by Deanna Chase
“And nothing. He hasn’t decided what he wants to do.”
Tal’s frown deepened. “Okay.”
“Okay? What does that mean?” I was frustrated now. Why was he being so dense?
He lifted one shoulder. “It means okay. What were you expecting me to say?”
I tilted my head and studied him. Then I downed the rest of my wine. With a laugh, I put the empty glass back on the table. “I guess I expected you to get mad. Or at the very least try to talk me out of it.”
“Why would I—?” He stopped midsentence as realization dawned on him. “Oh.” Then his face relaxed and he gave me a real, genuine smile. Standing, he tugged on my hand and pulled me with him. “When I made up my mind that I wanted you as my wife, I came to terms with the fact that you are a very strong woman. And yes, that means that sometimes you are going to do things that I don’t want you to do, but that’s also one of the many reasons I love you. You come with gifts most people can’t even fathom. To think you’ll never use them is a fool’s game.”
“So you don’t mind, then?” I asked, holding his gaze and loving the intensity I saw there.
“I wouldn’t say I don’t mind. I’ll worry. There’s no getting around that. But I also know that to try to hold you back is not my place. You are your own woman. And I expect you to be nothing less.”
“Tal,” I breathed and leaned into him, overwhelmed by his affirmation. “I love you so much.”
I felt his shoulders relax beneath my fingers. “Is that a yes, then?”
I pulled back and sent him a teasing smile. “Did you even ask the question?”
His eyes turned serious, and when he spoke again, his tone was low and full of love. “Willow Rhoswen, would you do me the honor of being my wife?”
I was frozen in his embrace, the tears rolling uncontrollably down my cheeks. Unable to speak, I nodded and clung to him.
He pulled me into a tight embrace, one of a desperate man. “Thank you, love. Thank you for loving me.”
I choked out a laugh and clung tighter.
After a moment, he whispered in my ear. “Say yes.”
Swallowing the emotion choking me, I forced out, “Yes.”
He pulled back and gently took my left hand in his. The ring fit perfectly, and once it was on, he pulled my hand to his mouth and kissed it.
My knees nearly melted right there.
“Tal?”
“Yes?” He leaned down and kissed the corner of my mouth, sending waves of anticipation through my core.
“I want you.”
“You already have me.” His fingers glided up my neck, making me shiver with undisguised desire.
“All of you,” I whispered.
His index finger found my lips, pressing ever so gently. That is, until a small moan escaped me. Then his lips were on me and we were all heat and passion and everything light. Our hands were everywhere, exploring each other in ways we never had before.
By the time he pushed my shirt up and over my head, my body ached for him in ways that were too delicious to deny.
Moments later, our clothes were left in a pile on the floor and we were lying on my bed. Tal gazed down at me with molten desire, making me pulse everywhere.
“Are you sure?” he asked just before kissing me with the intensity of a starving man.
When we broke apart, gasping for breath, I answered by cupping my palms over both his cheeks and kissing him with all the love bursting in my heart. “I’m sure,” I whispered.
Then he lowered himself and together we became one.
Epilogue
It was a late fall day when I stood under the giant water oak in Coliseum Square, the park across the street from the house Tal and I shared. I was dressed in a formfitting silk dress, Tal in a gray seersucker suit with white pinstripes.
Link, in full wolf mode, sat at our feet watching over the ceremony. The past six months hadn’t been entirely drama free. There’d been a few vampire attacks and some political shenanigans at the Void, but nothing we couldn’t handle. Link was in wolf form only because he was being protective of the two people he loved most in the world. Me and Tal.
I stared up at my bridegroom and smiled. He was so utterly handsome I nearly burst with pride. And he was gazing down at me as if he were the luckiest man alive.
Harrison, who’d just performed the ceremony for us, was announcing us as Mr. and Mrs. Kavanagh, even though Tal and I both knew I wasn’t likely to change my name. Tal caught my eye and winked. I laughed up at him, and then we both turned and waved at our guests. Everyone we loved was there. My mom, Phoebe, Hunter, Eadric, Pandora, Nicola, my entire staff, Carrie, and Beau.
And as I stood in front of our small crowd, I spotted one other guest I was surprised to see. David. He was standing off by himself under a tree. I hadn’t seen him since that day we’d talked in my shop. The day I’d offered to turn him back into a daywalker.
Our guests started milling around us, hugging and wishing us their heartfelt congratulations. After a while, Tal squeezed my hand and nodded in David’s direction. “Why don’t you go invite him to the party?”
I glanced up at him, my heart nearly bursting. “You’re a great man, you know that?”
He pulled me to him and kissed my temple. “That’s what you keep telling me, Mrs. Kavanagh.”
I giggled and tugged him down to show him what a real kiss looked like. We didn’t part until the catcalls and whistles started in.
“Get a room!” someone called and everyone cheered.
Reluctantly, Tal let me go and then nudged me toward the tree David had taken refuge under. David was sitting down, leaning against the trunk, when I finally made my way through the crowd of well-wishers.
“Hey there,” I said. “Want some company?”
He glanced up at me and smiled. “What are you doing over here, Willow? Isn’t your groom going to miss you?”
I turned to find Tal laughing with Phoebe and Hunter. “It looks like he’s doing okay.”
David raised his eyebrows. “You didn’t answer my first question.”
“Oh, you mean the one about what I’m doing over here? That’s easy. I’m here to bring you back to the party.”
He got to his feet and shook his head. “No. I shouldn’t even be here.”
I frowned. “Why not?”
He pressed his lips into a tight line. “I wasn’t invited.”
Laughing, I shook my head. “What? Of course you were. I sent you an invitation. Didn’t you get it?”
He shook his head. “No. I didn’t. But I moved from the Mid-City house, so maybe that’s it. But seriously, why would you invite me? I’m your ex. Hasn’t anyone ever told you that’s bad etiquette?”
His move made sense. He hadn’t turned vamp again. And he had good reason. I glanced over at Carrie and met her worried gaze.
“If it’s such bad etiquette, what are you doing here?”
He sighed. “You know I’m keeping an eye on Beau.”
I scoffed. No one had heard even so much as a rumor about anyone going after Beau since we’d destroyed Asher. “That’s not the only reason, David,” I said gently and placed a light hand on his arm. “I already know about you and Carrie.”
His sucked in a surprised breath. “How? Did she…?”
I shook my head. “No. Phoebe saw you two a couple of weeks ago.”
“And you’re not… I mean, you don’t mind?”
I gave him a warm smile. “Of course I don’t mind. I just got married. I’m blissfully happy and ridiculously in love. And the only thing that will make me happier is to know that everyone else I love is here with me to celebrate. Now come on. Come back with me and join Carrie like you should’ve in the first place.”
He shook his head in disbelief. “You’re really not upset?”
“Do you love her?”
“I think so.”
“Then I’m not upset. You’re a good man. You’ll protect her and my nephew. What’s to be upset abo
ut?”
He smiled down at me. “Will your husband blow a gasket if I give you a hug?”
“Only if you cop a feel.”
Laughing, he folded me into his arms and said, “Thank you.”
When he released me, I took his hand and tugged him over to where Carrie stood with my nephew. Carrie looked at me in surprise, but I just pulled her into a hug and said, “Take care of each other.”
There were tears in her eyes when I let her go. “We will,” she said and wrapped her fingers around David’s.
“There you are, my gorgeous bride.” Tal came up behind me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders as he held his other hand out to David. “Good to see you, man.”
“Congratulations,” David said, pumping his hand. “You’re a lucky man.”
“So are you,” Tal said with a grin and nodded toward Carrie.
Then with a wink at me, Tal whisked me away to the temporary dance floor. And as the music started up, he held out his hand and gave me a half bow. “Will you do me the honor, Ms. Rhoswen?”
“Dance with you, Mr. Kavanagh?” I asked and took his hand in mine. “Always.”
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For a peek at Deanna’s other work
check out Haunted on Bourbon Street,
the first of the Jade Calhoun novels.
Other Books by Deanna
The Jade Calhoun Novels
Haunted on Bourbon Street
Witches of Bourbon Street
Demons of Bourbon Street
Angels of Bourbon Street
Shadows of Bourbon Street
Incubus of Bourbon Street (Winter 2014)
The Coven Pointe Novels
Marked by Temptation (a novella)
The Crescent City Fae Novels
Influential Magic
Irresistible Magic
Intoxicating Magic
The Destiny Novels
Defining Destiny
Accepting Fate (November 2014)
Shattered Souls (Winter 2015)
About the Author
Deanna is a native Californian, transplanted to the slower paced lifestyle of southeastern Louisiana. When she isn’t writing, she is often goofing off with her husband in New Orleans, playing with her two shih tzu dogs, making glass beads, or out hocking her wares at various bead shows across the country. Want the next book in the series? Visit www.DeannaChase.com or sign up for her newsletter here.
Haunted on Bourbon Street Excerpt
Chapter 1
There was no way I was sharing my new two-hundred square foot apartment with a ghost. To be honest, I didn’t know if the speculation was true, but I’d gotten the place at a steal because my landlord couldn’t keep it rented. Considering the abundance of documented ghost lore in the French Quarter, I wasn’t taking any chances.
On moving day I walked the two blocks to The Herbal Connection. The front window housed an elaborate book display of the title, Vampires of New Orleans. To the right were neat rows of Suck It wine with blood-tinged fangs on the labels. I grimaced. All signs led to the likelihood of just another tourist shop. Still, it was possible they had basic supplies I could work with.
As soon as I walked in I knew I’d found the perfect shop. The sandalwood scent dissipated and a gentle, salt-filled sea breeze tickled my senses. My favorite place on earth was the beach. Whoever ran the place was doing an excellent job. It took a highly skilled practitioner to cast an illusion tailored to each individual patron.
“Can I help you?” A southern drawl floated from the back of the shop. As she stepped from behind a display, my eyes settled on a more expensive, classier version of my Aunt Gwen. The two could almost be twins, except the shop lady had salon-dyed auburn hair and wore white linen slacks, topped off with a coral blouse, while Gwen had natural gray curls and always wore her standard red T-shirt and coveralls. Of course, Gwen rode her tractor daily, and I had no trouble picturing this woman sipping mint juleps on a veranda.
I smiled. “Hello. Yes, I need a sage and cedar smudge stick if you have it.”
“Of course we do, dear.” She crossed the room and held out her hand. “I’m Bea, owner of the shop.”
My clammy hand met her cool grip. “Jade. Nice to meet you.”
“Cleansing negative energy?”
I nodded.
She grinned. “You must be new in town.”
Looking down at my faded jeans and simple cotton T-shirt, I wondered if I had a fresh-from-Idaho vibe radiating off me. It was possible. I’d only been in New Orleans for a month. “Is it that obvious?”
She laughed. “No. I would have remembered if you’d been here before.”
Why? Did she have a photographic memory? While I’d been told my willowy frame and long strawberry-blonde hair combined with my pale Irish skin was striking, I hardly stood out in the sea of characters who wound their way through the French Quarter on a daily basis.
She rushed to explain. “Most people who come in here don’t know what they’re looking at. I know almost everyone in New Orleans who has knowledge of the craft.”
Oh. Doing a simple cleanse was miles from using craft. I didn’t particularly like being mistaken for one who manipulated spells.
She hummed softly as she packaged my items, and when I handed her my credit card she peered at me. The beach breeze vanished, replaced by the sandalwood scent. A warm sensation wrapped around me in a slow circle. It took me a moment to realize it was coming from Bea. She was reading me with a witch’s spell. Instantly I dropped my barriers and sent out my senses. If she could read me, I could do the same to her. Only, I wasn’t a witch. Empaths don’t need spells to read other people.
Excitement mixed with a heavy dose of curiosity radiated from her in light, feathery waves. I realized her energy was a lot like mine. Most people’s emotions are a little thick and sometimes hard to wade through. Hers felt light, inviting and familiar. What exactly could this woman do, and what had she learned about me? I’d assumed she was just a witch practitioner; now I knew she was also some sort of intuitive.
I stepped back, blinked, and the sea-salted air returned.
“There’s something special about you,” she said.
More like a curse. I pasted on a smile and pretended nothing had happened. “That’s what my mother always used to say.”
Her eyes sparkled, and she leaned in closer. “Very interesting, indeed.” She placed her hand over mine, and a spark sent a jolt to my shoulder.
Jumping back, I pulled my hand out of her grasp.
Her smile turned to a grin, and she clapped her hands together in delight. “Oh, my dear! You simply must come by my house for tea some afternoon. We have much to talk about. Here’s my card.” She slipped it in the bag.
I grabbed the handle and turned to go. “Um, okay. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome, Jade. I look forward to hearing from you soon.”
I waved as I pushed the door open to the street, knowing I wouldn’t call her. My last memory of my mother blowing me a kiss as she headed off to her coven meeting flashed in my mind. Tears burned the back of my eyes. I blinked them back. Bad things always seemed to happen when witches and intuitives got together. No. It didn’t matter how curious I was about Bea, I knew it was best to keep to myself.
***
Buildings, especially old buildings, often retain an imprint of emotions from previous residents. When I’d first visited my new place I’d sensed a profound sadness. It was easy to understand why new tenants hadn’t felt comfortable there. People didn’t need to be empaths for negativity to unknowingly work its way into their being.
Fortunately, after a thorough smudging, when I opened myself up the place felt brand new. No sadness, and no evidence of a ghost. If there was one, it was gone now. Satisfied, I spent the next few hours hauling my stuff up the three very steep flights of stairs, and by the time the delivery men arrived with my ne
w mattress, I’d sweated enough to soak right through my shirt. I’d sent them off with their tip and was headed toward the shower when a knock sounded at my door.
I cast a longing glance at my bathroom before I answered. Mortification rooted me to my wide pinewood floors, and my face burned as I stared at the man who never failed to make my stomach quiver.
“Hey,” Kane said.
“Uh, hey.”
He held up a box wrapped in elegant gold paper. “I come bearing gifts.”
Did my landlord bring presents to all his new tenants?
“Pyper asked me to bring it up.”
Of course. Pyper was my boss and Kane’s business partner. Kane owned the building and, with Pyper’s help, managed the attached strip club. Pyper also ran the coffee shop next door, where I worked part time. I wasn’t certain, but I thought maybe they had something going on the side. “Thanks. That was sweet of her.” I opened the door wider. “Come on in. It’s moving day, so the place is a little messy.”
“No, it’s okay. I don’t want to bother you.” His gaze traveled the length of my body. I couldn’t help myself. I knew I shouldn’t do it. Reading someone’s emotions was such an invasion of privacy, and I knew at that moment I resembled a character from a Tim Burton movie, but I let down my barriers and probed anyway.
To my surprise, mild appreciation mixed with humor filled my senses, until his gaze landed on my face. His energy changed to something close to pity. I flinched and raised my shields. Pity? The man felt pity for the way I looked. What else could I expect from a guy who owned a strip bar? Stupid, shallow, piece of… Whatever. It wasn’t like I would actually ever date him anyway. The strip club thing aside, he was taken. I think.
I tried to hide my scowl and reached for the gift. “Okay, then. Thanks for stopping by.”
“No problem.” He turned to go, then looked back. “Hey, do you want to come down to the club later? It’s ladies night.”
The invitation caught me off guard. I blinked. “Ladies night?”
“Yeah, free admission and free drinks all night.”