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pouring down.
    Thankfully, she heard me and finally chose to respond.
    “What do you have to offer my dear?”
    I thought quickly. “Erzulie, I only have my own blood to offer. Please help me, please help Lucus.”
    Erzulie laughed gently. “I don’t want your blood. You don’t have enough blood in your body to exchange. His thirst is insatiable. Run my child,” Erzulie whispered. “Find seven bottles of rum, and a black candle. Bring them back here, and I will help you.”
    “Thank you. Thank you!” I raced back to the house looking back only once to see Sousson Pannan taking another greedy bite, this time from Lucus’ chest. I had to find rum and lots of it.

    Chapter 5
    Ivan, I promise I will try to understand

    When I finally reached the main house, I was out of breath and sweaty. My hair was a tangled mess and my feet were covered in mud. Eerie piano music greeted me, as I ran through the front door and into the main hallway. I stopped in front of Ms. Mae’s office and turned the ancient doorknob. Lucky for me, the door was unlocked. Black candles, black candles, but where did she keep them?
    The music coming from the ballroom increased at a rapid pace distracting me slightly from the task at hand. It was so wretched and haunting that I couldn’t help but get lost in it.
    Snapping out of it, I scoured the shelves for candles. Thankfully, I found a shelf stocked full of them varying in size and color. I grabbed a black one and shoved it in my left pocket.
    Where did they keep all the rum in this place? I knew that Lucus had cognac and other random booze upstairs, but I hadn’t seen any rum. I dashed into the kitchen and frantically started opening all the cabinets. Unfortunately, the kitchen was enormous. There must have been a million places where liquor could have been stored.
    Frustrated, I went into the back pantry and scanned the shelves for rum. There was no sign of it anywhere. I found bottles of vodka, whiskey and tequila, but not what I was looking for. My cheeks were getting flushed when I heard the piano music stop. I could sense someone come into the kitchen, and relief washed over me. Maybe, they could help.
    “Queen, what a lovely surprise,” said Ivan, as he leaned against the pantry door. Was he seriously dressed in nothing but black boxer briefs? His grey eyes took in the sight of my ripped kimono, and an amused smirk crossed his face. “You look stunning,” he said sarcastically.
    I wanted to bite my tongue, but I couldn’t resist. “Look who’s talking. What if a guest sees you like that?”
    “Trust me; if Mrs. Dumpty wanders downstairs she’ll thank me for the peepshow. I doubt that piggy Dumpty does much for her.”
    I let out a sigh. I had no time for arguments and games. I took my chances and asked him for help. “Ivan, where do you guys keep all the rum?”
    “I wouldn’t know queen. I’m more of a vodka man.” He walked into the large pantry and took an unopened bottle of vodka from the shelf. Wasting no time, he opened it and took a large sip.
    “I don’t believe you, you know where it is.”
    “Maybe we’re out,” he said casually.
    “This is New Orleans. Tourist are on vacation, I doubt Darkwood is out of rum. Please just tell me where it is.”
    He lazily twisted a piece of blond hair around his finger and took another gulp of vodka. “I don’t know where it is,” he said, as he walked out of the pantry and into the kitchen.
    I knew he was lying. I followed him. “Ivan for once in your life can you please not be an ass and tell me where the stupid rum is!” It was obvious he was getting some kind of sick pleasure out of the fact that I was nearly begging him.  
    “Nah, I don’t feel like it. Why are you looking for rum anyways? Are you planning a romantic moonlit picnic with Prince Charming, complete with Hurricanes and all?” he asked, as he leaned against the long wooden counter in the middle of the kitchen.
    “Shut-up, just tell me where it is.”