Savage Bayou (Things that go Bump in the Bayou Book 2)

by Alizabeth Lynn

  Ophelia took her friend’s hand. “Of course. That’ll give me time to work on what I need to say, anyway. Although, it’ll have to be late. I have a meeting that’s going to keep me after dark.”

  Carissa squeezed her hand. “That’s fine. Just as long as you’re there.”

  “Any time you need me.”

  They drove to the estate without conversing, Ophelia’s nerves on the verge of snapping. Something was very wrong. Carissa was far too quiet—too broody—but every attempt at communication was met by silence. Trying not to let it bother her, Ophelia navigated the winding, bumpy roads with care. Her friend had a lot on her mind, as did they all, and she was pregnant to boot. Ophelia sighed.

  That was another thing: when Carissa joked about Ophelia wondering if she could get pregnant by Daniel, Ophelia denied it. But she lied. Subconsciously, she laid a hand over her belly. What would it be like to be pregnant—to have his child? She shook her head and brought that hand up to the steering wheel. It didn’t matter. Daniel was a vampire, whether he could withstand sunlight or not. That didn’t change the fact that Jasmine turned him, and he was already three hundred years old. Besides, they’d only had sex once, anyway. But, the little voice chided softly, you know once can be enough, and you two didn’t use protection.

  Ophelia shook her head again, and focused on pulling into Carissa’s driveway. She wouldn’t think on it. Too many variables, and she already had too much on her plate as it was. Entertaining the notion of little half vampire babies was just plain foolish. Period. Especially considering the rest of her farce of an agreement with Jeremiah. She had no business having a child at all.

  Carissa didn’t waste any time when the truck came to a stop. She hopped out, leaning her head back in through the open window when she closed the door.

  “Be safe, please. I want you in one piece tomorrow night.”

  As she watched her walk away, Ophelia sighed. “Me too, Carissa. Me, too.”

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Ophelia didn’t remember the drive home, but she was unsurprised to see lights gleaming in her windows when she arrived. Craven had been right, of course—Daniel wouldn’t have let her brother keep him away. She pulled up in front of her carport and cut the engine, pulling her hair from her braid before she got out. Having the heavy length bound that tight to her head would have only compounded the headache she was about to receive. There was no way her conversation with Daniel was going to go smoothly.

  Ophelia hadn’t taken two steps when her vampire rushed out of the house. He didn’t speak a word, but when he reached her, he wrapped his arms around her waist, and planted his lips on hers. He nipped her bottom lip with a snarl, demanding entrance. Her thoughts scattered. She did as he wanted, parting her lips, and meeting his tongue thrust for thrust. The tangy taste of him invaded her senses, swirling into what was left of her coherent thoughts.

  Oh, how I love this man!

  Ophelia’s arms reached up of their own accord, linking around his neck, drawing him closer. The tip of her tongue grazed against one of his fangs, drawing blood, but she didn’t pull away. She moaned when his tongue laved the wound. The touch of him made her body sing. Moisture gathered between her thighs, and it was all she could do not to try and drag him into the backseat of her truck like a horny teenager. On second thought...

  Ophelia tightened her grip around his neck when someone behind him cleared their throat. On a muffled groan of reluctance, she pulled back a bit, not looking at the newcomer. Her eyes locked on Daniel’s, taking in the worry, fear, and the unmistakable glimmer of love. She couldn’t give him those words, but she could admit when she was wrong.

  “I’m sorry,” Ophelia told him.

  “Me, too—for everything before. I could have handled it all better, and you wouldn’t have been forced to do what you did.”

  “Did Craven tell you everything?”

  “No, but he’s inside with the rest of the group. He’s refused to speak of anything until you had the chance to get here.”

  Ophelia laughed. “Good man. I guess he did listen to me after all.”

  “About what?”

  “You’ll have to wait. I’m only going to explain things once.” She frowned. “Just, please don’t be mad at me, okay? There’s a good reason behind what I’ve done, and I think this will be the key to finding Gwen and my aunt.”

  “Phia, I’m more worried than mad, and I can’t fault you for wanting to help your friend and your family. Let’s get inside, and we’ll get this over with.”

  Ophelia took a deep breath, her lips curving in a small, relieved smile. “Okay.”

  She stepped around Daniel, and saw Liam leaning against one of the porch posts, smirking. “We’re all ready whenever y’all are. Unless, of course, the both of you need to take cold showers?”

  Daniel punched his brother on the arm as they climbed the front steps. “I’d watch it, if I were you. I’ve seen Phia in action, and I doubt your scales would be so shiny by the time she got through with you.”

  Liam pursed his lips and shot Ophelia a wink as he blew a thin stream of purple fire into the balmy night air. “Bring it on, brother.”

  Ophelia laughed. “Come on, you two. There will be plenty of time for showing off later.”

  Daniel put his arm around her waist as they entered through the wide doorway. “I’m not worried about the dragon. He’s all roar and no bite.”

  Liam shut the door behind them. “That’s only because I don’t want to burn Ophelia’s house down. I like her quite a bit, you know.”

  Daniel whipped his head around so fast that Ophelia laughed again. “Boys, seriously. Reign in the testosterone.” She grinned at Liam. “Besides, I’m not into scales.”

  They entered her kitchen, where Craven stood against the counter, and Melina was settled at the table. Ophelia gently squeezed Daniel’s arm before extracting herself from his embrace and walking over to stand beside her brother. Daniel raised an eyebrow as he watched them.

  “If I didn’t know any better,” he said as Ophelia took her place, “I’d think you two were related. Remove his mustache, and you almost look like twins.”

  “Well,” Craven replied quietly, “that’s probably because we both take after our mother.”

  “What?” Melina squeaked, “Are you telling me that Octavia bitch spawned both of you?”

  Ophelia bit her lip. No beating around the bush, then. “Yes, but it’s not just her. We also share the features of one other person.” She paused and locked eyes with Daniel, her heart hammering, “Jeremiah. He fathered my great-great-whatever grandmother, and he, uh, slept with my mother.”

  “Wait,” Liam held up a hand, “please tell me your mother wasn’t Jeremiah’s descendant, too, because that would just be nasty.”

  Daniel snorted. “This coming from the man who prefers raw meat to cooked.”

  Ophelia shook her head, relieved that they were taking it better than she expected. “No, I’m related through my father’s side. It’s still creepy, but at least it’s not incest.”

  “Either way,” Craven piped up, “Jeremiah has no idea of his relation to Ophelia. Myrick knows – he knows damn near everything, so you can bet on him knowing this – but he’s not telling his crony, or we’d have seen the fallout from that long before now.”

  Melina started at the mention of the sorcerer’s name, but Ophelia was the only one who noticed. She filed the woman’s reaction away for later scrutiny. Melina rose to stand beside Liam. She stared at each of them in turn.

  “I understand putting this out in the open, but what does it have to do with finding your friend’s sister?”

  “It’s not just finding Gwen,” Ophelia said softly, “It’s also about finding my aunt, but I don’t think we’re going to find her alive. After I killed Octavia, Jeremiah saw he couldn’t trust me. I have no doubt he killed her in retaliation.”

  “You don’t seem that broken up about it.”

  “Melina!” Liam hissed. />
  “What? She doesn’t!”

  “It’s okay,” Ophelia held up her hands, “Melina, you don’t know me, and I don’t know you, but you can believe me when I say that nothing we do is more important than finding that woman—alive or dead. She was my mother when my own couldn’t be bothered to stick around. I would have traded places with her in a heartbeat, but she knew. She could see, and I’m sure she knew what awaited her. There was nothing any of us could have done to stop it. My heart is in pieces, but if I give in to that pain, I won’t be any use to anyone.”

  Daniel crossed the room to her side, putting his arm around her waist and drawing her closer. He looked toward the other woman. “That was out of line, Mel.”

  Melina had the grace to look abashed, her cheeks heating until they matched the strawberry color of her hair. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think about that.”

  Liam bumped his hip into Melina’s. “Yeah, don’t forget how I found you—covered in blood, and reeling from the death of your father. You didn’t show a lot of emotion then, either.”

  “You have a point.” She turned back to Ophelia. “I truly am sorry.”

  Ophelia nodded. “It’s okay. These times are stressful for all of us, which is also why we’re here.” She took a deep breath. “I need to clear the air. I know more than I’ve been letting on—leaving y’all to make assumptions on your own, and that wasn’t right. I thought I was doing the best by everyone, keeping y’all safe, but after the meeting with Jeremiah tonight, I realize I was wrong.”

  Melina raised an eyebrow. “Well, aren’t you all full of confessions tonight. Are we all going to take turns, or is this just your stage?”

  Ophelia opened her mouth to respond, but Liam beat her to it. “Mel, you’re doing it again. Can the sarcasm before I light you up.”

  “I’d like to see you try,” but she spread her hands in acceptance. “Sorry,” she muttered again, “ignore me. I haven’t eaten yet tonight, and I’m cranky.”

  Ophelia laughed. “By all means, help yourself to the fridge”

  Melina smiled. “I might do that. After.”

  Ophelia spread her hands, blushing. “Well, let’s just jump right into it, then.” She took a deep breath. “I know what Jeremiah wants from me, but I don’t know how it’ll help.” Her blush deepened. “It’s kind of irrelevant since the man I’m sleeping with can’t have children.”

  “Wait. Are you saying he wants you for breeding purposes?”

  Feeling foolish, Ophelia nodded to Melina, refusing to look up and meet Daniel’s eyes. “Yeah, that’s what I’m saying. I asked him why, but he wouldn’t tell me.”

  Melina shook her head. “I think I know, but that’s not the most important thing right now. What else happened at your meeting tonight?”

  “He told me again that he wants me to deliver Daniel into a trap—if I do this, he’ll tell me where my aunt is—but this time it’s supposed to be a direct meeting with him.” She couldn’t help her smile. “He definitely doesn’t trust me.”

  Liam laughed. “Of course not! The last time he told you to bring Daniel into a trap, you killed one of his cronies, as did myself, and the man in question. What’s left to trust?”

  “The thing is, though,” Craven spoke up, “I know Myrick is the one behind this, and Ophelia isn’t strong enough to go up against him herself. Hell, we could have a hundred of us, and I don’t think we could match his power. And that’s coming from someone who trained under him!”

  Melina nodded. “You’re right. I know about him, a little too much for my liking. If he is, in fact, the one behind all of this, we’re pretty much screwed.” She raised her hand to scratch the back of her neck, no strand of her loosely plaited hair out of place. “And, unfortunately, that could also tie in to Jeremiah wanting you to have babies, but still not important right now.”

  Ophelia laughed weakly. “If it’s not important, stop bringing it up. I’m already on edge, and you’re not helping.”

  Melina smiled. “Sorry. Still hangry.” She paused and spread her hands. “So, what’s the plan?”

  Ophelia shrugged, finally meeting Daniel’s gaze. “We give him what he wants.”

  Daniel choked. “Excuse me?”

  “Not really,” Ophelia said with a laugh, “but we make him think he is, and then we get information. I can conjure a spell strong enough to hold him in place for interrogation, if you’re on board.”

  “Um, if I could interject?” Craven asked, raising his hand. “Not that I doubt your skill, sis, but you have to know he suspects you’ll do just that, and I’d bet my mustache he’s found a way to get a spell to use on you.”

  Daniel scratched his chin. “Craven’s probably right, Phia. Besides, I remember the last time we used me as bait. It was messy.”

  Ophelia chuckled. “That may be, but you performed well enough. I think you can handle this.”

  Daniel winked at her. “You would know all about my performance, wouldn’t you?”

  Craven made a sound like a wounded cat, pretending to retch behind his hand, and Liam cleared his throat. “Okay, you two,” Liam said with a grin, “stuff the hormones before the rest of us get a contact high and petition for an orgy.”

  Daniel’s mouth dropped open, and his face turned beet red. “Banked. Next time, go for the cold water, though, and less for the shock value.”

  “Who said anything about shock? I was being serious.”

  Craven’s face was as red as his hair, but Melina laughed. “Stop it, Liam,” she told him, “you’re embarrassing them.”

  “What?” His eyes were wide and falsely innocent. “They were the ones undressing each other with their thoughts. I was just trying to speed up the party.”

  Ophelia shook her head, her face a burning ember. “Maybe we should leave those two alone for a little while,” she jerked her thumb toward Liam and Melina, “I sense a fight brewing.”

  Daniel tilted his head to the side and grinned at his brother. “My money is on Mel.”

  Craven pushed away from the counter, both hands raised. “Okay, I can clearly see that y’all are all very involved with one another, but can we try to make this a little less awkward for the new guy?”

  Ophelia laughed and bumped her arm into his, her curious gaze focused on Liam and Melina. “Where’s Serena?”

  “We left her at Carissa’s,” Liam replied. “We didn’t want to leave her unprotected.”

  “You wouldn’t have,” Ophelia said with a small smile.

  “How so?” Melina asked.

  Craven chuckled. “Probably because Ophelia’s the one who cast the protection spell over Carissa, which happens to be the single most infuriating thing to Myrick right now.” Craven scratched his chin. “You know, I retract my earlier statement. If Ophelia is strong enough to cast a spell that powerful over something Myrick wants so desperately, we might just stand a chance.”

  Daniel’s gaze landed on Ophelia’s, and her blush deepened. “You can do that?”

  She nodded. “Can and did.”

  With a laugh, Daniel spun her in front of him and dipped her backward for a kiss while everyone else in the kitchen groaned. “Phia, you amaze me.”

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  The next night, everyone gathered in Ophelia’s kitchen again, this time including Serena. Ophelia began the meeting by informing the woman of the high points from the night before. Serena nodded as she finished, her hand gripped tightly to the dagger sheathed at her hip.

  “I know Myrick well. To say your plan is foolish is nothing short of the truth. However, I must concede that it is the best one we have at the moment.”

  Ophelia raised an eyebrow. “Your speech pattern is different than it was the night I met you—more formal or something. How far back does your knowledge of Myrick go?”

  Daniel shook his head and laughed. “I’ve been trying to get her to tell me what she is for the last hundred years, and she hasn’t budged.”

  “Well,” Serena said with a smile, as
a strange wind whipped through the room, “It was not important when you asked me.”

  Serena’s form shimmered, wavered, and shrunk to less than three feet tall. Her eyes glowed a bright, clear shade of violet. The wind ripped her hair from her ponytail to fall in periwinkle waves to the backs of her knees. Her skin shimmered, the color changing from dusky tan to a sparkling, luminescent pink. A bright flash of amber light illuminated the room, and large, iridescent wings appeared, sprouting forth from her shoulder blades.

  With a tinkling laugh, Serena’s form solidified. She hovered about two feet off the ground, her wings beating as rapidly as a hummingbird’s.

  Ophelia sank down onto Daniel’s knee. “You’re a fairy!”

  “Good Lord,” Daniel whispered, “we’re a magical menagerie of freaks. And I thought having a dragon for a brother was weird.”

  The amber glow returned as Serena smiled, her form growing taller and her wings receding. She bowed when she regained her human visage.

  “Do you understand why I did not reveal myself before, Daniel? We fairies pride ourselves on remaining hidden. Knowing what Myrick wants – knowing why he wants magickal beings – does it not make sense?”

  Daniel put an arm around Ophelia’s waist when she tried to stand up. “It does, but damn. A little warning would have been nice. That’s a pretty big secret to be hiding.”

  Serena’s eyes locked on Melina, who squirmed, one hand reaching up to make sure her hair covered her ears—which Ophelia realized she’d never seen. The fairy smiled knowingly.

  “I am not the only one with secrets, but that, my friend, is a story for another day.” She turned back to Ophelia. “When are you supposed to meet with Jeremiah?”

  Ophelia glanced down at her watch, the small diamonds on the face of the gift from her aunt glinting in the overhead light. She opened her mouth just as Liam jumped from where he sat on the counter and ran over to her, grabbing her arm. His green eyes glittered as he studied the stones.

  “These are real diamonds!” he exclaimed.