Page 17 of Magic Pussy

He stared at the vamp in disbelief.

"I'm six foot three. Over two hundred pounds," he explained, just in case Charles hadn't noted.

The vampire smiled.

"You're cute, and you turn into a cat. Therefore, kitten. Move that noteworthy ass. Rain's down there with too many spiders."

Letting him lead them through dusty passageways in the belly of the city wasn’t his idea of a good time.

“Is that a skeleton?”

Luke heaved, but neither Charles nor Rain so much as lifted a brow. It was a fresh, juicy skeleton, and they didn’t mind.

She had had a point about the paranormal Nola world being a little more hardcore than it was in the rest of the world.

“Where are we going, if you don’t mind my asking?”

“Out,” was Charles’ only answer.

Luke considered pressing, but Rain sent him a glace that, in any language, translated to, “shut your trap”.

She knew what he was up to, then.

Finally, after encountering more worms, spiders, snakes, and skeletons than Luke ever wished to face, there was a light at the end of the tunnel. Through a heavy metal door Charles pushed like it was made of paper, they got out of the city.

The air had changed. A lot. Some of the weight he’d felt since their arrival in town had lifted.

They walked in silence in a dry woods, and at each step, Luke’s animal felt less on edge, freer. He would have killed for a run right about now.

Luke didn’t ask where they were headed again. Eventually, they must have arrived there because both Rain and Charles stopped together.

“Okay, what the fuck is going on?” she finally demanded to know.

"Nola is under the influence of a greater being. Stronger than me. Definitely stronger than you. I don't know who, I can't tell what its source of power is, but every day it's becoming stronger. Most of the witches have fallen for it. Your sister, Sara? One day, she was wearing a cropped top and downing sangrias with her girlfriends from school; the next day, she was an integral part of the coven, wanting to get involved in all their spells. It's not just her; even some vampires in my den are acting out of sorts."

Shit. What had they walked into?

“Is that why we’re meeting here?” he questioned.

Rain pointed to the ground, to something he couldn’t see. “A long time ago, when the city was being built, the witches shielded it, not only so that nothing bad could come in, but also so that their powers couldn’t just escape its wall. It’s a two-way wall. Whatever is going on inside Nola can’t affect us here in the bayou.”

“It’s still not exactly safe,” Charles said, his eyes watching the horizon. “This territory has been claimed by shifters. They don’t like my kind, or Rain’s. We don’t have long. Look, this is my home, and I’m not going anywhere, but you,” he said, pointing to Rain’s chest, “should get the fuck out of here.”

“I’m here because of your warning,” she reminded him.

Charles sighed. “I owed a favor to Michelle. And…”

He let his voice trail off.

“And?” Luke prompted.

“And, whatever it is, I don’t think Michelle is affected. She’s too strong, or something. I could be wrong, but it’s possible that she might not have forced you to come here for the ritual.”

Rain seemed downright shocked. “You think she wants my help?”

The very notion seemed to be ludicrous to her.

Charles shrugged. "You're family. But it's not exactly like she can ask you, given your relationship. She and I will never be very close, but we have an understanding on this matter. I'm trying to dig up some intel about what's happening on my end, she's doing what she can on hers, and if one of us can protect this city, we will. But so far, we've not found much."

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