by Rhys Rowlyn
“What about Maman? Have you talked to her?” I lean back, meeting his gaze.
Daddy shakes his head, looking at the floor. “No, she left me a voicemail, and it was mostly screaming and ranting about everything. I thought staying away may be the best move.”
Gasping, I clench my hands at my chest. “Oh, Daddy, I’m so sorry.”
Daddy squeezes my shoulder, shaking his head. “Darling, this isn’t your fault. If anyone is to blame, it’s Alice. She is the one who was trying not to pay her family’s debt. The women were warned they’d have to give up a descendant, and her family thought they could beat the system.”
“You’re not scared of me or don’t love me like this?” I take his hand in mine, worried he may not want to be around me.
“Of course not. You’re my little flower. I’ll love you no matter what. Besides, from what I’ve learned only bad vampires kill, and that also applies to people, so I don’t see a great difference other than you now eat blood.” He grins at me, patting my cheek.
I wrap my arms around him and give him a brief hug. “Thanks, Daddy, I love you too. Now, what are we going to do about Maman?”
“I’m not sure, baby. She’s a stubborn woman, and these prejudices are ingrained in her. I think it’s something that has been passed down in her family. Thank heavens she didn’t infect you. André and I have talked, and I know he’s a good man and will take care of you.” Daddy throws his arm over my shoulder and holds me against his side.
André reaches out and pats my father’s back. “Not just her but you also, Troy. You’re under the famille’s protection.”
“That’s a good thing because I may be needing a place to stay.” Laughing, Daddy squeezes me tighter against him and kisses the top of my head.
André
Fleur has been awake for two days now, and she’s proven to be a quick study. Between Phillipe, Giselle, Cassie, and me, we’ve tried to teach her all we know about being a vampire. Giles offered to help, but I couldn’t handle a non-mated male around her just yet. Phillipe says when we’re bonded, I will calm down.
We have only just arrived back in New Orleans, and Fleur wants to try to see her mother. She thinks if Alice sees her daughter is no different, she’ll be more accepting of Fleur’s new life. I’m a bit skeptical but support my mate.
As we’re walking from the club to her parent’s house, Fleur is inundating me with questions. I’m beginning to believe it’s a method of distraction to calm her nerves for the upcoming meeting.
“So absolutely no food… Are you sure? Talk about a bonus if we can eat whatever we want and not gain weight.” Fleur looks over her shoulder at her well-rounded arse.
Following her gaze, I think of all the things I want to do to that shapely bottom, but with a shake of my head, I answer. “Sorry, but no. Food is off limits. It causes us to vomit severely.”
She suddenly stops, putting her hands on her hips. “Wait, how did y’all eat the few times we went out?”
“We never actually did. Simply watched you eat and pretended to snack. It’s a quick sleight of the hand, and I’ll show you. The time we went with Giselle and Phillipe, do you remember when I rushed to the bathroom?” I walk back to her side and link my arm with hers, then prompt her to continue walking.
“Yeah…”
“I got a small amount of food in my mouth, and it made me sick.” I shiver, remembering how ill I got.
She nods, tapping her chin with her finger. “Can we fly?”
“No, but we can jump really high and long distances. Also, we run very fast and are strong.”
She jumps in front of me, her eyes wide and grinning. “Do we sparkle when we get in the sun?”
“What? No.” I shake my head vigorously. “Noooo, Phillipe told me Rebecca asked the same thing. What is with thinking vampires sparkle? The sun will burn our skin, but it won’t kill us. It hurts like hell. It’s why we prefer nightfall.”
She frowns, tilting her head to the side. “Hmm, well that’s disappointing. Can we change into a bunch of bats?”
“I know why you’re asking this. I watched this movie with Giles and know why people are so afraid of us. Don’t get me wrong; feral vampires are bad, but normally we keep to ourselves, except when we need blood.” Smiling down at her, I pat her hand lying on my arm.
We round the corner and enter the alley beside Fleur’s childhood home. She turns the knob, swings it open, and tries to enter but walks into an invisible wall. She tries again to gain entry only to stop before she can cross the threshold.
“Who’s there?” Troy calls from up the stairs. I’m surprised, not knowing he was planning on being here.
“Daddy, are you here? It’s Fleur,” she yells into the open door, and I hear footsteps pounding down the stairwell.
“I only got here a few minutes ago. Well, come in. Why are you just standing there?” Troy rounds the corner and comes to a sudden stop.
“I can’t get through the door. What’s going on? And another thing, why was the door unlocked?” Fleur crosses her arms over her chest and raises her brows.
“The door was unlocked? Strange. I will have to check the locks.” He turns the knob and then turns the deadbolt. It comes out and goes back in. “Weird. As for you not coming in, I guess the spell your mother had casted is still in effect. Do you think there’s a way to get rid of it?”
“Where’s Maman? She would know how it works and possibly how to get rid of it.”
“I don’t know. She was gone when I arrived. Besides, I don’t want to listen to any of her nonsense or that the spell needs to stay. I can’t have my only daughter banned from my house; I won’t have it.” Troy sticks his arm out through the doorway and back in without any difficulty. He then steps out and back in, shaking his head.
“I wonder if Chi Chi may know something,” I say, taking out my phone and looking for his contact.
He answers after the second ring. “Hello, André, whatcha need?”
“Bon jour, Chi, would you know how to get rid of the spell Fleur’s mother put on the house?” I smile at Fleur and Troy as I wait for his answer, wondering if he’s going to refer me to one of his relatives.
He answers right away. “There’s probably something above the door, and the owner of the house is going to need to burn it.”
“Can Troy burn it?” I really hope he can. I don’t see Alice volunteering to do it for us.
“If he owns the house,” Chi answers.
“Thanks, Chi.” I hang up the phone.
Fleur and her father are looking at me expectantly.
“Look above the door and see if something is there.”
He reaches up and finds a small braid of three strings. “Do you think this might be it?”
Nodding, I take the item from him, and it burns my fingers. I drop it, and Troy retrieves it from the ground.
“I believe we’ve found it,” I say. “Chi said the owner of the house had to burn it.”
“That would be me.” Stepping out into the alley, Troy takes a lighter from his pocket and lights the end of the string. He drops it onto the ground, and we watch it burn, becoming ash.
“Okay, let’s see if it worked.” Fleur walks through the threshold without any problems.
Troy stands back and motions for me to enter. “André, let me officially invite you into my home.”
I walk in without any problems. I see the painting and metal spike still covered in Fleur’s blood and want to snatch her up and leave this place. Alice must have left soon after we did. Nothing has been cleaned or moved.
“I only just got here and went straight upstairs to look for your mother. Everything is exactly as we left it, but her things are gone from upstairs,” Troy says, leading us upstairs.
“Did she leave a note?”
“I haven’t found one, but I only just got here and barely had time to look around before you arrived. Hopefully we find something to tell us where she’s gone.”
Debris is scatte
red all over the floor of the living area and kitchen, with broken dishes littering the floor. Fleur follows Troy into a bedroom, and I stay close behind them, not wanting to be far from my mate. She may be a vampire, but I still don’t want her injured.
“She took her clothes, and look, it’s an open area in the back wall of the closet.” Fleur is on her knees, leaning forward she sticks her head into the opening. It looks as someone cut it out to create a secret compartment. “Did you know this was here?”
Troy kneels beside her, looking in. “No, I had no idea. I wonder what she had in here.”
Fleur shines a flashlight from her phone into the empty space. “Whatever it was, it’s gone now.” She turns to face her father. “Daddy, you don’t think something happened to her?”
“Baby, I don’t know, but it looks like she left of her own free will. The suitcase is gone, along with all her clothes and whatever she was hiding in there. We have to face it. Your mother left us.” He puts his arms around her and pulls her into an embrace.
Fleur stays in Troy’s arms for a few seconds before pushing back and wiping her eyes. She stands and walks out of the closet. “If that’s her choice, then so be it. Daddy, you can’t stay here until we get this place cleaned up.” She turns toward me. “Can he stay with us?”
“Of course, Phillipe has already prepared him a room. We didn’t know what his reception would be.”
“Daddy, we’ll start the cleaning process tomorrow and see about getting things back in order.” Fleur stomps her foot and marches out of the room and down the stairs.
Troy and I watch her leave, and I notice a necklace with a crucifix lying on the floor. I pick it up and show it to Troy. He frowns, taking it from me, and closes his fist around the necklace.
“Alice never took this off. It was a gift from her mother.” Troy glances around the room.
“Are you thinking she didn’t leave on her own?” I don’t know why, but I have a bad feeling about this.
“I don’t know, but I don’t want Fleur to know her mother may be in danger. She’ll go off on a tangent and try to find her. I think we can both agree we don’t want Fleur searching for Alice. We can do it on our own.” He grabs my shoulder, staring into my eyes until I nod.
“I don’t like keeping things from my mate, but I agree. There’s no telling what Alice has done in here trying to thwart the curse.” I shake his hand, sealing our agreement, but it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
“Hey, are you two going to be up there all night, or are we going to get out of here?” Fleur yells from below, and we both jump into action.
“Let me grab an overnight bag, and I’ll be right down.” Troy shoves a few things in a bag, and we join Fleur.
Looking over my shoulder, I see a shadow in the corner. I turn to see what it is, but it’s gone before I take a step. I don’t know exactly what’s going on, but I think Alice may have messed with things she should have left alone.
After one last glance, I hurry down the stairs to join my mate and her father.
Fleur
My dad is settled in the guest house, and I’m joining André in our room upstairs. I know no one would harm my father, and he felt more comfortable with some privacy.
I enter the room and find André lying on the bed with a laptop open in front of him. Not wanting to disturb him, I go into the bathroom and take a shower. I don’t know how I’m supposed to act around him. We had sex before I was turned, but since, he has treated me as if I were a shy virgin.
He has been the perfect gentleman, and I’m getting tired of it. Every time we touch, I feel as if I’m about to go up in flames but he backs off.
Standing in the shower, I let the water flow along my body and decide something has to give. This man is my happily ever after, and it’s time to make it happen. I was falling for André before he changed me, and since then, he’s pushed me away—well, no more.
The door opens behind me, and I turn and find my vampire standing there in all his naked glory. “Fleur, I want you. I’ve tried to hold off and give you time to adjust to your new way of life, but I can’t take it anymore. I have to have you.”
I jump into his arms and kiss him deeply. “Oh, thank heavens. I’ve been about to go crazy but thought we had to wait for some reason.”
“No, we don’t have to wait.” He grips my ass and pushes me up against the wall.
Wrapping my legs around his hips, I tilt my hips to rub my center against his hardness, and we both moan as I move against him. He crushes my mouth with his, and I run my tongue along his fang. His grip tightens on my ass as he groans and thrusts against me.
I gasp when he repays the favor by caressing my fang with his tongue, and I almost come undone at the pleasure. I pull away from him, staring with wide eyes.
“I told you our fangs are overly sensitive. If I didn’t want to feel you against me when you hit your peak, I would pleasure you with your fangs.”
I run my tongue up his neck and suck his earlobe into my mouth. “Let’s table that for another time. I need you inside me.”
André moves until his tip is at my entrance, and with a hard thrust, he is deep inside me. I arch my back, clawing his shoulders as he moves harder and deeper within me.
With one arm wrapped around my hips, he holds me in place, and with his other hand, he grabs my wrists and lifts them above my head. He takes my nipple into his mouth, bites down lightly, and sucks the pain away. I arch my back, bringing myself deeper into his mouth and him deeper into me.
He releases my arms and rubs my sensitive nub with his thumb, and I lose all sense of being as an orgasm crashes upon me. I grip his hair as I bite into his neck, then feel the sting of his bite. He pounds harder into me as we ride the waves of pleasure, each marking the other.
The waves finally subside, and I lift my head as he stills inside me, leaving a mark on his shoulder. I run my tongue along it, sealing our bond and he does the same.
There is a thump in my chest, and I hear one in André’s. I shake my head. “My heart is beating, and so is yours. What does this mean?”
“Phillipe and Giselle finally bonded and theirs started beating again, but none of us know enough about mates to know what is going on.” He lets go of his grip on my legs, and they drop to the floor, but he grabs my shoulders to steady me as my knees buckle.
“What do you mean you don’t know enough?” I reach for the soap and lather it in my hands, then run them over André’s body. He does the same to me.
“Giles has been researching, but so far we haven’t located any information. There are stories of vampires having mates long ago, but for some reason they stopped, and we know of no one who has one except us.” He turns me and shampoos my hair.
“Maybe it’s because I love you that it has restarted your heart.” I laugh when he spins me around to face him.
“You love me?”
“Yes, I love you. I was falling before the change, and since, you have tipped me over the edge. I think what really did the trick is the way you’ve treated my father. Not many guys would have been so kind to him and willing to help.” I kiss his chest, then lean back and rinse the soap from my hair.
“He’s your father. It is my duty and privilege to care for him, same as you.” Reaching around me, he turns the water off. “Besides, I love you too and want to make you happy, no matter what it takes.”
“Even if it means being around my mother?”
“Even if it means being around your mother. I can’t say we’ll get along, but I will do anything for you.” He wraps a towel around me and guides me into the bedroom.
We dry off and climb into bed. André pulls me to his side, linking our hands together.
“I’ve been meaning to ask: What’s Chi’s role in the famille? I love him and have known him forever, but why is he in the loop?” Snuggling down, I lie my head on his chest and listen to the steady beat of his heart that wasn’t there a few minutes ago.
“Chi is a witch in denial.”
I sit up in the bed, staring down at him. “Pardon?”
“He is descended from a long line of witches but denies his powers. Eventually, he’ll have to face them. It’s his destiny.” André grins up at me, rubbing my back.
“So there are vampires and witches. What else do I have no clue about?” Holy crap, and they’ve been all around me without me having any idea.
André bites his lip, and I can tell he’s holding back.
I jump on his lap to straddle him and lean down until we are nose to nose. “No, now you have to tell me.”
He takes a deep breath. “Your friend Jenny is half succubus.”
Sitting back, I frown down at him. “Jenny? She’s a succubus? What’s that?”
“It’s a creature who gets power from having sex. Only thing is if she loses control, she can kill her partner.”
“Oh my God, we need to warn her. I know her and Devin have been going at it like rabbits, and I kind of liked the man. I definitely don’t want her to kill him.” Biting down on my thumbnail, I wonder if we should go over to her apartment now and check on them.
“Don’t worry about Devin. He’s a fallen angel and can handle her. It’s only humans you have to worry about.” He rubs my thighs as he leans forward and kisses my neck.
I take his face in my hands and hold him away from me. “What the hell? So now we have whatever Jenny is and an angel?”
“Fallen angel. Oh, and let’s not forget the wolves.”
My eyes widen, and my mouth drops open. “Wolves?”
“The pack of werewolves that live south of town.” He nods his head, winking at me. “Two of them watched over you during the day when I couldn’t be there. I’ll introduce you soon.”
“Were they there when the creepy cab driver was following me?” Narrowing my eyes, I tilt my head to the side.
André’s body tenses and he clenches his fists. “Yes, and had he tried anything, everything would have been revealed. They wouldn’t have let anything happen to you. They also tried to track him but lost him in the traffic. The wolves have connections in the local police force and are keeping an eye out for any unusual activity.”
