by Jaye Wells
I considered making a joke. Blowing the whole thing off like nothing had happened. But I cared about Adam too much to dismiss his genuine interest with careless sarcasm. “I don’t know.”
He stared at me for a few moments. Behind his eyes I could see the wheels turning. Weighing the options and eventualities. Finally, he breathed out through his nose, like expelling bad energy. “Well, I guess that’s better than ‘never.’ ”
He could have interrogated me. Forced the issue. The fact he didn’t made me feel even more guilty. “I’m sorry. I just—I need time.” To figure out how to be with you without destroying us both.
He ran a finger down my cheek. “Time is a precious commodity right now, Red. Wait too long and it might be too late.”
I swallowed hard. Went still as my stomach clenched with dread. Hadn’t Maisie said almost those exact same words to me in New York when she’d encouraged me to admit my feelings to Adam? “I know.”
He leaned forward and placed another soft kiss on my lips. When he pulled away, he held my gaze. “Soon, Sabina.”
This time his words weren’t so much a threat as a promise. Of what I wasn’t sure. I had a hunch he meant he’d grow tired of waiting and give up, but he could have just as easily meant soon he’d be making his big move. Either way, the message came through loud and clear. He knew I was purposefully keeping him at arm’s length. He probably even thought he knew why.
But instead of coming clean, I merely inclined my head to acknowledge I’d heard him. That seemed to be enough for him, because he turned away without another word. As the door closed behind him with a click, I sagged against the doorjamb for a moment. Then I straightened myself up and went back into the bathroom for a cold shower.
* * *
Half an hour later, I emerged from my room ready to take on the evening. We only had about an hour of sunlight left, so going out now wouldn’t wreak too much havoc on my energy levels. Unlike full-blooded vamps, I could go into the sun without dying. But it seriously taxed my system, so I tried to limit my exposure.
In the kitchen, Giguhl sat at a Formica dinette with a mug of coffee and a plate of pastries in the center. He looked up from the New Orleans Dispatch when I entered. Over a mouthful of fried dough and powdered sugar he said, “Brooks brought us beignets!”
I blinked. At first I hadn’t noticed the fae. He leaned against the sink, chatting up Adam. “Hey, Brooks,” I said. “Thanks.”
He saluted me with his pink mug, which read, Put on your big-girl panties and deal with it.
“Morning, cher. You sleep well?”
“Mmm-hmm,” I said, keeping my tone breezy as I went to the coffee pot.
“Adam was just telling me he didn’t sleep well at all, poor lamb.”
I shot a pointed look at the demon. Giguhl raised a scraggly black brow. “I wonder why?” He turned a page and took his time readjusting the paper before continuing in a singsong voice. “Could it be because someone played musical beds in the middle of the night?”
I glared at the demon. “He moved beds because you snore louder than a congested wildebeest.”
Giguhl stage-whispered to Brooks, “Denial.”
“That’s enough, G,” Adam said quietly.
Giguhl grabbed his coffee mug and two extra beignets and stood. “If you need me, I’ll be in the other room catching up on my stories.” With that, he made a dramatic exit that gave Blanche DuBois a run for her money.
I sighed. “Gods, what a drama queen.”
“Red, give him a break,” Adam sighed. “He’s still nursing a broken heart.”
“Oh, yeah. The end of his weeklong affair with Valva must really be hurting his heart. Give me a break, Adam.” I snorted. “What did he expect hooking up with a Vanity demon?”
Brooks let out a low whistle. “I have to say, y’all are definitely the most… entertaining guests we’ve ever had.”
I grimaced, worried we’d worn out our welcome before we had a chance to make any headway. “I’m sorry. We’re usually much better behaved,” I lied. “It’s just kind of a stressful time for everyone.”
Brooks shrugged. “Not to worry, cher. As long as you don’t destroy any property or eat any of our patrons, you’re welcome here.”
“Thanks, Brooks.”
Adam cleared his throat and changed the subject. “I called Orpheus while you were in the shower. Filled him in on your little chat with Lavinia last night.”
I paused on my way to the fridge for some milk. “And?”
“And,” he sighed, “as expected, he wants to go ahead with the plan. We’re supposed to focus on finding Maisie’s location.”
I gritted my teeth and continued to the fridge in the hope of buying some time before I blurted the curses jockeying for position on my tongue. Trying to find Maisie was our plan anyway, but having it reported to me like an order rankled. But I knew that was mainly my ego talking. After my argument with Adam the night before, I’d realized I needed to keep a better handle on my temper if we were going to make this work.
As I walked, my fingers found Maisie’s amulet. I touched it briefly as a reminder to stay focused and calm. Swallowing my indignation, I pulled the fridge handle. Inside all I found was empty shelves, no light, and stale, warm air. I turned and shot Brooks a confused look.
“Oops, forgot to tell you the Frigidaire is broken,” Brooks said. “I threw some little cups of creamer in the bag from Café du Monde, though, if you need it.”
I mumbled my thanks and pulled a shot of creamer out of the white paper bag. As I poured, I finally responded to Adam. “Sounds like a plan,” I said diplomatically. “Did he mention what we’re supposed to do when we find her?”
Adam cringed. “Yes. We’re to report our findings to him and wait for further instruction.”
The second creamer tub popped in my hand, spraying me with a small geyser of milk.
Brooks, oblivious to the undercurrent of tension, said, “Zen’s got a dorm fridge in her workroom downstairs if y’all need to keep anything cold.”
Figuring it was best to avoid a discussion about Orpheus’s instructions at present, I wiped my hand on my jeans and changed the subject.
“Is Zen around?”
Brooks set down his mug. “Actually, that’s one of the reasons I stopped by. Madam Z’s volunteering at church tonight, so I’ll be helping you.”
Adam frowned. “Church?”
“Sure. Zen’s a devout Catholic.”
“Isn’t it kind of unusual for a voodoo priestess to be Catholic?” I asked.
“Honey, this is New Orleans. Very little is considered unusual here. You’ll see.”
I let my curiosity slip away. Zenobia’s religious beliefs were none of my business. But the fact she wasn’t around to help frustrated me. I looked at Adam. “What now?”
He opened his mouth to respond, but Brooks beat him to it. “I hope you don’t mind, but I took the liberty of setting up a meeting for you.”
I scrubbed my face with a hand, thinking what I really needed was a vacation. “Someone with ties to the local vamps?”
“You could say that,” Brooks said. “I can take you to meet Mac now if you’d like.”
“Can you just give us an address and we can go on our own?”
Brooks shook his head. “Actually, it’s better if I handle the introduction. Some of the dark races down here get a tad suspicious about strangers.”
“Totally understandable,” Adam said.
Brooks snapped his fingers. “Oh, I almost forgot. Zen asked me to give this to you when you woke up.” He handed over a piece of paper with an address on it.
“What’s this?”
“The address of the butcher’s shop she told you about.”
I’d forgotten all about the cow’s-blood thing. “Thanks,” I said, glancing at the clock. It was already six p.m. “Should we go now before we meet your friend?”
“Oh, don’t worry,” Brooks said, waving a hand. “The shop is open all nig
ht. You can head there after.” He paused and narrowed his eyes, looking at my mouth for telltale signs of fangs. “Unless you’re hungry now?”
I smiled, showing lots of nonpointy teeth. “I think I can manage.”
“All righty then,” Brooks said, setting his mug down with a thump. “Let’s head out to Lagniappe’s.”
I frowned. “Lawn yaps?”
“That’s the name of Mac’s bar. It means ‘a little somethin’ extra.’ ” Brooks chuckled like he’d made a joke.
“What’s ‘extra’ about this place?” Adam asked.
Brooks grinned from ear to ear. “You’ll see, cher. You’ll see.”
8
When Brooks informed us we’d be walking to the club, I was wary. On one hand, I wanted to see more of New Orleans’s famous French Quarter. On the other, the more time I spent out in the open, the more chances we’d give Lavinia and her goons to make a move. Adam’s shoulders were tense and his eyes alert as we headed one block over to take a left on Royal Street.
After a few minutes, though, I found myself relaxing. The streets were crowded with tourists, which made blending easy. When I asked Brooks why so many people were in town, he explained that with Halloween that weekend, lots of people came in town early to party.
“Shit, I totally forgot about Halloween.” I mentally counted back and realized that it was already Wednesday. We only had three days until Halloween reached the Big Easy and complicated our lives.
“Oh, yeah, it’s probably our biggest celebration outside of Mardi Gras. Parades, costumes, street parties. There’s even a huge three-day music festival in City Park—Voodoo Fest. The lineup this year is awesome so lots of folks are celebrating Halloween in the Big Easy.”
Adam shot me a meaningful look. “That should make things interesting.”
I nodded and nibbled on my lip. The parties and people might help conceal our presence a little longer. But it also made security an issue. Not only did it increase the risk of humans seeing something they shouldn’t, but it also raised the odds of innocents getting harmed if shit went down. Plus there was the whole issue of not being able to spot enemies approaching with thousands of costumed people filling the streets. But if I had my way, we’d find Maisie long before the festivities heated up on Saturday night.
We made it down Royal without incident before Brooks took a sharp right on Toulouse. Just past Pat O’Brien’s, a neon sign advertised our destination. From the outside, Lagniappe’s looked like any other French Quarter bar. Inside, the decor was typical bar. In fact, the only interesting detail was a stage set across from the long bar. Given Brooks’s claim that the bar offered a little something extra, I found myself disappointed.
“It’s pretty empty,” Adam observed as Brooks led us through the empty tables toward the back. Despite the lack of clientele, rock growled from the speakers. Something by Melissa Etheridge.
“Won’t be empty for long,” Brooks yelled. “The show starts at nine. By then the place will be filled to the gills.”
I reserved judgment on that claim, because we’d reached a door bearing a sign that read “Private.” Brooks knocked twice. I didn’t hear anyone answer over the blaring music, but he opened the door and ushered us inside anyway.
A petite brunette sat behind a desk in the corner. From my vantage point she looked like another human at first. But when I sniffed the air I caught the scent of dog and relaxed. I’d been expecting a vampire, of course. But a werewolf would do. I was just relieved Brooks had brought us to someone who might be more plugged in to the dark-race underworld than Zen might be.
“Brooks!” the female called as she rose to greet us. “You brought friends.”
“Hey, girl!” Brooks said, going in for a hug. When they were done, he turned and held out a hand.
“This is Sabina Kane and Adam Lazarus. They’re staying at Zen’s.”
Mac approached with a warm smile and an extended hand. “Nice to meet you. I’m MacKenzie Romulus. You can call me Mac.”
She moved to Adam just as her last name sunk in. “Wait, did you say Romulus?”
When she nodded, I continued. “You wouldn’t be related to Michael Romulus, would you?”
Her eyes brightened. “He’s my uncle.”
My mouth fell open. Hard to imagine the straitlaced Alpha of New York weres was related to a female who owned a dive bar in New Orleans. “What a coincidence,” I said. “I just saw him a few days ago.”
“I’ve been meaning to call him since I heard about the trouble in New York. Please tell me he wasn’t in the middle of all that.”
I cringed. “Actually, he was. He and his pack helped the Hekate Council when they were attacked by the Dominae.”
Her eyebrows knitted into a frown. “Is he okay?”
I nodded. “Your uncle’s hard to kill.” I didn’t mention the fact I’d tried it myself and failed. Luckily, Michael and I had moved past that conflict in time to team up against the Caste’s attack. “Didn’t get so much as a scratch. In fact, I probably owe him a dozen favors for saving my ass. He’s good people.”
She smiled and motioned to some seats in front of the desk. “Well, any friend of Uncle Mike’s is a friend of mine. Have a seat.”
“Actually, if y’all will excuse me?” Brooks cut in. “I need to get ready for my set.”
“Oh, that’s right,” Mac said. “Scoot.”
Brooks turned to go and then stopped. “Will you two stick around to see the show?”
I blinked. “You’re performing?”
Brooks smiled. “Yes, ma’am.”
I glanced at Adam to make sure he was cool with hanging out. He shrugged and nodded. “We wouldn’t miss it.”
When Brooks was gone, we all took seats around Mac’s desk. “So, Brooks said you needed some information about a missing mage?”
I nodded. “My sister. She was kidnapped by a vampire during the attack in New York.”
Mac paused in the middle of distributing beers around the room. “What makes you think she’s here?”
I hesitated. Mac might be Michael’s niece, but as far as I was concerned, no one could be trusted. So I skipped the part about kidnapping Tanith. “Let’s just say we’re going on a credible tip.”
Mac took a pull from her beer and sat back in her chair. “And how exactly do you think I can help?”
Mac’s directness made me like her even more. “Brooks said you had connections with the vamps here. Do you mind if I ask what exactly your connection is to them?”
She took her time answering. Pulling open a desk drawer, she withdrew a pack of American Spirits. After offering the pack to us and shrugging at our refusals, she used a pack of matches with the club’s name on them to light her cigarette. I tamped down my impatience. From what I’d seen of Mac so far, she was shrewd. She knew as much about us as we knew about her, which is to say not much. Only a fool would show all his cards now.
She blew out a chain of smoke rings before answering. “Let’s just say it’s in my best interest to have allies among all the dark races.”
“I’d imagine so, being so far away from your pack and all.” I was digging. For all I knew, she could have been the Alpha of a New Orleans pack. But something about the way she carried herself told me she was too much a rebel to follow any pack.
She took another drag. “Among other things.”
“We were hoping you might be able to tell us if there’s been chatter lately among the local vamps.”
She pursed her lips. “What kind of chatter?”
Adam leaned in. “Anything out of the ordinary. New vamps in town, changes in power structure. That kind of thing.”
“Now that you mention it,” Mac said. “I’ve been getting a feeling something’s coming. Can’t put my finger on it, but the vamps I know, well, lately some of them have been tense.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
She shrugged. “You have to understand, the vamps here are pretty disorganized and usually keep to
small cliques. There’s turf spats every now and then, but with all the tourists there’s plenty to go around for everyone. But over the last few days the vamps I know have been acting kind of on edge, like they’re bracing themselves.”
“Any idea why?” I asked.
“Not a clue. Although I did hear one of them talking about some weird owl.”
Adam and I stilled and looked at each other. “Red eyes?” I asked.
Mac tilted her head. “Yeah. You know anything about that?”
“I might,” I evaded.
“Anyway, I guess this owl’s been hanging out around some of the vamps’ regular feeding grounds.”
“No one’s mentioned a new vamp in town?” Adam asked.
She shook her head. “If you tell who or what exactly you’re looking for, I could ask around.”
“Here’s the deal. I can’t tell you specifics. The less you’re directly involved, the safer you’ll be. Suffice it to say, though, the vamp we’re after is extremely dangerous.”
“Gotcha,” Mac said, her eyes meeting mine. Her expression indicated she respected the need to keep some cards close to my vest, too. “I’ll ask around. See if any of my contacts have anything to say.”
“We’d appreciate that.” I resisted my sudden urge to pump my fist in the air.
“Of course, in return for this favor, I’d ask one in return. To be called in at a future date.”
I looked at Adam. He nodded. “That sounds reasonable.”
Mac clapped her hands. “Well, now that that’s taken care of, why don’t we go grab some seats outside? The show’s starting in a few.”
* * *
Brooks wasn’t lying when he said the place would get crowded. I just hadn’t expected a bar owned by a werewolf to cater to mostly mortal clientele. The place reeked of dirt and Dixie beer. Not that I minded the beer. In fact, as we waited for the show to begin I helped myself to a few chugs.
Adam and I sat with Mac toward the back of the audience.
“So what kind of show is Brooks going to do exactly? Does he sing or something?”
Mac smiled. “He didn’t tell you?” When I shook my head, she laughed. “Let’s just say it falls into the ‘or something’ category.”
