Chapter Six #2
Gen shrugged. “I don’t know. Magic is not my strong suit.”
Bene snorted. “You could have fooled me.”
Gen shook her head. “It comes and goes. I can barely control it.”
“Well, you’re a great artist,” Bene pointed out, upbeat as ever. “There’s that.”
She sighed. “Not super helpful when I’m attacked.”
“What other areas are spelled here?” Henrik’s casual tone didn’t conceal his interest, making my inner alarms clang.
“Oh, they appear here and there from time to time,” Gen said, keeping it vague.
Smart woman. Maybe even cunning. A woman I had definitely underestimated.
“Anyway, the magic is wearing out in places,” she finished.
“Maybe you could learn enough to revive it,” Bene said helpfully.
Damn the man. Always saying the right thing at the right time. Not my strong suit.
Gen laughed outright. “Don’t hold your breath. I’m more likely to sprout wings and fly.”
The sorrow in her voice went right to my heart, as did her comment. Did she mean dragon?
I think she would make a better tiger, my beast whispered hopefully.
I thought so too. Then I winced at a sudden burn on my shoulder.
“Antiseptic,” Gen explained apologetically. Then she stopped. “Wait. Does antiseptic even work against naga venom?”
It had better, part of me growled. Still, the sting was worth it for the rest.
She looked expectantly at Henrik.
He shrugged. “Why would I know?”
Ah, vampires. So fucking helpful.
She worked a while longer, then patted my back. “All done now.”
I frowned. So soon?
When I looked up, our eyes locked. Really locked, like two sides of a lifting bridge snapping together, clearing the way for a sudden rush of magic.
Everything else faded away, leaving just me, her, and an inexplicable sense of belonging.
An alien sensation, because tigers didn’t belong.
We prowled around the edges of the action, keeping a safe distance — physically and emotionally.
We avoided trouble. And, like soldiers, we protected ourselves.
Our hearts most of all.
“Are those nagas based around here?” Bene asked Henrik, yanking us both back to a world of harsh realities.
Henrik scoffed, as if no self-respecting supernatural would settle in such a remote region.
And yet, here he was. But that was the least of the mysteries that shrouded the guy.
“No,” he finished. “They’re based in Paris.”
“They followed us all the way from Paris?” Gen yelped.
My tail went from tapping softly to lashing in anger. Raising my head, I caught Bene’s eye.
He nodded and relayed my thoughts. “Roux would have noticed if they had. More likely, they had orders to lurk around here.”
“Whose orders? And why would they be after me?” Gen asked.
A thought struck me, and I looked at Henrik. What about Celeste?
He frowned, thinking. “Celeste can never be discounted, and I wouldn’t put it past her to hire nagas.”
“Celeste — again,” Gen said bitterly. She hadn’t met the succubus in person, but obviously, her sister had filled her in. “Why does she hate you guys so much?”
“She hates Mina too,” Bene pointed out cheerily.
I frowned. What if Celeste hated Gen for the same reasons? Greed, resentment, jealousy…
Gen’s frown said she was wondering the same thing.
“If Mina or Marius calls, please don’t tell them about this. Not until they come home, I mean. I don’t want to ruin their honeymoon.”
“Three nagas are grounds enough to break off a honeymoon,” Bene countered.
“Maybe, but it’s just one more day. Please,” she tried.
Bene looked at Henrik, then me.
I was torn. Bene was right — this was serious. But recalling Mina or Marius suggested we couldn’t handle this on our own, and that didn’t sit well with me.
You two take turns patrolling tonight, I ordered. I’ll scour the grounds for any signs of naga — or anything else — in the morning.
Bene made a face, but neither he nor Henrik protested — a sign of how earnestly they took this.
“God, I could use a drink,” Gen muttered.
Henrik stepped to the drinks trolley and raised his hands expectantly. Old habits must die hard, because that was one of the few gentlemanly things he did.
“A little red wine, please,” she said. “Whatever is open.”
He poured a glass and brought it over.
“Thanks,” she said, taking it absently.
Henrik looked about to turn away, but something stopped him. Dangerous vibes filled the room, and pinpoints of red shone in his eyes, fixated on a speck of blood on Gen’s arm. My blood, probably, but it mixed with her rosy scent, making for a unique bouquet.
The vampire flared his nostrils greedily.
“Oh no, you don’t.” Bene yanked him back just as I was gathering myself to pounce.
Henrik stalked to his favorite corner of the room — something only a vampire would have — where he straightened his collar and muttered, as if Bene were the unreasonable one.
Painful as it was, I maneuvered myself into sphinx position to keep an eye on him.
Where is Claudette when you need her? Bene half joked in my mind. Henrik could quench his thirst with her.
My mouth went sour. I felt for Claudette — truly — but I was also wary. Why give an outsider free run of the chateau — especially a vulnerable human susceptible to manipulation by our enemies?
I really doubt Claudette is passing information to Clement, Bene said, reading my mind.
Well, I didn’t. The wolf shifter would give his right arm for information that incriminated us or Gordon. That would bump his furry ass up the career ladder and potentially clear the way for him to have another chance at Mina.
Marius would fight to his last breath for Mina, but I had the feeling Clement would too.
A snarl built in my throat. Claudette meant trouble, and so did Officer Clement Dulaire.
A phone rang, breaking the silence of the room. Everyone tensed as Gen pulled out her phone and looked at the display.
“If that’s Gordon, I’ll shit,” Bene muttered.
Me too, because the big boss had a way of calling at the most inopportune — and suspicious — moments.
“Not a word about this if that’s him,” Henrik warned.
My sentiment exactly.
“Not a word if that’s Officer Dulaire either,” Henrik added.
That ass, I couldn’t help thinking.
“In fact,” Bene threw in, “it’s probably best if you don’t answer at all.”
Gen stared. “Aren’t you overreacting a little?”
“No,” Henrik and Bene said in unison.
She looked at me, and I lashed my tail. Definitely not overreacting.
Another ring. Then another. Finally, she answered, turning on the speaker.
We fell silent, listening.
“Oh hello, Mina,” she said, giving Henrik a look that said, See? You always find the worst in things.
Yes, but that had kept him alive through several tumultuous centuries.
“Are you all right?” Mina demanded, clearly anxious.
“Yep. Great,” Gen chirped.
“I felt something,” Mina persisted. “Like you were scared or something.”
“Bene surprised me when he was prowling around in lion form,” Gen lied.
He put a hand on his heart, making it clear his pride was wounded.
Gen winced, mouthing, Sorry.
Mina sighed. “Bene again.”
He frowned. What the hell does that mean?
I chuckled. That’s what you get for being class clown, asshole.
“Everything else is okay?” Mina asked.
“Yep. Great. Oh, well, except the car. It’s…er, acting up. I have to bring it to the shop.”
Ha. A minor understatement.
“But I have a lead on an electrician,” Gen said and explained her farfetched plan. So farfetched, it might actually work.
Mina, of course, loved it.
They chatted for a while, then said their goodbyes.
“Say hello to everyone for me,” Mina said.
Gen waved at each of us. “I will.”
Marius piped up from the background. “Tell those assholes they’d better be on their best behavior.”
“Marius sends hugs,” Mina said cheerfully.
I barely bit back a snort.
Bene blew a kiss at the phone, and Gen relayed, “Big hugs from everyone here too.”
Henrik looked ill. I didn’t relish the thought either. Mina had hugged me once, at her wedding, and that was okay. But anything more than a thump on the arm from Marius, Bene, or Henrik would cross a red line.
“Okay, good night. Thanks for calling… Take care…” Gen went on and on.
Bene stirred the air with his hand and mouthed, Women!
“You too. And Marius. Oh, and don’t forget to bring us something!” Gen continued.
I had a sister too, and we got along well, but Christ. We could have held an entire conversation in the time it took Gen and Mina to say goodbye.
Henrik stalked out of the room, mouthing See you in the morning as they went on and on.
“Okay. You too. Be good…”
I lowered my head and closed my eyes, listening to the crackle of the fire — and to Gen’s voice, which was just as soothing, for reasons I couldn’t explain. My body ached, but the fire was warm, and now that everything was okay…
“Love you,” Gen said, though her voice seemed a hundred miles away.
A bleary corner of my mind captured those words and held them close.
Then I drifted off into a deep, peaceful sleep.