by C. L. Bevill
Two months after escaping from Raoul in a car caught in traffic, Jane had gained a little weight. She slept at night without nightmares. She and Christien were nearly inseparable. She had spent weeks straightening out her estate. Her friend, Anna, had taken care of her business after Jane had vanished after the robbery. It had been nearly a year since Jane and Christien had disappeared into the night. The restaurant had been closed since that night, but it was still there, waiting for Jane to step up.
The famille hadn’t stopped looking for the pair. The Noir would give them nothing, and they could do nothing to her. The witch had contacts in police departments and government officials that thwarted the Lake People. Stymied at every avenue, they had been warned through third parties that Christien and Jane would be murdered if they continued their actions.
Anna had been furious. She had spent months in New Orleans trying to track the Noir down. But the Noir had been like silk slipping through her hands.
There’s one thing, Jane thought.
One hand caressed her nape. What?
If I died and Adrienne brought me back, then when she died, the bodyguards died. Why didn’t I die then, too?
The spark of life wasn’t gone within you.
“What?” Jane said aloud.
You understand.
“Not really,” she said.
“The witch was able to bring the dead back to life,” Christien said, nuzzling Jane’s neck where a nasty scar remained. Not that he cared about that. “You weren’t all the way dead.”
“Isn’t that from a movie?”
All that explaining to the police, Christien thought with a heavy sigh. The story we made up so they wouldn’t ask questions. Kidnapped by Raoul. Held by him. Drugged by him. You couldn’t remember much of anything. Running into the Jeep made you an amnesiac. We should write a screenplay for a movie, chère.
Pity you couldn’t convince the helicopter pilot.
He saw one of the bodyguards…die…well, again. The sheriff’s department investigated Fort St. Phillip. They didn’t find anything except a top hat and glasses.
Jane grinned. You are smug.
La Famille is good at keeping secrets, he said in her head.
They ought to be, considering all the voices in their heads.
Our heads.
Our heads, she agreed.
There was a great splash in the lake. Jane turned her head and saw the tail sink into the roiling waters. Was that— ?
Oh yes.
Did you tell him Baron Samedi’s message?
I think Goujon knows already. With that, Christien removed the animal familiar medallion from around his neck and threw it as far as he could into the lake. It made a tiny splash and it was gone. But just so he knows…
Jane shrugged. The witch had used Christien’s St. Jude medal to make the sorcerous medallion so there was no safe place for it, except with Goujon. The giant catfish could guard it to his heart’s content. That’s good enough for me.
Christien chuckled. “Come on. Anna wants to tease you about the new color of your hair and your eyes.”
“I could dye it back to blonde,” Jane offered.
“Doesn’t matter to me,” Christien said. “I love you just the way you are.”
“Really?”
Christien stared into Jane’s eyes. From the day we met.
Jane blushed because there was much more than that involved in the thought. Every nuance, every feeling that shot through her body. It’s not every day I get that from a former Roux-Ga-Roux.
Christien steered her toward the church. La Famille was waiting for them. His parents and siblings were there. Jane had Anna and a few friends from New Orleans to bear witness. This was their wedding day, and they were happy once more.
I could chase you into the cemetery again, chère.
Jane giggled and took his hand. Oh, you caught me, buddy boy. Let’s go make it formal.
Whatever you say, zombie girl.
I thought you said I wasn’t dead.
A little bit dead. He pinched his finger and thumb together to demonstrate the amount.
She gripped his hand firmly. Call me a zombie girl again and—
Christien spun her and took her lips in a long, blistering kiss. When he let her go, they were both breathing heavily.
“What was I saying?” Jane murmured. “My heart is pounding so hard that I’m definitely not dead, but I think I forgot my name again.”
“Jane Marie Barnes, let’s get married,” Christien suggested.
“Right. I love you, too.” She smiled and added just in case he had forgotten his name, “Christien Allen Malleville.”
I know.
Look, Goujon jumped again! Jane thought and ran for the church, despite the fact that she was wearing a full-length bridal gown. Her train flew behind her as she went.
Christien actually looked at the lake and then realized Jane was going to beat him to the church where everyone and their brother was waiting. He ran after her, despite the fact that he was wearing a formal suit.
And they smiled throughout the entire ceremony.
– THE END –
Cajun/French and French
Phrases and Words Used
absolument – absolutely.
ayez pitié – Have pity.
beaucoup de merde – a lot of shit or much shit
bibitte – Sometimes used as a Cajun curse word, meaning male genitalia.
certainement – certainly
C’est drôle, oui – It is funny, yes.
chère(f) cher (m) – dear (Also ma chère (f), mon chere (m), which is my dear.)
conja – healer or witch
Dieu – God (Also mon Dieu – My God.)
grand-mère – Grandmother.
Je comprends – I understand.
jolie fille – pretty girl
la bête – the beast
la famille – the family
la sorcière – the witch (Also le socière for the male version.)
le docteur – the doctor
les sorcières – the witches
loup-garou – werewolf
ma petite fleur – my little flower
maman – mom.
maître d’hotêl – headwaiter or the hostess of a restaurant.
merde – shit
mon amour – my love
mon oncle – my uncle
noir – black
non – no
On t’a bercé trop près du mur? – As a child, was your cradle rocked too close to the wall?
oui – yes
petite catin – Cajun French for small doll or baby doll. In other definitions, small trollop.
Petite(p’tite) fille – little girl
petit imbécile – little fool
Roux-Ga-Roux – another name for werewolf (In some stories, the Roux-Ga-Roux is a more of a monster than a werewolf.)
tante – aunt
tchew – Cajun French for ass
très beau – Very beautiful
très mauvais – very bad
voila merde – Cajun French for “go to shit”
Vous chose stupide – You stupid thing.
Vous comprenez? – You understand?
Author’s Stuff I Need to Say
Let’s see. I get various complaints about my use of French in the Lake People series, so I tried extra hard to make it basically correct, although I probably made mistakes. My apologies to anyone I offended. Please remember that the French that is spoken in Louisiana in not the French spoken in France or in high school for that matter. Also remember that this is fiction, and the Lake People aren’t Cajuns or Creoles or anything that can be pigeonholed, so it gives me lots of literary license. Whoo-hoo!
Also, I recollect that one reviewer was particularly offended that I called Gabriel’s boat (In Veiled Eyes) at Twilight Lake, a ship. Apparently, it was a boat unless it was in the sea or some other obscure nautical rule that I did not understand. I still don’t understand.
If it’s bigger than a rowboat, I’m calling it a ship. Okay, if it’s bigger than a trawler, then it’s a ship? Something like that. I hope people read the novels for the enjoyment and the suspense and the storytelling. If I’ve made mistakes, then it’s my fault.
Okay, I admit it. I took liberties with New Orleans and Fort St. Phillip. I really wanted to use these places in a novel, and this was a good opportunity. There really is a Fort St. Phillip on the east side of the Mississippi, but there isn’t much left, and you can only get there via boat or helicopter. However, Fort Jackson is still there, although damaged by Katrina. Although my husband and I visited there once at twilight, we didn’t see a single Roux-Ga-Roux.
Thanks to my husband and my daughter who always support me during writing, although this particular book was augmented by the state of moving. Thanks to Mary E. Bates who proofreads and edits for me. If you happen to need such a wonderful person, she can be reached at: [email protected]
Thanks to all the great fans of my blog, on Facebook and on the website. Being an indie author means doing a lot of work, plus all the help you can cadge, steal, barter, or buy, and I truly appreciate all the readers who take a chance on the novels. Thank you all so much.
Sincerely,
C.L. Bevill
About the Author
C.L. Bevill has lived in Virginia, Texas, Arizona, and Oregon. She once was in the U.S. Army and a graphic illustrator. She holds degrees in social psychology and counseling. She is the author of Bubba and the Dead Woman, Bubba and the 12 Deadly Days of Christmas, Bubba and the Missing Woman, Veiled Eyes, Disembodied Bones, and Shadow People, among others. Presently she lives with her husband and her daughter in Alabama and continues to constantly write. She can be reached at www.clbevill.com or you can read her blog at www.carwoo.blogspot.com
Other Novels by C.L. Bevill
Mysteries:
Bubba and the Dead Woman
Bubba and the 12 Deadly Days of Christmas
Bubba and the Missing Woman
Brownie and the Dame (Coming Soon)
Bayou Moon
Paranormal Suspense/Romance:
Veiled Eyes (Lake People 1)
Disembodied Bones (Lake People 2)
Arcanorum: A Lake People Novel (Lake People 3)
The Moon Trilogy:
Black Moon (The Moon Trilogy 1)
Amber Moon (The Moon Trilogy 2)
Silver Moon (The Moon Trilogy 3)
Cat Clan Novellas:
Harvest Moon
Blood Moon
Shadow People
Sea of Dreams
Suspense:
The Flight of the Scarlet Tanager
Black Comedy:
The Life and Death of Bayou Billy
Missile Rats
Chicklet:
Dial ‘M’ For Mascara
