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“We must calm them down,” Ronan said.
Evee studied him for a moment. His collar-length black hair combed just so, his five o’clock shadow that accented a square jaw. His black eyes held such an intensity in them he could have melted a gold bar simply by staring at it and concentrating. Although he appeared a few years younger than Lucien, his height and build were similar to his cousin’s. The biggest difference between the two men was Ronan’s serious nature and the ease with which Lucien smiled.
Because there had been four cousins and three of the Triad, Evee had been paired with two Benders. Although they were two of the most handsome men she’d ever had the pleasure to meet, her initial intention had been to not allow attraction to enter into the serious business at hand. She’d never wanted to be drawn to either of the two men, although their good looks were second to none and each possessed unique qualities. But slowly and surely something other than the electric dome they’d created with their scabiors had begun to pulsate. Every time she looked at Lucien, she felt a jolt of electricity flow through her. When she studied Ronan, she felt sparks flutter through her, but not with the same intensity as she felt with Lucien.
Not that either mattered. They were men. They were human. She had no choice but to stay at arm’s length.
Lucien pulled Evee away from the pillar she’d been leaning against and stood her upright, facing him.
“Please do something now, Evee,” Lucien said.
Evee shook her head slightly as if just waking from a deep sleep. “I don’t even know if my spells will work. Even my sisters seem to have problems with theirs.”
“You have to at least try,” Ronan said. “It’s the only thing I can think of that’s causing the dome to fade.”
“What thing are you talking about?” Evee asked.
“The energy coming from the fighting Nosferatu.”
“That can affect the dome?” she asked.
Ronan pointed to the arcs over the catacombs. “What else could it be?”
With a sigh of resignation, Evee went to the gates of the catacombs, pressed her body against it and raised her arms up by her sides and began to chant.
“Quiet now, ye creatures’ mind,
Let thy actions turn from rage to kind.
See thy angst, fear and pain in vain,
So it is said.
So shall it be.”
No sooner had Evee finished speaking the words than the Nosferatu that had been ripping into one another broke apart. They looked about, seemingly confused, as if unable to comprehend what they had just been doing. Each shuffled off to a corner and sat licking wounds, which immediately healed. A quiet hum soon filled the catacombs, except for an occasional impatient grumble from one of the Nosferatu.
At least the fighting had stopped.
“Why didn’t you do that earlier?” Lucien asked.
“I—I don’t know,” Evee said. “I guess I was afraid it wouldn’t work. Just another failure.”
Lucien took hold of her chin with a thumb and forefinger and turned her head so she faced him. She had no choice but to look into his eyes.
“None of this is your fault. Whatever is causing the sporadic instabilities of your spells is not your fault. The Cartesians are powerful creatures, and their intention is to create havoc, to destroy the Originals and the Triad. Don’t give up on your powers. Don’t let the Cartesians see or feel your weakness, because that’s what they’ll focus on. We need to make sure you and your sisters stay safe, and the way you can help make that happen is to remain strong.”
Evee nodded, reprimanding herself silently for having succumbed to complacency. There was no room for it when it came to protecting her Nosferatu, for it was her job to keep them safe.
Ronan nudged Lucien. “We need to strengthen the canopy again, then go hunting for more Nosferatu before it gets any later. It’ll be feeding time before we know it, and the ones that are missing are going to be looking for food. That could mean attacks on humans if we don’t find them and bring them into the fold.”
Without a word, Lucien pulled his scabior from its sheath, which was attached to his belt, and Ronan followed suit. Together they did a quick flick of their wrists, twirled their scabiors around their fingers with lightning speed, then aimed them at the opposing poles. From the bloodstones that sat atop their scabiors shot a fierce bolt of lightning into the poles. They did the same with the remaining two poles, setting them alight until the catacombs lit up like a football field at game time.
Nosferatu scattered from the brilliance of the light, hiding behind crypts or crawling onto death shelves.
“Looks like that should hold them for now,” Lucien said.
Evee nodded and then motioned Pierre, her overseer, to the catacomb gates. She told him what they had in mind, and that he was to keep tabs on all the Nosferatu within the catacombs just as he had been doing prior to them getting out of control.
Although Evee trusted Pierre with her life, she feared that if they didn’t hurry and collect the missing Nosferatu and get all of them to the North Compound for feeding time, more fights would break out. Then they might lose the protection of the scabior canopy, and the Cartesians would find her Originals and annihilate them. Then it wouldn’t be long before humans throughout the city would die senseless, useless deaths.
Evee feared that might be going on even now with her Nosferatu. She felt in her gut that somewhere in the city more deaths had already taken place. She could only hope she and her sisters wouldn’t be next.
The Benders seemed very confident in their abilities and seemed to have a solid plan in place, or as solid as one might have in such a situation.
Evee, on the other hand, had not known this much fear—ever.
Chapter 2 (#u1ff86f51-1a71-5020-900c-a6494694c309)
Lucien didn’t like the idea of leaving the catacombs to hunt for the missing Nosferatu. Although he knew that finding them was a task that had to be taken care of, he worried about the scabior dome flickering out again. If it happened once, it might happen again. Despite what he had told Evee about the energy generated by the squabbling Nosferatu making the dome less effective, Lucien wasn’t convinced of that. That was just an assumption. He had no idea what had really caused the dome to weaken. The truth was that no Bender ever before had created a large-scale electrical barrier that locked in any creature. Having run out of options when so many Originals went missing, the cousins had found their task upon arriving in New Orleans more than overwhelming, and had opted to give it a try.
The first attempt had been at the North Compound to protect Viv’s Loup Garous. When that had proven successful, he and his cousins had used the same technique to protect the Chenilles in the Louis I Cemetery, then here in the catacombs under St. John’s Cathedral. The waning of power here concerned him greatly. Whatever hunting was needed must be done quickly and with specific directives so they wouldn’t be chasing their tails as he felt they had been doing for the last day or two.
As Lucien considered a game plan, he noticed that Evee had moved closer and was now standing between him and Ronan.
“I know we have to look for the missing,” Evee said. “But I want to apologize for zeroing out on the two of you earlier. All of the Nosferatu are my charge. You are here to help, which is much appreciated, and I had no business zoning out on you the way I did.”
Lucien put a hand on Evee’s shoulder and felt his pulse quicken when he touched her. Although Evee was dressed casually in jeans and a light blue T-shirt, she might as well have been dressed in a ball gown and tiara for all he cared. She was astonishingly beautiful no matter what she wore, and the simple act of touching her made his insides quiver.
“Don’t beat yourself up over that,” he said to her. “With all that’s going on, I think you’re handling yourself quite well. We just need to keep our heads about us.” He gave her a soft smile. “For all you know, I might be the next one to ‘zero out,’ like you said, so I’ll have to count on you and Ronan reining me back in.” He squeezed her shoulder gently. “Don’t worry, if you go to la-la land again, I promise to be there to bring you back.”
He saw a flash of gratitude in Evee’s eyes, and he felt his smile broaden. He forced himself to look away from her and down at his watch. “Time’s pushing. If we’re going to do any hunting for missing Nosferatu before feeding time, we’d better get started.”
Evee nodded, took a step back and squared her shoulders. “If we’re going to get this done,” she said, “we’ll need to split up. I know the two of you are here to protect me and my Originals, but look at what we’re dealing with now. Too many missing Nosferatu, and humans, innocent humans, unwittingly waiting to be an Original’s next meal. The closer we get to feeding time, the hungrier the Nosferatu will become. Humans will definitely be their target. So splitting up and hitting different directions only makes sense.”
Lucien held up a hand. “No way are we splitting up.”
“That would put you in too much danger,” Ronan said, the frown on his face deepening.
“That would make us utterly irresponsible in our task to protect and defend,” Lucien said.
Evee’s eyes narrowed. “So are you saying that going off on your own, knowing there are loose Nosferatu, Loup Garous and Chenilles, any of which could slaughter you within seconds, is irresponsible?” she asked Lucien.
“Yes,” Lucien said defiantly. “The bottom line is splitting more than we already have is ludicrous. We’d be asking for disaster.”
“Yes,” Ronan said. “Like we don’t have enough to deal with now. I think we should stick together.”
“Of course,” Evee said. “Any wuss would want to play the safe card. Look, if the two of you would just stop yammering and get to searching, we might actually get the job done.”
Lucien had to bite the inside of his cheeks to keep from laughing. If anything, Evee was not short on piss and vinegar once she had her mind set on something.
Ronan, on the other hand, evidently felt different. Appearing dumbstruck, he looked away, his cheeks turning a shade of pink.
“Look,” Evee said to Lucien and Ronan. “I didn’t mean for that to come out so...bitchy. I apologize.”
Lucien looked up at her with a stoic expression. “Apology accepted.”
With a sigh of relief, Evee looked from Ronan to Lucien. “We have to be levelheaded about this. I know what to look for where my Nosferatu are concerned. And believe me, as far as rifts are concerned, if I see so much as a deformed cloud in the sky, I’ll be running to find you guys quicker than you can blink.”
Lucien blew out a breath and glanced from Evee to Ronan. In his mind, Lucien knew Evee was right. They’d be able to cover much more ground if they separated. But his heart refused to let the words out of his mouth. He feared for her life and couldn’t stand the thought of Evee heading anywhere alone.
Finally, Ronan said, “I hate to admit it, but what she’s saying makes sense. I can head north into the Quarter and search there.” He looked at Evee. “You’ll have to tell me what to look for, though. Since it’s already dark out, the Originals will have taken human form to blend in. They certainly won’t have bald heads with thick veins and sharp fangs like the ones here. How do I tell what human is truly Nosferatu?”
“Good question,” Evee said. “You can typically spot them easily if you know what you’re looking for. I can usually locate a Nosferatu by scent. In your and Lucien’s case, look for anyone standing about simply watching people, either an individual or a small crowd. If interest sparks, the Nosferatu will start following that person or crowd, keeping tabs on their every move. Also their skin will be much paler than the average human’s. Some have eyes that are extremely light-sensitive, so they’ll be wearing sunglasses inside buildings, even at night.”
“What about clothing?” Lucien asked.
“No different than anyone else around them. Remember, they’re trying to fit in and go unnoticed so they can scout out their next victim. And remember, too, the both of you are in as much danger as any human out there. I’m the only one who can control the Nosferatu. Don’t confront them head-on or you might wind up being a meal. Should you find one, you need to come and get me or call for me. You can’t fight them alone. They’re too strong.”
“This is sounding worse by the moment,” Ronan said, sweeping his hands through his hair. “I’ve changed my mind. I really don’t like the idea about splitting up.”
“I know,” Evee said. “And I agree that this plan is putting us a bit out there, raising the stakes and ratcheting up the danger, but think of what might happen if we don’t do it. Let’s at least give it a try. We can go in separate directions, hunt for half an hour, then meet back here in front of St. John’s. That way we can report on what we’ve seen, then go our own ways again, each of us taking a different direction. At least that way we won’t be apart for hours at a time. Thirty minutes, not that long, and if one of us doesn’t show up, the others will know the direction to head to look for him...or her.”
Lucien bit his bottom lip, rubbed a hand across his chin. “I don’t think what I have to say about the plan matters. You’re going to do what you want to do, right?”
Evee gave him a lopsided grin. “Pretty much.”
“I figured as much,” Ronan said.
“Fine, Ms. François, we’ll do it your way,” Lucien said with a half smile, which was the best he had to offer. He still thought the entire plan was a mistake. “Let’s get it done and over with, then. Ronan, you head north to the Quarter. I’ll take the riverbank west.”
“Guess that leaves me with the east riverbank,” Evee said.
“All right,” Lucien said. “But what if something comes up and one of us needs help? We don’t carry cell phones because they interfere with your spells and our scabiors. We have no way of contacting one another. You may have telepathic abilities with your sisters, but I don’t have that ability with Ronan, Gavril or Nikoli. We have to find a method to reach out for help if we need it.”
“Can you whistle?” Evee asked.
Lucien looked at her quizzically.
“Simple question,” Evee said. “Can you whistle?”
Lucien pressed his bottom lip against his bottom teeth and let out a loud, ear-piercing whistle.
Evee clamped her hands over her ears until he finished, then said, “Sounds good to me.” She turned to Ronan. “How about you?”
Without preamble, Ronan pressed two fingers against his bottom lip and let out a whistle just as shrill as Lucien’s, if not louder.
“Good,” Evee said. “If either one of you gets into trouble, whistle long and loud, and I’ll come for you right away.”
“No matter where we are?” Lucien asked. “Your hearing’s that good?”
“Better than a hound’s,” Evee said.
“What about you?” Lucien asked. “What if you get into trouble? You plan to whistle, as well?”
Evee gave him a small smile. “Nope, sorry. I can’t whistle my way out of a bucket. If I find my Nosferatu, I’ll take care of them myself. I know how to deal with them. And if I run into a Cartesian, trust me, I’ll run like hell and find you.”
“You can’t outrun a Cartesian,” Lucien said. “If you see a rift appear, the best thing for you to do is hightail it into the nearest building. Stay out of sight. When the half hour mark comes around, and you don’t show, we’ll at least know what direction to head to find you.”
“What exactly does a rift look like?”
Lucien thought for a moment, stroked his beard. “Think of it as a black wound, one blacker than black. You can see it even on a moonless, starless night. When it first appears it’s like a black strip, a stitched wound in the sky. Then, as the Cartesians work their way through it, it begins to widen, like the stitches are being ripped away from the wound.”
Evee shivered at the thought. “Believe me,” she said. “Any of those ugly mothers won’t have a chance to get a hand out of a rift before I haul ass. Don’t worry. I’ll keep my eyes peeled for anything odd in the sky.”
“Doesn’t sound like much of a plan,” Lucien said.
“I agree,” Ronan said, shifting nervously from foot to foot.
“Suppose you’re so focused on finding the Nosferatu that you don’t notice a Cartesian until it’s halfway through a rift and reaching for you?” Lucien asked.
Evee gave him a stern look. “I’m not stupid.”
“I in no way assumed or meant to imply you were,” Lucien said, and arched a brow.
“I’ll be alert,” Evee said.
“But how can you look for your Nosferatu and watch for rifts overhead?” Ronan asked.
Evee scrubbed a hand over her face as if to wipe away frustration. “Remember, I have a slight advantage over the two of you. I can sense my Nosferatu. I’ll keep my Spidey senses tuned to them while watching overhead.”
It took another fifteen minutes before the three of them finally agreed to the divide-and-conquer method Evee had proposed.
When they finally left the catacombs, Ronan immediately headed for the French Quarter and Lucien started walking west, down the riverwalk. He watched Evee take off for the east bank of the river, watched her long, lean body stride with confidence, her shoulder-length black hair blown back by the wind. He remembered how her copper-colored eyes glinted with determination as they’d discussed their search-and-rescue plan. Lucien worried about her, more so now than ever.
Although the Triad looked similar, they weren’t identical. Their eyes told different stories, as did their personalities. Evee always seemed to be the peacemaker, the one to handle things more logically than her sisters. She was also more apt to follow than lead. At this point, Lucien feared Evee had reached the point of desperation. That was why she had suggested they split up to search for her Nosferatu. He still felt like it was a big mistake.
As Lucien watched Evee’s body fade off into the distance, his pace slowed. He continued heading west but kept looking back for her every few seconds. She continued heading east, and when he could barely make out her silhouette, Lucien suddenly felt like he was trudging through knee-deep mud.
He wasn’t as worried about Ronan. His cousin was sharp and knew how to fight no matter what he faced. Ronan could easily take care of himself. But if a Cartesian attacked Evee, she’d be helpless. All the bravado she’d displayed in their conversation in the catacombs was one thing, but Lucien feared that dealing with a Cartesian, especially the unreliability of a Cartesian, would be far beyond her powers.
As crucial as it was to find the missing Nosferatu before any humans were attacked, he felt it was a greater priority to keep the Cartesians away from the Originals and especially the Triad he was responsible for. He would never be able to live with himself if something happened to Evee.
Lucien trudged another block west before suddenly doing an about-face and beginning to head east, in Evee’s direction.
Something about the woman drew him, called to him. Lucien couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but he just knew that he had to take care of her above all else.
He picked up his pace, almost to a run, wanting to at least catch sight of Evee as soon as possible. He heard the calliope of a steamboat in the distance as it chugged along the river. He smelled burgers and fries, pizza and pralines, all of which made his stomach rumble. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d eaten.
