by Angie Fox
I still had to holler over the rest of the Harley noise. "I'm going to find a way to get down to Royal Street and visit that voodoo shop again. The good one," I added over a cheer from the revelers as somebody earned a string full of beads. "Carpenter thinks his friend can help us."
Grandma drew a gloved hand over her chin. "Okay. I think I've got enough to take her down if we need to."
It wouldn't be necessary. "Carpenter trusts her." She should be okay. "I want to talk to her without an army at my back." I didn't know any woman in her right mind who would take kindly to a squadron of biker witches, their spells locked and loaded, showing up at her door after dark.
Besides, I could defend myself.
Grandma pressed her lips together and huffed. "Then you and I will do it together." Before I could respond, she cut me off. "Voodoo is dangerous, Lizzie."
No kidding. "I got that loud and clear."
Grandma gave a sharp nod. "We'll drop the coven off and then head back."
"Right," I said, agreeing to the new plan. I just hadn't expected the surprise that awaited us when we returned to the house.
Chapter Thirteen
Dimitri Kallinikos, my husband, best friend and real-life dream man straddled his bike on the street just outside our safe house. I let out a small, very uncool scream and was ready to ride straight up to him and dismount, when Grandma gave him the signal to follow the group of us around back. So I had to wait while he rode next to me and grinned.
Tease.
I didn't have the patience tonight. Not after what we'd been through. I was hopped up and nearly bursting with adrenaline.
We pulled into the backyard. The witches lined up in rows. I parked along the outside, next to Dimitri. He was off his bike and kissing me before my engine had fully shut down. I wrapped my hands over his strong shoulders and breathed in his warm male scent mixed with motor oil and leather.
After the darkness, the pain, the struggle this trip had brought, I finally had a ray of light and I wasn't about to take it for granted. I eased off my bike and wound my body closer to his, very glad to feel first-hand how happy he was to see me.
"Get a room," Frieda said, brushing past us, her potato gun hoisted over her shoulder.
"It would be our pleasure," Dimitri murmured against my lips.
It would also be quite a feat considering our current living quarters. We had biker witches sleeping upstairs and down, some of them five to a room. And there was no way I was going anywhere near the bedroom at the top of the stairs.
All righty then…
I took Dimitri's hand. "This way," I said, urging him toward a small garden in the far corner of the backyard, away from the house. Wild roses overgrew the arched entryway and vines had overtaken the trellises.
"I didn't even see you until you screamed," he chuckled behind me.
Yeah, well, good thing I still had my sneak spell—although I doubt the biker witches ever thought of using it for something like this.
Dimitri trailed a hand down my spine as we ducked past a leafy tangle of morning glories grown over a lilac bush full to bursting with blooms. The tangle of wild plants created a maze of sorts, a memorial to faded glory.
He kissed me and drew me deeper into the garden, past a marble fountain with a wrought-iron viewing bench. A stone wall at the back dripped with Spanish moss. I felt my back hit the wall.
He cupped my cheek. "Remember the last time we did it outside?"
I closed my eyes at the exquisite feel of him running his fingers through my hair. "I believe I do," I answered, coy, as I found the spot behind his ear that he loved. "I came," I whispered, nibbling at his lobe, enjoying his inhaled breath." Spectacularly."
Our entire family had also caught us, including my mother. I'd longed for him then because we hadn't been able to get a second to ourselves during our wedding week. Now I craved him for an entirely different reason. After days on edge, I needed to know that there was something good in the world, something right.
"You're going to make me lose my mind," he said, his words labored. His breath came harsh against my neck. "You know that."
"It's part of my charm," I said, sliding my hand along the front of his jeans. He hissed, pushing into me so I could feel just how hard he was for me.
He was always so primed and ready. I pulled his jeans open and reached inside, eager to drop to my knees and show him exactly how much I appreciated that.
He lifted me into his arms instead, pulling me into a deep kiss. I surrendered to it as he carried me farther into the garden. I wrapped my legs around his hips and ground into him, making him moan as he deposited me on the ornate bench behind the fountain.
"Are you wet for me?" he asked, teasing his fingers along my pussy in a way that made me feel them even through my leather pants and panties.
"Soaked," I said, feeling myself grow even hotter for him.
He grinned. "Show me."
I flipped the button on my pants and together, we drew them off my body, with my panties still attached. I lay back on the bench. I was done teasing. I spread my legs and let him see for himself.
I think I shocked him. In fact, I know I did. His face dropped and he stared with pure lust.
"Now what are you going to do about it?" I asked.
He crushed me to him, kissing me hard and urgent. God, I'd needed this.
He trailed wet kisses down my neck and across the top of my chest. "Fuck. You drive me insane. You do it on purpose, don't you?"
The corner of my mouth tugged up. "Yes." I gripped the back of his head when he drew down my bodice, my fingers tangled in his thick, short-clipped hair. I jerked when he ran a hot tongue over my aching nipple. "Careful," I gasped. "I've got a sneak spell between my boobs."
He jerked his head up. "What'd you say?" His gaze was lust-drenched, glassy. His calloused fingers rubbed at my nipples, sending a jolt of fire straight between my legs. He gave a slight shake of the head. "Forget it." he mused, his voice thick with desire as he bent his head down to my breasts. "I don't care."
And as he kissed and sucked and licked my breasts, I found I didn't care, either.
I gasped as I felt the tip of him against my entrance. It felt so good. "Get on with it," I murmured as he wet his head on my juices, making me push against him, trying to get more of him inside me.
His breath burned hot against my cheek. "What? You think I'm a sure thing?"
Jerk. "I know you are." I thrust up against him, taking more of him inside me, driving both of us crazy. It was one of the things I loved about him. We didn't play games, not when it counted. He was on my side. Always. I could depend on him no matter what.
"God, yes," he said, thrusting deeply. "You're my world." He reared back and shoved forward again. "My everything." He kissed me deeply. "I love you."
"I love you, too," I murmured against his neck. "With everything I have."
And I was desperate for him, for the way he made me feel. For knowing that I could pour out my love and my lust, my fear and my pain, my anger and my hurt and that he would take it all. With Dimitri, I wasn't alone anymore.
I held him tight and felt my eyes grow hot with tears as I squeezed them shut and let my body buck and scream and come apart with the pleasure it.
I felt him stiffen as he gripped me tighter and his thrusts came quicker. He lost some of that control, his breath coming in pants as he pushed into me with growing desperation. He moved with a razor-edged need. He gasped wetly against my cheek and with three more hard thrusts, he came inside me.
He went limp and heavy on me, and I found breathing overrated as I ran my hands over his broad back and shoulders, relishing the fact that he was back where he belonged.
"So I take it you missed me," he said, pulling away slightly, grinning like some kind of super stud. Then again, I supposed he had every right.
"I did," I informed him. "Next time, I'm just going to kidnap you."
He gave a wolfish smile. "Now that's got to be more interest
ing than clan meetings." He shook his head slightly. "Although not by much. Those guys are crazy."
"You'll have to tell me all about it," I started, "but right now…" I shifted. Now that the lust had worn off a bit, I noticed my butt had fallen asleep on the hard metal bench and I wasn't sure how he'd gotten my boots off. My toes were starting to get cold, even with my ankles wrapped round his back.
"Ah, the perils of outdoor reunions," he said, as we untangled ourselves. He drew me back into his arms and I snuggled against him on the bench, with my legs tucked under me.
"Let's go inside," he suggested.
"Not yet. But we should get dressed," I said, reaching for my pants. I hated that we didn't have time to linger. "I need your help."
He nodded, all business. It amazed me how quickly he could go from sex-on-a-stick to badass griffin. As he stood and grabbed for his jeans, I knew there was no one else I'd rather have with me that night.
"Our favorite necromancer…" I began.
"Carpenter," Dimitri grunted, grabbing his riding boot.
"Right," I said, buttoning my pants. "They captured him when we went to take the black soul out of that alligator."
Dimitri planted a foot on the bench to tie his boot. "It never goes according to plan, does it?"
"The alligator was bait, for Carpenter. They're using his blood, Dimitri. The voodoo bokor took it and brought a dead chicken back to life."
Dimitri straightened. "That's not all," I said, glad to have his full attention. "This voodoo bokor, Osse Pade, I think he wants to use the necromancer's blood for something worse. We can't free Carpenter. He's in some kind of voodoo cage and he wants me to go to the grave of the three sisters. Osse Pade is obsessed with his ancestors and I think it has something to do with that."
He pulled his shirt on, his movements stiff. "You don't know what you'll find?"
I double-checked the sneak spell lodged deep between my breasts. "It can't be good." Dimitri followed my every movement when it came to my cleavage. Men. "In voodoo, there's a light path and a dark," just like there was with witchcraft. "I met a light practitioner a few days ago. She knows Carpenter. He said she can take us to grave of Osse Pade's ancestors."
Dimitri gave a quick nod. "Seems smart."
"There's also a presence in the house back there. It's been trying to get to know me. Yesterday, I could actually hear it in my head."
Dimitri's eyes widened. "Then we're not going back inside."
"That won't help," I told him. "I don't need to be in the house to hear it. I think I just need to stop thinking about it. I don't want to give it power."
He cursed under his breath. "I should have gotten here sooner."
"There's nothing you could have done." He couldn't fix everything.
Both of us were fully dressed. If anyone had found us now, they'd never have believed we were out-of-control in the bushes just a few minutes ago.
He drew me close, brushed a kiss over my forehead. "We'll figure this out."
"I know," I said, taking his hand and leading him out of the peaceful garden.
Rows and rows of bikes lined the yard, all facing toward the exit, ready for a quick escape.
"Be careful," Grandma warned from the porch.
"We will," I called to her. We didn't know Aimee well. She was Carpenter's ally, not ours. But you couldn't have darkness without the light. If Aimee were that light, I'd be a fool to pass this up.
"I won't let anything happen to her," Dimitri said, as we turned our bikes toward the road.
Grandma frowned, as if she had a bad feeling. If I was going to be honest about it, so did I. But we couldn't back down now. I strapped on my helmet and gave a sharp nod to Dimitri. Whatever we'd find, we'd face it together. With that thought in mind, we fired up our bikes and rode out into the night.
Chapter Fourteen
Two blocks later, we ran into the nighttime party crowd. It had grown thicker since we'd come back from the swamp. I motioned to Dimitri and we cut a sharp left, bypassing the worst of it as we rode toward Royal Street.
The section of the Quarter near Voodoo Works offered fewer bars and nightclubs than the party streets. It held more antique shops and other specialty stores that closed at eight or nine o'clock. Still, when we reached our destination, plenty of people strolled up and down Royal. And I noticed several entering Osse Pade's funeral parlor down the way. I resisted the urge to drive down there and check it out. Not yet.
Instead, we parked in front of Voodoo Works. The purple and yellow neon sign glowed, but the placard in the crowded front window read: Closed. Have a blessed evening.
Too late for that.
"This is Carpenter's friend?" Dimitri asked, eyeing the skeleton posed in the front shop window. Today, it wore a colorful turban and held out handfuls of gris-gris bags.
"They've been sharing information," I said, rapping on the door. Although I didn't think he'd ever planned to trust her with his life. I tried to see into the shop. Perhaps Aimee was still working.
A single security light in the far back corner cast an uneven glow over colorful display tables, stacked with candles, dolls, and soaps. Near the back, wind chimes hung from the tin ceiling. Only I could swear I saw one of them move.
I knocked again, and a large, dark object fluttered, letting out a muffled curse as it banged against the chimes, setting off a chorus of high-pitched tinkles and bells.
"Aimee?" Maybe she had a guard…bat.
One with a potty mouth.
"It's Lizzie. I need to see you." I should have gotten her cell number.
I gave a quick glace behind me and found Dimitri scanning the shadowy street. He gave a slight nod. He had us covered from that direction.
The shop had quieted down again. Obviously, my rapping at the door had done no good except to wake a pet of some sort, one that was too lazy to sound the alarm.
It flapped its wings and retreated into a back room.
Maybe she was in there.
"We're going 'round back," I called, remembering the alley I'd passed when I'd come here the first time. "She might be doing inventory in the store room," I said to Dimitri.
He motioned for me to show the way. "Let's hope."
The narrow alleyway smelled of old beer and garbage. The back doors didn't have street numbers or any signage that I could see, but I'd bet anything Aimee's was the purple one with the flaming heart and the evil eye painted across it. I dodged the large flower pot filled with geraniums and braced myself before I knocked.
Please be there.
If something could be done tonight to help Carpenter… I didn't want to wait until morning.
"It's Lizzie," I said, rapping at the door.
No response.
"The demon slayer," I added, knowing Aimee was one of the few in this city who would believe me.
No response.
"I brought my husband, Dimitri," I said, in case she looked out and grew worried about the huge man at my back. "Carpenter's in trouble."
Something metal clanged to the ground. Then I heard her voice. "One moment."
The door cracked and Aimee peered out. Her curly dark hair tickled her flushed cheeks and hung wild about her bare shoulders.
Oh my. "We're sorry to interrupt," I said quickly.
Her face shone with perspiration. "I was in the middle of a ritual," she said, clearing her throat. "Let me get my robe."
Dimitri averted his eyes. Now I'd seen everything.
"Naked rituals?" he asked. A wicked grin tickled his lips and he gave me a nudge. "Maybe you should stop trying to learn spells and start up a voodoo practice."
"I'll get right on that," I said dryly, as if he didn't see me naked enough.
Aimee opened the door as she shrugged into an orange silk number. She tied the belt as she motioned us inside. "What happened?"
We stepped into a claustrophobic back room with a candle-lit altar to the right, and shelves of glass jars, herb-filled baskets and who knew what lining the left
wall and every other spare inch of wall space. The air hung heavy with magic.
That wasn't even the weird part. I stared at a full-sized hot tub, shaking as it hummed, and taking up almost every bit of walking space.
"How relaxing," Dimitri mused.
"Never mind that," she said, waving off the concern.
Right.
I tried not to stare at the thing, but oh-my-god she'd filled it with muddy water and twigs and bits of floating grass. With a jolt I wondered—despite what the necromancer said—if it was wise to team up with a woman like this.
"Listen," I said, hoping we were correct to trust her, "Things have gone wrong. Osse Pade captured Carpenter and is keeping him trapped in a magic circle. He said it was too dangerous to break him out. He told us to come to you for help."
"What did it look like?" she asked.
"A white circle on the ground, with lots of squiggly lines coming off it in all directions."
She handed me a piece of parchment and a pen. "Draw it."
I sketched a hasty picture, trying to remember each shape as best as I could. At first glance, the markings had appeared random, but I knew better. There had to be some kind of meaning behind them.
Aimee drew a sharp breath even before I'd finished adding the spikes around the edges of the circle.
"A twisted veve," she said, as if the very words were evil.
"Can you break him out of it?"
She visibly paled. "No, I cannot. This is strong dark voodoo."
I'd had a feeling. "Okay, we'll go to plan B. Carpenter told me to take you to the grave of the three sisters."
She made a quick sign of the cross. "Aye, Madre, what's there?"
"He said you'd know."
Her forehead furrowed. "I don't know what he's talking about."
"Maybe you'll know it if you see it," Dimitri suggested.
She cast a worried glance to her altar. "Perhaps. But my husband isn't home. He'd have my head for going there."
