Beast Within (Loup-Garou Series Book 3)

by Sheritta Bitikofer

  Katey shrank back and wanted to dart to the other sidewalk to avoid her, but Logan pulled her on. If they acted strangely, they would draw attention to themselves. The only way to cross the river was to go straight through.

  They were no more than two yards away when the woman turned and locked eyes with the two of them. The change in her cold expression shifted, and Katey wanted to run. She beamed at the two loups-garous and stood from her stool. She didn’t seem young, but neither too old. The woman was at a sweet-spot in an age where her beauty and womanhood was in full bloom.

  Logan guided Katey around his back to stand on the side closest to the street, serving as her shield against the woman and her magic.

  Katey averted her eyes but felt the woman’s gaze drill into her like a penetrating heat.

  “Friends,” she greeted in a silvery voice and tinged with a thick accent that seemed neither African or Creole. “May I have a word?” she asked, seeming eager, but polite.

  Logan waved her off. “We don’t have the time, sorry.”

  The woman charged forward and grasped Logan’s arm. Despite her fear, Katey stepped up and made her presence known. The woman saw her and recoiled her hands instantly.

  “I’m sorry, princess,” she said. “I did not mean to offend.”

  Katey narrowed her eyes on the woman. “I’m not a princess,” she corrected and weaved her arm through Logan’s before turning away. Making her claim on Logan was all Katey was interested in.

  The voodoo woman blocked their way with her hands held up to stop them. “But, you are. I can see it in you.”

  Logan scoffed. “And I’m sure for thirty bucks, you’ll tell us more, right?”

  The woman’s smile faded. “Do not insult me, wolf.”

  They both went rigid. Could this woman tell they were loups-garous or was she simply implying that Logan was like a wolf? He blew air from his nose as a show of dominance and stepped toward her, his blue eyes holding all the excuse she would need to move out of the way.

  “Stand aside, woman.”

  She crossed her arms defiantly. “Please,” she crooned. “It’s been so long since I stood in the presence of such great creatures as yourselves. Indulge me for a moment only.”

  Katey felt the muscle in her jaw jump. Yes, the woman knew.

  She offered out her hand. “My name is Marie. I am an apprentice here under Madame Celeste. She’s away for a moment, but I’m sure she would love to meet you, princess.”

  Katey didn’t accept the hand of friendship just yet. Through the dissonance of voices and feelings that streamed down Bourbon Street, she reached out with her spirit to read this woman. There was no malice in her eyes and no cunning plan of deception about her. It seemed, regardless of what instinct told her, that this woman was kind and willing to help them. Perhaps if she knew what they were, she would know where the vamps were.

  In a gesture that might have confirmed everything the woman thought of her, Katey briefly shook the woman’s hand and was sure to give it a firm grip to hide her anxiety. “We can’t stay long enough to meet your Madame.”

  The smile returned to Marie’s face, showing her pearl white teeth against dark skin. “Oh, well, I suppose that will be all right. It was my pleasure to meet you, then.”

  Logan read her words as the cue to break away, but Marie blocked them again.

  “No, wait. Please, allow me to grant you with some of my services. I have many spells and talismans that you can benefit from.”

  He shook his head. “We’re not interested in your magic.”

  A sly, unconvinced glint in her eye made Katey pay closer attention. “What about for that problem you’ve been having? You… can’t change, it seems. That’s a very serious thing.” She fished out a business card from the folds of her dress. “I have just the thing that can help you if you so choose. Here is my card. I know you’re in a hurry, but please know I am here to help you in whatever way I can.”

  Katey’s eyebrows shot up with curiosity. Was there such a potion or herb that could help Logan? More importantly, was it worth the risk to dabble in magic just to settle a one hundred year-long battle?

  Logan snatched the card from her hand and shoved it into his pocket. “Fine,” he mumbled and pressed past her, dragging Katey along.

  Marie rushed forward, abandoning her shop front and grabbed Katey’s hand. They all froze, and Katey looked into Marie’s dark and haunting eyes.

  “My dear, take courage,” she whispered. “I sense the trouble in you. It will pass with the morning. And as for the other thing,” she smiled, “you will make a fine leader. Even our people have been waiting for you to bring peace. I have been privileged to witness many things in my life, but you are the greatest. I shall tell my grandchildren of the day that I met you.”

  Marie kissed the back of Katey’s hand and then hurried away inside her shop, probably to tell all her friends who she just saw on Bourbon Street.

  Heedless of the confusion that warred within Katey, Logan pulled her along, and they left the voodoo shop behind them in the chaos of New Orleans nightlife.

  “Are you going to go back?” Katey asked once they were a few blocks away and back into the swarm of humanity.

  “Are you kidding?” he laughed. “I wouldn’t touch magic. My arm is still tingling from when she grabbed me.”

  Katey felt it too, spreading from her palm to the tip of her fingers. There certainly was something spiritual about Marie and that shop, magic or not. Her wolf, however, did not find peace the farther they got from the shop. She still bucked and writhed at the after effects of the magic, and it left Katey slightly disoriented.

  “Just checking,” she replied, hoping to sound more light-hearted than she felt.

  The smell of vamps diverted down a narrow alleyway, and the two followed it until they came to a painted door that vibrated with the bass of the music coming from inside. There was no sign, no lights, nothing to indicate that there was anything there at all besides the music.

  Logan tested the doorknob and turned it hard until something in the locking mechanism snapped. He released it, and a few flakes of shiny metal finish floated to the ground. The door opened freely, letting the music cascade out into the alley. The stench of vampires and blood plumed with the music, and they ducked inside, no longer afraid of what threat a vamp may pose.

  When they closed the door, darkness enveloped them. Any human wouldn’t have been able to tell if they were blinking because it was so pitch-black in the corridor. Katey and Logan, on the other hand, could see the edges of the brick that made up the walls of the long hallway that led toward another door at the end.

  There were no guards, no sentries posted to keep strangers out of their club. Katey assumed that this must have been a public spot, only known to the locals or those who had been told of its secret location. That must have been a great tourist deterrent. No vamp wanted a human walking in on a feast if that’s not what they expected to find.

  The music pulsed in Katey’s ears, louder than her own heartbeat and thudding in her chest just as hard. Logan led the way down the hall and once more tested this door. It was unlocked.

  Inside the inner chamber of the club, Katey’s eyes were assailed by flashing strobe lights of reds, golds, and blues. The music was blaring, but nobody was dancing on the designated dance floor in the middle of the club.

  To the right was a bar counter that extended for over a dozen seats to the back wall. Behind the counter was a wall of various bottles of liquors and tap stations. A man, undoubtedly vamp, stood behind the counter and talked casually with a few of his patrons on the side opposite where Katey and Logan stood.

  To the left were pedestal tables with rickety wooden chairs pushed up under them and along the wall beyond were plush velvet booths that were occupied by a various assortment of characters.

  Many, as Katey was surprised to find out, were human. Some in normal clothes and others in lavish, black, gothic outfits complete with spikes, studs, b
uckles, corsets and top hats for their respective genders. Upon their middle fingers were metal, claw-like accessories. All eyes were rimmed in heavy makeup and lips painted black to match their hair and clothing.

  Katey watched with fascination as a couple flirted in a dark corner. The girl was not in a costume as the others were, but her partner was dressed in a dark suit that hugged his thin frame. One moment, they were giggling about something, and then next she offered her neck to him. The man took his claw and tenderly sliced into her skin and sucked on what little blood flowed out.

  Katey saw the girl sigh with pleasure, and she couldn’t help but flinch at the sight. These were not real vampires as she knew them. If a vamp wanted a meal, he wouldn’t take it so compliantly, and his teeth would have served as a better tool than any manufactured claw.

  Without surprise, the man pulled away after only a few seconds of drinking.

  Logan’s attention was not on the cult followers to their left, but on the bar and its occupants. Katey turned and saw their eyes were fixed on them with a fierce intensity. Only the barkeep appeared unruffled by their presence.

  They were dressed as civilians in jeans and loose-fitting shirts or jackets, nothing like the humans on the other side of the bar. It occurred to Katey that if those women with their breasts gushing over their corsets and men downing their red-colored mixed drinks had been vampires, they would have immediately smelled the loups-garous when they stepped into the room.

  No, these men at the bar were the real vampires and they were not happy to see Katey and Logan.

  Disregarding the filthy looks they shot across the room, Logan strode up to the counter and waited for the barkeep to approach them. Katey observed that he was pale, just like the others at the end of the bar – although it was hard to tell in the dazzling lights – and wore a pair of slacks and button-down shirt that concealed his broad frame well. He might have doubled as a bouncer if the need arose.

  He ran a hand through his slick blonde hair and leaned on the counter in front of Logan. “Listen, I don’t want any trouble in my place,” he said. Katey could detect the lilt of a Cajun cadence in his warning. “If y’all can’t play nice, you’re going to have to leave.”

  “We have no intention of staying,” Logan said, copying the bartender’s stance by leaning his elbows on the pitted and polished countertop. “We’re looking for Michael Gennari. We know he’s in New Orleans, but we don’t know where exactly.”

  The vamp’s face didn’t give him away, but Katey sensed the shard of fear slice the bartender. “What do you want with Michael?”

  Katey stepped up beside Logan. “We’re friends,” she replied. “We’re supposed to meet him, but we separated before he could tell us where.”

  The bartender seemed confused that Katey would call Michael, a vamp, their friend. Despite that, he straightened and shook his head. “I haven’t seen Michael in over fifty years. If I knew where he was, I’d tell you.”

  Logan’s hands balled into fists, but one touch from Katey eased him back from getting violent with the bartender. Just like with Marie, she sensed no deception in him. Yet, the twinge of fear made her wonder if he knew more than he was letting on.

  “Do you know anyone who might be close to Michael in town that we can ask?” Katey questioned, keeping her voice low and good-mannered. There was no need to make a spectacle.

  The bartender thought for a moment, then shook his head again. “I don’t agree with my coven’s decision to not be involved in this revolution Michael’s planning. I don’t mind serving werewolves as much as I mind serving those humans over there.” He inclined his head toward the goths in the corner laughing and sipping on their drinks. “As long as I’m paid, I don’t care. My coven leader might know where Michael is, but I doubt he will want to speak to you.”

  Logan gave a curt nod. “We understand. We don’t want a fight either.”

  From down the counter, Katey heard the muttering words of one of the club patrons, his voice cutting through the blaring music. “You brought the fight in here, you dirty dog.”

  There were a few unpleasant words sprinkled in his grumblings, but Logan heard him loud and clear. He looked to the cluster of four vamps at the end of the bar. They were outnumbered and had no weapons on them. Katey squeezed Logan’s sleeve, a spell of dizziness smacking her from out of nowhere.

  “What did you say, bloodsucker?” he growled.

  Katey closed her eyes and sighed. “Logan,” she whispered in exasperation.

  The vamps stood from their stools and swaggered toward them. “You heard me, dog. You came in here, on our turf, and expect us to just deal with it? You’re trespassing, mutt.”

  He pushed Logan’s shoulder, but his muscles were too taut, and he barely moved.

  The bartender held out his hand between the two. “Hey, Caz. Back off. He wasn’t looking for trouble.”

  “Well,” Caz said, “he got it.” He puffed out his chest, and Katey felt nauseated by the male egos that clashed in their space around the counter.

  “Don’t make me call Ezra,” the bartender warned. “He won’t take kindly to having to pay for damages again.”

  Caz’s buddies lost every ounce of fight in them and backed away, leaving their bold friend to deal with the loup-garou by himself. They didn’t want to feel the wrath of whoever Ezra was. Caz, however, was not concerned and through the dominance of both men, she knew Caz had murder on his mind.

  “Then we’ll take it outside,” Caz said. “You wouldn’t mind beasting out on Bourbon Street, would ya, mutt?”

  Katey couldn’t take much more of it and stepped between them, her hands on their chests. “Guys, cool it,” she demanded as she tried to send out whatever peaceful auras she could muster to make them change their minds.

  A look dawned on Caz’s face, and he looked to Katey with eyes wide and unblinking. “You!” he hissed.

  She met his shocked gaze, but couldn’t place it if they had met once before, perhaps last month at the castle. No, he wasn’t familiar in the least. She would have recognized his black eyes and shoulder length golden hair instantly. The only thing that rang a bell was the look of pure and complete hatred in his eyes. That hatred reminded her of Yaverik as he held a gun pointed at Logan, or how Martel had fought the other loups-garous with such fervor.

  “You’re that bitch they’ve all been talking about.”

  Logan shunted Katey aside and grabbed Caz’s shirt collar. “Call her that one more time and I promise you won’t have a tongue to speak it again.”

  The two snarled at one another, sharp teeth bared and glinting in the psychedelic lights. Caz’s friends from behind stepped up, their eyes darting between their leader and Katey. The bartender pulled out his phone, unwilling to step between them but ready to call his authorities.

  Katey stared at the two of them. Had loups-garous and vampires always fought like this? Aside from the wars, the prejudice, the plots to wipe out one another, how many fights like this would erupt in daily life? How many civilians had been hurt or even killed when they were caught in the cross-fire of these two feuding races?

  Marie’s words came back to her. Even those who were human but practiced the art of magic wanted there to be peace between loups-garous and vamps. How many more beings of the supernatural were glad to have Katey come into the world to restore the balance? How badly would she fail, as she did now to break up a little bar brawl?

  A gust of wind came from behind Katey. Logan and Caz were held apart by an intruder, his hands gripping their shoulders tight. The loup-garou and vampire blinked back their astonishment and looked to their mediator.

  Katey leaned around Logan to get a better look. She hadn’t heard or seen the vamp come in. Perhaps he had been lingering in a dark corner the whole time. The vamp’s frame was slender but powerful under a fitting trench coat that buttoned up around his neck and down his chest. The tails of his coat dusted the ground, concealing most of his legs that were clad in black jeans.
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  The pale skin of his face and hands stood out against his clothing, nearly iridescent. His deep brown hair looked soft and natural. His facial features were sharp with hollow cheeks and a long, angular nose paired with a set of full lips. His trenchant eyes looked out from a pair of dark brows and Katey likened him to someone who belonged on the cover of a male modeling magazine.

  Instantly, the vamps shrank back, and Katey sensed a reverent fear in them toward this newcomer. He looked to the offending vamp and glared. “Caz, you will leave these people alone. You know the new penalty for inciting trouble.”

  Katey tilted her head at the vamp’s marked Russian accent.

  Caz shivered and nodded. “Yes. I’m sorry, Anton.”

  What kind of authority did Anton possess that the absent Ezra didn’t? Anton pushed back Caz, and the vamps darted out an exit door on the other side of the bar. He turned to Logan and reproached, “You will learn to control your temper, young wolf.”

  Katey looked to Logan and saw the complete and utter terror in his eyes. Did he know Anton as well? Or did he understand why the vampires fled and assumed that he was different and to be rightly feared?

  Despite his obvious hesitancy toward Anton, Logan bristled at the innocuous insult and opened his mouth to rebuke, but Katey was too quick and started in.

  “Thank you for breaking that up,” she said, stepping out from behind Logan to meet the vamp who might have saved them a lot of trouble.

  Anton turned to her and the hardness in his face melted into recognition. “Are you Katey?” he asked.

  Logan swept her behind as before to protect her, but Katey detected a discrete quiver in his hands. She nodded, sure that a man as powerful as Anton must know all about Michael and the prophecy too. Maybe he was one of the elders that Michael had talked about back in Crestucky and would be attending the gathering.

  The vamp smiled and bowed, disregarding Logan’s trepidation. “It is an honor to meet you. Michael has been expecting you and Logan. He will be thrilled to know you are safe.”