Voodoo Queens of New Orleans - Vol. I | ✓

Chapter 13: Deception

"Lisa," Mama said. She said nothing else to me. Just my name. And at the calling of my name, the entire Coterie - including all the House members - slowly turned to look at me. But their gazes weren't the same as Mamas. The Houses looked at me with shock, pity and a little bit of confusion in their eyes. Mama? Her gaze was one out of fury, rage, and disappointment.

I didn't know what to say. "Sorry for inviting Hezekiah Mercier into the house so he could fuck me with a vibrator. I didn't know he was going to steal the seal of Marie Laveau" wasn't going to cut it. So, I stayed silent, dwelling in the consequence of making such a stupid decision.

"Do you realize what you've done?" Mama finally said. Qadira had the same disappointed look that Mama had; I always knew that she didn't like me much.

"I'm sorry," I said, trying my best not to let everyone's stares get to me. "I just...I-"

"What were you thinking, girl?" Missus Taima asked me, more condescending than disciplinary. I refused to tell the Coterie what Hezekiah and I did last night, but Mama already had an idea. And seeing how she looked at me brought on an overwhelming feeling of shame. I didn't know what I was thinking, really. I thought, for one moment, that Hezekiah's cold, dead heart beat for just a second. How could I have been so stupid to trust a vampire?

"What were you thinking?" Mama asked me sternly, as if Missus Taima's tone wasn't assertive enough.

"I don't know," I answered honestly. "H-he came to my window to return my pendant and I went and returned his-"

"You let Hezekiah into your room?" Mama drawled, her eyes as bright as a blue fire. I looked around before I answered - House members trembling at the thought of a vampire in the safe house while they were sleeping. And whose fault was it? The daughter of their leader. I couldn't imagine how embarrassed Mama was of me; of my foolishness.
The last several days consisted of me consistently fucking up due to my ignorance. Due to my need to satiate that "desire" for something more. For significance; for entry into my Mama's world.

"I'm sorry. I thought I could...I mean...it was the way he was speaking to me! I thought I could trust him. I-I don't know how to explain it."

I was a babbling idiot. No one could understand what I was trying to say. I'm sure if they were in my shoes, having endured a convincing one-man show from Hezekiah Mercier himself, they would understand.

Somewhat.

"You can never trust a vampire," Mother Babette chimed in. "Ever. You know well enough what vampires have done to the Coterie and what they plan to do to us in the future. And with Abraham as their clan leader? Hezekiah as his right hand man? You put all of us in danger with your actions."

"Let us not forget what Hezekiah did to Tia Valeria," Qadira adds, growing somber. "How could you invite inside the monster that murdered her?"

I thought of trying to make my case in some way; I wanted to tell them that Hezekiah claimed he didn't have a choice - that he never had a choice when it came to his clan. But thinking back on his words, there was no credibility in them since he buttered me up for his own personal gain. I knew that everything he told me was tainted. Everything.

Before anyone could point any more fingers at me, Imani quieted us all and directed our attention to the window. I thought that was it; I thought Hezekiah had come back to kill us all. This 'ward' that forbade an uninvited vampire from entering a house was forfeit for him. If we all died by his hand, it would be my fault.