by Tami Lund
The barrier?
Ketu assessed the situation. His mother also sat at the table, with Henri in her lap. She was still as a statue, but the little boy was struggling against some unseen force. He appeared unable to move from the waist down, but his upper body was thrashing about as he tried unsuccessfully to get off his granmé’s lap.
“What did you do to them?” Ketu demanded, pushing past Antoinette and hurtling himself into the kitchen.
“They’re fine,” Delilah said. “It’s just a freezing spell, although clearly it doesn’t work very well on children. Squirrelly little buggers.”
“Manman,” Henri cried out again.
“It’s okay, buddy,” Ketu said. “She’s right here with me. We’re all fine, see?”
“Where’s Papa?” Henri asked, tears splashing onto his cheeks.
“Oh, you know Papa. He’s at the shop, tinkering on a car.” He’d better be. This witch hybrid better not have done anything to Ketu’s father.
Henri nodded, his eyes wide, clearly taking his words as gospel.
“So,” Ketu said, shifting his attention to the witch. “What are you doing here? What do you want?”
“You dragons aren’t all that different from gargoyles, you know that?” Delilah said.
“Gargoyles turn to stone when they sleep,” Henri said matter-of-factly.
Delilah rolled her eyes. “Okay, well, beyond that. You both like to cut to the chase. No small talk. Why is that?”
“Possibly because you’re holding my mother and my, uh, Henri, hostage.”
What the hell had he been about to say? Son? One night with Antoinette and he was already thinking of her son as his own.
Delilah waved her hand dismissively. “I told you they’re fine. I just needed to keep them contained until you finally made your appearance. Where have you been anyway?”
“Visiting with your friend Argyle, actually,” Antoinette spoke up.
“Huh,” Delilah said. “That wasn’t what I was expecting. Well, how is that traitorous gargoyle?”
“How do you figure he’s the traitor? You’re the one who forced him to protect you against his will and code of ethics,” Ketu pointed out.
“For crying out loud, is he still harping on that? I paid the man well enough. Who cares about his stupid ethics?”
“I’d say most of us,” Ketu responded.
Delilah shrugged.
“Are you here about the dragon’s blood?” Antoinette said.
Ketu heard a small gasping sound, which he was pretty sure came from his mother.
“Funny you should mention that,” Delilah said. “Tell me, are you the sneaky little dragon who keeps beating up my dealers?”
Beating up her dealers? Ketu glanced at Antoinette. The bruise on her face the day he’d run into her at Mitch’s. The vials of dragon’s blood in her pocket. Had he surmised exactly the opposite of what was really going on?
“We want to talk to you about something bigger than that,” Antoinette said, without actually answering the question. “You aren’t really in charge, are you?”
The witch narrowed her eyes. “I’m the only distributor in New Orleans. I’d say that makes me in charge.”
“Distributor, but what about supplier? Someone else is manufacturing your product. You’re paying him to keep you in business. So you aren’t truly in charge. Your operation is at his whim. If he goes out of business, so do you.”
Delilah shrugged again. “He’s not going out of business anytime soon.”
“No? That’s not what I hear.”
The two women fell into a staring contest, or at least that’s what it felt like from Ketu’s perspective. They were both so intense, so focused…now was the best time to take his chance. He lunged forward, snatching the glowing rock before Delilah’s concentration snapped. It was hot, almost too hot to hold in his hand, but he managed, carrying it outside and smashing it against the concrete under the carport.
Turning around, he watched through the open door as Henri sprang free of his magical binding. The kid almost tumbled headfirst off his grandmother’s lap in his haste to rush to his mother. Mamá shook her head and patted the scarf wrapped around her hair before tossing the witch a stern look. “How dare you come into my home and cast a spell on my grandson and me?”
“I have got to stop using inanimate objects as the foundation for my spells,” Delilah muttered.
“Great,” Ketu said, stepping back into the kitchen. “Now that we’re all on equal footing, Mamá, how about you take Henri into the living room while we have a quick chat with this lady?”
“Lady?” Mamá said with an imperious arch of her brows.
He shook his head. “Please?”
She opened her mouth like she intended to argue but apparently changed her mind and went over to extract Henri from Antoinette’s arms. He wasn’t having it, though.
“Uh-uh,” the little boy said, clinging to his mother’s neck. “She’s gonna cast a spell on you. She’s a bad lady.”
“No, she’s—” Ketu started, but then he shifted gears. “Yeah, you’re right, she is a bad lady. But she won’t harm us. I promise.”
“You’re making promises you can’t keep,” Delilah said.
“We have something you want,” Antoinette said.
Delilah sighed dramatically. “Fine, I won’t hurt them,” she said to Henri. “Just go away already so we can get this show on the road.”
Henri looked at Ketu, a clear plea for reassurance, and Ketu cupped his cheek. “We’re all right, son. Go on with your granmé.”
The child gave his mother one last hug.
“Tell me what you know,” Delilah demanded as soon as he left the room.
“The reeve’s son,” Antoinette said. “His hold on that business is precarious.”
Delilah did another overly dramatic eye roll and crossed her arms. “It’s an illegal drug business. Of course it’s precarious.”
“The rest of the dragons in the colony are getting sick of it. That dragon’s blood is destroying families. They aren’t willing to put up with it anymore. They’re looking for change.”
Ketu stared at her. Antoinette was lying through her teeth. What happened if the witch figured it out?
Delilah pursed her lips and leaned back in her chair. “I’m listening.”
“That business is going to collapse eventually. It isn’t sustainable. And besides, you aren’t really in charge. And I know you’d rather be the boss. The real boss.”
Gods above, Antoinette was a freaking genius. The witch was taking the bait. He could see it in the way her eyes glittered, in the slight parting of her lips, the way she leaned forward now instead of acting as though this were a casual conversation and she was half bored.
Except what the hell did they do next? Antoinette wasn’t seriously going to suggest the woman oust the current reeve and take over, was she? Delilah was a drug dealer! Were they going to exchange one for another?
“We can help you become reeve,” Antoinette said, her voice all breathy and—under different circumstances—sexy as hell. But they weren’t alone and they weren’t half-dressed and she’d just suggested they would actually help the witch become reeve.
“Antoinette, we need—”
“Under one condition,” Antoinette said.
“What’s that?” Delilah asked.
“No drugs. End it. Shut down the business. You’re going to have to find something else to bring in a steady income, but you seem like a smart woman so I’m sure you can think of something.”
Delilah nodded. “Oh, I have plenty of ideas. The only reason I started this particular line of work was to get back at my ex for dumping me.” She made it sound as if becoming a drug dealer was a justifiable means of revenge for the breakup of a romantic relationship. Or anything, really.
Great. They were going to trade one psychopath for another. “Antoinette, we really need to—”
She whirled on him, glaring like she was truly piss
ed. “Knock it off, Ketu. This is how we’re going to cut off Darius’s balls. He killed your sister. Don’t you want to get him back?”
“Yes, but—”
“Is that what this is about?” Delilah interrupted. “Revenge? I do adore a good revenge scheme. Tell me more.”
“Here’s the deal,” Antoinette said, brushing past Ketu as she walked over to sit next to Delilah at the table. “The current reeve hasn’t been seen in years. There’s a good chance he’s dead and his son is hiding that fact, probably because he killed him.”
“The son is Darius, right?” Delilah asked. “He’s the one who created the dragon’s blood.”
Antoinette nodded. “He’s in charge of your business—and the entire colony. He’s making all the decisions right now. But if the colony knew, they’d kick him out. Leaving you to step in as reeve.”
She paused, probably to let that sink into Delilah’s brain. But he didn’t care that Delilah had pretty much bought into Antoinette’s idea. Because her idea sucked. He wasn’t going to trade one shitty reeve for another. No way. “This is bull—”
“Let’s do it,” Delilah shouted, clapping her hands together like they’d just signed an agreement for something positive, not a fucked up life sentence for the Rojo colony.
“But wait,” she said, holding up her finger. “We’re going to need help. We can’t do this alone.”
Antoinette glanced at Ketu, swallowed, and quickly looked away.
“I’m not sure we can convince the gargoyles to help,” Delilah mused. “They’re so damn altruistic, and they don’t trust me for shit anymore. So we need someone else.” She lifted her gaze to Ketu. He immediately started shaking his head.
“Nope, don’t even—”
“Get your colony down here,” Delilah stated. “Call my son and tell him to come help, and it’s a deal. Otherwise, all bets are off.” She leaned back in her chair again, crossing her arms, apparently ready to wait it out while they mulled over their decision.
Which was to either destroy the dragon’s blood trade once and for all or let it continue unchecked. But if they chose to destroy it, that path involved putting a questionable leader into place as reeve. How the hell did Antoinette figure Delilah was any better than Darius?
“She’s giving us her word that she’ll end the dragon’s blood trade,” Antoinette said, apparently realizing she needed him on her side.
He frowned. Sure, maybe, but was putting this woman in place as reeve really any better?
“Darius won’t have power anymore,” Antoinette added. “He won’t be able to destroy any more lives.”
Yes, that was tempting, but Ketu still didn’t like the idea of helping a known drug dealer become leader of the entire damn colony.
“Oh, forget about him.” Delilah pulled her phone out of her pocket and tapped a code to unlock the screen. “I’ve got this handled.”
She paused and then said into the phone, “Why hello, Mother. How is the north treating you? Cold? Yes, I imagine so. Oh well, I’m so glad you’re getting your daily fix of great-grandkids.” She rolled her eyes.
“Listen, I’d love to chitchat—okay, no I wouldn’t. I need you to pass along a message to your reeve. Yes, your grandson. Anyway, tell him that I’m sitting here with his boy, Ketu, and he needs to hurry down here to take care of a little problem that’s come up. Oh, and if he wants to bring along a few big, strong dragons, that would be great. What? No, I’m not going to tell you what’s going on. Just tell him to get his ass down here to New Orleans. Tell him to call me when he arrives, and I’ll let him know where to go from there. Oh please, stop with your pitiful threats. And stop asking what’s going on. I’m not telling you. Now hurry up and let him know we’re waiting. Uh-huh, yeah, okay, bye.”
She disconnected the call and smiled. “Well, that’s settled. Now we wait.”
Chapter 12
Ketu was so furious with Antoinette, he wouldn’t even stay for dinner after Delilah finally left.
Which was fine, because Antoinette was pissed at him, too. She’d done what she needed to do to cut off the dragon’s blood trade. Which was exactly what he’d been sent to New Orleans to do.
You’re welcome, Ketu.
She snagged a beer and headed into the living room where Henri and Simėon were sitting together watching a cartoon called Wild Kratts. Which was ironic as hell because these guys were able to change form into different kinds of animals, yet humans didn’t even believe in the existence of shapeshifters.
“So you and Ketu are fighting, huh?” Simėon asked when she dropped into the recliner.
She shrugged. Didn’t really want to talk about it. What was there to say anyway? They were both right and both wrong, and both were too damn stubborn to figure out how to compromise. And yeah, she was probably even more frustrated because they weren’t just friends anymore, so now there was another layer of emotion added to it all.
She wished she had someone to talk to about this, but of course, she had no one. Her closest friends were Ketu’s parents, and she sure as hell wasn’t about to tell them how good their son was in bed.
Mamá walked into the room carrying a laundry basket. She seated herself next to Simėon, who sat up and helped methodically fold towels and shirts and underwear.
“Ketu’s upset because of the deal Antoinette made with the woman who came here and cast a spell on Henri and me,” Mamá stated.
Someone had been eavesdropping.
“What’s the deal?” Simėon asked.
Antoinette sighed. “I agreed to help this half-witch, half-dragon become reeve if she would shut down the dragon’s blood business.”
Simėon grunted. “Nothing wrong with that. The gods know the current reeve is useless anyway. And we sure as hell don’t want Darius to step into the role.”
“Exactly,” Antoinette said. Of course, he didn’t know Delilah was also part of Darius’s drug trade. If he did, he probably wouldn’t be quite so supportive.
But Antoinette was still convinced she was doing the right thing. This will work. It has to.
Henri yawned and Antoinette glanced at the clock. “Are you about ready for bed, buddy?”
He shrugged and snuggled closer to his papa. Antoinette placed her beer on the coffee table and held out her arms. “Come on, let’s go put your jammies on. I’ll get you tucked in and read you a book. How’s that sound?”
He lifted his arms and she picked him up, carrying him down the hall, where she helped him get ready for bed. She tucked him in and then perused his bookshelf. “What are you in the mood for tonight?”
“Fiona Finds a Mate,” he piped up. Antoinette smiled. Her silly little son was such a romantic.
“Sounds good.” She lay down on top of the covers and flipped to the first page, where she began reading the story of a lonely dragon who wanted to find her mate, except everyone she came into contact with was the wrong person. First she tried a ladybug and then a hummingbird and then a cheetah, and the entire time, her best friend Freddy helped her with her quest. Of course, what Fiona didn’t realize until the end of the story was that Freddy was her mate. She just had to learn to open her mind and see him for what he was.
In the meantime, she and Freddy were able to talk telepathically, which was a trait most often found in dragons who were fated mates.
Antoinette stopped reading and stared until the words blurred on the page.
“Keep going, Manman,” Henri protested, so she started up again.
At the end of the book, Fiona and Freddy flew together for the first time, which of course was how they realized they were meant to be together, because that’s how dragons figured out they were fated.
She dropped the book into her lap.
“What’s wrong, Manman?” Henri asked.
She shook her head and plastered a smile on her face. “Nothing, sweetie. Time to shut those eyes.” She kissed his forehead and climbed off the bed. “I love you, mijo.”
“I love you too, Man
man.”
She flipped off the light and stepped out into the hall, closing the door behind her before leaning against the wall and sinking to the floor.
She and Ketu were mates. Their situation wasn’t unlike little Fiona and Freddy’s; they’d grown up together, and while Antoinette would forever claim Eulalie as her best childhood friend, Ketu had always been there too. She had always felt comfortable with him, had always respected him, and, in truth, loved him.
Now that love had taken on a whole new meaning. A deeper one.
And she needed to come clean, to tell him everything about her vigilante work. She wanted him to know that she trusted him, and maybe, hopefully, he’d give her his trust in return.
Mamá stepped into the hall carrying a basket of folded clothes. She paused when she saw Antoinette sitting on the floor. “What happened?”
She shook her head and clamored to her feet. “Nothing. Everything. I don’t know. I need to go see Ketu. Can I? Will you?” Jeez, she couldn’t even speak in complete sentences.
The older woman’s brow creased, but Antoinette couldn’t explain. Not until she talked to Ketu first.
“Go,” Mamá said. “You know Henri will be fine here with us.”
“Thank you!”
Antoinette bolted.
***
She pounded on Ketu’s hotel door, not letting up until he opened it, a frown puckering his lips. He’d changed back into his gym shorts and his hair was damp, like he’d recently taken a shower.
“We need to talk,” she said, storming into the room without waiting for an invitation.
As soon as the door clicked shut, she whirled to face him. And then she opened and closed her mouth several times, but no words came out.
“Did something happen?” he asked, his anger melting into concern.
“You could say that,” she muttered.
“Is it Henri? Is he okay?”
Henri. Antoinette barked out a laugh. Ketu had called him son earlier. She wanted that to be true. She wanted Henri to call him Dad.
“What is it, Antoinette? What’s wrong with Henri?”
She shook her head. “Nothing. He’s fine. He’s with your parents and he’s asleep.”
