Thirst (Hellish #4)(27)

Jonathan appeared in the doorway before Baptiste convinced himself to leave. “Hi,” Jonathan said, stepping onto the porch. “How are you doing today? Are things any better?”

For a moment, Baptiste wondered if his throat would work. Finally, he managed to kick his voice into gear. “I came to apologize for dragging you into my problems and ask you to pass my apologies along to Niall. Hopefully, he’ll forgive my intrusion last night. I panicked and didn’t know where else to go. As you can see, I learned how to use the doorbell.” Baptiste managed a small fake smile.

Jonathan didn’t look as if he bought it. “Niall is fine. Don’t worry over that. If it would make you feel better, you can come in and tell him yourself.”

Baptiste shook his head. “I have to go.” Baptiste twisted his fingers, feeling inadequate. His gaze skirted past Jonathan as he searched for the right words. Faolan passed by the door. He walked the same as a man on a tightrope. There was a spoon balanced on his nose. For a second, Baptiste lost his train of thought.

At his awkward pause, Jonathan glanced over his shoulder, following Baptiste’s line of sight. “Oh, yeah. Cin, sic him.” At Jonathan’s command, Cin appeared from nowhere, taking Faolan to the floor and sending the spoon flying. The silver piece arced through the air. Baptiste watched it fly past the open door. Jonathan flashed him a sweet smile as if nothing happened. “Are you sure you don’t want to come in? I’ve bet Faolan fifty bucks he can’t balance a spoon on his nose for a full ten minutes. So far, I’m winning.”

Baptiste cleared his throat. “Um, no. Like I said, I need to go, but I wanted to stop by first and say my goodbyes.”

Jonathan’s expression turned sad. “Are you not coming back?”

A sad smile tugged at his lips. “I’ve put the shop up for sale. The house will follow shortly after.”

“So, you’re not coming back,” Jonathan said, saving Baptiste from having to confirm it. He couldn’t say the words. New Orleans was his home, but nothing felt right anymore.

“It was very nice meeting you, Jonathan. From what I’ve seen, you’ll be an amazing king.” Before Baptiste could walk away, he found himself engulfed in a hug. The relief washing over him as Jonathan’s power hit almost took his knees out from underneath him. Baptiste hugged him back before quickly pulling away. He couldn’t handle the kindness right now.

“Come visit us,” Jonathan said, sounding firm.

Baptiste dipped his chin, even though he didn’t mean it, and walked away. He didn’t mask his energy for several steps. If Eirik came searching for him, Baptiste wanted the last wisps of his trail to lead away from Jonathan. Hopefully, the king and his clan would be left in peace. At the edge of the woods, Baptiste started his chant, intent on reaching his next destination. Before he could get away, a solid weight hit him in the center of his back, taking him to the ground. Baptiste rolled, ready to defend himself. A large black wolf pounced, pinning him to the ground. In a flash, the wolf transformed, becoming a very nude and pissed-off-looking Evan.

“Where are you going, boss?”

“Um.” Baptiste’s mind wouldn’t work quickly enough.

“Because it kind of looks like you’re running away without me,” Evan added.

“I—”

“First, you lock me out of the house.”

Fuck. He’d forgotten about Evan in his hurt and anger. “Sorry, I—”

“Then you show up here like you’re ready to bolt,” Evan added, cutting Baptiste off again. “Surely you don’t think I’ve given up three years of my life to watch you run away without me, right?”

Baptiste tried gently pushing Evan away. The man didn’t budge. “Well, um, no offense, but I’m not looking for a babysitter.”

A deep line appeared between Evan’s eyes. “I’m no one’s fucking babysitter.” He sat back on his heels, forcing Baptiste to try to look anywhere but directly at the man’s junk. “Like you said, no offense, but I had a life before I was forced to come here and live this bullshit lie, working at your shop and locked up in the city.”

It took everything Baptiste had, but he managed to focus on Evan’s eyes. They were Ethan’s, but then again, they weren’t. Everything about this was so fucking hard. “If you go with me, you’ll be separated from everyone. I don’t plan to come back, and I’ll be damned if you’ll go with me if you plan to keep tabs on me for Eirik.”

Evan shrugged. “Do you really want to be all alone?”

“I don’t know,” Baptiste answered honestly. He felt too raw to know himself any longer.

“Well, I don’t,” Evan said, sounding sad. “You’re all I have, and you’re dropping me like a stray dog.”

Guilt ate at his skin. “Fuck. Come on,” Baptiste said, pushing to his feet. He couldn’t leave Evan behind after that. If all else failed, he could always send the man back. For now, maybe they both needed a friend.



Eirik rang the doorbell, listening as the chimes filled the air. Stamping feet could be heard through the door, along with cursing. “Goddamn, this is a house of royalty. Can’t we get a damn butler? What do you want?” Lire snapped as he threw open the door.

“May we speak to Jonathan?”