House of the Rising Sun Read Online Free PDF Page A

there’s
that
one.”
    Augustine turned to look. Right in front of the fence, under a beautiful ivory pavilion, sat a woman who was as sleek and sophisticated as Dulcinea was not. “Ah.” He nodded. “Giselle.”
    “Witch,” Dulcinea spat.
    Augustine smirked. “That’s not much of an epithet considering she is one.” Giselle Vincent wasn’t
just
a witch. As the daughter of New Orleans’s coven leader and High Wizard, she was witch royalty. Her father, Evander, was a fourth-level wizard and the final authority when it came to all things witchy in NOLA. Well, until the Elektos got involved. They were
really
the final authority due to the treaty established after the messy business of the curse.
    He could see why Dulcinea would feel threatened by her, though. Giselle’s reputation also made her one of the most sought-after fortune-tellers. Combine that with her rank and yeah, Dulcinea wouldn’t be Giselle’s bestie anytime soon.
    “Yeah, well the High Priestess of Mean can get bent for all I care.”
    “What’s she done to you?” Dulcinea and Giselle had never been friendly, but this blatant animosity was something new.
    “I overheard her telling some tourists I have bedbugs living in my hair.” Dulcinea flicked two fingers at Giselle in some sort of Dulcinea sign language for
suck it
.
    Augustine popped a brow. “Do you really think she’d say that? Maybe I should have a talk with her.” When they ran the streets as part of the same crew, he wouldn’t have hesitated to come to Dulcinea’s defense, but now that they were living more separate lives, he didn’t want to overstep.
    “No. Don’t say anything. When it’s time, I’ll deal with her.”
    Giselle looked up, pushing her long black hair out of the way. From under the fringe of heavy bangs, her dark eyes pierced straight into Augustine. He held her gaze. She might be a witch, but she didn’t scare him. Actually, she was kind of hot in an untouchable, pristine way. He couldn’t imagine her hair messed up or her pristine white outfits dirty or wrinkled. Or maybe he could. He pulled his gaze back to Dulcinea. “If you’re sure.”
    “I am. Leave the freak to me,” Dulcinea added. “I mean, who wears white in this city? It’s witchcraft, I tell you.” She made crazy eyes. “Witchcraft.”
    “O-kay, how about we get you out of here for a bit?” He rolled his shoulders uncomfortably. “Forget Giselle, I think being next to all this iron is starting to affect you.”
    She stared at the fence for a second. “Yeah, that is kind of bothersome. Whatevs.” Then she turned to him and smiled brightly. “Let’s go drink. But not
Belle’s
. I don’t go there much anymore.”
    Dulcinea’s standard hangout,
La Belle et la Bête
, was the same as the rest of the othernatural population in town because it was the oldest othernatural bar in town and specifically designed to keep mortal eyes from prying. He’d ask why not there later. “Fine with me. I need to be a little more inconspicuous at the moment anyway.”
    “Elektos doesn’t know you’re back, huh?”
    “Nope.” He looked at her a little harder. “Is that why you stopped going to
Belle’s
? Were the Elektos hassling you about me?”
    “Nobody hassles me. Except for you.” She winked. “It was just… this and that. You know. C’mon. I know a good place.” Without another word, she turned and started walking.
    Damn, the Elektos going after her made him mad. He could understand the high council looking for him at Olivia’s, butbothering his friends crossed a line. He jumped to catch up with her. “I’m sorry about that. Anything else going on?”
    “Yes, but…” She shot him a look. “When we’re settled.” Then Dulcinea’s gaze traveled higher. “I like the full-on horns. I bet those fae-loving female tourists do, too. You letting them grow now?”
    He touched one self-consciously. In truth, he was kind of over them. “I’m not keeping them this way. Just did it