a little surprised at first, especially since Addy had been born and raised here, but they both seemed to be enjoying themselves as much as we were. At least, Addy did. I got the impression Nathan was here because he didn't have a choice, only I didn't know if he'd been coerced more by Addy or by Dylan. Maybe both.
Dylan held my hand in his, his touch warm and soft and reassuring as we followed the tour guide through the streets of the French Quarter. Tonight's adventure had started with a casual dinner followed by a ghost tour and the tour guide was doing an excellent job with each story he told. I was convinced they were just that—stories—especially as his somber voice recounted the tale of Madame LaLaurie and all the terrible things she'd done inside the mansion's walls. The house in front of us looked like any number of houses we'd already passed, with its gray facade and soaring windows and intricate iron railings. Nothing made it stand out and I couldn't see even a single hint of the atrocities that had supposedly happened there when I looked at it.
The tour guide must be exaggerating. I was sure of it. It was too gruesome to be real, too depraved and horrific to think that one human being could treat another like that.
Addy must have seen my disbelief because she leaned over and gently nudged me. "It's the truth."
"What is?"
"The story he just told. It really happened."
I looked from Addy to the house then back again. "You're both making it up."
"Honestly, we're not. You can look it up if you don't believe me." She stared at the house and though I couldn't see her eyes, I sensed the shadows in her gaze. "I was inside that place once, years ago. One of Daddy's business partners owned it at the time and he took me with him for a meeting there."
"And I guess you heard the screams, right? And the rattling chains and everything else." I didn't bother to hide the disbelief from my voice. It might be a good tale but I wasn't that gullible, no matter what she thought.
Instead of trying to convince me, Addy simply looked at me and shook her head. There was something so solemn on her face that I blinked in surprise. "No, I didn't hear anything. But you could feel it. This...I don't know, a coldness of some kind. Not like a draft or anything like that. This was deeper. Almost like it was alive or something. And evil. I'd never felt anything like it before and I don't want to feel it again. I had nightmares for days afterward."
Her voice was quiet, almost distracted as she remembered something only she could see. Her face was such a perfect picture of honesty and remembered horror that I believed her.
I stepped closer to Dylan, the move completely subconscious on my part, like I suddenly needed the warmth and reassurance of his touch. He draped one arm around my shoulders and offered me a comforting squeeze. I tilted my head back but he wasn't even looking at me. He was talking to Nathan and something told me that the protective move had been as completely subconscious as mine had been.
The tour guide resumed walking and the group fell in step behind him. The tour ended where it had started, on Royal Street behind the cathedral. Dylan and Nathan both tipped the guide then we stood there as the crowd dispersed. It was just the four of us and I wondered what would be next on the list of things to see and do. As much fun as the evening had been, part of me was anxious to go back to Dylan's. Not just for the alone time—although I was definitely looking forward to that—but because I was unusually tired. The boredom of doing nothing all day while Dylan went to practice was starting to take its toll on me.
Dylan draped his arm around my shoulders, dropped a kiss on the top of my head, then shot a grin at Nathan and Addy. "Time for one more tourist thing then we can call it a night."
Nathan rolled his eyes. "Aren't you going a little overboard?"
"Nope."
"Fine. Where to next? And you better say it's someplace where we can get a drink."
"It is." Dylan's grin widened as he nodded in the direction of the cathedral. "As long as you like coffee."
Nathan's groan was drowned out by Addy's tinkling