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forts and princesses
“Hello!”a voice calls from the foyer of the house. “Are y’all awake?”
The sun is just beginning to crest over the horizon, casting a beautiful glow through the windows of the beach house. “Sounds like Fynn is here.” I stretch my legs from the cramped position they’ve been in for the past six hours. After the lycan went to bed, Thorne and I have been in our room. I found a set of books on the bookshelf downstairs and am in the last chapter of the final book in the series, while Thorne spent the night researching the identity and history of Patrice.
“Find anything?” I ask.
“Nothing substantial. A few possibilities throughout the last few decades of unexplainable attacks on humans, but nothing like what happened in New Orleans.” He shrugs. “I get it. Keeping a low profile is part of the vampire culture, but she’s eithermanaged to wipe the internet of her name or uses a few different aliases.”
“Y’all better hurry. I brought food,” Fynn yells from below. The smell of fried flesh, otherwise known as bacon, permeates my nose, making me feel even more nauseous than the goat’s blood from last night.
“Good morning,” he greets us as we make our way to the kitchen.
“I don’t think any of the lycan are awake,” Thorne tells the giant wolf.
“Yeah, I figured. I’m an early riser.”
“Morning,” Amelia greets us, wandering into the kitchen wearing pajamas and messy hair.
“Do you sleep?” I ask, not sure what to make of her appearance.
She wiggles her eyebrows. “Sleep? No. Enjoy my husband when there’s no baby around. Yes.” I don’t know why her words embarrass me. I feel the heat in my cheeks instantly.
Luna and Micah join the group, suspiciously arriving at the same time. Both carry a lustful look on their face. “You brought bacon!” Luna exclaims, heading straight toward the food.
“I thought we might explore some of the more secluded areas today,” Fynn says, pulling a container of eggs from the bag.
“You think that’s where Patrice could be hiding?” I state the obvious.
“It’s the height of tourist season down here. Therearen’t many places she could hide a horde of hungry immortal children.” Fynn pulls another container from the bag, setting it next to the rest of them on the bar of the kitchen. “I thought we’d start with the fort.”
“Aren’t forts closed this early?” Amelia asks as Topher wanders into the room. His hair looks as equally messy as Amelia’s as he wraps his arm around his wife, kissing her on the top of her head.
“That’s the best time to go,” Fynn answers. “I managed to ensure that we’d be the only ones there until noon. That should give us plenty of time.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Amelia smacks Topher on the ass before leaving the rest of us in the kitchen. “I need a shower first!” she yells through the large house.
“Aye, me, too,” Thorne adds.
Fynn crosses his long legs at the ankle. He’s wearing aLandsharkT-shirt and brightly colored flowered shorts. “Don’t mind me. I’ll just be waiting here for you all to shower.” His sarcasm brings a smile to my face. He speaks my language.
While Thorne showers, I change into the only pair of shorts I brought, along with the thinnest shirt I own. Pulling my dark curls into a long ponytail, I slap on a little mascara and lip gloss and head downstairs. Vampires don’t get hot, but wearing a hoodie and leggings seems out of character for our location.
“How long will it take to get to the fort?” I ask our lycanthrope tour guide. He’s cleaned up the mess from breakfast and is staring through the back sliding doors.
“From here, about twenty minutes.”
Thirty minutes later, the seven of us load into the black SUV and head away from the water. Fynn’s small bursts of road rage ease the tension of what we might find.
“It’s seven o’clock in the morning. Where could you possibly be going?” Fynn yells at the car in front of us. “Especially at twenty miles an hour!” He turns toward Micah, beside him in the front seat. “Tourists! They help the economy, but they drive me crazy.”
“You mentioned there were only a few places where Patrice would be able to hide her children without being seen. Doesn’t the fort receive a lot of visitors?” Luna asks from the back seat.
“Yeah, it does. But some parts are blocked from visitors. Older parts that aren’t in as good of condition as the rest.” Fynn lays on the horn, sending a few curse words with it. “Sorry, y’all. These drivers bring out the worst in me.”
Right on time, we pull through the entrance. Several outlying buildings surround the sprawling walls in front of us. “That’s the Gulf on that side.” Fynn points out to the water. “That side’s the bay.”
“This is the perfect location for a fort,” Micah announces.
