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  Davena swiped at the tears that began. She hadn’t been able to shed one yesterday, but today she couldn’t stop. She cried for Delia, for the happiness she had found with Beau then lost, and the love she held for him that would never be fulfilled.

  She continued walking through the pasture. Davena had lost count of the fences she had climbed over. She was getting further and further from the city, but there were still a few houses nearby.

  She walked for another thirty minutes before she stopped and looked around. The nearest house was just a dot on the horizon, and only a few trees were scattered in the field.

  Davena went to the nearest tree and sighed once she was under the shade. Now all she had to do was wait.

  ~ ~ ~

  Beau sped down the back roads. He had already been to two of the five places Davena could have gone. The third was just up ahead. He slowed long enough to grab his binoculars and do a quick scan.

  His lips flattened when he didn’t see a sign of her. Beau tossed aside the binoculars and sped away. The knot he was accustomed to feeling was gone, leaving an empty void once more.

  If he didn’t find Davena, that emptiness would never be filled again. He would be vacant, hollow the rest of his days. That thought pushed him harder.

  He stomped on the accelerator. Marshall was right behind him at all times. With two more spots to check, Beau had to decide which direction to go in when he came to a stop sign. He looked first one way and then the other. If he made the wrong decision, he could lose Davena forever.

  Beau slammed his hand down on the steering wheel in frustration. “Come on!” he yelled at himself.

  He had known Davena was in trouble, had known exactly where to go to help her. Now that she was in over her head he felt nothing.

  “I have to find her,” he said and closed his eyes.

  It took three tries to clear his head of everything and focus on Davena. He thought of her courage, of the pure energy flowing through her. He thought of her lips and her cries of pleasure as he filled her.

  Beau’s eyes snapped open. He turned to the left and pushed the truck past a hundred for the next few miles. Then he turned off down a dirt road, his truck bouncing all over the place.

  He slammed on the brakes, skidding to a stop when he came to an empty field. By the time he got out of his truck, Marshall was beside him, a rifle in hand. They met at the fence, each man looking over the terrain.

  “She’s here,” Beau said.

  Marshall checked the rifle. “There isn’t much cover.”

  “Looks like you’re going to have to do some crawling, deputy.”

  Marshall gave him a droll look. “Don’t look so pleased with yourself.”

  “It might be character building.”

  “You sound like my drill sergeant.”

  “Military, huh? Which branch?” Beau asked.

  Marshall loaded more bullets into the rifle and then slung the strap over his shoulder. “Marines. Where are you headed?”

  “There,” Beau said and motioned to a tree off in the distance.

  Marshall put his hand atop the fence and leapt over it. “I’ll come up on the side.”

  “Remember, stay hidden,” Beau said. “Delphine has a big man with her. He’ll most likely be hidden, but he’s never far behind.”

  “I know him,” Marshall stated and headed off at a run, bent low.

  Beau watched him for a moment before he put both hands on the fence and jumped over it. He landed on the other side and took the most direct path to the tree.

  He hadn’t seen any sign of Davena, but he trusted his instincts. They hadn’t led him wrong about her before. She was somewhere out there waiting for Delphine.

  A glance to the right and Beau briefly caught sight of Marshall He was moving quickly, covering twice as much ground. It gave Beau an idea.

  He bent low and started jogging. If Davena saw him before he reached her, she would more than likely do something to stop him, and Beau wasn’t going to allow that. He was there to help whether she wanted it or not.

  The next time Beau looked for Marshall, he couldn’t find the deputy. Beau hoped he was as good as he appeared, because it might well come down to Marshall killing Delphine to end all of this.

  When Beau was halfway to the tree he stopped and dropped to his knees. The grass was tall enough to hide him, but wasn’t nearly enough cover. He saw movement by the tree and recognized Davena.

  The relief left him almost dizzy. He didn’t allow himself to celebrate quite yet, though. Just as he was about to continue on, he caught sight of someone else walking toward Davena.

  “Delphine,” Beau muttered angrily.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Davena was strangely calm. The serenity that overtook her was almost unnerving. She couldn’t pinpoint exactly when it occurred, but it was sometime during her walk that morning.

  Perhaps it was because of the certainties she now knew. That she wouldn’t let any harm come to Beau or his family. That she wasn’t going anywhere with Delphine. That she was willing to die to stop Delphine.

  Maybe it was because she felt the power flowing through her, a power she had pretended not to sense for years. That power was formidable and violent.

  Whatever the reason, Davena was ready to face her nemesis. So when she caught sight of Delphine coming toward her, she simply closed her eyes and relaxed. She had to calm her mind, to find a place deep within herself to store all of her fears and hopes and dreams.

  A place to put her time with Beau and the love that blossomed in her heart.

  Because Delphine would use any means necessary to get what she wanted. She would try to hurt anyone connected with Davena, and Delphine would exploit her love for Beau.

  Davena couldn’t let words anger her or cause her to react quickly. She had to be completely withdrawn from everything and everyone. She had to overlook that her mother had been sliced before her eyes. She had to disregard that Delia had been murdered the day before. And she had to forget all about Beau.

  Casting those sweet memories of Beau and the safety his arms provided aside was the hardest thing she had ever done. When the last one was tightly shut away, Davena continued to keep her eyes closed.

  She could hear Delphine’s steps now, knew she was close. Delphine might be powerful, but she was also predictable. She liked to see the fear in people’s eyes. More importantly, she wanted Davena.

  That was Delphine’s weakness. It would be that weakness that Davena exploited as Delphine had exploited countless others.

  Davena let several minutes tick by long after Delphine reached her. She knew the priestess was growing angry, and it was just what Davena wanted. She would be composed while Delphine was anything but.

  When Davena finally opened her eyes, Delphine was standing about ten feet from her, just under the shade of the tree. She looked Delphine over in her all white clothes and couldn’t figure out what she had been so afraid of for all those years.

  “So,” Delphine said in her husky voice. “Beau convinced you. I wondered if he would choose his family or you. Looks like his family means more to him.”

  Davena remained sitting against the tree as if she weren’t facing a powerful Voodoo priestess. “He told me everything.”

  “Everything? Yes, I suppose he did. Why else would you be here but to protect him?”

  Davena smiled. Next, Delphine would threaten Beau if she didn’t immediately return to New Orleans with her. Time to shake things up a bit. “I’m here because he told me I have some of you within me.”

  There was a beat of silence, and a pleased look filled Delphine’s black eyes. “That you do, mon cher. Without my power and magic, you wouldn’t be here now.”

  “True. I have you to thank, then.”

  Delphine’s eyes narrowed a fraction. “Appreciation? This I didn’t expect.”

  “I’m alive because of you.” Davena used the tree and got to her feet. “Did you think I’d be angry because you killed my mother
and sister?”

  “Yes.”

  Davena bit back a grin. “I’m not angry. I see now that you were clearing my path so I would see nothing but you.”

  “Is that so?”

  “Yes.”

  Delphine threw back her head and laughed. “Oh, Davena, you have more of me than I realized. You might have your mother’s coloring and your father’s eyes, but the rest of you is all me. If I’d known, I’d have taken you when you were just a child.”

  A thread of fury began to grow, but Davena quickly stamped it out. “Why not have children of your own? Why give me what could have passed to your own child?”

  “My ability to have children was taken from me when I was too young to even know what was going on. Do you remember the name Lisette?”

  “I know that name well. She was the priestess before you.”

  “Yes, and she took my ability to have children into herself.”

  This was a story Davena had never heard. “Why not take it back?”

  “That wasn’t possible, but I got my revenge.”

  Davena could well imagine how, but Delphine would expect her to ask nonetheless. “How?”

  “I waited until Lisette was in the middle of labor with her third child. I had been brought in to help, along with two others. When it was close to the babe arriving, I brought in her two other children, both girls, and slit their throats as she watched. The women with me held down Lisette’s hands as I cut her stomach and pulled the babe from her womb.”

  “You killed the babe then,” Davena guessed.

  Delphine’s smile grew. “I did. Lisette grew enraged and tried to curse me, but I killed her before she could complete the spell.”

  “And then you took over.”

  “I was the youngest priestess ever in New Orleans.”

  Davena looked away. “You got your revenge and the throne, so to speak. I wouldn’t think you’d be giving up your position as priestess anytime soon.”

  “I won’t, but you need to be there to learn from me. The others need to see you, as well.”

  “You have no intention of turning over your position.”

  “Of course not. However, to keep others from stepping out of place, I need to pacify them, which means you’ll come home with me.”

  “And if I’m not ready to go to New Orleans yet?” She wasn’t about to tell Delphine that she would never return with her.

  Delphine’s eyes hardened a fraction. “You’ve had your time, Davena. I gave you all those years as you grew up. These past six you should’ve been by my side.”

  “Yeah, about that,” she said and smoothed back her hair. “If you knew where I was at all times, why didn’t you come and get me?”

  Delphine hesitated a moment too long.

  It was Davena’s turn to smile. “Ah. You don’t want me there, but you’ve spoken about me to all of your followers for so long that they want me in New Orleans now. You think I’m going to kill you as you did Lisette and take over.”

  “You don’t have enough power for that yet.”

  “Yet,” Davena repeated. “And you’ll make sure I’m never quite there. You’ll keep me under your thumb, to prove to your followers that they need you and only you. Tell me, can you live forever?”

  Delphine took a step closer. “I can live far longer than you think.”

  “I believe you can do a great many things. You kill easily enough, and you are quick to curse and hex anyone you feel might be plotting against you. It must be exhausting.”

  Davena saw movement behind Delphine and spotted another form in all white. As he drew closer, Davena noticed the man was not only tall, but also hulking.

  “That would be Joseph,” Delphine said. “He is always near.”

  Davena still had a few moments alone with Delphine. “What’s your plan?”

  “You’ll come with me or I’ll kill Beau.”

  “Beau was certainly a nice way to pass the time.”

  Delphine’s head cocked to the side as she asked, “You really think I’ll fall for that?”

  “If you’ve watched me all these years, how many times have I ever let a man close? How many have I dated for more than one night?”

  “None,” she answered sullenly.

  “Beau Chiasson is no different from any of the others.”

  ~ ~ ~

  Beau hated the uncertainty he felt at Davena’s words. He didn’t know if she had played him, or if she was pulling one over on Delphine, and he was likely never to know.

  He had managed to sneak up close enough before Delphine arrived. Davena had been so intent on her that she hadn’t realized he was crawling close enough to the tree to hear her breathing.

  The Davena he listened to was in complete control. There was little emotion coming through her voice, and though he couldn’t see her from his position, he could only imagine she looked just as calm as she sounded.

  “He believes otherwise,” Delphine said. “He loves you.”

  Beau ignored the bite of fire ants on his hand. With one swipe, he raked them off and shifted out of the ant pile while he waited for Davena’s response.

  “Beau has no such interest in me. It was his way of attempting to allow me time to leave the area. He is dedicated to wiping the parish of people like us. He wants me gone, and you with me.”

  “You’re lying.” Delphine finished it off with a small chuckle. “It’s so obvious that it’s painful.”

  Beau wasn’t sure what Davena’s plan was, but he was going to be ready for anything.

  “What’s painful is you looking for a way to hurt me. You’ve already done it,” Davena said in a soft voice. “You killed my mother and sister. There’s no one left for you to threaten.”

  “I can kill every Chiasson with just a thought.”

  “Do it,” Davena pressed. “All you’ll do is send more hunters after you.”

  Delphine cackled. “You mean the LaRues? They’re at my mercy. They may want me dead, but they’ll never succeed.”

  Beau couldn’t wait to share the information with his cousins. They would be curious to know that Delphine thought them nothing more than a nuisance.

  “Let me save us both some time. You don’t want me in New Orleans, and I don’t want to be there.”

  “You’re coming with me,” Delphine said and fire rose in a roaring circle around the tree, the flames singeing the branches.

  Beau ground his teeth together and stood so that his back was against the tree. The heat from the fire caused him to sweat more. The sweat fell into his eyes, stinging them until they watered.

  “Kill me. I don’t care,” Davena said. “Perhaps I can hurry things along and take you with me.”

  No sooner had the words left her mouth than the whistle of wind swooped in. The wind swept the flames horizontally until there was a wall of fire spinning around them and rising higher than the tree.

  There was no way Marshall would be able to help him now. Regardless, he had to try and kill Delphine. He just hoped Joseph wasn’t inside the fire circle with them.

  “Impressive,” Delphine said.

  “If I was trying to impress you, I’d have killed you.” Davena moved, stepping on a pinecone.

  “Then why the wind and this remarkable wind fire?”

  Beau peeked around the tree to see Davena cross her arms over her chest.

  “To show you that I have nothing else to lose,” Davena replied.

  “Is that right?” Delphine asked succinctly.

  Beau pressed back against the tree as smoke surrounded him, alive, just as it had been in his dream. It wound around his feet and continued up his legs.

  “I’m killing every Chiasson as we’re standing here,” Delphine continued.

  “Lies.”

  “Is it?”

  Beau could stand there and be smothered to death, or he could take his chance while he had it. He shifted, pushing against the smoke, withdrew one of the throwing knives from the belt at his waist, and took aim. The smo
ke was up to his chest now and moving faster.

  If Delphine was right and there was smoke attacking the rest of his family, then everything rested with him. He took a deep breath to block the smoke that was now at his face. He let the knife fly, the blade spinning end over end as it headed toward Delphine.

  He fell, the smoke knocking him sideways from behind the tree as he threw a second knife. Delphine used her power to knock the blade meant for her away, but she wasn’t able to stop the second, which embedded in Joseph’s neck.

  The big male fell backwards into the flames, his body engulfed instantly.

  Delphine jerked her head to Beau, her eyes filled with hatred.

  He glanced at Davena to see her examining the scar on her palm. Just as he thought he might be fighting Delphine alone, Davena’s green eyes met his and she winked.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Davena couldn’t believe that Beau was there. Her spell should’ve kept him asleep until just a few minutes ago. Long enough for her to get far enough away that he’d never know where to look.

  She was also furious that he was there. The shock at seeing the blade come out of seemingly nowhere had kept her still. Then Beau had appeared. It had been almost comical watching Delphine easily bat away the knife, unaware that a second had been thrown at Joseph.

  “I’ll kill you for that,” Delphine said menacingly to Beau.

  That’s when Davena saw the smoke covering him. From somewhere in her mind, the spell to stop it appeared. She quickly said the words and watched as it was sucked back into the wall of flames.

  Beau sucked in huge mouthfuls of air as he hurriedly climbed to his feet. Davena reached for one of her hidden knives and stepped between Delphine and Beau, her gaze locked on the priestess. “No, you won’t. You’re going to leave, and you’re going to forget about this parish and everyone in it – including me.”

  “Not likely, mon cher.”

  “One last chance, Delphine. Leave.”

  The priestess laughed, a red haze flaring in her eyes. Davena was knocked out of the way as a flash of flames came at her from the circle. She blinked and looked down at Beau. He had been the one to pull her aside, taking the fall as he did. Davena didn’t have time to thank him or look for the knife that had been knocked out of her hand. She had to prove her point before they both died.