my leg back down with the weight of his thigh and bit down on my bottom lip, careful not to press too hard. I sighed, surrendering, knowing he was right. Such a tease.
“I wouldn’t mind seeing that old, reckless side of you someday,” I whispered when he let go of my lip.
“Ha. Patience is a virtue.…”
Whether it was that last drink or the intoxicating effect of his mouth now moving with mine, as his fangs slid lecherously across my lips, I entered a midnight euphoria. Mortals didn’t know what they were missing. While I drifted off to sleep in his arms, I envisioned wedding bells and the day I could have Gavin. All of him, forever.
* * *
The next morning, Gavin and I decided to catch a real flight back to Louisiana, to follow through with the plan we’d all agreed on during the meeting at Arianna’s. Arianna flew with us, to stay at Josh’s house to help with preparations. A good friend of Gavin and Gabe, Josh helped Gavin and me rest and refuel after escaping Amaranth, then managed to save me from Marie’s kidnapping shortly after. His home and presence were a safe haven, and one we were very thankful to have. As soon as we were home, we headed to Gavin’s plantation home to meet Vivienne, avoiding the bookstore and my house. One avoidance was fine, the other less so. I definitely couldn’t face my former boss Carol after what I’d done, leaving my job mid-shift to sneak away to Amaranth with no warning whatsoever, and there was no sense in torturing myself over the loss of my favorite job or saying goodbye to my home just yet. No, it was the second change in plan that concerned me. Apparently, what we were about to discuss was so confidential that Vivienne, my conjure mentor and the woman who’d introduced me to Hoodoo, didn’t feel safe enough to talk about it at her shop. We’d briefed her on our escape from Amaranth and all it entailed, and she agreed to help us, but offering her help would mean great danger for her conjure family.
From my spot on Gavin’s couch, I looked around at his roomy but neglected living room while I scarfed down a shrimp po’ boy. The stoic grand piano, long, taupe drapes, and elegant Victorian furniture all still intact, his collection of movies and records lining the walls with a visible sheen of dust around the edges. Examining the character of his historic home made me miss my own. Not nearly as majestic as his, my little, cozy yellow house suited me just fine, with Cajun food joints just up the road. Hard to believe, but I missed my job, too. Breaux Bridge really had become my home, a part of me. But I was a ghost now, a detached entity that couldn’t quite connect with that part of its past, no matter how hard I tried to make contact. A new fate awaited me, and I tried to accept it was time to surrender to its pull.
“I told ya, nah, I’m no psychic.” Vivienne meandered around the room, eyed Gavin’s record collection as she spoke. “But obstacles will come that you aren’t expecting, ya hear?”
“We know it’s going to be a tough battle,” Gavin said, jingling the keys in his pockets. “But we’re ready.”
“You gotta be willing to do whatever necessary while you’re in Amaranth, nah.”
“We’ll do whatever it takes,” I said, washed my sandwich down with a swallow of water. “Our friends’ lives are depending on it.”
Vivienne exhaled, an old, tired sound full of apprehension. She set a long rectangular wooden box onto the table in front of us, and glanced at me. “She know about Arianna?” She set her gaze on Gavin, raised her eyebrows.
“Yes,” he replied. “Arianna told her, but no one outside our circle knows. Only Marie, but she thinks she has her son to protect, so she won’t talk. That’s it.”
“You’re certain.” Vivienne’s eyes narrowed, her brow furrowing.
“Positive.”
“If anyone learns of this before the attack—”
“I know what it means.”
“Samira has no idea where Arianna is,” I spoke up, making sure I followed.
“Yes,” Gavin replied, “and no one knows she’s Samira’s daughter. Arianna’s never told a soul. Only our family knows, including Gabe and Josh, who I count as family. If anyone, even someone in the resistance here on earth, were to find out and rat us out before the attack in Amaranth, our plan to attack Samira and overthrow her