The Gathering

by Fiore, L. A.

  “Where did she go?” Ivy asked. I glanced over at her and unlike the others around us, myself included, the newcomers didn’t affect her. It took a second before I realized whom she was talking about. My head whipped around, but the woman was gone. It was then I remembered Mindy’s comment about Henry and the stranger. “Henry had been taunted by someone, urged to go the LeBlanc house.”

  “He was drawn to the plantation where he was killed, but this woman just wanted to stir it up,” Ivy said.

  “Are you thinking the killings have a different purpose?” I asked.

  “Yeah, this was to feed evil…all the ugly emotions and death make it stronger. Henry was lured and killed. I think his death was for another purpose,” she replied.

  “What purpose?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  My focus shifted to the newcomers. “Who are they? Or rather, what are they?”

  “I don’t know…” She blushed at what was quickly turning into another mob, this time of lust and sex. “But I can’t believe how fast they changed the mood of everyone.”

  “Another kind of magic I’m guessing.”

  Ivy

  The sheriff wasn’t wrong. It was some kind of magic. As if he heard us talking, one of the guys looked up from the squirming bodies, his unusual eyes landing on me. He smiled. Bain growled in the back of his throat. He was tall, not quite Bain’s height, but well-muscled in a refined way. His blond hair was long, brushing his wide shoulders. When he walked, it was more a swagger. Everything from the roll of his hips, to his long stride, even the way his arms moved gracefully at his side. He was quite literally walking sex. He looked at me like he knew me. Maybe he did. His eyes then shifted to Bain, and I sensed the challenge, the anticipation. They wanted to fight, both of them practically humming with the need to test themselves against the other.

  He stopped in front of me, took my hand, and brought it to his lips. “Hello. I’m Jareth.”

  “Hi, I’m Ivy.”

  The tension between Bain and Jareth was so thick you could cut it with a knife. “Do you know Bain?”

  His smile was wicked. “Yes.” I swear his teeth grew before my eyes.

  “Not to be rude, but what are you?” I asked.

  He didn’t answer, studying me for a minute. “You aren’t affected.” He wasn’t asking.

  “Affected?”

  “Fascinating. I think the question is what are you, Ivy?”

  “We haven’t figured that out yet. Can I ask why you’re here?” I glanced around at the lustful mob. “Your timing is impeccable.”

  It was strange seeing uncertainty coming from this being who just radiated confidence. “I don’t know. We were drawn here. I can’t really explain it.”

  Interesting.

  I felt the change in Bain. I glanced over, and he was starting to shift. “What are you doing?”

  He didn’t answer, but I knew.

  “Are you seriously going to fight each other now?”

  They answered at the same time. “Yes.”

  Brock appeared out of nowhere. “I got her.”

  And just like that, Jareth and Bain disappeared. I stared in the direction they had gone off in. “What is Jareth?”

  Brock chuckled. “I thought you’d figure it out.”

  “A vampire?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Vampires and lycan don’t get along?”

  “We tolerate each other.”

  “So why did they just take off? Are they going to kill each other?” I didn’t want Bain to die, and oddly, I didn’t want Jareth to die either.

  “No, but Bain has no equal in a fight except for Jareth. They enjoy the challenge.”

  What was there to say to that? “Since the blood bath has been diverted,” I said as I looked at the bodies pairing off and having sex right there on the streets of New Orleans. “Maybe we should get something to eat. Do you want to come, Sheriff?”

  “Yes, but I think I need to take care of this.” He looked out at the mass of bodies. “On second thought, let them have their fun. Yeah, I’ll come.”

  “Sweet Tooth is still open,” Brock offered and took my hand.

  “Sugar…” Josiah said, “Great idea.”

  I was sitting outside when Jareth arrived. Bain wasn’t with him. You wouldn’t know from looking at him that he’d just been battling a lycan. He strolled over and folded himself into the chair at my side. Based on our introduction, I expected sexy banter. He surprised me.

  “How are you enjoying the city?”

  I studied him for a second, genuine sincerity came from him. “It’s fascinating. There is such diversity. Architecturally, it’s beautiful, and the food is amazing.”

  “Have you had a beignet yet? Cliché almost, but so tasty.”

  “My first day, and it was tasty.” I scanned the dark before I asked, “Where’s Bain?”

  “Roaming. The bloodlust takes time to fade.”

  “When was the last time you two battled?”

  “About a hundred years ago. We found ourselves in the same city. Opportunity called.”

  “You enjoy fighting.”

  “Bain is fast, really fast. It’s a challenge.” He studied me before he asked, “Who are you?”

  I rested my head on the chair and stared up at the stars. “We’re trying to figure that out. What we do know, I’m human; I likely summoned the one who held me. Why I did that I don’t know. Evil is trying to manifest here, that was what you saw earlier; it’s trying to gain a stronger foothold, but it’s missing something, something that is keeping it from coming forth. We’re trying to stop it.”

  “Held you? Where?”

  “Not far from here. My home once upon a time.”

  “For how long?”

  “Twenty-two years.”

  “You said you summoned the one who held you. How?”

  “I started a fire.”

  “Twenty-two years is a long time to hold someone, particularly if they waited until now to start their ritual.”

  “I think I wanted to be there.”

  “Your home. That’s powerful magic and a smart location to hold you. If you wanted to be there, you would have known that and still you wanted to be there. Interesting.”

  Aine came from the house carrying a platter of nachos. Jareth stood and in one smooth move took the platter from Aine and placed it on the table. He then reached for her hand and brought it to his lips. “Jareth.”

  “Aine.”

  “Very nice to meet you.”

  “Keep your hands to yourself, blood sucker.” Brock appeared, putting himself between Aine and Jareth. You didn’t have to be empathic to know what he was doing. Jareth caught on too and stepped back. Aine and Brock? I liked it, liked that something good came from all of this.

  Jareth took his seat and crossed his legs. He glanced at Brock before his eyes settled on Aine. “Tell me what it’s like being an outer realm demon.”

  I found him in the field. He was prowling when he caught my scent, his head snapping to me. He closed the distance between us, shifted, and pulled me down to the ground, covering my body with his own. Under the stars, he claimed me again and again.

  In the morning, I came downstairs to find Bain leaning against the counter drinking a cup of coffee. Thoughts of last night had my body growing warm. He knew what I was thinking by the way he grinned.

  “I thought we’d go shopping today,” he suggested.

  “Shopping?”

  “You need clothes, shoes…”

  “Makeup, hair care products, feminine products. We have a lot to get,” Aine said, as she entered the kitchen and headed right for the coffeemaker.

  “What she said,” Bain teased.

  Bain was teasing, be still my heart. “I should probably wait for my first paycheck.”

  “We’re going today,” Bain stated.

  “But…”

  “Today, Ivy.”

  My stomach flipped; he was being difficult but in the best p
ossible way. “I’ll pay you back.”

  “No, you won’t.” He was stubborn and sweet.

  “Don’t argue with him. Maybe some of his generosity will rub off on me,” Aine teased.

  Jareth entered, and I almost spit out the coffee I’d been drinking. He walked around the table and pulled out the chair next to me. “Good morning.”

  “You’re staying here?” I asked then realized I was being rude. “I mean, good morning. But seriously, you’re staying here?”

  “Of course.”

  “Of course?” I looked over at Bain who was drinking his coffee not at all surprised a vampire was in his house.

  “But you two had an epic battle and now you’re hanging out in the kitchen.”

  Jareth was pretty amazing to watch. Every move was deliberate but done in such a way that it was effortless, silky, alluring. “Friends is a human concept, but Bain is as close to a friend as I have.”

  I was pulled from his hypnotizing body language, my mouth opening then closing because I had nothing.

  “That surprises you.” He guessed correctly. Not a hard deduction since I wasn’t subtle.

  “Yeah, but I’m coming to learn my perceptions of the supernatural are skewed.”

  “As most are when it comes to humans. Arrogant in their beliefs and ignorant of reality. They see only what they want to.”

  Bain placed his mug in the sink. “You get him started, and there is no stopping him.”

  Jareth raised his hand and lifted one manicured nail.

  “On that note,” Aine said and disappeared out the door.

  Bain held it for me. “Do you want to come with us?” I asked Jareth.

  “Thank you, Ivy, but I’d rather sit in the company of humans than go shopping.”

  “Okay. Well, later.”

  Aine dragged us all over. Bain was a good sport, usually waiting at the door, looking at his phone. In some of the shops, he stayed outside…makeup and hair care products held no interest for him.

  I was trying on clothes. Bain was sitting in the dressing area while Aine was darting back and forth pulling more clothes from the racks and tossing them into the dressing room. She insisted I catwalk the outfits. Some of them I didn’t even try on because I had no use for a leather bustier or a poodle skirt. Thinking of Bain, him taking the bustier off, maybe I could use that.

  I felt Bain’s eyes on me. He was slouched in the chair, his phone in his hands, but every time I stepped out of the dressing room, gray eyes surveyed me from head to toe. I knew the outfits he liked by how dark his eyes grew. How different my life was now. We had to talk, we had to plan, we had to be ready, but it was heady this new life.

  That night I modeled my new bustier for Bain. He liked it so much he took me up against the wall and insisted it stay on. It was hard and fast, my arms reaching up for something to hold as he moved wildly between my thighs. I came on a scream, muffled by his tongue in my mouth. I needed one in every color of the rainbow.

  26

  His buddies were waiting. He downed the last of his beer and grabbed his wallet. He’d never done Mardi Gras, but he would be coming back every fucking year. It was one big party, and the women! Shit, he hadn’t had this much pussy since college. He had his sights on a redhead with legs that went for miles. By the end of the night, those legs would be draped over his shoulders and his tongue would be feasting on her. He got hard just thinking about it.

  The smell of reefer and beer hit him as soon as he stepped into the street. He fucking loved this place. A woman caught his eye, her skirt was so short her ass was hanging out and what a fucking ass it was. He fixed himself because, damn, he’d like a piece of that. She then glanced back, looking right at him. She smiled, biting her lip, before moving deeper into an alley. What an invitation. He followed her. She was waiting for him, leaning against the wall. She didn’t speak, but her eyes were saying plenty. Slowly, she undid the buttons of her skintight shirt, her breasts popped free. She curled her hands around them, squeezing and tugging on her nipples, her eyes challenging him. He moved into her, his hands replaced hers; he sucked one of those tight peaks into his mouth. He could smell her, wet and ready. His hand found its way under her short leather skirt; she was naked and bare. He almost came in his jeans. She spread her legs in invitation. He didn’t waste time. He pulled his cock free, lifted one leg, and slammed into her. Tight and wet, her pussy closed around him. She felt so fucking good. He moved, almost violently; the harder he fucked her, the more turned on she got. He pulled out, turned her around, lifted her hips, and sank into her again. She screamed in pleasure, shifting her hips to take him deeper. She was fucking hot. She came, soaking his dick. He squeezed her tits as he buried himself deep and came like an adolescent.

  It crept into the alley, unseen, slithered like a snake. He felt a chill when it moved up his legs, felt the cold when it reached his chest. Inhibitions gone, the freedom to do what he’d secretly always wanted had him curling his fingers around her neck. She thought it was rough play and rubbed herself against him. His cock grew hard; he fucked her even as he tightened his fingers. He strangled the life from her, came on a roar before letting her limp body drop to the ground. He didn’t even look back when he left the alley. He wanted to do it again.

  27

  Josiah

  You look tired. I’d say take the day off, but I know you can’t. I don’t remember a time when we had so much ugly in the city. From what I heard, those bikers were really going to kill each other,” Dahlia said as she pressed against me while I waited for my coffee. I wanted to take the day off, fuck the rest of the year, but I was in it now. What that meant, I didn’t even know, but it was real, and it was life and death.

  “I really wish I could.”

  Her brow furrowed, my lips twisted down. “How did people sink so low?” She wasn’t asking, just talking out loud.

  It wasn’t completely humans at fault, but she wasn’t wrong. As a species, humans thrived on unrest and discord. People were more likely to circulate an ugly rumor than they were to spread a congratulations or a cheer. I saw it every day. We liked to pretend in times of trouble we came together, and many did, but there were too many who devolved into the very worst versions of ourselves.

  “Human nature.”

  “It’s sad. It shouldn’t be that way. It doesn’t have to be that way.”

  That was Dahlia, ever the optimist. As a species, I didn’t have that much hope for my own kind. I’d been swimming in the gutter with the worst of the worst for too long. Instead of disagreeing with her, I changed the subject. “Thanks again for hiring Ivy.”

  “I meant it. I’m glad I can help.”

  My cell buzzed, and my heart dropped. “Yeah.”

  “We’ve got another body,” Nick said.

  “Text me the location. I’m on my way.”

  Dahlia was chewing on her lip. I yanked her to me, traced that lip with my thumb, then again with my tongue. “I’ll see you later.”

  “Be safe.”

  The continuity of us made me smile. “Always.”

  Her brown eyes stared up unseeing. Someone had covered her, but she’d clearly had had sex right before she died. Ligature marks around her neck suggested strangulation. Jasmine confirmed it when she finished the preliminary inspection. “Time of death is about eight hours ago.”

  I glanced down the alley. “That street would have been teaming with people last night.”

  “Yeah, and loud enough to drown out her screaming.”

  She was right about that.

  “Was she killed here?” I asked.

  “Yes, and we’ve got DNA. Whoever she partied with last night didn’t use protection.”

  “What’s the likelihood her partner and the killer are one in the same? That’s too convenient.” And still, my gut was telling me that was exactly what this was.

  By her expression, she was thinking that too.

  “She wasn’t wearing underwear. Her killer or partner could have taken
them, but she wasn’t wearing a bra either. I’m guessing she preferred it that way for easy access. There is no bruising consistent with rape; her shirt was unbuttoned, not torn. There are two types of DNA on her breasts. I’m guessing hers and whoever she was partying with.”

  “So they slip into the alley and get it on. He either leaves her alive, someone follows after him and kills her or he kills her after he’s finished.”

  “Leaving his DNA and a trail right to him,” Jasmine added.

  “Doesn’t sound likely, but my gut is telling me this is linked to the McKinnons and Henry Werth.”

  She was thinking it too.

  My radio went off. It was dispatch. “We got another body.”

  Jasmine and I shared a look. Was this the beginning of what was coming? She called to her team. “Get her back to the morgue.” She grabbed her bag. “Give me a ride?”

  I gestured down the alley to where my car was parked. “We’re going to need a bigger morgue.”

  We stood in a warehouse outside of the French Quarter staring at what remained of a body. “How the hell did we find this?”

  “Place is on the market. The realtor was doing a walk through and found that,” Nick offered.

  There wasn’t much left of the body, the concrete floor was stained with blood and body parts, like frenzied dogs went to town. I had no doubt the creature Henry turned into had done this, a lot of those creatures.

  Jasmine looked up from examining the remains. “Not easy to say how long ago he or she died, but I’m guessing a few weeks.” She looked a little green. “The brutality of it…”

  She didn’t have to finish the thought because we were thinking the same thing.

  “We got another body,” Cyril ducked under the crime scene tape.

  My head jerked to him. “Where?”

  “Cassie Blane went missing six weeks ago, but backpackers found her in the woods just outside of town.”

  “And it’s her? You’re sure?”

  “Her purse and ID were on her. Looks like a knife to the heart…sacrificial style.”

  I started for my car. Shit was escalating, and I was out of my depths. Cyril followed me; I stopped him. “I need you here, need you to help Jasmine secure the bodies. I’ll be back.”