The Frenchman

by Sheritta Bitikofer

  “Why is that?”

  “My father wants me to marry for love. If every man fell in love with me, I’d leave scores of broken hearts in my path, because I cannot love them all.”

  Darren chuckled. “Your father is lenient. Not every man would wait to give his daughter away to the right man.”

  “Yes,” she replied. “My father is wealthy and powerful enough that he doesn’t have to use me as a bargaining chip. It’s a blessing and a curse, because now I have to decide my own future.”

  “That is not so bad,” Darren said with a shrug. “My future was decided for me. It’s a terrible one, but at least I wouldn’t have to wonder what my life would be like. Now I know for certain.”

  Jane looked to him and smiled sweetly. “No, your future is still unwritten. You are loup-garou, and that will shape the days to come, but it will not decide who you marry, where you live, or what you do with your time. It can only add context.”

  Darren thought on this. Not every loup-garou that came into John’s care stayed at the chateau. They moved on, to the surrounding villages to lead their own lives, but were never out of reach from their alpha and mentor. What happened if one of them wanted to break away from the home they had known for so long? What if they wanted to travel just as Jane’s first loup-garou love had?

  It led him to think where he would be in five years. Ten years. Five hundred years. Would he still be in France with John, helping other loups-garous understand what there were, or would he move on to start his own pack? As a loup-garou, the possibilities were endless. The years stretched on before him like a wide road with many turns, forks, and obstacles that he could not yet see.

  Darren had never needed to look farther ahead than the next harvest season. Now, he was faced with far more than he could ever imagine.

  “Jane?”

  The voice trembled through the fading darkness. The sun was close to rising, but that didn’t matter so much now. They had finally arrived at the tiny Italian village where Jane knew her father would be waiting. It must have been his voice that called from some unseen place.

  Beside Darren, Jane fingered the sapphire ring that she had traveled so far to find. He could see the joy and hesitance mix in her gaze as she searched the lit windows of the homes. They hadn’t stepped foot in town yet, but somehow her father could sense her approach.

  It had been a long two days, filled with pleasant conversation that Darren thought he would never have with a woman as unique and extraordinary as Jane. The hours of philosophical debate and contemplation, about the wonderful and terrible things they would see in the coming centuries, almost made him ready for his life as a loup-garou. If he was even half as wise and brilliant as she was at one hundred years old, Darren would be content to live so long.

  The moment of departure was upon them and as much as he wanted to go with her to Italy, she refused.

  “You belong with your pack,” she told him. “You still have a lot of learning to do.”

  And she was right, unfortunately. If this manic excursion proved anything, it was that Darren had much to learn about the preternatural world and those who were hell-bent on destroying it. It would be a long journey back to Albi and he wished with every fiber of his being that he could have her company with him, but just like he belonged with his pack, she belonged with her family.

  “He’s waiting for you,” Darren said, breaking the silence between them. If they prolonged their farewells much longer, it would be even more difficult to leave. Perhaps not for her, but for him.

  Jane turned back to him and in a split second, her arms were around his neck, body pressed tight against his. For an ephemeral, blissful moment in time, Darren couldn’t breathe or move. As the shock wore away, his arms encased her. It was the first hug he had received since he left his mother. The first hug from a woman other than his mother as well.

  He ignored her vampire scent, ignored the way he somehow knew her father was watching them. He wanted to enjoy this moment, savor it and remember the way her cold skin suddenly felt hot for the first time.

  “Thank you for everything,” she whispered, her breath feathering his ear as she spoke.

  Darren could have said a million things. Don’t go. You’re welcome. Thank you. I love you. Instead, he did something he might regret for the rest of his unnatural life.

  He pulled away for the briefest of seconds and pressed his lips against Jane’s. She went rigid at first, then melted into his arms as if she were meant to be there, and he wondered if he did the right thing. Perhaps one kiss was all it took for her to realize that she could want him in the same way.

  He could feel her fingers begin to thread through his hair, but then she paused and eased her lips away from his by the tiniest bit. “My father’s watching,” she whispered and he could almost taste her breath on his tongue.

  “Let him watch.” It was a daring move, so bold that he hardly recognized the man he had become in that moment with a woman in his arms.

  This time, Jane came to him and they were tossed into the throes of a passionate kiss that he never wanted to end.

  “Jane!” the voice demanded from the village, dragging them both back into the world that wanted to tear them apart. It might have been centuries before they could find one another again and it seemed so unfair.

  She pulled away for the last time and their fiery gazes met. “I have to go.”

  Darren’s hands balled into fists on the hips he had been cradling close to him. With every ounce of strength he had, he let go and nodded. “I know.”

  It took even more courage than he thought he had left to let her body, now warm with desire, fall away from him. Not another word was spoken as she worked her way through the bushes to stand on the edge of the road that led toward the village.

  Jane looked back at him, her eyes misting. Inside, Darren felt the same way. He wanted to scream at the heavens. He wanted to pound his fists into the earth, until it would yield to him what he wanted so badly. Yet, he stood tall, chin up and jaw set. He might have been falling apart to see her go, but he couldn’t let on. Not for an instant.

  She looked away for the last time and hurried down the path to disappear through the narrow streets of the village. With his loup-garou memory, he would never forget the way her eyes reflected the moonlight, or how every move she made was graceful and perfect. All the way back to Albi, he played Jane’s memory over and over in his mind.

  It was foolish, he knew. She was one girl, the first in a history that would go on for centuries. There would be other women, other lovers, and perhaps even wives. Darren knew, however, that Jane would hold a special place in his heart that no one could claim. She was his first kiss, but she would not be his last.

  Morning dawned over the chateau as Darren dragged his feet up the stone steps to the front door. Noelle and Evangeline were inside, but he could sense no loups-garous inside or in the training field. The rotund servant spotted him through the window and he heard a plate drop from her hands as she gasped and hurried to the front door.

  Wiping her hands on her flour-dusted apron, she stamped her foot. “Darren Dubose!” Noelle scolded in French. “They have been looking everywhere for you and you have the nerve to show up while Monsieur John is away!”

  Darren expected no less from Noelle and simply shrugged. “I’m sorry I’ve caused so much trouble,” he said without a hint of remorse in his tone.

  She waved him inside. “Trouble! You’ve terrorized the whole pack. Come in and I’ll get you something to eat.”

  Noelle and Evangeline catered to him, gave him a fresh shirt and pair of trousers, but neither of them could answer where John and the others were. The women only that the pack had been gone for four days searching for him. He had half a mind to go after John himself, but Noelle would have none of it and insisted that he stay put. They would be back soon enough.

  The unending silence that engulfed the few days before they arrived back gnawed at Darren’s sanity. After he had re
ad and reread every book in the library, he resorted to assisting the women with their chores and weeding the garden while the team of loup-garou gardeners were away.

  Darren was on the back veranda when they finally came home from their search. The boys, of course, were both furious and thrilled that he was well. They were given a reprieve from training for almost a week while they looked, but it had all been in vain.

  John, of course, was beyond relieved and Darren was elated to see that Bart was alive. The silver-tipped arrows had taken a toll on his body, but as soon as he recovered, the pack set a plan in motion to find their missing brother.

  “Whoever took you masked your scent well,” John explained as the women tended to the rest of the weary and hungry boys. “We only picked up your trail to the far east and followed it to the Italian border.”

  It was completely possible that he had passed right by them on the way back to the chateau, but Darren’s mind didn’t stall there. Bart chimed in with a more important question.

  “What happened to you?”

  Darren told them about Richard and his scheme to acquire immortality and strength by inheriting it from the bite of a vampire and loup-garou. Upon the mention of vampires, both of them stiffened. That was when he knew that what Jane said must have been true.

  “If you escaped, why did you go to Italy?” John asked.

  Darren braced himself to tell them about Jane. “I wasn’t the only one Richard was keeping prisoner. There was a girl with me. A vampire.”

  They waited for him to continue, both with a cagey look in their eyes, as if they were ready to attack or reprimand him for even being in association with Jane. He knew that he couldn’t tell them about their kiss, but he did reveal that he had gone to Italy to return her to her father.

  John and Bart looked to one another and Darren recognized that look. It was the same look his mother donned just before she would reproach him for doing something he knew he shouldn’t have done.

  “Darren,” his alpha began, “vampires are dangerous creatures. You must not go anywhere near them. Do you understand? They will kill you if given the chance. They are no better than hunters.”

  For the first time since he arrived at the chateau, he completely doubted John’s words. He had wondered, questioned, and disregarded it at times, but never doubted that the alpha was far wiser than himself, until now. “Jane didn’t want to kill me. She told me that she and her father were friends of the loup-garou. When I brought her to her father, he could have killed me on the spot, but he didn’t.”

  Bart stepped forward and Darren saw the muscle jump in his jaw. “If the vampires that we encountered at the Italian border were who you speak of now, then your little friend was lying to you.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  John moved between them, ready to intercede. “When we followed your trail to Italy, we were confronted by a small coven. We were attacked and some of us were injured.”

  A chill gushed down his back and his stomach twisted into tight knots. “No,” he said, shaking his head. “It couldn’t have been Jane’s family. She said they were peaceful. She didn’t hurt me at all.”

  “Her family nearly killed one of our own, Darren!” Bart barked. “What more proof do you need that they can’t be trusted?”

  Darren didn’t want to believe it. He couldn’t. They had to be different vampires or perhaps it was a misunderstanding. There had to be a simple explanation. He swallowed back the bile that wanted to spew up his throat. “Was there a young girl there? Blonde hair, blue eyes.”

  John shrugged and shook his head. “I didn’t see any women who attacked us, but that doesn’t mean anything.”

  “Then it might not have been her or her father,” Darren declared, hope fluttering in his chest, though everything else told him to be cautious of it.

  “You’re not listening to – “

  John held up a hand to stop his son from continuing his outburst. “Let’s just be glad that the boy is safe and we are all well. It could have been much worse, but it isn’t. The threats are gone and we can return to our lives.”

  There was plenty of truth in his words, but Darren could not put this behind him and there would be nothing usual about the weeks and months to come as he would second guess the testimony of his pack and the kind, sweet words of a beautiful vampire that he only knew for a few days.

  Nothing about his life was simple anymore. Love, family, loyalty, and trust were all called into question, put through the fires of adversity. Some came out scorched and ashen, while others would come out stronger. It was these things Darren leaned upon as he continued to make sense of his new life as a loup-garou. He was a boy tasting the first fruits of what it was to be a man.

  Afterword

  Dear Reader,

  I hope you enjoyed reading about Darren Dubose and his beginnings as a loup-garou. This is the third in a novella series that will feature the backstories of many pivotal characters in my Loup-Garou series that is available on Amazon.

  If you enjoyed this story, please take a few moments of your time to leave a review on Goodreads.

  In the meantime, I invite you to check out my social media sites for more updates and sneak peeks into my progress. You can find me at my blog, www.moonstruckwriting.wordpress.com.

  Also, find me on Facebook! I have an author page and fan group page where you can stay tuned into the latest news, get the chance to earn free stuff, and talk all about your favorite books. To subscribe to my email listing, you can follow THIS LINK and sign up.

  Happy Reading!

  Sheritta Bitikofer

  About the Author

  Sheritta Bitikofer is an author of eclectic tastes. Her mornings are spent dancing to Frank Sinatra and singing to hard rock bands while sipping on a good Cinnamon Dolce Latte from Starbucks. At work, she’s often found without shoes on or running to get her coworkers’ drinks from Sonic during happy hour. And when the day has been hard, she unwinds with a good book and chili cheese fries before snuggling on the couch with her husband. And on some weekends, she can be found at non-profit medieval historical society events either painting or shooting a bow. Her idea of a great time is dining out, chillin’ at the library (or a bookstore) and bouncing novel ideas back and forth with her loving and supportive husband.

  Follow her for upcoming novel releases

  www.moonstruckwriting.wordpress.com

  Also by Sheritta Bitikofer

  Escape

  The Neustrian Chronicles

  Clouds

  Passions

  Silver Screen

  The Loup-Garou Series

  The Enigma

  Becoming the Enigma

  Beast Within

  Precedents - Releasing January 2018

  The Legacies Series (A Novella Series)

  The Legend

  The Guide

  The Frenchman

  The Decimus Trilogy

  The Beast of Verona

  Amber Ashes

  Saving the Beast