“Not to boast or anything, but I did fly, and I did turn to mist. It was the only way to save my cousins from the barrel we were sealed into and thrown into the river.”

  “You…what? Oh, you better tell me the rest, Gustavo Valencia. And don’t leave anything out.”

  I chuckled and kissed her cheek. “Anything for you, amor.”

  * * *

  We came up from the basement to hear a whole bunch of shouting. I won’t pretend that I didn’t want to go back down the way we came and take up the other couple on their offer. I was pretty angry with all of these people. Even Garrett, although I knew it wasn’t his fault he lived in a big spooky house in a creepy Bayou with a scary tunnel and sketchy dead things in it.

  Layla noticed us before the rest of the group and she rushed over to start fussing over Wilma.

  Good. They should all be on their knees begging for her forgiveness.

  “Gus,” Garrett said. He’d noticed Layla’s absence a split second after she moved and followed her toward us. “I can’t tell you how sorry I am.”

  “Well, I’d like you to try. You’re my brother, and I’d do just about anything for you, but I nearly lost my mate and I’m barely holding my shit together right now. So someone better start explaining how this happened. Fast.”

  It’s my fault. I should have checked belowground. How stupid of me. I had no idea, Gus, please believe me.

  The rapid-fire voice reverberated in my head but no one’s mouth was moving.

  Layla squeezed my arm, and I looked down at her in surprise.

  I’m sorry. It’s me. This is the only way I can talk to you, and normally I ask first, but I am just so sorry. You and Wilma sacrificed so much to bring home our kids and I can’t believe I let this happen.

  “Babe,” Garrett said, putting an arm around her. “I’m the one who’s sorry. I failed to keep our family and my people safe.”

  “Wait a minute, both of you,” I said. “What’s done is done, but I hope you have a plan to keep your kids safe, and I hope you know who the hell that woman was who hurt Wilma, and a goddamned plan how to get her magic back.” I looked around and pulled Wilma closer. “And where are my cousins?”

  Everyone started talking at once, including Layla in my ear. Roy, Marge, Garrett, his two henchmen or wolves, whatever they were, a giant rat—

  “Whoa,” I said as Layla picked her up and the two of them began to argue. “What is that?”

  “That’s Layla’s familiar, Nadine. She’s a nutria.”

  “A what now?” I asked, and Layla patted my arm.

  A nutria. A non-native species to Louisiana—

  “Gus,” Garrett interrupted. “Your cousins—”

  Wilma raised her hand. “Excuse me?”

  I pulled her closer and she grinned up at me.

  Everyone stopped talking.

  “Yes, dear?” Roy said.

  “I would very much like a shower, but first let me tell you that this witch—you know her as Glinda. She has been lurking there ever since you stripped her of her power, Layla, and she’s been plotting her revenge. I think your only alternative is to catch her alive and ask the Goddess to take control of her. She’s too tainted with darkness for any of us to have an impact.”

  “That will require a sacrifice,” Roy said. “The Goddess will only intervene if there’s a sacrifice, and frankly, you’ve all sacrificed enough. We all have.”

  Garrett frowned. “Let’s think on it while we all get some sleep. Gus, you and Wilma can take the suite on the second floor. Turn left at the top of the stairs. It’s got heavy curtains so you’ll be protected from the sun. It should have everything you need. We can bring you, uh, drinks? Or do you need donors?”

  “No. Just some animal blood. Whatever you can find. That would be great. And what about Vinny and Freddy?” I couldn’t rest without knowing where they were, that they were okay.

  Garrett rubbed at his chest and winced. “They stayed in New Orleans with Jacob and the two Shifter ladies.” He chuckled nervously. “I think you may have a tough time pulling them away.”

  I sighed. “Of course.” I had noticed the way they looked at those two ladies. “Fine. We’ll see you tonight, then. And I hope you all have some plans by then, because I want to get Wilma home and safe.”

  Garrett gave a deep nod. “We’ll figure it out. Thanks, man. For everything. You could have said no, but you saved my kids, and I will never forget that, Gus. Whatever happens, I owe you a debt of gratitude.”

  I gestured for him to bring it in, and I got a bro hug from my massive friend. My drummer. Who was some sort of alligator king in the Bayou.

  “I really need to lie down,” I said, and he laughed, pounding me on the back.

  “It’s a lot to take in. I get it. Get some rest.”

  Wilma wrapped her arm around my lower back as I waved. We climbed the steps together, leaning on each other for support. When we reached the landing at the top of the stairs, she leaned closer. “Are you tired, Gus?”

  “I am, but I kinda want to just stare at you, never close my eyes again.”

  She giggled. “Want to help me shower?”

  “Oh, sí, por favor.”

  11

  Wilma

  * * *

  Gus took such good care of me in the shower, washing in between each finger and toe, massaging my scalp with the shampoo, and then removing all of the snarls and tangles with his fingers and heavy-duty conditioner.

  “You take such good care of me,” I said, leaning into him.

  “You make it easy. I like to do it.”

  I turned to face him. “Gus, I hope you know that whatever you decide to do with the band or not…heck, if you wanted to become an archeologist or a race car driver—”

  “I think it would be tough to dig for fossils at night, amor.”

  His smile continued to lift the melancholy and misery from my shoulders. I’d never get enough of his boyish charms and mannish sensibility and poise.

  “I’m serious. I know you have been worried about it…”

  He turned us around so he could get under the spray. Garrett had one of those rain showers that was all fancy. Probably it called to his alligator nature.

  “Not worried, necessarily. It’s more like I’m discombobulated, you know? Like I don’t know what I want other than to be close to you, but like, is that weird? Shouldn’t I still want to conquer the world with my band? I’m having a mid-life crisis in my twenties, which I’ll never grow out of because I’m no longer aging… You see what you signed up for?”

  I laughed. Gus did have a way of meandering through his thought process. It was reassuring to me, however. I loved it because I could watch him work things out and be privy to his most genuine thoughts and fears.

  “You really do have all the time in the world to figure it out. Nothing says you have to decide now. Who knows? Maybe you’ll become an actor. You’ve got the looks for it.” I winked at him, hoping the more ridiculous I was being, the more he’d see that worrying about the future was pointless.

  He smiled down at me, linking his fingers behind my back. “You really do make everything better. Te quiero, amor. I love you so much.”

  “I love you, too. Now, let’s drink our smoooothies and get some rest. And yes, that’s code for let’s fool around.”

  He threw back his head and laughed, and thankfully, my sweet Gus was back, this time minus the crease in his forehead.

  And we did fool around until the sun rose in the sky, at which point we slept wrapped in each other’s arms.

  * * *

  After the sun went down, and we had another fooling-around session, it was time to face the music. And music there was!

  We descended the steps to the first level, which was full of Shifters, witches and vampires.

  “Who are all of these creatures?” Gus asked.

  Normally I could have used my magic to discern who was around, but now I could merely pick up energy denoting their magical status.

  “I think this must be Garrett’s congregation,” I said. The crowd filled the bottom floor and spilled out onto the lawn, where there was a bonfire and something delicious cooking. Well, something I would have thought tasted delicious when I could still eat.

  “Morning, sleepyheads,” Jacob said as he came dancing by with two bottles of Blue Moooon for us. We accepted them and clinked bottles with him and then each other. I wasn’t too hungry since Gus and I had already taken care of that during the whole fooling-around bit.

  “Where’s Marge and Roy?” Gus asked.

  “Gone back to Assjacket with their children. Seems they need to shelter them a bit more in a safe witchy space.”

  “Makes sense,” I said. “I can’t imagine how upsetting this has been for all of them.”

  “Well, then you might be wondering, ‘Jacob? Are they really having a party after they just lost their kids and while there’s a wicked witch on the loose?’ And the answer is yes, they are having a party, and while on the surface it appears to be a joyous celebration for the return of the witchlings and hatchlings, it’s actually a very strategic party.” Gus started to ask a question, but Jacob shook his head and put his arms around us. “Come. We’ll explain.”

  We followed Jacob onto the lawn, where we found a band playing zydeco music, a huge crew roasting a pig, and another group playing drinking games. Amongst the drinkers were Vinny and Freddy and their new lady-Shifter friends.

  “Watch this,” Freddy said. He flicked a quarter so high in the air it was out of sight, then he flew up after it, caught it in his cup, and fell to the ground as he drank his shot glass, righting himself as he landed.

  “Jesus, primo. You’re going to split your head open,” Gus said.

  Vinny and Freddy came rushing over to us and fought over who would get to hug me first.

  “We missed you, Wilma,” they both said.

  “Aw, I missed you too, but I hear you’re a couple of heroes.”

  They preened under the attention and their ladies giggled.

  “Will you introduce me?” I asked, raising my eyebrows at them.

  “Sure, uh, Marielena, Jean Louise? This is Wilma, and you know Gus.”

  They bent in to kiss me on the cheek, and I flushed, their heartbeats alluring though I had the self-control to appreciate their blood but not crave it. They spoke in hushed tones to Freddy and Vinny and then sauntered off, giggling, toward the food being served. Freddy and Vinny watched them walk away, their fangs elongating.

  “They wanted to thank you, Gus, for rescuing them. They said Andre had forced them to come work for him, and when the children showed up at Muriel’s and were brought to him by the manager, he knew he needed to keep them hidden, so he locked them all up in that bunker. All they knew to do was sing to keep the children calm.” Vinny leaned close to Gus. “I think they’re, you know, like us. Muses.”

  “And Shifters?” Gus asked.

  “Wolves,” Freddy said with a salacious smile. “Is that hot or what?”

  Vinny elbowed him and looked around to make sure no one heard him. “Don’t be rude, hermano. You should feel honored that Jean Louise is even talking to your ass. Be mature.”

  Freddy looked away and mimicked Vinny, which led to Vinny smacking him upside the head, which led to—

  “Enough, guys,” Gus said. “Where’s Garrett?”

  Freddy pointed to a ring of folks at the far end of the lawn. “Apparently some young pup drunkenly challenged him for the title of alpha, so he’s messing with him.”

  We heard a loud roar and a cheer, and then folks all started heading that way with purpose.

  There was a ring of torches on that part of the property and when we got close enough, we saw there were two alligators in the center, circling each other.

  Jacob waved us over to where he was standing on a raised platform.

  “This is hilarious. This kid doesn’t have a chance.”

  The view from up there was much better, but given my recent foray into fighting, I wasn’t thrilled about watching others do it. Although, this was more like an adult holding a child at bay by the forehead while the child swung at them.

  “Now that’s pretty damned funny,” Gus said, then he shook his head. “Man, I still can’t believe Havoc turns into an alligator.” His attention was then caught by something past Jacob. He stood a little taller and took my hand.

  “Amor, I would like to introduce you to someone special.”

  He led me over to an elderly Black woman sitting on a large, almost throne-like chair with two burly men at her sides. She watched the goings on in the circle with amusement, but as we approached, she turned to smile at us.

  “Ms. Josephine, I want to introduce you to my mate, Wilma Wetter.”

  She held out a hand to me, and when I touched her, I was overwhelmed by her magic. It nearly buckled my knees, seeing as I was completely open with no magic of my own to act as a buffer.

  “Ma’am,” I said, shivering all of a sudden.

  “Ah, no need for that, chére. I came here for you.”

  Her hazel eyes were mesmerizing, and as I stared into them, everything else fell away until we were having a conversation without our mouths moving.

  “You seek revenge, am I right?”

  I swallowed. “Yes, ma’am. I know that’s wrong, and that it goes against our covenant—”

  “But she wronged you. Well, let me tell you what, young lady. She wronged me and mine as well. Those hatchlings are my grandbabies, and she had a hand in the little ‘mishap’ that sent them to Muriel’s and into Andre’s hands. I won’t abide by that. But in order for me to put this witch bitch in her place, I need your special set of skills. See, this here exhibition match is bait, and you’re going to be the main event. That horrible woman can’t stand not being invited to a party. She won’t be able to resist showing her face. When she shows, you’re going to take back what’s yours, do you understand what I’m saying?”

  My head was spinning, so even though her words made sense, I was in shock.

  “How do I do that?”

  She placed a cigar in her mouth and took both of my hands in hers. “Like this.”

  She blew the smoke in my face, and I gasped, which allowed the smoke to permeate my lungs. Her voice filled my mind once more.

  “She may have siphoned your magic, Wilma, but you are so much more than that. You’ve fought for everything you’ve had for over a hundred years without magic, and look how far you’ve come? You don’t need anything more than what the Goddess gave you, your fighting spirit, and your love for your mate. Pull on those, and you will be avenged.”

  She blew another puff of smoke in my face and my head filled with voices, not just hers. The spirits of those Glinda had wronged. The spirits of the Wetter ancestors. And even my mate’s beloved cousin Ritchie Valens. I heard them all as they cheered me on.

  And then it happened.

  There was a large boom inside the ring, and immediately Garrett and the young alligator turned and hissed at the interloper.

  “Someone threw a couchon du lait and didn’t invite me? What horrible manners.”

  Garrett changed back, Layla zapped his jeans onto him, and they were joined by Jacob.

  “You’re not invited.” Garrett spit on the ground next to him. “Return what you stole. And leave.”

  Glinda threw back her head and laughed, causing the rest of the Shifters to cower. But not my fanged friends. Not Garrett and his henchmen. Not Josephine.

  “Now why on earth would I ever give this up?” Glinda raised her hands above her head and clapped them together. The ground shook with the thunder she released. “Why would I even think about giving up control of the weather? I thought you slimy reptiles and wimpy water witches gave me strength, but this weather girl…shooo, let me tell you, I am truly a god with this power!”

  She flung her hand toward a massive Cypress tree and hit it with a bolt of lightning, splitting it in half. Garrett’s people started to scatter, but a wall of sleet cut them off.

  “No no, now y’all stay put. I’m going to finish off the Du Mer and Cocodri lines once and for all. And then I’m going to bury the hexen so far in this Bayou, it’ll be millennia before some future hurricane unearths her grave.”

  Goddess, I prayed, I will do anything to put a stop to this woman, even if it means losing my magic forever. I don’t want her to hurt anyone else.

  “Care to make a wager on that?”

  12

  Gus

  * * *

  All heads turned toward Josephine, who sat puffing on her cigar as if none of this grandstanding had gone on. I shook with rage that this Glinda bitch dared show her face after what she’d done to my woman. I wanted to rip out her throat with my fangs. Tear her to pieces with my claws. I wanted to destroy her…and yet, Wilma stood beside me, watching Josephine calmly.

  “Who are you to interrupt me, old woman?”

  Josephine blew out smoke rings and smiled.

  Wilma communicated through our bond, loud and clear.

  Gus, whatever happens next, you’ve got to trust me. Okay? Josephine is in control. We can trust her.

  I squeezed Wilma’s hand. I do trust her, but Amor, please—

  The old woman’s power rippled over me, reminding me that she’d had the upper hand with Andre and she’d barely flexed a magical muscle.

  “I’m a neighbor of this here congregation, now how ’bout it? A fight. To the death. I choose the combatant. No magic, only what Mother Nature blessed you with.”

  The witch looked confused before she burst out laughing. “You actually think I can be beaten?” She rolled her eyes but then hesitated, as if she knew there was more to this situation than she could sense.

  Which I gathered was because Layla began whispering in our heads.

  I’ve hidden your fangy affliction from her. She doesn’t know there are vampires here. And Josephine’s magic is different than ours. Glinda can’t sense it unless the priestess wants her to.

 

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