They linked hands and strolled casually along the street, seemingly enjoying the night air, mingling with the tourists and those who made their homes there. The majority of the revelers were in the heart of the Quarter, along Bourbon Street, farther down, lining up to get into Preservation Hall. Savannah and Gregori moved along the narrow walkway, pausing to allow a horse-drawn carriage to pass. The occupants of the conveyance were laughing and listening to the sing-song voice of their guide describing points of interest with a few local myths thrown in.
Two young men drinking beer on the steps of a closed bookstore across the street fixed their eyes on Savannah. Even from that distance Gregori could see their instant fixation, the obsession she so easily produced in men. It was in the way she moved, her flowing hair and enormous eyes, her aura, at once innocent and sexy. There was no hope that they would not recognize her. She embodied magic and fantasy.
Gregori sighed heavily, his gut tightening. She was going to drive him crazy and maybe get some innocent drunk killed. The two men had risen, whispering excitedly, working up their courage to approach her. He could hear them pumping each other up. He fixed his silver eyes on them and concentrated briefly. He wiped their thoughts away and planted in them an urgency to leave the area immediately.
“Do me a favor, chérie. Try to look plain and uninteresting.”
Savannah laughed softly in spite of her growing sense of dread. “Get over it already,” she suggested.
“You are more than disrespectful, woman. I cannot remember a single time in my existence when anyone spoke to me as you do.”
She rubbed her cheek along his shoulder in a small caress. Gregori’s breath seemed to still in his throat.
“That’s why I do it. You need someone to give you a little trouble.” Her teasing tone slid over him, into him, the tiny threads that tied them together multiplying every moment.
“I would not mind a little trouble. You are big trouble.”
They were in front of the building Savannah had mentally pinpointed as the source of the disturbing emanations. It was closed, the windows dark. Gregori could feel movement inside, sense the presence of several men within the walls.
Savannah clutched at him, her eyes filling with tears. “Something horrible is happening in there, Gregori. There is—” She broke off as his hands closed like a vise around her upper arms.
Gregori gave her a little shake. “Hang on, ma petite. I know exactly what is going on. She is not one of us.”
“I know that. I’m not entirely incompetent.” There was a mixture of anger and tears in her voice. “She’s human, but they think she’s vampire. Gregori, she’s just a child. You can’t let them harm her. I can feel her pain.”
“She is older than you, bébé, and she parades around in a black cloak with her incisors cosmetically altered. She put herself in the hands of these madmen through her own stupidity.” Gregori sounded disgusted.
“She doesn’t deserve to be tortured because she likes to play at being a vampire. Let’s get her out.” Savannah’s blue eyes flashed fire at him. “We both know you’re going to save her, so quit grousing, and let’s get to it.”
“I will not allow such a thing, Savannah,” he said softly. His voice was a beautiful blend of iron in a velvet glove. “Do not try my patience too far, ma petite. I assure you, there is no chance of your winning a battle between us.”
“Shut up,” she snapped rudely, exasperated with his domineering ways. “I know you’re not going to leave the girl in there. I can feel her terror, Gregori, and it’s making me sick.”
“I knew you were going to be trouble the moment I laid eyes on you,” he said softly. “I will not risk your safety for some woman who masquerades as a vampire. She chooses to pretend she is like them. I intend to help her, but not with you alone on the street.”
Her breath hissed through her teeth. “I am at full strength, Gregori. I can be invisible should I choose to walk among the humans unseen. I don’t need to cower in my house because you’re afraid for me.” Her chin lifted at him belligerently. “I am the daughter of the Prince. I can manage to do a few things others of our kind can do.”