“More?” he asked with a broad smile.
Margo shook her head.
“No, thank you. I have no room,” she responded honestly.
Margo took the bowl to the sink. She was planning to rinse it and put it in the dishwasher, but Bishop told her to leave it.
“Someone will take care of that,” he told her.
Margo left the bowl in the sink. She didn’t worry about dishes at home, so she definitely wasn’t concerned with dishes in the vampire coven. Just like her family, the vampires surely had a staff for that sort of thing.
Before leaving the kitchen, Margo thanked Stinger again for the food. On her way out, she noticed the way some vampires looked at her. Obviously, she wasn’t a big hit with the coven. She ignored them and held Bishop’s hand as they walked through the foyer and out the front door.
Margo’s car hadn’t arrived, so they waited on the porch. She looked over and saw Beth. She was standing at the top of the steps as if she also waited for something.
“Hi,” Beth greeted solemnly.
Bishop’s brows knitted.
“Beth, what are you doing? Why are you out here?”
“I’m waiting for a ride. Basile is going to have someone take me home.”
Margo was sure that she saw tears welling in her eyes. She walked over to the woman, who was usually overly chipper.
“Are you okay?” Margo asked.
Beth shook her head and swiped a tear that escaped.
“I’m fine. It’s nothing.”
Bishop walked over to her and grabbed her shoulders.
“Beth, what is it? What’s the matter?” his deep, accented voice was filled with concern.
“It’s... well, it’s school. Now, that you don’t need me for feeding, I don’t know how I’m going to pay for my classes.”
Basile must’ve told her that her services were no longer needed. Margo was shocked to find out that Beth had been allowing Bishop to drink her blood so she could pay for school. It never occurred to her she was being compensated. Margo just assumed that she allowed him to do it because of a particular affection for him.
Bishop frowned. When he looked at Beth, Margo saw sincerity and empathy in his eyes.
“Beth, there’s no need to worry about your studies. Your education will be fully funded.”
There was a flash of optimism in her eyes as she looked up at Bishop.
“Really?” she asked hopefully.
“Oui, of course,” Bishop assured. “I will arrange it.”
Beth threw her arms around his neck and hugged him.
“Thank you, Bishop. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”
Beth’s gratitude made Margo realize that since she’d grown up privileged, she couldn’t possibly understand what it would be like to not be able to pay for her education. The kindness Bishop was showing Beth made Margo admire him even more.
Beth released Bishop’s neck just as Margo’s car pulled up. Some vampire she didn’t know climbed out and walked up the steps. He handed her the keys and went in the front door.
“I can drop you if you want,” Margo offered.
Beth smiled, but she appeared uncomfortable.
“Are you sure?” she asked, bashfully. “I live in Lafitte.”
Margo walked over to Bishop and stood on her toes to kiss him. He snaked an arm around her waist and helped her by leaning down. After a sweet kiss goodbye, Margo looked over at Beth.
“Come on, Lafitte isn’t that far outta my way.”
“Okay,” Beth agreed before turning to Bishop. “Thank you, again,” she told him.
Margo gave him another wave as they descended the stairs. They got in her little BMW and were on their way. They weren’t in the car 10 minutes before Beth turned to her and said, “He’s really into you.”
Margo laughed under her breath. She didn’t respond because she wasn’t about to have a conversation about Bishop with the woman he’d been sucking on since he arrived in Louisiana.
“I know you think it’s too soon,” Beth continued. “But I would guess a man as old as Bishop is very in touch with his feelings.”
Against her better judgment, Margo engaged.
“What makes you think he’s so into me?”
“Well, he talks about you all the time. And, I’m pretty sure you told him he couldn’t feed from me anymore.”
Margo neither confirmed nor denied.
“Bishop is the boss of bosses. Nobody tells him what to do. An order was issued, and it was obeyed. He’s really into you.”
Before Margo could respond, a dark blur appeared in her peripheral. A loud crack of metal crashing into metal rang out. The impact sent them on a horrifying spin that tossed them around like rag dolls and seemed to go on forever. Their screams mingled with the sound of screeching tires.
A collision with a tree ultimately stopped the car from spinning. Margo’s head bounced painfully off the window. There was a ringing in her ears and her vision was blurry. Her heart raced out of control and her hands shook uncontrollably.
Margo tried to clear her head by closing her eyes and taking slow, deep breaths. Her trembling hands calmed, and the ringing in her head quieted. An agonizing moan prompted Margo to open her eyes. She looked over at Beth and gasped. Blood oozed from a large gash in her head.
“Oh, my God, Beth!”
Margo struggled to get out of the seatbelt.
“Hold on,” she urged.
She freed herself and tried to open the door, but it wouldn’t budge. Margo tried again, using her shoulder to ram the door until it finally opened. She climbed out of the car and was hit by a bout of dizziness when she stood.
Margo shook off the dizziness and looked around. The sight of her car was startling. Completely totaled, he was thankful they’d survived such a horrible accident.
“Help,” Beth rasped.
Margo went around to get her out, but the tree pinned the passenger door. So, she ran back to the driver’s side. She reached over the seat and unbuckled Beth’s seatbelt.
“Can you move?” Margo asked.
The fear in Beth’s eyes when she shook her head was heartbreaking.
“I can’t feel my legs and I think my arm is broken,” she wheezed as if speaking was painful.
Margo looked down at her arm, which was indeed broken. She swallowed, struggling not to react to the bone sticking out of her forearm.
“It’s gonna be okay. I’m gonna get you out.”
Margo slid her arm behind her, hooking her waist. She tried to pull her through the driver’s side but stopped when Beth screamed out in agony. Margo searched the floor of the car until she found her cell phone. She stood just outside the car and dialed 911.
“911,” answered a man on the other end.
Margo did her best to stay calm as she explained that they’d been in an accident. She gave them her location and told them to send an ambulance for Beth. She finished the call and sat the phone on the roof.
When Margo ducked inside to tell Beth that help was on the way, she found her crying hysterically.
“The ambulance is on its way.”
“I- I don’t wanna die, Margo,” Beth hiccupped.
Margo reached over and squeezed her hand. She looked her directly in the eye, and told her with all sincerity, “You are not going to die, Beth.”
As soon as Margo made the declaration, she was grabbed by her hair from behind. She reached up to free herself, but couldn’t and she was tossed to the ground. Margo ignored the pain in her hip and scrambled to her knees. She looked around. Her enemies surrounded them, at least six large men, presumably warlocks. It had become painfully clear that the accident was no accident at all. It was an ambush.
Margo jumped to her feet and prepared for a fight. The sound of Beth’s blood-curdling screaming pierced the air. She looked over at her car and gasped. Beth was being dragged out through the driver’s seat. With no regard to her pain, she was dropped to the ground.
“NO!” Mar
go screamed.
She tried to run to Beth’s aid, but a warlock caught her by the neck. Margo saw nothing but pure revulsion in his eyes and wondered how someone could have so much hatred for a person they didn’t even know. By her throat, he lifted her from the ground. Margo could see the other warlocks over his shoulder as she struggled to get free. Her eyes grew wide with terror when one raised a long knife and drove it into Beth’s chest.
Margo’s eyes filled with tears. She kicked and scratched, but the warlock had a tight grip. It was a knee to the nuts that caused him to loosen his fingers. Unfortunately, he recovered too fast and lunged at her before she could catch her breath. Luckily, she sidestepped him.
“Protect me with your life,” Margo told the warlock before he could try again.
Like a remotely controlled cyborg, the warlock froze. Margo could see the fight behind his eyes, but her compulsion was too strong. He turned around and posted in front of her like a pawn, protecting the king.
The warlock that stabbed Beth left her gasping and choking on her own blood. When he moved toward them, her protector pulled out his own knife. The other warlocks fanned out, flanking them from all sides. Another sorcerer, noticing that their brethren had been compelled, pulled out a gun.
“Fuck!” Margo blustered.
He smiled and shot her warlock shield in the head. Killing one of his own didn’t seem to bother him in the least. Margo was hoping the warlock would move within earshot of her so she could compel him to kill the other, but he didn’t. From where he was standing, he raised his weapon.
They left Margo with no choice but to run, but before she could take one step, a brown wolf leaped on the armed warlock. It looked like Alvin Boone’s wolf. She could hardly sigh with relief before something flew past her in a blur. Whatever it was, it was fast enough to send a gush of air across her face. It was only when a warlock’s heart went flying from his body that she realized it was Bishop.
The last three of the six warlocks tried to coordinate a chant, probably a protective spell, but Bishop and Boone were too fast; picking them off before they could get it together. Once all the sorcerers were put down, Bishop snarled at their corpses and Boone howled at the moon. Margo rushed over to Beth. Blood covered her lifeless body. She pressed her finger to Beth’s neck and checked for a pulse.
“Bishop!” Margo called out. “She’s got a pulse.”
Bishop hurried over and kneeled over Beth. Boone moved closer and paced protectively in front of them.
“Do something!”
Bishop dropped his head with regret. Even though they were completely black, Margo could see the sadness in his eyes. He lifted his wrist to his fangs and bit through his skin until he bled. After lifting her head, he pushed his wrist between her lips, allowing the blood to flow into her mouth.
“Will this heal her?” Margo asked.
Bishop looked up at her. Even though his eyes had returned to normal, she could still see his pain. After a minute of feeding her his blood, he lifted her in his arms. Margo held Beth’s hand as she stood with him.
“Take her home,” Bishop said over her shoulder.
Margo turned to see who he was talking to. Basile was standing behind her. His clothes were tattered and covered in blood. Apparently, there was another battle elsewhere. She turned back to Bishop.
“Will this heal her?” Margo pressed.
“No,” was his solemn response.
With his head down, he turned and carried her away.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
BISHOP
After a shower and some much need time to reflect, Bishop entered the main house. Basile was waiting in the kitchen. Waiting next to him was Kimberly, his young feeder.
“I know you said you were only feeding on Marguerite now, but Kimberly is-.”
Bishop raised his hand, cutting him off.
“No, thank you,” he told his old friend. “I’m fine.”
Bishop promised that he wouldn’t, in Marguerite’s words, “Be sucking on any more women.” And he didn’t plan on breaking that promise. He looked at Kimberly and smiled.
“Thank you.”
Kimberly nodded and placed her hand on Basile’s arm.
“Then, I’m going home now.”
“Oui, get some rest. I’ll see you tomorrow,” Basile told her.
When Kimberly left, they left the kitchen and entered the hall.
“They’re ready for you,” Basile reported.
“Good. And Beth?” Bishop asked.
“She’s been laid to rest,” he assured in a solemn tone.
Bishop felt a pang of guilt for not being there to protect Beth and Marguerite. Since he’d tasted them both, he sensed their fear. He knew where to find them, but he had to kill a few warlocks to get to them. So, he didn’t get to them fast enough.
Bishop was thankful the wolf alpha had someone tailing Marguerite. The brown wolf saved her life. Unfortunately, he was too late to save Beth. If there was anyone more undeserving of such a horribly violent death, it was her. They walked the rest of the way in silence.
They entered the den where Basile had assembled the vampires. He looked around the room until he spotted Stinger and waved him over.
“Yeah, boss?” he answered with a strong southern accent.
Bishop placed his hand on the young vampire’s shoulder.
“Do you have friends here? Any vampire here that you can trust?”
“A couple,” he responded with a shrug.
“Get them and go over to the Roux estate. I want you to protect them with your life.”
Stinger nodded. “You got it, boss.”
The overlooked vampire seemed proud to have received the task. Stinger was eager to prove himself, and Bishop believed he would protect Marguerite and her family at all costs.
“Go.”
Bishop sent him on his way with a pat on the shoulder. Stinger hurried into the crowd of vampires and came out with two. One was tall, muscular, and black, probably another outcast in the bigoted coven. The other vampire was a white female wearing Army fatigues and combat boots. Her expression read battle-ready.
Bishop nodded his approval of Stinger’s choice. The other vampires in the room watched with curiosity and confusion as they left the room.
Bishop cleared his throat, capturing their attention.
“I’ve brought you together to right a wrong. Vampires, you have been led astray.”
Bishop ignored the murmurs and continued.
“Gerard did not serve you well. He was an inept weakling that led this coven down a path of destruction. All for the useless pursuit of vengeance; a matter that had absolutely nothing with this coven. Your incompetent leader gave that vile warlock the gift of immortality and followed him like a curious child.”
Bishop walked along the front line of vampires.
“I challenge any of you to tell of a time when that tribe of women has ever attacked without provocation. And if you cannot... why are they the enemy? It wasn’t the Voodoo tribe that cast the spell that turned you into mindless monsters. That was the witches. It was the witches that led this coven to a battle which a lot of you didn’t return. Because of Gerard’s incompetence, your brothers and sisters are no more. Bartholomew Batiste was a stain on this coven.”
Bishop frowned. It suddenly occurred to him that none of the vampires in the room were old enough to know the true story of the generational feud.
“Unrequited affection!” Bishop announced. “The priest hated and haunted generations of the Roux family because he was rejected by their ancestor.”
The vampires shared looks of disbelief. Bishop wondered what tale they’d been told.
“Yes! Auriette Moreau- she was in love with a wolf. And for that, she burned as a witch. And the priest terrorized her descendants more than a hundred years until he was killed by Enola Roux.”
Bishop turned his back to the stunned vampires.
“But I share the blame. When the French colonized thi
s land, I created a colony of vampires. I left this coven in Gerard’s hands and never looked back. That was my failure.”
He turned back to face his coven.
“I will make this right. I will return this coven to its original glory. I will see to the wealth, prosperity, and growth of this coven, and every vampire in it. I will secure peace and gain allies for continued security. This is my vow to you.”
Bishop stood in front of the crowd of vampires and folded his arms.
“If you are with me, stay. If you are not, leave now. Because if you stay, you will either stand by me or fall by me.”
MARGO
“What are talking about? Nothing has happened to Nola. She just went out without her phone.”
Gideon frowned and blew out a frustrated breath. He had Crystal on speaker. And she was not happy.
“You always got an excuse! Every time I call, a damn excuse! I haven’t talked to Nola since y’all put me on the first thing smoking after that lady died. Where is Nola?”
Gideon stared down at the phone like it was a grenade.
“Crystal, I can’t help that you haven’t talked to her. Things have been a bit hectic here. I’m sure she’ll call you back.”
“Well, she better call me soon, or I’m coming back!” Crystal threatened. “And I ain’t coming back alone!”
“Okay, Crystal,” Gideon grumbled. “I’ll tell her as soon as she gets back.”
“Um-hm, thank you.” Her tone was not gracious and filled with suspicion.
Gideon tossed the phone on the cocktail table. “She hung up on me.”
“She’s worried about her friend,” Margo said with a shrug. “Shit, ain’t none of mine calling looking for me.”
Gideon chuckled. He wasn’t lying to Crystal. He was just oversimplifying the situation. She hadn’t spoken to Nola because, in their world, the proverbial shit has hit the fan. They were under attack, their tribe was dropping like flies, and Nola was catatonic. Their enemy was around every corner, and they weren’t waging a street fight. They waging outright war- complete and total annihilation.
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