Witch's Fury. Deborah LeBlanc

be waiting for you here, behind the trees, over there, while they feed.”

      Nodding her understanding, Gilly moored the ferry to the dock and saw her sisters in her peripheral vision hurry off behind the grove of trees nearby.

      Gilly unlatched the back gate of the ferry, led her troupe down a winding path, and once they came to the front of the feeding shoot, no more direction was needed. The Chenilles took off at a dead run, all of them ravenous and anxious for the food awaiting them.

      In the distance, Gilly heard a few Chenilles whine, while others grumbled, obviously displeased over the fact that they’d have to do so much work to get to marrow. Once all had quieted down, and the only sound she heard was the crunch of bone, Gilly went back to the dock to meet Viv and Evee.

      “Any issues?” Viv asked.

      “Some whining, a few sounding pissed off,” Gilly said. “But at least they’re eating.”

      Evee let out a shaky sigh that sounded very much like she was close to tears. “What are we going to do? We can’t keep running around the city looking for our Originals. We’ve run out of time. With so many Nosferatu and Loup-Garous missing, human deaths are going to become the norm—every day.”

      “We can’t give up,” Gilly said. “If we do, we’re already defeated.”

      “I’d call losing an entire troupe of Originals pretty much defeat,” Viv said. “I have no idea why my Loups left. The north compound was their home. Why would they just walk away from it?”

      “If they walked away from it,” Gilly said. “We really don’t know what’s happened to them.”

      She suddenly looked up and about as if just remembering something. “Where the hell are Nikoli and Lucien? They’re supposed to be with you, protecting you. Or did they forget that those ugly sons of bitches determined to kill all of our Originals intend to kill us, as well?”

      Viv held up a hand as if to stop Gilly’s tirade. “Nikoli’s still back at the hotel, dealing with his family about Ronan’s death. Lucien went to check on him.”

      “To check on him?” Gilly huffed. “The man’s six-four, if he’s an inch, and built like a tank. What’s to check on?”

      “Emotions,” Evee said. “I know you’re worried about us, Gilly, but you can’t forget that these men, no matter their size, have hearts. And right now they’re mourning the loss of a close cousin.”

      “Yeah, whatever,” Gilly said. “So is that the excuse I use if one of you gets chewed up by those sky assholes?”

      “Chill, okay,” Viv said. “We’re fine. We’ll leave here as soon as you get the Chenilles back city side, and the ferry makes it back here.”

      “I don’t like it,” Gilly said. “You’re too out in the open. If something happens to one of you...well, it ain’t gonna be pretty for Nikoli and Lucien. That’s all I’ve gotta say.”

      With small shakes of their heads, Viv and Evee cocked an ear toward the feeding area.

      “Sounds like they’re about done,” Gilly said. “Patrick will lead them back here, so go hide behind a tree or something, will you? The last thing I want is for one of my own to get to either of you.”

      Doing as they were asked, Viv and Evee ducked into a grove of trees just as Patrick led the now satiated Chenilles back to the ferry. They boarded lethargically, all of them seemingly overfed.

      Once everyone was on board, Gilly closed the back gate of the ferry, kicked the motor on and steered the ferry to city side, where she knew Gavril would be waiting. She wished the ferry had a throttle, wanting it to go faster. All she cared about right now was seeing his face and getting her sisters back from the compound safely. But there was no throttle, so she had to tolerate the chug-chug of the engine and snail crawl of motion until they reached the other side.

      After unlocking the back gate, Gilly motioned for Patrick to take her troupe back to the cemetery and make sure they were hidden in old crypts that had been busted open by vandals or in between any open mausoleum slots.

      Patrick nodded and, with a grunt, motioned for the other Chenilles to follow him, which they did. Their steps were lumbering, as if trying to balance oversized bellies as they walked.

      When they were well out of sight, Gilly uttered an incantation that sent the ferry back to Algiers for Viv and Evee to board. She waited at the water’s edge, nervously biting her nails, her insides shaking. Her nerves were already shot with all that had been going on, but thinking that her sisters might get hurt by a stalking Cartesian en route made her nerves so bad, she thought she’d vomit.

      “They’ll be fine,” a man’s voice said behind her. And it took a nanosecond for Gilly to recognize it as Gavril’s. He put his hands on her shoulders and leaned closer to her ear. “I promise. They’ll be fine. And as soon as they return, they’ll have Nikoli and Lucien at their sides at all times. That I assure you.”

      “But what if—”

      “You can ‘what if’ until the cows come home,” Gavril whispered into her ear. “But the key is to think positive. Visualize them back here safe and sound. Nothing will happen to them.”

      Gilly turned toward him, Gavril’s hands still on her shoulders. “Nobody can know for sure. Crap happens, you know?”

      Gavril let out a chuckle. “That’s one thing I like about you, Ms. François. You do speak your mind, no matter what crosses it.”

      “It’s not funny,” Gilly said. “They’re alone out there and—”

      “Look,” Gavril whispered and turned Gilly around. There in the distance was the ferry, already headed city side. From the light of the moon, Gilly easily made out Viv and Evee, both standing near the landing gate. She let out a breath of relief she didn’t even realize she’d been holding.

      Instinctively, Gilly reached up and covered one of Gavril’s hands with her own. The spark of electricity that went through her when they touched shocked her, and Gilly quickly removed her hand. She thought of the Elders’ warning not to be intimate with the Benders, as doing so might be their undoing. Yet she couldn’t help but think of Evee and Viv. Both had received the same warning but continued their relationships with Lucien and Nikoli.

      Gilly helped maneuver the ferry into its slip and hugged each of her sisters as they walked off the ferry.

      “What’s with the mushy stuff?” Viv asked with a laugh. “We only saw you a few minutes ago. You’re acting like you haven’t seen us in a year.”

      “Mushy stuff, huh?” Gilly huffed. “Just glad both of you are safely here.”

      “Me, too,” Evee said, with a worried expression on her face. “Me, too.”

      * * *

      Gavril watched as Gilly greeted her sisters, and felt his heart swell. As tough and independent as Gilly might have come across to the rest of the world, Gavril had been fortunate to see more. He’d seen how hard she could love, how deep her loyalties ran, her tenderness when the moment called for it.

      Simply watching her interact with her sisters now, Gavril could not deny the fact that he was falling for Gilly and falling hard. This filled his heart and took him aback at the same time.

      Gavril had dated more than his share of women over the years, but not one of them had affected him the way Gilly did. This had him walking in unfamiliar territory, which made him a bit nervous. He didn’t want to move too fast or too slow, and knowing either with Gilly was a hard call. Aside from that, he had to keep his mind on the matter that had brought him here in the first place—the Cartesians.

      Worrying about how to approach Gilly with his feelings had to come second. His first order of business had to be protecting the Triad and the remaining Originals from the Cartesians. The problem was, every time Gavril saw Gilly, his mind took a hard left