by Grant, Donna
Elise raised her shotgun to her shoulder. She took aim at Delphine, but before she could squeeze off a shot, the gun was knocked out of her grasp, and she found herself tossed unceremoniously to the ground.
When she looked up, she gazed into Delphine’s black eyes. Even Elise could feel the power that flowed through the priestess. No wonder so many feared her.
Delphine grasped her jaw with fingers that bit into Elise’s cheeks. “You stupid fool. I can’t believe you fell for my trick. Since when has Kane ever projected his voice like that?”
Elise tried to tug Delphine’s hand away, but she couldn’t budge her even an inch. “You knew I would come for Kane.”
“Because you love him,” Delphine stated with disdain.
Elise grinned through the pain. “And I knew you’d come over here for me. Who’s the fool now?”
15
“Elise!” Kane bellowed when Delphine tackled her to the ground.
He had to get to Elise, to save her from certain death. Kane stepped into the water, only to jump back before a gator lunged for his foot.
“Fuck,” he grumbled, his gaze jerking back up to Elise.
Kane quickly scanned the area, looking for a place to cross that didn’t have alligators waiting to take a bite out of him. He moved from one side of the tiny isle to the other, but it was as difficult to get off, as it was to get on.
No wonder Delphine had chosen it.
Frustration and fear pounded through him, slamming his heart against his ribs. He’d been about to agree to Delphine’s proposal, to take her at her word that she would make sure his family and Elise were safe and unharmed.
How stupid was he to believe anything that came out of Delphine’s mouth? She manipulated and lied her way to whatever she wanted. If anything, Kane should’ve known he couldn’t trust her.
“Elise!” he shouted again.
He’d be shattered if she were killed—and nothing would ever put him back together. How could he bring her into this unwinnable war? How could he have dared to think about his own pleasure for even an instant?
A howl he knew well sounded to his left. Kane’s head snapped in that direction as a silvery white wolf came into view with Minka by his side.
“Solomon,” he whispered.
Minka walked to the edge of the bayou and held her hands out. Kane stared in amazement at the ripples moving over the water as alligators swam away.
Kane didn’t waste any time hurrying into the water. The edge dropped off quickly, and he swam to the opposite side where Minka and Solomon awaited him. Just as he was about to run to Elise, Minka grabbed his arm.
“Wait,” she cautioned.
He glared at her. “Are you insane? Delphine is going to kill her.”
Solomon growled in response.
Minka rubbed Solomon’s head and told Kane, “Your Elise has a plan, and it’s a good one.”
“What?” he asked, unsure if he’d heard her correctly.
Minka gave him a quick smile. “Trust us. And be ready.”
He gawked at Minka, who hurried out of sight. Kane’s head swung back to Delphine and Elise before he looked at Solomon. Kane had no idea where Court or Myles were, but if his brothers liked the plan, then it had to be good.
Solomon trotted off, and Kane grudgingly followed. He glanced back at Elise one last time, praying she knew what she was doing.
* * *
“Nice try,” Delphine said with a smile.
Elise continued to attempt to pull the priestess’s hands away from her jaw, to no avail. Delphine was frighteningly strong. Elise didn’t know if it was magic or not, but it didn’t matter. She just needed to get free.
“No one can mess with another’s mind like I can,” Delphine stated. “But I will give you props for the attempt.”
Elise laughed, though the sound came out more like a bleating cow. “Attempt? I’ve done more than that.”
Delphine’s black eyes narrowed as she squeezed harder. Then she looked up. Even with dots beginning to edge Elise’s vision from lack of oxygen, she still enjoyed seeing Delphine’s smile vanish when she caught sight of Minka.
Elise dragged in a gulp of air as Delphine’s grip suddenly disappeared. She could hear Minka and the priestess talking, but she couldn’t make out their words. Elise was losing consciousness. She fought to remain awake, but it was becoming more difficult.
“Stay with me.”
Elise rolled onto her side, frowning at the sound of Miss Babette’s voice in her head.
“That’s it, my girl. Stay with me,” Babette said.
Elise felt as if she were floating between worlds. She opened her eyes, but she was no longer lying on the ground. She was in Babette’s house, gazing down at her blood-soaked body as the old woman spoke calmly while she and another frantically tried to stop the bleeding.
She didn’t understand what was going on. Elise recalled very little of the night she was attacked. It wasn’t until days later when she woke up in Babette’s house that they told her what had happened.
So, what was she seeing now?
Elise blinked, and the scene changed. Her many injuries had been stitched, and Babette sat on the side of the bed as she put salve on the wounds before wrapping them in bandages.
“You still have much to do, my girl,” the woman said. “You’re needed, though he won’t realize how much until everything may be lost.”
Elise shook her head. What the hell was going on? But even as the thought went through her mind, she concentrated on Babette.
The old woman sat back and sighed loudly. “I’ve seen what’s to come, Elise. You have great strength in you, though you haven’t recognized it yet. He will show you it’s there. But you’re going to have to use it. You can’t hear my words now, but when you need them the most, they will come to you.”
Elise reached out to see if she could touch Babette, and in the next instant, found herself once more on the ground. She dug her fingers into the grass as the words reverberated in her head.
Without a doubt, she knew Babette had been speaking of Kane, and while the old woman hadn’t said Delphine’s name, this was the event she must have seen.
Elise rose up on her hands and knees and ignored her bruised jaw as she swallowed. Minka and Delphine were going head-to-head with their magic, and while Minka was holding her own, she was weakening.
After getting to her feet, Elise looked for Kane on the isle, but he wasn’t there. She smiled. Another part of the plan had worked.
Elise had the feeling someone was watching her. She turned her head to the side and saw Babette standing about fifty yards away. All around her lay dead werewolves who would no longer be coming to Delphine’s aid.
* * *
Kane wanted to dive into the battle. He and his brothers waited, hidden, for the signal. Not that he knew what the signal was. As soon as he followed Solomon, he’d shifted and joined his siblings. But he didn’t need words to know that this was their final stand.
They would either kill Delphine or die trying.
Kane snapped his jaws. The longer he waited for a piece of the priestess, the more annoyed he became.
Solomon issued a low growl of warning that someone approached from behind them. As one, the four of them turned and crouched down, ready to attack.
Kane was shocked to find Griffin, Alpha of the Moonstone Pack. Behind him were others of the pack. The last time they had seen Griffin, he’d been helping Delphine. Granted, the priestess had his sister, but still.
Griffin raised his hands. “We’re here to watch and act as backup if necessary. We’ve taken out several of Delphine’s weres. I know you might not believe me, Kane, but we’ve got your backs.”
Solomon gave a nod and turned back to the fight. Myles and Court did the same. But Kane bared his teeth to Griffin. He’d been the one to befriend Griffin and convince him to return to New Orleans. Kane went out of his way to bring the Moonstone Pack back together, and he and his family had been betra
yed.
It was something he didn’t easily forgive—or forget.
An Alpha didn’t show submission easily, but Griffin bowed his head to Kane. “I’m sorry. I’ve spent these last months earning my pack’s trust again. I’ll do whatever it takes to earn yours. I lost my sister, Kane. She was the only reason I helped Delphine. I can’t change the past, but I can prove myself. My pack has surrounded the area. Delphine won’t get past us.”
They didn’t know that the priestess could shift into nothing more than a bit of smoke, and Kane didn’t have time to tell them now. He turned to Delphine and Minka when he heard a shriek of anger.
Kane’s gaze sought out Elise. He was happy to see she was on her feet again. Her gaze was off to the side, and by her smile, she saw something or someone she recognized.
Solomon began to pace when it was evident that Minka was weakening against the onslaught of Delphine’s magic. Something had to be done, and quickly.
Kane started forward, but Myles jumped in his way.
* * *
Delphine was going to win. Again. Elise couldn’t imagine a world where the priestess ruled all. Because Elise realized that this was the final battle, the conclusion of years of skirmishes between the LaRues and Delphine.
Elise took a step toward Minka when the witch dropped to her knees and struggled to keep her magic going. Elise looked around for Kane and his brothers. This was when they should join in. Why weren’t they?
She spotted the reason a moment later when Babette walked to stand beside Minka. The old Creole woman lifted her chin and glared at Delphine.
“I warned you never to return here,” Babette said.
Delphine laughed as she dropped her hands, halting the magic she had directed at Minka. “Babette. I thought you’d be dead by now.”
“You tried hard enough, but I don’t die easily.”
Elise looked back and forth between them, paying special attention to the tension between the two women.
Delphine raked her gaze over Babette. “You look...old, sister.”
Elise’s mouth dropped open. You could’ve knocked her down with a feather she was so surprised.
Babette slowly shook her head. “Reverting to barbs, just like when you were a kid because you didn’t have the intelligence to argue.”
“No, I had the kind of power that really mattered,” Delphine retorted.
Babette smiled sadly. “You took the wrong path. I hope you enjoyed the power you had because you’re about to lose it.”
“Oh, I don’t think so. No one can touch me now.”
Babette raised a brow, a grin forming as Kane, Solomon, Myles, and Court moved in a semi-circle behind Delphine. “You were always looking ahead, Delphine, grasping for things that were out of reach, which made you miss what was right in front of you.”
Elise frowned. She knew those words. She wasn’t sure how, but she knew them, had lived them before...somehow. Her gaze slid to Kane to find him watching her. In his yellow eyes, she saw recognition of Babette’s words, as well.
She turned her head to Babette and then Delphine. As she did, a vision of sorts formed. Elise saw Kane lunge at Delphine and sink his teeth into her throat.
“I’m done with this!” Delphine bellowed. “All of you will die this day.”
A chill ran down Elise’s spine as Babette cut her eyes to her. Elise knew Delphine had to be kept in her current form, but how? Minka was so weak, she could barely lift her head, and Babette didn’t seem to have any magic at all.
Babette gave a small, barely discernable nod, as if to tell Elise to continue her train of thought. Then time slid to a crawl as Babette turned her head to Delphine and held out her arms. In the next instant, Babette was encased in flames.
“No!” Elise screamed as Babette flailed about before collapsing.
Minka was able to use her magic to put out the flames, but it was already too late. Babette was dead.
Rage burned through Elise. She looked around for her shotgun as yelps of pain mixed with growls of warning came from the LaRues. Her head jerked to the werewolves to find that Delphine had Myles, Solomon, and Court pinned down with her magic as she glared at Kane.
Elise briefly met Kane’s gaze. She forgot her shotgun and rushed Delphine, but the Voodoo priestess spun around to face her before Elise could do anything.
“I’m going to make Kane watch as I kill his family, but I’m saving you for last,” Delphine announced.
The priestess’s body began to grow hazy, and Elise realized she was shifting into the black mass again. The image of Kane killing Delphine with his jaws around her throat replayed again.
“No,” Elise stated. “You’ll remain here. In your human form.”
Delphine’s laugh cut off in the middle as she became solid once again. Her gaze held a wealth of anger and retribution as she looked at Elise. “What did you do? You’ve no magic?”
Elise smiled coldly. “That’s right. I don’t have magic, but what I have is command over you.”
Delphine took a step back. “That’s not...possible.”
“Babette once told me that I have control over what’s on my land. It’s why you never fought the LaRues at any place they owned. It was always someplace one of your followers retained or was owned by the city. But you made a mistake here,” Elise said as she moved a step closer. “This is my land.”
Fear reflected in Delphine’s black eyes as the truth settled over her.
Elise grinned as she saw Kane crouch down and get ready to attack. “You were right. You are done. And I know just the wolf to finish you.”
Delphine turned, her scream cut off as Kane’s powerful jaws locked around her throat. There was a snap as he broke her neck before dropping her lifeless body.
Elise’s legs gave out, and she crumpled to the ground. She couldn’t believe it was over. Kane walked to her and shifted. She winced when she heard his bones popping back into place.
His yellow wolf eyes faded to bright blue, and then she was in his arms. She closed her eyes and savored the feeling of being held by him.
“I thought I’d lost you,” he said as he leaned back to look at her. “How did you do that?”
Elise looked to Babette’s charred body as Court, Myles, Solomon, and Minka walked to them. “When Babette tended me after my attack, she told me about this day. Not in exact words, but enough. I didn’t remember any of it until today when she appeared.”
“She was Delphine’s sister,” Minka said. “I didn’t think Delphine had family.”
Kane shook his head. “Babette saved us.”
Myles and Court suddenly took off running toward her house for Addison and Skye. Minka shot her and Kane a smile before walking away with Solomon. Elise took a deep breath as Kane linked his fingers with hers.
“You kicked ass,” he said with a sexy grin.
“I didn’t do anything other than what Babette showed me needed to happen.”
Kane shrugged a shoulder. “I beg to differ. That took serious courage. You were magnificent.”
She smiled, happiness flooding her. “Magnificent, huh?”
“Hell yeah. Is it any wonder I love you?”
Her heart stopped as she blinked at his confession.
He skimmed his knuckles down her cheek. “I think I’ve loved you since I woke up in your house. You...inspire me. I want to spend every day for the rest of my life showing you how much I love you.”
She swallowed and rose up on her knees to cup her hands on either side of his face. “How do you always know just what to say?”
“With you, it’s easy.”
She grinned and pressed her lips to his for a soft kiss. “I love you.”
His smile was blinding as he got to his feet and lifted her into his arms as he spun them around.
The evil that had ruled his life for so long was gone. Something else would take its place eventually because it was the way of the world. But for now, there was peace and happiness.
And love.
Epilogue
Two weeks later...
Complete. That’s how Kane felt now. He lifted the longneck beer to his mouth for a swig as he watched the women of his family surround Elise. She smiled at him, and he felt as if his heart would burst.
Solomon came up beside him. “You got a good one.”
“I know,” Kane said with a grin.
“I suppose we’ll be seeing much more of her?”
Kane looked at his brother and nodded. “I believe so. Especially since I’m moving in with her.”
“Hot damn,” Court said as he came up, slapping a hand on Kane’s shoulder. “I knew it.”
Kane frowned as Myles walked up, followed by their cousins Vincent, Lincoln, Beau, Christian, and Marshall, Riley’s fiancé. “What are you talking about?”
“We made a bet,” Beau said.
Christian nodded.
“When you and Elise were going to move in together and where,” Lincoln said with a grin before he took a drink of his beer.
Vincent elbowed Linc as he shook his head. “Ignore them, Kane.”
“Bullshit,” Marshall said with a laugh. “You were the first to place a bet, Vin.”
They all laughed. When the laughter died down, they each looked around, realizing how precious their time was together, and how easily Delphine could’ve won and destroyed it all.
“Laughing without me is a crime,” Riley said as she walked up and put her arm around Marshall. “I am engaged to a sheriff, you know. So don’t piss me off, or I’ll have you arrested.”
Beau rolled his eyes. “Oh, God. That again?”
“Ah, yeah,” Riley replied sarcastically.
Marshall winked at Riley before pulling her close for a kiss.
The circle expanded as Olivia went to Vin, Ava to Linc, Davena to Beau, Ivy to Christian, Addison to Myles, Skye to Court, and Minka to Solomon.
Kane held out his hand for Elise as he pulled her against him. This was their family now. Regardless of what was to come, they would stand together.
