by Grant, Donna
“I’m going to kill him,” Court said angrily, his worry over his brother filling his blue eyes.
Myles covered Addison’s hand and squeezed it before he looked at Elise. “Obviously, you called to tell us what he was doing. Why did you hang up?”
Elise’s gaze returned to the window as she remembered Kane walking into the bayou. “I wanted to help him, but my reasons were selfish. I want him back.”
“Because you love him,” Minka said.
Elise nodded. “While I was on hold, I thought about all the things Kane had told me about each of you and the battles you’ve fought with Delphine. This is his way of ensuring that none of you have to fight her again and can live happily together.”
“Not without him,” Solomon said.
Skye’s head cocked to the side. “And he has you.”
Elise gave Mr. Darcy one more rub before setting him down. “He’s doing this for me, as well. He said the first thing Delphine would do was come after me.”
“He’s right,” Court murmured.
Solomon got to his feet and moved to stand at one of the windows looking out. “I’d do the same thing if I were in Kane’s shoes. But while I understand his thinking, I won’t allow him to fight her on his own.”
“Then we find him now,” Myles said as he stood.
Court snorted loudly and rose. “As if you even need to ask my opinion.”
“Wait,” Elise said. “You should know that the weres who attacked Kane and me aren’t from the Moonstone Pack. Kane believes they’re Delphine’s followers. People she turned.”
Court rolled his eyes. “Damn, this bitch just doesn’t know when to stop.”
Minka jumped to her feet and hurried to Solomon, who turned to face her. “I’m coming with you.”
“That might be wise,” Elise said. “Kane mentioned that Delphine was now a black mass instead of a person.”
Addison’s brow puckered into a frown as she looked at the others. “Does that mean she’s more powerful?”
Minka shrugged. “It’s a possibility.”
“It could be a trap,” Skye said.
Elise nodded. “Kane thought the same thing, but he said it had to be done.”
“It does,” Myles stated.
Court raised his brows as he glanced at his brothers. “Without a doubt.”
“So, now what?” Addison asked. “Surely, the three of you aren’t going to go barging out there.”
“Four,” Minka interjected as she looked at Solomon.
Elise watched as the eldest LaRue and his witch stared at each other for a long time. Solomon blew out a breath, his silent agreement obviously done in protest.
Minka grinned before she faced Addison, Skye, and Elise. “Kane did a pretty good job warding the house. I’m going to add more, but the three of you should remain inside.”
“I think you should, as well,” Solomon said.
Minka shot him a look but didn’t reply. Elise wrung her hands as the witch walked onto the porch and stood at the door with her hand on the wood for a moment before she moved out of sight.
“Minka’s very good,” Addison said.
Skye nodded. “You’ll be safe long after we’re gone.”
As if Elise needed a reminder that Kane would no longer be in her life. She was about to reply when she caught Addison staring at her arms.
Elise moved them behind her and shifted so that it would be difficult for anyone to see them. She was used to people being in her clinic, but not her house. Her small house felt even tinier with the others inside. She wanted to rush out and look for Kane herself.
The time they’d had together was amazing and all too fleeting. She hadn’t comprehended just how special those few days could be, but she was coming to realize it now. And she ached to have more.
“It’s going to be all right.”
Elise blinked to find Minka before her and the others out on the porch. The witch’s brown eyes held a wealth of kindness as she smiled. “I know you don’t know us, but trust us, please.”
“I’ll help however I can to find Kane,” Elise said.
“I’ve no doubt.”
Elise remained in the house as the six spoke, the lovers saying their good-byes before Solomon, Minka, Myles, and Court followed the same path Kane had taken hours earlier.
12
“Oh, Kane. I knew it would be you that came for me.”
It felt as if Delphine’s voice were all around him. The blue skies were blocked out, the entire area darkening as if a blanket had been pulled over it.
Kane fisted his hands as the urge to shift slammed into him. He knew that, somehow, Delphine was responsible.
“I could’ve killed you at any time these past months,” she said. “I’ve been waiting for you to come to me.”
He looked around, noting that the bayou had gone eerily silent. “Show yourself.”
“Hm. I don’t think so. I quite like this.”
“What do you want, Delphine?”
It felt as if something caressed his face. “You.”
He jerked back, revolted at the thought of her touching him. “I’m not in the mood for jokes.”
“I’m not joking,” came her terse reply.
Kane drew in a deep breath and attempted to figure out the priestess’s angle.
More laughter floated around him. “I’ve got you wondering now.”
“You kill.”
“Yes, and I’m good at it,” came the whisper close to his ear.
Kane hated the fact that she was seemingly all around him, and he could do nothing about it. Proving that she was right—she could kill him anytime.
“George put you in this form,” he said.
She made a sound somewhere between a hiss and a growl. “Don’t ever mention his name again. It took everything I had to hold back his magic, but it was you who dealt the final blow. We work well together.”
“If he had gotten the upper hand on you, it would’ve been your neck I bit,” Kane replied.
She chuckled. “It’s true, he did something to me. I couldn’t take solid form. That hindered me for a while. I couldn’t control anything, not even my magic.”
Kane could’ve kicked himself. If only he had found her then, it would’ve been so easy to kill her.
“But then I learned just how powerful I am in this form. I’m no longer limited as I was with a body. I move faster, and can make myself as big or small as I need.”
Fucking wonderful. The lunatic was now a certified psychopath. That’s just what everyone needed. And if she were difficult to find, he imagined she’d be even harder to kill.
“You don’t look happy,” she said with a laugh.
“I came to kill you. My job is a little harder, but I’m up to the challenge.”
Once again, something slid along his cheek—and then down his chest to his cock. “Well, you can certainly try. Tell me, Kane, do you know why I cursed you to go after Ava?”
The fact that Delphine was bringing up Ava, who was now engaged to his cousin, Lincoln, was disturbing. Even more upsetting was that Delphine wanted to discuss the very thing that had altered his life.
“Because I pissed you off,” he stated and moved away from her.
“I let you believe that was the reason. In truth, I’d been watching you and your brothers for some time. I saw the potential in you.”
He was repelled by the notion that she’d watched any of them that closely. “Potential for what?”
“Blood. Mayhem. Death...evil.”
Kane wanted to gag, to hit her with all the rage that was currently built up in him.
Suddenly, her voice came from behind him, her mouth close to his ear once more. “Look what I turned you into. You’re a killing machine, Kane. You’re focused, determined. I gave that to you.”
He whirled around to get away from her, even though he knew he couldn’t. She was the one blocking out the sun, which meant she might very well be able to keep him right there forever
. Had he fallen right into her trap?
“No!” he bellowed. “I nearly killed my cousins and the woman Linc fell in love with! I’m like this for one purpose only—to kill you!”
She laughed long and loud. “Believe what you want. Your actions speak louder than your pitiful words.”
Kane had never felt such hate before. “And Riley? What was she?”
“Someone I needed. Or, at least, I believed I needed her. Turns out, I got what I wanted without her.”
Was Delphine implying that she could take over New Orleans now? God, Kane hoped that wasn’t the case. His brothers—hell, the entire city—weren’t prepared for that.
No doubt everyone had gotten used to Delphine being absent from the city, putting everyone in a false state of peace. The fallout from her return would be epic. The all-out war between the factions would spill from New Orleans into neighboring towns.
And the death toll would gain national attention.
This had to be contained. Now. Any way possible. Which meant it was all up to Kane.
“Do my words upset you?”
He fought to control his anger. “You know they do.”
“I know how much you love your family. They mean a lot to you, don’t they?”
“They mean everything.”
He heard the smile in her words as Delphine said, “That’s exactly what I’m counting on.”
He was fucked two ways from Sunday. There was no doubt about it now. And no matter how hard he looked, he couldn’t find a way out of the situation.
Had Elise been right? Should he have brought his brothers along? Or was he justified in doing this alone so only he had to suffer whatever was coming?
As soon as he thought of Elise, that was the only thing on his mind. But he quickly shoved her aside. He had no idea how much Delphine’s powers had grown, and he didn’t wish to test anything yet.
“You speak as if you have a proposal,” he said.
There was movement in the dimness, as if everything became a little darker. “You’ve proven your worth by working with me to kill George. It showed me that there is no one better to stand by my side as I rule New Orleans than you.”
“No,” he answered.
“You might want to hold up before you reply. You’ve not heard my full offer.”
“I’ll not work with you.”
Something wound around his body. He looked down but could see nothing. “Oh, you will,” she said.
He didn’t like her confidence. There was only one thing that could make him do whatever she wanted—threatening those he cared about.
And the bitch knew it.
“Oh, I see you’ve figured it out,” she said, a smirk in her voice. “I knew you were smart.”
“Spell it out for me anyway,” he demanded.
“Fine, but I don’t like your tone. You best curb that attitude. Quickly.”
She was about to get more than sarcasm. She would get the monster she thought she created.
“Join me, stand beside me as I take over New Orleans. The LaRues have kept everyone in line for years. Instead of your family, I’ll take over. With you by my side, there will be no uprisings, no war, because they’ll see that I have the approval of your family.”
She was certified, bat-shit crazy. There was no denying it.
The darkness around him shifted into the form of Delphine. Kane blinked against the harsh light of the sun suddenly visible again. He stared into the priestess’s black eyes. Her black hair hung to her waist in rows of small braids. She wore a white gauze dress that showed the outline of her body and was a stark contrast to her dark skin.
She smiled and held out her arms. “A little show of what my power can do. Why not join me? If you swear to serve me, I give you my word that no one—including me—will ever harm your family again. Not your brothers, their women, or their children. Not your cousins or their families. I’ll even throw in the veterinarian who patched you up. They’ll live happily and be safe. All you have to do is join me.”
There was a catch in there somewhere, Kane just couldn’t see it yet. Asking her would be pointless, though. Delphine was willing to give him a lot to have him stand with her.
Her brow quirked, agitation making her lips thin. “You hesitate?”
“I’m wondering why you want me? If you need some lackey to stand at your side, you have dozens of followers. Hell, you even cursed some to be werewolves.”
She cut her eyes to him. “They chose that option. And I want you, not just anyone.”
“Right,” he said with a nod. “Because I have the ability within me to do evil.”
“Yes.”
He laughed. “Everyone does. Just as everyone,” he paused and wrinkled his nose at her, “well, almost everyone, can do good. There’s another reason you want me. I won’t give you an answer until you tell me what that is.”
“I can kill everyone you ever cared about in an instant,” she threatened.
“You’ve been doing that for years, so that doesn’t pose the threat it might have, had you told me after murdering my parents.”
Her black eyes narrowed on him. “You will be my enforcer.”
“Of course,” he said with a snort.
“That displeases you?”
He crossed his arms over his chest. “Your weres nearly killed me the other day.”
“And they’ve been punished for it. They were only supposed to wound you, but their hatred was too great.”
“You mean you lost control of them.”
The way her nostrils flared told him he’d hit a nerve. Good. He wanted to hammer the shit out of it.
She tilted her head, her braids falling to the side. “They didn’t do much damage to you the second time, did they?”
“They would have killed the vet.”
Delphine smiled suddenly. “Nice try, making me believe you don’t care about her by not saying her name. I’m not buying it for a second. I saw how quickly you came to her aid.”
“What did you expect?”
She tsked loudly. “I thought you were smarter than that. By staying with the beautiful Elise, you gave me enough incentive to kill her. If you valued her life, you would’ve walked away from her immediately. Apparently, evil actually rules you.”
Kane didn’t want to believe that, but he knew that staying with Elise put her at risk—yet he had remained. What kind of fool was he? Had he done it on purpose like Delphine suggested? Had he known Elise could die because of it?
Delphine closed the distance between them. “You belong with me, Kane. I can show you power the likes of which you can’t begin to fathom. No one will ever question you again. On top of that, your family will be safe. What more could you want?”
Elise. He wanted Elise, but it didn’t matter because he knew that no matter what, he’d never have her. Delphine would see to that.
“The answer is on your face,” Delphine said as she put her hand on his chest. “All you have to do is say the words.”
He stared into her black eyes and thought of all the times he had tried to kill her, of all the times she had taken the life of one of his friends or allies.
“Say it,” she urged, her smile growing tight.
His family had made a vow to protect New Orleans from evil. He would be going back on that if he agreed to Delphine’s terms. But his brothers would have a life free of battle and death.
“Join me!” she shouted.
“Don’t do it, Kane.”
He whirled around and saw his brothers standing shoulder-to-shoulder, ready to fight. So much for him fighting Delphine alone.
13
Elise lowered her cell phone to the desk. She marked her calendar after finishing the last of the calls to reschedule the rest of the day’s appointments. Thankfully, they’d all just been check-ups—not to say that an emergency wouldn’t show up.
She had been woken in the early-morning hours many nights to tend to injured animals. But that was just part of her job.
<
br /> She looked over at Skye and Addison. Skye was flipping through a magazine, while Addison absently petted Mr. Darcy, who was curled up in her lap, as she stared at the floor.
“I feel so useless,” Elise said.
The women looked at her. Addison smiled sadly. “It’s something I struggle with constantly.”
“It’s easier for Minka,” Skye said. “Being a witch allows her to get right into the mix of things.”
The chair creaked as Elise leaned back. “I’ve never been in a situation like this. I’d like to think I would stand and fight, but to be honest, I’d probably run.”
“We all want to run,” Addison admitted.
Skye nodded, her lips twisted ruefully. “Delphine is terrifying. We’ve both faced her, and it’s only because of the LaRues that we’re still alive.”
Addison jerked her chin to the degrees framed on her wall, as well as some of the pictures of the places she had worked. “You have impressive skills by the looks of it. Why remain out here? You could make a killing in New Orleans.”
Elise placed her hand over a scar on her arm. She’d made the decision not to hide them, but she wasn’t sure if she was ready to tell everyone her story. But this new her had to start with tiny steps. And this was a good one.
“I was attacked one night as I left New Orleans. Someone ran me off the road. My attacker wanted to rape me, and I fought back. It got me these when I protected my face,” she said as she held up her arms. “The people here saved me. It was an old Creole woman who healed my wounds, and I never left. I’ve found a place in this community.”
Skye grinned as she set aside the magazine. “I believe you’re meant to be here. We can’t thank you enough for helping Kane.”
“I just want him to win against Delphine.”
Addison sighed. “We all do. I pray every night for a future without her in it.”
“I can’t even imagine such a day, not after everything we’ve been through with her.”
Elise listened to the two and understood fully why Kane had gone after the Voodoo priestess himself. She hated the thought of him facing her alone, but Kane was doing it out of love for his family. She only hoped he outwitted Delphine.
