25. The Big Easy

TWENTY-FIVE

the big easy

Over the years, I've visited New Orleans several times. But until coming here with the Alpha of New Orleans and his wife, I've never experienced the city for what it truly is—a haven for the paranormal.

Walking the streets of the French Quarter is an overwhelming cacophony of smells, sights, and sounds.

"Are you okay over there?" Thorne asks as we pass a large group of tourists. Most of them are drunk and stumbling through the streets.

"It's ten o'clock in the morning. Why the hell are the humans already altered?"

He laughs. "Isn't there a song about it being five o'clock somewhere?"

"Yeah, but that's for the beach, not the downtown area of a major metropolis."

"Welcome to New Orleans," Amelia, our tour guide for the day, says with a laugh. "You never know what you're going to see."

"Or smell," I add.

"Or smell," she confirms. "That was the hardest part of becoming a vampire…all the smells. I mean I always had a good nose, but when those vampire senses kicked in, ugh."

Amelia's energy is calming, and she's fun to be around. The fact that she's pushing a stroller down Bourbon Street makes me like her even more. There's no doubt that the baby she's pushing is hers, but how did a vampire have a child? I haven't gained enough courage to ask, and honestly, it's none of my business.

"We're here," she says, opening an inconspicuous door next to an empty building.

"Where is here?" Thorne asks, moving in front of me and opening the door wide enough for the stroller to enter.

"This is a speakeasy. It's owned by Erick, one of the older vampires in the city." She pushes the stroller inside with us in tow.

"Is it smart to bring a baby in here?" Thorne asks.

Amelia laughs. "We have much to talk about, my friends."

The dark room immediately comes into focus. The décor reminds me of the quintessential vampire movies from the ‘60s. Dark wood, meeting dark burgundy carpet, and black velvet seating line the walls of the establishment. "This screams vampire," I say, holding in the laugh that wants to escape.

"Yeah, Erick's a little extra," Amelia says, shoving Edon forward on the thick carpet. She moves to a booth hidden behind a dark curtain. Without asking, she shoves the curtain back, revealing a man dressed in all black. The vampire energy rolls off of him as he stands, ready to reprimand whoever disturbed him.

"Ah, Amelia, my dear." He smiles when he sees her face. "You're looking lovely this fine day." The man wraps long arms around her shoulders, pulling her close and kissing her on each cheek. "What do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

"These are the people from Charleston I was telling you about." She motions toward me. "Erick Chapman, may I present Elsbeth Abernathy and Captain Hawthorne Rex?"

Erick reaches for my hand, bringing it to his lips. "Elsbeth. What a charming name," he says with a kiss, lingering longer than he should. He drops my hand gently before clicking his heels together. "Captain." He nods, holding his hand toward Thorne. "It is a pleasure to meet you both. Amelia has spoken highly of both of you."

Erick's words are precise and clear, speaking what's been called the Queen's English. "Thank you," I answer awkwardly.

"Mind if we join you?" Amelia asks, shoving the stroller further toward his booth .

"How rude of me," he answers, moving out of the way. "Please." He motions to the empty seat across from him.

"Elsie and Thorne are looking for Kragen," Amelia announces, as we slide into the empty seat.

Erick leans back at the mention of his name. "For what purpose?" he asks.

"To kill him," I answer simply.

Erick smiles. "I like a woman who's not afraid to speak her mind." He sniffs the air. "Why are you trying to kill your maker? I smell him in your blood." He turns toward Thorne, sniffing deeply. "And you carry the blood of my friend, Viktor."

"Aye," Thorne smiles. "He was my maker."

Amelia and Erick share a look, making me curious about the rest of the story. "I'm curious. What would make you want to kill your maker?" Erick asks, looking straight at me.

I look down, not sure what to say. Because he's an asshole, doesn't feel adequate. "Kragen is responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of humans over the centuries. He's an evil, cruel man with nothing but hatred in his heart."

Erick nods. "I've known many a vampire over the years that fits into that criterion, but why you?" He slides forward in his seat. His dark eyes pierce into mine.

"Because of what he did to me," I whisper .

"Ah, there we go," Erick answers. "Your eyes are full of pain, and I smell the anger that consumes you."

"It's not just about me," I retort.

"It seems it is," Erick argues.

His words strike a chord. Is it all about me? Have I made this chase with Kragen the ending to a personal vendetta? I move to slide out of the seat. "I apologize for wasting your time."

"Elsie?" Thorne questions.

"Let her go," Erick's words echo through my mind as I exit the dark room back onto the street full of wobbling humans.

"You got some titties you want to show?" an older man with greasy white hair asks, stepping in front of me.

"How much money do you have?" I tease.

The man laughs and hands me half of a torn dollar bill. "It's all I've got left."

I take the torn bill and look him in the eyes. His pupils dilate instantly. "Go home. It's not safe out here. There are creatures that will drink your blood and leave you empty."

The man's eyes come back into focus, and he stares at me blankly. "There are creatures out here. I've got to go home. Are you all right, Miss?"

"Go home," I repeat. The man turns, running down the street toward what I hope is a taxi. Out of the corner of my eye, I catch a glimpse of the sun glimmering off something shiny. It hits me in the eye once more before disappearing from view. What was that?

Moving toward the glimmer, I'm not sure what I expect to find. I reach the spot and meet with a smell I would recognize anywhere…Kragen. The deep smell of sulfur fills my nose.

"Where are you, you bastard?" I whisper into the wind.

I turn, ready to follow the smell, when a dark hand lands on my shoulder. "Don't follow him," a smooth British accent says from behind. The source of the voice steps in front of me, blocking any movement. "If you're going to kill him, you're going to have to be smarter than that," Erick says.

"What happened?" Thorne asks, running to my side.

I sigh, putting my hands on my hips. "Kragen was here."

"Are you sure?" Amelia asks, coming to our side. Baby Edon is laughing and clapping his hands at the speed of their arrival.

"Without a doubt," I answer.

"What makes you think you can kill Kragen?" Erick asks.

"Because of the curse," Thorne answers for me, shifting from foot to foot.

"This is getting better by the minute." Erick crosses long arms across each other, staring at the three of us. "Who's going to tell me the story?" Amelia copies his movements, staring at the two of us.

"Thorne's granddaughter found information about a curse, or…I don't know if that's even the right word. Anyway, it said that Kragen could only be killed by one of his female children."

"I'm guessing you are his only remaining female creation?" Erick fills in the blank.

"Aye. As far as we know, I'm it."

"And you want him dead because of what he did to you?" he continues.

"Kragen took her in retaliation for the death of his wife, Eudora," Thorne continues the story.

Amelia's eyes grow large. "Eudora, the sea witch?"

"How do you know about her?" I ask, surprised by her knowledge.

"Well, before I was this," she motions down her body, "I was an aspiring Ph.D. student, writing my thesis on mythological beliefs in Europe." She looks between the two of us. "I know. You don't need to say anything." She clears her throat. "I came across information on Eudora in my research. To be honest, I thought they were just stories." She laughs. "I thought the same about vampires and lycan at one time, too. I couldn't have been more wrong," she mutters.

We all stare at her, waiting for more information.

"Oh, sorry. The stories of Eudora are ancient. Like older than time ancient. She was said to hold the power to curse, bless, or murder someone with the blink of an eye." Amelia turns toward Thorne. "You said Kragen took Elsbeth in retaliation for her death? That makes no sense."

"Aye, it does. My men killed Eudora, and Kragen blames me for her death."

Amelia huffs a laugh. "If my research is correct, no mortal man would be able to kill Eudora."

"I saw it with my own eyes," Thorne argues. "She was in the form of a dolphin and appeared sickly. My men captured her in their nets, and I gave the order to end her life."

"I'm sorry, Thorne. There's no way Eudora, the ancient sea witch, would've been caught in a net, let alone appeared as a sick dolphin."

"What are you saying?" I ask our tour guide.

"I'm saying that Kragen is either lying or Eudora tricked him into believing your men killed her."

"Why would she do something like that?" I ask.

Erick shrugs. "Maybe she was bored of him."

"Where does that leave us?" Thorne asks.

"It leaves you with the upper hand," Erick answers. "If Eudora is alive, you can use her to defeat him."

"If Eudora is alive, we're never going to find her," Amelia adds. "She's a sea witch, in case anyone forgot."

"That simply means she will be out to sea," Erick adds wisdom with a hint of sarcasm.

"Do you know where Kragen is?" Amelia asks her friend .

Erick shuffles his feet slightly. "I've heard rumors of him being in the swamps near the coast with a group of vampires he's acquired."

"We've heard those rumors," Amelia continues. "We can't act on rumors."

"Maybe I can help," a young voice says from behind.

All four of us turn quickly toward the source. The smell of sulfur hits me immediately. "Who are you?" I spew. "I smell him on you."

The girl staring at us looks no older than me, with a head full of snow-white hair. Bright blue eyes stare at each of us expectantly, and the two dimples on her cheeks indent with her smile. She holds the energy of a vampire along with something else, something very powerful, and nothing I've felt before.

"I'm Marnie." She holds her hand toward me. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Elsbeth Abernathy."

"Who are you to Kragen, Marnie?" Amelia asks.

"He's my father," she answers simply. "Eudora is my mother."

"And here I thought my genealogy was interesting," Amelia says with a smirk.

"You're part lycan and part vampire," Marnie announces, answering my unasked question.

"How'd you know that?" Amelia asks.

Marnie shrugs. "I can tell." She looks down at the red-haired toddler smiling in the stroller. "He's more lycan than vampire. "

Amelia pulls the stroller closer. "Don't try anything," she warns.

Marnie scrunches her face. "Why would I try anything?"

"That depends on why you're here," Erick asks.

"I'm here to help."

"Which side?" Thorne steps closer to the adorable teenager.

"Whichever side is against Kragen."

"Nothing personal, dear, but we don't know you from Adam. Are you expecting us to jump at your command and give our full trust to you?" Erick moves closer to the young woman.

"Of course not. However, you might be willing to trust my mother."

Amelia moves even closer. "Eudora?"

"She's requested to meet with you," Marnie continues. She pulls a piece of paper from her hip pocket. "Here is the address." She turns, walking away from us.

"Wait. How do we know we can trust you?" Thorne asks.

"You don't." She smiles, flashing her dimples, and continues walking.

"What was that?" Amelia asks after the girl disappears.

"That was an enigma," Erick answers. "Do you believe she's who she says she is?"

"She carries Kragen's blood. The question is, does she carry Eudora's blood, as well?" Thorne asks the question we all want to know.

"I have a feeling we'll find out soon," Amelia answers.