“What about the other factions?” Court asked.

  Solomon rubbed his jaw. “Minka didn’t mention them, and she would have if she’d seen them. That could mean they didn’t take sides.”

  “Or they did,” Myles added.

  Kane looked into the bedroom and lowered his voice to say, “I think maybe we need to call in our cousins.”

  “I’ve already thought about that,” Solomon admitted. “The problem is that if we bring them here, we’ll be delivering them right into Delphine’s hands.”

  “True,” Court said. “But they have a witch. Davena was strong enough to stand against Delphine. She, along with Minka, might do the trick.”

  Solomon liked the idea, but he kept coming back to the vision. “Minka didn’t see the Chiassons.”

  The discussion stopped when the four girls returned. After Minka had turned off all the lights and locked up the house, they walked together to the trucks.

  Solomon climbed into the driver’s seat of his crew cab as Kane took the passenger’s seat. A moment later, Minka and Riley climbed into the back seat. He looked in the rearview mirror and found his gaze clashing with Minka’s.

  “Ready?” he asked her.

  She nodded as she fastened her seatbelt. “Ready.”

  The drive back into the city was done in silence, each of them lost in their own thoughts. There would be more discussion, but Solomon wanted it to wait until everyone had had a chance to think things through. And he wanted Minka to get some rest.

  He pulled up alongside the curb of the bar and shut off the engine. They climbed out and made their way behind the bar to enter at the back.

  Right before he entered the building, he glanced up at the second floor. He used the studio as a place to sleep when he didn’t want to drive out to the family house. In fact, in the last six months, he’d only spent two nights each month out there. It just made more sense to remain in the city.

  His gaze lowered to Minka, who was having a hard time keeping her eyes open. It was lucky for her that he had a bed close where she could crash.

  Solomon entered the kitchen and walked to the front to grab a glass behind the bar, filling it with bourbon. He returned to the back and found the others in the office. Minka kept blinking to keep her eyes open, but he knew she wouldn’t give in to sleep easily.

  He moved behind the desk and opened the bottom drawer where he got a pinch of the herbs his parents had used to make Court sleep when he was a toddler. Solomon had never gotten rid of them, and he was glad of that now.

  After sprinkling them in the liquor and waiting for them to dissolve, he handed the glass to Minka.

  She accepted it with a smile. Her exhaustion and all the conversation kept her occupied, so she didn’t realize how quickly she drank it all. Solomon watched her closely. As soon as she began to sway, he took the glass from her.

  She looked at it and then him with unfocused eyes. “What did you do?”

  “Made sure you would rest.”

  “You...drugged me?” she asked in reproach, her words slurring.

  He didn’t get a chance to answer as she went limp against him. Solomon lifted her into his arms and looked down at her. Now that he was holding her, he wasn’t so sure about putting her in his bed.

  Mostly because the thought made his blood burn with hunger.

  “Which of you is going to take her home?” he asked his brothers.

  Myles shook his head. “I’ve got Addison, Court has Skye, and Riley is staying with Kane. Looks like you’re the one with the room.”

  “You do have two places,” Court added.

  Damn. Solomon should’ve seen that one coming. He didn’t try to argue with his brothers, mostly because, by the looks of everyone in the office, they wanted him to take the witch.

  Kane walked ahead of him and opened the back door. As Solomon passed, Kane said, “If it’s too much, I have room for her.”

  His words stopped Solomon in his tracks. Too much? No woman had been inside his home since his fiancée.

  “Solomon?”

  He turned his eyes to Kane and shook his head. “It’s fine.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah. I renovated the upstairs a few months before Misty was killed.”

  Kane’s gaze held his before had gave a nod. “We’ll take turns watching over Minka while she sleeps.”

  “All right.”

  Solomon turned to the right to a set of metal stairs leading up to the loft. When he and his brothers had bought the building, they’d intended to use the upstairs as storage. Yet the more Solomon had thought about it, the more he liked the idea of living there.

  So with some work—and soundproof floors—he’d made it his. Being in the heart of the city they protected made things easier. It was why his brothers had also each chosen a place within New Orleans.

  But he couldn’t give up the family house.

  Solomon reached his door and adjusted Minka so he could key in his entry. The door unlatched and swung open. He kicked it shut behind him where it automatically locked once more.

  He walked to his leather couch and paused beside it, but he didn’t set Minka down. Instead, he turned on his heel and made his way to the bed.

  She didn’t stir when he laid her down or when he removed her shoes. He then covered her and straightened. If he expected to feel something about another woman in his bed, he was wrong. There was only a twinge of pain at the thought of Misty’s untimely death.

  But it had been nearly seven years since that terrible night. A lot had changed since then—him most of all.

  He smoothed a curl from Minka’s face before he turned and walk to the kitchen area. Idleness wasn’t something he enjoyed, but that left him little to do while he watched over Minka. So, he cleaned the kitchen from the mess he’d made at breakfast.

  After that, he put in a load of laundry. Anything to keep from staring at Minka sleeping in his bed and imagining her naked...and tangled in the sheets.

  * * *

  “I suppose you’ve heard.”

  Delphine watched a passing riverboat from the dock. She didn’t look toward Tora. She was devoted to her followers, but Delphine knew better than to trust anyone. “You mean that Minka is in the city? Of course.”

  “Why don’t we attack?” Tora asked.

  “It isn’t time.”

  “We’ve waited six months already.”

  Delphine turned to the younger woman and put her hand on her light-skinned cheek. With Creole heritage, Tora was a true believer in Voodoo. She was young and pretty, if a little headstrong.

  “There is a reason for everything I do. Don’t question me again.”

  Tora’s dark eyes flashed with annoyance. “I know how much you need the witch to grow your power. She was alone and weak. Now she’s with the LaRues.”

  “Do you fear the werewolves?”

  “No.”

  Delphine smiled as she lowered her hand to her side. “Good. They are dirt beneath our shoes. They believe they control this city, and I’ve allowed them that fantasy. Just as I showed their parents who was really in charge, I will do the same to them.”

  “Why didn’t you take over when you killed the parents?”

  Delphine swept her arm wide to encompass the entire city. “Everyone fears me. They know me and what I’m capable of. I’ve allowed the weres to handle the little squabbles while I concentrated on the bigger picture.”

  Tora lifted her chin and smiled. “You’re a force to be reckoned with. I can’t wait until I stand beside you and show the werewolves and the rest of the factions what’s in store. You will be their queen.”

  “Yes. And in so doing, I’ll get my revenge on the Chiassons, as well. But we wait. For now.”

  “Not too much longer, please.”

  Delphine turned back to the river. “I won’t mess this up, but don’t worry. You won’t have to wait too long.”

  “Do you still want us to keep watch over the LaRues?”

  “I want to know everywhere they go, as well as everyone they speak to. They’re not stupid animals. They’ll be preparing.”

  Tora laughed. “It doesn’t matter what they do. They’ll never be prepared for what you’ll bring them.”

  Delphine smiled. “No. They won’t.”

  6

  Minka came awake slowly, her body relaxed and her mind calm. She stretched, yawning as she arched her back with her arms over her head. She opened her eyes and looked at the high ceiling.

  That wasn’t her ceiling.

  She turned her head and saw a brick wall with a large picture of New Orleans at night.

  That wasn’t her picture or her wall.

  She sat up and looked around in confusion. The loft was large with the windows letting in tons of light. A soft rain battered the glass before rivulets of water ran down to collect at the base of the window.

  It took her a moment to hear the shower over the rain. She threw off the covers and noted that she was still in the clothes she’d worn when she came to New Orleans—with Solomon.

  That’s when it all came back to her. He’d drugged her.

  Anger coiled within her like a snake ready to strike. Minka rose and strode to the sliding barn door to the bathroom that wasn’t shut all the way. She pushed it open and continued into the room where she saw the white marble counter and white-and-gray-basketweave tile upon the floor.

  She ignored it as she made her way to the glass shower where Solomon had his back to her as he washed. Despite her anger, she couldn’t help but notice his impeccable body through the steam and water.

  Wide shoulders tapered to a narrow waist and hips. His ass was...sublime. The fact that she noticed it only pissed her off more. And yet, she let her eyes travel lower to his long, muscular legs.

  It was his hands running through his hair that jerked her gaze upward to watch the way the sinew in his back, shoulders, and arms moved sensuously. Damn him for being so gorgeous.

  Minka threw open the glass door. “You’ve got some damn nerve.”

  Solomon whirled around, and for a moment, she forgot to breathe. If he’d been gorgeous from the back, from the front, he was magnificent. She fisted her hands by her sides to keep from reaching out and running her fingers along his thick chest and washboard stomach.

  “Minka,” he murmured, a small frown forming.

  She kept her gaze upward, refusing to look down and see his cock. “You drugged me.”

  “You needed the rest.”

  He stood beneath the spray, seemingly unperturbed that he was naked and she was staring. Which only angered her even more. “You had no right.”

  “You’d have done the same thing had I looked the way you did. You were practically falling over you were so exhausted.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest. Her gaze lowered for just a moment to see his flaccid rod hanging between his legs. The length was impressive, and she was disappointed that he wasn’t hard.

  Then she was furious with herself for looking when she’d decided not to.

  “You overstepped,” she stated and pivoted.

  She didn’t get even one step away before a large hand wrapped around her arm, immediately soaking her shirt. The next heartbeat, she was yanked beneath the spray to stand in front of him.

  “What the hell is wrong with you?” she cried.

  Solomon loomed over her, his blue eyes flashing dangerously. “I was saving your damned life.”

  “I didn’t ask that of you!”

  “No, because you wouldn’t stoop so low as to ask me for anything.”

  “What the hell does that mean?” she demanded.

  His lip curled as he snorted. “As if you don’t know.”

  “Oh, please,” she said with a roll of her eyes. “I’m surprised you put me in your bed when I know you’d rather have dumped me in an alley somewhere.”

  “You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.”

  Her eyes widened. “Oh! The gall! You know exactly what I’m referring to. All those condescending remarks, the not-so-subtle way you let it be known that you don’t want me around. You hate that a witch is helping, don’t you?”

  “It has nothing to do with you being a witch,” he stated coolly.

  She shoved her wet hair out of her face and blinked through the water splashing on her cheek. “So you admit you have an issue with me.”

  A muscle ticked in his jaw. “I didn’t say that.”

  “You didn’t have to. It’s in the way you talk to me.”

  “You don’t know what you’re saying.”

  She’d had enough. Not to mention, she was now completely soaked. “Admit you hate me.”

  “I don’t hate you!”

  “Right,” she said with a laugh. “Everybody sees it.”

  His eyes narrowed as he leaned closer. “You’re wrong. They’re wrong.”

  “Whatever.”

  “I try to do something nice for you, and you’ve got to throw it in my face.”

  She gawked at him before issuing a loud laugh. “Nice? You fucking drugged me!”

  “For your own damn good, as I’ve said! Someone had to take care of you since you wouldn’t do it yourself.”

  Her mouth fell open as his words registered. She was so shocked that her mind went blank for a second before a dozen replies filled her. She took a breath to give him a piece of her mind when she heard someone clear his or her throat.

  Minka and Solomon turned their heads at the same time to find Myles standing in the bathroom. His blond brows were raised as he glared at both of them.

  “Are you two finished? Because I’ve been standing here for some time trying to get your attention,” Myles said.

  Minka looked down at herself to see her clothes clinging to her. She’d been so furious, she hadn’t even realized she was still standing in the shower, completely clothed.

  When she looked back at Solomon, his gaze was on her. No longer did those blue eyes of his pin her with arrogance and anger. Instead, there was remorse.

  Myles pulled a towel from a hook and held it out to her. “Your bag is on the bed.”

  She moved to the entrance of the shower and took the towel. Then she waited until Myles had turned on his heel and left before she stepped on the rug.

  Behind her, the shower cut off. She wiped her face and tried not to think about Solomon—naked—behind her.

  “Stay,” he said.

  She stilled, unsure of what he meant.

  He slid past her then. Her gaze dropped down to see his fine ass right before he wrapped a towel around his waist. Only then did he turn to face her.

  “There’s still plenty of hot water left,” he said. “Take your time.”

  She watched him walk out of the room and slide the door closed behind him. For a long minute, she simply stood there. Then she dropped the towel and pulled the wet clothes from her body before tossing them into the sink to wring out later.

  * * *

  Solomon stood with his back against the bathroom door until he heard the water turn back on. Only then did he make his way to the armoire.

  “That was some fight.”

  He paused in reaching for a pair of jeans at the sound of Myles’s voice. “I thought you’d left.”

  “You should’ve looked around. You’d have seen I was sitting on a barstool.”

  Solomon blew out a breath and tossed the jeans and a black tee onto the bed. He dried off before getting dressed and facing his brother. “What do you want?”

  “Oh, I don’t know,” Myles said with a shrug. “Perhaps to talk about that fight I witnessed where you were standing naked in the shower, and Minka was with you. Fully dressed.”

  “Things got out of hand.”

  “Well, that’s one way of putting it.” Myles leaned an arm on the island in the middle of the studio. “We all knew she’d be pissed when she woke.”

  Solomon shrugged and walked to the coffee pot where he poured himself a large mug. “Yep.”

  “What now?”

  “I think she’d be more comfortable staying with Riley and Kane.”

  Myles’s lips curved into a smile. “That’s what you think?”

  “Yeah.”

  “You can be so stupid sometimes.”

  Solomon sipped his coffee, eyeing his brother. “Just sometimes?”

  “Sometimes, you’re actually smart, but this isn’t one of those times.”

  “Gee. Thanks for the confidence.”

  Myles jerked his chin toward the bathroom. “You’re a prime idiot when it comes to her.”

  “I have an idea. Why don’t you tell me what you really think,” he said as he set down his mug on the island and faced his brother.

  “Fine. I will. You want Minka.”

  Solomon shook his head. “No. Yo—”

  “You want her,” Myles stated over him. “You try to treat her like shit in the hopes that no one—especially Minka—will realize it.”

  “Is that right?” It was the only response Solomon could come up with.

  Myles nodded. “You know it is. You don’t need to explain why, brother. I know the reason. You forget I was with you that night.”

  That night. No other words were needed to speak of Misty’s brutal murder.

  “Minka is different,” Myles said. “She’s strong and courageous. Not to mention, she’s a witch.”

  Solomon ran a hand down his face. “And none of that removes the fact that Delphine is after her.”

  “Delphine wants us, as well.”

  Solomon splayed his hands on the granite of the island. “That’s right. Delphine will come for us. I need to be focused on that.”

  “You can have some happiness,” Myles said, a frown puckering his brow.

  “I tried that. It didn’t work out.”

  “You tried it with someone who didn’t know who—and what—you were. Misty was a sweet soul, but she was weak, Solomon. She was delicate, vulnerable, and utterly defenseless.”

  Solomon knew Myles was only stating the truth. At one time, those words would’ve sent him into a rage. The fact that they didn’t now was what angered him. “I was her defense.”

  “You didn’t fail her.” Myles rose to his feet and shot him a sad smile. “I know you think you did, but you didn’t. It was a tragedy, plain and simple.”