Love and Blood (Evening Bower Book 2)

by Sherry Rentschler

  “How was that?” Destin wondered, this voice thick with dinner.

  Am set a young lady on the park bench with her book in her lap. To anyone else who cared to look, she appeared to nap. She would wake and not remember how she helped a young vampire on this night. A shadow buried in her memory would forever remind her of the mysteries of New Orleans.

  “Better, Destin. Much better. Try not to light your fire when you bite. You burn and scare them. Now let’s go home. Dawn is coming, can feel it?”

  They were about to leave when a tall, black-haired beauty captured Destin’s attention. Before Am could stop him, Destin approached her.

  “Hello,” he said shyly, hunger still burning inside him.

  The woman turned bright gray eyes on the young man. She was striking in a white and black body-hugging pantsuit and white heels.

  “Well hello there, little vampire. What can I do for you?” she smiled and coaxed Destin to her.

  Immediately, Amor-el stepped forward and put a hand on his son’s shoulder. He knew her from Victoria’s warning and sensed something unusual in her.

  “Sorry to disturb you, miss. My son and I were on our way home.”

  “Son? Oh, I see. No harm done.” She looked directly into Amor-el’s green eyes and immediately looked away. “Well, goodnight little vampire,” she cooed and sauntered off. Her loose black hair shimmered in the streetlamps.

  Amor-el stared after her for a long time until she was out of sight. She was not a vampire, but neither was she human.

  “If you see her again, Destin, stay away from her.”

  “Why? She was nice and smelled good.”

  “She isn’t what she seems.”

  “But Papa, she knew I was a vampire right away.”

  “Yes, and wasn’t that curious?” Am whispered and guided his son to the car.

  The next two nights Destin stayed home and ate with the girls. Steel joined them. During supper, they considered their costumes and later, set out decorations for the gala. Cooke rewarded their hard work with her apple dumplings a la mode.

  Am, Cooke, and Franklin helped with the planning too but they awaited word from Rhea, and nothing helped their anxious thoughts.

  “THANK YOU, LITTLE birdy. I owed it to Tony.”

  Rhea and Dra stood in a shadowy hospital room corner. The large man in the bed slept as they spoke, with a soft beeping for a constant backdrop to their words.

  “Only for you, Dra. He will recover soon, and now I must leave you. I have an appointment before I catch my plane. When are you coming home? We have just about a month before the party.” Rhea adjusted her hat.

  “I need to stay. See that he’s okay. And the one I told you about? He was impressive, Rhea. Fought like a tiger and nearly died, but saved his sister. I kinda like him and may offer him a job. I hear he’s a handyman too. You could use a guy like that to help Frankie.”

  “Are you going soft on me?” Rhea pretended shock. “What about his family?”

  “Everyone needs to cut loose eventually,” Dra said quietly.

  “Speaking of, is Sergei excited now that you two have officially married?” Rhea linked arms with Dra as they strolled down a sterile hallway. Hospitals always smelled like bleach to her, both comforting and nauseating, like now.

  “I don’t know. Haven’t reached him. I think Raikas is preventing it.”

  “Well come home soon. Let me know if there is anything else you need. Oh yes, and before I forget, call Keta.”

  The women parted ways, and Rhea found her midwife friend working in pediatric research at the New York-Presbyterian Hospital. The news was swift and without a doubt.

  Rhea was indeed pregnant, in her second trimester, and it was a girl.

  The tarot cards were right and gave her a great deal to think about on the plane ride home.

  By all the gods, Viseriel where are you now? Why have you remained silent?

  And what of the prophecy?

  VICTORIA TAPPED ON a window, and a face peeked out from behind the white drapery.

  “Seth lemme in. It’s starting to rain, and I have news,” she shouted at the glass.

  Seth pointed to the side of the building and met her at the metal door.

  “I wasn’t sure anyone would be here,” she said a little breathless.

  “We come every day to dust and clean, as Dra wished. Thought I would start decorations and send out the promotions for Halloween, but we’re having trouble finding all Janice’s orders. I did find the graveyard markers and trees for the floor, but I don’t know what else she had planned.”

  “I can help. Is Steel here?” Victoria brushed the rain droplets from her hair.

  “He’s late as usual. Any help would be great. We spread it all on the bar. Want something to drink? Tea or iced coffee maybe?”

  He locked them in, and they settled on a couple of stools. The paperwork littered the bar without any apparent rhyme or reason to the order. The task appeared daunting.

  “No, I’m good.” She picked up a few papers as Tye-dye sat beside her.

  “Hey,” he smiled. That was big conversation from him.

  “So, what’s the news?” Seth prompted, coming around the bar.

  “Rhea’s due home tonight.”

  “Keta will be happy to see Dra. Reaper too.”

  “No, no, Rhea’s coming alone. Dra’s staying, according to Rhea.”

  “What?” Tye-dye frowned. “No offense to Miss Rhea but we need boss lady back more. What’s the holdup?”

  Victoria shrugged. “Dunno. But Rhea said to get your costumes worked out because pretty soon the city will be scooping them up and there won’t be any left. I wanted to see if Steel wanted to coordinate with me. We had an idea.”

  “Uh-oh. They had an idea,” Seth winked at Tye.

  “Poor Steel,” the guys whined.

  “Oh stop it,” Victoria punched Tye in the arm. “We thought we’d go as the Four Musketeers.”

  “Who is we?” Seth stacked a new pile of papers.

  “Sondra, Keta, Steel and me.

  “Oh Seth, what shall we go as?” Tye batted his eyes at Seth and made a pucker face.

  “You guys,” Victoria giggled.

  “What’s everybody else wearing? Mr. Riviere and Miss Rhea? What about the boy?” Tye-dye asked.

  “I don’t know yet. The theme is Midsummer Nights, and the house is going to look like a forest. Really cool. We’re looking at costumes tomorrow. Well, gotta run and try to beat the rain. Ask Steel to call me? And feel free to come by if you need costumes. Bye!”

  The door opened with a whoosh and Victoria was gone in a blink.

  “She makes me tired,” Seth said.

  “Imagine how Steel feels,” Tye said dryly.

  BY THE TIME Victoria returned to the bower, the skies were heavy with rain.

  Franklin had filled the hallway with boxes of clothes and shoes. Sondra wrestled with Reaper and tried to keep him quiet, but he found some rope and wanted to play. Destin was upstairs asleep like his father. Franklin worked an inventory from the deliveryman and Cooke escaped to her kitchen. The rain and humidity messed with her bread baking.

  Franklin stopped Victoria as she passed by.

  “Little miss is in the upstairs library. She’s mighty unhappy. Would you check on her?”

  “Sure thing.” Victoria took a beeline through the kitchen where she hugged Cooke, stole a couple of cookies, and got whacked with a towel for her thievery before she ran up the spiral stairs.

  Keta curled up in a big chair, face swollen from the tears and looking miserable, chin against her knees, arms around her lower legs. She didn’t even try to wipe her face. Victoria’s heart dropped as she sat on the floor beside the chair.

  “Brought you a cookie,” Victoria said and held it out for her.

  Keta sniffed, “thanks.” A heavy hand accepted the treat.

  “Hey kiddo, saw the guys at Dra’s club. They said hi, and asked what you were going to be for Hallowee
n. I told them your idea for us.”

  No response.

  “And did you hear? Rhea’s coming home.”

  A nod. “But no Dra.”

  Victoria sighed. “I know, but she won’t be far behind. She loves everything spooky. Hey, I saw there are fake gravestones at the club.”

  Keta looked up, a breath of excitement in her words. “Really? A graveyard theme?” Her eyes sparkled, and she licked crumbs from her lips.

  “Yup, and I’ll bet Dra plans something fun. We have costumes to try on tomorrow after Franklin gets everything sorted and a house to decorate. What’s not to love? C’mon don’t be so sad.” She stood and walked around the room.

  Keta frowned, “So what’s wrong with Sondra? She’s like a scared rabbit these days. She jumps at everything and is always running off. Why?”

  “That’s a good question. Let’s ask her. Where is she?”

  Keta uncurled. “Last I saw her, she was running back to the old house. She’s gone there every day since we moved.”

  Victoria glanced out a window and grinned at a brightening sky.

  “Let’s go see what’s up. Maybe she has a surprise for us,” Victoria whispered and motioned for Keta to join her. The two of them tiptoed down the spiral stairs and snuck out the front. Reaper heard them and followed before the front door closed.

  “Race ya!” Victoria yelled. She leaped off the porch with Keta hot on her heels and Reaper howled as he gave chase.

  Across the marsh, Sondra looked up at the yelling and howling, her hunt unsuccessful. It wouldn’t do to get caught out here.

  “This way,” Keta yelled and jumped a gate.

  Sondra heard them closing and disappeared.

  The moment she left the visible realm, the wind chimes clanged violently. Reaper pulled up short in front of the girls. He lowered his head and snarled, his red eyes blazing.

  “What is it, boy?” Keta said in a small voice.

  “The chimes,” Victoria whispered when she came up behind Keta. The chimes rocked and clanged loudly. She grabbed Keta’s arm. “Go back, now! Run!”

  Keta turned, surprised and then whispered, “Your necklace. It’s glowing.”

  Without looking down, Victoria pushed Keta forward and yelled again, “Run!”

  The two girls sprinted back the way they came as if their lives depended on their escape. Maybe it did. Reaper stayed behind, snarling, prepared to attack, which only made Victoria run faster. When the girls got close to the house again, they found Franklin and Cooke standing on the back porch waiting for them.

  “Inside!” Franklin motioned and yelled.

  “C’mon girls, hurry,” Cooke’s calm voice had an edge to it as her open arms welcomed them.

  When everyone was safely back inside, the girls collapsed at the kitchen table, pale and shaking.

  “What happened out there?” Cooke prompted as she checked them over.

  “I don’t know. We were running to the old house, and suddenly, the chimes went off,” Victoria panted.

  “Your necklace was glowing,” Keta added. “Blue I think. Or maybe green.”

  Victoria lifted her necklace, but the amulet was calm. “Not possible,” she said.

  “Well Reaper thought so because he stayed behind and he wasn’t happy,” Keta argued.

  “It was strange, but we didn’t see anything. Maybe it was just the breeze.”

  Cooke and Franklin exchanged glances.

  “Well lass, whatever it was, you two are all right, and all is quiet. Maybe something passed by but whatever or whoever is long gone now. Got my blood pumping and gave me a real fright, for sure. We will tell the sir when he wakes. Now you two change those muddy shoes and help us with the boxes in the drawing room. We need to sort them for tomorrow. And stay inside. No more sneaking off. Too much work to do. Now shoo,” Cooke said.

  The girls went upstairs and were still gone when Reaper returned. He carried a long, thin silver blade in his mouth, very elegant and shiny despite the mud caked on it. He dropped it at Franklin’s feet whose wide-eyed response bemused Cooke.

  “Give over, boy,” she said to Reaper. “Let me take that,” Cooke offered and bent to retrieve it.

  “Stop,” Franklin stuck an arm out and whispered, “do not touch it, woman. I’ve seen that before. That is an elven blade belonging to the one who tried to kill me.”

  “Elf?” She couldn’t hide her surprise.

  “With a poison edge to kill you, me, and even the sirs.”

  “Brigid’s breastbone. Put that away, man, before the others see it,” Cooke urged. “Is that what set off the chimes?”

  “No, but whoever held it certainly did.”

  THE GIRLS CLIMBED the stairs, and their nervous chatter echoed back to the kitchen. Cooke followed, intent on reassuring herself that they weren’t in shock from their adventure. And, though she might not admit it, to eavesdrop a little since the girls had no business going next door. Plus, she wondered what happened to the mysteriously absent Sondra.

  Franklin had not moved, and the elven blade rested at his feet. Reaper stood guard and didn’t look up until the kitchen darkened.

  “You heard,” the manservant said blandly.

  “I did.” Amor-el’s shadow loomed in the back stairwell. “She’s right. Better let me have that,” Amor-el said quietly, offering his hand.

  Taking a dishtowel, Franklin wrapped the silver and silently handed the blade over.

  “Master Destin?”

  “My son has enough human in him to sleep through most anything while the sun is up, unlike his father. My senses alerted with the chiming. Not even the girls’ screams caused a stir in Destin though my blood ran cold until I heard the girls’ return. Our boy has not yet mastered wakeful sleep, but he is young.”

  “That may be a liability right now. We have an obvious problem, sir.”

  “I think I can fend off some of it.” Am stepped closer though still secluded by the unlit stairwell. “I neglected to mention that when I closed the old house, I found an elf orb. Probably fell from my book on the mantle. I could attempt to reach out if anyone will answer. However, I stuck it in my jacket, and now I can’t find either the orb or my jacket.”

  Cooke returned, and overhead Amor-el.

  “Did I hear ye mention an orb, sir? Sondra found something in your coat, and it was knocking in the washer. I thought it was the boy’s marble. I put it—” She glanced at the wall cabinet and her eyes locked on the side drawer. “—in here.” With a pull, the drawer opened but other than a few odds and ends, no orb. “Now that’s curious. I’m certain I slipped it in here.” Cooke frowned, moved items around, and shrugged at the men.

  Am’s silky voice sounded curiously cold. “Sondra found it? The same girl the others went looking for and who is still missing? Interesting.”

  “I don’t like where this is headed,” Franklin mused.

  “Take Reaper and check out the old house,” Am said. “Madam,” he looked at Cooke. “I would ask you to institute a search for Sondra but do not create a panic. Perhaps a game? We have to find her. She may be part of this, or it may be nothing, but I must know. I pick up Rhea in a few hours, and I will not bring her home and into a waiting trap.”

  “And if I find something?” Franklin gathered a leash for the hound whose forward ears and tilted head indicated he listened intently.

  Am smile was eerily beautiful. “I think you know well enough what to do, old friend. I trust your judgment. Safety is my only concern. Do what you must.”

  With this pronouncement, the hallway emptied, and Franklin shared a glance with Cooke. Reaper stood and waited for his leash.

  “You be careful, you ol’ blarney stone,” Cooke said on her way to the girls.

  Franklin went to the mudroom and came back with his shotgun. “Here we go, Reaper. Let’s make your mistress proud.”

  The late day sun welcomed them as they walked across the newly manicured lawns toward the old home and the marshes. The sky’s edge
s blackened, not with twilight, but with a gathering storm. The clouds hung low like bladders about to burst. Franklin’s pace quickened.

  Victoria and Keta scoured the upstairs, and when they failed to find Sondra, they broke into her room. That’s where Cooke found them, guilty and embarrassed.

  “What are you two snoops doing in Miss Lard’s room, may I ask? You lasses know better,” she scolded.

  The girls had the decency to blush, but Victoria covered.

  “We went to the old house to find her, to see why she’s been running off there. When we didn’t find her, we thought maybe she was in her room, and maybe something was wrong,” her voice shrunk with every word and she realized how dim she sounded.

  “Maybe. Maybe. Maybe Sondra will forgive you for violating her privacy. Maybe not. Come on. Back downstairs with you.”

  Cooke stood aside as they shuffled out. As she prepared to follow, she caught sight of the “marble” from the drawer, sitting pretty as you please on Sondra’s nightstand. For a fraction of a second, Cooke thought of taking it and then decided to let that be the master’s decision. She pitied the girl if she was up to no good.

  “We’ll check downstairs and then into the kitchen with you,” she huffed. “You can help me set up a late supper. Miss Rhea will be home in a few hours.”

  Spirits immediately lifted, and the girls dashed back down the stairs, the orb forgotten with the prospect of Rhea’s return and costumes for the gala. Cooke smiled in spite of herself, never ceasing to be amazed at the fickle nature of humans. This orb business worried her.

  Suddenly she remembered her promise to Victoria. Maybe now was a good time to investigate those runes. Elven wasn’t her specialty, but she might discover a useful clue. Everything she needed she stored in her cookbooks, making it easy to read up.

  FRANKLIN TOOK REAPER off the leash as soon as they crossed onto the old lands. He had an affinity for the hound ever since that night when Reaper had protected him against the elf. Of course, had it not been for Drahomira who killed Echo and saved Franklin’s life with the antidote, things would be different.

  The first place he checked was the old garden shed. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to find anything, but the little building was empty. Relief turned him toward the old house.