Moon Thrall (18 page)

“I don’t know.” Skye hoped she was convincing enough. It was hard being so close to Helen and not letting the anger take her.

“It’s all right. I’ll take you somewhere safe.”

Skye walked with her, looking over her shoulder as she did. “I need out of New Orleans for awhile.”

“Not a problem. I’ve got some friends that can help.”

Skye stopped walking. “The same friends you called to tell I was going back to the club?”

Helen slowed, then stopped. She dropped her arms and turned to face Skye. “When did you figure it out?”

“Not soon enough. Why would you betray me?”

Helen barked in laughter. “Not everything is about you, Skye. You’re so focused on what you wanted that you never stopped to think that others might be affected.”

“You told me to write the articles!” she yelled.

“Of course. It was a good way to get rid of you.”

Skye fisted her hands at her sides. “Why? Why not just tell me the articles wouldn’t be of interest?”

“Because you weren’t about to give up!” Helen shouted. “You would’ve gone to anyone who would’ve listened. Or worse, put them on the Internet yourself. This way, I could regulate what you were saying and take care of you if you got too close.”

“Which is what happened with the Djinn,” Skye surmised.

Helen shrugged. “Shit happens. You stepped in the wrong pile. This is my city. These are my people.”

“The humans or the supernatural?”

“Both,” Helen said with a lift of her chin. “It has taken me years, but I’ve made connections in both worlds that keep me protected.”

There was a sound of male laughter as Scott turned the corner near Helen’s car. “That’s quite a confession.”

“Oh, please,” Helen said. “The police will do nothing to me.”

“You’re probably right,” Scott said.

Helen flicked her shoulder-length hair back. “Detective, you’d have been better served staying out of this. Now you’ll die with Skye this night.”

At that moment, three vampires came out of nowhere. Skye cut her gaze to Helen. “You won’t get away with this.”

“Of course, I will,” Helen said with a laugh. She turned on her heel to go to her car, but drew up short when she caught sight of Court.

Skye smiled at her man. He was glorious in his fury. The three vampires were quickly dispatched by Myles, Solomon, and Kane.

Helen stumbled backward and turned to Skye, beseeching her. “Don’t let him hurt me.”

“So you know who he is?” Skye asked.

Helen nodded, glancing at Court. “He’s a LaRue. They police the factions.”

“What do you expect me to do?”

“Mercy,” Helen begged as she dropped to her knees.

Skye wanted revenge, but seeing Helen on her knees changed her mind. She looked up at Court. He was waiting on her decision, letting her make the call.

“Leave,” Skye said to Helen. “Leave the city and never return.”

Helen’s face went blank. “But...this is my home.”

“You asked for mercy,” Court stated in a deep voice. “That’s the extent of it. Leave or face the consequences.”

Helen nodded and got to her feet. “I’ll start packing.”

“You have two days,” Court said.

Skye walked out of the parking garage with Court. Solomon, Kane, Myles, and Scott were behind them.

“Do you think she’ll leave?” Skye asked.

Court shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“I hope to hell she does,” Solomon said.

Myles sighed. “Me, too. I’ve no wish to carry out Court’s threat.”

It was the first time Skye had walked down the streets of the city in a week. She looked around noticing the forms in the shadows that watched them.

“Who are they?” she asked in a low voice.

Kane came up beside her. “They’re from the other four factions. You’ll be left alone now.”

“We showed our strength tonight,” Myles said.

Court laced his fingers with hers. “It was long overdue.”

They walked for another five minutes in silence before Court turned her down a street. Skye saw the others continue.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

Court smiled. “My place.”

“Is that right?” She smiled, excitement rushing through her.

“It’s where I intend to keep you for quite awhile without any interruptions.”

“What about what I want?”

They reached the door to a building and he pushed her against it, crowding her so that their bodies were touching shoulder to hip. “What do you want?” he whispered as he let his mouth draw close to hers before pulling back.

“You. I want you.”

His mouth descended on hers in a scorching kiss that had desire pooling in her belly. A moment later, the door opened and they walked inside, still kissing.

E
PILOGUE

“I can’t believe we’re at the courthouse,” Court said.

Skye stopped him, putting the bouquet of flowers between her arm and body so she could adjust his tie before smoothing her hands down the front of his suit. “It’ll be over quickly.”

“I only put on this suit for you.”

She smiled. “You look very handsome in a suit.”

“Come on then,” he said and took her hand.

They went up the remainder of the steps and walked through the doors of the courthouse. They found Solomon, Riley, Kane, and Minka standing together.

“Well?” Court asked.

Solomon looked at his watch. “It’s time. They’re late.”

“No, we’re not,” Myles said as he and Addison walked up.

Addison was beaming. Skye was thrilled that she and Myles had decided to forgo a long engagement. Neither wanted a big wedding, so they opted to be married by a judge.

Skye walked with the others into the room and awaited the judge. He arrived, and the ceremony was quickly underway. As Skye listened to Myles and Addison exchange vows, all she could think about was her and Court.

She was deliriously happy. After all her hating of the supernatural, she couldn’t believe she was dating one. It was actually more than dating. She and Court were all but living together. They had yet to make it official, but they were rarely apart.

They stayed at his place for a few days and then went to hers. Her days were spent at the newspaper, but she was no longer writing articles about the supernatural. She had moved to the advice column.

“What are you thinking about?” Court leaned over and whispered.

She glanced up at him. “You.”

“Ah. That’s good since I was thinking of you.”

“What about?”

“That I love you, and I want us to live together.”

“Isn’t that what we’re doing?” she joked.

He held out his hand. Skye looked down and saw a key. She realized then it was a key to his apartment.

“Move in with me, Skye. Or I’ll move in with you. I don’t care as long as we’re together. I want you with me always.”

Skye took the key and held it against her heart with a smile. “Yes, I’ll move in with you.”

“Be with me? Always?”

Skye waited for the judge to announce that Addison and Myles were husband and wife. Then she turned to Court. “Yes.”

They sealed their vows with a kiss.

~

Riley left the courthouse, intending to meet up with Minka. She was halfway to her truck when the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end.

It was the third time in as many days. Riley turned her head and saw the woman across the busy street. She was dressed in all white, which made her dark skin appear even darker. Her black eyes were trained on Riley as she smiled knowingly.

Delphine.

Riley had faced many monsters in her days of hunting, but nothing put the fear in her like the Voodoo priestess. Delphine was letting Riley know she was marked. She would be coming for Riley soon.

With a wave, Delphine turned a corner and disappeared. Riley leaned against her truck as she bent over and tried to figure out what she was going to do about this new situation.

Look for the next story in the Chiasson/LaRue series with
WILD FEVER
– Coming
May 18, 2015
!

Until then, read on for the sneak peek…

Night’s off were one of his simple pleasures. Christian blew out a breath as he put his truck in park and got out. He looked at the sign on the building that read Joel’s Place.

Normally, he would spend his night off at home, but since the house he shared with his three brothers also had their women, he preferred some time alone.

Christian walked to the bar and opened the door. He was immediately blasted with music and laughter. Stepping inside, he let his gaze wander the place. It might be his night off, but he was a Chiasson, which meant he was always working since the supernatural never took a day off.

He made his way to the bar and ordered a beer as he continued to survey the people. Ghosts, demons, vampires, witches, werewolves. If they preyed on the innocent, then the Chiassons hunted – and killed – them.

His family had been protecting the parish for generations, and thanks to his brothers finding love, that would continue.

Christian’s thoughts went to his sister. Riley. She was the one who was supposed to get out of the life. It’s why he and his brothers all agreed to send her away to college.

But they should’ve paid more attention when she called. Riley was a Chiasson to the core. Stubborn, independent, and determined. She was no longer in Austin, Texas. That fact worried Christian as nothing else could. Riley was smart, strong, and beautiful, but she also had a habit of being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Their family had enemies. Enemies who had already tried to kill them.

“Hey?” Sherriff Marshall Ducet said as he took the seat next to Christian.

Christian nodded in greeting. “You really come here often?”

“Yeah.” Marshall looked around and shrugged. “It’s a nice place. No...unwanteds here.”

Marshall was a transplant from New Orleans. He left the city to get away from the supernatural, only to land smack in the middle of one of the places in North America that they flocked to.

“Plenty of pretty women,” Marshall said, wiggling his eyebrows.

Christian glanced at two women shooting pool who kept eyeing him. They were attractive. Either one would do nicely as his bed partner for the night.

Emphasis on
the night
. Unlike Vincent, Lincoln, and Beau, Christian would do whatever it took to ensure he didn’t fall in love.

Ever.

“One for each of us,” Marshall said.

Christian snorted. “Find your own. Those two are mine.”

“You’re a braver man than I if you want to take two women into your bed.”

“What’s the matter, Marshall? Worried you couldn’t please both of them?” Christian asked as he turned his head back to the sheriff.

That’s when his gaze was snagged on a vision with pale brown curls that fell past her shoulders. She was wearing a white shirt that showed off her bronze skin, dipping low enough in the front to get a glimpse of cleavage.

Christian leaned to the side to see her faded jeans and cowboy boots. She waved at someone. Christian quickly followed her line of sight and saw one of the bartenders, the female, return the wave.

Curls smiled, her face lighting up as she walked to a barstool and sat at the corner, giving Christian a perfect view of her.

His body responded instantly, causing his balls to tighten in need. Christian brought his beer to his lips and drank deeply as he took in her oval face and large eyes. The dim lighting of the bar prevented him from seeing the exact shade of her eyes however.

With her full lips, delicate jaw, stubborn chin, and slender neck, Curls wasn’t just pretty – she was intriguing.

“Ah, I see someone has caught your eye,” Marshall said.

Christian pulled his gaze away from the woman. “Just checking things out.”

“Right. Adding another to your stable?”

Curls was the kind of woman he would want all to himself. No sharing there. “Yep.”

Marshall snorted. “Want to play a game of pool?”

“Sure.” Christian took another drink of beer and spun around on the stool to follow Marshall.

Marshall raked the balls while Christian set aside his beer and grabbed a cue stick. It was fate that brought Marshall into their lives, but Christian was glad they had someone they could trust in a seat of power.

Few people of the parish actually knew what the Chiassons did, but there were some that joined in a hunt when needed. Though the majority didn’t have a clue that his family had saved their hides on multiple occasions, they seemed to realize the Chiassons were dangerous.

Dangerous didn’t even begin to cover what they were. What kind of man brought a woman into such a family and the constant threat of death? His brothers might be willing to do it, but not him.