Wild Lilies: Book One of the NOLA Shifters Series

by Angel Nyx

  “I already told you, I want to talk. About last night.”

  She shook her head. “That never should have happened. I’m in a committed relationship and I am not a cheater. I never should have let you kiss me.” She kept her voice low so no one would hear their conversation.

  “We both know you couldn’t stop it. We both wanted it, and more. I understand you’re unsure about things, but I’m not walking away, Lily. I know what I want, and what I want is you. I’m not giving up until I have you.”

  Her eyes narrowed at him. “Gods, why are all wolves so fucking stubborn?”

  “It’s in our nature, doll.” He winked at her and took a sip of his tea. “This is really good. It’s an interesting spice combination. Not worried about your human friends figuring out why you named it Lupine Spice?”

  Lily rolled her eyes. “No, I’m not. They’re not as judgmental about shifters down here. I have to get back to work. You really should just go back to Slatefall, Declan, because you’re wasting your time.”

  The door opened as she stood and two men stepped inside. Lily grinned when she saw who’d entered the shop. Remy and Gage Delacroix were not only brothers but members of the local shifter group, the Black Water Pard. They were leopards, and one would think with her being a wolf they wouldn’t get along, but they did. “Hey, you two, I haven’t seen you in weeks; you had me worried. Everything okay?” She stopped long enough to give them both a quick hug before she slipped behind the counter.

  “Yeah, just had some tings to take care of, cher,” Remy said. “Lookin’ good. Still seein’ dat boy, Keith?” he asked as he took a seat at the counter.

  Gage slid into the seat next to his brother and rolled his eyes. Remy was a shameless flirt but he didn’t mean anything by it most of the time.

  Lily laughed. “He’s not a boy, Remy, and yes, we’re still dating.” She knew the instant they caught Declan’s scent because both males tensed. They turned on the stools and focused their attention on him. Damn it. “Before you both go getting all territorial, this is Declan Monroe. My father sent him here.” They knew all about why she’d fled her home in Montana. She’d been at the shop a week the first time she’d met them and discovered she was in Pard territory. She’d had to meet with their Alpha, Caine Bordeaux, and tell him the entire story. It was with his permission that she remained in their territory, and over the last four years, she’d become close with several members of the Pard. She had a feeling they came in so much because they were keeping an eye on her.

  Declan

  When he’d entered the shop, Declan had approached the counter. There was a time when the look the other server gave him would have gotten a reaction from him. Once upon a time he would have looked the woman over and taken her up on the unspoken offer of getting her under him. He was a male, after all, and the woman exuded sex appeal. But he wasn’t interested. No, the object of his desire was standing a little behind her. Lily. The woman was fucking gorgeous. She had curves in all the right places. Lily wasn’t one of those women who bought into the media hype that said a woman had to be a size two to be beautiful, and she definitely flaunted her curves. He loved a woman with confidence.

  He’d managed to get Lily to sit down and talk with him for a few minutes. It didn’t go quite as well as he’d hoped, but then he really hadn’t expected her to just give in. No, she had a stubborn streak that both frustrated him and turned him on.

  “I have to get back to work. You really should just go back to Slatefall, Declan, because you’re wasting your time.”

  He’d started to argue with her but didn’t get the chance. When the door had opened and the two men entered, Declan hadn’t missed the way Lily’s face had lit up when she’d seen them. His eyes narrowed. Who the fuck were they and why was she so happy to see them? He had to stifle his growl when she hugged them before she headed back around the counter. For a woman who professed to care so much about her boyfriend, she was awfully friendly with other men. He cocked a brow when they suddenly turned on the stools. If they realized he was there, they had to be shifters, as well. The question was, what species? He rose from where he was sitting and approached them with a cocky look on his face.

  As Declan made his way to them, Lily spoke up. “Declan, this is Remy and Gage Delacroix; they’re part of the Black Water Pard and this is their territory’.”

  Declan glanced at her. “You could have shared that bit of information a little sooner.”

  She gave a mockingly sweet smile. “And ruin all the fun? Now why would I do that? Besides, if you’d left when I told you to go tell my father to shove it, there wouldn’t be an issue now, would there?”

  Gage laughed. “You have got one hell of a wicked sense of humor, Lily.”

  Declan felt his hackles rise. He needed to get out of there before he did something stupid. “I’ve got to head out but I’ll be back later,” he told her and left. If he’d stayed much longer there would have been a fight between him and the Delacroix brothers. They were too damn friendly with his mate and he didn’t like it.

  Lily

  Lily relaxed once he was gone and focused on the brothers. “I really was worried about you two. You usually come in here once a week and it’s been three since I saw you last.”

  “We’ve had some…issues to take care of. No’ting to worry about,” Remy said. “So, let me guess, you’ve found your mate, or rather he’s found you, but you, bein’ you, you’re fightin’ it aren’t you, cher?”

  She gave him a dirty look. “I’m dating someone, and I’m not a cheater, so yes, I’m ignoring it.”

  Gage shook his head. “You can only do dat for so long before da attraction is too strong. We have to be gettin’ back. Just wanted to drop in to grab some coffee and see how you were doin’. Does he know why you left home?” He picked up the coffee she set in front of him and took a sip.

  “Yes, he knows. I’ve already told him I’m not going back there so he’s wasting his time hanging around hoping I’ll change my mind and let him drag me back to Montana. This is home now and this is where I’m staying.”

  Remy and Gage both chuckled. “Dat wolf has his work cut out for him if he hopes to claim you as his mate, cher,” Remy said. “Like Gage said, we better get out of here. Watch your back, Lily. Dere have been some…problems lately with some jaguar shifters. We’re lookin’ into it and takin’ care of it, but you still need to keep an eye out. If you see anyting dat gets your hackles up, let us know.”

  Lily blinked. “Jaguars? Do I even want to know?” At the shake of his head, she sighed. “I’ll keep an eye out. Take care, and don’t be such strangers.” There was a teasing note in her voice.

  Gage looked at her. “You know you’ll have to bring him to meet Caine. He’s in our territory; if he doesn’t want to have da Pard huntin’ him, he needs to get Caine’s permission to stay in New Orleans.”

  Lily sighed. “Yeah, I know. I just keep hoping he’ll take the hint and go back to Montana.”

  “Cher, you’re his mate, whether you like it or not. He’s not gonna leave unless you’re wit’ him. Let me know when you’re ready to bring him out to da compound, and I’ll bring da boat,” Remy told her.

  “Yeah, yeah. I know. I’m not off again for a couple of days; I’ll get him out there then.”

  “You do dat, cher,” he replied before he grabbed his coffee and headed out with his brother.

  Lily watched them go. She couldn’t help but wonder what trouble was brewing between the Black Water Pard and the Red Moon Clan. Why were the jaguars, who’d been content to remain in their own territory for so long, suddenly coming into Black Water Pard territory, causing trouble? With a soft sigh she pushed the thought out of her mind—it wasn’t like there was anything she could do about it—and turned her attention to her work.

  Chapter Five

  Emelise

  Emelise Rousseau looked around the building that she’d recently purchased with a critical eye. It had been a bar, once upon a time, which
would make her plans to turn it into a blues and jazz club easier, even if it was a bit rundown at the moment. The former owner had died, and didn’t have any family, so the property had gone to the bank, and it had sat empty for several years. It needed some work to get it up to code, and in order to get the look and feel she was going for, she knew she had her work cut out for her, but she was up for the challenge. If there was one thing that could be said about Emelise Acadia Rousseau, she was tenacious when she wanted something and she’d wanted this for years. She’d worked in a jazz club back in Phoenix, learned all the ins and outs of the business, and saved every penny she could in order to get the capital to buy her own place. Now she just needed to do the work to open the doors and see her dream come to fruition.

  She’d been born in Phoenix, Arizona, but her roots began right here in New Orleans. Her mother, Adelaide Rousseau, Goddess rest her soul, was born and raised in New Orleans, but she’d left the city when she was a junior in high school. She’d let a guy sweet-talk her into giving up her virginity to him, and she’d gotten pregnant.

  Normally that wouldn’t have been something that would make a girl leave home, but for Adelaide, leaving was the only option if she wanted to keep her baby. She was a leopard shifter, part of the Black Water Pard, and the father of her unborn child was human. There was no guarantee her child would be a shifter, and since the human wasn’t her mate, she knew her parents would force her to terminate the pregnancy. Adelaide chose to leave home, and keep her baby, instead.

  She’d ended up in Phoenix working at a diner and made a decent life for her and her daughter. Her parents had disowned her when they discovered she’d left because she was pregnant by a human, so even after her daughter shifted for the first time, at the age of three, she’d stayed in Phoenix. There was nothing in New Orleans for her to go back to.

  Over the years Emelise had wanted to go to New Orleans. She wanted to meet her mother’s family, to meet the Pard she’d been a part of, and the father she’d never known, but Adelaide used guilt to keep her from going. Anytime she asked questions about her father, her mother simply told her that he’d moved on with his life and they were better off without him.

  The excuses and the guilt trips ended a few weeks ago. Her mother had gone out for drinks with some friends, and on the way home, she was hit by a drunk driver and was killed. The loss of the only family Emelise knew pushed her to follow her heart and dreams and go back to her mother’s hometown.

  Now she was here and she was nervous as hell. She knew she would have to get in touch with the Black Water Pard. She was in their territory without an invitation or permission, but since her mother used to be part of the Pard, and she was a leopard shifter herself, she doubted they would have a problem with her presence. The only problem was she had no idea how to contact them. She was hoping Lily Harper, the only shifter she knew in New Orleans, would know how to get her in touch with them before too many days went by.

  She’d met Lily about five years ago when she’d stayed in Phoenix for a few weeks before moving on. They might be different species of shifter, but they’d hit it off immediately and their friendship was still going strong five years later. She’d been immensely jealous of Lily when she found out she’d settled in New Orleans and had decided to finally put down some roots. Emelise grinned when she thought of the surprise she was going to see on Lily’s face when she walked into the coffee shop she worked at, provided Lily was at work. She hadn’t even told her friend she was moving.

  Lily

  Lily was twenty minutes away from getting off work when the front door opened and someone she hadn’t seen in five years walked in. The petite brunette with green eyes and a flair for fashion had a voice that could make the angels envious and a mouth that would make a sailor blush when she really got going. Lily had met her on her first night in Phoenix, Arizona, a week shy of a year after she’d left Montana, and they’d become fast friends. “Emelise Rousseau, what in the world are you doing here?” She rushed around the counter to greet her.

  “Oh, I don’t know, popping in to buy a coffee, maybe read a book…oh, and open up my own club right here in New Orleans.” Emelise flashed a cheeky grin. “You are a sight for sore fucking eyes, girl.”

  “Wait, hold up, back up a bit…did you just say you’re opening a club here?”

  “Yes, yes I did.” Emelise grinned even more. “Damn, I need my camera right now. The look on your face, I could use it for blackmail for like, forever.”

  “Give me twenty minutes and I’ll be off and we can talk. You have to fill me in because the last I heard, New Orleans was off limits to you.” She saw a flash of pain in her friend’s eyes and knew something had caused it. She wouldn’t dig but she really did want to know what had changed in the month since they’d last talked. They kept missing each other with work schedules and other things going on in their lives, and it was past time for them to catch up.

  “Sure thing. I’ll just get myself a drink and find a cozy spot to sit.” Eme read over the menu a moment. “Oh, vanilla caramel macchiato, that sounds delish. I think I’ll get that. With one of those apple turnovers.”

  “Go take a seat; I’ll bring it to you.” Lily moved to the machine to make the coffee for her. Just as she rounded the counter to carry it over to her, Declan walked in. She caught his scent first and it made things low in her body tighten with need. With the way she reacted to him, you’d think she hadn’t had sex in forever. She pushed down the desire to turn and look at him. It was just animal instinct. Just because her wolf wanted him didn’t mean she had to give in to it.

  “Looks like you’ve got an admirer.” Emelise kept her voice down as Lily set the cup in front of her.

  “Ugh, don’t remind me.” At her friend’s look she shook her head. “Long story, I’ll explain later. Enjoy the turnover.” With that she turned and went back to the counter.

  Declan

  Declan sauntered into Gathering Grounds with one thing on his mind: Lily. He’d been sent down there to get her and take her back to Montana, but the more he saw how happy she was there in New Orleans, the more he realized Slatefall, Montana was no longer her home. He wasn’t sure how he was going to break that to her father, but he’d figure it out. Eventually. Today she was wearing an ankle-length skirt that hugged her hips and swayed around her legs when she walked. He had the urge to push it up, bend her over, and bury himself in her. Fuck, the sexual tension was almost a constant thing when he was around her, and it was going to kill him.

  He knew the second Lily was aware of his presence because her arousal spiked, and he smirked when the scent of it reached him. Lily could deny her interest all she wanted; her body said differently. He slid onto a stool at the counter and watched the sway of her hips as she carried a cup and plate to one of the small tables. When she bent forward, just a little, his cock hardened at the sight. She was fucking killing him. Did she have to be so fucking sexy?

  As Lily walked past him, Declan reached out and snagged her wrist. “I’m taking you to dinner tonight. We need to talk about you keeping secrets.”

  She gave him a look. “Excuse me? What secret is that? You mean me not telling you that you’re in Black Water Pard territory?”

  “Yes, that. We’re going to dinner. I don’t give a shit about your human, so don’t try to use that as an excuse to get out of it.”

  Lily glared at him. “Look, Declan, you might be used to women falling at your feet and giving you whatever you want, but you are beyond delusional if you think I’m going to be one of them. One of my best friends has suddenly moved to New Orleans, and I’m spending tonight catching up with her.” She sighed after a moment. “You’re right though, we do need to talk about the Pard. Come to my apartment tomorrow; I’ll fix breakfast and we can talk then.” This conversation needed some privacy and they wouldn’t get that at a restaurant or diner.

  Declan gave her a lazy grin. “I’ll be there at nine, doll.” He let his gaze linger on her before he finally relea
sed her wrist. He didn’t need to see her face to know she was affected by him. He could smell it. “See you in the morning,” He winked at her before he ordered a coffee to go and left.

  Lily

  That smile did all sorts of funny things to her. Lily had to turn away from him for a moment so she could get herself under control before she was able to get the black coffee she knew he wanted. Was it telling that she already knew what he liked to drink?

  An hour later Lily was curled up in the chair in her living room with a glass of wine and a pizza box open on the coffee table. Emelise was stretched out on the sofa with her own glass of wine. “Now that we’ve got food and wine, dish, Eme. Like I said earlier, the last I heard, New Orleans was still off limits to you. What happened?” She was gentle with the request because she remembered the flash of pain in her friend’s eyes.

  Emelise took a sip of wine before she turned her attention to Lily. “Three weeks ago my mother went out for drinks with some friends. On the way home she was hit by a drunk driver and died at the hospital. It was such a freak accident. She was a shifter—normally she would have survived a car accident—but a piece of the broken frame severed an artery. Between that, a punctured spleen, and two collapsed lungs…there was too much damage all at once. Her body couldn’t heal fast enough.” Her voice was thick with emotion. “After the initial shock wore off, I sat down and got to thinking about what I really wanted for my life. I could have stayed in Phoenix and opened a jazz and blues club there, but I’ve wanted to come to New Orleans since I was a little girl. I figured now was the time. Yeah, it hurts like hell that my mama is gone; sometimes it’s still hard to believe, but I can’t let myself think about it too much or I’ll drive myself crazy.”