Free Haunted Moon by Yasmine Galenorn

respect that made me adore him even more.
    We hurried down to breakfast to find the oatmeal, a huge stack of toast, several pounds of bacon, a platter of eggs, a platter of sausage, and a giant bowl of fruit salad waiting. I piled my plate high and accepted a stiff cup of coffee from Hanna, who had discovered the joys of caffeine and, within a short few months, had become as bad an addict as I was.
    Nerissa hurried up from the basement, where she shared Menolly’s lair. Once it had occurred to them that sinceNerissa slept during the night, and Menolly during the day, they realized there wasn’t much of a danger if Nerissa shared the same sleeping space, and she’d moved in.
    Menolly’s wife was gorgeous, a golden Amazon of a woman, and a werepuma. She worked for Chase as a victim’s rights counselor, and today she was dressed in tidy jeans and a button-down shirt.
    “You don’t look like you’re dressed for the office,” Delilah said, peeking in from the laundry room. The washer rhythmically thumped in the background, and I gathered she was making an attempt to wash clothes. I hoped, for my own sake, that none of them were mine.
    Nerissa shrugged, hugging Iris, then grabbed a plate and began to fill it with fruit salad, bacon, and sausage. She didn’t care for bread much and tended to follow her more carnivorous side.
    “I have to go out to an apartment building that burned down during the night. There were a lot of displaced people there—mostly Supes—and they’re going to need someone to help them find temporary quarters. Better I dress like this rather than too fancy, considering most of them have just lost everything they have in the world.” She wrinkled her nose. “I hate working fires. The smells are always so strong they make me gag.”
    “It wasn’t an explosion?” I glanced up. Not long ago, Supes had been the target of some pretty nasty hate crime actions. But she eased my mind.
    “No, don’t sweat it. Faulty wiring. Slumlord stuff, and boy, is he going to pay, both monetarily and with a tidy jail term. He deliberately refused to bring the place up to code. Two people died, so he might even face negligent manslaughter charges, or whatever you call it.”
    As I slid into a chair and dug into my food, Iris put the last platter of sausage onto the table, then stretched. She looked tired, and I realized that having twins was going to impact her a lot more than if she were carting around just one baby in that womb.
    As if reading my mind, Iris eased herself into the rockingchair, letting Hanna take over. “Twins take it out of you. Oh! I forgot to mention it yesterday. Bruce got hired on for the fall semester at the UW. He’s going to continue as head of the Irish Studies Department for another year.” She beamed. Bruce, her leprechaun husband, was a professor, even though he had never needed to work a day in his life, considering how wealthy his parents were.
    We all cheered. Good news was good news, and every drop was a reason for celebration.
    “Thank you,” he said, blushing. “I love the work. But, I’m going to be late if I don’t get moving.” Grabbing his briefcase, he headed for the front door after giving Iris a deep kiss. His driver showed up every morning at eight A.M. promptly. Bruce had his own limo. We’d also discovered that he donated his entire salary to charity—mostly to the food banks and to the animal shelters—and lived off the family money.
    Iris waved him off, then pushed herself out of the rocking chair. “I’m going out to the trailer for a nap. Hanna, hold down the fort for me.” Blowing a kiss to all of us, she headed out the back door.
    I glanced over at the wards I’d set up on the house to make certain the crystals were still glowing clear. If they went off, we’d all know it, but it eased my mind to double-check, especially after a night like last night. Polishing off the last bite of toast, I carried my plate over to the sink, then turned around,