Dangerous Sacrifice (The Harcourte Vampyre Society Book 6) Read online

  That meant moving them during the day.

  It was the best time to elude the Tueur.

  If Flynn and Jolie wanted them in Ireland, he’d get them there. The first step was to let Camille know what was going on outside their hiding space.

  When he woke her, she stared up with all smiles. Then she realized something was wrong. Cari was in bed with them. She hadn’t been when they’d gone to death.

  “What happened, Tommy?”

  He told her everything, and with each new detail, she looked more and more afraid.

  “They’ll kill us. The Tueur are insane. They are like rabid dogs. Once they’re called out on you, there’s no going back. They want blood, and now it’s us.”

  He understood her fear.

  Tommy also knew she wanted to bolt.

  “Do you trust me, Cami? Do you believe that I’d die to keep you and Cari safe?”

  She nodded.

  “I won’t let anyone hurt you or Cari. She’s my child, and you’re my mate. I’ll get us to Ireland.”

  “Tommy.”

  “Cami, I swear. Don’t run from me.”

  She touched his face with her chilly fingers. “I can’t run, Tommy. We’re having a baby.”

  He stared at her.

  “What?”

  “I’m pregnant. I felt our child yesterday. I was going to surprise you today. We’re going to have a child. I can’t run from you. I have to believe in you. We’ve created a sibling for Cari.”

  He wanted to celebrate and weep at the same time.

  “Oh, Cami.”

  She moved into his arms and let him hold her. She always felt safe against him. Her mate was a good man, and a lot like Jolie’s detective. They were two similar peas in the pod.

  Who would have thought a human cop would be a good choice?

  Certainly not Camille.

  “What do we have to do?” she asked.

  He’d thought about it a lot since Flynn’s text. “I’m going to get Cari and you into Flynn’s ride. I want you both to stay in the back and try to keep down.”

  “Okay.”

  “It’s daylight out, so they’ll think I’m going to work. I’ll head there, and you two will stay in the back and keep still.”

  “Okay.”

  “After a while, I’ll come out, and they’ll assume I’m working a case. I can head around the city until they get bored. Then we’ll get to the airport and on the jet.”

  She was nervous. “What if they…?”

  “They won’t. I won’t let them hurt you or our children. I swear, Cami. We’re going to be fine.”

  She ran her fingers over Cari’s cheek. “We should both be dead in the Hummer. If they scan, during the day, they won’t feel us.”

  He knew how much faith she was putting in him. Camille was betting on him and the price was their lives.

  “The Hummer is in the garage. We’ll load up, and then I want you to go to death. I’ll pack the luggage around you both, and I’ll keep on alert. They won’t see or feel you.”

  She had faith.

  “We should get moving. If you want to make this look good, you need to get to work.”

  He kissed her softly on the lips. “We’ll pull this off.”

  She hoped so.

  If not, she and her daughter were dead.

  Oh, and the child they’d given life.

  * * * H a r c o u r t e * * *

  County Cork

  Ireland

  Flynn waited for his mate to return to their room. Jolie was soaking in a bubble bath, and he hoped that Jacques would have good news.

  When he entered the room, his face said it all.

  “He’s gone, isn’t he?”

  “Yes. Our contacts say he’s been gone a couple of days. They went into his place, and they found lots of human blood. There had to have been a fight. Vamps don’t leave a mess like that.”

  Flynn let out the breath he was holding. “I did something I’m not proud of,” he stated.

  “What?”

  Flynn broke it down.

  Jacques face said it all. “That’s going to piss her off.”

  “I know, but it’ll keep her alive. She won’t think about him, and she won’t trade herself for him.”

  Jacques agreed. “I’ll stand with you on this one.”

  Flynn was glad.

  “Okay, now that it’s settled, what do we do?”

  Jacques didn’t know if what he was going to suggest would be a good idea or horrible one.

  “I think we need to stall from heading to Paris. If they took Alexandre, and they’re torturing him, where’s he going to say we are?” Jacques asked.

  “New Orleans?”

  “Or?”

  “Paris.”

  “Yes, exactly. Our escape route isn’t so safe anymore. I think we should lay low here until we’re forced to move.”

  Flynn was okay with that.

  Honestly, he could keep them pretty safe as long as the Tueur didn’t whip out Voodoo. There were few things that could stop him.

  “You still look worried.”

  “I don’t want to lose our family,” he admitted.

  They heard her coming.

  Both men cleared their minds.

  “What’s our plan?” she asked, as she headed their way. “I think we should bed down here and make a stand if the Tueur arrive. I think I’m pretty safe in Ireland.”

  Jacques stared at her. “Were you in my mind?” he asked. He’d just told Flynn pretty much the same thing. He had to hope she didn’t see what Flynn had done in there.

  “No, but this isn’t the first time we’ve had to make a stand. Remember when the hunters sought us? They found a human who told them our plans, and they came for us. If we move, we could be heading into a trap.”

  She was right.

  “If Tommy gets them here, without the Tueur knowing, we should be good. I feel safe here. Flynn is very powerful here. We’ll hold our ground for as long as we can or until they find us. Then we’ll head to Paris. We have family there, and they’ll help us disappear.”

  Speaking of family, Jacques knew he needed to procure them a safe place in advance. If they had to leave fast, they’d need cash, a vehicle, and place to lay low.

  “We have some property in Paris. We can find a place to stay,” Jacques offered.

  Flynn shook his head. “No. Death told me there’s a location she wants us to use, and that it will afford us the safety we need. We’ll stay there.”

  “Where is it?” Jacques asked.

  “I don’t know. I’ll need to talk to her.”

  Jolie didn’t like that idea at all. Each time Flynn was near Death, she was trying to get into his pants, drink his blood or torment them.

  Death was a bitch.

  “Maybe…”

  Flynn shook his head. “We have to accept that what’s coming is already planned out, my love. She knows what’s going to be best and most opportune for our survival. We have to trust Death.”

  She knew he was right.

  “I just hate you having to be near her.”

  He tugged Jolie into his frame and wrapped his arms around her. “I know, but she can’t hurt me. I’ll take a little trip and visit her.”

  That scared her. “Flynn.”

  Deep down, she believed that one day, Death wouldn’t let him leave. That she’d steal him away out of coveting her mates.

  “Call her here.”

  He shook his head. “If I do that, she’s going to be fixated with Jacques. If she can’t break me, who’s next on her list for shits and giggles?”

  Jolie knew he was right.

  “Will you be safe?” she asked, holding on to him.

  “Of course.”

  “Rinnon?” she called.

  The metamorphosis was slight, but it was there. Flynn’s body went from relaxed to tight with something dark and powerful. When she glanced up, his eyes were absent of the sexy blue, and instead deep dark vortexes.

>   She could hear the feathers right before she felt them against her bare arm.

  “I need you to make sure Death lets you come back,” she said. “I need you here with us. I love you both.”

  It was odd for her to be talking to Flynn as if he were two people, but essentially, he was.

  “We’ll be fine,” Flynn said, but it wasn’t quite Flynn. Jolie could detect the subtle difference. Where Flynn smelled like a vampyre, when they were speaking to Rinnon, he was more like a dew kissed forest in Ireland. He was earthy, powerful, and in control.

  “I know how to handle Death, my love,” he said, lifting her chin so she’d see his certainty. “Trust me.”

  Jolie went up on her toes and kissed him. As she ran her fingers through his shoulder length black hair, a low growl sounded from deep within his chest.

  ‘I love you, mate,’ he offered.

  ‘I love you too. If she touches you, I’m going to be angry. Don’t sacrifice us for what’s coming.’

  It was his warning.

  ‘What will convince you that I can’t stray?’

  ‘I don’t know. All I know is she wants what’s mine, and that pisses me off.’

  The kiss was broken, and he touched her lips with his thumb. “I’ll be back, and when I arrive, we’ll plan more.”

  Jolie hugged him. “Be safe.”

  Jacques got in on the action too. He wrapped his arms around Flynn and hugged him. “Don’t do anything stupid.”

  He laughed. “I’ve got this.”

  Stepping back, he called for Vanth.

  There was the flutter of wings before the demoness appeared.

  “You needed me, Master?” she asked.

  “We need to take a little trip,” he said. “We need to talk to Death.”

  She got ready to take them there.

  “Wait!” Jolie said, stopping them.

  They paused.

  “Do you know where this secret safe place is in Paris?” she asked. If they could avoid this, she’d be happy.

  “I do, but I can’t speak of it. Master Flynn has to find out from Death on his own.”

  Crap.

  She had no choice.

  This was exactly what she was worried about.

  “Okay, go, but come back safe.”

  He grinned at her, his fangs sliding into his mouth as he prepared to bargain with Death.

  He may be part of her, and her part of him, but this was always a delicate dance.

  “I love you, Jolie,” he said, right before they disappeared.

  Jolie was left to stand there. “I love you too.”

  Jacques tried to comfort her. “Are you going to be okay?” he asked.

  She wasn’t sure.

  So she lied.

  “Yes, but I want to think for a while. I’m going to be in the family room. Will you be okay?”

  Jacques knew what he needed to do. They needed to have a plan B in case Death screwed with them. They’d need a backup shelter for an emergency. Who knew what kind of pit Death would shove them into for her amusement?

  He didn’t trust her.

  “I have to make a phone call.”

  Jacques knew he wasn’t going to enjoy it, but it had to be done.

  Jolie hugged him. “I love you, too, Jacques.”

  He was aware.

  “Stay inside,” he ordered before stealing a kiss. As he walked away, he was plotting his strategy.

  He had to do this right.

  He was only going to get one chance. His adversary was dangerous, tricky, and an asshole.

  Jacques was about to call his father for help.

  * * * H a r c o u r t e * * *

  This was the hardest thing he’d ever had to do. Dealing with his father was never pleasant, but he still had no choice. They would need an ally in Paris, and Jolie’s family, with the exception of Alexzandre, was dead.

  They would need the Degaul family to lean on in this time of being hunted. Jacques only hoped his father wouldn’t be an asshole, and instead, he’d act like a real father.

  Yeah, slim chance there.

  Jacques sat in their makeshift office, his fingers steepled as he contemplated what he was about to do. He was about to break his first rule in life.

  Never look back.

  It was hard not to do. The last time he asked his father for help was the day six hundred years ago when he went to him to tell him he wouldn’t be taking on the responsibility of the family. He wanted his support since he’d found another path in life he wished to pursue.

  That path had been Jolie.

  He’s already promised to stand by her, pledging his total allegiance.

  Needless to say—it didn’t go well.

  In fact, Mordechai had lost his temper…again. Jacques touched his cheek where his father had struck him so hard that he had crushed bone.

  It was the final time his father would ever hit him.

  He’d had enough.

  Jacques recalled that feeling of falling backward and wondering how it would feel to kill his own father. Had it not been for his mother, throwing her body on her child, the older vampyre would have ended him.

  It never ceased to amaze him how horrible of a father he’d had his whole life. He never liked bullies, and his father was the biggest bully of them all.

  He was a horrible role model, and in that moment, Jacques made a silent vow to his unborn child.

  He’d never hurt her like that. No matter what she said, did, or wanted, Jacques would love her with all he had.

  Flynn’s child too.

  As he sat there lost in the melancholy, he felt Jolie try to touch his mind. Instead of letting her in, he slammed his guards up so she couldn’t feel the humiliation he was sure his father would put him through.

  Mordechai was predictable if anything.

  This was going to be a huge pain in all of their asses—especially his. Still, he would do anything for his family, so he would have to get past this.

  He dialed the old number, hoping it was disconnected. In an age of cell phones, he almost hoped his father had progressed and lost the landline.

  When his mother answered, he was a little less stressed. She was at least calm—a doormat to the man—but at least she wasn’t an idiot.

  “Bonjour,” came her sweet voice that he missed.

  “Mother, how are you?” he asked fondly. She reminded him of Jolie, her absolute dedication to her kids and mate, despite his obvious downfalls.

  “Is that my Jacques?” she said laughing. “It’s been a long time since you called your mother.” She paused. “Are you well? Has something happened?” she asked worriedly. “How is Jolie doing with the pregnancy?”

  “No, mother, we’re all doing well. The family is fine.”

  “So what’s new in your life, my son?” she asked.

  Jacques grinned at the thought of his children growing in his mate. “It is an amazing time, and we’re excited.” He missed this woman and her heart, but he wasn’t going to tell her about Flynn’s new gift, their children, or too much of what was going on.

  She was a worrier, and he didn’t want to stress her out. It was the last thing he wanted to do.

  “When will you be leaving New Orleans and coming home to see me?” she questioned much like any mother would.

  “We aren’t in the US right now, Mother,” he answered. “We’re in Ireland, and we’re contemplating a trip to see you.”

  “Oh, that would be amazing, Jacques. I miss seeing you and your mates.”

  “Is Father around?”

  He prayed he wasn’t.

  “I really need to speak to him about something.”

  “It has to be serious if you want to deal with your father. He’s around, and if you’re sure, I can get him.”

  Shit!

  So much for luck.

  “I assure you, mother, it’s very important.”

  There was a pause and some muffled talking behind her hand on the receiver. Finally, she was back.
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  “Hold on, Jacques, he’s coming,” she said softly.

  “I love you, Mother,” he said right before he heard his father’s gruff voice.

  “Jacques?”

  “Hello, Father.”

  Mordechai was surprised to hear his son needed to speak to him. It had been almost half a year since he had seen the man, his mate, and the human they had bonded themselves to out of love.

  This was completely out of character for his son. They didn’t have a good relationship.

  It was mostly his fault.

  It started the day his mate returned pregnant from a human. She’d wanted children. He hadn’t. Since male Vampyres couldn’t have offspring, his mate had chosen someone else to have their children with—it had made him jealous.

  A part of him had never forgiven his mate for needing children more than wanting him. Because of that, his relationship with the ‘children’ had suffered.

  Jacques just jumped in. “I need a favor.”

  “What do you need?” his father asked completely shocked. Six hundred years ago, when they originally parted ways, he remembered Jacques swearing he was dead to him and he’d never ask for help.

  Yet here he was.

  It obviously had to be a big issue, if he was bending on his promise.

  “Long story short, we’re hiding from the Tueur. They want Jolie dead, and we have a place in mind, but I need a backup location in case this goes bad. France is your area, so I was hoping that you could help me out, and also warn the societies that we’ll be entering their territory.”

  He didn’t want a repeat performance of the Irish council.

  He thought about it. “I can let them know. They’ll welcome you back. As for a place, what kind of location do you need? Is it for your whole family?”

  “My mates and four or five vampyres at the most. Can you help me?” He braced for the barrage of humiliation.

  “I will need to check and get back to you. I have a place in mind. Can I make sure it’s available and then contact you?”

  That was it?

  Where was the fight?

  Where was the shitty attitude?

  Was this really his father?