Shifters Forever Worlds Epic Collection Page 11

  Alexa.

  He let the feel of her name roll around in his mind while his wolf grumbled and howled.

  His wolf. The beast in him was instantly captivated by the white tigress in Alexa as much as Reese was captivated by the curvy redhead that housed the tigress.

  Alexandria Arceneaux. Second born of the Arceneaux clan, younger sister to Lézare.

  He glanced around to see if Lézare was keeping an eye on his sister, but the white tiger shifter was nowhere in sight. Odd, a few moments ago he’d been at the base of the stairs with her.

  In all his days, Reese had never had a woman affect him and his tiger this way. The mere sight of her made him want to possess her, to claim her, and make all other men take their eyes off her.

  He’d been ready to lunge at the two shifters who’d tried to take up her time. He inched his way closer, unnoticed by the auburn-haired beauty. He was on the verge of leaping on them when Alexa had made a low-voiced excuse and left their company, heading upstairs at a hastened pace, then entering a door and closing it behind her.

  Of course, he watched that ass sway the whole time she’d been going upstairs. What red-blooded man or shifter wouldn’t covet that woman’s body?

  His wolf growled, then howled, angry at the idea that another man would want her.

  Reese stayed in the corner, the searing sensation in the scar slowly fading to a dull throb. He kept to himself like the lone wolf he often was, his gaze glued on the beauty as she returned, enjoying the sound of her laughter in the merriment she found with friends and family.

  Luckily, the entourage of interested suitors didn’t plague her too much, else he’d have felt compelled to step in. As it was, Alexandria Arceneaux never noticed the large wolf shifter stranger that watched her from the dark corners of the Arceneaux Point ballroom.

  Vax stopped by to tell him that the underground fighting ring update could hold until Sunday brunch and that Lézare had to step out to take care of an errand.

  Reese had spent the whole night keeping an eye on Alexa. When the night ended, Rory and Reese both headed to the cabin they’d been assigned to for the weekend’s duration.

  Rory could be thanked for that, Reese noted, a touch of sarcasm coloring his thoughts.

  Rory thought it would be interesting to bunk in the cabin and soak in the local history.

  Reese didn’t feel he had to live in a possibly haunted building in order to appreciate the history.

  The cabin had a dirt floor originally, but the help who’d shown the Nielsens their room was enthusiastic about explaining how that feature had been upgraded. The roughhewn wood floors creaked beneath Reese’s shoes. The walls were pine boarding, the beds made of rough poles with planks laid across them.

  The help again was happy to note that the mattresses also were an accommodation that was modern and not available during the slave era, stressing that had there been mattresses then, they were filled with corn shucks. He also indicated that the electricity was new, as back then torches were used for lighting.

  Reese thanked the man and asked if tipping was allowed.

  “Of course,” the man said with a smile.

  After the man left, Reese threw his bag onto the cabin’s floor and let out a long breath.

  “What’s on your mind?” Rory sunk into the lower bunk and perched his hands behind his head.

  “Not much.” Reese wondered if Rory would buy it. His brother was usually way too attuned to his moods and thoughts.

  “Uh huh.” From his tone, Rory clearly didn’t.

  “I’d have preferred staying in the main house, you know.”

  And closer to that redheaded hottie who’s a lot more popular than I want her to be.

  Rory glanced around the one-bedroom cabin with the new door that opened to the attached newly built restroom. “Why? What’s there that isn’t here?”

  Alexa.

  Reese shook his head. He wasn’t going to tell Rory about her. Not yet.

  Reese dug in his jacket pocket for the keys.

  Missing.

  He looked at Rory.

  Rory patted his front pocket on his pants. A jingle gave away the keys’ location. “Can’t have you deciding to leave me here while you head off to an underground fighting ring.”

  Caught. Crap! “You don’t trust me?” Reese put a hurt expression on.

  “Save it. That look doesn’t work on me.”

  Reese shook his head in disgust. “You could have at least left me the lower bunk.”

  “And make it easy for you to sneak out? Not a chance.”

  Little do you know, bro.

  Reese climbed onto the upper mattress, his head striking the low ceiling, sending dust and other debris down from the rafters.

  “Fuck.”

  He ran his fingers through his hair knocking the crap loose, then dusted off the bedspread.

  He sprawled out on the bed, his feet dangling over the edge—definitely not designed for a man his size.

  “What are we supposed to do all day tomorrow before the ball?” Reese asked Rory, though he had no clue why. It’s not like his brother would know more than he did. Or would he? Rory clearly didn’t spend his entire evening in a corner watching a redhead.

  “We can hang out, explore, go to New Orleans or sleep.”

  “New Orleans, huh?” Reese hadn’t been. Would Alexa be going?

  “Yeah, an organized event. Seems Lézare chartered a bus to take anyone who wants to go.”

  “An organized outing. Are you going?”

  The response Reese received was a snore.

  Rory was out.

  Reese rolled over. Or at least he tried to. The wooden footboard at the end of the bed cut into his skin, and he had splinters above his ankles.

  The night was silent around him. His cell phone was still in his pocket. He fished it out and looked at the time. Two in the morning, and he still hadn’t gotten any sleep.

  “What you’re planning is folly,” a woman’s voice said. He looked around, his shifter sight picking up no sign of anyone else in the cabin.

  Did he dream it? No, not possible, since he wasn’t asleep. Did he think it? He’d never thought in a woman’s voice before.

  “What am I planning?” he whispered.

  “You will get Alexa killed.”

  “Who the hell—” he sat up. His head struck the ceiling’s timber, cracking his forehead. He felt the blood seeping. He swiped it away impatiently and climbed out of the upper bunk.

  “Where you going?” came Rory’s sleepy voice.

  “Bathroom. Chill. I’m not running off.”

  He waited for Rory’s breathing to even out before he slipped out the front door.

  The night’s humid balminess welcomed him as he shut the door behind him without as much as a click. He stood on the porch and surveyed the darkness.

  “Who’s there?” He kept his tone low.

  A figure stepped out of the shadows. A woman, latte-colored skin, long dark tresses that floated about her head, the lightest eyes caught the moon’s glow and reflected a blueish silver. A white shift clung to curves. Her feet were bare. Her hands were empty, not even a light to traverse the dimly lit area.

  “Who are you?” His wolf’s growl tinged his words.

  “Relax, wolf. I am Leandra.”

  How did she know he was a wolf? What the hell was she? On his guard, he asked, “Should that name mean something to me?”

  She shook her head. “I’m from over there.” She indicated with a nod.

  “The swamp is the only thing out there.” Reese had been listening to the help as they’d escorted him and Rory toward the cabin. The man told them there was nothing out there but marshy swamps inhabited by ‘gators and other such critters.’ The swamps formed prohibitive boundaries that made escape difficult during the 1800s.

  She nodded, her gaze a luminous glow. “Indeed. And my home.”

  He narrowed his eyes, and stepped off the porch, into the soft grassy yard, st
udying the figure in a white chemise, sheer, sensuous.

  Was she a temptress? A seductress? Sent by someone? She held no temptation for him. The only female on his mind had red hair and green eyes.

  “What do you want?” And why did she mention Alexa’s name and say he would get her killed?

  “What I do not want—that is more important.”

  “What is it that you do not want?”

  “I do not want Alexa hurt.”

  He frowned. “What is she to you?”

  Her eyes pierced him, clear to his soul. She didn’t answer.

  Behind him the door creaked open.

  “Reese?” Rory’s voice.

  He turned to face his brother. “Hey.”

  “Who are you talking to?” Rory rubbed his eyes.

  “I’m—” Reese turned toward the woman called Leandra.

  Gone.

  She’d vanished into the night.

  “No one.” Reese stepped back onto the porch. He followed Rory into the cabin, closing the door behind him, and climbed into the upper bunk.

  His night was sleepless as he waited to hear Leandra’s voice again.

  The voice never came.

  Chapter Six

  Alexa never made it to Evie’s room. By the time she’d said goodnight to every guest and made sure that all were accompanied to their accommodations, especially the ones in the cabins, she had a pair of aching feet that wanted nothing more than to be out of high heels. She also had a headache that persisted.

  She just about jumped out of her skin when a hand landed on the small of her back after she’d taken the heels off, and placed one foot on the stair that led up to her room.

  She whirled around. “Theo!”

  “Lézare wanted me to make sure you were okay while he was gone.”

  “Why wouldn’t I be?” she couldn’t help the tone of bitchiness that came out whenever Theo was around. He was bossy and way too alpha.

  Even though he’s the head of Lézare’s security.

  He inclined his head, his eyes narrowed. “He asked me to make sure. I’m doing my job.”

  “I’m fine.” She softened her tone. She felt bad for taking out her frustration with the evening on him. “I just want Lézare to be here. And I want Evie to behave. And I don’t know what the hell is going on with Valencia.”

  “Why don’t I send a couple of guys out to scout for her?”

  She hugged him. This was the Theo she used to know.

  He pulled back, confusion on his face. “I’ll take care of it.” He spun around and left, and once again, she felt like shit. He still cared.

  Alexa sighed and made the way to her room. She passed Evie’s along the way. There was nothing but darkness coming from the bottom of Evie’s door. Alexa paused to listen, picked up no sounds from Evie’s room.

  Too tired, and happy that her sister might be resting, Alexa made her way to her own room.

  She’d ask Evie about the bus tour in the morning. Right now all she wanted was to feel her pillow beneath her head.

  Except that sleep eluded Alexa at first. Her tigress was restless and paced in her brain, making circles and grunting relentlessly, occasionally emitting a snarl.

  What the hell was up with her tigress?

  Alexa tried to figure out what was wrong, but the tigress wasn’t communicating the source of her nervous energy.

  Just when Alexa was almost asleep, a wolf’s howl penetrated that state where things seemed unreal and yet were very real. As soon as the howl ended, a vision washed through her mind, surreal, and yet at the same time, ethereal, as if made of mist.

  Leandra, in white, flashed through Alexa’s mind, then vanished.

  The thing that struck Alexa was that behind Leandra, she saw Theo, an angry look on his face.

  Her tigress growled and both Leandra and Theo vanished.

  Her tigress chuffed twice, then settled, her agitation seemingly gone.

  Now you’re going to get rest?

  Alexa was certain she wasn’t going to get sleep, and yet, she couldn’t keep her eyes open.

  Chapter Seven

  The next morning

  The day of the bal

  Maylene’s voice woke Alexa. “You planning to sleep all day on the day of the ball?”

  Alexa rubbed her eyes. The sunlight was bright coming from the blinds Maylene had just opened. “Since when do you wake me up personally?”

  “Since you’re still in bed well past noon.”

  Alexa jumped up. “Is Evie up? I need to ask her to go on the bus tour.”

  Maylene laughed. “The tour is well underway. We thought it best we let you sleep in, so Veila Tiero already went to her room to talk to her.”

  “Evie opened the door for her? What did Veila say?”

  “That Evie said she’d go on the bus after being assured Mason Martinez would not to be on there.”

  “And just like that, Evie agreed?”

  “No, she said Evie grumbled.”

  “I bet.” Some of Alexa’s tension slipped away from her shoulders. She rolled her neck. “I’ll get dressed and be downstairs to help you with arrangements. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have slept in, especially with Lézare gone.”

  “Nothing for you to do. Nothing for anyone to do. It’s all taken care of and on schedule.”

  Since when was Maylene so calm and collected on the day of the Shifter Masquerade Ball?

  Was she lying to Alexa to keep her from stressing? Alexa studied Maylene’s face for signs of deception.

  “Maylene?”

  Maylene turned dark eyes her way, her thick brow raised.

  “I was wondering about Leandra…”

  “You know Lézare’s feelings about her.”

  He doesn’t trust her and doesn’t want me going to the swamp to see her. “I do, but I don’t know why.”

  “History, cherub.” Maylene patted her on the head.

  She hadn’t called her cherub since she’d been a young girl.

  “I’m not a child. I deserve to know why he feels the way he does.”

  “You should ask him.”

  “I have.” Though it had been years since she’d tried to prod Lézare for answers.

  Maylene sighed and straightened knickknacks on the dresser, arranging and rearranging them. “Lézare wouldn’t want me getting involved.”

  So Maylene did know. “You haven’t aged in all the years I’ve known you.”

  “Good genes.” Maylene’s back was turned.

  “And…?”

  Maylene whirled around. “I’m supposed to take care of the Arceneauxs. That is my job. It is simple as that. Why do you need to pry?”

  Alexa flinched at Maylene’s vehemence. “I just want to know about Leandra.”

  “Lézare is leery of her.”

  “So he makes her live in the swamp?”

  Maylene’s laugh was boisterous. “No one can make Leandra Mathieu live where she doesn’t wish to. It is her choice she makes the swamps her home.”

  Alexa shuddered.

  Maylene’s smile grew. “She likes it out there, probably for the very reasons you don’t.”

  “I saw her last night.”

  “She came?”

  “Not in person. She came to my mind. And Theo was behind her. And my tigress was restless.”

  “You should not think of such matters. Tonight is the annual ball. Enjoy it. Think of things such as those after the ball.”

  “I’ll be down in a bit.”

  After I pay a visit to the swamp.

  Chapter Eight

  Alexa didn’t take the canoe out because she didn’t want to attract attention. She took the long way instead. Attired in jeans—and with a spare pair of shoes, because the last time she’d gone out to Leandra’s cabin she’d lost a shoe in the muck, Alexa trekked toward her destination, an hour away.

  Mosquitos buzzed around her ears. Alligators rose lethargic heads to study the human that dared to encroach upon their territory. A cou
ple looked as if they were contemplating her for lunch, but instead, they turned their heads as if she didn’t exist.

  A water moccasin made its way from bank to bank in the creek that ran next to the path she took. The snake’s body sinewy as it slithered lazily across the unmoving waters.

  Why would anyone want to live here?

  The thought occurred to her more than once, and more than once she was tempted to turn tail and head back to the safety of Arceneaux Point. Yet she couldn’t. Something pulled her deeper and deeper into the swamp, toward the cabin she’d visited three times before, and never alone. Twice, Alexa had followed Leandra to the cabin years ago and once, Lézare had taken Alexa to get the potion for Sophie.

  Alexa braved the almost hour-long hike in the humid, stranger-to-sunlight marshes until she reached the cabin.

  Finally!

  On stilts that were watermarked, showing how high the water had risen, and proving the stilts were needed, the cabin was an unpainted, weathered wooden building, not much bigger on the outside than the cabins on Arceneaux Point. Ensconced tightly amongst the rot-resistant cypress trees, it looked as if it had been there for ages, as the roots and branches of the trees had begun to grow around the cabin’s frame, making it appear as if it were an organic, nature-created creation. From the roof of the cabin a ladder, part wood, part rope, rose and rose and became lost amongst the tall trees in the swamp.

  Mist surrounded the ramp that connected the slight cabin’s wraparound porch—if you could even call it a porch, rather than a dilapidated excuse for a collection of timber. The entrance of the ramp was half-buried on solid ground, then it extended over the water, eventually touching the porch. Perched on the railing, in the same chemise she’d been in last night in Alexa’s mind, Leandra’s gaze appraised Alexa’s approach.

  “You’re expecting me,” Alexa whispered.

  “I hoped you’d heed my invitation.”

  Interesting choice of phrasing. “One typically heeds warnings and accepts invitations.”