Talon/Xavier (Bayou Heat) by Alexandra Ivy, Laura Wright Read Free Book Online Page B

lifted it to reveal the raven on the bottom. “Like it?”
    Rage blasted through Talon.
    These son of a bitches were destroying his homeland.
    His people.
    He wanted answers. Then he wanted to rip the bastard into tiny, bloody strips.
    “It’s as offensive as you are,” he snarled. “Where did you learn to create the symbol?”
    The man licked his lips, no doubt sensing Talon was just waiting for an excuse to kill him.
    “I was approached by a voodoo priestess while I was in jail for a minor disagreement with my ex-wife,” he said.
    Voodoo priestess would match what Vincent and Savoy had told Bayon.
    “What was her name?”
    The man shrugged. “I don’t know.”
    Talon lifted the dagger to press it beneath Derek’s chin.
    “Don’t screw with me,” he growled.
    The man hissed in pain, but he was smart enough not to try to pull away. “I’m serious. She called herself Lady Cerise, but when I tried to find her later no one had ever heard of her. She must have used a false name.”
    “What did she say to you?”
    “She paid my bail and told me she had a job for me,” Derek admitted. “She gave me a card with the symbol of the raven flying across a full moon, and the address. Then she left.”
    “What was the job?”
    “I went to the address that was an old warehouse where I met a group of men who promised an endless supply of money if I did what I was told and didn’t ask too many questions.”
    Talon narrowed his gaze. Even with the threat of death, he was surprised Derek would so easily answer his questions.
    He’d sensed the man was a coward, but surely he had to worry his fellow traitors would discover he squealed?
    “For doing what?”
    The man glanced toward the branding iron clutched in his hand. “My primary job is to brand the new recruits, but I do whatever I’m told to do.”
    “How did you end up in this shop?” he demanded, needing to know his connection to Isi. Why? He scowled, refusing to answer the question. “Was it because of her birthmark?”
    Derek blinked in genuine bafflement. “What birthmark?”
    “Never mind,” he growled, aggravated he’d even asked the question. “Why did you choose this shop?”
    “It was Lon.”
    “Who?”
    “The alpha dog of our little crew.” Derek’s lips curled in disdain. The loser clearly had an allergy to authority. Typical. “He wanted me here to keep an eye on Isi.”
    Talon slid the dagger toward the man’s throat, his eyes glowing as his cat snarled for blood.
    “Why?”
    Derek stiffened, the stench of his fear making Talon grimace. Still, his expression remained insolent.
    “Lon wanted to know where she was and who was visiting the shop.”
    “He wanted to know about the Pantera?”
    “Lon wasn’t specific. He wanted me to keep a log on everyone who entered the shop.” The mud eyes darkened with frustration. “I assume they were hoping someone would contact her, but they didn’t share the information with me. I was just an insignificant peon.” 
    Talon studied Derek’s rat face. “And that’s it?”
    He gave a lift of one shoulder. “For me.”
    “What about the others?”
    “There are some who sneak into the Wildlands and perform some hokey ritual,” Derek said, unaware of Talon’s burst of fury. Those hokey rituals were destroying his home. “And others who spend most of their time traveling around the world.”
    “Recruiters?”
    “No.” Derek arched backward, as if trying to remove his chin from the sharp edge of Talon’s blade. “Like I said, they’re looking for someone.”
    Talon was instantly intrigued.
    If his enemies wanted this person, then it was imperative the Pantera got their hands on him first.
    “You have some idea who this person is? Man or woman? Human or Pantera?”
    Bitter envy twisted the man’s expression. “That info was above my pay grade.”
    Talon made a sound of impatience. “Where is the warehouse?”
    Derek abruptly spit in Talon’s face, using the momentary distraction to