“So as one of the Fates, Amara, you know why Dorian cannot see my death?”

“I do,” she grinned.

“Why then?”

She looked up at Dorian and then back to me. “Perhaps this is a conversation better left between the two of you.”

I looked to Dorian expectantly. “Now would be a good time to make those phone calls.”

I could tell Dorian didn’t want to discuss it, either at all or with an audience so I nodded and headed out to the rooftop patio. Walking over to the wall, I leaned against it and punched in Fiona’s number.

“Hello?” She sounded confused.

“It’s Gwen.”

“Where are you calling from? I don’t recognize the area code.”

“I’m in New Orleans with Dorian. Flora was getting a little crowded.” Understatement of the year.

“What does that mean?” Fiona asked. I could hear people talking in the background and wondered if Ethan was sitting next to her eavesdropping and rolling his eyes. That man did not like me. The feeling was mutual.

“Never mind,” I told her. She didn’t need to know rogues had invaded our hometown. My drama was the reason she stayed in Moon. “I’m calling because I have reason to believe the council members restored the protection spell.”

“Just a minute,” she whispered. I heard her say something to someone and then her footsteps as she walked away. “What have you gotten yourself into, Gwen?”

My face scrunched in confusion. “I haven’t done anything. Why? What have you heard?”

“Everyone is gossiping about you, saying that you’re going through with it.” Fiona’s voice was a hiss as she tried to keep her voice down and still coat her words with the severity of what she was saying.

“Going through with what?” The people of Moon gossiping about me really wasn’t that big of news. I hadn’t made a lot of friends there when I chose to continue seeing Aiden while they were all gearing up to take the vampires down. They saw me as some kind of traitor. Now that I knew the truth about Aiden, I was claiming stupidity instead.

“Going hybrid,” Fiona whispered harshly. “Don’t do it, Gwen. You know supernatural blood cannot coexist in the same body. Everyone thinks you’re either suicidal or up to something.”

I rubbed my forehead in hopes to ease the confusion out of my brain. “Why in the world would they think I was going to try and become a hybrid?” Just the thought of becoming half vampire and drinking blood made me cringe. I had my hands full with being a spirit walker; I didn’t need to add to the burden.

“I don’t know, but it’s all everyone is talking about.”

“Well tell them you heard it from the source that it’s not true. I swear everyone in Moon is worse than a group of teenagers.” I swallowed my growing frustration. “Have they restored the protection spell?” I knew the answer before Fiona spoke.

“Yes, they were successful like two days ago. I…never mind. I don’t think I should say anything.”

“Spill it, Fiona.”

“It just…Holly has been spotted around the castle acting like everything’s peachy.”

My frustration quickly grew into anger. Why the hell hadn’t Charles called me to let me know the spell was back in place? And why wasn’t Holly held up in a dirty cell?

“I knew they wouldn’t believe me about that night. Holly is going to get off scott free,” I bit out. “Is Charles at the castle now?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t seen him today.”

The line went silent for a moment. “Sorry for the rant. How are you? How’s the spell casting going?”

“Moon is okay, but it’s not home. I miss Flora and you. Ethan and I are good and I’ve learned a lot of cool new spells.”

I could hear the smile in her voice and it made me smile in return.

“That’s good. Moon may not be home but it’s the safest place for you right now. You wouldn’t want to be drawn into the drama I’m facing,” I laughed but it sounded fake to my ears.

“Gwen, is everything alright? You said Flora was invaded? By what?”

“I’m over reacting as usual,” I laughed and this time it sounded sincere. I could tell Fiona about the rogues and the bond with Aiden but I didn’t want to worry her when she was thousands of miles away and unable to do anything but work herself up.

“Okay, but if something else is going on you better tell me. Just because I’m studying in Moon doesn’t mean that I’m not still your best friend. And if I find out you’re lying to me I won’t hesitate to use one of my new spells on you.”

I smiled wide. “Consider me scared.”

After we hung up I stared at the phone for a few minutes as I contemplated whether I should call Charles. If the council was allowing Holly to roam around the castle, then maybe they were part of her scheme. And if everyone in Moon believed I was going through with the hybrid thing then I definitely didn’t have any fans there. It looked like I was on my own and would have to take care of Holly myself.

Chapter Thirteen

“It was so nice to meet you, Gwen.” Amara embraced me. I couldn’t help but notice her hair smelled like lotus blossoms and when she touched me my entire body relaxed against hers.

“I hope you’re not leaving because of me.” I still wasn’t sure if there was something going on between her and Dorian but that didn’t matter; I liked her. And I was supposed to be taking a break from relationships so if she was involved with Dorian then it would give me a good reason to stop thinking about him.

“Of course not,” Amara said. “I’m just passing through. On my way to Maine.” At my confusion she said, “I don’t like staying in one place for too long. The world is too vast to stand still.” She eyed Dorian across the room and then turned me slightly, motioning for me to follow her down the stairs. When we were standing in front of the door she leaned in really close, her face almost touching mine.

“Don’t be so hard on him. He’s not as shallow as he seems. A vast life of solitude with nothing more than the dead to keep him company has hardened his heart. That is, until he met you.” She stepped back, winking as she opened the door.

“Goodbye,” she called loud enough for Dorian to hear.

“Good travels, Amara,” Dorian said from the top of the stairs.

When the door closed I turned to stare up at him, taking one step at a time as I slowly ascended to the top floor. Dorian had his hands braced on either side of the short wall surrounding the staircase, blocking my path.

“What’s the plan?”

Dorian reached his hand out and I took it, stepping up to the landing. I tried, and failed, to ignore how small my hand looked in his. Everything about him made me feel safe. I knew without a doubt that whatever threat was thrown my way, Dorian would shield me from it. I had learned he was more than his attitude when he first saved my life.

“The only thing you have to do today is be a tourist.” He shook my hand gently. “Hi, I’m Dorian and I’ll be your guide to all the wonders that is New Orleans.”

* * *

We walked all up and down Bourbon Street, my eyes wide while Dorian pointed things out. It was unusually warm for a February day or maybe that was one of the perks of living in the South. The world still went on with its business while my mind was plagued with thoughts of rogues, vampires and scheming council members. Tipping my eyes up, I stared at the fluffy white clouds against a bright blue sky. Walking next to Dorian, I could pretend everything would be all right, if only for a day.

The scent of food from the multiple restaurants lining the street permeated the air and made my stomach grumble.

“Hungry?”

“Starving.”

Dorian laughed, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and tugging me into the nearest restaurant. The sign had a grinning alligator welcoming guests. A woman with short, red hair smiled at us.

“How many?”

“Two,” Dorian responded.

She grabbed two menus and we followed her through the restaurant and outside to a bricked courtyard. Colorful plants rested in various sized pots while a fountain trickled water toward the back. A bar sat off to the side and wrought-iron tables sat in rows.

“Your waitress will be with you in a moment,” the hostess said. Dorian and I sat, picking up our menus. I smiled with excitement at seeing alligator and jambalaya listed.

“What’s a boudain ball?”

“They’re a mixture of rice and sausage. Very good, but spicy.”

I nodded. “I think I’ll try those.”

As I waited for Dorian to choose and our waitress to come over, so many thoughts raced through my head. I still needed to ask Dorian about what really happened at my shop, what he did to Aiden and the rogues and figure out a way to tell him that my council might be shady. As I watched Dorian, I also wondered if I could trust him. Holly was the one who brought him to Moon. That wasn’t a good start. But against my better judgment, I did trust him. He had saved my life more times than I could count and acted protective of me.

“Hi, I’m Marie and I’ll be your server today.” The waitress smiled at both of us but chose to keep eye contact with Dorian. I didn’t blame her, Dorian was nice to look at.

“She’ll have the boudain and I’ll have the blackened pasta.”

“Okay,” Marie said, writing our orders down. “And what can I get you to drink?”

Dorian looked at me.

“I’ll have iced tea with lemon, please.”

“And I’ll have water,” Dorian added.

Marie took our menus and walked away, leaving Dorian and me to ourselves. A lump formed in my throat as the words I wanted to say ran through my head. My mouth opened and then closed, opened and closed. If Dorian thought I was gasping like a fish out of water, he didn’t say anything. Finally I found my voice.