn’t plan for this to happen. But sometimes, things just…”

  I looked at him, waiting.

  He shrugged. “Sharah’s pregnant. I’m the father. She’s keeping the baby. Beyond that, I have no clue what the future has in store for us. But we’ll tell your sisters in a day or so.”

  And then, before I could say a word, Camille and Menolly were hugging me and discussing wedding plans. I suddenly found myself crying. The stress of the past few days had taken its toll. But they were tears of joy as well as sorrow. So much had changed in so little time. And so much was still changing.

  Linking arms with my sisters, we sailed out of the room, toward the parking lot, with the men following. Chase raised his hand as we left, and our eyes met. He was smiling at me, and I beamed at him. He was headed toward fatherhood. And, while he would always be our detective, I had the feeling that his path was leading him into so much more than that.

  And me? I…I was headed…who knew where? But Shade would be at my side wherever I was going. And one day, when I was ready, I would become his wife. I didn’t believe in happily-ever-after anymore. There was always an “after.” My rose-colored glasses had been shattered—collateral damage in this war we were fighting. But I could believe in happy for now. And overall, considering what we were facing, that was enough. I was ready to face my future. And our lives were pretty damned good.

  CAST OF MAJOR CHARACTERS

  The D’Artigo Family

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  The D’Artigo Sisters’ Lovers & Close Friends

  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 with a smidgen of elf in his distant past, 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.

  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.

  Luke: Former bartender at the Wayfarer Bar & Grill. Werewolf. One of the Keraastar Knights.

  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).

  Neely Reed: Founding Member of AWUP—All Worlds United in Peace. FBH.

  Nerissa Shale: Menolly’s lover. 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.

  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.

  Sharah: Elfin medic; Chase’s girlfriend.

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

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

  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).

  Trytian: Son of a powerful daemon sent over Earthside to form an underground group of discontent demons, devils, and daemons against Shadow Wing. Out for his own agenda, not trustworthy, but ultimately fighting against the same foe as the D’Artigo Sisters.

  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.

  Dreyerie: A dragon lair.

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

  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.

  Elqaneve: The Elfin lands in Otherworld.

  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 li
ves 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 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, 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.

  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.

  OIA: The Otherworld Intelligence Agency; the “brains” behind the Guard Des’Estar.

  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 the 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.

  PLAYLIST FOR SHADED VISION

  I listen to a lot of music when I write, and when I talk about it online, my readers always want to know what I’m listening to for each book. So, in addition to adding the playlists to my website, I thought I’d add them in the back of each book so you can create your own if you want to hear my “soundtrack” for the books.

  3 Doors Down: “Kryptonite”

  Adam Lambert: “Mad World”

  Aerosmith: “Come Together”

  Air: “Napalm Love,” “Clouds Up,” “Playground Love”

  Amanda Blank: “Something Bigger, Something Better,” “Might Like You Better,” “Big Heavy”

  Android Lust: “Dragonfly,” “Stained”

  The Asteroids Galaxy Tour: “Around the Bend,” “The Sun Ain’t Shining No More,” “Sunshine Coolin’”

  Bangles: “Walk Like an Egyptian”

  Black Rebel Motorcycle Club: “Shuffle Your Feet”

  The Bravery: “Believe”

  Buffalo Springfield: “For What It’s Worth”

  Cat Power: “I Don’t Blame You”

  Celtic Woman: “The Voice”

  Chris Isaak: “Wicked Game”

  Cream: “Sunshine of Your Love”

  Creedence Clearwater Revival: “Run through the Jungle”

  Crosby, Stills, and Nash: “Woodstock”

  David Bowie: “Cat People,” “I’m Afraid of Americans”

  Depeche Mode: “Dream On”

  Fatboy Slim: “Weapon of Choice”

  Faun: “Konigin,” “Punagra”

  Gary Numan: “My Breathing,” “Haunted,” “Down in the Park”

  Gorillaz: “Stylo”

  Haysi Fantayzee: “Shiny Shiny”

  Hugo: “99 Problems”

  In Strict Confidence: “Forbidden Fruit,” “Silver Bullets”

  Julian Cope: “Charlotte Anne”

  King Black Acid: “Haunted”

  Korpiklaani: “Shaman Drum”

  Lady Gaga: “Born This Way”

  Ladytron: “They Gave You a Heart,” “They Gave You a Name,” “Paco,” “I’m Not Scared”

  Low: “Half Light”

  Men at Work: “Down Under”

  A Pale Horse Named Death: “As Black as My Heart,” “To Die in Your Arms”

  PJ Harvey: “The Colour of the Earth,” “Let England Shake,” “The Glorious Land,” “The Words That Maketh Murder,” “All and Everyone,” “In the Dark Places,” “Hanging in the Wire”

  Ricky Martin: “She Bangs”

  Ringo Starr: “It Don’t Come Easy”

  Roisin Murphy: “Ramalama (Bang Bang)”

  The Rolling Stones: “Gimme Shelter”<
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  Sister Sledge: “We Are Family”

  Stealers Wheel: “Stuck in the Middle With You”

  Suzanne Vega: “Blood Makes Noise,” “If You Were in My Movie”

  Tangerine Dream: “Grind,” “Dr. Destructo”

  Three Dog Night: “Mama Told Me (Not to Come)”

  Tina Turner: “One of the Living,” “We Don’t Need Another Hero”

  Tingstand & Rumbel: “Chaco”

  Traffic: “Hidden Treasure”

  Warchild: “Ash”

  Zero 7: “In the Waiting Line”

  Dear Reader:

  I hope that you enjoyed Shaded Vision, the eleventh book in the Otherworld series, as much as I enjoyed writing it. So much happened in this book that it opens up a lot of paths for the coming books in the series. I’m looking forward to exploring the world and seeing it expand as the adventures continue. Next up in this series: Menolly’s next book, Shadow Rising, which will be book twelve, coming November 2012.

  But before then, I hope you’re looking forward to reading Night Seeker, book three of the Indigo Court series, which will be available July 2012. I’m including the first chapter from Night Seeker here to give you a sneak peek.

  For those of you new to my books, I wanted to take this opportunity to welcome you into my worlds. For those of you who’ve been reading my books for a while, I wanted to thank you for revisiting the D’Artigo Sisters’ world once again.

  Bright Blessings,

  The Painted Panther

  Yasmine Galenorn

  The night was still. Snow drifted slowly to the ground, where it compacted into a glazed sheet covering the roads. Favonis—my Pontiac GTO—silently glided through the empty streets as I navigated the icy pavement. We had to be cautious. The Shadow Hunters were out in the suburbs tonight, searching for those who braved the cold. They were running amok, and New Forest, Washington, had become their hunting grounds.

  Equally dangerous, Geoffrey and the vampires were also out in full force, patrolling the streets. Clusters of dark figures in long black dusters wandered the shopping areas, their collars turned up, hands in pockets, searching the crowds for Myst’s hunters.