I nodded and followed closely behind Nico as we strolled through the French Quarter. The place was... different. Very different. Some of the buildings I could recognize, sort of.
No traffic. Carriages and horses. No neon lights or signs advertising girls, girls, girls! No flashy restaurants. No street peddlers pretending to be tin-man statues or playing bucket drums.
And a lot more stares than I was used to.
I wasn't sure if it was because of the fact Nico was walking like some kind of leper under his covering or because I was in nothing but tight sea silk pants and a seaweed bikini top.
Probably more of the latter than the former. The men were especially wide-eyed, doing double-takes when passing us going the other direction. The men with wives didn't stare for long. Their spouses jabbed them in the ribs or jerked at their arms, redirecting their husbands' eyes straight forward while they glared at me in disgust.
"You can go faster," I said. "I know you can move quickly."
Nico picked up his pace. Without shoes, I wasn't as fast as I'd typically be. But I hurried my legs and did what I could to keep up.
I immediately regretted it. So much time as a mermaid, the muscles I needed to walk weren't as conditioned as they used to be.
We reached a rather elaborate-looking house. I'd seen it before, just in passing. Hadn't given it much thought—just some old mansion. But now, at this time in history, the place was stunning. Certainly not new, by any means. But a lot nicer than I remembered. There was a small garden, a courtyard of some kind, to one side of it, and it was perfectly manicured and trimmed.
Nico stepped to the door, retrieved a key-a much larger key than I was accustomed to-and unlocked it.
"Niccolo!" another man said. "Have you brought home dinner?"
"Don't touch her, Ramon," Nico said.
I nodded. "Like he said. Don't touch me."
"Ah, ma chérie! A fiery one, aren't you?"
I snorted. "You don't know the half of it."
"She's a queen, Ramon," Nico said. "Show some respect."
The vampire-it was apparent he was one, too, by his beady red eyes-cocked his head. "A queen? You do not look like a queen, mademoiselle."
"She's a mermaid," Nico said.
"Sort of," I corrected him. "Half-mermaid, technically."
Ramon cocked his head. "Aren't all mermaids, half mermaids, ma chérie?"
I stared at him blankly. I got what he was hinting at. Human up top. Fish on the bottom. But that didn't make us half-mermaid. "Nope. Definitely not the case."
"Tell me, ma chérie. Where is your fin?"
"Up your butt and to the left," I shot back.
Ramon giggled. "Not my particular pleasure, but to each her own, I suppose."
"She's also a Druid of a sort," Nico said. "She can also shift into different forms."
"So you wield the power of trees?" Ramon asked.
"Not exactly," I said. "I'm a siphon. If you've got magic, I can take it from you. And use it better than you can."
"She can amplify the potency of any magic she encounters," Nico said.
Ramon narrowed his eyes. "I've never heard of..."
"I'm rare," I said, shrugging as I cut him off.
"I'd take you medium-rare," Ramon said, flashing his fangs.
"Not if you don't want to spend another fifty years with a stake in your heart, you won't," Nico said, glaring at Ramon before turning back to me. "Ignore my roommate. He's only just shy of fifty years turned. He has yet to learn manners."
"Manners?" Ramon asked, raising one eyebrow. "What are those?"
"See my point?" Nico asked. "Ignore him. There's a room upstairs. There are some era-appropriate clothes up there you can change into. It's the third door on the right. Choose whatever you like."
"Well, send the lady of the house my regards," I said.
"No lady of the house," Nico said. "Not for some time."
I bit my lip. "But you have a whole closet of women's clothes?"
"Sometimes, mademoiselle," Ramon said. "When I hunt, I find a little masquerade adds to the excitement of the pursuit."
I shook my head. The whole idea of a vampire hunting humans turned my stomach. "These clothes are clean?"
"A few stains, perhaps," Nico said. "Ramon here has a penchant for dismemberment."
My eyes widened in horror. "You can't be serious."
"To each his own," Ramon said. "Isn't that what you just said?"
"Yeah, but..."
"It is not an acceptable behavior," Nico said. "And if he does it again, it'll be a year under the stake as punishment. Isn't that right, Ramon?"
The Frenchy vampire shrugged his shoulders. "Perhaps. But I don't tend to learn from punishment. I prefer... reward. Perhaps, an exotic feed. Seafood, perhaps?"
"Ramon!" Nico shouted. "Don't make me tell you a second time. She's off-limits."
"Come on, Niccolo! Just a taste, sil vous plait?"
"Go get dressed," Nico said. "So we can leave this imbecile to himself."
"For a night on the town!" Ramon exclaimed. "With no one here to chaperone!"
"You're testing me," Nico said. "If you weren't so useful, I'd cut your heart out and burn it. Don't make yourself more of a bother than you're worth."
I went upstairs, found the third door on the right, and stepped inside, closing the door behind me.
I surveyed the dresses in the closet. Presumably, French style. Quite elaborate. I selected a long dress, light pink with white frills. It had enormous, poufy shoulders.
I slipped it on. It was, strangely enough, rather tight. Ramon wasn't a huge vampire. Roughly my height and thin. The only problem? I couldn't lace up the back myself.
I stepped out of the room. "Hey, Nico?"
"Yes, Joni?" Nico asked, slowly making his way up the stairs.
"Can you help with the back?" I asked.
Nico nodded slightly. "Of course."
Nico walked over to me more slowly than seemed natural. Almost as if he was nervous. I turned my back to him.
Didn't like doing that. I mean, so far, Nico had been nothing short of a gentleman. But hello... he was a vampire. Giving him easy access to my neck made me mildly uneasy.
He laced me up carefully.
"Is that too tight?" Nico asked.
"It's fine," I said. "Could even go a little tighter."
Nico pulled the strings a little more and continued lacing it until he tied it together at the top. "There, should be good to go."
"And some shoes?" Nico asked.
"The dress covers my feet. Can I just go barefoot?"
Nico chuckled. "I would suggest shoes. We have a long way to go."
I nodded, grabbed the flattest pair I could find. They were pink, matching the dress, and pointed at the tip. I sat on the bed, pulled up my dress, and, crossing my left leg over my right thigh, forced the first shoe onto my left foot.
My poor little piggies. No roast beef for any of them. They'd all be crying wee wee wee all the way home.
I mean, I just got my toes back. They wanted to roam free. Now I was shoving them into what might have been the most uncomfortable shoe I'd ever worn. I sucked it up and put on the other shoe.
I certainly didn't look at all lady-like doing it. But whatever. This was... what was the word Romon had used? A masquerade. Once we were in the clear, and I could get out of this hideous getup, I would.
"How long do I have to wear this crap?" I asked.
Nico chuckled. "You dixie girls..."
"What?" I asked, shrugging.
Nico shook his head. "It's been a long time since I encountered any females from, you know, around the time I grew up."
"I'm older than you, hun," I said. "I mean, I was. Based on when you said you were born. I guess not anymore..."
Nico shook his head. "Time travel is a mind fuck, isn't it?"
"You have no idea. I could tell stories."
"How many times have you went back in time?" Nico asked.
I cocked my head. "Lost count. I mean, it sort of depends. I was stuck outside of time once. That sucked a goat's titty. Been to Camelot as a dragon. I've met my own son, before I knew he was my son, as an old man. Most recently, I spent some time with the ancient Fomorians."
"So this is like an old hat for you, huh?"
I bit my lip. All I could think about was that damned pharmacy order I stole from the box. I mean, what would happen if Henry ended up having a girl? Messalina, the caplata who attacked me, would probably come back sooner. And then... Dammit, I knew better. Marie even warned me not ten minutes before it happened. Still wasn't about to tell Nico what I'd done. "I don't know," I said. "This was the first time I think I ever ran into my ancestors. I mean, I grew up on a plantation. We had some of their journals. I knew who they were. But seeing Henry Campbell in the flesh. I'll tell you what. No matter how many times you to and fro through time, there's always something surprising that happens."
Nico nodded. "I can go through time, too. I mean, my abilities are limited. but I can do it."
I scrunched my brow. "I wasn't aware that vampires could do that."
Nico smiled wide, showing off his fangs. "I said I'm limited. My time travel only works by going forward. And it happens slowly. Like one second at a time."
I snorted. "You're a dork. That is funny. But you're still a dork."
Nico shook his head. "I think you're the first human who has dared to call me names to my face, aside from Marie, of course, since the Renaissance."
"The Renaissance? Seriously?"
Nico nodded. "I've been around a while."
"I can't imagine. What's it like? I mean, living that long. Seeing so much history."
Nico pressed his lips together. "It's intriguing, to a point. You'd be surprised how many things happened very differently than how it's taught in history books. But it's also exhausting."
"I can imagine," I said. "Have you ever had the urge to, you know, change shit you knew would happen?"
Nico nodded. "I've been thinking for centuries about eliminating Hitler. You realize he's eight years old right now? I could easily..."
"It would save a lot of lives," I said.
Nico nodded. "But the eight-year-old Hitler isn't evil. He's just an eight-year-old kid. To kill him now would be wrong."
I cocked my head. "A vampire with a conscience?"
Nico laughed. "I didn't have one for a long time. It's gradually come back through the centuries. Every time we feed, it's like we get a little taste of the human's soul. Over time, it's like it accumulates within us. Replaces the soul we lost. Then again, some vampires never lose their conscience. And others could feed a million times and still be vile brutes."
I nodded. "Same goes for humans, too. And merfolk. Some people have more of a conscience than others."
"I suppose that is true. I was sort of a dick when I was a human. Makes me wonder if I didn't have a conscience, you know when I first became a vampire because I didn't have a whole lot of humanity to lose."
I snorted. "You know, this Marinette chick we're supposed to meet. I met her before. In the future."
"She used to be human," Nico said. "A powerful mambo. Sacrificed a pig to spark the first Haitian Revolution."
"How did she become a Loa?" I asked.
Nico shrugged. "How did you?"
I laughed. "I'm not a Loa."
Nico stared at me blankly. "Why would you say that?"
"Because... I'm not."
"Aren't you the same La Sirene who is married to Agwe?" Nico asked.
I nodded. "Yeah. I mean, sort of. Haven't consummated anything. But yeah, technically."
"You're a Loa, Joni," Nico said.
"Am not!" I insisted, putting my hands on my hips.
"Okay," Nico said, smiling slightly.
"You don't believe me..."
"Not really."
"Why would you think I'm a Loa anyway?" I asked.
Nico shook his head. "As I told you, I used to practice Voodoo. Did you know we had sacrifices, rituals meant to appease you and merit your favor? Highly recommended when venturing into the seas."
"Well, that is dumb," I said. "If people are doing that, I'm not getting it."
"Maybe not yet," Nico said. "I don't know. All I know is there was a La Sirene, wife of Met Agwe, who we were taught to honor as the Queen of the Sea."
I snorted. Queen of the Sea. I'd accepted the title when I married Agwe. It was how I could access the aspect of Legba... because he has a thing for queens, apparently. Marie Laveau, the Voodoo Queen. Even Ru Paul, drag queen of queens. Now, me.
Legba hadn't done much for me lately. But I was pretty sure his aspect was still lurking somewhere deep inside my soul.
But if Nico or the rest of the world thought I was a Loa. Well, I suppose I could see why they'd be mistaken to think it.
Chapter Fourteen
"So, where to, boss?" I asked as we stepped back onto the street. I almost tripped on my own feet—a combination of this ridiculous dress and shoes.
Nico grabbed my arm to steady me. "First day with the new legs?"
"Actually... in a manner of speaking."
Nico chuckled. "Look on the bright side. I mean, you got legs, and it didn't even cost you your voice."
I cocked my head. "Was that a Little Mermaid joke?"
Nico snorted. "Sorry. I bet you get that a lot."
I laughed. "Not really. Most of the folks in Fomoria haven't seen it. And, really, I don't spend a lot of time in human form these days. Just surprised, you know, after all this time, you'd remember a movie that hasn't been made yet."
Nico nodded. "That isn't all of it. The movie, I mean. The book was written back in the thirties."
"The... eighteen thirties?" I asked.
Nico nodded. "That said, I do remember the movie. Some of those songs are impossible to forget."
I smiled."Poor unfortunate souls!"
"I was thinking... Sha la la la la kiss de girl..."
"Are you flirting with me?" I asked.
Nico furrowed his brow. "Why would you..."
I smirked, "Darling, it's better, down where it's wetter."
Nico's eyes went wide in shock.
"See, you were flirting with me. I was just singing a fun song. You had to get all pervy about it in your mind. Shame on you, Mister Damned."
Nico busted out laughing. "That's not my last name."
I shrugged. "I figured not. But you introduced yourself as Niccolo the Damned. I mean, who does that?"
"It's Freeman," Nico said. "Haven't been known by that name since I was human."
"Well, Nico Freeman, I'm flattered you'd like to Sha la la la... whatever. But you know, I'm a married mermaid."
"I wasn't!" Nico insisted. Then he sighed. "You really are insufferable."
I giggled. "You realize I'm messing with you, honey."
"Honey?" Nico asked. "Did you seriously call me honey?"
"Niccolo the Delicious," I said.
"Now who's flirting!" Nico blurted out.
"Who said that was flirting? Twenty-first century southern girls are... direct. And honey, I call lots of people honey."
"And delicious?" Nico asked. "If I said that to you... it would be legitimately creepy."
"What?" I asked. "Since you drink blood?"
Nico nodded. "But don't worry. At my age, I only have to feed a few times a year."
"Don't flatter yourself," I said. "Marie told me I'd better not move in on her man. I'll just say, when you're married to Agwe, Lord of the Sea, who wouldn't know romance if Nicholas Sparks slapped him in his face with his notebook, a little innocent flirtation is strangely therapeutic."
"Nicholas Sparks?" Nico asked.
"He wrote The Notebook!" I said. "Tell me, at the very least, you remember The Notebook."
Nico snorted. "Do I look like someone who ever reads romance novels, even when I was a human?"
"Probably not," I said. "What did you read, anyway?"
Nic
o shrugged. "Anne Rice."
"Well, ain't that ironic, Mister Vampire," I quipped. "Tell me, how close did she get to the real thing?"
"Funny," Nico said. "I've taken a keen interest in influencing the legends of my kind. These days, I'm feeding information and ideas to Bram Stoker."
"The guy who wrote Dracula, right?"
Nico nodded. "But Anne Rice is on my list. Eventually. Consider it my own public relations project."
"Vampire PR?" I asked, not bothering to hide the incredulity in my voice.
"Think about it," Nico said. "At times, it suits us well to be feared. Today, for instance, if people fear us, they likely won't interfere with our affairs. But as times change, when technologies start to arise, hiding our presence from the world will be more difficult. My hope is to terrify people today because it suits us. But to work on rehabilitating the image of the vampire over time. Anne Rice is one step in the process. If I recall, her vampire Louis was an empathetic figure."
I nodded. "And he was hot. I mean, a young Brad Pitt. Meow!"
Nico laughed. "I was talking about the books. I forgot they'd made a movie of it. Or, they will, I mean..."
"So all these vampire romances these days... I mean, in my days. You know what I mean. All a part of your plan to rehab your kind's image?"
Nico shrugged. "Probably. I mean, if people are going to learn about our existence, better to prime them to think of our kind as... you know... delicious, as you put it."
I cocked my head. "So far, I mean, in the twenty-first century, most people still don't think that vamps are real."
"I know," Nico said. "They didn't when I was left in Guinee."
"Guinee?" I asked. "Isn't that what y'all, Voodoo folk I mean, call Annwn?"
"More or less," Nico said. "one of my classmates got into a pickle with Baron Samedi. And a Loa even worse than him. Kalfu. My classmate basically abducted me because I had skills that would help. You know, since I'd acquired Baron Samedi's aspect. Basically, I made a Voodoo doll that helped me control him. To make a Voodoo doll you have to acquire something of the person’s DNA. A strand of hair, toe nails, blood, whatever. I’d taken some from a caplata who’d once harnessed him. The same one, in fact, who you encountered as a child.”
Wyrmrider Vengeance: An Underwater Magic Urban Fantasy (The Fomorian Wyrmriders Book 2) Page 8