Harvest Moon
Beaux Rêve Coven, Book 4
Delilah Devlin
About the Book
In Jefferson Parish, deep in the bayou, is a place called Bonne Nuit. Off the beaten path, isolated by swamp and connected to the sea, there the Beaux Rêve Coven thrives.
Five witches...Too many demons to count...
Radha's sister witches become concerned when her health begins to fail. Her sleep is never restful, but they are unable to pinpoint what is wrong.
Khan, a jinn who's been tasked to serve as her guardian, has watched her restless sleep and believes he knows the answer. Her dreams may be haunted by a demon set on draining her of power.
As much as Khan loathes the idea, he seeks an old enemy, a vanir, whose magic should allow him to enter Radha's nightmares to slay the Mare, an enemy bent on taking advantage of Radha's vulnerability to make her his own.
Until the vanir arrives, Khan and the satyr who is her other guardian must keep her safe—even from their own lustful natures.
Contents
Harvest Moon
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Hot SEAL, New Orleans Nights
Chapter 1
Also by Delilah Devlin
About Delilah Devlin
Harvest Moon
Beaux Rêve Coven, Book 4
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author
Delilah Devlin
Chapter 1
“With your blessings, come weal and bounty,
With our efforts, come fortunes plenty.”
To Ali Khan, the simple blessing the matriarch of the witches, Bryn Thorne, offered at the beginning of their meals was a hopeful note to set a congenial tone. Usually boisterous, this week’s Sabbat dinner, which drew all the sister witches and their guardians to Bryn’s table in the bed & breakfast, was a quiet affair. The reason blew bubbles and smiled as she was passed from one person to the next to admire her beauty and innocent smiles. Tonight was Esme’s first meal with the “extended family.” At one month old, she already sported fluffy blonde curls, and all swore she favored her mother’s piquant fae beauty with her slightly pointed ears.
Her parents’ indulgent smiles reflected a deep relief that Esme had been born female. At least with this child, Aoife and Sigurd need not worry about the fae swooping in to steal her. Her sex protected her—as did her already luminescent skin that marked her a witch.
When the baby made her way around the table to Khan, he held her in front of his face and locked his gaze with her bright blue-green eyes. Softly, he gave her a gift, one he’d honor no matter how much time passed. “As you wish, little one…” he whispered then gave her a kiss on her chubby pink cheek.
“My turn,” Radha said beside him, her tone impatient.
Khan shook his head. “You’ve held her many times. Have a little patience, witch.” He cradled the baby in the crook of his arm as he arched a brow at the woman who filled his days with frustration and his dreams with lusty antics that left him feeling barely rested when he woke.
Radha lifted her chin and tried to hold his stare, but her cheeks filled with color, and she reached for her wine glass, likely as an excuse to look away.
Khan chuckled softly. Glancing down at Esme, he said, “See, lovely girl? I’m getting to her.”
Radha snorted as she took a sip of wine then coughed.
With his free hand, Khan patted her back. “If someone would just surrender her pride…”
“My freedom, don’t you mean?” she said, her words hoarse.
When she fell neatly into his trap, he gave her a smoldering glance. “Darling, I’m jinn. I’m not out to feed off your power. My only desire is to grant your deepest wishes.” Then he smiled and shifted the baby, holding Esme out to her.
Radha reached automatically, bringing the baby against her chest. “You have to stop,” she whispered.
“Stop what?”
Her face screwed into an expression caught somewhere between an angry frown and an exasperated pout. “Stop trying to seduce me!”
The room went silent at her outburst, and he didn’t dare laugh as her blush deepened.
However, Darcy’s laughter filled the silence. “Radha, seriously. Put him out of his misery. He’s a walking boner, and your astral wandering is interfering with your REM sleep, too. You both look haggard as Hel.”
Radha’s frown deepened as she gave Bryn a glare, asking silently for her to intervene.
Her sister witch, who was busy spooning green mush into her son’s mouth, missed the look. Still, she did tsk. “Darcy, be polite. No man likes being called a walking boner.”
The demons around the table laughed while Khan smirked. He didn’t mind one bit. It meant someone had noticed his unwavering attraction for the lovely brunette.
Bryn’s mate, Ethan, cleared his throat. As the leader of their small band of demons, his interruption drew everyone’s attention. “Radha, however crude Darcy was being, she has a point. You’ve had well over a year to name your choice of mate.”
Radha nuzzled the baby’s cheek. “You said we could have our choice of mates. What if I haven’t met him yet?”
“There are seventeen single demons still living here in Bonne Nuit. Is there not one among them that you can see yourself marrying?” His gaze went to Esme who’d fallen asleep against her chest. “Esme and Tor,” he said, tilting his head toward his son, “need playmates.”
Radha’s jaw dropped, and Darcy sank into giggles. The redhead pointed at her sister witch. “That’s right, you have to start popping out those babies.”
Ethan’s stony face turned toward Darcy. “You need to make your choice as well. You’ve played with nearly every demon at this table. And we all know how well they’ve pleasured you. Choose one.”
Bryn’s face was set in calm lines as she looked to her husband. “It is time, sisters. My husband has been patient, but we all grow weary of this game. I know you have favorites. It’s time to think about our future and grow our coven and clan.”
Bryn’s words must have shocked her two single sisters, because both stared round-eyed. Bryn had always been their champion, soothing Ethan’s irritation at the lusty unrest that had surrounded them since that summer day the demons had arrived.
Khan sat back in his chair, his arms crossed over his chest. While Radha wouldn’t ever call him her favorite, he knew he was the only one among the demons who got under her skin, who could spark her outrage or make her blush with just one sly look.
With all the confidence of a jinn who’d lived a millennium, he relaxed against his chair.
He had no doubts she’d choose him.
Radha had had enough. She passed the baby to Nikon, the satyr beside her, who was another of her guardians along with Khan, and pushed up from her seat. “As Darcy said, I’m fatigued. If you’ll all excuse me, I’m going to head home.”
Bryn pointed toward Radha’s vacated chair. “Don’t be silly. You’ll eat the autumn stew I made. And have a slice of the farmer’s bread Darcy baked. You’re too thin. And Darcy’s right. You do look like Hel. Haven’t you been sleeping?”
Radha shifted on her feet then settled into her chair again, without glancing at the sly, handsome demon seated to her left or the satyr to her right, whose hazel eyes followed her everywhere. “All right. I’ll eat. But let’s change the topic of conversation.” She slathered a slice of the brown bread with fresh butter made by a local human woman, who’d traded for a jar
of Bryn’s muscadine jelly.
“Shall we talk about why you look so exhausted?” Bryn said softly.
Darcy chuckled from across the table. “Bet I know why…”
“It’s not because I’ve been…traveling a lot,” Radha said, referring to her practice of astral projection, which she did before she slept. When the men had first arrived, she’d used it to enter the dreams of some of the demons who’d kept them under lock and key inside Bryn’s inn to protect them from the demon council that had searched for them for five long years. She’d wanted to be sure of their true natures and intentions toward her sisters. After Ethan had defeated the council’s champion and the council had banished them, allowing them to live outside their rule, Radha had used her nightly travels to take the edge off her constant arousal. She’d learned what gave the men pleasure and how they in turn intended to please their future mates.
Of late, she’d refrained from entering their dreams for fear of bringing along the new darkness she’d encountered on the astral plane. Not traveling wasn’t an option. Not for her. The deep meditative state she entered was something she required before drifting away into a natural sleep. So, while others around her slept, she traveled around her home and into the woods around it, always moving because something lurked in the darkness. Something that frightened her.
“Radha,” Bryn said, pulling her thoughts back. “What’s going on?”
The jinn beside her unfolded his arms and studied her expression. “You are among friends. Tell us.”
She wrinkled her nose. “It’s probably nothing.”
“And it might be something,” Aoife said in her breathy, little girl voice.
“When I…travel—”
“Yeah, what’s that mean, anyway?” Nikon said.
“When I meditate, I leave my body,” Radha said, hating to admit her practice, because she knew the men would figure out what she’d been up to for months. “At first, I float upwards. I can travel through the roof and over the trees, until I reach the plane.” She wrinkled her nose. “It’s a place to meet spirits and other travelers. Sometimes, I simply walk around here,” she said waving a hand, “just to see what’s going on.”
“Do you watch us?” the shifter, Hamdir, said, frowning.
“Sometimes,” she admitted, feeling heat rise in her cheeks.
“You can enter dreams, can’t you?” Khan said softly beside her.
She swallowed, but then nodded, her gaze falling away because many of the men around the table were sitting straighter in their chairs.
Beside her, Nikon grinned. “So, you know how satyrs prefer to make love.”
Her mouth went dry as she recalled the particular dream she’d manipulated to have him show her just how a demon with half a horse’s body could make love to a woman…
Thankfully, none of the men she’d played with seemed angry, but it was embarrassing knowing that from now on they’d be looking at her differently.
“So, back to what’s happening now,” Khan said, his voice sharpening.
She nodded, relieved to be moving on. “For the past couple of weeks, I’ve felt like there’s something lurking when I go under. It stands very near,” she said, closing her eyes. “It breathes against my cheek,” she said, touching her cheek. “When I move, I hear footsteps shadowing me.”
“You haven’t seen what it is?”
“No. Not yet. And I think ‘it’ is a he, and he’s only biding his time. I’m tiring,” she said, her shoulders drooping. “And the more tired I get, the more quickly I become frightened.”
“You think he wants you frightened?” he asked.
“What do you think he is?” Bryn asked, not waiting for her answer. “I know you haven’t seen him, but do you think he could be a demon?”
Radha shrugged. “I’m not sure.”
“Could it just be a dream?” Darcy asked, frowning.
“It’s not just a dream. Nightmares have never frightened me all that much.”
Bryn leaned forward. “Do you feel any physical sensations, either right before you project or after?”
Radha rubbed her chest. “My chest feels heavy when I wake up. It’s a little hard to breathe, but I thought that might just be stress.”
Khan’s brows lowered, and he shot a glance at Ethan.
Ethan nodded. “Could be a night mare.”
Radha shook her head. “It’s not a nightmare. I’m not yet asleep when it happens.”
“He’s talking about a night mah-ray,” Khan said. “It’s the thing nightmares are named for. A special kind of demon.”
“But they’re pretty rare,” Bryn said. “I’ve only read about them in books, back when I had access to the council’s library.”
“They are used as assassins,” Renner said. “If you’re being haunted by a mare, someone wants you dead.”
“No one wants me dead,” Radha said, shaking her head. “Unlike some of my sisters, my previous fiancé was glad to be rid of me so he could marry the siren he fell in love with.”
“And why kill you?” another sister, Miren, said. “Witches are coveted. Stealing one, I can see. But killing one? That would take someone who was enormously angry with you, and unless you’ve kept secrets, Radha, I just don’t see that.”
Radha let out a deep breath. “No secrets. No mortal enemies.”
“So, if he’s a mare, a demon,” Aoife said, “maybe he’s simply out for what every demon wants—to mate with a witch to gain your power.”
“Then why menace me?”
“Think about it,” Bryn said. “You’re exhausted now. Give it a few more weeks, and you’ll be desperate for relief.”
“Desperate enough to let a mare have me?” Radha snorted. “That’s a terrible plan.”
“What can we do?” Darcy asked, turning to look at Bryn and Ethan. “Is there a spell to vanquish a mare?”
Bryn shook her head. “Not that I know of.”
“People used to smear shit on their doorsteps to keep mares from entering their houses,” Renner said, wrinkling his nose.
“That’s just silly. And ew! Radha has guardians,” Aoife said, pointing at Khan and Nikon. “He can’t get anywhere near her. For all we know, he’s not even on this continent.”
Renner shook his head. “He would want to be near to take her when she’s ready to surrender.”
“How do we protect her?” Nikon asked.
Khan let out a deep breath. “Why not remove the prize?”
Radha blinked, not understanding.
“Marry someone. Now. Bind with another demon.”
Chapter 2
Bryn stood, her hands fisting on her hips. “And what will the mare do if he’s thwarted? If Radha’s power goes to another, what’s to say he won’t kill her simply because he can?”
“Good going, riling up mama witch. Nice try, though,” Nikon said, giving Khan a one-sided grin.
Radha gave them both a quelling glare. Now was not the time for any jealous rivalry.
When the noise inside the dining room rose with the women speaking over each other, Ethan rapped on the table. Bryn huffed a breath and sat in her seat, her arms crossed in front of her.
Radha gave Khan a sideways glower. “See what you’ve done?”
Khan arched an eyebrow. “I offered a solution.”
“Yes, you did, but until we can confirm this is indeed a demon attack,” Ethan said, “we’ll hold off on your suggestion.” When his wife gave a nod, he added, “Although the idea does hold merit.”
Bryn’s mouth pursed then slowly stretched. “You’re trying to make me mad.”
“Makeup sex is the best,” Renner whispered loudly, earning Miren’s elbow in his side.
“In the meantime…” Ethan said, glancing around the room. “Is it possible for another to travel with Radha to protect her?” He glanced at Renner. “I know you can enter dreams.”
Renner shook his head. “But I can’t enter the plane. It’s not the same at all.”
Khan released out a deep sigh. “I know a vanir.”
The other demons groaned.
The women shared doubtful glances. “What is a vanir?” Radha asked.
Ethan’s mouth twisted in disgust. “They are rare. Known mostly because of their ability to impregnate infertile women.”
“They consider themselves fertility gods. They actually like to be called that,” Renner said sneering.
Darcy’s eyebrows shot upward. “Radha doesn’t have a fertility problem that we know of.”
“This vanir can project,” Khan said. “He could accompany Radha, have her back the next time the mare draws near.”
“You’re talking about Frigg,” Ethan said, his voice lowering.
Darcy snorted. “That’s his name? Seriously?”
Ethan waved a hand to indicate he wanted silence. Then his gaze went to Khan. “Why would he help us?”
“Would he be willing to go up against the council’s edict about all demons shunning us?” Bryn blurted.
Ethan shook his head. “He’s far outside the council’s favor. We have nothing he would want…”
“Unless he thinks he can score himself a witch,” Khan said quietly.
“He’d demand me as the price of ridding me of this mare?” Radha shook her head.
“He might,” Khan said.
“Can we offer him something else? Money, perhaps?” she asked, her voice rising.
“He doesn’t need our money. Women desperate to conceive shower him with anything he wants.”
“You sound like you know him well,” she said, her eyes narrowing.
Khan’s gaze met hers and held. “I do. A long time ago, we were friends…”
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