with her. “Well, at least we found out one very important piece of information. We were heading to the right place. We can take Canal Street up to Basin and follow it down to the cemetery.”
Silvas nodded, shadowy wings extending from his body before they solidified into black-tipped white wings. Tugging her into his arms, he shifted his grip with his tail to plaster her body more snugly against his. The hard muscles of his legs bunched as he crouched down. Diana wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, her own tail looping tightly around him just before he leapt upward into the sky with a hard flap of his wings.
When they landed minutes later within the cemetery, the marble tombs brought of sense of nostalgia to her as they walked among them. She didn’t have the same developed sense of smell to be able to recognize the scent of a Tainted One like Silvas could, so she stuck close behind him as he went up and down the aisles, his nostrils flaring as he scented the air to make certain the creature hadn’t risen. In the distance, they could see the crypt jutting up high above the other tombs, and shivers scurried down her spine.
Vampire tours, voodoo tours, swamp tours in gator filled swamps, even local ghost tours in the quarter she had no problem with. The giant above-ground cemeteries gave her the heebie-jeebies, though. As they wound their way from the southern wall where they landed, her eyes widened at the familiar sight of Marie Laveau’s marked tomb rising in front of them. Silvas strode right past it without giving any notice, but Diana slowed at its side and stopped, her eyes trailing on the dozens of marks of wishes made.
Placing her finger on the wall, her claw scratched out an X as she whispered to the voodoo queen who was no doubt working from beyond to keep her city safe. Few humans were capable of surviving the madness that set upon them by the ravagers. That there was a pocket of humanity in New Orleans doing just that was more than a little remarkable.
“Marie Laveau, if ever you loved your city and worked for its benefit from your revered place, honored as voodoo queen even as your bones rest, be with us. Protect your city and your people from the danger that hunts them.”
Silvas’s shadow fell over her. “You pray to a human soul?” he asked, his voice curious as he cocked his head.
Diana shrugged. “Why not? She was powerful in life. Why wouldn’t she continue to protect her city even from her place of rest? Heroes have a special place of honor in the next world, I think. I can imagine she would be counted among that by many. I think she would have a hand in things going on around here.”
His eyebrows raised as he considered, and after a moment, he inclined his head. “I shall remember that. Even human spirits can be powerful allies.”
Bowing respectfully toward the tomb, he turned away, his tail flicking. He moved away only a few steps before stopping to look over his shoulder, patiently waiting for her to catch up. From Marie’s tomb, they departed, following the line of moonlight leading to the crypt where the monster slept. Sliding fingers to her side, she gripped the hilt of Anola where it was strapped to her side.
Chapter 48
The broken wall of the crypt split open before them like a gaping wound, a terrible stench wafting up from it. Taint. Cacus lingered within there, just as they had been told. Selvans tensed as he stepped forward. The crypt was large, but not so big that Cacus’s girth wouldn’t fill most of the available space. They would have very limited room for mobility, and that worried him. By taking Diana in there, he would be risking her safety far more than he had even in facing the strix. He lifted his eyes and met his mate’s gaze. She gave him an encouraging smile and tipped her head toward the entrance. Apprehension skated through their bond, but she faced the danger head-on, her mind focused and steady.
Still, he hesitated. Dropping his voice, he spoke softly to his bonded. “If you would rather wait out here, I will not think less of you.”
Her brows drew down together. “You’re not leaving me out here, asshole.”
“Uxorem, this situation worries me. Though above ground, the crypt is small. If Cacus got ahold of you…” Fear for his