Page 10 of Voyage of Magic and Malice (The Vampires of Charleston #3)

TEN

things aren’t always what they seem

Arranging the private jet is much easier than I expected. One call to Amelia and the plane is set to pick us up in thirty minutes.

“Remind me again what’s in New Orleans,” Phyllis says, standing in the middle of the living area of Nyssa’s home. She shakes her head. “I know it’s the fourth immortal child, but what’s so special about this kid.”

“His name is Brayden, and he holds more power than anyone I’ve come in contact with in my three hundred years.”

“He’s going to help us get the others?” Cam asks, carrying a bundle of books.

“Aye. Before you ask, there is no plan.”

Nyssa claps her hands loudly. “This is going to be fun.”

“Are we ready?” I ask our small crew. We file through the door in single file and load into Phyllis’s SUV.

“How’d my car get here?” she asks, climbing behind the wheel.

“The same way you did,” I answer.

“Got it—unconscious.” Phyllis backs out of the driveway, turning us toward the local airport.

“The plane will be waiting on the tarmac,” I announce as we pull into the parking lot. We unload, carrying a few small bags, and enter the local airport. Just as Amelia promised, the jet is sitting at the end of the runway with its door standing open and stairs leading to the concrete below. “That’s us,” I point at the private jet.

“I don’t have friends with jets. Who are these people?” Phyllis asks.

“That belongs to my sister-in-law,” Cam interrupts. “Her maker gave it to her.” He scoffs as the witches stare at him expectantly. “It’s a long story, but she’s got more money than she knows what to do with.”

“I like her already,” Phyllis answers.

“Welcome aboard.” A tall woman with bright blue hair greets us. She’s wearing a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt that matches the hue of her hair. “Hey, y’all. Find a seat, and buckle up. We’ll be on our way shortly.”

The four of us follow directions, sitting in the extravagant cabin. I sink into the leather of the seat, remembering Thorne was with me the last time I was on this plane. I fight the sadness that fills me at the thought of not being with him.

“Hey, again. I’m Terri, and I’ll be your flight attendant today.” The blue-haired woman waves as she speaks.

“You’re a lycanthrope?” I ask, sensing her energy.

“I am. And you’re a vampire.” She looks around the plane, pointing at Cam and Phyllis. “Lycanthrope and witch.” She turns her attention toward Nyssa. “What the hell are you? I feel lycan energy, but there’s something else.”

“I’m a witch and lycan hybrid,” Nyssa answers.

“Well, damn. Didn’t know there was such a thing.”

“How have we never met?” Cam asks our chatty attendant.

“Oh, I’m new to the area. I’m from Mississippi and decided to move to the Big Easy for a change of scenery.” Terri sniffs the air in front of her. “You smell like Christopher.”

“He’s my brother,” Cam answers.

“Ah. I’ve got a lot to learn.” She motions to the seatbelt sign. “Buckle up and hold on. If y’all don’t mind, I’m not going to go through all the safety protocols. You know what to do.”

Two minutes later, we’re off the ground and heading toward New Orleans. “I think it might be time for a plan,” Phyllis announces once we’re in the air.

“What plan are y’all talking about?” our flight attendant asks. She slides close to Nyssa and clasps her hands together. “I love a good plan.” Her behavior feels off.

“I don’t trust her,” I announce through my mind. In unison, Nyssa and Phyllis nod, telling me they agree.

“We don’t need a plan.” I scoff. “We’ll just wing it.” Cam looks at each of us with a confused look. I casually nod toward Terri, making sure he sees my action. His eyebrows raise in understanding.

“I agree. Winging it is always the best.” Cam stretches his long legs in front of him, crossing them at the ankle. “I’m going to take a nap. Wake me when we land.”

“What’s bringing y’all to New Orleans?” Terri asks.

“Cam’s giving us a tour of the sights,” Nyssa lies.

“Well, you know us old people. We need a plan.” Phyllis scoffs, extending Nyssa’s lie. “I’m old and don’t do well wandering around in a new city.”

“Oh, honey. New Orleans is easy to get around in. It’s just a huge grid.” Terri slides into the seat next to Phyllis. “I can show y’all around if you’d like.”

“Actually, I’d like something to drink.” Phyllis smiles an empty smile. “There are drinks on this plane, aren’t there?”

“Of course. Let me get you something.” Terri stands, moving toward the back of the jet.

“A bottled water, please. And make sure it’s sealed. I’m weird about drinking from previously opened containers,” Phyllis calls after our flight attendant.

“We’ll be on the ground in thirty minutes. We’ll talk when we’re alone,” I reassure everyone.

“Here you go, honey. Let me know if you need anything else.” Terri hands a full bottle of wafer to Phyllis. “If you need a tour guide while you’re in town, I’d be happy to oblige. I don’t have many friends since moving there.”

“So you’ve said. We’ll keep that in mind,” Nyssa answers.

My phone rings, drawing my attention away from the strange lycanthrope. The name across the screen surprises me.

“Hello?”

“Elsie? Is everything okay?”

I smile. “Of course. We’re almost to New Orleans. Thank you for the plane, by the way.”

“You can’t land,” Amelia answers. “Something is going on. It’s not safe.”

“What are you talking about?” I focus on keeping the smile on my face, hoping not to alert the rest of the plane.

“Don’t say anything else,” she warns. “Just listen.”

“That sounds great,” I continue the facade.

“Most of the vampire community in the city has gone under some sort of a…trance. That’s not the best description, but it’s the only way to describe it at the moment.”

“Wow, that will be fun.”

Amelia laughs at my wording. “From what I can tell, vampires who don’t drink human blood are immune to whatever is going on.”

“Yeah, our lycanthrope flight attendant is doing a great job.” I close my eyes, hoping Amelia picks up on my meaning.

“It’s affecting some lycan, too. Only the ones that have eaten raw meat in the past few weeks. Topher is fine. Look behind your lycanthrope’s right ear. Everyone affected has a small moon-shaped mole that’s suddenly appeared.”

“That’s too bad,” I continue. “Hopefully, they’ll feel better soon.”

“I know you’re coming after Brayden. I’ve arranged for Fran to meet you at the airport with the boy. Pick them up and go anywhere but here. Get them to safety.”

I laugh awkwardly. “That’s hilarious. I’ll be sure to tell Cam that.”

“Shit. Cam’s with you?”

“He is. He wanted to crash our girls’ trip.”

“Is he okay?”

“Yes, that’s great,” I answer.

“When you land, get rid of the flight attendant. I don’t care what you have to do. The pilot is human. He won’t be affected.”

“Understood.”

“Elsie, be safe.”

“I will,” I respond before hanging up the phone.

“That sounded intense,” Terri says from the far end of the plane.

“Just a friend waiting for us to land,” I lie. I move to the lycanthrope at vampire speed, pulling back her blue hair. Just as Amelia described, a moon-shaped mole sits underneath her ear. Shit.

“What are you doing?” Terri asks, turning suddenly.

“Have you always had this mole?”

“What are you talking about?” She rubs her fingers across the dark spot. “I don’t have a mole.”

“Ladies and gentlemen,” the pilot interrupts, “we will be landing in New Orleans in ten minutes. Please return to your seats and prepare for landing.”

I look the lycanthrope in the eyes. “When we land, you’re going to leave this plane.”

“When we land, I’m going to leave the plane,” she repeats.

“You’re going to walk away and forget that you saw us,” I continue.

“I’m going to walk away and forget I saw you.”

“When asked about your trip, you’re going to tell them we found alternate transportation.” She repeats my words.

“Why am I doing this?” she whispers.

“Because the alternative is your death.” I don’t mince my words.

“I understand,” she answers. Slowly, her pupils return to their normal size.

Without question, I feel the energy of Phyllis, Cam, and Nyssa behind me. As the plane descends on the runway, Phyllis and Nyssa sit while Cam and I stand watch over Terri. “Can you get her off the plane? I’m going to talk to the pilot.”

“After you, ma’am,” Cam says, helping Terri to her feet while I head into the cockpit.

“Two passengers are about to join us, and we need to take off immediately. Is that possible?”

The pilot stares at me in confusion. “Ms. Lockhart said we would be staying in New Orleans.”

“There’s been a change of plan. Ms. Lockhart reassured me that you would understand.”

The older man nods his head slightly. “Of course. Where are we going?”

“I’m afraid I can’t let you know that until we’re in the air.”

“Okay,” he answers. “This is going to be fun.”

I return to the cabin to find Cam and Terri gone. Through the lowered stairs, I catch a glimpse of the boy I haven’t seen since he was human and his vampire nanny. He lifts his nose into the air, sniffing the air around him. “Hello, Elsie,” he says through my mind.

“Hello, Brayden. Is it really you?”

A soft laugh resonates through my mind. “Of course, it’s me, silly.”

“Lower your shield,” I demand. “I need to feel that it’s you.”

On command, energy floods toward me. It’s the familiar energy I recognize from the young boy who tragically lost both parents simply because he was gifted. “It’s you. Thank you, Brayden.”

Fran and Brayden are standing at the door of the jet a heartbeat later. “You’re welcome, Elsie.” The immortal child moves in front of me, wrapping his small arms around my waist. “It’s good to see you.”

“Aye, you, too.” I smile, returning his hug.

“Elsie,” Fran, Brayden’s elderly vampire nanny, greets me. “You look like shit.”

“Thanks.” I laugh. “It’s been a rough few days.”

“Amelia demanded we meet you here and be ready to leave the city. I don’t know what’s going on, but I know it’s for Brayden’s protection.”

“Who are you?” Brayden asks, standing in front of Nyssa and Phyllis.

“I’m Phyllis.” The elder witch greets the immortal child.

“I’m Nyssa…”

“ What are you?” Brayden interrupts.

“I’m a hybrid. Half witch and half lycan.”

“May I?” Brayden brings Nyssa’s hand to his nose. “You’re more than that.”

“I don’t know what you mean.” She pulls her hand away.

I stare at the woman who I quickly trusted. “Nyssa, what’s he talking about?”

“I…I don’t know.”

Brayden stares at the beautiful lycanthrope. “Yes, she does.” I step between the boy and the hybrid. “I can feel the energy in you.”

“Brayden, do I need to…”

“No,” he answers quickly. “She’s not going to harm anyone. At least not any of us.”

“What is he talking about?” Nyssa asks, stepping around me.

“What are you keeping from us?” Phyllis joins the interrogation.

Cam climbs back on the plane. “We have visitors.” He jokes. “Hello, visitors. I’m Cameron St. James.”

“Hello, I’m Brayden.” The immortal child shakes Cam’s hand dramatically.

“And I’m Fran. It seems we’re joining you for your trip.” Fran turns to Brayden, pointing him toward an empty seat. “Why don’t we sit down?”

“Not until he tells me what he’s talking about.” I stop his movement. “Brayden, what do I need to know about Nyssa?” I’m done playing nice. Serafina has tricked me twice, and now she has Thorne. I’ll be damned if I’ll let her make it three times.

Brayden and Nyssa make eye contact and seem to have some sort of silent conversation. One that even my abilities don’t allow me to hear.

“The boy is right. I’m more than just a witch.” Energy balls in my core, ready to fight whatever is about to happen. Nyssa sighs deeply. “I’m not going to hurt anyone. I would’ve done that long before now.”

“Your time is running out, Nyssa,” I warn.

“She’s a druid,” Brayden says from his seat.

“A druid?” I repeat. “What the hell is a druid?”

“I’m only half druid. My father was a lycanthrope, meaning I’m still a hybrid. However, my mother wasn’t just a witch, and our power wasn’t handed down through generations. We are the last of our kind.” Nyssa’s voice sounds defeated as she admits her heritage.

“What does that mean?” Cam asks.

“It means my power comes from the elements around me. Unlike you and Phyllis, I can control all the elements—water, earth, air, and fire. Because I am half lycan, I am particularly good at lunar magic. Through my druid heritage, my power comes from the earth. Through my lycan heritage, I am tethered to the moon, allowing me to draw from and control its power.”

“Why hide what you are?” I ask.

“Through history, I’ve been forced to hide who and what I truly am. To the world, I’m a lycanthrope and practicing witch, blending into the shadows that surround me. Druids are relics, ghosts of a lost age, hunted until there’s nothing left but whispers of their existence. It should stay that way. Druids were dangerous wielders of an old untamed magic that could call forests to rise and rivers to rage. If anyone found out, if they even suspected, I’d be hunted down, just like the others, just like the old days. The druid blood in my veins is a target. I’ve buried those abilities, masked them in the strength of the wolf and witch, never daring to call on the full extent of the magic within me. It’s the only way to stay alive in a world that would see me as a threat—a living relic they’d want to bury for good.”

The cabin is quiet as Nyssa’s words sink in. “Damn,” Cam interrupts the silence. “That was deep.”

“How did you know, Brayden?” I ask the immortal child.

He shrugs. “She felt different.”

“Nyssa? In the grand scheme of things, what does this mean?”

“Elsie, weren’t you listening?” Brayden’s young voice asks. “She can control the moon, which controls the tides, which can control the Goddess of the Sea.”

“Which means we can get the children.” I add.

“Yes,” Brayden answers. “I’m ready to go if you are.”

On cue, the jet begins to taxi, taking us to a yet-to-be-determined destination. I sit on the other side of Brayden, unsure what to think. There are still so many unanswered questions, but for now, luck seems to be on our side.