Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 105939 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 530(@200wpm)___ 424(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105939 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 530(@200wpm)___ 424(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
Emergency vehicles were beginning to arrive at the scene—ambulances for the unconscious tourist, fire trucks responding to reports of explosions, police officers trying to make sense of witness accounts that described everything from gas line ruptures to terrorist attacks. None of them would find evidence of what had actually happened here tonight. The magical community was skilled at cleaning up after incidents like this, leaving only mundane explanations for mundane authorities to discover.
Hidden well under his coat, the Votum Aeternum continued to pulse with warm recognition, its ancient metal retaining traces of the soul magic it had channeled during the stabilization ritual. The weapon knew, as he did, that tonight's events had been only the beginning of something far larger and more significant than simple crisis resolution.
The tethered flame was burning brighter now, strengthened by their shared experience of the recognition bleed but not yet ready to illuminate everything it touched. Delphine would remember fragments—glimpses and half-formed impressions that would surface in dreams and quiet moments. But the full awakening Charlotte had designed would still take time to unfold naturally.
Thirty
The cypress accepted his blade for the final time, red sap weeping from fresh cuts that completed Charlotte's centuries-old design. Bastien carved the last protective sigil with hands that remembered every line she had sketched in those hidden journals, each stroke connecting to its siblings through ley lines that pulsed beneath New Orleans soil. The network hummed to life around him, ward by ward, creating barriers against forces that had circled the Quarter for decades.
This sigil farewell marked the end of his guardianship. Charlotte's protective array now stood complete, ready to shield the city from entities that fed on spiritual energy. He wiped red sap from the blade and returned it to its sheath, feeling the weight of centuries lifting from his shoulders. The work was done. Her work, finally finished by his hands.
When the tree settled with a sound resembling satisfied breathing, magic flowed through wood and leaves to complete circuits that would outlast them all. Charlotte's final gift to the city—protection that required no Watcher, no guardian, no man carrying love across impossible years.
The ward network pulsed gently around him, a reminder that his magical obligations were complete. Charlotte's vision was reality. His duty was done.
Now came the part he'd been anticipating for twenty-five years: winning Delphine's heart.
The walk to Maman Brigitte's shop took him through neighborhoods where the ward network's activation was already having subtle effects. Street lamps burned steadier, their light cleaner and more focused. Stray cats moved with less nervousness, no longer constantly alert for threats that existed just beyond human perception. Even the air felt different—clearer, somehow, as if a fine layer of spiritual pollution had been scrubbed away.
He found Maman on her gallery, rocking slowly in her cane chair while she watched the ward network's energy patterns settle into stable configurations. Her tea service was already set for two, as if she'd known he would need to talk.
"Sit," she said without preamble, pouring chicory coffee into delicate china cups. "You got that look of a man who just finished the biggest job of his life and don't know what to do with himself now."
Bastien settled into the chair beside her, accepting the coffee gratefully. "Charlotte's ward network is complete. Every sigil, every anchor point, every defensive layer she designed is now active and self-sustaining."
"I felt it click into place." Maman's eyes sparkled with satisfaction. "That woman's ghost can finally rest easy, knowing her city's protected proper. Question is, what you planning to do with all that free time now that you ain't got magical obligations eating up your attention?"
"I want to court Delphine properly this time."
The words came out more nervous than he'd intended, and Maman's knowing smile suggested she'd heard the uncertainty in his voice.
"About time," she said. "Boy, you been waiting twenty-five years since the moment you found out she was born for this exact opportunity. Girl already knows you ain't human—she heard you called angel, fallen angel, all sorts of things in her research. Now you get to show her what that means after your connection strengthens naturally."
"I'm concerned about her safety," Bastien admitted. "My world is dangerous, Maman. There are entities that would target her just for being connected to me, supernatural politics she shouldn't have to navigate, magical threats she's not equipped to handle."
Maman set down her cup with a sharp clink. "This whole thing has been about giving Delphine choice, cher. Keeping her at a distance when your bond naturally wants to strengthen? That's just another kind of control. Charlotte trusted you to let her choose—honor that trust."
"But—"
"No buts. You think that girl don't know exactly what she's getting into? She been researching supernatural New Orleans for months now, learning about vampires and werewolves and all manner of dangerous things. She’s smart enough to make informed decisions about her own life."