by SF Benson
Delta Ava’s establishment was off Esplanade Avenue—a major tree-lined street and what some considered the spine of the neighborhood. The child in me wished to explore the area. Ever since Uncle C took me to my first museum, I was fascinated by history. I wanted to learn everything I could about the district, but there were other pressing matters at hand.
A chime sounded overhead as Tabitha pushed open the wooden door. The darkness residing in the shop’s walls hit me all at once. Its presence crushed my throat, cutting off my breath. I stumbled, gasping for air.
My companion grabbed my elbow, attempting to steady me. “Hey! Are you okay?”
I nodded, and awareness dawned on me. Finding my voice, I said, “I guess I wasn’t prepared for this place.”
It was a half-lie. I could feel the spirits moving through the shop along with my mother’s presence—What was she doing here?—and of course his.
A plump, brown-skinned woman walked through a colorful beaded curtain. Her eyes widened when she saw me. She quickly shook it off and smiled. “Morning, Tabitha.”
“Good morning.” Tabitha rushed over to the priestess. “Delta Ava, I’m sorry to intrude. We should have called, but my friend really wanted to meet you.”
“Does he now?” She walked up to me and stared into my eyes. “Who are ya?”
Holding my shoulders back, I said, “Colby Mercier.”
“Ah. I was told ya would be ‘ere.”
“I was hoping you could help me contact my father’s spirit. There are things we need to discuss,” I said truthfully.
To Tabitha, Delta Ava said, “Gal, ya need ta give us some privacy. Why don’t cha wait outside? It won’t take long.”
“Are you sure?” Tabitha asked me.
I pushed my shoulders back and stood taller. She didn’t have to worry about me. I was in the safest place I could be. “Yeah. If you want me to help with St. John, I really have to do this alone.”
“Okay. If you need me, just holler.” She sashayed toward the door, and the chime sounded again.
Once the vampiress departed, I followed Delta Ava into a side room. Immediately, I put up a privacy spell just in case Tabitha decided to come back.
“Ready?” the woman asked.
“Just get it over and done with.” I hated when people treated me as if I was still only seven. I’d been in this adult body for almost a year. When would they—or should I say he—realize I was no longer a kid?
The façade of the priestess slowly faded. The curves firmed, the skin lightened, and the eyes turned green. Dark hair replaced the headdress. The last vestige of the window dressing—the white blouse and skirt—evaporated. He sat before me in a tailored navy-blue suit.
“Father.”
“Son.” He walked over, embraced me briefly, and then took a seat. “Your mother was here earlier.”
“Yeah.” I pulled out a chair and sat down. “I felt her presence. What did she want?”
“She claims to be concerned about you, but we know that’s a lie. Morgan Vladislav only cares about herself,” he assessed. A trace of bitterness colored his voice.
“Did she say what had her concerned?”
“Apparently, your dual nature is troubling her. What did you say to her the other night?”
My shoulders tensed. Yes, my father intimidated me. Then again, that was Bishop Mercier-Lowell’s manner. Smart people maintained a healthy fear of the man.
“A-about?”
“The rogue vampire.”
I leaned back, letting the front chair legs rise from the floor. Years ago, I learned how to play off my nervousness. Any sign of weakness, on my part, was bad news. It gave my father an open playground to toy with my emotions.
“I told her any of us could have killed those redheads. Since the crimes couldn’t be traced to us, I could help her with the St. John problem.”
Father rubbed his scruffy jaw. “Was that wise, Colby? Are you trying to tip her off?”
I smiled easily. Everyone underestimated me. They always had. People were fortunate I wasn’t a spiteful guy. If I were, I would have easily obliterated half of New Orleans.
“No, Father. Everything is copasetic between Mom and me. She doesn’t suspect a thing.”
He strummed his fingers on the wooden table. “Stop playing around, Colby. Playing games is what ended your uncle’s life.”
I hung my head. Uncle Cade’s death was unfortunate. Father manipulated his brother and put Uncle C’s life at risk.
Not cool.
“Why did you want to see me?” I asked.
His text message was the reason I went to Tabitha’s. Ever since Father’s exodus from Hell, he’d only contacted me from a burner phone. He said it was safer that way.
“I thought we might be able to employ your cousin’s help to end the Vladislavs. Turns out Melisande is tied up with something more pressing. When I called her, she said it had to do with a demon wanting to bring on the apocalypse.”
When would my family learn? They were so hellbent on creating destruction. I’d grown up listening to the stories about how the Red Witch betrayed them. Frankly, I thought it was all bullshit. As far as I was concerned, we created our own destinies. It was best to leave the past in the past and concentrate on the future. There was nothing to do about the present but to live in it.
“So where does that leave us?”
“On our own, I’m afraid.” Father stared into the distance. “We can still make it work though. Getting rid of Alexander St. John is key.”
Great. I had no desire to kill anyone.
Dad, not noticing my silence, continued, “That vampiress will be helpful. Use her to get rid of him. St. John will be wiped from existence, and she’ll end up with a dagger in her heart behind a wall. Plan it right, and you’ll have your revenge against the dhampir too.”
My mouth fell open.
“You thought I didn’t know? Personally, I don’t get the attraction. You’re better than that. Besides, I didn’t raise you to like men.”
Honestly? You didn’t raise me to like anyone. You raised me to be a weapon.
But I didn’t say anything. His opinion was why I never came out. It was the massive difference between my father and my mother. She wanted me to be happy. She didn’t care if I loved men, women, or both. If Mom hadn’t sent me to Rodrigo and Etienne, I’d still be struggling. They helped me to see I had an understandable crush followed by an unfortunate one-night stand. The couple told me I’d be okay. I just needed time. Father wouldn’t have handled the situation the same way.
He would have told me to get over the incident. He would have added I should have known better than become interested in a man. Then my father would have dragged my ass to a strip joint and set me up with one of the dancers. Later, he would have plotted Clint’s death. My father was a cruel sorcerer who didn’t appreciate anyone hurting his family.
I guess that was the commonality between my parents. They both acted in the best interest of their loved ones. Mom just employed kinder methods while Father preferred the more twisted ones. I was caught between them. Frankly, I was tired of it.
“What do you want me to do?”
“You need to set Tabitha up. Have her pursue St. John and get him back to his house. Plan it right, son. Clint has to come to her rescue. He needs to be the one to decapitate the vampire. Kragen won’t be able to cover up his son’s transgression. The first act of Council will be to remove him as BGS leader.”
How was that going to help my father?
“Colby, I already have influence with Council. By the time this is over, I’ll have a seat on the board.” Dad’s green eyes darkened until they resembled deep-jade gemstones. “Don’t even think of crossing me. You’re my son, but that doesn’t mean I won’t hesitate to kill you.”
I swallowed hard and fought the urge to bounce my foot.
“Of course not, Father. Anything else?”
“That’s it for now. If I need you again, I’ll summon you.” He
glanced at the expensive watch on his wrist. “We should wrap this up, anyway. The real priestess will be arriving soon. I’d really hate to have to send her to Hell.”
So how did I send my father back permanently?
* * *
I found Tabitha down the street outside of a restaurant. Unfortunately, it wasn’t open until evening.
She looked up as I approached. “Hey, did you get to speak with your father?”
“Yeah, I did. Is there some place I can drop you off?”
The female arched an eyebrow. “What’s going on?”
Like I said, I was a dutiful son, but I had to draw the line somewhere. I didn’t know much about the council, but I didn’t think my father deserved a seat on it. I envisioned atrocious things coming to New Orleans with him in charge. That factor was my motivation. Not betraying my father.
“We need to meet with Mom and Ace.”
“About?”
“You’ll see.” I opened a portal and reached for Tabitha’s hand. When she hesitated, I asked, “Do you trust me?”
“I’m not sure.”
That was fair. I probably wasn’t the most trustworthy person she knew. “Better question. Do you value your existence?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“Because some heinous shit is going to happen, and you’ll be to blame if we don’t stop it.”
Without asking another question, Tabitha took my hand. The gateway deposited us in my grandparents’ dining room right in the middle of breakfast.
Grandmother’s fork clattered to her plate. Grandfather, a rarity at the dining table, paused with his goblet of crimson in mid-air.
“What is the meaning of this?” she asked.
“I’m sorry, Grandmother.” I waved my hand and closed the portal. “We must meet now. I have news that won’t sit well with you.”
My grandparents exchanged a curious glance.
“We need to have Mom and Ace here too. It wouldn’t hurt if Kragen and his son came also.”
Grandmother’s brow wrinkled. She set her linen napkin beside her plate and pushed away from the table. “I’ll contact Morgan. Julien, if you’ll—”
“Of course, Deianira.” The vampire glanced at Tabitha. “Have you fed today?”
She shook her head.
“Make yourselves comfortable in the drawing room. I’ll have Kilgore bring you a fresh bottle.”
* * *
An eternity seemed to pass as we waited for everyone to gather. While Tabitha sipped her breakfast, I paced the length of the room. My greatest fear was Father learning about what I had planned. When he did, there wouldn’t be a safe place for me to hide. My best bet would be remaining in my grandparents’ house and hoping for the best.
The double doors sprang open and my family—along with the Bonapartes—poured in. Mom had that bewildered expression on her face while Ace simply looked pissed. My grandparents took their seats in front of the fireplace. The angular vampire and my former crush sat on a sofa.
Once they were seated, I cleared my voice. “Thanks for coming. None of you will like what I’m about to say, but you need to know it. To begin with, remember I’m my father’s son. My first loyalty has always been to Bishop.”
Ace flexed his hands and then clenched them tightly.
I continued. “But… Things have changed.” I gazed at Mom. “I’m sorry. I’ve been living a lie. When I dragged Bishop through the portal, he didn’t die.”
Gasps went around the room.
“Let me finish, please.” Everyone quieted down. “All of that was orchestrated. My father needed you to believe he was gone so he could work in the background.”
Grandmother asked, “What is Bishop planning?”
I exhaled loudly. “He’s going to claim a seat on Council.”
“How?” Kragen asked.
“Bishop wants me to encourage Tabitha to pursue Alexander St. John. She’s to go to his house. Once she’s there, I’m supposed to leak word to Clint that she’s alone with the vampire. I’m to lie that St. John plans to end her. My father’s counting on Kragen’s son storming into the place and beheading St. John. Then Kragen will be blamed for everything that happened.”
“And I’ll lose my position,” the angular vamp said gravely.
Mom sat forward. “It’ll be enough for Council to re-evaluate the BlackGuard too.” She stared up at me. “Would you really harm the family this way? Think of all the humans who would be at risk.”
“I am!” I shouted. “Why do you think I’m telling you this?”
“Morgan, don’t come down too hard on Colby,” said Grandmother. “Technically, he’s only—”
“I am not a fucking child!” All eyes landed on me, and then I realized what I’d said. “I’m sorry.”
Grandfather held up his palm. “No need to apologize. Colby is right. He’s not a child. Coming forward with this news is the action of a brave adult. We should thank him.”
“Now what?” Mom asked.
“We have to protect Colby,” said Grandmother. “Bishop won’t be pleased.”
Understatement of the year.
23
What A Fool Believes
Morgan
* * *
Needless to say, I was disappointed and a bit flabbergasted. My own son turned against me. Turned against the family too. Some would say I should have seen it coming. Should have been prepared for it. After all, Colby was a Mercier. No one in that family was trustworthy. But we’d come so far in such a short time. I thought I was building something worthwhile with him. I could kick myself for being so short sighted.
“How do we know you’re being truthful now?” Kragen barked.
Good question, but he didn’t have to lay into Colby. It was up to me and my mother to find the nugget of candor within my son.
“Mother?”
She nodded. Most likely, she knew what had to be done. I was just happy she’d put aside our differences for the moment.
Together, we stood and went over to Colby. I stared into his eyes while Mother walked in a circle around him. Her job was to test his aura. If it faltered, it meant he was lying. My task was to simply read my son. All I saw was a whole lot of fear emanating from him like a wave.
“Anything?” I asked.
“He’s being honest. This time,” she added with an ugly twist to her mouth.
Father headed for the bar and cracked open a new bottle of crimson. “It occurs to me the best way to handle the situation is to let Bishop think he’s won.”
I gave my son one more glance before sitting beside Ace. “How would that work, Father?”
“Easy. We allow Tabitha to track down Alexander. She’ll go to his house, but the vampiress won’t alert Clint. Instead, she’ll tell Alexander what’s in store for him.” My father capped the container and returned to his seat. Fingering the cut-crystal goblet, he said, “Clint, you’ll have to put on the performance of a lifetime and then go after Tabitha.”
The dhampir bobbed his head.
Mother paced in front of the fireplace, only stopping long enough to spark the flames with her palm. “We must carry out the deception in its entirety. When Bishop goes to claim his Council seat, we’ll be there to refute it. We’ll have to provide proof he orchestrated the entire affair. The members won’t accept hearsay.”
If my mother’s plan worked, Bishop would have no reason to retaliate until it was too late. Which should keep Colby safe. By then, we would have permission to send his ass to Gehenna Penitentiary—the abhorrent prison for supernaturals who committed atrocities. No going to Hell for a second time. Obviously, the sinister sorcerer knew how to escape the Nether Region.
“Colby, are you on board with this decision?” I asked. Since he had the most to lose if Bishop saw through the ruse, I had to make sure my son approved.
My son shrugged. “Yeah. I don’t see any other way. I fucked up.” Mother scowled, and he added, “Sorry.”
Angry vibes wafted off Ace. I knew he didn�
��t agree with the plan, but I had no idea what he was thinking. He’d built a strong wall around his thoughts. I’d deal with him later.
“When can we put this into motion?” I asked.
Tabitha, unusually quiet, said, “I need time to track down Alexander. Give me a day or two?”
She was lying. I suspected Alexander could find her in a flash. Why did she need so much time?
I forced a smile. “Sure. Colby, I think it best you stay here with your grandparents. Ace and I will—”
“You’re welcome to stay here. For now,” Mother said.
“Thanks,” I said through my teeth.
* * *
The only way to get to the bottom of things was to confront them, but I couldn’t solve anything at my parents’ house. Ace and I needed privacy, and it could only be had in our own space.
But when I headed outside to hop on the back of Ace’s bike, he shook his head. Instead, he gave me a quick peck on the cheek and sped off. Odd. Whenever Ace and I arrived at my parents’ house separately, I would have left my car behind. Without transportation, I opened a portal.
As I stepped through, I began thinking.
Was he mad at me?
If I’d been in Ace’s shoes, I would have blamed me for the issue with Colby. Despite Ace welcoming my son, Colby was still my responsibility. All because I slept with the wrong brother.
Years prior, as a rebellious teen, I made the colossal mistake of having sex with Bishop. When I first met Cade, I didn’t even know he had a brother. Plus, I had no idea the shifter was a Mercier. If I’d known, I would have walked away—no, run away—from that relationship.
Hearing Colby admit his own error in judgment must have been a blatant reminder of my own recklessness. Or maybe Ace was simply pissed because the BGS dealing with Bishop resurrected memories of Cade. At one point, Ace had extended a membership to the Broussard Pack to the deceased brother. Cade refused and chose to team up with a bunch of renegade shifters.
