4

“She’s right,” Em echoed and Con nodded his head.

“We’ll stay here while you rest,” Con said, sitting down. Several tall glasses of tea appeared on the table.

After they’d gotten Alex and Lee safely to sleep after a cup of the calming tea, Simone looked to Con and Em and sighed. “I have to go to the shop. I’ll take the streetcar, it’s just down the road. I’ll come back at sundown and we can talk about all of this over dinner.”

Con’s forehead wrinkled with his concern. “Simone, sweetheart, I think it’s best if we all stay here.”

“Look, I just opened a business, I have to go. I can’t just close down. And it’s daylight, there’s no threat to me. Plus, my shop is warded and uh, newsflash, I’m a witch. It’s not like I’m helpless.”

Em recognized the look on Simone’s face. The set of her lips, hands on her hips, feet apart. It was a battle stance and there was no hope of winning. Simone was very easygoing about most things, but when she set her mind on something it was next to impossible to get her to change it. She had half a mind to let Con try, just for fun, but she took pity on her husband and interjected, “Minnie, you need to be here by sundown.”

Simone’s rigid features softened at Em’s use of her childhood nickname and she gave a wry smile. “I promise. I won’t even leave the shop or my apartment until I come here at the end of the day.”

“Let me take you now, directly there. Someone will come for you later on, okay?

It’ll just be seconds and we’ll know you’re safe.” Con stood and held out his hand. Simone nodded and took it and they were standing in her apartment. Everything was in disarray from when they’d felt Lee earlier and had rushed over. She was still in her pajamas, hair in a ponytail.

She tiptoed up and kissed Con’s cheek, thanking him. He insisted on checking the rest of the apartment and the shop before he left and Simone did have to admit that it made her feel safer.

She jumped in the shower and rushed to get ready to open the shop on time.

* * * * *

Kael watched the siren through the windows of her shop. Her long brown hair hung in curls around her shoulders and down her back. She wore a short, flowing dress in shade of red that reminded him of rubies glittering in candlelight. She was sensual and curvy and luscious. He wanted to eat her up with a spoon and had felt that way since the first time he’d seen her a few days prior when they’d rolled into town and moved into the small house they’d rented.

He’d been sitting at the outdoor café just two doors down, drinking a beer. A prickle on the back of his neck made him look up warily. That’s when he saw her, stretching to put something on a high shelf. The front windows of her shop had been decorated in a way that she’d been framed by them, like a portrait. Her legs were long and shapely, her ass was juicy and he’d watched it sway as she walked. Breasts that made him salivate, heavy and in perfect proportion with the rest of her fecund figure. Her smile was downright carnal, sweet with an edge of naughty, with a cant to the right.

He’d wondered what her voice sounded like, what she smelled like, what the hollow just below her ear tasted like.

“Oh for god’s sake! Just go over there,” Minx said as she plopped down in the chair across from Kael.

“What?” He reluctantly pulled his eyes from his siren and his carnal thoughts about her and looked at his friend, who was wearing a smug grin.

“What?” she mimicked him. “Her! The hottie you’ve been slobbering over for days. You might be an asshole who kills vampires for a living, but you’re pretty cute. And right now you look pretty nonthreatening. Go and talk to her. From what I’ve seen the folks in New Orleans are pretty nice to visitors. We’re gonna be here for a while, why not get yourself a date or two? Maybe even meet her parents, you know, have an actual relationship. There’s more to life than truck stop bunnies.”

He made a sour face but snuck another look across the street. “I’m not meet the parents material, Minx. I just need to get laid. The last thing I need is a relationship.”

Minx stifled a smile when he stood up and tossed down some money. “Okay, whatever.”

“I’m going to go see what kind of clothes she’s got in there. Could be something I need. I haven’t bought new clothes in a while,” he said as he ran a hand through his hair and tucked his T-shirt into his jeans.

“Ah, gotcha.” She refrained from saying that the store appeared to specialize in women’s clothing, but not from watching him walk across the street. She loved him like a brother but the man had a stellar ass.

* * * * *

Simone looked up and barely stopped herself from drooling at the man who stood in the doorway of STyle. He was tall, about six feet, and she couldn’t help but think it was the perfect height difference for kissing. So much so her lips began to tingle and her mouth positively watered at the thought.

His eyes, god, they were so light blue they reminded her of the clear sunny sky in midwinter. The T-shirt he wore fit snug across his upper body. Not tight but revealing enough to be obvious he was a man who worked with his body. He had broad shoulders and his torso tapered to a narrower waist. His biceps were defined and hard with muscle. Long, lean and powerful legs were encased in faded blue jeans. The physical package was enough to make her heart speed and her breath catch. His hair was a pale blond and it was rakish. Not really long or even moderately long like Aidan’s, but it was tousled. Her fingers flexed for a moment as she thought about running them through it. He had a trimmed beard and mustache but his lips were plump and firm-looking. Which made her think of kissing again, this time wondering what it would feel like. Would the beard tickle or scratch her chin and face?

What would it feel like in other places?

When he took a step inside the door closed behind him and she felt his pain. Like a cold river beneath the ground, it rushed there. So much. He’d lost so much. She frowned as it washed over her. Her heart ached for anyone carrying around so much hurt.

He met her gaze and her frown melted away as her sympathy turned to something else entirely. The sexual heat rolling off the man was impressive and it resonated with her. Her body responded, nipples hardening, pussy softening, blooming for him. Okay then, let’s roll.

“Something I can do for you, darlin’?” she asked in a smoky drawl. Pleased, she watched his pupils widen and his breath catch. He liked her voice. She liked it when he licked those lips, the sight making her tingly and achy all at once. Then he had to go and ruin it. His raw appraisal of her halted when he moved his gaze from her to the walls. The sexy study became calculating.

“Yeah, what are you doing with runes on your walls?” he asked in a low, hoarse voice. It should have been scratchy but it was like suede. Still, he asked it like a prick. Her eyebrows shot up and her hands rested on her hips. “You doing a survey?” she shot back in the same terse fashion that he’d asked.

He couldn’t hold back a smile. “Sorry, didn’t mean to sound short. Just curious. I don’t see them often.”

She looked at him closer and saw his forearms bore a rune each. “Except when you look in the mirror?”

“Well, so you can see why I’d be curious.”

“I’m a witch.” She shrugged. “They’re protective runes, as you know.”

He took a few steps forward. She cocked her head and looked him up and down. He couldn’t’ help but feel like she was looking into him as well as at him. He found himself unable to resist moving to her. He needed to be close to her. When he stopped just a few steps from her, her scent washed over him. She smelled of sultry nights and flowers on the air. He had to stop himself from leaning in and inhaling her. Damn it, he had better self-control than this! He looked into her eyes and felt himself sink. They were golden eyes, the color of the smoky scotch he liked to drink. Somehow they went with the miles of olive-toned skin and the hair that was so shiny he was sure it would feel like silk between his fingers, against the bare skin of his chest. Whoa, where did that thought come from? He couldn’t stop himself from laughing at that internal question. He knew where it came from—he’d wanted to be naked with this siren since he’d seen her the first time. But a witch?

“What kind of witch?”

“You sure ask a lot of questions for a man who hasn’t bothered to introduce himself yet. Is that how the men up North act?”

Ah, haughty. He liked that. Clearly this woman took no guff. “You’re right, of course.” He bowed slightly and took her hand, kissing the knuckles and trying to ignore the fact that her scent intoxicated him.

“I’m Kael Gardener. I’m here in New Orleans for a few months on vacation. We’re renting that house across the way, just down from the café.” He pointed and she looked around him and nodded. She’d noticed that the rental signs had come down and that someone had moved in but hadn’t had the time to check any further. We? If he had a wife she’d be so pissed off. “Well Kael, I’m Simone Charvez. New Orleans born and raised. I just opened up the shop last week. Would you like a glass of lemonade or tea?” She turned as she asked, reaching for the glasses she kept near the insulated containers of refreshments for her customers. He watched the hem of her dress inch up, exposing her thigh, and a shiver worked up his spine. She looked soft and yet firm. He realized she’d turned back and was waiting for an answer. He cleared his throat. “Uh, lemonade would be great.”

She smiled and poured him a glass and handed it his way. Their fingers brushed and they both let out a muted gasp at the electricity of contact. She cleared her throat and tried to ignore the flush working up her neck. “How long are you and your wife here for? You said a few months? Just for fun?” Yeah, so obvious!

He grinned, she knew he’d realized she was fishing. “No wife. Just my friends and family. We’re on the road a lot so we’re taking a well-earned rest for a bit. Until the fall.”

Relief coursed through her and she smiled. “Ah, well. It’s hot here this time of year but you couldn’t have picked a better city to rest in. Lots of fun stuff to do. Good people.” She moved to lean against the desk. “So, you wanted to know what kind of witch I am. Are you asking if I’m an evil witch making potions in a cast-iron cauldron and have warts in unnameable places?”

Surprised again by her sense of humor, he laughed. “No. I just, I, uh, don’t know much about witches or witchcraft. I was wondering why you’d need runes on the walls. I know that several of them,” he pointed to the ones around the windows and doors,

“are to ward off evil. Not just danger but those who mean to do you harm with dark magic.”

“Well, there are less than wholesome things out in the world. My family has come up against them several times. I’ve seen a demon lord and dark mages try and hurt those I love most. They killed someone dear to me. I guess I don’t want to take any chances. I like having my home and place of business protected. The runes make it feel safe in here, don’t you think?” She cocked her head at him and smiled and he was dazzled by her yet again. “You want to tell me why you have warding runes tattooed on your arms?”

A cloud came over his face as his features darkened. “I’ve done battle with those less than wholesome things. Each time I kill one, I get a tattoo.”

“You’re a killer, Kael?” she asked this softly. She didn’t pick up the same energy from him that she’d sensed on Bron MacAillen or on Angra or any of the dark ones that followed them. Still, the miasma of his pain was evident. Pain made you do things that you may not have considered before.

“I’m a hunter. But I don’t want to talk about it. I’m here on vacation and I don’t hurt humans. You don’t have anything to fear from me, Simone.”

She narrowed her eyes and took him in, making her mind up. “No, you don’t feel that way.”

“I don’t feel that way?”

“I’m an empath. I’d be able to feel it if you wanted to hurt me.”

He stepped back. Simone felt that rejection like a physical slap. Her heart sank. Many men couldn’t handle her gift. It hurt to think that this man would be frightened off by what she was.

“You can read my mind?” There was distrust in his voice, maybe even an edge of fear.

“No. I can’t. I can’t read your thoughts. Just your general emotions and intentions. I try and keep it turned down, it’s as distressing to me as it is to others most of the time.”

The smoke in her voice had cooled and when the chimes at the door sounded their beautiful, magical music she looked up to see some customers come in. She turned back to him. “It was nice meeting you, Kael. Welcome to the neighborhood.” Giving him a soft smile, she walked around him and greeted the women who’d entered the store warmly, effectively dismissing him. What the hell had just happened? He’d thought they had good chemistry. He finished his lemonade, put the glass back on the tray and walked out, looking back to catch her eye and feeling more dismayed to see disappointment there. He gave a confused wave and took his leave.

He slammed back into the house. Minx looked up at him with surprise. “What happened?”

“I have no idea!” He fell into a chair, putting his feet up on the coffee table. “I thought we had something and then she got all cool and blew me off.”

Minx looked at Jagger and raised a brow. “Hmm, can’t say that I’ve ever seen a woman blow you off. They all seem to like the broody bad boy thing you work.”

Kael made a face at her. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

“Oh kids, knock it off. What happened exactly?” Jagger said in his deep velvet voice.

“I went in and damn but the woman is fine. I mean extra fine. Gorgeous body, curves in all the right places. Legs that go for miles, ti—uh, breasts that are probably a C-cup, high, nice.” He sighed with longing and thought about her until Jagger snapped his fingers to get his attention.

“Oh uh, yeah. So, I walk in and she’s got runes painted on the walls. Well wait, first she talks to me, and she has this sexy accent. And her voice is all smoky and smooth, like whiskey, which, by the way, is the color of her eyes. Golden, amber eyes. Jesus, the woman is the most fuckable female I’ve ever clapped eyes onto!” Pushing up out of the chair, he began to pace. “She was funny too. Dry sense of humor to go with those high heels. Nice combo in a woman.”

He filled them in on the conversation and Jagger sat forward, reaching for the laptop. “That name sounds really familiar, Kael. Hang on a second.”

As Jagger began to click the keys, looking for information, Minx sighed. “When she told you she was an empath what did you do?”

“What do you mean, what did I do? I told you, I asked her if she could read my mind and she said no.”

“Did you bark at her the way you just did with me? Did you make a face? Look disgusted?”

“I do not bark! And I don’t make faces.”

She sighed again and rolled her eyes. “Listen up, goofball, I’m trying to help you here. When exactly did the situation go from good to bad?”

He stopped pacing then and looked at her. “Oh, shit. Well, I didn’t…it caught me by surprise. It’s not every day someone tells you they can read your feelings. I’m not good with someone getting into my head.”

“My guess is that you hurt her feelings somehow.” Minx put her feet up over the arm of the chair and looked at him like he was a simpleton. He sat back down on the couch with a groan. “Why are you all so complicated?”

“Yeah, we’re the complicated ones,” she said dryly.

“Jesus. Kael, your hottie is one connected witch,” Jagger murmured from behind the computer on his lap.

Kael and Minx leaned forward to hear.

“According to this, the Charvez women are all witches. Each one of them has a different gift. These women have been here in New Orleans for centuries, they’re charged with protecting the innocents in the area.”

“Damn. My siren is a guardian too? What’s the deal with these witches? Obviously they’re good if they protect the innocent.”

“Doesn’t have a whole lot here. They appear to have been here, like I said, for centuries. Active in the community. They run a shop in the Quarter. Not a whole lot about their personal lives though. I can look up some more stuff through the local newspapers, this is just what I can find through our channels.” Our channels meaning the information the hunters put together about different things of a paranormal nature worldwide.

“Cool. Look it up and tell me what you find. I’ve never been with a witch before. I wonder if it’s any different?”

“Kael, knock it off. Don’t be an asshole. You always step up the prick factor when someone starts to get to you. This woman must be something else. You want me to do some recon?” Minx had been with him long enough to know that the bluster was an act. Kael was annoyed by that, but on the other hand it was nice to be with people who knew you so well and loved you anyway.

“I suspect that I owe her an apology. I hate apologies.”