Chapter Eleven

 

 

Etienne tucked one finger under Willa’s chin to lift her face from his chest. “As long as it is your cat, I will love it. I still haven’t given you a tour of the Lalaurie house. Would you like to stay there or do you prefer the bayou estate?”

“Do you mean it? I could actually live in the Lalaurie house?”

“Absolutely. It used to be my main residence. I still keep a suite there.”

“Then Lalaurie it is. Give me a little time to pack.”

“Hold on. We have things to talk about.”

“All right. What did I do now?”

“You did the second exchange with me.”

She gave him a side eye look. “Oh.” After a moment she shrugged. “You lost me.”

“First of all. Remember when I told you about the changes you would experience after each exchange?”

“Yes?”

“Have you tried to handle anything breakable?”

“Maybe?”

“You are much stronger than you used to be and will need to exercise extreme care when handling Shadow or anything breakable. Before you grasp anything, lay your hand or fingers on it and slowly close them, applying as little pressure as possible. You will be shocked at how easily you can crush things when all you think you are doing is touching it.”

Willa huffed and rolled her eyes. “No wonder the glass broke when I tried to take it out of the cupboard. I forgot about the whole strength thing.”

Etienne pulled a small velvet bag from his pocket. “Also, you will need to wear this daylight ring if you go outside during the day.” He dumped a very basic ring out of the bag. A plain gold band with a bezel set sunstone.

Willa slipped it on her finger and held out her hand to admire it. “The stone is very pretty. Anything else?”

“No, that is all for now. That ring is only temporary. I have another in mind for you. But you will need one until then.”

“Oh, okay. So, should I start packing then?”

“Yes. Now we pack.”

His arms felt empty the instant she pulled away and rushed to pack clothes and cat supplies. He stroked Shadow’s warm sleeping form and glanced around the living room. “What can I do to help?”

“There are plastic bags for the cat food in the kitchen and shopping bags in the broom closet to put everything in. You could pack up Shadow’s food and dishes,” she called back from the bedroom.

Etienne scratched Shadow behind the ear, then went to handle his assigned task. It only took minutes to complete, and he found himself at a loss for things to do again. Then it occurred to him that the cat needed a litter box. He hunted around the apartment and found it tucked away in the bathroom. With that packed, he headed for the bedroom to see how Willa was coming.

She glanced up from the shirts she was folding when he walked in. “I’m almost finished. I just need to grab a few things from the bathroom, and I will be ready to go. Shadow’s cat carrier is in my closet. Do you think you could load him into it?”

He gave her a smile and nodded. “Of course.” He had no idea what he was in for.

The instant he opened the carrier’s door, Shadow’s head popped up, and he hissed. When he took a step toward the cat, Shadow’s fur rose to make him look twice his size. He took another step, and a feral growl rumbled in warning. If he wasn’t careful, the damn cat might take his hand off. How did a twenty-pound feline morph into a tiger at the sight of a plastic box?

Before Etienne could grab him, the cat rushed behind the couch. Who knew a portly feline could move so fast. Etienne glanced into the crack between the couch and the wall. How had the cat fit through that tiny space? He had a new appreciation for Willa’s pet. Shadow had a few tricks in his bag.

The cat was nowhere in sight. He must have gone underneath. There was no option but to move the furniture and pull the disgruntled beast out. He shoved the couch to the center of the room, but the cat didn’t appear. Getting down on his hands and knees, he looked under the couch. Glowing yellow eyes glared back at him. When he reached for the cat, Shadow hissed and slashed him with his claws.

“Damn it!” Etienne bellowed. He turned to look behind him when he heard a heavy sigh.

“Is he under the couch again?”

Etienne sat back on his butt holding his bloodied hand. “Yes, and he is reluctant to come out.”

“Of course, he is. I’m sorry. I should have warned you about his hatred of the carrier.” She took his hand and tsk’d at the angry scratches. “Are you all right?”

He got to his feet and went to the kitchen to wash the wound. “I am fine.”

“Do you need a Band-Aid?” Then she watched him lick the wound closed and rolled her eyes. “Forget I asked that.”

He gave her a wink, then watched to see what she was up to. Willa walked to a cupboard and pulled out a pouch of kitty treats. “Watch and learn,” she said with a grin. Then she walked to the carrier and gave the pouch a shake. Shadow shot out from under the couch like a bullet from a gun.

Meow, meow, meow. Shadow danced around her legs trying to bat the pouch out of her hand.

Willa tossed a few treats into the back of the carrier. As soon as Shadow ran in, she slammed the door shut before the cat could escape the trap. She dropped the treats into the cat bag and grinned. “That’s how it’s done.”

Etienne bowed to her prowess. “You’re a cat whisperer like no other.”

Willa giggled and gave him a curtsy. “Anytime you have to tangle with a cat, I’ll gladly save you from the scary beastie.”

He grinned back and played along. “Thank goodness. Cats are terrifying. Are you ready to go?”

“I think so. If I forgot anything, I can always come back for it.”

“If you need to return, let me know. I’ll come with you. The vampires will watch the apartment waiting for another chance at you.”

“Okay.”

Etienne started them toward his car when she pulled back. He turned to see what the problem was.

“I should drive my car to your place. I’ll need it to get around.”

“It’s not safe for you to wander around alone. If you need to go anywhere, you will need to have myself or one of my men with you.”

“And I can do that in my car,” she insisted. “I won’t be a prisoner, Etie.”

He glanced at her tiny excuse for a car and sighed. “Fine. Follow me and stay close. Don’t let cars cut you off or get between us. When we get there, pull your car into the garage next to mine.”

She grinned and gave him a salute. “Yes, sir.”

He scowled at her lack of seriousness. But then what did he expect? She wasn’t accustomed to being stalked by vampires and had no idea how much danger she was in. He would have to make sure someone was with her at all times.

The drive across town took less time than Willa expected. Traffic had been light and as if by magic, every light was green. Wiggling with excitement, she drummed her fingers on the steering wheel as they waited for the garage doors to trundle open.

She leaned forward and peered through the bug-splattered windshield of her car. A low whistle blew from her lips as she took in the opulence of the garage at Lalaurie house. She figured a home as famous as this one would be grand, but who put chandeliers in their garage? Etie did apparently.

“Nice,” she said as she got out of her car. “A bit over the top but very nice.”

Etienne rolled his eyes, then put a hand at the small of her back as they crossed the private courtyard. He glanced at the statuary and elaborate fountain and rolled his eyes again. “I made the mistake of letting one of my people decorate the entire house. Angelika went to school for interior design and claimed that she needed to complete a project for her final grade. I fell for the contrived story and now have ridiculous lighting in my garage and naked statues in my garden. I would remove them, but it would hurt her feelings.”

Willa took his arm and snuggled against him. “I knew you were a big softy.”

Etie shushed her. “I have a reputation to protect.”

Willa made a show of looking at the chandeliers again. “Of course, you do.”

He shook his head and sighed. “Come on. I’ll give you a tour and show you where you can put your things.”

Willa tingled all over. She was about to see the inside of Lalaurie house, one of the most mysterious, supposedly haunted, houses in New Orleans.

Etie had no sooner closed the door behind them when the butler she’d met at the bayou estate walked into the hallway to greet them.

“Good evening, my lord.” Then he turned and bowed to her. “My lady.”

Etienne allowed the butler to take Willa’s bag from his hand. “Good evening, Baptiste. I’m sure you remember Willa.”

“Yes, sir.” Baptiste inclined his head and smiled at her. “I most certainly do.” Then he looked back at Etienne. “Would your lordship and lady care for refreshments?”

Etie deferred to her.

“I’m fine.”

“No, thank you, Baptiste.”

The butler inclined his head to them. “Very good. Where should I deposit the ladies bags?”

“In my suite.”

The butler inclined his head to them one last time. “Very good.”

Willa watched Baptiste disappear up the staircase before she spoke again. “Is he a vampire, too?”

“Yes. He has been my personal valet my entire life. I offered to pay for any education he cared to explore, but he is determined to take care of me.”

Etienne led her down the long central hallway to a large room on the right. “I’ll show you around so you can come back and inspect each room at your leisure when you have time. This is the formal dining room. Though we rarely utilize it.”

Willa stared at the opulent room. “Wow.”

“Across the hall is the living room slash library. You’ll find that other than the kitchen, it’s the most used room in the house.”

She stood in the center of the library and slowly spun in a circle. Every wall was lined from floor to ceiling with bookshelves. Wall-to-wall books and oversized leather furniture to lounge on. She was in heaven. The only exception was a large stone fireplace with a big discolored rectangle above it. Something had hung there for a long time. “So, where is everyone now?”

“Patrolling the Quarter. They’ll return in a few hours.”

She wandered around the room looking at everything until Etienne’s chuckle reminded her there was more to see.

“Let me show you where the kitchen is.”

Willa eyed the wide curving staircase at the far end of the foyer. The closer they got, the more she itched to run up them and see what the second level had to offer. The entire house was decorated in upscale period finishes and furnishings, just the way she would have done it. Well, except for the chandeliers in the garage.

The house was so quiet, their footsteps echoed off the walls. The sound of feet on tile made her think of a pack of children running down the hall. She found herself picturing a little dark-haired boy and blond girl running wild, laughing and playing games. She glanced up at Etienne, afraid her thoughts somehow showed on her face. Relief washed over her. He was looking the other direction.

Willa stopped short when she saw the kitchen. She was both relieved and disappointed in equal measures. Everything was state of the art. White modern cabinets with silver knobs were offset by black marble countertops. At the far end was a family sized breakfast table in front of floor-to-ceiling windows. She glanced at the ceramic tile floor, then up at the can lights. Though it was a chef’s wet dream, nothing in the room matched the grandeur of the house.

She felt Etie squeeze her hand and raised her eyes to his.

“You have a strange expression on your face.”

She sighed. “I know it’s stupid to want the kitchen to reflect the era of the home, but I wish it did. If Angelika would like to make it look more authentic, I know of a few places to get modern appliances that look period correct. At least they would look like appliances that would have been installed around nineteen hundred.

“I’m sure the kitchen had wood-burning ovens when it was built in eighteen thirty-four, but that wouldn’t work for the people living here today. I also have people who could make proper cabinets. But of course, that’s up to you.”

He took a long look at the kitchen. “I’ll think about it.”

She nodded and left it at that.

“The upper two floors are bedrooms and bathrooms. I want you to feel at home here. The only area that is off limits is the basement.”

“Wait. There’s a basement? That’s pretty rare in the French Quarter.”

“Normally it is. When the house was built, I had the local witch coven spell the entire block to hold the groundwater at bay.”

“The entire block?” She felt like a parrot repeating everything he said.

“Yes. I own the square block. My vampire family of New Orleans live in the homes and buildings as well as run the businesses.”

“Wow.” She let that sink in, then frowned. “Why is the basement off limits?”

“We use it as an encouragement center to inspire people to tell us what we need to know.”

Willa swallowed hard. “I don’t think I need to know more about that.”

“Good, because I don’t want you to know any more than that. Come on. I’ll show you where we are staying and give you a little time to unpack and get Shadow settled.”

Even though the idea of what Etie did downstairs gave her the willies, knowing the basement was off limits made her want to immediately run down there and check it out. Glancing around for the basement door, she took his proffered hand and followed him up the stairs.

The bedrooms were beyond words. Willa tried to keep her oohing and aahing to a minimum and failed. As she followed Etie to the far end of the second floor, she glanced into bedroom after bedroom. Some were bright and white with dainty furnishings, tapestry curtains, and silk bedspreads. Others were dark with rich fabrics and heavy furniture. Some had old-fashioned wardrobes while others had closets. She frowned when she realized she hadn’t seen a single bathroom.

Before she could ask, Etie offered, “When Angelika planned the remodel, each bedroom was designed as a suite with a private bath.”

Though it wasn’t true to the history of the house, she had to approve of the choices made. “That makes sense. With so many people sharing a house, it would give each person a sense of private space.”

“That’s what she said when I approved the plans. This is my suite,” he said as they reached the last door at the far end of the hallway.

He pushed the door open and stood aside for her to lead the way.

Willa stepped across the threshold and gasped. Etie’s suite was a showcase. Dark hardwood floors went perfectly with the royal purple and navy-blue silk wallpaper. The heavy curtains matched the wallpaper to perfection and must have been designed to be paired together. A granite fireplace had mini pillars supporting the mantle and above it hung a huge mirror with an ornate gold frame. A matching pair of period chairs flanked the fireplace and the most beautiful chandelier she’d ever seen cast a soft golden glow over everything. The massive four-postered king-sized bed opposite the fireplace made her gasp again. She walked to it and ran a finger over the magnificent piece.

“Do you like it?” Etienne asked from the doorway.

“I love it. I’m going to feel like a princess in this bed.”

He grinned at her. “More like a queen. I’m the king of the vampires after all.” He picked up one of her bags and placed in on the bed. “You can put your clothes in the armoire, and the bath is through there,” he said, nodding at a door she hadn’t paid much attention to.

Willa eyed the armoire. Glanced at her bags. “I’m not sure there will be room for both of us in that. I have a lot more clothing than a woman of the eighteen hundreds.”

“I’ve already purchased a matching armoire from Keil’s. It will be delivered in a few hours. Come and find me in the library when you’re done.” He kissed her until she was breathless and left her to unpack.

Ten minutes later, Willa made her way down the hallway. She took her time stopping outside each room to take a look inside without intruding on the occupants’ privacy by entering.

She couldn’t get the basement out of her mind and scanned the walls of the main floor for a door that might lead to the secret area of the house as she descended the staircase. She leaned over the railing and craned her neck to see into the kitchen. If the house followed most floor plans, it would be in there. She sighed when she didn’t see the door. Where the heck could it be?

As her feet hit the tile of the central hall, she paused. A raised voice of a woman caught her attention. Then Etie growled something inaudible. What the heck?

She tiptoed quietly toward the library and glanced in. The instant Etie caught sight of her, the argument ceased. Holy crow. She had expected to find a woman and Etie in the room, but there were several substantial men, and a second woman as well. Seven heads turned to stare.

She thought the men at the bayou house were handsome. These men were stunning. Then the woman in front of Etie caught her gaze. If looks could kill, Willa would be dead. The emotions slamming into her were angry, dangerous, and cold.

Instinctively, she took a step back. Before she could turn and run, Etie shot across the room and grasped her wrist. “Don’t,” he whispered right before he pulled her back into the library.

She was unprepared when Etie moved to stand behind her and wrapped his whole body around her, but she welcomed his support. “Xander, Gray, Trey, Max, and Angel, this is my muierimei, Willa.”

The silence was deafening. One second. Two. Willa sucked in an alarmed breath when all five vampires stood in unison and stalked toward her.

Her gazed shot from one grave face to the next as she pressed back into Etie’s embrace for protection. When they kept coming, she forced down a scream. Were they angry? Was she about to die? But then she realized the emotions of the five warriors didn’t match their fierce expressions. She sensed awe. And was that reverence? What was going on?

All five stopped in a straight line, not three feet from her feet, manifested a lethal looking sword, fell to one knee, and slammed its tip into the hardwood with a resounding thunk.

Unable to stop herself, Willa dropped to her hands and knees to inspect the damage to the floor. “Oh my God. This flooring is going to be hard to replace.”

All five of his warriors frowned and turned their stares on Etie.

“Willa, forget the floor. I’ll have it repaired.” She struggled but quickly subsided when he gripped her shoulders, pulled her to her feet to stand at his side, and she saw five confused faces staring back at her.

“My people are giving you their pledge of fealty.”

She glanced from the ruined floor to him, confusion in her eyes. “They’re what?”

“Accepting you as their queen and pledging their sword arm and lives to protect you.”

“Thank you?” she said to the five who remained on bended knee at her feet, heads bowed.

The men’s and woman’s heads lifted. Their fierce expressions broke into smiles. One by one, they rose to take her hand and kiss her knuckles. Even Angelika. Which was a little weird. Who was she kidding? It was all weird.

Willa expected the five vampires to go back to what they were doing when she walked in. Instead, she saw Etie nod to the tallest man who then bowed to her and said, “It’s my pleasure to serve you, my lady. I’m Alexander Beck or Xander.”

He grinned and added, “In another life, I was a peace officer. But now I work with my team to keep this great city safe. On occasion, I also do private security on the side when Etienne has a job that requires my unique skills.”

“Hello, Xander.”

He gave her a charming smile and turned to take a seat at the far end of the library.

Next, a man who was just over six-foot stepped forward.

“I’m Tragar Fraser. I hail from Inverness, my lady. But you can call me Trey.”

“Hello, Trey.”

Trey stepped back, and a six-foot heart stopper took his place.

“Grayson Davis from Georgia, ma’am. Please call me Gray.”

“Hello, Gray.”

Then the dark-skinned, black-eyed earnest man bowed to her. “It is my pleasure to meet you, my lady. I am Maximilian Monet from Paris, France. But that was a very long time ago. It would please me if you called me Max.”

“Paris! Oh my stars, we need to talk. I want to hear all about life in Paris when you were young.”

Max grinned and took a step back. “Anytime. I love talking about the old country.”

Finally, the lithe, willowy dark-haired pixie took her hand. “I’m Angelika Archambeau, but most people call me Angel.” She glanced at Etie and screwed up her face. “Well, everyone except Etienne. I can’t tell you how excited I am to have another woman in the house.”

Willa couldn’t help but smile back at the exuberant woman. “I’m happy to be here. I hope you like cats. I brought Shadow with me. He’s a big, fat, fluffy, love bug.”

Etienne snorted.

The woman who had been arguing with Etienne and who Willa had forgotten made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a sputter. “Don’t get too comfortable. You won’t be here long. Will she, Etienne.” she said with a smirk.

Her five new friends stiffened and went for their weapons, but Etienne held up a hand. “It’s time for you to go, Camilla.”

Camilla narrowed her eyes at him and then glared at Willa. She gave Willa the once over and rolled her eyes. “Really, Etienne? You chose this over me?”

Willa inhaled sharply which pricked his temper.

He wrapped his arm around Willa and pulled her against his side. “You were never more than a dinner partner, Camilla.”

Crossing her arms, Camilla glowered at him. “She’s met everyone else, aren’t you going to introduce me? Or would you rather I did that myself?”

With a sigh, Etienne did the honors. “Willa, my love, this is Camilla Jones.”

“His ex-girlfriend,” Camilla added before he could stop her.

“As I said before. You were nothing more than a warm body to have dinner with.”

“Is that so?” Camilla bit out with a thunderous expression. Then she focused her glare on Willa. “If you don’t believe me, just ask around. You’ll find that ex-girlfriends are all Etienne has. I have yet to find a woman he had a serious relationship with. And I’ve asked everyone.” She cocked a brow and glanced at the bare wall over the fireplace. “Why is that, Etienne?”

He’d had enough. “It’s time for you to go. You can leave on your own two feet or be carried out. Decide.”

With a righteous glare, Camilla leaned toward Willa and hissed, “Ask him about the blank spot on the wall, then we’ll talk.”

“That’s it.” Etienne put Willa behind him and pushed Camilla toward the door.

“I’m just warning her,” Camilla snapped back, her gaudy earrings flashing. “What’s wrong, Etienne? Are you afraid she’ll leave you when she learns the truth?” Suddenly, Camilla’s eyes went wide, and she fluttered a hand at her throat. “You’re afraid you’ll get another woman killed.”

She stretched her neck to see around Etienne and stare at Willa. “If you think he will ever have feelings for you, he won’t. In his words, I already gave my heart away a long time ago. He’s incapable of loving again. If you want to know who really holds his heart, go up to the attic and take a look at the painting of Amalia. Imagine how much he must have loved his wife to have a prominent place over the mantle for the past hundred and fifty years.”

Willa put her hand on his arm and stepped from behind him. Then she flashed her daylight ring at Camilla. “You seem to have confused yourself and all of those ex-girlfriends with me. I’d say I’m sorry things didn’t work out between you and Etie, but as you can see, I already have a commitment from him, so he’s taken. He gave me his heart the first night he met me. Besides, based on your level of irrationality, I’d say he is an excellent judge of character. The psychiatrists may have to name a whole new classification of crazy after you.”

Camilla’s jaw dropped. Her mouth gulped air like a fish out of water. When she started to sputter, Willa shooed her hand toward the door. “It was almost nice to meet you. You have a good night now.”

As soon as Camilla was back on the street, Etienne picked Willa up and swung her around. “That was incredible. I have never seen that woman speechless before.”

He kissed her and swung her around a second time.

The moment her feet were back on the ground, she stepped out of reach. “I’m glad you enjoyed the show. People like that exhaust me.”

She smoothed her rumpled clothing and refused to look at him. Willa was much too quiet for his liking. The silence stretched to the point of breaking. Crap, he thought he had dodged the Amalia bullet. He gulped and waited for her to speak or give him a sign.

When she cut her eyes at him, he knew he was in trouble.

“Willa. Speak to me, sweetheart. Are we all right?” he asked, amazed at how even his tone was when he was shaking with trepidation inside.

“I don’t know. Are we? Who is Amalia, and why haven’t you told me about her?”

He followed her gaze to the fireplace mantle and swore under his breath.

When he didn’t answer her questions, she narrowed her eyes at him. “Where’s the attic?” she demanded as she headed out of the library toward the staircase.

Etienne debated with himself on what to do. She was right. He couldn’t hide the past from her, but was this the best way to break it to her? It didn’t look like he had a choice. He caught up to her on the second floor and grabbed her hand.

“I’ll show you what you want to see. But please give me the chance to explain things to you.”

He led her up a second flight of stairs, then stopped in front of an ancient tapestry. Etienne took a deep breath before he pushed the fabric aside to expose a door. He unlocked it to reveal a hidden staircase that led upward into darkness.

He took another deep breath and flipped the switch. “Take care. The treads are narrow, and it is a steep climb.”

They ascended in silence into a large vaulted space filled with priceless treasures. “Are you sure you want to do this? I can tell you everything without subjecting you to seeing the painting.”

Willa raised her chin defiantly. “Yes. I need to see it.”

He nodded reluctantly and took her hand to lead her through the space. “As you wish. Amalia is over here in this stack of paintings.”

Willa’s heart withered when he pulled the image of an incredibly beautiful woman from under a protective sheet. How was she supposed to compete with a woman like that? No, it was worse. She had to compete with the memory of the woman. This was an impossible situation.

Gathering her courage, she glanced at Etie’s face. Shit, he wouldn’t even look at her now. She was going to have to repack her things and take Karen up on her offer to live at the witch house.

She could do this. No matter how much it hurt, she could end this with class. “You obviously loved her very deeply.”

He raised his eyes to hers, then glanced at the painting and pulled the sheeting over it again. Without responding he cupped her face with both of his hands and kissed her hard.

After a long minute, he pressed his forehead to hers. “Cared for.”

Willa tried to gather her scattered thoughts. “What?”

“I cared deeply for her once. No more. Not for a very long time. I love you, Willa. What I feel for you is so much more than I ever felt for Amalia. She wasn’t my muierimei, and, as such, never held my heart. More than anything, I felt guilt over her death.”

She glanced at the sheet and frowned. “Then why did you marry her?”

He sighed and shook his head. “I was young and stupid. I mistook lust for love and told myself I was giving her my heart and soul. In truth, I was just a horny young vampire who gloried in the love and attention I was offered by a beautiful woman.

“Our marriage was so short lived I didn’t have time to realize the mistake I had made in taking a woman as my wife who was not my muierimei. That mistake, along with her murder, put me in a very dark place for a very long time. It was only recently that I forgave myself and allowed myself to emerge from the self-imposed hell. Thankfully, I did that in time to find you.”

“That must have been awful. What happened?”

“She was across town volunteering at a hospital. While walking home, a mob of humans attacked her and ended her existence. It was the height of the witch hunt, and someone started the rumor that she was practicing black magic.”

Willa placed her palm against his cheek and stroked her thumb back and forth. “I’m so sorry.”

“Thank you. It was a long, long time ago.” He placed a hand over hers and gazed into her eyes. “Are we okay?”

“We’re more than okay.”

He exhaled a gust of air. “Thank the goddess above. Are you ready to go downstairs?”

At that instant, she sneezed. “Absolutely. The dust is getting to me.”