ONESSA WOKE UP WITH renewed energy. She was ready to take on the day. Last night, she’d slept good. After she’d gotten out of the shower, she could have sworn a large panther was lounging outside her window. But she attributed the strange visions to her just being tired. She’d dreamt of lounging on the same limb with the cat’s large head resting in her lap as she stroked its thick fur and it purred in satisfaction. The cat’s eyes were the same color as Cyriaque’s, only more teal than gray. Just like the eyes of the cat on my back. She’d specifically chosen her tattoo based on a recurring dream. A dream she still had. It was always the same, she would be reading, and the cat would get jealous and climb the cherry tree until he rested his head on her lap, effectively gaining her attention.

There was a knock at her door. The sun had barely started to rise, but Onessa wasn’t going to miss watching the sky light up. She desired to be out in the beautiful garden, she wanted to watch the sun set fire to the cherry blossoms. They were in full bloom, and her grandmother always said it was good luck to see the sun kiss the petals. It meant she was in for new beginnings. Her situation fit the bill. In less than an hour, she’d be in the kitchen with the Cyriaque Ravenueax. That alone would make her entire summer.

She’d be cooking with a superstar. His food was legendary, people came from all over the world to eat at Cyrius Eats, and she was going to be under him for three months. A vision of her under him in a different way stole her attention, but the image was interrupted when the knock at the door came again.

“One second.”

Alaric stood on the other side of the door.

“You have me today, Cyr isn’t feeling too well. He didn’t get enough sleep.”

Onessa didn’t mean to show her disappointment, but she couldn’t help it. She’d come here to work with him. Not Alaric. Her shoulders slumped, and if she thought it wouldn’t make her look like a total tool, she’d have slammed the door in his face.

“Sorry, I don’t mean to be so ungrateful. I’m sure you’re good at what you do, too.”

Alaric gave her a tight smile.

“It’s fine. I’ll meet you inside the restaurant in thirty. Sound good?”

“Yeah, perfect, I was going to walk the garden for a little bit.”

Alaric nodded and left.

Onessa wasted no time sliding into her shoes and making it out to the garden at the back of the house. It was more magnificent than she’d imagined. Vibrant and lush, she felt as if she’d stepped back in time to where modern things had yet to be discovered. The cherry blossoms outlined a meandering path on either side of a cobblestone walkway leading to a huge lake. Off to her right, the sounds of the swamp were prevalent, but cast as a secondary character in the beautiful story presented to her. The intermingling of smells was a pleasant surprise. One side showcased all the bayou had to offer with water dripping down the bark of black-trunked trees. Whistling reeds and the croak of frogs added to the southern symphony. She was sure if she walked over to that side of the land, she’d find crawfish hiding under rotting logs stuck in the mud, but to her left was a garden paradise and fragrant flowers. The dichotomy wasn’t lost on her.

The sun was the perfect canvas, and the beauty displayed in front of Onessa took her breath away. She pulled in a deep breath, taking in the decay mixed with the blooming flowers. There was a flash of movement off to her left, and when Onessa looked over, and two panther cubs sat on a low branch in one of the cherry blossom trees. Panthers? In Louisiana? Both cubs watched her watch them, neither parties moving. But Onessa wasn’t going to stick around because if there were babies, that meant momma cat wasn’t too far off—maybe even the one she’d seen outside the window? —and she didn’t want to come face-to-face with a larger-than-life black panther.

Turning quickly and as quietly as possible so she wouldn’t disturb the little ones, Onessa made her way towards the restaurant. When she got inside, the first thing she did was seek out Alaric. He was talking to one of the patrons.

“Um...Alaric?”

“One second, Onessa.” He turned back to the woman, who was talking frantically.

“The boys didn’t come home last night.”

“Okay, calm down, Nicole. We’ll find them.”

“They are so stubborn.” The woman worried her hands together and her gaze darted over to Onessa.

“Alaric, if her boys are missing, then you should know, I just came from the garden. I saw two panther cubs back there, and if there are babies, that means their momma’s out there somewhere. If her boys are missing,” Onessa said, nodding in the direction of Nicole, “we may want to call animal control.”

“Two cubs, you say?” Alaric said.

“Yeah.”

“Where?” the mother asked.

“Out back, in the garden. They were lounging on one of the trees out there.”

“Oh, thank the fates.”

Why would she be thankful about panther cubs?

“Onessa, you can go ahead and wait for me in the kitchen. I’ll have one of the guys help Nicole with the kids. We don’t need animal control. The cubs and the mother are harmless.”

“How do you know?”

Alaric tapped her on the shoulder.

“Trust me, I know. Now go and start prepping. I laid everything out. We’re making beignets.” Alaric instructed.

A few seconds in to getting accustomed to the kitchen, Onessa felt the heat of someone at her back. Cyr’s tattooed arms appeared on either side of her.

“You have to make sure the dough is nice and chilled before you roll the pastries.” He said just over her shoulder. His closeness gave her chills.  His heavily veined hands closed over the top of hers as she attempted to roll out the dough.

“Anything else?” Onessa asked.

Cyr didn’t respond, instead he gently moved her hand, placing his hand on the dough. When nothing happened, he whispered. “Place your hand over the top of mine.”

Onessa did as instructed, and together they rolled dough. It was the nicest he’d been to her since her arrival. It was also sexy as fuck. Heat rose up her neck, scalding her cheeks. She pulled in a deep breath. Chancing a look over her shoulder, she gazed up at him. His eyes mesmerized her, and he seemed dazed, until Alaric coughed, breaking the intensity of their stare and just like that their moment was gone.

“Delivery trucks out back. Want me to sign for it?”

“I got it.” His voice caressed the shell of her ear.

The loss of his heat caused her to shiver. Get a grip girl. Get a grip. He’s your mentor.

The day passed with no incidents. Nicole did find her sons, and the two little boys came in with their mom, looking no worse for wear. The beignets turned out to be a hit, or at least Onessa thought they were. She hadn’t gotten any complaints from the patrons anyway. She’d found a nice plate to display her delicious delights on the main counter.

The patrons were eating her beignets like they were crack. She’d added her own little twist to Cyr’s recipe. Everyone loved the raisins.

Onessa whistled as she threw together another batch, and almost burned her hand on the stove when the imposing figure of Cyr stood just in the entryway.

“Who said you could change up my recipe?”

“Huh?” She didn’t think she’d heard him correctly. She hadn’t done anything wrong. Had she?

“Are you deaf, girl? Who the fuck said you could change the formula?” Cyr shouted. He closed the distance between them, his breath hot on her skin. His chest heaving in and out with each deep breath he took. Why was he so mad? It was only raisins.

Alaric appeared a second later, his eyes wide as he took in the scene.

“I only added raisins. What’s the big deal?”

He leaned even closer, his breath hot against her lips.

“The big deal is that you are here to learn. Not create. Learn. Got it?” He stomped out of the kitchen, but not before he turned back to look at her and say, “Why are you here? Did you come to torment me? Try and make me bend to your feminine wiles? Did you think I was your meal ticket?”

“Feminine wiles? I don’t know what you’re going on about, I came here to learn. And if putting raisins in your recipe was such a big deal, well then, I’m sorry. No one is complaining, but you.”

Whether a trick of the light or her eyes imagining it, a yellow glow flashed in his eyes and vanished just as quick.

“I want you out of my kitchen,” he shouted. And Onessa could have sworn he mumbled something about “out of his life, as well.” She wasn’t going to argue with him. Hell, she couldn’t if she tried. Her face was hot with embarrassment. Alaric looked just as alarmed as she did, and maybe a little worried. She didn’t have to put up with his shit. Her own father didn’t speak to her in such a manner, and she sure as fuck wouldn’t let some surly chef with a God complex try and get inside her head. She was more than good enough for the job. Perhaps a little too good. And her methods weren’t out of the ordinary; she liked to create food that was memorable. Had a customer complained, she’d have changed it back to the original recipe. To go batshit over raisins was ridiculous. Onessa dropped her apron and made her way over to the main house, not bothering to look back.

Onessa didn’t bother grabbing her dirty clothes from the other day. Fuck that. She left her luggage, too. She wasn’t about to stay around and let him yell at her. She’d understood working for him would be hard. There were rumors about how particular he was, but he didn’t have to be a jerk about it.

Storming out of the house, she headed in the direction of the road. Her phone was fucked, and as she trekked away from the restaurant, she realized, maybe taking off in such a hurry wasn’t the best idea. She should have at least called a cab. Something. Instead of walking alone, again, when the clouds overhead eluded to the possibility of rain. Fucking great. Just my luck.

Onessa walked for two hours before she picked up on the sounds of multiple footsteps. She’d been so in her head, she hadn’t realized she was being followed. It wasn’t dark, but with the sky threatening another torrential downpour, the clouds covered the sun, making it feel later than it was.

“Look, Ed, it’s the lady from California.”

“She’s back on Leabauds’ property again. That means she’s ours.”

Theirs?

The feeling of unease made its way down her spine. These two were more worrisome than she’d originally thought. She took a closer look at them. They were both still in their overalls, their faces alight with malicious intent. Both their eyes were glazed over with a sick kind of glee. They meant to do her harm. Both men were too fidgety and filled with a strange humor that bordered on crazy as Ed gave her a sly grin.

“I don’t belong to anyone, Eddy.”

“Oh, but you do, chèr. You’re on our land now, and Beau says whatever is on our land is ours.”

Onessa slowly backed away. Her gut told her she’d walked from one disaster and straight into a full-on nightmare. Complete with psycho killers who probably wanted to chop her up into little pieces. Well, she wasn’t having any of that shit. Onessa didn’t try reasoning with them. Gripping the strap of her purse tighter, she headed in the of the swamp. It was a bad idea, but she’d rather lose them in the mud than stay and let them do her harm. Onessa ran track in high school. Her feet pounded through the wet mud as reeds slapped at her jean clad legs. Outrunning them was her only option.

Onessa ran and ran some more. Going deeper and deeper into the swamp. Deep enough to where the trees blocked out most of the sun. Her shoes were a lost cause, and she kept getting stuck in the mud. One too many times, she felt as if Ed and Eddy were closing in on her. Pressing their advantage on all sides. When she slowed down to catch her breath, Onessa thought she had the advantage. She was wrong. They were still on her trail. Onessa dodged a fallen log, or at least she tried to, but her ankle got caught and twisted in the wrong direction. She cried out in pain and hit the ground, hard. The soft mud underneath her did nothing to dull the throbbing ache.

She twisted and turned until she could pull her foot free, but by that time, Ed and Eddy were right on her. Both men stared down at her with malice in their eyes. Getting killed by slasher twins wasn’t something she’d ever thought to worry about. Onessa was never one to lose her head, but around Chef Douche, she was an idiot. Because smart women didn’t storm out of their homes into strange places and end up in the predicament she was in. It wasn’t done. At least, not by her.

“I get to go first. Then you, Eddy.”

“Why do you get to go first?” Ed whined.

“Because I was the one watching out for her. I saw her leave Ravenueax’s, she’s mine first.”

There was no mistaking their intent.

They meant to do her harm.

“YOU’RE PITIFUL.” ALARIC grabbed a bottle from Cyr’s top shelf and poured the amber liquid into a tumbler before tossing it back.

“She changed the recipe.”

As if that was an excuse.

“There were no complaints. Hell, I liked them. Had I known you would go crazy on the girl, I would have told her not to do it. She did ask me, you know. I told her it was okay.”

“Well, it wasn’t okay.”

Alaric poured himself another drink.

Cyr sat at his desk, his mood heavy, and his mind going through the events from earlier. It was dark out. She’d left her bags, her dirty clothes, and her phone was ruined, he’d seen to that when he’d tossed it against the wall smashing it to pieces. She’d probably made it to the market by now. But that alone was quite a walk.

“I should call the store, ask Brown if she made it there,” Cyr grumbled.

“Yeah, you should, or you could stop being a dick and go after her.”

He could, but then he’d have to apologize. It was better that she left. Yes, his outburst was a dick move, but fuck, she’d gone and changed the recipe, and...she smelled like home. Una smelled like home. Was home. Fate’s given you another chance. Didn’t matter. He wasn’t going to take advantage of the opportunity given to him with the beautiful woman and her amazing voice. He couldn’t go through the possibility of loss again.

You won’t lose. It was a nice thought. A positive one. But he couldn’t be sure. He hadn’t thought to lose everything before, either. It seemed he was destined to fail. It’d been proven time and time again. And part of the problem was that he was too determined, pigheaded, and downright prideful for his own good. If he missed this opportunity, it wouldn’t be anyone’s fault but his. Change your story. Do it better this time.

Slapping his hands down on the desk, Cyr stood.

“You’re right. I’ll go and find her, bring her back. She’s probably at Brown’s. Give me the keys to the car.”

Alaric tossed the keys, and Cyr made his way to the SUV. The drive to the market was uneventful. When he pulled up to the old store, Brown was standing outside, smoking his pipe.

“Cyriaque, what are you doing here?”

“Looking for a girl.”

Brown laughed. “Last time I checked, there were no girls here. Just me ‘n’ the misses, unless you’re saying Roxie is stepping out on me.”

“No, sir. I started mentoring again. Kinda got mad and went a little overboard. She ran off. I’m trying to find her, to bring her back and apologize.”

“You don’t say,” Brown said in his age-roughened voice. “Well, she didn’t come this way. Better hope Leabauds’ idiot cousins didn’t get a hold of her. Those two ain’t nothin’ but trouble.”

Dread trickled down Cyr’s spine. Onessa should have made it to the market by now, and the fact that she hadn’t, worried him. Shit. What if she’d gotten lost? Or worse? Cyr didn’t think, he acted. He shifted and darted off towards the swamp. There was nowhere else she could be.

He immediately picked up her scent, along with the acrid stench of fear. Something was wrong. He could also smell wolf. The property lines were clearly drawn, but if she’d gone off the beaten path, she’d be fair game. Something he couldn’t allow. The moment he came upon the group, Cyr let out a loud roar, startling Ed and Eddy.

“She’s on our property, Ravenueax.”

“Oh, my God. What the fuck!” Onessa screamed. Her foot was caught between two logs and her ankle was purple with an angry red circle around the area that was swollen. Her shirt was ripped open, and her forehead sported a huge bruise. This was all his fault.

Cyr didn’t shift back; instead, he stood his ground.

“You can’t take us both on,” Eddy said.

Both men shifted at the same time and charged. Cyr reacted immediately, he struck out at Eddy, clipping him on the back of his leg. Ed tried swiping his claws across Cyr’s jugular, but Cyr was quick to move, climbing one of the trees nearby. Wolves couldn’t climb trees. Like idiots, Ed and Eddy scratched and howled at Cyr up in the tree. He needed to get this over quickly and get Onessa back to his house. Her eyes were wide with fear, and when their gazes met, he tried to will some strength into her. In his panther form, he couldn’t talk.

Cyr climbed higher in the tree and decided that he would jump them both at the same time. But he didn’t need to. Alaric arrived, and he’d brought two others. Alaric whistled, gaining the two wolves’ attention. He jumped from the tree, landing on the wolf's back. Cyr clamped his jaws on the back of Eddy’s neck and sunk his teeth in deep. He didn’t let go until the wolf slumped to the ground in death.

Alaric lifted a limp Onessa in his arms. Cyr prowled closer, growling in warning. His friend didn’t need to be told twice.

“I’m backing away, man. See.” Alaric set Onessa back on the ground, and Cyr quickly shifted and picked her up in his arms. She moaned before looking up at him.

“Am I dreaming?”

“No,” he said gruffly before walking towards the others. He was butt-ass naked and didn’t care. He wasn’t going to let her out of his sight until she got better. Alaric slapped him on the shoulder in a friendly gesture.

“Truck’s this way. The boys are gonna shift and scout the rest of the area. Ed ran off after you killed his brother. You want to leave the body here?”

“Fuck Eddy. Leave him there to rot.”