Rose, Charlotte - Bayou Flood [The Shifters of Alligator Bend 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Charlotte Rose

  As Nelson and Armand carefully helped Serafine over to her boat, other gators busied themselves with cleaning up after the ritual. Virgil rushed up to Sophie and gave her a deep kiss.

  “That’s voodoo,” he said.

  “Is Seraphine really going to be okay?”

  “I think so. She wouldn’t hide it if somethin’ was really wrong. That ain’t how she is.”

  “I’m sorry that we have to be so hostile to Georgina. In spite of everything, my heart hasn’t quite accepted that she’s not my friend. But it was still an amazing experience. I felt so powerful. I’m honored that Serafine let me join in.”

  Virgil smiled but realized there was still fear in her eyes. “Somethin’ is still botherin’ you. Talk to me.”

  “I noticed the ritual only protects us from Georgina. It doesn’t protect us from Villemont. But he’s still out to get us.”

  Serafine came up behind them and set a hand on Sophie’s shoulder.

  “Magic can’t solve all our problems all the time. Sometimes, we can’t be dependent on the spirits. We can protect ourselves from Villemont, but even if we’re shielded, he’s still gonna continue tryin’ to tear down the bayou. I’ve had a premonition that his end is near. If we’re gonna bring about that end, we need to let ourselves be vulnerable.”

  “But isn’t that dangerous?” Sophie asked, her eyes growing wide.

  Serafine shrugged. “Bein’ vulnerable is dangerous, yes. But we have to accept a little danger if we’re gonna put an end to evil that big. Now come on. Let’s go get ready for some lunch. I don’t know ’bout you, but a good ritual always leaves me feelin’ hungry.”

  The jambalaya had been put on to simmer well before the ritual began, so it was perfect to eat as everyone lined up in the main kitchen for food. Scooping up bowls for Sophie, Gabriel, and himself, he saw Adele and Narcisse whisper to each other and then disappear. But Sophie cajoling him to hurry up and sit next to her distracted him, and seconds later, the confusion was gone from his mind. He joined his mate and his friend and relaxed.

  Half an hour later, however, Adele and Narcisse emerged again, this time with grave expressions on their faces.

  “What’s goin’ on?” Virgil asked.

  “We have some bad news,” Narcisse said.

  Serafine raised her eyebrows. “That much is obvious, yes. Do you mind tellin’ us what this bad news is all about?”

  Adele sighed. “The five-day weather forecast is showing storms rolling in sometime in the next three days. But after the measurements I’ve taken of the disappearing coastline, I have every reason to believe that the city will suffer from devastating floods.”

  “Wait, wait, wait. You mean a hurricane is set to come through?” Gabriel asked. “We’re not even in hurricane season yet.”

  Narcisse nodded. “We know. But the forecast isn’t predicting a hurricane. It’s predicting a regular, run-of-the-mill thunderstorm.”

  “Villemont has eroded so much of the coastline that even a standard storm could spell catastrophe for the city. It’s that serious.”

  Virgil banged his hand on the table. “Goddamn it. Who gave that man a buildin’ permit? How could they have been so stupid about it?”

  “I’m sure the city council was thinking less about stupidity and more about how nice Villemont’s bribe would look sitting in their bank accounts. Not that he bribed them, of course. But that does seem to be how he gets away with everything.”

  “So what happens now?” Gabriel asked.

  “The damage is already done,” Adele said. “Even if Villemont stopped construction today, so much damage has been done that we’re still looking at massive flooding.”

  “What if we reinforced the city?” Virgil asked. “Add reinforcements around the levees and build up blockades around the unprotected river shore?”

  “That’s pretty much our only option,” Narcisse said. “We were just on the phone with the National Guard and the governor.”

  “You have no idea how many strings I had to pull to get phone calls with them,” Adele said. “There might have been some voodoo involved, you know, to make them more willing to take a call from a lowly biology professor.”

  “They have the military out working on reinforcements right now, but they’re calling on civilian volunteers to contribute as well.”

  “That settles it,” Manuel said. “Every gator who is able to help is gonna sail to New Orleans. We’re leavin’ right now. Hurry and get together any tools you need. Get food ready, too, because we’re gonna have a lot of hard work ahead of us. Get movin’ and meet down by the boats, ready to sail, in fifteen minutes.”

  “What about me?” Sophie asked, grasping Virgil’s hand and looking up at him. “Can I go, too?”

  “Of course you can,” Virgil said.

  “We want you along,” Gabriel said, kissing her. “Just make sure you’re careful, okay, baby? We couldn’t live with ourselves if somethin’ happened to you.”

  * * * *

  Sophie felt nervous as they sailed toward New Orleans. She knew the basics of guitar repair, and her fingers were nimble from years of practice, but she had no experience with major construction projects. As much as she wanted to go help, she was afraid she didn’t have the skills to adequately protect her city.

  “What if I screw up?” she asked as she and Gabriel boated out with the rest of the congregation. “What if I do something wrong, and the reinforcements fail, and it’s all my fault?”

  Gabriel patted her hand. “Don’t you worry, baby. Virgil here is an expert engineer, and I ain’t half bad, either. We’ll help you out.”

  “The entire project is being supervised by a team of trained engineers and builders,” Virgil called over his shoulder as he steered the boat. “You’ll be given adequate instructions and won’t be asked to do anything beyond your skill level.”

  Sophie nodded and curled up around Gabriel. She allowed herself to relax and enjoy the bayou as Virgil piloted their small vessel. Before she knew it, they were in New Orleans, hopping onto the docks and heading toward the stations the military had set up for volunteers.

  Sophie made sure to stay close to Gabriel and Virgil. She wanted to ensure that she’d be with people who knew what they were doing, and she wanted to spend as much time with them as possible.

  She paused, realizing for the first time that she’d rather be with her men than with anyone else. Not that these feelings were entirely novel. She’d had inklings about them for nearly a week. Now, though, they were hitting full force. But Sophie wasn’t willing to stop and think about them or take action. She was on a mission. They all were. Now was not the time to have an important talk about relationships. Once New Orleans was secure against rain, they could think about these things.

  Virgil and Gabriel got an assignment from one of the project leaders and quickly went to work. They allowed Sophie to use their tools, and she found that none of the work was really all that difficult. Plans had already been drawn up. Virgil and Gabriel deciphered the blueprints, and Sophie found the hammering and screwing were so within her abilities that she wanted to laugh at herself for being so nervous in the first place. She laughed and joked all afternoon, and Sophie realized she was proud to be working alongside her mates.

  Her mates.

  She’d finally come to accept her destiny.

  Night had fallen by the time the work was complete. Sophie was sad that the coastline was blocked by barricades, but the elation she felt at having helped save their city eclipsed that.

  “How you holdin’ up, baby?” Gabriel asked, massaging her shoulders.

  “I feel great, actually.”

  “Wonderful,” Virgil said. “The rest of the gators are packin’ up. Suppose we should be on the way, too.”

  “Wait,” Sophie said. “I have something I need to say.”

  When she saw the glances that Virgil and Gabriel shot each other, her stomach sank.

  “No, it’s not like that!” she said. “It’s�
�it’s good, actually.”

  “Oh?” Gabriel asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “Today—today has been a long day, but it’s also shown me a lot. The most important thing being that I’m ready.”

  “Ready for what, baby?” Virgil took her hand, and if she didn’t know better, Sophie would have thought he sounded nervous.

  “I love you, Virgil. And I love you, too, Gabriel. I’m ready to be turned. I’m ready to be claimed. I’m ready to be your mate.”

  Both men let out whoops of joy and gripped her in a tight hug.

  “I love you, Sophie,” Virgil said. “You’ve made me the happiest man alive.”

  “I love you, too,” Gabriel said. “I’m thrilled. Completely thrilled.”

  “Will the rest of the congregation miss us if we don’t come back right away?” Sophie asked as they released her from the embrace.

  “Don’t think so. Why?” Virgil asked.

  “Because I think we need to celebrate, just the three of us. Maybe starting with a drink in the club where I first met the two of you.”

  Gabriel laughed. “That sounds like a perfect idea, baby. Come on, let’s go.”

  * * * *

  Georgina touched her glass to Ferdinand’s and downed her champagne quickly. She saw several people attempt to peer into the tinted windows of his limousine and was grateful that nobody would be able identify her there. The last of the congregation was pulling away into the water. The city was dark, but there was still plenty of foot traffic. The French Quarter never quite settled down.

  “You know exactly what you’re supposed to do, correct?” Ferdinand asked.

  Georgina nodded. “Compromise the structural integrity of all the reinforcements. I’m not to tear them down. They’re to remain standing until the water comes through and destroys them. If anyone questions me, I’m supposed to present these credentials and tell them I’m an army engineer sent to inspect and do any spot repairs on the structure. If that doesn’t work and I get taken in, I call Rick, and he’ll have everything worked out by morning.”

  Ferdinand nodded and gave her a half smile. “Very good. I can see I trained you well. You’re going to make a brilliant successor to me someday.” His hand brushed against her cheek. “I suppose if I’d ever had a daughter I would have wanted her to turn out like you.”

  “Thank you, sir. But if I may ask, what’s the point in all this? If the city floods, certainly you’re going to suffer massive losses, too.”

  Ferdinand gave a soft chuckle. “Only one of my businesses is headquartered in the city anymore. It was much cheaper to move the rest elsewhere in the state. So I’m not going to face much immediate impact from the floods. All of my industries will survive. And I predict that my construction company is going to do quite well when all is said and done. If I have my way, I’ll be the only contractor working. After all, none of my equipment will have suffered storm damage. Of course, I’ll have to charge extra to bring it in from Baton Rouge, but the city will ultimately have no choice but to pay.”

  Georgina nodded. “Of course, sir. That makes perfect sense. I hope that one day I develop business sense as good as yours.”

  He took her champagne glass. “Time for you to go. Don’t forget to send me a message when you’ve completed your work. And also remember to coordinate with the people working to compromise the levees.”

  “Of course, sir.”

  “Good girl.” He gave a curt laugh. “On your way, now. We’ll rendezvous tomorrow and discuss our next step. If all goes well, you’re looking at a nice promotion. I’ll have you out of the lab and in your own executive suite.”

  “Thank you, sir,” she said as she got out of the limousine and headed toward the river.

  Georgina walked up the bank about a quarter mile, where she could work with less foot traffic and run less risk of discovery. She stood under the structure and began to riffle through her backpack for some of the tools that might help.

  Just as she selected her instruments, she paused. What’s the point of this, really? He already has more money than he’ll ever need. Why destroy the city again, just for profit?

  For a moment, she pondered putting all of her tools away, packing up, and leaving New Orleans entirely. She wasn’t sure how Villemont would react, but she was sure she could travel someplace hard to reach. But then she shook her head. She’d already lost her first family and then lost her only friend to them. She couldn’t bear the possibility of starting over again. At least Villemont liked her. At least he provided her with a luxurious job and the possibility of stability. She couldn’t deal with another new beginning. This would have to do.

  Georgina worked late into the night, loosening screws and bolts and making hairline fractures in wooden supports. Before she knew it, the sun was beginning to creep up on the horizon. She sent a text to Villemont with the code he’d given her.

  I handled the international account.

  She hailed a cab and rode out to her apartment. Villemont texted her back just as the car pulled into her apartment complex.

  Your tireless service is appreciated. Our discussion can wait until tomorrow. Take the day to rest.

  Georgina went to take a shower, but as she was brushing her teeth, she found she couldn’t quite look herself in the eye. She decided she was too exhausted to stand up for one second longer than she had to and that a shower could wait until she’d gotten some sleep. Walking into her bedroom, Georgina collapsed on top of her comforter without even taking the time to remove her clothes and quickly fell into a dreamless sleep.

  Chapter Nine

  The congregation houseboats were completely quiet. Sophie couldn’t believe how little sound there was. Usually, the cluster of houseboats was filled with the sound of people talking, laughing, working, cooking, and playing. There was always something happening, always some noise filling her ears. But as was custom, those who were not participating in the mating ritual had been sent to New Orleans for the night. This was in part due to the secret nature of the ceremony and part also to ensure that the newly-mated triad had as much privacy as possible for their first night joined together. Although the silence felt unsettling at the moment, Sophie was certain that she’d appreciate it later.

  Sophie stared into the mirror, looking at her green eyes. Soon, she’d be mated and turned, and they’d be streaked with gold, signifying her transformation. It would be the only evidence that she was a shifter while she was in human form. She was surprised to find that she didn’t actually mind that she was losing one of the markers of her human self. In, fact she looked forward to the change. She wanted people to see that she was different.

  “All set?” Serafine asked. “Any worries?”

  “Actually, no. I’m surprised I’m not freaking out. But I want this so much.”

  Serafine grinned. “I know you do.” She brushed out the wrinkles in Sophie’s purple silk dress and adjusted her peacock-feather crown. Then she pulled an emerald-and-gold necklace out of her robes and draped it over Sophie’s neck.

  “Okay, you’re ready. Let’s go.”

  Serafine took Sophie by the hand and led her to the deck, where Virgil and Gabriel were already waiting. Sophie sucked in a breath as she saw her beautiful mates, looking simultaneously thrilled and nervous. Out on the water, their families floated in gator form. This was part of the ritual. Witnesses served their duty in their shifted bodies. Suddenly, Sophie did begin to feel anxious. There would be no turning back from this.

  “Clear your mind,” Serafine said, squeezing her hand. “Just relax and be in the moment.”

  Sophie took a deep breath and walked forward to join her mates at the helm of the deck. As she did, one of the gators opened its powerful mouth and let out a deep bellow—the gator mating call. A second gator joined in, and then a third, until all of those who were serving as witnesses were bellowing into the twilight.

  The sound left Sophie weak in the knees. It was so charged with emotion and power that her heart surged with
love for her mates, and she felt overwhelmed by the connection she felt to the bayou and to the congregation. Serafine took her place at the front of the ship, with her back to the water. Taking a small velvet bag out of one of her many pockets, she gathered a handful of herbs and walked in a circle around the triad, sprinkling them onto the wooden planks. After making two complete rotations and dropping all of the herbs, Serafine resumed her place at the front of the ship and began to speak.

  “We are gathered here this evening, some of us in human form, some of us in gator form, to celebrate the union of these three people and to celebrate the union of human and animal. Gabriel and Virgil’s decision to claim a mate is not to be taken lightly. Even more serious is Sophie’s decision to be mated, to become one of us, to take a place in our world. Before we begin, I need to make sure you’re all ready.”

  Serafine first focused her attention on Gabriel. “Gabriel, are you here of your own free will? Do you claim your mate willingly, aware of all that implies and entails?”

  Gabriel nodded, a grin spreading across his face as he spoke. “I am, and I do.”

  Serafine then turned toward Virgil. “Virgil, are you here of your own free will? Do you claim your mate willingly, aware of all that implies and entails?”

  Virgil also nodded has he spoke. “I am, and I do.”

  “Sophie, are you here of your own free will? Do you agree to bein’ mated and, by extension, bein’ turned? Are you making this decision with all of your heart and all of your soul, understandin’ all that it requires?”

  Sophie took a deep breath and checked her heart one last time, just in case she had any lingering doubts. But her heart was only full of love.

  “I am, and I do.”

  Serafine smiled and reached into her dress again, pulling out another bag of herbs. These she tossed into the air. They settled on the deck, on their clothes, and on their hair. Then, Serafine reached out and plucked a hair from Sophie’s head. Sophie couldn’t help but flinch, but she didn’t cry out, knowing that this was a crucial part of the ceremony.