He was sipping a cocktail through a straw with his elbows on the bar top, talking to the bartender. Moseying up beside Vance, she leaned to whisper in his ear, but ended up yelling so she could be heard over the thumping base pouring from the speakers. “This isn’t the place. I think we need to go to the next bar.”
Vance nodded and stood, throwing a twenty-dollar bill down on the bar top and waving goodbye at the bartender. The man nodded and grinned. For a nine-dollar drink, a twenty was a generous tip.
Victoria wondered what had spurred such an act of generosity, so she asked.
“Because he gave me good information.” Vance shrugged.
“And what kind of information is that?”
“The kind of information that’s not meant for virgin ears.” He winked.
“Virgin ears!”
“You know what I mean. For the innocent.”
“I’m far from innocent, darling.”
“For these kinds of things, you’re more innocent than you know.” His gaze turned dark.
Before she could ask again what kind of things, they were at the door to the bar across the street, presenting their identification to gain entry. Loud music prevented her from asking anything more without screaming. Shrugging, she decided it could wait till later.
They again split at the door, one going to the bar and the other heading for a chair to watch the people. If Vance had gotten useful information at the previous bar, Victoria was willing to let him do what he needed to. However, if it turned out that Vance got poor information, things would have to be changed the following night. There were several more bars on Bourbon Street than she’d bargained for. On the off chance they struck gold the first night, which she hoped for, but was fairly certain wouldn’t happen, there’d be no need to continue the search.
As she people watched, she grew bored. There was nothing more in that bar than there had been in the one prior. Plenty of drunken shenanigans, but nothing concrete that screamed, “I’m stealing souls!”
She and Vance visited ten bars that night. By the time they got to the last one, she was worn out. Every place seemed to have overly loud music, lots of flashing lights, and too many bodies jammed into small spaces. Not one time did she get soul sick.
Once she and her husband were back in their room, lying in bed, she turned to him and asked, “So, what was the information you got from the first bartender?”
“You’re not giving up on that, are you?”
“No way.”
“Okay. Well, I found out where the local vampire coven was located and how they’re run. That information might come in handy if we need help over the next few weeks.”
“That’s not terrible. Why couldn’t you just say that? Why all the cloak and dagger? And don’t you think that’s a bad idea? You remember what it was like when we were in England and Cleopatra was following you. Do you want that kind of attention again?”
“I was just messing with you. Relax. I highly doubt Cleopatra is hanging out in New Orleans, Louisiana. Even if she was, I’m pretty sure the coven here wouldn’t want her interfering in their business.”
“She’s a resourceful lady; you know that.”
“I do know that. However, New Orleans is a long way from her home and her coven. I’m not sure she’d risk coming this far just to chase me down.”
“I hope you’re right, but I wouldn’t bank on it. Seeing as how we didn’t find anything tonight, what do you suggest we do tomorrow?”
He rolled on his side, lifted one hand, and tucked her hair behind her ear as he grinned. “I suggest, my beautiful wife, that we stay in this room and make love all day.”
She couldn’t help the chuckle that came out of her mouth. “While that does sound tantalizing, we have work to do, and I was talking about tomorrow night.”
Rather than answer, he shrugged, cuddled down under the blanket, closed his eyes, and stretched out his arms. He was beckoning to her. She snuggled down next to him, wrapped her arms around him in return, and let her own mind drift away as she fell into a deep sleep.
It was around eleven in the morning when she finally woke, wrapped in his arms, a smile on her face.
Trepidation tripped over her skin as she wondered if they’d be able to complete the mission God had set forth for them, or if they’d fail in a spectacular manner. He’d given her several missions throughout her time, and there were only a handful she’d managed to see through to fruition. Letting Him down again would break her heart for sure.
“What are you thinking about, my love?” Vance had lifted himself up on his elbow, and he was gazing down at her with wide eyes and a small smile on his lips.
“I’m thinking about letting God down, yet again, and how I’m not sure I could handle it if I did that. I always seem to fail.”
He sighed. “Sweetheart, you know you always succeed. It’s not so much about failing to reach the goal put forth as it is about what you accomplish while you’re working.”
“I know that, Vance. I’m just not sure I’m accomplishing what God wants me to accomplish.”
“Has He ever complained?”
“Well… Not to my face.”
“You know that assuming makes an ass out of you and the other person, right?”
Frustrated, Victoria got out of bed, stalked toward the bathroom, and then paused with her hand on the doorknob. She turned to look back at him and smiled. “I’m just afraid to fail is all. Be happy I have some kind of drive.” With that, she flung the bathroom door open and strode inside to turn on the shower. While she waited for the water to heat up, she thought about all the missions God had sent her on in the past and what she’d accomplished as she was carrying them out. Vance was right. It wasn’t as though she failed and someone died; as a matter of fact, no one had died on her watch, but that didn’t mean she saw the missions as successes.
Steam billowed over the top of the shower curtain, and she sighed and pulled it back, stepping under the hot spray. As the water cascaded down her body, all the stress she’d been feeling that morning flowed right out of her. Her wings slowly emerged from the nubs on her shoulders, and she turned to let the water rinse them as well. Over the previous three weeks, they’d been itching like crazy, and she wasn’t sure what was going on. Worry gnawed at her insides. She was concerned that something she didn’t understand was happening with the two things she truly couldn’t live without.
After she washed her hair, she soaped up her body, loving the lilac scent that wafted off her skin from the body wash. It relaxed her further. Her mind started to think of ways they could find the soulless without visiting each bar and hoping they’d trip over the answer. That was an exercise in futility, it seemed, and there was no time to waste.
She gasped when she pulled back the shower curtain and found Vance standing on the other side. He had a wicked grin on his face, and his eyes traveled up and down her body like he wanted to consume her whole.
“You scared me!” she said.
He laughed and handed her a towel, which she took and held close to her body. Another towel was in his hand in a moment, and he asked her to turn so he could dry her wings.
As his gentle hands passed over the feathers, soothing the itch, she let out a sigh, and her shoulders slumped.