“Not,” Viv retorted.
Evee put the tips of her fingers from her right hand against the palm of her left, calling for a time-out. Viv and Gilly stared at her, anger still popping in their eyes.
“Who did what, when and where is not what’s important right now. Dying humans are. We’ve got to find our missing Originals and get them confined, and the ones who are confined need to be protected from the Cartesians.”
“That’s all we’ve been trying to do,” Viv said. “With not much success, I might add.”
“Maybe once we fill the Elders in, they’ll have some ideas. Especially about why our spells are weakening. Hell, we can’t track our own behinds, much less our own broods. We need backup. Serious backup.”
“No way on the Elders,” Evee said. “The sex part with the Benders will come out, and that’s the last thing we need.”
Elvis, Gilly’s familiar, suddenly raced into the kitchen, tittered, then let out a short screech as if in agreement.
“Hush,” Gilly told him, then turned to Viv. “I don’t think it’s going to do us any good to go back to the Elders. They were supposed to contact the others from the Circle of Sisters to help with spells from different locations. If they did, I certainly haven’t seen any evidence of it. Have you?”
Viv and Evee shook their heads.
“Look,” Evee said, “we have to keep our heads and hands about us, and no more panty play with the Benders.” Even to her own ear, the last part of what she’d just said sounded flat, unconvincing and regretful. “I think one of the biggest challenges we’ve got coming up is feeding time. It’ll be here before we know it, and I have a feeling that the Cartesians are going to attempt a strike while we’re transporting our broods to the North Compound.” She turned to Viv. “Your Loup Garous are already there, but I don’t know how we’re going to get the Nosferatu and Chenilles out there without a Cartesian attack.”
“Maybe there’s a different way for us to set up the feedings,” Viv said. “What if I had my ranch hands drain the cattle’s blood and then we can pick it up and bring it to the Nosferatu instead of bringing the Nosferatu to the compound? The corpses will be there for the Loup Garous, who are already in the compound to eat. When they’re done, I can have my ranch hands, Charlie, Bootstrap and Kale, gather up the bones...damn, never mind. I’ve never allowed the ranch hands to go into the North Compound, and I can’t have them go there now. Too big a risk. Can’t chance a Loup attacking any one of them.”
“Seems like the only part we’re short on,” Gilly said, “is getting the bones collected and brought to the Chenilles in the Louis I Cemetery. And since Viv is the only one who can control the Loups, we’d have to count on her to collect the bones and transport them over here.” She shook her head. “No way I can see you doing that by yourself.”
The three sisters looked down at the floor, then up at the dryer, all three sighing in unison.
Still holding Lucien’s watch, Evee fingered it. The watch seemed so apropos. Their spells, ideas and time were running out.
As hard as she tried to stop the thought, it floated loud and strong in Evee’s mind. Unbidden, unwanted.
Soon they could be facing the total destruction of the Originals and the Triad.
Chapter 6
The safest—and only place—Lucien and Ronan could think of to ride out the storm of the deaths in the Quarter was their hotel room.
Ronan turned on the television, watching for any updated news reports, and Lucien went straight for the shower that he’d been needing for some time.
After undressing, Lucien turned the shower on hot and the knobs to full jet. He stepped into the spray and leaned forward against the wall of the shower. He closed his eyes and let the jets of hot water soak his hair, pelt against his body.
He tried emptying his mind of the vision of the murdered woman, of the merciless Nosferatu, the gawkers and hecklers. It was then Lucien felt the weight of the entire mission abruptly settle on his shoulders. This was far bigger than anything they’d ever faced before. And with certainty, he knew it would get a lot worse before it got better.
Despite the weight and horrible images fleeting in and out of his mind, Lucien suddenly found himself thinking about Evee.
Evee’s explosive reaction to his touch surprised him, and it had taken Lucien every molecule of will he possessed to send her off to shower and for him to leave her home.
Lucien was anything but a prude when it came to women. He’d known many of them over the years. but no one like Evee François. She was tall and slender, with black hair that fell soft and straight to her shoulders. Her eyes were the color of shiny copper pennies, her nose small and perfect. Her lips, so full, luscious, they held the power to drop any man to his knees to beg for one more kiss, one more touch. Her mouth had ravaged his as if she meant to pour the very essence of all she was into him. Oh, how she’d clung to him, kissed him, wanted him.
Although all the triplets were beautiful, there was something about Evee that stuck to Lucien like dried lavender. And he refused to let it fade away. Maybe it was the softness of her voice, the pureness of her heart, how easily she stood up for what was right. Evee took her responsibilities so seriously, yet, at the same time, she held the essence of a certain type of woman Lucien had always craved for and never found. Until now.
The problem was he’d not only found what seemed like the perfect woman, he’d wound up shooting himself in the foot at the same time. He’d all but offered Evee up to Ronan on a silver platter. But he hadn’t been able to help himself. He’d never seen his cousin so enamored by a woman before. And despite what he felt, Lucien always had believed that blood was thicker than water. He’d suggested Ronan pursue Evee. And Lucien had no plans to counter or one-up anything his cousin did. In the end, the decision would be Evee’s.
Once he finished showering, Lucien got out of the tub, dried off with a white, fluffy towel provided by the hotel, then tried to get dressed. The problem was his pants. All the thinking he’d done about Evee had left him with a hard-on. Even the idea of possibly losing her to Ronan had not squelched his desire for her.
Lucien had to wonder if something wasn’t wrong with his own head. How could he feel such sexual desire right now? They’d just witnessed a woman’s murder and blinded a Nosferatu.
Groaning, Lucien lightly slapped the front of his pants. It did nothing but bring Evee even closer to mind. How just the slightest touch of his thumbs between her thighs had sent her into an explosive orgasm that left her shaking. He had never known a woman to be so responsive to his touch, and he thirsted for more. What man in his right mind wouldn’t?
With one last grunt, and envisioning an impossible geometrical equation that needed to be solved before the room exploded, Lucien was finally able to zip his pants. The bulge behind the zipper was still evident so he quickly threw on a black T long enough to cover it.
No sooner had he put himself in order and stepped out of the bathroom than the hotel room door burst open, and Nikoli and Gavril stormed in. Gavril gently kicked the door closed behind him.
Ronan, who’d already showered and dressed, lay across one of the beds with an arm over his eyes. The commotion with the door had him out of bed and standing military straight.
“Where have you been?” Nikoli demanded, glaring at Lucien.
Taken aback, Lucien glared at his cousin. “What the hell’s wrong with you? I just finished showering.”
“How convenient,” Nikoli said, then turned on his heels and walked over to the window on the other side of the bed and stared out of it.
Lucien glanced from Ronan to Gavril, then aimed his chin at Nikoli. “What’s with the attitude?”
“We’ve been summoning you by satellite for over an hour,” Gavril said, pointing to the watch on his left wrist.
All the Benders wor
e the same gadget. It looked like a watch only with more buttons and tiny knobs along its perimeter than any NASA gismo. It operated as a watch, compass and homing device and emitted a red beacon in the center when one Bender summoned another. And that was only activated if one of them stood in deep shit.
Puzzled, Lucien shook his head. “If you summoned me, I never—” He looked down at his wrist, saw nothing and did a double take. He’d forgotten he’d left his watch at Evee’s.
“Where’s your locator?” Gavril asked, frowning. “You never take it off.”
Lucien’s mind went on pause for a moment. It was true. He never took it off, except to shower, which was something none of his cousins knew. The watch was waterproof, shatterproof, but obviously not dumb-ass proof, for he’d left it on Evee’s washer. For some reason he couldn’t explain at the moment, or possibly ever, he’d removed it in Evee’s utility room and placed it on the washer before they’d...well, before.
“Yo, cuz, you’ve gone deaf, too?” Gavril asked, plopping down in an overstuffed chair. “Where is it? You get robbed?”
“No,” Lucien said, feeling awkward. “I didn’t get robbed. Must have left it at the François house.”
At the mention of the Françoises, Nikoli turned away from the window and joined his circle of cousins.
Ronan stormed toward Lucien, his black eyes growing darker by the second. “You had no business being over there in the first place. The two of you were supposed to be hunting Nosferatu at opposite ends of the river.”
Lucien scowled. “Since when did you become my father? Did you not hear what I told you earlier? Nothing happened. The ball in this game is in your court.”
Ronan stood and faced him, his jaw muscles working furiously.
Nikoli stepped between Ronan and Lucien and held a hand on their chests, nudging them farther away from each other.
“Chill,” Nikoli said to Ronan. He turned to Lucien. “Now, what fucking ball are you talking about? ’Cause this sure ain’t no game, cuz.”
“I know it isn’t a game,” Lucien said. “Just something between Ronan and me.”
“So he left it at the François home, what’s the big deal?” Gavril asked. “We all know Lucien’s been working as hard as the rest of us. Cut him some slack.”
“You’re taking his side?” Ronan asked Gavril.
Gavril snorted back a laugh. “Cuz, you sound like a five-year-old.”
“Are you kidding me?” Ronan fumed. “You’re actually pulling sides.”
Nikoli dropped his hands. “Everybody shut the hell up and get a grip. This isn’t about sides. We’re a team. Benders. We’re not here to piss in each other’s boots. We’ve got enough problems to deal with.” He turned to Lucien. “And you, no taking off your transmitter again. You had us worried.”
“Sorry,” Lucien said, and sat on the couch. “I don’t know why I took it off. Just muddled in the head at the time, I guess. We had a Cartesian attack out on the east bank. It nearly got Evee. I yelled to divert it, and it gave Evee time to run away. Problem was, she ran right into the river, and she can’t swim. Had to pop the Cartesian, then rush into the water to get Evee before she drowned.”
Nikoli looked at Ronan. “Where were you when all this was going on?”
“In the Quarter, searching for Originals.”
“You mean to tell me that the three of you split up?”
Lucien looked down, feeling ashamed for a moment. “Yeah. It’s all me, though, cuz. Sounded like a decent plan at the time. Split up and cover more ground.”
“If the three of you were headed in different directions,” Nikoli said, “how did you wind up where Evee was?”
Lucien shrugged. “Instinct told me to follow her. Good thing I did.”
Gavril tilted his head, his brow knitted. “Isn’t Evee the one who’s supposed to have power over the element of water?”
“Yes,” Ronan said.
“Then I’m lost,” Gavril said. “If she has the power over water, how did she wind up nearly drowning?”
“I don’t know,” Lucien said. “She said she has power over water from a distance but is deathly afraid of going into it.”
“Aside from controlling it, how does anyone not know how to swim?” Nikoli asked.
“A lot of people don’t know how to swim,” Lucien said. “And it really is none of our business as to why Evee can’t. All I know is that she couldn’t get her feet under her and someone had to get her out. Now, if we can put that issue behind us for a minute, you might want to hear about another problem that needs attention.”
Nikoli scratched his chin and sighed. “More?”
“You talking about the scabior canopy?” Ronan asked Lucien.
“Yeah.”
“What about it?” Nikoli asked.
“The one we set up in the catacombs started to wane,” Ronan said. “We had to recharge it.”
“Crap,” Nikoli said, and leaned against the wall nearest him and swiped a hand through his hair. “Man, if those canopies go out, we’ve got nothing to keep the Originals that the Triad still have under their control...controlled.”
The scabior canopies had been Nikoli and Viv’s brainchild. The first one had been formed around the North Compound to keep the Loup Garous in check and the Cartesians out. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that the Benders, with their four scabiors combined, couldn’t watch over all the Originals at the same time and search for the ones who’d gone missing. To remedy some of the problem, Viv had used one of her Loup Garous to bend four steel poles that cornered the five-hundred-acre property at forty-five-degree angles. Each pole had a bloodstone placed at the top of it, just like the Benders’ scabiors. The bent poles were aimed toward the center of the property, pointed at one another, then charged with Nikoli’s scabior. That charge created an electrical dome over the entire North Compound, which kept the Cartesians from dropping down out of a rift into the compound. With the contained Loups protected, Nikoli and Viv were free to hunt for the ones that had gone missing.
The same protocol was used at the Louis I Cemetery, where the Chenilles were kept, and the catacombs at St. John’s Cathedral, where Evee kept her Nosferatu.
The fact that one of the domes had to be recharged worried Lucien, as it did his cousins. The others would have to be watched over closely to make sure they wouldn’t need the same boost. That was all they needed. More to watch over.
As if reading his thoughts, Nikoli stood upright and stuck his hands in his back pockets. “Something else we’re going to have to keep an eye on. I’ll do a check on the compound before the feeding.”
“Same here at the cemetery,” Gavril said.
The room went silent for a moment, each cousin lost in his own thoughts.
Finally, Ronan cleared his throat. “There’s more, guys.”
Gavril’s eyebrows arched. “More?”
Ronan nodded. “Earlier, when Lucien and me were in the Quarter, looking for Originals, we heard a woman screaming down one of the streets that branches off Bourbon. At first, she was making sounds like she wanted whoever was with her to fu...have his way with her. We checked to make sure she was all right, and saw one of the Nosferatu with her, transforming right there. Right in front of her. She started screaming so loudly I worried that people in the next parish might hear her.”
“Man, oh, man,” Gavril said, shaking his head in disbelief. “Don’t blame her. What’d y’all do?”
“Jumped the Nosferatu. Gouged his eyes out with the back end of our scabiors. Unfortunately, we didn’t make it there in time to save the woman.”
“But Nosferatu heal themselves pretty quickly, don’t they?” Nikoli asked.
“Oh, yeah,” Lucien said. “And that one was regrouping double time. We were planning our next attack. I mean, the Nosferatu already
knew we could get to its eyes, so I’m figuring it’d probably hit us from another direction, right?”
“Makes sense,” Nikoli said.
“So what’d you do?” Gavril asked.
“Nothing,” Lucien said. “Didn’t have time. The next thing I knew, the Original jerked back, then fell over dead.”
Gavril and Nikoli looked from Lucien to Ronan, waiting for a follow-up explanation. It wasn’t like either to play a suspense card when relaying an incident.
Nikoli motioned with a hand for Ronan to continue.
“It was Pierre. Evee’s head Nosferatu. He stabbed the rogue Original in the back with some kind of dagger. It went right through the Original. Came out the front of his chest, right through the heart.”
Nikoli blew out a loud breath. “Bad for the Nosferatu, but good for us. Don’t know how we’d have dealt with that one.”
“You mean a Nosferatu has the ability to purposely kill its own?” Gavril asked.
“I’m no expert,” Lucien said, “but I believe they do, if doing so serves a higher purpose. I know the Triad take the safety of humans seriously when it comes to the Originals. Guess that situation merited a higher purpose.”
“There’s more,” Ronan said, and began to pace the room.
“Shit,” Gavril said. “What?”
“There were witnesses, human witnesses. They saw the death and then the transformation of the Nosferatu to human after it died,” Ronan said, frowning.
Lucien nodded. “And the police were summoned.”
Gavril gawked at him. “You talked to the police? Were you interrogated? Did they consider you a suspect?”
Ronan and Lucien shrugged simultaneously.
“I have no idea what they thought or suspected,” Lucien said. “As soon as we heard the sirens, Ronan and I took off for the hotel. How could we have possibly explained to the police what happened? They’d have thought we were totally drugged out or had some wires loose in our heads.”
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