14. Nic

Chapter 14

"It's been three fucking days." I barely resisted shouting the words as I looked at my mate lying in my bed.

She was peaceful now, but sometimes she still seized without warning. Aimée looked exhausted as she sat in the chair she'd drawn up to the bed, the Book of Gray open on the table at her side. She rubbed her hand over her face and sighed.

I looked at her nearly gray pallor. "You need to eat."

She waved a dismissive hand. "Who can think about feeding right now? I want to help my friend."

"Help her how? She slips in and out of consciousness, and we don't know if she's going to recover." Helplessness claimed my words and I sat heavily on the chair on the other side of Leia's bed. "I don't know what to do, Aimée. I just don't know."

"Relax." She looked up. "We've got this. I'll carry on reading the Book of Gray."

I coughed out a laugh and looked at the ceiling. "You've been reading it for the past three days."

"And I'll carry on reading it until I find out what to do. Our ancestors had a lot of…" She paused and seemed to weigh her words. "Conflicting things to say about turning their human mates. I was wondering, do you think you have any other texts about it in your attic? I can send Baldwin or even Tomas up there to look."

I shook my head. "I don't know if it would do any good."

I reached for Leia's hand. She was still warm but maybe not burning up as she had been. She just looked so pale against my dark gray sheets now.

"I can't lose her," I croaked out.

Aimée glanced up, both mischief and sympathy present in her gaze. "I never thought I'd see this day."

"What day?"

She laughed softly. "The day you would have been so taken by a human that we're where we are now."

I looked back at Leia. It wasn't something I would have predicted either. It was a far cry from the usual structure of my world, where I was always confident I'd win, where my house always won in the end. Where the odds were always carefully stacked in my favor.

But I wasn't sure about these odds.

"What was it like for you?" It was the question I wasn't even sure I wanted to know the answer to, but I had to know. Anecdotally, females had a tougher time transitioning to vampire, and I hadn't been present for Aimée's when our father turned her.

She laughed a little, but it was bitter. "I've heard I nearly died."

I nodded slowly.

"But that's nearly, Nicky. Look at me now."

And I did. I looked at both of us sitting at Leia's bedside and took in Aimée's graying complexion again.

"Who sat with you?" Perhaps I should have been more involved at the time. I'd now more now if I had been, anyway.

"Father, I think. Possibly Mother, too." She tilted her head to one side like she was trying to remember something. "I know it's harder for you to understand because you were born fully formed, but for those of us who were turned, it's different. The biological change is dangerous." She looked at me. "But you've done nothing wrong. This was necessary. Leia would have died without it."

My own laugh was harsh as I gestured to the bed. "She doesn't seem much better off now." And I'd done it. After everything we'd been through, I'd nearly killed her anyway.

"No." Amy's voice was quiet but vehement, without any respect for a king. "No, you do not get to think like that. Not now, not ever. Look at Leia now. Yes, look at her. This woman loves you so much that her entire body is rearranging itself to be your perfect match, so she can stay with you forever. And she's strong, Nicky. She's strong. I wasn't able to feed so early. I wasn't awake like she was immediately after."

"Well, she's not awake now," I snapped back. "She slipped into this zombie phase right after." I looked away from Aimée, away from the eyes that saw too much. "I can't lose her," I said again. "I don't know what I'd do. Don't know how I'd carry on."

Before Aimée had chance to respond to the words I hadn't intended to speak, I stood. "I'm going to get another cool cloth to help keep her temperature down."

The next day, I woke to Aimée shaking my shoulder. "Nicky. Nicky, wake up."

I surged from sleep to full consciousness, adrenaline pounding through my system. "What is it? What's wrong?"

But my sister laughed. "Nothing's wrong. I think Leia's fever has broken. Look at her."

I turned my attention to my mate, and Aimée was right. The small beads of sweat that had marked Leia's hairline and brow were nowhere to be seen, and the red color had faded from her cheeks. I exhaled a long sigh. "Thank fuck for that."

Aimée laughed and bent to kiss my cheek. "Listen, I'm going to update Tomas and find somewhere to feed, but I'll be back as soon as I can. I'm sure there are things you've been neglecting, Your Majesty."

She offered my title in a teasing way, and I laughed, my heart suddenly lighter.

"I've got nothing more important than Leia. Nothing." My last word was emphatic, and Aimée nodded as I looked at her.

"I'll be back so you can check on things, anyway." With one last press of the back of her hand to Leia's forehead and a soft smile of satisfaction, she left the room.

I stood and bent over Leia, pushing the loose strands of hair from her face before kissing her cheek. "Nearly there," I whispered. "You can do it. Come back to me."

My heart swelled with hope, but my mind urged caution.

I didn't listen to my mind. I only hoped.

I hoped and wanted.

I needed Leia.

As I sat back down, content to just watch my mate and listen to her breathing, quiet and regular now after the past few days of a horrible rattling sound that seemed to happen far too infrequently to sustain life, my thoughts turned to Kyle.

I'd been so worried about Leia, I hadn't even left my room, never mind asking for any kind of update on how things were going in New Orleans. I glanced toward the closed curtains like I could see beyond them and all the way to wherever Kyle had hidden himself.

Jason would have reported to me if anything had gone wrong. He would have known it was important enough to interrupt my vigil at Leia's bedside to tell me that kind of news.

But now that I'd thought of Kyle and his situation, I couldn't rest. I drew my cell phone from my pocket and grimaced at the battery life on it. The charger was across the room so I left Leia's side to make my call, keeping her within my field of vision the whole time.

I listened to the long, drawn-out ringing on the line, counting the seconds before Kyle picked up. He was somewhere noisy, and the first voice I heard, murmuring in the background, was female.

"Thanks, Chesca," Kyle said before he greeted me. "Nic. Give me a second. Let me get somewhere quieter. How is Leia doing?"

His question relieved a little of my guilt that I hadn't been more on top of checking in with him. Someone had been speaking to him if he was aware of Leia's condition. Most likely Jason, but possibly Ben. Someone more organized…or just less distracted than me, anyway.

Not for the first time, I was grateful for the men I had surrounding me. Even Sebastian.

Well, Sebastian made the list most of the time, anyway.

I listened to muffled sounds and chatter as Kyle made his way through a crowded space. From the noises, it was most likely he was in a bar—not exactly keeping his head down and lying low, then.

A door creaked before he spoke again. "What's up, boss?"

"I'm just checking in." Holy hell, even just getting an update from Kyle felt good. It was something normal after the past few days of turmoil.

I couldn't help another glance at Leia, taking in the way her chest rose and fell with each breath she drew. Perfect. I definitely had hope now. And all I needed to improve my day was a good report from Kyle as to how things were going in New Orleans.

"Are you safe?"

He chuckled. "Safe as I can be. But I know enough of the right people to hold my own."

I considered his words. There was probably more information in the things he hadn't said. "Okay. And how are things generally?"

He waited a beat then a beat too long, and my mind started filling in the blanks.

"Things are that good there?"

He sighed. "Put it this way, I'm glad I came to see for myself."

Far, far from good, then. A sigh from Kyle was a pretty big indicator things weren't going his way.

"Want to catch me up? I've been a little out of the loop."

There was a brief silence. Perhaps he'd nodded. "And Leia?" He asked after my mate again, and a smile curved my lips.

"Hopefully over the worst. She's resting easier today."

Kyle blew out another sigh. "Glad to hear it."

Then we both had a moment of silence while I contemplated what I would have done if Leia hadn't turned the corner.

Maybe Kyle was doing the same. "So all your thoughts are back on the war with émile now?"

I could barely take my gaze from Leia. "Most of them," I agreed.

"Good." The genuine relief in his tone caught my attention and I sat in the closest chair. This conversation sounded like it was about to take a very bad turn indeed.

"What's going on over there, Kyle?" I lowered my voice. Who knew what Leia could actually hear, and I didn't want her to know any of this if it was bad. Her fever had only just broken. Bad news could worsen her condition all over again.

"émile is coming good on his promise, Nic. The threat he made about building a vampire army. And he's more skilled at it than Francois was. These aren't just hungry fledglings who won't know anything but bloodlust."

I nodded. I wouldn't have expected émile to use the same tactics as Francois. I knew he'd be better, less crazed perhaps. Certainly more experienced. But this wasn't the news I'd wanted to hear.

"And you think the target is still Leia?" My gaze wandered to her once more.

émile would certainly have a surprise if he came back for her now, but it meant I had a lot to do to get her ready. Resolve strengthened my desire to keep her safe.

"How long do you think it will take émile to make his army?" I grabbed a notepad and pen from inside a drawer in the table so I could write the details down to share with Jason and Sebastian later.

"That's the thing, Nic. This isn't Francois we're dealing with anymore. He had no choice but to make his army. No nearby king will deal with him, but émile has a lot more influence."

I paused, my pen hovering over the empty page. "And how is he using that influence?"

"He's made deals all over Georgia. They're sending men to boost his numbers."

The pen cracked in my hand before I readjusted my grip.

"We're outnumbered," Kyle added, like I hadn't already done the math.

"I assume you have a recommendation, though." Kyle was my best strategist, so if he didn't have a plan, we were all in trouble.

"Yes. You need to go back to the wolves. They bolstered our numbers last time, and the same strategy can work again. If you move quickly, you can launch an attack before they're ready. Surprise might be your best strategy."

There was some raucous yelling in the distance near to wherever he was, but he didn't change the subject or end our conversation, so he was obviously under no threat.

"And how did you get this intel?" My pen scratched furiously across the paper as I tried to capture Kyle's words and my initial ideas.

"I have a new contact."

I stopped writing. "Oh, yeah?" Anyone else who knew our business was a potential danger to Leia and to my position.

"Relax." As ever, Kyle seemed to read my mind. "She'd good. She's Temple's sister. Francois turned her at the same time as he turned Temple. Apparently, he's been looking for and mistaking women for his true mate for many years."

I shook my head at Francois's obvious desperation to forge links where none existed. What drove a man to that? "So why is she involved?"

"Many of the same reasons as Temple. She was turned against her will, and she doesn't believe in this war. Not when Francois has killed so many women trying to turn them—Chesca just got lucky."

There was that name again. Kyle had been with her when he answered this call.

"She wants her freedom from him."

I nodded as I captured the details about Kyle's new source then glanced at Leia again. She was still resting easy. Hell, I hadn't expected this part to be more difficult. Turning her should have been the solution to all of our problems, or at least the start of that solution.

"Okay. I understand that. And you're sure you can trust her?" I asked because Kyle had a lot resting on this new name.

"She's Temple's sister."

That wasn't really an answer to my question, but Kyle's tone said it was the only one he was going to give. "Right. I'll talk to Jason and Sebastian and bring them up to date. We'll make a plan about who to contact and how quickly we can mobilize, if you think surprise is the best tactic we've got."

"Pretty sure it's the only tactic we've got, Nic. More vampires arrive in New Orleans each day." His tone was grim.

A chill danced across my skin. New Orleans sounded like a powder keg, and one of my best men was right in the middle of it.

"We'll get it figured out." I said a hurried goodbye and hung up the phone then debated what to do next.

Aimée still wasn't back to take over watching Leia, and I didn't want to leave her on her own yet. Still, I could call Conri before I spoke to Jason and Sebastian. I still had his number from when he'd agreed to a meeting before, although I'd hoped to never use it again.

"Hello?" He was gruff when he answered. Gruff and suspicious.

"Conri," I greeted him, still keeping my voice low. "It's Nic Dupont."

Probably best to lead by being relatively familiar and offering him my nickname.

We weren't exactly friends, but even grudging allies didn't require formality. Not when I was essentially trying to broker another deal, anyway.

"I know." So he was still a man of few words. Good to know.

And he least he hadn't greeted me with what do you want? I could be thankful for small mercies these days.

"How are you?"

He greeted me polite enquiry with the hollow laugh it deserved. "More importantly, Dupont, how are you? And what do you want this time?"

I withheld my sigh. Sounding irritated wouldn't help my case at all. "I have another deal to discuss with you."

"Oh, yeah? That human still giving you trouble?"

I looked over to Leia again at his words as I weighed up how much to tell him. "Some," I finally allowed. A little vulnerability had helped grease the wheels last time, after all.

He sighed. He seemed to have some sort of soft spot for difficult humans. "What is it you want?"

"A proper, negotiated deal. No favors." I didn't want to be beholden to the local wolf pack.

He laughed softly. "I'd expect nothing else."

"I need numbers again. New Orleans is amassing an army." I jumped right in with my requirements. There was really no point in hiding it.

He made a noncommittal noise like he already knew what I wanted… Which just meant he didn't know what I had to offer. I almost still didn't know what I might offer. As little as I thought I could get away with.

I sucked in a quiet breath as I revised that thought. Where Leia was involved, I'd offer as much as I needed to in order to guarantee her safety.

The silence was heavy between us, each of us too alpha to want to be the one to break it, but I had most to lose if this failed, so I went first again.

"I have some land holdings bordering and extending a little way into Texas that I'm willing to trade." This was land that would give Conri power over the Texas packs, and we both knew it.

"Interesting," he murmured. "We're always looking for new trade routes."

I held my breath for a moment before speaking again. "I can provide you with that."

His silence stretched on, but I refused to break it this time. It was better to let him tell me what he wanted than for me to offer up anything else first.

"If I agree to send men, I want you to take New Orleans completely."

I hadn't thought much beyond neutralizing the threat against Leia. But of course he was right. I couldn't leave another power vacuum in such a position of strength in the state.

I'd have to fill it myself.

"We can help with that, but in return I want some of New Orleans added to the bargain," Conri said. "Some of the city will fall under wolf control. We have…" He hesitated. "Business interests."

The tone he added the last part in let me know not to ask too many questions, but thanks to Jason's friendship with Conri's beta, I already knew their interests were more along the lines of drug running or weapons dealing… Nothing that interfered with my own business interests, anyway.

But did I want to share with Conri? We'd always kept our distance before. Back when I didn't fucking need any help from anyone. Part of me missed those days. The other part of me understood this new status quo was entirely worth it.

Yet I still hesitated to give Conri what he wanted. I didn't want his success to seem too easy or like I had nothing I wasn't prepared to lose.

"Dupont," he prompted. "Do we have a deal?"

"Let me get this clear," I said. "We're going into New Orleans to capture the whole place?"

"That wasn't your plan?" Surprise changed the timbre of his tone.

Of course he was surprised. That should have been my plan all along. Remove émile and instate someone I could trust. Someone who would work with me.

"It is now. And you'll get your share."

We ended the call by negotiating percentages and amnesties and the finer points of working alongside beings who'd spent most of their lives with mutual animosity. When we hung up, I moved to sit by Leia again, triumph creating a smile on my lips.

I'd done it. I'd brokered the deal that would protect my mate into the future.

And I was about to take New Orleans.