The Satyr's Curse (The Satyr's Curse Series Book 1) (23 page)

Jazzmyn stood from the sofa. “He asked me three days ago. I said yes because I thought I was keeping other women from getting killed. He says if I commit to him tonight in front of Odette’s tomb, then he will become mortal again.”

“He’s mortal now, Jazz. Just because he plans some hokey wedding in a graveyard, that doesn’t make him a supernatural being, it just makes him weird.” He ran his hands through his thick, light brown hair. “You haven’t signed over any of your bank accounts to him or given him your credit cards, have you?”

“No! This is not a con, Kyle. He’s not out to steal the family fortune. What would it take to convince you of that?”

Kyle’s body relaxed. “Do you want to marry him?”

Jazzmyn shook her head.

“So, you’re not going to marry him tonight in front of some dead relative’s tomb,” Kyle clarified, scratching his head.

“How else do I stop him from killing again, or from killing me?”

Kyle moved closer to her. “He’ll have to go through me to get to you, Jazz. I’m not going to let him touch you, ever.”

Jazzmyn contemplated his rugged good looks. “Are you sure about that? He’s really strong, Kyle, and he cannot die.”

“I’ll take my chances.” He encircled his arms about her waist. “Enough about Julian. Right now I want to know how you feel about me.”

“How I feel?” Jazzmyn slid her arms about his neck. “I think that’s pretty obvious.”

“Just say it, Jazz.” 

“I like you, Kyle Baker.”

He eased back from her. “You like me? I was expecting a lot more than that.”

“What were you expecting?”

“‘I love you Kyle’ would have been nice.”

“All right. I love you, Kyle, as long as you come back to my restaurant and start cooking again.”

He raised one eyebrow at her. “And if I don’t come back?”

“Then I’ll get Ms. Helen to put a curse on you.”

He snickered at the suggestion. “All right. I’ll come back, only because I’m scared of Ms. Helen and all of her voodoo.”

“In that case, I love you, Kyle Baker. There, happy?”

His arms tightened around her. “Now that’s the kind of fringe benefit I was hoping for.”

Kyle kissed her again and her body inflamed with desire, but it was not the unrelenting passion she had experienced with Julian. This was heartfelt, tender, and touched the very core of her soul.

Kyle stepped back from her and took her hand. “Let’s seal this deal with more than a kiss.”

He led her through the small living room filled with mismatched furniture and empty white plaster walls toward his kitchen. Recently updated with black granite countertops and stainless appliances, the kitchen had a large picture window over the sink and on the far wall, a collection of copper pots hung from a black pot rack. Squeezed into a tight corner, next to a modest-sized pantry, was a six-burner stainless Viking stove.

Jazzmyn was hastily pulled past a small dining room adjacent to the kitchen, and into the bedroom in the back of the house.

The furniture in the bedroom was rustic and unfinished. An unfinished king-sized pine bed with round wooden posts on each corner dominated the center of the room. The bed was neatly made with a brown bedspread and an array of cream-colored throw pillows. Along one wall were a tall chest of drawers, also unfinished, and a simple pine bench. On the other side of the room were a small open closet and the entrance to the master bathroom.   

“I’ve never seen your bedroom before,” Jazzmyn confessed.

“Well, get used to it. You’re going to be spending a lot of time in here from now on.” He hungrily lowered his mouth over hers as his hands caressed her hips and waist.

Jazzmyn quickly untied the belt on his robe and pushed the bulky fabric to the floor. She reached down and fondled his erection.

“Don’t you dare start comparing me to him,” Kyle murmured in her ear.

“I like yours better. Less painful.”

Kyle held her back, his eyes brooding with concern. “He hurt you?”

Jazzmyn’s finger traced the outline of muscles in his chest. “It doesn’t matter anymore.”

“I’m going to kill him. I swear I’ll make him pay for hurting you.”

Jazzmyn cupped her hands about his face. “Forget about him. He’s not you.” She kissed his lips and instantly Kyle’s anger abated.

He hastily slipped her white dress shirt over her head and guided her to the bed. Jazzmyn laughed as he stripped the black slacks from her hips and threw them to the floor. She wiggled out of her bra while he pulled her white cotton panties down her legs.

Kyle climbed on top of her and let his hands lovingly traverse every curve and every crevice of her body.

“It used to drive me mad watching you every day in the restaurant,” he whispered. 

He bit down into the soft flesh of her right nipple as his hand traveled up her left inner thigh. When he reached her delicate folds, Kyle lightly caressed her, making Jazzmyn quiver with pleasure.

Jazzmyn’s body arched with anticipation when he gently eased his fingers into her. There was no pain, no apprehension, and no doubts with Kyle. All the things that had vexed her with Julian never manifested as she submitted to him. As he quickly moved in and out of her, hurtling her closer to climax, Jazzmyn ran her hands through his thick hair and moaned against his cheek.

Kyle suddenly stopped and sat back on the bed, making Jazzmyn’s body heave with disappointment.

“No, don’t stop,” she pleaded.

“I can’t wait anymore,” he conceded, spreading her legs apart.

He placed his hands about her hips and lifted her body to him. Then, very slowly, he entered her.

Jazzmyn slid her hands down his long back and grabbed at his tight, round butt. She squeezed the flesh of his cheeks and encouraged him to go deeper.

When Kyle pushed all the way into her, Jazzmyn gasped as a twinge of pain surprised her.

Kyle froze. “Am I hurting you?”

Jazzmyn opened her eyes to see his worried face hovering over hers.

“No.” She smiled up at him. “Do that again.”

“Yes, boss.” Kyle withdrew from her and then entered her slowly again.

Jazzmyn wrapped her slender legs about his hips. “Again.”

Kyle eased out of her and reentered her faster than before, driving even deeper into her flesh.

“Yes,” Jazzmyn sighed.

Kyle pulled out and thrust into her again and again, pressing his hips harder into her with every penetration.

As Jazzmyn dug her nails into his rear end, Kyle bit down into the soft flesh of her neck, responding to her excitement.

“Kyle,” Jazzmyn called out as her body teetered on the edge of ecstasy.

Kyle kissed her lips as he felt her beginning to shudder beneath him. He slammed into her as hard as he could and then he groaned when his orgasm roared through him. Jazzmyn wrapped her arms about him and cried out just as the tension in her body discharged into an overwhelming release.

They lay still for a moment, holding on to each other as their heavy breathing slowed.

Kyle rolled off her and cradled his body against her side. “You’re going to kill me,” he softly said into her shoulder.

Jazzmyn was lying on her back and staring up at the pale blue plaster ceiling above. “Was it like that the last time?”

Kyle sat up, appearing a bit unnerved by her comment. “Must not have been that great for you if you can’t remember?”

She patted his arm. “It was great then. I just don’t remember it being as intense.”

He pulled her into his arms. “It was just as intense, I assure you. It will always be that way…even when we are in our eighties.”

“Do you plan on being around when I’m in my eighties?”

“You bet your ass I do.” He nuzzled her cheek. “Someone has got to protect you from all those mythological creatures running around out there.”

She playfully slapped his chest. “Not funny, Kyle. I can’t wait to say I told you so when you find out I’m not crazy.”

He tenderly kissed her cheek. “I never said you were crazy, just imaginative.”

“What do you suggest I do about tonight—just imagine it won’t happen, and then I’ll be safe?”

“No. If Julian is planning some wacko wedding tonight, you will have to let him know he will be short one bride at the time of the ceremony.”

“I can’t do that. I have to go through with it.”

Kyle sat up in the bed. “After what we just did? After you told me you loved me, you would go off and marry that walking wooly mammoth?”

Jazzmyn sat up next to him. “People have been murdered because of what he is, Kyle, and they will go on being murdered unless I try and put a stop to it.”

“Then let’s call the police and have him hauled off for questioning. You can’t marry him tonight!”

“What exactly am I supposed to tell the police? That I suspect he is the serial murderer they are hunting for?” She let out a frustrated breath. “Anyway, we’re not getting married tonight. We don’t have a wedding license. It’s simply a ceremony.”

Kyle played with the gold satyr figurine hanging about her neck. “You don’t have a license? Then it’s not legal. So why is he doing this?”

“It’s a voodoo ritual. I have to promise to love him in order to reverse the curse.”

Kyle looked confused. “But you don’t love him, Jazzmyn. Even if there was going to be a ritual tonight, how could it work if you don’t love him?”

She flopped back down on the bed. “I’ve been wondering about that. Ms. Helen told me he must find another Livaudais who cares for him in the same way Odette cared for him in order to lift the curse. He must go through with the commitment he made to the one he wronged.”

“Oh, and Ms. Helen is an expert on all of this crap? The same woman who claims deep-fried is one of the five major food groups.” Kyle leaned over her. “All right. Let’s say you do go there tonight and go through with this thing, and he becomes mortal. You can just leave him then. He’ll be happy he’s got his old body back, and you can be with me.”

“It’s not that simple. If I renege on my promise to love him, the curse returns.”

“What kind of curse is this? This doesn’t happen in the movies,” Kyle balked.

“Apparently, it’s the kind of curse that lasts all our lives. I must stay committed to him for the rest of my life. My love must be permanent and everlasting, that’s what he said.”

“Then you have to call this whole thing off, Jazz. Tell him the truth about us.”

“I can’t do that, Kyle. He’ll kill you.”

He put his arms about her and held her close. “Tonight, I will be with you when you confront Julian. Tell him you won’t be performing any voodoo rituals with him because from now on you’re going to be with me.” Kyle shrugged against her. “He’ll yell and probably take a swing at me, but then he’ll walk away. I promise.”

“Then he’ll turn into a monster,” Jazzmyn disputed.

“No, he won’t. It will be fine. Tonight, you’ll end it.”

She squeezed his arms tighter around her body. “I have this strange feeling that it will never end between Julian and me. No matter where I go or what I do, Julian Devereau will always be there watching me, waiting for the day when he can finally make me his.”

Chapter 20

When Kyle and Jazzmyn entered the kitchen of The Sweet Note Bistro, they were greeted by absolute chaos. Leon, Carl, Ms. Helen, and even Jerry the dishwasher were scrambling to get the food out. Ms. Helen was going from the prep stations to the stove, yelling orders at the men like a drill sergeant in boot camp.

“Wipe that plate before you send it out, Carl,” she bawled in her throaty voice as she pointed to a plate of grilled snapper he was preparing. “Jerry, don’t be so heavy-handed with that salad dressin’. We got to make it last through the night.”

“What in the hell is this?” Kyle hollered as inspected the plate of crab cakes under the heat lamp. “Where’s the hollandaise and the red bell pepper?” he demanded, motioning to the plate.

Carl saw Kyle looming before the counter and cringed. “I don’t know?” he said, sounding like a kindergartner caught in the act.

Kyle immediately grabbed an apron hanging from a nail on the wall next to him. “All right, Carl, stand aside.”

Jazzmyn’s heart soared when Kyle jumped in behind the line and took over the food prep. He began adding spices to pans simmering on the stove and rearranging items on the prep table.

“Thank goodness.” Ms. Helen came up to Jazzmyn. “I was about to walk out the door myself.” She observed Kyle systematically taking over the kitchen. “I wondered how long you two were gonna lounge ‘round in bed before you got your asses down here.”

Jazzmyn gawked at her. “What on earth are you suggesting?”

Ms. Helen held up her hand. “Child, please. I knew the minute you went to his house that the two of you would end up in bed. I didn’t need no visions to tell me that, neither.”

Jazzmyn looked down at the floor, hiding her embarrassment. “It’s good to have him back. The restaurant isn’t the same without him.”

“You aren’t the same without him,” Ms. Helen insisted. “Did you tell him ‘bout the demon?”

Jazzmyn raised her eyes and followed Kyle’s hurried movements behind the prep table. “I told him, but he doesn’t believe me.”

“Not to worry, Jazzmyn,” Ms. Helen clucked. “In time, he’ll see the truth, and then I promise, he will believe.”

***

As late afternoon turned into evening, Jazzmyn’s sense of foreboding escalated. She had stayed busy during the day, getting the restaurant in order after Kyle’s return, but in the back of her mind the inevitable confrontation with Julian loomed. She had run a plethora of scenarios through her head as to how to get free of him, but with every new idea she saw only one outcome; she had to submit to his will.

Anxiously, Jazzmyn watched the minutes tick by on the clock on her office wall. She tried to occupy her thoughts with invoices and bills until a heavy knock on her open door made her almost jump out of her skin. When she looked up, Kyle was standing in the doorway.

“You all right?” He came inside and shut the door behind him.

“I’m fine, Kyle.”

He rushed to her side and lifted her into his arms. “You’re not worried about seeing Julian, are you? You’ve been hiding in here all afternoon.”

She wanted to tell him again what they were facing, but Jazzmyn knew it was pointless. Kyle had not seen or felt what she had experienced and until he did, he would never believe her. 

“I haven’t been hiding, I’ve been working. I wanted to check on Carl, but I lost track of the time. How he is handling your coming back?”

“Don’t worry about, Carl. He’s so relieved to have me back, he can barely contain himself.”

Jazzmyn rested her head against his chest. “Even though I hate to admit it, I’m relieved, too.”

A knock at the door made Kyle quickly let her go. He bounded to the door and opened it.

Scott was waiting in the doorway, holding a hundred dollar bill in his hands. “Jazz, I need change,” he stated as he stepped into the office and handed her the money.

Jazzmyn reached for the keys in her pocket. “I should have enough in the petty cash box,” she told him as she opened the bottom drawer on her desk.

“I haven’t seen you at the bar this evening, Kyle,” Scott remarked. “What did you do? Quit drinking?”

Kyle nodded. “Yeah, I did.” He turned to Jazzmyn. “I figured I’d better sober up and hit the dry road for a while to make my boss happy.”

“Glad to hear it. You were draining me of JD,” Scott admitted with a grin.

Jazzmyn pulled five twenty-dollar bills out of a small metal box and handed it to Scott. “Here you go.”

“Thanks, Jazz.” Scott quickly headed out the door.

Kyle shut the door behind him and turned back to Jazzmyn.

“Have you quit drinking for good, or for now?” she pensively asked.

“For good,” he avowed with a smile. “I figured it was time I start being responsible and setting a good example for our kids.”

“Our kids?” Jazzmyn almost laughed out loud.

Kyle tossed his arms about her. “Yeah, the ones we better get started on ASAP. You’re not getting any younger.”

“Maybe we should just concentrate on us for the time being.”

Kyle kissed her again and Jazzmyn’s body hummed with happiness.

Remembering the restaurant beyond her office door, she quickly pulled away. “Don’t you have dinner orders to get out?”

“Not many left to do. It’s almost ten and the dining room is thinning out.” He kissed her once more. “I’ll just go and check on things, and then I’ll start closing up the kitchen.” He let her go and went to the door. When he opened it, Julian was standing in the small hallway, his hand raised in midair as if he was about to knock on the door.

Jazzmyn trembled, and then her body stirred with another more captivating feeling as his eyes took in her face. She was helpless against her desire for him. Even the sight of him made her mind race with thoughts of their entwined naked bodies.

When Julian saw Kyle, his eyes became as black as night.

“You’re back,” Julian grumbled, scowling at Kyle.

Kyle puffed out his chest and Jazzmyn saw the cocky grin slowly spread over his thin lips.

“Kyle.” She turned to him. “Perhaps you should see to those dinner orders.”

Kyle’s features flashed with anger, but Jazzmyn said nothing. She could not afford to have them going after each other in her restaurant. 

“Please. Kyle. I need to speak with Julian.”

He gave her a knowing glance and slowly nodded his head. As Kyle departed the small room, he brushed by Julian with a glint of seething hatred in his blue eyes.

After he was gone, Julian stepped inside and closed the door. “Was that wise bringing him back, Jazzmyn?”

She took a deep breath before she spoke, trying to fortify her resolve. “Yes, it was necessary, Julian. I have a business to run and Kyle is important part of that business. People come to eat his food, and when he isn’t around to cook, my business suffers.”

Julian came up to her and wrapped her in his arms. “I told you I have plenty of money for both of us. You don’t need this headache anymore.”

“But I want it. Don’t ask me to give it up, at least not yet.”

“All right. Whatever makes you happy.” He leaned forward to kiss her but stopped inches from her lips. He took in a whiff of her skin and she saw his countenance change.

“You reek of him,” he growled.

She tilted her head back from him. “It’s a restaurant, Julian. I smell like the kitchen.” 

He smelled the skin on her neck and then he stood back from her. His black eyes seared into her. “You’ve been with him,” he hissed.

Julian’s muscular body loomed before her. He seemed to arch over her like a hunter about to pounce on its prey.

“I have not been with him. We’ve been working side by side in the kitchen all afternoon and evening. That’s what you smell,” she explained.

Julian studied her face. She could see the internal debate raging beneath his eyes. He wanted to trust her, but his instincts were telling him not to.

He tilted his head to the side. “Maybe I should ask Kyle about this.” He turned to the door.

“Julian, please. Don’t go into my kitchen and create a fuss. I’ve just gotten everyone settled since Kyle came back. I don’t need you creating more havoc for me.”

Julian faced her. “It’s a good thing we are marrying tonight. From now on I’ll know you are completely mine.” He looked down at her left hand. “Where’s your ring?”

Jazzmyn quickly reached into the front pocket of her black pants where she had placed the ring earlier that day. She pulled it out and showed it to him. Julian took the ring from her and placed it on the third finger of her left hand.

“We need to go,” he declared, clutching her hand.

Jazzmyn thought of Kyle waiting in the kitchen for her. She knew if she went out there and said she was leaving, he would go after Julian. But Jazzmyn needed to slip away and buy some time. She hoped she could talk Julian out of this ceremony, and find some way to convince him that this ritual was not going to work, but to do that she had to come up with a plan. She would also have to find a way to keep Kyle away from Julian while she developed her plan. Jazzmyn sighed as her head swarmed with unsettling questions, and as Julian led her from her office, she realized what she really needed, more than anything, was a miracle.

***

Once they had returned to her Garden District home, Julian kept Jazzmyn occupied with preparing for the ceremony. She listened attentively as he talked excitedly about the preparations he had made for the coming festivities. But when he pointed to the cold bath he had prepared for her with saltwater and rosemary, Jazzmyn felt her patience waning.

“You’ve got to be kidding me?” Jazzmyn griped as she stared into the bathtub swirling with green twigs of fresh rosemary.

“I know it looks bad, but you have to immerse your entire body in the water as part of a ritual cleansing before the ceremony takes place. You cannot use a blow dryer on your hair, or put on deodorant, makeup, or perfume. Your body must be pure. Keep your hair down as well. No modern plastic clips or barrettes. Lucinda’s orders,” Julian instructed in a firm tone.

“I think your voodoo priestess is making this up.”

“I know it sounds silly, but do it for me.” He fingered the small gold satyr figurine around her neck. “You won’t have to wear this anymore after tonight.”

She placed her hand over the gold charm. “Do I have to take off all my jewelry, too?”

He smiled for her and shook his head. “No, you can leave your necklace and engagement ring on. They’re not modern inventions.” He took a step back from her. “I’ll be in the bathroom down the hall having my own ritual bath in Jimsonweed and garlic,” he added with an exaggerated frown.

Jazzmyn laughed at his humorous expression. “Well, then I won’t complain anymore.”

Julian darted out of the bathroom looking as giddy as a little boy on Christmas Day. Ever since they had left the restaurant, he had been different. The darkness in his eyes had diminished and he appeared almost happy. She figured after years of waiting, his goal of returning to mortality was finally within his grasp. Maybe being human becomes a gift to those who lose their humanity. Julian had finally learned that the art of living outshines the brilliance of an unending existence. Then her thoughts strayed back to Kyle. She feared what Julian would do to him if he ever suspected her feelings for Kyle. Convinced that he would never give her up, Jazzmyn knew Julian would kill anyone who stood between them.

Casting her eyes to the contents in her bathtub, she cursed her predicament. When she began removing her clothes, a tear scampered down her cheek as an uncomfortable heaviness settled over her heart. 

A few minutes later, after she had immersed herself in the freezing water, she went into her bedroom where Julian had laid out white pants, a white T-shirt, and white tennis shoes on her bed.

“Just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse,” she muttered as she lifted the white T-shirt in her hand.

Once she had changed into her white clothes, she walked into the hall outside of her bedroom and immediately saw Julian coming toward her, dressed all in black.

“You get to dress like Johnny Cash and I’m the one who gets to look like a bride at a barbeque.”

“I’m the one who is cursed.” He waved his hand down his outfit. “Hence the black. You’re the light who is to free me. That’s why you get to wear the white.” He took her by the elbow and ushered her to the staircase.

“What else do we have to do?” Jazzmyn questioned as they started down the steps.

“Just pick up the duffel bag I left by the door and we are on our way.”

“What’s in the duffel bag?”

Julian motioned to the bottom of the steps. “A few things Lucinda wanted me to bring. A roll of silver pennies, a jar of pure olive oil, preferably organic, the miniature portrait of me from your dining room, and a knife.”

Jazzmyn stopped on the stairs and turned to Julian. “Why a knife?”

“To symbolically cut my bonds from the curse.” His dark eyes scanned her face. “What did you think it was for?”

“I…I thought you might have to kill something, or someone.”