“I am sure that it will taste just as good as it smells. Have faith, my dear.”
We each fix a plate of crawfish stew and grab a piece of homemade French bread. We sit at the table and eat in silence. Because the food is too damned good to be talking, anyway. Holy Merde! This woman can cook, too. I know that is pretty chauvinistic, but I am a lover of food. I am a cooker myself. I know good food when I eat it.
“How is the stew, Deuce?”
“Adele, baby, it is sublime. It is perfect. I have not had a good crawfish stew in a long time. In fact, the last person to make me one was Alexandre. His was good, but not as good as yours. Although I can’t tell him that, because he is very sensitive about his cooking for some reason. I am not sure why.” I chuckle.
We both sit there and laugh. Once we stop laughing, she gets up and takes our plates to the sink. She grabs dishes for our dessert. I bring the dessert from her fridge to the table. I cut us both a generous slice. She takes one bite and sighs.
“Is something wrong with the cheesecake?”
Okay, I can be sensitive about my cooking as well. Sorry.
“Oh no. I am sighing because it is so damned good. It has been too long since I have eaten a really good cheesecake.”
“I am glad that you like it. I love to cook and bake.” She raises her eyebrows at me and smirks. I think she is finding it hard to believe that a man likes to cook and bake.
“I, surprisingly, would never have guessed that about you. But we are still learning things about each other. It is rare for a man to enjoy cooking. You are indeed a rare find, Deuce.”
“How about we grab a beer from the fridge and go sit on the deck and watch the sunset.”
“That sounds like a perfect plan, my dear.”
She grabs two beers and we head out onto the deck.
We sit in the lounge chairs on the deck, facing the water. I look at her. I mean, really look at her. She is everything I want and need. I just hope that in time she will feel the same way about me.
“Deuce, there is something that I need to tell you. I just hope that when I am done, that you do not think of me differently. In order for us to move forward in this relationship, or whatever it is, you need to know who and what I am, and the why to it. It is only fair if we are both honest with each other. Or this will not work between us. Believe me, I want this to work between us. I have never wanted this in my life, but since you came into my life, I cannot imagine you not in it.”
I nod my head, signaling her to go on. I reach over to her and caress her face. That simple touch gives her the strength she needs to start her story. I already know that no matter what she tells me, it will not change my mind about her. I know that this night we will not take this to the next level physically, but I don’t want our relationship to be based on sex. Relationships are so much more than that.
“Okay, so here goes nothing. Have you heard of the legend of the rougarou?”
“Of course I have. That legend has been a staple for this area for generations upon generations.”
“Well, I am that legend. I am the rougarou. I have been the rougarou for one hundred years. And before me, it was my parents. My children will carry the gene, and it will pass down from generation to generation, always.”
I reach over and grab onto her hand, silently letting her know that I am here and I am not going anywhere.
“Before I was born, my parents helped a woman. She was beaten and bruised from her husband. My parents took her in and kept her safe from him. Eventually, he gave up looking for her and left town. Before she left to go back out into the world on her own, she gave my parents a special gift. She cast a spell on them and any children they may have. This spell would be passed down from generation to generation. For their generosity in helping her to get away from her abusive husband, she blessed them to always be the rougarou. You see, only a witch can make a person the rougarou. Sometimes it is done out of spite, but in this case, it was done out of generosity. My family would always shift into a white wolf. Forever to protect the innocent and help the faithless to find their way back to God. My parents were very grateful to the witch and stayed in contact with her for many years. Then one day she just disappeared, never to be seen again. That same day, my mother discovered she was pregnant with me. I am an only child. I am the last of my kind.”
“That is simply amazing, Adele. May I ask, what happened to your parents?”
“They were murdered by a jealous black magic witch. She was jealous of the happiness my parents had together. You see, she lusted after my dad. But Dad only had eyes for my mom. My dad loved my mom with all of his heart and soul. She was his soul mate. They were born for each other. The witch got angry because her tactics did not work to get my dad into bed with her. So, she found a spell that would kill them. We are immortal. We are not killed easily. It takes someone with immense power to undo the spell long enough to kill us. Or iron and silver weaken us tremendously and can kill us if it is left inside us for long periods of time.” She pauses, and then continues. “I will understand if you never want to see me ever again,” she stumbles through her tears.
At some point during the story, she started to cry. The tears were falling from her eyes from reliving her parents’ death. I know what that is like. That pain never goes away; it may get easier to deal with, but it never leaves you.
“Adele, to be honest with you, I suspected that you were the rougarou. I did not want to ask you in fear that you would think I was trying to get something on you to use against you. I plan on staying with you for as long as you will have me. I know it in my heart that you are my forever. There will be no other for me—only you. You were made just for me, and me for you. Our souls scream for us to be connected. You are the light, the one who can help me keep the beast under control. Without you, I will go insane and go on a murderous rage, because the beast will demand it.”
“Really. You don’t hate me?”
“Why would I hate you? You are the most beautiful, intelligent, loyal, compassionate woman I have ever met. You are the other half to my soul. We belong together. We can and will work through this. This is just a bump in the road; one that we have to go over in order for us to truly be together. No matter what comes our way, we will get through it. Nothing will keep us from being together.”
“I have been too scared to tell you, in fear of what your reaction would be. I am so glad that you do not hate me. That you still want to be with me. I believe that, yes, we are meant to be together. And we will be. But for this to work, we have to be open and honest with each other on everything. I want the kind of love that my parents had. I feel that, with you, I can have that.”
“I completely agree. But I want to tell you my story now. You need to know how we became gator shifters.
“My parents and Joslyn’s parents went to New Orleans one night when we were all twenty. It was our last night of being twenty. They went to the tomb of Marie Laveau. They asked her for a wish. For us to be able to always be safe and be strong enough to handle anything that would come our way.
“They performed the ritual; the one asking her for a wish to be granted. The next night, we noticed a change in us. Joslyn suddenly changed into a Bengal tiger, and when she changed back, she was part vampire as well. One by one, my brothers and I started to feel a change in us. We could feel the tingle that we now know lets us know that we are about to change. Next thing we knew, we were changing into white alligators. Not just any normal sized gator either. No, our gators are twenty feet long and weigh about eight hundred pounds. With us being white, we could shield ourselves, and no one could see us.
“That same night, our parents went back to her tomb and completed the ritual and brought her gifts. Little did they know that they were being followed by local supporters of Marie Laveau. These people were fanatics; they took it too far. They believed that they should have been the ones that the wishes were granted to, not our family.
“It took us a few weeks to get adjus
ted to this new state of being. The majority of the time, we would stay in gator form, just to learn the ins and outs of being in that form. The night of our family dinner, which we had every Sunday, for as long as we can remember, we heard screaming coming from outside. The five of us ran outside to see what was going on. What we found shocked us so much that we could not move. Our parents’ heads were chopped off and placed on stakes in the yard. Their bodies were burning in a fire next to them. We never heard anything. We heard no one come into the yard. Our parents were supposed to be going out to grab dinner. They had decided earlier that day, that that night was a takeout night. We did not hear them come home. Their car was nowhere in sight. Joslyn tried to run over to the heads, and I had to grab onto her and hold her back. Her sobs shook my entire being. Our parents were gone. It was just us.
“Since that night, we have stayed together. Joslyn met her soul mate a few months ago. Since then, we have started up the family dinner again. So, on Sundays, we go over to their house for dinner every week. Her new family has become our family as well. Joslyn is now Skylar’s step-mom, since she is mated to Skylar’s dad.”
“Oh my God, Deuce. Did you ever find out who killed your parents?”
“Yes, we did. But, they are very elusive. They are a coven of voodoo priestesses in New Orleans. We can never catch them to extract justice for what they have done to our family. Maybe one day, but we know that karma works in mysterious ways, and they will get their just desserts coming to them.”
“It makes sense why you and your brothers are gator shifters. Laveau’s powers were said to be unmatched. She was very evil and good at the same time. I know, I do not care about you any less.”
“I do not care for you any less now, either. In fact, I think I care about you a little more now. We have both shared something sacred to us. It will bring us closer together, not pull us apart,” I say.
I look around me to see that it is well past nightfall now. We have been on her deck talking for hours. It feels so good to really get our secrets out. It has opened things up for us, I think. She moves onto my chair with my and cuddles into me. I hold her in my arms. I am content with that. We stay like this for another couple hours before she gets up and yawns.
“I think it is time for me to head home, so that you can get some rest. It has been an emotional night for the both of us. But, it was a good kind of emotional night. We learned so much about each other tonight. Goodnight, my sweet, I will see you tomorrow,” I say.
“Goodnight, babe. See ya tomorrow.”
I walk away and head home. Once I am home, I fall in my bed and just lie there recalling tonight’s conversations. Everything is out in the open between us now. There are no secrets. It felt so good to just lie back in the lounge chair with her in my arms. My body and beast were content with that. My heart is beating to a new beat tonight. One of love. I am falling head over heels in love with Adele. I have to say, it feels so damned good, too. She will be mine one day. Mine for forever, if she will have me as hers.
I can hear my brothers are home from the hunt. From the sounds of it, it was a quiet night for them. Damn. We need to find those women. I can feel the tension in our house. My brothers are on edge, and it is not going to end well if we do not find these women soon. I hear them each close their bedroom doors. Good, they are going straight to bed. As I lay here thinking, I cannot help but fall asleep with a smile on my face. Today was a good day.
Chapter Nine
3 months later
We still have no leads yet. This is becoming a very frustrating project. We are all so very stressed. No one is talking about this in town. You would think getting some alcohol into people would help loosen them up, but they are still tight lipped. Something has to give, and soon, damn it!
I am bringing dinner to Adele’s tonight. It is my turn to cook. I made fried catfish and white beans and rice, with homemade cornbread. I get over to her house and unload the truck. We immediately start eating. As usual, while we are eating, we are silent. I think it is because we both love food too much to talk while we are eating. After we are done, I help her put the leftovers away in her fridge and clean up the dishes. Tonight, there is no dessert. But that’s okay with us. She makes a pot of coffee, and when it is ready, we each fix a cup and go sit on the deck in our favorite chairs.
“Deuce, that was simply amazing. I still cannot get over how much of an amazing cook you are,” Adele comments.
“Thank you. It is one of the things I take great pleasure in each day. Even if it is just making breakfast for everyone. I love to cook.” I pull her over onto my lap. “Baby, what’s wrong, you are quiet this evening?”
“I was just thinking about our differences. And if we can overcome them.”
“Well, what differences are you talking about, baby?”
“For one, our animals are way different. You are a white alligator and I am white wolf. I know so far we have worked well together in animal form, but what if it isn’t enough?”
“Yes, we do work very well together. I think it will always be that way. Just because we are different creatures, does not mean that we cannot love each other. There is no law that says that we cannot be together. And if there was, I sure as hell would not follow it. Our animals recognize each other. We complete each other, or at least, I feel we do.”
“I believe the same thing, Deuce, but what if we have children one day? Will they be wolf shifters or gator shifters? Are we upsetting the balance of things by being together?”
“Whatever our children will be is fine with me. It does not matter, as long as they will be healthy. I don’t think we are upsetting the balance. We are meant to be together. Skylar said so herself, and she would know. She knows everything.”
“I honestly do not know why I am beating around the bush here. Trying to find a reason why we shouldn’t be together. In my heart and soul, I know we are supposed to be together. I am tired of fighting what I feel for you. I have let you in, and I do not let anyone in. I just pray that you do not break my heart in the process, Deuce. I don’t think I could survive that.”
“Baby, I don’t plan on ever breaking your heart. I plan on showing you each and every day how much you mean to me. You are the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. I do not want to ever lose you. You are my light. You keep me and my beast grounded. It warms my heart that when my beast needs to tear shit apart, you let him, and it does not scare you. We work so well together. We have become a team. You fit perfectly with my brothers and me. They adore you. And would gladly give their life to keep you safe. I understand what it is like to be scared to trust this thing between us. We were put in each other’s paths for a reason. Fate never makes a mistake. She may delay it for a while, but in the end, she will have her way.” I sigh. “We have both seen so much tragedy in our lives. We deserve to be happy, just like a normal person does. Just because we are special, does not mean we cannot have a chance at love. We both long for that love that we each saw our parents have. Together, we can have that happiness and love.”
“I know. I guess it is just too good to be true. I have always wanted this, and now that I have it, I am scared something will go wrong and I will lose it,” she admits.
“As long as we are honest with each other, and work together on any issues or problems that may come our way, we will be fine. Our love will grow more and more each day. There is nothing we cannot overcome together, as long as we have each other,” I say honestly.
I run little kisses along her neck, just soft caresses with my mouth. She leans her neck closer to give me better access. She traces little circles with her fingers on my arm. We sit in silence for a while, just basking in each other’s touch.
“Baby, there is something I need to tell you. Since you have come into my life, you are all I think about. You are under my skin, in my heart, and my soul. I love you with every fiber of my being. You are my forever. Fate has made you just for me. I am so glad that you are a part of my life. Will you be my fo
rever?”
“I feel the same way about you. You are everything to me, Deuce. I love you so much that it hurts. I love waking each day, knowing that I will get to spend time with you. I am finally ready to admit that. I love you, Deuce Monroe. Yes, I will be your forever,” she exclaims.
I hug her closer to me. She is the very breath I breathe. I will never let this woman go. Never! I will always fight for her. We will save the innocent together. She has made me the happiest man alive right now. I know there will be rough times, but we can work though them.
She turns herself around so she is now straddling my lap. Hmm, now we’re talking. “Deuce, I love you. Make love to me,” she whispers.
“Your wish is my command,” I whisper back to her.
I press my lips to hers in the barest of kisses. She pulls my head back and demands more. Our kisses start out slow. Each one more passionate than the one before. I am not rushing this. She will know how much I love her. I will show her body how truly beautiful she is. I grab onto her butt and stand up from the chair with her straddled around my waist. I carry her like that into her houseboat and make my way to her bedroom. She wraps her arms around my neck and places slow, torturous sweet kisses on my ear as I am carrying her to the bedroom.
I slowly lower her down to the bed, keeping her underneath me, but not putting my full weight upon her. I gaze into her soulful eyes. Her hair is spread out underneath her and fanned out around her head. God, she is magnificent. And she is all mine. We will complete our mating bond. Tonight, we will truly become one. Our souls will be complete.
I place my elbows around her head and take her face into my hands and kiss her with every fiber of my being. I pour everything into that one kiss. Love, laughter, everything. She wraps her legs around my waist and pulls me closer to her. She moans in my mouth as our kisses become more and more passionate. My desire for her is evident. My engorged cock is pressing up against the zipper of my jeans. I move my hips up against her in an effort to create some friction. She throws her head back and moans.
Deuce (Swamp Desires Book 1) Page 8
