Seduced by a Cajun Werewolf

by Seduced By a Cajun Werewolf [MF] (v5. 0) (epub)

  “Press the call button,” he instructed.

  “Fancy.”

  “My cousin’s popular. Keeps the scavengers at bay.” But evidently it hadn’t kept her at bay. She seemed to be intimately familiar with him and his schedule. He’d have to talk to Sebastian about beefing up security again.

  “Yeah?” came a voice from the call box.

  “Jules? It’s Laurent. Let me in.”

  “Who's that with you?”

  “You wouldn't believe me if I told you.” He knew they’d had cameras installed, but figured his cousin probably couldn't make out Cayenne's features.

  The gates rumbled open, and she eased the car forward. At the end of the long gravel drive sat an Antebellum home with a wide wrap-around porch. Tall trees framed it, offering shade in the summer heat.

  She slowed the car to a stop in the circular drive, and Laurent quickly opened his door. He scanned the driveway and then the road as far as he could see.

  “Nice car, cousin,” Jules said from the front porch.

  “Thanks.”

  Cayenne got out and turned toward his cousin.

  “Holy shit.”

  Sebastian stepped out onto the porch next to Jules and narrowed his gaze. He held Amanda close to his side. “Violet?”

  “Why does everyone keep calling me that?” Cayenne asked.

  “Let's go inside so we can talk.” Laurent led the way. As Cayenne passed Sebastian, Laurent heard him suck in a deep breath.

  “You're a vampire.” He didn't sound pleased; not that Laurent expected him to welcome her with open arms. At one time they’d both fought vampires. Killed them in battle after bloody battle.

  “Really? I thought the fangs were for show,” she quipped. Laurent chuckled, loving this new sassy side of her . Hand against her lower back, he ushered her into the foyer. Her skin was red, like she had a painful sunburn.

  “Does it hurt?”

  “Of course it bloody hurts,” she snapped.

  He lifted a brow.

  “I'll be fine in a few minutes,” she murmured, her voice softening. She held herself rigid and swept the home’s dim interior with her gaze, pausing on André who stood at the bottom of the stairs.

  “Okay, explain. Now.” Sebastian's tone was dark and terse.

  “This is Cayenne,” Laurent said.

  His cousin's dark brow inched upward.

  “It’s complicated,” Laurent said and then turned his attention to André. “I need your help. You once offered to bind my memories. Can you unbind hers?”

  André stepped forward, regarding Cayenne closely. “Only the one who bound her can break the binding.”

  The breath Laurent had been holding woshed out of his lungs and he dropped his head.

  “You brought me here so he could make me remember my past?” Cayenne asked, her blue gaze searing into him.

  “I need you to remember. It’s the only way you’ll ever be free to make your own decisions.”

  “To choose you, you mean,” she said softly. There was a long, uncomfortable pause.

  Amanda and Angel shared a quizzical look. “Well, Laurent, Cayenne, I hope you’re staying for supper.”

  “We need to go,” Laurent said, hating the disappointment in Amanda’s eyes.

  “Why?” Amanda asked.

  “Where?” Jules chimed in.

  An excellent question. He heard Cayenne’s thought as clearly as if she’d spoken aloud.

  My brother has a cabin up North. We’ll go there.

  “Someone’s after us,” Laurent said.

  “Me,” Cayenne corrected. “They’re after me.”

  “And me by association,” Laurent countered, his hands clamped over his hips.

  “Who?” Sebastian's mood seemed to be darkening by the second.

  “Most likely, my Sire, Emil,” Cayenne said. “And his cronies.”

  “Will the sun hold them?” Sebastian directed his question to Laurent.

  “The young ones, yes. The older ones have developed an immunity over the years,” Cayenne said, glancing down at her hands, her skin now a faint pink. Like werewolves, vampires had incredible healing abilities.

  “Were you followed?”

  “Not the way she drives,” Laurent said with a smile he didn't feel.

  He’d convinced her to come with him. To team up. But for how long? Just because they were mated didn’t mean she had to stay with him. His gut was tied in knots.

  Jules hadn’t stopped staring at Cayenne since they’d stepped through the door.

  “It’s like seeing a ghost,” he murmured.

  “How did you find each other?” Sebastian asked.

  “I was hired to kill him,” she said wryly.

  Amanda squeaked as Sebastian hustled both her and Angelica into the sitting room. Jules was in the air, headed for Cayenne's throat, before Laurent could blink. Laurent jerked Cayenne behind him and wrapped a hand around Jules neck.

  “She's also my mate.” He released his cousin with a shove.

  “Your mate?” Sebastian demanded.

  “I don't believe you,” Jules added.

  “She's a vampire!” Sebastian said, as if that settled everything.

  Jules glared at him. “She was hired you kill you, you idiot.”

  Laurent jerked his shirt open to reveal the mating mark. His cousins fell silent. They stared at the mark, and he could see their jaws working. Jules finally backed up a step, his posture erect and ready for battle. Jealousy and defeat played over his face.

  Amanda and Angelica were both human. Laurent knew Sebastian and Jules lamented that they could not share the immortal bond of mates. How the tables had turned in the last twenty four hours. Was it just yesterday that he’d been jealous of their relationships?

  “I thought we let that whole killing me thing drop,” Laurent whispered to Cayenne. She gave an apologetic shrug.

  The two blondes emerged from the sitting room and glared at their men, then turned their gazes on Cayenne.

  “You don't intend to kill him now, do you?” Amanda asked, falling into her role as the Alpha female of their pack. Cayenne shifted to stand next to him.

  “If he dies, I die,” she said dryly.

  His mate was obviously not pleased with the reception she'd received. He looked down at her, saw the familiar face he'd long loved, and wished against hope she'd feel even an ounce of what he felt.

  “But if that weren't the case...” Sebastian crossed his massive arms over his chest.

  She look up at him, as if she were mulling it over. Laurent held his breath.

  “I wouldn't harm him.” Was the icy prison around her heart melting? He could only hope. “We should go. I don’t want to put your family in danger.”

  “You already have,” Sebastian said, his tone terse.

  “Cousin…”

  “You’ll stay here. They could already be tracking your scent.”

  “Sebastian,” Amanda said soothingly, her hand on her husband’s arm.

  His cousin paused long enough to look down at her. A look of love passed between them before his jaw hardened and he pegged Laurent and Cayenne with a glare.

  “They’ve brought danger to our doorstep. The least they can do is help us defend it. Jules, watch the front. André, the back. Honey, call Burke.”

  Laurent wanted to argue. He wanted to leave, to disappear and have Cayenne all to himself.

  Reading his thoughts again, Cayenne put her hand on his arm and shook her head. He’s right. If they’re already tracking us, our best bet is to stay here. I’ll take care of Emil when the time is right.

  Amanda turned to the phone on the entry table and started dialing.

  “Come on. I need to know everything you know about Emil,” Laurent said, taking Cayenne by the hand. He lead her into the sitting room. Amanda had redecorated it since she'd become Sebastian's wife. Large sofas upholstered in comfortable fabric sat across from each other. The fireplace at the other end of the room didn't get much us
e, so she'd placed a fern inside it. He hadn't given the living room much thought before, but seeing it with fresh eyes helped Laurent decide it was his favorite spot in the house. It was roomy and comfortable. The kind of place he yearned to have for himself.

  A place where he could kick up his feet and hunker down at night. Where he could cuddle his woman at his side. The corners of his lips tugged upward.

  “What are you smiling at?” she asked.

  “Just thinking about you, cheri. Now, tell me about Emil. You said he’d find you.”

  She sat on the edge of one of the sofas with her knees and feet together. “He turned me. I don't remember when or where. Only after. He wouldn’t tell me anything about my past. He told me I had great hands.” She held her fingers out and studied the blood red nails.

  “Great hands?”

  She looked around as she talked, everything about her nonchalant. “He came on to me, and I slapped him. He told me I had good hands. Swift and sure. He gave me a sword. And everything felt...right. The weight. My grip on the handle.”

  Laurent realized this wasn't just the story of Emil. It was Cayenne’s story as well. How she'd become who she was.

  “So I ran away, taking the sword with me. He wanted me to join his little posse. Be his mistress. He's very...possessive. I knew that if I was going to get away from him I’d have to leave. Run away. Learn my way around a sword.

  “I figured if I knew how to handle myself I could fend off his…affections. The first few years, I traveled a lot. It didn't take much for me to live back then. One night, I got in a fight with another vamp over a clock tower. Jean Claude was a brilliant swordsman. Before he was turned, he'd been a top crafter. He knew his weapon and his art. But by then, I'd become pretty handy myself. When he realized we were better matched than he'd thought, he offered to train me.”

  “So that's how you became...”

  She shook her head. “I accepted. We trained each night. After a while, I fell in love with him.”

  Love? The word gave Laurent heartburn. All this time. He'd been pining over her, and she'd been falling in love with someone else. He stalked to the window and looked out.

  “Hey, you wanted to hear my story.”

  “I wanted to hear about Emil.”

  “You will. When Emil found out about Jean Claude and me, he came back to Paris. I came home one night and found Jean Claude dead, with Emil's dagger beside his ashes. It was as good a message as any. A calling card to let me know he still considered me his property.

  “I left and went to Asia. A group of werewolves did a number on me about a year after I arrived. Another trainer found me. Nursed me back to health. Everyone calls her Madame. She ran a school for people like me. Assassins. She was looking for women to bring into her dynasty. Men never suspect a beautiful woman, she said.

  “At that point I was pretty lethal with a sword but there were plenty of other weapons to learn. Ways to defend myself or take down an opponent. She was an expert in tactics and everything else an assassin would need to know.

  “I didn't have anything else to live for. And she’d given me shelter. Fed me. She made me a deal. And then she molded me into a soldier. Taught me things and trained me to kill. Over time, I grew immune to sunlight and took more jobs.”

  “How many?”

  “You were to be my hundredth. And then I was to be released.”

  “Released?”

  “To work for myself.”

  A high price to pay for training.

  “I live well. She taught me that. But I'm her slave, a machine, until I earn my freedom. That was the deal.”

  Until she earned her boss enough money.

  “And Emil,” Laurent said. “Why not kill him?”

  “The time was never right.”

  A rat-a-tat-tat on the door frame drew his attention, and Angelica's strawberry blond hair and big green eyes popped into view.

  “Jambalaya’s on the stove if you're hungry.”

  Laurent murmured his thanks and looked down at Cayenne. It was too much to take in. Did she feel loyalty to Emil for turning her all those years ago? And this other man, Jean Claude—did she still love him?

  His stomach rumbled. “You skipped breakfast,” she murmured.

  Eating hadn’t been on his radar since he’d first seen her standing in the middle of the street, rain showering down around her, looking like she’d just stepped from a painting.

  “Go eat,” she urged. “I’ll keep watch.”

  She stepped to the window and looked out, cocking her head to the right.

  His stomach rumbled again. He left her standing there and headed for the kitchen to eat.

  Either the timing was never right, or she'd never had the heart to kill the one who'd created her. Who’d saved her from death. Only Cayenne knew the truth.

  After lunch, footsteps sounded from the back of the house. Cayenne strode back into the foyer and looked out the windows flanking the door. She knew Emil would use the cover of night to attack. Young vamps could not stand direct sunlight.

  The question was, how long would it take him to find her? And once he found her, would he attack immediately or wait until their guard was down?

  “Jules, you and Laurent take first watch. I’ve got some calls to make,” Sebastian's deep voice called from behind her.

  Jules kissed Angelica, before sending her upstairs. Then he strode to the window and brushed aside the curtains.

  After a long silent moment he spoke. “Laurent’s waited a long time for you.”

  Her defenses went up. “His mistake,” she said without thinking.

  But that wasn’t right. It wasn’t Laurent’s mistake. It was Emil’s.

  “For loving you that much?” Jules words were filled with malice. She wasn't surprised. She couldn't even blame him. Jules Deveraux loved his cousin. She admired that kind of loyalty. The only thing she was loyal to was her sword.

  “You'd rather just believe love doesn't exist, wouldn't you?” he asked. “So you can go back to doing whatever it is you do.”

  “It's what I know.” A painful but true admission. But it wasn’t everything she was. She couldn’t believe that anymore.

  “It was,” he corrected, almost as if he’d read her thoughts.

  “What is it that you want?” she asked, halting right behind him. She had to admit that Jules Deveraux was a handsome man. He was tall and lean, with the same dark looks that Laurent was blessed with. She heard his heartbeat, strong and steady, and her fangs lengthened ever-so-slightly.

  “Most people would die for the chance to be loved the way he loves you.”

  “I'm not most people.” And she’d already died once. For what? What good had it done?

  “No, you're not.” He turned and looked down at her, his eyes holding a mixture of hate and pity. “You don't deserve him.”

  The words, sharp and true, cut her like a knife. She rocked back on her heels and frowned. Then she turned and continued her trek across the wooden floor.

  Jules was right. She hardly knew Laurent. Well, that wasn't exactly true. She'd watched him for the better part of two weeks, and had seen enough to form her own opinions. Learned enough to know what kind of man he truly was. Despite his moody exterior, that possessive streak, and the occasional fit of temper, he was a nice guy. Generous and charming.

  “You're right. I don't deserve him.” She stopped next to Jules and surveyed the yard. “But just for the record, I didn't ask for any of this.”

  “No, you didn't.” He turned toward her. “But you wanted him all those years ago. I find it hard to believe you'd just throw all that away.”

  “I don't remember any of it.”

  “But you feel it.”

  How did he know that? She cocked her head and looked up at him.

  “He cried for you.”

  Cayenne shook her head unable to believe his words. Not Laurent.

  “He did.” Jules turned her toward him. “He didn't function for more than
a year. I think he's always mourned you.”

  “There's never been anyone else?”

  He shook his head.

  “I find that hard to believe,” she lied. She didn't want to believe it. It made her feel guilty, and she'd never experienced that particular emotion before. At least not that she remembered.

  “Well, believe it, Sister-Mate. You're the only woman he's ever wanted. And you don't know how damn lucky you are to be mated.” A trace of sorrow touched his eyes, and she instantly wished she could give her bond to him and Angelica. They loved each other. Their connection was obvious. The way they looked at each other, so silly and lovestruck. They deserved to be mated.

  Cayenne was attracted to Laurent, and the sex was great. But love? After seeing Sebastian and Amanda and Jules and Angel, she wasn't sure she'd know what love was if it smacked her upside the head.

  “You know I don't share, cousin.” Laurent's voice cut through the silence. Cayenne’s stomach did a flip flop, and she stepped away from Jules.

  “I don't either,” Jules said.

  “That's not what I hear.”

  “Okay. I think I've caused enough chaos for one day.” Cayenne stepped between the two men, who were eying each other like a pair of dogs fighting over a bone. “Where's our room?”

  Chapter Eight

  Laurent backed away from Jules and took her hand. Silently, he lead her up the stairs and to the right. She could feel the emotions rolling off of him. So much had happened to him in less than twenty four hours. At the end of the hall, he opened a door on the left.

  Cayenne stepped into the room and looked around at the masculine furnishings. A big bed with a simple, dark colored comforter claimed the center of the space; a large wooden dresser sat against the opposite wall; and a wingback chair in a complimentary fabric took up the corner next to the window. Not a bad place to camp for a while.

  The door slammed behind her, and she whirled. “Camp for a while?” Laurent had a dangerous look in his eyes.

  “If you don’t like what you hear, stop reading my mind.”

  “We're mated,” he said, stalking toward her. Cayenne crossed her arms over her chest and held her ground. She wasn't afraid of him. “So don't get any ideas about the other men in this house.”