The Desert Rose — Rachelle Reese; John E. Miller

When mortals war, gods might watch. When gods war, mortals bleed. Delilah Cats believes that when a god demands something, it's usually best to give him what he wants. So when Lord Psyche brings a few New Orleans courtesans to the rooftop of his mansion, she sees no reason not to entertain them with a rainbow. Besides, the storm god promised he'd help her find Jesse. Her brother is overprotective, but she does miss his voice. Will her offering assuage the dragon? Sassafras Cats has never felt a wind as hot and dry as the one brushing her face. As she drifts in and out of consciousness, she becomes of aware of a native American medicine woman and a white-haired man who shares his sad amber eyes with a coyote, a hawk, and a rattlesnake. When he touches her, she feels something she has never felt before -- feverish and joyful both at once. Is it the spider's venom in her veins or something else? In the swamp, the earthbound goddess Agatha wakes to an agonizing headache. She finds her nymphs unresponsive, but alive -- all except one. Nymeria is missing. Where is she and what is wrong with the rest of the nymphs? The Desert Rose is the second book in the Mama Cats story arc of the Dime Store Novel series, an urban fantasy novella about a world that appears normal unless you look close enough to see the fairies and the goblins. It is the sequel to Rips in the Weave.