Supernatural Seduction (Book 2 of the Coffin Girls Series) (7 page)

“You haven’t asked how Miss Suzette’s
progress is going with Nicholas.” Rose teased, her eyes sparkling
mischievously.

At the mention of the architect they’d hired
for the school construction, Miss Suzette flushed. “Something wrong
with y'all if you call it progress,” Miss Suzette grumbled
shyly.

“Oh, come on Miss Suzette,” Marie nudged her.
“You’ve heard all our stories. It would be nice to hear about your
hot and funky lovers for a change.” The others hooted and Miss
Suzette blushed even harder.

Sophie felt their collective joy in Miss
Suzette’s romance. Their adoptive mama had made the difficult
decision to let go of a relationship with Nicholas years ago when
he’d worked on the reconstruction and refurbishment of the slave
quarters. She’d claimed that she’d chosen her voodoo heritage and
the life that she loved on the plantation over him when he’d
proposed marriage, but the girls had had their doubts. It was
consolation to see her pick up the romance as though it had never
ended when Nicholas returned.

Miss Suzette knew them too well and picked up
on the intent behind their teasing. “Don’t make me get mean, girl,”
Miss Suzette warned without much heat behind it. Then she grinned,
“The progress with Nicholas is progressin’.” More laughter followed
the smirk.

“Ooh,” V teased, “Miss Suzette has a hottie
of her own.”

Anais turned to address Sophie, “Speaking of
hotties, I heard that you need to start empath training at
Sylvain’s?”

Sophie narrowed her eyes, “Why that
babble-mouth!”

“Wasn’t Sylvain, boo.” Miss Suzette said,
interrupting the tirade Sophie was about to embark. “I told them.
And you can’t point fingers either. I remember you doing the same
to Anais a few months ago.”

“Okay, fine,” responded Sophie with irritable
resignation. “He offered for Arianna to give me empath lessons and
I accepted.”

“No one’s going to rag on you, Sophie,” Anais
said softly, “I think it is a great idea. We’ve always worried
about your nightmares and if this can help, you have our support.
But I’m concerned about how you’ll fit it into everything else you
are doing. Not that I believe that you’re incapable, but rather
that going through empath training while being around the girls,
with all those residual emotions of trauma, might be
self-defeating.” Anais looked at the others, sending a sinking
feeling into Sophie’s belly. She smelled conspiracy in the air and
it bore a similar resemblance to how they’d ‘tackled’ Anais’
stubbornness a few months ago. What’s more, they were shielding
from her, and they only did that when they had something up their
sleeves.

Purposefully ignoring the frown marring
Sophie’s countenance, Anais continued, “So, we chatted about it and
all agreed that you need some time off. Conall’s sending the
teachers over earlier than originally planned, and they can stay in
the refurbished slave quarters until their lodgings are complete.
That’ll help some. But, then there’s still the wedding business.
But, with the girls here, they can lend a hand a bit more for a
time, and I’ll help out too. Raulf’s pack will help out with the
security detail that V usually sees to and a bunch of hot men, even
if they’re wolves, will be good for business. So with all the
contingencies in place, you’re free to take a few weeks off and
focus on the empath training.”

Sophie’s immediate reaction was to argue at
the way they’d manipulated her and taken the liberty to manager her
life, but she quelled that down. One of the less satisfying aspects
of being an empath was that she could always literally see the
other person’s point of view, and even where they were coming from.
In this instance, she knew they were concerned for her and
genuinely wanted to give her what they felt she needed. It sucked
that she couldn’t get her mad on, which they would have known when
they concocted their plan. They’d cornered her well and true. And
they were right. She did need the help. Being around the young
girls was satisfying in that she got to see them grow, learn, and
knew that she’d played a hand in it, but it was emotionally
draining and took considerable effort to shield against the always
intense and often sudden emotional flashbacks they each gave off.
She was already nervous about the empath training and had no doubt
it would be draining. Of course, she’d have to learn to deal with
Sylvain, too, and what he evoked within her. Anais was right, darn
it. “Alright, I’ll take the time off,” Sophie agreed,
reluctantly.

“Great,” responded Anais. “I’ll contact
Sylvain and ask him to come and pick you up. Miss Suzette, will you
please help Sophie pack?”

“Hold on, Miss Suzette,” Sophie stopped the
older woman. “What’s this about packing? I agreed to go to the
hollow for lessons, not to stay there.”

“Sophie, cher,” Anais came to stand in front
of her, taking Sophie’s hands in hers, “the nightmares became more
frequent and vivid after we rescued the girls. And being in your
room, so similar to the one you had at your family’s chateaux can’t
be helping, either. Your memories of that horrible time in your
life are invading your nightmares, too. Don’t you think that it’s
best if you receive your training without all of that holding onto
you?”

Anais shook her head regrettably; tough love
stunk. “We want to give you a real chance to learn how to control
your gift, and as much as we’d like to be selfish and keep you with
us, we insist that you go, Sophie. You need to do this for
you!”

Sophie knew that they acted out of concern,
knew that her hurt was unfounded, but it stabbed nonetheless.
Feeling dejected, she barely nodded, feeling unlike a Coffin Girl.
She turned away from Anais, ignoring the pained expression on her
face. Gone was the camaraderie they’d felt earlier. Instead, the
room felt heavy with concern and edged with guilt. “Thanks, but
there is no need to assist me,” Sophie informed Miss Suzette. “I’ll
pack my bags myself.” Needing to get out of the room and have some
space to quiet down all the emotions flooding her from the others,
she fled.

Sophie and Sylvain made their way to the
portal that would take them to the bayou fae hollow. Sylvain had
asked if she wanted to teleport there but she opted to walk
instead. She needed the time to think. The bayou night was warm and
comforting, its thick air wrapping around her like a comforting
blanket. Its creatures were noisy and startling, but they were
without the traumatic heavy feelings humans carried around with
them. Sophie immersed herself in the atmosphere. The vampire within
her relished the dark. With each step, she breathed and found
walking alone with Sylvain a non-issue too.

Thankfully, Sylvain had kept quiet the entire
trip, leaving her to her own thoughts as they made their way past
the historic slave quarters, the new school buildings, and through
the no longer used sugar cane fields. The vegetation thickened as
they entered the actual bayou. Gnarled roots covered in slippery
mud and even more plants, often too interspersed to identify the
individual species, made for a trek that was physically
challenging, even for immortals. Her vampire hearing picked up the
cry of a bird, the rustling of leaves as a snake hissed and went in
search of prey. Sophie welcomed the darkness; it was a good match
for her frame of mind.

Sophie’s first trip the bayou fae hollow had
been with the bleak knowledge that they had to rescue a group of
captured witches and without an inkling of what to expect. Their
destination was one of the many hollows Sylvain’s subjects lived in
across the human and supernatural worlds. Being fae, he was
naturally secretive about describing them or even their locations.
All they knew was that he had chosen this hollow as his primary
residence going forward until they had completed the Goddess’s
mission.

Being wary themselves as both vampires and
witches, the Coffin Girls would have questioned his reticence, but
he had proven himself trustworthy by hosting them and being willing
to sacrifice his own life and that of his warriors in their
previous quests. The Coffin Girls and their allies had an open
invitation to visit the hollow and didn’t usually need the escort
of Sylvain or one of the fae. However, their magick was powerful
and the portal would detect Sophie’s intention to stay there as
opposed to just stopping by and would have declined her entry or
not shown itself at all. This is why she was accompanied by the
Prince himself. Of course, Sylvain could have sent one of his
subjects, but he was nothing if not gallant, and with being a close
friend of theirs, he gracefully accompanied her. This contradiction
of honor and grace-meets-mischievous-sex-god was what put Sophie on
edge around him. She barely knew what to make of him. Usually, she
could read people’s emotions and thoughts, but Sylvain always
shielded his feelings from her, leaving her feeling perplexed and
frustrated. Sophie had no cooking clue how she was going to survive
the coming weeks, with the epitome of temptation she called
‘friend’ always around.

“We’re here,” Sylvain gently interrupted her
thoughts. He turned towards the black space of the bayou, his lips
moved quickly, silently as he uttered ancient words of fae magick.
The portal appeared, a round, glistening apparition that served as
entry into the hollow. Holding out his hand to her, he gently
pulled them through it. Contrary to what sci-fi movies depicted,
there were no whirlwind drops, no zooming lifts, no clinging goo,
and no sounds as they stepped through it. And as easy as that,
Sophie once again beheld a place of fantasy, of childhood dreams,
that served as an abode for the immortal fae.

Rainbow flowers as bright as the desert sun
winked at her from gardens that varied from sculptured to
fancifully free. The fae homes were as vast as the colors that
adorned them, a veritable cornucopia of residential architecture.
Strangely enough, though you could find nearly any type of house in
the hollow, from modern to medieval, you didn’t find sky-scrapers.
As a red dragon, or more correctly, a Draig Goch, frolicked with a
swarm of colorful butterflies and a golden goose in the expansive
blue above. She wondered what sorts of creatures humans had chased
away when they’d embarked on the creation of those concrete giants.
Or rather, what modern technology and science had dispelled as
myths - not just through research, but inadvertently through their
actions, too.

Now, more familiar with the hollow than her
first visit, she waved back to its welcoming inhabitants as they
called out to her from balconies and gardens or just hollered a
greeting. She followed Sylvain up the main street towards his home.
Sophie was awestruck at the changes Sylvain had made to the castle.
Before it had been impressive, but now, it was breathtaking. Gone
was the austere residence befitting an aristocrat and in its place
was a true faery castle in sparkling hues of blue, teal, and
mother-of-pearl with hints of gold and silver-grey.

Mistaking her silence for fatigue, Sylvain
again interrupted her thoughts, “I think you’ve been through a lot
tonight.” Sylvain lifted his hand, and on cue, Ailfried, Sylvain’s
head butler came scurrying towards them. “I’ll let Ailfried take
you to your room so you can rest. If there’s anything you need,
please ask. Treat my home as your own for the remainder of your
stay.”

Sophie nodded, “Thank you.” She might not be
able to sense his emotions with her gift, but the look on his face
offered sincerity and honest hospitality. His tenderness only
served to lather the guilt on thicker at how waspish she’d been
with him lately.

“Shall I see you for dinner? Or would you
prefer a tray to be brought to your room?” Sylvain asked.

“I think I’d like to join you for dinner,”
Sophie replied. “What time is it?”

Sylvain smiled, “Great. Dinner is in about
two hours so you have ample time to settle in. Do you remember how
to get to the dining hall?”

“Yes, thank you,” Sophie replied suddenly shy
under his scrutinizing gaze.

“See you later then,” Sylvain stated. He
moved to turn away, then looked back. “I forgot something. I’ve
arranged for fresh bags of blood for you. It’s in a fridge in your
room along with a microwave. I wasn’t sure how much to get, so if
you need more, just shout and I’ll arrange for more from the local
blood bank.”

“Thank you,” Sophie muttered, then scurried
away to her room. Sylvain had been so kind and welcoming and she’d
been acting like a surly infant.
Mon Dieu
, might she have
the strength to fight this malady and learn to control her powers
before she isolated herself from everyone that cared.

xxx

Sophie stopped short at the entrance to the
dining hall. It was not the glamorous and sophisticated room she
remembered eating in before. Instead, she found herself faced with
an upmarket version of a family eatery. The only difference was
that instead of being served by waiters, huge mounds of piping hot
food and bowls of salads dominated long wooden tables and were
flanked by sturdy wooden chairs.

The one side of the room had a few nurseries
worth of fae children playing and scrabbling along an oversized
apparatus that looked like a jungle gym meets tree house and pirate
ship. The sight was ridiculous and charming. It seemed that all
children, even supernatural ones, liked the same things. The fae
parents were easily identifiable at the tables closest to the play
area as their eyes momentarily left the faces of their conversation
partners to do a quick check on the nearby children. The rest of
the room, although room was a relative term - it was more like a
dining hall for a small city that held rows upon rows of food-laden
tables and probably every faery in the hollow.

During their first visit, they had asked
Sylvain why the fae dined together and not in their homes. Sylvain
had looked surprised at the question, as though not dining together
in the hollow was ludicrous. He explained that the fae were as
collective as much as they were individuals. Sophie had picked up
that there was more to it than that, but sensed that it was one of
those secrets he wasn’t willing to easily share.