Moon Bound: LaRue Series, Book 4 Page 7

  Damn, the man was a sight to behold. He easily put all the men sporting muscles and underwear on billboards to shame. Her gaze landed on his shapely ass as he tugged on his jeans. He didn’t bother to button them or put on a shirt before he winked at her and walked from the room.

  She stretched before she threw off the covers and got up. As she made her way to the bathroom, she caught sight of her reflection in the mirror. Pausing, Elise smiled at the woman staring back at her.

  A woman who didn’t care about the scars anymore. They were proof that she’d survived. Perhaps she should wear them like a badge instead of hiding them.

  She hurried to her closet, shoving aside clothes as she searched for a short-sleeve shirt. She finally found one that was hidden in the very back. Elise smiled as she took it off the hanger and brought it and the rest of her clothes into the bathroom.

  Her shower was quick in her haste to put on a piece of clothing she hadn’t worn in three years. When she finally stared at herself in the mirror, she let her gaze rake over the scars on her arms that would now be visible to anyone. Yet, she wasn’t afraid.

  Being with Kane had done that for her. He had helped her to get past the fear that held her back. She didn’t even want to think about her life without him. While they hadn’t talked about the future, she was ready to try whatever it took, so long as they could be together. It was too early to tell him of her love, but she would hold it safely within her heart until the time came to share it.

  She shook out her curls and walked from the bathroom just as Kane was finishing the waffles. Elise planted a kiss on his cheek and got out the syrup before pouring two cups of coffee.

  To think, she had been happy living alone, just her and Mr. Darcy. She turned and saw the cat rubbing around Kane’s legs, meowing up at him every so often. Mr. Darcy had fallen in love with Kane just as she had.

  She sat at the table, ready to dig in to the breakfast. It wasn’t until Kane sat across from her and she looked into his blue eyes that she knew something was wrong.

  He ran a hand through his blond hair, shoving it back from his face before he reached for the syrup. She took a drink of coffee and watched him. He couldn’t quite meet her gaze. The happiness she’d felt since waking was shattering right before her eyes.

  “I like the shirt,” he said, glancing up at her before putting a large bite into his mouth.

  Elise set aside the cup and folded her hands on the table. Her appetite was now gone. “Whatever you have to say, just say it.”

  Kane slowly set down his fork and looked at her. “I was going to do it after our meal.”

  “I’d rather you do it now.”

  He gave a quick nod. “I’m going after Delphine.”

  She didn’t need to ask if he were going alone. She knew he was. There was no point in arguing with him. Kane had made up his mind, and his stubbornness refused to allow him to consider another alternative.

  “I’m surprised you didn’t leave last night so you wouldn’t have to tell me.”

  His brow furrowed. “Is that what kind of man you think I am?”

  “No.” She took a deep breath and looked away. “I’m sorry. That was uncalled for. I just don’t want you to go.”

  “I don’t want to.”

  “Then don’t,” she said, jerking her gaze back to him. “Please.”

  He held out his hand, palm up. Elise put her hand in his, chills racing over her skin when his fingers curled around hers.

  “If I don’t do this, Delphine will remain out there, gathering strength. She may let us have a few years. Just enough where I’ll think she’s gone for good or moved on. Then she’ll strike. She’ll take you from me first. It’ll be quick and vicious. And bloody. Someone else close to me will be next. She’ll do it to remind me that she has the power to make me suffer. And to let me know that I walk this path alone. After that, she may or may not kill me. She likes to toy with people, and she’s had plenty of opportunities to kill me and hasn’t. It would be just like the mental bitch to keep me alive and remind me every chance she got about everything she took from me.”

  Elise’s heart hurt for Kane. She might have tried to dismiss his words if she hadn’t listened to his exchange with Mr. Perkins. It seemed Delphine’s reputation exceeded well past New Orleans.

  “Do you think you can win?” she asked.

  Kane shot her a lopsided grin. “I’m sure as shit going to try.”

  “And if you do?”

  He shook his head. “That’s a conversation for when this is finished.”

  In other words, if he came back. Elise smiled and nodded. “Then go do what you have to do.”

  “There are some letters on your desk. Will you see that they’re mailed?”

  She glanced at her desk, frowning. “Did you sleep at all last night? I never even knew you got out of bed.”

  “I wrote them in bed with you.”

  That made her feel a little better. “I’ll mail them.”

  “Your waffle is getting cold,” he said and released her hand as he went back to eating.

  It was all she could do to get half of the waffle down. Every bite stuck in her throat, threatening to come back up. Somehow, she ate and held a conversation with Kane as he told her the precautions to take.

  All too soon, she was standing at the door with Kane, fighting back tears and the need to beg him to stay. She kept her back straight and her chin up, even though she was dying inside.

  “If I lose, she’ll come straight for you. If I’m not back in a day, head into the city to a bar called Gator Bait. One of my future sisters-in-law is a witch. She can help protect you,” he told her.

  She nodded.

  He cupped her face and gave her a kiss that made her toes curl and her sex throb with the desire to feel him deep inside her. He sighed as he ended the kiss and looked down at her. “Be safe. Don’t leave the house unless you have to.”

  “Come back to me.”

  His gaze filled with emotion as he pressed his forehead to hers. His lips parted as if he were going to say something, but he changed his mind at the last minute and gave her a hard, quick kiss before he was out the door.

  Elise watched him as the tears fell unheeded down her cheeks. Mr. Darcy let out a plaintive meow and jumped on the windowsill to stare after him.

  She wiped at her cheeks and turned away once Kane had disappeared into the trees. Elise walked to her desk and saw four letters—to Solomon, Myles, Court, and Riley.

  Kane’s last words returned to her, and she hurried to open her laptop to look up Gator Bait. In no time, she had the bar’s website pulled up and her phone in hand, but she hesitated to call. Would they even believe her? Not to mention that Kane would be pissed if they showed up.

  But she didn’t care as long as he survived. That’s what mattered.

  Elise punched in the number. Her heart thudded in her chest as the line connected and it rang. Someone finally answered on the sixth ring.

  The male voice on the other end gave her pause. “Can I speak to one of the owners, please?”

  “If this is a complaint, I’ll be happy to listen.”

  She briefly closed her eyes and tried again. “I need to talk to one of the LaRues. This is about Kane.”

  There was a brief pause before the man said, “Hang on.”

  She was put on hold, music playing in the background. Elise stood and walked to the window to look at the last place she’d seen Kane. He had been so adamant about keeping his family out of his plan.

  Listening to him describe the things Delphine had done to him and his family had been appalling. The woman was seriously deranged, and she needed to be stopped. It wasn’t that Elise didn’t believe Kane could do it, she just didn’t want him battling the priestess alone. Elise wanted him back beside her.

  Because she was protecting him.

  Just as Kane was protecting his family.

  Elise hung up the phone. As much as she believed Kane shouldn’t face Delphine alo
ne, she now understood why he had chosen such a role. He loved his family so much that he was willing to die for them if it meant that they could live free of such evil.

  How could she stand in the way of that? She was thankful that she had been put on hold for so long. Otherwise, she would’ve told them everything. Elise cleaned up the kitchen and opened the doors to the clinic just as her first appointment arrived.

  * * *

  “She said it was about Kane,” Court stated.

  Solomon stood with his arms crossed over his chest as he looked from the phone to Myles and Court. “Did you ask her anything?”

  “I put her on hold so all of us could hear what she had to say,” Court said.

  Myles leaned back in the chair and tossed another pencil into the ceiling above him. “We all knew Kane was alive, and now we have proof. I just want to know why he hasn’t come home.”

  But Solomon knew. “Delphine. He’s probably been tracking her.”

  Court shook his blond head. “He can’t be so stupid as to go up against her alone.”

  “That’s exactly what Kane plans,” Myles replied softly.

  Court gave a loud grunt. “Look at the times we’ve faced her. We managed to win each time, and some by the skin of our teeth, but every fucking time has been with the help of our allies.”

  “We know that,” Solomon said. “And Kane knows that.”

  Court leaned his hands on Myles’s desk. “Does he have a death wish? Is that what’s got this bug up his ass?”

  “He’s doing it because Delphine came after Addison, Skye, and Minka. He’s doing it for us,” Myles said.

  Solomon dropped his arms, a great weight settling on his shoulders. “I’m not losing him. I can’t.”

  “We can’t,” Court corrected.

  Myles nodded and leaned his forearms on his desk. “I don’t know why this woman called, but we need to find her.”

  “Before it’s too late for us to help Kane.” Solomon turned as the back door to the bar opened, and their women walked in.

  Minka’s brown gaze collided with him, and she immediately hurried into the office. “What is it? What happened?”

  “Kane,” Solomon said. “A woman called about him, but she hung up before we could talk to her.”

  Minka grinned. “And you want me to find her.”

  “Her number, her address, anything,” Myles said.

  “I’m on it,” Minka said.

  Solomon watched her as Skye moved to Court’s side, and Addison went to Myles. The LaRue family had just been the brothers for years, but now, it included their woman, friends, allies, and extended family.

  Their cousins—especially Riley—had been waiting for another shot at Delphine. Maybe one last battle was in order to wipe the priestess out for good.

  11

  Leaving Elise was the hardest thing Kane had ever been forced to do. With every step, he wanted to turn back to her, to run into her arms and hold onto her forever.

  But how could he live with himself if he did? What right did he have to happiness while his family, friends, and innocents—and even him and Elise—would suffer from Delphine’s continued rise to power.

  So he would sacrifice whatever future happiness he might have had with Elise so others could live free of the priestess’s wrath.

  Kane didn’t shift. Being in wolf form would give him an advantage with his heightened senses, but he had a plan. Even with Delphine’s weres following at a distance, he chose not to shift.

  Anger simmered through him. The weres weren’t attacking him, because Delphine wanted him for herself. The show at Elise’s house had been to get him outside. Well, he was there now, and Delphine would pay for everything she’d done to the LaRues, the Chiassons, and everyone else that had been hurt or killed by the priestess.

  And the list was long.

  Kane had grown up on the streets of New Orleans, but over the last couple of years, he had ventured far from the city into the bayous. While his cousins might know the bayous as well as they did, Kane was comfortable maneuvering the waterways, as well as avoiding the many dangerous animals that thrived in such a place.

  He returned to the place he’d last seen the black mass. His gaze raked over the area where moss dangled from the limbs of the cypress trees. A fallen log was the resting place of a turtle on one side and an adolescent gator on the other.

  The cloudless sky promised still air, and the temperatures, already in the upper nineties, guaranteed a sweltering afternoon. Just another typical day in Louisiana.

  Kane’s eyes moved slowly over the water. He counted four alligators floating beneath the surface, just their eyes visible. He saw another two on the bank. And all of them watched him.

  The only way to the isle was through the water—a swamp infested with gators. There was no way he’d make it. And Delphine knew it.

  A large, twelve-foot gator off to Kane’s left hissed loudly. It was to warn Kane not to venture any closer. Gators were very territorial.

  While Kane had no wish to tangle with the animals, he had to get to Delphine. Except she’d made sure to go to the one place he couldn’t reach. She obviously wanted him out here, though, which meant she had some sort of plan.

  “I’m waiting,” he called toward the isle.

  The sound of a woman’s laughter—Delphine’s cackle—floated on the air, causing icy fingers of foreboding to run down his spin.

  * * *

  Elise had just finished typing the notes about her last client when the door opened. “Be right with you,” she said.

  After she’d saved the notes, she turned to find the small room she used as her clinic filled with three tall men and three women. The men with their various shades of blond hair and the same blue eyes as Kane held her attention.

  She didn’t need to ask to know that these were his brothers.

  “How did you find me?” she asked.

  One of the men nodded instead of answering. “So, you know who we are?”

  She lifted a shoulder in a shrug. “You have the same eyes as Kane.”

  “Where is he?” another of the men demanded.

  The third sighed loudly and gave a shake of his head. “Please accept our apologies, Elise. We should’ve introduced ourselves first. I’m Myles, and the beauty beside me is Addison.”

  Elise nodded woodenly at the realization that these people didn’t just know who she was, they had found her. All because she’d placed a call to Gator Bait.

  Well, Kane did say one of the women is a witch.

  She halted her thoughts and paid attention as Myles introduced Court and Skye with her long, dark hair pulled into a ponytail, and then Solomon and Minka, whose curls lay over her shoulders.

  “Hello,” Elise said, unsure what to say next. “Kane isn’t here.”

  Solomon’s eyes looked to the door that led into her living room. “Why did you call?”

  “Because I thought you should know what he’s doing.”

  “Which is what?” Minka asked.

  Elise leaned back against the counter and braced her hands on it as she looked into six different faces. This was Kane’s family, the people who cared about him most.

  Court’s forehead frowned. “Elise?”

  “Y’all better get comfortable,” she said and motioned to the door. “I’ll close the clinic so we won’t be bothered.”

  While she flipped the CLOSED sign on the door, the others made their way into her house and took their seats. She rubbed her hands along her thighs as she stood before them, the denim scraping her palms.

  She noticed each of them glance at her arms, but no one said anything about her scars. For her first day wearing a short-sleeved shirt, she was getting a dose of how others reacted.

  Mr. Darcy walked to each of the brothers and sniffed them before coming to sit at her feet. Oddly, that small gesture gave her courage.

  Elise swallowed and licked her lips. “I found Kane about five days ago. He was being attacked by a pack of wo
lves right out there,” she said, motioning with her hand to the back yard and the bayou beyond. “I took my gun and fired it to run the others off. I saw the extent of his injuries and knew he would need help.”

  “Wait,” Solomon said. “Wolves?” He and his brothers exchanged worried looks before he asked, “Am I to understand that you faced down wolves alone? With a gun?”

  She nodded. “Foolish, I know, but I’m not one to let an animal suffer.”

  “So Kane was in his other form?” Court asked.

  Elise grinned as she glanced at the floor. “I thought he was a large dog at first. He was unconscious as I dragged him to the door of my clinic to treat him. That’s when he shifted.”

  “And you still tended him?” Addison asked.

  Elise tucked hair behind her ear. “I love animals, but I’m not callous. And even though I didn’t know what was going on, I had the means to stop the bleeding. Otherwise, Kane would’ve died.”

  “Thank you,” Solomon said.

  She looked out the window. “It was hours before he woke. I convinced him to remain until his wounds were healed.”

  “You didn’t know him,” Skye said.

  Elise glanced at her. “True, but I had glimpsed him in wolf form for weeks. He never harmed me. In fact, he stayed far away. And there was something in his eyes that told me I could trust him. While he was here, he told me who he was and explained what all of you do in the city.”

  “Kane doesn’t share such things,” Myles said.

  She shrugged, wrinkling her nose. “Perhaps it was because I saw him shift.”

  “What made him leave?” Minka asked.

  Elise bent and picked up the cat, holding the Siamese as he began to purr while she scratched his chin. “I left to get him some clothes. There were werewolves here when I returned. One nearly attacked me, but he stopped it in time. He said Delphine was the cause.”

  “I knew it,” Solomon said and ran a hand down his face.

  She rubbed her cheek against Mr. Darcy’s head. “Kane put up wards around the house. Then, this morning, he told me he had to go after Delphine. I tried, unsuccessfully, to talk him into contacting all of you. He said each of you had someone, and since he was the cause of all of this, he would fix it.”