Nic (22 page)

At first, she didn’t see any movement, but as she continued to watch, a dark figure appeared out of the woods.

For a heartbeat, she thought it was the hybrid, then the animal came into focus. “Nic?”

Bones popped, muscles reshaped and fur faded, until the wolf was gone and Nic crouched in its place. He slowly stood, tall, trembling and fully erect. He didn’t have a stich of clothing on as he hovered near the trees, and seemed completely at ease with his current state.

“I’ve missed you,” Nic said.

“I’ve missed you too.”

“Can we start over?” he asked.

She’d asked him the same question after their first night together. He’d said yes without hesitation. Could she?

Mindy turned and climbed the stairs. She stopped at the top of the porch and looked back. “You coming?”

* * * * *

Nic could hardly believe his ears, but he didn’t have to be asked twice. He covered the distance between them in record time and pulled Mindy into his arms. His lips found hers tentatively at first, then he allowed the passion to ignite inside of him until they were both swept away.

* * * * *

Two months later...

“Are you sure you want to go through with this?” Nic asked. “You don’t have to do this right now. We could wait until you have received word from Izzy. I know you’re worried about her. We all are.”

It was sweet of him to offer, but Mindy had made up her mind. There was no telling when she’d hear from Isabel. Her sister had made good on her promise to drop out of sight. No one had seen any sign of her, not even the man who’d been sent to New Orleans to find her.

She was still alive. Mindy could feel it, but Izzy wouldn’t be in touch until she was ready. Besides, she’d given Mindy her blessing the last time they spoke.

Celina’s death had taught Mindy that you couldn’t put off happiness. You might not make it to that future moment, which was why she found herself standing in the middle of the woods surrounded by Nic’s people.

“Let’s do this,” she said. Mindy took a deep breath.

“I’m right here with you.” Nic smiled and squeezed her hand, then faced the pack. “I would like to present my bondmate to the Moonlight Kin.”

Howls rose, growing in volume until the sound deafened.

Mindy’s knees quivered as she stepped forward.
Don’t throw up. Don’t fall. Don’t throw up. Don’t fall.
The howls stopped instantly. Even the air seemed to still, waiting for what would happen next.

“You can do this,” Nic murmured. “It’s just like we practiced.” A long claw slid out from the tip of his finger. When it surpassed four inches, Nic sliced the side of his neck.

Mindy’s first reaction was to want to press her hand to the wound to stave off the bleeding, but she didn’t. Instead, she waited like they’d rehearsed.

Once the blood flowed steadily, Nic leaned down so she could reach him.

Mindy framed his face with her hands and gently pulled him toward her. Her stomach gurgled, but there was no going back now. She pressed her lips against the wound and sucked. The coppery flavor on her tongue seemed unnatural, but she kept going.

Nic’s body tightened and his arms locked around her waist. “More,” he ground out, and shuddered.

Mindy sucked harder. Blood poured down her throat. She swallowed convulsively. How much would she have to drink to complete the ritual? She didn’t think she could stomach much more.

Nic stopped her with a tender touch. “That’s enough.” He stroked her hair.

Mindy drew back and wiped the blood off her mouth. It stained her hands and shirt.

“It is done!” Nic shouted, and grinned at the pack. His teeth seemed longer than usual and his blue eyes were glowing.

A huge black wolf stepped forward, shape-shifting as he did so. Aidan turned to face the rest of the pack. “Let us welcome our new member with a hunt.”

The wolves howled joyously.

As Mindy listened to their baying, her limbs began to tingle. “What’s happening?” she asked Nic.

“It has begun,” he said. “You’re strong. You can do this.”

Heat swept through her body. Mindy cried out as her first bone snapped. The pain was excruciating and she dropped to her knees.

“It’s only painful the first time,” Nic said, brushing her arm.

More bones broke and pale fur rippled over her arms. Mindy screamed as the world dimmed around her, then suddenly sprang into sharp relief.

She looked around and everything glistened with a silvery-gray hue. It was night, but Mindy could see every detail as clear as day. A massive brindle wolf nudged her, then nipped at her haunches.

Mindy took off through the woods with the pack running along beside her. The wind whipped through her fur, bringing with it all the tantalizing secrets that the trees kept.

She yipped excitedly.

The brindle wolf nudged her again, this time away from the others. Mindy was reluctant to go, but there was no fighting him.

When they were alone in a meadow, the wolf brushed its mouth against hers, then sniffed and licked her hind end with renewed interest. Fire swept through Mindy’s body again as muscle and bone reshaped, but this time the pain wasn’t nearly as numbing.

Nude and trembling, Mindy looked down at Nic and brushed his head with her fingertips. “I’m not sure that I’m that kinky,” she said.

He gave her a toothy smile and slowly shifted back into human form. “There will be plenty of time for that later, bondmate,” he said mischievously.

Mindy couldn’t wait.

# # #

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* * * * *

UNEDITED EXCERPT

Jazz and blues rang out through the Jackson Square courtyard as street musicians turned up the volume and charm to compete for tourist dollars. Tonight the jazzy band at the end of the square had a lone trumpet player and a violinist attempting to lure their crowd away.

Along with the musicians, tarot and palm readers had already set up their tables, staggering them just enough to give the pretense of privacy.

Isabel “Izzy” MacDougal did a quick head count. There were ten total. Her table would make eleven and that was just counting the ones in Jackson Square. Others would be set up along the side streets near Bourbon St., hoping to catch the stray drunk ready to part with their hard earned cash.

Izzy scanned the crowd as she unfolded her small card table and spread her purple shawl on top of it. She spotted her friend Everly Watts a few tables over. Everly was a short, dark-haired Goth who resembled an anemic vampire. Most nights she could be found at The Dungeon with all the other Goths and vampire wannabes in town. The pancake makeup disguised her sensitive nature and fierce intelligence, but nothing could hide her street smarts. Everly waved, then went back to reading the woman seated across from her.

Not even dusk yet and the French Quarter in New Orleans was already bursting at the seams with sunburned tourists and crafty pickpockets.

Isabel finished setting up and took a seat. She kept her expression open, which was hard to do when she was continuously bombarded by impressions from the growing crowd. Unlike some of the others situated around the square, Izzy had a true gift of Sight.

She snorted. Some gift.

Though her abilities had been the reason she and Everly had hit it off. Everly understood what Izzy was going through because she saw monsters, too.

Instead of growing up in a loving household like Isabel, Everly had been kicked out of her home when her “gifts” arrived. According to the petite Goth, she’d been living on her own ever since. She survived by taking on menial jobs and never staying in one place for too long.

Izzy shuffled her tarot cards and smiled at a passing group of women who appeared to be part of a conference if their nametags were to be believed.

“Would you like to know what your future holds, ladies?” she asked.

One of the women giggled, but the ash blonde stopped to chat. “Can you tell me if I’m going to meet someone soon?” she asked.

“Sure,” Izzy said. “Take a seat.”

The woman’s hand clasped the back of the folding chair as she pulled it out to sit down.

“Lisa, you’re not really going to waste your money on that crap, are you?” her friend asked.

The blonde looked back at Izzy. This time there was uncertainty in her green eyes. Before she could get up, Isabel flipped the first card over.

“He has dark hair,” she said.

The woman scooted forward on her seat. “Really?”

“Yes,” Izzy said. “And he’s tall.”

“Is his name Mike?” Lisa asked, peering into the cards in search of answers.

Izzy closed her eyes and concentrated. She saw the dark-haired man in her vision drop down to one knee in front of the blonde woman.

“I see him proposing,” she said. “It’s quite a ring.”

Lisa squealed. “Oh my god! When?”

Izzy examined her vision. The leaves on the trees around the couple were orange and red, but no limbs were bare. “The fall,” she said, opening her eyes. “He’ll propose in the fall.”

The woman whipped her head around to look at her friends. “Did you hear that? Mike is going to propose to me in the fall.”

The skeptic among them simply shook her head in exasperation. “Mike’s a jerk,” she muttered.

Izzy turned her attention away from the cards and stared at the woman. Her aura was dark, nearly black in some places. Isabel looked deeper, trying to peer past the outer layer so she could see what was causing her pain.

A red-haired man appeared in her mind, then quickly faded into a tombstone with the name Thomas carved into its gray rigid face.

“I’m sorry about Thomas,” Izzy said. “He really loved you.”

The woman’s face went from red to white, as the blood drained out of her cheeks. “How did you know about him?” she whispered.

Izzy simply shrugged. She couldn’t begin to explain where her “gift” came from and certainly not to someone who wasn’t ready to listen.

“Think she’s still a fraud?” Lisa asked as she plucked several bills out of her wallet and laid them on the table.

“Let’s go,” the skeptic said. “I need a drink.”

Izzy watched them get swallowed by the crowd. More people approached her. She got ten more readings done before her head threatened to explode. This was what happened every night. She could only read for so long before her “gift” exerted too much pressure and her body gave out.

She was packing her things, when the first inkling of unease struck. Izzy casually scanned the crowd, but no one seemed overly interested in her. She finished gathering her fortune-telling tools and shoved them into her backpack.

Izzy folded her table and chairs, then took them over to Everly. “Can you keep these for me until tomorrow?” Izzy asked.

Everly’s back stiffened and she frowned. “Sure,” she said, scanning the faces around them.

“It’s okay,” Izzy said. She knew whatever was out there didn’t know about Everly—at least not yet. “I’m going to head out. Catch you later.”

Everly nodded, but she didn’t relax.

Izzy hurried through the crowd, cutting along Pere Antoine’s alley before hanging a left toward St. Peter Street. She glanced up and down the sidewalk, then ducked into Yo Mama’s Bar and Grill.

The bearded doorman greeted her with a friendly smile. Izzy grinned back, then bounded up the stairs where her friend Heather was bartending.

A red light illuminated the small space. Two couches, a couple of long tables, dancing statues, and a small bar filled the room. Classic rock from an old jukebox blared out of speakers mounted in the ceiling. The place reminded her of a bordello, but it had
amazing
hamburgers.

Izzy’s stomach growled. She wished she had time to order one, but she needed to use Heather’s phone, then get back to her apartment on Dumaine Street.

Heather had just popped the cap off a long-neck, when she spotted Izzy. She smiled, then without saying a word, she grabbed her cell phone and tossed it to her. Izzy caught it easily, mouthed the word “thanks”, and quickly called her sister, Mindy.

She didn’t want to alarm sister, but Izzy needed to let Mindy know that someone was following her and she might have to lay low for a while. It would hurt to be out of touch with her sister, but Izzy didn’t have much choice. The darkness she’d sensed in Breakbend, Oregon was now here and getting closer. She’d felt its presence growing and it terrified her.

Izzy finished up her call and handed the phone back to Heather. “Thanks,” she said.

“Anytime,” Heather said. “Catch you later?”

She shook her head. “Not tonight. I have a headache.” Izzy rubbed her temples for emphasis.

“Catch you next time,” Heather said, then moved onto a waiting customer.

Isabel hurried down the stairs, but stopped before she stepped out onto the sidewalk. The doorman was watching her, but didn’t say anything since this wasn’t exactly anything new from her.

“It’s all clear,” he said.

“Thanks.” Izzy slipped out the door and headed toward Bourbon. She’d just passed Royal Street, when the sensation of being watched returned.

Izzy glanced over her shoulder, but didn’t see anyone. There was nothing out of the ordinary. Ordinary being a relative term in the French Quarter. There was nothing around that should alarm her, but Izzy knew he was there.

She
felt
him.

She wound her way through the heavy crowd, hoping to lose her pursuer on raucous Bourbon St. When she got the chance, Izzy turned down Dumaine Street. The crowd was thinning now. She could see the beginnings of Louis Armstrong Park in the distance. The trees swayed as the sun sank and darkness took over.