Brandy was caught now – in a real bind. There was no way she was admitting to anyone that Jake had seen her shift. And, technically, she owed loyalty to any shifter over a non-shifter. This matter would have to be handled in-house, with no outsider knowing anything.
Brandy left Jenny and the bounty hunters on their own to continue hatching their plan to snatch Rachel. She headed out, telephoning Ray on her cell. This call was a miracle in Ray’s mind.
Brandy told Ray to bring Kyle over to Sons-of-Guns. Brandy didn't want to have this conversation at McAlister's where other shifters might overhear. Then she went to pick up Marianne, leaving Jenny and her muscle-men behind.
Ray and Kyle already were at Sons-of-Guns when Brandy and Marianne arrived. Marianne was always a little ditzy around Kyle – not her usual self – which was adorable, but Brandy was hoping she would keep her wits about her, since now they were dealing with something serious.
“Bounty hunters?” Ray said, incredulous. “I knew this was potentially serious, but Geez. What are they going to do with this chick exactly?”
“I don't think they'll hurt her as long as she agrees to do whatever needs to be done to reverse the curse,” Brandy said.
Kyle to a long sip of his light beer.
“I don't get it,” Kyle said, “I think this can be a pretty good life. Plus, it's kind of selfish. To make us ALL change.”
He looked at Marianne when he spoke. For chrissake ask the woman out already, Brandy thought.
“Does it really have to be an all or nothing deal?” Ray asked.
“That seems to be the plan,” Brandy said.
“Well, certainly there's more of us than them,” he said. “We can stop them, don't you think?”
“I don't know,” Marianne said. “Even if we stop Jenny and her thugs, the Powells will just send someone else.”
“Maybe we should just let them go ahead and try,” Kyle said. “Eve LaBelle was pretty powerful, and there's been no one like her since. So what if they've tracked down one of her descendants? And so what if she's into Hoodoo? That's doesn't mean whatever she does is going to work.”
“He's right,” Ray added. “Madame LaBelle cursed folks one at a time, too. Jenny's asking someone to lift a curse off several thousand people all at once. I seriously doubt that's going to work. Murphy's Law, and all that.”
Marianne checked her watch.
“Shit – I have to pick up my little sister. And I don't have my car,” Marianne said.
Brandy saw an immediate opportunity.
“Kyle – would you mind giving Marianne a ride?” she said.
Marianne flashed her friend a look that said,What are you doing?
“Marianne, I would take you but I forgot there's something I've got to take care of that's work-related,” Brandy said.
“Sure,” Kyle said. “No problem.”
Marianne, you better thank me for this,Brandy thought.
Just then her cellphone rang. It was Jake.
“I gotta take this,” she told the group. “I'll check in with you later.”
Brandy answered the call.
“Jake, can you hold on for a second?”
“Sure,” he said.
Brandy wanted to be out of earshot when they spoke.
Outside the bar, she felt freer to speak.
“Hey – sorry – it was just a bit noisy where I was.”
“No worries,” Jake said. “So – uh – I know you won't be at work until the day after tomorrow, but I want to see you.”
Brandy's heart skipped.
“Did you talk to Rachel?”
“Yeah, I did,” he said. “We broke up. For good.”
Brandy fell silent.
“Hello? Are you there?”
“Yeah – sorry,” Brandy said. “I'm sorry it went down like that.”
“What do you have to be sorry about? Look, Rachel and I – things haven't been so great for awhile, and that whole thing with the mojo or love spell or whatever – that was just the nail in the coffin.”
“Still...”
“Still nothing,” Jake said. “You don't understand. You don't understand what it's been like to be around you. What happened the other night – what now makes sense of everything – I just need to see you, Brandy.”
“I want to see you too,” Brandy said softly. “I owe you an explanation. But you're going to have to understand that I'm trusting you with a lot here.”
“I want you to trust me,” Jake said. “And you should know that you can, right? I mean – I think I've proven myself.”
He had, indeed, proven himself. Jake had saved her life twice now. She could explain to him how she was a shifter, but she didn't have the heart to tell him that he had not killed an alligator the other night, but instead had killed another human being. She had taken care of the body not just to protect Jake and Animal Sphere from public scrutiny, but to protect Jake from being charged with murder.
“Let me come by tonight,” Jake said.
Brandy couldn't let him come by the house with Jenny and the bounty hunters using it as their makeshift headquarters.
“You remember the swamp near where I live – the night I took you out there to find 'Shirley', er – to findme?”
Jake chuckled.
“Yeah,” he said.
“Meet me there around 9 o'clock.”
“You don't want to go out to dinner or something?” Jake asked. “In case you are not getting it, I'm trying to take you out on a date.”
Brandy smiled to herself.
“It's a date then – but still, I want you to meet me at the swamp.”
Brandy ended the call. Turning around to unlock her car door, she saw that Ray had been standing there, listening to her the whole time.
Crap! How much had he heard?
“Who was that?” he said. He stood with arms crossed, giving her a stern look.
“My boss,” she answered.
“That sounded a little more than just work-related.”
“We get along.”
“I can tell.”
Brandy shook her head and smiled.
“Ray – you need to find another woman,” she said. “We'll always be friends – you know that – but seriously, you should find someone with whom it's really going to work.”
Brandy got into her car. Ray caught the door so she couldn't close it. He looked at her intently, giving her the once over. Then he sighed. Brandy expected some kind of lecherous remark or suggestion, but it didn't come.
Brandy turned the ignition and looked up. When her eyes met Ray's, she felt a little bad. But thankfully he showed no suspicion beyond run-of-the-mill jealousy.
“Brandy,” Ray said. “I think I know what's going on here. You've got a thing for your boss, don't you?”
Brandy didn't say anything. She just looked away.
“You know it cannot work,” Ray said. “We don't get involved – not seriously, anyway – outside of our own circle. It just can't happen. It's one thing to fool around, but if you fall in love with this guy...”
“I know what I'm doing,” Brandy said. “And I know you mean well.”
“I have ulterior motives,” Ray said with a grin.
“As always,” Brandy chided him.
“These are sketchy times,” Ray said. “With you your cousin and the Powells and all. I don't want to see you get hurt.”
“Neither do I,” Brandy said.
Chapter 20
Jake already was at the swamp when Brandy showed up. The moon was bright and the air humid and warm. The scent of earth and moss filled the air, with a slight whiff of Blue Flag – a swamp iris whose flower gives off a scent similar to violets.
Jake got out of his truck when he saw Brandy's headlights. He met her at the driver's side door, which he opened for her to get out.
In the soft glow of the moon, Jake took her hand, interlacing his fingers with hers, and he led her back to his truck.
“I don't plan on this bein
g a hunting expedition,” Jake said. “At least it better not be. We're not working tonight.”
When they got to his truck, Brandy realized that he had set up a picnic in the flatbed. A blanket was laid out with a couple of throw pillows for comfort. A large basket already had been emptied. A plate of cheese and crackers had been set out, along with some veggies and dip. Jake jumped up in the truck bed, then held out his hand to help her up. When they sat down, he lit a couple of citronella candles to keep the mosquitos at bay, and then he opened a bottle of red wine, pouring them both a glass.
“This is quite a setup,” Brandy said. She flashed him a great smile of approval.
“I'm classy like that,” Jake said with a sly grin. “Stick around – you'll see.”
“I can't wait then.”
“One more thing,” he said.
Jake pulled out a small bouquet of flowers. They not quite quite orange, and not quite pink – more of a scarlet color. They looked exotic.
“Hibiscus coccineus,” Brandy said.
“Very good,” Jake said. He plucked one of the flowers from the stem, reached over and tucked it behind her ear. With the flower secure, he let his fingers gently glide down her cheek, which sent a shiver down Brandy's spine.
“Yes – I'm putting the moves on you,” he said. “In case you weren't sure.”
“I was pretty sure, don't worry.”
They fell silent. Brandy selected a piece of Havarti with dill from the cheese plate and chewed thoughtfully.
“You should be more shocked than you are,” Brandy said, thoughtfully.
“Probably,” he said. “Funny though – I've heard about this kind of thing before. In Africa. In South America. I've never taken it seriously, but I always thought it would be amazing if it were true.”
He paused for second, collecting his thoughts.
“What does itfeellike to morph into something inhuman? I mean, you're not even amammal when you change like that.”
“Well, it doesn't hurt,” she said. “Not after the first time. It's just uncomfortable. Mostly I just take it for granted. The first time shifting is what really screws with your head. Suddenly you see the world from the ground level. You can't stand up. You have a change of emotions – more raw instinct seems to bubble up. You think in a more calculating manner in that mode.”
“Do you prefer to be human or do you prefer life as an alligator?”
“I'm much stronger physically as a gator and it can be kind of a thrill, but when I change back suddenly I feel more relaxed and less predatory. I feel mellow for at least three days after that. So the shift back also has its own therapeutic benefits.”
“How did this happen?” He asked. “How many are there of you?”
“Jake – I need to be honest with you,” she said. “I'm not going to tell you everything. I don't have that right. I know I can trust you – but that won't mean anything to the others. No one outside the community knows anything.”
“Can you really be sure of that?” Jake asked. “Depending on how many there are, which of course you're not telling me, surely somebody has slipped up before.”
Brandy studied him. Her vision was sharper than his at night, and she could read his facial expressions quite well. He was feeling both amorous, but also perplexed and a little vulnerable.
“How about if I tell you a little at a time,” she said. “No one can ever know that I told you about this. No one can ever know that you have seen me shift.”
“I understand – really – I do,” Jake said. “And you didn't tell me – I saw it happen by accident. So you couldn't have actually broken any code of honor. I was just at the wrong place at the wrong time when it happened.”
“They won't care. But I do owe you something. So we can take it a little at a time. Tonight all I can tell you is that a family ancestor of mine was cursed more than a hundred years ago.”
“Cursed?”
“Cursed.”
“By whom?”
“By someone who practiced Hoodoo, and this person was very, very powerful and very, very pissed off.”
“So everyone in your family can do this?”
“Everyone in my familyhas to do this,” she clarified. “We have control over the timing, but the urge can be overwhelming. And there are physical effects even when we are in our normal human state.”
“Wow,” Jake said. “What did this ancestor do to piss someone off like that?”
“We don't know exactly. And that's the truth.”
Brandy put down her glass of wine.
“Let's go for a swim,” she said.
Jake paused.
“It'll be safe,” she said.
Brandy stood up and slowly began undressing. Jake watched her and a lump caught in his throat. Her hair was luminescent in the night and her curves became hypnotizing.
“Are you just going to stare?” she teased him.
Jake chuckled and stood up. He pulled off his shirt, then unbuckled his belt and slipped off his pants. Then he reached for her, but she evaded him and hopped down off the truck bed.
“Come on – don't chicken out on me,” she teased him, heading toward the water.
Soon, they were both neck deep. The water was warm. It was murky, too, but it had a natural smell of clean decay. There was no pollution here – just the order of nature and life thriving and dissipating.
Brandy dove underwater, and Jake lost track of her for a second. When she reemerged, he swam up to her.
“You're not going to shift, are you?” he asked.
“I was going to – why?”
“Don't,” he said.
“Why not?”
“Because right now I want to do this,” he said. Jake wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to him.
Brandy was the one who had suggested that they go skinny dipping, so she had full knowledge she already was playing with fire and had given him a green light. But when she felt Jake's skin against hers, with his broad chest against her ample breasts and his right inner thigh rubbing again her own, she shuddered and felt hesitant. This was the first time that she had ever been with a man who was not also a shifter.
Jake's hands were very convincing, however, and she felt a deep ache in her gut as his lips caressed hers. Then his kiss became deeper and soon they were fully entwined. She tried to say something – but she had no idea what. He made all the right moves, and he knew exactly when she was truly ready for him. She let out a soft gasp, which elicited a moan from Jake as he entered her.
He stayed just like that for a second – stopping to open his eyes and look into hers – to make sure she was fully with him. The fingers of his left hand interlaced with hers, and he was stabilizing most of her weight as she floated in the water. She wrapped her legs around him. When she sighed again and gave him a slight nod, Jake took it from there.
Brandy responded to his every move, but he was clearly in control. It was slow-building, but Jake was in no hurry. He made sure that she came first, and then he allowed himself to not hold back anymore.
When it was over, they both felt limp. The swamp water lapped softly around them as they both tried to regain their strength, still in each other's arms. Jake kissed her cheek slowly. He still couldn't talk yet.
In the quiet night, they heard the call of a bird, probably an egret.
“Do you mind now?” Brandy whispered.
Jake knew what she meant. That for some reason, she had the irresistible urge to break free just for a moment.
He shook his head no, that he didn't mind. Strangely, he understood what she might be feeling.
Brandy smiled softly and kissed him. Then she pulled away. She stretched a little and then shifted. She swam off, circling around him at a distance. She just needed to clear her head, and she also wanted to make sure that the territory around them was clear. Probably she should have done that before they made love, but she had been too caught up in the moment.
Jake watched her with amazement.This is
going to be a complicated relationship, he thought,but that's what makes it so worthwhile.
Chapter 21
Rachel's mother, as expected, was an overbearing and icy. She expressed her deep disappointment with how her daughter had failed to handle her man. Rather than being angry at her mother, Rachel grew bitter towards Jake. She was no longer sure that she really wanted him, but she increasingly wanted to make sure that he didn't walk away so easily.
“You're a LaBelle,” her mother had reminded her over the phone. “And no woman in our family allows herself to be cast aside. Any man you have should be on his knees kissing the ground you walk on.”
“What should I do?”
“Well, it's been a long time since a LaBelle woman let herself be treated like this,” her mother replied. Her condescension toward her daughter was palpable. “So, we're a bit rusty in that regard. It will take a little research.”
When Rachel left her house one morning, she had no idea she was being tailed. Jenny's two bounty hunters had been watching her all week, ready to make a move when the timing seemed right. Jenny had brought talismans from another source in New Orleans that should protect all of them, if Rachel LaBelle had any real power and decided to pull a fast one.
The bounty hunters were waiting for when the pretty Conjure Woman would be away predictably long enough for them to break in and check out her house. They had studied her schedule for a few days, and on this morning they did not follow her, because they were reasonably sure she would be away all day.
They slipped into Rachel's house to see what she had in stock – any paraphernalia on hand that would indicate her regular activities. The bounty hunters found some ritual candles in an alcove kept locked off the kitchen, where Rachel had setup up a home alter. This also was where she kept a number of jars of unidentifiable ingredients, some of which smelled good and some of which most certainly didn't. Some of the jars contained plain dirt, while others oddly contained spare change. The bounty hunters also found lodestones – magnetized pieces of magnetite.
Big Gator: A BBW shape shifter paranormal romance Page 10
