by Elle Thorne
The old code brewed bitterness in Lézare’s gut.
“What’s that look about?” Alexa, who’d been quietly observing Evie’s tantrum, finally spoke.
“What look?” He wiped his scowl away.
She shook her head. He and Alexa were the closest of all the siblings. Second in birth order after Lézare, she was also second in charge of the Arceneaux organization. She was an alpha in her own right and brooked little dissension.
“Evie.” Alexa addressed their younger sibling. “You’ll have to figure something out. Mark and Veila are invited, and so is Mason. What you and he had in college, however it may have ended, is in the past. You cannot disrupt this occasion as you did the Shifter Council Meeting.” She softened her diatribe with a smile.
“The Arceneaux Shifter Masquerade Ball only happens once a year. Why do I have to do that? It’s our party. It’s an Arceneaux event,” Evie huffed. Her claws extended as ire pushed her toward a shift. With a slight creaking sound she shifted into her white tigress, turned back, snarled at her siblings, and left the room in two long jumps, bounding out of sight.
“That went well.” Lézare took a beignet from the tray.
Maylene, the housekeeper, had slipped the still warm concoctions onto the table in the midst of their melee, then had left without a word, with only a furtive glance at Lézare.
“Real well.” Alexa’s voice held as much sarcasm as his own.
She looked at her phone, then frowned, her brows dipping in a stern vee.
“Nothing?”
“Not a word. Not a text. Not a call.”
“Unlike Valencia.”
Valencia, the youngest of Lézare’s sisters, was en route from Georgia.
“Maybe we should be happy she’s not texting and driving.” Lézare took a bite, careful not to breathe out so the confectioner’s sugar wouldn’t scatter.
“Lézare.” Alexa was looking out the front window. “Someone’s here.”
Lézare put the beignet on the plate. “Who is it?”
“I don’t recognize the vehicle.” Alexa frowned. “Change that. I don’t recognize either of them.”
“We’re expecting at least a dozen or so who will be staying on the premises instead of in the city. It’s no surprise that vehicles are pulling up.”
By “the city” he meant New Orleans.
He approached his sister, put his arm around her. “What’s going on? I’m sensing something’s up with you, Alexandria.”
She gave him a mock dirty look at his use of her full name. He hadn’t planned on using her nickname. He simply wasn’t a nickname kind of guy.
“Nothing. I’ve got this feeling. Maybe it’s stress, or Evie and Mason.”
“She needs to relax.” He glanced out the window at the sizable staircase that led to the landing at the top of the stairs at the front door. Half a dozen of his security team had already opened the door and were awaiting the new arrivals.
Lézare’s security team was much more than just security. They were his associates, his backup, his muscle. Fiercely loyal to Lézare, they were available in any capacity they were needed. Their lead, Theo, glanced at the window where Lézare was standing and gave him a subtle nod. Lézare acknowledged the nod with a slight inclination of his own head.
“Lézare, I don’t think you understand the depth of their feelings. You’ve never been in…”
She didn’t finish her sentence, but he knew what she was going to say: that he’d never been in love.
He bit back a response. Just because he didn’t advertise his feelings didn’t mean he had none. They wouldn’t like his choice in women, anyway.
“If they have feelings for one another, they should act on them.” He was one to speak—he wasn’t acting on his desires or his feelings.
The door on one of the Suburbans opened. Alexa squealed and bounced up and down.
Lézare flinched and covered the ear nearest to her.
“It’s Callie!” Her voice was a high-pitched screech of jubilation.
His cousin Vax, Vittorio Tiero, was helping his mate Callie out of the vehicle. She was nearing the final stages of her pregnancy.
“You didn’t tell me Vax and Callie were coming!” Alexa was still squealing in his ear.
He stepped away from her and the din she was letting loose. Who would have thought such a short package of a woman could be capable of such volume?
“He wasn’ sure he’d make it. He said it would depend on Callie and the baby.”
“She looks like she might have it any time now.”
Lézare scowled at his sister. “We’re not equipped to have a birth here.”
His next thought went to Vax’s sanity. Was he crazy, bringing her so far from Dallas? She might give birth at their plantation home, a good thirty-minute ride from the city, and who knew how far away from a qualified obstetrician.
It wasn’t like she’d be giving birth to just any child. She was carrying a shifter’s baby. What sort of issues could her delivery be plagued with?
The other doors on that Suburban and the second one opened.
Lézare stepped away from Alexa because he knew if he didn’t she’d blow out his eardrum.
Sure enough, she started to squeal again, hopping around.
Veila Tiero and Mark Martinez stepped onto the driveway. Right behind them, Cy helped Lila out.
From the second Suburban, Doc and Mae exited. Lézare exhaled a sigh of relief. Doc was here. He could deliver the baby if something happened.
Gavin helped Layla out of the same vehicle Doc and Mae had been in.
Lézare turned to Alexa. “No Sophie?”
Lézare knew that Alexa had a special relationship with Sophie. Alexa had helped Sophie hide her pregnancy, and she had been the only one Sophie had told about it. Of course, when Alexa needed help, she’d had to bring Lézare in, but he’d kept Sophie’s secret—even kept it from her entire family, including Vax, whom he was very close to. It was Sophie’s secret to tell.
“She decided to stay abroad a while. She’ll be back.”
Lézare nodded. “If Gavin, Vax and Veila are here, that means Dane’s running the place.” Lézare was happy. He liked the black panther. He’d heard rumors about Dane’s early years; the shifter was due a good life.
“Let’s go greet our family.” Alexa tugged on his sleeve.
“Notice something?” he asked her.
She glanced back. “What?”
“No Mason.”
Her lips parted, her mouth making a perfect letter O. “I wonder how Evie’s going to take that.”
“She didn’ want him here, remember?” Lézare shook his head. Women. So confusing.
“Yes, but she doesn’t want that to be his decision, I’m sure.”
He ran his hand over his two-day growth of beard, scratching at the roughness. “She needs to get her head checked.”
“Oh, Lézare—”
He raised his hand, held up his finger for silence. “Please don’ feel the need to tell me that I know nothing about love again.”
“Let’s go see our guests,” she harrumphed, but her lips twitched with a smile for her big brother.
Chapter Two
“Cousin.” Lézare opened his arms, greeting his cousin Vax, also a white tiger shifter like himself. They hugged, shoulder to shoulder. “Your mate grows more beautiful every time I see her.” Lézare pulled Callie in for a hug.
“Oh, you’re such a flirt,” Callie laughed him off, though her cheeks were kissed with a blush.
“When will you give us that baby to spoil?” He held her hand and stepped back, admiring the fullness of the baby within.
“Hopefully not while I’m here… but just in case…” She looked at Doc Evans.
One hand holding his mate Mae’s hand, Doc raised the other hand to his brow in a playful salute. “Traveling obstetrician, at your service.”
Mae laughed, a flash of indigo gleamed in the depths of her eyes, and a sudden gust of wind b
lew on the sunny day.
Doc gave her a sideways glance. “Control yourself.”
“It’s not me. It’s her,” Mae said.
Lézare knew she was referring to her elemental. He’d heard she had an elemental inside her that controlled the weather. Vax had told him when he’d phoned.
“You must tell me more of this.” He hugged Mae and shook Doc’s hand. “Vax mentioned the elemental the last time we spoke…” Lézare stopped talking when he noticed a shadow cross Mae’s face.
Everyone was suddenly silent, as if he’d brought up a subject that was not to be discussed.
Lézare’s gaze traveled from one to the other, looking at all the newcomers.
Mae gave a terse little laugh. “Sorry. I overreact sometimes.”
Lézare didn’t buy her response. He was grateful she was willing to overlook his faux pas, though he had no idea what he’d said that was wrong. He’d make it a point to ask Vax later.
Alexa, Veila, and Lila were clustered around Callie, whispering about her pregnancy. Callie grabbed Mae’s hand and brought her into their tight circle.
“Where’s Evie?” Vax asked. “And Valencia?”
Lézare looked at Mark. “Evie’s sulking.”
“Mason?” Vax glanced at Mark as well.
Lézare nodded. “Is Mason not coming? Not that I don’t want him to. The more the merrier is my thought, but she’s got…” He wanted to say issues, but looked for another word. “She’s got concerns.”
Mark joined them. “Mason does as well.”
“And what about Valencia? Will we get to see our elusive cousin?” Vax inquired.
“She’s on the way, driving back from Georgia. Hates flying. Refuses to get into a plane. She said cats weren’t meant to be airborne, even if they are shifters.” Lézare laughed.
“How’s Callie?” Doc asked Vax as he approached the circle of men. “She looks well.”
Vax smiled. “She’s great. Baby’s great. Everything’s great.”
“It doesn’t look like the trip to Europe did her a disservice,” Doc commented.
Lézare gauged the look of happiness on his cousin’s face. “And things between you and your brother?”
Vax and his brother Rafe had been more like rivals and enemies than friends for years, Lézare knew their issues began because of their father Giovanni Tiero, but he’d hoped they’d become close, one day.
“Just got back from Rome not long ago.” Vax paused, rubbed his jaw, his eye on Callie.
Lézare waited, hoping for good news.
“Things are better. While Callie was visiting with Jax, he and I had some time to reflect on a lot.”
“And…” Lézare prompted him.
“It’s been resolved.”
“So things are good, does that sum it up?”
“It does.”
Vax laughed, then lowered his voice when Callie looked in their direction. “Callie’s happy. It’s weighed on her that Rafe and I had issues. Comes from not having a family.”
Movement caught Lézare’s eye. He glanced at one of the windows and saw the blinds move. Evie’s room. “Sometimes it would be easier not to have a family, wouldn’ it?”
Vax followed Lézare’s gaze. “Evie?” His voice was so low that Lézare almost didn’t hear him, even with his shifter hearing.
“Yes,” he whispered back, his voice equally low.
“So, how many are invited?” Callie approached Lézare.
“Invited? Or responded? Or how many do I actually expect?” Lézare grinned.
“All of the above?”
“I invited two hundred, knowing full well that at least fifty couldn’ make it but they’d be insulted if they didn’ get invited. I received sixty-five RSVPs. A few dozen declined, and I’m expecting that another two or three dozen will show up because that’s what always happens. It’s been happening for as long as I can remember.”
“How long have you had the ball?” Veila stepped into the circle, joined by the other women.
Alexa stepped forward. “The Masquerade Ball is the highlight of Escape Weekend. It’s the last event, not counting the brunch that we serve the morning after the Ball. Escape Weekend began when our great-great…” She turned to Lézare. “How many greats? Three or four?”
Lézare held up two fingers.
“Yes, that’s right. Our great-great-grandfather Étienne started it after he’d taken the last descendant of the Arceneaux—his arch enemies—as a bride.”
“That’s incredible.” Callie’s eyes had gone wide.
“You should ask Lézare to tell you the story sometime. Étienne’s son, our grandfather, told it to him before he… before he was killed. Lézare has remembered it word for word.”
Lézare laughed. “I cheated. I transcribed it, but I’m glad to share.” He never tired of Étienne’s story, a story of retribution, adversaries, and ultimately, love. “Sometime. Right now, let’s get everyone set up in their cabins.”
“Yes!” Alexa jumped with glee. “The cabins from more than a century ago have been preserved. They were the cabins of our people. Half our people lived in the main house, half in the cabins.”
“Isn’t that a sad reminder for you?” Callie’s eyes clouded with sympathy.
Alexa sighed. “It was difficult when I was younger. If we tear them down, then we’ll have nothing to remind us of the strength of our people. Of Étienne, of his family before him.”
Lézare nodded. “So they stay. And we use them once a year, during Escape Weekend. That’s it.”
“I love the history.” Veila took Mark’s hand. “Will we get to stay in one?”
“It’s up to you, main house or a cabin. You’re family and family gets first choice.”
“Cabin!” Callie exclaimed.
“Wait.” Vax took her hand. “What if you need help? You’d be a good distance from the house.”
Mae looked at Doc, a worried look on her face, then back at Callie. “Couldn’t we stay nearby, at the nearest one? Just in case.” An indigo flash coursed through her eyes.
Before Doc could respond, a distant thunder rumbled, and a set of clouds formed a few miles away. Mae’s elemental was projecting Mae’s emotions again.
“Of course,” Doc answered with a slight head shake at his mate’s weather control. “We’ll be in the nearest cabin. They’re not far apart, are they?”
“A few feet away. You’ll feel crowded out there,” Lézare responded. He’d never enjoyed staying in the cabins. He’d tried once, when he was young. His grandfather had taken him down the week before Escape Weekend. That was Lézare’s first and only time.
“So, what exactly do we do during Escape Weekend? And who did the planning and all the work?”
“There’s a company we’ve used for more than a hundred years. The owners aren’t uncomfortable with shifters. They provide the wait staff, the food, housekeeping, even the entertainment, if we want it.”
“Are they shifters? Is that why they’re not uncomfortable with us?”
“No.” Lézare closed his mouth. He wasn’t sure if he should even discuss the other supernatural beings that existed.
“Lézare. You can’t stop at that. Tell them.” Alexa prodded him with her elbow.
Lézare frowned at his sister. He would share only as much as he needed to. There was no reason to discuss their age-old enemies, the vampires. “The owners practice sorcery, might even have an elemental or two amongst them. They cast spells on the humans who work at the event. The humans don’t remember what’s happened after the week is up.”
“Interesting idea,” Gavin said. “That’s a good way to keep secrets.”
Alexa gave Lézare a sideways glance. She knew he was holding back. There was no reason to discuss their on and off problems with others, not during the festivities of Escape Weekend.
“Let’s get you to your cabins. Festivities begin this evening with a cocktail party.”
Chapter Three
Almost time for
the cocktail party.
Lézare straightened his tie, adjusted his jacket. A knock sounded at the door.
“Enter.” He ran his fingers through his hair. He’d kept it short to keep the unruly curls under control, but this was uber-short, even for him.
The door opened, revealing Alexa and Evie, both of them gorgeous in their evening attire: cocktail dresses that rivaled those of royalty, he was certain. Alexa was in black, showcasing the auburn hair she came by naturally. She was the spitting image of the portrait of their great-great-grandmother Celine, the mate of Étienne.
Evie was wearing a shade of green that lent a deeper green to her hazel eyes, eyes that glowed amber when her tigress’s ire had been aroused.
Both were in a joyous mood. Their scent and their pulses gave away the adrenaline that was coursing through their bodies, as it did Lézare’s.
Escape Weekend had always been exciting for the Arceneaux siblings. They’d never even considered letting the tradition go, though long ago a family member had said it was dangerous to assemble so many shifters in one location at the same time. That had been proven out over time. Lézare pushed the thoughts away. This wasn’t the time to dwell on shifter skirmishes with vampires in his area.
And certainly there’d been incidents, but Lézare had plenty of security, overtly and undercover. Threats would be dealt with immediately and severely.
“Ready?” He put his arms out, and each sister grabbed a side. He escorted them down the wide hallway that led to an even wider curving staircase that led to the ballroom, where the cocktail party had already started, though it was unlikely it had gotten into full swing yet.
“Ready.” Evie beamed, clearly thrilled that Mason wasn’t here, though she couldn’t hide the hint of sadness that remained because he’d proven he was strong enough to stay away from her. She’d met him when she went to Florida State to attend college. They’d been a couple for three years. Lézare wasn’t sure exactly what had split them up, but the moment she’d finished her last final, she’d left town and immediately returned to New Orleans, without another word about Mason.
“And you?” he asked Alexa. “Are you ready?”
