by Angel Nyx
When a sob escaped her, despite her resolve to hold it all in, she felt Caine’s arms wrap around her. With her face tucked into the space between his head and shoulders she let a few tears fall. “I just met him, I can’t lose him now.”
“I know, Angel.” Caine tightened his arms around her and let her cry.
After several minutes, Emelise pulled back and wiped her eyes. “Thank you.” She took several deep breaths and stepped back. “I must look a wreck,” she grumbled before she grabbed her makeup bag out of her purse to make sure she didn’t go back out with raccoon eyes. That was when her eyes fell on the roses resting on the desk. “You brought me roses.” A soft smile flitted across her face. Even when she felt like her world was unraveling he managed to ground her in some way. “They’re beautiful.”
“Not as beautiful as you.” Caine lifted his hand and touched her cheek gently. “Do you want to go to da hospital now?”
“No. I can’t do that to Venus. This is her big night. I have to be here to announce her. Besides, you haven’t heard her full stage name.” There was a mischievous gleam in her eyes.
“Den let’s get back out front so you can introduce her.” Caine slipped his arm around her waist as they headed for the door.
Eme leaned against him until they reached the bar. Then she stood up on her tip toes, kissed his chin, and pulled away to go to the stage. “For those who are new here, welcome to Scarlet Flux. I hope y’all have been enjoying yourselves so far.” She waited for the applause to stop before she continued. “Tonight it is my pleasure and honor to introduce you to an amazing performer. I lured her away from her long-time gig in Phoenix, Arizona, where she performed at The Inferno several nights a week. Without further ado, I give you the enchanting and seductive Miss Venus Flysnatch.”
Malcolm
Malcolm had arrived at the club in the late afternoon to go over the set one last time with the band. He’d wanted the show to be perfect. He was a mess in his private life but when it came to his professional life he was a perfectionist. “That was perfect, guys and gals,” he’d said with a wink to the band. “Thanks for putting up with my need to be sure we have it down pat.”
“It’s all good, Mal. At least you’re dedicated to your music. You wouldn’t believe some of the singers we’ve worked with who only put in half-ass effort and expected things to be great,” the bassist had said with a roll of her eyes. “Tonight should be great. You’ll knock ‘em dead.”
Malcolm had laughed. “That’s the plan. Figuratively speaking, of course.” With that he’d headed into the dressing room to begin the process of transforming himself from Malcolm Savage, lion shifter, to Venus Flysnatch, Blues Sensation. Few who saw him in drag ever recognized him out of it.
Hours later, Venus waited in the wings listening to Emelise introduce her. She doubted any of the humans caught the strain in Eme’s voice but she knew every shifter there would hear it. Too bad she’d have to wait until the show was over to find out what was wrong.
“Without further ado, I give you the enchanting and seductive Miss Venus Flysnatch.”
With those words Venus sauntered out into the club and took the small stage. She lost herself to the music at the first notes of I Just Want to Make Love to You’ written by Willie Dixon and performed by Blues greats such as Etta James and Muddy Waters. That segued into A Sunday Kind of Love’ which was followed by Misty Blue and Something’s Got A Hold On Me, all of which were songs made popular by Etta James. Then she changed things up a little and sang Aretha Franklin’s Rolling in the Deep’, Chain of Fools, and Respect. She finished her set with Bonnie Raitt’s Thing Called Love’and Love Me Like A Man. Next was Sweet Home Chicago, followed by The Thrill Is Gone, I Can’t Quit You Baby, Shake Your Money Maker and she closed the set with It Hurts Me Too.
By the time Venus left the stage she was ready for something cold to drink and flying high on the applause she’d received. She made her way toward the bar and her gaze fell on a very attractive redhead leaning against the bar. He was a few inches shorter than Venus's own 6'4”. He was toned in a way that told Venus he worked out and it made her want to undress him just to see what he looked like under the snug fitting slacks and dress shirt he wore. His scent hit her and she arched a brow. Leopard.
The way her lion suddenly reared it’s head, making it difficult to hold onto her persona, was almost enough to make her turn around and head to the dressing room to change. Almost. “Well, aren’t you a spot of sunshine in the dark,” Venus purred at the leopard before she leaned over the bar to order a drink. “Corona Extra.” With a wink at the redhead Venus took her drink and headed to the hall leading to the backstage area and the dressing rooms.
“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.” The instant the dressing room door was closed Malcolm dropped the Venus persona and growled with frustration. Of course he’d had the misfortune of running into the one shifter that could make his lion take notice while he was in drag. After his performance, the redhead, whoever he was, probably assumed ‘Venus’ was a real woman and he’d be disgusted when he realized Venus was just a drag queen.
Staring at himself in the dressing room mirror he felt despondent. As bad as homophobia was in the human world, it was even worse in the shifter world, depending on the flavor of shifter. Once upon a time he’d pretended to be straight just to be accepted in the Pride but that had gone horribly wrong. He’d ended up being shunned by the Pride, any Pride, and it had left him feeling defective and despondent. It had taken time to pull himself out of the deep depression he’d spiraled into and he had no desire to go down that dark path again.
Malcolm drained his beer quickly before he focused on removing the wig and makeup. Fifteen minutes later he was stepping out of the dressing room in a pair of snug-fitting jeans and a t-shirt that hugged his upper body. Part of him hoped the redhead was still there but the other part hoped he’d left.
Emelise
Despite being anxious to leave and get to the hospital, Emelise waited until Malcolm was done. It was his debut as Venus and she refused to slip out the door without seeing how the show was received first. The thunderous applause that echoed and swelled throughout the club when Venus stepped off the stage brought a grin to her face despite her worry. “Let me congratulate Malcolm on the show then we can get out of here,” she said to Caine who stood with his arm wrapped protectively around her.
“You got it, Angel.”
She smiled, just a little, and leaned into him before she pulled away so she could head toward the hall Malcolm would have to exit to get into the club. When she noticed her cousin, Julius, standing there, she arched a brow. “Hey. What are you doing hanging around here?”
Julius turned his attention to his cousin. “Waitin’ for Venus to come out. Don’t worry, I know Venus is a drag queen,” he said before she could say anything. “Just want to tell him he’s got an amazin’ voice.” He leveled his gaze at her. “You’re upset. What’s wrong?”
She shook her head. “Tell you later. I’m heading out of here in a minute but... ah, here he is now.” She saw the way Malcolm froze for a fraction of a second when his gaze fell on Julius and it piqued her curiosity. Later, Eme, you need to get to the hospital she silently admonished herself. “Hey, Mal, that was so great. I have to leave, Derrick, my dad, had to be rushed to the hospital with chest pains, but I didn’t want to go without congratulating you on a smashing debut.”
Malcolm flashed her a grin. “Thanks, babe,” he said with a wink in Caine’s direction. “Venus seems to be a hit in the Big Easy.” Then he sobered a little. “Shit, I hope he's okay.”
“Thanks.” At his comment about being a bit hit she smiled a little. “As if there was any doubt? Oh, Malcolm, this is my cousin, Julius. Jules, this is Mal. Okay, introductions done, I’m out of here. I’ll call you tomorrow to fill you in,” she added to both of them before she let Caine lead her out into the humid night air.
Eme stared out the window as Caine drove them to Tulane Medical Center. Her fi
ngers restlessly played with the hem of her shirt and every now and then she shifted in her seat. The tension in the car was thick enough to cut with a knife. To say she was scared was putting it lightly. Terror at the thought of losing her father so soon after meeting him almost had her frozen in her seat.
“We’ll be there soon.” Caine reached over and took her hand in his.
“Thank you for coming with me.” Eme kept her voice soft out of fear it would break if she spoke too loudly.
“Dere’s no place I’d rather be den at your side, Angel.”
She could hear the fierce honesty in his voice. Gods, he was making her love him and that terrified her. If she lost her heart to him and he walked away she knew it would shatter her and she’d never be able to put the pieces back together.
Caine
Caine had watched her from the corner of his eye as he drove. His leopard wanted to snarl at the helplessness he felt. Protecting his mate from harm was his number one priority, even before the Pard. This pain, this fear, was something he couldn’t protect her from though. It made him feel powerless and that enraged his leopard.
He’d reached over and took her hand in his before he’d entwined their fingers together. He wasn’t going to tell her everything would be ‘okay’ because they had no idea what had caused the chest pains. The most obvious answer was heart attack but there were other conditions that could cause it too. It damn near broke his heart when she thanked him for being there. Her distrust of men and their ability to commit made him want to hunt down the man who’d initially caused it and hurt him. “Dere’s no place I’d rather be den at your side, Angel.” No truer words were ever spoken. He would move heaven and earth to be at her side whenever and wherever she needed him. He felt the outline of the velvet box in his pocket. Inside it was a pendant he'd had custom made for her. Caine decided that, once they reached the hospital parking lot, he was giving it to her before she got out of his car.
Caine found a parking spot as close to the Emergency Department entrance as he could and turned off the car. “Wait. Before you get out, dere’s someting I want to give you. I’d planned a bit more romantic setting but dis will have to do.” He pulled the box from his pocket and held it out to her. “I know you have a hard time trustin’ men, I even know why dat is, but you thanking me for being here, it shows me dat I’ve not been diligent enough in showing you just how much you mean to me. I am in love wit’ you Emelise Acadia Rousseau. Dis pendant is a symbol of how long dat love will last.” When he opened the box he revealed a gorgeous, handcrafted Infinity pendant. It was white gold with a trail of diamonds along one side of the symbol. The other side had a heart carved into it with a gorgeous emerald stone resting in half of the heart. The color reminded him of her eyes.
Emelise covered her mouth and a soft sound escaped her. “Caine...it’s beautiful,” she whispered.
“I hoped you’d like it. I’m not goin’ anywhere, Angel. You and me, dis is for life, whether you believe me yet or not.” He helped her to put it on then brushed his lips across hers. “We’ll face whatever we find in dere together.”
Eme curled her fingers around the pendant for a moment before she nodded. “I love you, too, you know.”
A soft growl escaped him. “Dat’s good to know.” He kissed her again then reluctantly let go so they could get out of the car. As soon as he’d rounded the back of the car to her side he slipped his arm over her shoulder and pulled her close. He loved that she was petite enough he could tuck her against his side without difficulty.
As they neared the entrance to the doors leading into the hospital he felt her take a deep breath before she released it slowly. He could almost feel her resolve to be strong no matter what the news might be.
Chapter Seventeen
Emelise
She hated hospitals. Nothing good had ever come from visiting one. The tension in the air from so many sick and injured people and their worried families made it hard for her to breathe. As soon as the doors closed behind them she stopped and closed her eyes. Memories of the last time she was in a hospital threatened to overwhelm her and a soft mewl escaped from between her lips. Caine’s arms wrapping around her grounded her and brought her back to the present. She needed to get herself under control. Taking several deep breaths she let each one out slowly before she opened her eyes. “Thank you. I hate hospitals.” She felt the heat of embarrassment on her cheeks.
“No’ting to be embarrassed about, cher. You’ve had some bad experiences in hospitals.”
Emelise gave him a faint smile. “I suppose.” She refused to let the memories take hold again. “Let’s see if we can find Angie.”
A few minutes later found her sitting in a chair next to her stepmother. All four of her half siblings were there as well. “Have you heard anything yet?”
“Not yet but we should any time now.” Angie turned her attention to her children. “I know we were going to do this officially tomorrow but since we’re all here...Guys, this is Emelise. She’s the sister your dad told you about. Emelise, this is Connor, Gavin, Jaxon, and Ava.”
“Hi.” Eme nodded at each of them. “You can call me Eme. It’s nice to meet all of you I just wish it was anywhere else.”
“It’s nice to meet you, too, finally. Dad’s told us a little about you. He didn’t really explain why he was never told about you, though.” Connor, the oldest of the four and several years younger than Emelise, watched her closely.
“That's a bit hard to explain. See, Mama never told me much about her side of the family and she never once talked about who my father was. I didn’t know until he and your Mama came to my club on opening night. I could wish it was different all I want but that won’t change the past. I just hope I get to know all of you now that we’ve been reunited. It was just me and Mama when I was growing up so this whole having lots of family members thing is new and a little overwhelming sometimes.”
“I like you.” Ava was the youngest. “You’re spunky.” She gave Emelise a shy smile.
Caine chuckled at Emelise’s side. “Dat she is.”
“Oh, crap. I’m so sorry. I’m forgetting my manners. This is my...boyfriend, Caine.” He was more than that but she wasn’t up to going into detail there at the hospital and she didn’t think it was appropriate to call him her ‘lover’ considering Ava wasn’t even in her teens.
“It’s all right, Angel. You’ve been a little distracted. Nice to meet y’all.” He nodded at her siblings before he noticed a doctor headed their way. “Looks like dey might finally have some answers.”
Emelise tensed at his side and leaned into him when he tightened his arm around her shoulder.
“Mrs. Winton? I’m sorry to keep you waiting so long. Your husband had a blood clot that broke off from a larger clot we found located in his right knee. Records show he had an injury to that knee a few years ago. Sometimes blood clots can form without there being any visible indication, as with your husband, which can make it difficult to catch before there is trouble. We’re giving him blood thinners to breakdown the clot and will keep him overnight to monitor his condition. He will have to be on blood thinners for six months after his release and he needs to follow up with his regular physician.”
“Oh thank God. I was so worried he’d had a heart attack,” Angie whispered. “Can we see him?”
“He’s being moved to a room in ICU. If you’ll follow me I’ll show you to his room so you can wait for him there.”
They all followed him to the elevators and stepped inside. Emelise felt almost weak with relief. She wasn’t an expert but she knew a blood clot in the heart could have killed her father just as easily as a heart attack could have. But that didn’t happen and she had time to get to know him after all. She hadn’t even had the chance to give him the letter from her mother yet. Eme would have never forgiven herself if he’d died without having had the chance to read it.
Emelise quietly followed behind her stepmother and siblings. It was still a little overwhelming fo
r her to know she had such a large family when for so long it had been just her and her mother. When they reached the hospital room she hovered near the door to give the others some privacy.
Derrick lay in the bed with a disgruntled look on his face. “All this fussing over me, I’m fine,” he grumbled.
“You’re not ‘fine’, Derrick. You could have died.” Angie held her husband’s hand tightly. “I’m just so glad you didn’t try to hide it like you usually do when something is bothering you.”
He sighed. “I’m sorry, love. I just really dislike hospitals.”
From the door Emelise couldn’t help but snicker. “Good to know I’m not the only one who doesn’t like them.”
“Emelise? Don’t you have a big show at the club tonight?” He and Angie had planned on going before he’d started having the chest pains.
“I did, yeah. It ended a little bit ago. The club is in good hands. I trust my manager to close it up after the last customer is gone.” She stepped into the room and moved to the bedside. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to give you. I was going to do it tomorrow at dinner but since that’s on hold and I’m here now...” She pulled the sealed envelope from her bag. “I found this in a chest Mama had locked tight.”
Derrick took the letter and just held it.
“We're going down to the waiting room, give y'all some time together,” Emelise said before she moved to go to the door. She didn't want to barge in on their family time.