Witch's Hunger

by Deborah LeBlanc

  The truth would not only be revealed, it had become his weapon of choice.

  He had to admit, however, that he carried a secret of his own. He’d coveted generations of Triads. Often daydreamed of how, once destroyed, their power would taste on his tongue. Sweet? Salty? Or strong and heady, like the finest fruit from a champion winery?

  Soon.

  He’d find out soon.

  Now, though, he had the luxury to play for a while, which he planned to do. The Triads would know more misery, worry, heartache and temptation than they’d ever experienced in their miserable little lives. He’d show them, the wenches who played queen with the Originals like they owned the netherworld. He’d show them exactly who owned and controlled what. Once he’d had his fill of playing with them, he’d slowly savor their destruction.

  If he had any regret, it was that he’d never see the Originals or the Triads bow at his feet. On a positive note, however, they would become his feet—his arms. His brain and heart. His weaponry for ultimate, universal control.

  As for the meddling Benders, he would squash them like bugs. Or simply use them to clean his teeth after he’d snacked on Triads and gorged on Originals.

  Chapter 19

  Hoisting the satchel onto his right shoulder, Nikoli boarded the ferry and watched Viv at the helm. He held onto the railing, expecting her to rocket across the water as before. Suprisingly, she kept the ferry moving at a slow and easy pace across the muddy river. It gave him time to study her, not that he hadn’t already. Every time he saw her, in fact. Nikoli couldn’t help it. She fascinated him to the point of distraction.

  The cool night air blew tendrils of hair from her head, and the tip of her braid slapped between her buttocks. How he longed to wrap a hand around that braid and pull her toward him—to kiss her, make love to her, make her his own.

  Nikoli didn’t know whether to be angry with himself for feeling this way and for what happened in the workshop earlier. Or to be excited to know Viv yearned for him as much as he did for her.

  Logic snapped at him in his head. How can you be angry over something that’s so completely out of your control?

  Back at the shop, when Viv had turned to him, she’d been so close that he’d felt her breath on his face. In that moment, something more powerful than anything he’d ever experienced overtook him.

  Nikoli was far from a teenage boy with raging hormones. As a Bender and in his midthirties, Nikoli rarely, if ever, lost control due to a woman. Granted, he was no saint, but he’d always kept romantic dealings, of which there’d been few, and Bender missions separate. He’d learned from Lucien’s and Gavril’s mistakes that mixing the two held the potential for disaster. About five years ago, both had been suspended by an Elder Bender for four months for chasing after skirts instead of taking care of business.

  Thinking about his cousins, Nikoli wondered how things were going on their end. They didn’t have telepathic abilities, nor could they conjure spells in order to communicate. They ran strictly by instinct. He didn’t feel that Lucien, Gavril or Ronan were in danger, not from Cartesians or from any Original anyway.

  What concerned him was their undeniable attraction to the Triads they had been paired with. Each time he’d seen Gavril stare at Gilly, the man’s eyes took on that hound-dog yearning look. Then he had Lucien and Ronan. He sensed both were vying for Evee’s attention and was curious as to which one would pull ahead in the race.

  Seeing Ronan interested in Evee had Nikoli intrigued. He’d never seen that particular cousin, a very private man, show any outward attraction to any woman. Nikoli knew he dated when they weren’t working, but Ronan always kept any and all information about the woman very hush-hush.

  Lucien, on the other hand, they often called Butter Man, for rarely did he cross a woman who didn’t instantly turn to butter when given his attention.

  Not that Evee or Gilly were easy catches by any means. But the truth was none of them should have been trying to win or vie for any of the Triads’ attention. They had a serious situation at hand. But who was he to judge? Nikoli had not only crossed the line he always harped on, he’d high-jumped it like a hurdle.

  Viv glanced back at Nikoli and smiled at him. Her straight, white teeth, her full, to-die-for lips made his heart and body ache with need.

  He returned her smile, knowing full well that, for all intents and purposes, he’d breeched that creed earlier. He’d managed to keep his pants zipped, but that was semantics. His cousins weren’t stupid either. If Nikoli had noticed them ogling Gilly and Evee, they must certainly have seen his tongue hanging down to his kneecaps for Viv.

  “I know we have a lot to do at the compound,” Viv suddenly said to him from over her shoulder. “But I wanted to make this ferry trip slower so you’d have a chance to see the Mississippi. I don’t sense any trouble from the compound, so we have a little time.”

  Nikoli nodded and smiled.

  Grinning, Viv motioned with her chin. “Why are you standing so far away?” she asked. “Why don’t you come up here, feel the breeze on your face and smell the water? It may be brown and muddy, but the scent is bayou—South Louisiana. The only place you’ll catch the scent.”

  Nikoli watched her, not knowing what to say. If he stayed where he was she might take it as an offense, thinking he didn’t want to be near her. Which was the farthest thing from the truth. He wanted, needed to be close. Wanted his arms wrapped around her.

  He’d been doing his best to keep some distance between them so he’d have his mind on the mission. But distance hadn’t helped that one bit. The mission was crucial, but he didn’t want to hurt Viv’s feelings. One was just as important to him as the other.

  “Come on up,” she said again.

  This time Nikoli gave in and went to meet her at the bow of the ferry. He hooked his hands onto the railing, tilted his head back and closed his eyes, took a deep breath.

  Viv had been right. The water here did have a unique scent. It didn’t smell like the Atlantic or Pacific, both of which he’d traveled many times. Although he’d boated across the Gulf of Mexico a time or two, the trips had been far from the coast of Louisiana. Even there the water had looked and smelled different. It was almost as if this water was the core of New Orleans. It had built her, fed her, and had been essential in creating the beauty that was the city.

  He glanced over at Viv. “It’s beautiful.”

  She smiled. “Only place like it in the world. I know other bodies of water have white sand and blue-green waters, but those waters and sand seem to suit the cities or countries they surround.” She shrugged. “I guess it’s different for everyone, water I mean. This—” she waved a hand to indicate the waters below “—is part of home.”

  Viv’s hands came to rest on the top railing, and, unable to stop himself, Nikoli reached over and put one of his hands on top of hers.

  She looked down at their hands, then up at him.

  “Waters often reflect the nature of the inhabitants who live near it,” Nikoli said. “And this is no different.” He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “You are as unique as these waters, Viv. Very different than any woman I’ve ever met before.”

  Viv lowered her eyes shyly and said, “Oh, I’m sure you’ve met tons of women around the world. Beautiful women, sensual women, rich and smart women. Women who don’t have baggage like the Triads carry.”

  Nikoli didn’t think it was a good idea to admit to any woman that he had in fact known quite a few, even though Viv had stated it as common knowledge. He knew women well enough to know that responding to the statement in the affirmative carried its own set of problems. With Viv, however, in his heart of hearts, Nikoli wanted nothing but transparency.

  “It’s true, I’ve known quite a few women around the world.” He took her hand that he’d been holding on to and placed it over his heart, tapped it ag
ainst his chest. “But trust me when I tell you, despite the number of women or the country they came from or the time I knew them, I’ve never met anyone as beautiful and unique as you. You’re bright, intelligent, strong-willed, yet conscientious and caring.”

  Viv pursed her lips, cocked her head, gave him a wary look, then laughed. “You’ve either practiced that line in front of a mirror ten thousand times or you’re the best bullshitter on the planet.”

  “Honestly, I would never tell you anything that wasn’t true, Vivienne.”

  She smiled, then sighed and looked ahead, lifting her head to catch the breeze of the night. “You’re pretty special yourself,” she said, not looking at him.

  Nikoli didn’t respond, hoping she’d share more of her feelings.

  She did.

  “When I first met you and your cousins, I thought this was all bullshit,” Viv said. “I mean, we’d never heard of Benders before. But I have to admit, I was immediately attracted to you. All of your cousins are very handsome but there was just something about you that really stuck with me. As hard as I tried, I couldn’t help but think of you in a romantic way. There’s just something about you that causes an urgent tug inside me. That’s never happened to me before, and I don’t even know why I’m blabbering on about it. It’s a little embarrassing.” She looked up at him. “No...it’s a lot embarrassing.”

  “Please don’t be embarrassed,” Nikoli said. “I’ve never told any other woman the things I’ve told you just now. I hope you’ll always feel free to tell me what’s on your mind.”

  “Well, now that you mention it...” Viv paused midsentence as they pulled up to the docks across the river. She moored the ferry, made certain it was locked down, then turned to Nikoli. “You know, I’ve seen the way Gavril looks at Gilly and the way Ronan and Lucien look at Evee. That worries me. You seem stronger, emotionally and mentally, than your cousins, more focused, more able to retain control. I haven’t seen your cousins in action, though. If the three of them have gone gaga over my sisters, do you feel confident they can stay focused enough to protect them? To protect the Originals they’re responsible for?”

  “They wouldn’t be with them if I didn’t,” Nikoli said. Having heard the concern in her voice, he squeezed her hand reassuringly.

  She nodded, offered a small smile.

  The soft look in her eyes, the fullness of her lips, the hint of dimples when she smiled. She’d drop any man to his knees. Her ability to think quickly on her feet, her confidence when taking charge. Nikoli could’ve stood staring at her, listing a million reasons why she was special.

  It was then Nikoli realized, with some trepidation, that he was falling in love with Ms. Vivienne François.

  Chapter 20

  By the time they finally reached the North compound, Nikoli drew in a deep breath through his nose. He smelled the faint odor of cloves, residue from the previous Cartesian attack.

  All appeared quiet. A little too quiet for his liking. And dark. Clouds had thickened overhead, blanketing the moon and stars. He reached for the flashlight he had stashed in his back pocket, then glanced over his shoulder to Viv, who walked a step or two behind him. She carried the second flashlight and had it aimed at the ground, sweeping the beam from left to right, surveying everything around her closely.

  “No new tracks,” she said when she caught him looking back at her.

  He nodded, then, for no other reason but reassurance, touched the sheath attached to his belt to make certain his scabior was securely inside.

  Though he’d never admitted it to Viv, he’d been unnerved when she’d handed it to him in the car. Having someone take the scabior from its sheath without him realizing it felt like an assault. Like someone who’d fallen asleep with two arms, then woke only to discover they now had one. And no clue as to the when, who and how of it all.

  Nikoli remembered Viv’s attack on the Nosferatu, how she’d jabbed it in the eye. He hadn’t known then what weapon she’d used. Only assumed, given that she was a witch, that she had conjured up whatever tool she’d needed. Recalling the fight with the Nosferatu, Nikoli suddenly wanted to slap his own forehead.

  He aimed his flashlight at Viv’s feet. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I forgot to thank you.”

  “For what?”

  “Back there, with the Nosferatu. You saved my life.”

  She batted a hand in his direction. “I didn’t do much really. You handled yourself pretty well.”

  “Yeah, until he knocked me on my ass. I saw it coming. Its fangs were ready for the kill before I could even catch my breath.”

  “I’m confident you would’ve kicked right back, breath or no breath,” she said.

  “Do you always take compliments and appreciation that well?” He grinned.

  Viv smiled back at him. “Okay, all right... You’re welcome.”

  “I owe you one,” he said.

  She gave him a mischievous look. “Oh, I think we’ll run into plenty of opportunities to even the score.”

  Nikoli couldn’t quite define the look that suddenly crossed her face. A little confusion—an undertone of danger—excitement. Simply put, Vivienne François mystified him. Aside from her beauty, her mysterious nature was probably the reason he was so attracted to her in the first place.

  He glanced away for a second. He felt he should mention how deeply her taking his scabior without his knowledge had affected him. And he would. But not now. She’d just saved his life for heaven’s sake.

  “Come this way,” Viv said, motioning to him with her flashlight. “Let’s check out the tracks Jaco showed us earlier. See if there are any fresh ones near them.”

  She led him closer to the compound gate, then veered off to the left, about fifty yards. As they walked, Nikoli aimed the beam of his flashlight into the compound. He came to a halt when he spotted two Loup Garous dodging between trees in the dense forest.

  He’d never seen a morphed Loup up close before. They amazed him. Their bodies were larger than that of an average werewolf. They had pointed ears, a longer snout and, from what he saw, thicker fur. They ran through brush like lightning, dodging trees, jumping thickets, heading for the back acreage of the compound. Evidently the beam from his flashlight had frightened them, and they sought a safe place to hide. They were so agile and quick, if he would’ve blinked at the wrong time, he’d have missed them.

  “Over here,” Viv called, signaling with her light.

  When he turned his flashlight toward her, Nikoli saw her kneel on the ground, her flashlight now poised over a spot in the dirt right in front of her. It was the tracks Jaco had shown her.

  You could’ve seen the tracks from a helicopter. They were that huge, but no surprise to him. Nikoli had seen similar many times before.

  “That must’ve had you scratching your head when you first saw them,” he said.

  “It scared the shit out of me. I couldn’t imagine an animal big enough to create a print this big. I thought it might have been a bear, but Jaco said even the biggest grizzly couldn’t have made prints this size. I understand now what he meant.”

  “Do you see any others?” Nikoli asked. “Anything new nearby? If there are, I might be able to detect their travel pattern from point of entry.”

  “Nothing near the first ones,” Viv said, then aimed her flashlight farther ahead. “We should have a look around the brush up ahead.”

  Before Nikoli knew it, Viv was on her hands and knees crawling on dirt and grass and swiping her way through a heavy cover of bramble and thickets.

  He followed her.

  The farther they crawled, the thicker the bramble became and the thicker the grass beneath their hands and feet. Tree branches and foliage lay thick overhead like a canopy. It felt like Mother Nature had cocooned them in her arms. A safe, quiet hideaway.

  “
Find anything?” he called out to Viv. He had to keep his head turned slightly to the left because right in front of him was her perfectly proportioned, heart-shaped ass, which made crawling all the more uncomfortable for him.

  “Not yet.”

  They crawled a bit farther before he asked, “Have you contacted Jaco and Aaron to let them know we’re here? We should get started on those posts.”

  Viv stopped and peered over her left shoulder at him. “No, I haven’t. But I will, soon enough.” She turned back and resumed crawling.

  When they were about a hundred feet inside the cocoon, Viv stopped again, then turned and sat on the ground. She brushed grass and dust from her jeans. Nikoli pulled up next to her and sat, as well.

  “I haven’t found any tracks up this way so far,” she said. “The brush only gets thicker from here. Before we get tangled up in it, it’d probably be best to head back.”

  He agreed, but neither of them moved. He made certain to keep the beam from his flashlight away from her face and out of her eyes. Those beautiful, cobalt blue eyes with long, thick lashes. They mesmerized him. So full of expression, so fierce. So intense.

  Her face was mere inches from his, and Nikoli heard her breathing become short and shallow. He felt her breath, hot against his face. Her entire body seemed to radiate the same kind of heat. She held an invitation in her eyes, a question, an undeniable hunger.

  Nikoli didn’t have to be asked twice. He reached for her, behind her, wrapping his hand in the braid of her hair and pulled her close. It was his fantasy unfolding into reality.

  The moment their lips touched, his desire for her became an all-consuming inferno. Her lips, her mouth tasted of honeysuckle.

  Viv reached for him, weaving her fingers through his hair and pulling him closer. She lowered one of her hands and dug fingernails into his back.