THREE

As Lee got dressed she couldn’t keep her eyes off her new purchase hanging on the wall in her bedroom. Earlier in the day, she’d gone in to one of the shops on Royal where her paintings were on commission and had spent three hundred dollars because a painting had pulled at her. There was something incredibly compelling about it, it spoke to her, drew her in. She placed it in her bedroom, across from the bed so that she could look at it as she was going to sleep. It was very modern, an explosion of color and emotion, something she wouldn’t normally have liked much less spent that kind of money on, but she knew she couldn’t have left the shop without it. After she’d changed into a flirty sundress and some sandals, she pulled her heavy hair back to the nape of her neck with a silver clip, careful to not catch the amulet that her mother had given her on her tenth birthday. She reached up to trace the stylized circle of three bent sevens wrought from silver that hung between her breasts. It was special. According to her mother, Annalisa Charvez, one of her foremothers had worn it. Of course now that she knew the whole story about the Compact and Annalisa’s part in it, it felt even more special to her.

On the way out to her car, she pulled a sprig of jasmine off a bush and tucked it into her hair and breathed the night air into her lungs.

Walking around the corner to the garage, she had been watching the color of the night sky deepening and the stars beginning to wink, and in not paying attention, slammed into someone.

“I’m sorry, I was looking up at the sky,” she said in apology and looked up into the face of her victim.

He smiled down at her and she blinked up at him several times. “The color, when it goes from dusky blue to the deeper blue of night,” he said, his voice smooth and thick, like honey. It rolled over her skin and sang to her very DNA. Everything in her life seemed to click into place, the moment was meant to be, fated. She was face to face with her partner, her heart. She was unafraid, excited.

It was him, the man from her dreams. He was tall, with a mane of golden hair, his eyes were chocolate brown, or at least that’s what they looked like by the light of the streetlamp. “I’m Aidan, Aidan Bell. I just moved here from Chicago.”

She cleared her throat, willing her voice to come back. Heat coursed over her body and moisture pooled, the man did things to her. “Uh, Amelia Charvez, Lee. Your name sounds familiar.” It tickled the back of her brain until she remembered the painting she’d bought earlier that day. “Oh wait, do you paint? I bought one of your paintings today.”

He smiled and her heart thudded so hard against her chest she was afraid he’d be able to hear it. “Yes, that’s me. Your work is at Lenora’s gallery too, right? Beautiful. I’m honored you like my work.” He could hear her heart pounding in her chest and felt satisfied that she was as affected by this meeting as he was.

“I love it. It’s very bold, vivid.” No wonder it had called to her, it was an extension of his soul.

He stared at her for a moment and she felt his power run along her skin. He was more than human, she could feel it. Tentatively, she sent her own power back at him and caressed him with it. He gasped and looked at her, eyes widened.

“This is going to sound weird, but can I take you to dinner tonight? I’ve only just moved to town and I don’t know very many people,” he said, unable to stop himself from reaching out to touch a tendril of her hair that had escaped the clip. That little touch sent heat coursing through her body. When she found her voice she was proud that it didn’t sound breathy. “Well, actually, I have plans to go to dinner and go dancing to some live music with some of my family. Would you like to join us?”

“Are you sure they won’t mind? I haven’t been much of anywhere but the French Quarter. I did a walking tour of the Garden District the other day but not much else.”

“I’m sure. Jacques-Imo is here in the French Quarter but Maple Leaf is out a bit more, not too far. I can give you a guided tour of the Garden District if you like, I grew up there. Where do you live, by the way?”

He pointed to her building. “Here. I moved into number four a few days ago. I have been in Lafayette for the last two days though, dealing with some business matters.”

She looked back to the large mansion that had been made into apartments. “You live right above me,” she said with a smile. She was totally drawn to this man, she felt safe with him in a way she’d never felt with anyone before.

“Oh? Well, it’s nice to have such beautiful neighbors. I’ve only met Mrs. Ellis and while she and her yappy dog are nice enough, you are certainly more pleasant to look at.”

She laughed and hit the garage door opener. “Shall we then?” She motioned to the car.

“Yes, let’s.” He squeezed himself into the car, navigating the narrow space between the door and the wall and she pulled back out.

She stopped four blocks away and picked up her sister, who cast an interested look at Aidan and got in the backseat.

“Emily Charvez, this is Aidan Bell, my new neighbor and a fellow painter. Aidan, this is my sister, Em.”

Aidan smiled back at the willowy raven-haired woman. She watched him through big green eyes that sparked with intelligence and no small amount of curiosity. “Hi, Aidan,” Em said with a sly smile and a discreetly raised eyebrow at her sister.

“Everyone is going to meet us at the restaurant.”

“Okay,” Lee said and guided the car to Oak Street, and after a few minutes of concentrating by both women, a spot only a block away opened up and Lee pulled in with a satisfied smile.

“Wow, the parking gods must be with you. What a great spot,” Aidan said with satisfaction as he got out of the car.

“Yeah, something like that.” Lee winked at her sister. They walked up to the front of the restaurant and saw that the usual crowd was gathering. The place was so good that it always had a long waitlist for a table. Luckily, as it went with parking spots, so it went with restaurants and a table was waiting for them. They got seated and ordered drinks and the others began to show up, all with interested glances at Aidan. Aidan was confused, curious and aroused. The woman beside him was the most alluring he’d ever met. He had no idea how to tell her he’d been dreaming of her for months or that he’d pulled up stakes in Chicago and headed south to New Orleans because his grandmother told him to pursue his dream woman. Half of him hadn’t believed her, but there she was, and right underneath his nose. He felt a total connection to her, like she was right for him, made for him. He felt a strong power in her, just barely beneath her skin, but he had no idea of how to broach the subject with her. He mentally snorted when he thought of it. So, I’m a vampire, I’ve been having these dreams about you. I sense you and I are meant to be together. It seems like you are more than human, like me. What are you?

The table was filled with Lee’s siblings and cousins. Aidan looked at them as they interacted with each other. There was a lot of general good cheer between them all, a sort of ease that one only finds in a large family very rarely. They clearly loved and respected each other. He’d been surprised to meet Lee’s brothers Eric and Niall. Unlike the dark-haired Em, they had sandy blond hair but the younger one had the same fey features that Lee had.

“So, Aidan, what brings you to New Orleans?” Lee’s twin brother, Eric, asked, bringing Aidan out of his thoughts.

Lee rolled her eyes.

Aidan laughed. There had been several pointed, personal questions since they’d arrived. “I wanted a change, I’ve been feeling a need to move, to get out of a rut. My painting can be done anywhere really. My grandmother, she’s the matriarch of my family, she suggested New Orleans. I visited and fell in love.” He shrugged.

“So is your family ruled by women too?” Eric asked with a chuckle.

“Well, by my grandmother really. Why? Is yours?”

Lee’s brothers laughed. “That is an understatement.”

Lee looked into his chocolate eyes. “The women in our family are all very powerful. Not that the men aren’t, it’s just different. All are successful, intelligent people who are loved and respected by the women in my family.”

“You said the women are powerful. Powerful how?”

She rolled her power over his skin like a cool caress, rolled it through him, wrapped it around him. His eyes widened and fluttered closed for a moment and then locked with hers, and she felt his power. Where hers was cool, his was warm, sultry where hers was crisp. Lee’s power smelled clean, earthy, sharp like pine trees and a mountain stream. Aidan’s was like honey, velvet, it rolled over her arms and legs, across her neck. She realized at last, what exactly his energy, his otherness was.

“I see,” she said in a whisper.

He knew she was powerful but still didn’t know exactly why. He did see that she knew what he was and made a mental note to speak with her about it when they were alone. He was relieved to see that she didn’t seem frightened or repulsed by what he was, although from what he could feel, with power like hers there was very little in the world that she had to be frightened of.

Everyone was staring and then went back to their conversations and happy oohs and aahs when the food came. Afterwards, feeling full and satisfied, they all drove over to the Maple Leaf, where things were just getting started. They grabbed a patio table, it being already ridiculously hot and crowded inside.

“Shall we?” Aidan asked, pointing at the couples dancing on the sidewalk.

“Sounds good,” she said and he took her off with a flourish and they joined the dancing couples under the stars.

As they danced, Aidan saw that her sister was deep in conversation with her brothers. They were obviously talking about him as they looked over to where he and Lee were dancing several times.

“Your family’s staring,” Aidan said into her ear.

Lee looked over his shoulder and smiled at him. “They’re just trying to figure out if you’re a threat to me.”

“What do you think?”

“I think you’re safe, even if you do need to take blood to live,” she said.

“So you guessed huh? How much do you know about vampires?”

“I don’t know very much. There are some here, of course. There’s a bit of everything in New Orleans.” She shrugged. “Shifters, vampires, ghosts, demons, witches, you name it, it’s here.”

“And what are you?”

“I’m a witch, a witch dreamer to be exact.” He looked confused and she explained further. “A witch dreamer is a witch with a touch of clairvoyance. We have vivid dreams, often of future events or of people who are going to come into our lives. We can walk in dreams, go into other people’s dreams and their subconscious. We can wield magic in dreams as well as in waking hours.”

“Have you been walking in my dreams?”

“No. Generally, it’s not something we do without permission, barring a threat. It’s considered an offensive act, unnecessarily aggressive. Sometimes though, the dreams just happen and connect two people who are meant to be brought together for some reason. I have been dreaming of you for the last two months,” she said, looking up at him.

They stared into each other’s eyes for a long moment and she felt like he could see right down to her soul. She felt understood, not just in the sense of him being something more than simply human, but also like something inside of him recognized something inside of her. His hand was on her shoulder and his flesh against hers made her cells zing with life. She nearly felt giddy, being with him was so right, so good. Just having him touch her was deliriously wonderful. She’d never felt such a deep connection to anyone or anything in her life. This man was meant for her. The dreams were one thing, the reality was even better.

“I’ve been dreaming of you, too. I finally went to my grandmother over it, I was wondering if I was bespelled. She told me to come here.”

“Oh, well, good,” she said, a bit breathlessly.

“I can’t believe I found you, that you are real.” He touched her cheek with the back of his fingers and the electricity of the contact shot through her system.

“I’m glad you found me too, or that I found you. Whichever.”

The rest of the evening passed in a haze for Lee, Aidan’s very presence was soothing, relaxing. When everyone got up to go home Lee felt their regard for her and their curiosity about Aidan. Aidan stepped into the restroom and Em cornered her at the car.

“So? This is the dream man?” Em asked, her eyebrow raised. Lee nodded. “Yeah. It’s…” She shrugged, unable to put into words how much it all was, what it meant.

“He’s no threat to you. He loves you, that came through so clearly. You know I can’t read you but you both feel right together.” Em looked her sister over and nodded as if making up her mind.

Lee grinned and hugged her sister. “Thanks! I know that I felt it on my own, but it’s nice to know that you’ve given him the thumbs-up. Makes me feel safer.”