Chapter 4

Chapter

Four

I t wasn't until Kat reached the Crescent City and saw Skylar and Travis waiting for her at baggage claim that she breathed easily.

Skylar ran to her. "You look great, Kat. I'm so happy to see you."

"And you positively radiate happiness," said Kat.

"Good to see you, Kat," added Travis. He reached out his hand and she gave him her claim ticket so he could get her bag.

"When does Mariah get here?" asked Kat.

"She'll be here the day after tomorrow. In the meantime, we need to meet with an old friend of my grandmother's—a woman known as MawMaw Chantal. She is revered in her community and is known to have great power."

"You believe in that kind of thing?" asked Kat, a bit taken aback, as Skylar had always seemed so practical.

"I was raised to be respectful of the different kinds of magicks that exist in the world. My father once pointed out to me that many who know about us think that shifting is a kind of magick, and yet we see it as perfectly normal. The same thing can be said of many different things."

Skylar watched Travis look for Kat's bag as she spoke. "MawMaw Chantal has proved to be uncannily accurate in some of the things she's predicted," she said. "I'm not the only cop in New Orleans who will take her call and listen to what she has to say. Her help in solving a recent string of murders and catching the killer was invaluable."

Skylar squeezed her hand. "By the way, Piper is headed here as well. That means that with the exception of Abriana, we'll have the whole gang back together. After we speak with MawMaw Chantal, we can come back to the townhouse and get you settled."

"Come on, ladies. Why don't you both sit in the back, and I'll play chauffeur," said Travis as he ushered them out to the parking lot. He helped them into the car, and they headed into the city.

The drive was short and lively due to the conversation in the backseat. For the most part Travis kept quiet, smiling benignly at Skylar, who seemed enraptured of him as well.

"Will Rémy be here this weekend?" asked Kat.

"No, he's gone dark again. It scares my mother to death. She tries not to let anyone know, but I think the day he leaves the SEALs will be among her happiest," answered Skylar.

"Travis, how's Piper?"

"Piper is Piper—difficult and opinionated. A typical alpha she-wolf."

"And you adore her," added Skylar.

"Yes, but I have a penchant for fractious she-wolves."

"I am not fractious," stated Skylar.

"Of course, you aren't, sweetheart," he soothed, and Skylar rolled her eyes, laughing at him.

Kat couldn't help but grin. They reminded her so much of her mother and father, even though her father was an omega and Travis an alpha. Kat loved to study wolfen behavior and often saw little to differentiate between ranked members of a pack—alpha, beta, omega—both between each other and the rest of the pack. It was as if society had attached a mythical strength to the status of alpha. The best alphas she knew were strong and confident, yet often credited their mate as their better half and put their she-wolf and their pack before themselves.

She certainly found this to be true of Travis. He had walked away from his birthright as Alpha of the Galveston Pack to find fulfillment and happiness as a rising chef in the culinary world and mate to Skylar. She knew from her friend that Travis was all alpha—dominant nature and knot included—but he had chosen a different path than what many had thought he should follow.

T ravis drove into the Tremé neighborhood and parked in front of MawMaw Chantal's home. Kat watched as Skylar waited for him to open the door and help her out of the vehicle. Then he did the same for her.

"Fancy manners," Kat whispered to Skylar, who gave her a friendly elbow to the ribs.

Kat felt a shiver run through her body as they entered MawMaw Chantal's home. Skylar walked over to the older woman and kissed her on the cheek.

"Thank you for taking time to see me," MawMaw said to Skylar. She looked to Kat. "You are not of the New Orleans pack."

"No ma'am, I'm not," answered Kat.

MawMaw Chantal approached Kat as if she was a strange and unknown entity and circled her cautiously. She raised her hand and ran it over Kat's face, not touching her, but staying close enough that Kat had to fight her instinct to take a step back.

"You do not believe," pronounced Chantal. She had no rancor in her tone.

"I don't necessarily believe one way or another, but I've never known Skylar to be fooled by anyone so if she says you have great power, I believe her."

Chantal nodded. "That is good. Keep your cynicism and do not allow anyone to think for you. Like your friend, you may well have to bend your will to another, but make sure he is worthy." She turned to Skylar. "Have there been any disturbances at Rivière Du Loup?"

"Neither of my parents have mentioned any. We were very grateful that you came out to discern if the Darkness was still there and cast some protection spells. I think they feel safer."

"The key word being safer . Until it is destroyed or at least contained, it continues to be a threat and to hunt those of your kind."

"You think it will leave non-shifters alone?" asked Travis.

" Non . But the stronger the host, the stronger the Darkness. Wolves are inherently stronger; it would value one of you as a host."

"You talk about this Darkness as if it were an entity unto itself," said Kat, curious despite her initial skepticism.

"It is," explained Chantal. "It has no corporeal form and needs a host to manifest some of what it does, but it is a separate consciousness, a particular evil. The Darkness cannot be destroyed without a certain kind of magic, but it can be contained in heat-treated metal or metal alloys."

"Like steel or bronze?" asked Skylar.

Chantal continued. "If contained, it can be locked away but eventually will escape. To be destroyed, it must be trapped by a magick that can force it to remain within the boundaries the magick can control. Your ancestor was able to restrain it and keep it at bay, but he didn't have the magick to destroy it."

Skylar nodded. "When Travis and I attacked the murderer, we saw what looked like an oily, black mass in the air and it struck at us with a powerful gust, kind of like an alpha roll. That's like a ball of energy and strength that our kind can project when we need to. Then whatever that thing was morphed into a tornado and was gone."

"It vanished and the two of you were the only ones around?"

"Yes."

Chantal walked over to where Skylar sat. She ran her hands over Skylar's face, again not touching her skin. Then she did the same to Travis and murmured something under her breath.

"I do not feel its evil," she pronounced.

"Could it have entered someone else already?" asked Skylar.

"Yes, but it hasn't possessed any of you. It needs a body to work its evil, but it can exist without corporeal form for long stretches of time."

"So, it's gone," said Travis.

Chantal shook her head. "I fear not. It will hide until it can find another host. How long the Darkness can maintain its cohesion isn't known. It will find a place to wait until it senses a new host it can use. Then it will surround and seduce. It can possess an unwilling host, but the weaker the will, the easier; easiest still is if the one being possessed invites it to do so."

"Why would anyone invite the Darkness in?" asked Skylar, leaning forward.

"The Darkness is old and knows how to prey upon people's greatest fears and weaknesses. The wolves may prove too strong. But eventually it will find a way to ensure its survival. We must take care and be vigilant."

"How does it enter a host?" asked Skylar.

"It must be inhaled deeply, as one would the fragrance of a flower or the scent of their mate's arousal." Chantal looked around the room at the shocked faces and cackled. "I am old, but I have my memories. If it has the space, it prefers to envelop its victim and deny them oxygen. When they are forced to inhale, it enters the host quickly and violently."

"What should we watch for?" asked Skylar.

"When it first possesses its host, there is a feeling of disorientation and nausea. The person will feel helpless but as the Darkness takes over, that feeling will be replaced by one of calm and confidence. Eventually, the confidence becomes arrogance."

"Is there a way to kill it?" asked Skylar.

"There is, but as you discovered, killing the host will merely make the Darkness flee to lay in wait for another, and it cannot be killed when it is formless."

Kat watched as Skylar tried to make sense of what they were hearing. "If it has no form but it can't be killed in a host, what about forcing it into some kind of container and then destroying the container?" asked Skylar.

"If that were possible, Jean Lafitte would have destroyed it long ago. He could contain it, but in order to make it vulnerable, he had to release it. It can possess a human body but can also leave at will before the body dies. The thing that binds it must be solid enough to hold it but have the ability to morph into a different state."

"So, a container won't work because it can't change shape and a human won't work because it can't contain it. So how the hell do I kill it?" asked Skylar, looking more frustrated.

Travis's soothing rumble and his hand on her shoulder seemed to help her find a sense of calm.

"The Darkness is old. I suspect it will take an ancient kind of magick to defeat it. I wish I had more to tell you. It was contained for many centuries but now it is hungry. It will soon seek another host."

Skylar rose from her chair. "Thank you, MawMaw Chantal. We'll come back to see you again. I would love to hear stories about my grandmother sometime."

Chantal smiled. "She would have liked you. Know that your grandmother watches over Rivière Du Loup, so look for signs from her." She turned back to Kat. "You come from a place that is the seat of an ancient power." Chantal picked up a deck of cards, fanned them out and presented them to Kat. "Choose one."

"I… I don't need a reading or whatever," Kat said politely.

"Choose," repeated Chantal.

Kat drew a card from as close to the middle as she could.

"Temperance," said Chantal.

"Not exactly a virtue," quipped Kat, and then not wanting to seem rude, she continued. "I'm a vintner by birth and by trade. My livelihood depends on people not being overly temperate."

"But this card does not symbolize abstention. Rather, it indicates a need for balance and tranquility—both of which are needed in order to have a fulfilling life."

"Kat is thinking about taking a new job in California," supplied Skylar.

Chantal nodded and placed her hand on Kat's. "You must take care. There is one who will seek to destroy you."

Kat snatched her hand away. "I think I'll head out to the car."

She turned to leave, hearing Skylar murmuring her apologies before catching up to her.

"I hope she didn't spook you. I thought you didn't believe."

"I don't—not really, anyway. It's just a bit odd to be told that someone wants to kill you."

"Tarot isn't always as literal as that. One seeking to destroy you could mean lots of things. I would just keep an eye out. If you're feeling a bit uncomfortable, we can stay at the townhouse with you, or you can stay at the loft with us."

Kat laughed when she saw Travis's reaction to the latter suggestion. "No. I'll be fine, and I don't need to be reminded of my sorry single state." She linked her arm through Skylar's. "Besides, I think the idea of going without scared the shit out of Travis."

"I heard that, Katarina Marino. Behave yourself and do not tempt my mate to seek out trouble with you."

"With me? Hah! Shows how much you know. I'm the sweet, temperate, shy one of our group."

Skylar laughed and tossed back to Travis, "Don't you believe a word she says."