And he’d have gone mad.

  Delphine’s little experiment had changed Kane in ways none of them understood. Solomon saw the visible signs, but there were ones deep within Kane that he kept from everyone. Except for Riley. If he shared anything, it would be with her.

  The two of them had gravitated to each other. She healed him, while allowing him to play protector. Their bond of friendship was strong.

  Blood tied their two families together, but it was the interaction that allowed such bonds to develop and strengthen the ties.

  Friends and allies were the same. Addison and Skye were right. Someone should go see Minka. He briefly thought of sending Kane, but he’d told the girls he would go. So he would.

  And the sooner he got out there, the quicker he could get back to the bar.

  “I’m glad to see you’ve given in to the inevitable,” Kane said.

  “Yeah. I’m heading out there now. I’ll be back in a couple of hours.”

  “Take your time,” Kane said as he walked behind the bar and began to clean up.

  Solomon nodded to Myles and Court before walking into the kitchen and then out the back door. He locked the wooden gate behind him and got into his truck.

  On the drive through New Orleans, he looked for any signs of Delphine or her followers. They were easy to spot since they were usually in all white. There were times he saw them watching the bar.

  It wouldn’t surprise him to find one of them now. The fact that he saw nothing made him uneasy.

  Six months. Six idyllic, heavenly months where the supernatural had been reminded of the strength of the LaRues—and obeyed the rules.

  It wasn’t easy policing the streets of New Orleans with all the different supernatural beings that called the city home. But it was what his family had done for generations. And they were damn good at it.

  Solomon wasn’t sure who had it the worst. Was it he and his brothers monitoring and patrolling the city? Or was it his cousins who hunted and killed the supernatural that were drawn to Lyon’s Point?

  Once out of the city, Solomon turned up his music and tried to relax. But the closer he got to Minka’s, the tighter his muscles became.

  By the time he pulled up to the house, he was contemplating turning around. Before he could change his mind, he threw the truck into park and turned off the engine.

  In his mind, he was running through hundreds of reasons anyone other than he should be there. Yet he found himself out of the truck, and his feet kept taking him toward the stairs regardless. When he reached the steps, he planted one foot on the bottom rung and hesitated.

  Some might think the bayou was quiet compared to the city, but it was anything but. There was a cornucopia of animals who called the swamps home, and their sounds filled the air like a mystical symphony only those who appreciated it could hear.

  It was a place that suited Minka. She was the embodiment of stillness, of calmness in the loud, frenzied city. Not that he would ever tell her such a thing.

  He felt eyes on him and looked around until he spotted the werewolves in the bushes. Somehow, he wasn’t surprised that the Moonstones were still watching over Minka.

  His gaze jerked to the house. Would he be interrupting her and Griffin? The thought brought a smile to his face as he headed up the stairs to the front door. Though he didn’t allow himself to think about why intruding on the two of them made him happy.

  But as he raised his hand to knock, the door swung open. Minka stood there in jeans and a cream sweater that accentuated her mocha skin, the evidence of her Romanian Gypsy heritage.

  For a long minute, they stared at each other.

  Her long, curly, dark brown hair hung loosely about her shoulders. Eyes pale brown and ringed with black watched him without guile from beneath insanely long lashes. Her lips were wide, the bottom slightly fuller than the top.

  She was a natural beauty with skin that was as smooth as silk. His gaze traveled down her slim neck to find a collarbone bared from her wide-necked sweater that hung seductively and alluringly off one shoulder. Faded, ripped jeans clung to her legs, but it was her bare feet with their dark pink-painted toenails that he found intriguing.

  Then she stepped back and motioned for him to enter, which jerked him out of his thoughts.

  He looked around the house, noting that she hadn’t changed much since the last time he was there. “How’ve you been?”

  “I’m alive. I think that says it all,” she replied.

  “Yeah.” He cleared his throat, not sure what else to say.

  She closed the door and stood there, examining him. “I talk to Addison and Skye every day through text. You didn’t have to come, especially since you obviously don’t want to be here.”

  “I never said that.”

  She snorted loudly. “I hate to be the one to break this to you, but everything you feel or think is shown through your eyes. I don’t know who made you come—”

  “No one,” he interjected.

  “But you did. You came, you saw, and we spoke. Now you can leave with a clear conscience.”

  He pointed at her. “This. This right here is why I didn’t want to come. You twist everything.”

  “Really? So you came on your own? No one told you to?”

  Solomon opened his mouth, then shut it.

  “That’s what I thought,” Minka said with a smug expression. “I’m not angry, if that’s what you think. You did this for your family.”

  “And for you.”

  The words were out of his mouth before he had time to think about them.

  Her brows rose, surprise in her eyes. “I admit, I’m surprised you’d say such a thing. I know how you detest me.”

  “I don’t hate you.”

  She gave him a wry look. “Your actions and words say otherwise.”

  “I have a lot on my plate.” It was a poor excuse, but it was the only one he had.

  It wasn’t as if he could tell her that she made him uncomfortable—and all too aware that it had been years since he’d tasted a woman’s kiss or held a female in his arms.

  “Are you really all right?” he asked.

  Her gaze lowered to the ground, and he saw something flash in her eyes before she hid it. “Yes. Griffin and his pack get me whatever I might need.”

  “But?” Solomon pressed.

  She took a deep breath and then slowly released it as she met his gaze. “It’s the waiting that’s killing me. I don’t know why Delphine hasn’t come for me.”

  “Don’t think that way. Take this time she’s given you.”

  “My power has grown,” Minka said. “But I could train and practice for ten years and still not be ready. She’s more powerful than I am.”

  Solomon took a step toward her. “Don’t think like that either. You must stay positive. Believe you can win.”

  A smile turned up her lips. “You’re right. I should, and I will.”

  Silence once more descended upon them. Solomon was trying to think of something else to say when the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs had Minka looking out the window.

  There was a smile on her face when she opened the door to allow Griffin inside. He held several bags of groceries in his hands and he came to a halt when he spotted Solomon.

  “I didn’t know you were stopping by,” Griffin said.

  Solomon shrugged, glimpsing the flowers half-hidden in one of the bags. He was sure Minka hadn’t asked for those. “Just wanted to check on things.”

  “It’s only taken you six months.”

  Griffin’s dig riled Solomon. Then again, two Alphas visiting the same woman had that effect. Solomon’s suspicions were confirmed. Minka and Griffin were together.

  Why then did he feel the need to fight Griffin?

  Solomon ignored him and looked at Minka. “Let us know if you need anything.”

  He shouldered past Griffin only to have Minka put her hand on his arm. Solomon turned back to her.

  “Thank you,” she said softly.

  He gave a nod, and then her hand was gone.

  And damn if he didn’t miss her touch.

  3

  Solomon had barely reached the bottom of the steps before he heard Griffin shout Minka’s name. Without a second’s hesitation, Solomon turned and took the stairs three at a time.

  When he reached the top, he found Minka’s eyes had gone milky. “No!” he shouted when Griffin made to touch her. “She’s having a vision.”

  “What do we do?” Griffin asked worriedly.

  “Nothing.”

  Griffin ran a hand down his face. “I’ve never seen this.”

  Neither had Solomon, but Myles had explained what happened when Minka had had such a vision with him. Solomon couldn’t look away from her eyes.

  No longer could he see the pale brown irises. She made no sound or movement as the vision held her in its grip. He stayed near her in case she collapsed, yet all the while, he wondered what it was she saw.

  Suddenly, her chest expanded as she dragged in a ragged breath. Her lids closed on a blink. As he watched, the milky color vanished as if it had never been.

  Her eyes fastened on him a second before her knees buckled. Solomon grabbed her the same time Griffin did, and together, they walked her to the couch where they sat her.

  Solomon reached for the glass of iced tea on the side table and handed it to her. She drank it down as if she hadn’t tasted anything in weeks. He squatted beside the sofa, and when she finished, he took the empty glass to set it aside.

  “What did you see?” Griffin asked.

  Solomon shook his head at the werewolf. Now was not the time to ask such a question. Minka would tell them in her own time—if she told them at all.

  She put her hand to her forehead and closed her eyes while laying her head back on the cushion. Solomon had never realized that having a vision took so much out of her. Then again, he’d never witnessed it before.

  “Rest,” he told her as he straightened and made for the door.

  Solomon grabbed Griffin’s arm as he passed, dragging him with him. Once outside, Solomon shut the door behind him and motioned with his chin for Griffin to head down off the porch. When he hesitated, Solomon raised a brow. Finally, Griffin relented and started down the stairs.

  Solomon’s thoughts were on Minka while he followed a few steps behind Griffin. It was because of that, that he didn’t see Griffin’s intention as he pivoted and slammed his hands into Solomon’s chest.

  Solomon stumbled back a few steps before a wooden pillar holding up the house stopped him. He glared at Griffin. “What the fuck is your problem?”

  “You’ve got some nerve coming here.”

  Solomon smiled coldly and then pushed away from the stilt. “Worried I might be encroaching on your woman?”

  “Leave.”

  “No.”

  Griffin’s eyes flashed yellow, a sign that he was fighting to remain in human form. “She doesn’t need you.”

  “That’s not for you to decide.”

  “It’s not yours either.”

  Solomon shrugged and circled him. “If you were secure with Minka, you wouldn’t be worried about my arrival. Which means, the two of you aren’t a couple.”

  “Yet.”

  “Be that as it may, you don’t get to tell me to stay away. Minka is our friend. We watch over our friends.”

  Griffin’s lips curled into a sneer. “Tell me, Solomon, why then did it take any of you six months to visit? Where have you been all these weeks as she remained hidden behind the walls of her home?”

  “Keeping New Orleans in order. Or did you forget my family has an obligation? Just as yours did.”

  “You son of a bitch!” Griffin yelled as fury contorted his face. “You just had to bring that up.”

  They were circling each other now, each looking for a weakness to exploit.

  Solomon shrugged. “I’m sorry if you don’t like being reminded of the cowards your parents were. Perhaps if they’d done their job, a duty that had been bestowed upon your pack for generations, then my parents might still be alive.”

  “You don’t know that.”

  “Permission for your return to this area has been granted by me. Remember that.”

  Griffin bared his teeth. “And remember, we can leave at any time.”

  “You’re good at that, so it doesn’t surprise me that you’d throw something like that in my face. You returned to New Orleans to take your rightful place, and you were doing a good job.”

  “You don’t like being questioned,” Griffin said with a taciturn smile.

  Solomon saw members of the Moonstone pack watching them, but he didn’t give a shit. “Your fur’s all ruffled because I came to see Minka. If you want to make this about something else, I’ll happily indulge you.”

  “You’ve still not answered why you’re just now showing up.”

  He’d had enough. Solomon closed the distance between them until they were nose-to-nose. “Because Minka asked to be alone. She wanted the time to herself, and we gave that to her. In case you didn’t know, we spoke with her every damn day. And I know Kane has been here.”

  Griffin’s hands were fisted at his sides. “Kane runs with us, yes.”

  “Anything else you want to accuse me of?” Solomon demanded.

  “A call or text isn’t the same as visiting. We’ve watched over her, brought her what she needed, and offered her company. Whatever obligation you believed you had is long gone. Leave.”

  There was only one person who could tell him to go. Minka. Solomon made as if he were turning away, but instead, delivered a solid punch to Griffin’s jaw.

  The next instant, they were locked together, each trying to get an advantage over the other. Solomon blocked punches while connecting more hits. A blow to his mouth split his lip, blood filling his mouth.

  He ignored it and elbowed Griffin in the nose. The sound of cartilage breaking filled the air. Solomon then found himself on his back after having his legs swiped from beneath him. He raised his arms in an X to block a downward kick to his face. Grabbing Griffin’s foot, Solomon shoved him away, twisting the other man’s leg so Griffin spun in the air.

  Solomon kicked up to his feet and tried to ram his knee into Griffin’s face, but Griffin blocked him. Instead, Solomon slammed his fist down between Griffin’s shoulder blades.

  Griffin bellowed in pain. His head jerked to Solomon, and without any warning, he shifted. Solomon stared at him, even as Griffin snapped his jaws toward him.

  “You’re a were by birth,” Solomon said. “Your ancestors chose this life and passed the gene down to you. If you can’t handle a situation in your true form without shifting, then you’re not the werewolf Kane told me you were.”

  Griffin growled, his lips peeled back to reveal his large teeth. He crouched low, his muscles tense and ready to pounce.

  But Solomon didn’t move.

  He wasn’t afraid of Griffin. Not now. Not ever. New Orleans was his and his brothers’ to protect by birth and by right—and that included any allies and friends.

  “You want to sever the tenuous pact we have,” Solomon said. “Then attack.”

  Griffin suddenly took a step back. Solomon turned his head and found Minka walking toward them.

  She stopped between them, looking at each of them a long moment. “Enough of this.”

  “The sooner we get this done, the better,” Solomon said.

  A dark brow rose as her head turned to him. “Not here. I need to think about my vision, and I can’t do that with the two of you making all this racket. I need you to leave.” Then she looked at Griffin. “Both of you.”

  Without another sound, Griffin loped away.

  Solomon watched him, knowing that they would clash again. It was the way with two alpha males. It was one of the reasons Griffin’s parents had failed Solomon’s, because the elder LaRue hadn’t addressed a similar issue.

  Solomon wouldn’t make the same mistake. Though once a great man, his father had grown lax at the end, believing the reputation of the LaRues would keep them safe. When Delphine had come for them, the Moonstone pack abandoned them.

  Solomon didn’t just have his three brothers and his cousin Riley to look out for anymore. He also had Addison and Skye. Six people were under his care, and that meant he couldn’t fail.

  Not as he’d done with Misty.

  He swallowed. The thought of his dead fiancée always hit him hard. It didn’t matter how many years passed, he would always carry the weight of her death with him.

  Solomon wiped the blood away from his mouth and glanced at Minka. “I apologize.”

  “It’s what two Alphas do, right?” she said with a small smile.

  He nodded and turned his head to spit out blood. “You know we stayed away because you asked us to.”

  “I do.”

  “We shouldn’t have.”

  She wrapped her arms about her middle. “It was my request, and you honored it.”

  “Promise you’ll call one of us if you need something.”

  “I won’t,” she said with a shake of her head.

  “Minka...” he began.

  She took a step back, her gaze halting him. “Don’t. You know why you can’t be here. Delphine has already damaged Kane with her curse.”

  “That we got her to reverse.”

  “You’re not a fool. You know as well as I do that she’s not finished with your family. Especially Riley.”

  He didn’t need to be reminded of the Voodoo bitch’s attention to his cousin. Delphine had already tried to harm the Chiassons before, but no one knew why she was so focused on Riley now.

  “The more distance you put between yourself and me, the better,” Minka said.

  “United we stand. Divided we fall.”

  She gave him a sad smile. “Then what I just witnessed with you and Griffin says it all, doesn’t it?”

  “I won’t fail in this. I can’t,” he told her.

  “Some things are out of our control.”

  He nodded slowly in agreement. “You’re our friend. Not only did you save Myles, but you also helped us in the last battle. The LaRues don’t forget things like that. I don’t care who or what is coming for you, Minka Verdin. We look out for our friends.”