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Everyone cheered. The band started playing along. They were good, but Luc was so much better, outshining them by miles. After the song, he shook the players’ hands. Some dude in a suit handed him a card. “Call me. If you’re not already represented.”
Luc nodded and shoved the card in our back pocket. He didn’t stop until we were outside. That’s when I noticed his hands shaking. And I felt the collage of sorrow and joy coursing through him. He started to leave my body, but I wasn’t ready for that. “Wait.”
Austin?
I hugged my arms around my middle. Hugged him. We stood there for a minute.
Thank you.
He didn’t have to say any more than that. I got it. This was something he’d had. Taken for granted, maybe. Then it was all stolen away, and we still weren’t sure if we could get it back, even if we did manage to come up with something to pay Geneviève.
St. Ann Street
There was a somewhat grumpy vampire waiting for us to talk to, though he didn’t know it yet. On to St. Ann Street. I remembered where we’d been, and Sloane had said something about a gallery, so hopefully, we’d find that rather than breaking into his courtyard again. I didn’t want to face his fangs head-on.
We walked down Royal, crossed Esplanade into the Quarter, and continued on until we got to the corner of St. Ann. The laughter that ripped from Luc at seeing the building there was priceless. I loved the sound and the pure joy coming from him. “What?” I asked as if I didn’t know.
He thumbed over his shoulder. “We’re looking for a vampire, right? Don’t suppose he eats here, at the café?” The Vampire Café was bustling with a line waiting.
“I’m sure that’s what he meant when he said people were eating. And we were in this area, but…” I turned around. “We came out on St. Ann. And he had a gallery. Somewhere…”
“You don’t know for sure.”
“Not like we weren’t on the run.” I crossed my arms over my chest. I wasn’t above pouting, and I didn’t like being called out. Luc only laughed. “Shut up. I’ll find it.”
I pointed down St. Ann. Then turned around. The courtyard was behind it, so it had to either be on Royal or Dauphine. We’d been around Dauphine…but it could have been on the other side of the block. I was pretty sure we’d turned right. Or left? It was worth a look. Since we were on Royal, I went back up that way.
We hadn’t passed Lafitte's. That was a crazy place, said to be haunted, so I didn’t want to go there now with Luc. It didn’t set right.
I stopped.
“What?”
I turned. “This is it.” It was a small, very small, art gallery. “I got confused because we crisscrossed and doubled back. But there is a parking lot back there. Behind this. And the secret courtyard.” I smacked my hands together. “Come on.” And the gallery was still open.
“You feel pretty smug right now, huh?”
“Kinda, yeah.” I pulled open the door and waited while Luc entered first, though I probably didn’t have to. Inside was a riotof color, mostly from the art, but the walls were robin egg blue where there wasn’t exposed brick, and the art was practically everywhere, but tastefully so. “Woah.”
“You again? Houston, was it?” I turned to Sloane, who was slumped against the one bare spot on the wall.
“Austin.”
“Whatever. Why are you here?” He narrowed his eyes, and I wondered if he contemplated eating me.Deities!
“I have a-a proposition for you.”
The vampire rolled his eyes. “I’m not biting you.”
“Uh…not asking you to. Duh.”
“Then what are you asking?”
“You’re like immortal, right?” I didn’t wait for him to answer. “So, if someone took some of your life force, it wouldn’t really hurt you, right?”
“No. Not as long as I drink.” He was curious now, I could tell. Or maybe I was hoping.
“Okay. So, if you had, say, an unlimited supply of blood. Anytime you wanted or needed, would you be open to exchanging your life force for it?”
