The rip of the motor restarting drowned out all other sounds, but the sensation stayed with him.
Elisabeth. She’d returned. Or maybe she’d never left.
He regretted not telling her that he’d lied about being able to sense her.
But it was what he sensed now that left him unmoored. It wasn’t the tangle of fear and frustration from when she’d kidnapped him and taken him to this strange place, as she battled herself on whether to kill him. It was a sensation that matched the hurt in his chest, where his heart was now on an irregular beat.
Elisabeth. He whispered this without speaking, for himself only.
“The police will want to speak to you when we return to town,” Colleen said from beside him. “About the young woman. Darcy.”
“Oh my God,” Kieran said, as blood rushed to his head. “They think I killed her, don’t they?” Of course they did. He was her date. He’d “fled” the scene. All the evidence would point directly his way.
“We’ve taken care of that. But they’ll want a statement. We should discuss this before you go in, as it will serve no one to tell the truth. Not you, and certainly not poor Darcy or her family.”
No, he didn’t suppose telling the police that a vampire killed her would do much of anything except get him committed. It would do nothing for Darcy.
“There will be no justice for Darcy,” Colleen said, as if reading his mind. She probably was. He was too numb to care. “We don’t live in a world ready to accept the things we know and understand to be more than figments of myth. But I will ensure her family is taken care of, just the same. We will do what is in our power. That I assure you, Kieran.”
“Thank you, Colleen.” He didn’t say the rest of what was on his mind. That though Darcy deserved justice, Elisabeth would punish herself for what she did, in her careless hunger, for the rest of what remained of her immortal life. Her agony at taking Darcy’s life might be what spared the lives of others.
He’d sought a life in law because of his need for precision and clarity, but the last twelve hours had shown him that life was not so black and white. That his ideas of good and bad were not so neatly drawn, with boundaries easy to detect. It had thrown into question everything he believed, and he wouldn’t know the full impact of this for years to come.
Kelley asked him something, but his words were drowned out by the roar of the outboard motor.
“What was that?”
“Will you go after her?” Kelley yelled. “Try to find her?”
Kieran looked out into the swamp, searching for any physical signs of what he felt. She was out there. But she didn’t want to be found.
“Some things are better left alone,” Kieran said, knowing the one who would need the most convincing of this was himself.
Afterword
Thank you for reading Bayou’s Edge. I hope you enjoyed this tale of Kieran Landry surviving his first vampire encounter, though I think we can agree he is not the same man he was when the story began.
The characters in this story are part of the Saga of Crimson & Clover universe, consisting of multiple series spanning many years and time periods. Bayou’s Edge, in particular, is a Crimson & Clover Lagniappe. The word lagniappe is used among the Louisiana French and means, summarized, a little something extra. All twelve of the Crimson & Clover Lagniappes are standalone stories, meant to complement (as a little something extra) the broader world and storylines.
Dark Blessing is one such Lagniappe, and it is, specifically, the tale of how Kelley Landry came to meet Vincenc the vampire in Seattle. In some ways, Bayou’s Edge is a continuation of that. Will Dillon also get his own vampire run-in? Will Kieran or Kelley meet their own vampires again? Time will tell.
All twelve Crimson & Clover Lagniappes are novellas, except St. Charles at Dusk, which is a full-length novel. They can all be read as standalones, in any order, but for those who prefer linear reading, I have a recommended reading order on my website.
If you’re interested in diving into the main storylines, the core series in this universe is The House of Crimson & Clover. Start with The Storm and the Darkness and lose yourself in the secretive, ancient, powerful world of the Deschanels and Sullivans. From there, you can return to the seventies and read about the magic and mayhem of the seven siblings of The Seven (beginning with 1970), or continue the story that ends in The House of Crimson & Clover in the series Midnight Dynasty (which starts with A Tempest of Discovery).
Or, if the dhampir are calling you, the tale of the de Blancheforts begins in eighteenth century Saint-Domingue, in the Vampires of the Merovingi series, starting with The Island.
Wherever your reading takes you next, in my world or another, I hope it provides you the most perfect escape from reality.
Oh... and please do keep your eyes open next time someone invites you into a carnival funhouse...
Happy Reading!
About Sarah M. Cradit
Sarah is the USA Today and International Bestselling Author of contemporary and epic fantasy.
An unabashed geek, Sarah enjoys studying subjects like the Plantagenet and Ptolemaic dynasties, and settling debates on provocative Tolkien topics such as why the Great Eagles are not Gandalf's personal taxi service. Passionate about travel, Sarah has visited over twenty countries collecting sparks of inspiration (though New Orleans is where her heart rests). She's a self-professed expert at crafting original songs to sing to her very patient pets, and a seasoned professional at finding ways to humiliate herself (bonus points if it happens in public). When at home in Pennsylvania, her husband and best friend, James, is very kind about indulging her love of fast German cars and expensive lattes.
Thank you to all of the authors that joined us in this adventure. The timing was not as great as we had expected, with Covid-19 getting in everyone’s way, but still we persevered. We got this collection written and we were able to raise funds for an amazing charity, Lift4Autism.
Let’s always remember to lift as we climb and do our part to make the world a little bit better.
To the readers, thank you for hanging with us. This will be Forever Romance Press’ last collection for the time-being. We hope to return to you in the future.