by Donna Grant
Addison wasn’t sure if she could tell Riley about what had happened. She didn’t want anyone thinking she belonged in a loony bin.
“Addison, please,” Riley urged.
“There was a man out back.”
Riley frowned and glanced at the kitchen. She released Addison and strode to the back. Addison followed her outside. With one look, Riley walked to the last bit of ashes from the vampire. She knelt down and touched something on the ground.
Her gaze lifted and locked on Addison. “By the paleness of your face, I’m gathering you saw this?”
Addison nodded.
Riley sighed and got to her feet. “What happened?”
The acceptance on her face sent Addison’s head spinning. She wrapped her arms around her middle. “You accept this as if you’ve known. You’re not shocked there is a pile of ash there, and you know what it is.”
“I could’ve lied to you, pretended I didn’t see anything and waited until you left to get a better look. But I didn’t. I do know about vampires, demons, witches-”
“Werewolves?” Addison asked.
Riley hesitated for a heartbeat. “Yes.”
“That’s what got the vampire.”
Riley jerked her thumb over her shoulder to the fence. “I saw the fresh claw marks.”
Addison dropped her head into her hands. “I can’t believe I’m standing out here talking about werewolves and vampires. I’ve lived in New Orleans all my life. All of those rumors were just to keep the tourists coming.”
“How I wish that were true.” Riley came to stand beside her. “You’re freaked out, but not nearly as much as I would’ve expected.”
Addison dropped her hands and looked up. “This has been a really weird day. I was approached earlier by a fortune teller who said she saw a vision of me being chased by a werewolf.”
“What?” Riley exploded. “Did she say werewolf?”
“She said wolf, but she said she was confused because she knew the wolves around the Quarter and said that they protected people.” As Addison learned first hand that evening. “But she warned me that I was in danger.”
Riley grunted and crossed her arms over her chest as her frown deepened. “That’s obvious by Delphine’s visit tonight. Someone is taking an interest in you, Addison, and it’s cause for concern.”
“Really?” she asked sarcastically.
Riley’s face broke into a smile. “I think this calls for a drink. Only Marcus is left. Come inside and tell me in detail what happened out here.”
~ ~ ~
Myles watched Addison and Riley walk back into the kitchen through a slat in the fence. By the way Riley glanced over her shoulder, she must have guessed he was still out there.
He was glad he’d listened to his instincts and remained behind. Not even killing the vamp cooled the fury that raced through him. The vampire should never have gotten that close to the bar, and he wouldn’t have, had Myles not been led on a merry chase through the Quarter after another group of vamps.
It wasn’t unusual for the Quarter to be a hotbed of activity on a full moon, but he realized now that he’d been led away on purpose. The vamp had been after Addison.
But why? And what did the vampire mean when he’d said that everyone was talking about Addison?
More disturbing was the mention of Delphine’s name, despite Riley whispering it. In wolf form, he could hear everything – even the frantic beating of Addison’s heart.
Knowing Riley would keep Addison safe inside, Myles made another round of the area. He and his brothers certainly had their hands full tonight, and the longer it took for him to return to Addison, the more frustrated he became.
It wasn’t until the first rays of sun lightened the sky that he was able to follow Addison and Riley’s scent, though Addison’s was stronger for him. He loped along the streets, staying hidden until he came to Rue Parc Fontaine. He peered down the street and saw Riley sitting on the hood of a bright green Jeep.
She spotted him and slid off the car with a grin. “Am I glad to see you,” she said when he trotted up. “You saved her, didn’t you?”
Myles stopped beside her and looked up to the second floor where he could smell Addison.
“She’s safe,” Riley said as she patted his back.
That could only comfort him so much, especially knowing that she was still in danger. A witch from the Quarter had told her she’d had a vision of Addison being chased by a wolf. That disturbed him.
“I figured you’d come,” Riley continued as she bent down and reached into a bag set on the ground, then straightened with something in her hand. “So I grabbed some clothes. You can’t be seen like that, cuz.”
Myles took the jeans in his mouth and moved off to a secluded spot. He dropped the jeans and let the transformation back into his human body begin. It was always easier to revert back into human form than to shift into a wolf. He gritted his teeth as bones, tendons, and muscles returned to their true form.
Myles was panting, sweat covering his body when he pushed up on his hands and looked around to make sure no one had seen him. Then he stood and pulled on the jeans before walking barefoot back to Riley.
She smiled brightly, holding out a red shirt and a pair of brown leather flip-flops. “We can’t have you walking around barefoot. You don’t know what you could step on. And the shirt is a necessity. If women caught sight of you, you’d never make it back to the bar.”
He chuckled and put on the shirt. As he slid his feet in the shoes, he cut his eyes to Riley. “Let’s get back to the bar.”
“I suppose you have questions?”
Myles waited for her to get the bag before he started walking. “Yep. I won’t be the only one.”
“I knew you were out there,” Riley grumbled.
“Was Delphine really there?”
Riley nodded. “I heard about her from Ava, but I wasn’t expecting to feel the evil of Delphine so strongly. It was like she was the center of it all.”
Myles put his arm around Riley and pulled her against him. “You shouldn’t have had to face her alone the first time. Shit. Your brothers are going to have my head.”
“She knew who I was without even knowing my name,” Riley said and rested her head on his shoulders.
They walked the rest of the way to the bar in silence. Riley was tough. She had to be as a Chiasson, but she had been doing things herself for so long that she desperately wanted someone to take some of the load off her shoulders. She just didn’t comprehend that yet.
Myles walked them through the back of the building. As soon as they entered the kitchen, she pulled away, pushed her shoulders back and lifted her chin. Whether she knew it or not, she acted as she if she were going into battle, and in some ways she was – the battle for herself.
He stopped when he entered the front of the bar and spotted Court, Solomon, and Kane sitting with Marcus. Marcus was the only other person at the bar who knew what they truly were, and only because it had been Solomon who saved his life ten years earlier when a demon tried to possess Marcus as a teenager.
Marcus ran a hand over his bald head and met Myles’s gaze. “Delphine was here for Addison.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
Hours later, Myles lay in his bed with his arm behind his head staring at the ceiling. He was supposed to be sleeping, but his mind kept going over everything Marcus and Riley had told him about Delphine’s visit and the fortune teller who spoke to Addison.
What was it about Addison that was drawing the eye of every faction of supernatural in the city? As far as Myles knew, she was a normal, every day southern girl. Obviously, he was wrong.
He rose and took a quick shower, not bothering to shave. He threw on a fresh pair of jeans, a black shirt, and boots before he made his way out of his apartment.
That was something the LaRues did differently than the Chiassons. They didn’t all live in the same house. Solomon still lived in the LaRue house on the outskirts of New Orleans on the bayou. It was a grand place that w
as too big for one man, but Myles, Court, and Kane opted to reside in New Orleans, each of them taking a section close to each other but still allowing them to keep an eye on things within the factions.
Myles’s place was an old warehouse he’d bought six years before and converted into large studio apartments. He owned a car but rarely drove it since he lived close enough to Gator Bait to walk.
He pulled his keys out as he reached the bar. Just as he was about to slide them into the opening, he heard something within. Myles opened the door and stepped inside to find Solomon pulling chairs off the tables.
“Couldn’t sleep?” Solomon asked.
Myles shook his head. “You either?”
Solomon grunted. “You know I don’t sleep.”
It was true, and something they rarely spoke about. “I can’t figure out why Addison is so important to the factions.”
“Did you ever stop to think it’s because she came to work here?”
Myles walked behind the bar and poured himself a cup of strong, black coffee. “How many people have we had work for us through the years? Not a one of them have been singled out.”
“True,” Solomon conceded as he set the last chair in place getting ready for the midday rush. He walked to the bar and sat on a stool. “Something in her past, maybe?”
Myles shrugged. “Could be. I don’t want to interrogate her about it.”
“It’s either that or we call in a favor at the NOPD.”
Myles scratched his cheek and drank more of the coffee, hoping the caffeine would kick in soon. “I’ll be surprised if she returns. After everything, she’s probably too freaked out to come back.”
“Making it harder for us to protect her.” Solomon raised his brows and looked pointedly at Myles.
“Since when was I voted the one to watch over her?”
“Since you can’t take your eyes off her.”
Myles couldn’t deny that. He thought he’d been covert about it.
“We’re wiser now,” Solomon said as he rested his forearms on the bar and laced his fingers together. His dark blond hair was disheveled as if he’d been running his hands through it. “We made mistakes with M.... We made mistakes.”
Myles looked away when Solomon couldn’t even say the name of the woman he had loved. Six years hadn’t dulled the pain of losing her – or the memory of the tragic way she’d died. “I hear there are two new females that arrived at the were camp in Slidell. Go take a look.”
Solomon’s gaze went hard. “We’re talking about you, not me. The point is, Addison is going to need to be watched regardless if she comes back to work or not. A vampire was here to kill her. Delphine purposefully walked into our bar to talk to Addison on the night she knew we wouldn’t be here. Last but not least, someone from the witch faction reading fortunes had a vision about her being chased by a wolf.”
“I know all of it. You don’t have to repeat it,” Myles said testily.
“Apparently I do, to beat it into that thick skull of yours.”
Myles finished off his coffee and set the mug down hard. “You think I don’t know you’re shoving me at her in the hopes that I’ll give in?”
Solomon held his gaze for several long moments. “I think you’re fighting every natural instinct to take her. I think you’re going out of your way to ensure you won’t give in to the desire. I think you want her more than anything else. Ever.”
“I can’t,” Myles whispered.
“Because you’re afraid of falling in love? Or afraid of losing her?”
Myles didn’t think he was strong enough to endure what Solomon had. To have found love, then to have lost it in such a heinous way, was too much. Now, knowing so many factions were interested in Addison only brought the possibility home.
“Both,” Myles admitted.
Solomon put his hands on the bar and stood. “It still doesn’t change the fact that she’s in danger. I’ll have Kane watch her first. We three can divvy up the time. You don’t have to be involved.”
Myles clenched his hands into fists at the thought of his brothers watching Addison’s every move as he stayed behind. It was for the best. At least that’s what he told himself as Solomon started toward the kitchen.
“No,” Myles said before Solomon could go through the doorway. “I’ll talk to her. And stop smiling, you jackass. I can see you.”
Solomon laughed as he disappeared into the kitchen. Myles sighed and decided to go over yesterday’s numbers to take his mind off things.
Except he learned an hour later that nothing could pull his mind from Addison. He finally gave up and left the bar. With no destination in mind, he wandered the streets until he came to Jackson Square.
Myles ambled through the many artists displaying their wares. As he walked, he studied the witches set up as fortune tellers. There were more than ever before. Some were frauds, but some were the genuine article.
He spotted a young witch who was more interested in watching someone than pulling in clients who walked right past her. Myles followed her gaze until he saw none other than Addison.
Myles walked to the witch and sat. She jumped, her head swinging to him. Her eyes widened, indicating that she knew exactly who he was.
“Minka, right? You told Addison she was in danger,” he said.
The witch had long, deep brown hair that curled. A bright pink piece of fabric was wrapped around her head with tiny beads in various shades of pink hanging across her forehead. Her eyes were pale brown ringed in black, giving her a dramatic, exotic look.
She leaned back, her black blouse hanging off one shoulder. One dark brow rose as she returned his stare. Then she crossed one leg over the other, her pink skirt hiking up enough to show black beaded sandals. “Because she is.”
It took her long enough, but at least the witch was talking. “From a wolf?”
Minka looked away briefly. “As I told Addison, that’s where it gets complicated.”
“How?”
“I sense danger involving her, and I know that she’s chased by a wolf, but I don’t think it’s the wolf she should be afraid of.”
Myles glanced to where Addison shopped across the square. “What color is the wolf?”
“Brown.”
“Then you’ve got it wrong, witch. I would never hurt her.”
Minka’s head tilted as she studied him. “No, you wouldn’t. Does she know how badly you yearn for her?”
“That’s none of your concern.”
“So, that’s a no,” Minka said with a twist of her lips. “Why are men so stupid?”
Myles snapped his fingers at her. “Focus. I need to know who is after Addison. A vampire tried to get her last night, and Delphine paid her a visit.”
The witch paled at the mention of the priestess. “Delphine? She went to Addison’s apartment?”
“No. She came to the bar.”
Minka whistled low. “After you and your brothers captured her and tortured her? Are you sure she’s after Addison and not one of you?”
“We’re not stupid. We know we’ll always be in Delphine’s crosshairs. I don’t like her attention on Addison. How did she even learn of Addison?”
Minka sat forward and lowered her voice. “There have been whispers for a few weeks about someone who has enough power to put Delphine in her place.”
“I know who she is, but she’s not in New Orleans,” Myles said.
Minka shook her head, her brow furrowed. “I know about Davena. I was leading up to the fact that it isn’t just Davena that’s being talked about.”
When she didn’t continue, Myles gave her a flat look. “You can’t come that far, witch, and not finish.”
“Fine,” she stated angrily. “But understand I put my own life in danger by telling you this.”
“Just spit it out.”
Minka looked around and suddenly became nervous. “Not here,” she whispered.
Myles sat back and held out his hand. “You’re a fortune teller, right? What
better way to cover up what we’re talking about than by reading my palm?”
“You’re nuts,” she grumbled but cupped his hand in both of hers. She ran a finger along his palm, her gaze focused on his hand. “They’re still watching.”
“Who?”
“My people. They don’t want to be involved.”
Myles looked at a table a few feet away to find a woman watching them. As soon as their eyes met, she hastily looked away. “Why?” he asked Minka.
“They say it isn’t our fight.” Her fingernail lightly scrapped down his palm. “I haven’t told them what I saw, but they know something is up.”
He leaned his head down as if intently watching what she was doing to his palm. “Ignoring it won’t make the situation go away.”
“No kidding?” she replied, her words dripping with sarcasm. “I also can’t make myself see anything.”
“Tell me what you know,” he urged softly.
She met his gaze and then sighed. “The word is that Delphine is worried. She needs to make a sacrifice of someone pure in spirit, as well as a witch, to boost her power.”
“Addison isn’t a witch,” Myles said, his other hand gripping the side of the table. “She must be the one pure in spirit.”
“That’s the conclusion I came to yesterday. I don’t know why I saw you chasing her though.”
He shrugged. “One thing at a time. If the other factions know Delphine’s plan, then that could be why the vampire tried to kill Addison last night.”
“Addison isn’t just a good soul. She’s truly pure in spirit. Unlike most of us, she really is spiritually clean, blameless and unstained from guilt Even when she would have a right to, she harbors no thoughts of revenge. There aren’t a whole lot of those around, especially in the city. No one wants Delphine to gain more power. She has too much as it is,” Minka said looking up at him with a smile so she appeared to be delivering good news to anyone watching.
Myles smiled in return. “We couldn’t kill her when we had her. You know that, don’t you?”
“We know what she did to Kane, but if you thwart her in this, I have a feeling she’ll come gunning for you.”
