Immortals of New Orleans Box Set (Books 1-4)

by Kym Grosso

  “But Sydney…”He wasn’t convinced. In the nearly two hundred years since he’d turned Luca, they’d never gone without speaking for so long. Kade felt Luca dying; they needed to work fast.

  “But nothing. I mean it. I would do anything for you. No exceptions. You felt Luca. Maybe it was just a slight sense, but he’s here somewhere. Now, let’s go get him.”

  Kade zipped through the streets of the Garden District, driving feverishly towards the French Quarter. “It’s getting stronger. He’s not far away.”

  “Is he in the French Quarter?” Sydney asked.

  “No, a little farther. Maybe Foubourg Marigny?” Kade guessed.

  “Hmmm…along the water? Well, that would explain the odor Luca described,” she replied.

  “Sydney, we don’t know who took him or if there will be danger where we’re headed. Please. For the love of God, let me go in first. We can’t take any chances.” He knew Sydney had a tendency to act first and think later.

  “Really? Are we doing this again? I have my guns with me. And do I need to remind you that you are the one who’s weakened during the day, not me? How about this…we go in together, I stay behind you.” She smiled coyly at Kade, knowing he could not refuse her during the daytime. She swore to him that she’d do what he said but that didn’t mean she couldn’t hold her own.

  “All right. But no heroics and as promised, you do as I ask. We go in, get Luca, put him in the back of the SUV and get the hell out of there. Luca will most likely need emergency attention. Étienne, Dominique and Xavier are procuring donors to feed him when we return.”

  Sydney cringed at the term ‘donors’. She knew there were plenty of humans out there who would willingly donate their blood in exchange for the pleasurable bite of a vampire. Given that most humans climaxed during the experience, she couldn’t understand how someone would let a strange vamp bite them, regardless of the high it guaranteed. She sighed. “I promise I’ll behave myself. Let me know if you sense any vampires or witches, though. I hate surprises.”

  Kade reached across the seat and ran the back of his hand across Sydney’s cheek. He loved her so much. She was brave and beautiful. And she’d agreed to be his wife.

  Sydney felt chills run throughout her body straight to her womb. God, how she loved that man. She didn’t want to worry him, and after the mess with Asgear and Simone, she’d learned her lesson. Vampires were seriously dangerous creatures, and she worried about how Luca would react to the smell of a human after being injured. Luca was formidable on a good day, let alone when he was hurt.

  As they approached the riverfront neighborhood, Kade slowed the car. “There!” he shouted, pointing over to a church.

  Sydney noticed the heavy broken padlocks lying on the concrete sidewalk. “Looks like someone has been goin’ to church. The locks have been broken,” she observed.

  The enormous stone building must have been beautiful in its heyday. Three large arches adorned the front of the building, giving way to large, wooden double doors. Ornately carved gargoyles perched along the top of the structure guarded its entrance, providing a gothic warning to evil ne’er-do-wells. Remnants of stained glass mosaic windows accentuated the church in broken shades of indigo and evergreen.

  Kade parked the car but left it running. “Sydney, you stay behind me. Remember what I told you. It’s possible that Luca hasn’t eaten in days. If he’s injured, he won’t be himself.”

  “What do you mean? Luca’s always just so pleasant and friendly with us humans. Warm and fuzzy comes to mind,” Sydney joked sarcastically, knowing that Luca wasn’t crazy about humans. She made a face.

  Kade frowned. “It’s more than not winning the mister congeniality contest. I expect that he’ll want to see you, but not because he necessarily wants to have a chat. It’s more than possible that the man hasn’t eaten since he was taken. You’re food. Need I explain more?” He shook his head, knowing his friend would not be in good shape. “You can follow me in and assist me if…and this is a big if, I need help. Otherwise, just stay back. I will get Luca. Please Sydney. I need you to obey me on this.”

  Sydney nodded. She’d been in more than a few scuffles with vampires lately and did not want to become Luca’s dinner. She was as tough as they came, but she knew with certainty that Luca would not be the cool and collected vampire she knew. People were warned never to touch injured wild animals, because they might attack due to fear or pain, and you could get injured in the process of trying to help. A starved and injured Luca could be like a large and dangerous lion. And a lion tamer she was not. As much as she wanted to help, she needed to be cautious. The road to hell is paved with good intentions and all that business. She decided to follow Kade’s directions to the letter.

  Kade exited the car. The warm summer breeze blew against his face; his nostrils flared, concentrating on finding Luca inside the church. “I can smell him. Something’s wrong.”

  Sydney placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Kade, he’ll be okay. Luca is tough. Come on…let’s go. I promise to stay back.” She reached for her Sig Sauger and clicked the safety off.

  With a great shove against the decrepit, weather-worn doors, Kade stumbled into the open vestibule. Rank, moldy air choked their lungs and dust danced throughout light beams, pulsating through the cracked stained glass windows. Sensing no one but Luca, Kade cautiously proceeded into the antechamber. Glancing back at Sydney, he held up his hand to her, reminding her to stay behind. She nodded in agreement as Kade entered the church.

  With preternatural velocity, Kade rushed to the stone altar and hissed at the sight of Luca chained to the slab. “Sydney, come quickly. He’s silvered. I need you now.”

  Sydney sprinted up the aisle, aghast at seeing Luca’s handsome face now crusted over with dried blood. His once muscular body looked emaciated, with burns oozing from the silver chains. “Oh my God. What did they do to him? Luca…we’re here. We’ve got you.” She reached over and began unraveling the heavy chains from his limbs. Sydney expected Luca to wince but he remained unnervingly still, unresponsive to the pain. The chains clanged onto the floor, dispersing the dirty needles and dried leaves that had blown in through the broken windows. “Kade. Look at all the needles. What the hell? Why would they do this?”

  Kade showed no emotion while circling the altar, scanning the mess around them. He waited patiently for Sydney to remove all the silver. “Fucking assholes. They probably took blood from Luca to be sold on the black market.” Anger surged as he kicked the needles aside, silently vowing revenge on the perpetrators.

  Since the vampires had become known to the public, both pharmaceutical companies and entrepreneurs had been looking to capitalize on the immortality of vampires. Try as they might, no progress had been made towards perpetual life without incurring that nasty little side effect of becoming a vampire. While plenty of vampires were willing to sell their blood for profit, it didn’t stop the gangs from kidnapping and draining vamps to sell their blood on the black market at a discounted price.

  Kade lovingly swept his hand across his old friend’s face, trying to clear the dried blood off of him. “Luca,” he whispered. “You are safe now. We’ve got you.”

  Luca and Kade had been friends for over two centuries, meeting during the early eighteen hundreds. While Luca had been born in Britain, he had been raised in Australia. He’d come over to America during the War of 1812. When he’d been badly injured and lay dying on the battlefield, Kade had turned him. He was indebted to Kade; they were partners, best friends.

  Kade was infuriated; whoever had done this would pay dearly. “Sydney, you drive. I’m going to lie in the back of the SUV and feed him. Don’t get near us. When he wakes, he could be dangerous.” Kade frowned. “Look at what they did to him. He’s starved.”

  “Will he be okay?” Sydney didn’t know that much about vampire medicine except that they had healing properties in their blood. Said properties were most effective on humans and werewolves but held minimum benefi
t for other vampires. She knew he needed a mortal donor.

  “Yes, he’ll heal, but we’ve got to get him human blood. Call Dominique and tell her to bring the donors into the house and get them ready now. She knows what to do.” Kade gingerly slid his hand underneath Luca’s head and knees, bringing him close to his body. Swiftly, he lifted him and carried him out of the church.

  “Put the back seat down,” he ordered.

  Sydney clicked the release on the seats, pushing them until they were flat. Kade laid Luca in the trunk and climbed into the back. With his hands underneath Luca’s arms, he gently pulled him all the way into the car. Thank God they’d brought the Escalade. It would be a tight fit with two large males lying in the back, but they’d fit.

  Kade sighed as he leaned up onto his side, and reached over to Luca’s mouth. Placing one hand on Luca’s chin and cupping his cheeks with the other hand, he slowly opened Luca’s cracked lips.

  Sydney started the engine and stole a glimpse of Kade biting into his wrist. No matter how many times she’d witnessed a vampire feeding someone or feeding from someone, she was always fascinated by the intimacy of the act. It felt almost intrusive to watch them together. Anxious to get home, she pulled her eyes back to the road and drove.

  Kade cradled Luca’s head as he pressed his wrist downward. The crimson droplets trickled down the sides of Luca’s face; he wasn’t swallowing. Kade reached with his mind, willing Luca to drink. Please Goddess, let me through to him. Drink Luca, drink.

  Luca jerked in Kade’s arms as a single drop of the life-giving blood was absorbed into his body. Yet he didn’t wake. He could not move. Immobilized within his friend’s arms, Luca’s consciousness awakened. Safe. Kade. Friend. He tried to move, but couldn’t manage more than a swallow.

  “That’s it, Luca. Drink,” Kade ordered. Relief flooded his mind; he’d been worried about Luca’s ability to recover. While vampires only needed to drink a few pints every couple of days, they needed to feed regularly. Going without feeding could send them into a frenzy, which could cause them to lose control and kill a human. Going several days without feeding could cause their demise.

  Pulling into Kade’s compound, Sydney saw Dominique waiting impatiently near the mansion’s entrance. Dominique, another vampire, was a longtime loyal employee and friend of Kade’s. Sydney described her as a badass fashionista. She and Dominique had initially clashed when they’d first met over a month ago. Since then, they’d forged a friendship based on mutual respect and a love of leather.

  Parking the car, Sydney ran around the SUV and slowly pulled open the hatch. She understood that Luca could be dangerous, so she moved slowly with no sudden movements. Yet looking at his frail, battered torso, she couldn’t fathom what harm he could do in his weakened state. While typically well-composed, her breath caught in her throat at the sight of him. She could not resist the need to provide both Luca and Kade with comfort. As she reached to touch Luca, his eyes flew open; he strained to break free of Kade’s hold. Human blood.

  “Don’t touch him! Get away now, Sydney!” Kade hissed at her.

  Sydney jumped back, startled at the bloodlust in Luca’s eyes. He was dangerous. Hungry. She thought she must look like water in the desert to him. Heeding Kade’s order, she ran inside to see what she could do to help.

  Dominique intervened, helping Kade to restrain Luca. “Fuck, what the hell happened to him?” Dominique questioned.

  “He was silvered, starved. Possibly tortured. Not sure what all they did yet. But I know they got his blood. There were needles all over the damn place,” he spat out. So many years had passed since he’d been turned. At times, he was astonished by how little progress humanity had achieved. Evil, hate and torture still beat strong within the hearts of so many. How could they have done this to him?

  He sighed wearily. “Sydney’s blood is making him crazy. We need to get him inside. Where are Xavier and Étienne? Do we have donors?” Kade held tight onto Luca while trying to move him slowly out of the SUV. Luca was still in no condition to walk and he’d be damned if he’d chance letting him loose.

  “They’re on their way. I have a room prepared upstairs. I can help carry him,” she said, looking around to make sure Sydney was gone. Like Kade, she could not trust Luca not to attack her. They had human donors waiting upstairs, and they would monitor the feeding closely so Luca didn’t end up draining them.

  “Where’s Sydney?” Kade asked.

  Dominique looked around. “It seems your woman had enough sense to make herself scarce when he looked at her like she was lobster dinner. Don’t worry, she’ll be fine. It isn’t her first time at the vamp rodeo.”

  “I know. It’s just that she’s not used to seeing Luca like this. Neither am I.” He shook his head. Seeing Luca in such an animalistic state would serve as a reminder to Sydney that she was marrying into this lifestyle. He needed to find her and make sure that she was all right.

  Kade easily lifted Luca, with his arms under Luca’s neck and the crook under his knees. Luca’s eyes were wide open, yet he wasn’t speaking. Kade wasn’t sure if Luca understood what was happening as he took him upstairs to the guest bedroom. Dominique motioned Kade into the bathroom, where she had a bath filled with warm water. “Kade, over here. The warm water will help get his body temp back up.”

  Kade placed Luca’s emaciated naked body into the warm, soapy water. “Shit,” he said as water sloshed over the sides of the tub and all over the floor. Without even taking the time to undress, Kade carefully climbed into the tub and lay next to Luca so he could hold him still while he fed. Deeply concerned about Luca’s state, he waved over at Dominique. “Where’s the donor? We need him now!” he commanded.

  She pointed at a shirtless, twenty-something male who was waiting in the bedroom. “You, over here, on your knees by the tub.”

  “Yes ma’am,” said the donor as he willingly and quickly complied with her demand, and held out his arm. Donors were easy to come by these days. They signed up at blood clubs, hoping to experience a sexual encounter with a vampire. At the very least, they hoped to be chosen for a bite, knowing the orgasmic properties that could be granted by the vampire.

  Issacson Securities, Kade’s company, had contracted with Sanguine Services to procure donors when needed. Dominique had called in advance to procure a couple of strong males who would be able to provide enough blood for Luca. She just hoped the blood would be enough to bring Luca back from his atrophied state. She had never seen a vampire so far gone and wasn’t convinced they could save him. But she didn’t want to cause Kade further worry, so she kept her reservations to herself.

  Dominique gently took the donor’s wrist and flashed him a quick smile. “Hey there, what’s your name?” she asked.

  “Milo,” he obediently replied.

  “Okay, listen, Milo. This person here; he’s a good friend of mine. His name is Luca. He hasn’t eaten in days, so this might be a little rough at first but I promise you will be safe.” She hoped he would, anyway.

  Kade tried reaching out mentally to Sydney to tell her to stay away. Their telepathic connection was in its infancy, but short of yelling for her, he needed to send some kind of warning to stay away from Luca. Sensing she was in the house but not near, he breathed a sigh of relief. It was time to get started. He nodded at Dominique to begin.

  Dominique brought Milo’s wrist to her finely-painted, coral-colored lips. Her tongue darted out, licking his sensitive inner wrist. She resisted the urge to play with her food, knowing that Luca needed blood as soon as possible. Expeditiously, her razor-sharp fangs pierced his flesh; he moaned aloud, sexually excited by her bite.

  Leaning over to Luca’s lips, with the donor’s wrist in her mouth, she seamlessly transferred Milo’s bleeding wrist from her mouth to Luca’s. Another loud groan of excitement resounded along the granite-tiled walls as Luca began to voraciously feed.

  Kade had his arms locked around Luca’s upper body, preventing him from making any violent attack o
n the donor. “That’s it my friend. Drink. You’ll be fine, and we’ll find out who did this to you,” he said, looking directly into Luca’s eyes. He could tell Luca was starting to become fully conscious, but he still couldn’t tell if Luca’s cognition was stable. Their mental connection was still severed.

  A loud groan emanated from Milo, indicating sexual release. Dominique had already readied the second donor as Kade pulled Milo away from Luca. They were very careful to ensure that Luca did not kill the donors. Luca latched onto the second donor and was starting to regain color, warmth. Despite being close to getting enough blood, something wasn’t right with Luca.

  Kade released Luca as he pushed the second donor away. Luca again closed his eyes as his physique appeared to regenerate before their eyes. Kade climbed out of the tub and grabbed a towel as Xavier and Étienne entered the bathroom. “Nice of you to join us. Please attend to the donors and make sure they get safely home,” he said as he rubbed his hair vigorously with the towel, annoyed that they’d just arrived at the mansion.

  “Sorry we’re late, Kade. Downtown traffic is a bitch this time of night,” Étienne explained. “He’s looking well, no?”

  “Looks can be deceiving. Something’s not right. Our mental connection’s shut down. He isn’t verbally responding either. But he’s had quite enough vampire and human blood to bring him back physically.” Kade was worried about Luca.

  Xavier leaned down and touched Luca’s head. “Mon ami, what happened to you?” Xavier tried reaching for him mentally and also failed to contact him. “I see what you mean. Do you know what’s going on? He’s here but not here.”