by Thorne, Elle
The lion released a chuffing sound.
He stretched, his jaws opened in what looked like a yawn. Within seconds, his muscles contracted and his body morphed, bringing Theo back and pushing the lion into the man she loved once more.
Theo glanced at Alexa, then his stare pinned Leandra. His face turned ashen under his olive complexion. He shook his head as if confused.
Leandra stared at him defiantly. “I did what I had to do to protect Alexa.”
To save us.
How could she even begin to explain this? She would. As soon as the dust settled.
Still shaking his head, he paused, then asked, “What is going on? Why do I…” He rubbed his face, then ran his fingers over his head. “Leandra?” He put his arms out.
Leandra leaned into his embrace. Her heartrate matching his “I’m here. I’m sorry.”
“Why do I remember? Why didn’t I before?”
“Your blood. It was in the vial I tossed out.”
“You collected my blood?”
“Not I. But it was given to me, and with it an ultimatum. I did it to protect you. To protect her.” She indicated Alexa.
“So why did you throw it away? Why now, after all this time?”
She cast her eyes down. When she raised her head, she couldn’t see through unshed tears. “It was in a vision. These things must play out, though I do not always understand them.” She was rambling, unsure what she was saying.
His lips alit on Leandra’s forehead, then he pulled back. “You cast a spell on me? You made me forget about us? And made me think I was in love with Alexa?” His thumb traced her lower lip.
Alexa stared at them silently. To Leandra, she was barely there.
“I had to, my love. It was that or…” More tears sprang to Leandra’s eyes. “I had to. You’d have been killed if anything were to happen to Alexa.”
He frowned. “So you made me love her?” He held Leandra at arm’s length. “When you knew all I wanted was you?” His voice was raw, the questions wrenched from his soul.
“Alexa had to be protected, and this was decided.”
“And you agreed.” Theo let the words fall with a finality.
Leandra was crestfallen. “If anyone else had put the spell on you, they’d have made it too powerful. I had to make your feelings for her just strong enough to love her a little. I couldn’t have you taking her for a mate. I couldn’t watch my man become another woman’s. This can’t come out,” Leandra beseeched Theo.
“I’m not living a farce anymore.” He turned toward Alexa. “I’m not trying to be cruel I don’t want to hurt you… I’m sorry…”
“Theo.” Leandra indicated Alexa. “Alexa has to be protected until she’s mated. That’s the decision.”
“What?” His lion’s grumble sounded in his chest.
“Just a while longer.” Leandra worried her bottom lip with her teeth. “Alexa’s time to find a mate is near. We keep this going for a few short days.” Leandra explained to them what she could, though some of the mystery remained for her. The coven had made a deal with the shifters. Land in exchange for Alexa’s protection.
Alexa and Theo nodded.
He leaned close. “I will come to see you as soon as possible.” Theo took Leandra in his arms.
“Soon,” Leandra whispered.
Chapter Eighteen
A few short days later, just as the vision had foreshadowed, Alexa was mated to the wolf shifter Reese and Theo was free.
Almost free.
With a still lukewarm—more like ice cold—reception from Lézare, Leandra and Theo traveled together to New Orleans to help the Arceneaux shifters with an underground fighting ring that was costing local shifters their lives.
Leandra’s assistance in diagnosing a shifter with Brahnson’s Touch, an infliction that made shifters dangerously strong while at the same time deteriorating their brain matter so that right and wrong became twisted, and base needs, were paramount.
Leandra was instrumental in the effort to save Lézare Arceneaux’s youngest sister from the fighting ring.
Theo felt that this was the time to make things right between the Mathieu and the Arceneaux, though he had no idea if it were possible because he still didn’t know the cause of the rift.
Except that shifters and witches are enemies.
But Lézare’s animosity seemed personal.
Theo’s last nerve had been assaulted when Lézare had called her a swamp witch while she’d been assisting to save Evie. He’d snapped, calling his best friend and boss out.
Lézare hadn’t said much, but he’d appeared taken aback.
Now the rescue effort was over and it was time to go home. Theo stood back from the group. His arm around Leandra. He’d never envisioned a life away from Arceneaux, they were like family to him now, but where the Arceneaux were his family, Leandra was his universe.
Lézare stepped forward. “We should get back to Arceneaux Point,” he announced. “We need to make arrangements.” Then he turned to Leandra. “Would you be our guest and stay at Arceneaux Point?”
Theo’s mouth damned near dropped in surprise. He glanced at Leandra.
Her eyes gleamed silver. “Could I stay in one of the cabins?”
“Certainly.” Lézare smiled, though apprehension lurked in his eyes. He nodded at Theo. The hatchet had been buried.
Theo released a soft breath of relief. New beginnings perhaps.
For all of us.
Epilogue
Leandra knelt onto the ground. Theo was at Arceneaux Point, working strategy with Lézare, and she’d slipped out of their cabin at Arceneaux Point to visit Mémé’s cabin.
She and Theo had been together for more than two months now. She hadn’t told him, though she wondered if his shifter senses had picked it up. She didn’t plan to keep it a secret, but she wanted to be sure there’d be no complications. The worst thing that could have happened would be to have his hopes rise and then to have them dashed if she had a miscarriage.
Few shifter/witch babies made it past the first trimester. If they could get past those first few months, then they’d be out of the danger zone.
She should have noticed her surroundings. She should have noticed that the sun was going down. She should have noticed that the wildlife’s lullabies—crickets, birds, frogs—had stopped.
But she didn’t. She was so focused on the herbs she knew would be growing out here.
“Look. Look what we have here.”
Her head snapped in the direction of the voice while a shiver coursed through her body.
“No,” the whisper escaped her lips. This couldn’t be.
Four vampires, fangs gleaming behind smiles designed to frighten.
“She’s a witch,” a younger vampire said, blond hair buzz cut, muscles pushing out his T-shirt. There was fear in his voice.
For that Leandra was happy. She needed them to fear her. She didn’t want to know her vulnerabilities.
To the side, another vampire laughed. He was older, regal, and his face had no shadow of fear on it. “She’s harmless.” He laughed once more, the sound filling the swampy bayou clearing. “She’s more than harmless. Aren’t you, swamp witch?”
The three younger vampires took a step closer to Leandra. Then another.
Leandra remained silent. She couldn’t tell them. She wouldn’t tell them. She rose to her feet slowly, stood at her full stature, which wasn’t much—it’s not like she was tall. Leandra did her best to look down her nose at them.
Sure she could kill a vampire, quicker than a snap of fingers. But not four. Not quickly enough.
All it took was one. If one vampire could get past her spell, if one vampire could strike her with his fangs, the contamination would kill the child growing within her.
Theo’s child. Theo’s daughter.
She wouldn’t have that.
She’d die before the baby came to harm.
“There’s only one way to know.” She kept her voice even, an
d pointed at the older vampire. “You’re first, since you seem to think you know me.” She gave him the smile she knew spelled death.
The other vampires backed up a pace.
The old vampire paled further beneath his already deathly white skin. “You can’t touch me, witch. Your baby will be dead before you can raise your arms.”
“Do you realize it’s almost dark?” Theo stepped out of the shadows.
“Theo,” she gasped his name. “You must leave. Now.” Her lion shifter mate was no match for the vampires. No shifter was. Maybe Valencia Arceneaux, the hybrid vampire shifter, was, but Theo was no hybrid. “Leave. Please.”
Theo laughed. He almost doubled over in laughter.
That moment, more than any other, more than anything, she knew the power of that man’s love.
He laughed at the face of death.
Tears formed in her eyes. She’d not live without him and his daughter.
“You must go,” she begged.
The old vampire joined in Theo’s mirth. “The dead shifter is laughing, and he doesn’t even know he’s already dead.” His eyes glowed crimson, his white hair, immaculately coiffed, was pushed back from his face.
A snarl, deep within Theo’s chest rumbled, making her tremble.
“You think I travel alone?” Theo’s voice was almost a lion’s growl.
Leandra did a double take. What did that mean? Had he brought his security team with him? That would be a bloodbath, but maybe—just maybe—if he brought enough of them, then they’d stand a chance.
If only they can make a circle around me. I can work some magic, keep the baby safe from vampire blood, and—yes, just maybe they’d stand a chance.
Except that only one shifter stepped out of the shadows.
Lucia.
We are so in trouble.
Lucia’s even gaze fell on Leandra.
“Niece. You look well, considering.”
As if mirroring Leandra’s thoughts, the old vampire began to laugh once more. “I was so hoping we’d have an even competition. This hardly seems fair.”
Theo had a look of confusion on his face. “Considering? What’s that mean?”
“He doesn’t know?” Lucia frowned at Leandra.
Leandra fought the urge to groan. “Is this really the time? We’re vampire appetizers.”
“Yeah, we’re going to make time.” Theo’s tone was resolute. “What do I not know?”
And with that the old vampire’s laughter became hysterical. His companion vampires joined in.
“She’s carrying a baby. Surely you know what happens when an unborn shifter baby is touched by vampire blood?”
Leandra fumed. “You mean contaminated.”
“Semantics,” the old vampire smirked. “Same outcome. Lights out, shifter baby. Permanently.”
Theo was looking from Leandra to the vampire then back to Leandra again. “Is this true? Why don’t I know?”
“I wanted to be sure she—the baby—was out of the danger zone.”
“I have a daughter?”
“Had.” The old vampire straightened the lapel on the dark suit he was wearing. “Had, because…” He pulled an old-fashioned timepiece from a little pocket on his vest. “…within fifteen minutes you’ll all be dead.”
“That guess is premature.”
A new voice.
Male.
Coming from the shadows.
Leandra startled, tried to see who was back there, but had no luck in the dimness.
Another vampire? Couldn’t be. The timbre of the voice didn’t have the hollow quality of the vampires.
“Lucia,” the voice said. “You come to New Orleans, and never say hi. You come to my restaurant, and never stop by to check on me.”
Leandra glanced at her aunt.
Lucia’s eyes glowed almost white. Her mouth was open in a perfect letter o.
“Quake.”
“At your service.”
The bushes parted, and out stepped the tallest, blondest man Leandra had ever seen. His long hair was pulled back into a ponytail. His features were Nordic, high cheekbones, bird of prey eyes in a shade of blue that brought images of summer to mind.
He kept his gaze on Lucia, stepping closer until they were standing next to each other.
The air between them almost seemed to crackle with energy.
“You—” Lucia’s tongue seemed to have frozen.
The old vampire stepped back. “It can’t be. You’re not… you’re dead. You died more than a hundred years ago.”
Quake pinched a muscular forearm peeking out from rolled up long sleeves. “Hardly dead.”
“This can’t be.” The old vampire was flustered, his hands shaking as he raised them to nervously push back hair that hadn’t moved out of place.
Quake’s eyes narrowed to slits, his hand moved, so quickly that Leandra wasn’t sure she’d seen it move.
Then, as if there had been seismic activity, a deep rumble came from the ground beneath the vampires, a rift erupted, creating a chasm.
And just like that—
No vampires.
“Now. Where were we?” Quake turned to Leandra. “It’s nice to finally make your acquaintance, since your aunt clearly has no interest in introducing me to her family. Quaker. I go by Quake. At your service. I’m an old friend of Lucia’s.”
A coughing fit seized Lucia as she doubled over. When she raised her head, her cheeks were read. “Friend? Is that what we are—were?”
“Hardly enemies,” Quake said. “I didn’t intend to disrupt your family reunion. I was on the way out when I received word that there was trouble brewing.”
And again, with a speed that made shifters seem to move as slow as a sloth, Quake was gone.
“That’s Quake?” Leandra couldn’t think of anything else to say. She was shell-shocked.
First the vampires.
Then Theo finding out about the baby.
Then the vampires were gone—just like that—vanquished.
Then this was the infamous Quake.
“That’s Quake.” Lucia turned toward the path. “Let’s get you home. And I’m sure you two have a few things to discuss.”
Meaning that she doesn’t want to talk about him—it.
* * *
The Cabin at Arceneaux Point
Leandra lay next to the man she’d pledge her life to. She was ready to do exactly that. A growling sound came from deep within Theo’s chest. It was his lion.
Leandra nodded, placing her hand on his hardness.
Moisture pooled between her legs. Her desire for him seeped into her panties, then trailed between her thighs.
She pushed him backward, seating him on the bed, and raised her dress to her hips.
Theo’s pupils dilated, and his lion’s presence glowed in the depths of his eyes. He took her hand and pulled her onto his lap, straddling him.
“I want to bond.”
He’d asked her several times; she didn’t know why they hadn’t yet.
“Are you sure?” His eyes penetrated her, seeking the answers within.
“I’m yours. There is no doubt. We should make it official.”
He groaned, pushed her dress aside, sliding into her with a powerful plunge.
She gasped, the sound torn from her. She felt him deep, so very deep, his thickness stretching her as if he were holding her from the inside.
She arched her body, head thrown back, enthralled by her lion shifter man.
His lips pressed against her neck, his tongue traveling upward to her chin then downward.
Leandra wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him deeper inside, sheathing him fully. His fingers dug into the flesh of her ass, pulling her closer, then pushing her off while he drove in relentlessly.
Her body was on fire from the barrage of pleasure from every plunge he made into her.
She felt a scream building up in her, but had no power to control it. It started as a low moan that was building toward cr
escendo. He drove into her over and over while her moans grew with the ferocity of every drive.
It didn’t take long. They were both still driven by the adrenaline of the evening’s events. With a final climax that seized control of her body, she stiffened as aftershock followed aftershock.
He pulled her close and latched onto her, sinking canines into the spot where her neck met her shoulder.
Her gasp gave away the burning pain of his bite. With a long swipe of his tongue, he licked the blood seeping from the puncture wounds. The impression changed from pain to a summit of desire as he bonded her.
His thrusts grew stronger, more insistent, he drove into her with a ferocity, the whole time releasing himself deep inside.
Theo kissed her lips, allowing her to taste the iron flavor of her blood.
She lay her head on his chest. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about the baby sooner. I wanted to be sure she’d be okay.”
“You witches and your ways.” His voice held forgiveness. “We should pick a name.”
“I have thoughts,” Leandra offered hesitantly.
“Do tell.” There was a smile in his tone.
“Phoebe Latrice.”
“After my mother, and your Mémé.”
She nodded against his chest.
“I love it.”
Leandra looked up, her eyes brimming with tears. “Truly?”
“Truly.” Theo’s strong jawline, the earnest mouth, the planes that divulged his Mediterranean heritage, they gave away his emotions. “Phoebe Latrice. She’ll be the most amazing shifter witch ever.”
“Witch shifter,” Leandra teased.
Theo laughed. “And her godmother will be Lucia.”
Leandra joined him in laughter. “How about Quake as a godfather?”
“Lucia will kill you.” Theo’s smile was mischievous. “Let’s do it.”
“I think I’d like to have Quake in our family.”
“Agreed.” Theo nodded. “I’d rather have him on my side than against me.”
“Mhm,” Leandra made a sound of assent. “I had a thought though.” It had just come to her. “Lézare should be a godfather too.”
