Witch's Fury

“Yeah, whatever,” Gilly said. “So is that the excuse I use if one of you gets chewed up by those sky assholes?”

“Chill, okay,” Viv said. “We’re fine. We’ll leave here as soon as you get the Chenilles back city side, and the ferry makes it back here.”

“I don’t like it,” Gilly said. “You’re too out in the open. If something happens to one of you...well, it ain’t gonna be pretty for Nikoli and Lucien. That’s all I’ve gotta say.”

With small shakes of their heads, Viv and Evee cocked an ear toward the feeding area.

“Sounds like they’re about done,” Gilly said. “Patrick will lead them back here, so go hide behind a tree or something, will you? The last thing I want is for one of my own to get to either of you.”

Doing as they were asked, Viv and Evee ducked into a grove of trees just as Patrick led the now satiated Chenilles back to the ferry. They boarded lethargically, all of them seemingly overfed.

Once everyone was on board, Gilly closed the back gate of the ferry, kicked the motor on and steered the ferry to city side, where she knew Gavril would be waiting. She wished the ferry had a throttle, wanting it to go faster. All she cared about right now was seeing his face and getting her sisters back from the compound safely. But there was no throttle, so she had to tolerate the chug-chug of the engine and snail crawl of motion until they reached the other side.

After unlocking the back gate, Gilly motioned for Patrick to take her troupe back to the cemetery and make sure they were hidden in old crypts that had been busted open by vandals or in between any open mausoleum slots.

Patrick nodded and, with a grunt, motioned for the other Chenilles to follow him, which they did. Their steps were lumbering, as if trying to balance oversized bellies as they walked.

When they were well out of sight, Gilly uttered an incantation that sent the ferry back to Algiers for Viv and Evee to board. She waited at the water’s edge, nervously biting her nails, her insides shaking. Her nerves were already shot with all that had been going on, but thinking that her sisters might get hurt by a stalking Cartesian en route made her nerves so bad, she thought she’d vomit.

“They’ll be fine,” a man’s voice said behind her. And it took a nanosecond for Gilly to recognize it as Gavril’s. He put his hands on her shoulders and leaned closer to her ear. “I promise. They’ll be fine. And as soon as they return, they’ll have Nikoli and Lucien at their sides at all times. That I assure you.”

“But what if—”

“You can ‘what if’ until the cows come home,” Gavril whispered into her ear. “But the key is to think positive. Visualize them back here safe and sound. Nothing will happen to them.”

Gilly turned toward him, Gavril’s hands still on her shoulders. “Nobody can know for sure. Crap happens, you know?”

Gavril let out a chuckle. “That’s one thing I like about you, Ms. François. You do speak your mind, no matter what crosses it.”

“It’s not funny,” Gilly said. “They’re alone out there and—”

“Look,” Gavril whispered and turned Gilly around. There in the distance was the ferry, already headed city side. From the light of the moon, Gilly easily made out Viv and Evee, both standing near the landing gate. She let out a breath of relief she didn’t even realize she’d been holding.

Instinctively, Gilly reached up and covered one of Gavril’s hands with her own. The spark of electricity that went through her when they touched shocked her, and Gilly quickly removed her hand. She thought of the Elders’ warning not to be intimate with the Benders, as doing so might be their undoing. Yet she couldn’t help but think of Evee and Viv. Both had received the same warning but continued their relationships with Lucien and Nikoli.

Gilly helped maneuver the ferry into its slip and hugged each of her sisters as they walked off the ferry.

“What’s with the mushy stuff?” Viv asked with a laugh. “We only saw you a few minutes ago. You’re acting like you haven’t seen us in a year.”

“Mushy stuff, huh?” Gilly huffed. “Just glad both of you are safely here.”

“Me, too,” Evee said, with a worried expression on her face. “Me, too.”

* * *

Gavril watched as Gilly greeted her sisters, and felt his heart swell. As tough and independent as Gilly might have come across to the rest of the world, Gavril had been fortunate to see more. He’d seen how hard she could love, how deep her loyalties ran, her tenderness when the moment called for it.

Simply watching her interact with her sisters now, Gavril could not deny the fact that he was falling for Gilly and falling hard. This filled his heart and took him aback at the same time.

Gavril had dated more than his share of women over the years, but not one of them had affected him the way Gilly did. This had him walking in unfamiliar territory, which made him a bit nervous. He didn’t want to move too fast or too slow, and knowing either with Gilly was a hard call. Aside from that, he had to keep his mind on the matter that had brought him here in the first place—the Cartesians.

Worrying about how to approach Gilly with his feelings had to come second. His first order of business had to be protecting the Triad and the remaining Originals from the Cartesians. The problem was, every time Gavril saw Gilly, his mind took a hard left without permission, and all he could see or concentrate on was her.

Regardless of how he felt, he had to gain control over his emotions and focus on protection. He’d tried comforting Gilly earlier by telling her to focus on Evee and Viv returning on the ferry safe and sound. The whole time he’d been trying to convince her that they would return safely, he’d been worried about their safety. Both Evee and Viv had been out alone without a Bender to protect them from Cartesians. And having a Triad member out alone when the Cartesians were after them along with their Originals was like teasing a catfish with a fat, juicy worm.

He was just as grateful to see them return safely as Gilly had been. Now, however, things had to change. No more outings without a Bender in tow. And no matter what it took to make that happen, even when it came to feeding the Originals, Gavril would make sure it did.

Chapter 2

“What now?” Gilly asked as she, Gavril, Viv and Evee walked away from the docks.

“More hunting,” Gavril said. They crossed a broken piece of sidewalk, and Gavril placed a hand on the small of Gilly’s back to maneuver her around it.

“Our hunting skills suck,” Gilly said.

“Yeah,” Viv said. “All we’ve gotten out of hunting for our missing Originals is more missing Originals. There has to be a better way to tackle this.”

“I think it’s time to hit our Grimoires,” Evee said, referring to their book of spells. “Read through them to see if there’s not a spell we’ve missed or one we can alter slightly that might help us.”

“You can’t just alter a spell,” Gilly said gruffly. “You change it, and it changes the outcome.”

Evee frowned. “It was just a thought.”

“And a good one,” Viv said. She gave Gilly a warning scowl, and then she laid a hand on Evee’s shoulder, trying to reassure her. “It wouldn’t hurt for us to look at our Grimoires. I vote we go through them...just to be sure.”

“Well, if that’s the case,” Gavril said. “I’ll walk the three of you home, then go to the hotel and meet up with Nikoli and Lucien to make sure the arrangements are set up for Ronan. Knowing Nikoli, the details have already been set in stone, though.”

“Then why go?” Gilly said and then felt embarrassed for asking.

“Support,” Gavril said. “Everyone can use some from time to time. The three of you look through your books, and we’ll go back to the hotel and wrap up a few things regarding Ronan with our families. Let’s say the six of us meet up in front of St. John’s Cathedral in a couple hours.”

“Sounds good,” Viv said.

“Fine. Two hours,” Gilly said, and the she turned on her heels and started for home. She made sure she stayed at the lead as she didn’t want Gavril to see the disappointment on her face. She didn’t like the fact that he was leaving—for any amount of time.

“Slow down, will you?” Evee said as they neared the Garden District. “We’re not running a marathon.”

Gilly tsked and glanced over her shoulder at Evee. “No, but the sooner we’re off the streets, the better.”

When they finally reached home, Gilly unlocked the front door and marched into the foyer. She heard Viv reiterate to Gavril that they’d meet in front of the cathedral in two hours. After closing the door behind her, Viv turned on Gilly.

“What the heck’s wrong with you? He only offered to walk us home, and you’d have sworn he carried a contagion the way you stormed ahead.”

Gilly pulled off her T-shirt in the middle of the kitchen and started making her way to the stairs in order to shower and dress. “I wasn’t storming ahead,” she declared. “Just because I walk faster than you, it doesn’t mean anything else.”

Gilly heard Evee let out a giggle, and she stopped and glared at her sister. “What’s with that? I don’t find any of it funny.”

“I know why you were acting weird coming home,” Evee said.

“Oh, yeah, Smarty? Why?”

“Because you like him,” Evee said. “You didn’t want Gavril to leave.”

“Aw, that’s bull-crap,” Gilly proclaimed, and she walked into the foyer and started stomping up the stairs to her room.

“No, it’s not,” Evee said. “Admit it, Abigail François. You like Gavril Hyland.”

“Stop acting like a pubescent teen,” Gilly shouted down at her. She hated when anyone used her full first name. It made her sound like a wuss. “I’m going to shower.”

By the time Gilly made it to her bedroom, Elvis, her albino ferret familiar, was stretched on her bed. He greeted her with a big yawn.

“She’s right, you know,” Elvis said.

“About what?” Gilly asked, stripping out of the rest of her clothes.

“You liking that Hyland guy.”

“Oh, for the love of peace, would you stop already? I’m getting enough crap from Evee about that, and it just isn’t true.”

“But it—”

Naked, Gilly spun about on her heels and faced Elvis. “One more word out of you, and I’ll dunk you in cold water, got it?” Elvis hated to have his body immersed in water, much less cold, which Gilly had done to him by accident a year ago. She’d been holding Elvis while filling a tub with water. Before the water temperature had crawled to warm, as it often took the time to do in their big old house, she’d tripped and accidentally dropped Elvis into the tub. He’d howled and shrieked and sprang up on all fours out of the tub, then ran out of the bathroom into hiding. He’d stayed angry with her about the incident for weeks.

Elvis lay his head down and covered it with his front paws.

Once in the shower, and away from Elvis’ badgering and Evee’s teasing, Gilly relaxed under the hot spray and thought about Gavril. It wasn’t so much how he looked that tantalized her, although his Adonis-like handsomeness was nothing to spit at, it was who he was that intrigued her. It was the intensity with which he tackled any project he put his hand to, his gentleness when he touched her and the caring he showed for his family, which seemed as strong as what she felt for her own. She had a strong sense that Gavril felt for her the same way she felt for him. The way his eyes gazed into hers, how they never moved away from her face when she spoke, as if every word uttered held an importance that needed to be understood. Not once had he ever spoken over her. And the most beautiful thing about him, to her, anyway, was the way he seemed to be able to read her mind. To comfort her without her asking. To give her space without prompting. He accepted her for who and what she was. Never showing a hint of disgust or frustration. Not even when she dropped an F-bomb on occasion. In all of her adult years, Gilly had yet to meet a man with all those wonderful qualities.

Oh, and the way he smelled. An earthy scent, a manly scent with the slightest hint of cinnamon. It made her feel like a starving woman ready, needing, to consume all he had to offer.

It was easy to find one or two of these qualities in men, Gilly knew, but she had never known one man to possess them all. It was that and so much more that kept Gavril at the front of her thoughts. How would she ever find another man whom she felt had been so perfectly designed for her? She could only wish and hope he felt the same.

With his looks, Gilly was sure that he could have any woman he desired. All he’d have to do was look her way and smile, and any woman would melt like cream on a hot sidewalk at his feet. The thought of that jumbled Gilly’s belly with jealousy, and seemed to turn the water about ten degrees colder.

Scrubbing her face with her hands, Gilly let the thought of other women go down the drain with the dirty water she washed from her body. If anything, she’d discovered in the few days she’d known him that Gavril was as loyal as they came. And jealousy was not her strong suit, anyway, which was another piece of the puzzle that made their match perfect.

Only one square peg refused to complete the picture. That peg was the one the Elders had thrown in their lap by demanding that the Triad have nothing more to do with the Benders. They’d reminded the Triad that having relationships with the Benders would be their undoing, which in turn and in the end, would be the destruction of the world.

As Gilly stepped out of the shower and dried her body, she repeated what the Elders had said verbatim in her mind. Although she easily remembered their remarks word for word, she found them unfair and questionable. If having a relationship with a Bender would be the end of them, then what about Viv and Evee? Both had sex with their Benders but were still around, their powers on par with her own. She was the only one who hadn’t experienced hers. She wanted desperately to change that, but what if the Elders had been right? What if more intimacy with the Benders meant more destruction, more discord and more deaths among the Originals and humans in the city? Was she willing to take the chance and find out? The more she thought about it, though, the less sense it made. If the Elders’ words of warning were to be taken verbatim, then Viv and Evee would be useless as witches right now. Gilly couldn’t help but wonder if after all the centuries of interpretation, their Elders might have gotten something wrong or out of context.

After throwing Elvis a warning glance to keep his mouth shut, Gilly went to her closet, chose a pair of light blue linen pants and a short-waisted white cotton pullover. She pulled on a pair of ankle socks, shoved her feet into a pair of white sneakers and hurried out of the room. She was about to head down the stairs, when she heard Elvis’ voice.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you!”

“Pfft,” she proclaimed and hurried down the stairs.

She found Evee in the kitchen, steeping a cup of tea.

“Where’s Viv?” Gilly asked.

“She left,” Evee said. “Said she had to discuss something with Nikoli before we all got together, so she headed for his hotel.”

A prickle of worry stung the back of Gilly’s neck. “She shouldn’t be out alone. Maybe we should go and find her. Walk her over there.”

Evee glanced at the clock on the wall. “Too much time has passed. She’s surely already there, safe and in one piece. We still have an hour before we’re supposed to meet up with the guys in front of the cathedral. Whatever Viv and Nikoli have to talk about, I think we should give them that privacy.” She held up her cup. “Want some tea?”

“No, thanks,” Gilly said and found herself starting to pace the kitchen. “It’s still very dark outside. Suppose she gets jumped by some freakazoid.”

Evee smiled. “She brought a flashlight with her and the bat we keep in the laundry room. If anyone tries to attack her, I pity them more than anything.”

Evee’s smile and words usually comforted Gilly, but right now, they did little more than piss her off. They made her feel like she was being treated like a child.

“Look,” Gilly said. “I doubt if the Hyland cousins are going to give a rat’s ass if we show up at their hotel early instead of meeting them at the cathedral at a precise time. I really think we need to go and check on Viv—make sure she got there okay.”

“Okay, okay,” Evee finally agreed. “But I’d like to finish up this chamomile tea first, if you don’t mind.”

Gilly wrinkled her nose. “Chamomile? That crap tastes awful. You just as soon be drinking horse vomit. Why chamomile?”

“It relaxes me. Gets rid of anxiety so I can focus.”

“Peppermint tea does the same thing, but at least it tastes good. Besides, chamomile wires me up.”

“Yes, but—”

Gilly waved a hand to cut off her words. “Drink whatever you like, but just drink it. I’d like to get going sooner than later.”

“What’re you so worried about? She’ll be with the Benders.”

“If she made it there.”

Evee gulped down the rest of her tea, smacked her lips and then placed the cup and saucer into the kitchen sink. “Viv’s a big girl. She can handle herself.”

“You mean like she had to handle herself when a Cartesian attacked and Lucien had to perform a flying tackle to get her out of the way, and Ronan ended up dead?”

“Geez, you don’t have to be so brash,” Evee said. “I’m done with the tea, so let’s go already. Anything to ease that wild-stallion brain of yours.”

Satisfied that they were finally on their way, Gilly grabbed a flashlight from the utility room and hurried to the kitchen door to lead the way to the hotel.

“Shall I find another bat?” Evee asked with a grin.

“Don’t be stupid,” Gilly said. “We only had one. Maybe bring a butcher knife or something like that. Anything to protect us if we need it.”

Evee let out a sigh of exasperation. “I will not run around the city with a butcher’s knife. Should, and I do mean should, something come up, remember we are witches. We’ll turn the attacker into a toad or a rabbit.”

“I prefer a pile of dung, myself,” Gilly said, walking out of the back door with Evee in tow.

“That’s because you’ve got the class of a hyena, sister. You know, everyone claims we’re triplets, but really, you could have been adopted.”

“Oh, shu...hush up. You’re just upset with me because I’m a little wired about Viv.”

“A little wired? Abigail, darling, you could light up half the state with your worry wires. She’s fine. I’m sure of it. I’ll bet you ten to one she’s with Nikoli at the hotel, sitting nice and cozy beside him.”

It was earlier than they’d originally planned to meet at the cathedral; more than likely, Nikoli and Lucien were still talking to family members about Ronan’s death. Gilly knew she should have given them the space they needed to make their family calls, but Viv’s heading out there alone made decent protocol appear stupid. She had to make sure her sister was safe with her Bender.

With dawn breaking, and the trolleys still not up and running, Gilly and Evee had to foot it from the Garden District to Royal Street in the French Quarter, where the Hotel Monteleone was located.

Gilly speed-walked the entire way, with Evee occasionally stopping to work out a stitch in her side.

“Slow down, will you?” Evee said to Gilly. “At this pace, you’re going to give me a heart attack.”

“Witches don’t have heart attacks.”

“Okay, then my lungs are going to burst. You’re faster than I am, so slow it down a notch. Why are you all but running there? We agreed to go to the hotel to make sure Viv was okay, and we’re doing that, but you didn’t mention speed-walking like a gazelle to do it.”

Gilly slowed slightly, allowing her sister to catch up. “Something’s wrong,” she said suddenly. “I feel it in my gut. That’s what’s making me so anxious to get there as quickly as possible.”

Evee came to an abrupt stop. “What’s wrong? Cartesians? Are they around here? Did one of them get Viv?”

Taking her sister’s hand, Gilly pulled her forward, not wanting to stop their progress to the hotel.

“I can’t quite put my finger on it. It just feels like a fur ball growing in the pit of my stomach. I’m not sure who or what’s causing it. The only thing I know is it isn’t good.”

Evee tugged on Gilly’s hand, attempting to slow her down even more. “Is it a Bender? Did we lose another one like we lost Ronan?”

“I already told you, I’m not sure what or who is causing me to feel this way, but there’s only one way to find out—get our asses to the hotel and find out.”

That bit of information seemed to add new energy to Evee’s step. Gilly pushed her speed up a notch. She really wasn’t sure how many more catastrophes she’d be able to manage without losing her mind. She might be a witch, but she was still human, filled with emotions and yearnings. Being a witch didn’t stop that from happening.

When they finally reached the Monteleone, Evee led Gilly to the elevator bank near the Carousel Bar. She remembered the room number from before and figured it best to go directly there instead of heading to the reception desk first.

Having reached the appropriate floor, Evee led Gilly to the suite shared by the three remaining Benders and then knocked on the door.

Within seconds, Nikoli opened the door and seemed surprised to see them. His eyes were slightly red-rimmed, as if he’d been crying. Gilly couldn’t blame him. Had he not shown some emotion over the loss of his cousin while telling his family, she’d have considered him an asshole of the highest order.

“Are we late?” Nikoli asked, glancing at his watch. Evidently seeing that they were in fact a half hour early, he asked, frowning, “Is there a problem?”

“Is Viv here?” Gilly asked.

Nikoli looked surprised. “No, she hasn’t been here since we arrived at the hotel earlier. Why?”

“She was supposed to be on her way here to discuss something with you,” Evee said. “At least, that’s what she told me.”

Nikoli invited them inside and motioned for them to have a seat on the couch in the living area. When they were seated, Nikoli stroked his beard, worry etching his face. “She said she was coming here?”

“Yes,” Evee said.

“You mean to tell me she’s not shown up here at all this morning?” Gilly asked, getting to her feet.

“I haven’t seen her since the feedings,” Nikoli said.

“I told you,” Gilly said to Evee. “I told you something was wrong.”

“What are you talking about?” Nikoli asked.

About that time, Gavril appeared, freshly showered, barefoot, dressed in jeans and a cobalt-blue button-down shirt.

His eyes went wide when he saw Gilly and Evee, and then narrowed. “Is there a problem?”

“I’d say so,” Evee said.

“What is it?” Gavril asked.

“The girls are saying that Viv was on her way here to talk to me about something, but she never showed,” Nikoli said, nearly shouting. Dressed in jeans and a forest-green pullover, he went over to the desk in the living area, grabbed his scabior and attached it to his belt. Gilly noticed his hands shaking slightly.

Gilly stared at Evee and said, “She’s gone missing. Heaven and all the elementals, our sister has gone missing!”

Instead of answering, Evee suddenly burst into tears. “We have to find her! We have to!”

“She’s got to be our first priority,” Gilly said. “Screw the missing Originals and those damn Cartesians. We want our sister back—now!”

After Lucien belted his scabior to his jeans, they all but ran out of the hotel en masse.

To the patrons of the hotel, they must have looked like lunatics, running down hallways, across the foyer, and all but crashing through the front doors of the hotel.

Gilly had no idea where to start looking. She feared most of all that somehow the same thing that had happened to Ronan had happened to her sister. The only thing that abated her fear was an innate knowledge that all three sisters carried. One knew when the other was hurt. It only made sense that Gilly would know in her heart of hearts if Viv was dead. And she didn’t feel that was the case.