POV
Avery
It was five-thirty, I was in the car with Shawn, behind his truck were two more cars, one with A'mosh, Keaton and Brandon. The other, Marius and Nikki drove. We were headed to meet Mambo Baptiste, we were meeting at her restaurant. The place was right outside of Lafayette, why we had to drive almost over two hours, was beneath me.
I just wanted everything to go good, I promised Athena. I was dressed up, just jeans and a hoodie. Shawn was driving, silent, and tense.
I was nervous, Alice said the woman is powerful, guarded by armed men, and deities. The loa. They were the Vodou gods and extremely powerful in their own right. "Sunshine, I know you're angry, I can feel it coming off of you. But remember, we are coming to her, not the other way around." Shawn said, reaching over and reassuringly squeezing my thigh.
Alice was seated in the back seat, her skin lively and refreshed, her way of speaking adapted as she spent more time in my head, my memories and thoughts. "The Mambo is a great threat, maybe if you had a stronger coven or more bound spirits. If this goes wrong, you are all in real danger." She said, fading away. I sighed, the Gps telling us we were closer.
# # #
We pulled up to the pretty restaurant, it screamed French Quarter, and I would have loved to have been there in a different setting. I sat there as Shawn parked, the car was off and I was about three breaths from hyperventilating. "Sunshine, look at me. Look at me, I'm right here with you. I won't let anyone hurt you. Do you believe me?" He asked. I held my breath nodding quickly, he smiled and told me to breathe.
Shawn opened my door for me and I stepped out, I felt comforted only slightly. My heart was thundering, still, when Shawn held my hand, I felt safe. We walked into the narrow building, and the decor was nice. Green and white, with gold trimmings. There were several round tables, and four mirrors on different points of the wall.
It was almost empty, except for the farthest back table. At the table sat nine people, ranging in color from light toffee to bitter chocolate. The man from my visions also sat at the table, just as tattered and dead-looking as always. Except he was alive, he was real, a living member of her tribe. I knew exactly which one was her, she was seated dead center. She was beautiful, but not what I expected. She was very light, probably mixed, her hair was red, but it was her gaze. It was intense. That and the fact that she looked so young. But I was amazingly aware of energy now, and her's was beyond powerful. It felt older, not loa old but older than what she appeared.
She and her group analyzed us, then she nodded her head and the women left of her called us forward. We walked ahead, Shawn holding my hand, the Delta and Gamma on alert, the Alpha walking forward brave and totally not bothered. Nikki and Marius were shaken but hiding it well. We reached the table and realized it was the biggest, seven chairs slid out from the table, as the Mambo flicked her index finger. It was a show of power. I was trying to be humble and she was mocking me.
We sat and she curled her finger, the chairs we were in slid forward pulling us perfectly closer. "So, here we are. Avery, yes?" She asked her accent heavily french sounding. Creole. "We came here..."
"No no no, this is not between us wolf, this is between me and this one." She interrupted A'mosh, her glare still on me. "Mambo Baptiste..." Her eyes raked over Marius and Nikki. "Should be ashamed of yourselves, the both of you know our ancestors and yet you reject them. Speak no more, unless you don't like having a tongue." She said, cutting Marius off. "Speak, you sent your spirit to stalk me. What do you want?" She asked, leaning over and muttering something in French to the man from my visions.
"Talk Avery," Alice whispered in my ear, and I found my voice. "I'm Avery, and you are?" I asked, keeping my voice even. "You know who I am, did you come to test my patience?" She asked, "Mambo Baptiste is not a name, it is a title." I said, and she sat up, leaning on the table. "Michaëlle." She said. "Thank you," I responded. The room was quiet for a second, then I got right to it. "My friend was attacked, we are helping her, but for some reason, it's not working. I think you can help, and in return, we are willing to sell our shop." I said, Brandon, pulled out an envelope and slid it across the table.
"Is this the deed?" She asked, "No, it's an offer, twelve thousand for the shop, and an antidote for the poison." I said. Her right eyebrow twitched and the envelope went up in flames. "You had a chance to sell, I sent my brother to warn you. And you gave me your ass to kiss. To pitin! (You bitch)" She shouted. "Now you come here expecting me to buy, no. You'll give it to. And that girl, she wasn't poisoned. She's as good as dead, by tonight it will all be over." She said.
My heart started to pound, my stomach was in knots. "You can't do this," Marius said, and Michaëlle slammed her hand down on the table.
"My body seized up like I was being shocked and drowned at the same time. I could only move my eyes. I wasn't the only one being squeezed, she was doing it to all of us. Her tribe laughing, watching, but giving her no power, it was all her. (Alice, help me) I mentally called, (Use your power, I am with you) She whispered right next to my ear.
A dozen spells I'd learned when the light spirit of protection dwelled in me, this was another test. Could I hold my own against someone so strong? I didn't even think about it, as soon as Alice twined her power with mine I was released. "Lilid." I hissed, I wasn't sure what it would do, but it was somehow in my memory, so I used it. My friends inhaled deeply, as they were released. I was frozen, a strange feeling going through me.
I had control over her spell, it had reversed, she and her friends were now being squeezed, her nose was bleeding as she tried to fight my hold. I knew I had to be quick, so I dug into my reserves, weakening my power, and using that energy to push the entire table against the wall. "Let's go, she was never going to help us," I said, keeping my hand outstretched, holding them all back. Shawn pulled me with him as we left, I never dropped my hand, I could feel her letting her power build.
Outside we raced to our cars and got the hell out of there. I was shaking coming down from the adrenaline. "She isn't going to stop, you know that right?" I asked Shawn, "Dammit! Baby, I'm sorry about your friend." He said.
# # #
As all three cars drove into Devil's territory, Shawn looked over at me. "They can stay, okay. You will all be safe here." Shawn said, but I didn't lift my head, trying to hide my tears. "Come on, stay strong. You just held your own with her, now just find a way to save your friend. We will find a way I know we will. Say it." He softly demanded.
I looked up, and in his eyes was faith, faith in me, here was this man. My soul mate and he believed I could do it, he believed we could save Amber. So I dried my eyes, and I inhaled shakily. "We'll find a way," I said, and he parked the car. "Come on, let's go save Amber." He said, and I smiled at his acknowledgment of my family.
We got out, Keaton and Brandon left to go see their mates, A'mosh, Marius, and Nikki walked over to Shawn and I. "What now?" A'mosh asked. "We're going to save her," I said. And more than that I believed it.