by Rhys Rowlyn
“How is she doing?” Drawing his brows together, Troy grips Fleur’s hand. “What do I need to expect?”
“Expect a whole lot of screaming.” Chi’s gaze meets mine in the mirror in the middle of the windshield.
Troy pales at Chi’s comment, and I want to punch the him. “Will it be bad? She will be all right, won’t she?”
“I’m not going to lie to you, but the changes I’ve seen are not easy. Unfortunately, there’s not anything we can do about it. Most changes only last three days or so, and we will care for her.” I hope her change won’t be too terrible, and I can’t imagine what it’s going to be like for her father to witness.
Fleur moans, and Chi swerves in traffic, drawing a glare from Phillipe. I hold her tighter to my chest as she moans again, knowing the change is close.
“How much longer?” I feel her muscles twitching as she moans again. “Phillipe, change places with Troy.”
Troy gives me a questioning look but moves to the front of the van. Phillipe maneuvers to sit beside me on the bench and places Fleur’s legs on his lap.
“We’ll be there in about ten minutes. Please tell me things are still good.” Chi moves through traffic, putting a blinker on.
Fleur jerks against me, and I tighten my grip on her upper body as Phillipe holds her legs. She moans louder, and I hope we have ten minutes, but I’m unsure.
“Do you think we’ll be able to hold her?” Grunting, I glance at Phillipe. “She can’t get away, or there’ll be hell to pay.”
“We have a bit. It’s going to be close, but I think we’ll make it. If not, we’ll simply have to hold on to her.” His voice has a slight tremor to it, and he’s slightly out of breath.
“Thank goodness we’re here.” Chi pulls up to a gate, rolls his window down, and pushes in a code.
“Troy, I’m going to need you to open the side door, and, Chi, go unlock the house.” Phillipe readjusts his grip on Fleur’s legs, and she moans loudly, trying to buck him loose. “Are the chains still in the house?”
“I don’t know, but I’ll check, and if not, I’ll grab some.” Chi jumps out of the van and races up the stairs toward the house.
Troy’s eyes are wide, and he’s slightly pale. “Chains? Is that really going to be necessary?”
“Afraid so. We’re ready. Open the door.” When the door slides open, I push out, holding a bucking, moaning Fleur and I’m wishing she had on more than an oversized T-shirt.
Phillipe leads the way, and it takes all my strength to keep her from getting free. She grips my forearm, and her nails pierce my skin. With a twist of her neck, Fleur tries to reach my neck with her mouth, snapping her teeth at me. She doesn’t have any fangs, so I don’t imagine it would feel too pleasant.
Phillipe stumbles, and one of her legs gets free. I hold fast until he can get his end under control. “Only a few more steps, and we’ll be on the landing. I hope those chains are still here.”
Those chains better be there, or I don’t know what we’ll do. Fleur is only just beginning the change, so I know when she gets in full swing, Phillipe and I will not be able to hold her. Chi opens the door, holding the chains up, and I breathe a sigh of relief.
“Let’s put her on the table. It held during Rebecca’s change and is made well.” Phillipe moves through the house until we come to a large oak table in a room off the kitchen.
Lying Fleur on the table, I try to be gentle, but she slams her head backward. Phillipe reaches out to take the chain from Chi and wraps it around her legs. I lie across her upper body until he reaches me with the chains.
“She’s acting crazed. You’re sure my daughter will be the same when this is done?”
“On my life, I swear she will be Fleur once this is finished. Now stay back. I don’t know what she’ll do if you get too close.” I finish securing her in the chains and stand back, hating my mate must go through this.
Fleur arches her body and lets out a blood-curdling scream. I flinch and pace beside her, knowing there is nothing I can do.
Chi pulls Troy away when he tries to brush Fleur’s hair back. “Troy, do you want to go back to town with me? It’s going to be a long few days.”
“No, I won’t leave her like this. She needs me, and I’m staying.” Troy sits in a chair against the wall, leaning forward and covering his face with his hands. “I know eventually she would have had to change, but Alice caused it to happen so suddenly, and now she’s going to wake up not knowing what’s happened.”
“She’ll be fine. Fleur is a strong woman and can handle it. I promise we’ll help her.” Phillipe pats his back, glancing my way. “Chi, I’ll walk you out and call Giselle while I’m outside. We’re going to need supplies, and she needs to know what’s going on.”
I nod. Fleur is screaming continuously, and I know we’re going to have to stay with her in shifts. The screams alone are going to drive us mad.
Chi hands me a box that looks like a toolkit. “Cassie and I made this up when Rebecca went through her change. There are earplugs and other things that may be helpful.”
I hold up a flat stick with a sponge on the end. “What is this?”
“Bite stick.” Chi takes it from me and shoves it in Fleur’s mouth.
Thankfully, she is quieter for a moment. She is growling, but she’s biting on the sponge and no longer grinding her teeth. Chi waves and leaves out the door.
I hand Troy a set of earplugs, and he smiles his thanks. I then place a set in my ears and sigh at the silence.
“Troy, why don’t you get some rest? Phillipe and I will need to sleep during the day.” I laugh when he raises his brows and I realize he can’t hear me. I pull one of his earplugs out. “Get some rest. Phillipe and I will need to sleep during the day.”
“Oh, ohhhhhh. If anything happens, come get me.” He stands and, upon my nod, leaves the room.
Phillipe returns and his gaze travels around the room. He arches a brow in my direction. “I saw Chi leave, but where’s Troy?”
“I told him to get some rest. He can have the day watch.” Rubbing the back of my neck, I wonder if that will be possible. I don’t know that I will be able to leave her in this state.
“Giles is going to bed and going to help out tomorrow.” Phillipe rubs the back of his neck too, grimacing at a particularly high-pitched scream.
“That’s reassuring. I am not sure we can leave only Troy with her. Anything could happen.” I hear doors opening throughout the house until Troy yells that he found one. I’m assuming he finally found a bedchamber.
“I’ll go check on him and get him settled. Giles is going to bring supplies and a change of clothes for her later tonight.” He runs out of the room.
I approach my struggling mate and brush her hair back, then lean down and kiss her forehead. She stills for a brief moment but resumes her screaming.
“Only a few days and it’ll all be over. You’ll never have to go through anything like this again.” I continue to run my finger through her hair, not knowing if it’s comforting her or not. “I promise to make you never regret the life we have been given or the changes you must make now to survive until it’s over…”
Pulling a chair close to the table, I settle in for what appears to be a long wait.
Fleur
“Have a bag ready to slam onto her fangs.” Is that Cassie? What could she possibly be talking about?
“Couldn’t I simply push it on? I mean, slamming seems a bit harsh,” André says, and I sigh at his sexy voice.
“Yeah, push, slam, it’s all the same. Just make sure you get some blood in her.” Cassie sounds agitated for some reason, and I wonder who they’re trying to get blood into. My lips twitch and I take another deep breath, not quite ready to wake up.
“Fine, I’ll make sure. Oh look, her mouth is twitching. Is she smiling?” André sounds shocked by something. I need to see what’s going on.
I open my eyes and grin up at André’s pale face as I sit up.
He holds a
bag up in front of me. “Fleur, I’m going to need you to open your mouth.”
“What—”
Before I can get another word out, a plastic bag is shoved in my mouth, and it quickly starts shrinking. My eyes widen, and I stare up at him.
“I promise to explain everything.” He glances over his shoulder, and I see Cassie staring at us. “She’s doing amazingly well. Don’t you think?”
“She really is, but she doesn’t know what’s happened. And her dad is at the store, so she only has us here. I’m going to text Chi and tell them to stay away for a while, until we’re sure she’s going to be okay.”
“Yeah, I think that’s a good idea.” He removes the empty bag from my mouth and a hunger takes over.
“More…” Was that my voice? It sounds gravelly and not like me at all.
André shoves another bag in my mouth. “How much blood will it take?”
“Phillipe said Rebecca took three bags and then was fine.”
“That’s a lot of blood.” Blood?! What is André talking about?
I glance down at the bag and see O Positive written in big letters, and my eyes widen. I start to scoot backward but am held in place by Cassie.
“Whoa there, Fleur. It’s going to be all right, I promise. As soon as we get you fed, I promise we’ll explain everything.” She smiles, patting my back.
I reach up to remove the bag but she stops me, as André takes it away and shoves another in my mouth before I can stop him. I begin to feel full, as if I’ve eaten a large meal and am finishing dessert.
“I wonder how they did it when we didn’t have prepackaged food.” Cassie tilts her head to the side, tapping her chin with her finger.
“I’ve been in on a few changes, and we would have several donors available. The key was to make sure to stop the new vampire from taking too much.” André shrugs a shoulder and grins at me.
Vampires? Blood? What the hell is going on? I search my memories, trying to figure out what happened. Nothing. I’m getting nothing.
Cassie lets go of my arm and hops onto the bar in the room, which looks like a kitchen. “I’m even more impressed with Giselle now. She knew nothing and yet changed me on her own. She’s amazing. I need to ask her how she did that and thank her for taking care of me.”
“How are you feeling, chérie?” André removes the empty bag from my mouth.
I tilt my head to the side and shrug my shoulders, not knowing how I’m supposed to be feeling. Where am I, and why do they keep shoving cold plastic bags in my mouth? A small belch comes up, and my cheeks heat as I cover my mouth. I narrow my eyes when Cassie bursts out laughing.
André leans down meeting my gaze. “Enough?”
“I guess. Anyone care to explain what’s going on?” I’m trying to appear calm, but inside, I’m panicking. My heart should be racing, but I don’t feel it beating at all. I look up at André with wide eyes.
“I’m going to go outside and call Phillipe, let him in on the fact she’s awake.” Cassie jumps down from the bar.
“Thanks, Cassie, I appreciate everything.” André waves as Cassie leaves.
He assists me down from the table I was sitting on and leads me to a bench in the room.
Sitting beside me, he takes my hands in his. “What’s the last thing you remember?”
Rubbing my temples, I try to remember anything. “Going to my parents’ shop and finding it in shambles. My mom was screaming at you and then everything went blank. I do remember having some weird dreams, and I was in a lot of pain.”
“Do you remember me telling you I needed to talk to you about something and then the call came from your mother?” André lifts my hand to his lips and kisses my knuckles, and something spikes a memory of him doing this during one of my weird dreams.
“Hmm, yeah. Does that have anything to do with this?” I straighten my spine, pulling my hand from his grasp.
Dropping his hands in his lap, André’s body tenses as if he’s preparing to tell me something unbelievably bad. “Fleur, what I’m about to tell you is going to seem unreal, but I promise it’s all the truth. Just know I’m here for you and will help you through everything. Oh, and please keep an open mind.”
“You’re scaring me now. Please just tell me already.” My anxiety is reaching maximum levels, and I need him to just get on with it.
“I’m a vampire, you’re my mate, and now you’re a vampire too.”
“Wait, what? Stop it. Vampires don’t exist. Am I still dreaming, or wait… am I in a coma and can’t wake up?” I jump off the bench and pace in front of him. “Hmm, if I’m aware I’m in a coma, can I wake myself up?”
André steps in front of me and grabs my shoulders to hold me still. “Fleur, no, you’re awake and extremely healthy. Look.” He lifts his gums and shows me a sharp fang. I lean forward, touching it with my fingertip. André moans, sucking my finger into his mouth.
“Our fangs are very sensitive,” he mumbles around my finger.
After pulling my finger out of his mouth, I walk to the table and pick up a chain attached to it. I lift my brows, and he holds his hands up as if warding off my displeasure.
“We had to hold you down for the change.”
“Okayyyyy, we’ll come back to that.” There’s a mirror in the room as if someone knew I’d want to look at myself. I narrow my eyes on André, and he motions for me to have a peek.
Whoa, is that me? Hot damn, I look good. My hair is shiny and not a frizz in sight with tight red curls falling past my shoulders. My eyes look as if they glow, and my skin is creamy, rather than its former pasty self, and my cheeks are rosy. Are my boobs bigger? I look down at my chest and nod. Yep, I think they are. Opening my mouth, I see two fangs, so I pull my lip back and turn this way and that. Definitely fangs. I turn to face André, not knowing what to say.
“Fleur, I can explain everything. I was going to before I was forced to change you.” He shifts from foot to foot, his gaze darting around the room.
Narrowing my eyes, I take a step closer to him. “Yeah, why did you turn me?”
André raises his gaze to meet mine, stepping closer to me. “You were dying, and you’re my mate. I couldn’t allow that to happen.”
His close proximity is messing with my ability to think, and I need to get all my answers, so I resume my pacing. “So you not being able to enter my home was because you’re a vampire?”
“Yes, your mother had a spell cast to prevent me from entering, and it backfired on her.” André crosses his arms over his chest, leaning against the bar. “The shop getting broken up was the two magics fighting against one another.”
“Two magics, what are you talking about?” I hold up a hand, not believing what I’m hearing. “Wait, my mother knew what you were?”
André sits on the bench and motions for me to join him. “Come sit, and I’ll tell you everything.”
I’m leery of sitting close to him but reluctantly do. I motion for him to continue. “Please, and start from the beginning.”
Holding his hands out, he raises his brows. “Have you heard of the casket girls?”
“Of course. Everyone in New Orleans has heard of them. They were the mothers of the city.” What could they possibly have to do with me?
“Did you know you were a descendant of one? Her name was Rosaline. I’m not going to sugarcoat it. Rosaline was a petty, bitter, backstabbing bitch, and she hated my guts. My famille had decided to move from Paris to the New World, and we had to have help. We made a deal with a group of women to help us obtain blood, and in return, we would protect them and help them start new lives in New Orleans. They double-crossed us.” As if he can’t help himself, André takes my hand in his and rubs his thumb over my knuckles.
Looking up at him, I furrow my brow. “Oh wow, so the stories are true. The girls really did bring vampires to New Orleans.”
“They’re not true as they are told. As soon as the women were able to, they hired a witch and put a curse on us. They used Giselle’s b
lood, and with her being Phillipe’s mate, something happened, and now the descendants are our mates.”
“Whoa, wait a sec, Giselle?” I twirl my finger in front of him, needing him to back up a step or two.
“Giselle was a casket girl who turned out to be Phillipe’s mate. As soon as we reached land, he changed her, but as she woke up, the witch bound her and took her blood.” André clenches and unclenches his fists.
“So what happened with the curse?”
“I’ve been asleep for around three hundred years. I woke a few weeks ago.” He stands and paces in front of me, running his hands through his hair.
“So you didn’t move here? Are you even Phillipe’s cousin?” I feel my temper rising. Everything I know about him is a lie.
“Technically I moved here a long time ago, and no I’m not blood kin to Phillipe, but we have the same creator and are famille. Now you are part of the famille.” He kneels in front of me and lifts my chin with his finger until our gazes meet.
Covering my face with my hands, I shake my head. “This is really a lot to take in. I don’t know you at all.”
André pulls my hands down from my face and smiles. “You do though. I couldn’t tell you about being a vampire and the curse, but everything else has been the truth. I love being with you and spending time with you. I’m here to help you, every step of the way. Fleur, I’m sorry if this isn’t what you wanted, but I could not allow you to die.”
“How did you get me out of the shop?”
André sits back on his heels, squeezing my hands in his. “Your father brought you to me. He has been by your side the entire time, through the change. I knew you were about to wake, and you never know how in control a new vampire will be, so we thought it best if he left until we knew. He should be back shortly.”
“Shortly? I’m here now.” Daddy steps into the room with Chi following closely behind.
“Daddy!” I jump up and run into my father’s open arms.
He hugs me tightly to his chest, and I breathe in his familiar scent. “Oh, thank goodness you’re all right. I’ve been so worried. Everyone kept telling me everything was normal, but it was awful to watch.”
