by Mia Madison
There was really no good way to say it, though. I’d been alive for centuries, but that was the one thing that I hadn’t ever figured out how to tell someone.
“Yes,” I said, simply, sighing heavily. “Yes, I am… but it’s—it’s complicated, and—”
“No, it’s not complicated.” She shook her head. “It’s not complicated at all. It’s simple, really. I’ve got to get the hell out of here right now.”
“Please stay,” I said, but I didn’t dare move to stop her. She was already struggling to cope with the information she’d received, and I didn’t want to traumatize her any further. But I didn’t want her to go, either. “Stay, and we can talk about this… I can explain… somehow.”
The look in her eyes told me that it was useless, though, even before she spoke again to confirm my worst fears.
“No. I can’t—I won’t—be a part of this… this… madness. I’m leaving now,” she said, looking back at me over her shoulder as she moved toward the door. “And don’t try to stop me, or I’ll scream and call the police, I swear to God.”
“I’ll never stop you from doing what you want,” I said, truthfully. “I’m sorry, Adéle. So, so sorry.”
And then she was gone.
For the second time in as many minutes, the door slammed closed again, leaving me alone.
And that was the part of the gift that Angelique would never understand. No matter how hard I tried, nor what I did differently, nor how much I hated it, I always ended up the same way.
Alone.
Adele
“That woman came back.” Even though I’d only been half-listening since I’d arrived at the shop, my grandmother finally spoke the only words that could grab my full attention.
“Angelique?” I asked, suddenly more attentive than I’d been all evening. “I mean… my, uh, the woman from before? The angry one?”
My grandmother nodded. “Yes. That one. And she was even angrier this time.”
It had been nearly twenty-four hours since I’d left Pierre’s house, afraid for my life and my sanity. For most of those hours, I’d been half-convinced that it had all been some kind of bizarre, horrific dream. I’d almost been able to talk myself into believing it, too.
Except the hurt look on Pierre’s face when I left had been too real, too raw for me to make that up, even in a nightmare.
“What happened,” I asked, almost afraid of what my grandmother was about to tell me. “What did she say?”
“She was almost hysterical, ranting and raving about how I should have helped her, how she tried to do the incantation on her own and it went wrong. How the one she loved only seemed to love another woman even more. I can’t even remember everything else she said.”
I sat in shock as my grandmother told me all the details she could remember of her conversation with Angelique. There was no doubt in my mind that I was the “other woman,” but did that mean that Pierre loved me? It was a lot to take in all at once, and I didn’t even know how to begin to process all of it.
“Do you know who this other woman is, Adéle?” She was looking at me with a raised eyebrow, and I knew she must have suspected it was me, but I wasn’t ready to tell her. Not until I’d had a chance to figure out what it all meant, anyway.
Did I even want to take the chance to go near Pierre again? What if he really didn’t love me? What if Angelique was just crazy?
I was starting to feel like I might be the crazy one, though.
“I’m… not sure,” I said—not technically a lie, since I hadn’t heard the words from Pierre’s lips.
She gave me a hard look, then nodded. “I assumed that’s what you’d say.”
It killed me not to be completely honest with her, but I just didn’t know what else to do. And until I figured out what was best for me, there was no need for her to worry any more than she usually did.
I was definitely worried enough for both of us.
“I’m sorry, Grand-maman,” I said, not sure whether I was apologizing for the half-truth I’d told or the situation in general, or that she’d had to deal with Angelique. Maybe I was sorry for all of it. “Do you mind if I just go home tonight? I’ve… got a lot on my mind.”
“I’d imagine you do, child.” She waved me toward the door. “Go now. But Adéle—”
“Yes?”
“Promise me again that you’ll be safe.”
I nodded. It was just as easy to promise it this time as it had been the last time she’d asked. “I will, Grand-maman. I promise.”
And just like the last time I’d said those words, I walked out the door hoping they were true.
Pierre
I looked at the clock again. It was late, nearly ten, but the old woman had promised that she’d stop by, and in all the years I’d used her services—for cleaning and other, more delicate matters—she’d never gone back on her word.
The reason for her visit tonight would definitely fall into the “other” category, and so I could only try to be patient and wait for her to arrive. The spiritual world she dealt with wasn’t bound to any man’s schedule, especially not on the night of a full moon.
In the three days that had passed since Adéle had walked out on me, I could barely stand to be in the house alone. The memory of that night haunted me constantly, and I wanted more than anything to go to her, to try and get her back. I knew that I couldn’t rush it, though. If she ever would come back, it would have to be on her terms. I’d already tried begging and pleading, and she hadn’t trusted me enough to give me a chance—not that I could blame her, not after the way Angelique had traumatized her with her twisted version of the truth.
At least Angelique hadn’t tried to return.
Being alone with my guilt and my pain was still better than dealing with her.
I might spare her life, but I would never forgive her for what she did, and she would never be welcome in my house again.
Now, all that was left was to have the rooms cleansed—to try and be rid of the evil energy Angelique had brought into my house and had left behind when she’d stormed out.
There was only one living woman I knew who truly had the power to banish that dark energy. And so I waited, hoping that she would come sooner, rather than later. The moon’s pull was hard enough to resist without the added temptation of the darkness that had fallen over my house.
And if she couldn’t do it? If the evil was too strong, even for her skills?
I’d leave. I wouldn’t spend another night in this house.
I’d move away from New Orleans—maybe even away from Louisiana completely. Maybe I’d move somewhere like Portland or Seattle—a place where the sun wasn’t so bright, where the rainy weather better matched my mood.
The knock on the door pulled me from my thoughts. I hadn’t even heard the old woman coming—a sure sign that I was distracted. That wasn’t good for someone like me, whose very existence depended on being aware of my surroundings at all times.
It wasn’t until I was already opening the door that my senses belatedly told me she wasn’t alone. And before I could steel my nerves or school my expression, I’d swung the door open and was standing face to face with the old woman and her grand-daughter.
My Adéle.
Adele
I should have been suspicious when my grandmother told me that she needed my help, and not just with the cleaning. If I’d been thinking clearly, I would’ve asked more questions.
If I’d been thinking clearly, I would’ve refused to go inside when the taxi we were in pulled up in front of his unmistakable townhouse.
If I hadn’t been so nervous and filled with anticipation at the same time, I could’ve come up with an excuse—could’ve come up with something that would’ve kept me from going to stand in front of those big double doors with her.
Anything would’ve been better than the wait we had to endure. In reality it probably hadn’t been longer than a few seconds, but in my mind it felt like years had passed while we stood there
waiting.
Then he was there, standing in front of us and looking so sexy and sweet and sad that I almost jumped right into his arms.
But no.
Get it together. Calm down. Breathe.
First of all, I didn’t want to tell my grandmother that I’d been lying to her—or at best, that I’d been avoiding telling the complete truth. But also—and more importantly—I didn’t know if it would be okay for me to run to him.
Did he still even want me?
If he did, would that mean that he really did love me?
And that I still really did love him?
Was it really fate that had brought us together?
All of those thoughts and questions were swirling through my mind as we stood outside on his front steps, and then I realized that he and my grandmother were both looking at me—waiting for me to say something.
Shit.
Had one of them spoken to me?
“Um,” I began, looking from her face to his, desperately searching for a clue. Fuck it. “I’m sorry. What?”
My grandmother shook her head and frowned. “Monsieur Marsaille said that I had a beautiful grand-daughter. I forgot to mention to him that she was a poor listener.”
I was tempted to tell her that he probably already knew that, but I held it in. “Oh,” I said instead, looking back at him and blushing. He looked at me with that same familiar intensity. “Thank you, monsieur. You’re too kind.”
He flinched slightly, the pain he was going through clearly evident in his expression. “Will you both please come inside? I know you have a lot of work to do tonight.”
“Yes, thank you,” my grandmother said. “There is much to do. Come along, Adéle.”
Once we were barely inside the grand foyer, she stopped, holding up a hand. “I need to walk through these rooms alone first. The two of you can wait here. I won’t be long.”
Pierre and I both nodded, and he didn’t look the least bit surprised that she had just ordered him around in his own home. When my grandmother had said we were going to visit an old client of hers, I had forgotten that Pierre called on her from time to time, and that she was—indirectly, of course—the reason why I had even been reunited with him in the first place, after the first night we met at the party, when she’d sent me in her place to “clean” his house.
“I didn’t think you’d come here with her,” he whispered as soon as she had gone into the parlor.
I wasn’t sure how to answer, but figured that going with the truth wouldn’t fail me. “I didn’t know we were coming here. But I’m glad we did.”
“I’m glad, too. I’ve missed you, my beautiful Adéle.” His eyes were bright with emotion, and his voice was low and gravelly. “I’ve missed you so much these past few days. It’s felt like all the light has gone out of the world with you gone.”
“I’ve missed you, too,” I said, taking a step toward him. “I just didn’t know what to do, or how to—”
Whatever I was going to say next didn’t matter, and the words died in my throat as he took me into his arms and his lips met mine. Nothing else mattered, because with that kiss I finally felt like I was home. I knew for sure that he loved me, and that all of my questions would be answered. I was ready to give him—to give us—a chance.
“I wondered how long it would take before the two of you came to your senses,” my grandmother’s voice made us both jump, and I leapt back out of his arms as we both turned to face her, shocked more by what she’d said than the fact that she’d found us there kissing.
Pierre was the first one to break the silence. “You knew? For how long?”
She shrugged. “A while. The clues were all there. It’s my business to look into people’s lives—into their souls. Did you really think I wouldn’t know the wishes of my own grand-daughter?”
Her gaze flicked from him to me, and she shook her head. “My petit Adéle. Why didn’t you just tell me?”
“I wanted to,” I said. “I came so close to telling you so many times, but… I didn’t know what to say, or if you’d understand.”
“Even an old woman like me understands love,” she said, softly. “But there is an evil in this house that must be banished before we can attempt to reverse your curse, Monsieur Marsaille.”
“My… curse?” Pierre frowned. “I think you must be mistaken. Unless Angelique put some kind of voodoo hex on me before she left—”
“No, that one isn’t skilled enough to call upon the dark arts. I’m talking about a much older curse. The one that made you what you are today.”
His eyes went wide and my mouth fell open.
This time, I was the one who broke the stunned silence. “Grand-maman, you know about his… his secret?”
“That he’s been cursed to be a blood-drinker? Yes, I’ve known for some time, child. But your love has the power to set him free—that is, if it’s what you both want.”
“It is,” we said in unison before turning to each other and smiling.
“I want to spend my life with her,” Pierre said. “But I want it to be a mortal life. To have children, and to grow old together.” The hope in his tone matched the desire in his eyes when he asked, “Is that really something you can do?”
“I’ve never done the incantation before,” my grandmother confessed. “But I can try. After Adéle and I leave here tonight, I’ll need a full day to prepare for the ritual. We’ll return in twenty-four hours, just before midnight tomorrow.”
“Perfect,” Pierre clasped his hands together, then smiled and reached for me again, pulling me close. “Let’s finish tonight’s business, then, so you can be on your way and get started.”
My grandmother nodded. “As you wish, monsieur.”
I was speechless as I clung to Pierre’s strong arms. Could it really be possible that he’d go back to being a normal man—for me?
I had the feeling that it was far from certain. My grandmother hadn’t made any assurances, after all. She’d only said that she would try. I could hear the concern in her tone, but whether it was for Pierre or for me, I wasn’t sure.
Now all I could do—all any of us could do—was to wait. Whatever happened in the next twenty-four hours would determine our future.
Our fate was in her hands.
Pierre
There was a crash of lightning, and a sound louder than thunder.
There was a flash of light, and strange words, repeated over and over.
Then there was pain—searing pain—worse than anything I’d experienced in over two hundred years.
And then… there was nothing but darkness.
My eyes flew open and I tried to sit up but couldn’t. My head felt like it had split in two, and my whole body ached. I looked over at the clock, but my vision was too blurry to make out the numbers.
Everything was spinning. Everything hurt.
I closed my eyes again to try and settle the pain and nausea that threatened to overtake me. I needed to think back, to remember what had happened.
I could remember the old woman arriving just before midnight with my Adéle, just like she’d said she would. I could remember being impatient and hopeful and nervous as hell about the ritual she was going to perform. I remembered hoping that it killed me if it didn’t work, since I wouldn’t be able to look at my sweet Adéle without thinking about what might have been—what almost was.
Adéle.
I opened my eyes again and she was there, standing at the foot of my bed. My eyes had cleared enough to be sure of that. Or was I dreaming? Was I already dead, and she was there with me? An angel?
“You’re awake,” she said, smiling. “My grandmother told me you’d be okay, but I was so worried.”
Okay, so… not dead. Not dreaming.
That meant the ritual had gone on, and it hadn’t killed me. Which just left me with one question.
“Did it work? Am I…”
Adéle worried her bottom lip between her teeth. “I’m not sure. There was a lot of nois
e, and a bright light, then you screamed, and…” she gestured toward the bed. “We brought you here, but then Grand-maman collapsed and I’ve been here ever since, watching over both of you.”
I tried to raise up, to look around the room, but I couldn’t. My head still throbbed with pain. “Is she okay?” I asked, still wincing from the effort. “Where is she?”
“She’s resting in a guest bedroom. I hope you don’t mind, but I couldn’t really ask, and she wouldn’t have been able to make the trip back home, and—”
“No, of course I don’t mind.” I motioned for her to come sit next to me. If I couldn’t move, that would be the next best thing. “Will you stay with me for a while? Until the pain goes away?”
“I will,” she said, smiling as she took my hand and sat on the edge of my bed. “Gladly. I’ll stay here for as long as you’ll have me.”
“Forever,” I murmured without hesitation, even though my eyelids had already gone heavy.
And then I let the darkness overtake me again, but I wasn’t scared this time.
I had all the light I needed sitting right next to me. My angel.
My Adéle.
The next time I opened my eyes, daylight was streaming through the window. But unlike so many times before, I didn’t immediately turn away from the sun’s rays.
Adéle was there with me, curled up next to me and looking so beautiful that I didn’t want to move a muscle, didn’t want to disturb her after everything I’d already put her through.
But the pain was gone, and I could feel my arms and legs, my fingers and toes as I gingerly stretched out on the bed. When I was able to sit up without wincing from the pain, I knew that it was time.
“Adéle, my love,” I whispered, planting a kiss on her cheek and watching as her eyes fluttered open. My heart did a slow roll in my chest as she looked at me, her eyes full of emotion.
“I’m here,” she said. “Are you okay?”
