Blood Pool

for that. Did you know how much he’s given to the people of New Orleans since Katrina? All in memory of your mother, and surreptitiously.” He appeared lost in the past. His eyes held a faraway gaze.

He rubbed his hand across his forehead. “Your mom-Nicolette-was gorgeous. A Creole beauty with eyes as green as emeralds, and long, curly hair. She had legs that seemed to go on forever. She could have been a model.”

Raven observed the musings of her friend and mentor carefully. “Sounds like you were in love with her, Frank.”

He arched an eyebrow. “Of course I was-since I was six years old, and she was toddling around with her mop of golden curls and enchanting smile,” he stated matter-of-factly. “Her momma, your grandma, was from Averton, in France -a beautiful blonde with the same eyes as your momma. And your grandfather,” Frank laughed and slapped his knee, “he was a force to be reckoned with in the Vodou community. In any community, really. Your grandma had him under control, though.”

He sighed. “Then when we got older, I went off to college. Tulane University. Your mother didn’t want to continue with school. She stayed home. I tell you, Raven, there weren’t too many men who met your mother and didn’t fall in love with her. I teased her and said it was magick, that she put a spell on all the men she met.” He became quiet, and his demeanor changed. The muscles in his face were drawn. His lips were set in a tight line.

“Nicki only had eyes for your father, though. She politely turned Southern men away…except there was that one man who unfortunately did not take no for an answer. Laroque. You were only about a year old at the time, maybe two. Your father was in and out of your lives a lot back then. He asked me to watch over you while he was gone, and since I went to school locally, I agreed. Your father wanted to take you both with him, but your mother was hell-bent on staying home to look after her aging parents. He went out to make his fortune-or at least to keep an eye on it, I suppose. I didn’t question your father. He trusted me, and I wouldn’t betray that trust, or Nicki’s.” He poured more cognac into his glass.

“After your grandparents passed, your father bought a shop in the French Quarter, and your mother ran it. They supplied the local Vodou community with herbs, oils and candles, and she gave readings. That’s where she met Philippe Laroque. He practiced Vodou and Santaria, and he was a powerful bokur.” He lowered his voice every time he said Laroque. Like a curse, it seemed that just speaking the name held a power all its own. Frank reclined in his chair, closing his eyes for a moment. “Is a powerful bokur. He’s a charming guy. Handsome, I suppose. He’s had many women, but the one he couldn’t have was the one he wanted most.”

“My mother.”

“Your mother.” He sat forward, leaning toward Raven. “Laroque had just returned from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he earned a Ph.D. in epidemiology and microbiology. He knew who your father was and wouldn’t dare let anyone know his true feelings for Nicki. But she was very psychic, and I guess a woman’s intuition knows these things. His magick was powerful, and he used it to shield his growing love for Nicolette.” He stared silently at his hands. Finally, he spoke again, his eyes narrowed as he looked at Raven.

“One day, at Mardi Gras, he went to see your mother. He’d been drinking and…and things got out of hand. He raped Nicki. Your mother was never the same after that.” Frank seemed lost in thought, and he rubbed his forehead as if dreading what he was about to say. “She wanted to kill herself. I-I had to talk her out of it…many times. I never understood why she took the blame. But, nine and a half months later, your mother gave birth to another daughter-Laroque’s child.”

The glass Raven had been holding slipped from her hand and fell to the floor. “She had another child? I have a sister? Where is she?”

He walked over to his desk and reached into the drawer. He handed Raven an old, worn photo.

The girl was a miniature version of Raven’s mother. “Your father proved his love for your mother, I must admit. He never blamed her-not that he would-and tried his best to find Laroque, to exact revenge. Your father told Nicki they would raise the little girl as his own, but I guess it proved to be too much for your momma. She told me she couldn’t look at her younger daughter without thinking of the way she’d been conceived. Your mother couldn’t look at herself, either. Soon after Jade turned two, your mother was dead. The coroner ruled it a suicide.” Frank gazed out the window.

To past memories that plague his mind? Raven wondered.

Frank got up from his seat behind the desk and sat next to Raven, taking her hand in his. “Your mother got very depressed after the child’s birth. We tried to keep the baby a secret. My sister raised the little girl. I met Deidre when Jade turned three years old, and we married a year later. Laroque was off doing some sort of research in San Francisco. Or so the story went, but eventually, Laroque found out about her. Jade was about four years old then. He took her, and he’s raised her ever since.

“After Laroque took Jade, Tobias moved up here with you. I stayed, finished law school. Three years after that, I had the opportunity to join a prestigious law firm in Boston, so we moved. Jade was long gone by then, so…there was no reason to stay.” Frank took the photo and carefully placed it back in his desk drawer.

“Jade,” Raven whispered. A million questions raced through her mind. She plucked one. “How did Laroque get Jade? And how do you even know it was Laroque who took her?”

Frank sighed. “We assumed, at the time, he took her from school. She left in the morning and never returned home in the afternoon.”

Raven couldn’t hide the shock in her voice. “That’s it? Did the police look for her? How do you even know she’s still alive?”

“Of course we had the police involved-the New Orleans PD at first, then Tobias’s friends on the Seacrest police force, even some of his friends with the FBI. Your father’s reach is vast, but Laroque managed to stay under the radar. I believed Laroque took Jade to Haiti, and I was proven correct when he eventually sent a message letting me know she was well. Every year a picture was sent,” Frank said, frowning. “Your father did the best he could, Raven.”

“Hmm…yeah. I was raised by nannies until you moved to the island,” she responded bitterly.

“Tobias wanted to keep you girls together, but it wasn’t a realistic plan. I raised you for the most part, when your father was away. You were with the nannies for only a short period.” He smiled. “Just remember, you’re the product of the great love your parents had for each other. That, in and of itself, is very powerful. I’ve seen both sides of Tobias, and I prefer to stay on his good one.” Frank’s face turned emotionless.

She felt disconnected. It was a great deal of information to absorb. “I think his good side died with my mother.” Raven picked up her glass and handed it to Frank.

“I think you may be right,” he agreed.

“Why didn’t anyone ever tell me about my sister?”

“I can only speculate. I think your father wanted to forget that part of his life and telling you would only stir up unwanted memories.”

“But if he wanted to keep us together, as you say, why wouldn’t he tell me?”

Frank arched a brow. “You’ll have to ask him about that.” He shifted in his seat before he revealed another fact. “There’s one more thing, my dear…about the dreams I’ve been having of your mother. She’s telling me that Courtier de Sang is Philippe Laroque.”

“And?”

“That’s all she keeps repeating, that and to tell her family she loves them.” A tear fell down the face of the man Raven had come to think of as her foster father. “Talk to Solaris, Raven.”

Her day was apparently still far from over.

A primal, rhythmic cadence echoed off the walls of Blood Pool. Bodies gyrated in a dancing frenzy to the thump of the beating drums. Strobe lights blared in red and gold as the dancers swirled seductively around the dance floor. A couple simulated sex, the male exposing fangs as if ready to sink them into the neck of his partner. Raven’s antennae went up as she wondered whether this odd behavior could have something to do with the strange happenings on the island.

The woman began to laugh as she playfully slapped her lover. She yelled over the music, “Solaris will never allow us back in the club if you bite me here. What if someone slips on the blood and she gets sued?”

At least they were being practical, Raven thought as she weaved her way to the bar, almost expecting to see Derrick standing there.

Solaris was dressed all in white. Her hazel eyes, starkly contrasting her ebony skin, cautiously scanned Raven’s aura. Raven could feel Sol’s psychic probes. Cuing Raven to follow, both women entered Solaris’s private office. It was a bit quieter back there thanks to the soundproof walls Solaris had installed.

“What a day,” Raven moaned, running her hand through her hair. She admired the wooden carvings hanging on either side of a large window behind Solaris’s desk. “These are new. I like them. Thailand?”

Solaris crossed her arms over her chest. “I know you’re not here to chat about my new art pieces, Raven, and no, they’re from Nigeria. Frank has been in touch with me. He’s very worried for your safety. I am, too. Sit.”

Raven kicked off her ankle boots and sat cross-legged on Solaris’s plush leather sofa. “What’s going on? This has been one freakin’ weird day. I find out today that I have a sister, as part of Frank’s ‘true confession’ about what happened to my mother. She had…what? Postpartum depression? Did they even call it that back then? Did she experience this after I was born?” She took a deep, cleansing breath, trying to assimilate all that she learned. “Plus, I’m having strange dreams. The man from the other night, Derrick, who allegedly died here, showed up in my car. He seemed very much alive and going through DNA changes from human to…I’m not sure what, but I’d venture to guess a vampire.”

“Seems you had a very enlightening day.”

“Shit, did you know I have a sister?”

Solaris took some powder out of a silk pouch and sprinkled its contents onto a charcoal briquette. Myrrh and frankincense simmered in the brazier. She took her time, her movements deliberate. Raven took the opportunity to calm down, watching the smoke swirl upward.

“Yes, but only recently was I able to receive that information, which was patchy at best. Frank filled in the blanks. More importantly, did Frank tell you what I confided to him? Those powerful sorcerers are close. I don’t believe they’re here on Mirabelle, but on Hannah’s Vineyard instead. More will die.” She paused. “Raven, there’s a deep hatred connected to Tobias.”

“Not surprising.”

A violent crash sounded, and broken glass flew into the room. Raven jumped up, the adrenaline rush activating her Lamai instincts. With long-reaching fingers, the intruder grabbed for Solaris, but missed his target. Raven lunged toward the trespasser, clutching his shoulders and flinging him back onto the couch. Silver-blue eyes stared back at her.

She muttered, “Derrick.”

As he struggled to reach Solaris, Raven could see his fangs had fully formed and he craved blood. Breaking free from her grip, he attempted to grab Solaris. He jumped and landed on the heavy desk, knocking over the brazier. Solaris prayed in the corner to her loa for protection.

With one flip of her wrist, Raven pinned him down. Her knee dug into his chest, her fangs unsheathed and ready to kill.