“You’re not going to let him kill me, are you?” Raven asked, finishing the beer. She walked over to the refrigerator and took another. “I need to calm down and think of a way out of here. Oh, did I say that out loud?”
“Boy, one beer and you’re gabbing away. You’re an easy
It was a spacious kitchen with a center island and an indoor grill. The floors were Mexican tile in a light grey color and the walls were stucco. Large planters with palms, ficus trees, hibiscus and dracaena stood in otherwise empty corners. It was a lovely kitchen, but it lacked the warmth of a woman’s touch.
“I’m nervous, not easy-big difference. And this isn’t a date, is it? If so…you’re a lousy one. I noticed you didn’t answer my question,” she added.
“I don’t really know what I’m going to do. I like you, Raven. I don’t want to see you die, but I don’t know what I can do. Laroque’s my bread and butter.”
Raven caught him looking a little too long at a picture of Jade that hung from a magnet on the fridge. More puzzle pieces shifted and fell into place.
She teased the fine-looking Lamai. “Ah, and you’re also in love with Jade.”
He turned, almost dropping the pan as he went to place it in the oven.
“You
Mick looked away. He was a striking man, his skin the color of rich milk chocolate. His features were fine, and he wore his hair cropped close to his scalp.
Raven flipped the cap from her beer bottle in the air. “That would present a problem. Killing her father wouldn’t exactly put you in her good graces.”
“Ya think?” he joked. He swiped the cap in mid-air.
“Does she know?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
She waved her index finger at him. “Oh, don’t start the ‘ma’am’ shit again. Call me Raven.”
“We’ve been seeing each other for a short while,
“Okay, so one day I could be your sister-in-law. You don’t want my death on your hands, do you?”
Mick took out some pre-packaged salad that hadn’t been opened. It was chock full of vegetables, including carrots, radishes and snow peas. He emptied the bag into a colander and rinsed the pre-washed mixture.
“Nice try, but your death would never be my fault. Laroque is the one hell-bent on killing you.”
Raven got up and went to the sink to pick out a carrot. Her stomach was rumbling with hunger. “Whatever helps you sleep at night, Mick, but you know and I know, and so will Jade, that you could’ve done something to stop this and you didn’t.”
“You think Laroque is stupid enough to leave just the two of us here? He’s got shifters patrolling the grounds. Those dogs out there are wolves. And his charms of protection are active and vastly improved. He learned from the last time, when you came and snagged Jade. He fixed things so he would feel it if
Raven slumped while Mick continued. “Plus, the boat is gone, and in case you didn’t realize, we’re not on Mirabelle Cove. We’re on the Vineyard.”
She sulked. “Yes, I noticed.”
“I’m thinking, though. The men outside are loyal to him. I tried feeling them out before, when we were in the Keys.”
“They were there?” Raven asked.
“Yeah, patrolling the grounds. They’ve worked for him for at least a decade.” Mick oiled a cookie sheet and placed the frozen pizza and popovers on it. He opened the oven door and slid the food inside.
“Laroque will kill me at the festival tomorrow night. A big sacrifice, I suppose.” She let out a distraught sigh.
“Your father would never allow that to happen…”
At once, it became daylight in the yard. One-thousand-watt sensor lights blazed, making it impossible to see what was going on outside. Mick ran to the door. “Stay in here,” he commanded.
Of course, Raven followed him.
The backyard was vacant of any large trees except for one massive oak. Its branches, practically bare, cast shadows of skeletal limbs onto the manicured grass. At the base of the oak, two grey wolves stood hunched, snarling at a massive black animal.
Raven could see the well-toned muscular form underneath the ebony fur that gleamed in the lamplight. She knew it was Bo. Lamai or not, Raven could tell when her man-her wolf-was near.
One grey wolf attacked the black beast, going straight for his jugular, but Bo swiftly moved out of the way. Unfortunately, he spun around into the other wolf.
Mick’s eyes glowed a golden color almost identical to Bo’s, and his fangs extended. His head swerved sharply and he was suddenly looking at Raven. “What part of
“Bo…” she whispered.
A hand clamped over her mouth. Her eyes widened as she tried to look at who grabbed her, but all she saw was blackness.
“Bo went to Hannah’s Vineyard,” Julianna said, gazing into her crystal pyramid. “The charms around Laroque’s house have changed from their greenish aura to red. He would know if someone had broken through, probably as soon as the perpetrator, meaning Bo, got within a certain distance of the perimeter.”
“I agree,” Solaris said, tossing small bones onto a velvet cloth. “Bo is on the Vineyard and he’s in danger, outnumbered.”
Julianna had closed The Bed and Brew early that night to prepare for the next day’s festivities. Solaris had resumed planning the Nights of the Parades once they had the epidemic under control. There were no new cases of the virus. News of Frank’s disappearance had died quickly, thanks to some spells performed by Emerald, Julianna and Solaris.
Mordred and Bridget were busy in the back preparing food for the following night. While kneading many loaves of dough, they tossed flour at each other, enjoying the moment. The scare of only a couple of weeks ago, when Mordred fought for his life, seemed years away.
Emerald sat next to Tobias and Jade, silently envying the young lovers in the other room. She was distracted and lost in thought, daydreaming about her wedding day, which would take place on the Winter Solstice.
“We searched the Vineyard-used our abilities to try to hone in on Raven’s energy. How did Bo know she was there?” Tobias asked.
Emerald’s lips parted slightly and her eyes rolled back, revealing only the whites.
A hollow voice came from petite blonde’s mouth. It was the voice of Queen Rhia. “I told you to follow the heart. The heart knows more than the mind, Tobias.”
Emerald slumped over, and Tobias grabbed her before she slid off the chair. He gathered her in his arms and laid her down on a quilted lounge chair by the roaring fire. Her eyes fluttered open and she smiled at Tobias, who gently stroked her cheeks.
“Follow Bo, my sweet. He knows where Raven is. His is the heart you must follow. Go. I’ll be fine. We’re fine,” Emerald whispered as she touched her belly. “I need to go shopping with Iris anyway. My jeans don’t fit anymore.” She raised her head and their lips met. “Go find your daughter.”
Jade stood and headed for the door. Tobias joined her.
As they walked over the threshold, both became one with the vapors.
Chapter Twenty-three
Her breath came out in puffs of smoke as she exhaled into the frigid night. Dressed in clothes suitable for the tropics, Raven was shivering. She noticed a heavy sweatshirt lying in a heap next to her. She pulled it over her head and rubbed her arms, trying to warm up. Judging by the salty air and bumpy ride, she concluded that they traveled by boat.
The cabin was dark. The purring of the engine soon cut back, signaling that they were close to shore. She stood and walked over to the cabin door, which suddenly swung open and just missed hitting her nose.
“Shit!” Mick’s booming voice drowned out her cry of shock as the two almost collided.
“I don’t have a lot of time. We’ve just arrived back on Mirabelle. I don’t know where Laroque is going to keep you until tomorrow. Raven…”
“Get her up here,” Laroque ordered, climbing down the steps to the cabin.
“Come on,” Mick said, grabbing Raven by the arm.
Raven had just stepped up onto the deck when from behind a hood fell over her head. Laroque yanked her hands behind her, and she felt the sticky glue of duct tape against her skin. He wrapped it tightly around her wrists.
“I can’t see…” she said as she fell forward onto the deck.
“Get up.” Laroque had clearly not cooled off in the least. His voice communicated only contempt.
Mick took her over his shoulder and walked the rest of the way, carrying her as he would a sack of potatoes.
Bo shimmered back to his human form and wiped the blood from his cheeks. He tore a piece of his denim sleeve and pressed it against his neck. Blood oozed from the wound inflicted by one of the wolves sent to attack him.
Both of them now lay dead under the oak tree. Murderous rage pumped through Bo’s body as he strode inside to look for his lover. He’d caught only a glimpse of her before the older wolf bit into his neck. She looked thinner, and he wasn’t used to seeing her with so much color in her face, but she was still breathtakingly beautiful. Still his Raven.
Walking into the kitchen, Bo smelled her essence lingering in the air like expensive perfume. Bo went to the sink and rinsed the cloth. Her energy was strongest in this area. He was lightheaded from his blood loss and he weaved his way to the table where he practically fell into the chair.
He breathed deeply, absorbing what was left of her essence as it hung in the misty air. Her energy was ripe for the taking. Ripples of heat bombarded him as he recoiled from the energy she left behind.
Images of her plagued him, along with the feelings of love they’d shared for a decade. He grabbed at empty air with his mind, trying to get hold of her, but there
