All for a Rose (40 page)
Authors: Jennifer Blackstream
Tags: #incubus, #sensual, #prince, #evil stepmother, #sci fi romance, #sex, #demon, #Paranormal Romance, #Skeleton Key Publishing, #fantasy romance, #werewolf, #magic, #twisted fairy tale, #fairy tale romance, #witch, #blood, #Romance, #princess, #alpha male, #Jennifer Blackstream, #angel, #vampire, #wizard
The rich, amber colored liquid glittered behind the glass like a precious stone. Dominique waved it under her nose, inhaling the bouquet with an appreciative sigh. “Soft, mild with very light oak, subtle sweetness and herbal grass notes. Such a heavenly scent.”
“Only the best for you, Madame Laveau.”
She took a sip, holding her tongue to the roof of her mouth to fully appreciate the flavor. It
was
the best bourbon—but then she’d known that already. She was the one who’d supplied it.
“I hope you’ll enjoy a glass yourself, Monsieur Hugon.”
The large man leaned on the bar, the wood creaking in muted protest. “Would that I could, Madame Laveau. But I’m afraid our stores are rather low, and I would not want to take such fine liquor from the mouths of my customers.”
Ah.
“Have a glass, Monsieur Hugon. The
loa
always provide for the faithful.”
“From your mouth to their ears.” The tavern owner cleared his throat, the sound louder than it needed to be.
Madame Hugon appeared a moment later, so quickly one might have thought she was fey and had simply been hiding behind a veil, waiting for her husband’s signal. Her red hair had long ago faded to a tarnished blonde, but there were still rich streaks of auburn combing through the waves pinned close to her head in a casual plait. Her dress was plain brown cotton, but it was clean. Her cream-colored apron bore stains like badges of honor, marking the proud woman as someone who worked for a living. She beamed at Dominique as she set something colorful on the bar in front of her.
“Please accept this gift, Madame Laveau.” She caressed the material with the back of her fingers, holding Dominique’s gaze as she did so. “I wove it myself. A token of our appreciation for all you do for our community.” She patted the material again. “I hope it pleases you.”
Dominique amicably stroked a hand across the wool. Something hard and curved met her fingertips—gold coins wrapped in the scarf, tucked carefully into the pocket created by Madame Hugon’s clever folding. The amount felt right for two cases of bourbon.
“It is beautiful, Georgina.” She lifted the garment, careful not to jar the coins from their nest as she gently tucked it into a large pocket in her thick skirts. “I will wear it tonight for the festival.” She swirled her glass, watching the play of liquor against the sides. “You’ll be going to the festival as well, won’t you? I’m told there will be a stunning display of fireworks by the harbor tonight. I have friends who will be there at eight o’ clock. They’re coming all the way from Dacia and their ship is called the Adze. Do say hello to them for me if you see them.”
Monsieur Hugon bobbed his head, eyebrows knitted as he focused on trying to memorize the ship and the time. She would have told him to write it down if she weren’t so certain his wife would remember.
“Excited about tonight, I hope, Madame Laveau?”
“Of course.” Dominique took another sip of her bourbon. “The
loa
have been very good to us, I look forward to showing my gratitude and celebrating with my people. We must always be careful to remember from where our good fortune comes.”
Madame Hugon nodded, but it was an absent-minded gesture. “Of course, of course, but I was referring to Monsieur Marcon.”
The whiskey scalded Dominique’s windpipe as she gasped mid-swallow. Her eyes and nose burned, and she blinked slowly, clearing the sheen of sudden tears from her eyes as she fought off a deep cough.
Madame Hugon appeared blessedly unaware of her struggle and bunched her hands in her skirts and leaned forward, waiting with bated breath for Dominique’s response.
Marcon. Julien Marcon. He’s back? When? Why? It can’t be him.
She hushed the voice in her head brimming with questions and painted serenity over her face in as thick a layer as she could manage. “As you know, I have a great many duties to perform tonight for the Midsummer Celebration.” Despite her intentions, emotion made her voice hoarse, threatening to betray her calm facade. She took another slow sip of whiskey. “I cannot promise my time to any one person.”
“Oh, but Madame Laveau, you being one of their most dedicated priestesses, surely the spirits would be only too pleased to witness your engagement during this special time.”
“It’s unseemly for a gentleman to announce his engagement without his bride being present.” Monsieur Hugon scrubbed at a glass that was already clean. “And that beard of his—”
His wife slapped his stomach, the lines in her face suddenly deeper, her other hand tightening on the edge of the bar in a white-knuckled grip. Monsieur Hugon’s eyes bulged. “I-I of course meant no disrespect,” he rushed to add. “I’m sure he would not have announced such a thing without your blessing, Madame Laveau. And his beard—”
The glass of whiskey in Dominique’s hand shattered. Warm blood seeped through her fingers, mingling with the stinging bourbon as it pooled on the surface of the well-worn bar.
Bluebeard had returned then. And he’d claimed to be her…fiancé.
I’m going to kill him.
Other Books by Jennifer Blackstream
Blood Prince Series
Additional Books Featuring Characters From the Blood Prince Series
The Hidden Kingdom series
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About the Author
Jennifer Blackstream is a psychology enthusiast with both a B.A. and M.A. in Psychology. Her fascination with the human mind is most appeased through the study of mythology and folklore as well as any novel written by Sir Terry Pratchett.
Jennifer enjoys listening to Alice Cooper, trying new recipes (to which she will add garlic whether it calls for it or not), watching television with her family, and playing with her woefully intelligent young son. She lives in Ohio.
Jennifer spends most of her time drinking coffee from her X-Men mug and desperately trying to get all her ideas written down before her son can find that all magical button on her laptop to make her latest work vanish.
To learn more about Jennifer Blackstream and her novels, visit her website at
http://www.jenniferblackstream.com
.
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Copyright
All for a Rose
©Copyright Jennifer Blackstream 2015
Skeleton Key Publishing
Cover Art Clarissa Yeo of Yocla Book Cover Designs
Edited by Sharon Muha
This is a work fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.
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Published in 2015 by Skeleton Key Publishing, Norton, Ohio, United States of America
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Preview of BLUE VOODOO, book two in the Hidden Kingdom series