Page 6 of Holy Shift (New Orleans Nocturnes #8)
CHAPTER SIX
“Witches.” Pete stood outside the gate of the dark blue, nineteenth-century Victorian and crossed his arms. Pots overflowing with ferns hung from the coven house’s eaves, and magenta bougainvillea blooms filled the flowerbeds in front of the structure, creating a welcoming vibe.
Still, he hesitated to enter.
“I promise you, if there is anyone in New Orleans who can help you remember, it’s Crimson.” Sophie, the blonde wolf shifter he’d found walking dogs in the French Quarter, stood by his side and rested a hand on his shoulder.
She had a calming, magical energy about her, and it almost felt as if she could talk to his rabbit directly, even while he was in human form. It was why he’d chosen to trust her, despite all logic. Her animal could have his for breakfast in a heartbeat, but she was the first and only shifter in the city his rabbit hadn’t forced him to flee from.
He’d scoured The Crescent City, searching for anyone like him, rabbit, hare, hell…he’d have settled for a nutria shifter…but all he’d found were predators.
The gator shifter behind the bar at Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop looked like he’d wanted to eat him, and the pair of bobcat sisters he’d found playing music in Jackson Square had enough menace roiling in their auras to make him do an about-face and duck into a praline shop.
When Sophie had approached him with a pack of chihuahuas, his mind had told him to bolt. The vicious little hellhounds normally would have turned into a yip-yapping frenzy at the first whiff of rabbit, but she’d kept them under control as she’d approached, and her demeanor had him spilling his guts—the parts he could recall—within the first two minutes of their conversation.
She patted his back and strode up the walk, stopping and turning when he didn’t follow. “What’s the matter, hon?”
“You’re sure you can’t point me to the local rabbit herd? Witches can mess with my mind as easily as vampires and angels.”
Sophie laughed and strode toward him, linking her arm through his. “If the vampires and angel you described are who I think they are, you can bet your fuzzy bunny balls they didn’t do this to you. Now, come on. The high priestess is a friend of mine.”
She tugged him up the walk, and he did his best not to drag his feet. Sophie rang the doorbell, keeping a tight hold on his arm. They waited and waited. When no one answered, she used the knocker, tapping the metal loop against the wood.
“They might all be at their day jobs.” She tried the knob, but it was locked. “Crimson should be here at least. She’s probably upstairs or something. I’ll call her.”
Pete eyed the deadbolt. I wonder… He pressed his palm to the lock, and the mechanism clunked as it disengaged. Sophie’s brow pinched as she watched him reach for the knob. It turned freely, and he pushed open the door.
“You look just as perplexed as I feel,” she said, cutting her gaze between him and the open door.
“I don’t know how I do it.” He shrugged.
“Hmm…” Sophie furrowed her brow at him before peeking her head inside. “Hey, Crim? You there?”
“Coming,” a melodic voice drifted toward them, followed by two sets of footsteps.
“Pete. Oh, thank goodness.” Destiny sashayed toward him, wearing a light pink dress with white flowers, and before he could react to her presence, she flung her arms around him, pulling him into a tight hug.
A cooling calmness flushed through his system, making him feel like all was right in the world, yet nothing about it felt ethereal. In fact, he didn’t feel an ounce of magic radiating from her body as she embraced him, which was odd as all get out. When he’d met her in the bakery, he could feel her angelic power from across the room.
His nose brushed her soft, copper hair, and he inhaled against his will, breathing in the scents of lavender and vanilla. An ache formed in his chest, the sensation of longing making his stomach clench. But longing for what? He didn’t know this woman, yet she felt so familiar to him.
“I thought I’d lost you.” She pulled away and clutched his shoulders. “Come inside. We have work to do.”
“It’s okay,” Sophie said. “Nothing to be afraid of.”
Not when it came to Destiny, it seemed. As she backed through the doorway, he searched her aura for the silver and gold angelic glow he’d witnessed in the bakery, but it was gone. She appeared completely mundane.
No, that wasn’t the right word. Nothing about her was mundane or ordinary in any way, but he couldn’t detect even a hint of magic about her. She beckoned him inside, and his body reacted, taking a step toward the door before he realized he was moving.
He couldn’t say why, but the feeling that he’d follow this woman anywhere burrowed deep into his chest, taking root in his heart. He lifted his leg to take another step when Sophie rested her hand on his back. She didn’t try to push him forward physically, but the warm, fuzzy, controlling magic seeping from her palm was unmistakable. Was that why he’d trusted her? Because she was coercing him, and he’d been too distraught to notice it? Oh, hell no.
He sidestepped and pivoted, shrugging off her enchanted touch. “I need you to stop it with the magic. I may not know my ears from the fluff on my toes, but I do know I don’t like to be controlled.”
She raised her hands. “Fuck me with a broomstick. I was only trying to help. You said yourself your rabbit makes you bolt whenever you feel uneasy.”
He rested his hands on his hips. “I didn’t say it’s when I feel uneasy. It’s a defense mechanism. I’m a…”
“Lover, not a fighter?” Crimson arched a brow.
No, he was going to say something else, but the moment the word flitted into his mind, it dissolved like cotton candy in the rain. “This was a mistake. I shouldn’t have come here.”
“Of course you should.” Sophie dropped her arms by her sides. “You’ve got the most powerful witch in New Orleans and an earthbound angel in your corner. They’ll help you get your memories back.”
Her magic radiated toward him, trying to reach his rabbit and bind it in her metaphorical shackles. He threw up his hands in defense and backed away. “I asked you to stop.”
Sophie frowned. “I’m not doing anything.”
“Yes, you are.” He might not have sensed it before, but he damn sure did now. The calmness his rabbit felt being near Destiny was honest and real. This thing Sophie had been doing to him since they met was anything but.
He took two more steps backward, the first landing firmly on the wooden porch. The second, however, met air. His ass smacked the railing half a second before his right leg exited solid ground. The impact pitched his upper body forward as the lower half went down. His left knee buckled, and he tumbled, catching himself with his hands on the porch before rolling off and landing in a bed of daffodils.
“Pete!” Destiny rushed down the steps and dropped to her knees beside him. “Oh, goodness. Are you hurt?”
“Ow.” He sat up and examined his arm. His sweater had hung up on a nail, the sleeve ripping open from elbow to wrist, but that wasn’t the worst of it. His forearm also had a go with the nail, and a massive gash stretched the length of it, blood gushing from the wound.
“Bandages,” Destiny shouted to the women on the porch. “We need bandages. And maybe a hospital.”
“No.” He ripped what was left of his sleeve off and rose to his feet, brushing the dirt from his pants with his uninjured arm. “It’ll heal. Shifters heal fast.”
“Not that fast.” Sophie eyed the wound.
Pete started to wave away her comment, but she was right. The gash stitched itself together in seconds, leaving no scar or redness in its wake. He blinked, turning his arm over and back, the drying blood on his skin the only indication he’d been injured at all.
Logic said he should agree with Sophie, that no shifter could heal that quickly. Something else told him it was completely normal for him. That he’d healed himself in seconds his entire life.
If only he could mend the embarrassment heating his cheeks. Rabbits were supposed to be quick and sure-footed, yet he’d tumbled off the porch like a clumsy panda climbing a swing. And right in front of this copper-haired image of sheer perfection.
Too bad he couldn’t tap his foot, open up a rabbit hole, and hop inside. Instead, he shoved his ripped sleeve into his pocket and trudged toward the walk. “I’m going to find the local herd.”
“Herd?” Destiny followed him. “Why are you looking for cows?”
He couldn’t stop the laugh resonating in his chest as he turned toward her. “Rabbit herd. I need to find shifters like me so I can figure out what happened.”
Why the hell was he laughing and grinning from ear to ear? And what was it about this woman that could turn him from being ready to bolt to being perfectly happy rooted to the spot? He wanted to knock himself upside the head and get his mind straight, but as she furrowed her brow, all he could think about was wrapping his arms around her and never letting go. What is wrong with me?
“But we know what happened to you,” she said. “And I thought a group of rabbits was called a fluffle.”
“I like ‘flop’ myself,” Crimson said.
Pete clenched his teeth. “Fluffle is a word that has only been around for a few years, thanks to social media. Herd is the modern English term we use. Flop isn’t a thing.”
The witch shrugged. “It should be.”
“Fluffle is so cute, though.” Destiny smiled, making his chest tighten. She could call it a fluffle, a flop, or a fucking fuzz for all he cared.
He shook his head, chasing away the thought. Destiny was there when he first realized he couldn’t remember anything. That meant she was there when it happened. She and the vampires had to be responsible. He didn’t need to get all warm and fuzzy for the woman who probably fried his brain.
But it seemed he couldn’t help himself.
“Fluffle is cute.” Sophie leaned on the railing. “It’s not very manly though.”
He wanted to argue that toxic masculinity wasn’t the same as being a man, but what was the point? Once he got his life back, he’d never see these women again. “Thanks for your help.”
“But you haven’t let us help you,” Destiny said.
“You’ve done enough.” His stomach clenched as he uttered the last word, his body and soul insisting he shouldn’t walk away from her, but he had to focus on what was left of his mind.
He turned to stride up the walk, but the atmosphere shimmered in front of him. A glowing red line formed in the air, splitting down the center and opening a portal to…was that a restaurant kitchen on the other side?
Before he could get a better look, a man stepped through the hole in reality, and it slammed shut behind him. No, not a man.
A demon. Fluff me. The last thing he needed was to add a hellion to this motley mix.
“I’m out.” He strode past the gate and made it three steps onto the sidewalk before Destiny clutched his hand, stopping him in his tracks.
“Please, Pete,” she said. “That’s just Mike.”
Angels, vampires, shifters, witches, and now this? Was the entire population of New Orleans made up of supes? “He’s a demon .”
“Who’s in recovery. I promise he’s harmless. Just don’t make any deals with him.” She glanced at their entwined hands and let him go.
He immediately missed the physical contact, which was about the stupidest way for him to feel. He shouldn’t trust her, shouldn’t give a damn about her, but the way she pleaded with her eyes melted his heart into a puddle right there in his chest.
Crimson walked down the steps and wrapped her arms around the demon, kissing him on the cheek. “You hear that, honey? She says you’re harmless.”
Mike chuckled. “I try to be. Speaking of harmless demons, is the angel food cake order ready? The Hellions Anonymous meeting is starting soon.”
“Shoot. No, it’s not, but I’ll get it ready. I just…” She flashed Pete that heart-melting, pleading look again. “Will you come back to the bakery with me? I know you don’t trust me yet, but there is so much at stake right now, and you’re at the center of it. I can’t lose you again.”
“Lose me…” The appropriate response would’ve been to say she never had him to begin with, but the words didn’t feel right on his tongue. She did have him. Had had him all along.
“Please.” She took a step toward him. “My cakes help the demons in recovery stay that way. They temper their magic to help them keep control of their urges. It’s my purpose in this realm.”
His stomach growled in response, and he pressed a hand to his abdomen as if he could silence its protest. When was the last time he’d eaten?
“You must be starving. I can fix you something to eat while I’m working.” She started to reach for him, but she clutched her hands over her heart instead.
“Didn’t the last thing you fed him cause all the trouble to begin with?” Sophie asked.
“Not helpful,” Destiny said through clenched teeth.
Did he eat something at the bakery? His memory of last night was fuzzy at best, but he vaguely remembered a strawberry sauce. Or was it that Destiny’s dress reminded him of strawberries?
“How about I whip up some dinner while you’re getting the order ready,” Mike said. “Pete, you can get cleaned up at Destiny’s and y’all can come over to eat when you’re done.”
“I…” He was starving. There was no denying that, but could he really be stupid enough to trust these people?
Mike swiped a hand through the air, opening another portal. This time, a white house with blue shutters and a sign that read Sweet Destiny’s stood on the other side. “I can get you home in a jiffy.”
“No, thank you.” Destiny raised her hands and shook her head adamantly. “Using demon transportation is entirely against the rules. I’ll make my own hole.”
“Suit yourself.” Mike shrugged and closed his portal. “I suppose that’s one good thing about Satan. He doesn’t care for rules.”
Destiny visibly shuddered at the mention of the devil, but she composed herself, straightening her spine and turning toward Pete. “Will you come home with me? If I don’t get Mike’s order ready, we’ll have demons running amuck all over the city.”
He took a deep breath and sighed heavily, his stomach growling once again on cue. It appeared he was, indeed, stupid enough to trust them. “I suppose I could eat.”
“Thank you.” Her smile rendered him incapable of doing anything but accepting her outstretched hand.
She waved her free arm through the air like Mike had done, but the fabric of reality didn’t tear. Her brow furrowed, and she tried again, and a third time. “What in heaven’s name?”
“Remember the email?” Crimson asked. “No more magic.”
Destiny let out a heavy exhale, dropping his hand and pulling out her phone. “I’ll call a ride share.” She typed on the screen. “Shoot. It’s fifteen minutes away.”
“Two steps and you can be home.” Mike opened another portal, revealing Destiny’s bakery literally two steps away. “The HA meeting starts in half an hour.”
Pete eyed the opening. Surely it wasn’t against the rules for her to use a simple mode of transportation. If it was, the rule was ridiculous…worthy of being broken. “I vote the fast way. We can’t have demons running amuck, can we?” He grinned and winked at Destiny.
She sucked in a quick breath and pressed a hand to her chest as if his simple gesture had a magic of its own. “I can’t. It’s against the rules.”
“Will it hurt you to go through?” If so, he’d never have suggested it. Otherwise…fluff the rules.
“Well, no, but…”
“It’s just a shortcut.” Sophie descended the steps. “A quick way from one place in this realm to another. I can get started on the order for you if you really need to wait for your ride.”
Destiny’s phone buzzed, and she frowned at the screen. “The driver canceled. It’s searching for another one.”
“You know how it is here, Des,” Crimson said. “It could be an hour.”
“I don’t know.” Destiny worried her lower lip between her teeth. “Maybe, since it would be for the greater good, I could… I just don’t know.”
Pete looked at the bakery through the demon’s portal. The edges of the tear were bright red when he’d first opened it, but now they were fading, the opening growing smaller. Mike’s eyes tightened, the exertion of keeping it open through Destiny’s indecisiveness taking an obvious toll.
Honestly, he couldn’t see what the problem was. She needed to get home, and her friend had given her a way. It wasn’t like she’d have to make a pit stop in Hell before she made it there. Or would she? There was one way to find out.
He stepped through.
“Pete, no! I can’t lose you again.” Destiny rushed in behind him.