Raphael | Parish (9 page)

She bit her lip, giving a grudging nod. “Yes.”

“Trust me.” He gave her a firm push toward the tangle of swamp milkweed that would easily hide her tracks. “Go.”

Waiting until she’d disappeared into the thick foliage, Raphael slowly turned, concentrating on the human male he could sense hiding behind the narrow trunk of a tupelo tree.

“Come out of the shadows and face me like a man, you spineless coward,” he taunted, oddly unnerved by the pharmaceutical barrier that separated him from his cat.

Although he couldn’t shift while away from his homelands—well, until Ashe had crashed into his life—he was always in touch with his inner animal.

To be cut off from that connection was like missing a limb.

Someone was going to pay.

In blood.

That someone stepped from behind the tree, revealing an average-sized man dressed in camo fatigues, with his hair buzzed in a military cut.

Not that Raphael believed for a second the stranger was a part of the armed services.

He’d secretly traveled the globe to meet with world leaders. He easily recognized the crisp movements and precise bearing that marked a trained soldier.

This yokel was a bully who’d been given a gun and the illusion of power.

“I don’t fear an animal,” the man mocked, his square face and beady eyes revealing a confidence that came from his mistaken belief that the gun he clutched in his fingers gave him the upper hand.

“Good.” Raphael moved forward, a taunting smile curving his lips. “Then let’s do this thing.”

G.I. Joe Wannabe frowned, glancing over Raphael’s shoulder. “Where’s the female?”

Raphael prowled steadily forward. The idiot didn’t even realize his danger.

“Why?”

“She has to die.”

Raphael halted, a ball of dread lodged in the pit of his stomach.

It was one thing to suspect the strangers were after Ashe, and another to have it confirmed.

He battled back the red haze that demanded blood and tearing flesh and crunching bones.

Before he ripped the bastard apart he needed information.

“Because she carries my child?”

“Because she carries the magic.”

“Magic?” He frowned, baffled by the unexpected words. “What magic?”

The man narrowed his gaze, belatedly realizing he’d given away more than he intended.

“I’ll find her.” He lifted the gun. “But first I intend to rid the world of an abomination.”

He squeezed the trigger at the same instant that Raphael leaped forward.

It shouldn’t have been a contest.

Raphael was bigger, stronger, and infinitely better trained.

But whatever drug was coursing through his body had done more than put his cat to sleep. His movements were awkward, lethargic.

He slammed into the bastard even as the bullet sliced through his upper shoulder. Pain seared through him, but wrapping his arms around the man, Raphael drove him into the ground, landing on top of him.

He knocked aside the gun, wrapping his fingers around the man’s thick throat.

“Who sent you to kill Ashe?”

The man laughed, the fetid stench of ‘wrongness’ intensifying.

“This is bigger than you,” he choked out, his eyes simmering with the madness of a true fanatic. “This is bigger than all of us.”

Raphael tightened his grip, battling back the growing weakness that threatened his survival.

“Tell me who sent you, dammit,” he roared.

Without warning the man jerked his upper body off the ground, smashing his forehead into Raphael’s with enough force to make him see stars.

Giving a shake of his head, Raphael suddenly found himself being rolled onto his back, the man holding him down as he reached for the gun that lay a few feet away.

Oh…hell.

Raphael wanted answers, but the combination of the unknown poison and the blood loss from his wound was taking its toll.

If he didn’t kill the man quickly, he was the one who was going to end up in a soggy grave.

Clearing his double vision, Raphael bared his teeth. He was going to rip off the man’s head and feed it to the gators.

The satisfying thought had barely formed in his mind when he caught a familiar scent and his heart forgot how to beat.

Goddammit. That stubborn female was going to get locked in his house and never let out again.

He gathered his waning strength, desperately grasping his attacker’s arms to keep him from reaching the gun. At the same time, Ashe stepped into view, her arms held over her head as she swung a heavy stick toward the back of the man’s head.

There was sickening crunch as the skull busted at the impact, and the man’s eyes glazed.

Raphael didn’t hesitate. Grabbing the man’s face, he jerked his head to the side with enough force to snap his neck. Instantly the stranger went limp and Raphael tossed his dead body aside.

Rising to his feet, he stepped over the corpse so he could glare down at his mate in frustration.

“I thought I told you to run?”

She rolled her eyes, tossing the stick aside so she could wrap an arm around his waist. Only then did he realize that he was swaying like a drunkard.

“You know how well I take orders,” she reminded him with a wry smile.

He brushed his lips over the top of her head, allowing her to keep him balanced as they continued their interrupted journey through the bayou.

Once he reached the Wildlands he would send someone back to check the body for a brand.

For now he had to get Ashe to the safety of his people.

“That’s something we’re going to have to work on,” he assured her.

She tilted back her head to meet his weary smile.

“Together.”

“Together,” he breathed, wondering if a word had ever sounded so sweet.

Leaning against each other, they managed to stumble their way through the swamp, combining their strength as only a truly mated pair could.

They reached the Wildlands just as the sun crested the horizon, and Raphael wasn’t remotely surprised when a cat padded forward to greet them.

Dark as the shadows, the lethal feline regarded them with a predatory gaze.

Then, with a low roar the creature surrounded itself in a silvery mist, shifting to reveal a tall, grim-faced warrior.

“So it’s true, Raphael. You return with a mate and a child,” the leader of the Hunters drawled with a taunting smile. “I don’t know whether to congratulate you or have you thrown into the psych ward.”

“And a happy fucking hello to you, Parish.”

With a shared chuckle, they stepped into the Wildlands, the magic wrapping around them as overhead a raven screeched in fury.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alexandra Ivy
is a
New York Times
and
USA Today
bestselling author of the Guardians of Eternity series, as well as the upcoming Sentinel series. Alexandra Ivy graduated from Truman University with a degree in theatre before deciding she preferred to bring her characters to life on paper rather than stage. An active member of RWA, she also writes under the name of Deborah Raleigh. She lives in Missouri with her husband and family.

Book list:

Guardians of Eternity

Darkness Avenged

June 4, 2013, Zebra

ISBN 978-1420111385

Fear the Darkness

September 1,2012, Zebra

ISBN 978-1420111378

Bound by Darkness

December 6,2011, Zebra

ISBN 978-1420111361

The Real Werewives of Vampire County

November 2011, Kensington

ISBN 978-0758261588

Supernatural

September 2011, Kensington

ISBN 978-1420109887

Yours for Eternity

September 2011, Kensington

ISBN 978-1420112283

Devoured by Darkness

November 2010, Zebra Paranormal

ISBN 978-1420111354

Beyond the Darkness

April 2010, Zebra Paranormal

ISBN 978-1420102987

Darkness Unleashed

November 2009, Zebra Paranormal

ISBN 978-1420102970

Darkness Revealed

March 2009, Zebra Paranormal

ISBN 978-1-4201-0296-3

Darkness Everlasting

May 2008, Zebra Paranormal

ISBN 978-0-8217-7939-2

Embrace the Darkness

November 2007, Zebra Paranormal

ISBN-10: 0821779370

ISBN-13: 978-0821779378

When Darkness Comes

January 2007, Zebra Paranormal

ISBN 0-8217-7935-4

Immortal Rogues Series

* Please note this series is a reprint from the 2003 Historical Vampire Series written as Deborah Raleigh *

My Lord Vampire

#1 in the Immortal Rogues Series

February 28, 2012, Zebra

ISBN 978-1420122718

My Lord Eternity

#2 in the Immortal Rogues Series

December 4, 2012, Zebra

ISBN 978-1-4201-2861-1

My Lord Immortality

#3 in the Immortal Rogues Series

December 31, 2012, Zebra

ISBN 978-1-4201-2272-5

Sentinel Series

Predatory

Sentinel Anthology

May 7, 2013

ISBN 978-1-4201-2512-2

PARISH

BY LAURA WRIGHT

CHAPTER 1

THE baby emerged writhing and covered in amniotic fluid. Cradling the child, unable to curb the proud and relieved smile breaking on her sweaty face, Dr. Julia Cabot reached across the bed and placed him on his weary mother’s belly and chest. Annette, one of the three nurses assisting, quickly covered him with a blanket, then suctioned his nose and mouth with a bulb syringe. In seconds, a hearty wail erupted from the infant, the welcome sound pinging off the walls and calling forth a duet of sighs from the baby’s father and aunt.

Twenty-one hours of hard labor. This woman’s a freaking rock star
. Julia glanced at the clock. “9:51 pm.”

“Got it,” Annette said, scribbling on the chart. “Do you want me to get his scores now, Doc?”

“Right on his mom’s chest will be fine.” Julia returned to her work, another nurse assisting as she delivered the placenta. “So, Mrs. Dubroux, do you have a name for your beautiful boy?”

“Garth,” the woman said, pulling her gaze from her little love and looking up at her husband. “Garth Allan Dubroux, just like his daddy.”

The man beamed.

“Nines across the board, Doc,” Annette announced, making the note in her chart.

“Well, well, you’ve got a strong one there,” Julia said, pulling off her gloves and letting the nurse take over with the cleaning. She walked around to the side of the bed and eyed the precious new family member. “Welcome to the world, Garth.”

As the baby rooted around on her chest, Mrs. Dubroux smiled up at Julia, tears brightening her eyes. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”

“You’re a godsend, Doctor Cabot,” Mr. Dubroux added, his arm tightening around his wife’s shoulders. “Marilyn would’ve been in the surgery room if it wasn’t for you.”

“It was my pleasure,” Julia said, trying to hold back the wave of emotion and sadness at such a lovely ending to her career at New Orleans General. “One of the nurses will help you with breastfeeding if you need it, and Doctor Salander will be coming in to check on the both of you very soon.” She gave them one last smile. “Congratulations, and good luck.”

“Nice work, Doc,” Annette said as they left the room. “Never seen anyone turn a baby like that. You have a gift.”

Julia headed for the nurses’ station. She needed to fill out some paperwork before she was done for the night. Before she was done, period. She didn’t want to be rude, but talking about her work right now…well, it was too painful. She was going to miss this place, the staff, the patients.