Voodoo, I Do

The Bitch with Bite 1

Voodoo, I Do Alpha female of both the werewolf and vampire species Josephine Wade has a problem--two, actually. The first is Etienne Bordeaux, her former vampire lover she hopes to seduce again. The second is her estranged Alpha werewolf mate, Braxton Wade, who wants to show her that she may be dominant, but he’s even more so, especially with her under him and his teeth marking her. Both powerful males want her back, but only one can have her heart, body and soul. As Josephine tries to control the situation between her former lover and her husband, her world begins to unravel. What was once the truth is now fiction, and what was fiction is now truth. Only she can be the one to unite both truth and fiction to save those closest to her and take her place beside her true mate in both the werewolf and vampire worlds. Note: This book contains extreme violence. Genre: Paranormal, Romantic Suspense, Vampires/Werewolves Length: 95,373 words

VOODOO, I DO The Bitch with Bite 1

Sayde Grace

EROTIC ROMANCE

Siren Publishing, Inc. www.SirenPublishing.com

ABOUT THE E-BOOK YOU HAVE PURCHASED: Your non-refundable purchase of this e-book allows you to only ONE LEGAL copy for your own personal reading on your own personal computer or device. You do not have resell or distribution rights without the prior written permission of both the publisher and the copyright owner of this book. This book cannot be copied in any format, sold, or otherwise transferred from your computer to another through upload to a file sharing peer to peer program, for free or for a fee, or as a prize in any contest. Such action is illegal and in violation of the U.S. Copyright Law. Distribution of this e-book, in whole or in part, online, offline, in print or in any way or any other method currently known or yet to be invented, is forbidden. If you do not want this book anymore, you must delete it from your computer. WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. If you find a Siren-BookStrand e-book being sold or shared illegally, please let us know at [email protected]

A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK IMPRINT: Erotic Romance

VOODOO, I DO Copyright © 2011 by Sayde Grace E-book ISBN: 1-61034-402-2 First E-book Publication: April 2011 Cover design by Jinger Heaston All cover art and logo copyright © 2011 by Siren Publishing, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission. All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

PUBLISHER Siren Publishing, Inc. www.SirenPublishing.com

Letter to Readers Dear Readers, If you have purchased this copy of Voodoo, I Do by Sayde Grace from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.

Regarding E-book Piracy This book is copyrighted intellectual property. No other individual or group has resale rights, auction rights, membership rights, sharing rights, or any kind of rights to sell or to give away a copy of this book. The author and the publisher work very hard to bring our paying readers high-quality reading entertainment. This is Sayde Grace’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Ms. Grace’s right to earn a living from her work. Amanda Hilton, Publisher www.SirenPublishing.com www.BookStrand.com

DEDICATION Thank you to all the wonderful people at Siren Publishing for all the work they did on this book. I appreciate all the work. Also I’d like to thank you for purchasing this book and hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. As always, thanks to my family for allowing me the opportunity to write about werewolves, vampires, and all other things that go boo. Thanks also to my critique partner Rebecca Zanetti.

VOODOO, I DO The Bitch with Bite 1 SAYDE GRACE Copyright © 2011

Chapter One “He’s boarding the plane. I haven’t seen him that wild-eyed since the night you left him. Whatever is going on must be big.” Braxton’s secretary’s voice shook with concern. Damn, not good. Unfortunately I knew why he was crazy-eyed. He was after me. My wolf. “Thanks for the heads up. Everything will be fine.” Like hell it would. I was lying. Braxton showing up after five years of being separated and me in desperate need of touching him was not good. Not good at all. I just had to remember why I had left him. The images of Braxton with another woman would keep the bitterness fresh and me away from him. Now I just had to get back to my house before he showed up. Yet there was no hurrying on River Road. The lazy sway of the Spanish moss in the wind set the easygoing mood. Not for the first time I found myself being sucked into the fantasy world of plantations and deep Southern comfort. I gazed down River Road. During the two hundred years I’d lived near the historic road people had been obsessed with the large plantations and desperately trying to acquire one. Most had a fascination with the scandalous tales of southern Louisiana and her haunted homes, ghosts, voodoo, and ever-present

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demons. If only they knew the truth behind most of those stories. Tales of werewolves and vampires ran rampant throughout River Road, had since the day my father bought his plantation nearly three hundred years ago. Thoughts of a particular vampire and one strong Alpha werewolf awakened the beasts inside me. The slight humming within my head alerted me that my inner wolf was calling her mate while the vampire half of me cried for hers as well. Both wanted their mates, and only I could chose between the two men and which world I was destined to rule. I didn’t want or need either man in my life. But the option of solitude had been stolen from me. My former power-hungry vampire lover, Etienne, had sent word he was coming to claim me. What the fuck was that supposed to mean anyway? Claim me? Hell, he’d left me with a voodoo curse and a broken heart. Both had shoved me into the arms of my werewolf husband. Now I would be stuck with not only Etienne and his bullshit, but Braxton’s, too. Braxton was already on his way to come storming in trying to mark his territory. Me. “So, Josephine, should I run and put the house under a noentrance spell?” Two hundred years of that shrill, knowing voice interrupting my deepest thoughts had me at wit’s end with its owner. I turned to my left and my oldest friend Camilla stepped to my side, smiling at her own insightfulness. Lately she’d become more of a pain in the ass than anything else. Still, she was almost a sister to me. I stared at her as my brain weighed the options of having her cast the spell. Tonight she looked the part of voodoo priestess. Her black silken hair was wrapped in a bright-colored scarf. Her nails and lips were painted black. She also had on her “scare the tourist” necklace, a bone-on-bone creepy thing. She liked to wear it down to New Orleans when she pretended to be her mother, Marie Laveau. Cam was still stunning with her tall, skinny frame that curved in just the right places, full lips, white, straight teeth, and dark, tanned

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skin. Her eyes were the selling point of the whole voodoo priestess thing, the deepest shade of brown you’d ever find. The intensity beneath those dark irises never failed to draw out my deepest secrets. Sometimes she unnerved me. Tonight those knowing eyes bore into mine, searching. She knew me too well. “You gonna pull some of your hocus-pocus on the house, me, or my idiots?” I returned the sarcastic tone. Her eyes narrowed before she pointed one shaky finger at me. I had to bite my tongue not to laugh. She tended to get riled up pretty easily. “You know what? You’ve been a bitch for years now. You deserve whatever bullshit is coming your way.” Her voice clipped with an edge of prissiness much more than normal. I couldn’t help but laugh. Of all the things I’d done lately, none were as bitchy as what she’d been up to. “I’m a bitch? You’re the one putting curses on innocent tourists then drinking from them. I’d say that was a tad bit bitchy.” Cam smiled, letting her fangs slide down slowly. She shrugged. I shook my head. “That’s what I thought. You should be ashamed going down there and taking advantage of those poor tourists.” My lips drew into a thin line when I pretended to scold her. In truth, whoever went looking for voodoo and vampires deserved what they got. I didn’t feel sorry for the people who were too stupid not to be scared shitless of the magic surrounding both. “So, you want the curse on the house or not, biatch?” She’d tried to learn today’s slang, but with her in the voodoo getup and me knowing her true age, the act fell short. “Dear Lord, you sound like some wannabe MTV star. You need to stop watching so much television. Or at least pick something better than the next wannabe 50 Cent.” The hair on my neck prickled at the murmurs coming from her. I grabbed her hand. “Jesus. Why are you so sensitive tonight? And don’t you dare put any kind of mumbo

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jumbo on me. Been there, done that.” Her beautiful face drew into a frown, warning me she’d run into Isaiah, her vampire mate. He’d grown up with us, but he’d been one of the field slaves who’d been dealt a horrible life. He’d also been one of the nicest men I’d ever met. Over the years since I’d turned, he’d changed from that sweet, loving man to a hard, vicious creature capable of killing anyone or anything. My bloodline would be so much better off without him. To Cam he was poison, but like me, she can’t stop the call of a lover’s blood. “So, you want to put that spell on the house because of my idiots or yours?” We turned back to the three-story plantation house gleaming in the moonlight. The three-story home stood tall and proud, with columns from roof to ground. Ten large French doors adorned the front, with top and bottom porches that extended thirteen feet out and wrapped around the entire house. The most impressive feature about the house’s exterior was the landscaped yard with its enormous live oaks lining the driveway and surrounding the building. The house looked as if it should be in a classic movie. “Does it matter?” Cam looked back at the river when a large barge drifted downriver. “Do you ever think about Melanie?” Her whispered voice held so much pain. I jerked my head to stare at her. Hell, yes, I thought about my bitch of a half sister every damn day. After all, she’d been the one to curse me. “Of course. I try not to, but it doesn’t work. Why?” “Something that was said tonight made me think about her and that time period.” Cam blinked, her eyes tracking the barge gliding across the flowing water. “Cam? Is everything all right? Melanie has been dead for over a hundred years.” Thank God. If she were still alive, I’d kill the bitch again for using voodoo on me. But the angst and emptiness in Cam’s eyes spoke volumes. She wasn’t thinking about Melanie. Instead she stressed about the man

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screwing things up for her even now. Asshole. “I take it you ran into Isaiah and things didn’t go well?” I squeezed her hand. She dragged the scarf from her head. Long, silky black ringlets fell to her shoulders. “That bad, huh? Well, maybe this will cheer you up.” My fingers skimmed her thin shoulders before I spun her to face me. “Etienne’s on his way back after running out on me a hundred years ago. Batty, the traitorous bitch inside me, wants his blood bad. Then, if that’s not enough, my inner wolf bitch has called to Braxton. I’ve avoided him for five freakin’ years, and now he’ll be back, probably the same moment Etienne shows up.” I quirked my lips up in a sarcastic smile. “It’ll be a blood-and-fur fight if I’ve ever seen one when those two meet. So, you see, tonight has been shitty for both of us.” I waggled my eyebrows, hoping to make her laugh. When she didn’t say anything or laugh, I glanced back at the house, wondering if she could actually put a spell on it. That might just be worth the bad juju to keep both my Alpha idiots away. “Maybe we should put that spell on the house.” “Hell, no.” The darkness in her eyes warmed with affection. “You shouldn’t have told me Braxton’s coming. If it had been just fuckhead, I’d have done the spell, but not with Braxton coming. That man is too damn fine.” She fanned herself. “Yeah, that’s always been the problem. Every female who sees him wants him.” Heat pooled between my legs as I remembered him and all the times we’d shared. Yep, he was too damn fine. Cam and I continued our stroll past the house to the swamp and sat looking into the dark abyss. She plucked at a blade of grass. “Isaiah was watching me tonight. I was turning a spell for some dumbass tourist and missed his scent. Before I knew it, he was on the lady. He snatched her out of my grip and ripped at her throat. I tried to stop him, but you know how it goes.” She heaved in a breath she didn’t need.

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Of course I knew how it was. The more a person fought against the beast, the more it craved. “So what happened after that?” Whenever these things happened I always tried to prepare for what’s coming next, but with Isaiah I never knew how bad it could be. “After the fight was over I saw the blood and couldn’t help but go to him. My beast was raging. I…I…um.” She held her head in her hands. “So you went to him and, let me guess, let him screw your brains out right there next to the dead woman?” She jerked her head up, tears streaming down her face and her eyes veiled with guilt. Guilt which I knew ate at her after each time she killed. God only knew why she even gave the bastard the time of night anymore. Only, deep down, I knew why. The emotions that tied Isaiah and Cam were as complicated as mine for Etienne and Braxton. Except I was pretty sure neither of my idiots were cold-blooded, psychotic killers. Etienne would do almost anything for a step up in the vampire world, even using me to get it, yet he did have some limits. But I couldn’t explain that to Cam. She’d just get mad and storm off. “We’ve all had those times. You know, the hot, steamy, mindblowing blood sex where nothing matters, not even the dead body lying somewhere nearby.” It was the truth, not just something I was saying to make her feel better. Many, many years ago I’d done those things and loved every minute of it. Desire from the memories of those sinful nights spread through me. Cam’s eyes glowed when the cinnamon scent of lust filled the air. “Girl, you need to get laid, and soon, before those two men get here and smell you. Merde. I’m straight as a board, but that smell makes me want to do ungodly things to you.” I grimaced. She was right. I needed to find a release before either one of my morons got here, especially Braxton. “Too bad we’re two old prudes.” I winked at her and waggled my eyebrows.

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“Not for me. I know what would happen if Braxton found me with you. It’s not about being prudish. It’s about self-preservation. Vampire versus pissed Alpha Werewolf. I think he might win.” We turned and hiked the last little bit back to the house in silence. She paused in front of her door. “So you gonna let him stay in the house, or are you gonna force him to stay out in the garçonnière?” The two-bedroom garçonnière, which had served as the quarters for the young men of the house during the 1800s, was furnished so we could put guests we didn’t want in our home out there. There was no question of which “him” Cam referred to. Etienne might still hold a piece of me and be the original occupant of the garçonnière, but he was not the “him” I’d been running from. He had been long gone out of my life when Braxton Wade strolled in and healed my broken heart. If only it had stayed healed. But to answer her question, no. Putting Braxton out there wasn’t really an option. He’d be in my bed before I could stop him. His theory, no matter what, is that I’m his mate, and it’s his bed, too. Ass. “Of course, I’m gonna try and put him out there first.” Cam grinned at me, knowing I really didn’t want to put him anywhere except right back in my bed. “But you know he isn’t going to stay where you try to put him. That man is too much for you to put on a shelf.” Her joking tone didn’t mask the truth behind her words. He’d always been too much for me, in every way imaginable. Braxton demanded all of me, my heart, mind, soul, and spirit. Just the thought of him demanding everything from me again made me groan. My heart ached with the memories of the times when Braxton and I had laughed, teased, and loved. It’d been easy for us in the beginning, even though he was Mr. All-Important Alpha and I’d been the wild were-vamp. None of my vamp tricks worked on him, and it had been intriguing to find a man of his unbelievable wealth and handsomeness attracted to me. I’m the only half werewolf, half vampire ever born.

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On top of that, I just happen to be the most dominant female in both worlds, which makes me Queen Bitch in every form of the word. I eased up the last step to the second floor. Cam followed closely. A strange scent wafted through the air. I wrinkled my nose and turned to look at her. “Cam, do you smell that?” I inhaled deeply. “It smells like cleaning chemicals and blood.” I raised my eyebrows. A small box sat in front of her bedroom door. She rushed past me and snatched the box up before I could get a good look at it. “Cam?” That box reeked of blood and drugs. “Girl, go to bed, and stop daydreaming about shit we can't change.” Cam sighed and left me staring at her shut door. Of course she was right. There was nothing I could do to stop my problems from hunting me down, but something was wrong with her. She’d gotten herself into some trouble and soon it’d find its way to my doorstep right alongside my own troubles. What I needed to do was to go to sleep and forget how it felt to be wrapped in Braxton’s strong arms or under him as he plunged in me. “Jesus. Stop. Go to bed. Sleep,” Cam screamed from her room. I shook my head, but followed her orders. Instead of sleeping, I lay on my beautiful blue-and-chocolate bedspread, which had nearly broken my accountant’s heart when he saw the Visa bill for it. But cost hadn’t mattered at the time. Something about the colors had struck me. Maybe it was the fact that the brown matched the exact color of Braxton’s wolf and the blue reminded me of our bedroom in Atlanta. I hugged the covers tight, trying to block out the coldness left behind from the men in my life. Before Braxton, there had been Etienne, and he’d been my world. The legitimate son and heir of Dominique Bordeaux, the first owner of this plantation, he’d been all consuming. He also happened to be Cam’s half brother. Soap Opera Digest, here I come. My thoughts stayed with Etienne when my eyelids began to drift

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closed. My mind swam between dream and awareness. “Ma chère, soon I will be there and we will finish what we started.” His sweet promise echoed in my ears, and my heart broke all over again from the loss of young childhood love. Only in these times did I let myself wallow in such depressing thoughts. During waking hours, my bitterness didn’t allow my heart to consider anything regarding Etienne. He’d left me broken, angry, and bitter. It had been Braxton who had shown me true love. But even with him things had gone astray, and now I didn’t have him. The daylight always brings a new beginning, but today I wanted to skip beginning anything and sleep. I needed to shut the door on my previous beginnings, but with Wolfy tingling inside me and Batty licking her fangs, I knew both vampire and werewolf were on their way back to my piece of hell on River Road.

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Chapter Two A rise of panic stirred me. My vampire half was going crazy inside my mind. She was begging for cover but from what my sleepy mind wasn’t sure. Then the bright morning light seeped through drowsiness, waking me. Batty still fought the sunlight, but thankfully my wolf was a bit stronger, allowing me to fight the urge to shield myself from the light. I needed to get to work at the sugar mill, but right now I wanted to sleep the day away. My mind was too relaxed, telling me to curl into my blanket, to hold on to the sweet dream that lingered in my dazed mind. Braxton’s distinct pine scent surrounded me, and his overly warm body spooned against mine. I sighed, wishing the warmth from the dream would be real so I could have his arms around me again. In the dream, Braxton held me tight against him, so close his small patch of chest hair brushed against my bare back, creating a delicious friction. God, it felt good to be next to him, having him hold me as though I were the only other person who existed. I rolled over on my side to drool at his taut and roped muscles. I craved to touch him, to rub my hands down his chiseled chest, splay my fingers through his black patch of hair. And to follow that strip of hair down to where it led to his stiff cock. I knew better than to continue with the urge, but this was just a dream. Nothing mattered in the dream world. I breathed in his scent, willing my hands to steady, and then looked in the face of my beautiful dream. His green eyes darkened with desire. Braxton’s tanned skin glowed while his square jaw clenched shut. Those brilliant irises of his narrowed through thick

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lashes that were the same black as his curly hair. His sinful mouth quirked into a sexy grin, which had me nearly begging for his firm cock to be inside my wet pussy. The intoxicating aroma of cinnamon and pine surrounded me. Braxton’s scent. I slid my hands slowly under the waistband of his tight boxer briefs and his skin burned my palm, trembling with every caress. Lord, he felt good. Braxton was many things, the best at being drop dead sinful. His cock hardened at my touch, and the smooth silkiness of the flesh never failed to amaze me. How something could be so hard yet so soft always got me. “Hmm, I’ve fantasized for years about this. I love waking up next to you and feeling you touch me,” his silky, deep voice drawled. He rocked his hips, thrusting his cock into my hands. Panic snapped my eyes wide open. Merde. This wasn’t a dream. Braxton smirked. I drew my hands back so fast the waistband of his briefs popped like an angry rubber band and hit him dead center on his hard cock. He moaned in pain. I scrambled out of the bed so fast that I fell flat on my ass. Legs sprawled and stark naked, I squirmed around, shocked beyond belief. Braxton leaned over the edge of the bed, grimacing from pain. “Darlin’, if I’d known you wanted it on the floor, I would have eased you down instead of you fallin’ on your ass.” We both knew I’d been half dreaming when I touched him, yet he wasn’t going to acknowledge that fact. Hell no. He would make me pay for the mistake. I hadn’t let him touch me in human form in five years, not since I’d found him with Elizabeth. I sat motionless on the floor, searching for something to say. Finally my nakedness broke through the shock-fog. Braxton lay back down and gazed at me as I grabbed a shirt. From now on, I was sleeping clothed. “Braxton. What the hell are you doing in my bed, and how’d you get in here?” I glared at him. Damn him for being so relaxed and at ease on my bed in only his underwear.

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“My sweet Josephine, you’re my mate, and this is our bed. Now come back and sleep. I enjoyed your wake-up call, but I’m pretty tired. It was a long trip here.” He held his hand out, but I ignored it. “How‘d you get in?” He grinned his sly little grin and his green eyes danced with amusement. He rested his hands behind his head, showing little concern over my anger. I had once gone weak-kneed from his sly grin and dancing eyes, but not now. I’d learned that lesson. But when he wasn’t affected by my glare and continued to smirk, my feet inched toward him. Merde, stupid traitorous body and beasts. Damn them both for wanting the arrogant ass on the bed. “Come now. You’re tired. My wolf wants you close. It’s been too long. We both ache to be near you.” His wolf’s calming aura touched my wolf, ebbing away at the nagging emptiness they mirrored within. The anger swept from me, relenting to the need of my wolf. I sighed. Yes, his wolf had missed mine, but Braxton, the human, surely hadn’t missed me. For five years, he’d made no attempt to contact me. Before I’d left him we’d fought until we barely spoke to each other. Wolfy, the bitch, begged me to slip back into bed and let her be close to her mate. If not for the angst she’d experienced last time I denied her, I would have walked out and not looked back. But I couldn’t this time. Braxton winked when I sighed, and stepped toward the bed. Thankfully he held his tongue. He slid the covers back, exposing his gorgeous tanned, muscled body and one very impressive hard-on. Damn. I swallowed hard and lowered my body down next to his. Wolfy calmed inside me. Warmth slithered through my veins. The comfort only her mate could give eased her to her resting place in my mind. I had to admit Braxton relaxed me as well. In fact he’d comforted me so much I hadn’t even noticed his hands snaking around my waist to drag me against his still-hard cock. His desire clouded my human senses. A sensual awakening deep

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within set off alarm sirens. My other beast was waking. Batty smelled the thick, warm blood rushing through Braxton’s veins. She begged me to taste him. Wolfy, Batty, and I each enjoyed and loved Braxton in our own ways. He’d loved for me to feed on him whenever the desire hit me, and he’d enjoyed the sensations all three of us brought out during sex. But sometimes it was too crowded for me. It would be nice to be me and him. Man and woman. “Relax. I’m not going to jump you the way you did me.” His teasing did nothing to comfort me. “Josephine, settle down and let our beasts have some solace in each other. Go to sleep.” A blanket of soothing heat and love sent me into a deep dreamless sleep. Alpha magic. **** Fresh, clean night air burst into my subconscious, awakening me. My body tingled with energy. My senses buzzed. A fire for life blazed in me. What the hell? Braxton. Where the hell had he gone now? I hurried out of bed and rushed down the hall to Cam’s room. Two voices rang inside. Cam’s musical laughter mixed with Braxton’s deep baritone. I turned to storm away, but Cam’s door flew open. “Josie, get your ass back in here.” Her shrill voice shook the walls. I stopped, and Braxton’s scent filled the hallway. The vulnerable spot between my shoulder blades ached as if he were staring me down. I glanced over my shoulder, and his eyes smoldered when they met mine. I tore my gaze from his. The aroma of pine mixed with a hint of cinnamon let me know he enjoyed the view. I couldn’t go in there. Not now. His presence awakened desires I wasn’t prepared for. I escaped into my bathroom to get dressed for the night. There were a few things I could go take care of at the sugar mill I owned, but I just wanted to get the hell out of Dodge. Talking to

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Braxton for the first time since the night I’d left him had disturbed me more than I’d thought. My hands trembled with every weighted step I took. The TV blared from the living room. Cam reclined on the sofa, tapping her foot to the rhythm of some new rap artist. “That man loves you. You need to stay home and work things out.” “No. It’s too late for working things out.” I started for the door to be drawn short by her tsking. I hated to be tsked. “You’re wrong. Do you remember the night we met him in Atlanta?” I turned to nod. She propped up on the sofa. “You’d finally gotten over Etienne.” That wasn’t entirely true. After Etienne blamed me for the voodoo curse my half sister had put on us, he’d run off. I had let Wolfy and Batty take over, too engulfed in my grief of losing him to care what happened to me. Cam eventually found me running wild as my wolf in the swamps. After some persuasion, Cam’s voodoo, I followed her home and faced my grief so I could move on with my life without Etienne. “You were pissed with me because I wanted to go to a party and you wanted to get a massage.” She rolled her eyes. “I think you ended up getting that massage anyway.” Yeah, I had gotten the massage and a lot more. After we had mojoed our way into the party, I was immediately drawn to an enticing scent of pine mixed with sinful smelling cinnamon. My wolf begged me to find him as Batty called out in hunger for his blood. I was lost to them and went in search of the owner of the delicious scent. “Anyhow, you went wild-eyed as soon as we stepped inside. Across the room this handsome man looked your way. I’ll never forget it. He stopped talking and looked right at you. He had been in mid-conversation with a gorgeous redhead, but once he saw you, he walked away and never looked back.” “Lust.”

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“No, hon. I made sure your luscious curves and sinfully sexy hair,” she crooned in an imitation of Braxton using the exact words he’d once said to me, “looked good, but it wasn’t just lust. There was more to it than you realized. I walked away, knowing you’d just found your mate. What did he say to get you to go outside with him?” She raised her eyebrows in question. “He asked me if I’d found what I was looking for. I told him yeah, but since he was so handsome and cocky, I didn’t want anything else to do with him. He grabbed my arm when I tried to walk off and it pissed me off. And if touching me wasn’t enough of an invasion, he demanded I follow him outside.” I smiled wistfully. “I figured I’d let him guide me outside and then drink from him before scaring the bejeezus out of him.” I laughed at how naïve I’d been. “Instead, as soon as my fangs popped into his taut skin and his delicious blood poured into my mouth, I knew something was different. Wolfy got all bristly when Batty urged me to take more of his blood, and the two beasts fought until I finally had to shove them back in their mental corners. Braxton sat there smiling while I battled the two, and when I finally had them under control, he clapped his hands together. He spouted off some bullshit about us going to have a long, interesting life together.” I glared at Cam, and now she laughed. “Yes, I know. I wouldn’t mojo him for you. He was your mate. There was no way in hell I’d do that to him.” I’d been more than pissed at her. From the couch, Cam cleared her throat. I scowled at her, fuming once again over all she’d done. She’d made sure we celebrated our mating alone in the house that night by mojoing everyone to leave. Damn her. “Yeah, I’m still pissed at you for leaving me out there with him. You should have just mojoed him like I told you to. One day, one day soon, I hope you learn to just do what I tell you. Maybe you’ll save us both a lot of time and grief.” A flash of grief spread across her face. She opened her mouth but nothing came out. Shaking her head, she glowered at me. “Hold up,

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white girl. I did you a favor then, and I’m doing you one now. Get your ass back up those stairs and face him. If nothing else, tell him good-bye for good. But I know what you want. You love him, and he loves you. Hell, you never even gave him a chance to explain what happened before you stormed off. You could have had him all these years instead of that monstrous vibrator you keep hidden under your bed. Now go.” She pointed a long, slim finger toward the staircase. I stormed out of the house instead and slammed the door. Screw that. Loved me. Hah. He loved my power and nothing more. My place as the head Alpha female is the only reason Braxton Wade ever even looked at me. “She’s right.” Braxton’s voice rang out from the third-floor gym. Apparently he’d decided to work out. Stupid super hearing. To answer both of them I jumped in my car and spun off. I didn’t make the grand statement I’d hoped for. Not with the car being an earlier present from Braxton. I should have sold the car or, better yet, torched it before sending it back to him. I couldn’t. I loved it. She was my baby, my dream car. A 1969 Super Sport Camaro, black with white racing stripes, fat wheels and tires, and an engine that could out-horsepower anything around. The smooth black leather seats heated under my skin. The silky, sexed-up music blaring from the radio took me back to the night I’d met Braxton. My blood sister should have rejected him since he wasn’t Etienne, our first love, our first blood. But she hadn’t. She’d shared her feelings with her wolf sister and they’d overruled me. Damn. If only Cam would have left me in those stupid woods. Fifty-five years later I still ran from Braxton, emotionally and physically. There were things we couldn’t go back and change to heal our hearts. I would also never forget finding him in the arms of another wolf. Deep down, a part of me knew she had enticed him, led him on, but he should have sent her away. Women loved Braxton, and although he was passionate and enjoyed female company, he’d never once betrayed me until that night. At least that’s what I’d told myself

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before Elizabeth. Now, who the hell knew? An hour later I pulled off to the side of the road and slammed my head onto the steering wheel. I prayed to the God above who created me that this would blow over. I prayed that Braxton would be gone when I got home and Etienne would be nowhere around. But I knew it wasn’t going to happen, and worse, Etienne’s blood boiled within me. The blood-bond grew stronger every mile he drew closer. The devil himself only knew what Etienne wanted now. He was sure to bring big trouble. As the World Turns wasn’t exactly far away from my life. Just throw a few ghosts, vampires, and werewolves into the story and I’d fit right in over there. I grabbed my cell phone. If Etienne had shown up or if Cam wasn’t over her little stint Isaiah had put her in, I would head on to New Orleans. He really needed to be dealt with. Cam answered on the first ring. “Girl, where the hell are you? You’d better get home before I jump on Braxton. Then you’ll never get him back. He’ll be ruined for any other woman.” The phone clicked. She’d hung up on me. “Bitch,” I muttered and snapped my phone shut. If you listened to Cam, you’d think Braxton hung the moon, and if I was being honest, a part of me still thought that, too. Before I’d realized I wasn’t dreaming, I’d wanted him so much I thought I’d die if I didn’t touch him. I set a new speed record on the hour-long drive which only took half that time. I stomped to the back door and marched inside. The smell of pine was everywhere. I smiled in spite of myself. I’d missed his scent. How pitiful. I dropped my keys on the table and looked around the entryway. Cam stood off to one side, smiling from ear to ear. “I knew that’d get you home.” “Shut the hell up, Cam.” Tears slid down my face before I could blink them away. She wrapped her arms around me, holding me like she’d done so many times before.

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“Bébé, why do you fight it? I know your heart, and you love that man. Just go talk to him.” “Why do you fight it with Isaiah?” I retaliated. “You and I both know Isaiah isn’t the same man he once was. Yes, I love him, but he’s different. Now he’s cruel and insane. I wish I could stop loving him and kill the son of a bitch.” Her voice shook with vehemence. I raised an eyebrow, wondering just how bad things had gotten between them. “You, bébé, don’t have those problems. Braxton is the exact opposite of Isaiah.” She didn’t understand. I couldn’t go talk to Braxton. If I did, I’d give in and forget what he’d done and said. I was still too raw to deal with it. “Girl, you’re gonna lose him for good if you don’t stop avoiding him or denying you feel anything for him.” Her hands braced on the sides of my shoulders before she shook me. At first she may have been shooting for a little wake-up-andsmell-the-roses shake, but my teeth rattled in my head before she released me. “Cam. Are you trying to vibrate my brain out of my head?” My joke fell short. She stared at me with her lips curled in disgust. “Sometimes I wonder why I even bother being friends with you.” Her eyes drooped, and her forehead crinkled into a tight frown. “Because I’m the only person dead or alive that will put up with your mood swings, terrible company, and bossiness.” “Keep on, white girl.” “You’re almost as white as I am.” She played the role of tortured slave girl well, since she once was. History doesn’t spend a great deal of time telling the horrific stories of the mulatto slaves. They were treated worse than any others. The white people hated them, and the blacks resented them. In the end

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they were left to fend for themselves. That’s how Cam and I grew so close. Both of us were shut out by our heritages. Her plantation owner father didn’t want her because she was a mulatto. My rich plantation-owning father resented me so much he’d sent me off to be a slave. All because my deep brown eyes, curly caramel hair, and full lips resembled those of my Spanish mother. Cam wagged her finger at me, preparing for some threat of voodoo, and I grabbed her hand, tugging her to me. I hugged her and then stepped away. “Come on. Tell me what you waited up to tell me.” I ambled to the edge of the stairs and turned back to face her. “No way. I said my peace. You go take care of that fine specimen of male sexuality waiting in your room. I’m going hunting.” She spun me around and shoved me up the first two stairs. “Whore.” Her laughter followed me up the staircase. Instead of going straight to my room, I stopped to take another long, cold shower. It’d been a long time since I’d had any intimate contact with anything that didn’t need batteries. I needed all the help I could get to keep my hands off Braxton. When I emerged from the bathroom, I wore my granny panties, sports bra, sweatpants, sweatshirt, and hoodie. I even had on socks and slippers. No way was he getting me out of my clothes.

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Chapter Three My footsteps echoed on the hardwood floor outside of my room. I stepped inside and stopped to wipe the drool from my mouth. Braxton lay completely at ease on the bed watching my new flat-screen TV. His ripped chest, strong arms, and flat stomach taunted me. However much clothing I wore, he wasn’t wearing. He glanced up and shook his head. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” His loud, deep laughter slapped me out of my lust-fog. “What?” I snapped, trying to hide my shortness of breath. He looked damn fine lying nearly naked on the bed. “You scared of me, darlin’? Is that why you’re wearing all that material?” His voice dropped an octave and his eyes glowed a deep green. “Never.” I tried to act tough, but seeing him in my bed threatened to steal my control. “I like the new bed, but I miss our old one.” God, could he read my mind? “Mais, sorry to disappoint you, but it was time for a new mattress.” My hands trembled when I reached in my jewelry box to set my necklace inside. “Liar. The mattress is fine on our bed in Atlanta.” I spun around. My heart hammered in my chest. He’d somehow gotten the mattress? “What? You think I’d let that mattress go? Not after all the good times we shared on it. Four years and your scent is still there.” He grinned a little lopsided. “But why did you wait a year before discarding it?”

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The answer was simple. I just had to swallow my pride, and I’d missed him. “You know why,” I whispered. “No, my sweet Josephine, I don’t. Tell me.” He sat up and stared. “Fine.” Damn, I hated when he forced me to admit my feelings. “It was your scent. I couldn’t let everything go,” I whispered with tears stinging my eyes. His strong arms encircled me in his heat. One hand caressed my back as the other tipped my chin to look at him. A shimmer of wistfulness shined in those emerald globes. “That’s why I stole it from the yard when I saw you throw it out.” His warm lips pressed to my forehead. My eyes drifted shut. “What a mess we are. Do you know every full moon prior to the pack hunt I wait outside the house in Atlanta to see you strip before you shift? Then I run back inside the house so you won’t see me.” I nodded. I did know what he did. “I smelled you and made sure you got a good view, just like you always do to me.” I smiled against his chest, remembering how every full moon he’d come right to me and strip. He let me see everything I’d shoved away. “Wait, how’d you know I was getting rid of the mattress?” I tilted my head. “I was out in the swamp watching you. Sometimes I come down and sit in the edge of the woods to be near you.” “Why?” After everything that had been said between us, why in the hell would he still care? “Because I love you and miss you. Seeing you at a distance is better than not seeing you at all.” My breath caught in my chest. I swallowed hard to keep the lump forming in my throat from rising. Etienne left me because he couldn’t touch me while Braxton snuck around just to be near me, knowing I wouldn’t let him touch me. That was one of the many differences between Etienne and Braxton. The pain in Braxton’s normally brilliant green irises hurt me.

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Damn. I couldn’t help myself. I leaned forward and kissed him. At first I sought to ease our pain, or at least that’s what I told myself. But then he opened his mouth and slid his tongue against mine. Heat flamed across my skin. In that instant I was sure I’d been caught in a raging wildfire. His silky tongue explored my mouth as mine did the same to his. Our tongues slipped over each others, flicking and teasing against the other. I tasted the unique flavor of Braxton, spearmint, a hint of brandy, and something I could never explain. Him. My fingers skimmed across his taut skin. Under my touch his muscles twitched harder with every inch I rubbed to his waistband. I slipped one hand inside, the coarse hair around his cock teased my hand. Blood roared in my ears, drowning out all sound. My fingertips brushed over the large mushroom head of his cock. I liked my lips, already imaging the taste and feel of him in my mouth. A large hand grabbed mine. Panting with desire, I leaned back to look at him. He gazed down at me with his eyes darkened from lust and shook his head. “Darlin’, if we do this, nothing between us will be settled, and when we’re done, we won't be any happier.” His eyes bore into mine, his jaw set. He wasn’t going to budge. He ran the pad of his thumb gently across my slick bottom lip. “I’d like nothing more than to rip every piece of silly clothing off you and thrust into your tight, wet pussy, but we’ve got unfinished business.” He eased away from me and sank to the edge of the bed. I’d known eventually we’d have to do this, but damn it to hell, I didn’t think it’d be with my body trembling to have him filling my pussy with his glorious cock. “Fine, just let me change my underwear,” I muttered, not really meaning to say anything out loud. “Only if I can keep them.” “You’re gross.” He laughed. “I’m desperate.” It wasn’t true. There were women all over this country who would drop their pants in an instant for him. He was saying it to humor me.

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“Whatever.” I plopped down on the opposite side of the bed and gazed out the window. The flame scorching my body inside out began to smolder, allowing my brain to focus on something other than the need to have him. “If I weren’t desperate for you then, why would I be jacking off every night to a picture of you in your hot pink bikini?” “Huh?” I raised my eyebrows, biting my lip to keep from asking more. I had to have heard him wrong. He did not just say that out loud. “Every damn night I jack off looking at your picture.” His voice broke with caged-up desire. Pure excitement and joy surged in my heart. He was still the star of my favorite fantasy. “Monsieur, you shouldn’t tell lies.” I tried to joke it off, to clear the tension-filled air. His eyes, dark with hunger and pain, didn’t lighten at my joke. He wasn’t lying. Cream dampened my underwear just thinking about him getting off while he looked at me wearing that bikini. Braxton’s jaw clenched. A sure sign he’d finished talking about the subject of hand and dick. “Maybe you should listen to your wolf more. You would know the truth about the whole thing,” he ground out through gritted teeth. He was trying his all-important Mr. Dominant Alpha on me, which pissed me off. “You’ve always told me I didn’t listen enough to my beasts. But you should be glad I didn’t. If I had, Elizabeth would be headless and bloodless now. Instead, she’s probably living at your Atlanta mansion waiting patiently for you to come back.” I screamed the last part while blinking back tears. “That’s not true. If you would just listen to your wolf, you would know.” “Why? So I can see you fucking another woman through her eyes, too? I saw it once. I don’t need to see it again. Wasn’t once enough?”

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I took a deep breath to settle myself, but it wasn’t working. “Plus, if I’d listened to Wolfy, I’d have killed that bitch.” Uneasiness crept through my body as Wolfy eased up from her sleep. I glanced away from Braxton, sensing his wolf’s uneasiness. Both beasts could tell things were getting tense between their human counterparts. The stricken look on Braxton’s face sent a bolt of anger and hurt through me. “At least you’d know the truth.” He sighed. I gawked at him. Why had he brought up those painful memories now? I’d struggled for five years to forget the sight of Braxton and Elizabeth together. Plus we’d already gone over this part. It wasn’t like we were branching out on the conversation. “I don’t want to get into this tonight. It didn’t end well last time.” I eased back on my pillow, turning my body away from him to hide my tears. “No, we have to talk about this. All of the things I said that night, I don’t know why I said them. I sure as shit didn’t mean any of it.” I could hear the sincerity in his thick voice. “And I know, no matter what you saw, I was not fucking Elizabeth. I can’t explain what happened because I don’t know. One minute you were on top of me and the next there were two of you. One of which nailed me in the head with a lamp before screaming that I was screwing Elizabeth. But she wasn’t there! I swear it was just you.” He said the same thing over and over. He had never owned up to his cheating. “Why does it even matter now? Why are you here?” I whispered to keep from showing him my heart wilting to dust. For one long, drawn-out second I didn’t think he’d answer. “I can’t let that bastard have you. I know you don’t believe me, that I didn’t mean any of those things or that I didn’t sleep with Elizabeth, but I had to try. Before he wins you back.” Etienne, he’d found out that Etienne was headed my way. That was the only reason Braxton had flown down here now.

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“I wanted to give you as much time as you needed, but he can’t have you. I love you.” His tone sounded more like a hurt pup than an Alpha. It killed me to hear him hurt even if part of me truly believed he deserved pain. That part of me grew pissed every second we talked. “So you didn’t mean it when you screamed at me that you never really loved me, just tolerated me because our wolves mated. That I wasn’t enough to satisfy you or, my favorite, that you’d give anything to go back to the night we met and turn the other way when you saw me?” My eyes started to shift. My anger triggered my change. The lights stung, and the TV turned 3-D. I concentrated on not shifting. Braxton’s voice was muffled as it carried over to me. “I don’t know why I said any of those things. I remember saying them and thinking, God, no. It was like someone had whispered those things in my ear and made me repeat them.” With my shift under control, I rolled my eyes and snorted. “It doesn’t matter. You’d been lying since the night we met.” He grabbed me and flipped me over to face him. “What lies? I’ve never once lied to you.” I laughed. “Yeah, right. You let me believe you’d fallen in love with me at first sight. Led me to believe we had this epic love story. Turns out you followed me for years deciding whether I was worthy of you or not.” I wiped the tears that had escaped away. “I did fall for you right when I saw you. I’ve never loved anyone but you. When I fell in love with you, it wasn’t just my wolf, but it was me, Braxton, the man.” His words held such sincerity, and I wanted to believe they were true. But so many times I’d heard the rumors and whispers about him only ever wanting me because of my power. I couldn’t know for sure which version was the truth. On one side, there was his selfproclaimed undying love for me, and on the other, there was the

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power I held in both worlds which everyone wanted. “Why would Eric tell me about your plan if it wasn’t true?” Maybe I shouldn’t have told him who’d told me, but his Second had repeatedly informed me of my inferiority. And of Braxton’s true reasons for “love.” A growl that sounded more wolf than human broke the heated silence. I chanced a glimpse at Braxton. His eyes glowed neon yellow. Hair sprouted over his face and body. Merde. What had I done this time? The mattress bounced from his sudden departure. “Where are you going?” I shouted. My mind raced with thoughts of a last chance gone. A last chance I’d never realized I truly wanted. Maybe, just maybe this was it. I’d finally managed to push him away. My heart tore. I’d never expected him to truly walk away, no matter what I said, damn it. When he didn’t slow down, I jumped up and ran behind him. He strode out the house before I could catch up. The cool night morning air chilled my skin, while the sun peeked out from behind the large oak trees. Birds fell silent in the presence of Braxton, sensing the predator which lay within him. “Damn it, Braxton. Stop,” I screamed at his back. “Jesus Christ, what the hell’s going on? Where are you going?” His feet planted firm to the ground. He stood still, waiting for me. I tried to remain focused as I turned him to face me. His eyes were closed and he breathed deep and heavy. The normal hair that covered his body had grown into long, coarse chocolate-colored fur. Something had triggered his shift when I’d mentioned Eric. “Calm down.” I rubbed his arms gently and caressed his face with my palm. He moaned, and I wrapped my arms around him to hold him close. I had no idea what had set off a normally calm Alpha. But when he’d jumped from the bed, a million things ran through my mind. I’d been terrified this time he was finished trying to explain. Being Head Southeast Alpha, he’d learned to control his beast.

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Braxton didn’t fly off the map over things easily, but when he did, he was generally pissed. This was more than being mad. This was outraged, vengeance-seeking pissed. “Brax, look at me,” I whispered in his ear, but he shook his head and kept his eyes closed. “Brax,” I murmured as I kissed the side of his mouth. He groaned, but instead of opening for my kiss, he spun away from me. “What do you care if I’m pissed? Isn’t it what you wanted?” His neon eyes flashed brighter. I ducked my head submissively. Staring back at him now would make his wolf believe I had challenged him. No way would I try it. I might be stronger than the average Were, but I was nowhere near strong enough to take him. “No, I don’t want you mad. I didn’t even want to talk about us. I wanted to fuck.” I turned and stomped off. **** The swift current of the river drifted barges, boats, and people downstream as I sat at the window waiting for Braxton. Unfortunately, the window didn’t have a clear view of the woods where he’d headed. I’d hoped he’d follow me when I stormed off, but he hadn’t. Near midnight I gave up and lay down. The bed creaked as his warm body slid next to mine. “Darlin’, I know you’re awake. Turn around.” He tugged on my waist, and I rolled to look at him. “What?” “I’m sorry about earlier. I thought you were trying to make me mad. Eric placed a challenge against me. He claims I’m weak and can’t even control the females in our own pack. He’s challenging the Council for my position as head Alpha and for you to be cast out as female Alpha.” Shock zapped me like a bolt of electricity. The Council had to be taking the ridiculous claim seriously otherwise Braxton would have

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ripped Eric’s throat out and fed it to the rogues. My blood boiled, and he smiled at me. If he couldn’t kill Eric, I damn sure could. “My sweet Josephine, your eyes are crimson red. Do you want my blood or someone else’s?” He swept the hair from my neck to kiss my pulse point. My beasts inside were pissed. Even his touch couldn’t take that anger away. There were no words for the rage I held. Both of them wanted out to feed on Eric. God help me, I wished he was close enough I could let them. No one challenged my position or my mate’s without blood being spilled from their throat. “I don’t suppose it’s my blood you’d like to sample,” Braxton murmured. I shook my head. “Although I’m a little disappointed, I’m touched you even care.” He smiled slow and sexy. “I’m assuming since it’s not my blood you want, you’re mad at Eric and not me, at the moment.” I let out an exasperated sigh and looked up at Braxton. “No, not you at the moment.” His hands tightened on my hips to drag me against him. “Then let it pass, and let’s sleep.” I tried to draw back some, but he held firm to me. “Please,” he whispered next to the top of my head, and I couldn’t move. The pain and desperation in his voice broke though my anger. Merde. He was the one who’d lied to me over the years and then cheated. Not me. There had probably been hundreds of women over the years, and I’d been too naïve to notice. I wanted to punch something, anything. Inside, Wolfy stirred and called to me. She sensed my indecision about Braxton’s faithfulness and the revelations of what Eric had been up to. Now nothing seemed concrete except her faith in her mate. A faith I knew, deep down, was earned and safe. His wolf kept nothing from mine, and her trust in him shined bright in my dark, depressing soul. For once I knew without hesitation he hadn’t

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cheated. Something had happened. Something we’d figure out together. “Wolfy genuinely believes you’re not the guilty party.” He stared into my eyes, and relief brightened his. I stroked his bottom lip with the pad of my thumb. “How do we explain all the fighting before, though?” “I don’t know. Hell, I didn’t know how to explain it even then. I just kept having these thoughts you wanted out of our marriage to be with Etienne. No matter what you said, something inside was terrified you’d want him and still is. Even my wolf feels it.” Right, as usual, and it was time he knew exactly how I felt. “You’re right. I do want him.” Braxton stiffened next to me and sulfur burned in the air. “Just not how you think. Not in any way like you think. I crave his blood. His was the first I’d ever tasted, and he is the only lover I’ve ever turned. Batty will always want him.” Braxton’s body remained stiff. “Even as she wants him, she’s always wanted you a little more. Then of course, Wolfy wants you. So you’ve got both of them on your side.” “How about you? Where does your heart lie?” My heart rattled in my chest, begging to be released from its confines. I breathed in deep to steady myself. “You. Always. No matter what has happened, it will always be you.” I’m not some weepy, silly woman, but he was killing me. “Brax…” A high-pitched scream shook the walls of the house. The sound of glass breaking and furniture crashing vibrated the house even harder. Cam had the worst timing when it came to having a breakdown. “I gotta find out what happened this time.” I chewed on my lip and eased from the bed. “Has this been happening a lot?” His tone held both irritation and concern. “Yeah. Ever since Isaiah busted into town a few months ago she’s been like this. One minute she’s fine, the next she’s breaking furniture, cussing up a storm, and crying like a baby. If she hadn’t been there for me when I did all those things after I left you, I’d exile

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her. Maybe I should send her off to Grayson.” Isaiah wouldn’t dare bother her if she was with my sire. No, Grayson would kill him in an instant. “She won’t go to Grayson’s, and if you command her to go, it’ll be hell.” Braxton grabbed my hand and tugged me forward. “Come on. Let’s see what has happened.” “I don’t even have to ask. I know what happened.” I snorted. He waved his hand. “Explain.” “Isaiah wants her to leave here, move in with him, and buy a plantation nearby. He wants her to be part of his harem of women.” I put my hand on the cold brass doorknob. “He doesn’t want her, but he doesn’t want anyone else to have her, either, and that includes me.” I raised a hand to stop Braxton’s comments. “I don’t know what the hell that means. He’s crazy, I mean lunatic, psycho crazy.” Another loud crash outside the door had me rushing out. Cam kneeled in the middle of the wide second-floor hallway covered in glass and pottery. A large hole adorned one wall, and most of the valuable vases which had once decorated the space were now a pile of rubbish on the floor. “Cam, what the hell are you doing?” I stood a few feet away, out of the cross fire. Braxton stepped to my side and his power swept through the hallway. Cam’s crimson eyes slowly drifted back to her natural, nearly black color. “Damn it, Josie, he’s killing me.” She dropped the ten-thousanddollar vase onto the floor, rose, and ran to me. I cringed when the vase crashed to the ground, ruined. I held my arms open for her to bury herself in my warmth. She trembled as sobs wracked her body. “Oh, bébé. What happened?” I stroked her soft, curly hair and inhaled her scent. Warm vanilla. She always smelled delicious. “He told me if I didn’t move in and take my place as his mate, he’d ruin everything I ever loved.” Over her head, Braxton’s forehead wrinkled in confusion. I had to admit I didn’t understand either.

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“What are you talking about?” “He wants me to be his mate, he wants to leave your line and start his own. I don’t want to leave your line.” She wept onto my shoulder. “Bébé, what did he mean ruin everything you love?” With one finger I tilted her back to watch her. She shrugged and put her head back on my shoulder. “Cam, don’t see him anymore. He’s poison. Stay clear, and I’ll cut him from my line.” She reared back like I’d slapped her. “No.” She shook her head vehemently. “I’ll be fine.” She wiped her face and straightened her back. “I promise I’ll be fine.” She spun and ran to her room. I tiptoed to Braxton, avoiding the shards of glass. “I don’t have a good feeling about her and Isaiah. I think it’s time I call Grayson. I’m gonna need some help with controlling my temper around the Were Council, and he’ll know how to handle Isaiah.” “Call him tomorrow night. Tonight let’s get back to our reunion.” Braxton yanked me to him. The instant electricity zinging through me was like a lightbulb being turned on. I burned hot and bright for him.

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Chapter Four I flopped down on the bed and looked over at Braxton. His hands covered the button on his pants, and in a few quick movements, he had them off and sauntering toward me. I propped up on my elbows to lean forward. He braced his weight on his arms, trapping me in place. Smiling, I ran my tongue over his smooth bottom lip. He groaned and took over the kiss with a demanding force. His lips devoured mine. His tongue didn’t slip into my mouth. Instead it thrust into it, tangling with mine. It’d been five years, three days, and somewhere around six hours since I’d had sex, and if he stopped now, I’d kill him. He smiled against my mouth, knowing exactly what I was thinking. “Thank God, I don’t have to yank my own chain tonight.” He waggled his eyebrows at me. I laughed at his attempted humor. “Yeah, thank God for that.” I leaned away to see his face bright with love and lust. He stroked my bottom lip with his thumb, his eyes searching mine. “Jesus, I’m sorry I waited so long to have this talk. I figured when you calmed down some, we’d work it out. I didn’t think it would take us five years.” My hands trembled as they skimmed across his muscled stomach to his boxers. “I thought you wanted someone else. I waited for you to send word I’d been exiled from the pack.” My breath caught in my chest when my hands snaked through the thick, coarse hair around the base of his cock. His skin jumped with each inch my hands touched. So strong and powerful. I gazed at the man above me with his eyes closed, and jaw slack. His need to have

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me nearly sent me over the edge. I stilled myself and ran my fingertips up his massive hard-on that jutted up from his boxers. He was hard as rock and smooth as silk, just like I remembered. His skin burned hot, but not from his wolf’s anger. He burned for me now. Desire pulsed through me as his skin sizzled beneath my palms. He yanked at my hoodie before finally ripping it in two. His hands twitched slightly when he gave my sweatshirt and sports bra the same treatment. He slid his hot, wet tongue across my nipple, sending shots of desire in me. I moaned and shivered in response. “Why would I ever want someone else? You’re everything.” That was the last straw. I rolled, flipping him under me. I couldn’t take anymore talking. It’d been too long since I’d had an actual flesh and blood Braxton. My hands snatched his boxers down while I slid my body down his, scraping my nipples across his bare skin. I drank in the texture of his coarse hair as it teased my hard, sensitive nipples. Any trepidation I had was gone as I gave in to my hunger for him and flicked my tongue over the tip of his cock. A pearl of clear liquid seeped up, and I lapped it off, loving the salty mix of him. He grunted out a breath as I opened my lips and sucked his cock into my mouth. I swallowed taking him deeper in my mouth. My fangs begged for release, but I resisted the urge to taste his blood. Not yet. I cupped his balls and stroked him with my lips, tongue, and hands. The vein raised on his cock. The blood pulsed through as she licked over the thick vein with her tongue. He gripped the sheet. The sensual moans and groans he released while I sucked him deeper and deeper urged me on. I wanted to make it last for him, give him more pleasure than ever before, but his quickening breath told me it was time to finish him. His balls tightened in my hands. I moved my mouth away from his cock to lick his inner thigh. Still stroking his hard-on with my hands, I licked the vein in his thigh. His back arched off the bed, driving his cock into my hands harder. His hot cum shot into my hands, and in that same instant my fangs sank deep into his

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flesh. His thick, rich blood poured into my mouth, making me moan. God, he was delicious. Every day for the past five years I’d thought about this. His blood was richer than anything I’d ever tasted, thick and bittersweet like melted dark chocolate, awakening every taste bud in my mouth. I continued to sip from his vein while his cum spurted over my fingers. He grabbed my hair and tugged me up. I stared him in the eyes, licked my lips and fangs, slowly showing him how much I enjoyed his taste. “My sweet Josephine, you’re killing me.” His voice was low and rough. “It’s been five years, three days, and some odd hours since I’ve had sex. I hoped to make our reunion long and slow, but I can't. Even after that grand release, I don’t know if I’ll make it two seconds inside you. I crave you more than anything. I want to make you come, over and over, until you can’t think of anything but pleasure.” My body tightened with oncoming bliss. “Mon chèr, you won't have to worry about it. I’m already there.” He rolled me onto my back. His sizzling body teased mine as he slid down me with a tormenting slowness, touching every inch of my skin. He stopped at my hot, wet pussy. The ache in my pussy throbbed with need. A need to have him driving into me in a pounding force. “Brax, please.” I grabbed his shoulders, digging my nails into his flesh to draw him closer to me. I gasped when his warm, wet tongue glided up my pussy lips, lapping at my cream. “Please what?” His breath wafted across my pussy before his eyes met mine. The deepness of his tone and the dark shimmers of green in his grass-green eyes showed his passion for me. I arched off the bed, seeking more of his wicked tongue. Jesus, I’d missed this. I had loved Etienne deeply and thought his leaving would be my end, but nothing prepared me for losing Braxton. Now to have him back with me yet not inside me was torture.

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“Inside me. Now.” I hissed when his finger pushed into my tight opening and his lips sucked on my swollen clit. “In you? I’ve got my finger in you. What more do you want?” Holy hell! I was gonna kill him later, after he finished this torture. “Braxton.” I ground out between gasps and moans. He laughed, but had the good sense to cooperate. His fingers left my pussy aching and lonely. My juices trickled from me down between my ass cheeks. The warmth was wicked and lovely. And I craved so much more. He slid up my body until the head of his cock rested at the entrance to my wet pussy. As the head pushed inside me, stretching that tight hole, he stopped to kiss me. The kiss wasn’t invading or rushed. Instead he shared his feelings of relief, joy, and love. My back rose from the bed, pushing my hips down onto his dick. A burning spread from my center inward. I was wet, very wet, but nothing his size or non-battery operated had been inside me since our last night together. “Darlin’, you all right?” Concern lit his green eyes while the cinnamon scent of lust filled the air around us. I was more than all right, but my body needed a second. “Don’t move yet, okay?” I traced my tongue across my lips. “Why? Are you okay? Did I hurt you?” His body tensed above me. “I’m fine. Just hold on, I need just a second to adjust.” His body began to slip from mine, but I grabbed his perfect tight ass in my hands to hold him still. “I swear if you pull out, I will kill you right now!” I opened my thighs wider to take more of him. His cock slid another inch into my pussy, filling me with pure pleasure. “If you think I hurt you, you should really feel what you’re doing to me.” He rested his head on my forehead. I couldn’t help but laugh. “Okay, then move, but remember, it’s been awhile.” He exhaled and withdrew to the tip of his cock and very slowly inched back in. My muscles flexed and relaxed as he filled me to the

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hilt. His cock rubbed at the base of my cervix. He repeated the slow and easy torment before he finally smiled and picked up the rhythm. Fast and hard. No more Mr. Nice Guy. Fucking fantabulous. There was nothing fancy about what he was doing, no porn star moves, just primal animal thrusts over and over until I was sure he was splitting my pussy in half. I loved it. My skin tingled as his wolf moved closer to the surface, calling to Wolfy. They wanted to enjoy the moment, too. A growl ripped from my throat as our wolves took over. With every thrust, I lifted my hips up off the bed and grinded my clit against him. A scream erupted from deep inside and shook the windows as waves of pleasure rolled over me. Light exploded behind my eyelids. A flash fire scorched through my pussy and outward as the orgasm flowed within. He took my scream in his mouth, followed right behind with his hot release spilling inside my depths. With shallower, easier thrusts he continued to spill himself in me. My body quaked. White light had nearly blinded me when my orgasm hit. He rolled until I found myself on top, straddling him, his cock still buried in me. I smiled and laid my head on his chest to listen to his heart beat, fast and steady. Both Wolfy and Batty went back to their places, sated from emotions and blood. Even the human part of me was happy to be back in the arms of the man I loved. No one else in this world compared to Braxton. “Back at you, darlin’.” He kissed the top of my head. With great effort I lifted my head from his chest. “What?” “No one compares to you, either.” His fingertips brushed the hair from my face. I should have known our wolves were still together. The odd sensation of sharing myself with two other individual entities amazed me sometimes. It had been too easy to forget Wolfy passed my thoughts on to his wolf. Even with all the power I held, I still had trouble accepting both my beasts. As a sixteen-year-old slave, I’d had no clue werewolves

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existed. I’d freaked out when Wolfy made her presence known. If having Wolfy come to life inside me hadn’t been enough, Batty rose, too. Cam’s mother, Marie Laveau, kept me from killing myself, even though it was nearly impossible to succeed. Marie knew exactly what I was at first glance. I had woken in a dead sweat and she was there, caressing my head, telling me I was okay, better than okay. I thought she was crazy, but she’d sent for a werewolf and then a vampire to help me adjust. I learned the wolf would lie still inside me until the week of the full moon and then I’d have to let her out. When Grayson showed up to help me, the ghosts went crazy. It’d been awful to see my mother’s ghost attack him. He’d killed her the night he’d tried to turn her. He had thought since my father was nearby he would find her and make sure she survived. Instead of her getting the virus, I’d received it. Grayson eventually became my mentor and helped me to accept my beasts and separate them so they wouldn’t take over. After awhile I decided they needed names to help me call upon them. Hence, Wolfy and Batty. I couldn’t give them actual people names—that’d make me crazy! Now when all three of us are happy, it’s easy to forget those imaginary lines and let them both feel my emotions and vice versa. I glanced at Braxton. He smiled against my mouth. “You feel like walking to the shower?” I laughed and shook my head. “No, I feel like lying here and starting round two.” I rubbed my hand across his tanned chest. I rocked my hips, riding his cock. “Good. Me, too.” He thrusts up, pushing his cock deeper, driving us both home. The problems with Cam and Isaiah and the Werewolf Council were drowned out. Nothing mattered except Braxton and me together.

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Chapter Five Late afternoon found us wrapped in each other’s arms. My phone rang with a shrill screech. I glanced around until my gaze landed on the ripped-in-two hoodie. A light shone through the fabric. I grabbed it and recognized the number. Cam. Why was she calling when she was down the hall? “Hey, guess what?” I sang out. Silence filled the line and dread washed over me. “What’s wrong, Cam?” My mind flashed to the look on her face the night before. The look of someone fighting demons and the guilt they brought. “Camilla Marie Laveau, where are you?” I demanded. Isaiah’s voice crooned from near the phone before the line went dead. I hit send to reconnect, but she didn’t pick up. A slither of unease crept down my spine. It was time to use our bond. It’d been a long time since I’d called her through our mental link. During the yellow fever outbreak in the summer of 1862, I’d turned her. As her maker, I had a permanent bond to her. If I chose to use my maker power to force her to answer me mentally, she’d have no choice. I didn’t like to use the power because she’d get pissed, pout, and stalk around for a few weeks. Those were the times I regretted turning her. “Josephine, what’s wrong?” Braxton’s strong arms circled me. But, I wouldn’t settle until I had Cam home. “I don’t know. You heard the call. There was nothing but deep breathing and Isaiah’s voice before she hung up.” It would have proven stupid to pretend he hadn’t heard it. Thanks

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to the wolf gene, we both could hear the neighbors three houses down screwing their brains out with different partners every night. Apparently they were swingers. Just the thing I wanted to know about my seventy-year-old, wrinkled up neighbors. “What do you want to do?” Braxton gently turned me around. “How long do I have you for? I mean, how long can you be gone from the garage?” His face brightened the room when he smiled, and he waggled his eyebrows at me. “For as long as you want me.” My apprehension about Cam eased some. Around the pack and his business, Braxton was so serious and had earned the reputation for being arrogant. But once those bedroom doors closed, he was completely different. He was passionate, gentle, caring, funny, and loving. It astonished me I’d survived the past five years without him. “My sweet Josephine, let’s sit down and figure out what to do with our Camilla.” I grinned. If Cam heard him say that she’d rip him a new one. She’d worked hard over the years to be her own person, not the girl who’d once been owned. I sat on the edge of our bed and looked over at him. He still hadn’t dressed but, unlike me, was completely at ease in his nakedness. I slipped into one of his shirts, relaxing when his pine scent surrounded me. “Always covering up that beautiful body. I’ll never understand it.” Braxton and I were both born in the fall of 1842, so he knew why I covered up. It wasn’t accepted back then for a woman to be naked. “To hell with propriety.” He snatched the shirt over my head, leaving me naked again. Damn. He parked his fine ass beside me while his hand roamed to caress my inner thigh. His lips skimmed my neck and collarbone. “Brax, I gotta call Cam.” I tried to convince myself to shove him away. “Then call her. She’ll never know what I’m doing.” I gasped when he pushed one thick finger inside my pussy. A deep-throated moan escaped him when I melted around his touch. I

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struggled for control over the desire rushing through me. I flipped him onto his back, swung my legs over, and straddled him. “You gotta stop for just a minute. Okay? After I call her we can get busy like rabbits.” He leaned towards me and sucked one taut nipple into his mouth, flicking his tongue back and forth against it before releasing it. Mind scorching pleasure wracked my brain. Before I could focus on stopping him he settled back against the mattress, letting my breast pop from his mouth. “Yes, ma’am.” He flicked a piece of lint from his arm, hiding his amusement. “Jerk.” He laughed and handed me my phone, but I shook my head. He cocked his head sideways. He’d never seen me call anyone in my line. Not that there’s anything special to it, but I never do it in front of people. “Just don’t stare. I already feel stupid sitting on top of you naked.” He smiled but didn’t respond. I closed my eyes, breathing in heavily. The colors playing in my head turned dark red and the sound of B.B. King’s song “Ain’t That Just Like A Woman” drew me to Batty’s corner of my mind. The vampire image of my human self smiled a fangy smile as she sat up on a velvet couch. “Hmmm, do I get to play again? I’m so glad you’ve let Braxton back home. He’s delicious.” She licked her fangs, running her tongue up and down the sharp points. “Yes, tamp it down, though. We’ve got lineage business to take care of.” I sighed. “Cam called, but her phone went down. Something is wrong. Did you feel it?” My vampire image stood and paced the imaginary room in my mind where she stayed. The more she paced, the angrier she grew. Her eyes burned crimson as rage boiled from her. “No, I do not feel the little one. Why is she not with us? We must

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find her. She is the most loyal of our line.” Batty turned to me, her forehead wrinkled in concern. “Let’s see if we can pull the line on Isaiah. I heard his voice in the room with her.” Batty nodded, then images of Isaiah stomping back and forth in his New Orleans town house flashed. A dark, tanned hand lay off the side of his bed. Cam. Batty’s eyes flashed a red so dark they were near black. “The insolent one has her. We must go.” I snapped from the scene in my head to be brought back to the bedroom. Braxton stared at me, his body tense under mine. Rolling off of him, I grabbed my pants and shirt while he followed suit. I could argue with him, demand he stay here while I went to take care of my children, but I wouldn’t. One of my lineage needed me and Braxton could help. The vampires in my line were just like children sometimes. Needy, demanding, spoiled brats. Cam the worst of them all, and she was in trouble. I had no idea what kind of trouble, but something was definitely wrong if she’d already rushed back to Isaiah. I didn’t want Braxton to come with me, but in the end he would no matter what I said or did. When we got to my car, he smiled and ran to the driver’s side. I raised an eyebrow and reached for my keys to find nothing. He held them between his thumb and forefinger, jiggling them and laughing. “You are so childish sometimes.” I huffed but got into the passenger’s seat. He cranked the engine and my baby roared to life. In an instant we spun out of the driveway and hit the pavement on River Road. My mother’s ghost glided along the edge of the swamp. Even in her incandescent form, she was beautiful. She’d once tried to speak to me, but she’d wanted to tell me about my father. There was no need for her to tell me why my father sent me away, I knew. My father had already taken a new bride, and neither he nor

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she had wanted an everyday reminder of the woman he’d loved and lost. He’d sent me to Dominique’s neighboring plantation to be a house slave. Word had spread years later that my stepmother had also wanted my paternity to remain a secret, but just like the sugarcane which grows rapidly in the soggy bottoms, the secret spread unchecked. There wasn’t a day of my life I hadn’t been reminded he had not wanted me. Braxton headed in the direction of the town house which once belonged to the plantation’s estate. It was now Isaiah’s home in the French Quarter. I eased my head back and breathed in Braxton’s scent, savoring the calmness it gave me. No matter what happened in my life, he made me feel loved and wanted, two things I cherished about our relationship. It was nice to have him back. I closed my eyes and started to bring up my line again. Batty’s raw energy surged through me as she pulled on the mental string to all our children. An image I hadn’t seen in years was close. Batty soared inside me as Etienne’s line tugged at her. He was close. So close I opened my eyes to make sure he wasn’t hiding in the backseat. A shock of electricity ran down my spine when his presence flew over the car. I tapped the line again, pinpointing him. He hid somewhere in the woods Braxton and I were driving past. Then he was gone. Merde! Batty licked her fangs, craving a taste. My wolf paced in my mind, growling with rage at Batty’s wanting. Braxton brought my hand to his mouth to place a gentle kiss on my palm. “It’ll be okay. I’m sure Camilla is just sleeping.” “Actually, Brax, we need to talk.” He’d noticed my change in body language and scent, but he hadn’t picked up on the reason. He raised an eyebrow. “I don’t like the sound of that. Last time you said those words I found myself having to pay an ungodly amount of money for a Jack Russell.” “All’s well that ends well. They moved and he was happier.” I smiled at the thought of Martin, the energetic dog. Our old neighbors

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in Atlanta had bought a noisy little Jack Russell thinking they would just adore him. Instead, his energy annoyed them, and they treated him horribly until I snapped and stole him from them. They’d been so angry they had threatened to back out of selling Braxton their home and tried to sue me over the dog. In the end, I mojoed them. They forgot about Martin, but Braxton, being honor bond, gave them the money for him. “We’re getting off track. She’s not all right. If she were only sleeping, she wouldn’t be able to ignore my blood-call. She’d wake up and get to me somehow.” I shrugged at his raised eyebrows. “She says it’s very annoying and always tries to put some voodoo curse on me if I do it. Last time, she made my hair turn dark purple.” “I saw it.” He tugged on one long ringlet. “Anyway, she’d have to answer me.” I smiled sweetly over at him. “What?” His voice held more than a smidge of suspicion. “Now remember you’re driving my baby and I’ll have to hurt you unmercifully if you harm her in any way.” His jaw clenched. “Okay, here goes.” I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and told him about Etienne. When I glanced over at him, Braxton’s eyes were wide and his lips tugged into a thin line. “Are you all right? I mean I expected some silence, but to be honest, I figured my car would be trashed. I was fully prepared to kick your ass!” I let out the breath I’d been holding. He continued to stare. “What?” He shook his head and looked back to the road. “I have no idea what you said. I don’t speak French. Maybe a little Cajun, but not French.” Mon Dieu. I slammed my head against the headrest and closed my eyes. French. I’d told him all of it in French and hadn’t even realized it. Damn. Now I was going to have to start over. I let my head roll against the headrest to face him. “When I pulled

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on my line about ten minutes ago, Etienne was close. So close, I thought he was right outside my window. He disappeared after I noticed how close he was, but he’ll be at the house when we get back.” Braxton’s body went ramrod straight. “Brax, calm down. If you change in my car, I’ll hunt you down and beat you with the pieces that are left.” He turned to smile at me and then chuckled. I narrowed my eyes at him while fidgeting with my hoop earring. “Why aren’t angry? I’ve threatened you with much worse over the years and you’ve never listened.” “I don’t know. I guess after our night together I feel more confident.” Aha. That’s what it was. He realized if Etienne went inside, he’d smell our scents mixed together, and God help him if he went in the master bedroom. That room smelled of Braxton, me, and sex. Jeez, nothing good would come out of this situation. The car rolled to stop in front of a large, classic New Orleans town house. The yellow paint and maroon shutters stood out next to the pale pink and white houses on the sides. Batty stirred in my head, hungry for a fight. An image of Cam came into my mind and the strong presence of her life force pulled to me. Just as I’d thought, she was inside. Braxton got out of the car and started towards the house. I stopped and turned to him. “No. This is vampire stuff, and you won’t be welcomed. If they try and harm you, I’ll end up killing them, and Isaiah will want blood. I don’t want to fight tonight. I just want Cam.” The Alpha in Braxton craved to protect his mate, I knew, but he couldn’t. This was one of those times where I couldn’t accept his help. His eyes flashed neon yellow as he fought his wolf’s anger. He stared at me for a moment before settling back against the car. “Don’t you dare scratch my paint.” I smiled at him, trying to ease his tension, but he didn’t waver. “If I’m not back in, say, fifteen

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minutes, you have my permission to storm in and shock-and-awe them!” “You’d better hurry. I started counting when we pulled up. You have fourteen more minutes.” Jeez, talk about control freak. The large wooden door swung open before I even raised my hand to knock. A tall, skinny, bald-headed black girl stood in front of me. It took me a minute to remember her name since it’d been ten years since I’d met her. Takia gave me the once-over with her eyes. Her dismissive glance held no regard for my master vampire status. If she were a werewolf, I’d have taken her throat by now for the lack of respect. I stepped closer and stared her in the eyes. My power could reach out and kick her ass. I smiled, letting my fangs inch down. She hissed in anger before I flung myself on her. Before she could blink, I wrapped my hands around her throat in a crushing grip. “I am the Master Bitch here.” I growled. “I’m older, stronger, and by far more powerful than you. I’ll kill you with one twitch. If you ever disrespect me or any other master vampire again, I’ll drink every last drop of your blood then spit the unworthy shit onto your rotting body.” I turned her face and made her look into my eyes. She shuddered when I sent her the mental image of me ripping open every vein in her body before staking her to a tree facing east in the morning sun. I released her. She stumbled against the wall for support. My eyes wandered around the room. Three other vampires of various size, race, and age sat with wide, bloodshot eyes staring at me. “Where is your sire?” I took in their scents. Each one of them had an odd top-scent. It was some sort of mixed chemicals. The smell was vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t place it. “My lovely, Josie, I’m here.” A low, husky voice crooned from a nearby room. Isaiah and his six-foot-four-inch self stood in the middle of the

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room naked, with a raging hard-on. Cam lay passed out on the bed. Isaiah sauntered toward me, his cock waving hello with a bar and bell ring through the head of his penis. Cute, but I had my doubts about Braxton getting one. “Nice Prince Albert. Now, what the fuck did you do to her?” My rage turned the air in the room to sulfur. “I’m not sure. She went out with three of my children to feed, and when they returned, she wasn’t acting like herself. I came in as she was on the phone, but she passed out.” He shrugged his shoulders. “I wasn’t worried about it until a few minutes ago. When she wouldn’t awaken for a quick romp.” I rolled my eyes. “I tried to call her through my line, but she wouldn’t answer. Something’s wrong.” “You said feed. Which three did she go with?” I hoped it wasn’t the three weirdos out in the living room, but something told me I was going to be disappointed. “Takia stayed behind while Samuel, Gloria, and Hector took her hunting.” “Tell me Samuel, Gloria, and Hector aren’t those three sitting out there.” I hissed in anger. He nodded his head. I sniffed the air around us again, taking in their scents. I racked my brain and remembered the chemical—meth. “Isaiah, what the hell were they hunting? Meth blood?” He nodded again and I saw red. “You’re unbelievable. You were one of the smartest and nicest men I’d ever met. Now you’re hunting drug blood.” I grabbed Cam and picked her up, cradling her against me. “You need to grow up. That type of shit was fine in the sixties, but come on.” He was going to get me dragged into some sort of trouble if he stayed under my name much longer. With a small nod, mainly to myself, I made the decision. “It’s time you went on your own.” “Are you cutting me from your line?” His expression made me

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raise my eyebrows. Most vampires of mediocre status wouldn’t look excited about being cut from their sire’s stronger line. “From this moment on, I’m not responsible for you or your children’s protection. I’ll inform all the Masters you’ll be starting your own line. Be careful what and who you hunt. Now I gotta go before Braxton kicks down the door.” I stopped in front of Isaiah. “Don’t call her anymore. Leave her alone until you can get your shit together.” I strode past him, not waiting for his comment. “I’ll see you soon, my lovely Josephine Francesca.” His tone held both promise and threat. Neither of my beasts liked it, but right now Cam’s health was higher on my list than a threat from a half-assed crackhead vampire. I met Braxton on the porch. His foot was raised and body leaned back, prepared to kick the door in. I eased past him and then handed Cam over to him. His wolf raged close to the surface but followed me to the car. I got in the back, and then he eased Cam into the other seat. “What’s wrong with her?” Braxton’s voice was low, nearly a whisper. “Isaiah’s been hunting in some bad places lately, and it seems Cam got a hold of some blood drippin’ with meth. Looks like the donor was overdosing and she got a good bit of it, too. Let’s get her home and cleaned up.” I didn’t know what to do with her, really. It wasn’t like she could die from an overdose. I figured if I kept her comfortable, she’d eventually come around. We rode in silence for the hour long drive. The lights from the house came into view, and I gathered Cam up, getting ready to get out. Her body jerked forward, and she gagged. I let go of her an instant before blood spewed from her mouth and onto the floorboard of my baby. Over and over she gagged and spewed. Blood sloshed on the carpet, and I jumped away from her and the stench of decaying blood. “Braxton, stop!” I screamed. He wrenched the car to the side of the road and I hefted Cam’s sorry ass out of it. “Motherfucker!” I

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usually never cussed like that, but damn it all to hell, she puked blood in my car. My poor baby. Cam looked up at me, and then she had the nerve to smile. “We’re walking the rest of the way,” I snapped at a laughing Braxton before turning to Cam. “Come on, darlin’. What else can she do?” On cue, Cam started throwing up again, and all over my Naughty Monkey heels. I cussed a blue streak. Not only had she thrown up all in my baby, but she’d ruined a perfectly good pair of high heels. Fuming, I turned and started walking as she gathered herself up. “Don’t hurt Camilla. She’s hurting enough already,” Braxton yelled in my direction. I strode back to her and yanked her to stand. She fell back to her knees the instant I released her. I glared at Braxton and he got in the car. “I’ll go make sure Etienne isn’t lurking.” Braxton’s eyes flashed his wolf yellow. “No, just wait for me in our bedroom. I’ll need help getting her into her room.” I scowled at Cam then tugged her hand to make her follow me. “Wait. I don’t think I can,” she whined. Damn, damn, and triple damn! I grabbed her arm and dragged her sorry ass the rest of the way home. Coming up the back way, the door to the garçonnière opened and Etienne walked out. His blond hair blew in the wind while those penetrating blue eyes blazed crimson when my scent wafted over to him. His fangs eased down in anticipation. He smiled a panty-melting smile at me before winking. My heart pumped faster. After all this time, his smile could make my insides tumble and my heart race.

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Chapter Six Marching past Etienne, I tried desperately to ignore the smell of fresh-cut sugarcane mixed with the spicy aroma of Cajun spice. The scents were as familiar as my own. I’d grown up surrounded by the intoxicating mixture, in love with its owner. Now, the aroma pissed me off. I shoved Cam into the house and up to her room. Braxton stood waiting for me when I stomped out of Cam’s room. “One problem solved. Now, how are we gonna go take care of the other one out in the garçonnière?” Braxton’s eyes danced with excitement. His too-happy attitude grated on my nerves. While I was pissed, he was riding high on adrenaline from his wolf. I rolled my eyes and headed to our bedroom. Once inside, I flopped onto the bed and let the emotions of the last twenty-four hours take over. It’d been a wild ride. I’d been anxious, sad, hurt, scared, happy, and then scared again. Being back with Braxton was terrific, and I longed to do nothing more than mold myself against him. But seeing Cam passed out shook me. For the most part, I was indestructible, but those around me weren’t. Braxton’s a Were who heals unbelievably fast, but he can be killed. With a stake to the heart Cam could be gone, too. They weren’t invincible. My heart shredded as I thought of what could happen if Braxton faced a challenger nearly as dominant as he. Eric would be tough to beat because of his sheer size, but Braxton’s wits and cleverness along with his strength were unmatched. “When we get Cam and Etienne straightened out, we’ve gotta fix this thing with the Council. I can’t let you get hurt.” I rested my head

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against his solid abs. His body stiffened. “Why would I be the one getting hurt? You think I’m weak?” He leaned away from me. His defensive tone brought a smile from me. “No, but I don’t want to risk you getting hurt.” He kneeled, putting himself at eye level with me as I propped up on my elbows. We stared at each other. His reservations about everything shined in clenched jaw, but for this moment, we kept quiet. Drinking each other in. “I think you’ve forgotten who you’re talking to. I’m not some pup who will get hurt in a challenge.” I spun, flipping him under me in one smooth motion. “I take that back. Maybe I am going to get hurt.” I leaned down, resting my head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat. “Josephine, are you all right?” I was scared to talk, afraid the tears from today’s events would release and I’d be crying, yet again. He eased me off him. “Everything will work out. We’ll get Camilla better, and then she can fix your car.” He smiled. “I built it for you, but I draw the line at trying to get thrown-up blood out of it.” He shivered, and I had to laugh. “We’ll deal with Etienne and then the Council. After that we can take a long vacation together. Just me and you.” I smiled up at him. “Where do you want to go?” “Maybe back to the island near Fiji. You can wear your pink bikini again.” Heck, yeah. Fiji and a naked Braxton were hotter than hot. “Maybe, but the hell with the bikini. We won't need clothes this time.” He leaned down, kissing me gently. “My sweet Josephine, what else is wrong?” His knuckles skimmed my cheek. “Nothing, it’s just, I finally worked through the Elizabeth thing, but now Etienne’s here, and Cam is having some sort of major

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breakdown.” I shook my head. “For five years, no one has been out here to bother me. Cam hasn’t had any sort of major meltdown, but just when me and you get things worked out—it’s like the walls start falling in around us.” He kissed me into silence. “Shhh, tomorrow will be better. Right now you’re still upset about seeing Camilla hurt.” Part of me started to relax, but then my instincts told me something else was going on. He looked away for a second, and I got the distinct impression he was worried about something. “Brax? Only one of us can throw a pity party at a time.” He smiled down at me. “I’m fine.” “No, tell me.” “Why’s he here? Now?” Braxton’s voice raised an octave. “I don’t know, but we’ll find out tomorrow. Right now I want to sleep with my husband and mate.” I tugged him to me but stopped. “You haven’t divorced me or anything in the past five years, have you?” “No, I’ve thought about threatening you with it, but figured you might do it out of stubbornness.” He slid back some. “There are things I never asked you, but now I’d like to. If you’ll answer me?” He was fishing and I knew it. He’d never felt threatened about Etienne before. Why he was feeling it now was beyond me. “What do you want to know?” I tilted my head to watch him. His jaw flexed, and he swallowed hard. “Why you two never married. Why you left him the first time and why’d he leave? How come you bought this plantation after your father willed you his?” Wow, all of those questions were good and complex. “Million-dollar questions.” I sighed. “Etienne’s father used to brag to everyone about how his son was sleeping with the prettiest slave anyone owned. He even made me Etienne’s personal slave for the garçonnière.” Dominique Bordeaux never had been one for subtlety. “Well, my father learned about it and approached

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Dominique, asking him to stop our affair. They bargained, and my father offered my half sister Melanie in exchange for Etienne’s promise that he’d stop sleeping with me. Etienne agreed because the dowry was enough to pay off his father’s gambling debts and save Bordeaux Plantation.” I stopped, letting everything so far settle in. Braxton eased to the side table where a small bottle of whiskey was kept. After pouring the two of us a glass, he sat back down beside me. “Etienne married Melanie, but spent his wedding night with me.” My heart ached when the memory of having to watch Etienne say his vows to another woman washed over me. God, how I had loved the man, still did in so many ways. “Melanie knew how he felt toward me and how I felt for him. She’d married him, wanting his money and title. She tried to sell me after a few months. When Etienne wouldn’t stand up to her or take my side, I ended things with him. A couple of months later, the Civil War broke out. Cam, me, and Isaiah ran off.” I grabbed Braxton’s hand when his back stiffened. “Do you want me to finish the story or stop?” He drank the rest of his whiskey and grabbed mine, too. “Finish it. I want to know what exactly I’m up against.” He’d lost his mind. Etienne didn’t hold a candle to Braxton. “You’re not up against anything or anyone when it comes to me. I’m yours.” He kissed my hand, and then waved for me to continue. “After we ran off, Etienne joined the Confederate army to find us. He ended up imprisoned at Point Lookout. While there, he was so close to death, the soldiers threw him into a mass grave and covered him over. His blood called to me even then, and I knew where he was, how to get there, and where to find him. I dug him out of that grave and turned him. No matter what he’d done, I loved him and couldn’t let him die.” I slid from the bed and paced to the window. “When we returned,

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Melanie had thought he was dead and had remarried. She was still living in the house. She saw us and freaked. She ended up having a damn voodoo curse put on us. From then on, we couldn’t touch. The closest we can be to each other is about a foot. There’s no physical way he can lay one finger on me. Loving me at a distance wasn’t enough for Etienne, so he left after I killed Melanie.” Braxton raised an eyebrow as he sipped my whiskey. “I was pissed, so I drained her in a fit of rage. It was the wrong thing to do since the curse can only be broken with her blood. She’d had twins while we were gone and Etienne wanted to go after her children to drain them. He had hopes their blood would unlock our curse. I refused and he left. He said I must not love him as much as he loved me.” I went back to the bed and removed the whiskey from Braxton’s hand. I sipped it, letting the warm liquid burn down my throat. “The truth was he never loved me. At first I was devastated, but soon I realized I was better off without him. He still thought of me as the pretty little slave girl he could fuck with no cares.” I stared Braxton in the eyes. “I bought this house because I grew up here. I’ve always loved the house. Not the people, but the house itself is great. Cam wanted it, too, so I gave her half.” Braxton didn’t say anything for awhile and worry crept up my spine. I knew he didn’t get the answers he’d wanted, but he had asked me a long time ago never to lie to him. To date, I hadn’t broken that promise, and didn’t intend to now. “That wasn’t what you wanted to hear, but it was the truth. Regardless of the curse, I wouldn’t want him. Not even if last night had never happened. If you and I were still apart, I wouldn’t let him back into my life.” Braxton placed his hand gently over my mouth. “I wanted to know, and now I do. I can see where he might try and make it seem like you could still be in love with him, but I know better. I trust you. It just pisses me off the way you’ve been treated by people who

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supposedly ‘loved’ you.” He ran his hand down my arm. “I never asked you about him because I was afraid of what you might say. That’s how I let those thoughts of you wanting him in. Now, I wish I’d asked a long time ago.” He sighed. “He has two days here before I kill his ass and we go on vacation. I’m also moving back here.” My heart thumped harder in my chest. “Mon Chèr, I called Atlanta today and asked Jessica to pack your belongings. She sent them FedEx earlier.” He grinned. “Good, ’cause I called and had all of the cars I’m restoring loaded and shipped here.” Yes, very good. Life would once again be full and exciting with Braxton back. I snuggled to his side and wrapped my arms around his neck. Tomorrow its problems would be here too soon, but for the time being I’d sleep wrapped in my mate’s arms. What started out as a sweet dream of my mate turned into a nightmare I couldn’t wake from. A sickening scent of too much rose perfume drifted into my subconscious. Soon the bed creaked and Braxton was gone. Struggling to hear where he was going, my wolf rose inside. We listened as the owner of that god-awful scent caressed Braxton with her voice. I lay motionless between the dream world and real world, unable to move. Elizabeth begged Braxton to take her, to push her against the wall outside my bedroom and fuck her mindless. My beasts raged, but I couldn’t wake. My body wouldn’t rise. “Come on, baby, I know that bitch isn’t giving it to you the way you want it.” Elizabeth purred. “Just fuck me right here. She’ll never have to know. Please, that idiot in the garçonnière has no idea how to fuck a werewolf like me.” “You need to leave. I don’t know why you’re here, but you have no business. I told you when I exiled you from the pack, if you ever came near me or my mate, I’d let her have you.” Braxton’s voice was lethal, making me soar with pride. That was my mate. “I’m not going anywhere. This is my house now, a wedding gift

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from my husband.” “Elizabeth, you’ve been warned. My mate stirs in our bedroom. When she awakens, I expect her to come after your blood. You’ve cost Josephine and me enough time. I don’t know what you did to me that night in Atlanta, but I know I’d never touch a rotten piece of trash such as you. Especially when I have Josephine by my side.” Elizabeth’s scent went faint when pine surrounded me. I struggled to open my eyes. Finally, whatever spell had me immobile passed, and I sat straight up, searching for answers. “Brax, what’s wrong?” I grabbed my clothes. “What the hell was that?” He eased up the bed and lay down beside me, pulling me back against him. “Nothing right this minute. Let’s stay here for a few minutes.” My heart beat too fast, and I couldn’t settle. Elizabeth’s scent was on him. She was here. I jumped from the bed, my eyes burning as they turned crimson. I ran from the room. Braxton’s heavy footsteps echoed from behind me. That bitch had shown up here at my house. I inhaled, picking up the scent of roses, and tracked Elizabeth to the garçonnière and kicked down the door. Elizabeth reclined on the leather sofa, painting her nails. She smiled, giving a little finger wave to Braxton. My beasts raged. I battled with control to stop from killing her right then. The werewolf Council issued death orders, not me. “Bitch, what the fuck do you think you’re doing on my property?” She rolled her eyes, and I lost all control. Her throat was mine.

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Chapter Seven I crossed the room to her in a blink. She stumbled from the sofa, trying to crawl away from me. Grabbing her hair, I dragged her upward. She bucked against me when I pushed her head to the side and sank my fangs into her neck, ripping at the flesh. I wanted her dead, but Braxton’s strong arms encircled my waist and tugged me away. He whispered in my ear, urging me to calm down. His voice low and calming, soothing my raging beasts. I writhed in his arms, begging to kill her. The red fog of hatred hazed inside my brain, drowning out all my control. But my wolf, always one to obey her Alpha, answered Braxton. She let his power in, flowing over me, to calm both Batty and myself. It didn’t take but a second to work. When I stopped struggling, Braxton held me close, a man who’s not afraid to show the world he loves his wife. “You bitch! This is one of my favorite shirts!” Elizabeth growled while blood gushed from her neck to stain her white silk shirt. I smiled, showing her my blood-covered fangs. “You’re lucky you even have a throat left, you crackwhore!” My rage roared again and searing heat shot through me. I fought to free myself from Braxton’s grip. “Whatever, you bitch. Now I suggest you get the hell off my property while you still have a chance.” She grabbed a towel from the floor to wipe the blood off her already healed neck. I cussed the supernatural healing powers. If not for her wolf genes, the bitch would be dead. “Your property? I don’t think so. This is my property, bought and

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paid for. Now get the hell off it.” I shook with anger, but Wolfy protested killing Elizabeth. If we did, Braxton would be in more trouble with the Council. He’d exiled her from our pack, but she still had some protection from the Council. Until they exiled her for good. I licked my lips. Then I could have her. I breathed in deep, pushing Batty back to her place, but without Braxton’s calming strength she was ready to explode. Braxton pulled me closer to him, and his power washed over me again. Elizabeth sneered. “This is my husband’s property, and he wants it back. We talked to his lawyer yesterday and they found a loophole in the contract you signed when you purchased it from him.” I stared at her for a second as I tried to figure out what she was talking about. The property had belonged to Etienne when I bought it, so that meant…Dawning hit me like a slap across the face. Etienne was Elizabeth’s “husband.” That figured. She’s a smart little bitch to find him and use him to get back at me. It was a good move. “I don’t care who you married and what so-called loopholes you think y’all have found. This is my property, and when Etienne wakes, I suggest you leave. I don’t mind killing either of you.” My fangs slid down, and I let both my beasts come to the surface. A growl worked its way up and out of my throat. Her eyes widened at the terrifying sound, and I laughed. The sound always had that effect on people. I turned to walk out, but Etienne’s voice stopped me cold in my tracks. “Ma chère, come in here, I want to speak with you.” His voice was as smooth and sinful as ever. One part of me wanted to run into his room and do whatever he wanted me to. I sucked in a breath to gather my will. I wasn’t his. I stepped to the front door, away from Etienne. “You can talk to my husband or my lawyer, asshole!” I stormed back to the main house as Braxton followed.

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I didn’t break stride, marching straight to the bathroom to wash my mouth out with mouthwash. Braxton stared at me as he leaned against the door frame. “So I can deal with him?” I couldn’t help but snort. After everything that had happened, that was what he’d heard out of the conversation. I gave a little nod and smiled. “Good.” He clapped his hands together triumphantly. “Why are you washing your mouth out?” Never before had such filth been in my mouth. The taste of Elizabeth’s blood held a twinge of decay like rotting fish or stale blood. “That bitch is rotten. Something’s wrong with her.” Braxton cocked his head to the side. “Really, something’s wrong with her. I’ve never tasted blood that spoiled before. It was nasty and weird, but then it had this familiar side taste. I know I’ve never had her blood before.” I stared off for a minute, trying to place the odd taste. Something was so unusual about the blood, it called for further investigation. He waggled his eyebrows at me. “Come on, let’s get some food. I’m starving, and you’ve overworked me the last forty-eight hours.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me to him. He leaned down, kissing me gently. “What stopped you from killing her?” he whispered. I smiled against his mouth. “You. If I killed her, Eric would have said you couldn’t stop me. That would have added more fuel to the fire. No matter how mad I was, all you had to do was release some power on me and I calmed down.” He smiled. “It took me a minute or two to decide whether or not to use my Alpha magic to calm you or to let you finish her. But she’s already cost us enough.” I eased away from him. “Yeah, I gotta figure out what she did to you. I know she drugged you or something. I’d planned on killing her once I figured it out, but now Etienne will claim her as his sheep,

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which grants her some protection. He’s still officially under my line and, therefore, my protection.” I sighed, disgusted with myself that I’d never thought of someone using my children like she was. Part of me hated what she was doing, but then the more sinister part of me admired her resourcefulness. “The bitch is smart. I have to give her protection or Etienne can, and will, call the Tribunal. Those twelve ancient vamps will stick firmly to the laws they’ve made over the years. And no doubt they’ll send the resident Vampire Enforcer, Dante, after me if he calls them.” “And?” “And Dante’s rumored to be a little overly interested in my genetics. I don’t like being the freak show, plus from what I hear he’s bat shit crazy. That could either be really bad or really good. Either way I don’t want to find out.” “Babe.” Braxton shook his head. “First we needed to get Thomas out of the pack’s law office and down here. He’ll find out what we need to do to get Etienne off our property and how we can take care of Elizabeth. Braxton sighed, running a hand through his thick hair. “He’s not happy about having to come down here with all the other stuff going on, but I told him we needed to get this taken care of first.” My eyes snapped to stare at him. “The other stuff” meant “the Council.” “What happened?” I tried to hide the edge of concern shaking in my voice. He shrugged his shoulders as he sat down on a stool near the island. I stared at him until he sighed, exaggeratedly. “The Council has decided to hear some of the charges Eric has brought up.” The pot with the potatoes that I was holding “magically” went sailing through the air to slam into the opposite wall. Braxton watched it fall to the floor, along with some plaster. When he looked back at me, he grinned.

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“You and that temper. Josephine, please do not do anything like that when the Council calls you in.” He shook his head, still smiling. When they call me in? Surely they weren’t that stupid. I’d kill every last one of them. “Brax, they can’t call me in. You know my beasts will never be able to sit through an interrogation. They’ll kill me to get to Council.” Braxton stood and opened the refrigerator, searching for something to eat since the meal I’d prepared was now wall art. “The Council will, and you’ll have to find a way to calm down without me. I won’t be able to be in the room with you.” Great, just freakin’ great. Over the years, I’d tried to gain control over my beasts. Because of sheer will, I’d been successful except when I got pissed. My anger fueled their power, and in return they grew stronger. If I got too angry, I wouldn’t be able to control myself or them. There were few people in this world who understood what I was going through, and one of them was my sire. Well, roundabout sire. He’d been married to a Were a long time ago before she went insane and found a way to kill herself after he changed her. Grayson had helped me many times over the years. There was guilt in his eyes which never went away. He explained once, his wife had been a submissive wolf and he should have never turned her. She didn’t have the dominance to control her beasts. Since the day Grayson found out what he’d done to my mother, he’d done everything he could to help me. The only thing we still hadn’t overcome in my learning was how to control the beasts when I was in a blind rage. He’d tried, God help him, he’d tried. Once while training, he’d tried to get me to release both my beasts, hoping that I was in control enough to handle them. He’d goaded me, taunting me and telling me how he’d stalked my mother, scared her for fun, drank from her, raped her, and then left her for dead, all in an effort to release myself from the restraints. I’d released both my beasts all right. I went after him with vengeance and nearly killed him, even though in the back of my mind I knew he was just

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trying to provoke me. If it hadn’t been for Cam’s mother, I would have finished him off. As it was I’d done enough damage, and it took him two days of rest and blood to heal. We don’t play those games now. Grayson would come later. Now, I wanted to know what my mate had been doing the last few years. “Brax, we haven’t really talked about the last few years. What’s been going on?” His smile was brilliant, and his eyes danced. “I finished the Shelby. I was going to send it to you, but when I remembered how much you love your car, I saved it.” The Shelby Mustang was my second favorite car. My first being my ’69 Camaro SS, but the Shelby would be a good substitute for it while he reworked the engine. “Can I drive it while you work on my car?” His features turned to granite. “What’s wrong with your car? What’d you do to it?” How appalling. I hadn’t done anything to the car except drive it. It wasn’t my fault. Hands on hips and chin raised, I glared at him. “I didn’t do anything. It’s not my fault the mechanic who restored it didn’t take into account I drive it every day.” Braxton hunched down and without warning leapt over the island toward me. The floor cracked under his crashing weight. My heart raced and my mind whirled. The green of his eyes gleamed with pure mischief. If he had been angry, I would have been a tad bit afraid. But this was my Braxton, and he was just trying to intimidate me. When I didn’t back down or show throat, he growled and pinned me against the wall. “My sweet Josephine, you really shouldn’t question my skills.” I smiled sweetly at him and ran a hand across his jaw. The new growth of a coarse-haired beard scraped my palms. “Which skills are you talking about?” I grinded my hips against him and his eyes glowed emerald. A knock on the door interrupted our banter. I sighed as he pushed

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away from me and nipped my ear. He walked to get the door, and grinned over his shoulder. My heart raced. He’d always had that effect on me, and he knew it. His grin widened. Of course, he’d heard my heart racing. Braxton’s long, confident swagger only increased the inferno ragging inside me. His round, muscled ass flexed beneath his jeans. The image of my hands squeezing his taut ass as he drove himself home inside me flashed through my brain. I followed Braxton to the door. On the other side, a man dressed in an expensive tailored suit stood. “Good afternoon, Mrs. Wade. I’m sorry to show up unannounced, but Mr. Bordeaux informed me there is some confusion over the deed to this property.” That son of a bitch worked fast. “No confusion. It’s my property, and neither you, your client, nor his wife are welcome here. Leave.” I turned and slammed the door on him. I strolled back to the kitchen, hoping Braxton wouldn’t want to hear the man out, but Braxton let the bastard in. Braxton, being the calm one of the two of us, had always heard everyone out before dismissing them the way I did. “Now that you’ve been welcomed to our home, come on in.” Braxton’s light, teasing tone had me gritting my teeth. The door shut as the attorney decided to brave it inside. “I didn’t mean to offend, Mrs. Wade. It’s just there are some problems with the deed. If I may, I’ll explain everything to you instead.” The scent of lemon wafted to me. The man was scared shitless. Good for him, he should be. “No, explain everything to her. I’ll stand guard in case she decides to kill the messenger.” Braxton’s tone held enough grit to be believable. Braxton’s comment made me spew my juice on the table. He could be such a smart-ass sometimes. The lawyer backed as far away from me as he could when they strolled into the kitchen. Braxton, on

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the other hand, stood behind my stool and laid a possessive hand on my back. Regardless of how civilized Weres try to be, there’s still so much animal in us, we can’t help but act like one sometimes. I leaned back against Braxton, and motioned for the lawyer to have a seat. “Explain whatever the bastard has sent you here to explain and then get off the property.” I sighed and waited for him to gather his courage to tell me whatever it was. I smelled the bitter scent of burned wood as the fear streamed through his system. I had to stamp down the urge to frighten him more. Batty laughed hysterically inside as she felt his fear. She’d had plenty of experience toying with men like him before. He cleared his throat a few times before he finally found his voice. “It seems this property didn’t have the correct deed when it was sold to you. Mr. Bordeaux was unaware of it at the time.” I raised a hand. “What do you mean it didn’t have the correct deed? My attorney researched it thoroughly, and everything was correct when I signed the papers.” It was the truth. When I decided to buy the plantation from Etienne’s estate, I had my lawyer make sure everything was true to course. “At the time Mr. Bordeaux and his attorney thought they had the correct deed. It wasn’t. Apparently there was a condition in a contract regarding the marriage of Mr. Bordeaux and Melanie DoucetBordeaux.” I cringed. Of course, there were stipulations on that marriage. My father had been the one to negotiate the deal, so it didn’t surprise me that he’d put a stipulation or two on the marriage. “What kind of condition, and how does this affect the deed I have?” I was starting to lose my patience with this whole damn situation. “There are documents which had been locked in a safety deposit box by Jean Pierre Doucet The safety deposit box wasn’t opened until a few months ago. No one had known about it until the bank manager sent my firm a statement concerning it.” The firm was one of the few

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that dealt with the secretive dealings of the supernatural world. Its owners were a werewolf and his partner, a vampire. They were used by both species. “The papers state in case Mr. Bordeaux did not end a relationship with you, the dowry was forfeited and the house would be deeded to Ms. Camilla Laveau, but since she was not a citizen with any rights at the time, the deed is not valid. There are incriminating accounts from many different sources which state Mr. Bordeaux not only didn’t stop seeing you, he spent his wedding night with you instead of his bride.” “Bullshit! Where was this safety deposit box and who found it?” I shook my head. “Never mind. I don’t give a shit. You need to leave before something bad happens to you. When my lawyer gets here, he’ll be in contact.” I wanted to use my mojo and make him leave, but he saw how serious I was and practically ran from the house. Braxton kissed the top of my head as I sat on my stool, stunned. “Damn him. One of the house slaves from my father’s once told me he’d gone mad with rage when he found out Etienne and I were together. But I thought Etienne marrying Melanie would be enough to keep Jean Pierre from doing anything to either of us.” I slammed my hands down on the island out of frustration. It cracked under the force. “Don’t get too upset about it. Thomas is on his way down and he’ll deal with everything.” He tried to soothe me, but it just wasn’t working. “I can’t wait. I need to find out what’s really going on. Etienne never wanted this place. Why would he want to be here now?” I got up to leave, but Braxton stopped me. “Why do you want it?” I stopped and looked over at him. “People count on me here. This plantation has twelve thousand acres. It supports a great deal of cane, jobs, and people. Those people trust me to take care of them, ensure their jobs and livelihood.” I sighed and sat back down. “Are you sure that’s all this is about?” He stared down at me with

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piercing green eyes. “Yes, of course. I don’t give a shit about this house. Not really. I mean, it marks an important time in my life, but I’m not the slave girl who was thought of as nothing more than a piece of meat anymore. The only real rational reason I stayed here was because of the sugar mill. If not for my responsibilities, I’d move to Atlanta with you.” Damn my father for deeding me that mill. “Then maybe it’s time you retire and move back to Atlanta.” I pulled him to me. “Maybe, but first I want this settled. If my father made that contract, which is a great possibility, it will be binding. He was meticulous.” The thought of Elizabeth, the bitch, thinking she’d beaten me, pissed me off. Braxton rubbed his hands down my shoulders. “If your father made the contract, he had a good reason. He was a smart man.” Braxton looked away. “Did I ever tell you I met him while I was here during the War?” I shook my head. “You’ve never said much about him, so I never thought it was right to bring him up.” He shrugged. “I remember going into the pack office that he had at the plantation and seeing a painting on the wall by his desk of a gorgeous baby. Next to the picture was a pencil drawing of a young woman with stunning Creole-Spanish features. I never forgot the look on the man’s face when he saw me glance at it. His chest swelled with pride, and his eyes gleamed. I didn’t ask him about it, and he never said anything. The night you and I were together, it dawned on me that was you in the drawing.” He stepped in front of me. “I believe your father regretted sending you away. That’s why he left everything to you.” I inhaled deeply. His eyes were searching mine for my reaction. “Would you ever do that to your child? Put her through that kind of life?” I studied him. “No, never, but then our fathers were very different than we are.” Braxton’s face tightened with regret. His father ignored his son, not wanting to accept responsibility for an affair. But because Braxton’s mother was from “fine, upstanding

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Georgia blood,” he’d been forced to marry the pregnant girl. Braxton tugged me to him and held me close. I didn’t care about the damn house. Just him, us. I leaned back, and kissed him gently. “Come on, let’s go watch a movie or something. Just relax.” He smiled and led the way to the couch. My favorite action-packed movie, Shooter, played in the background. Helicopter blades slashed through the air, guns fired, and men screamed in pain on the movie as I tried to forget about Etienne, my father, and the house, but I couldn’t. In the pit of my stomach a knot had formed. Etienne’s pursuit of the house wasn’t all he wanted. I needed to talk to him regardless of what I’d said before. Braxton was going to hit the roof, and I needed to figure out how to tell him what I was going to do. Luckily, Cam came into the room. “What happened this morning?” She yawned as she settled on the love seat. The days were shorter, so she was up earlier than usual. Her eyes held a glimmer of concern. “Etienne married the bitch, Elizabeth, and then decided he wants this place back.” I exhaled deeply before I raised a hand to stop whatever remarks she had so far and finished telling her what all had happened while she slept. “I haven’t talked to my lawyer yet, so I don’t know exactly what proof they have or if any of this is true. The lawyer knew Etienne spent his wedding night with me instead of Melanie.” I sat back, and motioned for her to start raging. “That son of a bitch. Why in the hell would Etienne want to come back here? He hated it here.” She jumped up and started pacing. “Does this mean you lose the money you paid him for this place? Does the acreage you deeded to the corporation go back to the estate? What about Isaiah’s place?” I had no answers for her very valid questions. I threw my pillow at Cam. “Cam, I have no damn idea. I told you I haven’t talked to my lawyer yet, but I was getting ready to go talk to

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Etienne. If you’d care to join me, let’s go.” I jumped up to try and get a head start on Braxton. Before I moved two inches, his large hand wrapped around my wrist and snatched me back down. “I don’t think so,” he growled. “You said I could deal with him.” Before I could respond, he was gone. Cam looked down at me and shook her head. “You’re getting slow, white girl. We’d better hurry before Braxton kills him.” She stopped and grabbed my arm. “No, wait. Let him kill Etienne.” Anger flashed in her black eyes. A mental image of the spoiled young child Etienne had once been came to my mind. He’d been horrible to Cam. He never let her forget she was Dominique’s illegitimate mulatto child, while he was the legitimate white heir. “We’d all be better off. You know Etienne only brought trouble back and somehow it will involve all of us.” She was dead serious, and if it hadn’t been Braxton on his way out there, I might have let whoever have Etienne, but I couldn’t let Braxton do it. It would cause trouble, a werewolf killing a vampire, while the vampire’s sire watched. Hmmm, definite trouble. “Cam, let go. Braxton can’t be the one to do it, and you know it. If anyone found out, I’d have to go in front of the Tribunal for punishment. I don’t like being tied, starved, and beaten.” She nodded, and we raced for the garçonnière. Braxton stood outside the door, politely knocking when we slid to a stop next to him. I glanced at Cam, and she shrugged her shoulders. Etienne opened the door, a sly smile on his face, body relaxed. He was still as beautiful as I remembered. Golden-blond hair reached his shoulders and accented his deep, ocean-blue eyes. I’d turned him while he’d been sick so he wasn’t nearly as muscled and thick as Braxton, but he was almost as tall and stood every inch with grace. There was nothing about him that didn’t radiate wealth and class. He stood proud like a Greek statue of Adonis. His high cheekbones, well-defined chin, with pale skin that

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made him stand out even more. Braxton growled when Etienne ignored him and Cam to smile a sinful smile at me. I shouldered past Braxton and urged Etienne back into the garçonnière. I sent Cam a mental message to get a grip on Braxton. When I was sure she had, I slammed the door in his face as she pulled him back. The dead bolt wouldn’t hold against Braxton, so I leaned back against the door. There was no sign of Elizabeth, and for once, I was disappointed. I wanted a buffer of some sort between Etienne and myself. His gaze racked me up and down. His smile turned wicked. “You’re more gorgeous than I remember.” He purred. I raised my hand, stopping him from continuing that path. “We have about thirty seconds before Braxton rips this door off its hinges. I’ll make it quick. What do you want?” “Besides to be able to touch you?” He winked. “My new bride wants this house, so I figured I’d take it back.” He moved closer to me. “She isn’t you, but she’s a decent substitute.” His tone was low, holding a hint of desire. I shook my head. “You son of a bitch. You expect me to just give it back to you? I paid you over market value for this place. You’ve lost your damn mind.” His rich laughter filled the air, drowning Braxton’s beating on the door. “No, my love, I never thought you’d just let me take back from you. I figured you’d fight, that’s why I brought Elizabeth here. She’s quite lovely, isn’t she? So lovely, your dog couldn’t help himself around her.” My rage built, and both my beasts wanted Etienne’s death right then. How dare he talk about Braxton like that. I wanted, needed his blood, but I couldn’t touch him. Braxton crashed through the iron door, panting. Long, chocolate hair covered him from head to toe. His eyes changed from normal green to yellow. I stopped and went to him, but he growled at me with a force that made me duck my head submissively. I chanced a look at his face and he growled at me again, this time a little less forcefully. I

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hoped he was calming down a little. Cam stumbled inside, holding her arm and cussing every breath. “Braxton Wade, I’m gonna kick your ass, you fucking hick. I think you broke my goddamn arm.” We all turned to look at her right before she picked up a large stone from the flower bed and chunked it at him. Braxton cocked his head to the side just as it made contact, and his head rolled back. Holy hell, Cam had pegged him between the eyes with the rock. She ran in place a second before his shift began, and then she ran, ran for her life. Braxton was something to fear when he was pissed and in wolf form. I looked over at Etienne and smiled. “Once the shift is done, his wolf will take over and come after you.” I glanced at Braxton and figured I could beat his change if I started now. Because of my mixed species, my change was quicker than most. I started the change. My bones began to shift in various parts, causing me to grit my teeth to keep from howling at the pain. I focused that pain on making sure my change was fast. I opened up to it, and in seconds my shift quickened. My bones in my hand broke and reformed as they turned into paws. My face ebbed with pain while the bones creaked and lengthened for my muzzle. Braxton was coming up onto all fours as I stretched. He looked around the room for Etienne until he spotted me moving toward him. He sat back on his haunches and then leaped. Braxton hit me hard, knocking me down, and then seized my throat with his sharp teeth. Pain exploded in my throat when his sharp teeth pressed into me. I didn’t fight it. I knew I’d shown him major disrespect earlier. When I whimpered in pain from his crushing grip on my throat, he released me and licked my muzzle. He let me up, and I eased around, rubbing him with my head and sneaking glances at his eyes. They were still glowing neon yellow, but were starting to settle into their normal yellow wolf eye color.

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He was just as amazing in wolf form as he was in human form. He stood larger than any wild wolf, and his chocolate-colored fur hung thicker and longer than most. His paws were huge, but his body moved with grace as he silently circled me. I stood near him and let him take a pass, nudging me every so often. His scent held a trace of sulfur. He was still mad, but he nuzzled against me. I relaxed and let Wolfy take over. I turned from Braxton and dashed out of the garçonnière. The ground rattled beneath my paws and quaked when Braxton grew closer. The night air chilled my muzzle, and the murky smell of swamp water assaulted my nose. I didn’t hesitate. I sprinted ahead toward the swamp as fast as I could run. He might be much larger, but I was much faster. The cypresses in the swamp are large and good for hiding behind. I ducked behind the largest one and waited for him. I lifted my nose into the air, trying to find his scent. All I could smell was stagnant swamp water and cypress. I eased carefully around the tree. With no moon out the night sky blackened out almost all sight. I had to rely solely on my Were vision. The night wasn’t a problem, but the alligator hissing two feet away from me was. I crept back around the tree, away from the angry alligator. A feminine voice traveled through the swamp to break the eerie silence. I loped in the direction of the voice, but stopped when my favorite scent caught me. I slipped up beside Braxton and eyed the person half-hidden by the trees. With her back to me all I could tell was the woman had long, muddy-colored brown hair. I sniffed the air silently. Whoever it was, I couldn’t catch her scent. I slid one paw against the ground to get closer, but Braxton nudged me back. The chanting was leading to a spell. The hair on my back pricked, and I resisted the urge to whine. It wasn’t Cam, but the magic being used had her touch to it. I could feel the familiar touch of the magic and looked over at Braxton. He had a better view. He glanced over at me and nudged me to move away. His body stiff and

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tense. The knot in my stomach twisted, and we ran back to the house, never slowing down.

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Chapter Eight My shift back to human tended to be slightly slower and slightly more painful. I sucked in a breath and focused on my image as human. In seconds, pain rippled down my spine, past my ass to my legs. My back snapped and popped, straightening, and my skin burned as the long fur receded. When the pain subsided, I stood on wobbly legs to face Braxton. His eyes stayed wolf yellow while his face contorted back to human. It was grotesque and beautiful all at the same time. Bones popped and muscle moved as his back straightened and his body went from wolf to man. He stood even as muscle and bone continued to right itself back to the human anatomy. I stood, hands on hips, tapping my foot as he grabbed a pair of pants. Hmm, commando. “Not now, darlin’. We gotta talk to Camilla.” I stared at him for a second before I nodded. It hadn’t been Cam out in the woods, but it was her magic we felt. Each witch, warlock, or voodoo priestess has a signature within their magic. Cam’s signature unique twinge of energy was all over that magic, but that had not been Cam. “She’s not here. There’s no one here except me, you, and the rat bastard out in the garçonnière.” I sighed and headed for the kitchen. If nothing else, at least I could eat a dozen Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. But Takia stood outside the kitchen window with her eyes as big as softballs. The hair on my neck rose again. Something was wrong. I steadied myself and motioned for her to come in. The sound of metal crashing, glass shattering, and the ground shaking caused her to jump.

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Then she was gone. Damn. Braxton stepped past me to investigate the sound of the crash. He turned and laughed. Something about his laugh made me cringe as goose bumps spread across my skin. “Darlin’, I got good news and bad.” I didn’t like how Braxton’s eyes danced with laughter, and he tried to hide his smile. “Which would you like first?” He raised his eyebrows. “Let’s just say you don’t have to worry about whether Camilla can get all the blood out of your car.” Anger replaced trepidation. I rushed past him. “Get the hell out of my way.” I choked back an angry sob. Holy hell, my car. Grayson stood on the heap of metal and glass that had once been my baby. “Grayson!” Fury surged through my body. “What the fuck?” I charged out the back door towards him, wanting revenge for my poor Camaro. “I didn’t mean to land there, I swear. I was coming down when a force pushed me toward it.” He brushed the shattered glass from my windshield off his jacket while I attempted to grab him. He quickly sidestepped my reach. “You son of a bitch. I’ll show you force.” When I moved towards him, he jumped onto the second floor balcony and smiled down at me. “Honestly, it’s just a car. Aren’t you the least bit concerned about me, your sire?” I looked back at my car. It was folded in a V from where he’d landed smack in the middle of it. No, I didn’t give a damn if he was all right or not, he’d killed my car. Braxton busted out laughing. Grayson and Etienne joined him. Anger surged through me, and I struggled not to try and grab Grayson, again. I took one last look at my poor baby and went inside, glaring at Braxton as I passed. Grayson’s power followed me, letting

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me know he was coming inside with Etienne on his heels. “All of you can go to hell.” My voice was about six octaves too high. Grayson moved closer, unafraid of my glaring. “Oh, my dear one, I’ll buy you another one. A better one.” He kissed my cheek then stepped away before I could sink my fangs into his neck. Sire or not, he’d killed my car. “No. Braxton can fix it. Right?” I turned to face him and pleaded silently. “Sorry, darlin’, but your girl’s gone.” He shook his head and hauled me against him. “You’ve always loved that Camaro. I’m sorry.” I nodded, wishing my beautiful, black, shiny Camaro SS would magically put itself back together. I sniffled, thinking about it. I wanted to sob, but not with Etienne anywhere around. “What do you want?” I growled at Etienne. “Ma chère, I heard the commotion and wanted to make sure you were okay.” He moved toward me. The heady scent of cinnamon and vanilla mixed, creating an overwhelming aroma of desire. It seeped from him as he stepped closer. I fought the urge to step closer to him. His blood and desire spoke to a part of me I’d thought had died the night he left me. Beside me the air shifted, sending my hair across my face, and I cringed when Braxton’s body sailed through the air over the island. He land with a thud on his feet inches away from Etienne. Braxton’s speed showed one of the many reasons he still held the Alpha position. He grabbed Etienne by the throat and threw him against the wall. In a blink Grayson was between them. “Move.” Braxton growled low and deep in his throat. His hair grew longer, and his scent wasn’t pine. Instead, sulfur filled the air, nearly gagging me with its angry smell. “Wolf, you mustn’t. It will not be good to kill him. We have rules as you do. Relish the thought that soon, she will release him from her

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line.” Grayson’s calming voice soothed Braxton’s wolf. The hair retracted, and his scent eased back to pine. “Soon, she will need him to fight. After that she can be free of him.” I turned to a seething Etienne. “If I were you, I’d go back to whatever hellhole you crawled out of.” I strode past Grayson, cutting a glare at him on my way out of the room. “You may stay in the bedroom at the end of the hall, but only because you are my sire. If you so much as try and talk to me the rest of the night, I’ll cut your balls off.” Grayson laughed but thankfully didn’t test me. I marched into my room and snatched my phone from my pants to call Cam. She didn’t answer so I hung up and dialed Isaiah’s phone number. “Yes, what do you want?” The rude voice surprised me. It hadn’t even been ten minutes, yet Takia already made it back to New Orleans. “What the hell were you doing outside my house? And you’d better hope Grayson crashing into my car didn’t have anything to do with you, or I swear that sunrise I promised you will be yours before you know it.” She didn’t answer right away. Even through the phone her tension spoke to me. She was anxious, betrayed, and worried. I could almost smell her fear, and this time, it wasn’t from my threat. No, she was actually considering my threat a good thing. “Takia, what’s going on? What are you scared of?” I toyed with the locket around my neck. “It’s not what you think. I didn’t do anything to make that man fly into your car. I came out there because I wanted to talk to you. I’ve discovered something I think you need to know about. I just…” She stopped, and breath wheezed through the phone. Whatever was going on had to be big. “Spit it out.” Too bad for her, but I’d lost all my patience ten

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minutes ago when my car was destroyed. “First, I need to know if I come back to your house, you’ll let me stay under your line. Can that be done?” I wasn’t sure, so instead of answering her directly, I sent a mental message for Grayson to come to my room. I’d never heard of a sire letting one of his children go to another line. “Where’s Isaiah? If he finds out you want to stay under me instead of him, he’ll be pissed.” Isaiah had big plans for Takia. He’d found her in one of Africa’s worst war-ridden spots in the early seventies. She’d overcome rape, beatings, and disease. Even if she tended to be a pain in the ass that hardly showed any respect, she was one of the strongest-willed vampires I knew. If Takia were a female werewolf, she would be dominant enough to be a threat to me. Knowing that, I figured it was better to keep her controlled and on my side, so I’d play nice with her. “The others aren’t here. If I come back to your house, do I have your word?” I hesitated, wishing Grayson would hurry up. But since he didn’t and she was scared, which was very uncharacteristic of Takia, I made my choice. “Takia, I can’t promise I can keep you under my line, but I will protect you from whatever or whoever has you frightened. Get your belongings and get here before sunrise. I’ll have a room ready.” I hung up before she could say anything else. Takia wasn’t one of my favorite vamps, but she did have great potential if led by the right person. Braxton grinned from the doorway. Vampire business fascinated him for some reason. “What?” I snapped, still annoyed with him for laughing at my loss. “You, protecting your own. It’s intriguing. You sounded so assertive and bossy.” His grin blossomed into a brilliant smile as he pushed away from the door and headed my way. “Very impressive.”

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A mischievous glint settled in his eyes. I waved his compliment off. “Yeah, yeah. I learned from the best.” “Well, what can I say? I am the best.” He waggled his eyebrows. “I wasn’t talking about you, jerk. I meant Grayson.” Braxton narrowed his eyes and growled deep and low in his throat, sending shivers across my skin. He looked ready to retaliate, to remind me who was the Alpha, but Grayson sauntered into the room. He gave Braxton a triumphant look. “I did teach her everything she knows, so I’ll take your words as a compliment. I am a wonderful sire.” Braxton snorted and turned away, but not before we heard him mumbling under his breath. “Not everything.” I had to admit there were things Braxton had taught me that no one else could top. I smiled as he headed off to the bathroom still mumbling. “I think you hurt his feelings.” Grayson laughed. “I’ll make it up to him later.” I cast a wishful look toward the bathroom, desperately wanting to go and make it up to him now. Grayson smiled brightly. “No doubt doing things he taught you.” His lips quirked upward. “What is so important that you’ve forgiven me enough not to rip off my balls?” He truly believed he was charming. Some of us think he’s just an ass. “Gray, I haven’t forgiven you for anything.” I sighed, trying to remember why I needed him. Sometimes I let my anger distract me. “If there is a vampire who once belonged to my line, but I cut that vamp’s sire from my line, can she still be under me?” Grayson studied me for a moment. A prickling sensation caressed my mind, and I blocked him. “Don’t do that. I hate it. Just answer me.” Irritation flared within me. “Actually, she would need her sire’s permission to stay under your line. I’m assuming she won’t have it. She must know something

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detrimental to come to you.” I shrugged my shoulders as we started down the hall. “I don’t know what’s going on. This is one of Isaiah’s prized children. We’ve never gotten along, but she’s so frightened I can’t turn her away. I told her I’d protect her from whatever I could.” Grayson stopped. He stared at me for a moment and shook his head. “You should have never turned Isaiah. Sometimes, I hear things about him, and I deeply regret his making.” I had been thinking the same thing for years. “I cut him from my line last night.” I shrugged as we went inside the last guest room. “I think you should ask the Tribunal for his termination. You have the right, as his sire. The Ancient Ones have heard of his dealings and are prepared to back you.” I stopped, stunned. The Tribunal would back me if I needed to terminate Isaiah. Wow. Never in my life had I ever thought that sentence would come up. Isaiah had done some terrible things before, but no worse than any of the Tribunal had. How could I make that decision? It was tempting. He was going to be bad news for me and already was for Cam. Cam would be super pissed. I stared at Grayson a minute longer, but he turned and went to his room as I turned back to mine. Braxton stretched out on the bed, pouting. “Stop sulking. I was messing with you earlier.” I smiled over at him. “You’ve taught me more than Grayson ever has.” He smiled warily. “What’s going on, darlin’?” I flopped down on my chaise lounge. “Takia’s coming and wants to stay under my line. She claims she has some important information I need. She won’t tell me unless I protect her.” I sighed. “My car is gone. Someone was in my swamp chanting, and Etienne is still here. Now Cam has gone AWOL.” Braxton attempted a laugh, but it didn’t help. “Darlin’, I’ll get you a car that looks just like your old one, only this one will be my

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reunion present.” “Over the past five years, I kept it because it was from you. So many times, I thought about torching it and shipping it back to you, but I just couldn’t, and now it’s ruined.” “How about I buy you one of the new Camaros that just came out.” I stared at him for a minute, wondering how he knew I wanted one badly. Just thinking about those classic lines, shiny metal, smooth leather seats, and roaring engine made me smile in near ecstasy. “Darlin’, I know you.” He got up and strutted to me. His lips met mine in an easy, no-rush kiss. With the tragedy of my car settled for the moment, I figured it was time to discuss what we’d heard out in the woods. “Brax, did you see who that was out in the woods?” His expression turned grim as he nodded. “I’m afraid we have someone lurking out there doing voodoo. I didn’t recognize the woman. Maybe it had nothing to do with us, but I’d still like to go around the neighbors tomorrow and see if I can find her.” “What did she look like?” “She had long, straight, brown hair, medium build, nothing distinguishing. But if I saw her again, I’d recognize her.” He carried stress lines across his forehead. Damn. “It’s okay— we’ll worry about it later. Right now, let’s relax until Takia gets here. Then we can find out what she has to say.” He nodded and lay back on the bed. I moved to lie down beside him, curling my body against his. He felt so warm, and strong. Braxton had always made me feel safe, but right now, I didn’t know whether to release myself into the security he offered, or stay on edge. Things were happening around us that didn’t make sense, and it made me uneasy. I was getting worried about Cam. And now Takia wanted my protection. Etienne was trying Braxton’s patience, and I knew before long the situation would burst open. When it did, it’d be a bloodbath around here. Not to mention, the crap with the pack. I

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was already exhausted thinking about all the little events, which had turned my life upside down. In my experience, random, unrelated events tended to end in one big bang.

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Chapter Nine Unease wrapped around me. Blinking, I sighed. I hadn’t meant to sleep but dozed off sometime around four that morning. I didn’t know if Takia had made it or not, but she was the least of my concerns. I had bigger fish to fry today. I needed to find out if I was going to get to keep the house or not. I turned to Braxton’s side of the bed. No Braxton. I ran my hand across the spot where his scent was the strongest, but the bed had turned cold. The unease wrapping around me tightened to suffocating. Something was up. I hurried to get dressed. Once downstairs in the kitchen, I found Braxton and Thomas watching a video on Thomas’s laptop. Braxton sighed and shut the door before I could even get the juice out. “Darlin’, I’m gonna have to go to Atlanta for a few days to try and settle this. I’ll find out what Eric has done. According to the video the Council sent, he’s got a valid claim that I’ve weakened over the years.” Anger soared through me. “What the hell does that mean?” “It means that when you left and I didn’t demand my mate back by my side, it showed weakness on my part.” He kissed my forehead. “Well that’s shit. No one who knows me would ever demand I do something. The Council knows that, too.” “That’s the problem, darlin’. They think you’re growing too dominant for them. They’re scared and believe if I can’t control you, no one will and you could harm the community.” “But…” I glanced at Thomas, who gazed out the kitchen window. “You can control me. They should realize that by now. You’re the

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only person besides Grayson who can.” “I’ve still gotta go see the members to try and find out how serious this is going to get. Eric is being manipulated, but by whom I don’t know yet.” I started to protest since I needed him here, but he put a finger on my mouth to stop me. “You can handle things here for a few days without me, not that I want you to have to, but it can’t be helped.” Even as I sulked, I knew he was right. Of course, I could handle things here. It wasn’t what I wanted to be doing since we’d just reunited. I nipped his finger, drawing his blood into my mouth. His eyes rolled back from the pleasure of the pull, and he pressed against me, grinding into my middle. Heat flared within my womb, as his rich blood cascaded across my taste buds. The scent of cinnamon, his desire, flooded around us. For one short moment we forgot about everything else going on. He pushed me back against the refrigerator, his cock pulsing against my stomach. I pulled harder on the small cut I’d made. I licked the wound then pushed his hand away and pressed my lips against his. He moaned into my mouth, our tongues tasting and exploring each other. I dropped my hand to the front of his jeans, stroking him. Thomas stood up. “Enough! There are some things even lawyers won’t take part in. Watching the two of you screw against the refrigerator is one.” Braxton growled a deep warning. Reluctantly, I broke the contact. We had things to do besides what we were currently trying to do. “All right, go fix the mess. I’ll be fine.” I kissed his cheek and stepped past him to settle back on my stool, wishing I could run upstairs and change my soaked panties. Braxton could make me wet with just a look. That had been much more than a look, and by the way my heart slammed against my chest I was pretty sure it’d be finished later, too. Thomas’s tone so put out and disapproving made my blood began

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to boil. Batty could smell his O positive blood pumping through his veins. She called out, begging me to unleash her. I stared at his neck where his pulse pumped blood through his vein, calling to me. Batty rose as I inched closer to him, breathing in the smell of the fresh, warm blood inside him. Braxton’s hands wrapped around my wrist to tug me back. Batty hissed, but I managed to push her down. “We gotta work on that before the Council calls her,” Braxton informed Thomas as I tried to gain control over myself. “I’ll get started with Grayson tonight. He said he had a few things to tell me first, though.” Braxton squeezed my hand, and I smiled up at him. I had to get control over myself or else I’d end up getting him into a great deal of trouble. I couldn’t and wouldn’t accept that. “Sorry, Thomas. You just smell really good.” I grinned a fangy smile, knowing I made him uncomfortable. “Tell us about the house and if I’m moving back to Atlanta for good this time.” Braxton had once offered to move the pack’s headquarters to this area, like it had been when my father was Alpha, but I’d refused. I didn’t want every werewolf in the southeast coming to the house. In Atlanta, we had a large amount of wooded acres for hunts and several houses for guest. Here, it was either the house or the garçonnière and only sugarcane fields or swamps to hunt in. Thomas cleared his throat. “Mr. Bordeaux’s lawyer was right about the fidelity clause. I read the papers on the dowry and terms of the marriage, and they were almost word for word what he told you. If Etienne didn’t cease his affair with you, the dowry was forfeit, and therefore, the plantation would go to your Camilla Laveau. All slaves except you were to stay with the house. You were to be freed and set up in New Orleans care of Mr. Doucet. But all that is moot because Camilla had no rights as a slave, so the will never went through. The house stayed part of the Bordeaux estate. All sales of property from that time have been void.”

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He stopped for a minute and picked up a small key. “This is the key to a safe your father owns in a bank in New Orleans. I haven’t opened it, and according to records, no one has opened it since the day your father sealed it, which was a short time before his disappearance. The safety deposit box which held all the information about the clause was also in New Orleans. I don’t know for sure how Mr. Bordeaux got his hands on the contract. According to your father’s old attorney, they’d sealed everything. Etienne’s lawyer informed me the bank manager contacted them about the box, but I don’t buy it.” “So the money I paid for this place is just gone? The dowry my father paid gone, too?” “No, Mr. Bordeaux’s lawyers have agreed it’s in the best interest of wrapping this all up quickly to pay back everything. Now here’s the key to the safe.” I stared at the key he held up. I couldn’t fathom what would be in a safe or why my father had left me the only key. I reached for it as Elizabeth came striding into the house. We really needed to start locking the doors around here. “Well, isn’t that sweet. I couldn’t help but overhear.” I bet she couldn’t help but overhear. I gritted my teeth, not wanting to make Thomas think I couldn’t control myself. “Your dear father left you not only his plantation, but now a safe. He must have really felt bad for casting you off as a slave. How thoughtful he finally felt remorse.” She cocked her head sideways. “I wonder, though, what did he leave your sister? You know it seems a little unfair you got the plantation and now this, especially since you were whoring yourself out to her husband.” I growled and showed fang, but pushed both Wolfy and Batty down. I knew she was trying to provoke me. “The bitch didn’t get a damn thing,” I told her with no hint of remorse. She stared at me as if I’d grown a second head.

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I rolled my eyes. “Don’t kid yourself about her. She was a manipulative bitch, who started trouble wherever she went and hated Etienne. She wanted the status of being married to him, nothing more.” Elizabeth’s face turned red as her lip turned up in a snarl. “Justify it however you want, but you were a worthless whore and still are.” Braxton stepped to my side, growling at her, and put his hand on my shoulder. My beasts stirred again, but I held them back. “Maybe I was the whore you think. Just remember this, Etienne was mine first. That was true with Melanie, and it’s true with you. If I wanted him, make no mistake, he’d leave your sorry ass in half a heartbeat. Don’t forget it. And as you lie down tonight, know the man you tried to take away from me will be fucking me, not you, and the man you married will be thinking of me when he’s thrusting into you.” Braxton gathered me in his arms and smiled over at Elizabeth. “No, not fucking her, making love to the only woman I’ve ever loved and will ever love.” He kissed me gently to let Elizabeth see the emotions he had for me and only me. When the kiss ended, she was gone. Thomas was getting a Coke from the fridge. “Well, you didn’t try to drain her. I guess that’s a start.” He smiled over at us, and we all laughed. “I guess. But can we finish this up about the house before someone else decides to waltz in.” Two hours later, Braxton and I were pulling into the bank where my father had left me “something.” I didn’t want to face it alone, so I’d asked Braxton to come along before he flew back to Atlanta. Thomas had given me papers to look over concerning the house and the deal Etienne’s lawyer had proposed. Something was off about Etienne’s offer. He only wanted the house and ten percent of the acreage, which ended up leaving my estate almost eleven thousand acres. I wanted to keep that land for the

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sugar mill. Part of me was pleased, if not concerned. He was also giving me the money back from my purchase, along with the dowry money. All in all, a good deal. I just needed a few days to think it over since Elizabeth would get the house. Cam also had a say in my final decision because I’d given her part of the house, but she still hadn’t shown back up at the house. Braxton and I walked into the bank, and every woman there darted a glance at him. The marble floors of the hundred-year-old bank gleamed bright, almost as bright as the female smiles when Braxton walked by. I knew he could sense the desire he pulled from a room, but he made no show of it. While all the females in the room stared at Braxton, I searched for the bank manager. Once found, he took my name, license, and faked birth certificate, which stated I was a descendant of Josephine Doucet. The manager led us to a large room with safety deposit boxes lining one wall and safes of all sizes along the other. The manager nodded toward one of the larger safes. “This is it.” He pointed at a large black safe. “I’ll stay and make sure it opens and then leave you to it.” I nodded, accepting his lame excuse for being nosy. The lock turned and the door opened with no hesitation. The interior smelled musty and stale from being locked up. I took a moment to pray that whatever Jean Pierre had put inside wasn’t perishable. Relief washed over me when I glanced inside the safe. Several large paintings and lots of smaller boxes filled the interior. Braxton held one large painting up. He looked around to make sure the manager was gone. “This is the painting I saw when I met your father. It must have been painted right before he remarried.” I reached out and brushed the surface with my finger. The antique painting was of a beautiful bébé, dressed in a christening gown and lying on a blanket, looking happy and content. The bottom was signed, and the year scribbled on it was the year I’d been born. It was

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me as an innocent bébé. All the times I’d been to his plantation to help, I’d never seen it. A sudden longing threatened to close my throat, and tears burned in my eyes. I hadn’t thought my father had ever cared a damn bit about me. “Why would he have it painted?” I choked back my emotions. “Darlin’, no matter what happened, he was your father and loved you,” Braxton said gently. I shook my head in denial but didn’t comment. I’d heard from the other slaves that my father had men keeping an eye on me, but never once had I believed it until the day he disappeared in 1862. My father had shocked not only me, but his wife and my half sister, when he’d left every possession he owned to me. I looked at the other painting. It was of my mother in her wedding dress. God, she was beyond beautiful. I skimmed the edges with my fingertips. My eyes filled with tears. I leaned back, still touching her face in the painting, and smiled at Braxton. “She really was beautiful, wasn’t she?” I stared. “It’s no wonder both my father and Grayson loved her.” Braxton sat down beside me. “My sweet Josephine, you look just like her. You must have stopped aging around the same age she was in this painting. I see now where you get that look you give me. She has it in this picture.” I laughed. He was right. She was smiling in the painting, but her eyes gave a haughty stare. Like she was looking at her lover and beckoning him to her with her eyes alone. “Monsieur, I have no idea what you’re talking about.” “Of course not.” He winked at me. “What’s in these boxes?” He reached in and pulled out two wooden boxes. He opened one and we both stared for a moment. Inside it laid several thousands of dollars worth of jewelry. There were diamond necklaces, pearl necklaces, and everything in between. “Your mother’s?” I turned to him and raised an eyebrow. Surely he knew I had no

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idea. “I don’t know. I never met her, and my father only spoke to me when he wanted something served.” Bitterness threatened to take over. Braxton opened another box and this one was lined in silk. Inside were several baby items and one gorgeous, ornate christening gown. I glanced at the baby items, seeing a small sterling silver brush, baby locket, and a baby blanket that had my initials hand-stitched on it. I ran a hand across the soft fabric. Silky texture slipped across my palm. I wondered who’d had this blanket made for me. Had it been my mother while she was running around sleeping with Grayson behind my father’s back, or had it been my father before he abandoned me? I shook my head, clearing those thoughts, and looked up to see that Braxton stared at the christening gown. There was deep longing in his eyes. We’d never really talked about it before, but after seeing his face now, I knew it was time for that particular discussion. The last wooden box was heavy as I lifted it from the bottom of the safe. When I took the lid off, I saw dozens of old journals, drawing tablets, and one envelope. It was addressed, My darling daughter, Josephine Francesca Doucet. My eyes filled with tears as my hand held the envelope. I stared at it for a second before the rage inside me built. “He gave me away and never once acted as if he gave a damn. Why now? Why not when I was five and being beaten for running through the garden, or why not when I was ten and almost died of fever before my wolf genes kicked in because the doctors wouldn’t help the ‘unworthy’ slaves. Better yet, why not when I was sixteen and Dominique Bordeaux started trying to sneak into my room at night?” I slammed my fist down on the ground, busting the tile. “Why?” Braxton eased the crumbled envelope out of my hand and held me against him. “Josephine, I have no idea why your father did those things, but there must have been a very good reason.”

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I rested my head on his shoulder. “Hell of a way to show it.” We turned and left the bank. On the way home, I picked up one of the journals from the safe dated 1862. The Civil War had started and the Union soldiers were not yet in our territory. The War was still being claimed as a victory around these parts. My father and other prominent Southern men had been working tirelessly with the Confederate States leaders to help with the war effort. I’d been moved from being a house slave to being the servant in the garçonnière, and I was also deeply in love. I flipped to the beginning of the book and began to read. January 10, 1862 Today the Bordeauxes are coming over for dinner, and for the first time in months, I’ll be able to see my daughter. I can barely stand the wait. It’s been too long since I’ve seen my darling. Sometimes, the pain of losing her mother is blinding, but I remember our child is still alive, and I force myself to go on. Josephine has grown into a young, beautiful woman who looks just like my dear departed wife. Every time I think of Josephine, I swell with pride. John has reported that Etienne has shown interest in her, and there are rumors they’ve been together. I’ve heard these for years, but have not had them confirmed as of yet. I am hoping he is man enough to pass the temptation of such a beautiful young woman. Etienne is not the man for my daughter, and no matter what he can offer her, it will never be good enough. The years have passed since the time when she should have experienced her first change. I’ve been expecting news of it, but so far my wolves have not heard anything. If she’s changed, someone outside of my pack has helped her. Several years ago there was a strange wolf that stopped by here, and I’m beginning to think he was in the area because of her. Marie Laveau has many friends in our world and her daughter is close to Josephine. Josephine will be the most dominant female of our species, no doubt. I’ve heard she has my pride, wits, and sharp tongue. On more

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than one occasion, I’ve listened to her and her friend, Camilla, tease each other. I must admit, it is a wonder she has not been sent back here if she talks to Dominique in that manner. I closed my eyes. Braxton placed one strong hand on mine, bringing it to his full lips to place a tender kiss on my palm. I smiled over at him with my eyes closed and let the emotions pass. Clearheaded again, I flipped the page and read the next entry, wondering why my father had given me away if he had truly loved me. January 10, 1862 Dominique Bordeaux will rot in hell for what he has done! Tonight, he bragged that his son had moved into the garçonnière, as well as my daughter. The man has no shame. He knew I wished my daughter be sent to Atlanta for schooling at my expense, but instead he has moved her to the garçonnière to be used as a putain! She is not a whore! My years away in Montgomery, Atlanta, and Richmond have given much freedom to him. He needed to be checked, and yet I failed in that manner. I’ve been so eaten up with regret, worry over the war, and fear for my daughter that it has clouded my judgment these past years. Dominique will be dead within the week if he does not move my daughter out of that house and to Atlanta. I have told John he is to rip his head off and bring it back to me, but John proposed an accord to be struck. I have been considering it over the past few hours and believe it may be the best option for my daughter and her future. Tomorrow, I will propose Etienne marry Melanie, therefore gaining a huge dowry—well over the amount she’s worth. This will keep his father’s debt collectors from getting the plantation and keep him away from my daughter. Josephine is my heir, my one and only heir worth a damn. I will not have her throw her life away on a human, especially one so easily tempted as Etienne Bordeaux. The war is upon us, and I will not be able to stay here long. I must

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head to New Orleans. I know the coming war will bring my end. Therefore, I must take actions to ensure Josephine inherits my Estate as well as my place in the Were world. I fear Melanie and her mother will try to stop me. I shut the book and remembered the day Etienne had told me about his engagement. I’d been furious with him, his father, my father, and everyone else in this world. I’d left, ran away from him and the life he was starting without me. I got a few miles away before he found me. That day he promised if I’d wait until his father’s debts were paid off, we’d move, leave everything behind us, and start a life together. He even gave me an engagement ring. I’d been young, dumb, and in love, so I’d agreed to go back and wait for him. The sun was getting ready to set as Braxton and I pulled into the driveway. I sighed in exasperation. Soon Grayson and Etienne would be awake. I hoped Cam would be back from wherever she’d been and Takia had made it here safe. There were so many questions I had for both women. Elizabeth was more than likely stalking around the property somewhere, and I had no desire to see her again. I dreaded the evening. So much so, instead of heading toward the house, I tugged on Braxton’s hand and guided him toward the levee. We walked in silence until we got to the bottom, both lost in our own thoughts. He sat down on the bank of the river, and I sat in front of him and leaned back against his hard, warm, muscled chest. I wished he didn’t have to leave in the morning. Right now I wanted nothing more than to have him with me. We’d been apart far too long. His lips brushed my neck, which sent goose bumps across my skin. His lips formed a smile against my neck. The smile was contagious, and my own spread across my lips. We stared out across the river, watching the barges, boats, and people. “I guess it is pretty in an industrial sort of way,” he said teasingly. “That it is, I suppose. I try to remember the days before the industrial boom here. It was nice back then, with the riverboats and

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small rafts that floated along the river. I sit out here at night sometimes watching the barges now, wondering where they’ve been and who’s on them, just as I did when I was sixteen.” I leaned into him as his arms circled me. “Are you going to tell me what was in the journal you read, or is it something you want to keep private?” His voice was barely above a whisper. His scent smelled relaxed, but his body held a stiffness that hinted at tension. “I only read two pages. The journal I was reading on the way home was written when I was around twenty. My father had been away, getting ready for the war. He hadn’t known Etienne and I had started sleeping together when I was sixteen. He‘d thought it was just a rumor. He didn’t think Etienne was good enough for me. That’s why he’d proposed a marriage between Melanie and Etienne. He saw it as a way to get Etienne to stop any relationship he had with me.” I sighed. “It was weird. He didn’t show any feelings of love for Melanie at all. He mentioned her in the two pages I read and only indicated resentment toward her. He didn’t want her or her mother to get his estate. It’s odd. How could he have felt only resentment towards her? No wonder she was such a bitch.” Braxton turned me and kissed me gently. His eyes shined with love, and his soft mouth offered comfort. I stroked his cheek with my palm. “You know, he described the mate he wanted me to have. I wonder if he’d met you then or not. He described everything you are.” I pressed my head to his shoulder and stopped holding back the tears I’d held in. All the years with me thinking my father hated me only to find out he hadn’t was something I hadn’t expected or even let myself hope for. It made no sense that he’d given me up and then had a child with his new wife. “Brax, do you want children now? I mean, today while you were looking at the christening gown, you seemed so distracted by it.” I

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leaned back to look at his face and he grinned at me. “Yeah, I do. Maybe. Not right now, but I think it’s time we really talk about having some.” He stared at me, waiting for my answer. My heart raced with excitement, fear, and wanting. “Monsieur, when we go on vacation, we’ll start trying, okay?” I kissed him passionately, and he smiled against my lips. “Or, we could start now,” he said huskily. I laughed and looked around for people watching. Unfortunately there were several out on the levee with a perfect view of us. “We don’t want to shock the kids down the river. How about later, after we talk to Cam, Takia, and Gray? I’ll send you off with a big bang.” I winked at him, and he laughed wholeheartedly. Yes, he was everything and lots, lots more.

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Chapter Ten Angry energy thrummed against us the instant we walked into the house. The scent of wildflowers and oak told me Takia and Grayson were the only ones present. They sat on stools in the kitchen. I glanced at Grayson in question. He smiled and nodded at Takia. She had her head lowered and stared at the granite countertop. What the hell was going on now? “I know that’s a gorgeous countertop, but it’s not that interesting.” She looked up and gave me a watery smile. I studied her for a second. Her odd lavender eyes held sadness, and her body was tense. “Okay, Takia. Spill, what the hell is happening?” She shook her head. “No, not yet. There are people here who will not be happy with what I have to say. I need to make sure I have your protection.” I opened my mind to hers to see how serious she was. Grayson cleared his throat to get my attention. He stared at her with kind eyes. “We need her information, so leave this to me.” I rolled my eyes at his confidence, but knew if he was that confident he wouldn’t have sent that message via head-game. “Takia, no matter what you have to say, if you wish to stay under Josephine’s line you will be allowed. I am her sire and give my word on it.” He grinned warmly at the young vampire. He was hitting on her, the pig. “If she doesn’t want you, I will take you.” He really was a pig. He wanted to sleep with her. I could smell the lust rolling off of him. “Give me a break. I never said I didn’t want her. She is mine.” I rolled my eyes at his innocent expression.

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Takia’s expression brightened before she launched off the stool to bow in front of me. “I swear to you, I will obey you. You have my loyalty. I offer my blood freely to show my allegiance.” She stepped closer, tilting her head to the side, exposing her neck. I winked at Grayson, who huffed in response. I picked up her wrist. Her eyebrows rose in question but didn’t object. I put her wrist to my mouth, and the burn of my gums as my fangs slid down woke up Batty. She licked her lips at being let loose and took over. The look on Takia’s face as I sank my razor-sharp fangs into her wrist was nothing short of pure ecstasy. I’d been told on more than one occasion my bite and pull was the closest thing to sex they’d felt. I sucked hard on her vein. Her eyes rolled back, and she sagged against me. Her blood rushed into my mouth, setting my taste buds on fire. She hadn’t been sampling the local crackheads like the rest of her nest had been. She had been feeding from healthy, clean individuals. There was nothing synthetic in her blood, and it was as pure as they come. Batty gulped the strong blood, and Takia offered more. But when Takia’s body began to stiffen in pleasure, I pulled away and licked the two small holes to seal them before she embarrassed herself. She didn’t seem to be the type to have an orgasm in front of people she barely knew. She eased back on her stool, eyes still closed and smiling. Braxton’s scent held a bite of sulfur. He wasn’t happy about me taking blood from someone else, but he’d accept it as a formality. He hated it whenever he saw someone other than himself having that reaction to my bite. I strode across the room to him, letting Takia and Grayson know I was his. Submission caused his wolf to calm down. He was my Alpha, no matter how much of a badass vampire I was. He nipped my ear, causing me to jump a little, surprised. I looked up and he was smiling. Wolfy had sent him my last thoughts,

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and he was reminding me that, yes, no matter what, he was my Alpha. Ass. Grayson laughed at our little exchange and leaned toward Takia. “If you think her bite is exciting, you really should feel mine.” He sounded sexy as hell with his tone deep and rich. Takia jerked back from him, but not before I saw and smelled the desire his statement had stirred in her. Grayson also noticed and winked at her as he sat back on his stool. “Gray, leave her alone. Now which one of you wants to go first? My mate has to go to Atlanta in the morning, and I’d like to spend the majority of the night giving him a proper send-off.” Grayson smothered a grin, and Takia blushed. She couldn’t be that innocent. After all, she’d been one of Isaiah’s for years. “Yes, y’all, please hurry. I’d like to get started on my proper sendoff.” Braxton sucked my earlobe into his mouth with his lips and scraped his teeth across the sensitive flesh. “I’ll go first since I have a feeling my news is less dramatic than my lovely Takia’s.” The way words rolled out of Grayson’s mouth was enough to melt the ice in the tea I was drinking. The man knew how to sound sexy. It was one of the strangest feelings to be even remotely sexually attracted to someone you knew had slept with your mother. It was gross beyond comprehension. Thank the lord I’d never fallen prey to his charms. “I became concerned when I realized there was someone asking my children how my wife died. No one except me, her, and the murdering son of a bitch who helped her kill herself know how she did it.” He shrugged his shoulders. “But I got my revenge on the man who helped her.” His tone was lethal. “Someone has been asking very specific questions. I read my children’s thoughts. Whoever this is wants to know how my wife was killed, how long it took, and if it would work on another half vampire, half werewolf.” He turned toward me. “You, my dear one, are the only other half

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and half known. It would be wise to believe the person seeking the answers is after you.” He looked so serious I didn’t make a smart-ass comment like I usually would have. Braxton growled deep and low. “Do you know who this person is? Did your children give you a description?” Braxton wrapped a protective arm around me, shaking with rage. “No, whoever the culprit is knew I could read my children’s minds and stayed covered up or out of their line of sight. I sensed it was a female from the manner of questions. They weren’t crude or degrading like a male’s would have been. A few received the questions through e-mail. So far I’ve found ten of my line who have been asked.” Great. Not only did I have Etienne and Elizabeth to worry about, the loss of my house, Cam missing, and a witch doing voodoo in my swamp, but now someone was out there searching for a way to kill me. I sighed. “Well, I guess keep a lookout in your line. Make sure if any of them actually see whoever it is, they instantly inform you.” He smiled. “I already informed them of that, or didn’t you get the message?” I lowered my head, embarrassed. I’d been blocking him for years now. He wanted me to ask for my own line, one separate from his, but I just didn’t want to. I was happy being a Master under him. If I struck out on my own, I’d be pulled further into the vampire politics. Already I was way too involved in werewolf politics. But since I was strong enough to block from an Ancient like Grayson, it was my time, whether I liked it or not. This time I wasn’t blocking and he heard my thoughts. He clapped his hands together in triumph. “I’ll inform all the Ancients you are no longer under me. You will have your own line which answers only to you. The Ancients will be pleased. You will be presented to the Tribunal and become a Head Master. That gives you great power.”

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I sighed at the thought of the extra responsibility, still a little excited. My powers would grow, and I’d be allowed more freedom over my line. Instead of being one of Grayson’s Masters, I’d have a permanent line of my own. It would benefit my children, allowing them more powers as well. Grayson was talking again, and I had to pull myself away from daydream road. “Now as for your request for me to teach you how to control your anger, I can’t.” I stared blankly at him, wondering if he was kidding or not. “My dear one, you already have the power to control the rage. You simply don’t use it.” He shook his head. Braxton smiled and nodded. I glanced back and forth at them. “What?” “If you didn’t have the power to control it, you wouldn’t have been able to stop from killing Elizabeth.” Braxton’s Almighty Alpha tone had me bristling. “That didn’t have anything to do with my power to control anything. I just knew if I killed her, it would get you into hot water. That’s what made me stop.” Grayson smiled and patted my shoulder. “Oh, my dear one, in some ways you still have so much to learn.” He poured himself a glass of tea. “You see, your love of Braxton and concern for him made you stop. That is how you controlled your rage. That’s part of your power.” He smiled. “Maybe you didn’t call on it as soon as you needed, but it did work.” I sat down on his empty stool and stared at him. “So basically, if I just think about Braxton, my rage can be controlled?” “Basically. But if I were you, I’d try to channel it before you were pushed too far. When you start to feel the beasts rising is when you should start. At the meeting with his Council members, they will no doubt try and push you. You need to stay focused on what will happen to him if you don’t control your beasts.” Easier said than done. “I guess that makes some sense. I’ll need to practice before then.”

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“Not with me. Maybe my lovely Takia is brave enough to help. I’d rather not have to regenerate my balls again. It hurt like hell last time I tried to help you.” I grimaced, remembering the damage I’d done to him. I turned to Takia, and she nodded her head. “Yes, Master. Anything you’ll have me do, I’ll be honored,” she said sincerely. “Ease up, T. No need to call me Master, just Josephine or Josie.” She started to object, but one look silenced her. “All right, T, it’s your turn. Spill the beans about why you left Isaiah’s line and why you need my protection.” Her chest swelled with a deep, calming breath she had no need for. “There are many reasons why I wanted away from him and just as many reasons I need your protection.” She stopped, and the aroma of fear filled the air, the bitter smell of it held a lemony scent. “Just start at the beginning and we’ll work through it.” “You know Isaiah has been hunting in some bad neighborhoods, but what you don’t know is he has been draining the poisoned blood donors and selling their blood.” I groaned. There was a high demand with vampires for blood laced with drugs. It was against the Tribunal’s laws, but some vamps still tried to get the blood. Takia was still talking, so I tuned back in. “I’ve never enjoyed putting poison in my body, so I am appalled by his behavior. I found out a few nights ago he plans to start a harvesting program. He will bring these unworthy maggots to a safe place, feed them, shelter them, and harvest their drugged blood to be sold.” I looked over at Grayson, his jaw clenched. Yeah, Isaiah was in big trouble. There were strict rules about selling blood and how to harvest it. Mostly we used sheep, willing humans under a vampire’s protection, to satisfy our bloodlust, but some vampires find buying blood already drained and bagged more convenient. That’s why we had a couple of companies with willing donors who use a needle to

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draw blood. Not only does the donor have to be willing, they have to be free of disease, drugs, and alcohol. The seventies taught us what too much drug blood could do to a vampire’s system. Too many had been too high to care about exposure and went into dangerous killing sprees. It was a huge mess. The Ancients weren’t willing to go through it again. Drug blood was forbidden, and knowingly selling blood laced with drugs was punishable by death. It was going to be difficult to explain how one of my line had done something like this without my knowledge. “How long has he been harvesting?” I massaged my forehead. “About a month. He’s been experimenting for awhile, though. He’d find someone with cocaine in their system, taste them, and compare the high to another blood with a different drug. He’s used all of us to test them—even Camilla.” I looked up at her, stunned. “What?” “It’s true. Camilla has been doing it almost every night for the last month. I’m afraid he’s gotten her addicted. She was out hunting with him when I left.” Merde! That explained the far-off looks and her bitchier-thanusual attitude. And that freakin’ box outside her room the other night. Damn, she’d brought that shit in my house. “Okay. Enough sharing for one night. Grayson, please do me a favor and make sure Takia is taken care of. I’m going upstairs. I need to think about what I’m going to do.” I started to turn, but Grayson grabbed my arm. “The sooner you contact the Tribunal, the better outcome you will have. If you wait much longer, they won’t believe you had nothing to do with this disgrace.” I knew that, I just didn’t know what the hell to do about it with Cam not here. “I know, but tonight I need to get Cam back here and away from Isaiah so I can see how far gone she is.” I shook my head in disgust. “I don’t want to give her up to the Tribunal.” “Takia, I appreciate your honesty, and I’ll do everything I can to

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protect you. If the Tribunal doesn’t believe me when I tell them I had no involvement or knowledge about this, they will take all of my line after they’ve punished me.” Braxton stepped up beside me. Lemon and sulfur surrounded his pine scent. “How will they punish you?” Grayson’s head lowered, and I gave a weak smile to Braxton. “They’ll more than likely drain me, starve me, and torture me until they find a way to kill me.” Braxton’s eyes turned from green to yellow as the energy cracked around, his anger triggering his shift. “It’s okay, Braxton. I’ll convince them. They have a few mind readers who are strong enough to read me. They’ll know.” I caressed his forearm, trying to calm him. Grayson cleared his throat. “You’re too strong. I can barely read you now. They’ll think you’re blocking something. You must fix this problem before you’re called to the Tribunal. I’ll contact the Ancients tonight, inform them of your new independence, and tell them we will be hunting Isaiah with the intent of termination.” I had no other choice, not that Isaiah didn’t deserve it. I just didn’t want to do it. “Okay. I’ll have to get Cam far away from him, though, and I doubt she’ll ever forgive me for what I’m gonna do.” My throat began to tighten at the thought of having Cam as an enemy. Once upstairs, I lay down on the bed and stared at the ceiling. Braxton went to the car to get the rest of my father’s things. The smell of sugarcane drifted across the room to me, and a lazy tingle of awareness told me Etienne was coming up the hidden passageway to my room. I looked over at the hidden door then shut my eyes, hoping he’d go away. Of course he didn’t. Instead he eased toward the bed. “Ma chère, so many nights have I remembered the way you look stretched out in our bed. I’ll never forget the way your body moves,” he said huskily. I sat up, rolled my eyes, and looked over at him. “What do you want, Etienne?”

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He smiled, causing my heart to beat faster. An instant later he knelt in front of me. “I want to be able to bury my cock into the woman I love. I want to taste the delicious flavor of her pussy, and hear her screaming in ecstasy from me, not some fucking dog. I want to taste you in all ways and have you taste me. I want that bastard out of your life and only me touching you.” His eyes glowed crimson and cinnamon closed around us. “Etienne, you left me, haven’t contacted me in any way, shape, or form over the years, and now you’re married to the bitch who tried to steal my husband.” As if a lightbulb went off, it all began to make sense. “You sent her after him—didn’t you? You got her to try to split us up?” My voice was about ten octaves higher than normal. He shook his head vehemently. “Ma chère, as much as I want him out of your life I wouldn’t hurt you that way. I want you to choose me over him. Not force you into making the decision.” He spoke softly, staring into my eyes. “If you want me so badly, why’d you leave? Why’d you marry Elizabeth?” I asked as the anger began to boil within. “I left because I couldn’t stand not being able to hold you. I went after Melanie’s relatives and found none, so I gave up on any future with you. That’s when I met Elizabeth. I care for her, but no one will ever hold a candle to you, chère.” He reached up as if he were going to caress my cheek the way he had done years ago after we’d made love, but the invisible line from the curse caused him to stop. His deep longing to be with me touched the little soul I had left. I fought my instinct to lean toward him. “You need to leave. Go back to the garçonnière, to your wife. Forget everything about me. When the deal with this property is over, I’m cutting you from my line. You can stay under Grayson if you wish, but we need to be free of each other for good.” Braxton’s heavy footsteps marching toward me as well as the

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harsh scent of sulfur were clear signs he was pissed and just outside the door. Braxton busted through the door, seething. I silently begged Etienne to go away. He looked into my eyes, letting me see the hurt, longing, and love he held for me. “I love you, chère. Always have and always will.” He made no move to get up when Braxton rushed toward us from the doorway. Braxton raced across the room in a fit of rage. His scent smelled so sulfuric it turned my stomach sour. “Brax, easy. You’re suffocating me with the smell.” Under normal circumstances I may not have tried his patience, but the smell was just too much. He growled at me and I shut up. He dropped the boxes onto the floor and rounded on Etienne, shoving him across the room. When Etienne hit the wall, Braxton grabbed him by the throat and lifted him off the floor. “If it wasn’t for the trouble it would bring on her, I’d kill you. I’d rip you apart here and now for talking to my mate like that. I don’t give a damn whether you think you love her or not. She is my mate. Mine!” Braxton launched Etienne out one of the windows. Glass shattered and cascaded throughout the room. A muffled thump on the earth and a cuss from Etienne said he’d made it to the ground. I flinched as Braxton moved from the window to me. His eyes blazed with fury. I looked away, not wanting to challenge him, and when he was an inch away from me I tilted my head to the side, showing throat, hoping to keep the argument to a bare minimum. He grabbed me by my arms and snatched me to him. His hard body shook with rage, but his desire to show me I was his and only his took over. My back slammed against the wall. His fingers fumbled with my waistband before he got a firm grip and ripped my pants off. In one instant he was ripping my clothes and his, and then in the next he had my legs wrapped around his waist. I fought to breathe as the

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head of his cock slipped through my wet pussy lips. Our gazes locked and he thrust his cock balls deep into my pussy. I arched off the wall, sinking onto him with a need to show him I knew I was his. His teeth scraped my neck, sending shivers of excitement through my veins. His teeth sank into my neck. I gasped at the pain/pleasure his human teeth gave me while he marked me. His tongue traced the mark, and he kissed it softly. The soft touch was the breaking point. My orgasm hit me like a truck hitting a brick wall. I screamed with pleasure. Seconds later he joined me, grunting incoherent words in my ear. I slid down the wall to my feet and walked wobbly legged away from him to the shower. The door to the shower opened, and Braxton stood naked, with his head lowered, avoiding my gaze. He thought I was angry, but I wasn’t. Granted, he owed me a new window. I reached out and grabbed his shoulders, pulling him toward me in the shower stall. Striding into the shower, his movements were tight, showing, the anger still riding his beast. My lips pressed on his while my teeth nipped at his flesh, bringing up little droplets of blood to be licked off. He responded just as rough, pushing me down to the shower floor on my hands and knees. His hands gripped my hips, jerking my ass higher. His large frame slipped behind me. Strong powerful thighs brushed against my slick ones. One hand released my hip to glide over my pussy lips, spreading them wide for his entrance. There was no time for foreplay this time either. He sank balls deep into my pussy in one deep thrust. He moved in a maddening rhythm. I unsheathed my fangs, wanting to sink them into his beautiful flesh. He growled, releasing my hips altogether and giving me his wrist to bite. It wasn’t my favorite spot, but I’d take whatever I could get from him. I sank my fangs into his wrist, letting his hot, wine-like blood pour into my mouth. I could taste his desire pulsing through his blood into me. I glanced over my shoulder, wanting to see his eyes dark with lust. His head rolled back and the shower sprayed us, washing away everything except us. While his blood rushed into my mouth,

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my eyes rolled back in ecstasy. He was just so much more than I could take sometimes. Right now with him inside me and his blood coursing through me, he was too much. I licked his wounds closed as a low hiss tore from my lips. He smiled and nipped my throat. Shivers of pleasure shattered through me. Our wolves were settled, knowing we wouldn’t let anyone between us again. He slid off of me and stood, tugging me with him. For a second we just stared at each other, then I reached for the soap, hoping we wouldn’t fight anymore. He stopped me and pulled me close to him. “Tell me,” he whispered in my ear. I turned to face him. His wolf might be settled, but the man wasn’t. “Monsieur, it’s always been you, even before I knew you. I will never choose him over you. Never.” I kissed him, letting Wolfy reassure his wolf that Etienne would never be half of what he was to me. “Darlin’, he’s got to go. I don’t know how much longer I can put off killing him. Every time I see him staring at you and smell his lust for you, it drives me insane. Then to hear him say those things.” His eyes glowed yellow, and we stared at each other. “No man has the right to say those things to you except me. Only me.” Normally, I would have balked at his behavior, but he was just this side of turning, and I was actually relieved he still felt that way about me. He balled up his fists and went to hit them against my shower wall, but I caught them and kissed each fist gently, sliding my tongue across them. “Whenever you feel that way again, remember this.” I dropped down in front of him and sucked his hardening cock into my mouth. It was good to be superhuman with lots of stamina. He stumbled backward a step, and then eased back until he leaned against the wall. The shower sprayed us with steaming hot water. His

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cock hardened, large and thick, which made my mouth ache from being opened so wide, but it was worth it when his head rolled back and his eyes clenched shut. His balls tightened. His cock trembled. He tugged on my hair, trying to get me to pull away. I let my fangs scrape gently across his tender flesh. That was all it took. He exploded into my mouth, groaning in pleasure. His unique salty but sweet taste flowed over my taste buds. The beasts inside me begged for more. I lapped at his cock, taking every drop of his cum. When I stood up, he pulled me to him with his eyes still closed. His breathing was heavy when he kissed the top of my head. “Jesus, darlin’, sometimes I think you’re trying to kill me when you do things like that. God I’ve missed you.” He smacked my butt hard enough to sting. “But you were right. I can definitely use the memory next time I see that bastard. Maybe he even heard us.” His eyes flashed open to shine emerald. “One can only hope.” I winked.

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Chapter Eleven He stepped to the door when we stumbled into the bedroom. “Where do you think you’re going? I have big plans for tonight.” Braxton smiled, turned, and left. I moved to follow, but before I could even leave the room, his footsteps downstairs on the hardwood floor sounded out followed by the rustle of papers as he rummaged through drawers. I flopped on my chaise lounge and waited for him to return. Several minutes later, he walked back in the room, stark naked, holding a hammer in one hand and a lock hasp with a padlock in the other. I licked my lips as my fangs slowly eased down at the sight of him. Naked, hard, and sweating happened to be one of my favorite sights. His muscles flexed, showing me how well defined and chiseled his body was. He’d been working out over time, not that he’d ever needed to, but he was hard as a rock now. He headed straight to the hidden door, the one Etienne had used to get into my room, and nailed the lock hasp with its hinges on one side of the door and the tab on the doorframe. He slapped the hasp shut and slipped the lock into place to secure the door shut. The antique molding made the ugly metal stand out like a sore thumb, but I wasn’t going to ask him to take it down. He turned to me with a smile of satisfaction. I shook my head and laughed. That would not hold out a vampire or werewolf trying to break into the room, but it seemed to give Braxton some satisfaction. “That son of a bitch isn’t sneaking in here again.” Several hours later, we woke to the sun’s rays sneaking through the drapes. Braxton took my hand and led me, still wrapped in the

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cover, to the rooftop balcony. We watched the sunrise. “I don’t know how long it will take to see the Council, but if I’m not finished by this weekend, I’ll be back anyway. I don’t trust that arrogant, blood-sucking bastard of an ex you have.” I crawled onto his lap. I kissed him with all the feelings I had for him. It was past the time he should have left, but because the plane was his own private one, it would wait. “Brax, we gotta go. I need to talk to Etienne’s lawyer. I can’t wait for Cam to come back.” He kissed the top of my head. “Darlin’, you don’t have to hurry. That can wait until after we fix this with Isaiah and the Council.” My heart sank. I didn’t want to hurt his feelings or make him mad at me, but he couldn’t help this time. “Monsieur, you can’t help with Isaiah. I know you think you can, but you can’t. There are a great number of vampires who hate werewolves and will not hesitate to attack you.” I raised a hand to stop his protest. “There are a lot of vampires who hold powers that aren’t just physical. They have powers that affect the mind.” I stopped and kissed his cheek before he reluctantly nodded. The dangerous glint in his eyes told me there was no way in hell this was over. “For your information, darlin’, I can handle whatever some bloodsucker dishes out at me. I’ve been handling it long before I met you.” “I know, and if it weren’t for this stuff with me becoming my own line, I would let you rip and roar at them.” He smiled, and I knew he’d never let it go. There was no way in this world he’d let his mate battle anything alone, without his protection. “Let’s go, I want to be back before that son of a bitch knows I’m even gone.” He winked. As we walked past Cam’s door, I paused. She wasn’t there. I could feel Takia in her room, sleeping. And she wasn’t alone. Grayson.

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Pig. “You said take care of her. That’s what I’ve been trying to do. Rest assured, though, she’s refused me several times. Although, I can tell I’m working on her.” Grayson’s mind reached out to mine, and his thoughts caused me to shake my head. I gritted my teeth to keep from calling him a pig again. Braxton looked at me with questioning eyes. “Take a guess who’s been trying to get in whose pants.” “Good luck to him. Maybe he’ll have better luck while I’m gone. Come on, darlin’, let’s get a move on it.” I took my dear, sweet time driving Braxton to the airstrip. He never said a word. Instead, he sat, looking relaxed, as we drove twenty miles an hour. A rush of panic hit me when the plane came into view. He’d be gone for days, and I’d be alone, again. I didn’t want to be without him. I needed him. I didn’t really want to be a needy female who couldn’t survive without a man, but I wouldn’t make it without him. He read my thoughts from Wolfy and smiled tenderly at me. “Darlin’, you’d be okay. Granted, you’d be devastated and compare every man from then on to me.” He winked. “Not a single one would come close to me.” His green eyes danced with amusement. “Yes, that’s exactly what I was thinking, oh, great one!” “I’m glad you’ve finally seen the light. Now remember it.” I smirked as I considered flipping him off. He’d eased my tension, and I loved him even more for it. He knew what to do to make me feel better. “See me to the plane, then go back and take care of your business.” He pulled me out of the car and into his arms. “I called and had the garage stop shipment of the cars. The boxes from FedEx can be sent back to the house. But before you sign those papers, make sure this is what you want. I’ll support you no matter what you decide.”

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I kissed his cheek. “I’ll still have my father’s house, even though it needs to be remodeled. If I decide to come and visit, we can stay there. I think I’ll go ahead and call the contractors today or tomorrow and see when they can start the project. If it’s okay with you.” Braxton grinned. “It’s your house, and you should do whatever you want with it.” He stopped smiling and leaned me back to look at my face. “Unless you plan on remodeling it so you can run from me again. That won’t work.” “Monsieur, your plane awaits. Don’t be gone long.” I kissed him forcefully, letting him know I’d never run again. “My sweet Josephine, I love you.” He returned my kiss with a passion of his own. My fingers curled in his hair. “Bébé, I love you, too.” He turned, and then he was gone. The drive into New Orleans had me tired but restless. Even if it was only for a few days, Braxton’s absence was eating at my heart. I already missed him. I stopped at Etienne’s attorney’s office and let him know I would be glad to finish this business. I had to admit I surprised myself, but I wanted a break. My life here hadn’t always been great, and I wanted to be with Braxton and leave all my baggage behind. I left the lawyer standing stunned in the hallway. Ten minutes later he called with the news that the papers would be delivered the next day. I figured I’d drive by Isaiah’s and see what was going on. It was daytime, but he could still have donors there. Before I turned onto his street, the buzzing of power and magic from other vampires ran down my spine. Their presence sent a tingling awareness through my body, but the power they exuded was far less than any Master or Ancient vampire. These were all fairly young. I tapped on my line to see if Cam was inside and was surprised to find she wasn’t. I’d been sure she was with him. Resigned, I jerked the steering wheel around to head home. I tapped the gas to urge the car away from the house, but stopped when a familiar hatred crept along my spine. I searched for the source, but

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found no sign of Elizabeth. She had to be hiding in the house watching me. I could feel her wolf. Mine soared, wanting to go and find her, but I drew back and watched. Now I needed to talk to Etienne and Takia. There was no good answer to explain the woman’s presence there. I pulled away and searched for my phone to call Braxton. “Hello, darlin’.” He did his best Conway Twitty impression, making me laugh for the first time since he’d left. “Mais, don’t you sound happy.” “Of course I’m happy. I’ve got an appointment tomorrow.” My heart raced. Thank goodness it wasn’t going to take long. “How’d your day in New Orleans go?” I smiled to myself as I went inside the house. “I told Etienne’s lawyer to send me the papers so I could sign them. I also went by Isaiah’s. You’ll never guess who I felt inside.” “Darlin’, never give hints like that. It gives it away faster than me guessing. Elizabeth. She hates you. Isaiah isn’t your biggest fan, either. What a team the two would make.” His tone held an edge of malice. “Jerk, you could have at least guessed a few times to make me feel better. But you’re right. If they team up, I may be up shit creek.” “I’m truly sorry for not guessing more. When I get back, you can reprimand me as you see fit.” He must not have been around anyone, otherwise he would never say things like that near pack members or business associates. “Oh, you can bet your gorgeous ass I will. But anyhow, I went looking for Cam, and she wasn’t there. Then I felt Elizabeth. She has only one reason to be there. Revenge. It’s not like Isaiah and Etienne have ever been friends. Maybe I should ask Etienne about it now.” I turned to go toward the garçonnière, but Braxton’s growl stopped me. Damn, he knew me too well. “My sweet Josephine, please stay out of trouble while I’m away. Wait until this weekend when I’m back. It’s only two more days.”

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I hate it when he’s right. I stopped and went back to our room. “All right, I guess I can hold off until then before I provoke any of them.” I sighed. “Go back to settling everything so you can come back to me. I love you.” “I love you, too.” He hung up. Braxton should have known I wasn’t going to leave it alone. Hell, no. I was definitely going after that bitch as soon as she got here. I went up to my room and started trying to figure out where Cam could be. I lay on my bed, shut my eyes, and pulled on my line. She wasn’t there. Nowhere. I sat up and started to shake my head. It wasn’t possible. Unless she was dead or weak to the point of almost death. I didn’t like the possibility of her being weak and sure as hell didn’t like the thought of her dead. Tears filled my eyes. I blinked furiously and tried again. Nothing. Merde. Elizabeth strolled into my room. “Not now. I don’t have time for whatever bullshit you’ve got going on.” “What’s wrong? Missing your little bitch of a friend?” My eyes burned as the crimson red of my anger flamed to the surface. “What?” I asked through clenched teeth. She smiled sweetly, walking around my room, running a hand across my dresser as she inspected it like a buzzard. “You heard me.” “What do you know about Cam?” She turned and flashed her perfectly straight teeth at me in a wicked smile. “Oh, lots, but I’m not saying anything until you sign the papers on the house. I’ll tell you everything, and then you can go find your little friend.” That was it. I couldn’t take it anymore. Playing nice had never been a strong point with me. I hooked out with my leg, connecting

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solidly with her neck. She dropped to the ground with a thud. But, before I could finish her, she stood up, laughing. “You shouldn’t mess with me. So far I’ve kept my cool with you, but I’m running out of patience.” She spat out as she wiped blood from her mouth. “Fuck you. You don’t stand a chance against me. I bet that’s why you were at Isaiah’s today. Trying to learn how to take me down? Nothing you can do will work.” I stared at her, daring her to come after me. The scent of sulfur rolled off of her. All she needed was a little push to tell me more. So I pushed. “You tried to take Braxton, but it didn’t work. Now you’re married to Etienne, but he’s still professing his love to me. And you’re nowhere near powerful enough to take me.” I smiled sweetly at her as she seethed in anger. “You have no idea just how powerful I am.” She hissed. She shook, and her eyes glowed wolf yellow. Wow, she really was pissed. I continued to smile at her as I walked around the room to my jewelry box. I pulled out a three-carat diamond engagement ring and held it up so she could see it. “This is the ring Etienne gave to me instead of my sister. He’d bought it for me long before he was forced to marry her. He refused to buy her a ring because he’d already given one to the woman he loved.” Her face grew redder, and she trembled in near convulsions. “Where’s your ring, Elizabeth? I don’t think I’ve seen you wearing one. Surely if he loves you the way you say he does, he must have bought you one.” I clucked my tongue and shook my head in sympathy. “I guess he already bought the woman he loves a ring.” I smiled and held the ring up for her to see. She launched herself at me. “You whore. You’ve always been a whore, taking everything I ever wanted.” Tears streamed down her face. For a split second her scent changed. It went from her overwhelming rose scent to a citrus, earthy aroma, one I hadn’t

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smelled in years. Many, many years, not since the day Etienne and I were cursed. Stunned, I stared at her in wonder while my mind raced with questions. I had to be crazy. “You have no clue what I can take from you. Just wait.” She stormed out of the house. Reeling from the exchange with Elizabeth, I went into Cam’s room and sat down on her empty bed. I still couldn’t feel her in my line. I needed to talk to Grayson about it, but I still had an hour before sunset. Tonight I’d take him and Takia into Baton Rouge for some hunting. They’d need to feed. Plus, I wanted to see how Takia was taught to hunt. I glanced around Cam’s room and went to her dresser where several pictures were placed. The first one I picked up was one of us in the early fifties both wearing nice hats and looking stylish. We had loved hats. Too bad they went out of style. The next was a picture of Isaiah and her in front of the plantation in the early sixties. They stared into one another’s eyes, love filling their smiles. If only Isaiah had stayed the sweet, gentle man. But as much as I wanted, I couldn’t turn back the clock and make him different. I put the pictures down and moved to her closet to see if she’d taken any of her clothes. As I flipped through the array of dresses, shirts, and pants, I remembered she usually kept her voodoo ingredients and idols in a wooden, ornate trunk in the closet. I stooped down to see if it was there. It wasn’t. I moved back into her room, still searching, and came up empty. That was strange. She wouldn’t risk taking such powerful items out together nor would she have left without her other belongings. Confused, I went back to my room to wait for Grayson to wake. Takia knocked on my door twenty minutes later. “Come on in.” I continued going through clothes in my closet, still wondering where the hell Cam had gone. I turned as she noticed I was wearing only my bra and underwear. She turned red and quickly spun away. I grabbed a short-sleeved, V-

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neck red shirt and pulled on a pair of black leather pants. The look tonight was trashy-sexy, and my low-cut shirt and skintight pants, along with my fire-engine red stilettos, would do just great. “Takia, you can’t possibly be that innocent. I mean, you are Isaiah’s.” She raised her head defiantly at my condescending tone. “He is a filthy bastard. No man has ever had me willingly.” She spun to walk away. “Wait. I’m sorry. But from now on, try and not run from the room when you see someone in their underwear or hear them talking about sex. It’s kinda embarrassing to have one so innocent in my line. Not that we’re all sluts, but, jeez, lighten up.” I smiled warmly at her, and reluctantly, she nodded. She hesitated, her face drawn in a frown. “I will try. I don’t think it’s appropriate to act in such a manner.” Merde. “Are you really a vampire? I’ve never met one who didn’t think sex was appropriate all the time.” I grinned in amazement. Her head went back up, and I laughed. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Grayson sneaking down the hall. He wrapped his arms around her, pulled her against him, and ran his tongue down her neck. Her eyes glowed with desire, and the thick cinnamon smell of lust filled the room. Grayson whispered something in her ear so low I couldn’t hear, and then he turned her and kissed her thoroughly. She finally got herself back under control and pushed away from him. “You are a filthy bastard, too.” She spun to leave, and this time I didn’t stop her. “Leave the child alone, Gray. She grew up where men violated women unmercifully, and she doesn’t trust many men. I think she’ll grow out of it, but right now you need to back off some.” “My dear one, what kind of a man would I be if I gave up on such a beautiful woman? I could teach her all the pleasures unknown to

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most men.” He winked and strutted out of my room. I rolled my eyes. “You two should know I’m taking you both to Baton Rouge to hunt tonight. You’ve got ten minutes before we leave,” I said, loud enough Takia could hear me, and laughed when I heard her mumbled response of “Yes, Master.” She had to get out of that. Ten minutes later the three of us stood on the balcony, preparing to fly, when Etienne appeared. “I think I’ll join you. It’s been a long time since I’ve been to Baton Rouge, and I need to feed.” He instantly moved to my side and smiled his heart-stopping smile. “Where’s your wife? I wouldn’t think she would want you joining our little hunting party.” “She’s gone into New Orleans for some shopping. She won't be back until Thursday. I’m all yours.” He said the last in a low, sensual voice, and I remembered all the times when we’d held each other and he’d whispered those words in my ear before making love. The rhythm of my heartbeat picked up, and heat spread through my body. I stamped down the urge to look at him. Instead, I focused on Braxton, my mate, my love. I glanced over at Takia, and she shot into the air, followed by Grayson. I launched into the air. Etienne’s scent drifted to me, as well as his tingle of power, and I knew he was beside me. I ignored him and focused on my flying. I didn’t fly often because I’m not great at it, but tonight was peaceful and relaxing. I soared through the breeze and went to Grayson’s side. “I see your flying has improved over the years. Last time I flew with you, you only made it about a mile before you panicked and dropped like a meteor from the sky.” He laughed. I had a fear of hitting something, like planes, trees, or birds. He was right. Last time we’d flown together, I thought I was about to hit a tree so I tried to dip away from it. I ended up dipping too far left and hit the ground hard enough to uproot a tree. Just thinking about it made me start to wobble.

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“Watch out for that tree,” Grayson screamed, imitating the George of the Jungle theme. I flipped him the bird right before I smacked into a huge oak tree. Stars danced in front of my eyes. I was sure I looked like a cartoon character with the bright stars circling my head. Etienne stood over me, his eyes dancing with laughter. “Shut up, asshole.” He shook his head. “Ma chère, I’d forgotten how much fun it is to be around you. Never a dull moment.” I was saved from any further comments when Takia dropped down and helped me up. “Are you all right, Mast…Um, Josephine.” She must have seen the look in my eyes telling her if she dared call me Master I’d knock her into next week. She grabbed my arm and pulled me from the demolished tree. I smelled my blood. Pain in my right side told me where the blood was coming from. I hadn’t noticed it at first, since my whole damn body hurt from hitting the huge tree. Now, the small tree branch through my right leg hurt, bad. I looked up and Etienne’s eyes were glowing crimson. He grabbed the limb and yanked it out. I screamed as searing pain burned in my leg. Once it was out, my body began to heal. I glanced at Etienne. “Thanks.” “No, chère, thank you.” His tongue darted out and licked my blood off of the limb. His eyes closed, and he moaned in pleasure from the taste. Batty surged, wanting him to take more, to take us, but both Wolfy and myself reminded her of Braxton. She whimpered, but held back. Grayson must have sensed my internal struggle and came to my side to inspect me. When he was satisfied with my healing, he turned to go. “Come on, she’s fine. I’m hungry and dying to show Takia how to glamour someone properly.” I sighed as I brushed off. Once back in the air, I made a sharp left, heading directly at Grayson. He didn’t hear me since he was paying

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attention to Takia’s breasts as they danced in the wind under her shirt. She’d worn a tight, scoop-necked, royal blue shirt with no bra. She might say she’s innocent, but I was beginning to think she didn’t want to stay that way. I sped up and hit him, causing him to drop to the ground with a bang. He deserved it for his George of the Jungle call. “Ass. That’s what you get.” He stood up and glared at me. “You are officially still mine. I should have you flogged for that stunt.” He grunted as I laughed and flew off, heading to replenish the blood I’d lost.

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Chapter Twelve We flew into Baton Rouge by seven. “Okay, let’s go to the gym on Perkins. It’s nice, and there’s a lot of people that come and go from there. There’s also a quiet little corner to hide in.” I made the turn to Perkins Road. When we landed, I went to Takia’s side. “Takia, you go first. I want to see what Isaiah taught you.” She nodded as the rest of us settled back against a nearby wall. Etienne grinned, revealing sharp, white teeth. “I like the way you take control over us. It’s sexy.” I rolled my eyes and turned to watch Takia. She marched up to a man getting in his car and yanked him toward a dark corner near us. He kicked and strained to get away, throwing wide punches at her. Confusion and desperation scrambled across his dull features. There was no use in him fighting. I shook my head and stepped toward her. “Stop.” She raised her eyebrows in question but quit dragging the poor man. “Why don’t you just knock ’em over the head and tote ’em off?” The man struggled against her death grip. “You crazy bitch, let me go.” He kicked out at her, but she dodged the kick. “You goddamn freak.” He screamed in rage, but Takia continued to hold on to him. I grabbed his face in my hands and forced him to look at me. I stared into his eyes and soaked up his fear-filled thoughts, replacing them with ones of my own. I told him to stand and obey. He nodded, and his eyes glazed over in submission. “Now, go stand over there and wait for me, chèr.” I told him. He

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turned for the dark corner. “See—just throw some mojo on them and they won’t fight. It makes it much simpler, and they actually enjoy the experience. Now, tell me what you would normally have done?” She shot a quick glance at the man and then turned back to me. “I’d drag him to wherever I wanted him then I’d drink from him. After that I’d tell him to forget.” She shrugged her shoulders. “So, you’d drink from him while he was terrified, confused, and fighting you?” “That is the way I was told we should hunt. The blood would be better if the prey was scared.” Both Grayson and Etienne shook their heads. “No, T, that’s not right. Some of us get off on it, and I’m guessing Isaiah does, that’s why he taught you to hunt that way. You should have been able to decide for yourself. I can show you how to make it more enjoyable for you and your meal, if you want.” She nodded as we glided toward the young man waiting for us. He hopped up and down. “Jesus Christ, I can’t believe I’m this damn lucky. No one will ever believe I got to bang two of the hottest women I’ve ever seen. Y’all are gonna let me tap that, right?” Takia hissed, but I pulled her back. “You have no idea how hot it’s gonna be.” I stared him in the eyes again, filling his thoughts with images of the three of us “banging” against the wall. He smiled and leaned back. “If you just give them a little hint of what they want to happen, they’ll hush and let you take from them as long as they think they’re getting something from you. I sent him a little suggestion that we were going to have sex with him right here.” Her eyes went wide in shock, but I stopped her protest. “Just smell him.” She leaned forward and sniffed his neck. He jerked from the pleasure at the simple touch. “God, he smells good. Not like before at all.” Her fangs started to ease down. “That’s right. Not only is the smell of lust better than the smell of fear, but take a sip from his neck and tell me what you think.” She

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didn’t hesitate. Her fangs sank into the man’s neck, and he moaned loudly. As she began to pull deeply from him, I tugged her back. She smiled in amazement. “It’s sweet. Much sweeter than it ever has been. Is it just this man? If so, I’m keeping him.” I laughed at the first joke she’d made since I’d known her. At least I guessed it was a joke, although she did look damn serious. “No, it’s not just him. If you seduce your prey, give them the slightest amount of pleasure, they’ll return the favor. Now if you’d rather I wake him from this dream and let you take him the other way—just say the word.” I stepped closer to the man, but she sank her fangs back into his neck, sucking fast and deeply. “Take your time. You don’t have to rush. Let him get pleasure out of it before you release him and seal the wounds. If he doesn’t, he’ll be aching and sore.” Grayson stepped up beside me and stared as Takia drank. She sucked slowly from her prey and rubbed her body against his hard-on. I laughed at Gray’s mesmerized stare and walked back to lean against the other wall. Etienne approached me. “She’s one of Isaiah’s?” “She was. She asked to stay under my line, and I agreed.” He nodded, and we stood in silence a moment before I remembered I needed to find out why Elizabeth would be at Isaiah’s. “Have you spoken with Isaiah lately?” He sneered. “Chère, you know I don’t socialize with trash.” His tone was harsh and cruel. He’d always looked down on the slaves, even me at times. I glanced over at him, remembering one particular instance when Etienne had been cruel to Isaiah. Once he’d caught Isaiah, Cam, and I playing dice, and he’d had Isaiah beaten for it. He’d blamed him for my offensive behavior. During those times women weren’t supposed to do things like play games. I didn’t speak to Etienne for weeks, but he didn’t apologize for what he’d done. Isaiah had never gotten over the animosity.

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“Why would you ask?” Etienne raised his eyebrows at me. “I just wondered. I went by his house today, and I felt someone familiar inside.” He let out a harsh laugh. “Surely you don’t think it was me you felt?” I shook my head. “No, in fact I know it wasn’t. It was your wife.” His face turned from excited to angry. His sulfur-scented rage seeped from every pore of his. Elizabeth had some explaining to do when he got home. “Oh, chèr, you didn’t know she’d been there? I’m sorry. I figured you and Isaiah had become friends.” He hissed and took flight. In an instant he was gone. Either he was a good actor or he hadn’t sent Elizabeth to talk to Isaiah. It wasn’t a coincidence she’d been there today, and I needed to know why. Turning back to Takia and Grayson, I smiled. He’d showed her how to get her prey out of the mojo and back to his car. “Mais, what do you think?” I asked her as she ran towards me. “I love it. I never knew feeding could be like this. I want more.” She wheeled around, running smack into Grayson. He laughed. “I think we have created a little monster.” I nodded in agreement as she pouted. “Come on, let’s find some more poor innocent people to attack.” I grinned at them, showing my fangs. Grayson laughed and turned to the couple coming out of the gym. I nodded for her to go with him. I leaned my back against the brick wall and crossed my legs at the ankles and called Braxton again. I got his voice mail, so I left him a message telling him all the dirty things I was planning on doing to him when he got back. I looked up. Takia stood smiling at me. “This is wonderful. I’ve never felt like this before.” Her nipples were so hard I thought they would poke through the shirt, and her scent was drenched with lust. I had a feeling this was a first for her.

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“Have you ever been turned on before?” I asked her curiously. She hung her head and shook it. “It’s just not in me.” “Oh, bébé, you are so wrong. I think if you were any more turned on, you’d jump Grayson right here, making his decade.” She looked up at me and smiled. “Is that really what I’m feeling? I mean, it’s wonderful. Not at all like how I felt while the soldiers had their way with me.” I stopped laughing as I realized the only true experience she had with sex had been rape. Poor child. “Oh, chère, it can be wonderful. I know you think Grayson is a pig, and he kinda is,” I shrugged my shoulders, “but he would be gentle with you and show you how wonderful sex can be.” I couldn’t believe I’d just pimped my sire out. “At least you found me a way to sleep with her. My balls have been killing me all day, so feed and let’s go home. I want to woo her a little more because of her past,” Grayson sent me mentally. I rolled my eyes and walked over to him. “Let’s go. I fed from Braxton all night and this morning. Thank god he had superhuman healing or he would be getting a transfusion by now.” I glanced at Takia. Her nipples were still hard, her eyes glowed crimson, and her smile was feral. I felt a little bad that when we got back I needed to talk to her. She stole glances at Grayson, and he was smiling brightly with fangs down and eyes crimson. Jeez, what had I done? “Sorry, guys, but when we get back I need to talk to Takia for a little while.” Grayson sighed disgustedly. Takia turned serious. “Josephine, is it anything I’ve done? I shouldn’t have taken so much blood from that man, I’m sorry.” She hung her head in shame. “Takia, lighten up. You took enough and left him with a great memory. You haven’t done anything wrong. I just have some questions about someone who might have been over at Isaiah’s.” She relaxed, and I nodded toward Grayson, who was already hovering

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above the buildings. As we settled into our short flight back to the house, I tried again to reach Cam. Nothing. I squelched the concern. There was nothing I could do to find her right now. When we got back to the house, I stood on the balcony listening to the sounds of the swamp and to Etienne and Elizabeth fighting. Apparently he’d been wrong to think she was staying in New Orleans shopping. It was petty and wrong, but I wanted to hear her reasons for being at Isaiah’s. Unfortunately, she wouldn’t tell him why she’d been there. With one final scream of cuss words, she told him we’d both regret the day we crossed her. I smiled as she came storming my way. When she saw me, her face darkened more and she yelled something incoherent at me. Etienne jumped onto the balcony. “Are you happy, Josephine?” I stared at him for a second before I gave a bitter laugh. “Yeah, I am. That bitch tried to steal my husband, she somehow made us both believe he had screwed her, then she married my ex, and now wants my house. You’re damn right I’m happy she’s gone.” He shook his head. “Chère, she didn’t split you two up. If you truly loved him, you wouldn’t have left. Haven’t you ever wondered why it was so easy for you to walk away?” My breath froze in my lungs. “You wanted to believe he would do that to you. That’s why you believed he cheated. You wanted him to.” I shook my head. “You are so full of shit! Why would I want my husband to cheat on me?” I stared at him in disbelief, anger building inside me. “Because that way you didn’t have to walk away yourself. Just blame everything on another man who hurt you. You don’t love him the way you know you should, not the way you did with me.” He sounded so sure of himself. “You have no idea what it did to me when I saw him with her, thinking that he’d just screwed her. I love him, have since the first

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time I met him. The last five years without him have been torture. But you’re right, I did blame everything on him and every other man that has left me—which includes you.” My tone was full of scorn and hurt. He looked away, hiding the shame I saw in his eyes. “I did leave you, I’m not denying that, but I left you because I wanted you too bad to stand by and not let you have true happiness. I knew you’d never force me away, even though we couldn’t touch, kiss, or even get within six inches of each other. I saw the hurt in your eyes every time I fed from someone else, and I felt that same pain when you fed.” His voice was soft and sincere. I shook my head, my insides churning. “When you left I thought I wouldn’t be able to make it, but then Cam forced me to wake up and start my life over. I met Braxton, and that’s when I realized that what you and I had was nothing compared to what he and I have. Even when we were apart, I still loved him more than anything, more than I thought possible.” Before he could say anything, I went back into my room, shutting the door on the conversation and him. Takia and Grayson came into my room minutes later, glaring at each other. “What happened between you two? Twenty minutes ago y’all were hot and heavy, and now you look like you can’t stand each other.” Grayson glared over at Takia, and she glared right back. “He is a pig.” “I didn’t do anything wrong. You were the one who kneed me.” She scowled at him through hate-filled eyes. “Didn’t do anything wrong? You, you, you tried to touched my, my…” She practically screamed in outrage. I turned to Grayson and raised my eyebrow. “I see the wooing is going well. I suppose since you’re not regenerating your balls that it wasn’t too bad.” I smothered a laugh. All the years I’d known Grayson, he’d never had a female turn him down. When he put the moves on them, it never took long for

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them to be bent over a table somewhere. He narrowed his eyes, making me laugh even harder. He turned to Takia. “I did nothing wrong. You wanted to know how it felt to be aroused outside of feeding. I was trying to show you. That is, before you tried to rip my ball sac off. Now you can find out from some other fool.” God, where was Cam? She’d have loved to hear this fight. Cam had been one of the females Grayson had spoken softly to and she automatically dropped her pants. In Cam’s case, she hadn’t pursued him afterwards. Instead, she’d gone back to Isaiah. She’d been happy with being a one-night stand. Takia opened her mouth to respond, but I stopped her with a raised hand. “Later. Much later. Whatever the two of you have going on, keep it between the two of you.” I tried to contain my laughter. She nodded her head. I motioned for her to sit on the bed. Grayson decided to be an ass and sat next to her, as close as he could get without actually touching her. She turned to him, and he flashed her a million-dollar smile, fangs and all. I started to pace back and forth while trying to get a mental list of everything I wanted to ask her. “First, I need to know whether you know where Cam is. I went by Isaiah’s today, and she wasn’t there. I have no idea where else she would go, especially since pretty much everything she owns is still here, including her car and family belongings.” I stopped pacing and sat down on the chaise lounge. “Isaiah sends her hunting with some of the other vampires. Lately, she’s been helping him with some voodoo stuff.” I sat up straighter. “Wait, that doesn’t make sense. What do you mean she’s been helping him with some voodoo?” Takia shrugged her shoulders. “That is what I was talking about when I told you one of you wouldn’t be happy with me here. I don’t know for sure what she’s been doing for him. Sometimes, when she comes over, she brings stuff in a bag that smells weird. I don’t know

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how to explain it.” “I do. Each practitioner has their own signature and hers is very unique. Her power is strong and ancient.” Takia nodded her head. “Yes, I’ve felt it before, but I’m sorry I don’t know what Isaiah had her doing. The only time I felt her power was after he’d taken her out to hunt.” Mais, that explained why she was practicing for him. When Isaiah and Cam were living together in New York he’d asked her to turn a spell for him, and she had. The spell caused one of his vampires to go crazy and kill twelve children on a field trip to the observatory near their house. She’d been devastated to learn what her magic had done and swore she’d never do anything like that again. I leaned back and tried to think of what he could possibly be using her for. Grayson had been quiet during our exchange, but he turned to Takia and cleared his throat. “Had Isaiah been doing anything different on those days when she’d come by?” “He was busy with the harvesting program. He hasn’t told any of us what he’s got planned besides the program. There is a female who comes by once in awhile that I hear him talking business with. She seems very anxious to settle a score with someone she believes wronged her.” My first thought was Elizabeth. I turned to Grayson to see if he had any more questions, but he nodded for me to continue. I needed to confirm my suspicions. “Okay, so we don’t know what Cam was up to or where she is, so let’s move on for the moment. I need to know if you’ve seen Etienne’s wife at Isaiah’s. She has long, straight, red hair, long legs, and brown eyes. She’s really bossy and a bitch I’m gonna end up killing one day. She’s also a Were, and that would be hard to hide around a bunch of vampires.” Takia shook her head. “This female smells weird, but I wouldn’t guess she was a Were. Maybe, but if so she’s found a way to mask her scent. She also has brown hair and blue eyes. I’ve never spent any

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time with her. I just happened to walk in on her and Isaiah arguing one day. He told her he was going to get his place back and she could do whatever she wanted with the people who owned it. I don’t know what place he was talking about, but she kissed him in a manner which made me leave the room.” That wasn’t hard to do. In truth I could lean over and kiss Grayson, and she’d more than likely run from the room with her eyes closed. “Brown-haired and blue-eyed describes about a million women in this world,” Grayson said sarcastically. “Mais, it does? How many people can mask their scent? I’ve met one or two over the years, but none were wolves. Plus, there was a woman out in the woods the other night that had brown hair. The magic she was using felt like Cam’s.” Grayson’s head shot up, and he smiled. “I met a witch once who swore she could mask her scent, as well as anyone’s that would pay her enough money.” “Do you think it’s possible this woman is using a spell to mask her scent like the witch said she could do?” Takia asked. “I don’t know, and since the only person I know who practices magic is currently missing, I’m out of resources.” I shrugged at them. Grayson sighed. “I know someone who may be able to help. She’s in my line, so I’ll contact her and see what she thinks.” I laughed, causing him to glare at me. “You turned a witch? I thought you swore off witches after that one made your dick disappear.” His face turned red. “You are working on my patience. I taught you better manners than this. I’m beginning to think you shouldn’t be allowed as Head Master.” I tried to stop laughing and succeeded in bringing it down to a little giggle. “It’s the truth, Gray!” He shook his head, trying to stop me. Takia bit her bottom lip and wrung her hands, anxiously awaiting an explanation.

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“He was sleeping with this witch about a hundred years ago in Atlanta and she caught him feeding from another woman. She went crazy, called him a filthy bloodsucking demon and cast a spell on him. At first nothing happened. Then a day later he busted into the house in Atlanta, screaming his dick wasn’t there. It was hilarious. I’ve never laughed so hard in my life!” He scowled at me as laughter bubbled from my throat. Takia turned to him with concern written all over her face and grabbed his crotch. I stopped laughing instantly. She unzipped his pants and dropped down in front of him, trying to pull his pants off. “Merde. What the hell are you two doing? Get off my bed.” I screeched. Grayson’s eyes went wide with shock, and he actually tried to fend her off, slapping her hands out of the way. But she had his pants down far enough, and she was inspecting his package. I turned my head just as she pulled his dick out. Grayson moaned, momentarily losing the fight. “It is still there.” Shy curiosity rang in Takia’s voice.. Oh, dear lord. Grayson muttered a string of curses as he zipped his pants up. “Of course it is,” he screamed at her. “It didn’t fall off. She just made me think that it had.” I bit my lip, trying to stop the laughter that was threatening to bust out as Takia stood up straighter. “Be glad she was concerned. That’s proof that she’s been thinking about it.” Grayson narrowed his eyes at me, then turned to Takia and smiled brightly. “I suppose so, but, my beautiful one, next time you drop down like that in front of me, I will show you what to do on your knees.” “The soldiers in the village made some of the women put their mouths on their penises. They cried and begged for them not to be forced to do it.” Grayson stood and wrapped his arms around her, hauling her to

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him. “My sweet, I wasn’t serious. I’ll never force you to do anything. You’re just so innocent and beautiful that you tempt me to do and say the most outrageous things.” He spoke softly to her as he caressed her back. Takia looked up at me and smiled weakly. “I will try not to yank down anyone else’s pants while they’re seated on your bed.” I raised an eyebrow at her. “Yes, please refrain in the future. Plus, you’re making Gray think you want him.” What had been intended as a joke turned serious instantly. “I do. I think that if he tries to touch my,” she slid her eyes in the direction of her crotch and smiled, “again, I will not try and rip his balls off.” Grayson smiled wolfishly at her. “Time to go to bed.” Takia smiled, but shook her head. “No, it is early, and we haven’t helped Josephine yet. I cannot leave her now.” Grayson flopped down on my bed and sighed. “Please! Whatever else you want to ask, please wait,” he pleaded mentally with me. “I can start researching this stuff now. I’ll try and call Cam some more tonight, and then I’m going to sleep. So go have sex.” I waved them out of my room. Takia stood but didn’t turn to leave until Grayson grabbed her hand and yanked her toward the hall. “Oh, by the way, don’t try and have sex in the room Takia’s sleeping in. Mrs. Bordeaux’s ghost will go crazy.” Grayson never stopped. He dragged Takia to his room while she giggled. As soon as the door slammed shut, the bed creaked with their weight. I turned and went to get my laptop from downstairs, but once Takia’s loud moan filled the house, I dropped it and headed to the rental car as fast as I could. Knowing they were having sex was one thing, but hearing it was a whole different nightmare. Now I knew how Braxton’s pack felt each time we’d run out of the room, panting. The bedroom in Atlanta was getting soundproofed.

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Chapter Thirteen Something was going on between Isaiah and Elizabeth. Every instinct in me screamed they were up to evil shit, together. I needed to find a connection between the two. I pushed the situation from my mind when I pulled into the mill and started toward my office. Few people were around on maintenance night. When I looked around my office, I wondered if there was any way I was going to be able to leave this place behind. I’d worked here for the past fifty years. First as Mrs. Claire Doucet and now as her granddaughter, Mrs. Josephine Wade. Anyone who suspected anything, I mojoed. There were a few Weres who worked for me, and they helped with my lie since they needed to be discreet themselves. I powered my desktop on and closed my eyes, breathing in deep to relax. There were just too many things going on right now for me to relax. I decided to Google witchcraft to see if anything Takia had mentioned would pop up. There was a surprising number of websites dedicated to the craft. Some were clearly schoolgirl junk, whereas others were dangerously real. Viewing the more religious sites made me miss Cam. For her, voodoo wasn’t a game or black magic, it was her religion. A knot of fear rose in my gut as I thought of her. I turned away from the computer and tried to link myself to her again. I was expecting to find nothing, but instead I picked up on an annoying tingle which only came from her when I called to her. Pushing past the tingle, I tried to sense her strength and whereabouts. She was weak, her energy barely humming, but okay for now. “Cam, where are you? Are you okay?” Tears pooled in my eyes.

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“Josie?” Her mental link blinked in and out. “Yes. Where are you?” The tingle in my brain shook as she laughed bitterly. “Merde! I don’t have a damn clue.” “It’s okay. Just tell me, what the hell happened to you?” I was near panicked when she didn’t answer right away. “Hell, I don’t know. I remember the other night when you went out to talk to Etienne and I hit Braxton with the rock. After that it’s all a blank.” “Are you okay?” “I think I screwed up big-time when I started seeing Isaiah again. He’s into some bad shit, and I think I’m involved. But I don’t really know how. My powers are gone.” I slumped in my chair, confused. “What do you mean, gone?” “I mean they’re gone. I have no power at all.” I put my head in my hands and sighed. “How?” “Don’t know that either. Mom told me about some dark witches who could drain others of their power if they could get their blood. I don’t recall meeting a dark witch lately.” “What do you recall? I mean, really. Drug blood?” I tried not to lash out at her, but I was beyond being patient tonight. “Listen, white girl, it’s none of your fucking business what I do.” “You are my business, Cam. Regardless of what you want. I made you, therefore I am responsible for you in the vampire world. And this shit Isaiah is doing is going to get me into fucking trouble. I’ve been told he’s been doing some major shit and now the Ancients want him dead.” I stopped and ran a hand across my face, trying to control my rage. “I can't lose you. So whatever bullshit you’ve got going, stop.” Her emotions crashed through the thin mental barrier I’d put up. Her heart was breaking, and there wasn’t a thing I could do to comfort her. “Just tell me what you remember.” A tingle of power washed across my mental line, another presence neared her, and then my line with her was lost. I tried to call her

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again, but she was gone. I could only hope she was still undead. Without knowing where she was or even being able to sense her, there was very little I could do. I laid my head on the desk and cried for several minutes before I finally decided I’d had enough. I reached to hit the power button on the desktop and saw it. There on the fifth page of my search was a website which promised to mask any scent, manmade or natural, something Takia was sure the woman visiting Isaiah had done. I clicked on the page and there were all kinds of spells this person would do for the right price. I scrolled down, skimming them to see what was offered. I stopped scrolling and stared at the screen. There were several spells for scent masking and appearance changing. I’d heard of glamour spells before, but had only seen one person do one, Cam’s mom. I clicked on the link for it and read the description. The person buying the spell was supposed to see the image of what they wanted to look like and visualize themselves as that person. The spell would then be cast and everyone who saw him or her would see the appearance they’d chosen. The spell could be permanent, last a day, an hour. Whatever the person wanted to pay for. I shook my head. I hit the back button for the list of spells. There were a few memory spells that promised to wipe out a person’s memory then there were a few mind control spells. I started to get the feeling that whoever this was wasn’t a white witch. This person sold revenge, and that was something a white witch would never do. I stopped for a moment and printed out the pages. The information about the scent-masking spells was cryptic, but it had many uses. The spell was supposedly strong enough to camouflage any scent. Whether it be human, animal, werewolf, witch, or vampire. I had never realized a witch had a different scent than a human except for when casting, when their magic overwhelmed all other scents. I found the e-mail address where this person could be reached. I decided against using my work e-mail, so I packed up my papers I’d just

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printed out and left. At home I went straight to bed. I’d thought I would stay up and email the person from the website, but the moans and groans from down the hall were just too much. Plus I hoped Cam would come to me in her sleep state. I shut my door and buried my head under the pillows until I finally dozed off. I woke up suddenly when the annoying tingle in my brain returned. “Cam?” “I’ve been trying to get you for hours.” She must be really weak because the only way I wouldn’t have heard her was if she’d been too weak to send the message. “Isaiah came in and fed me a little while ago. My head’s messed up now I don’t know what the fuck’s going on, Josie. I can’t think.” Even her mental speech sounded tired and confused. “I asked him about my powers and he laughed. Said, I wasn’t going to need them when he got through with me. I’m his insurance in case you come after him.” I guess he’d figured out Takia was with me, and I knew everything now. I needed to get her under my line officially, which the Ancients would grant after I terminated Isaiah. First I needed to help Cam. “Josie, he’s been using me. I can’t believe that after all of our years together he could do this to me. Why?” Her pain sent an ache straight to my own heart. I mentally pulled on the line, searching for her, but it was no use. The energy bounced from place to place. Someone had gone through a lot of trouble to make sure I couldn’t find her. She was sobbing now and began to weaken even more as her day sleep took over. “Cam, bébé. You need to sleep. I’ll find you,” I promised her as the sleep crept in to claim her. It was around five thirty in the morning, and I knew Braxton would be up by now. I decided to give him a call and let him know what had been going on. The phone rang twice before he answered

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cheerfully. “I’ve got news,” we both said at one time. “You’ll like mine better, so I’ll go first,” he said happily. He was too cheerful. “All right. Go ahead.” “I’m coming back today. I’ll be at the airstrip this afternoon, but I don’t know exactly what time. I’ve arranged for a car so you don’t have to wait around.” I smiled as I thought about him being back. I’d given him up for too long and now I didn’t want to be away from him at all. “That is good news. Is that all?” I asked flatly. He laughed, and I could see his brilliant smile in my mind. “Darlin’, that was it. I thought you’d be a little more excited, but I guess you haven’t missed me.” I laughed this time. “The last two days felt like the last five years—lonely!” I sighed, letting him know I was currently feeling sorry for myself. “I’ll make it up to you tonight, darlin’, I promise.” His tone was low and sexy. Hmm, cue the goose bumps. “Good, but first we have to look for Cam. I told you about Elizabeth being at Isaiah’s when I went by, but I haven’t had a chance to tell you about last night. When we were all out hunting, I asked Etienne if he knew why she would be there and he flipped out. He had no idea she’d been there. Then…” Braxton’s growl distracted me long enough to remember that maybe I shouldn’t have told him I’d gone hunting with Etienne. “You went hunting with him?” Braxton ground out. I shut my eyes. I could see him now in his office—red-faced, stubborn jaw clenched shut as he ground his fingertips into his antique desk. “Calm down, it was nothing. Grayson, Takia, and I headed to Baton Rouge to hunt, and he followed us. He didn’t even stay long enough to feed.”

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“I don’t give a damn. I don’t want him near you. He wants you back, and I will not let him have you.” Hmm, goose bumps and hard nipples. I loved a jealous man ready to prove he’s all I need. “Mais, don’t worry, he knows I’m yours.” I laughed. “Good grief, Brax, could you get any more caveman?” “Darlin’, why do you do these things to me? I swear, sometimes I wonder how I haven’t torn you to shreds,” he mumbled. “Monsieur, you know why you haven’t.” I tried for my sexiest teasing voice. “You’re right, I do know why, but it still amazes me.” “Anyhow, back to what I was trying to tell you. He flew back here for a big fight with Elizabeth. She left and hasn’t been back. Then Takia told me she hadn’t seen Elizabeth at Isaiah’s, but every once in awhile a woman shows up matching the one we saw in the woods. Isaiah takes her to a private room where they talk business. Takia overheard them talking about how the woman could have all three people, he wanted something else. Takia didn’t really know what he was talking about and never got a chance to ask. She also remembered the woman had her scent masked somehow.” I stopped to catch my breath and let him comment. He only breathed in deeply, showing his frustration. “I looked online and found a website which sells scent masking, glamour, memory, and mind control spells. I didn’t contact the owner because I wanted to run it by you first. What do you think?” “I think I told you to behave while I was away, that we would deal with this together. This is not together. This is you running around putting yourself in harm’s way.” I rolled my eyes. Caveman. “But there’s more. I think Elizabeth has gotten a hold of some of those spells. It would explain so much. I mean, think about it, you can’t remember anything from the time you banished her till when I walked in on you two. Then you didn’t want to say those things to me, but you had to. I think she used them on you.”

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He took a deep breath. “It’s possible, but wait until I get there to approach her.” The door opened to his office and footsteps drew closer to his desk. “Whatever you want. Just one more thing before I let you go. Isaiah has Cam somewhere. She says he took her powers somehow and he told her she was his insurance in case I came after him.” Braxton growled again. The desk creaked as his finger dug into the wood. “Brax, that desk was my father’s. I’m not overly attached to it, but I’d rather you not destroy it.” Rich laughter from across his room let me know his Third, Colt Daniels, was the one who had walked in a minute ago. “Bonjour, my lovely Colt Daniels.” He laughed again, not even pretending he didn’t hear me as he usually would have. He must have liked the news that Braxton and I were back together. “My sweet Josephine, I’d rather not have to kill Colt for flirting with my mate. Please don’t encourage it,” Braxton warned teasingly. He trusted Colt more than any Alpha trusted their Third. If it hadn’t been for Eric’s age, Colt would have been his Second. “Of course, I just can’t help flirting with such a beautiful wolf. I guess it’s time I let you go so you can come back this afternoon. Au revoir, mon amour.” I could feel the smile spread across his face. “Darlin’, I love you. I’ve got a surprise for you when I get there. I think you might like it.” “Monsieur, if it’s what I’m thinking about, then I love it,” I told him in my best sex-kitten voice. Colt laughed again and tried to cover it by pretending to cough. “I forgot he was there for a second. Oh, well, I guess he’s heard us on more than one occasion. Which reminds me. I want our bedroom completely soundproofed before I get to Atlanta.” Before Braxton could reply, I hung up on him and lay back down, smiling. I knew I needed to get up and do something, but with no one

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awake yet and Braxton wanting me to wait for him, I decided to stay in bed and look over some of my father’s things. I picked up a drawing tablet and flipped through it. The first few pages were of his pack members. He had drawn them first as human then as wolf. I recognized a few of the men in the drawings. Mostly they had helped during storms, fires, or other emergencies, but there was one that caused me to stop and stare. It was Braxton during the war. He was in his Confederate uniform. Its squared shoulders made him look even broader, and the gun he held seemed nearly as large as him. I ran my hand across the page and stared at it. He was as handsome now as he had been back then. I left that picture open on my bed and grabbed a smaller tablet to see what was in it, but couldn’t help look back at Braxton. My heart beat faster every time I glanced down and saw his face. I picked it up again and turned to the back of the page where my father had written, the next Head Alpha. Braxton wasn’t Head Alpha, but he was the pack Alpha for the southeast, and that was very impressive. I set it back down and looked at the smaller one. The first was more drawings of me as a child. I was about ten when they had been drawn. On the last page of the tablet was a picture of my father standing next to me with his arm wrapped lovingly around my shoulders. Both of us were smiling brilliantly. My throat closed up, and tears burned in my eyes. He’d sat down and drawn us together. My first reaction was to throw the damn thing across the room, but I stopped myself. There had to be a reason why he’d given me away. Nobody could draw pictures like that without loving the person in them. I smiled, knowing he’d spent that much time thinking about me. I glanced one last time at the drawing and put it with the tablet which held the one of Braxton’s drawing. The last tablet was dated 1862, and the drawings were of me as a young woman coming into her own. I flipped through the pages and found a drawing of Cam and myself out on the back balcony. We

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were laughing and smiling. Cam had her hand over her heart and her head tilted back in laughter. I wondered if he’d seen this scene or just pictured us this way. I was leaning on the railing, laughing as well. My head was turned slightly, looking sideways at Cam. I stared at the picture, thinking back, and remembered this was an actual scene from my life. Cam and I had stepped outside to shake the rugs out of the upstairs rooms before company showed up, and we’d been bitching about Dominique and how ignorant he was. Cam had joyfully told me her mother had promised to make his dick shrivel up and stop working. I stepped to the window which faced the garçonnière. There had been a time when all I ever wanted was Etienne. His energy slammed into me, but I tried to resist his pull. “Ma chère,” Etienne’s smooth voice flowed in my head, “you’re still all I want. Just say the word and I’ll be by your side again.” I shut that mental door and went to take a shower. I couldn’t help but feel touched by his declaration. As much as he’d hurt me all those years ago, I understood his reasons for leaving. I couldn’t hold his leaving against him because if he had stayed, I’d never have met Braxton. Tonight Braxton would be back and we’d search for Cam. He was excellent at tracking. But today I’d go to Baton Rouge to the library so I could use a public computer. Braxton hadn’t said I couldn’t go to the library. Elizabeth’s car still wasn’t back, and I smiled devilishly at the thought of her in a fiery crash somewhere along the curvy road leading to the plantation. It made me all warm and fuzzy inside just thinking about it. The hour-long drive to Baton Rouge turned out to be one of the longest hours of my life. My CDs had been destroyed when Grayson “landed” in my baby. He still owed me for that one. I was thinking that his building a cabin for Cam and Takia at Braxton’s home in Atlanta might settle the score. If they decided to move to Atlanta then

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they were going to need a place to stay. The pack would go all furry and territorial if the few who lived there had to share the house with vampires. They accepted me because of my wolf and connections, but other vamps would not be welcomed. Crazy, territorial people.

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Chapter Fourteen The library was pretty busy for a Friday, but I wanted to search public records and had needed to take a break from the house. I was actually kind of relieved that soon I’d be back at the pack home with my mate. Since the Civil War, Cam had been with Isaiah. They’d spent most of that time in New York, so if they’d had to use false names I didn’t really know. She’d once fussed over a list of names he’d given her to look over. She’d hated them all and told me she refused to change her name. I wrote down the list of the names I remembered her hating most, sure that because she hated them Isaiah would have used them. I needed to find a place in his or her name where she might be held. My search for Isaiah Thomas came up with some information from the slave inventory of 1862. There wasn’t much else after that, so I checked the next name on my list and found this Isaiah owned property in New York City, Linden, and Long Beach. I wrote down the addresses but doubted he’d taken her that far away. I typed in the next few names. I got a few hits for them, but it wasn’t the Isaiah I was looking for. On a whim, I Googled “Camilla Marie Laveau.” I scrolled down the page. Nothing looked interesting until I saw there was a public record of a deed to Cam. I clicked on the site and it directed me to St. John the Baptist parish records. That parish line was only three miles from my home. The record showed there was a house and a hundred acres deeded in her name. It didn’t have an address listed, so I wrote down the information with the longitude and latitude. St. John the

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Baptist parish wasn’t very large, and because I owned a great deal of land there, I was baffled as to where this property was. She’d never mentioned that she owned property. I sat there a minute longer, trying to figure out where it might be, but nothing came to mind. I wasn’t good with longitudes and latitudes, so I guessed Braxton could figure this one out for me. I gathered my things, paid for my printed pages, and hit the road. It was almost four, and Braxton would more than likely be at the house before I was back. I pulled on my line to see if either Takia or Cam was awake. Grayson’s power hummed next to Takia. He was such a pig. I just hoped he knew what he’d gotten himself into this time. I had a feeling that Takia wasn’t just another one of his conquests. Just as I was pulling onto River Road near the house, Jerry Clower’s “Knock Him Out, John” screamed from my purse. I fished inside until I found my phone and groaned. Merde, I was late. I floored the gas pedal before answering. “I get back, excited to see my mate, but guess what? She’s not here.” Braxton’s tone held an edge of irritation. No hello or anything? Jeez, talk about a crybaby. “I’m almost there. I ended up heading to Baton Rouge. Just go upstairs and wait. I have some papers to show you.” He blew out an exasperated breath. “I’m already upstairs. I was going to look over some of your father’s things, but I didn’t know what you’d say. Do you mind?” “No, I don’t mind. There’s even a drawing of you. I think I’m gonna have it framed and put in our room. There’s also a whole book of drawings of his pack. They’re really fabulous. I thought maybe we could put that book in your office at the house. The pack might like them.” I rambled, trying to distract him from the fact that I still wasn’t there. “Darlin’, I think I’m going downstairs to wait for you outside. I told you I’ve got something to show you. I think you might like it.”

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His heavy footsteps echoed in the phone. His footsteps stopped, followed by a loud thud on the ground. He’d jumped the last six or so stairs to rush out the door. “Brax, why are you running out to meet me?” All thought stopped when the reason came into view. My heart pounded against my chest as a squeal began to bubbled up from deep inside me. I’m not a squealing kind of girl unless it’s in the bedroom and Braxton’s working his magic. This, though, was almost as squeal worthy. Braxton leaned against my new car, smiling ear to ear in his slick black Armani suit. The sight of him and the car made me moan. I ran from the rental car toward him. Ohh, my new baby. There in the drive sat my new 2010 Inferno Orange, 422 horsepower, V-8 Camaro SS. The windows were tinted black and the wheels were chrome, what more could I ask for? The keys and Braxton naked. But right now I’d take the keys. Braxton laughed as I ran a hand down the fender of the car, feeling the smooth lines and gorgeous curves. I smiled and lunged for him. I pressed my lips against his warm, full ones and kissed him greedily. I drank in his pine scent and the unique taste of him, brandy mixed with a wildness no one could ever imitate. “Darlin’, I hope this means you like it. If not, I can send it back.” I laughed and reached in his front pocket, searching for the keys. My hand brushed against his hard cock, and with a smile, he leaned back against the car, spreading his arms wide and inviting me to search all of him. “Not now. I want the keys, I’ll have you later.” He mocked a broken heart but deposited the shiny new keys into my outstretched hand. I jumped into the driver’s seat while he eased into the passenger seat—both of us grinning. The leather was black and as smooth as a baby’s butt. I settled into the seat and ran my hands across the steering wheel. It was designed to look more classic Camaro than

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new. I loved the new Camaros. The knowledge of its power, made me want to punch the clutch and hit ninety in seconds. I stopped before I did so I could look the inside of the car over. The dashboard was black with chrome lines set in strategic places to accent the gauges, which were all large circle shaped with oversized numbers. Just like my old car. The whole car, inside and out, was made up of smooth, classic lines. I loved it. I slipped the key into the ignition, turned it, and the engine roared to life. The hum of the engine was enough to melt my thong right off. Cars, fast and sleek lined muscle cars, really did it for me. Braxton groaned as the scent of my arousal filled the car. “What can I say? A fast car, good-looking man, and a road in front of me.” I shrugged my shoulders and punched the clutch. I spun out, slinging Braxton back against the seat, causing him to search for the “oh, shit” handle. I smiled a little brighter at him as he tried to right himself. “Hang on!” I floored it, shifting through the six speeds seamlessly and going from zero to ninety in no time. Oh, yeah, my thong was definitely incinerated. Nothing turned me on as quick as a fast car and Braxton. I hit the back road to Highway 3127 and gunned it. I wanted to see what the engine cut-off was on this baby. My old car didn’t cut off, Braxton had taken care of that for me. I wondered if he’d gotten the chance to do it with this one. Standard cut-off was usually around 115 mph, but before I could get it there, blue lights flashed behind me. I stomped the gas and left the officer in the dust. “Darlin’, slow down and let him pull you over. If not you’ll have the helicopters after you. Just make him forget.” He completely killed my reckless mood. The Barney Fife wannabe panted when he came up to the side of the car, and I turned the mojo on. He grinned stupidly as I told him to get back in his car and drive away, never to pull my car over again. He nodded and went back to his car, whistling a happy tune. I smirked

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over at Braxton and gunned it again. This time he was ready and had a firm grip on the “oh, shit” handle. I laughed at his paled face when I spun the car into one of the roads for the sugarcane fields. “Brax, let go of my car before you break the handle,” I told him, serious as a heart attack. He frowned, but released it. “After fifty-five years you’d think I’d be used to your driving. At least now I have an air bag.” I stopped the car and jerked the emergency brake up. He quirked his lips into a knowing smile. “Monsieur, you’ve got about a second before I rip that fine tailored suit off of your fine body. And I mean every last stitch. I don’t give a damn how expensive it is. I want it off.” My tone was low and thick with desire. He reached into the backseat, pulling up a bag. I looked at him, confused, as he sat it back down and reclined his seat, making no move to remove his clothing. “I recalled our anniversary when I gave you the other car. I had hoped this car would spark those same feelings, so I packed extra clothes for both of us.” My pussy clenched, and cream seeped from me. I didn’t waste any time. I grabbed his suit jacket in my hands and ripped the fine material. Its harsh, tearing whimper was music to my ears. My body burned with need, and I made quick work of the tie and shirt. When I got to his bare chest, I ran a hand across his tanned muscles. His body was hard and hot. His skin trembled under my touch, and his breath came faster. My nails scraped his skin, and he jerked in response. My clit throbbed at the sight of his perfect body, begging to be taken. I eased over the center console and let my hand wander down his perfect body. His head was relaxed against the headrest and his eyes were half closed as he watched me. I leaned back and unzipped my dress, letting my breasts spill out. I rubbed my body across his, causing him to shudder. The sweet smell of cinnamon was thick and intoxicating as our

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lust for each other flooded the car. My dress hit the floor. I splayed my hand across his chest, guiding it lower until I found the patch of thick black hair leading straight down to my favorite place, his hard cock. My hands eased under the waistband of his pants. I smiled up at him and winked. The next instant his pants were ripped in several pieces and thrown onto the dashboard. When I looked down, expecting to find his boxer briefs, he laughed. “My sweet Josephine, I thought I’d help things along.” I groaned with need and straddled him. The car was cramped, and I didn’t want to break the console or the door. I dragged him up to a sitting position so I could let my legs fall to his sides. He thrust upward, stretching my pussy muscles wide for his cock. His hot cock ignited me from within. We tried to gain a rhythm, but the cramped car wouldn’t allow us. I stopped, eased off of him, and then turned around. I leaned my back against his chest before reaching between us and guiding his cream-coated cock back inside my aching pussy. The back of my thighs rubbed against the tops of his as I moved over him. His coarse leg hair caressed my legs. His line of stomach hair tickled against my back. I moaned at the different sensations that urged me on faster and harder. He growled low and deep in his chest as I pushed down onto him. His arms circled me, one around my breasts and the other finding that smoldering spot between my thighs. The aching deep in my pussy grew hotter, sending flames licking my body from inside out. His fingers strummed my clit, and stars blinded me when the flame engulfed me. I screamed with release, clenching my pussy walls around his hard, throbbing cock. He jerked and trembled within me. He pulled my head to the side and took my mouth with his as he exploded. I rode him until I’d milked his body dry and mine convulsed from the mind-blowing, earth-shattering orgasm he’d just given me. We stayed like that for several minutes, trying to catch our breath. “Just so you know, I love the car,” I told him, still riding the last

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tremors. He laughed against the back of my neck, sending a shiver through me as his warm breath met my sweat-slicked skin. “Me, too. I think I’ll buy a hundred of them, and we can do this every night.” “Hmm, you don’t need to give me a car for that to happen. I’m willing to repeat this experience as often as you’d like.” I pushed off him and turned to face him. “Mon chèr, thank you for the car.” My kiss-swollen lips touched his gently. “I love you, mon amour.” He ran one strong hand across my face, cupped my chin, and tugged me down to him. His lips were swollen from our passionate kissing, but they were soft and warm. His mouth opened, and his talented tongue slid across mine as he held me close. My eyes filled with tears when his love for me poured into me from our connection. He eased back and wiped the escaped teardrops away and replaced them with soft, gentle kisses. “My sweet Josephine, anything you want is yours. I love you, darlin’.” He spoke softly in my ear. Everything that had happened today and before was washed away. Nothing else mattered except Braxton. “Let’s go get a hotel room tonight and forget about all the other interruptions.” I slid across the console back to my seat, praying he’d say yes. With a nod, I gunned it toward New Orleans.

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Chapter Fifteen Dread seeped from Braxton, making my stomach drop, and butterflies fluttered. Instinct warned me, we weren’t going to make it to the hotel. “What’s wrong?” “Nothing that can’t be fixed quickly. I just need to go back to the house and get my phone. I left all of that kind of stuff upstairs when I ran down to meet you.” He smiled over at me as I sighed. “Fine, but let’s hurry up and get out of there before something holds us up.” Anxious to get the hell out of Dodge before something really did hold us up. Yep, that was me. “It’ll only take a second.” He flashed me a drop-your-pants, sexy grin. Sometimes his sweet Southern smile took my breath away. As we sped to the house, I saw his worried look and tensed. “You’re not telling me everything. Tell me what’s wrong.” “They set a date to hear Eric’s challenge. You’ve got two weeks to make sure you can control your beasts. They’ll call you after I speak with them, and I’m sure they’ll want to know about our split, reunion, and Elizabeth. Who you cannot kill unless we have multiple witnesses that will testify in your behalf,” he said regretfully. My mind raced, and I stared ahead, thinking about what he’d just told me. I smiled. I could find people to kill Elizabeth in front of. Yep, I could take care of that with no problem. “Darlin’, it’s gotta be people who aren’t partial to you.” I blew out a breath. Damn, I wanted to kill that bitch. The distinct

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sounds of fists hitting flesh, bones snapping, and the metallic smell of fresh blood smacked me. I took flight and crashed through the window where the fighting sounds were coming from. Takia was curled up on the floor with a knife sticking out of her chest. Blood rushed from the wound, but Grayson needed my help more. He was fighting three ogre-sized vampires who brandished knifes, chains, and guns. From the way they were slinging weapons, nearly hitting each other, they seemed as dumb as ogres. One of the idiots fired his gun haphazardly in my direction. I launched myself at him and found his throat. I unleashed Batty on him, and instantly she unsheathed my fangs. I tore at his throat while the other two vampires stopped fighting to stare in horror at me. Batty pulled on his jugular and ripped it out, sending blood gushing out of the open vein. She took one sip and pulled away. This blood was drug-dosed, and she didn’t want anything to do with it. Instead of feeding, we went after revenge. The vampire convulsed as his life slipped out of him. I turned to the other vampires still fighting against Grayson. I sensed Braxton coming up the stairs and knew this had to end before he arrived. The guns could do major damage to Braxton, and I wasn’t willing to let that happen. I spun around on the one closest to me and grabbed his head. I got a firm grip on it as he twisted and hit at me. He bared his fangs and hissed when I jumped onto his back. He continued to spin and bucked, trying to get me off. His fangs barely missed my hands as I placed them on his chin before I twisted. The bones in his neck snapped, but I knew a broken neck would only slow him down. I looked at Grayson, and he nodded. I twisted harder and jerked with a force that surprised me. My rage against this vampire was unlike anything I’d ever felt in my life. He’d come into my home, attacked my sire and one of my line. With that rage controlling me, I yanked, separating his head from his body. As his lifeless corpse fell to the floor, I jumped off him. The

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door shattered into millions of splinters when Braxton rushed in, all yellow-eyed and pissed. I slung him the vampire’s severed head. Grayson had the last vampire on the ground, staking him to the floor with pieces from the door. Grayson looked up at me and smiled, showing his bloody fangs and crimson eyes glowing with rage. Braxton went to his side and helped pin the vampire down as I went to Takia. She was still lying on the floor, bleeding. I grabbed the sheet from the bed and knelt beside her. “Bébé, this is gonna hurt like hell, but you gotta stay still.” I eased the knife from her chest. She came up off the floor screaming then fell back to it with a harsh thump. Her eyes rolled back in her head, and she went limp. My stomach dropped. Shit, I’d done something wrong. My heart raced when the thought of piercing her heart flew into my mind. I leaned over her and she moved slightly. I looked up, wanting Grayson to tell me what to do, but he was still busy trying to control the vampire they had on the floor. Takia needed blood, lots of it. I sliced my wrist with the knife that had been lodged in her chest. My wrist burned when the blood flowed to the surface. Before I could get her to latch on, my blood started to clot. Merde. I winced and sliced it open again. I forced her mouth to my wrist and let my blood flow. Her fangs slid down in reaction to the blood, and she finally bit down. It stung like a bitch when she chewed on my wrist, but soon she eased up and began pulling on it less like a fiend. Batty didn’t know whether to enjoy the sensation of being taken from or to be appalled. The only time I’d shared my blood was when I turned someone or with Etienne. I wasn’t entirely sure how much blood Takia needed or how much she should take. I looked down at her, and she blinked up at me. I slid my wrist away from her. She let go willingly before her face flushed. She was naked, as was Grayson. I ignored her modesty and inspected her chest where the knife had been. It was completely healed. I covered her with the sheet and eased

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off the floor. Grayson and Braxton were through nailing the vampire down, and Grayson stared at Takia with his eyebrows drawn together in a deep frown. I marched to the dresser and looked for a pair of boxers or something to give to Takia, but realized Grayson didn’t wear underwear. I shook my head and grabbed a T-shirt and a pair of his pants. Grayson was kneeling in front of her when I turned around. He held her close and caressed her back. It struck me then. I’d never really seen Grayson in a romantic, caring way. I’d seen him with hundreds of women over the years and even seen him comfort hurt, broken women, but I’d never seen him holding someone intimately like this. He looked up at me with concern for Takia in his eyes. I went to them and knelt down. “Come on, T. Let’s get you cleaned up before we get started on this other business.” I nodded toward the other vampire. “Josephine, I’m fine.” She tried to wave me away. “Whatever is in your veins is not regular vampire blood.” She smiled sheepishly, which caused me to laugh. “No, it’s not. Now, come on, let’s get you in the shower.” She tried to stand, but wobbled, so I grabbed her arm and hauled her up in my arms. “Josephine, put me down.” I kept walking toward the bathroom. Grayson was right behind us when I sat her down on the bench in the shower. “She’s fine, Gray. Go find me some underwear or shorts for her. Your pants are too big.” I gestured for him to leave, but he hesitated. Takia looked up at him, and he kissed her passionately then rested his forehead on hers for a moment. All of a sudden I was completely uncomfortable. To give them some privacy, I ran from the bathroom as fast as I could. I heard Takia laugh as I shot across the hall to her bedroom. I grabbed Takia’s clothes and strolled back to the bathroom. I knocked on the door and left the clothes by the door. “Clothes

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outside. Take your time. I’ll start with the interrogation,” I sent Grayson mentally. “No. He’s mine.” He hissed before coming out of the bathroom dressed in the clothes I’d originally picked out for Takia. She strode out in a towel and grabbed her clothes quickly. Grayson stomped past me and back into the bedroom, where Braxton glared at the pinned vampire. When we strolled in, he took one look at me and rushed to my side. “It’s not my blood it’s the other two vampires and some of Takia’s,” I said softly, but he didn’t listen. Instead, his hands roamed my body, looking for any wounds. When he was satisfied I was okay, he leaned down and kissed my forehead. “Next time you leave me behind, I will throttle you.” He pinched my butt a little too hard for teasing. I yelped, and we went to stand beside Grayson, who was kneeling beside the strange vampire. “What the hell happened, Gray?” I asked. Takia came into the room dressed, looking much better. “These are Isaiah’s newest addition to his line.” She sat down on the edge of the bed. “Okay, but what were they doing here?” “They came to get her and prove a point to you.” Grayson’s lethal tone had the vampire on the floor, cringing. “They came to get her?” Rage erupted inside me. “Who the hell does he think he is? That bastard has Cam. Now he sends these idiots to my house, and thinks he’s equal enough to prove a point to me.” I shook my head in disgust. “He’s mine. Just so the three of you know, when I find Cam, I’m going after him. I’ll prove a point all right.” I turned to the vampire on the floor and knelt down. “What is your sire up to? Why does he want Takia back?” The vampire ignored me until I grabbed a hold of his balls and began to apply a bit of pressure. “I’ll squeeze until they pop, then I’ll rip them off and feed them to you if you don’t answer me now.” I squeezed one good time to let him see how serious I was. He screamed.

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“Start talking.” Grayson grabbed his face, making him look at him. The vampire nodded. “Just make her stop. I can’t concentrate while that bitch has my balls in a vise grip.” I squeezed one last time before I released him. “You dim-witted piece of trash, you have no idea how big a bitch I can be. If you think popping your balls is the worst I can do to you, you’re mistaken.” I sent him several images of him ball-less, dickless, armless, and legless, stacked on the front of Isaiah’s door. I laughed when he tried to move away from me. He stopped moving and whimpered when I squeezed again. “Talk.” “He sent us to get her.” He screamed and nodded toward Takia. “Said we were to get her and if we got a chance to rough you up then take it.” Braxton growled, and I knew he was getting ready to take his turn with the idiot on the floor. “He ordered you three to come after me?” When he nodded, I looked up at Grayson, who was shaking with anger. “What happened? Why’d you knife Takia and go after him instead?” “You weren’t here, and we couldn’t get her without taking him out. We didn’t know he was an Ancient.” He hung his head, and Grayson leaned over him. “You couldn’t sense my power?” The vampire shook his head. “No, we’ve never met any other vampires besides those from our own line. We thought you were one of hers.” He nodded toward me, and I laughed. “You idiot, I’m his.” His face paled even more. Grayson moved to snap his neck, and I jumped and grabbed his arm. “I need to know where Cam is and who’s helping Isaiah.” The man shook his head, and I yanked on his balls, ripping his sac. He let loose a shrill scream that I was sure the neighbors could hear. “Now, tell me or they come off completely.” My tone was flip,

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uncaring. He trembled in pain, and tears streamed down his face. “Fuck, I don’t know any of that.” I grabbed his face, making him concentrate on me. “Think hard.” “I don’t know where your friend is. She came by a few nights ago, and Isaiah took her out to hunt. She didn’t come back with him. That’s the last I saw of her. There’s a brunette who shows up every so often. She came by that night and went through her stuff. I heard her and Isaiah laughing, talking about how close they were.” He grimaced in pain. “I don’t know what they were talking about, but they were real happy. The woman had a weird smell when she left, and she took all of your friend’s stuff.” I stared at him for a second before I jumped up and ran to Cam’s room. I searched through her dirty clothes until I found the outfit she’d worn when she’d turned that spell for the tourist. I grabbed it and ran back to Grayson’s room and thrust it at the man on the floor. He flinched when I stuffed it under his nose. “Did she smell like this when she left?” He sniffed and jerked away. ”Yeah. Just like that. What the hell is it?” Cam’s magic had a unique scent, one of those unusual odors that stunk and smelled good at the same time. It was almost like dark chocolate that had been melted to the point of near burned. Add her everyday scent of vanilla and she smelled very distinct. “That’s not your concern.” I turned to Grayson and Braxton. Anger boiled off both of them, but Isaiah had sent these men here to prove a point to me, and now it was my turn to prove my point to him. I’d kill every last one in his line if I was forced to, and it was time to prove it. “It’s time to take him back to New Orleans. Grayson, I need you to get the bodies and pieces of the other two who came with him. You’re gonna have to carry them, and I’m gonna take this one back.” Grayson nodded, but Braxton and Takia started to argue.

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Braxton was concerned for my safety and wanted revenge against Isaiah for sending the idiots after me. His wolf neared the surface, and I asked Wolfy to comfort him. She refused, wanting me to let Braxton take control of the situation, so I shut her out. She was dominant until it came to her mate. I hated that more than anything, but there was no use in arguing with her or Braxton, so I tried to reason with him. “Brax, if this was Were stuff, you’d shut me out, no matter how much I balked and fought with you. I’m not going to tell you that you can’t come, but since we’re flying and you can’t, I guess you’re staying.” I turned my back on his piercing glare. “Now, T, you’re staying because I said so, and that’s that. You wanted under my line, which means you have to obey me.” I gathered up the pieces of the other vampires until Braxton grabbed my arm, spinning me around. “Take the car. That way, I can go.” “No, I want to make a point to Isaiah, and flying is better. For some reason, he can’t, and it pisses him off.” I sighed and stared at him. “You know this is the best way. If this was just about me, I’d let you have at him, but this is about my line. If I let someone else take care of this for me then it’ll make others think I can’t, or won’t, protect my own. I have to do this, and I can.” I shook my head. “Sometimes you forget just how badass I really am.” I motioned for Grayson to move to the balcony so we could get going. Etienne appeared, and angry energy surged in the room. “What the hell happened here?” This wasn’t going the way I wanted it to go. Now he’d insist that he go, too. Damn men. At least this one could fly. “Nothing we couldn’t handle. Now watch out, Grayson and I are taking this trash back to Isaiah.” Etienne’s eyes blazed crimson, and his fangs lowered. Before anyone could stop him, he was on the pinned vampire, beating him unconscious. I scowled at Etienne when he stood up, and wiped his hands on his pants, and straightened his collar.

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“Mais, feel better now?” He turned to me, smiled, showing fang, and nodded. “Much better. He deserved that beating and much more.” He glanced at Braxton and raised an eyebrow. “I wonder why your dog didn’t tear him apart?” Braxton was on him in an instant. Etienne’s metallic, winescented blood wafted to me before I ever saw Braxton’s fist hit him. “Gray, could you please.” I waved my hands toward the two jackasses fighting, and Gray’s eyebrows drew together, his lip curled upward in a snarl. “He deserves whatever Braxton does to him. He has no respect.” “I know, but not right now. Braxton can have him later. Right now we’re gonna need Etienne to help carry some of the parts.” Grayson stared at me for a second before Braxton slung Etienne into the wall beside the bed, shattering the Sheetrock. I stepped in front of Braxton very, very reluctantly right when Grayson grabbed Etienne and pushed him onto the balcony. Braxton growled at me, but I stood my ground. I hated being between Braxton and a fight since he was much stronger, but I knew no matter what, he wouldn’t hurt me. He stared at me with neon yellow eyes, and I towed him toward our bedroom. Takia shut the door behind us, putting Etienne out of Braxton’s line of sight. “Come, chèr, I need to talk to you.” Once inside, I stopped and leaned back against the door, putting myself between him and the exit. Whether that was smart or not wasn’t the point. I needed him to calm down so he could search for the property Cam owned. He spun around, and blood trickled out of the corner of his mouth. Panic rushed through me, and I went to him instantly. When I grabbed his head, holding it still so I could look at his cut lip, he jerked away from me. “Hold still,” I whispered, wiping the blood off of his mouth with my hand. Batty jumped up and down inside as she smelled Braxton’s

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blood, so I licked the droplets off my hand. He didn’t respond, but that was okay. His wolf was easing back down. The yellow of his eyes was fading back to green. “Takia took a lot of blood. Do you need some before you fly off?” he finished sarcastically. I smiled at him and shook my head. “No, I’ll be okay. Are you hurt?” I ran my hands over his body, looking for any signs of damage. He drew back away from me and glared. “No. Your lover boy got one shot in and that’s it. I suppose he’s going with y’all.” “He can fly. We’ll need him to carry one of the guys. If Grayson and I could carry the two dead ones and the live one by ourselves, we wouldn’t take him, but this way we can make it in one trip.” I went to his side and grabbed his hand. “Lover boy?” I asked sarcastically, causing him to glare at me even more fiercely. I leaned up and placed a kiss on his busted mouth that had of course already healed. “Don’t be mad. I have to do this my way.” I grabbed the leather pants I’d worn the night before and my highheel black boots. I turned back to Braxton as I finished tucking in my shirt and zipping my boots. “It’s like how you handle the stuff with the pack. I help when you let me, but they’re your pack, and you’re responsible for them. It’s the same way with my line. I have to be able to protect them. I know you don’t like it, but it’s just the way it is. I gotta go.” I shrugged at him and eased away, but he grabbed my arm. “Be careful, darlin’. If you’re not back in an hour, I’ll be on my way.” His lips sought mine in a rough assault. “Yes, sir. Do me a favor and look over that pile of papers I printed out.” I pointed to the folder containing the papers. “See what you think. There’s a place deeded to Cam, and I want to find out where it is. If you can figure the longitude and latitude out for me, I’d really appreciate it.” I smiled at him and patted his pockets, looking for my car keys. “Drive my car. It’s faster than the rental car.” I winked at him and turned to leave. When I got to the door, I turned and smiled over my shoulder at him. “See you in an hour.”

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He waved me off as he studied the papers I’d given him. When I got down the hall to Grayson’s room, I heard Braxton mutter. “Fifty-six minutes left.” I laughed and joined Grayson and Etienne on the balcony. Takia stood nearby, pouting. “Do me a favor and go see if Braxton needs some help looking over the papers I gave him.” She nodded and walked off, muttering under her breath. “Yes, Master.” I sighed and looked over at Grayson, who grinned. “Welcome to my world, dear one. It’s wonderful.” His lips quirked into a sarcastic grin. Rolling my eyes, I gathered the head and body of the vampire who’d tried to shoot me. “Who did that?” Etienne pointed at the vampire with the severed head. I raised my hand and smiled devilishly. “Nice.” He grabbed the body and head. I turned to Grayson, and he grabbed the other dead vampire. I smiled back at the pinned vampire as he squirmed on the ground, knowing he was stuck with me. “Now be nice and you’ll get to die with your balls still attached and not in your mouth. You so much as flinch while I’ve got you and you’ll be found dead with your beans and frank shoved down your throat.” I let my fangs slide down. He nodded, and I grabbed him, ripping his body away from the stakes. While he screamed out in pain, I launched into the air holding on to him firmly. Grayson was already hovering, waiting for us. Behind me Etienne took flight and flew instantly to my side. “When we get there, remember the order. I am your sire.” He ducked his head slightly in submission, and we took off, catching up with Grayson. “This is your show, dear one. Tell me what you want.” Gray spoke softly. “I want Cam back, Elizabeth gone, Isaiah dead, and to be in Atlanta with my mate. That’s what I want, but it’s not going to happen tonight.”

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The vampire in my arms made no movement, even though I’d expected him to test me by now. He knew I was going to kill him when we got there, but I guess he’d decided he wanted to die intact. The lights and buildings of New Orleans came into view, and we headed in the direction of the French Quarter. Tension rolled off the vampire I carried when we grew closer to Isaiah’s. I looked down at him and smiled, showing fang. “You should have thought about it before you came into my home.” I hissed. Grayson came up beside me, smiling, and flew ahead since he holds more authority than I do. I glanced to my left, and Etienne slowed down so I was slightly ahead of him in the order. As Isaiah’s house came into view, his power and rage sparked in the air around us. Grayson landed first and slung the body of the vampire missing a throat onto Isaiah’s front steps. Isaiah stepped outside, seething with anger. I grinned at him and nodded at Etienne, who threw the severed head at Isaiah, hitting him in the chest with it. Next, the body which belonged to that vampire flew through the air and landed beside Isaiah. He looked down at the two bodies in front of him and glowered at me. I stared him in the eyes the whole time. When I stopped in front of him, he was shaking with anger. I slid my tongue down his vampire’s neck I was holding. My fangs scraped his skin, causing blood to rush out in those spots, and I licked the blood off. With a smile I spit it at Isaiah. The red-tinted spit landed an inch away from his bare feet. “Next time you send your children after me, remember who you’re sending them after.” I kissed the vampire’s shaking cheek. “Good luck in your next life.” I snapped his neck and twisted until his head ripped off his shoulders. I threw it up in the air and kicked it at Isaiah as hard as I could. It hit him with a force which sent him flying backward, cracking his front door and causing him to land flat on his ass, looking up at me

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with hate-filled eyes. I stepped to him and leaned over him. “You started this war between us, and I’ll be finishing it soon. Get your affairs in order because I’m coming after you. Your nights are numbered, and from this moment forward, all of your children are free game. Let them know now that any who wish to be under my line have protection with me. Those who choose to remain with you will die with you.” I eased back to where Grayson and Etienne awaited, but Isaiah was rising. I spun around as his fist came forward. “You dumb bitch. You think you can take me? I’ll fucking kill you now!” He screamed in rage before his fist hit me with a blinding force, which caused me to momentarily lose sight. I shook my head and saw his foot coming toward me. I caught it in mid strike and snapped his tibia. He staggered back, trying to get away from me, but I held on to him. “Fuck you. I’m finishing this bullshit tonight.” Grayson jerked me back before I could finish him. “Not tonight, dear one. We still have too many unanswered questions.” Grayson was right. I needed Isaiah alive to find Cam, the brunette, and his operational plans. The Ancients wanted him dead, but they also wanted his information first. Tonight, my rage would take that away from them, and then I’d be in hot water. I let his leg go and shot into the air, trying to calm my rage. Etienne breezed to my side with eyes blazing crimson. “You just keep getting sexier and sexier.” His voice filled with lust. I laughed and rolled my eyes at him. “You’d better not say anything like that around Braxton. He’s gonna end up killing you if you don’t stop trying him. He’s too dominating for me to keep holding back.” I shook my head as he grinned, carefree, at me. I gazed over at Grayson, and he wore a proud look upon his face. “My dear one, you did well. I was concerned your anger would let

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the beasts out, but you did very well.” They almost had taken over, but he didn’t need to know that. “Mais, I wish I could have controlled it long enough to try and find out some information from him,” I told him regretfully. Grayson shook his head. “He wouldn’t have told you anything, and he’s not going to back down, either.” I knew he was right, and I also knew we’d taken over an hour delivering our message. I changed directions to head toward the roadways leading out of New Orleans. My gorgeous new car raced down the highway. I shook my head and pointed down at it just as Takia came flying toward us. She hovered, waiting for Grayson to catch up to her. “I’m gonna ride with Braxton back. Y’all go ahead home, and when we get there, we all need to talk.” I turned to Etienne. “That includes you and your wife if she’s anywhere around.” He nodded but didn’t comment. I swooped down just above my car then flew a mile ahead of it. I landed in the middle of the lane and waited for Braxton. The headlights came closer, and the sound of brakes screeching in the silent night rang out loudly. In the windshield my eyes glowed crimson, deep brown, curly hair flew in the breeze, and my fangs shined. Braxton jerked the steering wheel sideways to avoid hitting me. When he opened the passenger door, his face was stone set, and I knew he wasn’t amused. “Monsieur, lighten up.” I slid onto the soft leather seat, inhaling the aroma of pine and new car. He punched the clutch and took off without saying a word. “Brax, you okay?” Concern creeping its weighted grip along my heart. “No, I’m not okay. Takia told me that you got hurt the last night and that bastard drank your blood, then Elizabeth showed up and told me she overheard the two of you talking.” He shook his head. “I wouldn’t have listened to a word she said, but you forgot to mention

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he’d had your blood. How he managed that with the curse between y’all, I can’t figure out.” I raised my hand and placed it over his mouth, silencing him. “I hit a tree going to Baton Rouge. Etienne pulled the limb out of my side then licked the blood off of it. I had no control over his actions and didn’t encourage it in any way. Whatever Elizabeth overheard, I’m sure she gave you a different version of what was said.” I shook my head in disgust. “If you don’t trust me after fifty years together then I need to know now because that means we’ve got a serious problem. I’ve never once lied about anything to you, and you need to tell me now whether this is it or not.” I looked into his eyes, searching for the truth. He pried my hand away and kissed the palm the way he always did as a gentle show of love. “My sweet Josephine, of course I trust you.” He let out an exasperated sigh. “Sometimes my wolf gets jealous and can’t take another man lusting after you.” I kissed him gently, letting Wolfy rise and show him my feelings. My feelings of deep, never-ending love had lasted over the past fiftyfive years and would last an eternity. My longing to have his children, to rock them to sleep at night, and to hold them, knowing that we’d made them. My complete and undeviating trust for the man he was, is, and will be. She held nothing back as she passed those emotions on to him, and when he leaned back his eyes were filled with tears. “He’s better now,” he whispered, and I wiped one escaped tear from his face. “Now let’s get home. I need a word with Elizabeth.” More like my fangs needed to rip her no-good bitch throat out.

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Chapter Sixteen I needed blood before confronting Elizabeth. Braxton sensed my weakness and pulled over to the side of the road. “Darlin’, you need blood. Come on.” His voice was a whisper. I shook my head and waved him off. I didn’t want to feed from Braxton right now. Not this weak. I wouldn’t be able to turn the pain into pleasure for him, and I never wanted to harm him. “Josephine, it’ll be okay. The pain will subside once your fangs are fully sheathed in my neck. I can take it.” He grinned and flexed his biceps. “Me big, strong Alpha werewolf.” He pounded his fist on his chest in a caveman imitation. Wolfy rose, and I released a heavy sigh. He was right—I needed to feed, and with her awake, she’d stop me before I hurt him. I leaned toward him, and he offered me his throat. Batty sprang forward and unsheathed my fangs. She loved to feed from Braxton. If she had her way, he’d be my only meal all the time. His blood was so rich and intoxicating that my humanity slipped away and Batty took over. Wolfy came to the surface and tried to warn me. I wasn’t strong enough to control Batty, but I was too far gone in the moment to listen. The small human part of my brain watched in horror as my beasts battled over Braxton and took a second to pray to god that Wolfy would win this fight. As his blood raced into my mouth, blackness surrounded me, emptiness filled me, and silence echoed in my ears. I fought to keep the blackness from taking over my mind, yet every time I did I sank deeper into the abyss. I tried again, only to be shut out. Exhausted of fighting it, my head rolled to the side and the blackness took me.

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When my eyes opened again, the sun gazed high in the sky, and Braxton lay next to me, motionless in our bed. Panic swept over me. I jumped up and stared down at him. He was pale and stiff. I grabbed him by his shoulders, shaking him violently, trying to wake him up, but he just fell back to the bed, motionless. My vision blurred while I raced to think of what had happened. Nothing but horrible images came to mind. I whimpered when I looked from his neck to the pool of blood on his pillow. My heart raced. Bile rose in my throat. In the distance someone screamed. I couldn’t be worried about the person screaming, not with Braxton bleeding. I looked down at him. He was lifeless. His scent was no longer pine and earth. Instead, he smelled of rotting flesh. I called Wolfy, but she didn’t respond. I rushed from the bed, sobbing, to throw up, no longer able to fight the bile away. I collapsed onto the ground, wailing. I’d killed Braxton. I pounded my fist on the floor, wailing in disbelief. The screaming in the background grew louder. Finally, I realized it was me. The door to our bedroom splintered, and Braxton stood there with deep concern in his eyes. Behind him stood Grayson, Takia, Etienne, and Elizabeth. They all looked at me as if I’d gone crazy, all except Elizabeth, who smiled. I stared at Braxton then looked back at the empty bed. Empty? I spun around in disbelief before jumping from the floor to grab him. “Easy, darlin’, you’re gonna break my arm if you don’t back off some,” he told me jokingly. “You okay?” I shook my head in confusion. “No! I woke up and you were dead.” My reflection in his gorgeous green eyes showed I did look crazy. Tears streamed down my face, as snot ran from my nose. My hair was pulled in different directions. Blood trickled down my knuckles from where I’d pounded on the floor. Grayson stepped up to me and tipped

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my chin to make me look him in the eyes. “Dear one, what did you see?” “I don’t know. I mean…?” I stared up at Braxton, who knelt down in front of me and ran a hand across my cheek. “Darlin’, you passed out before you could get enough blood. You’ve been asleep for hours.” He kissed my palm. I’d always feared one day I’d lose my fight with my beasts, that I’d kill someone I loved. Wolfy had always checked Batty when things got too out of hand, but the fear of losing control never went away. When I fed from Braxton, Batty enjoyed it so much it was dangerous to feed from him while I was weak. I couldn’t keep her in check and had to rely solely on Wolfy. That scared me more than anything. Takia stepped to me, raised one trembling hand, and brought it down across my cheek. She slapped me so hard, my head jerked to the side. Pain exploded in my jaw, sending white stars to dance in front of my eyes. “What the fuck?” I screamed at her. She jumped away from me, nearly knocking Etienne and Elizabeth down while trying to run from me. “S–S–Sorry. You n–n– needed it.” She stumbled. Grayson moved to her side. “Bitch.” I spat out blood. “I think you cracked my tooth.” My tongue moved across my bottom teeth. “Sorry, I didn’t mean…” “That was your one-time-only punch. Next time you hit me, you’d better be halfway across the world when I wake up.” I bared my fangs, feeling more like myself. “I did need it, though. Thanks. What the hell happened, though?” I asked, more than a little bewildered. Braxton hauled me to him and waved everyone else out. I sat down beside him on the chaise lounge and stared at the bed. I couldn’t sleep in it ever again now. Not after seeing his motionless, bloodied body in it. No way. His hand caressed my check then pulled my face back to him.

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I stared in those deep green eyes and started to tremble. “Merde! That was the worst damn nightmare I’ve ever had. What the hell happened?” I sniffled as his strong arms circled me and I felt his power trying to relax me. I straightened and glared at him. “No.” I shook my head angrily. “Don’t try and do that to me right now. I want to know why I saw you dead in our bed. Dead because I killed you.” I trembled harder, and he held me close to him. “I don’t know what happened in here, but you passed out in the car before we got home. I told everyone we’d let you sleep for awhile, then, before sunrise, I’d wake you so we could talk about what happened. Elizabeth was here, and we confronted her about why she was at Isaiah’s. As she started to explain, you began screaming and pounding on the floor.” He stared, waiting on me to tell him what had happened, but I couldn’t. I didn’t want to see those images in my head again. “Brax, did I hurt you earlier? Before I passed out. I tried so hard to stay conscious, but I couldn’t. I tried to get Wolfy to help, but I don’t know…” I jerked the T-shirt away from his neck and collar, but there weren’t any marks. “You didn’t feed from my neck, darlin’.” I stared up at him, and he held his wrist up. It was healed, but I could smell my scent there. “You wouldn’t feed from my neck because you said you wouldn’t be able to stop.” Relief flooded me. “I was too weak to control them tonight. I should have fed before I went after Isaiah.” He nodded at me. “I told you that before you left with lover boy.” He was trying to distract me from my question, and we both knew it. He lowered his head so his forehead pressed against mine. I sighed and ran a hand across his stubborn jaw. God, I’d thought he was dead. I’d seen him dead because of my uncontrollable beast. I hated myself, knowing I should be able to control them both better than I do now. “Brax, you never answered me. Did I hurt you?” I asked quietly. “Only for a second, but Batty pulled back as soon as she felt my

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pain. Your wolf didn’t have to make her stop.” I looked up at him and pulled on Wolfy again. This time she did rise, and she was happy, more than happy. She hadn’t had to fight with Batty because Batty had fully accepted Braxton as her mate, lover, partner, and lifelong meal. I laughed and kissed his cheek. “You all right now?” he asked. I nodded and stood up. “I do think that bitch cracked my tooth.” His rich laughter filled the room to spread warmth over my clammy skin. He tugged me to the hallway, where we made our way to the kitchen where everyone awaited us. Takia’s eyes darted up at me, and she grinned sheepishly as Grayson wrapped an arm around her shoulder protectively. He was definitely letting me know she might be under my line, but she was his. I winked at him and sat beside Elizabeth, who practically growled at me at first sight. I smiled wolfishly at her while considering letting Wolfy take her right now. “I see you recovered from whatever drama you were going through this time.” She flipped a crumb from the table, not looking at me. I raised an eyebrow and prayed for the strength not to kill her. “As a matter of fact, I’m good now. And I’m ready to hear why you were at Isaiah’s, what you know about Cam, and if you’re a witch.” Her mouth fell open. “I–I–I’m no–t–t a witch! I’m a Were, and you know that.” She stumbled along. In turn I flipped a crumb off the table, unconcerned about her words. “Cam’s a vampire and a voodoo priestess. So what’s to say you’re not a witch?” I asked her blandly. “I don’t care what that bitch is, and I don’t know anything about her.” She raised from her seat. Etienne placed his hands on her shoulders and forced her back down. She glared at him. “I can’t believe this!” she screamed. “You’re picking her over me again?” Etienne leaned down to her. “Yes. I’ve been in love with her since I was sixteen, and nothing or no one will ever change that fact.” He

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looked pointedly up at Braxton. I grabbed Braxton’s arm and held him to me. Sulfur radiated from his body, and the rumble of his deep, fighting growl began low in his throat. I squeezed his hand harder. After a tense few moments, he squeezed back. Etienne sighed. “I care for you a great deal, Elizabeth, and I’ll protect you from her if you tell us the truth right now. If not, you’ll force me to destroy you.” He stared at her, and even I could feel the sincerity of his words. He did care for her, and for some reason that hurt. I looked away as he glanced in my direction. I knew he’d see that hurt and he’d read more into it than there was. Braxton was my love, and nothing or no one would ever change that fact. I focused my attention back on Elizabeth. “If you tell us everything right now, I’ll sign the damn papers tomorrow and be out of this house by the end of the week. You can have everything here except the stuff I’ve bought over the years. The original things are yours. I’ll also cut Etienne from my line and you never have to see me again.” She didn’t know I’d already decided to cut him, but she also didn’t need to know that. The look on her face was pure joy. She thought she’d won some victory here, but little did she know that she was going to die anyway. When this was done and Braxton’s hearing was over, she was dead. “I went to Isaiah because I wanted you gone. I want you dead and buried.” Her tone was spiteful and filled with hate. “I asked him if he could help since I’d heard the two of you were at odds. He asked me why I wanted you gone, and I told him I that Braxton and Etienne should belong to me. Two men I’d never have as long as you’re still living.” I shook my head at her idiotic reasoning. “Braxton would never turn to you for anything even if I was dead. He’d resent you even more.”

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“That’s what Isaiah said, too. I didn’t like what I heard, so I stormed out. But he told me I wouldn’t have to wait long before your death anyway. Said him and a friend were close to killing you.” Her lips curved up in a sadistic smile. “Don’t know what you did to him, but he hates you. Almost as much as I do.” She glanced at her bright red nails then back at me. “As for your little bitch of a friend, Cam, I was just trying to piss you off the other night. I’d smelled her all over Isaiah, but she wasn’t there.” She glanced over at Etienne before turning to me again. “He’s got her somewhere out of town. She’s close, though, because his people called him when I got there and it only took him about forty-five minutes to get back.” I raised a hand, stopping her. “What time did you get there?” She shrugged and picked up an apple sitting on the island. I imagined taking that apple and shoving it down her throat, choking her. She smiled at me, obviously knowing what I was thinking, and bit into the apple. “Around three thirty that morning. I snuck out right after I heard Etienne go to bed. We’d been arguing, so we weren’t sleeping in the same room.” She shrugged her shoulders. “I left him a note that I was shopping in New Orleans and wouldn’t be back for a few days. Unfortunately I got back sooner than I’d expected and you’d known where I’d been.” She glared daggers at me. “Mais, you should have never came to Atlanta and tried to steal Braxton.” I snatched the apple away from her and slung it across the room. “Now, tell me what the hell is really going on?” I tried to mojo her, but an invisible wall slammed up, blocking me. “I’ve been telling you. I’m more powerful than you think. Your tricks won’t work on me. I’ve told you what I know, so get out of my face, cunt.” Hate rolled off her. Leaning in closer to her, I inhaled, trying to catch any differences in her scent. It was different than it had been when I’d first met her. “I know you’re using scent spells and God knows what other kind

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of spells. I’m gonna prove it, then your ass is dead. I’m gonna rip you apart and feed you to the alligators in the swamp.” She leaned back away from me, her lips curling into a smirk. “There aren’t any swamps at the house in Atlanta. I held up my part of the bargain, and I want you gone by the end of the week, regardless of whether you’ve found your little friend or have dealt with Isaiah.” I couldn’t help but laugh. The bitch had me. She’d told me the truth, or enough of it to hold me to my deal, and with this many people around, I couldn’t back out of it. “You forget my father left me his place. There’s plenty of swamp around it.” I grabbed her chin, squeezing hard enough to hear bone cracking. She gasped. Elizabeth’s eyes filled with tears as her body shook. She squirmed in my hold, but I squeezed harder, forcing her to look at me. “If I find out that you’re lying about your friendship with Isaiah or about Cam, I won't kill you. Instead I’ll keep you around as a play toy for Batty. She loves toys.” I unsheathed my fangs and let my eyes glow crimson as I released her. With one last smile, I turned away to face the others in the room. Braxton stared at me, wild-eyed with appreciation for a second before grinning at me. He had a great come-and-get-it grin. Now wasn’t the time, though, so I pushed those thoughts away. “What do you think?” I asked Grayson. “She’s lying, but since we can’t prove it yet, we need to make her believe we can.” He was right. There wasn’t anything I could do yet. “All right, but I think she’s the brunette that everyone keeps saying shows up at Isaiah’s. I need to find out if she’s using those spells. Got any ideas?” I let my gaze sweep the room to see if the others could tell we were talking. Of course Braxton stared at me. His wolf’s presence in my mind made me smile. There was no way he was getting left out. He rubbed a hand across his jaw. Etienne cleared his throat, getting my attention. “Chère, you don’t have to hold up that bargain.” He scowled at Elizabeth as she stood

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and stormed out of the room. “She has no rights to this place and never will.” “No, I’m not going back on what I told her. I’ll sign the papers, so get your lawyer here tomorrow to go over them. I’m done here.” I eased to Braxton. “I’m tired, but I can't sleep in that bed. I guess we can sleep in Cam’s room, or we could sleep in the gym on the air mattress.” I glanced back at Etienne. His eyes held a deep yearning as he gazed from me to the door that Elizabeth had stormed out of. “She’s been setting the three of us up for years. Why, I don’t know, but I believe she’s the brunette and she’s using spells on all of us somehow.” His eyes went huge, and he started to slowly protest with a head shake. My heart hurt for him. In his own way he did care for her. “Think about it. Why do you want this place back now? You didn’t want it when you were twenty and haven’t wanted it since then. Why now?” I asked while staring into his bright blue eyes. “I wanted it as long as we were together. Now I don’t know why. I just did all of a sudden,” he said, bewildered. “Do you really still want this place?” I asked as he looked around. “Not really. Part of me is screaming, ‘Hell yes, it’s mine.’ Then my saner part says, ‘No.’ Not if you aren’t included.” He ran a hand across his jaw. I grabbed Braxton’s hand, once more trying to keep him from ripping Etienne apart. Soon there would be no amount of hand grabbing, begging, or reasoning to keep Braxton from killing Etienne’s cocky ass. “I’m not included in the deal. The house is yours, I’m Braxton’s.” I turned to Takia. “I need to speak with you. Can you come with me?” Too many things were happening from her nest. She had to have some knowledge of the things going on around us. Even if she’d blocked the thoughts or memories, they were there in the depths of her mind, and I’d drag them out.

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Chapter Seventeen Instead of speaking with her inside, I strolled down to the levee. I put my block on Grayson so he wouldn’t be able to listen. If Grayson heard what I had to say, he’d rush to her side. Takia’s loud footsteps sliced through the silent evening. I hated to force her into something, but I had to know what lay hidden in her mind. “You were one of Isaiah’s favorites for over thirty years, and you expect me to believe you don’t know anything about where he might be keeping Cam or why all of a sudden he’s out to get me?” Disgust filled my heart, turning the blood in my body cold. “Too many others are at risk. I need to know what you really know.” I stared at her, and she hung her head. “I don’t know anything else—I swear.” Her voice shook. I gazed into her eyes, willing her mind to open to me. In a flash her brain was as open as a box of condoms on prom night. I flipped through the images to see her as a child growing up happy, then as an adolescent when war began to seep into her village. Then I saw Isaiah and followed that string of images. I watched as he turned her. Takia’s emotions flooded me. She hadn’t wanted to be turned, but he hadn’t given her any choice. He’d seen her as a fighter, loyal and fierce. He wanted her, and he took her. Her resentment towards him was near palpable. Sensing my presence in her, she opened up even more. All her hidden thoughts were laid out for me. I found her last thoughts of Isaiah, him with Cam. They were fighting. He was pissed, and Cam was screaming at him about the drugs. Disgusted, Takia had left, but

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not before hearing Cam tell him it was over. She had been on her way to tell me everything and hoped the Ancients came after him. That was the last time Takia had seen Cam. Isaiah had been pissed and taken it out on Takia. He’d told them they needed to train, but he’d beaten her so badly she’d slept for days trying to recover. Her memory looked frayed, blacked out in spots. When she came to, she’d realized what deep shit they were all in and came to talk to me. “Damn. This just keeps getting better and better.” I ran a hand through my wild hair, trying to get a grip on the facts. Takia’s resentment of Cam caught my attention. She believed Cam had a choice when it came to the drugged blood. Cam could have said no and left unlike her and the rest of his children. Her sadness toward the others washed over me. Some had wanted the blood while others had been like her, but not as strong. “I offered his entire line my protection if they choose to come and help. Those who don’t will die.” Her eyes met mine. Pride, respect, and excitement shined in hers. She nodded, but didn’t say anything. “Grayson claimed you as his earlier, but know right now the moment you chose to be under my line I became your sire. Grayson is not. You can screw his brains out, but when I say jump, your ass better be in the sky bouncing up and down.” Anger seeped from her, yet she chose not to speak of it. I shut the mental door to her brain. She eased to my side, her anxiety blending with mine, except her nervousness sparked from thinking I’d be mad with her. “Frustrated. Not angry,” I told her, staring off into the distance. “I know you’re my sire. Grayson and I are just…” I quirked an eyebrow at her, daring her to finish that sentence. She stopped without finishing her sentence. I bit my tongue to keep from laughing at her. “Grayson’s not like most vampires or men. He’s a pig, no doubt about it, but he’s a good guy. One of very few who would put themselves on the line for

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someone else. He’s my sire in every way which counts, and I respect him as well as care for him.” “I don’t know if any of your former line will turn to us for help, but if they choose, I’ll help them. I need to know which ones will benefit my line, hurt it, be a threat, or are addicted to the blood Isaiah’s been feeding them. I’m putting you in charge of the task. They’ll be yours.” She froze, not moving an inch. “You can handle that responsibility, right?” I asked sarcastically, and she gaped at me. “You’d give me that much honor, after only truly knowing me for a week?” She sounded so astonished, I chuckled. “Yeah. Bask in the glory for a second. I want to know what you think about Elizabeth.” She didn’t hesitate. “She’s lying. I also believe she’s the brunette we’ve seen and she’s after Etienne, Braxton, and you.” I nodded, knowing we were all in agreement about her. “My only problem is, I have to have proof of that before I can kill her. Etienne would let me kill her now, but she’s a Were, and with Braxton’s trial, I can’t kill her yet.” I sighed. “If I’d killed her back when everything had happened that night, this would all be over and done with. At the time I’d just wanted to get away.” Shit, I wanted to ram my fist through a wall. Takia shook her head. “You would have regretted killing her. Now you have the chance to make her pay for causing the trouble between you two.” And that was the kicker, she hadn’t been the source. “No, she didn’t cause all the trouble between us. We did most of the damage ourselves.” I glanced back at the house. Etienne strolled toward us with a slow, sexy swagger. “That is one of my problems there.” I nodded toward him, and a smile lit his face. My heart drummed faster, and I chastised myself for letting his stupid smile cause a reaction within me. Takia grabbed my hand, getting my attention. “You may feel something for him still, but if your heart is truly with Braxton, you

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have no problem with that man.” I stared at her for a moment, thinking over what she’d said. “He’s not a problem, more of an annoyance that won’t go away.” Etienne grabbed his heart, mocking me, and I couldn’t help but snort. After all, he was charming. “Etienne, what do you want?” I asked him, annoyed he’d disrupted my talk with Takia. He eased over to me. “I came out here to tell you my lawyer will be here around five tomorrow. It should be dark enough where I can come in and sign my papers also. I wanted you to see, she won’t be on the property deed at all.” He stepped in front of me. “Instead I’ve asked him to include you as one of the owners.” He held up his hand in protest. “I know you’re with Braxton and you love him. I don’t care. I love you, and one day the damn curse will be gone and so will he. I don’t give a fuck if it’s tomorrow or two hundred years from now. I screwed up on more occasions than I’d care to remember, but one day I’ll be able to make it up to you.” Without further comment he turned and flew off. I stood staring up at the sky, waiting for him to come back and say something bastardly like normal, but he didn’t. Takia cleared her throat, getting my attention. I raised a hand to stop any comments from her. “Hell if I know,” I told her, still stunned. What was wrong with him? He’d listened to his father and married my sister, leaving me alone and viewed as the plantation slut. Then when she’d had me kidnapped, beaten, and tried to sell me, he hadn’t believed it. If not for Cam overhearing Melanie tell her mother about it, I would have been shipped off to Nashville to become one of the Wiggins prostitutes. Cam had heard her and gotten some of the other slaves to help free me from my kidnappers. Etienne thought I was running away again. He found us at a camp near Baton Rouge then assumed the worst and never accepted my explanation of what really happened. Instead,

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he’d believed Melanie. After all, she wasn’t a slave girl who spread her legs for him years ago. It hurt to find out what he’d thought of me, and that’s when Cam, Isaiah, and I ran off. I looked up at the sky one last time and noticed sunrise wasn’t far away. “Come on, T. The sun will be up in a little while, and I’m sure you want to let Grayson make sure you’re okay.” I winked at her, and she grinned. “I am still wounded from my earlier trauma,” she said teasingly. “Mais, you’d better let him play doctor.” I laughed as she smiled and ran towards the house. Maybe I’d let Braxton play doctor, too.

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Chapter Eighteen Braxton wasn’t in our room when I got back inside, but his wolf’s electrical pulse told me he was near. I stopped and sniffed, trying to locate the source of his scent. Following the pine aroma, I found him in the small bedroom next to ours which I had made into a closet. He sat on the floor, surrounded by the contents of a small suitcase. It was one of his with belongings I’d packed while in Atlanta. He’d been away on pack business out west, and I’d gone to the mansion to get my stuff. While I was there, I’d picked out my favorite “Braxton things” and stolen them. The small suitcase had his sage green, grease-stained T-shirt. He’d worn it at the garage so often you couldn’t even make out the writing on it anymore. I loved the way the color brought out his eyes, and he’d loved it because it was worn in. There was also a Georgia Bulldogs baseball hat and his pillow. Plus several pictures he’d had of us in his office. I had even grabbed his favorite glass before leaving. Mainly, I’d taken the glass and pillow to annoy him, but he didn’t need to know. His assistant had known I had, and she’d told me she wouldn’t tell him. She said she knew I needed time. I’d figured she’d told him after his second or third time of ranting and raving about his missing things. “What are you doing? Going through my stuff now?” I didn’t know whether to be mad that he’d gone through my stuff or happy that he had. “No. I came in here and saw my missing suitcase. I opened it.” He turned and smiled at me, causing me to blush. He knew I’d taken

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those things to annoy the hell out of him. “I really should throttle you for stealing my stuff. It drove me crazy when I couldn’t find these things.” He jumped up and grabbed me. Laughing, I fell toward him, sending us to the floor with a thud. “You stole my favorite shirt, glass, and my pillow.” I straddled him. “I sure did. I even wore the shirt a few times.” I leaned down and nipped his full bottom lip. I slid my lips to his ear and blew gently while my tongue licked the contour of it. “Now, what are you gonna do about it?” I whispered and instantly found myself on my back, looking up into the most gorgeous pair of green eyes God had ever made. Without further talk we played cop and robber. He even got to hit me with his baton. Around ten the following morning we tried to roll out of bed. I grabbed all the papers concerning Cam. Today was the day. Isaiah’s hatred and the awareness his life would soon be over put me on alert. We had to find Cam today. Isaiah no longer needed her. He knew his life wouldn’t be saved no matter if he gave her back. Braxton got out of bed and dressed while limping a little. After our early morning pursuit there’d been a ten double zero, officer down. It’d been so long since either of us had had sex that now we were sore. I laughed and told him even our super human strength and healing wasn’t going to keep up with our sexcapades, but he hadn’t listened. Now he was limping! He leaned into the fridge to get the juice, and I couldn’t help but to pinch his fine rear. “Not as young as you once were, huh, stud?” “Give me food, and afterwards I’ll show you how young I am.” He grabbed the juice and chugged it right from the carton. I kissed him, letting him get away with the carton thing. “Not right now. First I need your help finding Cam. It’s gotta be today or I think Isaiah will kill her. He was pissed last night, and he knows he’s dead regardless. If he was smart he’d let her go now. I’d kill him instantly. But if he hurts her, he won’t die anytime soon.”

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Braxton snorted. “Darlin’, you shouldn’t kill him either way. Keep him and show all others the torture they’ll receive if they ever cross you. You don’t want to know the things I did when I first became Alpha.” I patted him on the cheek. “Oh, bébé, I know what you did. I’ve never thought you got where you are today by being soft. You should remember that about me as well.” He kissed the top of my head. “I’ve never forgotten anything about you. Sometimes I might overlook a thing or two, but I never forget.” “Mais, did you call about the soundproofing?” “Of course. As soon as I got off the phone with you. In fact Colt is there now with the contractor and said they should be done this weekend. He also said to tell you ‘thank you.’” Braxton narrowed his eyes at me while I bit back a snort. “Let me guess—he was tired of hearing us.” His eyes narrowed to thin slits. “Not us, just me. Said I was ruining his fantasies.” My eyes almost bugged out of my head. Colt could be outrageous. He had always been able to get away with saying things like that to Braxton though. They’d fought together in the Civil War and had been friends ever since. Colt had been one of the few Weres who accepted me as Braxton’s mate. He’d also been a tremendous flirt. I loved him. Basically he was always fun to be around, which happened to be the reason he was Braxton’s Third and not his Second. “I looked over the stuff you gave me about Camilla’s property and it’s right down the road.” He grabbed an orange from the fruit bowl. My head snapped up, and I gaped at him. “What do you mean ‘right down the road’?” “I mean it’s in Wallace.” Wallace? Damn, that wasn’t far at all. I sat back and wondered where it could be at. There was a lot of land in this area that held sugarcane fields that I happened to own. In Wallace my corporation

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owned most of it. He brought out a map and pointed to a small section. “This is the area the house should be if it’s still standing. I don’t know if it will be or not. Someone has been paying the property taxes on it since it was deeded to her by…and you’re gonna love this part.” He glowed with anticipation. “Mrs. Melanie Doucet-Bordeaux.” I sat down, shocked beyond belief. That made no freakin’ sense. I gazed up and raised an eyebrow in question. “The land record said it had been deeded to her in 1868. That’s all I know about the property. So what do you think?” His tone regretful yet curious. I couldn’t say anything for a second or two, stunned. All these years I wondered how Melanie had cast the curse. She couldn’t have done it herself, and she didn’t know any voodoo priestess that I knew of. Damn her. Damn them both. I slammed my fist down on the island, shattering the granite. Pieces of granite flew by my head to land beside my foot on the ground. I glanced over at Braxton, who picked a piece of the granite from his hair. My body surged with rage at Cam’s betrayal. My eyes filled with tears, and I squeezed them shut, refusing to cry over her betrayal. Braxton muttered a curse as the pieces clicked together. His eyes shined with sympathy. I broke. The tears streamed down my face, and my rage continued to boil. “Merde. What was she thinking? She knew how much I loved him, and she did it anyway. For a piece of property. She betrayed me. I asked her a million times if she knew who had done it. She always said no.” I hiccupped. “She held me and stroked my head, trying to comfort me when I cried. How could she do that to me?” Braxton stroked my back but didn’t comment. Wolfy had risen, sensing my distress. His wolf’s presence calmed her, and she released my sorrow to him. “I asked her how to get the curse removed. I trusted her. She’s the

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one who told me Melanie had to remove it or all of her family had to die. She let Etienne go after innocent children. He could have killed them because of that statement.” Rage for the could-have-been slaughter of innocent children soared. Braxton kissed my forehead. “My sweet Josephine, I have no idea why she did what she did, but I hope she had good intentions. Like your father, they believed Etienne was wrong for you.” Braxton’s green eyes bore holes into mine. He wasn’t happy with what we’d learned, but I could tell he wasn’t devastated either. “I don’t give a damn why she did it. She shouldn’t have. I was devastated when he left, and she could have changed that. She could have removed the curse, and I wouldn’t have suffered through all the pain.” I stopped, knowing if I said too much more about it, Braxton’s wolf would be jealous. Then I’d be fighting with him. I was pissed at Cam, and that wasn’t going to change anytime soon. I stopped sniffling and feeling sorry for myself. Braxton’s jaw clenched, and his scent had changed. He smelled a little of sulfur, but mainly he smelled of disappointment, bland. “Brax,” I said, unsure. “It’s okay. I understand your torment over this. I would be devastated, also. In fact I can’t believe she’d hurt you, and I intend to have a talk with her over the pain she caused you.” I snorted. He amazed me sometimes. If it weren’t for Cam and her damn curse, I’d have never met him, and he knew it. Instead of being ready to run and praise her, he was ready to hurt her for the pain she’d inflicted on me. “Braxton Wade, you aren’t touching her. She’s mine.” “Do you still want to find her?” The concern over her and me edged in his voice. I nodded. “Hell, yes. She’s got some explaining to do now.” I turned and wiped my eyes, trying to push away the hurt, rage, and deceit coursing through my body. “Come on, let’s find this place.

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I think I might know where it’s at. My father had a place in Wallace he sharecropped. I bet that’s it. There was an old shotgun-style house there once, but I’m pretty sure it’s gone now. Maybe there’s a cellar somewhere that could be used to hold Cam.” I picked up my keys and started outside. Braxton grabbed my arm and turned me to face him. He kissed me roughly, using teeth and tongue to make me moan, almost forgetting what we had to do. When we broke for air, I gazed up at him. “Merde.” I shook my head in mock disgust. “After I’m done with her I’ll end up forgiving her. After all she led me to you.” “Let’s go.” He pried the keys to my new baby out of my hand. **** It didn’t take us long to get to Wallace since it was only five miles down the road, but those five miles felt like two thousand. My mind swirled in confusion. I couldn’t believe what Cam had done. Damn, she was in big trouble! We pulled down a farm road near the coordinates to the house. The cane in the fields wasn’t high enough to hide much, but we got out and started walking anyway. I’d been through here many times, but hadn’t really stopped to look around. Not much was different from five miles up the road, but nonetheless I surveyed the scenery. From the back of the farm road, I couldn’t see the river, but a creek ran through one side of the property. The cane here had been planted to where the furrows start at about seven feet away from the property edge and placed every eighteen inches. The rows run the entire length and width of the fields with drainage ditches every so often. Then stalks of fresh sugarcane with their tops cut off were laid horizontally in the furrows. This time of the year the cane is only about two feet high. I stalked to the edge of the property and searched the land for the old home place. The home would have been built away from the

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fields because the fields were burned at the end of each season. The wooded area next to the field had grown up with undergrowth, making it nearly impossible to see anything without a closer inspection. “Brax, I think the old home place might’ve been in these woods. I don’t remember much about this place, so I don’t know for sure. They would have built it away from the fields, and these large trees would have given great cover for the house.” I pointed to the large oaks with hanging moss. He nodded and moved to my side. “I came by here once while scouting during the war. It seems that the place was over here.” “Let me try and pull on my line and see if I can sense her.” I stopped and leaned my head back, letting the sun warm my face. Relaxing, I inhaled the sweet scent of sugarcane in the earth and sighed as a cloud passed over the sun. A shock of electricity from magic and her essence grabbed me. We had the right place. The magic here seemed new and strong. There had to have been a cellar under the old house. “Come on. Let’s look for some type of entrance to the cellar. Back then most homes used a bottom floor for storage, but some owners had dug deeper into the ground to make meat storage. Like large rooms for refrigeration. Maybe this place had one. We didn’t, but then we had a ton of those olive pots buried in the ground. Maybe it was cheaper for whoever ran this place to build a small underground room instead of having those olives shipped here.” At Bordeaux and many other plantations we had olives shipped to us in large pots that stood three to four feet high. They were made of clay, which could be buried in the ground up to their tops. Four feet in ground near the Mississippi River keeps a cool forty-five degrees all year round, hence burying the pots and storing meat in them. Braxton stepped into the woods ahead of me. I sighed, trying to fight off the instinct to snap at him for taking over. He stopped and pointed to his left. “Look, there’s brick from an old fireplace. I

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suppose that’s where the house was at one time.” He marched in that direction but sank into the ground with one foot. I grabbed him and tugged him out as he muttered and cussed. I looked down to see what kind of hole he’d stepped in only to find out it wasn’t a hole at all. It was part of a grave that someone had dug up recently. The earth smelled of freshly turned dirt. It turned out not to be just anyone’s grave. According to the headstone it was my grave. Holy hell, someone had a tombstone made for me? “I guess they did that after I left. Bitch.” It had to have been done by Melanie. He laughed and tugged on my hand. With one final look back at my gravestone, I noticed the death date had been scratched out and replaced with the word soon. I turned back to Braxton, and we headed forward. I asked myself a million questions. I wondered whether my father had known Melanie had done that. He’d left after her wedding to go help with war efforts, and he’d never been heard from since. No body, no notes, and none of his pack had any idea what had happened to him. Braxton figured my father had been tired of his life and just wasted away to his death. I didn’t believe in his theory, and I also hadn’t cared either. Now I wondered. Braxton stopped, but I didn’t, too lost in my thoughts. I ran right into his hard back causing me to stumble a few feet away. “Let’s start here and work our way out in a circle,” Braxton told me in his businesslike voice. I nodded and smiled at him. “Yes, sir.” I followed his lead until he stopped again, allowing me to run right into him. Damn, I had to start paying better attention. “Don’t follow me. You start in the opposite direction. I’ll go around clockwise, and you go counterclockwise, working out from the center,” he told me, exasperated. “Like I was supposed to know that. You don’t take me on your little escapades,” I snapped.

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“I would if you could control your temper,” he muttered. I stopped and glared at him. When he didn’t look up, I picked up a rock from the ground and chunked it at him. It hit his arm, and he raised an eyebrow at me. “What was that for?” “Muttering.” I raised my head high in defiance. He narrowed his eyes but went back to looking for a sign of a hiding place. After ten minutes and one huge circle, my hope of finding Cam deteriorated. I’d been sure she was here somewhere. Braxton came to my side. “Was there a barn here or equipment shed? Anything besides the house?” His eyes swept the area. I sighed, trying to remember. “I don’t really remember. I mean, I didn’t travel away from the plantation often. We only went to a few neighboring plantations or to New Orleans for the season. This place wouldn’t have been one of our stops.” He smiled, looking around at the modest land and fallen down fireplace. “I guess not. Etienne’s a little haughtier than this place.” “You got a lot of room to talk, Mr. Fourteen-Room Gone with the Wind Mansion owner.” I laughed at his stricken expression. “My Gone with the Wind mansion got your attention. What does that say about you?” He grinned. I walked away from him, laughing slightly, and stumbled across some more bricks and stones. I glanced down, trying to figure out why there were bricks way over here. Then it hit me, no matter how modest this place had been, there would have still been a kitchen separate from the house. “All right, Mr. Detective, come over here and let’s do your circle thing here.” He saluted me and strode to my side. I couldn’t help but laugh. He was an idiot sometimes. The earth was uneven, and bricks were strewn here and there. At one time there must have been a large fireplace here used for cooking.

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I started from where most of the bricks were piled and walked outward away from that area. The kitchen at the house had the fireplace on one end and the storage on the side wall. “Brax, forget the circle thing. Come over here and start walking in a straight line. It wasn’t a large kitchen since they probably only had two field slaves at most. This place isn’t big enough to have profited enough to support more than that. I’d think the kitchen might’ve been somewhere around twelve feet by fourteen feet, if that. The fireplace would have been in the middle. Let’s say walk out from the fireplace four feet on each side then turn and walk a line in the opposite direction.” I looked up, and he was grinning and shaking his head. “You’re right. Sometimes I do forget things about you. Like how well you remember stuff.” He began following my directions. “Yeah, well, if you’d worked in a kitchen like I had, you’d remember all of it, too. Our kitchen was two stories and larger than most homes are today.” I walked a few feet before turning and going to the imaginary wall. “The storage would have been a little past halfway down the wall. If there’s any other room, it’ll be in about the same area.” I strode slowly, letting my feet drag across the ground, searching for any dips. There weren’t any distinct impressions. “You really are impressive,” Braxton said. I ran to him. Hope and excitement soared within me. Someone had moved leaves and twigs to place them in one spot. They’d blended them in pretty good, but we were looking for it, so we knew. I smiled at Braxton and pulled on my line again. There was a humming coming from under our feet. The distinct hum of energy was a sign that one of my children was under there. I nodded at Braxton, and we knelt down, moving the debris out of the way. Underneath lay a new steel door with dead bolts on it. It was enough to keep an extremely weak and confused Cam inside. Just not enough to keep anyone out. “Why would they go through the trouble of all of this and not have a better lock or something? I mean, I can break those locks with

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my pinkie finger. It doesn’t feel right.” I shook my head and stood back up. Braxton leaned down and stuck his nose to the ground. “This place smells like black powder.” He leaned back and ran a hand down the edge of the door then smelled his hand. “Black powder around the edge and more than likely something behind the door to spark. It’ll blow the door off toward whoever opens it.” He shook his head. “We need to blow the powder first before we try to open it.” His face lit with excitement when his eyes met mine. He loved doing things like this, the idiot. “Brax, what are you going to do?” I asked warily. “I’m going to blow the shit out of it.” He searched his pockets. “Too bad neither of us smoke. I need a lighter.” He stopped searching and headed to the car. “Brax, let me do it. It can’t kill me if I pull it open. I’ll just grab it and duck away real quick.” I reached for the door. His hand grabbed mine and snatched me away. “I don’t think so. Darlin’, I hardly ever get to do these types of things now. You are not ruining it for me.” He pulled me to him and practically dragged me back to the car. “Grab a stick or something. I need to light the end.” My eyes went wide. He was crazy. Undeterred, he pushed me toward the woods. He had to be kidding. “Braxton Wade, you are not lighting that powder.” He glanced over at me with mischievous eyes and winked. “Oh, but, Mrs. Wade, you are wrong. I am lighting it.” I shook my head and stomped my foot like a toddler throwing a fight over candy. “Are not!” I screamed. He picked up a stick at his feet and stuck the cigarette lighter from the car to the end of it. In a few seconds, the tip of the stick glowed orange, and he winked. “Am too!” He took off running with the stick. And here I thought I was acting like a toddler. “You idiot, stop,” I screamed, running to catch up to him.

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Before I could get to him, the door exploded and went flying into the air. My heart stopped in that instant. I gulped for air, my mind screaming at me to find him. I searched through the smoke for him. “Braxton Jasper Wade! You’d better be alive!” My voice a few octaves too high. “Your ass is mine when I find you. You stubborn, stupid wolf.” I muttered and nearly pissed my pants when he grabbed my ankle and jerked me to the ground. His eyes glowed neon yellow, and his pulse raced. The burn of adrenaline rushed through his system to fuel mine. I growled at him and slapped his face, causing his head to jerk to the side. His blood rose to the side of his mouth where I’d made contact, and he smiled brilliantly at me. “My sweet Josephine, you will pay for that later.” He swiped his thumb across his mouth, gathering the blood. My heart continued to beat fast, adrenaline pumping through my veins. I wanted to be angry at him, but I couldn’t. He was too sexy. I stared at it. He smiled devilishly at me and pressed his bloody thumb to my mouth. The smell was intoxicating, and for a second I completely forgot how angry I was at him. My tongue darted out and licked his thumb. I closed my mouth over it, sucking greedily as I drew every last drop of blood away. He pulled his thumb back and leaned to me. “You will be doing lots of that later.” “I don’t think so. You’ll be lucky if I ever do that to you again after your last stunt.” He snatched me to him. “Darlin’, you will and much more.” He spoke softly, but firmly. He brought his mouth to mine and skimmed my lips. His were so warm and full. I ached to have them moving across my skin. He eased away and winked. “Let’s see what’s down this rabbit hole.” He jumped up and started to move to the opening, but I grabbed him. “I don’t think so, Mr. Alpha. You got to do the door, this one is mine.” I elbowed past him, and he pinched my butt again.

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We were definitely going to have a talk about that later. He had to stop. It stung like hell. He laughed behind me as I unconsciously rubbed my hand across my rear. Looking down into the opening, only darkness met my eyes. I stepped closer and inhaled the faint odor of blood. The scent wasn’t strong, but the smell of death was. The rotting odor was rank and made my nose turn up in disgust. Neither Batty nor Wolfy were excited about finding the origin of the smell. I turned to Braxton and smiled sweetly. “All right, Mr. Alpha, you wanted a mission. I got one for you, babe.” He shook his head, and I nodded. “Oh, yeah. That is all you.” I pointed down the hole. “Go find it while I look for Cam.” He grimaced but started his shift. I rolled my eyes. His wolf wouldn’t care about the smell. No, he’d just go find it and see what the hell it was, while my wolf was ready to throw up from the stench. I sent both Batty and Wolfy some choice words as I pushed them both away. You’d think after all the things we’d done over the years the two would be better about smells, but oh, no, not them. I realized then, I was indeed stronger than either one of them.

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Chapter Nineteen My vision cleared in the pitch black, allowing me to see everything. A small hallway was held up with pillars on either side of the tunnel. This was a recent addition. The pillars were freshly cut, treated pine. The thick scent of chemicals drenched them. I followed the path down the hall to where Braxton sat in front of another steel door. His thick, long, chocolate coat bristled atop his back. He sniffed the edges and whined. I stopped beside him and looked at the door. Braxton couldn’t speak in this form, but I could read him. I put my hand on his head and searched his thoughts. His brain was much different while in wolf form. The thoughts were scrambled and jumped in and out of his awareness. I patted his head, getting his attention, and looked into his yellow eyes. He licked my palm, recognizing me as his mate. “Focus. Is this door booby-trapped?” He looked up at me and shook his head. His thoughts focused on what was inside and not the door itself. I sighed, knowing whatever that damn smell ended up being, was in this room. Damn! He leaned back and put a paw on the door, wanting me to open it. I sucked in a breath, exhaled, and swung the door open. Braxton charged into the room, and I followed. My vision adjusted again, and I gazed into the abyss. There were two bodies inside, both lifeless on the cold, damp ground. We moved to the side where they lay, and I stared at one body. The remains were torn and shredded. The veins ripped out of the flesh and sucked dry like they’d been used as straws.

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I grabbed Braxton’s tail and snatched him away from the bodies. “Get out now. Go get the car.” I flung him out of the room. He hit the outside wall and got up, growling at me. “Go change and bring the car.” I begged silently for him to run. The Alpha in him growled back at me, but I pleaded with him with all my strength. Finally, his mind cleared of red haze. He stared at me a second longer before turning and sprinting out of the hole. Cam lay next to the remnants of a torso. It had been a male, and she’d ripped his heart out and sucked it dry. There wasn’t a drop of blood left, and by the rotting smell of him, he’d been down here for a couple of days. I moved to Cam and tried to pull her to me. The stench surrounding her was unbearable, and for once, I agreed with both my beasts about throwing up. I leaned away from her, retching my guts up. The rotting stench of flesh burned my nose. Acid churned, and before I could fight the bile back, I was leaned over again, eyes already watering, heaving. The acid that had previously been churning in my stomach scorched my throat. The chunks of the sandwich I’d eaten earlier hit against the back of my throat on their way out to splash all over my shoes. A piece of ham stuck against my tonsils, making me dry heave. My ribs hurt, my eyes burned, and my throat was on fire. I eased away from the pile of vomit to catch my breath. I went to Cam to turn her over again, but this time I didn’t throw up. I flipped her and stared down at my backstabbing, traitor of a best friend, and my heart broke. Isaiah had put her down in this hell, starved her until she had no control over her beast. He’d left the man in here for her to tear apart, knowing she’d regret it if she ever escaped. She hadn’t killed in a long time, and this was going to devastate her when she remembered what she’d done. In her hand she still clutched the man’s humerus in her hand. She’d tried to eat the marrow.

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Merde. I sighed and grabbed her before I could change my mind about throwing up again. She made no movement to show she was aware I was there. Instead, she clenched the bone tighter and began gnawing on it. I tried to look away but made the mistake of glancing at her. Maggots crawled all over her shoulder. That was it. I dropped her and shuddered. Jeez, anything but a damn disgusting maggot. I shivered and bent down, throwing up violently. I glanced back at Cam and teared up. I couldn’t leave her no matter how bad I wanted to. She needed me. Grabbing the hem of my shirt, I yanked it over my head. I went to her, knelt down, and wiped the maggots off of her shoulder with my shirt then threw it to the other side of the room. Goddamn maggot. I shivered one last time and grabbed her again. I tried to snatch the bone from her, but she growled deep in her throat. “Fine. Keep the damn bone, but when you get better you’re gonna clean my car. You got out of the last one, not this time. You stupid, backstabbing whore.” I fought back a cry and hefted her to the entrance. The man’s body wasn’t going in my car. Cam was damn lucky she was even getting in the trunk. I’d planned on coming back for her at sunset, but seeing how bad off she was, I couldn’t leave her. Braxton, already changed back to human and dressed, stepped closer, but I shook my head. If she smelled his fresh blood right now, she’d attack. I might hate Cam at the moment, but I didn’t want her dead. “Open the trunk. You left a blanket in the overnight bag, throw it here,” I told him as I paused at the entrance. The sun was high, and she’d be burned if I stepped out any further. Covering her with a blanket would keep her from getting scorched. Braxton glared at me and threw me the small fleece blanket

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to drape over her. “All right, I’m gonna run to the car and throw her in the trunk. You shut the top as soon as I’m out of the way.” He stared at me, saying nothing. “Ready?” “You’re gonna put her in your new car?” he asked skeptically. “Do I have a choice?” I snapped. He stifled a laugh before he went to the trunk. “She’s gonna owe you big time for this, isn’t she?” “That’s just the beginning. There were maggots,” I hissed. He raised an eyebrow and tried to hide his laughter. He’d once told Colt about my phobia of maggots, and Colt had chased me into the bathroom where I locked myself in until he got rid of the maggot he’d been holding. Braxton sat at his desk, laughing the whole damn time. Both paid for it, though. I baked ex-lax brownies using double the dosage, and they’d both crapped their pants before getting to the bathroom. It also hadn’t helped I’d dead bolted all the bathrooms closed. Unfortunately, Braxton’s secretary had also eaten a few of those brownies, and the poor thing still won’t eat anything I cook. “Let’s get going.” He motioned for me to come on. I bolted to the car and threw her in the trunk. She hit with a force which made the car move forward an inch or two. Braxton leaned down and slammed the trunk closed. He sniffed the air around me and grimaced. I stunk. My poor car. It was going to stink so bad after we got out. I couldn’t take Cam back to the house since there was no place to lock her up. She needed to stay contained until I could get her beast under control. I sighed and told Braxton to head to my father’s plantation. There was an old barn my father had built out of brick and steel. It was to hold his wolves who needed punishment. A few years ago I’d gotten one of the guys in our pack to come and weld in some cages which would hold either wolf or vampire. I hadn’t thought I’d ever really use them, but then again I wasn’t sure I

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wouldn’t. I’d also had a hot water heater hooked up inside the barn so I could run a hose over to the cages and wash off whatever was being held inside. There was something completely wrong about making a creature sit in stench. God knows I didn’t want to smell it. “Why’d you make me leave?” Braxton finally asked. I hesitated, wondering what to say. If I told him she would have attacked him, he’d be mad I went in without protection for myself. But then she wouldn’t have wanted him to see her that way anyway. “She wouldn’t have wanted you to see her like that. Plus, if she’d smelled your blood, she’d have attacked you. We would have had to kill her because she wouldn’t have had the control to stop.” I looked over at him, and he nodded. “I wondered about that after I saw her gnawing on the bone.” He cocked his head to the side in his thinking pose. “How long had she been starved before she got into that shape?” “Not long. Normally, it would take days or weeks for a vampire to get like that, but she’s been on the drugged blood. It made her weak and only took at most two days. She was already messed up about her powers being stolen, so when he stopped feeding her, she probably lost it.” A growl of fury escaped me. “Isaiah knows she’s gonna be devastated when she finds out what she did. She hasn’t killed anyone or anything in a very long time. She might feed from innocent people, but she hates killing.” I pointed over to the narrow dirt road which would lead to the barn. “You know which barn?” I asked him suspiciously, and he nodded. We’d been separated when the cages were put in, but it didn’t surprise me that he knew. “I take it you approve of the plans I made on the cages?” I didn’t even try to hide my sarcasm. He smiled. “There were a few things I thought should have been different like a water heater?” He raised an eyebrow at me, and I laughed. “You’ll be glad I added it in a minute. I need to use it.” I inhaled and resisted the urge to gag.

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He nodded and stopped the car. The barn wasn’t large, but it was big enough to hold three eight-by-eight cages on one end and a sitting area on the rest. The floor was concrete, which made it easy to wash out, and it had a toilet and sink. Braxton’s cages didn’t have anything in them. At least my prisoners would be able to use the bathroom. He smiled as he read my thoughts about the conveniences I’d made. “You’re not as badass as you think sometimes.” “We’ll see how badass I am tonight when you’re begging for me to go down on you.” I cocked my hips to the side with my hands on them. He laughed and came up beside me. “I’ll start begging now if you want.” He whispered in my ear, sending a rush of heat all through my body. Ass. “Just get in the car and back it in here.” When he saluted, I couldn’t help but laugh. The cage nearest us needed a blanket and some sheets for the cot. I looked around in the closet and found blanket, sheets, and a pair of sweats. She was going to need the sweats. Her clothing was about to get burned. The car engine roared, and the crunch of tires on gravel told me Braxton was backing the car in. “Brax, get the door and stand outside. I need to get her inside and washed.” I turned to the car, and he stepped outside without arguing. “Cam, you’re gonna owe me so big. I don’t know what you’re gonna do, but believe me, you’re gonna pay.” I sighed as I opened the trunk. The smell of rotted flesh burned my nostrils, and I had to fight back the urge to shut the trunk and walk away. She was lying in a fetal position, still holding on to the bone. She let out a dangerous growl as I carried her to the nearest cage. “Shut up, Cam. You ruined my shirt, made my car stink, and now you’re gonna growl. Well, you can kiss my ass.” I grunted at her angrily. I set her down on the floor and went to get the soap and water

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hose while she lay motionless. The sprayer was set to shower, and the water was hot. I stood near her and sprayed until she was completely drenched. She still hadn’t let go of the bone, and I knew it was gonna be a fight to get it. I grabbed a knife from the cabinet outside the cage and walked to her. The clothes had to go. With a couple of well-placed slices and rips, she lay naked on the floor. I got the soap and in a minute had her so soapy and sudsy I could barely see her skin. The soap helped relax her, so I took the opportunity to get the nasty bone. I was shocked when she made no move to grab it back. I threw it out of the cage. Finally, I had her clean and wrapped in a towel. I laid her down on the cot and dressed her just as Braxton came inside. “She looks much better,” he said, relieved. I nodded and finished towel drying her hair. “I think she’ll be okay once she gets some clean blood.” I covered her up with a fresh blanket. I stepped out of the cage, making sure to lock it. “We need to burn these clothes and blanket. Then get rid of that damn bone.” I grabbed all the items and went outside. Braxton found some matches, so we took care of the clothes. I gazed down at my own pants and dirty bra, They needed to go, too, but I didn’t have any other clothes. I sighed, disgusted and still thinking about the maggots. She really owed me. Braxton cleared his throat, getting my attention. “You told me earlier I wasn’t going to get something from you for a long, long time. I wonder if I could change your mind.” I scowled at him. “Unless you’ve got clean clothes that have never seen a maggot then you’re still shit-outta-luck.” He flashed me a huge smile, and I remembered the overnight bag in the car. As I started to get it, he whistled at me and held the bag up in the air for me to see. I sighed. Damn, he had me. I strolled over to him and pouted. “Brax, you wouldn’t leave me stinking, dirty, and imagining maggots on my body, would you?” I

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ran a hand seductively across his chest. He leaned down and rubbed his cheek across mine until I felt his hot breath on my ear. “You’re damn right I would.” He spoke soft and husky. I pulled away from him and glared. “Fine, give me the clothes and I won’t make you beg for anything. I’ll be gracious.” “You? Gracious? I will be astonished.” I grabbed the bag and went back in the barn, mad. Cam was still out, and I figured she’d stay that way until sundown. Hopefully, by then she’d have gotten rid of some of the toxins in her system and would be able to feed. I’d have to be back here before sunset so I could let her drink from me. It’d be too dangerous to let her do it from anyone else. She wouldn’t kill me, or at least I hoped not. Grayson, Takia, and Etienne could come and help, too. Braxton would let her take from him if necessary, but he’d never let another vampire feed from him. I was happy to leave it that way. When she moved, I rinsed the soap out of my eyes. I quickly finished rinsing. She tried to turn over, but was still too weak. I hated to see her this way, but I’d done all I could for now. I needed to get home, tell Braxton about the latest problem with Etienne, and catch hell from that conversation. I checked to make sure Cam’s cage was locked up tight then moved to the outside and locked it, too. Braxton stood beside my car, smiling at me. Yeah, I owed him for the clothes, and yeah, he’d be getting paid back for it tonight.

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Chapter Twenty When we got back to the house, my body ached with exhaustion. The night before had been tiring, and today even more so. I was ready to sink into bed and cry with joy at finding Cam. I wanted to hate her, to despise her for her betrayal, but I couldn’t. She’d been a sister to me my entire life. We were both infants when we went to live at Bordeaux Plantation. At five, our nanny Mary died and we were left on our own. By the time we were ten, we’d been taught to watch out for each other. Men used to try to sneak into our small cabin, but we’d learned early how to shoot a gun and wield a knife. Cam’s mother saw to it that we learned those lessons, and she made sure we had the gun to use. I rested my head on the pillow and tried to forget about Cam, my dream about Braxton, and everything else. Braxton’s pine, earthy scent filled the room. I held my hand out to him, and he lay down beside me. I curled my body to his and fell asleep. Sometime much later, a crawling on my arm stirred me. I glanced down half asleep. Maggots crawled over my flesh. I jerked away, shaking my arm, trying to sling them off, but they were imbedded into my skin. I scratched and clawed at them hysterically. My body flailed around, and panic seized my lungs. Gasping for breath, I tried harder, my fingernails digging into my skin, burning the skin as I tore at it, but they didn’t budge. My heart raced, and bile rose in my throat. Tears streamed hot and damp down my face. I cried hysterically and tried again to get them off my skin. Finally one dropped, and I noticed the large, feverish gash on my

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forearm, covered by so many maggots I couldn’t see the wound clearly. They were huge, pus-colored, and slimy, eating on my wounded flesh. Gagging, I jumped up and began clawing them out of my wound. “Wake up,” Braxton’s deep voice screamed. Hands on my shoulders shook me. I sat up, trembling, holding my arm. I gasped for more air and tried to get control over myself. Braxton grabbed me and held me against his chest. After a minute, although it seemed more like two hours, I glanced down at my arm to see a few red scratch marks. “Jesus, are you okay?” He ran a hand through his own hair. His eyes wide with concern. I nodded and flopped back. He leaned over, inspecting me. It had been another dream, only this time the dream had happened before. “Why were you clawing at your arm?” He stroked my forearm, which now stung from my scratches. “You don’t want to know.” My voice was shaky. He placed a hand on my chin, tipping my face to look at him. “Yes. I do.” “It was a nightmare.” I tried to lie. “Try again,” he said nonchalantly. I inwardly cussed his persistence. He’d continue questioning me until I told him the truth. “I hate maggots. You know that, but you don’t know why.” I breathed in deep, hoping to soothe my frayed nerves. “When I was thirteen, I’d been sitting on the river bank, dreaming of a different life. A drifter saw me, and I guess he’d thought I would be an easy target. He didn’t know I carried a knife under my dress. When he came after me, I sliced his face with my knife. He snatched it from my grasp and sliced my arm open here.” I raised my arm and showed him where there had once been a long scar before my vampire and Were genes healed it. It once ran the entire length of my arm, from elbow to wrist.

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“Before he could finish me, a group of men from a raft off the river grabbed him. They took care of him, and I ran off. The next day the wound swelled, seeping with infection. I wouldn’t go to the doctor because I’d already been beaten too many times for sitting out by the river and wandering around. I was supposed to be inside getting things ready for visitors that day instead of daydreaming. Cam asked a few other slaves, but nothing they tried killed the infection. Within days I was near death, and Cam heard a slave from downriver say maggots would eat the infection out and I’d get better.” I looked up at Braxton, and he nodded. “I woke in the middle of the night, hysterical and trying to get them off of me. Cam tried to calm me, but I almost clawed my arm off. Finally, she shoved a cloth dosed in ether over my face, and I passed out. She’d stolen the ether from the doctor upriver.” I shrugged. “A few days later, I was healing, and the maggots were gone. Every so often I have that dream. That night when Colt chased me into the bathroom and I wouldn’t let you sleep in the bed with me, I had it.” He kissed my forehead. “You should have told me. I’m sorry I let him do that to you. We had no idea.” “I know. It freaked me out today to see Cam covered with them. They were all over her shoulder. I panicked.” I shuddered. “After all this time, I know I should be over it, but it was horrible. Waking up delirious and seeing those bastards on my arm. Poor Cam, she was almost as frightened as I had been. I’d have died if she hadn’t done it, though,” I told him quietly. He held me, and I cried. It didn’t matter what she’d done for Melanie. She’d been there for me my entire life, and I wasn’t about to cut her out now. We’d work through it. “Merde.” I wiped my eyes and sat up, not really wanting to tell him what else was bothering me. But it had to be done. “We gotta talk before Etienne’s lawyer gets here.”

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Braxton sat stone still on the bed, staring off in the distance. His jawed clenched tightly, and his scent reeked of sulfur. “It’s not that bad. Relax.” I stroked his hand, but he only narrowed his eyes. “Okay, it’s not great, but not bad.” I teased him , which earned me a narrower look. “Fine. It’s bad. Etienne told me last night he intends to keep Elizabeth off of the deed.” I stopped and looked over at him for a reaction. He growled. I guessed he’d figured out where this was going. I inhaled, and when I exhaled, I repeated the conversation between Etienne and myself. Braxton put a hand up, stopping me. “English please.” Merde, not again. I leaned my head back and tried to regroup. Stupid non-French-understanding people. “Basically, in English, he’s putting me on the deed instead.” Braxton stared at me for a second. I thought for sure his eyes would pop out, but then he laughed. “He’s got a set. I’ll give the bastard that.” I slid away from him. Any second he’d bust from pent-up anger. He grabbed me and jerked me close. “What did you say back to that declaration of love?” He growled. “I told him what I always tell him. No.” I eased a hand across his chest, and he smiled. “I don’t give a damn what the fool gives you as long as he knows you’re mine.” His lips met mine in a harsh, lip-bruising kiss. He nipped my lower lip, causing me to moan. “Oh, he knows. If not from me telling him all the time, then from the smell of you all over me.” I winked, and he kissed me again, only gentler this time. “Good answer,” he whispered. “Come on. I’m gonna need to get to the barn before sunset. Tonight I’m gonna feed Cam. I need to have Grayson, Takia, and Etienne there, too. They might have to let her feed from them, too.” I raised a hand to stop whatever protest he had. “You are mine, and I will not allow anyone to ever feed from you. You’re mine and only mine.”

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I caressed his jaw with my fingertips. “I would like you there tonight. But under no circumstances are you to come within ten feet of her.” I stared at him, daring him to argue. He just smiled and leaned into me. “You wanna feed now?” He rubbed his hand down my body, setting it on fire with each gentle caress. “I’d love to.” I pushed him over and straddled him. He didn’t even have time to groan before my fangs sank into his taut flesh. His body jerked while I sucked his warm, rich blood into my mouth, tasting his lust. I grinded against his hard body. Cinnamon drenched the air, fueling my desire. His passion palpable and so easy to rub against, I rocked my hips again. He tasted so rich and intoxicating that before I knew it we were thrusting against each other fully clothed. I started to rip his clothes off, but he thrust hard upward. His hips rocked against me, brushing his cock over my clit, sending me flying off the cliff before I knew exactly what was happening. I hadn’t been that turned on that fast in years. He followed suit, and we lay there for a moment, trying to comprehend what just happened. “Darlin’, it’s been a long time since I came in my pants.” I sat up and kissed him. “Oh, but it was so hot.” “Just remember, you still owe me.” He winked, causing me to laugh. “Later. Right now let’s get this out of the way and help Cam. With any luck we’ll be back in Atlanta before the weekend.” We both smiled at the thought and got cleaned up. Streaks of pink, orange, and red filled the late afternoon sky. I rushed down the hall to Grayson’s room and heard movement inside. I didn’t linger, knowing if I did, I’d more than likely find out more than I wanted about both vampires inside. “Going to the barn where I built the cages. As soon as the sun goes down, I need y’all to come there. I found Cam.” I mentally sent to both inside.

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“My dear one, I’m glad for you, and soon we’ll join you. Right now I need at least twenty more minutes,” Grayson crooned in my head right before I heard Takia’s low moan. Oh, jeez. I turned and ran from their door. Braxton was laughing as I came into the bedroom. “What?” I asked, distracted. “Now I know why you want the soundproofing.” He looked toward the wall the moaning came from. “Who would have thought it’d bother me one day? I mean, the things we’ve done, and never once have I blushed. Now, after hearing that,” I pointed in the direction of Takia and Grayson, “I’m scarred.” Braxton rolled his eyes and threw me a duffel bag. “More clothes.” “Good idea. I guess I should go pack Cam some more stuff, too. I’ll even be nice and bring the backstabbing bitch her pillow.” I huffed and stomped down to her room. Inside I shut the door and went to her dresser. I stopped when I saw the picture of us together, smiling, laughing, without a care in the world. Anger rushed through me, and for an instant I thought about slinging the damn picture across the room. But as I looked back at it, I couldn’t help but feel exhausted. I wanted to forget what I’d discovered. I wanted things to go back to the way they were a few days ago, minus her addiction to crackhead blood or Isaiah trying to kill us. God, how I hoped she’d had a good reason for doing what she’d done. I sighed and grabbed her clothes and stupid pillow. Hell, I even grabbed her blanket. Braxton smiled at me as I got to the bottom of the stairs. “Hush. I don’t want to hear it. We need to get going before sunset. Isaiah knows I redid the cages. He’ll figure out that’s where she is. I need to make sure she’s guarded.” I pushed past him, and his hand grabbed mine. “Do you think we’ll be there all night?” he asked, a little

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concerned. I nodded, and he disappeared toward the kitchen. I shook my head and went out to the rental car. I wasn’t about to get in mine yet. Cam had to clean it first. I saw Braxton in the rearview mirror and popped the trunk for him. He’d grabbed so much food, he’d used garbage bags to pack it in. I stared, questioning him as he settled into the passenger seat, smiling. “I didn’t want to get hungry tonight, and I’m not leaving you alone,” he told me before I even had a chance to make fun of him. I took one last look at the house and remembered to let Etienne know what was going on. “Found Cam. Meet us at my father’s plantation. Old barn near the back of the property. Call your lawyer and tell him to either leave the papers or come by later.” “Ma chère, I’ll be there as soon as possible. Be careful.” The short ride to the house was made in silence. My brain tried to figure out how to help Cam. She stirred when we walked into the barn. Her fangs slipped down and up from hunger. I figured by the time everyone got inside she’d be awake and acting like a fiend. I wasn’t looking forward to trying to control her. I was almost positive that even in her current state she’d have to obey her sire. At least I hoped. Braxton grabbed the bags from the car and started settling in for the evening. “My dear one.” Grayson startled me. He stared at Cam, shaking his head. “You should have awoken me as soon as you found her.” Pity filled his eyes. “There wasn’t anything you could do then, but I’m hoping each of us will take a turn feeding her and maybe she’ll come back.” “She should. She may have some side effects, depending on how addicted to the drugged blood she is. But with enough clean blood we can at least get her halfway back to herself.” The warning in his tone spoke of his doubts. Cam may not be herself even after feeding. “It’ll be okay. I just need her back.” My voice shook.

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Takia placed a hand on my shoulder. “What is it you want us to do?” “If you’ll let her feed from you, I’d appreciate it.” She nodded solemnly. “I’m not forcing you to. It’s fine if you’d rather not. If you’ll just help make sure she doesn’t hurt herself or me, I’d appreciate it.” I smiled weakly at her, and she shook her head. “That’s not it. I haven’t let another vampire besides my sire and my lover take from me.” A pretty blush stole across her face. “I’ll be the one feeding her, no one else.” Etienne strolled into the barn. All heads turned to him in suspicion. I laughed harshly at his outrageous comment. I’d figured he would balk and refuse to let her. He smiled as he stopped in front of me. “I’ve never treated her as the sister she is. I should have, but times were different back then, and I resented her. Her mother had been the woman my father loved, and Camilla spent her life in your companionship. I was jealous and a bastard to her. I want to make it right.” His voice was strong and solid. I searched his mind and only felt regret for his actions towards her in the past and his anger toward Isaiah for what he’d done to her. It boggled the mind to think that after 167 years he’d come to this realization. “Let me do this, Josephine. I promise this is something I can make right.” The desperate tone of his voice made me almost trust him, almost. I couldn’t, not with Cam. He’d hated her for his entire life, and now he wanted me to hand her over to him. “No, if you want I’d appreciate you letting her feed from you later, but first I’ll go, then Grayson.” I turned to step by him, but he blocked my path. Braxton growled, getting up from his chair. “Stop this now. I don’t want another one in my line injured tonight.” I glared at Etienne. “Move.” He shook his head. “My blood will work faster.”

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Grayson cleared his throat, getting my attention. “He’s right. Since they’d shared the same bloodline in life, their blood matches. Plus, they have the same sire. His will mingle with hers quicker than the rest of ours will.” I started to object again, but Grayson stared at me with penetrating eyes. “It will be easier on her body to heal with blood which is familiar to her system.” I sighed, knowing they’d won. Braxton stepped to my side. “Let him help her. Sometimes we have to let someone else help for the greater good.” He leaned in closer. “Maybe she’ll even kill him and save me the trouble of doing it.” His flip tone made me snort. I leaned into his warmth and relaxed for a second before stepping into the cage with Etienne. Grayson nodded at me as we stepped closer to Cam. I went to her left while he moved to her right. She was still lying on the cot, but had begun to move about, her motions jerky and stiff. Etienne approached her, and she opened both eyes to reveal a glowing crimson color. Her fangs down, she hissed and tackled him. We’d figured she would react this way at first, but I hadn’t really expected her to claw, slap, kick, and flail around. Etienne grabbed her and held her tight against his chest with his arms tight around her. She hissed again, more feral this time, but he held tight. He pulled her head to his neck. I stood, shocked at the gesture. Either he was really sorry for the things he’d done to her or he’d lost his damn mind. I wasn’t ready to offer her my neck while she was like this. It’d take me, Grayson, and Takia to pull Cam off of him if she didn’t get better soon. He held her to him as she viciously clamped down. She chewed on his neck with no regard of the pain she was causing. He barely flinched, staring into my eyes. I didn’t know whether his actions were real or just another ploy, but at the moment it didn’t matter. She was feeding and starting to pull easier on his vein. She relaxed against him, and Grayson nodded for me to move forward to them. We knelt

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down beside them and carried both back to the cot. Etienne sat her on his lap and rested his head on the wall while she drank. In tones too low for us to hear everything he said, I made out an apology and a promise. He stroked her back and whispered into her ear. It was a first, the only act of kindness I’d ever seen him show towards her. When we were children he’d played with the slave kids and he’d referred to Cam as the bastard mulatto. We’d known she was his father’s bastard child, but still it hurt her for him to say those things to her. Later, when we started working in the house, he’d go behind her, messing things up, then accuse her of not doing her chores. He’d been a spoiled brat. Dominique hadn’t helped either. He was a man who loved controversy and pitted people against each other all the time. Cam for the most part ignored her father, but she wasn’t about to let Etienne win. She’d spit in his food, drink, and done all sorts of other nasty things. Etienne had asked me when we first started noticing each other in a romantic way why I had anything to do with that uppity bastard. I’d slapped him and refused to have anything to do with him. Later he apologized to me, but not to her. Their relationship had been filled with hatred toward each other ever since. It had always amazed me that he could be so gentle, caring, and charming with me and yet cruel, hateful, and bastardly to others. After his father died, he’d left Cam and all the others alone, letting them live their lives however they saw fit. I suspected Dominique forced Etienne to act the way he had toward the slaves, but he could have refused to act in that manner. Grayson stepped up to them and pulled Cam away. “That’s enough for now. You need to rest. In an hour or so we’ll feed her again.” He spoke softly to Etienne. “You did good.” He clapped him on the back and helped him to a cot in another cage. I eased to Cam and stared down at her for a moment. She turned over onto her stomach with ease, free of the jerky motions and stiffness. Her body more relaxed than it had been gave me hope she

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was coming around. “Cam?” I asked through my line, checking to see her progress. She didn’t respond, but her life force tingled. She still smelled of soap, and I was thankful I didn’t have to bathe her in front of everyone. The clothes were too big for her, but until she was done feeding I wasn’t changing her. I pulled the blanket up and moved her hair out of her face. “Stupid, backstabbing bitch,” I muttered, turning from her. Braxton stood behind me. I looked up, buried my face into his chest, and inhaled his scent. The rage, hurt, and fear I’d felt, erased and replaced with calmness. I glanced around the cage. “You’re within ten feet.” Braxton’s chest rumbled with silent laughter. He guided me to his chair in the hall and pulled me onto his lap. I wasn’t about to argue. I was too emotionally exhausted. He stroked my back, his wolf reassuring mine, insisting we would get through everything. Even Etienne and his act of goodwill. I buried myself farther into his warmth, praying his wolf would be right.

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Chapter Twenty-One Grayson stood over me, smiling when I opened my eyes. “I like the new car.” I pushed away from Braxton slightly to glare at Grayson. “Thanks. That reminds me, I’ve made up my mind how you can repay me for destroying my other car.” I returned his smile, and he laughed. “I’m dying with anticipation, dear one. Please enlighten me how I can repay you,” he mocked. I just continued to smile and leaned back into Braxton. “You can build a house on Braxton’s property for my children to stay in if they need to.” “Oh, dear one, you can't possibly think your car was worth that much.” I glared at him. “To me it was, but let’s just say I want retribution for the pain and suffering of my loss.” He shook his head. “Only if I’m allowed the master bedroom as mine.” “You stay in the main house. It’s disrespectful to put you in the house with the others,” I told him sincerely. “I’d rather have a room there.” He glanced at Takia. It clicked. He wanted to be near her. I smiled and nodded my head. “Whatever you want. But y’all could just get a place together.” I looked over at her. “Takia, you don’t have to live there with us. Anytime you want to go out on your own, you can.” I smiled warmly at her. “I’m not leaving you to deal with those miscreants on your own. They’re unworthy.” The pitch of her voice hit a new high.

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Braxton laughed silently against my back, and I rolled my eyes at Takia. “Mais, you two can share the master bedroom then.” Grayson grabbed Takia’s hand and kissed it gently. “I hope so,” he said softly. I glanced back at Braxton, who watched Etienne. He wasn’t going to be happy, but I wasn’t going to cut Etienne from my line yet after all. My line needed his power. Braxton kissed my lips softly. He was distracted and tense. “How’s the pack doing?” I asked when Takia and Grayson moved to a dark corner of the barn. He sighed and shook his head. “Colt is dealing with any problems right now. He hasn’t called, so they must be okay. Everyone knows where I am and that we’ll be back in Atlanta this weekend.” He smiled. “Everyone is looking forward to seeing you in person rather than wolf. Not that you aren’t striking as your wolf, but you’re gorgeous as human.” He nipped my neck with his teeth, teasing me. I smiled at him and pleaded silently with the God above that we could go on vacation soon. “Have you talked to Thomas?” “Thomas told the Council about Elizabeth marrying your ex. They’ve decided to wait until this is settled to set a date for the trial or move forward.” I gazed at him, confused, and he held up a hand to stop my questions. “The reason Eric started this whole thing was to get back at me for ‘sleeping’ with her. He went to the Council before he made the allegations and wanted retribution for my actions. But since they weren’t mated, there wasn’t anything he could do. One member of the Council has wanted me gone for awhile so he asked Eric to gather information about me and my pack which could discredit me.” He shot a look at Etienne and shook his head. “When the Council found out she’d married Etienne, there was talk that the whole reason for her coming into our area was to start trouble with you. That makes Eric look like her lapdog and less creditable. Thomas thinks they’ll have a trial to satisfy the bastard on

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the Council who doesn’t like me. You’ll still be asked about leaving and why I never forced you back.” He nodded toward Etienne. I smiled and nodded my head. “I think you’re right. I’ll figure out something when the time comes. I guess I can’t kill Elizabeth until the Council has their say in it.” I leaned into him and kissed his check. From Cam’s cage, I heard her sigh. I checked the clock, and it had been about an hour. She turned over and inhaled deeply. I stood, braced for her attack, but instead she smiled. Anger rushed through me for her betrayal and for Isaiah doing this to her. I wanted to make her feel the pain she’d caused me. Her hand stretched out, searching for me. I couldn’t help grabbing her hand in mine. She sighed and smiled again. Merde. Tears pooled in my eyes, and I fought the urge to lie down beside her and hold her the way she’d held me when I’d been in pain. Instead, I sat down on her cot and pulled her to me. She rested her head on my chest and her body tensed. Her beast could feel my heartbeat as well as smell my blood. She opened her eyes and stared at me through the crimson bloodlust. “Josie, what’s going on?” she asked weakly. “Shhh, just take my wrist.” I offered her my wrist and stroked her hair with my other hand. She shook her head at first, but her beast smelled the blood so close and fangs slid into my skin. She was gentler with me than she’d been with Etienne. I wondered if she had known who she’d been feeding from earlier. My wrist burned as her fangs sank deep into my vein and my body shuddered. This was the second time in two days that I’d fed someone, and Batty wasn’t happy. She willed me to pull away, but I didn’t. Cam needed me, and I was stronger than my beast. Batty would just have to get over it. Cam’s bite turned from just feeding to intimate. Her tongue swirled around the bite, and she sucked slowly, intimately, on my vein. She’d once told me she liked sex with blood, but we were so not

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going there. “Cam, ease up, bébé. I love you, but we are not getting into that kind of relationship.” She laughed. I heard her laugh. She was coming back to me. “No shit, white girl. I just didn’t want it to hurt you.” Cam had never wanted to learn anything about being a vampire. She was just content to feed and live. Nothing more. I sighed and stroked her head. “Pull back some and open your eyes.” She did, and I smiled at her. “Think very hard about easing my pain. The more feeling you put into it, the easier it’ll be. When I bite Braxton, I think about how much it would hurt me to hurt him, and instantly my body starts releasing endorphins into his bloodstream.” I didn’t even finish before my pain was eased, and the bite felt less sexual and pain free. “That’s good, chére, you’re a quick learner.” She flashed me a watery smile and pulled away. “I’m sorry for listening to Isaiah. I should have told you the first time he asked me to taste the blood.” She slumped her shoulders. “I love him,” she said pitifully. I kissed her cheek, forgetting I was mad with her. She was hurting in a way that I could definitely relate to. Even if she had been one of the main reasons I’d been hurt. “It’s okay, bébé. We’ll work it out. You just need to rest a little more. In a few hours we’ll move you to the house.” I spoke softly against her head. She glanced around. “Merde! I must have been bad off if you’ve got me in the cage.” She sniffled. “Yeah, you were, and you owe me a car cleaning again.” I patted her hand, and the instant I made physical contact, her mental angst rushed through me. A small sob shuddered through her, and images of her ripping a screaming man apart seared into my mind. Her heartbreaking pain rushed into me as I held her. “It’s okay. That man knew what he was getting into when he

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started using drugs and messing around with Isaiah,” I whispered. She looked up at me, her eyes brimming with tears. “I did, too.” “Yes, you did, and now you’ll have to live with that decision. But right now, rest. We’ll worry about it later.” I went to get up, but she caught my hand. “Stay. Please.” I glanced over at Braxton, and he shrugged. He knew I wasn’t ready to be that close to her, but we both knew that before and after she’d cursed me she’d been my only family. I sighed and lay down on the cot beside her just as I had when we were children and scared of the dark. Her vanilla scent was familiar, and I tried desperately to relax against her as she drifted off. My mind raced as I lay there. I wondered when Isaiah would figure out I had Cam. Once that happened he’d come after us. The idiot thought he was stronger and smarter than all of us. Which happened to be the best thing we had going for us. If the Tribunal would let me just take him out, I’d kill him in an instant, but I knew they wanted information from him. They’d want names of vampires who’d bought from him and how many knew about the operation. Those were things I couldn’t answer, yet. I sighed and brushed Cam’s hair away from her face. “Isaiah’s vampires are approaching.” Grayson stood, getting my attention, as well as Braxton, Takia, and Etienne. “And they’re new. We can take them easily,” he said in a true warrior tone. I eased away from Cam and joined them. We stepped to the door of the barn, but something crashed in front of it. I smelled oil and gasoline. I sighed. They’d thrown the rental car in front of the doors. Idiots. That wasn’t going to stop us from killing them. I started to push on the door, but heat from the other side stopped me. They’d set it on fire. I turned back and shook my head. “They’ve set the barn on fire. We need to get out of here before it goes up.” Etienne looked at the wall beside me. He rammed it with his fist,

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but quickly realized it was made from six-inch concrete. I’d wanted to keep vampire and werewolf from getting out if they escaped the cage. Isaiah’s vampires would see us if we went out the roof, and right now I wanted them to think we burned in the fire. I went to the door and listened for the vampires outside. They weren’t anywhere around, so I ran back to the rest. I had wondered why my father built tunnels out of this place, and now I knew. “There is an escape tunnel out of here. Those idiots out there have gotten far enough away they won’t feel us leaving.” I momentarily forgot about my ten-foot rule as Braxton ran and got Cam from the cot and followed me to the bathroom door. I opened the wall cabinet and removed the false back. The steel door was just wide enough for us to fit through one at a time. “Braxton, you go first since you’ve got Cam. Then the rest of you, follow him. I’ll shut the door and lock it. They won't know it’s here for a few days. Once the debris is cleared they’ll find it, but we’ll have moved on Isaiah by then. When you get to the end of the tunnel, you’ll be in the storage room under my father’s house.” Braxton thrust Cam into Etienne’s arms and stood beside me. “We’ll get the door. The rest of you go.” I nodded for the others to go ahead. “Can you feel the vampires outside?” “No, I’m pretty sure they bailed as soon as they started the fire.” He cocked his head to the side to listen to the noises from beyond the door. “I think so, too. Sounded like they were young, scared, and dumb. They probably didn’t want to fight and just decided to block the door and set us on fire.” I shook my head. “Good thing I got that tunnel redug and braced.” I teased, but he just shook his head. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to control myself around him when we catch him. I may end up killing him instantly.” He growled and yanked me to him. His beast stirred, the tingle of his change spread across my skin, letting me know how angry he’d gotten. “No one puts

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my mate in danger, no one.” I rubbed my hand across his chest for a second, hoping to comfort him. He didn’t need to change. Right now, we needed to get the hell out of Dodge. “I know. Me, too. But right now let’s get going.” He growled once before turning, and we headed toward the end of the tunnel. At the end we found the others waiting for us. “We didn’t want to go ahead until you two got here,” Etienne told us as we stepped closer. “We need to lay low for a little while and let everyone think we burned in the fire. Braxton and I are going to shift and head to the house. If anyone’s there they won't sense us while we’re in our wolf forms. They may think we’re there, but as long as we stay out of sight they won’t know for sure. You all go on over to LaPlace to a hotel and get two adjoining rooms. We need to figure out our next step.” Our clothes. “Takia, stay here for a second and get our clothes so we’ll have some back at the hotel.” She turned her back, letting us strip. In a second we were naked and beginning our change. I finished my change before Braxton, though seconds later he was ready. We charged on all fours for the mouth of the tunnel. Takia smiled at us, and I pounced on her. “Take our clothes and get the hell out of here. We’ll meet you all at the hotel. Just focus on me and send me the name and room number when you get there. You’ll have to focus very hard to get past my wolf to my vampire. If you’re unable to, get Grayson to do it.” She nodded reluctantly. I chuckled to myself, and couldn’t help but take the opportunity to take my huge wolf tongue and lick her face. She scrambled around, trying to get me off of her. “That’s nasty, Josephine.” She wiped her face. Braxton nudged me, and I stopped playing around. It was time for business. We eased around the property to make sure the young vampires

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were gone. With no sign of energy or scent left, we knew they’d left. We headed in the direction of the Bordeaux plantation. I led, since I knew all the back ways and easiest routes. The run was invigorating, awakening my beasts. Wolfy loved to run through the woods, and I was happy to let her loose. I’d need her extra senses right now. The back of the property came into view, and I slowed, waiting for Braxton to take the lead. He was a better scout than I was, and I knew it. He trotted past me with his muzzle high in the air, sniffing. Without looking back, he headed to our left, running along the swamp. There was little wildlife out tonight, and the moon was new. The only light which aided us came from the lights shining at the house. I stopped near the garçonnière. There wasn’t anyone there, but Elizabeth’s overpowering scent of roses held strong. She’d been here recently. Braxton sniffed the ground then nodded his head toward the house. We loped forward silently until we neared the kitchen. The static energy of young vampires tingled my skin. Inside there were two vampires less than fifty years old. The only power that either had was their strength. They wouldn’t sense us, so we moved on. Outside of the living room we heard Elizabeth’s laughter. I cut a look at Braxton, and his ears picked up. We inched closer and listened. I peeked through the glass of one of the doors and saw Isaiah sitting on the couch with Elizabeth straddling him. My heart ached for Cam while my rage built toward them inside. Elizabeth leaned down and kissed Cam’s man thoroughly before leaning back and smiling seductively at him. “Come on, let’s go upstairs to our room and celebrate the bitch dying.” Elizabeth giggled with joy. I opened my mind to Grayson and Etienne so they could hear everything I heard. A strong burst of energy flooded through me when they responded. “What about your husband’s things. He did get this place back

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before tonight, right? Because if so, it’s yours now, along with everything he owns.” Isaiah’s thick fingers worked her shirt buttons undone. “His lawyer was coming tonight to fix it for him. They were all gone before I got here, and the lawyer left a message saying everything was taken care of. Do you regret using that slut Camilla the way you did?” Her tone was scornful as her fingers ripped his shirt from his body. “Just as much as you regret using that dog and your husband,” Isaiah responded just as scornfully. She laughed loudly, making the hair on my back bristle. Oh, the bitch had it coming. “Etienne should have picked me over Josephine a long time ago. Then I wouldn’t have had to kill him. Poor Braxton, I really was fond of him. I’ll never understand what he saw in her. I do regret killing him. He was gorgeous naked, and from the screams I’d heard from her, he was amazing in bed.” She yelped as Isaiah grabbed her. “You wanna scream.” His tone was harsh. The sharp ripping sound of fabric and her low moan made me want to gag. I eased back to Braxton and eased away from the house to the road. The river would lead us back to LaPlace, so we ran alongside it until we came to a grain elevator to cross on. I’m not the strongest swimmer, and Braxton knew it, so when we got to a grain elevator which crossed from one side of the river to the other it was a nobrainer. We’d cross over the river not bothering to attempt swimming across the Mississippi. A twitch of energy flared in my mind when Takia reached out to me. It was a twinge compared to the energy burst from Etienne and Grayson. Plus, the longer I stayed a wolf, the harder it was for me to keep communication open with my children. I strained hard to keep the line between us open. They were at a motel near the river. I moved ahead of Braxton, following her directions and hoping to get there before I decided to let my anger at Isaiah and Elizabeth rule me. If I did, I’d run right back and rip both their throats from their necks

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and not think twice about the consequences until after the Tribunal had me staked and starved.

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Chapter Twenty-Two The run through the city was oddly nice. It gave me a chance to practice my duck and dodge skills. I wasn’t very good, though, and Braxton would stop and shake his head at my not-so-subtle dodges. I was ready to tackle him by the time we got to the hotel. Braxton sniffed the air and headed off in the directions that Grayson’s scent was the strongest. I walked up behind him, scratching on the door. “Open up. It’s us,” I sent to Grayson. I knew he’d be the one to open the door since he was the authority there. What I didn’t expect to see was Dante, another Ancient. Braxton came into the room behind me and gave the vampire a quick glance before nudging me to the bathroom. Without hesitation I followed his orders. It wasn’t the time to be naked in front of other males. His wolf was very possessive. I trotted into the bathroom and started my change. Being tired, it took my body longer than normal to complete it. When I was done, I sat on the edge of the tub and put my head between my legs and breathed in deep. I needed food, both regular and liquid. Braxton had shifted, too. He kneeled in front of me. “Darlin’, you look bad. You feeling okay?” I shook my head. “You need food and blood. Takia should order pizzas for later, but right now you need to feed.” He tugged me down onto his lap. “Can I get my clothes first?” “Not hardly.” He kissed me with an intensity that shocked me. “Wow. Are you all right?”

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“No. That was close tonight, and I want to make sure you’re okay,” he said softly. I leaned down and licked his neck near his jugular and inhaled the scent of his delicious blood. My body ached for him, and I pressed myself against his hard body. I knew we didn’t have time and that we shouldn’t, so I eased back and offered him a soft smile. “Hmm, later when we have some privacy,” he whispered. I nodded, easing his head to the side. He smelled so good, and when my fangs grazed his vein, he shuddered. Batty inhaled the metallic, sweet scent of his blood and wanted all of him. I laughed silently because little did she know I wanted it all more. My fangs sank into his flesh. I moaned as the taste of him coursed across my taste buds, sweet and warm. He pulled me tighter down against him, and he hardened even more. “Easy in there. We have a guest and unless you plan to share him, you’d better hurry up,” Grayson sent me. I quickly finished, sealing the fang imprints. No one was feasting on my mate. I pulled away from him and stood, a little rejuvenated. “Get my clothes, mon amour,” I whispered. “Yes, ma’am.” He went to step out the door, but turned back and jerked me to him for another hot, passionate kiss. His tongue slipped into my mouth, and the gentle thrust made my body sway in rhythm to them. He eased back and sucked my earlobe into his mouth and bit softly. “I guess I’m not the only overprotective one around here,” he whispered then winked at my glare. Wolfy had let him see my thoughts. He stepped out and threw me my clothes. Grayson grinned at me when I slid out of the bathroom. “I was hungry,” I told him with my head high. He laughed and motioned for me to have a seat. “Dear one, you remember Dante?” I bowed my head in respect, and he stepped closer. When he was right in front of me, he pulled me from my seat facing him. I stood

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with my head bowed slightly. He leaned in close and inhaled. “God, you do smell good.” He sighed and turned to Grayson. “Did her mother have this same scent?” Grayson moved up and nodded. “In fact, she did. But Josephine has Were blood, which adds an intoxicating aroma to her scent. Plus, she’s covered in her mate’s scent.” Grayson took my hand and guided me back to sit beside him. It was an all too unsubtle show that I was his, and not to be touched. “You’ve gotten protective over this one. I don’t blame you.” Dante displayed the slide of his fangs back into his gums. Dante’s beautiful features were dangerous. He looked sweet, sexy, and innocent. Like the kind of guy you’d take home to Mom. I’d only met him once, but heard of him lots of times. His looks had been part of his charm all of his life. He didn’t mojo his meals before or after feeding. Instead he used his charm to convince women and men to do things to him that were completely and utterly sinful. He was the type of vampire I didn’t want to be close to, yet I damn sure didn’t want to be on his bad side. He was an enforcer for the Tribunal, which made me all of a sudden uneasy about his presence. Dante had the ability to take a vampire’s power away, as well as their entire line. I turned to Grayson, and he watched Dante. “Come, sit down beside me, Josephine. I’m not here to harm you or your line. In fact, I’m here to aid it,” Dante crooned and patted the bed. I cut a look to Braxton, ready to warn him to back off, but he controlled his wolf even as the vampire stared at me with crimson eyes. I hid my relief of Braxton’s understanding and reluctantly sat down beside Dante. “Aid how?” He smiled and ran a hand across my check. “Hmm, submissive is not becoming on you. You’re even more stunning with that head held

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high.” I fought the urge to slap his hand away or to bite his fingers off. His smile broadened, and he dropped his hand. “She blocks well for one so young. I can barely pick her thoughts. However, I don’t enjoy regenerating body parts, so I’ll refrain from touching you again.” His tone was light and teasing. I couldn’t help but grin at him. “Thanks. I’d rather not have to fight my mate over who gets to rip you apart.” I smiled over at Braxton, his face dark with anger. My words eased his fury, and he relaxed a bit. “Nor would I want to fight such a dominant wolf. I’ve heard lots of things about you, Mr. Wade. Though, I don’t believe we’ve ever met.” Dante extended a hand to Braxton, and I held my breath as they shook hands. “Come join us. No reason for you to sit out of our discussion.” Braxton sat down so close to me that I thought he was going to sit in my lap. “I’ve been sent here by the Tribunal. They’ve found a way for you to get the information and not have to spare Isaiah.” I looked over at Dante with my forehead crinkled into a frown. I didn’t exactly understand what he meant. “We’ve decided to take his line. Normally, we wouldn’t do this without a trial, but he needs to be taken care of. I assume you are handling this problem since you are his sire.” His tone dipped a little too stern. I knew then that if this didn’t go well with Isaiah, I wouldn’t make it to that vacation with Braxton. The Tribunal meant to test my power and authority. I nodded at him, and he looked over at Grayson. “You are her sire, and if you feel she doesn’t have the ability to finish this then you must finish her.” Grayson stared at him and stood up. “She’s stronger than most Ancients I know, and she’ll finish this with or without help.” Dante flashed a quick grin at me and nodded. “Good. Before I leave, I have something for you.”

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He closed his eyes, and all at once I fell back against the mattress. Grayson cussed, and Braxton grabbed me as I began to convulse. My body hummed with the energy from more than three hundred vampires as they burst onto my line. My eyes rolled back with the jolt of electrical force. Power rippled through me, filling my cells with an energy I’d never before felt. I breathed in deep, struggling to gain control over the convulsions. I shook my head, panting, and the humming dulled. When I sat up, Dante clapped his hands together. “Well done, Josephine. You’re much stronger than any of us recognized. You’ll have twenty-four hours before my power wears off of Isaiah, and then he’ll know what has happened. ” He smiled one last time at me and vanished. I ran a hand through my hair and sighed. “Jesus, what the hell happened?” I shook my head. “It feels like I just got zapped by a Taser. One minute I was fine, the next it…” I stopped and looked at Grayson. He knelt in front of me and grabbed my face, making me look him in the eyes. “He could have driven you insane doing that.” “Did what?” I had a good idea of what he’d done, but I wanted someone to say it out loud. “What the hell happened, Gray?” “You just became one very powerful vampire.” He kissed my head with an odd sort of reverence. “I don’t know why he did it, but Dante turned everything Isaiah over to you. Including his children. You’ve also been given a new power.” I shook my head. “How am I supposed to keep up with over seven hundred vampires?” He shrugged his shoulders. “It’s not easy, but you’ll adjust.” He patted my hand. “It’s a huge honor they gave you to have that much of a boost in your line. Most of the time they would have split the line between all of the Ancients. Instead you received everything.” He stood up. My mind was ready to explode from thinking about all the

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responsibility. On one hand I had over seven hundred vampires to be responsible for and on the other was the Werewolf pack. I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose before I remembered something. “Wait. What do you mean ‘new power?” I asked, suspicious. He grinned at me. “I would imagine you have the power of sight now. That is one of Dante’s many powers. Because he was so bespelled by you, I believe he would share it with you.” I raised an eyebrow at him, but I pictured Colt and wondered if my room was finished. Instead of just seeing his face as I remembered it, I saw him lying in bed asleep. The bedside clock read eleven fifteen. I looked closer and saw the room was one of the mansion’s guest rooms he was sleeping in. I blinked and looked at Grayson, bewildered. “What’d I just see? I mean, I’ve wondered what Colt looked like in bed, but I never really wanted to know.” I grinned over at Braxton. “I haven’t seen him in a while. He was a good friend to me over the years,” I said sheepishly. Braxton picked up my hand, nipped the flesh a little too rough for my liking. “I know, and believe me, if I ever thought he’d tried to be more, he wouldn’t be alive.” Grayson stared at me in amazement. I smiled at his astonished expression. “I’ve been telling y’all for years, I’m a badass.” Both Braxton and Grayson snorted, but I ignored them. “Enough parlor tricks. We need to come up with a plan for getting rid of Isaiah and Elizabeth.” Takia and Etienne walked into the room from the adjoining room where I sensed Cam sleeping. “I don’t give a shit what happens to Isaiah after I get the info and he’s dead. I need information from Elizabeth, too.” I glanced around at my small group while I finished off a piece of cheese pizza. They all nodded. Grayson sat next to Takia while Etienne sat on the opposite bed from them. Braxton was at my side and had already finished a meat lover’s pizza and was working on a supreme. “They’ll know soon what has happened with Isaiah’s line, and

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we’ll have to move fast then. Hopefully, Dante’s mojo won’t wear off too fast.” I grabbed another piece of pizza, slapping Braxton’s hand out of the way. “First thing after sunset, he’ll want to see the barn and look for any sign of our bodies. Once he figures out that we aren’t dead, we’ll lose our edge,” Braxton said through a mouthful of pizza. “I know why the Ancients gave me this power. They wanted to test me and see if I would think far enough ahead to use it on him. I need to see into his mind and get all of the information about his operation, clients, and donors. After I get that, his ass dies.” Grayson smiled proudly. “You are a clever one.” “Yes, I am. Now I’m going to check on Cam while you four think of how we should attack tomorrow. I was thinking we’d split up. I’ll take Grayson and Cam with me after Isaiah while Braxton, Takia, and Etienne go after Elizabeth. We’ll go to the barn and hide out and wait for Isaiah to show up. Once I send the order through my line that his former children are not to touch me or any of you, they won’t be able to. That’ll leave Isaiah and Elizabeth alone.” I smiled with satisfaction over my new power and added children. It was a lot of responsibility, but damn it felt good to be in charge. Braxton laughed, and I raised an eyebrow at him. “What?” “You. I’ve never seen you on a power trip like this before. It’s entertaining.” He grinned. “Mais, I’ll show you power trip,” I threatened. “Later. We’ll need privacy.” He winked at me, causing me to laugh. “I’m going to check on Cam.” I turned and left them talking over our next move. Cam lay on her side, pretending to still be asleep when I walked into the room. “I know you’re awake.” I sat down beside her. “We need to talk, Cam. I’ve got some questions, and you need to tell me the truth.” I stroked her hair.

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She looked up at me and blew out a deep breath. “I found you at some property deeded to you by Melanie. You want to tell me why she deeded it to you the same year I got a voodoo curse put on me?” I looked down at her, and she sat up. “I can't believe that bastard took me there. I told him years ago to sell it. I didn’t want it.” I didn’t say anything, just waited for her to answer my question. “You’ve already figured out how I got that land.” Her tone low, barely audible. “Yeah. I figured it out after Braxton told me where it was and who deeded it to you. I just haven’t figured out why you did it. I mean, I know you wanted Etienne and me apart, but damn, Cam. Every day I woke up beside Etienne, praying the curse would be gone and I’d be able to touch him. Is that why you came back after he left? Did you feel guilty?” The anger inside me started to rise, and I moved away from her. “Melanie threatened to kill Isaiah if I didn’t, and when I told her she couldn’t kill him, that he was already dead, she threatened to kill a slave each hour until I did the curse. I tried to refuse her, to call her bluff. She killed one of the slave kids, right in front of me.” Her eyes filled with tears. “I put the spell breaker in there hoping you’d kill her and the curse would be broken, but then when you did kill her, it didn’t work.” She sighed. “I’ve never understood that part. The curse should have broken the minute she died. I’m sorry I hurt you and lied to you about the whole thing. I just couldn’t bear to tell you I’d betrayed you.” Her voice shook. “That’s why I left with Isaiah. I couldn’t take seeing the two of you hurting.” Tears streamed down her face. “I came back because you’re my family.” “I’m not over what you did. I can’t forgive you for it, but it worked out in the end.” I grabbed her hand and smiled weakly down at her. “We’ll work on it later. For now I’ve got two more things for you.

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You all right for a little while longer?” She nodded, and I leaned back against the headboard. “Etienne fed you first. He says it’s time you and him get over the past. He told us all he was a bastard to you and regrets everything. I think he means it.” “Something else to think about later,” she mumbled. “Yeah, later. Are your powers still gone?” “Yeah, but I don’t care. I’ve gotten myself into a lot of trouble using them over the years. I think it’s time I learn to live without them.” “What about the drug blood. Are you addicted so bad that soon you’ll be having withdrawals?” I tried to sound concerned and not disgusted, but judging by the hurt look on her face I’d missed the mark. “I’ll have withdrawals. I don’t want to talk about it, okay. Just know that I’ve learned my lesson about that shit.” “All right, what about Isaiah? You know I’ve been told to kill him, right?” “You’re not killing him. I am!” She hissed. I went to object, but was cut off. “Neither one of you is touching him. He’s mine,” Etienne told us while swaggering into the room. Cam sat up straighter, and I stood up. “Mais, I don’t care how it happens, just as long as he dies. I’m going back to finish eating unless Braxton has eaten my pizza, too. You two talk, and then, Cam, you need to feed.” Etienne needed to feed, too. “Etienne, you need to feed also. I’ll feed Cam, and maybe Takia or Grayson will let you feed.” I looked toward the other room and hoped one of them would help. “I’m meeting the desk clerk in thirty minutes. I’ll feed from her,” he said flatly as he stared at Cam. “Sure thing. I’ll be in the other room.” I turned and left them staring at each other. They were way too much alike. God help us all if they joined forces. I smiled at that thought and found Braxton holding my pizza

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box up. “I didn’t touch your pizza.” He pursed his lips. I laughed and sat down on his lap. Grayson and Takia were gone. “They went to feed,” he said absently. Thank god. I turned to straddle him. He pulled me closer and picked me up, carrying me to the bed. I raised up off the bed, kissing him, using tongue, lips, and teeth. I yanked on his shirt, trying to get closer to him. Unfortunately, we hadn’t locked the adjoining door. Etienne and Cam walked into the room. Knowing this episode had been postponed, I flopped down against the mattress. My heart drummed in my chest while my blood roared with need. “Later?” I asked sarcastically to Braxton. He kissed me lightly, nodded his head, and eased away from me. I stared at the ceiling for a moment before I looked over at Cam and Etienne. She grinned while he glared. “I figured y’all would have a longer chat.” “We noticed,” Cam teased. “You know, you really do smell good. It’s a wonder he hasn’t split you in half.” She inhaled deeply. “I give as good as I get,” I told her wickedly. Etienne snorted. “And you wonder why I haven’t gotten over you.” Braxton growled, showing teeth. I rolled my eyes at both of them. “What did the two of you want?” I tried changing the subject. “We heard Takia and Grayson heading back this way, plus lover boy’s got a date in a few minutes, so we wanted to go over the plan.” Cam sat down. “Did he feed you again?” “That’s what a brother’s for. Taking care of his little sister,” Etienne teased. Cam shrugged her shoulders. “I always figured he’d taste evil like the evil bastard I thought he was, but you know, he’s got a great flavor.” I raised an eyebrow at her and bit my tongue. He did taste good,

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always had. He tasted of sweet, rich buttercream icing, which was oddly wonderful because it was blood, not food. I glanced over at Braxton, who cocked his head sideways. “Should I let her taste me? Then the two of you could compare who tastes better.” Cam jumped up and started for him, but I caught her leg. “Not in a million years is anyone but me tasting that man,” I said sternly. She pouted. “Fine. Let’s get this going so we can get those bastards.” Takia and Grayson walked in, looking refreshed and sated. “I suppose you two have fed and are ready to talk about our plan?” I winked. Takia nodded, and Grayson sat beside her. Cam stared at the two. The tension in the air nearly suffocated me as Cam took in the sight of Takia here with us and coupled with Grayson. She shook her head and sat down next to Braxton and stared at them. “Merde. How long was I gone?” “Only a couple of days. The night I found you at Isaiah’s passed out, I cut him from my line. I knew when I picked you up he was hunting drug blood, but I didn’t know then he was planning on selling it. I was just pissed he’d taken you out hunting that shit.” I sighed. “The next night Takia showed up wanting to stay under my line. She didn’t want to be involved in the blood operation and wanted my protection in exchange for the information she had about Isaiah.” Cam eyed Takia for a minute longer before she turned back to me. “She’s had the blood, too. I saw her take from a guy who had been shooting up.” “She told us about that and swore she was forced to.” I held up my hand, trying to stop her arguing. “Look, I read her, and she’s telling the truth. That’s enough.” I looked around to make sure they all knew it was time to move on. Etienne was the first to break the heated silence, and for once I

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was thankful for his butting in. “We think you’re right. Split up into two teams. One goes after Isaiah and the other after Elizabeth. ” He glanced around at everyone, and they all nodded in agreement. Cam needed to know my suspicions about Elizabeth. “Cam, I’m pretty sure Elizabeth is a witch and has been using spells on us to hide her identity and scent while she’s been with Isaiah. I also think she’s the one who took your powers. I need to get information from her about Were stuff, so no one is to kill her when we get there.” “How do you want to split the teams?” I asked Grayson. “Braxton, Takia, and myself on one. You three on the other. I figure you three have the most knowledge of Isaiah and want him dead more than the rest of us.” Braxton shook his head. “He came after my mate. He doesn’t deserve to die. If I had my way, he wouldn’t die tonight or any night soon. Instead he’d live with his insides out, being tortured every day.” His tone made me cringe, from the harshness. Cam stared at her feet. Braxton leaned over to pat her hand. “Camilla, I am sorry for your pain, but he hurt her and hurt you as well. He doesn’t deserve your grieving.” She gave a weak smile. “No, he doesn’t, and I was thinking along the same lines as you. Why kill him tonight. Let me do to him what he did to me.” Her voice was full of scorn. Grayson cleared his throat. “The Tribunal wants him dead. If he isn’t dead tomorrow night they will come after Josephine and all of her children. That includes you, Camilla.” He eyed her meaningfully, and she relented. “Fine, but I want to kill him.” She pouted like a homicidal toddler. “Damn.” I wanted to give her revenge, but Dante’s words seeped through my memory. “You can’t. I just remembered they ordered me to kill him. I’ll let you do whatever you want to him, but the killing has to be done by yours truly,” I said quietly, waiting for an outburst of cursing.

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Instead, she laughed. “I missed a lot. Since when is the Tribunal sending you orders?” “Since Gray cut me from his line.” She gaped at Grayson then back at me before her lips quirked upward. “So now you’re a Master? Did they give you more powers or anything?” “Yeah, now I can think about someone and see them and their thoughts. I tried it earlier tonight, and it was neat.” I smiled at her. She grinned wickedly at me. “Who’d you look at?” “Colt.” She howled with laughter, and I couldn’t help but laugh, too. She grinned at Takia. “Wait until you see Colt. You’ll know why she peeked at him.” Braxton raised an eyebrow at her, and she stroked his jaw. “Oh, bébé, not to worry. She’s never really thought about him in that way. He’s just nice to look at.” She turned to me and winked. I sighed, hating to break up the fun moment, but we had to finish the business with the plan then get ready for the upcoming fight. After several minutes we decided on a simple plan of attack. As soon as the sun started to set, I’d order all my children not to aid Isaiah in any way. They were to tell me the instant when they saw him, and if he tried to get away, they were to catch him. I would also send the same message about Elizabeth. Braxton, Etienne, Cam, Grayson, and Takia were not to be touched or harmed in any way by any of my children. I was a little anxious about trying to capture Elizabeth, but I had confidence in Braxton, still I’d made it clear for him to gag her so she couldn’t try anything magical on them. Cam could call on her magic without using her voice, but I hoped Elizabeth hadn’t learned how to do that yet. There wasn’t any real plan, besides just grabbing Isaiah, fighting if necessary, then I’d kill him. I didn’t know for sure how, but I leaned toward chopping his head off. Cam and Etienne were going to stop by my father’s home and get some weapons first before hitting the sky. I left the takedown plan for Elizabeth up to the three going

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after her. Cam gave a friend of hers who practiced different types of craft a call to see if she’d help us. She agreed to meet us to take back Cam’s powers if she wanted them. Then to help bind Elizabeth’s until we killed her. I needed to get the truth from her before Braxton’s trial.

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Chapter Twenty-Three The rest of the night went by quickly as we gathered the weapons we’d need for the fight and rehashed the plan. I was all too aware of how little time I’d spent with Braxton since the fire. I looked at him as he lay on the bed with his eyes closed, relaxed. He’d shed his shirt and pants. Only his boxer briefs remained. If Cam had been there, he might have put clothes on, but she’d gone back to the adjoining room to talk to her friend about whether to bind her powers. She was actually serious about not using magic anymore. She and Etienne watched each other closely, and I had the suspicion he was only using her to get to me. I hoped I was wrong. My attention veered back to Braxton, and I remembered the pain I felt when I thought he’d betrayed me. My stomach dropped, and the sting of tears blurred my vision. It was difficult to grasp the fact that I was with the man I loved, that he had not betrayed me, yet my dear friend would not have the same comfort. The lust that had burned hot and heavy within me all day settled, and I wanted nothing more than to curl up beside him and inhale his scent. I’d missed him so much over the past five years that I ached for just one night absolutely alone with him. He smiled in his sleep, and I knew then he wasn’t really sleeping. He opened one eye and raised his hand out to me. “Darlin’, you gonna stand there all night, or are you gonna come here?” I took his hand and settled next to him. I lay there drinking in the texture of his smooth yet coarse skin, inhaling his piney scent. “What time should we get going?” I asked him sleepily.

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“After you’ve rested a few hours. You haven’t slept well the last few days, and tonight you’ll need to be fresh.” He kissed the top of my head. His wolf rose to the surface, and in an instant the soothing Alpha wolf magic calmed me. I sighed and relented into the blissful sleep he offered. What seemed like ten minutes turned out to be hours when a knock on the door awakened me. I jumped up, trying to get to the door, but Braxton was already there. He turned and let a lovely young woman inside. Her glossy blonde hair flowed behind her as she swept into the room. She was graceful and knew it. Her smile widened at Braxton, and a low, menacing growl escaped my throat. Braxton grinned over at me, and the young lady turned to me, smiling with perfectly straight, brilliant white teeth. Her eyes danced with amusement as she walked toward me, her head held high. “I’m guessing you’re Josephine? Cam told me to watch you around your mate, that I shouldn’t smile or be too friendly. I half expected her to be kidding about his looks, but he is rather gorgeous. I see why you react the way you do.” “You should have taken her warning. She’s right. I don’t take well to other women smiling invitingly at my mate.” Bitterness rose within me. My tone trembled with jealousy. “No doubt, but I’m not here to look at your mate or cause trouble between us. I’m the one who will take the black witch’s powers and bind Cam’s.” She extended her hand toward me. I stared at her, stunned. She didn’t have the scent of any other witch I’d ever met before. She smelled flowery with a hint of earth. I took her hand and turned her wrist upward. I inhaled deeply at her pulsing vein as the blood pumped through. She shuddered, and I released her. “She didn’t tell me you had the power to draw someone in like that,” she said, astounded. “I’ve never met another vampire who had that type of pull from inhaling.” Her eyes widened with shock. “She didn’t tell me you were so normal and didn’t have the scent

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of a witch.” I stared back at her. “I was weak and not thinking clearly. Merde, be glad I warned her about not touching Braxton.” Cam’s sleepy voice broke through my rage when she stumbled into the room. “I forgot to tell you that Rebecca would be here this afternoon. She’ll go to the house with Braxton, Grayson, and Takia to bind Elizabeth. She’s very powerful, and I’ll need her help until I get my powers back.” Cam yawned and wiped sleep from her eyes. Before I could ask, she nodded her head. “I’ve decided not to bind my powers. That would be just a form of running from my problems, and I don’t want to be a coward.” I noticed for the first time she hadn’t put on pants. Her hot pink boy-cut underwear showed more than I cared for Braxton to see. “Pants, Cam,” I hissed. She turned to me and smiled. “Now why would I want to deprive Braxton of seeing a real ass, not that white-girl ass you have.” She sashayed into the bathroom while I glared at her. I turned, and Braxton quickly looked away from the view of Cam’s ass. I narrowed my eyes at him, and he winked at me. “Pig,” I muttered before turning my attention back to our new guest. Her gaze stayed on me in a way that made me all too aware I had no idea who she was or anything about her. My skin bristled as I caught a glimpse of contempt before she turned from my gaze. I didn’t like the uneasy feeling that crept along my spine. I moved toward her to get a better feel for her. “How long have you known Cam?” “All of her life, I suppose.” She barely glanced up at me. I focused in on the small hum of energy from her mind and tried to open mine to hers in order to get her thoughts. She cocked her head to the side, tsking me. “That is very rude. I would have thought my coming here to help you would warrant more respect than you’re showing.” Something about the way she stared at me made me grow even

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more uneasy. “I don’t trust you. That’s a fact, and I don’t give a damn about being rude or not. There’s a lot at stake here, and I want to make sure everyone involved is someone I can trust.” My eyes bore into her unblinking ones. “I understand, but you’re not getting inside my head. You’ll just have to trust in Cam.” She grinned slyly. I knew then that she knew everything about our situation. I’d trusted Cam before, and now I was in deep shit because of some of the things she’d neglected to tell me. It would be awhile before I trusted Cam again. Braxton stepped behind me and turned me, thankful for once our wolves shared our thoughts. I gazed into his green eyes. “I can't trust Cam. This feels wrong.” I opened my thoughts to him. “There is something off, but we need this woman tonight, and I’ll look after her.” I didn’t want him looking after another woman no matter what, but in this instance, I knew it was the only way to take Elizabeth’s powers. “We need to get going. Thank you for your help,” I told Rebecca, my voice flat, as I strolled to the adjoining room. Etienne glanced up to cock his head to the side at Rebecca. “Who is that?” he asked suspiciously. I looked away from him. If I stared too long, everyone would know we were talking privately. “She’s the witch Cam knows who agreed to help us tonight. Do you know her?” I asked, hoping he could dissolve some of my reservations about her. “No, but there’s something about her and the way she stares at us that makes me feel unsure about her.” “Her scent is unfamiliar. She was mad earlier when I tried to read her and her scent never changed. Not a hint of rage, anger, or anything.” I looked back at Etienne as he moved to Rebecca. “I’m Etienne Bordeaux, and you, chére, are stunning.” He smiled lustfully at her, but she flashed him the same contempt-filled look she’d given me earlier.

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I moved to her side and watched with great interest as her expression changed. “You are just as Cam described.” Her voice was edged with disgust. “Exactly as she described.” “You said earlier you’d known Cam all of her life. Forgive me, but how old are you?” I questioned. She smiled over at me. “I’m a little older than her.” I wanted to know more, but Cam sighed dramatically. “Easy, Josie. I’ve known her my entire life. She used to come with my mother out to the plantation. Even if you don’t trust me anymore, you should trust my mother. She trusted Rebecca.” Her firm voice was sincere. “I don’t give a damn who Cam says this woman is, we don’t need to trust her,” Etienne sent me scornfully. I agreed with him, but we were wasting time, and we didn’t have that to waste. Grayson stood beside me. Everyone looked at us, waiting for things to begin. “In a few moments Josephine is going to send the word through her line. We’ll have a short time before Isaiah figures out he’s no longer connected to his children. Once that happens he’ll know the Tribunal has taken them from him. We have a small window of opportunity in which we can accomplish our goals. This has to be finished tonight.” He spoke with authority. “I’ll fly alongside Etienne and Cam to the barn then change once there. The rest of you will be going to the house and take Elizabeth captive. If anything goes wrong on my end, Grayson is in charge over all of my line. My belongings are to go to Braxton, of course.” I stared at them before chancing a glance at Braxton. He fumed. Perhaps I shouldn’t have mentioned something bad happening. “Brax, it’s just the way it is. You, of all people, know it’s best to have your affairs in order,” I said quietly. He shook his head angrily, but I knew he wasn’t disagreeing with me. He didn’t want to admit that something could happen. My heart

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ached. If we’d been humans we’d have already spent a lifetime together, and for most people that was enough, but we weren’t most people. One lifetime in no way held enough time. I couldn’t stop myself. I was at his side in a flash, kissing him hungrily. If this was our last moment together, we were not fighting. “The hell with that beach. I’m leaning towards the lake house,” he said, frustrated. We weren’t going to the island anytime soon. Indeed, we’d be in the lake house back in Atlanta, which was perfectly okay with me. “This weekend. Now let’s get this show on the road.” I looked back at Grayson, Takia, Rebecca, and Braxton as I took flight. Etienne flew to my side, his eyes wide, and the zing of adrenaline coursed through his body to mine. “Since when have you enjoyed fighting?” I asked sarcastically. “Since I get to see you strip and change.” He winked at me, and I couldn’t help but grin. Cam came to my side, interrupting the playful moment, and glared at us. She didn’t comment. The playfulness didn’t mean anything to me, but I feared it had to him. Knowing Cam, she’d more than likely picked up on it and was reminding me of the man I’d left on foot. Like I’d ever forget anything about Braxton. “You still okay?” I hadn’t noticed any signs of withdrawals, but she had started to run her hands across her face and through her hair a lot. “I’ll make it tonight, I think. Tomorrow will be a different story.” She sighed. “How about after this is over I send you those images of Colt asleep.” I winked over at her. Her head tilted back as a deep laugh filled the air around us. “Nah, I want one of him naked in the shower.” She smiled at me warmly, and I nodded toward the barn. They were going to stay above the tree line while I dropped and changed. Since Isaiah couldn’t fly, he’d have to drive. Because of that

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I’d be able to scout for him as my wolf. Wolfy was rather stealthy. “All right, boys and girls, here goes. Remember when he shows up, do whatever you want to him, but his death is mine.” They nodded, and I hoped both knew how important it was that Isaiah’s death came by my hands, fangs, or claws. They flew higher while I shrugged out of my clothes. I stood there naked and called upon the magic that changes me. Singeing heat spread across my flesh. Etienne smiled, hovering above me. “Again, you wonder why I haven’t gotten over you. No one in this world holds a candle to you, chère.” His husky comment broke the silence of the night. “Braxton really is going to kill you if he ever finds out you watched me get naked out here. Now go away while I change.” I reached in deep for my best stern voice, which turned out to be a little more bitter than I’d intended. If I’d been so unforgettable, then why had he left? I called on my change again, and this time I was not interrupted by some sneaky pervert. I stood on all fours and stretched, getting used to my body’s change. I loped to the edge of the trees and sat, waiting on any sign of vampire or human. Nothing there, so I moved to the outskirts of the property, running and smelling. The crackle of energy from two of my new children spread down my back, alerting me that Isaiah was heading this way. “He’s on his way here. It shouldn’t be but just a few minutes. Keep an eye out. I’m going to check with our other group,” I sent Etienne and Cam. I knew they’d heard me, and I thought of Rebecca. Within a millisecond, I was seeing her hunched down beside a huge oak in my backyard. Braxton, Takia, and Grayson were nearby watching the house, and so far all looked safe. With a sigh of relief, I broke the connection and concentrated on my surroundings. The concrete of the barn had held up well, but the roof, doors, and inside were burnt to a crisp. Once Isaiah saw the damage, he’d know we were setting him up. I moved a little closer to the barn and settled

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down, camouflaged by the short stalks of sugarcane in the field. Cam and Etienne were high above, out of sight, but I felt their presence. I wondered if Isaiah would also be able to feel them or myself. Maybe we should have put a little more thought into our plan. Oh, well, too late now. “Josephine, there is an orange car coming down the road. I believe it’s your new car,” Etienne warned. The bastard was driving my car. Oh, hell, no. That was enough to banish any and all reservations about my plan. To hell with it. As the car pulled up to the barn, Isaiah stepped out, followed by two very young vampires. “Young ones, you are to stay out of the way on this. I will not be able to guarantee one of my older children will not take vengeance on you if you try and interfere tonight. Stand away from the fight and you will be safe,” I sent them in a strong, authoritative voice. I watched their faces go slack as they realized I was near. Over the years I’d made a reputation for myself of having little patience with stupid people, and I was more than glad these two had heard of me. “Anything, Master,” they said in unison. “You are not my servants or slaves. I’m here to guide you and protect you, not rule you. Unless you fall out of line, then you’ll be referring to me as something much more serious than Master.” “Anything you wish. We are honored to be under your line. We never wanted to be cut from it.” The larger of the two vampires glanced around. He was tall, slender, and carrot-topped. He reminded me of the redheaded twins from the Harry Potter movies. I smiled inwardly at the thought of him being a vicious vampire. The other vampire, a short man with Asian features, moved with grace and power. His eyes roamed around the place. He didn’t seem to be more than five feet, four inches and slightly muscled. Not exactly a frightening picture did these two vampires create. But however innocent one may look it’s always best to remember looks can be deceiving.

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Isaiah marched toward the barn. He surveyed the property over and frowned as he stepped closer to the barn. I didn’t want to ruin the chance of Isaiah sensing me in his head, so I peeked in the redheaded vampire’s mind. I viewed him and instantly saw everything he saw. Isaiah was bent over the remnants of the rental car. He walked into one of the cages and moved some debris around. My heart rate increased knowing this was it. Isaiah came out of the cage and sniffed the air. He turned to my direction and smiled. I knew he’d smelled me. I eased out of the sugarcane field toward him. He shook his head, laughing. “Elizabeth is going to be irate when she hears about this. Maybe I should take you back to her as a present.” He stood thoughtfully for a moment as I moved closer. “Yes, that’s exactly what I’ll do.” He looked over at the Asian vampire. “Khan, watch yourself as you capture the Widow Wade. She’s quite feisty.” His tone lifted with amusement. He obviously thought I was here out of revenge for Braxton. He hadn’t realized I wasn’t the only one that survived. If there was a way he could order his children to hurt me, I’d soon find out. Khan approached me. I stared at him, ready to pounce. He walked to me and crouched as if he were about to attack. Instead he cocked his head to the side, showing throat. Isaiah went rigid, anger radiating from him. “Remember what I said, young one. Stay clear of this fight. If things go awry, you are to serve my husband and my sire in any way they choose.” “What the fuck did you do, you bitch?” Isaiah raged. “Did you think the Ancients wouldn’t notice what you were doing? Or did you just think they’d let you do whatever the hell you wanted? Either way, you were wrong,” I sent him, disgusted. “Like I give a shit what those assholes do,” he spat out. “You should.” I sighed inwardly. “What happened to you over the years? You were a great man once.” He leaned his head back and laughed, breaking the silence of the

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night. “I got tired of being that slave boy who let everyone push him around.” His eyes blazed crimson. “Why’d you go after Cam?” She hovered above us. “Because she chose you over me one too many times.” Cam dropped to the ground and glared at him. “You pushed me to her. Always fucking other people and turning new play toys. I couldn’t live with the man you’d become,” she screamed. Etienne dropped down behind them. Isaiah whirled around, facing him, then turned back to Cam. “You know I celebrated your death last night by fucking Elizabeth so hard she screamed in pleasure and pain. I’m actually glad you’re not dead. Now I can celebrate again tonight.” Hatred filled his voice. To my delight Cam made no show of hurt. She squared her shoulders and moved toward him. “How’d you get mixed up with that whore?” “I’ve known her my whole life.” His cryptic explanation grated on my nerves. “It doesn’t matter. This is over.” Etienne approached stealthily. I glanced at Khan and the red-haired vampire as they retreated to the wood line. “How nice. An intimate reunion,” Isaiah spat out. “Not really. More like a funeral.” Cam’s icy voice caused me to shiver, and I hoped I never made her that angry with me. Isaiah smiled, his fangs sliding down. “One can only hope it’s yours.” He hissed as Etienne jumped on him and knocked him over. Etienne tore into his flesh. Blood splattered over them. Cam’s eyes glowed crimson, and she unsheathed her fangs. She hissed, joining her brother. Isaiah let out a bloodcurdling scream. Etienne could be just as ruthless as Cam, and tonight they worked as a bloodthirsty, vengeance-seeking team. Isaiah’s left arm landed by my paws, and I shook my head. Maybe I should have told them to just be quick with their vengeance. I still needed to pick his brain and get the information for the Ancients, so I

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focused on him. Instantly, pain from his body seared into mine. It knocked me over with a force I’d never felt. He was in agony, and as long as I stayed on this plane in his mind, I’d be, too. I wanted to scream out in pain, to command them to stop, but I couldn’t. Instead I concentrated and pushed past the thoughts of pain. Finally, his mind opened up to me and the pain ceased. I cleared my head and searched for my answers. Isaiah had been going insane for quite some time, and he’d known it. Years ago while Cam and he were living in New York, he’d asked her to kill him because he knew he was going to get worse. She should have, but she refused and left, coming back home instead. That had broken him even more. I pushed past that thought and searched for more truth. I saw myself in Isaiah’s mind. The first thoughts of me were when we were children, laughing and playing. Over the next few strands, we’d grown up, and he’d begun resenting me. In his mind, I was nothing more than a whore who sold herself to get what she wanted. He’d tried to buy the plantation from Etienne before he left for France, but Etienne had refused. I hadn’t known Isaiah wanted the plantation. I would have sold it to him in a heartbeat. Instead, he’d plotted against me. He wanted me to suffer and feel like the worthless slave I had been. I was stunned at the hate he felt toward me. I’d bought the plantation over seventy years ago. That was a long time to hate. I moved on to find the strands of thoughts connected to his operation. First he wanted to take the plantation and use it as a home base. He planned on using the old slave houses as donor homes. Then he was going to build a small packaging building so he could drain the blood and ship it to his clients. Elizabeth was in charge of keeping his clients happy and entertaining the higher ranked ones. A simple, but well-thought-out operation. He hadn’t expected the Ancients to come after him since one of them had already ordered from him. Merde. I sighed as I picked through his clients. There were about a hundred vampires so far who had preordered his product, and

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most of them were young and stupid. A few were masters, but I wasn’t sure who they were. Only one interested me. The Ancient who had requested three pints a week to be shipped to him in Rome. I had a sinking feeling it was Sebastian, one of the most powerful Ancients alive. If he ordered the blood then he wasn’t going to be happy when he found out I knew. Merde. This just kept getting better and better. I had to kill Isaiah no matter how much I’d rather keep him alive and leave him at Sebastian’s mercy. I had the information the Ancients wanted. I hoped I was wrong about Sebastian. Otherwise the Tribunal would want me as a witness for his trial and I’d be up shit creek. He would want me dead. Damn, damn, damn. I should have taken care of Isaiah a long time ago. I knew he’d drag me into his shit somehow. I cussed myself another minute before I moved forward. Etienne stood back, letting Cam throw Isaiah’s bloody and beaten body against a huge oak. Etienne moved to my side, covered in blood and glowing with adrenaline. “I’ll pull her off of him and you can finish it,” he told me absently, still watching Cam, who continued to pound Isaiah. “Let her have a minute more and then we’ll finish this. We need to get over to the house.” He nodded as Cam spun around, holding Isaiah’s dick in her hand. “You won’t be running around behind my back fucking everything in sight now, you jackass,” she said in triumph. “It’s time. She’s gotten enough physical revenge. You get her and I’ll get him,” I sent him. Etienne smiled down at me and we moved toward them. Cam saw us coming and kicked Isaiah one last time before she retreated to Etienne’s side. I glanced over at the young vampires. They watched with stunned expressions. Maybe they thought it was going to be quick and pain free. They were obviously younger than I’d thought. We are vicious when betrayed, and they should take notice. Isaiah was covered in his own blood, missing both arms, dick, and an ear. I looked back at Etienne and Cam and shook my head. They’d

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nearly killed him. A human would have already been dead. Isaiah sighed and squinted at me. “Your turn now, whore?” He gurgled. “You’re done. Good luck in hell,” I told him sincerely. I moved to him and grabbed his throat with my teeth. My powerful jaws snapped his bones as I let Wolfy crush his throat. His clean blood seeped into my mouth, and Batty stirred, wanting to take more. I released the two of them on him. Wolfy growled and bit down hard on his throat, snapping all the bones through, breaking his neck. She pulled and tugged until she’d ripped the flesh off and continued until she’d separated head from body, killing him for good. The blood gushed out, and Batty lapped it up. She didn’t really want any more blood from Isaiah, but she took it, knowing he needed to be used as a lesson. His blood stopped gushing and grew cold. I pushed past my other natures to make them stop. I looked over at the two new vampires and licked my muzzle clean. Isaiah lay lifeless on the ground, and Cam looked off into the distance. I hoped she’d be okay and maybe one day find a man who would love her the way she deserved. Etienne looked over at the young vampires and motioned them toward us. “I believe your sire left her clothing in the woods over there. Find it, and we will move on to our next kill.” They nodded and in seconds had my clothes. They had, of course, seen me in wolf, and I wanted them to know how I moved from wolf to human. I focused, and in seconds my paws shifted effortlessly to hands and my back began to straighten. The bones in my muzzle creaked and cracked, changing from wolf to human, and I looked over at the vampires, who watched in awe. “Son of a bitch,” the redhead muttered while Khan smiled widely. “Wonderful.” I smiled at him and grabbed my clothes to move on to our next kill.

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Chapter Twenty-Four On the flight to the house, a hum of distress came from Braxton’s wolf. I swallowed the panic rising and opened to him. Things were going wrong for them. Tension rolled off him as I tried to reach him. Something blocked me just like when Cam had been taken. Panic rushed through my system, and I sent a burst of energy to shoot me through the night. The house was less than a minute away by flight. As soon as I landed, I ran in search of my mate. I ran blindly around the yard to the house until I tripped over a body. I gazed down to see Grayson. He wasn’t wounded, but the smell of magic lay thick around him. Cam landed beside me and bent over him. Her head shot up and nose crinkled from the stench. “Black magic,” she spat. With nothing I could do for him at the moment, I had to find Braxton. She saw my torn expression and urged me forward. “He’ll be okay. It was just something to knock him out. She probably figured we’d be dead and he’d burn at daylight. I’ll stay with him and try to get him to come around.” I nodded and sniffed for Braxton’s trail. I followed his path inside but stopped at the sound of two women laughing. “Oh, my dear, you were so right. This one is gorgeous.” That came from Rebecca. “Mother, I told you he was far better than Etienne. And much better than Eric, the little fool. He should be dead as well. He failed to bring her down after I so easily set her up. He had all the evidence to condemn her of betraying her Alpha’s demands, and I would have been able to be Braxton’s mate. Well, once the Council finds out

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she’s dead and they don’t have to banish her, I’ll still be able to be his mate. I’m a much better choice for the pack anyway.” Elizabeth’s voice rang with pride at herself. My brain ached like it had been electrified, and my heart hammered loudly in my chest. Rebecca was Elizabeth’s mother? What kind of screwed up shit was this? Etienne stepped to my side, and I looked up. “Rebecca is Elizabeth’s mother. I don’t have a good feeling about this. She said she knew you.” I stared at him, and he shook his head. “I don’t know her.” We eased toward the door a little and listened. “That little whore thought she’d gotten rid of me, but I fooled her.” Elizabeth giggled. “Yes, my dear, but it took you far too long. This should have been settled many years ago,” Rebecca said in a distasteful tone. “Mother, I couldn’t help it. Father died, and I didn’t know what she was,” she pleaded. “Your father did not die. The pathetic coward ran!” Rebecca hissed. “What are they talking about?” I asked Etienne. “I haven’t got a clue.” He shrugged. “Elizabeth, dear, get off the man’s lap. Have some respect for yourself, dear.” “Sorry, Mother, but I can’t help it. I’ve wanted him for so long.” “Dear, he is a good match. This is the man you should have been paired with, and your father knew it.” “Before you have him, we need to make sure Isaiah has taken care of everything and then we can take care of him. Soon, baby, we’ll have everything that is rightfully ours.” She crooned. Elizabeth giggled, and Braxton moaned. “Darlin’, let me up so I can touch you.” My heart stopped at the sound of him calling her. “Mother, please,” Elizabeth pleaded.

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“Fine, have your way with him, but hurry.” She laughed. The sound of cloth ripping, followed by another moan from Braxton, which scalded my ears. I fought down the urge to rush in the room and kill everything inside. “My sweet Josephine, calm down, we have all night,” Braxton whispered. Elizabeth growled before the distinct sound of a hand slapping down on his cheek rang out. That was it. No one hit him except me. I burst through the door with Etienne beside me ready to fight, only to be stopped dead in our tracks. Braxton had been tied to a chair in the middle of the room while Takia was laid across the coffee table. Both were stripped naked. Takia lay spread eagle and tied to the table. Rebecca moved a hand across her body seductively. Rebecca looked up and frowned. “Don’t you know how to stay dead?” she muttered as she stood up. She started mumbling, and I jumped on her. The tingle of magic started to rise, and I knew whatever she’d done to Grayson she’d do worse to me. We hit the wall with a force that shook the house and cracked the Sheetrock all the way to the plaster. I grabbed her head and slammed it against the wall until she went slack against me. I dropped her and looked over at a stunned Elizabeth, who was seated on my mate’s lap. Etienne stepped forward, but I moved past him. “Get that one tied up and gagged. Then get Takia off that damn table and covered up.” I nodded toward Rebecca and stepped closer to Elizabeth. “Get off my mate,” I ground out. She smiled and leaned in closer. She licked the side of Braxton’s neck. “Why should I? He’s enjoying himself. Just look at that hardon. Does he ever get that hard with you?” She ran a hand down his dick, causing him to moan. “I heard him say my name, you dumb shit. Touch him again and you won’t have a goddamn hand.” I shook with the urge to rip her

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apart. She leaned back and laughed. My wolf raged, and Batty went ape shit over her touching him. I tackled them both, knocking Elizabeth from his lap and sending her to the ground. Braxton landed harder than I’d intended. He rolled over, breaking his restraints, and lay there for a moment. He stared at me as I grabbed a hold of Elizabeth, his face drawn into a tight grimace. “Josephine, why are there two of you here?” “Because that dumb bitch has used something on you,” I told him impatiently as I rounded on Elizabeth. “What, you couldn’t get him up unless you were me?” “I did what I had to do. Once I’m pregnant by him, I’ll be his mate. Then I’ll have everything I should have had before.” “You’ll never have him. He’ll always be mine.” I grabbed her and head-butted her hard. Had she been human, the impact would have cracked her skull. “You cunt. I’m tired of you always getting everything that is mine. Your life is mine.” She screamed, pushing me off, and punched me in the jaw. My lip split before the metallic taste of my blood spilled into my mouth. I staggered back. Before I righted myself, she kneed me in the stomach, causing me to suck in my breath and stumble. She came after me again, this time with a fireplace poker. She swung violently, fury and incomprehensible rage evident in her eyes. With a massive strike, she brought the poker down hard across the side of my head. My skull gave, and for a split second I thought my brain might seep out. Etienne stepped between us as I sank to the floor beside Braxton. My eyes fluttered open and closed, and I gasped from the intense, burning pain. No one had ever gotten me like this which left me stunned. I couldn’t move and lay helpless, dazed, and hazy. Braxton rolled over and looked into my eyes. I was faintly aware of his voice as I willed my body to heal. Pain from the bone growing back and clicking into place exploded

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in me. Blood vessels and skin stitched together, stinging. The process was slow and painful compared to other injuries I had. “Darlin’, you okay?” I couldn’t answer him yet. My body was still in shock from the blow. He stared down at me and caressed my face. “Come on, babe, I can see you healing. Talk to me,” he pleaded. I blinked to let him know I was okay. He kissed my forehead as the wound finally closed. I glanced over to see Etienne struggling with Elizabeth. Something was off. There was no way she could be that strong. I sighed and sat up, holding on to Braxton for support as we stood. “That was a hell of a hit. She’s stronger than I thought.” I shook my head, clearing away the last of the haze. “Get some pants on. I’m tired of seeing that bitch looking at you.” I tried to joke, but he didn’t budge. I slapped his hand away and stepped back. “I’m fine. Just help me get the whore tied up,” I said, annoyed. We moved forward. I grabbed her arm as she swung the poker at Etienne to whirl her around, giving Braxton the opportunity to grab her other arm. When he did, we pinned her securely against the wall. “Etienne, get something to tie this bitch up with.” My voice shook. “You thought you were so tough. But I took your ass down, didn’t I?” She smiled with satisfaction. “You’re the one pinned, not me,” I told her sarcastically. “Not for long,” she said softly before the sizzling of magic permeated the air again. “Enough,” I screamed, grabbing the poker from the floor and hitting her with it, knocking her out. I dropped the poker and let go of her. She sank to the ground, unconscious. “Etienne, merde. Just grab something to tie her up with, anything. Duct tape will do.” I leaned against the wall, not feeling well. Braxton came to me and tilted my head toward him, staring into my eyes. “Josephine, what’s wrong? You’ve been hurt before. Why

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are you still weak?” I stared at him for a second, trying to gather the strength to speak. Thankfully, Cam and Grayson rushed into the room before I had to try to explain. Grayson looked panicked as he ran to an unconscious Takia, who lay on the couch wrapped in a blanket. Cam stared at me for a second before she went into a rage of cussing and throwing things. “That stupid whore. She took your damn powers.” I raised my eyebrows, confused. “Cam, I don’t have any damn magical powers.” She nodded her head at me and looked me in my eyes. “Josephine, your wolf’s gone. She took her.” “What do you mean ‘took’ my wolf?” I yelled in a higher pitch than normal. “She’s used a spell against you and taken the magic that surrounds your wolf. If not for you being vampire, you’d be dead.” She stroked my hair while I thought over what she was saying. I finally looked over at Elizabeth, who had started to come to. “Brax, you’d better figure out a way to get word to the Council about her because she’s about to be dead.” He smiled and pointed to a video camera someone had set up on a tripod. “Rebecca set that up with the intention of filming her and Takia. Let me check and see if it got everything.” He moved quickly to the video and plugged it into the TV. Rebecca came into view where she flopped Takia down on the table. On the screen we watched as she stripped her clothing and began touching her. Braxton hit fast forward until he saw himself following Elizabeth into the room. “Come on, Josephine, stop running from me. I want you now.” His voice was urgent. “Baby, you’ll get me in just a few minutes.” She moved to him and stripped him down while he caressed her body, moaning when she pulled away. I looked over at him. He was red from both embarrassment and

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anger. “She made me believe it was you and we were on the island. I had no idea what the hell was going on until you knocked her out. That’s when I realized. My memory came back, and I remembered we were at the plantation.” I raised an eyebrow at him, but didn’t question him. I knew he had believed whatever she’d made him believe. “Is everything on there about her plans to be your mate and using Eric? Enough information I can kill this bitch without having to worry about the Council coming after us for it?” I asked. “Have at it, darlin.” He grinned. Cam stepped in front of me, stopping my advance on Elizabeth. “Something’s off here. There’s more magic than there should be. I want to know how it is that I know Rebecca as a white witch from New Orleans. One that I’ve known since childhood. How can she be this evil and Elizabeth’s mother? Elizabeth isn’t that old, is she?” Her gaze fell on Elizabeth, who was currently bound with duct tape. Rebecca was still out, but her hair had turned from its gorgeous glossy blonde to a mousy brown. I glanced over at Cam, and she came to my side. “Well, damn!” Rebecca, the white witch, turned to Margaret Doucet, my father’s second wife, before our eyes, leaving only one person who her daughter could be. My dear, supposedly dead half sister.

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Chapter Twenty-Five I stared at the woman lying on the floor and shook my head. “Cam, how is that possible? That bitch is dead,” I said, astonished. Cam shrugged and moved to Margaret. Etienne stepped to my side and glanced back and forth between the women. I forgot about Margaret and turned to Elizabeth. “You’re her daughter?” I asked shakily. I knew the truth, but damn, I wanted to hear it or see it firsthand. Her shoulders trembled as she laughed behind the duct tape. She shook her head, her hair waving around behind her. Her appearance changed from the red-haired beauty who had tried to steal my husband to the plain-looking sister who had married my lover. Cam rose and strode to me. “Well, damn.” Her voice was steady, but higher pitched than normal. I marched to Melanie and ripped the tape from her mouth. “You thought I’d died back then, didn’t you?” Satisfaction rang in her voice. “You couldn’t kill me that easy then, and you can’t do it now.” Etienne stepped to my side and stared at her with amazement. “You did everything in your power to keep us apart, and when that didn’t work you cursed us. What more do you want from us? We haven’t been together in seventy-five years.” The air around him crackled with anger. “What, didn’t you get that you wanted? I married you instead of her. I took you to every damn social event you wanted to attend. I bought you everything you asked for. Not to mention the things you

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didn’t. Don’t you dare say you wanted my love because we both know you didn’t. You never cared about that.” His eyes burned crimson. “It was never about you. My father saved her for Braxton because he didn’t think me worthy of his position in the Were world. My mother had put a spell on him to get him to marry her. By the time he realized what he’d done, he sent sister dear away from my mother’s grasp. He knew she’d kill her. In exchange for dear sister’s life, he agreed to give my mother a child. She didn’t think I’d get the cursed gene, too.” “All I ever wanted was to be like him. My mother even came around and agreed that if I married a powerful Were our powers would grow. Instead, I was forced to marry you,” she looked at Etienne, disgust in her expression, “because my father feared she would end up with you instead of Braxton.” She glared over at me. “He was supposed to be mine. I’m the claimed daughter, not you,” she screamed. I pinched the bridge of my nose and held up a hand to stop the questions. “Why wait all this time to have revenge?” “I’d planned on killing you back then, but when I found out about you being a half vampire, I needed time to figure out how to kill you. That’s when I had the two of you cursed. It was just to amuse me while I waited. But then you tried to kill me. Your only sister. That’s when I knew I wanted you to lose everything. The same way I did when Father left you everything and I got nothing.” Rage boiled within me as I thought about all the pain she’d caused not only me, but Braxton, Etienne, and Cam. Batty stirred and called to me to unleash her. She was outraged that this thing had taken so much from us over the years and now, on top of it all, had our wolf. I looked over at Cam, and she shook her head, disgusted. “I want my wolf back! I want that bitch dead,” I sent her. “Me, too. Come on.” She grabbed my hand and we rushed to the kitchen. “Get those old jars down. We need two apiece for you, me,

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Etienne, and Braxton. Make sure they’ve got lids.” She rushed to get an extra pair as well as some scissors. I didn’t argue or ask what was going on because I was still reeling in shock at seeing the sister I believed dead, very much alive. All this time she’d been planning her revenge on me. Not only that, but her mother was in on it. Could that have been the reason my father sent me away? Was he really scared of what Margaret would have done to me? Cam cleared her throat, drawing my attention. I pushed those thoughts out of my head for now. We ran back to the living room and placed the items on the coffee table. “You think you can hurt me with a bottle?” Melanie’s laughter was drenched with bitterness. Cam’s lips curved into a menacing smile. “If my mother was right, I can do more than hurt you with a bottle.” Melanie’s smile faded. Cam motioned for us to gather around. “Josie, Braxton, and Etienne get two jars each, and follow my lead.” I shrugged at the two men’s bewildered expressions, but did as she’d instructed. My faith in Cam might be shaken right now, but her mother hadn’t been the best voodoo priestess around because she was wrong. She’d always known what to do in difficult situations. Cam went to Margaret first and cut a strand of her hair. She turned to us and put the hair into one of the bottles and sealed it tight. “Take some of her hair and do the same as I did.” I glanced back at Braxton and Etienne, but they stared at me with mouths slack and eyes wide and offered no advice, so I again followed Cam’s instructions. After each of us had gotten the hair from Margaret and sealed our bottles, we turned to Melanie. She squirmed on the floor, trying to get away from us, but she couldn’t break through the duct tape Etienne had used. It looked like he’d used an entire roll binding her wrists and ankles. I shook my head, but didn’t comment. I wasn’t going to reprimand him for being cautious.

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“Come on. Let’s get this done.” Cam tapped her foot against the hardwood floor. I followed her to Melanie, but instead of using the scissors I yanked a handful out by the roots. She screamed, but I paid no attention. Braxton and Etienne used the scissors. “Follow me.” Cam raced from the house and into the backyard. She ran a few yards before she stopped at the old cemetery. “Dig.” She dropped to her knees and clawed the earth. I wasn’t all that wild about digging up the ground in the cemetery, but since Cam was so sure, I followed suit. Braxton knelt beside me and nudged me. “I have no idea,” I said softly. He nodded and started his hole. “Dig just enough to bury your bottles. Then cover them up good.” Cam finished her hole and reached for her bottles. “Cam, why are we doing this?” I asked, curious. “Just do it, white girl.” That wasn’t the answer I wanted, but I didn’t argue with her. She knew more about magic then I ever wanted to know. I placed my bottles in the hole, pushed the cold earth over them, and patted the dirt down. I looked over at Cam and saw her triumphant smile. I raised an eyebrow at her in question, but was struck to my knees. I wasn’t in pain, but power rushed through my system. “Holy shit.” I gasped. Wolfy was back and pissed. She growled with the need to kill. She wanted Melanie to suffer for taking her. I went to get up, but the bones in my hands began to snap and turn to paws. Wolfy really wanted out. I was pissed, too, but this wasn’t the time to shift. Vengeance would have to wait a bit longer. There were other things that had to be taken care of before I could unleash my beast. I gathered my strength so I could push Wolfy down. She surged up, but I was stronger. I fought against the urges she pushed at me, and reluctantly she subsided. “I didn’t know which one had taken what so I figured we’d each

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put the bottles in the ground just in case they placed a spell on all of us.” Cam held her head high with pride, moving to my side. I was ready to finish this whole damned thing. We went back inside to find Margaret awake and screaming in anger. I smiled and stooped in front of her. She was red faced, and tears streamed down her face. “Oh, Mother,” I sang. “Don’t cry. I know you’ve missed me, but I’m here now.” “You,” she screamed in outrage, “are not my child.” I laughed at her twisted face. “Thank the Lord for small miracles. Now, tell me, did you kill my father thinking you’d get everything he owned?” I pulled her face to look at me. She opened her mouth and spit. I almost snapped her neck in anger, but that was what she wanted. She wanted to get away with the things she’d done over the years. I pulled my shirt up and wiped her spit from my face. “Very ladylike.” She tried to jump at me, but her restraints were tied too well. “Stop stalling. Tell me what you did with my father.” “Why should I?” Braxton stepped forward and grabbed her face, squeezing her jaw bones so hard the crushing sound of bones breaking tore through the room. She yelped in pain and tried to free herself from his grip, but he didn’t give. “If you don’t, I’ll make sure you live another two hundred years in ungodly pain.” She stared at him. Her body shook as a shudder went through her. I knew the feeling well. Braxton was a hell of an intimidator and meant every word he spoke. “I didn’t do a thing to that coward. He ran off during the war, leaving everything to his precious Josephine.” She screamed. “No one ever heard anything from him after he left the bank in New Orleans where he’d deposited all his treasured belongings and disappeared. I’ve looked for him over the years and found nothing!” I stared at her and laughed. “Do you blame him? I’d run like hell,

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too, if I married a bitch like you.” She fought hard against her restraints. “When we first met, I told him I wouldn’t raise another woman’s child. That was long before I used the mind control spell on him,” she said, getting my attention. “Mind control spell?” “Yes, he still loved his first wife and had no interest in another woman, so I had to use it. Since he cut us from his will, I’ve had to sell my spells like a gypsy.” “On the Internet?” I asked, curious. “Yes, and anywhere else I could manage.” She hissed. “Now can we get on with this attempt to kill me?” She rolled her eyes. Cam bent down and snipped another strand of hair then placed it in a bottle. Margaret’s eyes widened in shock while Cam smiled at her. The website about the spells crossed my mind, but I didn’t care at this point. I knew everything I needed to know. “Is there anything else you want to ask her, Josie?” Cam asked quietly. I shook my head, and Cam moved to the fireplace, where the gas logs were burning hot. With one look back, she placed the bottle into the flames. Margaret wailed behind us and began to smoke. The stench rolling off of her made me want to gag. She flopped around on the floor until she went still and wilted into a disgusting mass of grub worms, maggots, and bone. My stomach flipped, and I hightailed it out of the room to throw up. Freakin’ maggots. Braxton followed behind me and held me to him while I tried to gather myself. “When we’re done with Melanie, I’m never going back into that room.” He smiled and kissed my forehead. “What about your things in there? How will you pack them?” he teased. I shook my head and pulled away from him. “I’ll buy new. You can afford it.” My voice turned stone-cold serious. He laughed and nodded his head. “Anything, my sweet

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Josephine.” There were still questions I had for Melanie and needed answers. I moved back into the house, past the remnants of Margaret to Melanie. She was crying and whining about us killing her mother, but I had no compassion for her. She’d made all of us suffer far worse over the years. “Our father knew you were a Were?” I asked, impatient. I’d never known her to be a Were, but then I’d thought she was dead, “I tried to talk to him about it, but he told me he only had one heir, you.” I sighed and shook my head. “I can’t help the way he felt about you, and I can’t change it. I never cared one way or another if I got a damn thing from him. Regardless of how you and your mother felt about me, y’all had no right to do the things you did.” I looked away, considering my options. I could kill her or let Cam take her powers, including her wolf. Melanie would turn mortal, a threat only to herself. Letting her die a quick death had no appeal for me. “Take her powers, all of them.” All eyes shot to me, but mine never left Melanie’s face. She read what I was thinking and laughed. “I’ll kill you anyway. I don’t need powers to do that.” I shook my head at her and turned to Cam. “Do it.” She glared at me. “No, she needs to die. I won’t let her live after the things she’s done to me.” “Yes, you will. Do it on your own or I’ll make you.” I moved closer to her, letting my sire power drift to her. “Josie, she’s been sleeping with Isaiah for I don’t know how long. They tried to kill me,” she protested, causing me to sigh. “Ask whatever questions you have, but then do what I said,” I told her impatiently . “Fine,” she screamed then turned to Melanie. “Why Isaiah?” she asked, pissed. “Because he was a good fuck way back in the day and I figured

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he’d be even better with age.” Melanie laughed. Cam moved to her and slapped her across her face, causing Melanie’s head to snap to the side. “How long?” Cam ground out. Melanie shook her head before turning back to smile sweetly at Cam. “For the past ten years, but we’d been together numerous times when I moved here after I married Etienne.” The stench of sulfur was thick in the air, and I rolled my eyes at the two of them. “Cam, calm down. Just take everything away from her so she’ll be mortal. Then whatever ‘happens’ to her, she won’t heal,” I sent her. Cam turned to look at me. Her anger started to fade, and she realized I wasn’t letting Melanie live, but forcing her into an agonizing life as a human without her powers. “She won’t last a minute without her powers, and we both know it.” I smiled at Cam’s astonished face. “Josephine, why’d you let me believe you were letting her go without any punishment?” “Because I am.” I smiled sweetly at her. She turned back to Melanie and ran the scissors across her arm, drawing blood. Cam rubbed her hand in it, gathering as much as she could hold. She sat down on the floor and began mumbling under her breath. I moved away from her because I hated the feel of her magic, which was now enhanced with Margaret’s, as she’d taken Cam’s magic for herself. The air grew still, and the smell of burned chocolate seeped into my nostrils. I fought the urge to sneeze when the smell grew stronger and smoke filtered the lights out. I blinked, trying to see what Cam was doing, but the smoke that swirled around her blocked my view. Braxton stepped to my side and put his hand in mine. I smiled weakly at him, but he didn’t return the smile. Instead he stared at me, searching. “What?” I asked. “Why aren’t you killing her?”

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“I am, just slowly.” He stared at me a moment longer before he turned his attention back to Cam and Melanie. The smoke cleared, and Cam hovered a few inches off the floor. Melanie slumped over. Cam turned to us and grinned with satisfaction. “She had a great bit of power. Now I’ve got a great deal of power.” She laughed, and I stared at her in wonder. “What about her wolf?” Braxton asked, concerned. “She’s with me. Actually glad to be away from Melanie. What do I do with that power?” “You’ll have to hold on to it and control it until we figure out a way to dispose of it.” His voice was more unsure than I’d ever heard. “Okay, but this wolf is not dominant at all. How will that affect me?” She looked at me for that answer. “Don’t look at me. My wolf is too dominant. Ask Grayson, his wife was a submissive,” I told her while I moved to Melanie. I grabbed the scissors from the table and stooped down in front of her. “Look up at me.” She shook her head in refusal, but I grabbed her and forced her to look up. “You are going to walk away from here alive and well. I’m not going to come after you or send anyone for you. From this moment on, we are done. If you dare come after me, I’ll rip your heart out and feast on it,” I told her in an icy tone while staring into her eyes, letting her see how serious I was. I let go of her head and sliced the tape off of her ankles and wrist. She slowly began to peel away the leftover tape as I stood up. With one last glance at her, I dropped the scissors and walked away. I knew she wouldn’t let it go. Maybe if my father had been different or her mother hadn’t been evil we could have been true sisters. I got halfway to Braxton before Etienne moved toward her. I didn’t turn around. I didn’t need to. I heard her gasp and smelled her life slip away. When her body hit the ground, I stopped and smiled over at Etienne. “She was going to throw the scissors at you.” Mock defensiveness filled his voice.

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“I bet. Now clean that up and let’s get all this shit buried and out of the house,” I told them all, and we started to straighten up. I stepped outside and searched for one of the two young vampires that had been here earlier. “Khan,” I called, since his name was the only one of the two I knew. The young man showed instantly, bowing his head slightly. “I need you to go back and get Isaiah’s body for me. The Tribunal will want it as proof of his death. Don’t take too long. They’re on the way.” He nodded, taking flight. I glanced over at everyone else. We moved to Melanie’s body, dragging it over to the hole we’d dug in the cemetery. Grayson had the remnants of Margaret and was going to put them in the hole, also. I stayed far away from him. Cam grabbed my hand and smiled warmly. I returned her smile and hugged her to me. “It’ll be okay. When this is all finished tomorrow, we’ll move forward,” I whispered in her ear when she began to shake a little. I didn’t know whether the shaking was from the withdrawals she was bound to have or from the emotions of the night. “Wanna tell me what all that was about with the hair and bottles?” She laughed and glanced over at Melanie’s body. “The hair from a witch when buried in a sealed bottle will break the spell she has against you. Then if you put a bottle with her hair in a fire, it will burn her inside out, killing her.” She shrugged. “Mom told me a story once about a young girl and a black witch. It involved the witch trying to kill the girl. I don’t remember a lot about the story, but I did remember the girl had taken the witch’s hair and burned it in a bottle over a flame.” I stopped walking and stared at her in amazement. “You did all that based on a story?” I asked, dumbfounded. She laughed. “It was a hell of a story.” I let her go. “Should they do anything else? She isn’t going to rise up as a zombie or anything, is she?” I asked Cam, half teasing. “No. I’ve taken her power, and there’s no reason anyone would cause her to rise. If you want some extra protection, though, we can

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take some salt and sprinkle over the grave. That’ll help dilute any magic that could be used to make her rise,” she said teasingly, but before she even finished, I was running back inside to get as much salt as I could find. No way in hell was that bitch getting back up.

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Chapter Twenty-Six Running back to the grave, overwhelming power surged through me. The Ancients had arrived. Dante had two others with him this time. I watched nervously as they headed in my direction. The Ancient to Dante’s right was the same I’d seen in Isaiah’s mind. Panic rushed through me, and I searched for Grayson. He must have felt my nervousness because he was by my side in a second. “Dear one, what’s wrong? They’re just here for his body.” He squeezed my hand. “The one on the right was a customer of Isaiah’s. I’m not exactly thrilled to see him since I know he knows I know,” I jumbled along. Grayson stared at me for a half a millisecond before turning back to the approaching vampires. “Dante, we seem to have a problem.” His voice never swayed from its normal smooth-as-silk tone. Dante raised an eyebrow in question. “I sense he’s dead, so I see no problem unless she didn’t get the information or she didn’t kill him herself.” He motioned for me to step forward. I glanced to his right. Sebastian hadn’t moved an inch, but he glared at me. “The problem we have is that I got all the information and it seems Sebastian was a customer who preordered a great deal of blood,” I said, glaring at him. Maybe it wasn’t the smartest thing to do, but I wasn’t about to be intimidated by him. Yes, he was older, more powerful, and could hurt me severely, nevertheless, if I showed fear now, every vampire that found out would be after me for my line. “Has he?” Dante asked, turning to Sebastian. “What do you have to say?” “I’ll leave it to the Tribunal.” Sebastian still glared at me with his

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cold stare. In a blink, he was gone. Dante shook his head in disgust, and motioned me to him. “Come here, Josephine. Let me see what you saw.” Dante picked up my hand, his power seeped over my skin like a low electrical hum. My eyes stared into his, and he blinked rapidly. I sensed his presence rummaging in my head. Thoughts flipped my mind. He stopped and smiled down at me. “You have nothing to fear of me. Although, I’m proud to have your respect.” He began flipping through again. I wanted to block some of my thoughts and memories, but knew I couldn’t. He’d think I had something to hide so I let loose all my blocks. He laughed and looked over at Braxton then Etienne. “You two have no idea how truly wicked this one is. If she ever bores of you,” he nodded at Braxton, “I’ll be after her instantly. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a woman as intriguing as her.” He looked back down at me with crimson eyes. He reeked of lust. My body screamed to blush at the thoughts or memories he’d seen, but I refused. He’d wanted to know everything, and well, there it was. “You did well, Josephine. I’ll collect the body and report to the Tribunal. They’ll no doubt want Sebastian’s head. Be prepared for a visit to the Abbey,” he said, resigned. “They’ll want you at his trial.” He turned to the other vampire and grimaced. We all hated the Abbey. It was cold, dark, and damp. Only a few vampires actually liked the place, but after Bram Stoker’s accounts of vampires, the Ancients decided to hide in plain sight. Hence, the abbey described by Stoker. The Ancient with Dante stuck her hand out and spoke in a language I guessed to be Romanian. I smiled at her, wondering to myself if we could get any more stereotypical. She was tall, slender, and absolutely gorgeous. Her hair a crow black, and eyes almost as dark as Cam’s made her stunning. When she turned to me, her smile was pure predator with perfect white teeth outlined by blood-red, full

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lips. I shook my head. Next they’d reveal capes and coffins. “If you’d like to see my coffin, you’re more than welcome to accompany me to my lair. Once there, Aydan can wear her cape for you,” Dante whispered in my ear. I tried not to laugh. “Stay out of my head.” He raised my hand to his lips, just when I expected him to kiss it, he flipped my palm over and moved his lips to the veins in my wrist. His tongue darted out and licked sensually over that spot while my blood raced. Braxton inched toward us, sensing his mate being hit on. I cleared my throat, drawing Dante back to reality. “Yes, now’s not the time. One day, my dear, we will share many, many things,” Dante whispered in my head. I looked away, trying to deny any heat his mouth had stirred. Thankfully, Khan appeared with Isaiah’s body before I had to look back at Dante. “This will please the Tribunal. You showed no mercy on him and even let your children play.” He smiled. “Aydan, let us leave before sunlight. We have a journey ahead of us. Let’s see if we can’t make it to Torbay,” he said, excited. Aydan rolled her eyes at him, but nodded. “Newfoundland?” I cocked my head to the side. “Of course.” “Why not just disappear the way you normally do instead of flying?” I asked sarcastically. “A question you’ll have to find out on your own sometime, my dear.” He grinned wickedly. “I’ll stick with flying or driving the new car my mate bought me,” I told him tartly. He shrugged his shoulders and turned to Braxton. “She will have protection from Sebastian, but I’m sure he’ll try something anyway. He always has been more brawn than brains.” Aydan waved a queen’s wave at me and took off. She was

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followed shortly by Dante, who stared at me with veiled eyes. “Come on. We’re done here, and I want to make sure you’re okay.” Braxton leaned down and kissed me gently. The stairs were too far, and I wanted him now, so I grabbed him under his armpits and flew to the second story balcony. “I could have jumped.” His tone held a hint of annoyance. I didn’t waste an answer. Instead I pulled his face to mine and sucked greedily on his full, warm bottom lip. “I’m tired of waiting for a private moment. I don’t care if the entire world hears us. I want you inside me now.” He kissed me hard, thrusting his tongue into my mouth while ripping my pants off easily. I leaned back and grabbed his pants, returning the favor. He hadn’t put on underwear earlier, and I was glad. The thought reminded me that Melanie had been all over him, caressing him. I wanted her touch off of him in the worst way. My wolf became very territorial. I pushed him against the bed. My hands slid over his muscled chest, up over his shoulders and down again. I craved my scent on him. He was beyond hard, and I turned to give his cock the attention it deserved. Her scent was strong on him still, which called my beasts to plant ours on him. I leaned down and sucked his cock deep into my mouth, causing him to jump almost completely off the bed. “Jesus, darlin’, you trying to make me come right now?” he asked through gritted teeth. I answered by swallowing to take him deeper then moving back up his hard dick to its head. I licked the silky head and pumped him with my hands until his body began to stiffen. Instead of letting him come, I straddled him and opened my pussy to slide down onto his cock. He’d barely had a chance to adjust before I started riding him hard and fast. I needed this, all of it. I shifted, easing my thighs apart, and sank down further onto him. He moaned in pleasure from how deep I’d taken his cock inside my pussy. He grabbed my hips and rocked me back and forth with a need that matched my own. I pushed

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and rocked while he thrust upward, filling me to the hilt. The waves of pleasure started, and my body began to milk him, trying desperately to take all of him in me. He thrust again, his searing hot release exploding into me. I leaned down, kissed his gasping mouth gently as I let my body take every ounce he had to offer. “Darlin’, you weren’t jealous, were you?” I stared into his eyes. “No one is ever to touch you the way she did. Those touches are for me and only me,” I told him sternly. A stricken expression grew on his face. “I’m sorry, babe. I couldn’t stop her.” “Don’t be. You didn’t do anything wrong. Hell, I can’t blame her for wanting you. I want you all the time.” I kissed him, showing him how much I wanted him again. Braxton rolled me over and began kissing every inch of me. He started with my lips and worked his warm lips down to my toes. He avoided my nipples and swollen mound. He gently placed kisses on the back of my knees, my elbows, and other deliciously erotic places. Occasionally, I jumped from the tickling sensation, but he’d just place a large, strong hand on me, holding me in place. When I couldn’t take any more of his teasing, he took one hard nipple into his mouth and teased it. He bit down gently, inflicting just the right amount of pleasure and pain. I squirmed under him, seeking his dick. I was dripping wet and more than ready. He slid a hand down to my swollen area, parting my slick folds, and caressed me roughly. His touch was laced with need, causing me to grind, and I pushed myself forcefully against his unrelenting caress. “Brax,” I moaned, silently begging him to thrust into me. To take me hard and rough. Before the thought finished, he stretched and filled me. I rocked against him while my body contracted at his first thrust. “Darlin’, I love the way you came like that, but it’s not over, not even close,” he whispered as he pushed harder and more fiercely. The ache in my core began to grow again. He smiled and picked

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up his pace. “Again,” he commanded. Who was I to argue? I gave myself to him, drawing him in farther. “More,” he growled with a thrust. When my legs were spread as far apart as they could go, he reached down and pinched my swollen clit, causing me to jerk when a mind-blowing orgasm took me. I laid there for several minutes, relaxed, sated. When I looked up, blurry eyed, he kissed my forehead. “It’s sunrise. Everyone is asleep now. You wanna follow?” he asked, fighting off a yawn. “Yeah. I’m worn out.” “Good, maybe that’ll keep you from flirting.” He pinned me with his gorgeous green eyes. “I wasn’t flirting. I was playing politics,” I said defensively. “Tell my wolf that,” he muttered. “You tell him. Also remind him who just screwed his brains out,” I told him, annoyed. “Oh, my sweet Josephine, I believe I see some brain matter seeping from your own ears.” I rolled my eyes and curled up in the bedspread. His arms snaked around me, tugging me tightly against him, making my world settle and feel safe.

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Chapter Twenty-Seven As soon as my eyes closed, it seemed like they were open again. I blinked in surprise at the alarm clock. It was already 7:00 p.m. I’d slept for thirteen hours. Braxton stood across the bedroom at my dresser, gathering items and placing them into a box. I remembered then that I only had another day to finish packing. I sat up and grabbed one of his shirts from the floor beside the bed. “You know, maybe you should have read this.” He turned and held up the letter from my father. “Maybe, let’s read it now.” I sighed, exhausted already. He sat down beside me on the bed and handed the envelope to me. “You read it first.” He kissed my palm before closing my hand around the envelope. My hands shook when I opened it and pulled the letter out. This one letter could explain everything about my father. Why he’d sent me away, why he’d ignored me, and why he’d left me everything. April 3, 1862 My lovely Josephine, There are so many things I wish to tell you in person. However, that is not going to happen any time soon. I’m sure you are aware that I’m your father and that I sent you away as an infant. The rejection you must feel is only comparable to the loss I feel. I will start from the time I met your mother and try to explain my actions. I was visiting a friend downriver when I saw this unbelievably beautiful young lady. Her hair shined in the sun just as bright as her smile

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when she turned to me. There wasn’t a long courtship or engagement. Instead we chose to marry within two weeks of meeting. The moment I laid eyes on her, I fell deeply and madly in love with her. Every time I see you smile, I think of my lovely Francesca. She was amazingly kind, gentle, and sophisticated. I wish that after our marriage I could have stayed home with her more and treated her the way she deserved. That wasn’t to be. The pack needed me, and I ignored your mother, pushing her into the arms of another man, a man whom I should have killed for grievances against my dear sister. God rest her soul. I should have killed him for turning her. But, I understand why your mother turned to Grayson. After I found out about the affair, I handled it badly, and in my rage I pushed your mother farther away from me, causing her to take a walk in the cold night air. After hours and no sign of her, I went searching and found her dead by the swamp. You, my dear, were born that night while she lay dying. I’ve always blamed myself for her death because if not for me she would have given birth to you in our home with medical care. I’m so sorry. After her death I grew solemn and wanted only your company. No one except the wet nurse was allowed to touch you. You became my world. I took you with me everywhere, including to pack meetings. I couldn’t bear to leave you behind. Months passed by, and right before your first birthday I met a young woman in need of help. Her carriage had broken an axle, so I offered her a ride to our home while her carriage was being repaired. I can’t say what happened afterward because I have no recollection of the events. The next memories I have after the carriage ride are of myself and the woman married. Soon, however, I realized she was a witch and had bespelled me into wedlock. When I threatened to expose her, she grabbed you and muttered something which caused you to shriek in pain. I tried to kill her, but I found I couldn’t. She could still harm you. That, my daughter, is when I knew I had to send you away. In exchange for your safety, I promised Margaret a child. Dominique Bordeaux agreed to keep you in his home as his own

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daughter, so I sent you to him. Many times over the years I have tried to get you back or even treated better at Dominique’s, but I failed. He betrayed our friendship by treating you in the manner he did. Margaret made sure he treated you that way. Again, I’m so sorry. Years went by, and I fathered another daughter. I never wanted her and will never accept her as my child. I followed your growth in hiding. Between seeing you at a distance or through one of my wolves, I was there to see you grow from babe to child. Occasionally I changed and watched you from the woods. Word of the war reached me, and I was forced to leave home and help with the war efforts. When I arrived back after years away, you were a grown woman and strikingly beautiful just like your mother had been. It was then that I saw the way Etienne Bordeaux stared at you. If you hadn’t been my daughter, I would have conceded you two were a good match, but he is not the one for you. No, you will be with a strong, dominant, powerful Were, one like the young man I met a few months ago. I hope you will seek him out regardless of your feelings for me. He will be the greatest leader in our world, and you will make a perfect mate for him. The young man’s name is Braxton Wade of Atlanta, and he is the only son of Alexander Wade, a powerful and rich Were who owns a large cotton operation. You, my dear, are of powerful Were blood and will need a mate from blood just as strong. He is the most powerful Were we will ever see, and you, my dear, are his match. I wish Etienne Bordeaux had never laid eyes on you. The wedding was a bad moment for you, I know. I can’t regret the marriage, however much I regret your suffering. I felt your pain at Melanie marrying Etienne, but please know it was what was for best. She needed a match of his stature, and you needed to be shown where his true feelings lie. The marriage also allowed me to do whatever I wish with my estate and have no remorse over Melanie’s situation. She will be well provided for as a Bordeaux. Today I spoke with my lawyer and left everything except one hundred acres to you. The hundred

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acres are to go to Melanie and her mother for nothing more than to insult Margaret. I need to leave for my safety and yours. If I stay any longer I will no doubt cause Margaret to harm you. I hope that soon I will find someone stronger than she and be able to finally be rid of her. I ask just one thing of you. Please know that I have loved you from the moment your mother told me she was pregnant, and I will love you past the day I die. Lovingly, Your Father, Jean Pierre Doucet I turned to Braxton and handed him the letter as I wiped away a tear that had escaped. Was it possible to believe he’d been forced to send me away? A week ago I would have laughed and said no, that he’d chosen Margaret over me. Now I wasn’t so sure. Margaret had the power to kill me if needed, and my father had loved me, so maybe he had done the best by me. Neither him nor my mother had family, so there hadn’t been anyone to ship me off to. Dominique’s plantation must have seemed like a convenient location to send me. Then there was the question of where Jean Pierre gone. No one in the pack had heard from him since his disappearance. We’d all assumed he’d died in battle somewhere. Could it be possible that he was still alive? And was Grayson’s mate my aunt? That couldn’t be. Surely he would have told me. Braxton squeezed my hand, gathering my attention. “You all right?” he asked softly. I shook my head and flopped back down on the bed. “I don’t know. I mean, how can I be?” I asked, confused. Braxton leaned over me and smiled brightly. “Well I think he was right about at least one thing. You are my perfect mate.” He leaned down and brushed his lips across mine, causing me to melt. “Yeah, I guess I am. So what now?” I asked, sitting up. “Now, we finish packing and go home. Then I’ll send some people out searching for any indications of whether he’s still alive or

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not. I would think that once word gets out about Margaret and Melanie, he’ll find you if he’s still alive.” I looked up at him. “Do you think?” I asked, half excited, half angry. Would he seek me out now after all this time and try to form a relationship with me? Could I accept him in that role now? I didn’t have any answers, but I did have Braxton. “Is the soundproofing done?” Braxton smiled brightly and nodded his head. “Colt is very proud it was finished so quickly. Tomorrow night we can give it a test.” He winked before he eased off the bed. “Darlin’, we need more boxes. How about I go into town and get the boxes and dinner.” I nodded my head and moved to the edge of the bed. “After last night I need an entire supermarket of food.” “Hmm, I can’t get you a supermarket tonight, but how about some oysters and gumbo?” He kissed my lips gently. “Anything you want,” I said breathlessly. With a nod, he stepped out of the room. A nice, steaming hot shower sounded great to me, so I wasted no time in getting one after Braxton left. Deep in thought, I ignored the shower door being opened. I thought maybe Braxton had decided to come back instead of going to town, but when the aroma of sugarcane filled the air, I turned, and Etienne grabbed me. He snatched me flush against him and brought his lips down to mine. His warm lips were soft and inviting as he slid them across mine. His tongue eased across my bottom lip before he sucked my lip into his mouth and nibbled gently on it. His body was hard and stiff against mine. The scent of cinnamon surrounded us, and it drew me closer to him. He thrust his tongue into my mouth and sucked mine into his seductively. I’d wanted him so badly at one time. That part of me wanted to pull him into the shower with me. The other, saner part of me thought of Braxton and how hurt he’d be if he saw this. I put my hands on Etienne’s chest, fully intending to push him away, but the

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long-forgotten feel of him under my fingers made me stop and revel in his well-defined, slender body. He slipped a hand down, cupping my butt, pulling me against his jean-covered hard-on, not caring about the water spraying him. I gasped at the intimate contact. He was hard, and my body screamed for him to be inside me. I closed my eyes, taking in the scene, and this time when my hands went to his chest, I did push. I moved to the back of the shower, staring at him, stunned and panting. Without a word, smile, or even a frown, he turned and left. The shower brought me out of my dazed state when the water turned cold. I quickly soaped and washed and repeated just in case Etienne’s scent lingered. Braxton would definitely kill him over that scene, not to mention he wouldn’t be happy with me either. I’d tell him eventually, just not right now. I was so gonna have to have a talk to Wolfy about this. I grabbed my clothes and dressed in a hurry. I walked to Cam’s room, still confused over the bathroom episode. Cam sat on her bed reading some legal papers. I eased to her side and sat down to read the papers, too. From what I could see, they looked like legal documents of some type. “What’s this?” “Estate papers. Etienne just gave me half of everything he owns, making me a very rich vampire. Plus, I got half ownership of this place.” She shook her head and laughed. “I thought he was just running off at the mouth about giving me half of everything, but he wasn’t. He really did it.” We stared at each other wildly for a second before she frowned. “He left.” Her voice cracked a little. “Said he had to take care of some things, but if I needed him to call him.” She looked pointedly at me. I shrunk under her knowing stare. “He came into the shower and kissed me. God help me, I kissed him back with almost as much force as he did.” I shook my head. “I tried to stop, but damn if I didn’t. I don’t know what came over me. When I realized how hurt Braxton

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would be, I pushed Etienne away. We just stared at each other for a second before he turned and walked away,” I said, disgusted with myself I’d let him touch me. “You love him.” I started to protest, but she put her hand over my mouth, silencing me. “Yes, you love Braxton, but deep down you still love Etienne. Always will, even if you never want to be involved with him again. Just like I’ll always love some part of Isaiah.” She teared up, and I hugged her close. “I kinda wish the curse was still there. Now Braxton’s gonna throw a fit when he finds out.” I sighed, and she nodded her head. “What a mess things ended up being,” she said, resigned. “Yeah, but I never expected Melanie to be alive. I guess that explains why the curse didn’t break after we all assumed she’d died. You didn’t screw up.” I patted her hand, reassuring her she hadn’t failed. “I guess, but I should have figured out a way to stop her a long time ago.” She turned to face me with a distraught expression. “The morning that she showed up here as Elizabeth, her scent was all over Braxton, and the way she talked to him reminded me so much of Melanie. I tried to find a connection. You know, like maybe a greatgreat-granddaughter or something. I didn’t get anything, but the feeling never went away.” “It’s over, don’t worry about it. I think my father’s still alive. He left me a letter explaining why he sent me away.” I smiled over at her. “I guess our parents will never cease to surprise us.” I laughed harshly, but she stared intently at me. “Wait, why don’t you just use your new power and see where he is, if he’s still alive?” She grinned. I looked away, thinking it over, asking myself if I really wanted to know. I wasn’t ready yet. Maybe someday soon, but right now wasn’t the time. If Braxton wanted to investigate it, fine, I wouldn’t stop him. I just wasn’t ready to do it myself. “Come on, white girl. Let’s go downstairs and get some food.”

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She jumped up and moved to the door. She stopped and turned back to me. “I haven’t eaten in over a hundred and fifty years!” she exclaimed, stunned. “Your wolf must want food. This’ll be interesting. Let’s see how much you can hold before your vampire rejects it!” I teased. Braxton, Takia, and Grayson were all in the kitchen packing when we walked in. I sighed, knowing I had to tell him about the curse. I looked over at Cam. She nodded knowingly and went to the fridge. “Brax, we need to talk,” I told him, unsure. He turned to me and cocked his head sideways. “About you and Etienne in the shower?” he asked coldly. I stood, stunned, staring at him. “Close your mouth, darlin’. I saw him heading your way and knew what he was going to do. I didn’t stop him because I wanted to know if the curse was still there and how you’d react.” He raised an eyebrow at me. “Guess it’s gone. In any case, you eventually sent him away. I felt the reason why you did. That knowledge is the only reason you’re not bent over my knee now.” He growled. “On second thought, tonight you will be.” “It took me longer than it should have to stop him, and I don’t have an explanation for that. I’m sorry.” I stared at him, waiting for his wrath, but he shook his head. “It doesn’t matter, you stopped it. But if we don’t get out of here soon, I will kill him. And you are cutting him from your line,” he said coolly. I nodded and stayed by his side to help pack. Cam ate greedily at the table while Takia stood watching her. “We decided to stay here while the house in Atlanta is being built. I’ve found a few properties for my line to live in, but I still want to be with Takia at your line’s new home. The contractor guaranteed the completion of the house within sixty days. That should give Takia time to get the young ones straightened out.” Grayson, too, stared, amazed, at Cam as she stuffed a donut in her mouth. “Her wolf is getting stronger. When you get to Atlanta, you’ll

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need to keep an eye on her to make sure she can control it,” he said to Braxton. “I have just the man for the job.” He grinned suspiciously. I raised an eyebrow, but he winked at me and went back to packing. “One day soon you will explain to me why you never told me your mate was my aunt.” Grayson’s head snapped in my direction. He nodded. As the night went on I started to realize it was my last night at Bordeaux Plantation. A tug at my heart startled me. This hadn’t been the place I’d felt at home at. Braxton’s home was that place, that and the small cabin I grew up in. I got up from the bed and moved to the balcony overlooking the old cabins, swamp, and a small patch of sugarcane. The mill I would miss the most, but it would run fine without me. I was only an overseer, not the one who made the day-today decisions, so anything that needed my approval could be handled from Atlanta. Still, I was going to miss the place. Braxton loved the drive to the mansion because it meant he had to drive by his company’s cotton fields. I was going to miss seeing the sugarcane fields. I needed a hobby like Braxton had. He was like me in the business world. He oversaw the corporation’s production, but mainly stayed in the garage tinkering. I wondered, as I stared out at the fields, what I could do. Cam walked up beside me and tugged on my hand. “Maybe you can start drawing. I’ve seen your work, and it’s great. Braxton said your dad had the talent, too. One day you two could sketch together.” Her tone was soft. I pushed her teasingly and she grabbed me. “Come on, let’s spend some time in our cabin. You think now that I’ve got Were powers I can see the sun again?” I had no idea, so I shrugged my shoulders. I looked back to see Braxton smiling at us, and he waved us ahead. A few seconds later, we were in our old cabin, playing like we were teenagers again.

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Epilogue The move to Atlanta wasn’t as horrific as I’d thought it would be. We got there just when the moving trucks arrived with our stuff, along with Cam’s. She was trembling with fear when she stepped outside that first time, but the sun didn’t fry her the way it would have just hours before. Her new wolf seemed to be fond of her and accepted her as a sister. So far Braxton hadn’t been able to track down anyone who had ever heard of something like what had happened to Cam, but she was taking it well. The extra strength had helped her with her withdrawal, easing what could have been very debilitating. and painful. She wasn’t herself, but that could be attributed to any number of things. Colt stepped out of the mansion, looking gorgeous as always. His hair was longer now, reaching his chin and thick as ever. The color was an odd mix of brown and blond that gave him a slight surfer boy look, but everything else about him screamed big, tough, rugged man. His shoulders were broad, muscled, and tanned. He was in shorts and no shirt, giving a good view of his smooth, hard chest. Cam sighed, and I smiled over at her. He was gorgeous. Not as gorgeous as Braxton, but he was close. “Hmmm, Josephine you look stunning as always,” he crooned before kissing my cheek. “Back at you, sexy.” I ran a hand down his bare arm. Braxton growled, and we both laughed. “Come on, let’s go inside and start unpacking,” I told them all. Colt stopped and stared at Cam. “Camilla, something is different about you. You’re as beautiful as always, but you’re also in the sun. How?”

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She smiled and took his hand, urging him forward. “It seems that our dear Camilla is now one of us,” Braxton told him, smiling. “Indeed?” Colt asked, intrigued. “Well, this has my wolf excited. I wonder if I could get yours excited.” He winked at Cam, and she blushed. I shook my head at the two of them as Braxton opened the door to our home. The movers worked efficiently while I reacquainted myself with the house. I’d thought after five years Braxton would have changed something, but he hadn’t. Hell, my toothbrush was still in its holder. I smiled at the thought of him holding on to things that I’d once used or things I’d cared for, just as I’d done. My small garden was still neatly rowed and weeded, just as it had been when I’d been here before. I moved into the recently soundproofed master bedroom and looked things over. The color was the same, but he’d had my bedspread already laid out on our bed. I went to it and remembered how he’d stolen the mattress after I’d thrown it out. I eased down onto it and sighed with content. This was definitely home. “My sweet Josephine, are you ready to test the soundproofing?” Braxton asked in a husky voice from the doorway. I leaned back and winked at him as I pulled my shirt over my head. “I was thinking about it. How ‘bout you? If you’re busy, I’m sure I can entertain myself.” I ran a hand across my breast, teasing him. “Darlin’, you know that nothing is more important than you.” He sauntered over, every bit a predator. His eyes gleamed in anticipation as he made his way forward. I was more than happy to be his prey at the moment, and I surrendered everything to him as he welcomed me home properly. Several hours passed until I was able to walk again. Braxton, however, had a pack to run, and he needed to check on them. We didn’t know how they were going to react to all the changes, but with

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any luck, everyone would accept my new position in the vampire world and the added power it gave the pack. At least that was going to be my argument to the Council next week. I stepped to the closet and saw that while I’d been sleeping, someone had slipped in and hung all of my clothes and unpacked most of my things. With so little to do, I decided to go downstairs and see if Braxton needed help with anything. His office was masculine with gleaming hardwood floors, mahogany bookshelves, a large stone fireplace, and my father’s antique desk. He smiled as I made my way to my spot on the other side of his desk. I sat down on the edge and studied the papers piled up in a huge stack. “You behind in paperwork, chér.” I winked at him, and he pulled me across the desk to sit in front of him. I put my feet on the arms of his chair and leaned down to kiss him gently. He sighed when I moved away from him. “I’ve missed you, darlin’, not just the sex, but seeing you walk into my office, head high with confidence, and then planting your ass on the edge of my desk with such arrogance,” he said softly. “Really? I always did the desk thing to irritate you. I knew you hated it when I messed up your papers.” I stood up and walked to the fireplace, looking at the picture from our wedding by the lake. It had been one of the happiest days I’d ever had. “Now I have to find something else,” I pouted. He laughed and walked to my side, picking up the picture. “Come on, let’s go to the lake and sit under the stars for a little while.” He held my hand and urged me out the back door. When we stepped outside, dread swept over me. Sugarcane and spice filled the air. I turned, looking around for the person who held the scent. I couldn’t find him, but I could tell Braxton sensed him, too. His eyes glowed neon yellow, and he inhaled deeply before he turned toward the mansion down the road. It had once belonged to his mother’s parents, but after the war they’d been forced to sell it. Now

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it was owned by a high-powered attorney who rarely came out. He lived in town, so he only visited on the weekends. Tonight, however, it was occupied by a former member of my line. Just as we approached, Etienne stepped out onto the porch and smiled broadly at me. I grabbed Braxton’s arm, holding him against me so he couldn’t get to the vampire. I prayed Etienne wouldn’t speak any nonsense tonight. His life would be in jeopardy. Unfortunately, Etienne had never listened to anyone, and that included the big man himself. “Chére, you didn’t think I’d let you get too far away from me now that the curse is gone, did you?” He shook his head and winked at me. “I hope your dog’s ready for some competition.” He turned and walked back inside, leaving me to struggle with holding Braxton back. He let loose a feral growl that made my skin tremble and my wolf want to hide. His body stiffened while he pulled away from me. I let go when I saw his hair growing long and coarse on his body. Great, just great. I’d finally gotten back home with Braxton and what happens? My ex shows up, threatening my mate, again. This time they could have each other. My missing father needed to be found, and while the thought of confronting him after all these years scared me, it also warmed my heart. But at least Cam could now go out in the sunlight and the Council was considering dropping the challenge against Braxton and myself. I just had to hope Braxton didn’t hurt himself trying to kill Etienne. We still had to go see the Council in a week about Eric. And then I was expected at the Abbey for the Tribunal meeting. Who knew when things would go back to normal around her but at least I was home. At least I was with my mate. Life, one paw and bite at a time.

THE END HTTP://SAYDEGRACE.COM

ABOUT THE AUTHOR A native of South Alabama, Sayde Grace was raised among the cotton fields and dirt roads of the South. She has a deep love and appreciation for the rural communities and uses her experiences of small town life in her books. A lifelong storyteller, Sayde began writing full time two years ago and has written several full-length manuscripts which range from romantic suspense to erotica. Sayde is currently enjoying and loving life in beautiful South Alabama with her husband and two young children.

Also by Sayde Grace Moonlight Cravings: Untamable

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