Page 39 of French Quarter Heiress

"Beau," I whisper, my voice a threadbare echo in the void. "I love you. I will always love you. And I will wait for you, in whatever world lies beyond this one, until we can be together again."

And then the darkness takes me.

27

BEAU

The sound of gunshots rips through the air, each one a thunderclap of dread that sends my heart racing with terror. I lunge towards the bars of my cell, my hands gripping the cold metal as a roar of desperation tears from my throat. "Elise!" I bellow, my voice raw and ragged with fear. Silence. Nothing but the echo of my own voice, mocking me with its emptiness. I can feel the rage building inside me, a fierce, primal fury that threatens to consume me whole.

I pace the confines of my cell, my body coiled with a restless, desperate energy. The walls seem to close in around me, the darkness pressing against my skin like a living, breathing thing.

And then, as suddenly as they began, the gunshots stop. The silence that follows is deafening, a void that swallows all hope and light. “Cowards! Let me out!” I slam my fists into the door until they are bloody.

I sink to my knees, my body shaking with the force of my grief and my rage. Hot tears burn in my eyes, blurring my vision as I pound my fists against the cold, unyielding floor.

But then, a sound breaks through the haze of my despair. Footsteps, light and quick, echo through the dungeon with a purposeful, almost jaunty rhythm.

I look up, my eyes narrowing as a figure emerges from the shadows. It's Mimi, the French vampire who's been a constant thorn in my side since the day I met her.

"Well, well, well," she purrs, her lips curving into a smug, self-satisfied smirk. "Look what the cat dragged in."

I growl, my hands clenching into fists at my sides. "Mimi. What the hell are you doing here?"

She laughs, a tinkling, musical sound that grates on my nerves like nails on a chalkboard. "Is that any way to greet an old friend, Beau? And here I thought you'd be happy to see me."

"Friend?" I scoff, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "Last time I checked, friends don't owe each other seven grand from a botched hand."

Mimi waves a dismissive hand, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Details, details. But I'll tell you what, mon ami. How about we make a little deal, hmm? I get you out of this charming little cell, and we'll call it even on that pesky debt."

I hesitate, my mind racing with the possibilities and the dangers of trusting this mercurial, unpredictable creature. But then I think of Elise, of the gunshots and the silence, and I know that I have no choice.

"Fine," I spit, my voice thick with a grudging, desperate acquiescence. "Get me out of here, and we'll square up. But if you're playing me, Mimi, if this is another one of your games..."

She holds up a hand, her expression turning uncharacteristically serious. "No games, Beau. Not this time. Scout's honor."

I raise an eyebrow, my lips twisting into a wry, humorless smirk. "Last time I checked, vampires don't have scout's honor."

Mimi grins, her fangs glinting in the dim light of the dungeon. "Touché, mon ami. But I am swearing, I'm here to help. Your little princess is in trouble and so on blah blah blah go rescue."

She reaches into the folds of her dress, pulling out a small hairpin. With a flourish, she unlocks the door of my cell, the metal swinging open with a rusty, grating creak.

I step out into the dungeon, my body trembling with a newfound sense of purpose and determination. "Elise," I whisper, my voice a low, fierce growl. "Hold on, my love. I'm coming for you."

Mimi claps her hands together, her eyes flashing with a wild, reckless excitement. "Then what are we waiting for, mon ami? Let's go crash this party and show those Delacroix bastards what happens when they mess with true love."

She tosses me a wink, her lips curving into a wicked, conspiratorial grin. "After all, every good fairy tale needs a dashing wolf prince to save the day, n'est-ce pas?"

I roll my eyes, but I can't help the flicker of amusement that tugs at the corners of my mouth. "Just lead the way, Mimi. And try not to get us both killed in the process."

She laughs, a sound like bells and moonlight, and together we plunge into the shadows of the dungeon, our hearts pounding with the thrill of the hunt and the desperate, unbreakable bond of love that drives us forward, into the very heart of darkness itself.

“Oh, there is still the problem of the collar. You will not be able to fight, but alas, Elis has the key…” She has a thoughtful look on her face for a moment.

"Don't move," she warns, her voice low and urgent as she steps closer, her hairpin glinting in her fingers. "One wrong twitch and this little pick might just end up in your jugular, comprenez-vous?"

I nod, my body going rigid as Mimi works the pin into the lock of the collar, her tongue poking out from between her teeth in concentration. Seconds tick by, each one an eternity as I hold my breath, my heart pounding in my ears.

And then, with a soft, metallic click, the collar falls away, clattering to the stone floor with a sound like freedom. I gasp, my hand flying to my throat as I feel the rush of power flowing back into my veins, the wolf within me stirring to life once more.

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