The woman stood from her seat with the Rada family and stepped on to the makeshift aisle. The crowd parted as she made her way to us. Her skin was a rich coffee and she had an air of sensuality about her. She was almost more alluring than the temptress in the box had been. Her hair was large and long, and full of tight curls which bounced with each step she took. She was all curves and sex appeal. Large, kind brown eyes stood out on her stunning face. Those eyes conjured feelings of warmth which I hadn’t expected to feel towards my husband.
She held her hands above her heart and bowed her head to us. “Li ta plezi m’. It would be my pleasure, cousin.” Moving in front of us, she turned and faced the crowd again. “I, Erzulie Freda, Loa of True Love and the Blessed, call on the ancestors before us to guide these two down the path of marriage.”
Her hands were raised above her head.
The room fell completely silent as everyone waited for a sign. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a light flash as it moved by quickly. No one else seemed to notice it so I braved a glance in the direction it had moved. Towards the back of the room, behind the crowds, sat the raven I’d followed to Mateo that first time.
It was Marie.
I can’t really say why, but all my anger towards her for putting me in this situation evaporated in an instant. It was her deal that had initially promised me to the man beside me. However, it felt like she was there in a different capacity. I had a strange feeling about it all.
The bird cawed loudly and took flight. The sound drew the eyes of the crowd and everyone watched as the iridescent bird circled overhead before diving towards Erzulie Freda. The woman never opened her eyes once as the bird merged with her being and shocked gasps filled my ears.
A deep croaking sound was coming from the possessed Loa and her arms shook as her body adjusted to the invasion. Erzulie’s eyes opened and her head fell forward. She’d be staring right at me if it wasn’t for her eye’s being rolled back into her head.
“Hello my child,” she said, stepping towards me. The voice was familiar, like something from a dream and it was distinctly different from the Loa’s. “You’ve grown up and become everything we ever hoped you would.”
She came to a stop inches from me and brought her soft hand up to stroke my face. The contact was like a shock of warmth, it brought my powers to the surface.
I had seen her before. That was why the voice was familiar. When I’d first dreamt about her, she and the Baron had stood on the shores of the muddy Mississippi River while they struck the infamous deal. The next time, she was styling hair for one of the southern belles in New Orleans. Even then, it didn’t feel right, but I couldn’t figure out why.
I spared a glance towards my new husband, who was watching our exchange with much interest. He caught my stare and furrowed his brows a bit. “Spirit, do you give your blessing for the union of myself to this daughter of your family?”
Erzulie-Marie, I wasn’t sure which name I should have used, tore her gaze from me and leveled an icy glare at the King of the Dead. “Tis been such a very long time La Croix. You don’t seem to have changed a bit. Such a shame.” Her disdain for the man was palpable. The witnesses in the crowd grew quiet as the tension in the chapel became more intense.
I looked to Samedi, who did not seem to be amused by the woman’s obvious resentment and show of disrespect. “Time is of no consequence when you live forever, but you wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?” He was smug as he spoke. I wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. His tongue was like a whip making lashes in the woman’s buttoned down exterior.
“I’ll give my blessing for this union because I made an oath that I would.” She turned back to me and ignored the animosity between the pair. Her features returned to her sweet, endearing persona. I wasn’t sure whether or not it was authentic. If it wasn’t, I had to admit the woman was a gifted actress. “Be careful and remember, whatever you do, don’t be fooled by a pretty face and a few charming words. They all have that quick wit that will have you upside down and backwards before you can utter an objection.” She moved in and pressed a tender kiss to my temple and squeezed my arms much like a grandmother would. “Find Yansa. She’ll have the answers you seek,” the woman whispered into my ear low enough that only I could hear before pulling away.
“Well, as always, it’s been such a pleasure, Marie.” Samedi’s sarcasm wasn’t lost on either of us.
Erzulie-Marie stepped back to her starting location in front of the altar. “I’m sorry for all you’ve had to endure and for all of the suffering yet to come. I hope one day you will understand and grant me forgiveness, ma belle.” Her head fell back and Erzulie twitched a few times before the glowing raven exploded forth from her chest and disappeared into thin air.
The Loa of True Love rolled her head from side to side as if she were trying to work out a kink. She took a deep breath and gave us a tired smile.
“Shall we?” she said it like it was the most normal thing in the world to be possessed and continue on like nothing had even happened. She was as clear eyed as she had been before Marie’s arrival.
“By the blessing of the ancestors, I grant my blessing upon this union. Like the rising dawn which brings new beginnings, so shall your partnership.”
She grabbed ahold of my wrist and brought it in front of her. She did the same to Samedi. Forcing our hands and wrists together she began whispering in a language I’d only heard once before when the Baron had opened a portal. I couldn’t be sure it was the exact same, but my gut said it was.
“Di awon meji ninu okan lailai siwaju sii,” Her words were sharp, though they felt like more than mere words.
My hand pulled in tighter to Samedi’s without any effort. We were locked on to each other. I tugged on my hand, trying to break the hold.
Nothing.
Erzulie’s chant came to a stop and she held a hand out to the Baron, or at least I thought she did. Instead of him giving her anything, he simply held out his free hand which had his staff clutched tightly in his fingers. The snake was still very much animated and slithered its way from being wrapped around the column and over the Baron’s hand to Erzulie’s outstretched ones.
The sick twisting sensations began in my stomach as she picked up the serpent and spoke to it like a beloved puppy. Fear intermingled with confusion to make me one very nauseous and lightheaded bride. I tried to pull my magic forth so I could break away from the Baron and get away from that infernal reptile, but nothing was happening. My magic was dormant and refused to obey my command. That was when the real panic began to set in.
“Relax. You’ll be fine,” Samedi whispered, noticing my incessant squirming. The clammy palm which was flush against his own probably was a pretty good sign too.
I wanted to smack him for his unsolicited bullshit, yet somehow, I managed to restrain myself to only mentally beating him.
Erzulie began her chant again as she held the snake up for all the chapel to see. Slowly, she lowered its scaly body towards my hand. I tried to take a futile step backwards. My groom jerked me back to my spot about the same time the cold reptilian skin touched my own.
I squealed, no longer able to keep my terror quiet and squeezed my eyes tightly shut. I didn’t want to see the moment that the damn thing went in for the kill.
I felt the cool, rough body shift and coil around my wrist and extend past my hand to wrap around my husband’s as well. I held my breath as it sat there, stealing away any warmth that my body could offer. We were linked by vows, snake, and magic all at the same time.
“Do you have the amulet?” Erzulie asked Samedi.
The snake was gripping my limb tightly, securing itself by squeezing tighter bit by bit.
“Legba?” he said to his best man, who apparently had whatever amulet they were speaking of.
I cracked an eye open to glimpse Legba handing a folded bit of cloth to Erzulie. I was careful to keep my eyes averted from the serpent. Nothing worked to ease my rising anxiety.
> “Di awon lodi,” the Loa whispered as she lowered the amulet around my neck and fastened it securely in place.
Glimpsing the snake which was still entangled around me, I screwed my eyes shut again. I hadn’t gotten a good look at the necklace, though the heft of it was surprising. It was large and the metal of the pendant was cool against my heated flesh.
Erzulie fell silent along with everyone else who’d been whispering amongst themselves. The silence was deafening. I cracked an eye open and was nearly blinded by bright light being given off my chest.
It was the pendant.
The charm was beginning to grow warm, yet not hot like my magic could get. I looked to Samedi, who was watching with renewed interest. He seemed downright excited by whatever was happening and that thought scared me. What could elicit such a response from a man that seemed to be as emotionally stunted as he was?
“Samedi? What-?”
“Shhhh.” he hushed me and returned his shining eyes to my neck.
He was about to learn what happened to men who thought they could shut me up when I started to notice something. The chain around my neck felt a bit tighter, like it was adjusting itself so it sat more comfortably about me.
The pendant began to pulse like a heartbeat. Thumping alongside my own pulse, it took me a moment to realize it wasn’t mine. The warmth of the pendant started spreading, tricking over my shoulders and creeping up my neck. Within seconds it was tingling in my fingers. A smattering of sweat broke out across my forehead and I wanted the whole ordeal to be done and over with.
The second the heat filled the tips of my fingers, things began to change and become much crazier than I had been expecting. My dormant powers flared to life, larger than ever before. Instead of being solely contained within my body, it flowed into me and out of me like an ocean tide. It was coming from the Baron. He was giving me his own magic and taking mine in return.
My eyes were wide as I sought confirmation from my partner. His ecstatic grin was the only validation I needed. He felt it too, reveled in it.
The snake around my hand uncoiled and slithered its way back onto the awaiting staff. My body was pulled tight, refusing to move and set the damn thing off. Tiny explosions of color danced around the edges of my vision and the back of my head throbbed slightly.
I’d never felt such raw, untapped power as what was coursing through me. The sky was the limit.
“Congratulations,” Erzulie said, bowing her head to me and stepping back.
She turned and made her way back to her family. An applause and cheers of congratulations filled the room.
Legba stepped around Samedi and bowed deeply. When he rose again, he took me by the hands and pressed a chaste kiss against my knuckles.
“Welcome to the Ghede, Madam. It will take some getting used to, however, I believe you’ll find yourself much more at home now.”
What did he mean? I didn’t think that a sham of a marriage would make much difference in my comfort level. Something inside me told me that something still wasn’t quite right. He meant something more than the marriage. Thinking about it, I could feel it. Something had changed in me. I just couldn’t put my finger on what it was.
“What does he mean?” I asked, turning to Samedi.
He looked like a show dog, proud and triumphant.
My confusion only served to stir the magic that had been unleashed within me. It was bubbling over, leeching out of me. So much so that I had begun to glow, fueling my heightened feelings even more. It was a vicious cycle, one which I didn’t know how to break. I was on the verge of hysterics.
Noticing my predicament, he grabbed onto my arm and started pulling me towards the exit. Samedi nodded and accepted many well wishes as he tugged me through the throng of people. Hands without faces reached out and brushed over me as I made my way past like a rock star at a show.
I followed him blindly as he towed me out of the chapel and through the halls.
“What’s going on? Why would Papa Legba say that I’d be much more at home now?”
The Baron slowed his quick pace to more of a leisurely stroll, pulling me up next to him and tucking my hand into the crook of his arm.
“You’ll see very shortly. It’s a surprise of sorts, I guess you could say.”
My heart was beating so fast that it felt more like a flutter or like the beating of a hummingbird’s wings than a steady thumping. The mystery surrounding the Loa’s statements, paired with my unease over the predicament I’d have to face was putting me on edge. How hard could it be to lay there and fake it while the Baron got his rocks off? I knew I was capable. I’d done it with my ex-boyfriend, Mike, for a long time before he ran off with my roommate. The whole ordeal had crippled my confidence and faith in the opposite sex. Then my saving grace, Rhys, had come along and put me back together. Bit by bit he made me realize how special I was, how desirable, and how to let myself be vulnerable again. He’d gotten me to open up in more ways than one and there I was, seriously trying to figure out a way to fuck another man. Yeah…Sure…he was my husband and that required certain duties. However, the excuse did nothing to convince me as I thought it. If I couldn’t convince myself of its credibility, then I knew I didn’t have any chance of convincing Rhys. Was losing him with such a betrayal worth the alternative?
Pushing on an open section of wall, the Baron revealed a hidden doorway. I couldn’t help it when my mouth literally fell open.
“Wha...?”
If my eyes would have gotten any larger, there’s a good chance they might have just popped right out of my head.
“You can’t possibly think that you live in the only chateau without secret passages, do you?”
He stepped through the doorway, though I didn’t budge. “Come on. Where’s your sense of adventure?” He was daring me to chicken out and I was determined to prove him wrong, even if I could never really compete with him magically. My cahones could be just as big as his were.
Snapping my mouth shut, I shook myself from my stupefied state and marched bravely into the secret passage…right into a sticky spider web.
My yelp tore through the narrow walkway and I jerked and contorted my frame to get away from the arachnid terrorist who undoubtedly wanted to cause me great harm. Samedi’s arm slipped easily around my waist as he pulled me away from the eight legged atrocity and its silken trap.
“Shhh. You’re safe.” His face was mere inches from my own, and I could feel something between us. It wasn’t love and it wasn’t lust, but it was definitely something.
“Umm…thanks?” I said awkwardly, straightening up and untangling myself from his lithe, firm form.
“Has anyone ever told you that you would make a wonderful banshee? I’m fairly certain I’m deaf in at least one ear now.” His deep laugh boomed off of the narrow walls around us.
“Ha ha! Very funny. Now, can we get to wherever you’re taking me before his cousins and extended family try to seek vengeance?”
The walkway was dark once the door swung shut behind us, but that was only temporary. As soon as I conjured the thought of the passage being lit, sconces along the walls flamed to life.
I stopped.
Had I done that? Or had he? I wasn’t sure, however, it was strange.
After another fifty feet or so, the Baron reached up and pulled down on the base of one sconce. The opposite wall swung open, right into my bedroom. There was a secret walkway that led right into my room and I didn’t even have the slightest clue it existed. Had that very corridor been how someone had taken the box from me? My instincts said yes.
He swung his arm wide, an invitation that I go ahead of him. His faux gentlemanly ways only served to put my guard up. I knew better than to trust giving a predator my back. Not wanting to show my hand, I played along, all the while being wary.
I slipped past him and into my room. I kept my eyes on him the whole time and paused several feet inside the door to wait for him to join me. I hadn’t bothered to take in the state of
my chambers upon entry so when I turned around, I was rather shocked.
In the short time we had been gone, it had been transformed in to some sort of cheesy bridal chamber fantasy. Large bouquets of red and white flowers covered most surfaces and rose petals littered the floor and bed. Candles were interspersed with the flowers, flickering and creating the romantic ambiance. My nose wrinkled up in distaste, which my new husband did not miss given his curious expression. I had to roll my eyes at the notion that someone thought such a thing possible between my new husband and myself.
“Not to your liking then?” he asked, rocking back on his heels and burying his hands into the pockets of his trousers.
“Not really. I try to avoid clichés as much as possible. I much prefer something more simple and original, than…this,” I said, gesturing to the expanse of my room.
“Well, I apologize. I shall strive to accommodate something more to your liking in the future.”
We stood there awkwardly, neither one of us saying anything to the other. He wasn’t pushing himself on me and I wasn’t inviting his attentions any more than necessary. However, after several moments of jittery silence, I couldn’t take it anymore and said the first thing that I thought of.
Rum.
“Well then, umm, would you like a drink? Maybe something to eat?” I asked, offering up my go-to hospitality when I didn’t know what else to do.
The tension had grown between us significantly since we’d left the hall. Each look grew darker, the wheels in his head turning faster the longer we went without taking any action. His hungry eyes kept straying to the proffered flesh that was practically on display.
“No food, please. I would appreciate a drink though.” His voice was husky and low.
I didn’t delay and sprang into action. I made my way to the beverage cart which was always well stocked and ready against the wall. My hands shook as I poured a tumbler of rum for him and one for myself, hoping it would relax me enough to be slightly more functional. The uncertainty of it all had me on edge.
A Soul's Surrender (The Voodoo Revival Series Book 2) Page 18