Page 27

Lach

It was colder than it had been a few hours ago—colder than normal for New Orleans even in November—as I made my way through the Quartier in the early hours before dawn. Ghosts walked the streets tonight, unseen but felt in the unnatural chill. Even though the click of my boots on the cobbles was my only companion on the deserted street, I felt the spirits watching me.

I wondered how many of them I knew.

Or how many of them were on the other side because of me.

And tonight, Cate had faced the world of the dead alone, because—as usual—I was playing ringmaster to a shit circus someone else had started. I didn’t even want to consider what could have gone wrong with the séance.

Brothers were proof that the gods had a sense of humor—a twisted fucking sense of humor. Shaw seemed hell-bent on causing trouble, running around with a vampire as if he were invincible and dragging Channing with him. Not that he couldn’t make messes of his own, but maybe I was more forgiving because one of them had brought Cate into my life. And now they were picking fights they couldn’t win with witches, for fuck’s sake.

If Dante—a damn vampire—was the most levelheaded of the trio, I couldn’t help but worry. Part of me was tempted to ship Shaw back to the academy, where I wouldn’t have to deal with it every time he did something senseless. Because if he didn’t start using his brain, he was going to wind up like one of the ghosts haunting the city tonight.

Rounding the street corner that led to La Belle Dame, I stopped short as Cate closed the door to the teashop. The séance was over; I’d missed the entire thing. But she was still in New Orleans. Still safe behind the ward.

Something in my chest lurched at the sight of her. It took me a moment to realize it was my heart, the organ having gone unused or ignored for so long that it caught me off guard every time it made its presence known now. Something it had taken to doing since the day she showed up at the Avalon.

Slinging her purse over her shoulder with a frown, she shoved her hands in her pockets, her downcast eyes on the street as she started home—completely oblivious to the world around her. She didn’t even see me . Fear coiled in my gut, urging me to spring in her direction and protect her. I tamped down on the instinct, knowing she would kick my ass if I suggested she couldn’t handle herself, but it took more effort than I’d ever admit, even to her.

I leaned against a streetlamp on the corner. Despite the orb of enchanted firelight flickering in its wrought iron lantern, I remained half hidden by shadows. Most of them poured out of me, conjured by the frustration I couldn’t quite stem. She was only a few steps away when her head whipped up in surprise, a fleeting smile curving her lips. It was gone in an instant.

“Anyone tell you it’s bad manners to lurk in the shadows?” She hoisted her bag a little higher as she closed the distance between us.

“That might be a problem, since I am the shadows.” My hand twined with hers, and some of the weight I felt lifted. “The car isn’t too far.”

Her eyes drifted to the star-flecked sky overhead. “I don’t mind walking awhile.”

We both needed a break from the constant chaos and drama that seemed to plague our every waking moment. “I assume that awhile means you don’t mind taking the long way.”

“Not at all.” But her smile seemed haunted.

I waited for her to tell me about the séance, but she remained silent as we worked our way farther riverside, where the scent of the water hung in the air. We’d reached the Moon Walk, a winding promenade that traced the dark ribbon of the Mississippi, before she finally began to tell me what had happened. The story came out in fits and spurts.

“There was more.” She shook her head after a long pause. “Gran said something else. I think she asked me a question.”

I frowned, releasing her hand so I could wrap my arm around her shoulders. Tugging her closer, I kissed the top of her head. “It’s late. You’re tired. I bet you’ll remember in the morning.”

“I guess.” But she sounded uncertain. She tilted her face, meeting my eye. “Someone else was there.”

Her words stopped me. I willed my voice to remain even. “Who?”

Cate tugged her bottom lip between her teeth like she was reconsidering mentioning anything.

“Cate?”

“Goemon,” she whispered, and my already wary mood darkened.

But that didn’t make any sense. “He can’t be dead. Members of the Hunt don’t die.”

“He wasn’t,” she said, continuing quickly at my confusion. “He projected himself or something.” I listened as she told me about his cryptic warning. “Does it mean anything to you?”

“Other than I’m a dead man walking?” I regretted the joke the instant she cringed.

“The Cabal,” she said. “Do you know who they are?”

I searched my brain but came up empty-handed. “No,” I admitted with a shake of my head. “But I have a very long list of enemies, princess. It wouldn’t be a Friday if someone didn’t want me dead.”

She pulled free from me. “And how bad must these enemies be if someone who’s magically bound to kill you is warning you about them?”

“You might have a point.” I held out my hand. She stared at it for a minute before she took it with a huff. Better than nothing.

“Do you believe him?” Cate asked as we continued along the path. “That the Cabal is real and they’re after you?”

I blew out a long breath. “Yeah, I do,” I said a bit begrudgingly. Goemon had saved my life twice. Now he was delivering warnings. “For whatever reason, Goemon seems to want me to live. I don’t think he’d lie about this.”

“Then why can’t he help more? Maybe convince the rest of the Wild Hunt to ignore the memento mori?”

The pain in her voice sliced through me. “It doesn’t work that way,” I said gently. “For either of us. He’s as duty bound to the Hunt as I am to my court.”

Cate buried her face in my shoulder. “He joined it, right? So, if he really wanted to, he could leave. You’re giving up your throne.”

“You don’t understand. He can ’ t leave. Whatever magic binds them to the Hunt is like the memento mori, which as far as we know…” I swallowed past the sudden tightness in my throat. “There’s no way to remove it once it’s been given.”

She stopped walking and turned to face me, reaching up to cradle my face between her warm palms. “I don’t accept that. Fiona and Romy are working on it,” she said. “We’ll find a way. Somehow, someway, we’ll free you from this. I promise.”

I had no idea what I’d done to deserve her, how magic had deemed me worthy of her ferocious loyalty. I stared into her eyes, the bond between us exerting a sudden gravity that pulled my mouth to hers. She melted into the kiss, her fingers sliding up to grip my hair as if she would keep me here through her strength alone if necessary.

And when we finally broke apart, my shadows were wrapped around us protectively, shielding her as she would shield me.

“Marry me.” It slipped out of my mouth without thought. Words I hadn’t even considered but which somehow felt right.

But Cate was looking past me. I followed her gaze to find the streetlights along the walking path blinking ominously. Then they went out entirely.

Her eyes went wide with alarm. “Lach, look…”

We watched as the stars winked out one by one like candles being snuffed by an unseen hand. The night pitched deeper into darkness until even the moon vanished and the sky became an endless black void.

“What’s happening?” Cate whispered, her nails digging into my arms.

“It’s a nocturnal eclipse,” I said grimly. An omen.

As I spoke, I noticed a single point of light remaining—too bright and too low on the horizon to be a star. Cate saw it, too, and frowned. “What is that?”

Dread settled like a stone in my gut. It couldn’t be…

“Nothing good,” I said out loud. Taking her hand, I began walking briskly, pulled in the direction of the strange beacon.

“If that’s the case, shouldn’t we be going in the opposite direction?” Cate muttered.

I slowed but didn’t stop. “We can turn around…”

She grumbled something under her breath, speeding up her pace to match mine as we continued toward that singular light.

Unease crept under my skin as it became larger and brighter, a sure sign that we were getting closer.

“It’s an orb,” Cate whispered, her clammy hand tightening around mine as she saw what I’d hoped I was imagining. “Like in the graveyard.”

We slowed slightly as we approached the wrought iron gates of Jackson Square. Both of us were already dreading what lay ahead, even before the tang of iron filled the air.

A body was strung up from the bars, its arms hanging limply at its sides, the head lolling like a puppet with its strings cut. The corpse’s chest gaped open, revealing a hole where a heart should be. Blood dripped down the bars, pooling into a puddle on the ground.

Cate’s cry of shock echoed through the square. Her hand flew to cover her mouth, strangling the sound in her throat. “Oh my God…”

My feet dragged with each step I took closer to the victim, somehow already knowing that this murder was different. Cate stayed by my side, her clammy hand clenched in mine. I prodded at my shadows, trying to summon whatever light I could, but my magic didn’t respond.

“Here.” Cate fished her phone out of her pocket and swiped on the flashlight. She lifted it and gasped as it revealed a familiar face—one we’d seen only hours ago, now ashen with death. I took a stumbling step as she whispered his name. “étienne?”

I was still staring as people began pouring toward the square, drawn to the shining beacon like moths to the flame—some creatures and some humans heading home after their revelries or looking for their next party. My blood ran cold as a group of vampires stopped. One pointed. There was no way to stop the truth from leaking now. It would spread like wildfire through the supernatural community, and once it did, all hell would break loose.

But it would be even worse if the humans found out about it.

I acted on instinct, magic unfurling from my fingers like spider silk as I wove a glamour, making étienne’s defiled corpse appear as nothing more than a particularly graphic Halloween decoration to their eyes. But I could do nothing to conceal it from the preternaturally keen senses of the creatures now flooding the street. That was a whole different problem.

“Lach! Cate!” I closed my eyes at the sound of my brother’s voice, guessing who would be with him when I turned around and what state his friends would be in.

“What the hell are you doing here?” I snapped. “I thought I made myself clear—”

Shaw cut me off, crossing his arms. “Seems like you’re the one neck-deep in trouble. As usual.”

He’d discarded his mask, and judging from the glassy appearance of his eyes, they had found plenty to do since we parted ways a couple of hours ago.

“Be useful for once and get him out of here.” I jerked my chin in Channing’s direction.

“I’m fine exactly where I am.” Channing looked worriedly at Cate. “Are you all right?”

She managed a stiff nod, her face pale but composed. “Nothing I haven’t seen before.”

Except it was. The other murders had been strangers. So had the patients she had encountered at the hospital. This was different. She’d met the vampire leader.

Behind her, Dante had gone stock-still, his gaze fixed on étienne’s body. Without a word, he turned and vanished into the darkness. A leaden certainty settled over me: It was going to be a long night.

Humans clustered around us, excited whispers and murmurs rising from the gathering crowd as people pointed and stared at the decoration . Several raised their phones to snap pictures. Cate shifted beside me, her disgust palpable. “We have to do something.”

I gripped Shaw’s arm. “Find Roark. Now.”

To his credit, he obeyed without argument for once, slipping away into the mass of bodies.

A few of my people, still in costumes that told me they’d either been celebrating or undercover, milled nearby. I lifted a hand, summoning them with a single gesture. The soldiers approached, the wary energy pouring from them messing with their glamours. “Get these people out of here.” I scanned the closest one. His ears sloped upward before rounding out again. “And if you can’t keep your glamour, lose it.”

“Sir?” he said with surprise.

“Halloween.” We could get away with it tonight.

He nodded once. “Clear the humans?”

“Everyone,” I commanded.

The guard next to him shifted nervously. “That might be difficult.”

Dozens of creatures had flocked to the scene. My gaze landed on the witch Channing had picked a fight with at La Porte. “Do what you can. Focus on the humans first.”

If this turned into a bloodbath, they would die first—and stay dead.

They nodded, moving to obey, and began gently but firmly directing people away from the grisly scene.

Cate remained quiet, staring at the body, her expression hollow. We both knew it was already far too late. Too many eyes, vampires and otherwise, had recognized étienne’s desecrated corpse. The fallout from this night would be swift and brutal. The covens had clashed before, but this could spell disaster.

“What now?” Cate finally whispered, her gaze still glued ahead.

“Try to prevent war.”

“But we did that last week,” she said, her flat voice devoid of any real amusement. “Don’t you ever get tired of it?”

Yes . I refused to say it out loud, refused to surrender to the feeling.

Channing moved closer, his phone held aloft. “There’s something carved into the back of his neck.”

“Get away from him,” I snarled before he repeated it loudly enough for someone else to hear. I didn’t need to look at the back of étienne’s neck to know it was a memento mori.

“Don’t you want to—”

“Time for you to go home.” I snapped my fingers, sending Channing back to Shaw’s quarters at the Avalon. Cate raised her brows. “I need to clear out the humans, remember?”

But she didn’t argue with me. There was no way she wanted her brother anywhere near this. She was probably already considering how to reject my spontaneous proposal. Who could blame her for not wanting to live this life?

It was too much. The witch’s death, the innocent human, and now étienne…

Shadows moved at the edge of my vision, and I spun to see Ciara and Roark materialize out of the darkness, Shaw on their heels. Ciara took one look at étienne’s mutilated body, spun around, and vomited in the street.

“Seriously?” Shaw jumped back as she narrowly missed his shoes. He hitched his thumb at her. “And you think she’s the one who should take over?”

Surprise punched me in the gut. “Who else can do it? You? When will you find the time to smoke opium with your vampire friends?”

Cate moved between us, her arms stretched wide, index fingers pointed in warning. “Not the time.”

Ciara wiped her mouth on the back of her arm, her other clutching her stomach. Roark placed a steadying hand on her back. It was a testament to how fucked up this situation was that she didn’t object. I couldn’t shield her from the ugly truth stalking our city any longer. She deserved to know the danger we all faced if I remained within the boundaries of the bona fides spell.

I turned to Shaw, keeping my voice low. “Take Cate to the Otherworld.”

Her head whipped toward me, eyes flashing with indignation. “I’m not going to the Otherworld without you.”

“You would be safe there. No one could touch you.”

“I’m safe here!”

I didn’t have the energy to fight her on this, even though I needed her there . Where she would be safest. “Just take her to the Avalon, then. I already sent Channing.”

But Cate shook her head. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Desperation sharpened my tone. “For once in your life, Cate, will you please just listen to me!”

She flinched as if I’d struck her, hurt and anger flickering in her eyes. Turning, she strode away.

Shaw shook his head. “You won’t stop until we all hate you, will you?”

“I’m doing what has to be done.” I didn’t expect him to understand. I didn’t expect any of them to understand. My time was nearly up. Ugly goodbyes would make it less painful for them.

“Keep telling yourself that.”

I tipped my head in the direction of my mate. “Get her out of here.”

He stalked after her, muttering more curses.

“Was that necessary?” Roark asked quietly once Shaw had faded into the distance.

“Let him hate me.” I scrubbed a hand over my face, already regretting my harshness. But I couldn’t take the risk. Not with her. Not with any of them.

“What is this, Lachlan?” Ciara interjected before Roark could lecture me. Her normally lilting voice trembled with barely suppressed fear as she gestured at étienne’s body. “Who would do something so vile?”

Roark stepped forward, not bothering to look at me. “Ciara, there’s something you need to know. This isn’t the first—”

“Isn’t the first what?” An icy voice cut through the night like a whip crack.

I turned as Baptiste emerged from the shadows. Her eyes flickered to the gates and froze there. Her mouth fell open, horror and grief and shock warring for residence on her face.

For a moment, no one moved. The weight of her anguish hit me like a blow to the chest. étienne had been like a father to her. I’d never asked, but he might have been the one who turned her. We had a history of our own, which meant that we hated and respected each other. I stepped toward her. “Baptiste, we should—”

Her gaze cut to mine, eyes burning with unshed tears and a rage that sent a chill down my spine. “Did you do this?” she demanded, her voice rising to a near shout. “Did you murder him, Nether Prince?”

I winced at the accusation, the venom in her voice unmistakable. Grabbing her arm, I pulled her away from the few stragglers who had yet to be cleared. “Baptiste, listen to me—”

She wrenched her arm free. “I will not listen to more lies. I can smell the deceit on you.” Her voice dropped to a hiss, fangs glinting in the moonlight. “Tell me the truth. Now.”

Failure pressed down on me. “It’s not just étienne,” I admitted, the words tasting like ash in my mouth. “A witch is dead. And a human. I didn’t—”

“And you didn’t think to warn us?” A new emotion cleared the others from her face: betrayal. “There’s a killer in New Orleans, and you kept it hidden?” She paced toward the body, her eyes narrowing as she spotted the memento mori carved into his neck. “And how do you explain this? His blood is on your hands, Lachlan.”

The truth of her words was undeniable.

She retreated, shaking her head. “If you can’t find this killer, then I will.” Her eyes met mine: a promise and a threat. “And if I discover you had anything to do with this, not even your crown will save you.”

With that, she turned on her heel, disappearing into the night before I could utter another word. I stared after her as the magnitude of my newest problem sank in. Now I had a vampire with a vendetta.

As if I didn’t have enough to deal with.

Roark’s heavy hand landed on my shoulder, his voice low and troubled. “What are you going to do, Lach?”

I set my jaw, the answer crystal clear in my mind. There was only one path forward. Only one way to end this nightmare before more blood was spilled.

“It’s time to face the executioner,” I said grimly, stepping free from Roark’s touch.

He didn’t try to stop me as I nipped away. I let the world blur around me, no longer caring if the Hunt snatched me.

In fact, I was counting on it.

Cool night air caressed my skin as I stared at the invisible boundary that separated my life from my death. The weight of what I had to do pressed down on me, but there was no turning back. The Maestri Bridge before me stretched to eternity—unlike my life—and I stared back at the endless night. Taking a deep breath, I stepped over the unseen line and onto the bridge itself.

For a moment, I waited, my fists clenched at my sides, but no one came. With a sinking feeling in my gut, I turned and crossed back over the threshold of New Orleans.

“I take it you got my message,” a voice called behind me.

I turned as Goemon climbed off the bike on the other side of the boundary, his dark eyes glinting in the moonlight.

A spark of anger flared to fury at his words. “Which one?” I asked through gritted teeth.

Goemon blinked, a flicker of confusion crossing his features. “I’m not sure what you mean, Lachlan.”

I strode forward, closing the distance between us until we were face to face, separated only by the thin veil of magic currently protecting the city’s edge. “The bodies,” I growled, my voice low and dangerous. “The ones with a memento mori carved into their necks. Tell me which coven is working with you.”

Goemon’s eyes widened for only a moment before narrowing in offense. “We don’t operate that way. The Wild Hunt has nothing to do with those deaths.” He paused, studying me intently. “You have enemies within New Orleans as well—or didn’t Cate give you my message?”

I let out a humorless laugh, the sound harsh and bitter in the stillness of the night. “So what else is new?” I threw my hands up. “She told me what you said. If you want to help me, help me. I don’t need more puzzles to solve. Who is this Cabal?”

“I don’t know.” His shrewd gaze assessed me. “And I couldn’t tell you if I did. But they’re the ones who feed your rage. Not me.”

“Great.” I raked a hand through my hair. “ Thanks for the help.”

“Magic binds me to a greater cause.”

“I wouldn’t call hunting creatures down like rabid beasts a greater cause.”

“You were happy to let us do it when it served your purposes.” He touched the coin suspended from a leather strap around his neck. “But that is not our cause.”

We stood in silence for a moment before I finally asked the simplest question of all. “Why are you here, then?”

“You crossed the line.” He shrugged.

And he had taken a damn long time getting here. Too long. “I guess you need to be quicker.” I eyed him. “Because by my count this is the third time you’ve had a chance to kill me and haven’t done it.”

“Are you so ready to die? So ready to leave your lovely woman?” he asked.

“Leave Cate out of this,” I ordered. “Just tell me why you haven’t killed me.”

“Your death serves less purpose than your life.”

It was like talking to a gods-damned sphinx.

My fingers twitched, instinct telling me to nip away before it was too late. I’d almost turned myself over to him for execution, but if the Hunt wasn’t behind the murders, the solution wasn’t as simple as my death. The Cabal might stop carving the mark into people’s necks, but New Orleans wouldn’t be safe until they were eliminated. My people wouldn’t be safe.

And neither would my family.

I lifted my eyes to his, my resolve hardening like steel. “I won’t let my people suffer for my sins, Goemon. I need enough time to put an end to this madness, one way or another.”

He nodded slowly, a glimmer of respect shining through his stoic facade. “You already have what you need, and I think you know that.”

I had a sinking feeling I understood this riddle for once.

Goemon drew a deep breath. “I kept the others away tonight, but I can’t hold them off forever. Don’t cross the line.”

“Which one?”

“I’d recommend any of them.” He shook his head. “But I know you. Don’t make it too easy on us. Consider this your final warning.”

Before I could respond, he turned and melted back into the shadows, leaving me alone with my thoughts and the crushing weight of my responsibilities.

I stood there for a long moment, staring out into the darkness as the distant sounds of the city drifted on the breeze. Baptiste’s words echoed in my mind, a chilling reminder of the stakes at play. If I couldn’t find this killer, if I couldn’t protect my people, if I couldn’t protect her…there would be no peace in death.

With a heavy sigh, I turned away from the bridge, pausing to drink in the lights of New Orleans, which glittered especially brightly in the eclipsed sky. We had built too much here to let it fall.

I would save my city, my people, my mate. No matter the cost.