14. Three Vampires Walk into a Bar…

FOURTEEN

three vampires walk into a bar…

Fifteen minutes later, we're on the ground in New Orleans. "Go. We'll work on finding Patrice," Amelia says while we're still taxiing.

"Alex, are you sure you want to come?" I ask.

He doesn't answer. Instead, he laces his fingers through mine as I open the door of the jet. I have no idea how fast we're moving as Alex and I jump. I prepare for a hard landing, when Alex sweeps his arms around me, pulling me to him. We make a soft landing on the runway, while the plane keeps moving.

"How'd you do that?" I ask my tiny friend.

Alex shrugs. "I don't know. I can't fly high, but sometimes I can do stuff like that."

"You're pretty amazing." I ruffle his hair with my hand.

"Thank you, Elsie." He turns a full three-sixty on the tarmac. "There is a lot of energy around here. "

"Welcome to New Orleans, kid." Together we run out of the airport, moving faster than human eyes can track.

"Where do you think he'll be?" he asks, as we move to the outskirts of town.

"Thorne?" I call again through our connection, as I've done a hundred times since his last words.

"He's not going to answer," Alex says, sounding older than he appears. "He's exhausted."

"I don't know how to find him." I stop moving. "I need some sort of paranormal tracker."

"I might be able to find him."

"How?"

Alex shrugs. "I can hear their minds." He nods at the large crowds of people passing by.

"I appreciate the offer, but we don't even know if he's in New Orleans. He may still be between here and Alabama."

He smiles. "I mean I can hear further than the people right here. Sometimes I can feel people, too." The look on his face makes me feel like I should already know this.

"Explain."

Alex turns, looking around the street. "Up there." He points at the top floor of a parking garage. He grabs my hand, pulling me to the top before climbing on the railing.

"What are you doing?"

"Just be patient, please." He lifts his arms to the side and closes his eyes. He stands in silence for several minutes before jumping down. "He's not on that side." He moves to the opposite corner of the garage, copying his movements from before. "I can feel him."

"Where?"

"That way." He points east. "His energy feels weak, like we expected, but he's there."

"Can we get to him?"

"As long as his energy stays constant, I can follow it to find him. I'll need to stop a few times to feel for him, but it should be easy."

I pull him into my arms. "Thank you, Alex." He smiles, grabs my hand, and starts running east.

I've lost track of time as we continue moving in the direction Alex sensed. The fact I'm being led into oblivion by an immortal child vampire who just a few hours earlier was living with a sadistic killer has stayed in the back of mind since leaving the city. Following him out here probably wasn't the smartest decision I've ever made, but we're here now. Either way, I keep my thoughts guarded.

Because of the marshy conditions, we're forced to stay on the main roads, stopping every few minutes to let Alex hone in on Thorne's energy. He's continued leading me east, each time saying the energy feels stronger than before.

"He's that way," Alex announces, pointing into the middle of what looks like a swamp.

"In the water? "

"Yeah."

"Can you swim?" I ask the small boy.

"I don't know. I've never tried." Alex smiles and jumps over the bridge railing, leaving me standing on the side of a busy interstate.

"Alex!" I follow him into the murky water below.

"He's that way," he points and starts swimming like a member of the Olympic swim team. We move through the water like a well-oiled machine, until finally reaching solid ground. "It's getting stronger."

We continue moving at superspeed, only stopping after reaching a small town nestled deep in the marsh. Alex slows down, and I follow his lead. His movement reminds me of a hound dog on a hunt.

My heart jumps into my chest the moment I feel him. "Thorne?" I call. "Alex, he's here. I feel him."

"Call him again."

"Thorne, I'm here. Where are you?"

"Elsie," his voice whispers through my mind. I rush toward the energy with Alex on my heels. The feeling leads us to the stilted remains of what looks like an old bait store. "I'm here."

We run underneath the building to the edge of the water. Crumpled on the ground is the shell of the man who is usually larger than life. "Thorne!" I yell, falling to his side.

"He needs blood," Alex states the obvious. "The combination of running and no food was more than his body can handle." I look around, not feeling anything nearby. "There's a woman over there," Alex points at a small building with a single light on.

"No," Thorne whispers. "I won't take a life."

"You don't have to drain her." Alex heads across the street to the door of the building. He knocks on the door, and an older woman opens it.

"Hello, little one." She looks behind him, no doubt searching for his adult. "Are you alone?"

"We need your help!" he exclaims. "My dad, he…he's diabetic and needs something to eat." Damn, he's good.

"Oh, baby. Let me get some orange juice. That always helps me." The woman disappears and comes back carrying a bottle of orange liquid. "Where is he?"

"Hide," he whispers for my ears only. I follow directions, slipping behind a pillar of the building. "Over here," he says, running in slow motion back to Thorne's side.

"Oh, he's bad." The woman says, opening the bottle.

I step out of my hiding spot and in front of the woman. "We need your help."

"Where'd you come from?" She tries to hand me the bottle of OJ.

Placing my hands on hers, I pull her closer to me. Her eyes dilate as she looks into mine. "We need your blood."

"You need my blood," she repeats.

"We will only take what we need and no more. "

"You'll only take what you need and no more."

The woman kneels, moving in front of Thorne. "Elsie, I can't."

"Yes, you can and will." I gently take the woman's arm, putting it in front of Thorne's mouth. "I'll make sure you don't take too much."

I lick her wrist, numbing it before biting into the vein. The smell of blood makes Thorne sit straighter. I place her wrist to his lips, and he latches on. Soft gulps turn more fierce in seconds as he drinks human blood for the first time.

"Elsie," Alex warns. The woman's heartbeat is slowing down, meaning he has to stop.

"That's enough," I say, pulling the woman's arm away from the hungry vampire. "Alex, take her back to her home, please." He follows directions, leading the woman away slowly.

Thorne wipes tears from his cheeks. "I didn't want to do that."

"You didn't have a choice."

"Is she…?"

"She's fine," I answer his unasked question.

"I couldn't keep up with them."

"You did everything you could."

"I should've eaten. Then I'd have been stronger." He moves to stand.

"Everyone is in New Orleans. Alex was able to sense you and brought me here." I wrap an arm around his chest, pulling him close. "You'll feel better soon. "

"We're calling him Alex now?" Thorne laughs softly.

"He said it's what his mother called him. He's a good kid, I think." I smile with my words.

On cue, Alex appears from nowhere. "I helped her get into bed and made sure she had a snack and a glass of juice."

"Thank you," Thorne says. "Elsie tells me you helped find me."

Alex smiles. "I did."

"I'm feeling better. I hate to admit how good her blood tasted."

"You'll be able to go back on goat's blood," Alex offers support like he's an expert.

"They're in New Orleans?" Thorne repeats my words from earlier.

"Aye. We think Patrice might have taken the girls there."

"That would make sense. There are not many places out here to take them with enough food supply." Thorne holds his hand toward Alex, who stares at him confused. "Thank you, Alex."

"You're welcome, Captain." Alex shakes Thorne's hand with a smile. "Do you think you can run?"

"Aye. I feel back to normal, better than normal to be honest." Instead of swimming, the three of us head toward the city, using the back roads, and keeping close to the marshy land. It's not until the lights of the city come into view that we stop to figure out what the hell we're doing.

"Everyone okay?" Thorne asks.

"I'm good," Alex answers first. "Where are we going when we get to the city?"

"That's an excellent question. I don't know where everyone went." I look between the two vampires, noticing their size difference. The top of Alex's head is barely even with Thorne's waist.

"I'd imagine they'll be at the lycan headquarters. That's where I found Topher before." Thorne's words remind me of Luna's babysitting job when I first met her.

"I've never been to New Orleans." A huge smile covers Alex's face as he speaks. "I've read a lot about the city, though. Did you know it's the official birthplace of jazz?"

I huff a laugh. "I'm sure it's everything you've imagined it to be."

We continue running until reaching the French Quarter. I visited New Orleans a few times throughout the years, usually not staying longer than a few days at a time, afraid Kragen would find me if I stayed longer. Entering the French Quarter, the amount of otherworldly energy that hits me in the gut is stronger than I remember.

"Do you feel that?" Alex asks. "Does it always feel like this?"

"Aye. We should keep moving," Thorne answers .

Thorne laces his fingers through one hand, while Alex grabs hold of my other. Together, we appear to be an ordinary family, touring the city of New Orleans. The innocent humans passing by have no idea of the danger we represent.

It doesn't take long before we're standing in front of one of the countless bars in the city. "Is this it?" Alex asks the question I'm thinking.

"Aye. The lycan headquarters. This has been their location for decades." He opens the door, holding it for the two of us. As soon as we walk in, the energy of the room changes, and all eyes turn toward us. The humans in the room are still drinking their beers and continuing their conversations, oblivious to the energy shift around them.

A large man behind the bar stops wiping the glass he's holding and glares at the three of us. "We don't allow kids inside."

"It's a good thing I only look like a kid, then." Alex stares up at the large lycanthrope.

"We're here to see Christopher," Thorne interrupts the tension.

"Wait here," the man sets down the half-clean glass and disappears into an office off the main room.

"He's sweet," I whisper.

Seconds later, Topher bursts through the door with Micah and Luna on his heels. Luna passes the large lycanthrope and reaches us first. She throws her small arms around me, pulling me close. "Oh, thank God. I was so worried."

I pull out of her embrace. "Luna, I'm sor…"

"Stop," she interrupts. "You don't owe me an apology. I knew what I was getting into when I agreed to do it. Sort of…"

"Come into the office," Topher motions toward the door they burst through moments before. All of us pile into the small room as Topher slides behind a heavy desk against a set of bookshelves. "I've got several of my strongest lycan searching for any signs that Patrice is here. Amelia has asked a few of the local vampires to help out as well."

On cue, Erick, the man I met during our last visit to New Orleans, steps into the room, followed by a tall vampire with dark hair.

"There you are, love," Erick says, lifting my hand to his lips. "This is Phillipe. He has agreed to help us find the woman and children."

"Thank you both." I pull my hand away from Erick.

Phillipe's eyes land on Alex. "Is this one of the children?"

I move protectively between him and the immortal child. Alex steps to the side, holding his hand in front of the large vampire. "My name is Alex. I was taken by Patrice in 1920 and turned into a vampire. I was the first of her children and helped her find the rest. I was forced to live with her and do her bidding until Elsie found me." I'm not sure where Alex's verbal diarrhea comes from. He stares at Phillipe a moment before continuing. "I can reassure you, sir, I am no freak. I am in control of my abilities and have never eaten anyone."

"How?" Phillipe stares at the immortal child.

Instead of answering, Alex looks around the room. "Who is Celeste?"

"This child reads minds?" Erick asks, knowing the answer. I'm not sure how much information to share with the two men I barely know. I open my mouth to speak, but Alex beats me to it. "Yes, this child reads minds. It's why I'm still alive, and it's why I've never eaten anyone." He glares at Phillipe as he speaks.

"Apologies, young one. You're only the second immortal child I've had the pleasure of meeting. You are quite remarkable." Phillipe bows slightly with his words.

"Thank you." Alex smiles, accepting his answer. He turns back toward me. "Who is Celeste?" he repeats.

"Celeste was Amelia's maker," Topher answers for the group.

"Her maker was like me? A child?"

"Yes," he answers simply. "It's not my story to tell. She's with our son at the moment, but I'm sure she'd be happy to tell you everything when she can."

Alex smiles. "Can I meet Celeste?"

"We might be able to arrange that." Topher turns to the new vampires in the room. "Have you heard rumors of Patrice or the children being in the city?"

"No," Phillipe answers. "However, your phone message stated that she would've arrived only hours ago. We will be on the lookout."

"I have news of the other situation we discussed." Erick lays a piece of paper on Topher's desk.

"An address?" Topher picks up the paper.

"The last whereabouts of your pirate."

"A pirate?" Alex asks. "There are pirates in New Orleans?"