flying, scarlet-winged lizard. Gee says his name is Longfellow, and for now, he sleeps beside Brute and Pea. I have provided a photo on your cell phone. It is quite adorable.
I stopped, turned on the cell, and checked the stored pics. The photo was of the sleeping white werewolf, a neon green grindylow lying on his shoulders, and a scarlet-winged lizard asleep between his front legs, curled under his chin. It looked bigger than I remembered, but yeah. Adorable. I went back to the note.
There is one bit of good news. Jodi Richoux and Wrassler are to be married in the fall and have asked that the ceremony take place in the ballroom of the Council Chambers in New Orleans. On your behalf I approved their request. We are expected to attend. Formal attire is required. I look forward to seeing our friends happy and you on my arm, in a beautiful gown.
I will be at the vineyard with the Younger brothers, raising vines and preparing for this year’s crop. We’ll harvest our first grapes late this summer. We have branded the wine Yellowrock Clan, and the first pressings will be a mixed-grape white, and a mixed-grape red, both table wines.
Come home to me. Please.
Yours forever,
Bruiser
I folded the note and stuffed it back in its envelope. Then tucked it down my tank top, next to my heart.
Looking at the arcenciel, who fortunately hadn’t attacked me while I was occupied, I said, “What do you want to be called?”
“I am Storm.”
“Of course you are.” I sighed. “Why couldn’t I get a Breeze or a Rose or something peaceful? No. I got a Storm for my court.” I tossed her a protein bar and a package of turkey jerky. “I’m heading out of here. You can come if you want.”
Shouldering the bag, I began the hike up the chasm, watching for the climbing gear that would be hanging down in place, at some point. I was going home.
Keep reading for an excerpt from the first book in the Soulwood series
BLOOD OF THE EARTH
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Edgy and not sure why, I carried the basket of laundry off the back porch. I hung my T-shirts and overalls on the front line of my old-fashioned solar clothes dryer, two long skirts on the outer line, and what my mama called my intimate attire on the line between, where no one could see them from the driveway. I didn’t want another visit by Brother Ephraim or Elder Ebenezer about my wanton ways. Or even another courting attempt from Joshua Purdy. Or worse, a visit from Ernest Jackson Jr., the preacher. So far I’d kept him out of my house, but there would come a time when he’d bring help and try to force his way in. It was getting tiresome having to chase churchmen off my land at the business end of a shotgun, and at some point God’s Cloud of Glory Church would bring enough reinforcements that I couldn’t stand against them. It was a battle I was preparing for, one I knew I’d likely lose, but I would go down fighting, one way or another.
The breeze freshened, sending my wet skirts rippling as if alive, on the line where they hung. Red, gold, and brown leaves skittered across the three acres of newly cut grass. Branches overhead cracked, clacked, and groaned with the wind, leaves rustling as if whispering some dread tiding. The chill fall air had been perfect for birdsong; squirrels had been racing up and down the trees, stealing nuts and hiding them for the coming winter. I’d seen a big black bear this morning, chewing on nuts and acorns, halfway up the hill.
Standing in the cool breeze, I studied my woods, listening, feeling, tasting the unease that had prickled at my flesh for the last few months, ever since Jane Yellowrock had come visiting and turned my life upside down. She was the one responsible for the repeated recent visits by the churchmen. The Cherokee vampire hunter was the one who had brought all the changes, even if it wasn’t intentional. She had come hunting a missing vampire and, because she was good at her job—maybe the best ever—she had succeeded. She had also managed to save more than a hundred children from God’s Cloud.
Maybe it had been worth it all—helping all the children—but I was the one paying the price, not her. She was long gone and I was alone in the fight for my life. Even