by Rhys Rowlyn
Shadowed Allure
Daughters of the Vieux Carré Book 2
Rhys Rowlyn
Copyright © 2020 by Rhys Rowlyn
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
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Contents
1. André
2. Fleur
3. André
4. Fleur
5. André
6. Fleur
7. Fleur
8. André
9. André
10. Fleur
11. André
12. André
13. Fleur
14. André
15. Fleur
About Rhys Rowlyn
Also by Rhys Rowlyn
André
Where am I?
Why is it so dark?
I need blood, and I need it now.
How did I get in this trap?
I pant and thrash my head from side to side, trying to figure out what to do next. When I lift my hands, I feel a rough wooden surface above my face. The scent in the air confuses me. Nothing is familiar. Everything feels wrong. Where am I and where is my famille?
With all my strength, I slam my arms upward and punch through the boards above me. I crash out of a box and tumble forward but am thrown to the ground by a male vampire I do not recognize.
“Quick, throw me the bag.” The man holds his hand out and catches a bag thrown to him by a woman across the room. She races over to help the man hold me down by grabbing my legs.
I snarl, baring my fangs, and buck upward to try to throw him off my back. He holds firm and slams me back down. The man loses his grip on the bag, and it slides across the floor. The woman releases the grip she has on my legs to crawl across the room and pick up the bag, then she slides back and pushes it onto my fangs. Blood flows from it, eventually quenching my thirst.
I stop trying to throw the man off me.
“Which one is this? And where the hell is Phillipe? He needs to see a familiar face.” The man continues to hold me down, even though I have stopped fighting him.
He is speaking English and has a strange accent, one I do not recognize. I try to speak, but the bag is still in my mouth.
“He’s on his way. Here’s another bag. He’ll need at least three.” The woman throws another bag to him, and he shoves it on my fangs before I can say anything.
“Are you sure, love? Seems a bit excessive.”
The woman shrugs. She is extremely attractive, with long blonde hair, green eyes, a lean body, and is clearly a vampire. “That’s what Phillipe required.”
At hearing Phillipe’s name again, I calm, knowing my brother is near. He will know what’s happening, and these two seem to be familiar with him.
The man removes the bag, and I speak before he can fill my mouth again. “Where am I?” My voice is so gruff, I barely recognize it.
The male relaxes his hold on me, and I sit up, cracking my neck from side to side.
The female squats in front of me, meeting my gaze. “Hi, you’re in New Orleans. I’m Cassandra. What is your name?”
“I’m André, and you are?” I take the hand she holds out for me, and stand.
She has on strange clothing for a woman. I glance down at myself and my own clothing is rags. Feeling my face, my fingers come in contact with a long beard. Worry settles in my gut and I take a deep breath, trying to remain calm.
“A friend of Giselle’s and Phillipe’s. They should be here shortly, but let’s see if we can get you cleaned up.” Cassandra motions for me to follow, but I stop, eyeing the man who was holding me down.
He holds out his hand for me to take. “I’m Giles Smith, friend to Phillipe and Giselle also and now, I hope, to you.”
“Hey, what’s going on up here?” A short pale blonde girl runs into the room but comes to a skidding stop when she spots me. “Oh, wow, who’s he? Is he from the boxes?”
Stepping in front of the smaller girl, Cassandra tenses. “Yeah, his name is André and be careful, Rebecca. He just woke up.”
“Do you feel in control? We don’t have to worry about you attacking, eh, mate?” Giles steps in front of me and places himself between me and the girls.
Shaking my head and still feeling hunger, I lick my lips. Unsure what I should do, I look around for a donor. “My thirst is great. Do you have a donor handy?”
“We feed from these bags. That’s what we were doing while holding you down, trying to help get your hunger under control.” Handing me another bag, Giles motions to his mouth. “You simply push it onto your fangs, and they do the rest. One bag is the equivalent to two donors.”
I do as he instructs, and the cold blood flows in. I did not notice it was cold before, but now it causes me to grimace.
“Yeah, the cold takes some getting used to,” Cassandra says, “but it’s so much better than having to hunt down donors. Now we need to clean you up and then Phillipe will hopefully be here. He can explain everything.” She turns, leading the way to a stairwell.
Giles holds out his hand for me to follow and stays between me and the younger vampire, Rebecca. I am guessing they do not trust me not to harm her, and I cannot say I blame them. I still don’t know what is going on, and it’s got me on edge.
Glancing over her shoulder, Cassie grins back at me. “You’re a lot calmer than Phillipe was. Man, he was a maniac and treated Giselle like shit until he figured things out. I was ready to whip his ass, but he finally came around.”
I grunt in response, unsure how I am supposed to reply. Everything smells strange, so I know we are no longer in the New World. I remember distinctly the wild smell of the swamp. I hear a loud piercing, wailing sound and push Cassie against the wall, flattening myself in front of her.
“What danger is that?”
She’s shaking behind me, and it does not take long for me to realize she is laughing, along with Giles and Rebecca. I narrow my eyes, glaring at the three.
“Oh, man. I’m sorry, but you old vamps kill me. It was fun watching Phillipe freak out, and I think you’re going to be even better.” Chuckling, she pushes me away from her and continues down the stairwell. “That was a siren from an ambulance. There’s no danger, but it’s nice to know you would step in front of me if I needed you. Thanks, man.”
“Of course. Why would I not protect you? You are a woman and I am a man, non?” I am confused as to why she would be surprised by this. It is the way things are done.
“Yeah, things have changed.”
Intellectually I know they are insinuating I’ve been gone, but I need them to spell it out for me. “Things have changed? You act as if I’ve been gone for quite some time.”
“Oh man, I think he’s beginning to get a clue.” Cassandra steps down into a long hallway and opens a door to her right.
“Clue about what?”
Giles follows me into a room with marble covering every surface. “Look, mate, I talked to Phillipe. He’s taking care of a matter but will be here shortly. I know things are a bit confusing, and I can’t imagine what’s going on in your head, but take a shower. We’ll get ya some clothes, and by then, he’ll be here. We promise to explain everything.”
It looks like something out of one of the royal houses I once frequented. Giles moves to a glass-enclosed box and turns a knob, and water comes out of it. I am amazed, even more so when steam starts to come from the water. Tentatively, I reach
out and pass my hand under it, laughing when I find it hot.
“What sorcery is this?”
“No sorcery, just modern plumbing. It’s one of the wonderful things about this time.” Giles takes the clothing Cassie hands him from the hall.
“Time? What do you mean?” I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around the strange things they have been saying.
“Something we’ll explain later. Now, these are underpants and these are jeans. This is a zipper and snap.” He demonstrates how to pull upward on a metal tab and then snap the pants. “Make sure your bits are tucked, or this can be quite the painful contraption.”
My eyes widen, imagining my cock being caught in the teeth of that small torture device. “Where are the stockings and cravat? What about a jacket and vest?”
“Folks dress differently now. Look at what I have on. I know it’s going to take a bit of getting used to, but it’s much more convenient and comfortable.” He hands me the clothing and turns to walk out. “Turn the knob to the left to turn it off, and here are towels. Soap and shampoo are in the shower. Do you wish to shave, or do you always wear a beard?”
“No, I shave, but how do I get it off? I don’t see a razor blade.” I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror and gasp with horror. I look atrocious.
“Here, I’ll help.” Cassie comes toward me with a pair of scissors, and I lean away from her. “Be still. I’m only going to trim it down so you can shave. I’m not going to hurt you.”
Taking a deep breath, I force myself to calm and allow her to cut the wild hair from my face. She throws it in a container by the counter.
“There, here’s a razor for you to use. All you have to do is run it along your skin.” Giles holds the device upward and makes a swiping motion.
They close the door, leaving me alone in the strange room. I strip the rags off my body, shivering in disgust. How had my clothing turned into such disarray? They refuse to tell me anything without Phillipe, so it appears I must adhere to their wishes.
Stepping under the hot water, I groan. I have never felt anything like this. It is amazing. I use the soaps and they have a pleasant smell, so unlike what I am used to. Once I’m clean and have shaved, I exit the box, turning the knob to the left. The water simply shuts off.
After drying myself with a large fluffy towel, I pull on the underpants. They’re a strange fabric and much softer than I have ever worn. I pull on the “jeans” as Giles called them and take extra care to assure my cock is out of the way.
Giles had stated that jackets were not worn any longer, but it’s strange to be in the presence of women with my arms exposed. I peek my head out and find him in the hall.
“Before you say anything, it’s fine.” Giles straightens from his position against the wall. “I know it’s strange, but this is truly how people dress now. Come on. I’ll give you some shoes. You look to be about my size, but later, after you’ve acclimated a bit, we’ll take you shopping.”
“Is Phillipe here yet? I really would like to know what in Hades is going on.” I follow him to a bedchamber, and he goes to a wardrobe and pulls out some strange-looking short boots.
“Here are socks, and the boots lace up like the ones I have on.” He pulls up a pant leg so I can see how they work, and I sit on the bed to put on the shoes.
We make our way downstairs, and the house is very elegant. Our famille has money, but from what I remember of New Orleans, no structures were this grand.
Phillipe bursts through the door, quickly followed by Giselle, who is clearly his mate. My face breaks out into a smile at seeing my brother, and relief fills me. I meet him in the foyer, and we grab arms. His eyes are bright, as if we have been parted for a very long time.
“André, my brother. I am so happy to see you. It is such a relief that you have awoken.” Phillipe pulls me into a rough hug, which is strange. He was never one to show such emotion. His mate was the only one who elicited caring from him.
“Oui, of course I am here. Where else would I be? And what do you mean, awoken?” It is time for an explanation about what has happened. I am done with the confusion.
He grabs my elbow, leads me to the parlor, and motions for me to have a seat. He remains standing but paces the room. I shift in my seat, nervous about what he is about to tell me.
“I don’t know where to start.” He glances at Giselle, who nods encouragingly. “I guess I should start by telling you that our famille was placed under a curse. You have been asleep for almost three hundred years. The women we used to help us travel to the New World betrayed us.”
I fall back against the sofa, covering my eyes with my hand. Three hundred years? “Merde, what are you saying? What do you mean? Our brothers aren’t here?” I shoot up from my seat and pace the length of the room, running my hands through my hair.
“André, I know it’s a shock. Have a seat, and I’ll explain everything.” He motions for me to sit, and I do, wanting to know everything.
“I knew those women were trouble and didn’t trust them. I warned Gabriel against staying connected to them once we reached the New World. He felt we owed them a debt of protection.” I scrub my hands down my face, still in shock over the fact that three hundred years has passed.
“Oui, you were right. He shouldn’t have trusted them. They took the gold Gabriel gave them, and instead of finding housing or food, they hired a witch to place a curse on us while we were sleeping.” Phillipe clenches and unclenches his fists, his shoulders tense.
“How? I know of no witch strong enough to place such a curse.” All the witches I knew could cast minor spells and were healers. I cannot imagine one so powerful she could curse twelve vampires for over three hundred years.
“Witches here are different than anything we’ve ever seen. This one’s mother was a voodoo priestess, and her father was an Indian shaman. She used the blood of all the women to cast the spell. Giselle was bound, and the witch used her blood to complete it.” Phillipe takes Giselle’s hand in his and squeezes it. “Giselle found her after a few days and talked with her. She said this was how it was meant to be. Funny thing is, after that, she was never seen again. It’s as if she disappeared.”
“Where is the rest of the famille? Who cared for us?” I need to know my brothers are all right. I don’t know what I will do if they are gone.
“They are upstairs in the crates. Giselle took care of us and protected us throughout the years. We owe her much.” Phillipe brings her hand to his lips to kiss her knuckles and smiles at her.
“Thank you, sister. I loved you before and even more so now.” I cannot imagine what life must have been like all alone for her.
“Aren’t you going to tell him the rest?” Giselle whispers from the side of her mouth, so low I almost don’t catch it.
“Tell me what? There’s more?” I tense, clenching my fists.
What else could there possibly be? From the way they are acting, I know I’m not going to like what is coming.
“Oh boy, we got here in time for the best part. He’s going to lose his shit when he finds out about the conditions.” Cassie takes a seat across from me, crossing her legs at the knee, and that’s when I notice both women have on pants. What in Hades is going on?
Rebecca takes a seat on the other sofa in the room. She smiles shyly at me, and I cannot help but smile back.
The front door slams open and I spring up, jumping in front of Cassie and Rebecca. A small African man races in and comes to a stop at the doorway to the parlor.
“Ah-ha, thought you could leave me out. I knew another one had woken up. Cassie, I’m sorely disappointed in you, and, Phillipe, I thought we were friends.” The man puts his hand over his heart, making a sniffling sound.
“I apologize, Chi. When Cassie called, I rushed home in case they needed help. I wasn’t trying to exclude you.” Phillipe put his hand on my shoulder. “Chi Chi LaRue, let me introduce you to André Dubois, my brother.”
Chi Chi walks around me, his eyes roving over
my body, taking everything in. I turn my head, keeping an eye on him.
“My, my, my, another fine specimen of manhood. All of you vamps are simply delish.” The man comes to stand in front of me, his arms crossed over his chest.
“Chi, sit down. He’s straight, and Phillipe is about to tell him the best part of the curse.” Cassie grabs Chi and pulls him to the chair next to her.
Giles is leaning against the wall, grinning at everyone in the room. I am unsure how he fits in—or any of these strange people for that matter, with the exception of Phillipe and Giselle.
“Phillipe, finish your explanation.” Cassie waves her hand, encouraging him to continue.
Leaning forward, Phillipe watches me closely. “The women were told the price of the curse was one of their descendants and they agreed. Later, the witch told Giselle that because she used the blood of a mate, it created a mating ritual, and the fates must have agreed because she believed their descendants would be mates of the famille.”
“How do we know which descendant will be our mate?” I wait with bated breath for the answer.
Giselle runs her hand through her hair, biting her lower lip. “Each woman cursed the vampire she was attached to. The one she helped make the journey.”
This news has me feeling as though I could melt onto the floor. We all have heard myths of vampires and their fated mates, but Phillipe was the first we ever saw, and to hear that I now am to have one is almost more than I can take. I can’t imagine what my life will be like if my mate is anything like her ancestor.
“Who is she? Do you know who she is?” I rub the back of my neck, hardly being able to take in what he is saying.
“I’m sorry, André, but I couldn’t keep up with the descendants throughout the years. My main concern was taking care of the famille.” Giselle dips her head.
