Chapter 15 Francois
Francois
I’d never expected to be so relieved to step firmly onto Dupont territory. Not even the knowledge that I used to command this space bothered me. I no longer wanted that sort of responsibility. Non. I wanted the protection only the Dupont royalty could offer. And we would be protected here.
I would be safe here, but more importantly, my mate would be safe here. Some of my worry slipped away.
The doormen stepped aside as Ciara swept past, his eyes widening. Her hurry seemed to increase the closer she got to the interior of the club until she was practically pushing patrons out of her way.
I cast my gaze over the new interior, the twinkling lights in the ceiling capturing my attention before a movement on one of the balconies overlooking the stage drew my gaze.
Jason pushed away from where he’d been leaning on the balustrade, watching the clientele and the singer, and he rushed down the stairs. Jason and I had been roommates when I was abducted by the Ancients, but he wasn’t interested in me now.
He looked like hell, too, scruffier than usual, his face haggard. His cheeks were gaunt, and his eyes were haunted.
He rushed to Ciara and swept her into an embrace, holding her as though he never intended to let her go again.
“Ciara.” Her name was mournful on his lips. “They had the whole place guarded with some sort of magic Kayla’s been trying to unpick. We couldn’t get to you… Nic wouldn’t let me come back alone. I nearly ended up in his cells for trying.”
When Ciara buried her face against his chest, I looked away.
I wanted that level of intimacy and connection with Maeve.
And I completely understood how he must have felt when he was unable to rescue Ciara. Sympathetic, impotent rage rose inside me, but I squashed it down. It served no purpose now. I’d returned Ciara to Jason and all could be well.
When I looked at Maeve, her entire focus had been captured by the people milling about and dancing. Some were grinding against each other, others were a hair’s breadth away from feeding. Her eyes widened and she turned to me.
“Vampires?” She merely mouthed the word.
I nodded. “All flavors of the supernatural, I believe.”
“All?” Her eyes widened more and she took a small step forward like she wanted a closer look.
Only my hand on her arm stopped her from venturing farther into the crowd and becoming lost among the monsters and people already here. But she was an unclaimed human mate. My human mate. I couldn’t allow her to wander freely.
But she turned to look at me, and everything I wanted crashed away. I didn’t hold her interest here. She glanced at my hand on her arm and she shrugged it away. I wasn’t enough. She might never accept me now that I’d spent up my usefulness freeing her from her prison.
I held her gaze for a moment, but she gave the slightest shake of her head, and I didn’t try to stop her again as she melted into the crowd. I’d watch her, protect her, save her if she needed me to.
That was my duty as her mate. Even if she didn’t want me to.
I sighed as I walked to the flight of stairs Jason had run down.
The interior to the nightclub was so different now.
I didn’t like how understated it was, but I couldn’t deny it was still elegant, although the lack of crimson bothered me on some level.
When it had been mine, the décor had been much bolder.
Now it was sleek. Almost sterile. But I shrugged. It was also none of my business. And I didn’t care.
As I climbed the staircase, I looked out over the patrons, trying to spot Maeve.
Her hair was like a beacon as she sat at the bar, chatting to the bartender.
At least he’d watch her. He paused briefly and met my gaze as though he knew I’d wanted his attention. When he gave me a quick nod, I relaxed.
I knocked on the door of the first office once I reached the second floor. Sebastian had his head in his hands but looked up as I stood in his doorway.
Then he was immediately on his feet. “Fuck. How did you get here? Are the Ancients following you here? Have you brought trouble to our door? Where’s Ciara?” He let loose a torrent of questions and I waited a beat to ensure he’d finished asking them before I responded.
I was also a little taken aback by his tone, but maybe that was to be expected.
He hadn’t expected me to just show up in his club, and he was clearly worried I’d endangered everyone here by doing so.
The Ancients had been here before, too, and nearly killed his mate, if the things I’d been told were correct.
“This seems a little too convenient.” His eyes reddened when I didn’t immediately answer him. “Are they after Kayla again?” He moved forward as if to make his way to the door. “I need to take her offstage. She’s a fucking sitting duck.” He shook his head. “I knew it.”
“T'inquiète pas, mon ami. Don’t worry.” The addition of my friend at the end was probably a stretch, but we were far more friends than enemies these days, surely.
Our cause was a common one. I hesitated.
“I mean, I don’t know if they’re coming, but I’m not drawing them here.
I’m not working with them.” After the renewed chance at life Nicolas had offered me, I wouldn’t betray him.
“Then what?” Sebastian leaned his ass against the edge of his desk, but his pose still wasn’t relaxed. He was ready to spring into action at any moment, depending on what I said next.
He didn’t trust me, and I didn’t blame him.
“It’s a long story. We were looking for the information to kill the Ancients or render them ineffective, and we thought we’d become trapped in a hidden witch room. But there was a portal to the old mausoleum and we escaped.”
Sebastian raised an eyebrow. “Sounds very convenient. All roads lead to the family mausoleum, huh?”
I shrugged. That was the truth. Although he only knew of the portal to the gardens. They’d used that once when they’d come to reclaim Nicolas’s mate from me.
“Any proof of the existence of this witch room?”
That was an impossible request. “I didn’t stop to take pictures, if that’s what you’re asking.
” My tone turned derisive before I swept the satchel I’d filled from across my body, “But I did grab some of the books and artifacts to bring to you and Kayla. I thought Kayla might be able to help.” I tossed the bag toward him.
He caught it easily before emptying the contents carefully onto his wide desk.
My ghost had guided me a little on what to bring, and at the thought of her, guilt gnawed at the edges of me. Once again, I’d abandoned her in the place of her death.
Sebastian grabbed his cell phone and made a couple of quick taps on the screen before pressing it to his ear. “Hey. You want to come up here, Francois just walked in and he’s brought some stuff I think you might want to see.”
He was clearly talking to Kayla, but now that I’d given the magical items to Sebastian, my mind was once again on Maeve.
As if someone had read my mind, there was a tap on the door behind me, and the bartender stood in the doorway with Maeve.
“This belong to you?” he called, and Maeve wrinkled her nose as she looked up at him.
“Actual person right here.”
“I know,” he said, “and I’m not paid enough to babysit you downstairs.”
Sebastian beckoned her into his office, but when he looked like he might speak to her, I spoke first.
“Can I get you anything? Something to eat? Access to a shower?”
She had started to shake her head when I first spoke but her eyes lit up at the end of my questions, and the shaking turned to nodding.
“Actually, a shower sounds amazing.” Her stomach grumbled and she pressed her arm across the front of it. “And maybe some food at some point.” She laughed softly, and I tensed with the effort not to sweep her body against mine to feel her pressed there.
“Sebastian—”
He held up a hand. “All in good time. Kayla’s on her way up and I’m sure she’ll take…” He trailed off and glanced at Maeve with curiosity. The he looked at me, his gaze pointed.
My cheeks warmed, but I was pretty sure vampires never blushed. “Maeve,” I supplied. Mate, my head screamed. Mate.
“Well, I’m sure Kayla will take Maeve and find anything she needs to be comfortable. Kayla understands what this is like.”
I nodded. Kayla had also been human. But wait, did that mean Sebastian knew?
“Do you…?”
He nodded. “It’s pretty obvious.” He winked. “Plus I’ve been in your shoes.”
I moved a little closer to Maeve. I didn’t need to stake out my territory but the instinct to be as close to her as possible was overwhelming. “So what’s the plan?”
Sebastian sighed. “Like I said. Kayla’s on her way up…”
“From where?” Maeve cut in. Pride swelled my heart. My mate truly knew no fear. Either that or she had no idea she was talking to the Dupont regent.
To be honest, it was probably the latter. I hadn’t exactly introduced them. “Maeve, this is Sebastian Dupont. He’s the brother and regent of Nicolas Dupont, King of New Orleans.”
Her mouth dropped open. “Shit. It’s true.” She watched Sebastian for a moment as he chuckled at her reaction. Then she dropped into a messy curtsey. “I mean, your honor. How nice to…pleasant to…honorable to meet you.” She glanced up. “I…”
Sebastian laughed harder. “Francois, help your mate out.”
As I took her hand and drew her to stand by me, ignoring her protests about her status, he continued to speak.
“As I was saying, Kayla is coming. She and I have left the house for the moment. Regardless of how many guards I hired, it felt like we were sitting in a big bullseye. Downstairs feels easer to defend. There’s an apartment down there and we have magic.”
“That sounds sensible.” Honestly, I no longer knew what was sensible. Luckily, before I had to say anything further, Kayla entered the room.
She glanced at me, a side-eye of suspicion as she gave me an extra wide berth on her trajectory to Sebastian. He gathered her into his arms, and she turned to rest against him as she looked at Maeve and me.
Sebastian nuzzled at her ear, and she smiled. “Francois has brought you some presents, my love,” he said softly.
“Oh?” She lifted an eyebrow as she looked first at me then she turned to her mate, so close that their lips almost touched.
I wanted that. Fuck, I wanted it. It was the very thing I’d searched for my whole life. I’d craved that kind of love since even before my madness. The madness had only amplified what I needed most.
Sebastian maneuvered her back around in his arms so she could see his desk. “He found these at his father’s house.”
I nodded, grateful that he’d removed me from the situation. I’d lived there but it never truly been my house. Always my father’s.
“At émile’s?” Kayla spat out my father’s name like it was a dirty word, and I nearly laughed. It was the dirtiest word I knew.
“Yep. He brought everything you see here.” Sebastian looked at the desk, and Kayla stepped away from him to sort through some of the things. When she grabbed the spell book Maeve had found, she smiled.
“I think I might know what this is.” She began to flip through the pages, pausing only to lower her head and smell them occasionally. “This is powerful magic,” she murmured. “Fucking great I no longer have a soul to taint.”
Sebastian leaned forward and picked up the black sword before looking at me. “This?” He lifted both eyebrows as he held it.
“Don’t blame me.” I held out my hands, palms forward. “The wolf wanted that.”
Kayla glanced at me then looked at what Sebastian was holding. “Now that’s interesting,” she said. “Ciara has some of the best instincts I’ve ever known. I wonder what attracted her attention to it?”
I shrugged. “Not a swordsman. I don’t really know. But none of this stuff is good stuff.” I referenced the black magic rolling off it.
“Oh, I know.” Kayla’s smile wasn’t strictly good either, and I grinned.
Maybe she’d be a good friend for Maeve—someone we could rely on.
“It’s a weapon, though, and maybe it’s one we can actually use.
We still don’t actually know what works on the Ancients.
All suggestions are welcome.” She shrugged as she glanced at the items on the table again.
“But fuck, we need to tighten the wards.”
After Sebastian placed the sword back down, she turned to him, and they began a conversation so quiet I needed to strain to hear it. That was my cue to leave, then.
“Maeve, can I take you for some food and to find a shower? Sebastian and Kayla live in the apartment downstairs and Sebastian has said we can head down.” He hadn’t… well, not in so many words, but I didn’t intend to take my mate anywhere less secure than where the regent felt safe to keep his mate.
I only hoped Nicolas was already down there. He was the man I really wanted to see.