Deuce (Swamp Desires Book 1) (3 page)

Chapter Four

Adele

Who is that hunk of a man on that airboat? I can smell him from inside and he smells delectable. His smell reminds me of something, although I cannot put my finger on it just yet. He has short, shaggy brown hair. I cannot see his eyes from here, but I am betting that they are brown. A light brown like the color of the water in the swamp. He looks to have just enough scruff on his face for it to be sexy as hell. There is something about a man that has facial hair. Man, it just adds to their character in my opinion. 

One of the main things that I could smell on him is that he is a shifter. That smell is unmistakable. A shifter’s smell is different from any other smell in the world. On some shifters you can immediately tell what they are, but is his case, I cannot tell what kind of shifter he is. All I know right now is that I have to have him. Somehow, he needs to be in my life and in my bed. 

I watch him as he checks out my house from his boat. He never gets off his boat. I think he is going by smell here. He is trying to figure out who and what lives here. I thought I could see recognition flash in his eyes for just a second. But as soon as I saw it, it was gone. But I wonder what he could have recognized? I do not know him; I have never met him before. But as a shifter, my wolf is calling to him for some reason. I think she has lost her damn mind if you ask me. Why would she call to him? 

So many questions that I do not have the answers to right now. Hopefully, I will have those answers. But, until then, I have to get ready for work. The day is calling to me. After my cup of coffee, I get dressed and head out for the day.

On my way to work, I am thanking God that it is Friday, finally. It has been a very long week. The full moon is tonight. All of the kids at school have been affected by it all week long. Which makes my days longer than they should be. These kids are so sensitive to the moon phases. It makes it hard for them to stay focused and on task. The staff and I are constantly redirecting them back on task. I am praying that all goes well today; that there are no issues.

***

Finally, it is the end of the school day. All of the kids did an exceptional job today. They fought the full moon head on. “Ms. Boudreaux, I hope you have a great weekend,” Jacob says.

“Thank you, Jacob. I hope you have a great weekend as well. Do you and your family have any plans for the weekend?” I ask.

“I think tomorrow we are going to a crawfish boil and then on Sunday we are having a crab boil at our house. So my weekend will be filled with lots of good food and family time.”

“Well, it sounds like you are going to have a great weekend. It sounds like lots of fun to me,” I say with a smile.

Jacob is usually very quiet. He always keeps to himself. He gets along with the other children and staff, but for some reason, since I have been here, he singles me out. He seems to want my help over anyone else’s. I do not mind at all. He is a sweet kid, with a big, bright future ahead of him.

I love every aspect of my job. These kids are my bright spot in my life right now. They are what is keeping me going. 

There are days that I wish I did not have the responsibilities that I have. I wish for my life to be normal.  But, that will never happen. A lone witch a very long time ago made sure of that. Coming to work every day during the week is the only normal that I will ever have. I have been
blessed
to have a not so normal life. I am so ready to head home for the day. I need to run in the woods tonight. I need to run free in my wolf form. Time for me to explore this part of the swamp I have moved to some more. I have not been here for very long. I have just decided to move to the houseboat a week ago. Before then, I was living in the city. It was driving me nuts; I could not handle it anymore. I need wide open spaces, so that I can let my wolf out every now and then.

I love the city, but my wolf does not. She needs the woods and swampy areas. She craves it; she cannot live without it. She needs to be able to hunt down the criminals. The evil people who will kill someone and dump their bodies into the swamps. Leaving their bodies for the gators to devour. So they will never get caught, because there is no evidence of the body, ever.

I stop at the store on the way home to get some more groceries that I need. Once I am done, I stop to fill up my gas tank and head home. Once I pull down the long dirt road that leads to my new home, I let out a contented sigh. I am really enjoying coming home every day now. In fact, I look forward to it. My houseboat is very quaint. It is a one bedroom, one bath houseboat. It has a small kitchen where I can cook my nightly meals. Afterward, I usually sit on the deck and listen to the night creatures.

Once I arrive home, I notice a note on my door. I wonder who sent it. I grab my groceries and head into the houseboat. I grab the note after I put the groceries away.

Ms. Boudreaux,

I am contacting you on behalf of the society. We know what you are. We also know that you are here in our town and that you have been in our town for many, many years. We have been watching you from a distance since you arrived. It has been foretold that one day a legend would come to town and set the Catholics right again. This legend would work with a local legend, and together they would be unstoppable. I am writing to you to tell you that we know what you are. You are the Rougarou. You have been sent here to keep us all in line. I am informing you that we do not need your help. You need to leave this instant and never come back. If you fail to leave, then we will track you down and end you.

You have been warned. I suggest you heed this warning and leave now before you lose your life.

Sincerely yours,

The Society

Who in the hell do these people think they are? Some stupid society of Catholics no less. They do not scare me. I will never leave because they are threatening me. Let them come after me. I will be ready for them. They have no idea what they are up against. And what is this other “legend” they are talking about? I wonder if it is the one about the white alligators. It is the only local legend that I know of. Whoever those alligators are, they are definitely shifters. I have not come across them yet. But that does not mean that I will not. The swamps are massive and I am learning all the ins and outs more every day.

Today turned out to be such a great day, until I opened that letter. Now, I am just pissed off. I do not mess with anyone. I keep to myself. So I wonder who these people are and how they found out about me.  I really do not think they really know who and what I am. For if they did, they would not be threatening me. I can kill them in just one bite or swipe of my paw. They have no idea what they will unleash if they do come after me. It will be game on then. I will hold nothing back when I tear them limb from limb.

Oh well, there is nothing I can do about them right now. So I am not going to worry myself about it. I need to fix myself dinner and take a shower. I need a night of relaxing.  I need to clear my head of this threat. If they come for me then I will deal with them then.

I warm me up some leftover gumbo and sit on the deck and eat. I love sitting on the deck. I love watching the locals around go about their daily lives. They are such simple people. They live off the land.  They work the bayous for seafood to sell at the local markets, but they only keep a small portion of their catch for themselves. If there is any extra that has not been sold, they will give to a family in need. They are selfless people. They do not care if they do not have enough to get by, they will give what they can to help a person or another family.

When I moved the houseboat here, the local men came to help me. All except the ones that live in that business down the way. They were so helpful and I was so grateful for all of their help. The day I moved in, the guys that run that business, I was told were off on a trip helping their cousin who was in trouble. I am sure that the guy who was looking at my houseboat this morning was one of them. What I wouldn’t give to have some time alone with him. I wonder if he tastes as good as he smells. Oh crap, I really need to not think about him. I can tell he will be the one to invade my dreams if I let him. I cannot let anything distract me from my purpose. Even though I long for a love of my own, I know my purpose on this Earth is more important than my heart. My purpose comes first; it always will.

Maybe if I am really lucky I will get to have my happily ever after. Maybe he will help me with my purpose and we can work together. The only time I want a man to control me is in the bedroom; any other time he needs to stand by my side and not be ashamed to stand there. He should support me in all that I do. We will work side by side and rid the world of the Catholics that have fallen from their faith. We will dispose of the criminals that try to kill anyone and leave their bodies in the swamps for the gators. We will be a team.

Okay, maybe I am getting ahead of myself here. Who am I kidding? There is no such man out there. No man would ever let me do the things that I have to do. I am so screwed. I can only pray that whoever my mate is, that he is everything that I have dreamed of him being. We can work on everything else. After all, aren’t all relationships built on compromise and trust? I can only dream that my man would love me for who and what I am. One day, I hope to find out. Hopefully soon.

Chapter Five

Deuce

This morning we decided to head into the swamp at dark. It has been a few weeks since we were able to get back into our other forms. The beast within is growling to get out. The nights in Louisiana can be just as hot and humid as the days are. Tonight is no different. As soon as you walk outside, the heat just wraps around you like a warm blanket. You start to sweat within a few minutes of being out in the hot and humid air. The weather is the only downfall to living down here. But, many of the creatures thrive on this weather. We enjoy it sometimes, especially if we are able to shift forms and swim in the water, so we can cool off.

When we are in our gator forms, we can see things that you cannot see in the human form. It gives us the sight to see nature how it was always was meant to be. It should be untouched by man. At night, there is usually no humans out and about, so the night creatures can go about their lives. But there is something in the air tonight. We can feel the tension. Something is going down in the swamp. We are going to find out what that is and put a stop to it.

“Zander, you ready to head out?” Pierre asks. 

“Man, I am always ready. Let’s do this,” Zander says.

We all hop into the airboat and head out. We are taking the airboat because we can get into places that you cannot get into with a regular boat. We head out in the direction to the left of our business. There are many pathways in the bayou this way that we will be able to access.  “Hey Deuce, did you check out that new houseboat this morning?” Pierre asks.

“Yes, I did. All I can tell you is that a woman lives there. There is something about the scent coming from there that has gotten me all kinds of messed up. Since then, my gator has been pushing for me to go back. And I am not sure why,” I explain.

“That is weird, man. What is the scent doing to you?” Zander asks.

“Well, for some reason, it is drawing me in. It is like, whoever lives there is somehow important to me. I have no clue who is living there, so how can that person be important to me? I just don’t understand it.”

“What kind of pull is it, Deuce?” Pierre asks.

“Well, now that I think about it, like I have been thinking about it all damn day. The pull is coming from my soul. Could it be that whoever lives there may possibly be my soul mate?” I ask.

“I, for one, have not felt a pull like that, yet. So, I am guessing that it could very well be that, Deuce.  Don’t close your mind or heart off to it. Let it take you. You will never know unless you get off your ass and go and introduce yourself to whoever lives there. I say, go for it. You have nothing to lose, man,” Pierre says.

“Maybe you are right. Tomorrow I will go over there and see if that person is home. I will never know until I come into contact with the person.”

I don’t know if I am mentally ready to find my soul mate. What if she does not like me? What if she is not compatible with me? There are so many things that are up in the air when it comes to matters like this. What if I do not like her? What if she makes me crazy in love with her instantly? What if it is love at first sight? I have heard of people falling in love with each other at first sight. It is very rare, but it does happen. The ones that have fallen in love at first sight are still together, and are as happy now as they were when they first met.

I know my brothers are open to the idea of finding their mate, and I am also, but I am scared shitless at the same time. I just hope nothing goes wrong when I do meet her. All I have ever known is my brothers and my cousin, Joslyn. I see how happy she is, and I want that for myself. 

We have finally reached our destination. I park the boat and Pierre and Zander tie it to the tree. Once the boat is secure, we all strip down and shift. In a matter of seconds, we are in gator form. We inch toward the water and slowly ease ourselves in. The water is cool to the touch and feels perfect running along our scaled skin. We slowly creep in the water toward the far end of the channel. At the end of the channel is an opening of embankment. This spot is usually where someone will commit a crime. Tonight we lie in wait in the water until someone is stupid enough to try and kill someone and dump the body. Hopefully, we can stop them before it happens. We get close enough to the bank where we are still in the water, but still hidden so no one can see us. 

When in our gator form, we are white. So, hiding at night in the murky waters comes easily. It is Sebastien’s turn to take down the criminal. Even though we are quadruplets, he was born last. And is, for all intents and purposes, the baby. Tonight, he is in the lead. He will earn his rights this night as our brother, and will be able to hunt with us from now on. If he takes the killer down.

Not that he hasn’t hunted with us before, just tonight is special for him. We are letting him lead, and we never let him do that.

We wait patiently for several hours. Finally, we see headlights coming this way. We go under the water, but we are still at the surface, watching. A tall, lanky looking man gets out of the driver’s seat and goes over to the passenger door and opens it.

He pulls a woman from the front seat; she is beaten and bloody from him beating her senseless. How do I know this? Well, I can see it in her heart and his. When in gator form, we can sense a person’s emotions, sometimes their deepest darkest secrets, if they leave themselves open, which they usually do. He drags her by her hair to the water’s edge. Sebastien eases himself closer to the bank, unbeknownst to the man.

Sebastien is being cautious and vigilant, at the same time; both things he has to do. He does not want to strike too early. He has to strike when the man is going to make the step to finish what he has started.

“You stupid cunt! You are going to pay this time. I will no longer tolerate your carelessness anymore. You were told time and time again to obey my every command. You are a worthless piece of shit of a woman. Your pussy is too loose and reeks of old, stinking fish for my tastes, anyway. Why I took you in, I will never understand. But from this night on, no one will miss you. You have no family to come and rescue you,” he sneers.

“Please, Master, I will do anything you say from now on. Just please spare me,” the woman begs.

“Never! I will not spare you. You will be food for the gators.” he seethes.

He walks over to the trunk of the car and grabs and axe from the trunk. Sebastien makes himself visible to the woman. She looks at him and smiles. She knows what the white alligator means. If you see one, you have been given a second chance at life. You will be free from the chains that are holding you down. The man slowly walks back over to the woman and she screams in fear for her life. He raises the axe high above his hand and strikes a warning strike close to her. She is quivering in fear on the ground, waiting for her life to be over. 

All it is going to take is one strike with that axe anywhere on her body and then she is done for. He chooses to stand there and torment her, waiting on him to strike true. He stands there holding the axe, shaking in his boots. The power he has over her is empowering him. He craves the fear he creates when he hits her every night. He takes great pride in taking her every night for everyone to see. She lives in constant fear, wondering when he will snap and just kill her. Tonight is that night. I can see all of this playing out in her heart right now. Her life is flashing before her eyes and it is scaring the hell out of her. If, somehow, she makes it out of this alive, she will start anew.

He can take her presence no longer. He wants rid of the waste that has become her life. When he first met her, she was so beautiful and ripe for the taking. He let his carnal desires guide him to her. She was unknown to man when she was brought to him. Her parents sold her to him, so they could move to another country away from her. She could never do anything right by them. She was never good enough. They wanted a son, not a daughter. So they sold her to the highest bidder in the underground. Since then, she has become his sex slave. Serving him many times a day for several years now.

He raises the axe again, this time ready to strike true. I watch as he slowly lowers the axe down toward her. He stops in midstride. Out of the water comes Sebastien. He slowly creeps over to the man. The woman gets to her feet and runs behind a nearby tree. Alexandre and Pierre and I are right behind Sebastien, close on his heels, ready to cover his back should anything go wrong. Sebastien corners him against a huge Spanish oak tree. He has nowhere to go. He is trapped in that spot.

On the other side of the car, I spot a white wolf; it is guiding the woman to safety. Where the hell did that wolf come from? And who is it? I wonder if it is the same wolf the locals are talking about. It has to be, if it is here trying to help the woman get away. It keeps looking our way with wide black eyes.

I watch as Sebastien quickly grabs him by his midsection with his sharp teeth. He slowly creeps backward into the water. Once he is in the water with him in his mouth, he thrashes around and death rolls around and around. He snaps him in half. Pierre and Alexandre fight over the half that was slung away from Sebastien. Sebastien devours his half of the man in one swift bite, swallowing him whole.

When there is nothing remaining of the man, Sebastien changes back to human form and goes over to the car. “I am taking the car and dumping it at the junkyard. I will meet you all back at home,” he says.

The rest of us shift back into human form. “Job well done, Sebastien. We will see you at home,” I say.

“Deuce, did you see that white wolf?” Pierre asks.

“Yes, I did. I think that maybe I should follow its scent. And see who this new shifter is.”

“From what I could smell, it is a she. She has a very unique scent. She smells of honeysuckle and cinnamon. I have never smelled anything like it before,” Alexandre says.

“I know that scent. I smelled it today when I was taking the airboat out for a ride. All I can say is that, that wolf was magnificent. It was graceful and courageous.  I am simply captivated by it, for some strange reason.”

“Umm, man, are you alright?” Alexandre asks.

“I think so, brother, but I feel like I have to go after that wolf. My soul is screaming that I follow it. I have to know who she is.” I sigh.

“Do you think that is a good idea, Deuce? I think you need to just head on home and get some rest. The business opens back up tomorrow night. We need you to be right on your game,” Alexandre states.

“I disagree with you, Alexandre. I think he should follow the wolf. He needs to see if she is his soul mate. He will never know unless he follows. If it was me, brother, I would follow and not think twice about it. What is your heart telling you to do?” Pierre asks.  

“Who cares what his heart is telling him. We are men; we do not think with our hearts. We think with our heads,” Zander exaggerates.

I stand there listening to them arguing like women. I know that Pierre is right and Alexandre is right, each for different reasons. I have to do what my heart wants, and it wants to follow the white wolf. I may never have another chance like this again. If I go home, I will go nuts wondering why I did not listen to my heart. I will go insane, and so will the beast within me. I kneel down to the ground and place my hands on the ground at my feet. I take the energy from the ground into myself. Joslyn and Skylar taught me how to do it. It helps to keep my mind clear and level. The energy does not consume me; it just gives me the extra boost of courage that I need. My brothers are still arguing.

“Hey, assholes, I am standing right here you know. I am in control of my life, not you two. I will make my own decisions. If I need your opinion, then I will ask you for it. I love you guys, but come on. If you were in my situation, would you just leave and risk the chance of the beast going insane?” I ask.

“I guess if it came down to it, I would go after whatever it was that was calling to my soul. I am tired of being alone. One night stands just don’t cut it anymore. They leave me feeling guilty and disgusted,” Alexandre says.

“I would follow my heart. We only get one chance at finding our mate. I would not want to deny myself a chance at true happiness. We all serve a purpose in this world. Our main purpose in life is to find our mate. The one who can keep the beast under control. As the days go on, it gets harder and harder to keep it under control. I can sense a calm in your beast since you spotted the wolf, Deuce. Go after her. Don’t waste any time. Take this chance. Do not let it go to waste,” Pierre adds.

“You are right; I am going after the wolf. Do not wait up for me. I do not know how long I will be. If this is indeed my mate, I have to at least introduce myself to her.” My beast has been quiet since we spotted her. He knows who she is and he is not telling me anything at all. He huffs that I need to figure this out on my own without him helping. But, he warns that if I go in the wrong direction, he will cause me great hell.

“Go after her. Don’t worry about us or the boat. We will take it back home. We will make sure that Sebastien has dumped the killer’s car first and then head home. We will not worry about you. Nor will we try to stop you in any way. This is a time where we will not interfere. This will make you stronger and be able to get some relief from the beast,” Alexandre states.

“Go on, man. We have everything else under control. Go see if she is indeed your mate. You will never know until you come face to face with her. So...go!” Pierre says.