Priestess Dreaming Read online

  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.

  Dreyerie: A dragon lair.

  Earthside/ES: 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 capital Elfin city in Otherworld, located in Kelvashan—the Elfin lands.

  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, 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 Earthside. Think magical video phone.

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

  Y’Elestrial: The city-state in Otherworld where the D’Artigo sisters 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 form, the human form, and the true demon form. Unlike the demons of the Subterranean Realms, youkai are not necessarily evil by nature.

  PLAYLIST FOR PRIESTESS DREAMING

  I write to music a good share of the time, and so I always put my playlists in the back of each book so you can see which artists/songs I listened to during the writing. Here’s the playlist for Priestess Dreaming:

  AJ Roach: “Devil May Dance”

  Air: “Moon Fever,” “Napalm Love,” “Surfing on a Rocket,” “Playground Love”

  Amethystium: “Shadow to Light,” “Enchantment,” “Fairyland”

  Android Lust: “Saint Over,” “Here and Now,” “God in the Hole”

  Awolnation: “Sail”

  The Black Angels: “The Return,” “You on the Run,” “Evil Things,” “Black Isn’t Black,” “Young Men Dead,” “Manipulation,” “Phosphene Dream”

  Black Rebel Motorcycle Club: “Feel It Now”

  The Bravery: “Believe”

  Broken Bells: “The Ghost Inside,” “The High Road”

  Bryan Adams: “Run to You,” “Heat of the Night”

  Crazy Town: “Butterfly”

  The Cure: “From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea,” “The Hanging Garden”

  Death Cab for Cutie: “I Will Possess Your Heart”

  Eastern Sun: “Beautiful Being”

  Eels: “Souljacker Part 1”

  Faun: “Iduna,” “Hymn to Pan,” “Arcadia,” “Sieben,” “Rad”

  The Feeling: “Sewn”

  Foster the People: “Pumped Up Kicks”

  Garbage: “Queer,” “1 Crush,” “I Think I’m Paranoid”

  Gary Numan: “I Am Dust,” “Here in the Black,” “Everything Comes Down to This,” “A Shadow Falls on Me,” “Splinter,” “Haunted,” “Melt,” “Cars (re-mix),” “Petals”

  Godsmack: “Voodoo”

  Hanni El Khatib: “Come Alive”

  In Strict Confidence: “Silver Bullets,” “Snow White,” “Tiefer,” “Silver Tongues”

  Kyuss: “Space Cadet”

  Lady Gaga: “Teeth,” “I Like It Rough,” “Paparazzi”

  Ladytron: “Destroy Everything You Touch,” “I’m Not Scared,” “Ghosts”

  Lord of the Lost: “Sex on Legs”

  Loreena McKennitt: “The Mummer’s Dance”

  Marilyn Manson: “Arma-Goddamn-Motherfuckin-Geddon,” “Tainted Love,” “Personal Jesus”

  Mark Lanegan: “Methamphetamine Blues,” “Phantasmagoria Blues,” “Gravedigger’s Song,” “Riot in My House,” “Black Pudding,” “Pentacostal”

  Morcheeba: “Even Though”

  Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: “Red Right Hand,” “Ain’t Gonna Rain Anymore”

  Orgy: “Blue Monday,” “Social Enemies”

  Peaches: “Boys Wanna Be Her”

  Pussycat Dolls: “Buttons,” “Don’t Cha”

  REM: “Drive”

  Rob Zombie: “Living Dead Girl,” “American Witch,” “Mars Needs Women,” “Never Gonna Stop”

  Scorpions: “The Zoo”

  Screaming Trees: “Where the Twain Shall Meet,” “Dime Western,” “Gospel Plow”

  Stone Temple Pilots: “Sour Girl,” “Atlanta”

  Tamaryn: “While You’re Sleeping, I’m Dreaming,” “Violet’s in a Pool,” “The Waves,” “Afterlight,” “Transcendent Blue”

  Thompson Twins: “The Gap,” “Love on Your Side,” “All Fall Out,” “Watching,” “Doctor! Doctor!”

  Tom Petty: “Mary Jane’s Last Dance”

  Transplants: “Diamonds and Guns”

  The Verve: “Bittersweet Symphony”

  Warchild: “Ash”

  Zero 7: “In the Waiting Line”

  Turn the page to read an excerpt from the next book in the Otherworld series

  Panther Prowling

  Coming February 2015 from Jove Books

  “Do you think she knows what we’re up to?” Menolly fretted. She hiked herself up onto the counter of the newly renovated Wayfarer Bar & Grill and began swinging her legs. It had been rebuilt, revamped, and revitalized, and tonight we were going to rock the block with a grand reopening party, welcoming back—we hoped—all the regulars who had made the Wayfarer their local watering hole. The doors opened in twenty minutes and we were just killing time as the staff finished last-minute touches, which included a massive number of balloons for Camille’s birthday, which also happened to be today.

  I sat on one of barstools, absently flipping through a book I’d picked up at the pet store: How To Take Care of Your Mouse. I had no plans on getting pet mice any time soon—that idea could too easily turn into a disaster. No, my friend Misha, a mouse who had helped me out in a sticky situation, had just died. I wanted to look after her children . . . and her children’s children. The micelings were still frightened of me, but I’d managed to keep my promise to her and never once had chased after her extended family when I shifted into cat form.

  “Probably. Camille makes it her business to know everything about everybody. She can’t help it. It’s the control freak in her. You know that by now.”

  Hunger pangs hit my stomach and I ran my tongue over my teeth. I’d just had them polished and the dentist had been a nervous wreck the entire time. Even though he was Supe-friendly, my fangs were sharp, and while not overly large, they didn’t retract. Slicing a finger open would be all too easy, and I could feel him tense up the entire time he was checking through my mouth.

  Occasionally I cut my tongue on them, but I figured that was all part of being a werecat. What was really dicey were blow jobs. Shade and I had managed to work out a system so I didn’t hurt him most of the time, but in the end, it was easier to focus our attentions on other forms of love play, given the risks.

  “I’m hungry, you have any snacks in this joint?”

  Menolly leaned over and flicked my nose. “Doofus. I’m surprised you aren’t packing a candy bar. Go check near the birthday cake in the kitchen—we have plenty of cupcakes and one or two won’t be missed. We won’t be firing up the grill till its officially opening time, so if you want, grab yourself one . . . or some nuts from the bar.” She smiled and let out a satisfied laugh. “Kitten, I can’t tell you what a relief it is to actually have a decent grill to go with the name.”

  Before an arsonist had torched it, the Wayfarer Bar & Grill’s kitchen was barely passable. The cook had managed a few simple things like fries and burgers, or grilled cheese, or cold sandwiches—standard dive food. It had been filling but nothing to write home about.

  But during renovations, Menolly had consulted with the architect and they’d redesigned the entire joint. She had commandeered the upper floor and ditched her attempts to turn into a bed-and-breakfast. Instead, they’d relocated the kitchen upstairs, added an elevator, and revamped the staircase to make it user-friendly. A dumbwaiter and intercom system completed the cooking arrangements. They’d gutted two of the bedrooms in order to create a large private meeting room, to be rented out as needed.

  “Are you going to miss having a bed-and-breakfast?” I glanced around. While the outside of the building looked the same—red brick, old, and historic—inside, the Wayfarer had a far different feel than when we’d first came Earthside and Menolly had started working as a bartender for her cover job.

  “No, I don’t think so. I barely had one, anyway. The bar had its charms, but now it’s my vision, through and through.” She glanced around, a satisfied look on her face. “As painful as the fire was, at least I was able to rebuild and put my own stamp on it.”

  She bit her lip, drawing a drop of blood with her fangs. That they were showing told me she was stressed. Unlike me, vampires had retractable fangs. I knew she was thinking about the people who had b
een lost during the fire but I said nothing, no use scraping an open wound.