by Vivi Dumas
He glanced back with a devilish grin. “You can start by getting me a date with Natasha once my foot grows back.”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
The moon smiled down on them, casting a silvery shadow on the group. Angel reveled in the stillness of the night. It was a welcomed break after the chaos of the battle. The trek was slow going since Laurent refused Jacque’s help.
Exhaustion crawled into Angel’s bones. She wanted a hot bath, a warm bed, and to curl into Jacque’s arms. She played with his hair as she drove. She shivered when his fingers caressed the bumpy ridges of the scar running down her face.
The madness of the day managed to make her forget about her looks. Not once did she stop to think about what someone thought and not once did anyone mention her scar. The people with her tonight appreciated her for more than just her appearance. They cared about the person who lay beneath the surface. Angel’s heart warmed at the thought. Other than Nat and Jazzy, she never had real friends before.
Several cars were leaving Le Fleur as they pulled into the drive. Isis and Leviathan poised on the steps of the porch, bidding everyone goodnight. They exuded royalty. Angel waited, admiring Jacque’s interaction with his mother, always respectful and caring. Even with Jacque towering over her, Isis maintained her regal presence.
She squeezed Jacque’s arm. “I’m glad everyone arrived safely.”
“Yeah, except Xavier got away. And he’ll be back.” Jacque kissed his mother’s cheek.
Jacque’s father smacked him on the back like a proud papa. “I heard you had the best of him, until he disappeared.”
“I guess, but he gave as good as he got. He’s strong.”
“You’re stronger, son.” Isis eyes shone with pride. Something Angel never saw in Elise’s eyes, not even when she got the contract with one of the top modeling agencies in the country.
“I hate I have to fight him. He’s my brother and he’s hurting.” Jacque met his mother’s gaze. “I felt his pain.”
“I felt it also. He channeled his pain into hatred. I doubt anything will ever be able to break through to him, especially us.”
“You have to admit, we’ve never really accepted him into our family.”
“He has always been welcome in our home. Your father knows I tried.” Her tone was stern, defensive.
“Being welcomed in the house and being accepted as family is different, Mother. You know you never accepted him as one of us.”
Isis crossed her arms over her chest. “Because he was not one of us. Even as a child his hate ruled him.”
“And he’s always sensed your distance. You’re not the only one to blame.
We all did this to him.”
“I will not take responsibility for Xavier’s choices.” Isis spun on her heels and stomped away.
Angel recognized the hurt in her eyes. Isis had the same expression she observed in her own mother’s features—guilt. Our parents relive the regrets of their decisions as we children suffer the consequences. It’s a fate we can’t outrun. Angel’s mother made it a mission to find a way to admonish her accountability in Angel’s flaws, never quite succeeding.
Angel pushed Jacque toward the front door. “Go after your mother.” He reluctantly followed her orders.
The ballroom was almost empty. A few more seriously injured needed to be moved. Nat and Jazzy sat on the edge of the stage, chatting with Etienne. Marie bandaged Laurent’s leg, in tears as he retold his struggle with Elise. Angel smiled as she took in the scene. This was her new family. Jacque returned, disrupting her moment of accomplishment. She had stood admiring her situation longer than she realized.
Jacque’s lips grazed her forehead. “You ready to go get some sleep?”
“I’m ready. I need a hot shower and a soft bed.”
“I can help you with your shower.”
Giggling, she nudged him with her elbow. “I’m sure you can, but I need sleep and you helping would interfere with the whole sleeping thing.”
“Who needs sleep?” He gave her butt a playful tap.
“All right, let’s round it up and head out,” Angel yelled, flagging her friends. She slid under Jacque’s arm, melted into his side, and headed for the door. She wasn’t sure whether to put this one under the win column. At least everyone was still alive. The war wasn’t over; they still had to find Xavier. As long as he was free, they wouldn’t be safe.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Jacque woke with the weight of Angel’s body across his chest. Her hair cascaded in dark waves over his body. The sunlight through the window danced against her golden skin. He played with the brown tresses as he watched her sleep. He hated to disturb her. She tossed and turned most of the morning, finding rest only a couple of hours ago. The madness of the night refused to let Jacque’s mind rest.
He shifted his body from under Angel. She murmured and reached out for him when he moved. The gesture made his chest swell. He wanted her in his arms forever. First, he needed to take care of Xavier.
Muted voices came from the kitchen downstairs. Jacque paused in the doorway, enjoying the smell of chicory coffee and beignets. His mother and Marie talked in hushed tones at the small kitchen table.
He kissed his mother. “What’re you two conspiring about this morning?”
“Son, it’s afternoon and there is no conspiring.”
“Angel still sleeping?” Marie asked.
Isis poured Jacque a cup of coffee. “It was a long night, even for those of us who aren’t human. I’m sure she’s quite exhausted.”
“Sometimes I forget she’s human.” He took the cup from his mother with a sideways grin.
“Yes, she’s got spunk.” Marie chuckled.
“Have you seen anyone else this morning?” he questioned, dipping the beignet in his coffee, earning a frown from the ladies.
Isis straightened the gold clasp in her braid. “Laurent’s in the parlor. He slept down here last night. Etienne hasn’t come down yet.”
“All right, I’ll leave you two to your whispers. I have to figure out how to find my brother.” Jacque inhaled and forced the air out in one breath.
Laurent sat with his leg propped on a pillow. His head rested on the arm of the couch. Jacque’s and Laurent’s friendship stretched back to their childhood. They were inseparable until Laurent first tasted Topside. Jacque always thought Laurent would fall in love with a human. The Fates turned the tables.
Jacque tapped Laurent on the shoulder. “Hey, bro.”
“I wondered how long it would take you to get down here. Angel’s making you slow.” Laurent’s eyes popped open.
“You’re just jealous.”
“Yeah, you’re a lucky SOB. I’ve been here over a century and haven’t found the one. You refuse to leave the Underworld, date the same chick for half a century, and still manage to find a human to fall in love with. I can’t win for losing.”
“It happens when you’re not looking and at the most inconvenient time.” Jacque thought about the life he left behind. He lived a good existence before his world exploded into mayhem. Who wanted to only exist? With Angel, he was alive.
“What happened to Xavier?”
“I don’t know, man. I think Luc got his ass outta there.”
“It won’t be easy to find him.”
“I know. We can’t sit around waiting for him to show up though.”
“I don’t know about you, until my foot grows back, sitting around waiting is kinda my thing.”
Jacque looked down at Laurent’s missing foot and burst into laughter. “Man, how did you let a little woman whack off your foot?”
“She’s crazy. I’d fight ten vamps before I mess with her again. I say we sic her on Xavier when we find him.”
“She’s something. I know she’s worked a number on Angel. Those scars are gonna take longer than your foot to heal.” Jacque expression turned serious. Elise was like poison to Angel.
“Talking about messed-up family. Are you going to
be okay with killing Xavier?”
“I don’t have an option.”
“I know you always wanted things to get better between the two of you.”
“We were kids then. He couldn’t let it go. Now I got to let him go. Anyway, I have a brother. A footless one, but a brother all the same.”
“Thanks, man. Talking about fam, have you seen my sister? It’s not like her to stay out of the action.”
Jacque’s brows scrunched together in thought. “Naw. It’s strange Bell hasn’t been around. You worried?”
“She can take care of herself. If she was in trouble, she would’ve let us know.”
A sound behind them interrupted the conversation. Jacque turned to see Etienne stroll in the room. Fatigue prevailed in his features. Jacque never thought a vampire could be too pale. Etienne’s pasty complexion reflected his lack of feeding due to the craziness over the last few days.
“Man, you look like shit.” Laurent pushed up on the pillows behind his back.
“I feel like shit,” Etienne answered.
“Thanks for all you’ve done for us,” Jacque offered.
“Not a problem. Things were getting dull around here. There is such a thing as partying too much.”
“We’re going to have to pay one hell of a bill at the Le Fleur.” Jacque never pulled out the Black Card before. He might have to break it out this time.
“It’s fine. I own the Le Fleur. You’re going to have to put it back right. You and your brother tore up the back rooms last night.”
“Put it on my tab. I got to figure out how to find Xavier.”
“You got everything you need right here. Those women in the kitchen can conjure anything. You have two voodoo priestesses, a witch, and a goddess. What more do you want?” Etienne poured a shot of Ciroc, garnering a questioning look from Jacque and Laurent. “It’s just to hold me over until I feed. Don’t judge me.”
“Do what you need to do. It’s just a tad early to be hitting the sauce. And I guess I do have a lot of resources at my disposal.”
“I’ll be glad when night falls. I have to hunt tonight.”
“We’ll leave you to do what you need to do tonight. I’m going to try to find a place today. I know we’re crowding you.”
Etienne downed the vodka. “I actually don’t mind. I quite enjoy the company.”
“I’m sure you do. You know Jazzy is going to be a problem. She’s stuck around thus far, because she doesn’t want to leave her friends. Don’t forget she’s scared shitless of us. Be careful with her,” Jacque reminded him.
“I know. She’s irresistible. Such a sweet aroma.” Etienne tongue rolled over his fangs.
“Man, you can’t be snacking on her. Angel’ll kill me if she finds out you’re taking sips from her friend.”
“I wouldn’t feed off her. At least not without permission,” Etienne added slyly.
“Forget about it, man. Leave her alone. We should just wipe her memory when we send her home.”
Etienne shook his head and downed another drink. “Such a waste.”
“Are y’all done being girls?” Laurent threw a pillow at Etienne.
“Okay, let’s go see what the ladies can dig up about Xavier.” Jacque helped Laurent off the sofa. “We got to find this guy some crutches.”
The kitchen was filled with female energy. Isis and Marie remained in their seats at the kitchen table. Angel lounged in the chair next to Marie, looking wildly sexy in her disheveled state. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail at the back of her head, wayward strands fell framing her face. She wore no make-up, letting her natural beauty shine. Natasha and Jasmine hung out at the island, coffee in hand.
“There you are.” Angel perked up in her seat.
“Hey, babe.”
“What’ve y’all been up to?”
“Figuring out you ladies are much more useful than us men.”
“I could’ve told you that a long time ago.” She grinned and threw him a wink over the rim of her coffee cup.
“We need some help.”
Angel took a sip from her mug. “Sure.”
“Can you locate Xavier?”
“We’ll see what we can do.”
“Thanks, babe. I have to go out for a while. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” Jacque kissed her gently, lavishing her scent.
“No prob. We got lots to do. We’ll work on finding Xavier, and we have to go back and check on some of the wounded from last night. A few had some serious injuries.”
“All right. Make sure you stay with Etienne or the guards. Don’t go out alone.”
She caught his face, holding his gaze. “I’ll be fine. You make sure you take care of yourself.”
“We don’t want to see your mushy shit. You got a room upstairs if you insist on ogling each other.” Laurent plopped down in the chair next to Angel.
Angel smacked Laurent on the back of the head. “I guess you’re stuck with us, gimpy.”
“Great, I’m not gonna complain about being surrounded by beautiful women all day. Wait, where’s your crazy ass momma?”
“You reminded me. I need to go check on her.”
“Okay, I’ll leave y’all to cater to Laurent. I should be back in a few hours.” Jacque hesitated a moment before grabbing the keys to Angel’s car. Driving had become more familiar, although the Porsche’s manual transmission remained a problem.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
The energy from the other women surged through Angel’s hands. The power emitted from Isis caused electricity to prickle up Angel’s arm. She decided getting on Isis’s bad side wasn’t a smart idea.
A warm breeze filled the room. The flames on the candles flickered. A haze developed over the water.
Nat tightened her grip on Angel’s hand. “I see something developing.”
“I don’t recognize it.” Angel stared at the blurry picture. “Okay, we need more power. Let’s focus.”
Isis broke the circle and outstretched her hands toward the forming image. The currents flowed from her fingertips.
“You ladies want to help?” Isis nodded for Angel to do the same.
Angel jumped to attention, focusing all her energy on the faded image. Marie followed suit. Slowly, the picture came into view. The blood rushed to Angel’s head as she realized what she watched. Her heart pounded and her pulse raced. She shut her eyes and bit the inside of her lip. Before she could stop herself, she shattered the glass bowl in a thousand tiny pieces. The women shielded themselves from the flying glass.
“Chère, you must learn to control your emotions,” Marie chastised.
“I’m sorry, Grand-mère.” She couldn’t stop her hands from trembling. “I’m gonna kill her.”
“You don’t know exactly what she was doing.”
“I don’t care. I’ve had enough of her shit. Now she’s mixed up with Xavier. I’m done.”
“Who the hell is she?” Nat questioned.
“Isabella, remember from the other night. Jacque’s ex-girlfriend?” Angel pulled a piece of glass out of her palm.
“Why would Isabella be with Xavier?” Marie stood with her hand on her hips.
“I don’t know. I should’ve let it play out. We don’t even know the timeframe or where they were. I messed up.”
Nat blew out the candles on the floor. “We know Xavier is alive.”
“Maybe we’re taking the wrong approach.”
“What do you mean?” Isis turned to study Angel.
“Instead of trying to find out where Xavier is hiding, why don’t we bring him to us when the guys are ready?”
“You mean to conjure him in physical form?” Isis inquired, a sparkle of excitement in her voice. “An interesting strategy.”
“Xavier would never expect us to call him to us.”
“Very good. We’ll tell Jacque of the plan once he returns.” Isis smiled and placed a kissed on both of Angel’s cheeks.
Angel wasn’t sure how to handle the show of affection from Isis. She
straightened her back and squared her shoulders. Her heart smiled at the thought of winning over Jacque’s mother. “I still want to know what the hell Isabella is doing with Xavier.”
Angel picked up the broom propped on the side table and swept the glass and powder from the floor.
“Odd. Maybe Laurent will have some insight or can talk to his sister.” Marie handed Angel the dustpan.
“She better not try to help him. I swear to God I will kill her!” Angel snapped the handle of the broom in two.
“We’ll figure it out.” Isis furrowed her brow.
Angel dumped the glass and powder into the trash. She dusted off her jeans and headed out of the room with the others. She needed to find Jazzy and head to Le Fleur to check on the injured.
***
Angel entered into the ballroom, surprised to find it immaculate. Someone arranged everything picture perfect, back into the fairytale setting. She imagined having her wedding in a place like Le Fleur. She scoffed at her romanticism. I can barely maintain a relationship, yet I’m standing here thinking about a wedding. What has that demon done to me?
Isis and Marie came out of the back rooms.
“The injured are in the back. They set up cots and other supplies back there. Everyone’s almost healed,” Marie advised.
“Great, is there anything we need to do?” Angel strolled to the back of the ballroom.
Marie adjusted her head wrap. “No, Etienne took care of everything.”
“He’s one efficient man. We need to clone him.”
“Interesting topic for political debate. Not only are you cloning. You want to clone a vampire.”
Angel giggled. “Where’s Nat and Jazzy?”
“They’re chatting with some of the guys they helped last night. The guys are very appreciative and enamored with the girls.”
“They’ve always had a way with men. Guys have been following them since we were kids.”
Marie reached out and brushed a wavy strand from Angel’s face. “You act as if it wasn’t the same for you.”
“Yeah. It always felt different for me. Like people wanted a piece of me, not to get to know me.” Angel sighed.
