Fox Fate (11 page)

"There are unfriendly wolves in New Orleans," I replied.

"Carissa made the French Quarter off limits to everyone else tonight," Elisabeth replied.

"I can't imagine that went over very well."

"That's not our problem," she pointed out.

"Find a way," I said. "They need to be just as accessible as they are normally. I will accept a rare compromise when you are able to convince me there is zero chance I will need them."

"You could let me worry about security, Alpha," she replied. "You could trust me to do my job."

"Tell me,
Enforcer
," I said, stressing the word. "When did you tell Lara that we had The Quarter to ourselves tonight?"

"Three weeks ago."

"Tell me,
Enforcer
," I repeated, "When was the last time you suggested Lara dress in a fashion that made her helpless?"

She didn't answer that.

"All right," I said. "If Lara had asked you to find a way I could dress like this but still carry my knives, would you have bitched about intrusion on your job?"

It took her a while to answer that. "No."

"
Enforcer
, you have been calling me 'Alpha' for five years. I think it's time you either begin treating me like you mean it or otherwise stop calling me that. Your choice. I've said my piece, and this conversation is now over. If you're not too angry, I would like another nice song or two with my sister-in-law."

She didn't say anything for the rest of the song, but she kept me into the next one.

"Maybe a body harness," she said slowly. "And slits in the sides of the dresses." She paused. "Karen may have ideas. It may take a while to work out the kinks."

"In the meantime, there are choices with long sleeves," I replied.

"Michaela, do you have any idea how amazing you look tonight?"

"My safety is more important than how I look. I will give you this trip. After that, if you do not solve this problem, then as your
alpha
, I will be forced to vacate this wager."

The song ended, and we separated.

"Give me to Serena or Angel," I said.

* * * *

We danced until late. I didn't dance with everyone, but practically everyone. It was odd to dance with Violet, but we had two good dances, and there was a twinkle in her eye at the end.

Later, we walked slowly back to Carissa's house, Lara's arm thrown over my shoulder. Everyone was in a good mood, although the enforcers were alert and professional. No one bothered us, although a few crossed the street to avoid us.

I wondered if Elisabeth growled at them.

Anika and Joanna led us into the house, and we all stood in the foyer. Anika asked, "Do you know what you wish to do tomorrow?"

Lara turned to look at me.

"In the morning, I want beignets and to spend a little time looking at the artists and street performers at Jackson Square. Lara and Elisabeth mentioned shopping after that, but I don't have any details. If it works within their plans, I'd like to stop by Lush and then do a little clothes shopping, but I wouldn't want to go out of our way for them."

"There is excellent shopping right here in The Quarter," Anika told us. "Or did you have something different in mind?"

Lara and Anika held a brief discussion, and we decided we'd head out for beignets about nine. Soon, everyone dispersed, and I found myself in my room with Lara.

We turned to face each other. She smiled, looking me up and down thoroughly.

"Tell me, Lover," I said, "Have you been spending the entire evening thinking of taking this dress off of me?"

"No," she said. "I was wondering how much we could do while you were still wearing it."

I laughed. I didn't entirely believe her, but it sounded good.

"I see." I moved closer to her, not taking my eyes from hers, but then, balancing carefully, I lifted a foot, offering it to her. "Would you remove my shoes for me?" It was tricky to hold my balance, but she released one foot, then I switched, and soon my feet were again bare.

I turned away and began walking towards the bed, slithering out of the dress as I did so. I left my panties on, then stood there at the side of the bed, my bare back to my mate, and I waited for her to decide what she was going to do.

"Little vixen," she muttered, stepping closer. Her hands moved to my shoulders, then she slowly caressed my back, her fingers splayed, caressing a great deal of me all at once. I shivered under her touch, and she laughed.

I looked over my shoulder at her. "What mood are you in?" I asked her.

"Horny," she replied. She continued to caress me softly, which may have been my answer.

"Do you want me?"

"Yes," she said throatily.

"I know you're under stress. Does your wolf need to consume?"

"No," she said. She stepped closer, speaking directly into my ear. "I need you to be very, very, very submissive."

"And if I am," I asked quietly, "Will you be very, very gentle?"

"Yes," she said. But then she bent down and bit my neck. "More or less."

I turned to her, wrapping my arms around her neck. "Please take me."

She did.

All Hallows' Eve

The beignets were entirely decadent.

"I love being a were," I said, biting into my second beignet.

"Oh?" ask Angel before stuffing her own into her mouth. It was her first, and she moaned with appreciation. "Oh my god!" she exclaimed. She gazed into her bag then glanced over at mine. "You going to eat that?" she asked while reaching for it.

"Yes!" I pulled my little bag away. "But I'll buy you more."

"Why do you like being a were?" Angel asked, watching as I waved my last beignet around.

"Because I can eat these and not get fat," I explained before stuffing the last one in my mouth. "Want more?" I rudely mumbled around the warm, sugary, doughy goodness.

I had treated everyone, and looking around me, I saw a lot of satisfied smiles and quickly emptying little bags.

"Serena," I called out, then nodded my head back towards Café du Monde. I got two steps before I was surrounded by enforcers.

"Another bag each?" I asked. They came three to a bag. I could probably have ordered a box or something, but it was more fun to pass out the bags to everyone.

"Five more bags will be enough," Serena said.

It didn't take long to fill the order, and I passed them out. We reconnected with Lara and the others; she had a glass of lemonade for me, purchased from a rolling cart vendor. I had never acquired a taste for coffee, and orange juice would have just been too much sweetness on top of the beignets. I traded the last bag of beignets for the lemonade.

I was dressed in another of my strapless maxi dresses, but this time I'd slipped my ankle sheaths in place. Elisabeth had made an early appearance in our room before Lara and I were even out of bed, although we'd been awake. She was carrying the dress and a pair of flats.

"Did you bring my entire wardrobe?" I asked.

"No," she said. "Just these two." She paused, studying my reaction. Lara was practically holding her breath, although I hadn't seen any daggers shooting from her eyes and into her sister.

"It's the end of October," I pointed out.

"It's already a nice day," she countered. She waved the dress lightly, and I nodded acquiescence. She hung the dress on a hook and assured us everyone would be ready to go when we came downstairs. As soon as the door closed behind her, I rolled over to my mate.

"Did she make this wager for you?"

"Michaela, I rather you didn't ask," Lara replied.

I narrowed my eyes. She turned to face me.

"Would you be in trouble if I knew the truth."

"No."

"But you don't want me wondering about this."

"No."

"All right," I agreed.

And so I dropped the question, and I wore the dress without complaint.

It wasn't all bad. Lara was finding opportunities to brush my bare shoulders with her fingers, and she'd had her fingers in my hair a few times, too. I had to admit, I enjoyed the attention from my mate. Lara was usually attentive to me, but it was clear she appreciated how I was dressed.

I eyed one of Lara's beignets, wondering if I wanted one more bite. Lara caught me watching, so she picked one up with her fingers and presented it for me. I looked at it for a moment, then looked up at her. "I thought about it, but no, thank you. I've had enough for one Little Fox."

Everyone finished her beignets. I laughed when Serena handed out wet wipes, a mother prepared for any situation. A moment later, as a group we turned, heading across the street to Jackson Square.

It was still early, but the artists had already staked out their places around the square. We broke into three smaller groups, Lara and I walking together, holding hands, with Elisabeth, Karen, and Serena hovering near us. Portia, Angel and Eric took up less obtrusive positions nearby, keeping an eye on us, but giving us a little distance.

We looked through the art. There was a lot I didn't care for, but a few of the artists and photographers had some very good work. I tried to find something for Celeste and Rebecca, but nothing struck my fancy. I did find a stunning photograph of an alligator, but I decided I didn't have anywhere to put it, and it didn't fit the decor of our house, either.

At the edge of the square, a crowd was forming, but it was early, and traffic was still light. There was a street performer, a woman, dressed in a pure white Victorian dress and wearing a long, white wig and white face paint. She was moving in jerky steps, and I realized she was a marionette. I tugged Lara in that direction, and we found a place to watch, Lara standing behind me with her hands on my shoulders.

The performer was good. Somehow she was making mechanical sounds like a wind up doll might, timed with her motions. She moved around slowly, curtseying to the audience here and there. She came to a stop before Lara and me and curtsied. I returned her curtsey and smiled. She stepped closer, jerkily lifting one hand to run stiff fingers through my hair, then caressed my cheek with her fingers before stepping back, still making small mechanical noises.

She worked the crowd a little more, doing a little mechanical dance and stopping by the children now and then. She knelt down until she was eye to eye with one of the children.

Then, when she tried to stand back up, she "broke", suffering a simulated mechanical failure. She tried to jerk upright, making a bad sound of clashing gears, and slumped. Three times she tried, and someone from the crowd said, "Oh no!"

The little girl looked up at her mother. "Mommy, is she broken?"

"Only for a moment, honey," the girl's mother said. "I'm sure she just needs a reboot."

The performer mildly broke character for an instant, smiling, then her face returned to wood, but she reached out with a finger and gently tapped the little girl's nose. Then, in fits and starts, she slowly stood back up, and the crowd applauded.

It was a simple performance, perhaps, but I found the woman mesmerizing. Sadly, I wasn't sure how long wolf attention spans would last. I dug into my purse and found some money, stepping forward to feed the woman's hat, placed upside down in the center of the area where she was performing. I was generous. She had made me smile.

When I turned around to retrace my steps, the performer was there. Mechanically, she lowered her hands to the skirt of her dress, lifting it as she dropped into a curtsey in front of me. She got "stuck" like that again, but jerkily worked her way back to a standing position, and I smiled in appreciation.

I thought she'd move out of my way, but she stepped closer, fingered my hair again, then held up her hands, inviting me to dance with her. I glanced over at Lara and, beside her, Serena. Lara was watching me, but Serena was watching everyone else.

I stepped into the woman's embrace but whispered into her ear, "My bodyguards are the very tall women immediately behind you. Don't dance me too far from them or they might freak out." In response, she squeezed my hand twice.

And then, the next moment, she led me in a waltz. Somehow she managed to dance while maintaining the mechanical nature of her movements, and I was suitably impressed.

"You're very good," I whispered.

We went around twice more, not straying from our place, then she spun me out, and I found myself landing right in Lara's arms. I looked up at her for a moment, then turned around and curtsied to the performer. She curtsied back, and then she moved on.

* * * *

We had a lovely day. I wasn't the only one who wanted to go shopping. I didn't think there would be a lot we couldn't have found in Madison, but something about shopping in a city like New Orleans made it special.

We actually hit Lush first. Discounting Joanne and Anika, I was the only one who knew what it was. The wolves' noses began to curl before we even made it to the shop, and they all balked. Elisabeth brought our entire group to a stop.

"Michaela," she whined. My sister-in-law, the head enforcer in the pack, and the second scariest person I knew, whined. She whined! I stared at her.

"What?" I finally asked.

"We can't go in there," she said, gesturing with her curled nose.

"Why not?"

She and Lara moved closer, and Lara said very quietly, "The scents are overpowering, even out here. Our noses will be worthless for hours."

"Breathe through your mouths," I suggested.

"It's bad out here," Elisabeth said. "Why do you want to go there?"

"They have amazing soaps," I said. "And bubble bath. Massage oils." I eyed the shop. "I'll stay in sight."

"I don't see the cash registers," Elisabeth observed.

"Anika can help me," I suggested. I looked at Elisabeth hopefully. She and Serena conferred with a glance.

"Angel," Serena said. "Stay with Michaela."

I caught Angel's expression, her nose curled reflexively, but she nodded and stepped up to my side. I called for Anika, and the three of us entered the shop.

Once inside, I cocked my head, listening. There were six heartbeats; from the sounds, I thought each was human. I could see five people, all women, all clearly human. Three appeared to be sales clerks; the other two were shoppers. The clerks were young, as was one of the other shoppers. The other was perhaps in her fifties.