by Kym Grosso
“Luca’s just as grumpy as I remember him as a youth.”
“He doesn’t care much for others. His human chip is missing.”
“The witch sure has his number though.” Hunter smiled.
“Someone’s going to have your number someday,” Quintus replied, giving Kade a nod as he waved them towards a set of opened French doors.
“I’m good. Things in Jackson Hole are exactly how I like them.” Hunter followed him through the doorway.
“You can run but you can’t hide.” Quintus reached inside his jacket and slid on a pair of Ray Bans, the bright sun nearly blinding him.
“Yeah, we’ll see about that,” he commented.
“If Viktor doesn’t get here soon, one of us is going to have to go after him.” Quintus lost his words as he took sight of an adorable toddler running circles around a blonde female who sat in the grass smiling. The spitting image of her mother, the little girl squealed in delight as the woman blew bubbles. Her strawberry curls bounced as she jumped, clapping her hands onto the iridescent bubbles.
Quintus’ chest tightened as Luca lifted the giggling child, a broad smile on his face. The brooding vampire’s hard exterior had softened. So far from the battle-scarred man, Luca appeared human.
Children. They change a man, Quintus thought. He’d never been the greatest sire. The grief from losing Mao had been far too great. The unimaginable pain had taught him the consequences of growing too close to another, to loving someone. He’d sired less than a handful of vampires in his lifetime, always leaving them to fend for themselves. In every instance, he’d taken pity on their human plight. With death looming, he’d saved them, gifting them with eternal life.
Gabriella had rushed into his life like a hurricane. Unable to escape her winds, he’d given in to the inevitable. As each hour passed with their bonding, the emotional ties began to weave a fabric around his heart. Seeing the child brought a reality to his eyes that Quintus had long ignored. Under most circumstances, vampires couldn’t have children, yet Luca’s witch, with her unique human qualities meshed with her magick, brought life into this world.
Quintus glanced to Gabriella, who caught his gaze. She sat in a shaded gazebo with Samantha. He slammed down his shields to hide his emotions but the sad smile she gave him told Quintus she’d already detected his mood. He cursed his selfish nature, insisting they bond. He’d never once asked her if she’d wanted children, all the while assuming he’d never have any. Under normal circumstances, a wolf or a witch could procreate, yet with a vampire, the odds were unlikely. Luca was an exception, not a rule. Quintus shoved away the seed of jealousy that planted, and refocused his thoughts.
As he went to move toward Gabriella, Kade stopped him, placing a hand on his shoulder. “It’s hard for me too.”
“Sorry?” Quintus’ lips drew into a tight smile.
“Katrina. Kate. She’s named after a wolf,” he said, giving a nod to Hunter.
“She’s beautiful,” Quintus acknowledged.
“Sydney…she didn’t ask to be vampire. She could have had kids when she was human, or if she’d married someone else. But now…”
“You saved her, si?” Quintus had felt her presence after she’d been reborn, but he’d never discussed it with Kade.
“A demon. She’d always been a fighter. A tough one. She almost died. She’d begged me to not turn her, but I couldn’t lose her.”
“She’s happy?” Joy emanated from her face as she blew the bubbles, playing with Luca and Kate.
“We might adopt some day. The child would have to be a supe. Maybe a wolf or a witch. It’s hard to believe but sometimes they lose parents or are abandoned. They need homes too. Watching Kate…she brings us hope,” Kade said.
“I’d heard he had a baby, but seeing Luca with her like this…clearly it’s changed him.” Quintus didn’t admit the feelings that stirred within him. What the hell is happening to me? Since being turned, he’d never given a thought to having kids until this very second.
“You don’t have to say anything. I know how it feels. That’s all I’m saying.” Kade sighed. “Perhaps we should talk business. Even though this place is warded, I don’t want to risk fate. You know the way of demons. Come. Sydney and Luca will stay with the child.”
Quintus glanced at Hunter, his expression hidden behind his sunglasses. The Alpha had overheard the conversation and said nothing, making him curious as to why. The quick-witted wolf had gone silent upon the conversation of children.
“Where’s Léopold?” Distracted by baby Kate, he hadn’t realized the vampire had vanished.
“He only stopped by for a few seconds, because he heard you were in town,” Kade told him. “He travels often. Spends quite a bit of time in France. The woman he’s bonded with is still there on holiday.”
Quintus crossed the lawn and stepped out of the sun into the lattice-covered structure, taking a seat next to Gabriella. Hunter and Kade followed. Samantha turned to address her guests.
“Gabby has been telling me about her coven. But to Luca’s question, why come to New Orleans? I haven’t met Absinthe, but I’ve heard of her and she’s a very powerful priestess.”
“The short of it is that something happened recently, and I don’t trust her,” he replied.
“But she told you about this artifact, yes?” Samantha questioned.
“She did. But I have good reason to question her motive for doing so. To be honest, if I had a choice, I would have gone to Ilsbeth with this kind of thing.” The last time he’d seen the ancient high priestess of New Orleans, she played as if she couldn’t remember her own name. But Quintus didn’t buy her convenient case of amnesia. “I take it she still isn’t practicing?”
“She’s indisposed at the moment.” Samantha’s demeanor fell flat as she looked to Kade.
“What is that supposed to mean?” Quintus asked. Fucking Ilsbeth.
“It’s okay. You can tell them.” Kade nodded.
Samantha’s gaze went to Luca whose smile faded momentarily in agreement.
“She’s missing,” Samantha admitted in a whisper.
“What the fuck?” Quintus shook his head and balled a fist. He took a deep breath, his face tense. “I knew that bitch was faking it the last time I was here. What happened?”
“She just disappeared one day. You have to understand. She was living in the coven house. It’s been converted but structures like that hold energy. I’d personally set a spell to keep her in place but one day…Holly, her keeper.”
“Yes, I met her the day I last saw you. With Jake and Kai.” Holly. The bubble-headed neophyte witch had been tasked with caring for the former high priestess. “I’m surprised you’d let a novice watch Ilsbeth.”
“Holly was newer at her practice, but all the witches took turns keeping watch over Zella.”
“Zella?” Gabriella asked.
“It’s the bullshit name she’s given herself. Jesus, I can’t even believe she walked out of here,” Quintus fumed. “You know how dangerous she is.”
“She tried to kill Dimitri’s wolf. Involved up to her eyeballs in the shit with Jax,” Hunter added.
“She was neither all good nor all bad. But I think we can all agree she was powerful,” Kade added.
“We did our best. But you know the reality. Ilsbeth is one of the oldest and most powerful witches. Holly…” Samantha blew out a breath, placing her palm onto the cool wooden table. “We found her dead in Ilsbeth’s room.”
“Perfect. She killed her,” Quintus commented.
“Yes.” Samantha paused, her lips drawn tight in a line. “Look, the truth is that although it’s easy to say she killed Holly, I’m not convinced. I was in the room. It stank of Hell. Sulfur. Could it have been Ilsbeth? Yes. She was involved with the demon up in New York. But I have this feeling whatever killed Holly actually was a demon.”
“Jax said the demon in New York was contained,” Hunter said.
“Maybe yes. Maybe no. From what I hear, that ca
ve was open for a while,” Quintus said. “It doesn’t really matter. We all know that Ilsbeth had her finger in more than one pot. It’s not like that demon up in New York was the only one she knew. That may have been the demon she lost a deal with but there have been plenty others on her dance card over the centuries.”
“He’s right,” Samantha agreed.
“We all went to Ilsbeth at one time or another,” Kade said. “You play with fire, you get burnt.”
“Speak for yourself. Dimitri may have played with witchy woman but not me,” Hunter said.
“I recall a few nights I’ve seen her in your arms,” Kade challenged.
“Hold the train, vamp.” Hunter held his palms upward. “I may have danced with her a hundred years ago…” He turned to Gabriella and shrugged. “And by that I mean…really it was over a hundred years ago. I was a wolf sowing my oats. And Ilsbeth? She’s some exotic hot magic all right. But dancing is a whole lot different than fucking, and I steered way clear of that mess.”
“Jesus,” Quintus shook his head and rolled his eyes. “Ilsbeth has been around a long time and she’s not going down without a fight. The last time we saw her, I’ll admit I almost believed her little ‘my name is Zella act’ right up until she did that channeling thing she did. That was pure Ilsbeth. Her magick was there. Now to Samantha’s point, I’m not sure she’s a coldblooded killer. She’s misguided for sure. I know you wolves will argue she tried to kill Dimitri, but she doesn’t generally go after someone without reason. The issue is that she’s fucking gone.”
“I’m sorry. We did the best we could. I’m telling you that there was no way she could have gotten out on her own,” Samantha said.
“We’ll deal with Ilsbeth later. Right now, we need your help figuring what to do with the first witch’s bone and more importantly, how to kill Lilitu.”
“We also have a little problem with Mao. She’s his ex,” Hunter added. “She’s a sort of zombie vampire thing. We’re not exactly sure but Absinthe, the good witch of New York, gave her as a gift to the big guy here. Demon was involved.”
“Another demon?” Samantha asked, her surprise apparent in her tone. “And he’s out?”
“Si. His name’s Thorn. He’s a half-breed so not the regular kind.” Quintus scrubbed his chin, frustrated. The more he spoke the worse it sounded but the situation was what it was. “Mao. She was…I was partially bonded with her, but I’m not anymore.”
“A pixiu, correct?” Samantha asked.
“But I saw her die. This thing. It’s not Mao.”
“We’ve completed the bond,” Gabriella confessed. “I bear his mark.”
“There’s no way we could have bonded if Mao was still alive. She looked real. But it wasn’t her. My best guess is that she’s a Jiangshi. My brother Viktor was watching her. Like with Ilsbeth, I had wards set but she escaped. Thorn claims he found her in Hell, but I suspect that she was put there as bait.”
“You trust this demon?” Kade asked.
“Hell no,” Quintus answered.
“Where’s your brother?” Samantha asked.
“That’s the fifty-million-dollar question now, isn’t it? The last I talked to him he was supposed to call Thorn and then get his ass down here. I specifically told him not to look for Mao, but I’m worried he went after her.”
“I haven’t heard from him,” Kade said.
Quintus glanced at his phone, noting his previous message had gone unread. Although concerned about him, he redirected the conversation. “We need help with the bone. How to use it.”
“The bones of the high priestess of a coven can kill her successors. So as you can imagine, they are usually well hidden. Only a few witches are trusted with the entombment of a body. Sometimes there is agreement to have it burned upon death,” Samantha told them. “Our covens are beautiful mystical places, where sisters and brothers learn and practice magick. But every now and then we have an outlier.”
“Lilitu,” Gabriella whispered, her eyes drawn to the dark cloud forming in the sky.
“Circe has had a reputation for years, but you must understand, witches mind their own. Ilsbeth was unusually active in other cities. She often traveled to New York, Philadelphia, Vegas. She was somewhat of a free spirit. A very powerful one. She didn’t play well with others. While witches like Absinthe tolerated her presence in their sandbox, they only did so out of fear.”
“What about everyone else?” Gabriella asked.
“Circe is known as purist. Much like my husband.” She paused and glanced to Luca and Kate playing in the grass, a smile blooming in her eyes. “He was quite a purist when I met him. He didn’t like humans. Didn’t care for witches either. Wolves have their purists as well.”
“It’s true. Some frown upon hybrids. Most of the time, packs are open minded but not all,” Hunter added.
“Some covens, they very much want to keep their circle tight. They won’t accept anyone but pure witches. Our coven here in New Orleans is open to others, ones who aren’t deemed pure. Although my magick is more powerful than the other witches in our coven, I wasn’t born a witch. There was a period of adjustment when I joined. I’m human. I’m engaged to a vampire. My child is hybrid. I know for a fact there are people who don’t agree I should be here.” Samantha sighed and brushed a thick red lock of hair from her eyes. “My point is that we can’t take on other covens and their issues. I’m truly sorry about your parents. But if you have the right artifact, you have a chance of setting things straight.”
“When I held it, I could sense the energy. It was…” Gabriella shivered, “surreal.”
“Who has the bone?” Samantha asked.
“I’ve got it. Thought it best to keep it, since they’re bonded. We didn’t want to risk having something happen to Gabby through Quint.”
Hunter reached inside his leather jacket and retrieved a red-checked handkerchief. He carefully set it on the table, unrolling the fabric.
As he revealed the bone, Quintus noted Gabriella’s body straighten, her back muscles tensing under his fingertips. Her eyes widened at the sight of it.
“You okay, si, bella?” he asked, circling her back with the palm of his hand.
“Yes…it’s just, there’s something about it.”
“May I?” Samantha reached for it, her fingers brushing over the stone as Quintus nodded. “It looks like a knife.”
“It’s a sternum,” Quintus told her. “It looks like a blade, but the bone is thin. It could easily break.”
“It’s inconspicuous. It was easier to hide than other bones.” Samantha held the artifact.
“Unless it’s got some special mojo, it can’t be made into a traditional weapon,” Quintus said.
“I’ve only been doing this for a little while now. I’m sure Ilsbeth would have the answers but mine is more like a best guess based upon my current knowledge of the situation. This bone here.” She held it up to the air, carefully inspecting it. “My gut feeling is that it must be ingested. So maybe it’s ground into a powder and blown into the face, breathed by its victim. Or ground and used as a poison. I’m going to need more time to research to be sure. I think for now…if I could have it…”
“I feel something,” Gabriella said, her voice shaken.
“Maybe just half of it,” Samantha suggested.
Quintus heard the rumble of the wind, the clouds darkening. “Maybe we ought to hang onto it?”
“I really think…” Samantha began but went silent as the sky erupted.
Quintus snapped to his feet as his brother appeared in the garden. His face pale and bruised, he’d been beaten. Before Quintus had a chance to speak, Viktor shouted, a hint of fear flickering in his eyes.
Mao.
Chapter Twelve
Gabriella’s mother had been the only kind witch she’d known. Yet Samantha spoke to her as if she were family, a fellow sister practicing magick. She guessed the witch was about her same age, but her words held the wisdom of elders. Within their home, Gabr
iella had felt safe, and her heart bloomed in warmth, listening to Samantha gush over Luca and baby Kate.
Home. Goddess, it had been so many years since she’d been in a safe place, where the scent of home-baked cookies lingered in the air. As Samantha described her coven, Gabriella watched the female vampire play with the child. Laughter and bubbles. A father lost in the joy of his daughter.
A thread of guilt twisted through Gabriella. She’d been afraid of vampires ever since she’d stepped into her first blood club. Keeping her head down, she simply sold her blood, steering clear of the vampires. On the rare occasions she’d interacted, they’d proven dangerous, with little regard for others.
Although this group of vampires had initially challenged Quintus, they’d exhibited a great level of trust, bringing them into their inner sanctum. These people were his sired family. As Quintus spoke to Léopold, her heart broke for him. She sensed the regret, aware that crushing grief and danger had kept him from mentoring the French vampire. Like many fathers and sons, they cared for each other yet lacked the communication needed to mend old wounds.
Gabriella struggled to concentrate on the conversation as the darkened clouds congregated above. No, no, no. She prayed Lilitu hadn’t found them. Her racing thoughts screeched to a halt as Viktor materialized before them. The suave vampire had been beaten, his clothes torn. He held out an arm, warning them away.
“Get Gabby out of here,” Viktor yelled.
Gabriella sucked a breath as Mao materialized in the courtyard, her eyes glazed over in an orange haze. Her beast went on alert, dark magick swirling around her.
“Quintus, darling.” Mao’s sickening sweet voice trilled, blood dripping from four-inch talons extending from her fingertips. “I want the she-wolf.”
“I’m sending you back to Hell.” Quintus stepped out of the gazebo, shielding Gabriella from her.
“You belong to me,” she insisted.
“Mao’s dead. And you’re going to be too.”
