Bayou Shadow Protector Read online

  Chulah schooled his features to stay neutral. “I see.”

  Boy, did he ever. April had flattered him just to get him to do her bidding. Tombi and the others were right. She wasn’t to be trusted. A white-hot anger burned his brain, cleansing and purifying his clouded emotions, allowing him to see her as she really was: a lying, manipulating fairy. That was why she’d been so down all week. Her dream had been shattered. And to think he’d been worried about her.

  Still, Chulah maintained his outward composure. He’d pump information from Steven as much as possible, because he sure as hell wouldn’t get it from April. “Why do the Fae look down on halflings?”

  “Because we aren’t pure. They can never forgive our half-human nature. They see flesh as disgusting.”

  Chulah tried to digest the thought. Was that why she’d been so withdrawn? Did she find contact with humans disgusting? A yawning abyss seemed to open between their worlds.

  Not that it mattered.

  Chulah went in for the kill. “Is that why you love April? Because you’re both outcasts and you’re lonely?”

  “I’m not... I don’t...” Steven glared at him. “Think you’re so smart, do ya?”

  “No, actually I’m feeling pretty stupid right about now.”

  What secrets did April harbor behind that innocent facade? He’d been so taken in by her looks and her charms that he’d lost his senses.

  And yet, to be fair, he’d sought and found confirmation with his father during his spirit quest. At least helping the Fae in general was the right thing to do. But as far as April herself—he could never trust her motives again.

  “Ah, we Fae are the secretive sort. I’m sure April has all kinds of hidden dreams she’s never told a soul.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with dreams,” Chulah said hastily. “I’ve got a few of my own. But it’s wrong when you use someone else to get your way.”

  Steven shrugged his shoulders delicately.

  “You don’t agree?”

  “Depends.”

  Chulah scowled. “There’s right and there’s wrong.”

  “So you say.”

  Really, this guy was maddening. “We’ll have to agree to disagree,” he gritted through his teeth.

  “Suits me. But with my way, I can accept April as she is.”

  Chulah straightened. “Meaning I can’t.”

  “Meaning you won’t.”

  Chulah crossed his arms and fought to keep his temper. “What you’re really saying is that as a human, I’m an unacceptable match.” His neck warmed. “Not that it matters.”

  “As a Fae halfling, I understand April far better than you ever could. We have similar backgrounds and values and are familiar with each other’s worlds.”

  “And I’m the outsider. Gotcha.” Chulah walked briskly to the door and shoved it open. The tiny bells jangled a mad tune. He slammed the door shut, surprised the front windowpanes didn’t explode from the force.

  Chulah reopened the door. “And you can have her. May you both be miserable together.”

  This time when he slammed the door, he left for good, hitting the accelerator on his Harley as he sped out of town. Forget about her. Learn your lesson now. She’s untrustworthy, and you live in two different worlds. It can never be.

  Chapter 9

  The bayou twilight cast touches of silver on the tips of dark shadows, as if beckoning the world to delve into its secret magic. But April was immune to its charms tonight.

  Don’t give up on my brother, Brenda had pleaded. You’re special to him. I can tell by the way he looks at you when he thinks no one is watching.

  A slight smile played on April’s lips. Her only hope came down to the words of a sixteen-year-old who admittedly had a rocky relationship with her half brother. They had spent the day together going to lunch and the movies. April had reassured Brenda that as long as she was—ahem—in Bayou La Siryna, they could be friends outside of her relationship with Chulah.

  The glow from Chulah’s cabin pinched her heart. She’d gladly trade the silver-patterned shadows of the forest for the cozy warmth of his home. To be a part of his world, safe and loved and protected from evil spirits while alone together inside the cabin.

  Heaven.

  She paused at the path to his door, imagining a different sort of welcome than what she’d received the past week. This time, as her hand was poised to knock, Chulah would open the door, so eager to see her that he’d been waiting impatiently at the window for her approach. A slow, sexy smile would soften the sharp angles of his jaw and face. And the topaz rays of his deep brown eyes would glow like banked embers of a fire.

  Her heart skittered just to think of such a reception.

  Maybe he would be more loving if she acted more loving. Just because her own kind rejected her didn’t mean there was no hope for love, in spite of what Steven had said.

  April breathed deeply and rang the doorbell. Again and again. At last, Chulah jerked opened the door.

  “I wondered if you’d show up tonight. Should have known you would. Anything to help you look better to the other fairies. Right?”

  What was he talking about?

  “Don’t play dumb,” he continued. “Steven let it slip that you dragged me into this just so you can be a hero and look good to the rest of your kind.”

  A chill crept up her spine, followed by a heated flush on her face and neck. “He d-did?”

  “I take it you haven’t been home all day.” His eyes narrowed. “What have you been doing? Hunting other hunters for your cause, I bet. Casting your spell.”

  “It’s not a spell. I’m a fairy, not a witch.”

  “What the hell’s the difference?”

  “An enchantment is just allowing my Fae charm to be...appreciated...by a human.”

  “Appreciated.” Chulah snorted. “Kind of like using sex to get your way?”

  “Is that what human girls do?” A lick of jealousy burned her throat at the thought of Chulah with someone else. “Like Tallulah?”

  “Tallulah is none of your damn business.”

  His heated defense confirmed her worst fear. The two had been intimate and he still wasn’t over her. She wanted to scream or at least shake some sense into Chulah. What did he see in that sullen woman?

  Maybe she was terrific in bed.

  April turned from the doorway, refusing to let him see the hot tears burning her eyes. Why couldn’t she be more like Tallulah? Bet that coldhearted woman never shed tears. She forced a hard edge in her voice. “Are you coming with me to hunt Hoklonote? Because if you aren’t, I’ll go by myself.”

  “You’re bluffing.”

  Only one way to prove him wrong. Even though her legs felt heavy, April began walking. Oh, she would show him. She’d show everybody—human and Fae alike. She’d capture Hoklonote all by herself. She needed no one. And wouldn’t they be surprised and sorry they’d underestimated April Meadows. Why she—

  “Damn it, woman, wait up.”

  A door slammed but she didn’t look back. Crunch crackle snap. On she stalked, murdering dried leaves and pine straw in her wake. “Go away,” she called over her shoulder. “I don’t need you.”

  “Like hell you don’t.”

  A heavy, strong hand weighed down her right shoulder. “Stop.”

  April shrugged out of his grasp. She didn’t care if it was childish. She was past caring. He thought the worst of her anyway. On she plunged, the nip of the Gulf breeze whipping her hair about her face like leather cords. She welcomed the sting and the cold. It reminded her that she was alive, in the flesh-and-blood way of humans. Along with thrilling electric touches and delightful ambrosia drinks that made her dizzy with smiles, there was also pain. All worlds had a dark side.

  Chulah followed behind. Unlike her own angry tread, his trod the path lightly. So noiseless that if she didn’t sense his energy she wouldn’t be aware of his presence. But whether as Fae or as human, April suspected she would always feel connected to Chulah
.

  A pelting rain erupted. April stopped and tilted her face to the moon. The cool drops coating her skin was a novel experience, one she wasn’t sure if she liked or not. In fairy form, rain merely passed through her aura with no sensation. She stared, marveling at the wet rivulets running down her forearm. She rather liked it.

  “What are you doing?”

  Chulah was beside her, staring at her as if she were daft.

  The smile flirting with the corners of her lips flattened out. April dropped her arm and lifted her chin. “Nothing,” she replied airily, refusing to look at him. “Go away.”

  He didn’t.

  April stomped ahead.

  “You know, it wouldn’t kill us to miss a night hunting. We’re not having much luck anyway. Might as well go home and stay dry.”

  Ahead she plunged.

  “Catch up on sleep,” he added.

  April walked faster.

  “You know, with all the noise you’re making, we aren’t going to scare up any will-o’-the-wisps, much less Hoklonote.”

  “If you stopped jabbering I could,” she shot back.

  “Touché.”

  April turned. “This isn’t working. Not tonight or any other night. Just forget the whole thing.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean that the two of us can’t do it alone.”

  He frowned. “Is this your way of goading me to get the other hunters to come along? I already did. They’re not sure that’s wise.”

  So now he was going to question everything she said or did. Lovely. Wait until she got ahold of Steven. He had no right to ruin her delicate relationship with Chulah. April shrugged. “You tried. You can absolve your conscience and go home.”

  His mouth settled in a grim line. “What about you? Have you convinced all the fairies to join in? Or are they happy to throw you to the wolves and stay out of it?”

  He hit the mark with that gibe. Her life meant nothing to her own kind.

  “Bet you haven’t even tried to get them to rally and fight. You’re too busy playing their savior.”

  “I’m not anybody’s savior. I can’t even save myself.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Chulah held her by both arms and frowned down at her. “Are you in some kind of trouble?”

  Energy crackled between their bodies. His long hair was plastered against his wet skin, emphasizing his high cheekbones and angular jaw. Dark brown eyes stared at her with an intensity that took her breath. No one else had ever looked at her this way, as if he wanted to devour her—body and soul.

  She licked her lips, wanting nothing more than to feel the heat of his body against her chilled skin, to be drawn into his strong arms. His eyes lowered to her lips.

  Chulah wanted the same thing.

  His mouth was on her, his hands pressed against the small of her back. A wild joy sparked, and she ached to be filled by him, to be his woman in every sense of the word. To belong to him, to be consumed by him, even if it was for only one evening. She arched her hips against Chulah, felt the proof of his desire straining against his jeans.

  He moaned. Or was that sound emanating from her own throat? It didn’t matter. Chulah lifted her off the ground and his hands cupped her ass, pressing her core against his sex. His heart thudded against her breasts. She was suspended in the air, but anchored by his strength.

  The rain grew heavier, matching the intensity of their need. April didn’t care. It could be hailing golf ball–sized ice clumps and she wouldn’t willingly part from Chulah’s embrace.

  “I want you,” she groaned against him.

  His breath was ragged and hot against her ear.

  She did this to him. Made him as crazy with desire as she was. April wanted nothing more than to have him capture her body against one of the massive oaks and take her as the rain fell on their fevered bodies. She imagined rough tree bark grazing her back as Chulah stroked into her core from the front. Trapped between two hard forces of nature—and never wanting to escape the sweet torment.

  Chulah set her on the ground and rested his forehead against hers. “This is crazy,” he breathed. “We’re outside in the middle of a storm.”

  Their hot, jagged breaths joined together. April bit the inside of her mouth to keep from moaning in frustration. He was right, of course, but she was loath to let go of Chulah.

  And so they remained. Holding on to each other, breathing the same air. Gradually, the frenzied need racing within April calmed to a dull ache.

  “We can forget hunting for one night,” Chulah said at last, looking up at the drenched heavens. “Let’s get out of the rain.”

  He took her hand and they ran down the path. The soil sucked at their shoes, making a speedy exit to shelter impossible. By the time she stumbled into his cabin, April was soaked.

  Inside, Chulah looked at her and stilled. His eyes traveled down the front of her cotton shirt.

  April glanced down. The sheer fabric clung to the curve of her breasts, and her nipples were hardened from cold. So that was why human females wore bras. Still, April doubted she could force herself to wear the torture device all day every day.

  A slam of a car door sounded outside.

  Chulah groaned. “It’s got to be Joanna.”

  Of course it was. That miserable woman snuffed out Chulah’s happiness like a starved bloodhound, determined to chomp it down.

  Quickly, he ran to his room and emerged with a red flannel shirt. “Put this on.”

  April shrugged into it. The warmth of the fabric was cozy, and it smelled as earthy and sexy as Chulah. Like peat moss and pheromones and pine. She held up an arm and inhaled deeply.

  “This is probably for the best,” he said.

  She lifted her head. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean this.” He pointed between the two of them. “We aren’t meant to be together.”

  “I say we are.”

  “No. Think about it. We’re from different worlds.”

  “It doesn’t matter, not to me. If only—”

  He held up a hand. “Stop. This can only end badly. For both of us.”

  Harsh rapping sounded at the door and he turned away.

  “Wait,” she said desperately. She had to change his mind.

  Chulah faced her. How easy it would be to enchant him. To use the powerful attraction between them and breathe a little fairy dust into the mixture. Surely a little magic never hurt anyone? April took a deep breath, concentrating on Chulah’s love, and exhaled, sending a bit of magic his way.

  His eyes narrowed. “Stop it. I know what you’re doing. How can I ever trust you when you do crap like that?”

  Her face flushed and she bit her lip. “I—I’m sorry.”

  He scowled and stalked to the door. April looked down at the hardwood floor and blinked back hot tears. She was used to disappointment and was willing to take a risk for true love. But if Chulah got hurt in the process...well, that was quite another matter.

  Everything she did turned out wrong. The harder she tried, and the longer she stayed outside of the Fae realm, the more damage she could inflict. Her kind had chosen the wrong person for the job.

  She’d have to fix their mistake.

  * * *

  “Where’s your little girlfriend?”

  Chulah sighed as his stepmother followed him into the cabin. “She’s...”

  The den was empty. Had April retreated to the bedroom to avoid Joanna? A flash of silver shone from the den window. He walked over and looked outside, in time to see April vanish into the woods.

  Go after her. The pull was strong. He took a step to the back door and stopped. What was the point? If he chased after her, she’d think he’d changed his mind.

  What if she gets sick from the cold and the rain? Again, Chulah took a step and stopped. It wasn’t like April wasn’t used to being outdoors in the elements. Once in the woods, she’d change to fairy form and be fine.

  “You sure are acting strange tonight,�
�� Joanna said with her customary tartness. “Stranger than usual.”

  Chulah couldn’t help the sardonic smile at her barb. She always found a way to slip one in every conversation.

  He sat down on the leather sofa and motioned to a chair. “Have a seat and tell me what brings you out so late tonight.”

  Joanna carefully perched on the sofa, as if afraid it contained cooties. She crossed her skinny legs and folded her hands in her lap. The wedding ring, worn now on her right hand, picked up the lamplight and the prisms in it glowed.

  A reminder of his father’s marriage and his promise to look after Joanna.

  “It’s Chris.” She looked down into her lap. “He was caught driving under the influence.”

  “Again? What’s this—like his third offense?”

  Her head snapped up. “It’s only his second.”

  The outrage in her voice ate at him. No matter who got into trouble, no matter whether or not they were clearly in the wrong, Joanna found a way to defend her spoiled brood and excuse their behavior.

  But he said nothing, refusing to give her ammunition for more anger. Because whatever he said, it would be wrong.

  She shifted uncomfortably in her chair. “Anyway.” Joanna cleared her throat. “They’ve got him locked up in the county jail. If we hurry, we can get him out before the bond shop closes for the night.”

  “We?”

  Her thin lips pursed so hard that white lined the edges of her mouth. “I can’t afford bail on my own.”

  “Have you ever considered that it might do him good to suffer the consequence for his actions?”

  “You know nothing about it. Stop being such a cheapskate.”

  “It has nothing to do with money.”

  “Don’t you dare sit there and act so righteous with me. I’m his mother and I know what’s best for him. Being locked up overnight with hardened criminals isn’t what he needs.”

  That was exactly what the would-be con needed. “He’ll never change as long as we keep bailing him out.”

  “Everyone deserves a second chance.” Her voice cracked. “Unlike you, he didn’t have a father to raise him. Your father died when he was only six years old.”