Coffin Girls (Elegantly Undead: Book 1 of the Coffin Girls Witch Vampire Series) (28 page)

Sylvain grinned. “Now, if you want to come back here, all you
have to do is bite your tongue to release the magick and think of this room and
you’ll be back in no time.”

“Thanks,” mumbled V, blushing at the others’ chuckles.

“Okay, now back to the strategy.” Anais threw her friend a
lifeline and asked the question that would grab their attention. “How are we
going to get them out?”

--------

Conall stepped out of the en-suite bathroom with a towel
wrapped around his waist. Anais mentally cursed her libido for jumping at the
sight of the superb v-shape torso that led to that wonderful specimen of
manhood the towel teasingly hid.

“It’s hard to stay mad at you when you’re half naked and
coming towards me in bed,” she broke the ice. “It’s even harder to stay mad at
you when you literally saved my sanity by nearly giving up your life.”

Anais took his hand as he sat next to her and looked him
squarely in the eyes. “For you to have done that, to have come between a
blood-starved vampire and her prey to save her friend’s life makes you a hero
in my eyes. Thank you.”

Conall shrugged away the thanks, “I don’t want to be your
hero and I don’t want your gratitude, Anais. What I want, I’m not sure you’ll
freely give me.” He saw the question want to leave her lips and carried on, not
giving her a chance to voice it. “Tell me, what does bonding do?”

“A bonding creates a mental, emotional and physical link
between a vampire and a non-vampire,” Anais stated. “I drank your blood after I
passed out before the unbinding. You had mine earlier today. So, as simple as
that, we’re bonded. The more we feed off each other, the stronger the bonding
becomes.”

“That’s why I can feel your guilt so strongly,” Conall
commented gravely. “I don’t mind the bonding Anais but I do mind the guilt.
Tell me, why do you feel guilty? Is a bonding not something you wanted for
yourself? For us?”

“No,” was Anais’ response, “it’s not something I want for
anyone. My feelings will be your feelings. We will know each other’s thoughts.
And if we drink from each other again and again, it can become so strong that
my pain will be yours and vice versa. I’ve known bonded couples to die together
too.”

Conall looked at Anais, feeling pain as her words stabbed at
him. He’d known this feeling before; his heart was breaking with unrequited
love. “And this is a problem for you because you value your independence.”

“I can feel your pain now, Conall,” Anais stated softly.
“And I feel your love. This is an example of what we will continue to feel, no
matter how near or far. It has nothing to do with independence, only self-preservation
– for us both.”

“Then, sorry for you then that I can feel your love too even
though my bullshit detector went haywire the moment you began that speech,” he
threw back at her. When she informed him of the dual-nature of their newly
formed bond, he’d let go of the pain and allowed her feelings in. He felt love
in her, love for him. But he also felt uncertainty and insecurity. The men in
her life had done a number on her.

 He moved closer to her now, getting under the covers
and moving her so that she faced him. Hopefully he could help her face some of
her fears. “With this bonding then, you know how I feel about you. I’m in love
with you and you can feel the permanence to that love?”

Anais nodded, tears springing to her eyes. Conall gently wiped
them away and licked them from his finger-tips, knowing that the pink droplets
held her blood. “There. I’ve just had a bit more of your blood.” When she
flinched and looked away, he gently clasped her face in his hands and looked
into her red eyes. “I love you. Being bonded to you feels natural and right. I
want to be with you for eternity, for as long as our immortality lasts. And I
don’t want to be around if you’re not. You have my heart, Anais. Nothing is
more frightening to me, can be more painful, than not having you in my life –
with me in our life,” he corrected.

Anais responded with her head, not her heart, “Your life is
in Ireland with your family, ruling over the witch population.  Mine is
here, with my sisters,” her lips curved wistfully, “with the Coffin Girls,
running a wedding planning and venue business. You need heirs for the throne. I
can’t give you that. I may be half-witch but the other part is vampire. From
what you’ve told me of the supernatural history, that makes us mortal enemies.
So, how do we reconcile that?”

Conall heard her but thanks to the bond, he also felt what
she did, “Vampires and witches have lived in harmony before and can do so
again. You and I – our relationship – is proof of that. Our friends and the
friendships they’re forming is further proof. And children – why would I need
children? I explained last night that I have three sisters who can give me the
heirs to the throne. My sisters can also step in should anything happen to me.
You’re coming up with obstacles so you won’t have to commit.”

“So,” Conall said, “back to how this conversation started. I
don’t want your gratitude, your guilt. I just want you - your love. But what
hurts is that even though I can feel your love for me, I can feel your doubt in
that love. From what you’ve told me of your late husband and Yves, I can
understand that fear. So, I’ll be patient. I’ll woo you and wait. I’ll woo you
for centuries if I have too.”

Anais’ face was covered in pink lines as tears streamed down
her face. “The blood bond tells me of your sincerity but even the most sincere
promises are broken. And while I do love you, I’m scared. I want to give in to
it but I can’t.”

“That’s okay,” Conall murmured, pulling her into the crook
of his arm. He laid a kiss gently on the top of her head, felt the comfort he
gave her from that little act through their newly formed bond. “I said I’ll be
patient, Anais.”

“I don’t deserve you,” Anais said softly, emotionally spent.

“Goddess,” Conall responded, lips curved softly with hope, “you
do.”

“All good here, Anais,” V sent a mental call out from the
Garden District house’s office to the library of the Papillion Plantation.

Anais nodded briefly, apprehension making her forget that V couldn’t
see her. “Great, all good here too,” she responded. She was stationed in the
library of Papillion Plantation, within the circle they’d created the first
time they’d linked with the captive girls. Conall, Sophie and the fae witch
were with her as were a small contingency of guards and wolves courtesy of
Sylvain and Raulf.

Anais and Conall had cast a spell that morning, with the
help of Arianna, the fae sorceress, so they were all able to mentally
communicate with each other. It took a few tries, particularly to isolate the
constant communication the pack sent to each other. Geez, she didn’t know how
Raulf put up with the constant hum of mental chatter and random thoughts
intruding all hours of night and day. She’d asked him about it and he’d shrugged
it away claiming that it was all he’d ever known and you got used to it.

Pulling in the wondering thoughts, she focused on Conall who
was receiving feedback from Sylvain, Niul and Raulf. They each had their parts
to play in the carefully crafted rescue strategy and had gone over it again and
again until they all knew it and plans A to F by heart. Anais checked in with
Marie and Rose, who’d gone with the wolves and more fae to the abandoned
factory.

“All as clear as it was thirty minutes ago,” was Marie’s
caustic remark. “Seriously, lighten up. The vamps are sleeping like the
frikkin’ undead and the only activity we can pick up are human.” Conall had
worked with Marie the day before to help her hone her necromancy skills so that
she could identify activity or lack thereof from the undead. It turned out that
whilst Marie couldn’t control the undead like she could the dead, she still had
an inside scoop on them. Rose, was there as fire, something that most supes
feared, especially super-flammable vamps. They’d all been amazed at the fire
show Rose had put on after working on her skill with the fire faeries.

“No sigh of Ayden?” asked Anais.

“Nope,” Marie responded, “he’s been MIA since dawn when he
went came back with that other guard and more captives. I had to keep a hold on
Raulf ‘cos he had a few of the wolf females with him.”

“Darn it,” responded Anais. “Tell Raulf I’m sorry but we’ll
get them out soon so he can chew on the bastard.”

“I plan to,” was Raulf’s angry interception. “He’s
dinner.” 

“Miss Suzette, you okay?” Anais asked. She imagined that
their Cajun mamma was spitting fire and giving the unsuspecting fae the hardest
time they’d had yet. Nerves did that to her.

“I’m alright,” Miss Suzette answered. “Don’t y’all be
worryin’ ‘bout me. Just get yourselves back home safely. These faeries are
taking good care of me. And I’ve prepared some of my kitchen magick for when
y’all come back.”

“Glad to hear that, Miss Suzette,” Sylvain interjected,
stifling a groan. “And thank you for being there to welcome the young girls and
put them at ease. I can’t think of anyone better suited to that important role.
Also, if you don’t mind, I’d love to have some of your crawfish gumbo to come
home to. In fact, a Cajun feast from a Cajun cook extraordinaire such as you
will be something to look forward to and keep us going.” Sylvain rattled off a
Cajun menu of beans and rice, jambalaya, crab cakes, gumbo and a variety of
dishes that had Anais’ head spinning by the number of them, his memory of Miss
Suzette’s cooking and his kindness to their Cajun mamma.

“That I can do,” came Miss Suzette’s response. “And I’ll
make some for those girls too. A bit of spice will help feed their poor souls.
I’ll put some kitchen magick in it.”

Anais and Conall shared a grin.

“We’re all set,” Conall broadcasted to everyone. “Everyone
is stationed and the coast is clear.”

Conall looked at Anais, Sophie and Arianna, “You all ready?”

At their nods, he looked at the fae standing within the
outer circle and got the same consent.

“Here we go, then,” Conall sent to all of them, “may the
Goddess be with us.”

Moments later, after casting the preparatory spells of
protection and teleportation, Anais found them in the dark, damp room at the
factory. She spotted the girls, who immediately began to mumble. Anxious that
they’d alert the vampire’s day guards, Anais shook her head and put her fingers
to her lips to indicate silence. It didn’t work.

Conall waved his arm and the next moment, the women were
silent. “I cast a quick spell of silence. It’ll hold for the next few hours.
I’d rather have them mad at me or scared shitless now then all of us dead.”

Anais nodded her agreement and made her way to the first
girl they’d identified. The girl shook her head when Anais motioned for her to
teleport back to the fae hollow with the fae that came along. Instead, she
waved an arm towards the others, particularly a group of pre-pubescent girls
that she’d huddled together in the corner of the room. That was one sentiment
that Anais understood and agreed with.

So she nodded and sent the fae to the young girls. The girl
had prepared them all because they behaved better than the older ones and
allowed the fae to take them as they were teleported away.

Soon, Anais was left with just Conall, Sophie and Arianna. Anais
gave Arianna the go-ahead to help teleport the girls. There were more than was
evident when they’d first been in the room through the girls eyes. A mental
exchange with the girl confirmed her suspicions that there’d been an unusually
high intake of captives over the last two evenings.

“We have to move, Anais,” Conall motioned towards the door.

Anais nodded, watching the last of the captives leave with
Sophie and Arianna. Now, Anais thought, we kick some ass! She linked in with
her Coffin Girls and found them unhurt but fighting danger with their newly
honed magick like old pros. It gave her courage and conviction to kick
Akeldonna’s ass even more.

“Raulf,” Anais sent a mental call.

“Yes?” was Raulf’s response.

“We’re in the corridor and it’s clear,” Anais answered.
“Come get your chow.”

A collective noise of howls were heard invading the factory
as werewolves, furry and furious, stormed every visible entry point, followed
closely by Niul, Sylvain and the fae warriors.

“We’ve found the wolves,” Sylvain kept them updated. “Raulf,
they’ve been chained. I’ve broken the links and Niul’s done some healing on
superficial wounds but they don’t look good.”

Anais remained tuned in to the mental conversation. If Raulf
needed her, she’d be there as would Conall. The two had started off as
competitors and had done a three-sixty over the last few days turning their
relationship into an unexpected bromance. Anais had tried to pry the reasons
for it from both of them and had gotten no pleasure. So, she’d shrugged it
away; it was better than playing referee.

Anais heard an anguished howl. She nearly turned towards the
sound, ready to help, when Sylvain apprised Conall and her of the situation.

“All’s good,” came Sylvain’s voice. “Raulf did his alpha
thing and the she-wolves have been turned animal to help them heal. We think
they may have been be-spelled – magick tranquilizers. My warriors are getting
them out and back to the hollow.”

“Thank God,” Anais sent back. “
Merci
,
cher
.”

“Yes,” Conall agreed tersely. “As much as I know there’s
evil in this world and understand the need for balance in all things. It pissed
me off when innocents are harmed.”

“There’s no need to explain that to me or to apologize for
that belief,” Anais stated as they continued down the corridors. “I think that
it’s admirable that you are so principled. There’s courage, not naivety in
that.”