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“We’re going to have so much fun,” she chirps. “Let’s go. I need to get ready.”
With that, she pulls Erik from the room. Leif chuckles and, with a nod to Jesse and me, follows in their wake, presumably to head to his own room to get ready for our night on the town. As soon as the door closes behind him, Jesse pulls me into his arms, hugging me close.
“Are you sure you’re up for this?” he murmurs into my hair.
I nod against his chest, then lift my head to meet his dark, loving gaze. “Steph’s right. A night of fun will do us all some good. It’s better than staying closed off in this room with that damn necklace calling to me constantly.”
Jesse stiffens. “Shall I remove it? I can have Leif keep it locked away in his room if it will make you more comfortable.”
“No,” I say, tamping down the panic that floods my system at his suggestion. “That would make it worse, I think.”
“Maybe distance would sever the connection,” he says, pulling my head back against his chest. “The necklace only started calling to you when you wandered into its vicinity.”
“I don’t think proximity is the cause,” I say slowly, the words feeling right in my gut. “If that was the case, wouldn’t it have drawn me to it the first time I was in the cabin?”
“Perhaps it did. You said you felt compelled to enter the building. Like it called to you.”
I don’t respond other than to tighten my arms around him. I don’t want to argue, but I know with absolute certainty that he’s wrong. It wasn’t the necklace that called to me during that first trip to Terremagie and the Gundelier village. Not only did I feel the magic, a magic that was different than the power the necklace holds, but I was drawn there from the perimeter of the village by scent and instinct.
And I didn’t feel the pull of the necklace until I touched it for the first time.
“I’ll be fine,” I say, ending the conversation as I pull out of his arms. “Now, let’s get ready to let the good times roll.”
Jesse smiles, and I press a quick kiss to his lips before heading into the bathroom. I pull my hair into a high ponytail and dust some powder on my face. I skip any other makeup. I don’t need to impress anyone. Jesse loves me just as I am.
I leave the bathroom and change into a pretty sundress while Jesse watches with appreciative eyes. My skin prickles with excitement, and I wonder if we have time to––
“Let’s go, people!”
Steph’s shout is accompanied by a fist pounding on our door, and Jesse chuckles as my shoulders droop. Pushing himself up from the edge of the bed where he’d been sitting, watching me, he holds out a hand. I slip mine into it, and he tugs me close to whisper in my ear.
“I’ll be counting the minutes until we’re alone again.”
My core clenches with need at his husky words, and he chuckles. Reaching over with my free hand, I pinch his side for that dirty little mind trick, but he doesn’t even flinch. He just laughs again and pulls me toward the door.
The walk to Bourbon Street is uneventful. Music echoes all around us, and the constant chatter, laughter, and shouts make me tense more and more as we near our destination. I’ve been working on controlling my vampiric hearing, filtering out and ignoring the noise. But the cacophony of downtown New Orleans is a lot to handle.
Jesse’s hand tightens around mine, and I feel my tension ease away. I shoot him a look of thanks as he continues to send a sense of calmness and peace, coating me in good vibes so I can enjoy our night out.
Steph heads straight for the open doors of a bar, Erik hot on her heels. Jesse and I follow as Leif takes up the rear. By the time we catch up to her, Steph’s already ordered a round of Sazerac cocktails.
“What is that?” I ask, speaking directly into her ear so she can hear me over the noise in the bar.
“No clue,” she says brightly. “But Google says it’s the official drink of New Orleans, so we have to try it.”
We each take a glass as the bartender lines them up for us. After clinking mine against Steph’s, I take a sip. The whiskey flavor is strong and spicy, and there’s a hint of licorice mixed in. I wrinkle my nose, but Steph’s reaction is more pronounced. She sets the glass down and bends over, making gagging noises of disgust. Jesse laughs at her antics, and I swear, Erik almost smiles. Almost.
Taking my glass from my hand and draining it, Jesse leans over the bar and orders two hurricanes. The bartender complies with a smile when Jesse drops a hundred-dollar bill on the bar top and tells him to keep the change.
Once we have the fruitier, much more palatable drinks in hand, we head for an empty table. The guys sit, but Steph takes my drink and sets it down next to hers before pulling me out onto the dance floor.
We shake our asses through three songs, laughing as Steph starts to sweat in the crowd of partiers. Some guy tries to move up behind Steph, but he disappears before he can even touch her. My eyes widen as Erik materializes in his place, shifting his weight from foot to foot in some attempt to dance while his dark gaze dares any other man on the floor to come near Steph.
Seeing me looking over her shoulder, she turns, her face lighting up as she pushes her body against his and circles her arms around his neck. He stiffens and stills for a brief moment, then seems to relax as he starts to move with her. His hands land on her hips, his fingers digging into her flesh like she’s a lifeline, and he’d die if he let go.
I freeze as arms circle around my waist from behind, but it only takes me a moment to recognize Jesse’s body against me. I grind my ass against him, then tilt my head back to press a kiss to his jaw. His hands flatten against my stomach, holding me there as his lips trail over my bare shoulder before burning a path up my neck.
His mouth moves to my ear, and he says, “I love you, Eden,” as an orgasm rips through my body out of nowhere.
