Witch's Hunger

by Deborah LeBlanc

  “So what happens if we blow off the Triads and wind up having a pack of Originals, suddenly looking at us like we’re dinner?” Gavril asked.

  “That’s why we definitely have to partner with the Triads,” Nikoli said. “They’ll keep an eye on their own while we watch for the Cartesians. Ronan brought the issue out in the open. So let’s be fair with ourselves. We have to break off emotionally, mentally from the witches and really concentrate. We have a lot to lose here. We’re not talking about just any old mission. These are the Originals. How do you think it will look in the Benders’ history books if we are the generation that allowed them to be destroyed? Now, Viv told me earlier that some of the Chenilles and Nosferatu—also some Loups—work and have chores in the city so they can learn to interact with humans. Some work during the day, others at night. We need to make certain that doesn’t happen until we get the Cartesians under control. We have to make certain all of the Originals are kept in their dens. We can’t have a bunch of Originals running haphazardly through the city while we’re at the compounds and other locations, watching for Cartesians.”

  “I agree,” Ronan said.

  “I don’t think we’ll have a problem convincing the Triads of that,” Nikoli said. “Not after what happened today.”

  Nikoli sat on the arm of the couch and looked from one cousin to the other. “All right, just to make sure we’re in agreement. When we meet with the Triads, the game plan we present will be to pair off. Lucien and Ronan with Evee, Gavril with Gilly, and me with Viv. They are to keep their sects in their dens, not allow them to work or tend to other chores outside of their assigned area. Gavril, see if you can talk Gilly into collecting all of her Chenilles into one cemetery. I know Viv had a challenge corralling all of her Loups into one compound, but she managed it. Gilly might be able to accomplish the same, which would make it a hell of a lot easier on everybody. All of the Nosferatu are in one area already, so they’re a nonissue. This way, we narrow the territory. All of the Loups in one compound, the Chenilles in one cemetery and the Nosferatu beneath the cathedral. I think this would make things easier to control.”

  Lucien nodded. “Makes sense.”

  “Yeah,” Gavril said. “I’ll convince Gilly to do it.”

  Nikoli gave him a thumbs-up. “Now remember, cousins. Keep your mind on the job and your dick in your pants. Stay focused and strong.”

  They all nodded, leaned forward, and all four stacked their right hands on top of the other in agreement.

  Nikoli leaned back. “Okay, let’s finish dressing and head out there.”

  Silently the cousins dispersed and went on the hunt for their clothes.

  While Ronan went to the bathroom, Nikoli dressed. The silence in their room gave him time to think.

  He was already screwed. Somehow, and he didn’t think it was by spell but simply by being, Vivienne François had stolen something from him. His heart. Every moment he’d been away from her since this morning, he’d hungered for her, like a man who hadn’t been fed in years.

  Truth be told, if anybody had a challenge during this mission, Nikoli did.

  Chapter 11

  Viv had just tucked her Grimoire away when she heard a soft tapping on her bedroom door.

  “Yeah?” she called out.

  The door creaked open, and Gilly and Evee’s heads popped out from around the corner of it.

  “You okay?” Evee asked.

  Gilly pushed the door open wider, and she and Evee stepped inside, their familiars perched on their shoulders.

  “Yeah,” Viv said. She walked over to her bed and sat, causing Socrates to meow in protest and move farther up on the bed toward the pillows. “Y’all don’t have to babysit me. I read the Grimoire. My mirror’s still gray by the way.”

  “We didn’t come to check on that,” Gilly said. She sat next to Viv. Evee quickly followed suit. “With everything that happened with your Loups today...” Gilly glanced over at the alarm clock sitting on the nightstand near Viv’s bed. “Well...yesterday...I knew you would read it.”

  Viv plopped her hands in her lap, wove her fingers together and tapped her thumbs against each other. She looked down at her hands. “Sorry I acted like an ass earlier.”

  Evee put an arm around Viv’s shoulder and gave her a quick squeeze. “No apology needed. We understand. I can’t imagine what it must have been like, seeing your Loups that way. Having to burn—”

  “Can we not talk about that?” Viv said, standing abruptly.

  Startled, Elvis chirped and ran from Gilly’s right shoulder to her left. Hoot let out a screech, and his head bobbled.

  Viv started to pace. “I’ve been having a hard enough time getting that vision out of my head as it is. All I want to concentrate on now is how to save the rest of our broods.”

  “And ourselves,” Gilly added.

  “What do you mean?” Evee asked.

  Viv gave Gilly a stern look. Out of the three of them, Viv considered Evee a magnolia among thorns. Gilly carried herself with far more grace than Viv did, but she had a temper like a startled cobra and a mouth to go with it. Evee, on the other hand, had a huge, tender heart and always saw the good in people and situations. Viv and Gilly were usually peeking around corners to find the bad hiding in both.

  “She has to know what we’re facing,” Gilly said, frowning at Viv. “Leaving her in the dark won’t help her defend herself.”

  Evee slapped her hands against her thighs, and Hoot’s head did a one-eighty. “Stop all the twisting and turning of words,” she said to Gilly. “Just spit it out. What did you mean when you said ‘ourselves’?”

  Gilly looked up at Viv, who walked up to Evee.

  “Honey, if those Cartesians want the Originals for their power, there might be a chance they’ll want us for ours.”

  Evee’s eyes grew wide. “But we’re human. Ronan and Lucien said Cartesians hunt those from the netherworld. They said it straight out. So that doesn’t include us, right?”

  Viv took Evee’s hands in hers and immediately caught a vision of her sister injured and bleeding profusely. She wanted to jerk her hands away but knew that would frighten Evee all the more. She tried to offer her sister a small smile, something that might give her a bit of hope, but failed. All she knew to do was make the truth as palatable as possible.

  “We really have no idea what those monstrosities will do or what they’re capable of when it comes to Triads,” Viv said softly. She released Evee’s hands and gave her a small kiss on the cheek. “Let’s hope for the best and prepare for the worst, okay?”

  Evee looked over at Gilly as if for confirmation.

  “Right, right,” Gilly said. “What she said. Prepare for the worse, just in case, that’s all.”

  Viv rubbed her hands over her face, then asked Gilly, “Were you comfortable with Gavril hovering in your shadow all the time, being up your butt, checking to make sure the Chenilles were safe?”

  “He’s thorough, that’s for sure,” Gilly said. “Only had one problem with the guy.”

  Viv felt anger prickle her spine. “What problem?”

  “I couldn’t stop staring at him. That’s one good-looking hunk of flesh right there. It’s distracting.”

  Evee lowered her head and tried to hide a smile. “Same here. Only I had two of them to stare at.”

  Gilly and Evee looked up at Viv simultaneously, and Gilly asked, “You?”

  “Yeah, Nikoli is easy on the eyes, but I had too much on my plate to worry about his looks.”

  “Damn, I’m sorry, Viv,” Gilly said. “Forget what I said. I’m just an insensitive asshole.”

  “Yes, you are,” Viv said and offered her a little smile. “Now, look, we’ve got to figure something out. Our broods cover a lot of territory. Even with the Hylands, I don’t know how we’re going to kee
p an eye on everybody.”

  “We could split up,” Evee said nervously. “Cover more ground that way. My Nosferatu are already in one place at St. John’s, and Viv, you’ve got all your Loups around the city in the North compound. That narrows the territory we have to watch over a little.”

  Gilly stood, and Elvis chittered. She blew out a loud breath. “My Chenilles are spread out across three cemeteries. I’m going to have hell to pay with the heads of my packs, but I’ll bring them all to Louis 1. It’s the closest cemetery to St. John’s. But that only puts two of us near each other. Viv, that leaves you out at the North compound alone, and we just can’t chance that.”

  “She wouldn’t be alone if we pair up with the Hylands,” Evee said.

  Viv, who’d been staring out of her bedroom window, listening and mulling over what Gilly and Evee had said, whirled about. “We just met those guys, and you want me to trust them with your lives?”

  “What other choice do we have?” Gilly said. “Viv, you’ve got to at least consider it. I think they’re legit. You were right when you said Gavril was in my shadow. He was. But in a good way. Very protective and an absolute gentleman.”

  “Same for me,” Evee said. “I’d feel safe with Lucien and Ronan. Do you have a problem with Nikoli, Viv?”

  Viv began pacing again. Yes, she had a problem with Nikoli. Her clairvoyant visions of seeing him and her naked and the fact that she’d treated him like shit. “I really railed on him,” she admitted to Evee and Gilly. “Like bad. Even if we decide that pairing up is the way to go, they may not want to. And even if they do, Nikoli might not want to be paired with me.” Saying it out loud made Viv’s stomach churn.

  “As if,” Evee said. “He’s a man, Viv, not a little boy. I’m sure he understands. And look, there’s nothing stopping Ronan from going with you and Nikoli with me and Lucien.”

  Viv signaled for a time-out. “We’ll figure out the Hylands later. One other thing we need to discuss is putting our broods on lock-down. No going to work or running errands. At least until this fiasco is over.”

  Evee sighed. “My Nosferatu will give me hell about that, but you’re right. It’s the only way to keep them safe.”

  “You do realize that if we take away their outside privileges, we’re going to have a lot of infighting,” Gilly said.

  “I know,” Viv said. “Boy, do I ever. Remember Milan and Warden?”

  “Right,” Evee said.

  “I don’t know why your binding spells didn’t work on them,” Gilly said. “But if you run into any issues again with jazzed-up alphas, maybe I can run out there and help.”

  “Thanks,” Viv said, but shook her head. “I need to take care of my own. Y’all know we’re going to have to talk to the Elders about all that’s going on, right? Maybe they’ll have some answers as to how we can better handle this situation.”

  “Guess we should have gone to them yesterday,” Gilly said and pursed her lips thoughtfully.

  “We’ll make a point of seeing them later today,” Viv said. “After the feeding.”

  Gilly and Evee nodded.

  “And one other thing,” Viv said. “If we do pair up with the Hylands, watch yourself. Remember the Triad curse.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” Gilly said. “Can’t marry a human or live intimately with a human. We know.” An evil grin spread across her face. “But that curse doesn’t say a damn thing about kissing them.”

  “Gilly...” Viv warned.

  Gilly batted a hand at her. “You can’t tell me that before you got into a tiff with Nikoli that you didn’t want to kiss those luscious lips of his.”

  Viv waved a dismissive hand and turned back to stare at the window. No way was she going to let on to either of her sisters that she’d wanted to do more than kiss him.

  A small shiver ran along her spine as she remembered her vision about Nikoli. The shiver came from a bite of pleasure and a huge gulp of fear. She had no idea what they were in for next. All she had to go on was the vision she’d caught when she’d held Evee’s hands.

  Sister trumped an X-rated vision, hands down.

  Chapter 12

  Nikoli’s global wrist unit had allowed him to locate the docks without any problem. Fortunately, the streets from the hotel to the dock had been relatively empty, save for an occasional cab and a wandering drunk or two.

  Nikoli let instinct guide him through the cool October night to the Françoises’ ferry.

  “Are you sure this is the right one?” Lucien asked, running a hand through his hair.

  Before Nikoli could answer, he heard the lapping of water and saw a shadow move ahead to his right. A gray shadow meshed with the darkness, as no lights illuminated the wharf. He didn’t need light to know it was Viv. His body recognized her immediately, which disturbed him.

  Back at the house, when Viv had fallen against him and he’d caught her to keep her from smacking onto the floor, he’d inadvertently been swept up in what must have been a clairvoyant scene.

  He felt a little ashamed of himself. He should’ve stood her up more abruptly, disconnected from that vision, but he’d chosen to ride it out with her.

  It had taken every ounce of willpower he possessed for him not to physically react to what played out in Viv’s mind. In that close proximity to his cousins and the other two sisters, it would have been difficult to hide a boner.

  What had been impossible for him, however, was to get the images out of his head. That concerned Nikoli the most. He had to stay focused on this mission. It was too big, too much was at stake for him to be distracted.

  He parked the Camaro near the loading area. As he and his cousins walked closer to the pier, the sight of Viv grew clearer in the moonlight. She wore jeans, a white T-shirt and a light denim jacket. Understated attire for one who carried such magnificent beauty.

  She walked over to them, hitching her thumbs into the front pockets of her jeans. “Thank you for being on time.”

  Nikoli nodded.

  “Please wait here a moment,” she said.

  Nikoli watched as Viv walked aboard the ferry and headed for its bow. She stood at the railing, her back to them. He saw her arms drop to her sides, then extend slightly. She formed an O with each hand, her thumbs and forefingers pressing together. She lifted her arms a bit higher.

  Nikoli tilted his head and held his breath, a trick he’d learned to increase his ability to hear things at a distance. He listened to Viv chant.

  “In shadows formed by moonlit night,

  let all but vision remain in sight.

  In cover walk thee hand-in-hand,

  to my voice—to my voice, my immediate command.

  Rocknigh—foring—tramore—naught.”

  She stood there a few seconds longer, then dropped her arms and turned toward them.

  “Where is Evee?” Lucien asked.

  “And Gilly?” Gavril asked.

  “They’ll be here soon,” Viv said. “As soon as I make it to the North compound, they’ll be following right behind.”

  “Shouldn’t we wait here for them?” Gavril asked.

  “No,” Viv replied. “You’ll come with me.” She turned her back to them again, leaned over the railing at the front of the ferry, then threw a hand out, like she was casting dice.

  The ferry began to move, much quicker than Nikoli remembered from his last ride. Although he saw the shore on the opposite side of the river, a ferry traveling at its normal speed would’ve taken fifteen to twenty minutes to reach shore. They were mooring onto the opposite dock in less than five.

  As soon as the ferry was secured, Viv hurried over to the pickup parked under the lean-to. The cousins followed her, Nikoli pulling up the rear.

  “All of you should be able to fit in here if you squish together,” she said. “If you w
ant to stretch out, two of you can ride in the cab, and the other two can hop in the bed of the truck. It’s a little cluttered back there, but you’re welcome to it.”

  Nikoli tagged Lucien and motioned for him to follow him into the cab. Gavril and Ronan caught his signal and jumped into the bed of the truck.

  Sliding onto the bench seat, Nikoli allowed himself to be sandwiched between Viv and Lucien. The positioning couldn’t have been more wrong.

  He felt it difficult to breathe, being so close to her. Viv’s hair was still braided, and the braid lay over her right shoulder and came to rest in her lap. A black mane of exquisite beauty.

  Viv looked around Nikoli to make certain Lucien had closed the passenger door, then peered over her shoulder to check on Gavril and Ronan in the bed of the truck. It was as if she purposely avoided eye contact with him.

  Nikoli didn’t take offense. After his unintentional walk through her erotic vision, he couldn’t blame her. She probably suspected that he had watched.

  After slapping the truck into gear, Viv gunned the accelerator and the truck roared off. It was then that Nikoli heard the motor from the ferry start up again. He looked back.

  “Is someone else on the ferry?”

  “No,” Viv said.

  “But I know you shut the engine off when we moored. Now it’s on again.”

  “I know.”

  “Do you have an automatic guiding system on it?” Nikoli asked.

  Viv cast a wry smile his way as they bumped along a dirt road. “Um...yep, what you said. It’s headed back to pick up Evee’s brood.”

  After five minutes of bouncing and jostling down partially graveled roads, Viv swerved onto another dirt road that led to a giant set of wrought-iron gates. Each iron panel had the initial F planted in its center.

  She pulled out a remote from the console of the truck, pressed a button and the gates chugged open. She drove past them and turned into a heavily wooded area.

  The path they followed was only wide enough for one vehicle. Tree branches scraped and slapped the sides of her pickup as they barreled forward. The farther they drove, the denser the foliage became and the darker the night. It wasn’t until they were completely canopied that Viv turned the headlights on.