by Rhys Rowlyn
Bram stops pacing and faces me. “How do you know?”
“She’s controlling them, and if she were feral, that wouldn’t be possible. You have to be in control of your thoughts, and ferals tend to lack most of that control. What I would like to know is why she attacked the witches.” I can’t imagine what her goal is, but I know she doesn’t do anything randomly.
“Oh my goodness, what is up with all this drama?” Chi rushes out into the yard with the three other witches following close at his heels. “And why are crazy vampires attacking us?”
“That’s what we would like to know. Maybe you should give your grandmother a call.” Phillipe grips his shoulder, frowning down at the man.
Chi shakes his head adamantly and wags his finger in Phillipe’s face. “Oh, hell nah. She’s pissed at me for moving in with the girls and basically disowned me. She also forbade me from seeing Jade, but Jade texts me on a phone the old lady doesn’t know about.”
“I could call Asher.” Nyla sidles up next to me, and I wrap my arm around her waist.
“Who is Asher?” Everyone has the same confused look I wear.
“He’s my brother.” Chi waves his hand as if we should know this. “You sure that’s a good idea? You and Asher split some time ago.”
“Yeah, we’re no longer a thing, but we ended as friends. As a matter of fact, smartass, we had lunch a week before I was kidnapped.” Nyla shakes her head and rolls her eyes, but I know the look on my face isn’t pleasant, and Chi confirms it.
“Girl, your big bad vampire ain’t looking too happy about you seeing my brother.” He points a finger at me and raises his brows.
Nyla waves off our concerns with a dismissive hand. “It’s no big deal. Jean Pierre can come to the meeting.” She turns, gripping my forearms, and directly meets my gaze. “We only went out a few times, and they were very casual. Romance wasn’t in the cards for us. Our chemistry didn’t work.”
“Whatever your deal is, you’re going to have to call him. Even though we get along, Grandmother has forbidden any of the family from talking to me. Asher told me something weird is going on with her, and he wanted to stay close to keep an eye on Jade. I agreed, so we haven’t spoken in a month or so.” Chi rubs the back of his neck and looks at Nyla with pleading eyes.
“Of course I’ll call him. Hey, if you have an inside man, no sense in spoiling that.” Nyla grips Chi’s shoulder and pats his cheek. “And we really don’t want to mess things up if you think your sister may be in trouble.”
“I am really worried about her. This side of my family is so weird, especially my judgy grandmother.” Chi rolls his eyes, waving a dismissive hand.
“What happened with your mother? Why was your grandmother so against your parents being together?” Nyla tilts her head to the side and wrinkles her brow.
Chi tweaks her nose. “I believe it’s one witch faction thinking it’s better than another. My mother swore she was a descendant of Fred Staten, the voodoo priest, and maybe she was. She knew my dad didn’t have any powers, but power was in his blood. So she said she put a lust spell on him and had a one-night stand. She didn’t want him, only me.” Chi acts as if this is all laissez-faire, but his eyes tighten at the edges and his heart rate has increased. He’s more affected by the whole debacle than he wants us to know. “And there was the fact my grandmother had chosen my dad’s wife and she wasn’t my mother.”
“Does your brother and sister have power? Because we know you do.” Cara tilts her head to the side and rubs her chin.
Chi nods. “Yes.”
“What happened to your dad? Is their mom a witch?” Cassie narrows her gaze at Chi. I feel bad for him having to bring up all this, but I also want to know his history. If we are going to be meeting his brother, I want as much information as I can get.
“She is, and she has power, but my dad was born without any. I guess he’s a glitch. Nobody knows what the deal is with him.” Chi shrugs his shoulders, frowning.
“Why did your mom want you so badly? And if your dad had no power, why would she think he was a good option?” Cassie crosses her arms over chest and lifts her chin in Chi’s direction.
“I questioned her about that one time when I was younger, and she blew off the fact he had no power. She made a comment about it being stolen from him.” Chi turns when Cara gasps, and he raises a brow at her, but she waves him off. He shakes his head and continues. “She thought I would bring our coven to power, but I refused to learn anything. In the end, it didn’t matter. She died when I was eighteen.”
Cassie’s mouth opens to form an O, and she covers it with her hands. “How?”
“Drug overdose, but I think my grandmother had something to do with it. My mama told me to be careful of them. There was a big evil in their midst.” Chi wraps his arms around his waist, and Cara hugs his shoulders.
“That doesn’t sound ominous at all.” Nyla rubs her temples, and I move behind her to massage her shoulders. She leans back into my chest, and I wrap my arms around her. I don’t know how I feel about us meeting Chi’s brother, but at the moment, I don’t see any other option. We need to figure out why Minerva attacked.
“I don’t really have anything to do with my dad, but I do see my brother and sister. The weird thing is my grandmother is the one who introduced us, and now she’s the one keeping us apart.” Chi fans his face and sniffs. “It really pisses me off that I can’t see them.”
Circe draws him into a hug. “One day soon, my friend, your family will be reunited.”
“Thanks, Circe, I hope you’re right.” He hugs her back, laying his head on her shoulder.
“So I guess it’s on me to get in touch with Asher.” Nyla leans back into me, places her hands on my arms, and gives me a reassuring squeeze. “Do you at least have his number? I had it in my old phone but lost it during my time in captivity.”
“Yeah, I’ll text it to you, but he’s been acting cagey lately, so don’t be offended if he doesn’t answer, especially from a number he won’t recognize.” Chi pulls out his phone and taps on the screen.
“Right now, it’s our only clue, so I’ll take a chance.” Nyla glances up at me and I nod, kissing her cheek. She’s right, he’s all we’ve got for now, but I’m hoping that will soon change so we can stop Minerva before she hurts anyone we care about.
Jean Pierre
Tonight we are meeting Chi’s brother, Asher, and I don’t know how I feel about it. Nyla assures me there is nothing to worry about, but I’m finding being newly mated tends to do away with rational thoughts.
We are at a bar on the riverfront, and I have a bad feeling. Nyla ordered us beers, and we are sitting here waiting. A tall man with reddish-brown hair and green eyes walks in, and Nyla waves him over.
Narrowing my eyes on Nyla, I nod in the man’s direction. “That’s Chi’s brother?”
“Yeah, they look nothing alike.” She grins, standing and taking his hands, then she kisses his cheek.
She’s right about that. Chi is a tiny man with caramel-colored skin, long braids, and dark-brown eyes. This man is the polar opposite. I growl lightly when he hugs Nyla. Did I mention he is handsome?
Nyla takes my hand, links our fingers, and gives it a squeeze. “Asher, how have you been? This is my boyfriend, Jean Pierre.”
Asher offers his hand for me to shake, and I grip his hand maybe a bit harder than necessary. “Nice to meet you. Be good to this one. She’s one awesome lady.”
Nyla’s cheeks turn pink, and she dips her chin. “Aw, thanks, Ash. Look, I’m going to get straight to the point. Things are really different now, and I know things about you and your family.”
“Yes, dear, I picked up on the changes with you. Maybe we should go sit at that booth in the corner.” He motions toward the back of the room, and we follow him to an isolated booth. We slide in across from Asher.
Asher murmurs something under his breath, and the room goes quiet.
I raise my brows. “What did you just do?”
/> “Just a spell to block any listening ears. Now, what do you know?” He leans back in the booth and props an arm on the back. His pose is relaxed, but he keeps clenching and unclenching his fist. My hackles rise, and I glance around the room for any threats. All I see are a few older men sitting at the bar and a tired-looking barmaid.
“I know you come from a long line of witches. Chi lives next door to us.” Nyla gets right to the point, wasting no time in laying our cards on the table. I’m hoping this will get our meeting over soon.
Asher sits forward, props his elbows on the table, and steeples his fingers in front of his face. “So how is my little brother?”
“He’s doing well, learning a lot, but let’s keep that under our hats.” Nyla narrows her gaze and waits on his nod to continue. “Also, you should now I’m now a vampire and Jean Pierre is my mate.”
“Yeah, I picked up on you being different. Wasn’t sure what you had become, but wow, vampire. You’ve been busy. Congratulations.” He winks at Nyla, and she laughs.
I have to use all my self-control to not punch him in the face.
Asher furrows his brow, frowning. “I heard some vamps were waking up from a curse one of my ancestors had put them under.”
“Sabine was your ancestor?” I’m surprised by this information. Chi hasn’t mentioned anything about his ancestor being the witch who cursed my famille.
“Yep, the one and only. She disappeared shortly after that curse was cast. Rumor has it the curse backfired and killed her.” He smiles at me. “Don’t be too hard on Chi. He has no clue Sabine is his ancestor.”
This makes me feel better. At least I know Chi hasn’t betrayed us. I’ll have to let him and the sisters know. Information like this can be very useful.
“We’re here for some information, but we don’t know if you’ll be able to help us or not.” Nyla leans forward in the booth, meeting Asher’s gaze directly.
I sit back and let her take charge of the questioning. I have a feeling that if this man knows anything, my mate will get it out of him.
“I’m not really in the know, but if I can, I’ll try to help.” He sits back again, resuming his relaxed pose.
Nyla glances back at me, and I nod. “Yesterday, the house Chi is staying in was attacked by a group of feral vampires.”
“Oh no! Is he all right?” Asher sits back up, and I’m thankful for the spell he cast, or we’d have everyone’s attention with his shout.
“Chi and the others are fine. The vampires were being controlled by an older vampire named Minerva. We were wondering if you’ve heard of her or why she would be after a group of witches.” I watch him carefully for any sign of knowing what we’re talking about, but either the man is a great actor or he has no clue about anything we’ve just told him.
“I have no idea. This is the first I’ve heard of feral vamps being in the area.” Asher runs his hands through his hair, causing it to stand on end. “Usually we try to keep up with that sort of activity so we can warn the coven. Nothing has gone out, but Grandmother has been keeping me out of things. She hasn’t banished me like Chi, but it’s close. I’m just thankful I can still see Jade.” He shakes his head, rubbing his chin with his hand. “Tell you what, I’m meeting Jade tomorrow for lunch, so I’ll ask her if she knows anything.”
“Thanks, you’ve got my number from our earlier text.” Nyla smiles and pushes her hip against mine. I move out of the booth.
Asher reaches out and grabs Nyla’s hand, preventing her from sliding out of the booth. I have to suppress the growl that wants out.
“Before you go, will you give Chi a message for me?”
“Of course.” Nyla covers his hand with hers, nodding.
“Tell him I miss him, and I’ve got my eyes open. Also, to be ready.” He is staring at her, meeting her gaze directly.
She narrows her eyes at him, her brow wrinkling. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, but he’ll know what I mean.” Asher releases her, and she leaves the booth to stand next to me.
“Okay, I’ll tell him. Be safe.”
Smiling, he waves us off. “You too.”
We leave the club, and something feels off. My gaze darts around. I don’t see anything, but the hair on the back of my neck is standing on end.
“Jean Pierre, something isn’t right. I feel as though we’re being watched.” Nyla’s gaze darts around, and I know she feels the same sense of foreboding I do.
“Come on, we can’t run in the open. Let’s go to an alley and hit the rooftops.” I grab her hand and lead her down the street a bit, then into an alley out of sight.
We round the corner and are surrounded by four feral vampires. Nyla flattens her back against mine and widens her stance, preparing for battle. This woman is constantly amazing me. My heart clenches at the thought of anything happening to her. It’s in this moment I realize there is more between us than simply being mates. I love her, really love her. I want to turn and declare my love, but the crazed vampire in front of me demands my attention.
The deranged creature tilts his head from side to side and is looking from me to Nyla. I growl at him, determined he will not touch her.
He laughs. “She said don’t kill the male but nothing about the female.”
“You’ll have to kill the male to get to the female.” I snarl back at them, and one dives forward.
Nyla ducks and rolls under him to run up the wall and kick one of the ferals in the back of the head. I swing and knock the one closest to me down and then the two remaining ones attack me in unison, taking me down. I throw them off and regain my footing, only to have them attack again.
Nyla is fighting one and holding her own, but I need to get to her. I must protect my mate at all costs. I look around, remembering there is another one I’m missing and trying to assure myself he isn’t going to join in the fray against Nyla.
“Jean, look out!” Nyla screams, and I feel something hit my head. Everything goes black. My last thought is: Run, Nyla, run!
Nyla
I scream in anguish when I see Jean Pierre go down, but my attention redirects to the vampire in front of me. He rushes toward me and I swing to the right, evading his hit and landing my own to his kidney. I put as much power as possible behind the punch, holding nothing back, and feel bones crunch under my fist.
The vampire stumbles back, grabbing his side and looking back at me with a look of horror. I pull out the razor wire Phillipe gave me as I jump behind him, then slice through his neck, severing his head. He turns to dust before me.
Jumping away from the falling ash, I jerk around, preparing for the next battle, but find myself alone in the alley. I run to the street and see no sign of the three others or my mate. A man dressed in shabby clothes is sitting on the sidewalk against a building, so I race toward him and kneel at his side.
“Hey, did you see a group of men come this way?” I try to calm my voice so I don’t scare the guy, but I need to find Jean Pierre. I know that bitch Minerva is behind this, and I can’t let her get her hands on him again.
“Hi, honey.” The old man looks up at me with glassy-looking eyes. “Do you have some change you could spare?”
Glancing up and down the street, I find it deserted, so I help the man up, knowing it would be useless to try to get any information from him. “Come with me, sir. There’s a diner around the corner. I’ll get you something to eat.” I take my phone out and call Giles, sniffing the air. I don’t pick up on any scents, and Jean Pierre’s is missing now. Dammit, they must be doing something to cloak themselves, but what? I have a feeling this is a question for our witch friends.
“Hello?”
“Giles, it’s Nyla. I need help. Jean Pierre has been taken, and you need to get down here immediately.” I smile at the man as we walk down the sidewalk, my gaze scanning the area for threats. I don’t want to leave the poor guy alone in case the ferals decide to come back and hurt him.
Music plays in the background and a door closes, followed b
y silence. “I’m at Shadows with Cassie and Bram. Tell me where are you, and we’ll meet you.”
“I’m on North Peters Street, close to the French Market. I’m helping an old guy to a diner, so meet me there.” I smile at the guy, and he gives me a toothless grin.
“Be careful, we’re on our way.”
I hang up and open the door to the all-night diner for the gentleman to enter, and I help him into a booth. I walk to the counter and motion for a waitress. “I’d like to order that gentleman the all-out breakfast with steak and eggs, coffee, and orange juice.”
She writes down my order on her pad, glancing up. “Do you want anything?”
“No, I gotta run. Just ring it up, and I’ll pay.” I shake my head, reaching in the side pocket of my cargo pants for my wallet. I’m not big on carrying purses, but I do love pants with pockets.
She hands me the bill, and I give her a hundred. “Oh, we don’t take that large of bills.”
I push her hand back and squeeze my hand around hers holding the bill. “Keep the change. Just make sure he eats.”
Her eyes widen, and I hurry out of the diner before she can ask any more questions. I need to meet Giles, Cassie, and Bram across the street.
“What happened?” Bram asks as soon as I cross the street.
“We met with Asher in the bar on the corner, but when we left, Jean Pierre and I felt like something was off and someone was watching us. We went into that alley, and before we could hit the rooftops, we were surrounded by four ferals.” I lead the way to the alley, and as soon as we enter, Giles takes a look around.
He squats in front of the pile of ash, cocking a brow in my direction. “Were they Minerva’s?”
“I didn’t see any tattoos, but I would think they were. They were working together. Jean Pierre had two attack at once, and I had one keeping my attention. I took him out, but when I turned back to where Jean Pierre was, they were gone. I ran out to the street, and there was no sign of any of them.” I hug my waist with my arms, and Cassie wraps her arms around me, laying her head on my shoulder.