Erin's Redemption Read online

This wasn’t his first rodeo. He wasn’t overly worried about his coven. They were stronger, faster, and better than any of the other factions. This could all be avoided if they’d move on peacefully. No one else has to die, he thought in disgust and kept moving. If it was a fight they wanted, a fight they would get.

  Chapter 4

  Erin and Dani parted ways in the hallway right outside their rooms. Making her way to her single room, Erin dropped her bags as soon as the door closed. She leaned on the wall and exhaled loudly, closing her eyes for a brief moment. Erin took a few minutes to collect herself before kicking off her shoes. She clenched her toes in the thick carpet, relaxing her taut muscles. Dragging her feet, she shuffled to the long dresser and opened the complimentary bottle of water before taking a pain pill.

  She climbed onto the bed and fell forward, moaning at how soft it felt. Erin wanted to close her eyes and fall asleep, but she knew that dream was impossible. She only had a little while to freshen up, change into her Halloween costume, and be ready to have some fun. Rolling off the mattress, she crawled toward her bag and opened it. She pulled out her makeup bag and forced herself to stand back up.

  Erin strode into the bathroom, placed her makeup bag on the counter, and organized everything. Grabbing a washcloth, she turned on the hot water and waited until small plumes of steam rose. Erin rinsed off the soft cotton material, wrung it out, and placed it on her face. Taking a deep breath, she let the heat sink into her skin before wiping off the thin layer of makeup. Erin stared at her features in the mirror, studying herself disapprovingly.

  She zeroed in on each and every flaw and hoped that she would do a good enough job hiding the real her, behind a mask and a smile. Erin removed the short blonde natural hair extensions from in between her own short locks. She ran a brush through her hair before smoothing out the extensions. She followed a routine, covering the discoloration of her skin and smoothing out the uneven tones with multiple colored concealers. Luckily she knew how to apply makeup. She’d had a lot of practice. The purplish-blue bags under her eyes disappeared, making her appear younger and healthier. A thick coat of mascara and deep red lip stick finished off her look.

  Erin clipped the extensions back into her hair and sprayed every strand into place. Posing in front of the mirror, she puckered her lips and batted her eyelashes. She felt sexy. Abandoning the bathroom, Erin went back into the bedroom. She pulled out her Halloween costume and laid it on the bed, smoothing out all the wrinkles. Erin was going to be a sexy vampire—sharp fangs, fishnet stockings, a short black and red dress with long sleeves, and patent leather Mary Jane pumps.

  She smiled, her mind going back to her college days. Halloween had been an important holiday back then, one they had celebrated for days. It took almost that long to plan out a costume. This year, she’d gone online and ordered a complete outfit instead of taking the extra effort of creating something by hand. Erin got dressed and slipped on her shoes before grabbing her purse.

  Opening the hotel room door, Erin looked over her shoulder and caught a glimpse of herself in the full-body mirror. She stood tall, shoulders back, smile bright, and walked out. Erin strode down the hall, where orange and black twinkling lights lit her path. She followed the decorations to the courtyard of the French Market Inn. Along the way, she passed a lot of tourists dressed in various costumes. Everyone had a drink in their hand and a huge smile on their face.

  When she reached the courtyard, Erin stood on her tiptoes and looked around. She nibbled on her lower lip, hoping to spot her friends, but the place was packed. Weaving through the crowd, Erin walked toward the bar. She knew her friends and suspected that they would be right in the middle of the party. It didn’t take long before she spotted a familiar face. Excitement rushed through her system and she smiled. This time it was all real.

  Shrieking with glee, Erin ran toward her friends that were surrounding a table. She hugged Shayla Marino first, followed quickly by Faina Andropov, Heidi Purdue, and then Dani. She was giddy, bouncing in her four-inch pumps. The five of them giggled and started talking at once as they embraced in one big group hug.

  “We were wondering when you’d be down to join us,” Shayla teased her, hitting her hip gently against Erin’s.

  “I needed a few extra minutes getting into this costume.” Erin grinned, placing her head on Shayla’s shoulder.

  “Let’s get you a drink.” Faina turned toward the bar and held up her glass, motioning to the bartender for another round.

  “How was your flight?” Heidi wrapped an arm around Erin’s waist and led her to the table.

  They chatted for a while, the five of them reminiscing about the good old days.

  A little while later, Erin sat on her barstool, sipping her fruity cocktail. Looking toward the dance floor, she watched as Dani and Shayla sang along to the music, dancing around the bar like free-spirited pixies. She couldn’t help but smile even though she knew this would probably be the last time she would see them like this. Her eyes filled with moisture, and she blinked rapidly, banishing the tears. She had to stay in the moment and enjoy this time with her best friends.

  Faina raised her glass and cleared her throat. It seemed that it was toast time. “To Lisette. It’s been ten years since she departed this plane, and I still miss her.”

  Lisette Trudeau had gone to college with them at the University of Mississippi. To this day, Erin didn’t know all the details relating to her death, but it had changed them all in different ways. Lisette had also been from New Orleans and the reason the four of them were now in the magical city. The woman had been into voodoo, and although Erin hadn’t believed at the time, she had since changed her mind. Erin looked at her friends and wondered what each one would say about her when the time came. As soon as that thought entered her mind, she pushed it away.

  “Hear! Hear!” She lifted her glass and tapped it gently against her friend’s before taking a drink.

  Heidi laughed. “That’s exactly how Lisette would have phrased it…departed this plane.”

  Erin smiled, took another sip of her drink, and looked around. There were a lot of people wearing costumes, from overly sexy to downright silly. Faina elbowed her, and she jerked her head to the side. Faina pointed to a couple of men wearing pants with suspenders.

  Oh, firemen!

  “Why do I suddenly have an urge to burn down my house?” Faina asked and started giggling.

  Erin couldn’t help but laugh along with her. She immediately grabbed her purse and started looking through it. “I think I have matches in here somewhere.”

  Using the search for matches as an excuse, Erin shoved her hand in the cellphone pocket and palmed a pain pill. The firemen caught on pretty quickly and started staring back, winking, and Erin only shook her head.

  “Who’s this Marie Laveau?” Heidi asked the bartender, and Erin was curious, as well. She could remember her friend, Lisette, talking about the old voodoo priestess, but she didn’t know the whole story.

  “Laveau? She’s only the most famous high voodoo priestess in all of New Orleans.” The bartender said and Erin picked up her glass. She leaned a little closer, curious to know more.

  Erin pretended to yawn, covering her mouth, and quickly swallowed her pain pill down. She knew she shouldn’t be mixing alcohol with her pain medication, but she didn’t think it really mattered at this point.

  “She told fortunes, healed the sick…” He continued to talk, but Erin was stuck on the fact that she healed the sick.

  How sick? Is there someone in New Orleans that can heal me?

  “And why do people leave X’s on her tomb?” Heidi asked.

  “They think their wish will be granted. It’s asinine. You really only have to place your hand over the tomb to make a wish. You can rap three times, or turn around three times. When she grants it, or returns to you in a dream, then you go back and make an offering. Just flowers, food, or rum.”

  Could it really be that simple? No, no, no. Don’t get your hopes up. W
hy not? It’s not like I have any other options.

  “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” asked Heidi, and Erin nodded. “It’s eleven now. At midnight it’ll officially be Halloween.”

  “I think I’m thinking what you’re thinking. Erin, Faina, Dani…look at this.” Shayla laid the newspaper on the table, but Erin didn’t bother to read the article. She was already going to the cemetery. Part of her wanted to sneak over alone, but at this point, everyone seemed to be on board.

  A little while later, the five of them were on a streetcar headed down Canal toward the St. Louis Cemetery. Heidi took a swig from the bottle of rum before handing off the brown bag to Faina. Everyone laughed and joked with the other people on the streetcar, but Erin was too busy inside her own head. The medication was making her fuzzy and mixed with the alcohol—the two drinks she’d nursed through the whole evening—she was drunk. Taking slow, deep breaths, she tried to stay calm.

  “What? That upizdysh!” Faina cursed in Ukrainian, pulling Erin back to the conversation happening around her.

  It was hard to concentrate on what was being said, considering she could barely even think. Sitting on the edge of her seat, she half-listened as her friends spoke.

  “We missed our stop!” Dani yelled, and Erin sat up straight.

  “It’s okay,” she said, knowing that Dani was very particular. “We’ll get off at the next one and walk back. Come on.”

  “The voodoo priestess is going to be pissed if we’re late,” Shayla announced.

  “She’ll be more pissed if we drink all her rum,” Faina added.

  “One block back the way we came, and one block up,” Dani told everyone, and Erin smiled. Dani always knew what was happening and where they all needed to be.

  Once they were off the streetcar, Erin looked around. She locked arms with Dani, not because she was scared, but because she didn’t want to fall flat on her face. They made their way up Robertson Street, and Erin stayed close to everyone. She wrapped one arm around her stomach, trying to keep herself warm.

  “Did anyone bring a flashlight?” asked Dani. “How are we going to find the way inside?”

  This hadn’t been a planned outing. Erin looked around, wondering if anyone had even thought of bringing a light.

  “Let’s see if we can get over that and look for a gate or something.” Faina pointed toward a short cement wall, and Erin looked down at her feet. She was still wearing four-inch pumps.

  This is definitely an adventure.

  “You’d think there would be more people here on the night before Halloween,” Shayla said as she looked around, appearing nervous. “I don’t hear any voices.”

  “Does that hourglass mean that time flies?” Heidi asked, pointing at the gate.

  “Maybe that time is a deceptive figment of the imagination.” Shayla shrugged.

  “I’ve got to pee,” Heidi announced. “Don’t go anywhere.”

  “Is she out of her mind?” asked Dani.

  “She might be,” said Faina, “but now that she’s said it, so do I. Be right back.”

  Erin stayed close to Dani as Heidi and Faina disappeared. She looked around, but couldn’t spot Shayla. She felt sick and wondered how long she’d be able to stay upright. Staring out at the dark cemetery, Erin watched as the cement and metal bars started bending and moving. Oh, God, I’m losing my mind. She took a few deep breaths and shook her head, trying to clear her mind and fix her eyesight. It was useless. Everything started to warp, throwing her vision off and sending her head spiraling.

  “Hey.” Dani shook her, trying to get her attention. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, yeah, I’m fine,” Erin lied, even though she felt anything but fine. Something was wrong with her.

  “Just stay here.” Dani leaned Erin onto the large gate, and Erin’s breath hitched. She felt as if she were merging into the heavy metal, becoming one with it. “I’m going to find the others, and then we’ll head back to the hotel. You aren’t looking so good.”

  “Yeah…” she whispered unsteadily. “I’ll just stay here.”

  Chapter 5

  Erin was alone in the darkness.

  The only light came from the full moon that hung low in the sky. A flash in her peripheral vision caught her attention and Erin turned her head. She squinted, trying to figure out what she’d seen. Were her friends walking around the cemetery without her? Was her mind playing tricks on her? She swayed as she stumbled away from the street and into the cemetery.

  Erin closed her eyes and shook her head, hoping that it might help her vision. Mixing alcohol with heavy pain medication hadn’t been the best decision, and now she was paying for it. She’d never experienced hallucinations, but now she was. Standing alone in the cemetery, Erin let herself feel. Tears leaked down her cheeks, and she knew that this was the end. The doctor said she was out of time—her body was overrun with cancer. She just didn’t expect it all to end while she was with her friends in New Orleans.

  Choking back a sob, Erin leaned into one of the cement headstones, trying to regain her balance as her shoes sunk into the soft earth. She took off her Mary Janes, and the moist grass tickled her toes.

  “Get it together, Erin,” she chastised herself. “Just relax. You’re fine.”

  Hearing voices, she decided to investigate, hoping that it might be her friends. They were probably looking for her, and here she was being a big baby, all alone. Erin held her shoes in one hand, and with the other she wiped her cheeks, trying to not ruin her makeup. Erin made her way around the giant headstones. As the voices grew louder, she realized that they were mostly male.

  Growls, hissing noises, and loud roars echoed, surrounding her. Erin’s chest tightened with fear, and she slowed her steps. She’d always had a fear of the dark, isolation, and the unknown. Her gaze scanned the shadows in search of the sound’s source. She moved on wooden legs, her ears straining for the slightest hint of trouble. Hundreds of old headstones rose up from the ground in morbid clarity, taunting her with their mildewed structures of finality and death. Her mind instantly conjured up visions of things that go bump in the night as her gaze touched on the cluster of graves littering the earth.

  What the hell am I even doing? It’s Halloween and I’m walking through a damn cemetery in a sexy vampire costume, paranoid about imaginary ghosts. It must be the alcohol, she thought as her shoulders relaxed a little. I’m sure it’s just teenagers partying. The noises grew louder from the group up ahead as Erin picked her way through the briars and faded plastic flowers. Moss hung from giant oaks, swaying in the breeze, bringing to mind a witch’s hair. Erin shuddered as she reached up to push the moss aside, and froze.

  The sight that greeted her was like something out of a horror movie. Halloween or not, there was no way their costumes could be fake. The animal skins some wore were lifelike and form fitting to their huge muscular bodies. Elongated fangs hung from their mouths, and their eyes glowed red with demonic rage. Men and women were paired off in different groups, claws extended, growling and snarling at one another. A howl burst from the crowd, and Erin nearly jumped out of her skin.

  Holy shit, this can’t be real! The hallucinations are getting worse. The doctor said I didn’t have much time, and now it’s ending in the middle of a fucking cemetery.

  One of the shirtless, berserker-looking men suddenly pulled his lips back over his teeth and stretched his mouth open. A deafening roar erupted from his chest to ricochet off the trees and rattle Erin’s brain. She slapped her hands over her ears and could only watch in shock as the terrifying scene unfolded before her eyes. The group lunged simultaneously in an explosion of fists and teeth. Blood sprayed through the air, peppering anyone in its path as claws swiped into flesh. The sickening crack of bones breaking could be heard over the sounds of battle.

  No amount of pressure against Erin’s ears could drown out the horrid scene before her. She panted, trying to understand what was happening. Becoming lightheaded, Erin’s eyes rolled back before her
body crumbled down to the ground.

  When she opened her eyes, Erin was staring up at a giant, bright yellow moon and a blanket of stars.

  She felt shaky, weak, and disoriented, which made sense. What didn’t compute was the fact that she was warm and comfortable. Erin shifted and immediately realized she was within strong, muscular arms. Holding her breath, she turned her head and stared into a pair of brilliant blue eyes. Erin studied him for a moment—strong features, pouty full lips, curly dirty-blond short hair. He was almost too perfect to be real. And then it dawned on her, almost taking her breath away. He wasn’t real. He was an angel, and this was the end—this was her end.

  Panic like she’d never known before welled in her throat as tears filled her eyes, blurring the angel that held her tight within his strong arms. She knew this day was coming, but she wasn’t prepared. She hadn’t done everything on her bucket list. She tried to hold onto her fragile control, but she couldn’t. She broke down, sobbing, and held the angel’s shirt tight in her grip.

  “I’m—I’m not ready to die,” she told him, her lower lip quivering with emotion.

  “You’re going to be okay. I’ll take care of you,” he said with confidence and strength—two things she didn’t possess.

  He was tempting and sexy. How was it possible that an angel could be so good looking? She hadn’t been sexually attracted to a man or turned on in years. She’d been so focused on herself and her illness, trying to find a cure and feel normal once more.

  “I wish I had more time. I didn’t get to tell my friends good-bye.”

  “You’ll see them again.” His voice was deep and raspy, sending chills of delight down her spine.

  “Maybe they’ll meet me in heaven,” she said, focusing on her friends and pushing the gorgeous angel from her mind.

  He blinked and his eyebrows rose slightly. “In heaven?”

  “Never mind.” Erin shook her head. “It must be hard for the women you take to heaven. You’re so beautiful. It’s sad really.”