Chapter 7

Chapter

Seven

W hat the hell is wrong with me? I read that New Orleans could have a bad effect on some people but I didn't think that was true. But now I must be one of them. First I lose control of my wolf and then I drink blood? I don't think that I should stay any longer. I'll go to the soft opening tonight and then figure out an excuse to go to California. At least with Mariah here, I'll be less tempted to get into trouble for one night. I hope.

Back at the townhouse she paced around the first floor, waiting until an appropriate time when she could show up at the restaurant claiming to want to help. She wrapped her arms around herself as she moved restlessly throughout the townhouse, afraid to even go outside. She tried to distract herself and managed to finish off the last third of the bottle of wine she had opened on the first night of her visit.

Something inside her wanted to go out for a run, to chase something down and to drink its life force. Life force? She really needed to get a grip and to get out of New Orleans.

She knew Stephanie was an early riser but waited until eight in the morning California time to call her.

"Kat? You okay?"

"Yeah, I am. Would it be okay if I flew into San Francisco early and spent a night in the Steele brothers' hotel? I'll pay of course. I was just hoping you could get me a room."

"That shouldn't be a problem. Linc keeps a room open for pack members and he won't let you pay. For tonight?"

"Yes," said Kat quickly.

"Kat? What's going on?"

"I don't want to offend anyone, but I don't think New Orleans agrees with me. This place gives me the heebie jeebies." She laughed nervously. "That probably sounds stupid."

"No. Actually, it sounds a lot like Grace. Oh! She and Linc will be there tonight for the soft opening. They're flying in by private jet so you could easily fly back with them if you like."

"Oh God, that would be great Steph, thanks. Maybe I'll spend a couple of days in San Francisco. I've always wanted to see that city."

Stephanie lowered her voice to a conspiratorial tone. "Want me to arrange a pass for you at Torch Light? Just a warning though, if anyone requests Little Red Riding Hood by Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs be played, run! And if you didn't bring any fet wear, I can also get you an appointment at Cable Car Corsets. Maggie is a member and will give you a discount. I'll tell her you'll need something she can fit to you while you're there."

Kat sighed. "Thanks, Steph. That sounds perfect. I only brought enough clothes and things with me for my vacation. I didn't think to pack anything appropriate for Torch Light."

"Or maybe you were just looking for an excuse to get a new outfit, which is a perfectly legitimate thing to do."

"Maybe," Kat laughed.

"No problem. I'll take care of it and will let Linc and Grace know you're going to be coming back with them. If you like, Linc can make an excuse that you're needed at the winery sooner rather than later."

"You're a life saver."

"No, just a favor for someone I hope will soon be a pack member. Are you sure you're okay? I can get Linc and Grace to come earlier than tonight and get you."

"No, no. I'll be fine. Besides, I want to see Mariah and I want to be here for Skylar and Travis. I got a tour of the restaurant the other night. It's gorgeous."

Stephanie laughed. "I know both Linc and Cameron Nichols are dreading it. Apparently those chef types can be a bit competitive over who has the best kitchen. Xander has already prepared Damian for an upgrade to the restaurant, even though we just did a major overhaul three years ago. You're going to love the hotel. It's gorgeous, and Torch Light is amazing. And I know whereof I speak, I used to play at Dante's, and you know how incredible it is."

"So I've heard. I think I may well be the only person in the lifestyle who wouldn't kill to be invited. I haven't ever been and have no plans to go. Seeing my mother in a corset would be bad enough, but the idea of my dad in black leathers is definitely not something I want to contemplate."

"I never thought of that. Trust me, if he wasn't your father, you'd be impressed. There wasn't a woman who played at Dante's who didn't want to be under his whip."

"Ick. I'm not a fan of impact instruments. Too much of that bullshit as a she-wolf."

"Trust me, Kat, it's a whole different thing."

Kat ended the call and headed upstairs. She had planned to take something to change into later for the opening, but since she would now be leaving with Linc and Grace, she packed up all her things. Then she headed to the restaurant, hoping that whatever had caused her bad dreams, reoccurring dizzy spells, and general feeling of malaise, would be left far behind when she headed to the West Coast.

Once she arrived at the restaurant, she took the elevator up to the loft and stored her things out of the way. Kat had just stepped into the restaurant dining room when she heard Mariah's voice. It was difficult not to hear Mariah—especially when someone was handling one of her art pieces. Travis had commissioned three different sculptures—one for the bar which took up half of the second floor, one for the interior dining room, and an enormous one for the courtyard.

"God damn it, if you drop that and break it, I'll rip your fucking throat out!" hollered Mariah.

Kat glanced at Travis and grinned. "In case you missed it, Mariah's here."

"I know. And that's not a good thing where Skylar is concerned. The two of them seem determined to play out the roles of the original Skylar and her beta, Roz."

Skylar breezed in and launched herself at Travis who embraced her, hoisting her up and locking his muscular arms beneath her before twirling her around. At first Skylar had her hands on his shoulders, looking down at him, but then flung her head back and stretched her arms out wide, palms facing up. They were the personification of love and happiness, and Kat had to focus to keep from growling at them.

Travis set her down. "Kat's had a change of plans. Linc called earlier and they need her at the vineyard sooner rather than later."

"Oh shit," said Sky, ducking quickly away to avoid her mate's swat to her behind. "Sorry, Travis." Turning to Kat, she said, "Are you okay with that?"

"Yes. Stephanie was kind enough to offer me a job. I was going for a visit and to talk to her about that. But she sounded a bit desperate and Grace and Linc can give me a ride back with them. I thought I could go and at least help out temporarily if she needs me."

"Kind my ass," said Mariah, wrapping Kat in an enormous hug. "She knows you're your father's daughter and they're lucky to get someone like you who grew up at La Fortezza."

Kat grinned. She was going to miss spending time with Mariah this weekend.

"Abriana's birthday is coming up," said Kat. "She's hoping all of us can meet in London."

"Oh, we haven't all been to London together in years! Piper and Bre will both be here tonight, let's see if we can't find a date that'll work and call Abriana."

"Baby," started Travis. "I don't know that I'll be able to leave the restaurant."

"Who said you were invited, Cowboy?" challenged Mariah. "I happen to have an opening there, so I'll need my posse with me."

Travis growled and Mariah laughed. "Mariah, don't tease him like that," said Skylar. She stood on her tiptoes to kiss him. "I'm not sure I can get away either, but if I can, I promise that while I'm gone, I'll be a lovely, well-behaved mate. Besides, there isn't a snowball's chance in hell Micah will let Abriana go without him, so it won't truly be a girls' weekend or it will, but at least there'll be some supervision."

"Not enough," said Travis with a wry grin. "I'd feel better if at least one more of you had been claimed and your mate was going to be with you."

Mariah laughed. "You sound like the wolves my mother and the she-wolves of Bae Diogel had to go up against. It's London, Cowboy, not outer Mongolia. What kind of trouble do you think we could possibly get into in London?"

"I shudder to even consider all of the possibilities, especially if you're taking that hooligan sister of mine," he said with a grin, turning just in time to see her coming through the door.

"Hooligan, am I? It's a good thing I left my horse home. Otherwise, big brother, I'd hog tie you and drag your ass through the streets of this fancy imitation French city."

Travis hugged his sister. They'd always been close, and it was good to see that nothing had changed that. "Where are mom and dad?"

"I suspect they're flying in. I took the ferry."

Travis sighed. "You and dad fighting again?"

"No. There's no reason to fight. He's a stubborn, chauvinistic jackass. There is no one better to run Wolf Meadow than me and everybody knows it, including him. Fact is, I could be alpha of the pack, no one works harder or knows the ranch better. But oh no, just because I was born with boobs rather than balls, I'm supposed to play the lady. Does dad not realize the chances of that happening are slim to none?"

"Piper, it won't fly. You know it and so does dad."

"It's not fucking fair," started Piper as Mariah, Skylar, and Kat cheered her on. "I'm better qualified than anyone in the family. You're a chef, Austin's a Texas Ranger, and all Cody wants to do is ride rodeo and screw buckle bunnies. My point is that all of you get to do what you want and what you're good at. I've been riding the range with dad since before I could walk. It's what I love most."

Travis cupped the nape of his sister's neck and pulled her in, leaning her forehead against his own. "I know. I'm sorry. You could always go to culinary school or if you don't want to do that, I'll let you work your way up through the ranks here. You've always been good with desserts; you could start as the junior pastry chef."

Piper smiled. "Thanks, Trav. I may take you up on that. But you know I'm right."

"No. I know that you could run the ranch and maybe you'll find a mate that lets you do that."

"Lets her?" scoffed Mariah. "Hey Piper, I brought my blowtorch. I'll bet I could convince him you're right. I think the time is right for a revolution."

"Mariah?" said Skylar with a twinkle in her eye. "I have my SIG and gun beats blowtorch every time."

"He's that good in the sack?"

"Girlfriend, you have no idea. Now, why don't we go upstairs and get out of Travis's way. Babe, the squad is thrilled you invited them."

Travis smiled at her. "It'll be a full house. It's going to be a great shakedown. And if it's not, that's what shakedowns are for, and we can fix what needs fixing before the grand opening."

Skylar led Mariah, Piper, and Kat back to the elevator and punched the button for the loft. "The best part is he left appetizers, a good bottle of wine, and cold beer upstairs for us."

"He spoils you," said Kat.

Skylar nodded. "He does."

"But more than that, he allows you to do what you want," groused Piper.

"No. He supports my being a cop, but don't you ever believe your brother isn't all male alpha wolf. I can run around being a detective gold shield all day, but when I come home, I'm his mate and he is my alpha and my Dom. It's pretty fucking perfect."

"Except for that whole Darkness thing," said Piper. "Dad said that no one knows what happened to it."

"Not exactly true. We know it escaped. Most likely it came back to the city to hide until it can find another person to take over," said Skylar.

"But if it doesn't have a body or a shape or whatever, how does it do that?" asked Mariah.

"It invades what Chantal calls a host and basically uses it for transport. It can be anything that lives and breathes. Once it sets up shop, according to my ancestor, it eats the host's soul and drives it mad. New Orleans has been the home of some pretty grisly serial killers. I'm starting to wonder if the Darkness wasn't responsible for most, if not all of them. Obviously it's not something I can prove, but I won't stop until I've figured out how to destroy that thing."

"Dad said you and Trav merged into a dire wolf to fight it," said Piper.

Skylar nodded. "We did. It was awesome and terrifying at the same time. When he called to me, it felt like I didn't have a choice. We've tried a couple more times since then, but all that happens is I end up slamming into him. We're going to try again at the next full moon."

"Aunt Amy said it's also the weapon of last resort," said Piper. "Like if you're all out of other options."

"I didn't think Chantal was all that helpful when we went to go see her," said Kat. "She seemed to know what it could be contained in. But then she said the whole needing magick to contain it but not in a container… I mean, did you get any of that?"

"Not really. But a lot of times, Chantal's visions aren't strictly literal. They take some interpreting."

"I am hereby declaring," said Mariah, "a moratorium on gruesome discussions of serial killers and things that go bump in the night."

"Hear! Hear!" they all agreed.