Under the Bayou Moon (13 page)

“So what are you going to do about Boucher? We’ve been out all day and all we’ve found out is he’s stirring up mess and getting anyone he can on his side to fight you if you don’t get mated. That hardly tells us who murdered his nephew. For all we know, he could have set the trap just so he can go to war with you.”

Jacques pulled his truck off the road onto what looked to be a dirt trail. Angel gripped the door handle as the truck bounced along the uneven path. They’d been out all day and the sun was setting.

“Where are we going? I hope nobody lives back in these woods because this driveway needs to be leveled off badly.”

Jacques grinned before pulling into a clearing overlooking the bayou. It was like the land dropped off, right into the water. The sun was setting and it was still a bit warm and comfortable outside, even in December.

“You’re about to have your second lesson as a shifter. Come on, let’s get naked.”

Angel’s nipples immediately hardened at his words. She knew he meant they needed to get naked to shift, but the look in his eye told her he knew exactly how she’d take it. Angel opened the door to slide down out of Jacques’s truck. It was already higher off the ground than a normal truck, so she waited for Jacques to come help her down. He grasped her waist and slowly lowered her to the ground. Her body slid down his, feeling every bump and ridge on his torso. She was wet and her legs wobbly by the time her feet touched the ground.

Her arms looped around his neck, and she brought his head down for a kiss. That was all it took for her world to go off kilter. In the blink of an eye, Jacques had her in his arms and was lowering her to the pine needle-covered ground of the bayou. His mouth was warm and seeking. Firm, dry lips kissed her cheek, earlobe, and neck with abandon. Angel felt consumed by the heat of his body covering her. She loved his weight on her. Her hands roamed under his shirt, touching and scratching his abs and pecs.

“Mmmm. Take this off, I want to see you,” she said in a husky voice. Jacques immediately complied, baring his tanned skin to her before coming back to her and doing the same with the shirt she was wearing. He pulled her bra over her head, causing her to giggle.

“That’s not how you’re supposed to do it.”

“Hey, the results are the same, that’s all that matters. You have the best breasts I’ve ever seen. They were just made for sucking. One day, my hatchlings will feed from them.”

Jacques lowered his head to suck, but Angel put her hands on his chest to stop him.

“Jacques, don’t say stuff like that. It’s confusing and it makes me feel uncomfortable. This is nice, but I can’t promise you I’ll stay.”

She opted to look at his chin rather than his eyes. She pressed his chest again, looking into eyes so intense they appeared to see into her soul.

“Let me up, Jacques.”

He lay on top of her for a moment longer, nostrils flared, jaw tight. He was pissed. Well, so was she. He’d just ruined what could have been a rather nice make-out session. She needed to get away, her gator wanted to be free, she wanted to be free. Free of all the pressure to mate and pick up her life just because of the circumstances of her birth. It was becoming overwhelming. Her parents were pressuring her to meet and mingle with their pod. Jacques’s mom wanted to teach her all about how to be a sovereign cow, even though she kept telling her she wasn’t sure she would stay. Her words went in one ear and out the other without even being considered. And to top it all off, she still had a casino to build by Mardi Gras. It was all too much.

“I said let me up!”

Angel gritted her teeth and shoved at his chest. He fell to the side, but she knew it wasn’t due to her strength but because he’d relented.

Toeing off her shoes, Angel dispensed with the rest of her clothes in haste. She didn’t look back as she dove into the still waters of the bayou, shifting as she did so. She briefly heard Jacques call her name, but she didn’t stop, she kept swimming. She had no idea where she was headed, but she knew she had to be free, if only for a little while.

Jacques swam several yards behind Angel, trying to give her space. Judging by the waves of emotions she was giving off, her loud splashing and muttered curses as she charged through the water, she was frustrated and upset. He didn’t want her swimming off and getting lost or hurt, but he also knew she needed some space. Instead of rushing up to her and forcing her to talk things out, he opted to let her blow off some steam. Gators were only capable of short bursts of energy, so he knew she’d simmer down if he waited a little while.

He cursed himself for not being more patient. She’d been in Louisiana for less than a month, and from her point of view, everyone wanted something from her. If he was honest with himself, he hadn’t been the most sympathetic with her feelings. But to him, it was cut and dry. She was his mate. They would always have a natural attraction to each other; their bond was designed by nature. In the end, he knew she would mate with him. That’s just the way gators were. Barring death, they mated and stayed with their mate. The only thing that kept him going was the knowledge that she was still alive and out there. Sure the pod priestess couldn’t tell him her exact location, but she was able to let them know she was alive. As long as Angel was alive, he was barred from mating with another cow unless he wanted to curse himself. He’d slept with his share of them. He’d even been with regular women, but that was just about pleasure; he had a mate, and once they consummated their vows, she would be with him for life. They could start a family and get on with the business of living. That’s all he wanted, to get on with their lives. Why couldn’t she see that? Were things so great for her in Vegas that she couldn’t bear to move? Did she have someone in Vegas? The idea had him briefly seeing red. No, she would have said something…wouldn’t she?

Angel slowed down near an embankment and hovered near the surface of the water. It was getting late, already the sun was setting. They needed to start heading back.

“Are you ready to talk about this now?”
he asked, approaching her slowly.

“Do I have a choice?”
she grumbled back.

“You always have a choice, Angel.”

“Yes, very limited choices,”
she huffed.

Jacques moved to swim in front of her.

“Would mating with me be so bad?”

“It’s not that!”

“Then please, tell me what it
is,
because right now, I’m out of ideas.”

“I had a life before this. I have a life.”

“What? You mean running a casino and bailing your brother out of scrapes so he doesn’t get his head blown off by loan sharks?”

She looked surprised.

“Yes, I know about the people your brother owed money to. I bought his debts, and the people he was dealing with were the lowest of the low. He didn’t bat an eye when I offered to buy him out. “

“Michael has a problem and I promised to watch out for him.”

“He’s a grown man…”

“Look, you wouldn’t abandon your brother, so don’t ask me to abandon mine.”

Jacques took a deep breath. He understood family loyalty, but Michael wasn’t her only family.

“What about your parents?”

Angel was so quiet he didn’t know if she’d respond.

“I can visit them and they can visit me.”

“And how long will that go on? You father has a pod to run. You were his only child, he doesn’t have a successor, even now he’s seeking someone to take over, that’s a lot of work, and he’s not a young bull anymore.”

“Stop it! Stop making it sound like I’m being selfish.”

“Well, aren’t you? You have a brother who doesn’t care if you’re in his life or not, and a casino that’s been running fine without you.”

“You don’t know that!”

“I’m part owner of the Tiki. I know everything that happens there, and I don’t have to be in Vegas to get the information. Neither do you, for that matter.”

“Vegas is the only home I’ve ever had, Jacques. It’s what I know, so excuse the hell out of me if I don’t want to drop everything and come live the life of a gator queen.”

Angel made to charge off, but this time he swam in her way and stopped her from leaving. He could feel her anger and hurt. This was not how he wanted things to go.

Several trucks and cars pulling up on the bank stopped him from saying more. Eight to ten gator teens started getting out of the vehicles, blaring loud music.

“What’s going on?”
Angel whispered.

“You don’t have to whisper,
cher
, they can’t hear us telepathically. Unless you want them to.”

He chuckled.

“Oh, I forgot.”

“Looks like a typical gator keg party. From the looks of things, they’ll probably get a bit rowdy tonight.”

Two girls dressed in short skirts and cowgirl boots started taking their clothes off. A guy kissed each of the girls before starting to remove his clothes too.

“Rowdy is right. I thought you guys only had sex with your mates.”

“Oh, no,
cher
, we
bond
with our mate, but we can have sex with anyone we want to. It’s just that the connection is not there.”

“So you can have sex with other women?”

“Angel, once I mate, I’ll be completely faithful, but yes, I’ve slept with other women.”

Angel was quiet. The teens were beginning to shift one by one. It was time for them to go.

“Come on, let’s get out of here and let them have their fun. What the fuck?”

Jacques watched as a rope was tossed over a tree branch with a hook on the end. Once it was secure, a dead chicken, feathers and all, was placed on the end of the hook, which was suspended over the water. The little
bebettes
had created a trap, and not just any trap, but the kind that killed Steven Boucher.

Jacques watched as one of the females lunged from the water and snapped at the chicken. Not really pulling but giving it a tug, the chicken thankfully remained intact. If she’d swallowed the chicken, the hook could have gotten stuck in her intestines and killed her. It all made sense.

“What on earth! Are they…is that…”

“Yes, that,
cher
, is the same trap that killed Steven Boucher, and from the looks of things, this is some type of sport to these little bebettes.”

“Bebettes?”

“Critters, monsters.”

The gators who hadn’t shifted were now drinking beer and cheering the gators in the water on. It was the stupidest thing he’d ever seen in his nearly thirty years on Earth. Even in his youth, they hadn’t been so reckless.

“What are going to do?”

“I’m going to rain down fah-yuh.”

And that’s exactly what he proceeded to do as he charged into the group of unsuspecting teens.

•●•

Angel was getting a crash course on the Cajun language as Jacques paced the bedroom. His mother and brother had gone to their respective homes over an hour ago, and her parents, who’d arrived shortly after they’d returned that night, were now cozy in one of the guest rooms on the other side of the house. She’d been a little nervous about sharing a room with Jacques, knowing her parents were under the same roof. She’d planned to sleep in one of the guest rooms. However, when her parents sniffed the air and openly congratulated her and Jacques on starting the mating process, she knew there was no need. His scent was all over her and vice versa. She’d been embarrassed as hell, while Jacques heartily accepted the well wishes.

“
Couyon
,
bebette
! I should’ve strung them all up by their tails.”

Jacques had been pacing and rambling in Cajun since they’d entered the spacious room. He’d taken his shower and wore only a towel, looking too sexy for words. She went into the bathroom and started the shower. Even above the sound of the shower spray, she could hear him grumble.