The pain in my head was gone, but the knot was still there. It was dark outside and the guys were discussing tomorrow’s plan—except for Remy, who was still MIA. Minette was in the kitchen, cooking in a large black cast iron pot.
Judging from the amount of spice jars on the counter, she had no idea what she was doing. She mumbled a few words and added a pinch of something else to the pot, causing it to bubble. The smell was that of grass, chocolate, and stinky feet which made my stomach turn.
“What in the world are you making, besides a mess?”
Startled, she jumped, and slammed the cookbook shut before turning around. I pinched my nose and eyed the concoction in the pot.
“You’re up. I was expecting you to sleep that bump off.” Minette played with her fingers and glanced to the side before hastily putting the spices back in the cabinet and tucking the book in the drawer.
“Whatcha making?”
Her hurried cleanup gave way to a nervous fidget, her eyes refusing to meet mine. What are you hiding?
“Soup, I’m making soup,” she spat out.
“Well, it smells like ass.” I didn’t know what she was hiding, and I wasn’t going to rest until I found out. I reached to open the drawer where she put the book away.
She moved her rear over the drawer and leaned against it, preventing me from opening it. Just as I was about to move her, two shots rang out from the marsh followed by the pained howl of some sort of dog.
The guys clamored to grab whatever weapons were nearby and bolted out the front door. As Tango left he looked back. In my hand was the gun from the boat. I had cleaned it earlier and had yet to return to the glove box.
“Veronica, stay. Your dad would kill me if I let anything happen to you.”
I could tell from the look in his eyes he was not going to let me go. Shoulders slumped, I let out a deep breath as the front door slammed shut.
I put the gun back down on the kitchen table and tossed the clip beside it.
“Why do guys feel the need to protect us?”
“I don’t even try to figure them out anymore. Some things will always remain a mystery and I believe that is one of them. Honestly, I’d rather be protected than left to fend for myself.” Minette sat at the table across from me.
“So, you gonna tell me what’s really in the pot?”
Before Minette could reply, the guys burst through the front door. John carried Remy under his arms while Brent bore his legs and Tango held open the door. Blood dripped from Remy’s thigh as he breathed quickly.
“Get Veronica out of here.” Remy growled, before howling in pain. Something was off besides his unnatural howl. A light layer of hair appeared to shed from his skin. Before I could get a good look, John and Brent rushed him to the back of the house. I turned to follow, but Tango put his arm around my shoulder and turned me toward the door.
“Veronica, it’s time you and your grandfather had a little talk.”
“What the hell was that, Tango? What is everyone hiding from me?” Once outside Tango loosened his grip as we walked to my grandfather’s.
“It’s not my place to tell you, but your life is about to change drastically.”
I rolled my eyes then opened the door. Pawpaw waited by the door as if he were expecting us. I pushed past him. “Spill it, old man,” I barked then plopped down on the couch.
He let out a deep breath, eyed Tango, then shut the door and sat next to me. “Veronica, I don’t even know where to start.”
“How about at the beginning,” I said with a little too much edge.
“Your Mawmaw was a voodoo queen, also known as a swamp witch in these parts. We were blessed with two sons, but her powers could only be passed to a female. Your uncle had three sons and your father four. Several years went by and just as your mawmaw was about to lose hope, your mom conceived you.
She knew right away that you carried the Benoit magic within you. What she didn’t count on was your mom’s reaction—she flipped out. Heartbroken, your mawmaw followed your mom and dad’s wishes to keep everything secret. Your mother feared your mawmaw would put all these hocus pocus ideas in your head and didn’t want you to be part of any of it. Your dad tried to talk some sense into her, but she wouldn’t hear it.”
“Are you trying to tell me I’m a swamp witch?” Stunned, I leaned back in the couch and ran my fingers through my hair as I tried to wrap my mind around it.
Clearing his throat, Tango interrupted my train of thought. “I think I need to explain the rest.” Pawpaw nodded.
“Once your mawmaw realized your mom wouldn’t give in,” Tango said, “she stayed quiet. But things changed when she saw her own death before you came of age, so she had me and your pawpaw learn what you needed to know.
“How do you know this?”
I was her familiar—a cat to be precise. Right before you were born, Mr. and Mrs. LaCour came to see your mawmaw who was a very gifted healer in these parts. But the problem was beyond her skills. The baby Mrs. LaCour carried was soulless. She knew that the child would die as soon as it was born. That is when it hit her. Since a familiar was an animal with a human soul, she would transfer my soul to the unborn child. My heart broke that day. I knew she would be gone before I was old enough to regain my memories. I had been her familiar for over forty years—it was like losing a mother, best friend, and lover all at once.” Water pooled in Tango’s eyes.
“It wasn’t until I was ten that I began to remember things. Just as I was starting to understand, she was gone.” He blotted the tears from his face.
Pawpaw stood and put his arms around Tango. “I miss her too,” he whispered.
Tango looked into my eyes and clasped my hand. “The last thing she said to me was to guard you with my life.”
Anger simmered beneath my skin. I threw Tango’s hand back in his lap and stood. “You two knew, and said nothing to me?” I paced and rubbed my temples with my fingers.
“Cher, your father threatened to keep you from me if I said so much as a word. Please don’t hold that against me. If not for the current situation, it would still be a secret, at least until your eighteenth birthday.”
“And what’s your excuse?” With seething fury I glared at him, my finger pointing inches from Tango’s face.
“Your mawmaw put a silencing spell on me. You have no idea how many times I wanted to tell, but the words wouldn’t come out. Once your pawpaw spilled the beans, the spell was broken.”
I threw myself back down into the couch and looked back and forth between the two.
I sat for a moment then realized I still didn’t know what was going on next door. “What does all of this have to do with Remy wanting me out of the house?”
Pawpaw blew out his breath in one big huff. “Remy is a Roux-Ga-Roux.”
Putting two and two together was something I was good at, but I never saw that coming. “He’s a werewolf?” That bump on my head must have done a number on me. First, I was a witch then Tango was my mawmaw’s cat, and now Remy was a Roux-Ga-Roux. This day just kept getting better.
“Yes, so is John,” Tango added.
“And what about Minette, is she a werewolf too?” The crazy train had officially left the depot. As its engineer, I felt the need to get all the facts to feed into the furnace.
“Minette is a swamp witch like you. The Roux-Ga-Roux gene only affects males,” Pawpaw explained.
“Great, so everyone knew I was a witch but me. And let me guess, Brent is Nutria Man.” My voice became shriller.
Shoulders raised, Tango’s lopsided grin and tilted head spoke volumes. “No, don’t be silly there’s no such thing as Nutria Man.” Then came the coup-de-tat. “Brent’s a vampire.”
Not believing any of it, I threw my hands up in the air. “Okay, now you’re just fucking with me.”
“I wish I were,” Tango mumbled. “Didn’t you find it odd that every time you and Brent got close, I sho
wed up out of nowhere? Witch blood is valuable to vampires, it gives them power. After Minette’s warning, I thought you would stay clear of him, but I was wrong. I did everything I could to keep him from drinking from you. Unfortunately I couldn’t keep him from spelling you; otherwise I don’t think you would have made it past the first date.”
A shiver went up my spine, I scratched at the side of my neck like a dog with flees and tapped my foot rapidly. “Ewww—” My stomach wanted to heave at the thought of Brent drinking my blood.
“I don’t know what’s going on tonight. Remy left the house in a hurry; he was half changed when he left. Minette was working on a potion to help him stay in his human form when you started to nose around the kitchen. Then we heard the gunfire and howl, and knew Remy had been hurt. He was in a wolf-man sort of form, which was odd since the moon wasn’t full. He had been shot in the leg and kept growling for us to keep you away. By the time we got him back to the house, most of his fur had flaked off and he looked human enough, but the moment he saw you, he began to change again. I will understand if you want to stay here with your pawpaw for the remainder of the trip.”
“I just need a moment to process everything.” That was an understatement. No amount of processing was ever going to make this okay. I wanted to wake up from what I was sure was a concussion-induced nightmare. But the more I thought about it, the more everything sank in.
Pawpaw walked into the kitchen and retrieved a book from the drawer. It was similar to the one Minette had, only thicker and older looking.
“This was your mawmaw’s. I was going to give it to you on your eighteenth birthday, but why wait?” He stroked the cover once like it was his most valuable treasure before he handed it to me.
Energy emanated from its bindings, surrounding me like a blanket. I heard my mawmaw’s voice telling me everything would be okay as doubt left my mind. White light shrouded my fingertips and moved up my arms before encompassing my entire body.
When the light faded, I knew my mawmaw had passed her powers and knowledge to me through the book. I knew her spells and potions by heart, plus the history of her kind and the other magical creatures that inhabited this world. Werewolves and Vampires were only the tip of the iceberg. There were ghosts, banshees, and fairies—hundreds of different kinds of Fae folk. Goblins, gremlins, shape shifters and even Sekhmet—cat-like people descendant of an Egyptian goddess. My mind overflowed with information.
I wasn’t sure how long I sat there catatonic. Tango called my name, but I was so engrossed in my own world, I ignored him. It must have been hours when my mind finally slowed. I could see the sun peeking in through the curtains and Tango balled up like a kitten, asleep on the couch next to me. Now understood why I was never attracted to him as anything other than a friend. Even though he was unnaturally good looking and as sweet as they come, I was never swayed. Somehow, I always knew he was my familiar despite his human form. He was destined to be my best friend for life and nothing more. I petted his hair, causing him to snuggle closer. I hadn’t really slept, but I felt rested and at peace with everything.
Arms over head, I stood and stretched. My bag was at the Dubois’ camp, so I leaned my head over the kitchen sink, cupped my hand and took in a mouth full of water, swished it around and spit it into the sink.
Morning breath still lingered on my tongue, so I rummaged through Mawmaw’s herb cabinet for something that might take the stink out of my mouth. Peppermint oil—perfect. Using my finger as a brush, I rubbed the oil across my teeth, gums, and tongue then rinsed with water. Not the same as a toothbrush and toothpaste, but it would do until I could build up the courage to go back next door.
“Morning Cher,” Pawpaw greeted from the hallway. Pole in hand, he grabbed his tackle box from a cubby under the kitchen counter, hidden by a ugly orange and avocado colored curtain, and kissed my cheek before he walked out the front door. I was surprised he didn’t ask me to go with him. I shrugged it off and rummaged through the fridge for breakfast.
“Find anything good in there?” chimed Remy’s voice directly behind me. Startled, I jumped and hit my head on the freezer door.
“Damn it, Remy. Who let you in?” I slapped him in the stomach and rubbed the bump that was forming on the top of my head.
“Your pawpaw on his way out. I didn’t mean to scare you.” He smiled and wrapped his arms around me tight then kissed the top of my head. “We need to talk about yesterday.”
Something stirred inside of me as Remy released his embrace. I threw my arms around his neck and pulled his lips to mine.
“Mmmm...Peppermint.” Remy licked his top lip.
Cheeks flushed, I pushed away. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”
“I do.” He clasped my hand and pulled me closer. “You and I are fated to be together. For lack of a better word, you are my mate.”
“Oh, hell no.” I squirmed out of his arms. “Listen here, wolf boy, let’s get something straight. I make my own fate and being tied down to canine was not on my to do list.” I ran my fingers through my hair and paced. All these years trying to get Remy’s attention and I pushed him away. What the fuck is wrong with me?
“Ronnie, I’ve been avoiding this for months because you didn’t know what I was—or what you were, for that matter. You can’t deny the attraction between us.” In the middle of the kitchen he stood there and watched me march back and forth in front of him.
Hands on hips, I stopped before him and glared. “It’s called hormones, Remy—Horrrmmonnneesss!”
All at once I became overwhelmed and tears welled up in my eyes. I turned my back to him, put my hands over my face and bawled, convinced I had finally gone bat-shit crazy.