by Deanna Chase
“Ready.”
“Bayou…here we come,” I said. “’Cause I have a soul to save and this time it’s mine.”
Chapter 24
Within a half hour, our caravan pulled into a small parking lot next to a metal-sided building. A faded green sign with a man straddling an alligator read, Jean’s Alligator Tours. Don’t be afraid of shallow waters.
Kane followed me. I tried to peer through the dirt-crusted glass door. No lights shone from within, and I couldn’t sense any foreign human emotions.
“I don’t think Jean’s in,” I said.
“He’s here.” Lucien typed a message on his phone. A second later it buzzed with a reply. He jerked his head toward the back. “This way.”
Everyone was relatively quiet as we followed Lucien to a metal chain-link gate. He pressed a button resembling a doorbell, and an annoying buzzer went off. Lucien pushed the gate open, leading the way to the mysterious Jean.
Hidden behind the building was an old weather-worn dock with another sign that read, Swim with the gators. $5 a head. No refunds.
“Funny guy,” Pyper said with a smirk.
A loud motor rumbled to life. I spun, searching for a vehicle.
“It’s out there.” Kane pointed to the river lapping against the dock.
Sure enough, the rumble grew louder as a dented gray airboat came into view, backing up into the narrow slip to the right of the dock. The entire left side appeared to have been crushed and then smoothed out as best as possible. The crinkled metal caused the rig to list slightly to the left while floating.
I blanched. “He’s not taking us out on that, is he?”
“No.” Lucien chuckled.
“Oh, good.” I sighed in relief.
“We’re going by ourselves.”
I turned to Kane, giving him a look of despair. He sent me a sympathetic smile and draped his arm around my shoulder, tucking me close.
“Geez, Lucien. Could you have found a bigger piece of floating garbage?” Pyper yelled over the growing noise.
Another airboat glided into view. Remnants of blue paint peeked through the cancerous rust claiming its hull. If possible, the second one appeared even more unseaworthy. I imagined one tiny collision would crumple the decaying metal.
Lucien turned his back on the boats and glared at us. “Save your snark for later. Unless you want an angry Cajun tossing you in the bayou.”
Pyper raised a skeptical eyebrow, but kept silent.
The engines died with a rough sputter and a middle-aged, paunchy, dark-haired man with crooked teeth jumped onto the dock. He lumbered his way over and held a hand out to Lucien. “My boy! Ah haven’ seen ya since dat crawfish ball at Nannak’s.”
Lucien smiled and pumped his hand. “It’s been too long.”
“Yous been hiden up in da city. You come to my ohm de next Friday for shrimps. Ya?”
“I’d love to. Thanks for the invite.” Lucien waved in our direction. “Uncle Pete, I’d like to introduce you to my friends.”
Each of us shook Uncle Pete’s unnervingly strong grip, thanking him for his help.
“De boats, dey are ready.” He handed Lucien two sets of keys. “Take care of dem.” Uncle Pete said a few more words to Lucien and then he and his helper disappeared into the metal building.
“That sweet man would throw me in the bayou?” Pyper laughed. “Right.”
Lucien handed a set of keys to Ian before focusing on Pyper. “I’ve heard rumors Pete has connections with the Family. Don’t make the mistake of underestimating him. He’s a hard-core Cajun, been living off the bayou since he was a boy. You don’t survive that kind of existence without some notoriety.”
“The Family?” Pyper lowered her voice. “As in, the mob?”
Lucien ignored her and climbed onto the dented gray boat.
“Shit.” Pyper glanced back at the building.
Lucien’s lips twitched as if he was trying not to laugh.
I rolled my eyes. “Can we get started now?”
“Hold on.” Mom pulled me to the side. “I want you to wear this.” She unclasped the bead I’d given her and secured it around my neck. “You need this more than I do.”
I fingered the smooth glass and opened my mouth to protest, but she cut me off.
“I added my own form of protection. Do your mom a favor and don’t argue.” She clasped my hands, warming them with her touch.
My eyes misted. I nodded. “Okay.”
“That’s my girl.” She gave me a kiss on the cheek and followed Ian, Pyper, and Kat onto the rusted boat. Kane, Lucien, Lailah, and I took the gray one.
Ian tossed me a two-way radio. “This way we can keep in touch with any sightings and our whereabouts.”
“Are you sure you’re up for this?” Lucien asked him. “The bayou can be a dangerous place. And I don’t just mean the terrain and the wildlife. A lot of the land is privately owned, and people around here don’t take well to trespassers.”
“I’m aware. My grandfather had a place out here.”
Lucien saluted him and fired up the airboat.
I nearly jumped out of my seat. The vibration, along with the ear-splitting noise, set my teeth on edge. How could we sneak up on a cabin with all this commotion?
After a few false starts, Ian finally got his rust trap going. Before he glided out into the open river, Lucien gestured for him to wait and climbed back onto the dock. Lailah joined him.
Kane and I cast Lucien questioning glances, but we were ignored.
The pair walked in a tight circle, their lips moving in what appeared to be a chant, but I couldn’t hear anything over the roar of the engines. Power started to build, and through my connection to Lucien as his coven leader, a small ball of magic pulsed inside me, making me itch with anticipation.
Lailah threw her head back, arms stretched wide. A white light materialized around her. Lucien mimicked her movements. The light spread to encompass him. I gasped as power exploded from my center. My head spun, and I clung to Kane to keep from falling out of my chair. Holy shit balls. They could have warned me.
The magic around them shot straight up and covered both boats in a dome formation. The engine noise faded to a low rumble. Lucien and Lailah stepped back on the boat.
Lailah smiled. “Better?”
“Sure. If I didn’t feel like you stole every last bit of my energy,” I grumbled.
She frowned. “What?”
“I’m the coven leader, remember? You two just worked some sort of powerful spell and now I need another pill, or a chocolate bar.”
Lucien stopped fiddling with the dock ropes. “Jade, the spell was a simple one. With Lailah and me casting it, you shouldn’t have felt anything.”
“Well, something went wrong then, ’cause the spell used a big portion of the magic I’d been storing up.” I leaned against Kane for support, fighting the panic growing in my belly. “I’m going to barely have a spark left when we find them.”
Lailah moved to my side. She placed a hand on my arm and frowned. “Your defenses are too weak.” She turned to Lucien. “She shouldn’t be going with us. In this state Meri will have no problem claiming her soul.”
“No!” I stood on wobbly legs. “It’ll only get worse if we wait. I’m not backing out now. Lucien, get this boat in the open water and follow Ian before he disappears.”
Since I was the coven leader, Lucien had little choice but to follow my orders. A moment later the boat glided away from the slip, rolling with the gentle waters of the river. The cool morning air carried the aroma of cypress trees and dense moss.
“At least let me transfer some energy to you.” Lailah’s face pinched in worry.
“Uh…” It was something I was prepared to do with Kat, my best friend, the one who was always there for me in such situations. But Lailah? I clamped my jaw together and sucked air through my teeth. “I don’t know.”
“Relax.” She grabbed both of my arms and, even though I’m certain she was not at
all authorized to do such a thing, she started pushing her clean energy into my being.
Pure bliss. I closed my eyes and soaked the energy in as every last nerve ending came to life. Good Goddess, is this what angels felt like all the time? I’d trade places with her in a heartbeat if I could and ask God to strike me down if I ever complained about anything. I was ready to take on the world.
Lailah tried to let go, but I clamped a hand on her arm. “Not yet.” The sensation was too good to abandon.
“Jade!” She shook me off. “You greedy witch! You’ll drain me. Then where will we be?”
I sat up straight in my chair and pushed my wind whipped hair out of my eyes. I blinked. Everyone stared at me with concern and shock radiating from them.
Kane put an arm around my shoulder. “You okay?”
I nodded. Holy Jesus. I’d been drunk on Lailah’s energy. Is that what people felt when I sent an energy boost?
“No, it isn’t,” Lailah said, reading my mind. When had our mental connection come back? With the energy transfer? “They only get a trickle from you. They don’t know how to seize your energy and suck you dry.” She scowled. “Like you just did.”
Oh, shit. I grimaced. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to.”
“Next time have better manners.” She dug around in her pack, pulled out an energy-enhanced pill, and washed it down with water from a plastic bottle.
I leaned back in my seat, guilt eating away at my restored strength. I had to get myself together. Time to focus. A deteriorating white camp house was out there somewhere, with an angel and an ex-demon who had some explaining to do.
“How long until we get to Cajun Cove?” I asked Lucien.
“About thirty minutes.”
“Okay.” I pulled a notebook out of my backpack and paid attention to the surroundings. The trees had started to lose their leaves. Stumps from long-dead Cypress trees lined the edges of the bayou. Large dragonflies buzzed overhead, and a hawk screeched and flew off in the opposite direction.
An ominous sense of loss settled over me. The river became quiet except for the faint hum of the airboat, and I had the eerie sensation we were all alone.
But that wasn’t right. No one was ever alone in these parts. Landowners and fisherman never left the waters for long. Not to mention the abundance of wildlife.
Lucien slowed the boat and turned into a narrow opening. Bare tree limbs threatened to scrape the hull on both sides. The air started to warm, bringing a blanket of moisture from the humidity. Though I hadn’t touched the water once, I suddenly felt damp all over.
Ian waved from ahead as they continued up the main channel.
“They’re not following?” I asked.
“No.” Lailah pulled out a hand drawn map and pointed to a section highlighted in blue. “They’re covering this area.” She pulled out an identical map, this one with a section outlined in yellow. “And we’re taking this one. Keep an eye out for the camp.”
“Got it.” I hoped my hastily drawn description was enough for Kat. She was scouting the house from the other boat. I wasn’t a two-dimensional artist, so combined with vague details and my lack of talent, she had her work cut out for her.
I prayed she didn’t identify the wrong camp. I could just see the four of them barging in on some family. One of two things would happen: Either they’d scare the occupants to death, or the owners would shoot and ask questions later.
The algae floating on the surface became dense, and Lucien slowed to maneuver his way through the thick vegetation. Something moved, startling me as it splashed into the river on the right. Gator. It left a sizeable wake as it glided toward the airboat.
My muscles tensed, and I clutched Kane’s leg.
“Don’t worry. He isn’t going to climb into the boat,” he said, chuckling.
“You’re sure?” I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the massive thing. “How sturdy is this contraption?”
“Sturdy enough to haul us through the bayou,” Lucien said.
I glanced at the left side and gasped as the gator rose up in the water and snapped at the side of the boat. “Go faster!” I cried, clinging to Kane.
Kane wrapped his arms around me and tried to hide a smile. I grimaced and turned my attention to Lucien.
“We can’t.” Lucien appeared unfazed by the five-hundred-pound monster trying to eat the airboat.
“But—”
“Stay away from the edge,” Lailah said. “He can’t jump into the boat.”
“You sure?” I stared at the still water, wondering where the beast had gone.
“Positive. During tourist season they’re trained to come up to the boats. As long as you don’t feed him your hand, you’ll be fine.”
I bit my lip and moved over one seat so I was sitting right in the middle of the boat. For the remainder of the trip, I planned to stay as still as I could, frozen in my spot.
“I’m sure you’ll be much safer there,” Kane teased.
I shot him my best death glare, but he only laughed.
The morning sunlight bounced off the trees, casting long shadows and dark corners. At every turn, I was convinced the gator or, worse, a water moccasin, would find its way into the listing airboat. Honestly, the way the hull was crumpled, it wouldn’t take much. I was shocked the boat glided along the top of the water as well as it did.
The radio crackled with an update from Ian. They were a few miles downriver, circling the town of Cajun Cove. We were trolling the small waterways around the island. So far, we’d worked our way past a dozen or so deserted camps, none of them even closely resembling the one I’d dreamed of.
Lailah and Lucien sat together making notes on the map. Kane moved to my side, resting one hand on my knee. He grabbed the binoculars and scanned the banks for any sign of activity. Despite Lailah’s energy transfer, my body became heavy with fatigue. Even the hard candy I’d brought along didn’t help perk me up. My eyes became heavy, and I swear I started to drift off right there in the middle of the bayou. No one bothered me, even though I was supposed to be searching for Philip’s hideout. I’d been still for so long they’d stop paying attention to me.
A tingling sensation washed through me, and I shot up in my seat. Standing, I faced west and stared into the trees and vegetation. Something just beyond the bend called to me.
“Lucien.” I pointed to a small opening between the overgrown grass. “Turn here.”
He let up on the throttle and the boat cruised to a stop. “You sure?”
“Yes.” I turned to Lailah. “I feel it. The rest of my soul is there. With Meri.”
Chapter 25
The warped, wood-sided house sat buried in the overgrown marshland. With most of the windows boarded up, the camp appeared deserted. There wasn’t a boat, or even a footpath cut through the thick brush from the dock to the front door. No light, no movement, no life.
I knew better. My emotional radar went into overdrive. I couldn’t sense Philip, but a tiny thread of Dan’s energy reached me. He was inside. Antsy, but not nervous. More like he had cabin fever. Who could blame him?
Most importantly, Meri waited inside with the rest of my soul. My fatigue instantly vanished, and I felt whole for the first time in days. Did Meri feel it too? Would she know I was nearby? It didn’t matter. We were already here. I stepped onto the rickety dock. “Let’s do this.”
“Hold on.” Lucien radioed our location to Ian and stashed the device under a seat.
I eyed the radio and then raised my eyebrows in question.
“The silence charm only works while we’re on the boat. The last thing we need is Ian trying to reach us before we secure them in the building,” Lailah said.
“Secure them?” What was this—a sting operation? All I wanted to do was confront Meri. Surely if we duked it out, my soul would find a home with one of us. And that one of us was going to be me, if I had anything to say about it.
“Yeah.” Lailah gestured to the house. “So Philip can’t transport them an
ywhere.”
“He can do that?”
She sighed. “Yes. He’s an extremely powerful angel.”
More powerful than her. The thought popped in my head before I could stop it. I winced and glanced at her, but either she ignored me or our mental connection was on the fritz. “You better hurry. My soul feels whole again. If Meri is paying attention, she might already know I’m here.”
Lailah nodded and split from Lucien as the pair crept along the bank in opposite directions. Their magic collective barely brushed against my skin in a feathery caress. Magic filtered in a silver stream toward the house, split apart, and circled around until the two threads met again, sealing together. Another transparent bubble covered the shack. It was the same type of spell they’d used back when we’d gotten on the airboats. Though, this time the magic hadn’t affected me at all. My soul had to be the difference.
Lailah nodded. “They aren’t going anywhere now.”
With her statement, I strode straight up the front door, not caring who saw me. I didn’t even knock. What was the point?
I threw the door open, surprised they hadn’t even bothered to lock it. Not that a deadbolt would’ve stopped me. I had my strength back. Or so I thought.
My eyes met Meri’s determined gray ones and an internal battle began. My newly won strength faded just as quickly as it had appeared.
Meri seemed to stand taller, more confident with each passing moment. My eyelids grew heavy, and my legs ached with fatigue. All I wanted to do was sink to the floor. A hollow sensation grew inside my gut, and that’s when it hit me. Meri was sucking me dry.
I had to do something. Anything.
I lunged.
Surprise flickered over her face and she side-stepped me, but she was too late. I tackled her, and we crashed down on the rough wood floor. My right elbow throbbed. I grunted and clutched Meri’s arm. Her energy and my soul started to fill the empty crevices of my being. Everything hummed with possibilities. I’d never felt so…powerful.
