Free La Luxure: Discover Your Blood Lust by Cd Hussey Page B

between Dave's brows
were ready for corn.
    Julia tossed some money on the bar. "Great,
thanks." She headed for the door. "Hey, I'll see you tomorrow,
okay?" Completely lacking Armand's grace, she slipped out the door
before Dave had a chance to reply.
    If she hurried, she could probably still
catch Armand in the crowds. She jogged as far as Bourbon. Greeted
by blaring music and throngs of tourists crowding the sidewalks,
she scanned the busy street. A delivery van was blocking the
intersection, and her view of the street in either direction was
obstructed by the sheer masses of people.
    He could be heading towards La Luxure .
If she started that direction, she might find him. Julia pulled out
her map. Bourbon would be too crowded to negotiate quickly. If she
took the parallel street, Dauphine, she could move much faster.
    Spinning on her heels, Julia headed back up
the street, jogging past the café and around the corner onto
Dauphine. She slowed her stride to a brisk walk with an occasional
jog thrown in. Dauphine St. was the opposite of Bourbon, or even
Royal. It was virtually empty, and the few street lamps lining the
street did, at best, a mediocre job of illuminating the way.
    Her jog/walk quickly ate up two blocks. She
was about to finish up the third and turn onto St. Peter heading
back towards Bourbon, when a familiar silhouette made her pause.
Standing on the opposite side of the street, a mere 50ft away, was
the guy she'd met at the entrance to Luxure the first night
she was in New Orleans. His face wasn't clear in the darkness, but
the waist length dreads, fitted Victorian style coat, and top hat
gave him away.
    Apparently he recognized her too. Flashing a
smile that practically sparkled in the dim light, he said, "What's
the rush O Negative?"
    Every instinct in her body stood up and
shouted for her to run. She wasn't sure if it was an irrational
fear or not, but took note anyway and pushed her stride back up to
maximum walking velocity.
    "Just meeting some friends," she told him
with a nervous laugh. "I'm running late." St. Peter was feet before
her. Once she rounded the corner she could sprint the short block
to Bourbon and the safety of the masses of people there.
    "Where are you headed? I could escort you."
He'd started to cross the street, his sauntering stride slow but
surprisingly ground covering.
    "Oh, that's not necessary. It's right up
here. Thanks though!" She gave him a jittery smile as she turned
onto St. Peter. As soon as the large, square corner building
blocked his view of her, she started to run, and didn't stop
running until she'd merged into the crowds on Bourbon and there
were a hundred people between her and St. Peter.
    Once her heart slowed down to something less
than 100mph, she fell back against the wall of a grimy building.
What the hell was she thinking? What on earth possessed her to try
to track Armand down at Luxure? Maybe he hadn't killed Eve,
but someone had, and that someone was still out there and likely
associated with Armand's bar. A bar that, from what Julia could
tell, was filled with something dark, scary and suspiciously
vampire-like.
    Vampires? Really? Was she still hung up on
that nonsense?
    With a sigh, Julia tucked the map clutched in
her right hand back into her purse. Picking her way through the
crowd, she headed back to her hotel. She didn't know what to think
anymore. It was all such a crazy, bewildering mess. Maybe the
solace and safety of her hotel room and a few chapters of her book
would help clear the confusion in her head.

 
     
    Chapter Six
    Armand escaped into the crowds on Bourbon,
the bitter taste of Julia's rejection stinging his taste buds.
Halloween was a popular time in New Orleans and the street was
crawling with tourists eager to taste some of the darker lore of
the Crescent City. Of course, the darkest sides of the city weren't
found here.
    Normally, Armand loved walking down Bourbon
when it was like this. Busy, but not shoulder-to-shoulder and