She nodded. “He is. Your grandfather is-”
Just as she was about to reveal this huge piece of information, the boys returned.
“Son of a bitch!” Rhys declared, slamming the door shut behind him.
He looked stricken, very much like a storm cloud getting ready to inflict some serious damage. Temporarily distracted from our conversation, I rushed to his side to find out what was going on.
“What’s wrong? What happened?”
Rhys shook his head, unable to vocalize the source of his troubled state.
“I got a call on my way back here. New Orleans is under attack,” Tyrique explained.
And just like that, the easy-going and humorous mood turned serious. Rhys’s eyes went wide in shock and Mama Yansa quit stirring the contents of her pot and stared at the nyanga.
“Attack? From what? How bad?” I demanded.
“I’m not really sure what’s going on, but the Bacalou have been unleashed. Bodies are piling up fast and parts of the city is burning.”
The bottom dropped out of my stomach. Had the Baron already begun his assault to capture the throne? I was afraid that was exactly the case.
“When? How many?”
Tyrique’s face betrayed the grim reality. “It just started. From what I’m hearing, there’s an army of them. It’s bad. Real bad.”
We said nothing. We stood there eyeing each other without any real ideas as to what we should do. The sick foreboding feeling was written all over each face in the room.
“Every action has a consequence,” a sultry voice piped up from the doorway behind Tyrique.
Brigitte’s comment was like melted caramel even when she was scolding me.
All eyes were on the newcomer.
“Brigitte? That you?” Mama chimed in, squinting at the half naked woman standing near the mouth of the kitchen.
Brigitte ignored her and moved further into the room. She didn’t spare a single glance towards Rhys or Tyrique. Instead, her icy eyes narrowed on me as she sauntered forward.
“You had no business meddling in things which you know nothing about. This is your fault. Every single one of those lives lost is on your hands.” She was furious as she hurled her accusations at me.
Each word felt like a knife twisting in my gut and shredding me from the insides out. It couldn’t really be my fault, could it? I didn’t understand how or what she was getting at.
The men’s stares shifted back and forth between the two of us, not brave enough to interfere.
“Where is he?” Mama asked as if Brigitte had said nothing.
We all knew she was referring to the Baron Samedi, though I was much less afraid of him now that Brigitte was free and found once again. They may be at odds with each other, but it could still be enough to restore her as his wife.
Brigitte ignored the Loa, intently staring me down.
“The attack was because of me?” I asked. My heart was pounding hard within my chest and a new wave of nausea rolled over me.
She gave a single, curt nod.
“But how? What did I do?” I asked.
“While attempting to shirk your responsibilities and escape your husband,” she said the last word with obvious disgust and hatred. I avoided Rhys’s eyes, as they bore into me. This is not good, I thought trying to riddle out a scenario where he didn’t hate my guts after I explained what had happened. “You managed to blow the veil between worlds wide open, freeing all of the Bacalou to reap havoc. It’s not just the Bacalou. You enabled everything to cross between worlds unhindered. You unleashed Samedi’s army for him!”
My head became light and the room tilted a bit. I needed to sit before I fell. Staggering to the nearest chair, I slumped down into it, dragging in deep ragged breaths. It seemed as though the Baron had indeed caught up with Brigitte after I’d slipped through the portal.
“Shit, and I thought my life was complicated,” Tyrique muttered not quite under his breath. He hooked his hands behind his neck.
My head hung and I buried my face in my hands, defeated. I peeked up at Rhys from under hooded eyes.
He hadn’t moved since the announcement that I was married to the Loa. I was terrified to see firsthand the rejection and disgust I knew I’d find when I met his eyes. It wasn’t a feat I’d be able to stomach after everything I’d done to get back to him.
Essentially, I’d done a lot of the Baron’s work for him. If we went back to New Orleans, there was no telling what could be waiting for us there. It was his big opportunity to seize power from Damballah; I couldn’t see him letting the chance pass. He wouldn’t wait and I knew it.
The war had come and the first battle was underway.
Rhys still had the rigid set to his frame and I could tell he was fuming and waiting until we were alone to dig in to the bomb that had just been dropped on him. The worst part of it was that I couldn’t even blame him. If I was in the same position, I’d be livid. Not only had I married another man, granted it was necessary, but I’d omitted telling him about it and being up front and honest.
“Let’s take this outside. I think these two need a few minutes of privacy,” Mama chimed in, breaking the strained silence of the cabin.
Tyrique didn’t waste any time scrambling out of the house with Mama following right behind him. Brigitte eyed me with disgust before turning her scornful eyes to Rhys.
“Decide what you deserve before mindlessly forgiving. A marriage is much more than a heated tryst.” She spun on her heels and shimmied out the door with her hips swinging back and forth much more noticeably than when she’d entered.
“Rhys, I can explain. If you’d just-”
“Enough. I’ve heard all I needed to hear on the subject.” He pulled out a chair and sat down hard. He burried his head in his hands and scrubbed them over his face. It was his go to when he was frustrated beyond words and had nothing else to say.
I wanted to reach out and touch him, assure him that I loved him and make everything okay again, but I knew he didn’t want me to touch him. I didn’t even know what to say so I said nothing, and as the seconds ticked by, I grew more uncomfortable and melancholy. What could I do to fix the rift between us? Was that just it? Were we over without me being able to explain myself to him first? I wasn’t sure of anything anymore.
“Were you ever planning on telling me that you’re married? Or were you just going to keep pretending like it didn’t matter and I’d never find out?” Hearing the pain in his voice made the bite of his words cut that much deeper.
“It’s not like that. If you’d just let me explain everything…”
If I explained what had happened, then what? Did I hope that everything would just fall into place and we’d live happily ever after? Of course I hoped it would, but life wasn’t that simple.
“Oh, no? Then what is it like? Because it seems an awful lot like that’s exactly how it is.” Rhys tossed his hands up in exasperation. He had the same expression on his face as when I first left through the portal with the Baron. It was the second time I had inadvertently broken the man’s heart.
“I didn’t want this! Marriage was part of his contract. I didn’t have a choice.”
He scoffed at that. “You always have a choice.”
“My choice was to marry the man or risk losing you forever. I’m not going to apologize for choosing you over the alternative.”
I had a stubborn streak a mile wide and the man had managed to find it. The way I looked at it, it wasn’t much of a choice at all. Rhys had had my heart since he had swooped in and rescued me that first time, and I could never regret choosing his survival.
“I wish you would’ve. Anything would have been better than this.”
“You can’t mean that.”
I watched him as he bored holes through the floorboards.
“I absolutely do. Do you honestly believe that I’d rather live with the vision of his filthy hands on you, touching you, fucking you…more than the peace that would accompany death
?” His hands were shaking as he gestured wildly.
Was that what he was thinking? That I’d let that monster take me and have his way with me? It was something I would never allow and he needed to know that.
I shot up out of seat and within two steps I was standing in front of him, staring up in to his dark eyes. If it was going to take me bearing my soul to the man, then that’s what I would do.
“Is that what you’ve been thinking this whole time? It’s not true. It might have been a marriage on paper, but not in action. He never once touched me that way.” I cupped his face between my hands and forced him to look into my eyes while I spoke to him. “I love you and that has never changed. That will never change. You, and only you, have my heart so wholly and completely that I could never let another touch me the way you do.”
His hands hovered over my shoulders like he was scared to touch me. Or maybe he was worried that he’d break me when he finally got his hands on me. I squeezed further into his space so our bodies were almost flush against each other.
“You’re it for me and no piece of paper is ever going to change that. When are you going to get that through your thick skull?”
He brushed his thumb along my chin, unable to stop himself. “Because it means you’ll have to leave again. You’re not really mine.”
Rhys’s hand dropped to his sides and he rocked back on his heels, closing himself off again.
“That’s where your wrong. Samedi can’t have two wives at the same time and I just found Brigitte.”
His lips came crashing down on mine, throwing me off balance. If it hadn’t been for his iron strong arm that had snaked around my back, I would’ve been looking up at him from the floor. He cupped my face gently, yet his kiss was so demanding.
Rhys hooked his arm around my back and used his other to lift me. My legs wrapped securely around his waist as he strode strongly to the closest available surface. I felt my butt bump the edge of the table and my lover wasted no time. His lips came down on the sensitive spot just below my ear. The scruff of his several day old beard rasped along my soft skin. He ground his thick, jean-clad erection against me, showing me how much he wanted me, how much he had missed me. I was soaked. I knew it. It had been just as long for me and I hadn’t ever wanted someone as much as I wanted him in that moment.
The screen door flung open and smacked into the wall behind it.
“Oh! Shit! Sorry…uh, shit,” Tyrique said awkwardly. He was out of breath and seemingly very uncomfortable.
We broke apart quickly, putting a couple of feet between us. My cheeks heated with embarrassment. Rhys stood tall, acting like he wasn’t as affected at all. No blushing. No awkwardness. If anything, he looked damn proud of himself. He shifted his jeans and adjusted himself without any shame. He peeked at me out of the corner of his eye.
“What is it?” Rhys asked our guest, his deep voice commanding the attention of the room.
The nyanga eyed me curiously before returning his gaze to my lover.
“We have guests.”
Chapter Fifteen
Betrayals and Bombshells
Fear coiled in the pit of my stomach and I peered up at Rhys only to see the same apprehension reflected in his handsome face. We knew without needing confirmation that the Baron was outside waiting for me. I’d known it was only a matter of time, but I hadn’t been entirely prepared for him to come so fast.
“I’m not going back. He has no claim to me anymore,” I declared, resolute in my choice.
Straightening my back, I squared my shoulders and resolved myself to being strong, steadfast, and defiant. If the bastard wanted me back, he’d have to drag me kicking, screaming, and clawing all the way to Guinee.
Pulling me to him, Rhys pressed a tender kiss upon my temple. “I’m not letting you go anywhere.”
Tyrique seemed exceedingly uncomfortable. Whether it was the public display of affection or the company waiting outside was anybody’s guess.
“Well, let’s get this over with, shall we?” I tried to keep everything lighthearted, we were all worried for what was awaiting us.
With Rhys’s hand clutched tightly within mine, we pushed our way through the screen door. The light scent of wildflowers carried on the breeze to envelope us as we stepped onto the front porch. The air around us was charged, different than when I had been in the presence of so many Loas. I had never experienced something like it before.
Each step we took down from the porch ratcheted the trepidation inside of me. My palm grew moist within Rhys’s, and though I wasn’t afraid of the Baron, I was afraid of losing Rhys again. The Baron had the power to take him if he so chose.
The grass was lush beneath my slippers and I almost bounced with each stride. I silently wished the ground would open up and swallow me whole. We rounded the corner of the house and headed towards the clearing behind it. The swoosh of my blood rushing in my ears almost drowned out the screeches of far off birds and the din of the swamp.
This was it. I was going to make my stand, not only for myself, but for every single person who’d been hurt by the Baron’s scheming and backstabbing. He’d pay for all of it. My parents, Mateo, Angie, Della, hell…even Drake were among the very long list of people he’d killed or irreversibly changed, and not for the better.
Rhys didn’t release or lessen his grip on my hand as we took the final steps towards the clearing. He was making a statement, a united front. It was his way of staking a claim to me and telling the man waiting that he was my anchor now and I wasn’t going anywhere.
With the last foot, we stepped in to the clearing at the rear of the house. However, it was not the Baron Samedi who was waiting for us. In fact, I knew who it was without ever having met him before. A man stood beside Yansa speaking in low tones. It was too far away to know what they were talking about, but it was enough to know that something was up.
The man stood tall and proud, wearing naught more than his trousers. His chest was bare as well as his feet. He appeared to be a simple man, lacking the extravagance of the Baron and many others whom I had come to recognize. Every flower and blade of grass had grown vibrant and lush in his presence. The sun was brighter and the light glittered off of the dew laden vegetation.
He was Damballah. In the flesh.
I stood frozen on the edge of the clearing. I couldn’t believe my own eyes. I looked to Mama Yansa like she would assuage my uneasiness. She was standing by his side waiting for us to approach.
“Come here, my child.” His deep voice had a commanding edge to it, yet it was warm and kind. It was so very much unlike the Baron’s, or even Papa Legba for that matter.
Mama opened her arms wide in invitation. Tyrique timidly stepped up beside me, opposite of Rhys, who still had a firm grip on my hand. I was unsure of how I should respond. Was I to bow before him or treat him as if he was an ordinary man? Rhys’s other hand came down on the small of my back and ushered me forward towards the all-powerful Loa.
Something inside of me made a connection to the man. I made the decision that I needed to do it on my own, without the help of the men beside me. Show no weakness and give no opportunities to appear vulnerable, I had learned that the hard way.
I released my hold on Rhys and let my hand fall to my side. I gave him one last reassuring glance and steadily trudged forward. It felt wrong to look him directly in the eye so, instead, I held my head high and kept my gaze focused on his chest. He appeared to be no older than thirty, but we all knew better. In fact, I didn’t think there was a soul on earth who knew how old the supreme deity actually was.
“Do you know who I am?” he asked, watching me like a hawk as I approached him.
“Yes sir. You’re Damballah.” I curtseyed low, bowing my head. I didn’t know what more I could say and I was petrified that he would be seeking me out.
As if he just instinctively knew what I needed, Rhys stepped up beside me with his head bowed respectively. He stood close enough to me so that the flesh of our arms was in
constant contact, giving me no small amount of comfort.
“Very good. I hate awkward introductions. I don’t suppose we can really be considered strangers either.”
I didn’t understand his meaning. However, I wasn’t brave enough to question him.
“Is there something I can do for you?” I asked, cutting to the chase; dancing around subjects wasn’t really my style. I liked being concise and to the point.
He turned his head to Mama Yansa, a cheeky grin upturned the corners of his mouth. “Is she always like this?”
She nodded.
“I like her. I think we shall get along just fine.” The both of them looked highly pleased with themselves. “Alright then, by now, I would guess that you know about Samedi’s coup d’état. Am I right?”
“I do.” It hadn’t come up as a topic of conversation with Rhys and Mama Yansa and I began to feel very foolish that I’d kept it to myself. I had come for answers and kept vital information to myself.
“Maya? What’s he talking about?” Rhys asked in a hushed tone, likely not wanting to make a scene.
“Rhys Devereaux. It’s been a very long time. You’ve done well caring for my girl. I am in your debt.”
His girl? What the fuck was this looney toon talking about?
“He means that Samedi has found a way to strip Damballah of his power and absorb it into himself. He’s trying to make a run for supreme ruler.” Mama answered from beside him.
I peeked up at Rhys to see his slack jawed expression turn to horror. We were in a very bad predicament without any clear way forward. The only thing I knew was that somehow, I was supposed to stop him from delivering everyone into total chaos.
“What do you suggest we do about it?” Tyrique piped up from behind us, including himself in our little rag tag group of would-be heroes.
All eyes landed on me, waiting for a response. Even Damballah was examining me with interest. What could I do?
“You’re bonded with him. The power he has taken, can be taken from him. That’s where you come in,” Damballah explained.
A Soul's Surrender (The Voodoo Revival Series Book 2) Page 24
