Colorblind (Moonlight) (19 page)

“I ain’t wanna hurt you, Aisha!”

Penny wanted to get out of here. She was becoming agitated, and her wolf howled inside her head. She wanted blood, because blood had been drawn. Her tongue gently stroked over the gash on the inside of her lip.

“You leave her alone, Aisha! You hear me?” Hyacinth pushed herself to her feet and stood in front of Penny. “I ain’t gon’ warn you again—”

As Hyacinth was talking to Aisha, who was panting as she pushed herself to her feet, someone caught Penny from behind, pulling her back and yanking her hair painfully. Whoever it was landed a solid punch to the back of her head before Penny released a snarl and attacked her.

She hit her hard and flung her to the ground. It was a woman and she lay unmoving.

“You bitch!”

Penny didn’t know where the screech came from, or who. Blood was rushing to her head and her skin felt like it was being stabbed by hot needles. The change was coming and it was coming fast.

Inhaling deeply, she fought against it, instead allowing her nose to pinpoint her newest assailant. Another woman was rushing to her. Before she could touch her, Penny shoved her away.

“Y’all leave ’er alone or I swear on my life, everyone a y’all gon’ learn how hot hell is ’fore the night out!” Old Ma screamed, her frail voice sounding strong and powerful amidst the chaos happening outside.

Although murmurs went up and there was a collective push away from Hyacinth, some still yelled their encouragement to Penny’s attackers. Her wolf howled in anger and frustration. Anger because Penny felt betrayed—these were her friends, the only family she’d known for many years, and they were all against her; frustration, because Penny wouldn’t let her out to make them regret the betrayal.

What’s wrong,
ma louve
?

Penny calmed a fraction at hearing his voice, and struggled to bring herself under control. They were human. She was a werewolf. She would hurt or kill them. They were upset, and it was understandable. How many times had she heard them speak badly about the house slaves? About Jolie? At times, she’d even laughed. It wasn’t personal.

What is it, Penny?

She inhaled the smoky night air and shook her head before remembering he couldn’t see her.
Nothing, Leon. Nothing.

Penny knew the only reason Leon wasn’t already at her side was because he wasn’t nearby. He’d been invited to an event in New Orleans, and was currently there. For that, she was glad.

Her head throbbed ever so slightly as he tried to gain access to her thoughts. She blocked him.

I’m coming home—

I’m fine, Leon.

She heard sobbing in the background and opened her eyes to find Aisha and another woman standing over one of the women Penny had tossed. The woman was holding her lower arm in pain, and Penny knew from the angle that it was broken. Shaking her head, Penny turned away from the scene and headed in the opposite direction. She was going to take a long walk to clear her head.

“This ain’t over, Penny!” Aisha yelled after her. Ignoring her wolf’s urgent demand to turn back and finish what she’d started, Penny continued on.

“You best pray it is, girl, ’cause next time I ain’t gettin’ between you and her, ya hear?” Hyacinth’s swift reprimand traveled on the wind. “Bring Yolanda inside so I could look at that arm! Damn stupid y’all is sometimes, attackin’ people like y’all crazy. This what y’all get….”

***

“You seem rather distracted, Leon. I hope my conversation isn’t boring you.”

Catherine Ryder’s voice had always been an annoyance but he’d always been able to tolerate it. Now, it was proving difficult. Something was wrong with Penny, and because she was so angry, he couldn’t successfully invade her mind to tell exactly what it was. He knew it had something to do with the slaves, but wasn’t sure what. For the past week, his mate had been acting strangely, and for that time, he’d enquired after it. He’d even searched her memories while she was asleep, but she’d hidden whatever it was well. And now she was upset to the point of losing control and he was at a gala in New Orleans, hours away!

“It isn’t your conversation, Catherine,” a bored and cultured, Southern voice drawled. “It’s just you.”

Had he not been as agitated as he was, Leon would have smiled at Abigail Hodgkins. He’d looked for her since arriving at the event, knowing she’d keep him entertained.

“How wonderful to see you here, Abigail,” Catherine murmured, the smile on her face belying the darts virtually shooting from her eyes. They were two richly dressed advocates, with Catherine wearing a light pink gown and Abigail in a bold, green taffeta. “I didn’t know you were invited.”

A throaty chuckle escaped Abigail’s lips. “It isn’t your gala, so naturally you wouldn’t be privy to the guest list.” She turned to Leon. “I’m parched, Leon. Would you be a dear and get me some of that punch they have on the veranda?”

Leon knew Abigail did not need punch. In fact, everyone with eyes could tell, from the fact that she was holding a glass filled with the red liquid. He eyed it before returning his gaze to hers. She only lifted one delicately arched brow. “Of course, Abigail. Excuse me, ladies.”

He beat a quick retreat to the veranda, and then moved down the stairs, away from the revelers. Using the mental link to his mate, he connected with her once more.

There was less anger this time, and before alerting her of his presence, he slipped into her thoughts. She wanted to change but she didn’t because of what he’d told her about Ryder. Penny wanted to swim as well, and she was considering it. He searched deeper, and then unconsciously, she showed him what was bothering her. A memory surfaced of the names that they called her for being with him, of the revulsion on their faces as they watched her, and he understood.

Penny?

Her response was fast in coming.
Are you enjoying the gala?

No. I’m leaving.

Why?

Because I want to hold you.

You can hold me when you return.
He sensed she smiled.
Stay.

Will you tell me what is bothering you when I return?

He already knew but he wanted her to trust him enough to tell him.

Penny didn’t answer for long moments before saying,
Yes. When you return, I’ll tell you.

As he was in her head, he knew she intended on doing so. Glancing at his pocket watch, he mentally made a note to stay for at least half an hour more before leaving. The only reason he’d come was because he was on a mission to get closer to Patrick Ryder to learn more about the man’s knowledge of werewolves. His neighbor had been very tight-lipped since their exchange, but was persistent, and of the late, Ryder seemed eager to share certain interesting theories with him. The man thought “shifters” were only
gens du couleur
and it had something to do with their voodoo.

With a disgusted shake of his head, Leon turned and headed back to the party.

***

Although she no longer feared him as much as she had when she’d first arrived, Julia still felt uncomfortable around Armand. Maud had explained that he was different from the rest of the slave-owners; he was kind and treated everybody the same. While she’d listened, Julia wasn’t going to trust so easily. Trusting easily had gotten her into horrible situations before, and she’d learned from them.

So the mere fact that she was the one seeking him out today showed just how desperate she was. He’d spoken to the new slaves just days before, and had told them that they would be going north. He hadn’t said why, and Julia figured it was because he was selling them to more plantations there, to different masters. She was a slave, so she knew she didn’t have a choice, but if Maud was right, and he was truly as kind as he acted, then it couldn’t hurt to ask him the question on her mind.

She made her way to his study, and hesitated. He hadn’t bothered her before, as she’d expected when he placed her in the house, but now she was going to ask something of him. Would he demand she give herself in exchange for it?

Julia bit her lip. She hoped not, but if he did, she would do it. In a way, this would be the first time she had been given a semblance of a choice. Before she could convince herself to leave, she knocked. When there was no answer, she knocked again.

She was preparing to leave when the door opened slowly. Armand stood there, smelling clean and unique, as he always did. He towered over her by many inches, and that scared her some, but the expression on his face was always compassionate, reassuring.

“I sorry to bother you, Massa, but I’s wonderin’ if I could talk to you?” She sounded unsure because she was. Maud had given her a tour of the plantation but she’d never been in this room before. It seemed awfully dark in there.

He nodded and stepped aside. She slowly stepped into his study, eyes adjusting and recognizing it wasn’t as dark as she’d initially thought. There was a window off to the left and the drapes were partially drawn to allow some sunlight through.

Armand moved past her and she jumped before straightening her back and grabbing hold of the smidgen of courage that hadn’t deserted her yet.

He took a seat behind a desk that would have surely dwarfed a smaller man, and indicated one of the chairs facing him. “You offerin’ me to sit, Massa?” Confusion made her speak before she could think it through. You never questioned the master. It was a lesson she’d been forced to learn. Terrified, she immediately began apologizing but he cut in smoothly.

“Yes, please, Julia, have a seat.”

She moved to the chair and sat down. “Massa, I’s wantin’ to talk to you ’bout—erm—going north.”

She peeked up at him and caught his nod before hastily looking back to her fingers. “I’s wonderin’ if I could stay ’ere? Maud old and she don’ really ’ave no help ’round here but if I could stay I make sure all the work get done—”

“Why do you want to stay?”

She quickly peeked at him again, and spoke when she realized he was curious, not angry. “I’s gon’ try and fin’ a way to get my sister ’ere, but if I in the North, then it harder—”

“So, you’d like to bring your sister here?”

“Yes, Massa.”

“Do you know why I’m sending you north, Julia?”

She shook her head and stared down at her clenched hands.

“Will you look at me?” he asked softly.

Slowly, she raised her head and locked eyes with him. His eyes were an interesting shade of green. She’d recognized them when she’d first seen him. If she admitted it to herself, Armand was the most handsome man she’d seen since she could remember. It probably had a lot to do with those eyes. Kind eyes.

“I haven’t told everyone this as yet, but I intend to reveal it once we are en route to New York.”

“New York?” Julia had heard of the place before but it was always spoken of in hushed tones.

“I’m taking you all to New York, and from there, to Canada, where you’ll have your freedom.”

She blinked at him in confusion. “Why you do that?”

“Because no one should belong to another person, unwillingly.” He paused. Julia still didn’t understand. He gained nothing in their freedom, but lost everything. “No one else knows the true intentions of this trip, and it would be better for everyone if this remained between the two of us.”

Julia nodded immediately. She had no intention of telling anyone anything. A few moments of silence passed and she looked away from the intensity of his eyes.

“Can I stay ’til I get my sister ’ere, Massa?”

“You’d give up a chance at freedom for your sister?”

She nodded. Jolie was the only family she had, and family was important to her. Her sister had kept her alive when all she’d craved was death, and she refused to repay that by leaving her alone at another plantation. Without Julia there to buffer it, there was no telling the kind of abuse Jolie would suffer.

“I know you don’t trust me, Julia, but you will have to trust me in this. Once you and the others are safe and settled, I will return for more slaves. Your sister will be included then. She’ll join you no more than a few months after you arrive in Canada.”

She nodded slowly, wanting to believe him. Armand had done nothing to make her distrust him, but he was a man, a
white
man, and they’d always lied to her to get their ways. It wasn’t the first time she’d been promised freedom. Somehow, freedom always got delayed.

Pushing to her feet, she rushed out her next words. “I got to ’elp Maud in the kitchen for supper, Massa.” She lifted her eyes to his again. They seemed guarded now. “Thank ya, Massa.”

With a quick nod, she rushed from the study, and released a deep breath when she’d made it into the hallway.

***

Penny curled into Leon’s side and sighed. It had taken a lot to convince him that it wasn’t necessary to move her into the house after what had happened last night, but she had. She didn’t want to be away from Hyacinth, who, voodoo-priestess or not, was still a frail woman. Nor was she going to give anyone the impression she’d left because they’d forced her out.

Leon suddenly moved, his hand trailing down her belly until he cupped her sex. She gasped and looked at his face. He appeared to be sleeping but his hand was very knowledgeable, for an attachment to an unconscious man.

Pushing up slightly, she watched him closely, looking for any movement that would prove he was awake. She was about to link her mind with his when his finger pressed against her most sensitive part and began to circle.

Penny moaned as she fell back against the bed. “Leon?”

Only the sound of even breathing greeted her.

“You have to be awake,” she murmured as her body eagerly responded to his touch.

As if in response, he shifted his hand, and she felt a finger probe her entrance. The digit slipped inside, eased by her dew, and she whimpered. If he was sleeping…. A little chuckle escaped her before her eyes rolled back in pleasure.

He couldn’t be.

The finger slipped from her just as his body shifted. Within seconds, he was above her, his erection nudging her, before moving back to where she burned for him. His head fell to her breasts and he took turns laving them with attention. Pushing her legs wide, she anticipated his entrance, rocking against him.