Adrian Phoenix - A Rush of Wings

“Don’t be.” A smile brushed his lips. He pulled his shades from the top of his head, slid them on. “Not your fault.” Standing, he bent over her and brushed his lips against hers.

“This doesn’t need to be good-bye,” Heather said against his warm lips. “I care about you, you know that, don’t you?”

“I care about you, too,” he whispered, tracing a finger along the edge of her jaw.

Heather closed her eyes. When she opened them again, Dante was gone. But the feel of his lips lingered upon hers; his scent hung in the room. She pictured him walking out into the snow-covered night, alone.

She had a feeling he didn’t expect to see her again. She’d known his leaving would hurt, just not how much. And it did, heart-deep—sharp and unrelenting. Tears slipped hot down her cheeks, into her ears. Folding her arms across her eyes, she wept.

For all the voiceless dead Elroy Jordan had left behind.

For justice unrendered.

For Dante.

She thought of all that could’ve been—traveling between New Orleans and Seattle; Dante creating music, touring, putting his past together. She might become a victim’s advocate, a PI, something to help those who could no longer speak for themselves, and—together—she and Dante could work to heal his wounded mind and help him find the redemption he sought.

Could still be. Nothing’s written in stone .

Penance .

Could he be redeemed? She believed he was worth the chance. She just needed to find out if she was strong enough to give him that chance. And herself.

I won’t walk away from you .

A song wisp suddenly curled through Heather and, for a moment, she thought she heard Dante’s voice, smoky and low, burning like a flame in her heart: Shhh . Je suis ici. Always .

TO MAKE THINGS AS simple as possible, I’ve listed not only words but phrases used in the story. Please keep in mind that Cajun is different from Parisian French and the French generally spoken in Europe. Different grammatically and even, sometimes, different in pronunciation and spelling.

For the Irish and Welsh words—including the ones I’ve created—pronunciation is provided.

One final thing: Prejeanis pronounced PRAY-zhawn.

Aingeal(AIN-gyahl), angel. Fallen/Elohim word.

Ami,(m) friend, (f) amie. Mon ami,my friend.

Ange,(m) angel. Mon ange,my angel. L’ange,the angel.

Ange de sang,angel of blood; blood angel. Mon ange de sang,my angel of blood.

Anhrefncathl(ann-HREVN-cathl), chaos song; the song of a Maker. Fallen/Elohim word.

Beau diable, mon,(m) my beautiful devil.

Bonne nuit,good night.

Bon á rien,good for nothing.

Calon-cyfaill(KAL-on kuv-EYE-luh), friend of the heart, usually bonded. Fallen/Elohim word.

Ça va bien,fine. I’m fine/okay. It’s going well.

C’est bon,that’s good.

C’est vrai,that’s true.

Cher,dear, beloved. Mon cher,(m) my dear or my beloved.

Cher ami, mon,(m) my dearest friend, my best friend; intimate, implying a special relationship.

Chéri,(m) dearest, darling, (f) chérie.

Chien,(m) dog.

Comment ça va,how is it going?

Creawdwr(KRAY-OW-dooer), creator; maker/unmaker; an extremely rare branch of the Elohim believed to be extinct. Last known creawdwr was Yahweh.

D’accord,okay.

Elohim,(s and pl) the Fallen; the beings mythologized as fallen angels.

Enchanté,delighted, pleased, enchanted.

Et toi,and you.

Fallen,see Elohim.

Fille de sang,(f) blood daughter; “turned” female offspring of a vampire.

Fils de sang,(m) blood son; “turned” male offspring of a vampire.

Foute ton quant d’ici,get away from here.

Frère,(m) brother. Mon frère,my brother.

Gètte le,keep an eye on him.

J’ai faim,I’m hungry.

Je comprend pas,I don’t understand.

Je sais pas,I don’t know.

Je regrette,I’m sorry.

Je regrette, mes amis,I’m sorry, my friends.

Je suis ici,I’m here.

Je va te voir plus tard,I’ll see you later.

Laissez les bons temps rouller,let the good times roll.

Le coeur,the heart.

Llygad(THLOO-gad), (s) eye; a watcher; keeper of immortal history; story-shaper. A Fallen/Elohim word originally.

Llygaid(THLOO-guide), (pl)

Loa,(Haitian) spirit; associated with voodoo.

Marmot,(m) brat.

Merci,thank you. Merci beaucoup,thanks a lot. Merci bien,thanks very much.

Mère de sang,(f) blood mother; female vampire who has turned another and become their “parent.”

Mon Dieu,(m) my God.

M’selle,(f) abbreviated spoken form of mademoiselle,Miss, young lady.

M’sieu,(m) abbreviated spoken form of monsieur,Mr., sir, gentleman.

Nightbringer,a name/title given to Lucien De Noir.

Nightkind,(s and pl) vampire; Dante’s term for vampires.

Numéro un,number one. (Cajun)

Oüi,yes.

Père,(m) father. Mon père,my father.

Père de sang,(m) blood father; male vampire who has turned another and become their “parent.”

Petit, mon,(m) my little one, (f) petite, ma.(Generally affectionate.)

Pour quoi,why.

Sa fait pas rien,it doesn’t matter.

Sa fini pas,it never ends.

Sa vaut pas la peine,it’s not worth it.

S’il te plaît,please (informal).

Tais toi,shut up.

Tayeau,(s) hound. Tayeaux,(pl) hounds.

T’es sûr de sa,are you sure about that?

T’est blême comme un mort,you’re as pale as a ghost.

Très belle,(f) very beautiful.

Très bien,very good, very well.

Très joli,(m) very pretty.

True Blood,born vampire, rare and powerful.

Viens ici,come here.

Vous êtes très aimable,you are very kind.

Wybrcathl(OOEEBR-cathl), sky song. Fallen/Elohim word.

P OURQUOI TU NOUS AS abandonnes? Je ne sais pas ce que j’ai fait pour vous faire partir, je t’en supplie, sauve ton fils. éloigné le d’ici. Mets-le l’abri. Il est ma lumière et mon coeur—comme tu as pu l’être. Lucien, mon ange, s’il te plaît, écoute-moi .

WHY HAVE YOU ABANDONED us? I don’t know what I did to send you away, but I beg of you, save your son. Take him away from here. Keep him safe. He is my light and my heart—just as you once were. Lucien, my angel, please hear me.