Suppressed Page 14

  “Arelia LaRue, are you making excuses not to have dinner with me?”

  I smiled at his mock horror. “I’m not making excuses. I just…”

  “I know. It’ll only be a few minutes and you need to eat.”

  “Your offer is very tempting. How can a girl refuse?”

  “She simply can’t, can she?” Lucus led me to the long dinner table.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Dinner Date from Hell

  Present Day

  Darkwood Plantation

  The sight of the gorgeous table decorated with antique black candlesticks, fine china, and filled with scrumptious mouth watering cuisine, made me momentarily forget all of my duties. The pink sky had turned to a rich velvety blue and the stars were proudly dancing above us. Nothing in the world compared to having a great meal outside on a warm Louisiana summer night. I melted when Lucus pulled out a satin covered chair for me.

  “Thank you,” I said enjoying the attention and distraction. I was learning that it was okay and even necessary to allow others pamper you once in a while.

  “You’re welcome.”

  “No one else is eating.” It was true the guests were still dancing and drinking. Ben had finished his meal and was once again fighting with Viola.

  “At this second, I don’t care about anyone else but you. The guest can eat whenever they want. After all, it is their vacation.”

  The waiters didn’t seem to agree with Lucus, as they kept giving the guests disapproving glances. They wrung their hands nervously while eyeing the food. I felt bad for them. Food didn’t last long in the Louisiana heat.

  I smiled. “So, is that Gumbo Arelia?” I pointed to a pot of gumbo.

  “Yes, it is. Are you brave enough to try it? You didn’t get a chance last night.”

  “I was way too distracted.” I gave him a small smile. “Fill up my bowl please, Monsieur.”

  “It would be my honor.” He filled up my bowl with the gumbo.

  I ate a spoonful of the stew and my insides melted. The vegetables, spices, and herbs had been artfully put together. It was the best gumbo I’d ever tasted and I had tasted a lot of gumbo.

  “Do you like it?” An amused smile played on Lucus’ lips. “The chefs made a hundred different versions before they finally got it right.”

  I realized I was eating in a totally non-lady like manner. “So good. When did you finally decide it was right?” I put my spoon down and looked into his eyes. I couldn’t fight the butterflies that danced around my stomach when our eyes met. Not so long ago I had believed that the butterfly in the stomach thing was nothing but a myth. Boy had I been wrong. It was real, and it wasn’t just because I had the whole teenage hormone thing going on.

  “When I knew that the recipe could never be intimated by any other kitchen in Louisiana. It’s supposed to reflect how unique you are.”

  “Unique? You know everyone thinks the love of their life is unique or special. That’s the basic plotline of a million and one young adult novels. Trust me, Sabrina forced me to read them all.”

  He ran his fingers through his hair and raised one eyebrow mischievously. “Please forgive me, I’m not up to speed on young adult novels, but only you can get away with throwing mud at me, insulting me, and sometimes driving me crazy with your stubbornness and yet with every action I fall deeper and deeper in love with you.”

  “You’re a sucker for pain,” I teased, as I leaned in and gave him a kiss. “Lucus, after I find Sabrina, I’ll focus on helping you and Louis. I don’t want you to think I’ve forgotten. I know we lost a year and…”

  “I trust you. Everything in time, right? I don’t want you to feel as if helping me is an obligation. I’m the happiest I’ve been in over a century, all thanks to you. Now, it’s my turn to be of use to you. To make life easier for you. I’ve been selfish for so long focusing on myself. Life isn’t meant to be lived that way. I finally understand. ”

  If only you knew what I’ve done. I was unsure of what to say or how to accept his compliment. I was relieved that he had let go of some of sadness, but at the same time I knew that time wasn’t on our side. I was getting older. What if it took decades to break the curse? I’d be a wrinkled old grandma and he’d still be young and handsome. How would that work? I needed to make everything better and fast. Yet, I knew that the loa didn’t care if I wanted everything all at once. They didn’t work that way. I was finally starting to understand that cold hard fact.

  Lucus picked up on my thoughts. “I’ll love you until the end of time, regardless of what you look like. Forever means forever. It doesn’t matter if you take the form of a bird or a bee or a single raindrop. I’ll still love you. ”

  I laughed. “You say that now.”

  “Well, isn’t this lovely?” A familiar voice interrupted us. High John Conqueror Root, sticky cigarette smoke, and the scent of vodka overpowered the spicy gumbo.

  I couldn’t look up. I refused to look up. I heard him pull a chair out. I could sense his eyes on me. Analyzing my every move and hearing my every thought.

  “Did you miss me?” he asked.

  I kept staring at the Gumbo Arelia. I started to count the number of cherry tomatoes that had landed in my bowl. One. Two. Three. Four.

  “Queen, you’re being awfully rude. Don’t you agree, Prince Charming? Isn’t she being rude?” he asked sarcastically.

  “Louis…” Lucus’ voice had a protective undertone.

  “What is it? Are you still foolish enough to believe that she doesn’t remember anything? So, tell me what wild things you saw on the other side, Queen. I heard that you killed Barbie and threw her in the swamp. I couldn’t care less about her, but I do care about my Mother.”

  Unable to take his torment any longer I looked at him. He sat across from me. His muscular body slumped in the chair and he rested his flip-flop clad feet on the table. I masked my anger and guilt with a sickly sweet smile. For good measure I batted my eyelashes a few times. I had learned more than a few tricks from Cecile.

  “Hello Louis,” I said politely. “I see that you haven’t changed a bit.” It was true. He still wore the same ratty gray shirt, carried a bottle of vodka in his right hand, and had his ever present cigarette dangling out of the corner of his mouth. But that wasn’t all. His gray eyes still harbored anger and hatred that shook me to my very core. His gaze was strong and determined. I knew, he knew much more than he was letting on. I had to get to the cemetery and fast. This time I was stronger than him.

  “What did you expect? Not everyone can be as brave and selfless as Solomon Northup you know. That whole, I don’t want to survive, I want to live line may have tugged on the heart strings of the masses, but let me tell you, sometimes the only thing you can hope for is survival.” He took a deep drag and a swig from his bottle.

  “Louis. Your battle isn’t with Arelia. It’s with me,” said Lucus.

  I felt horrible. I wanted to confess and come clean. Between the two of them, they could decide what type of punishment I deserved. I glanced at Lucus, but it wasn’t him who I saw. He had transformed into Edmond. Edmond’s cold blue eyes bore into mine. He gently stroked my cheek and revulsion crept through my entire body. I pulled back. “Arelia. Are you alright?” Lucus asked.

  “Yes.” The word was almost inaudible. I would not vomit. I would not be dramatic.

  “What’s wrong, Queen? You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.” Louis was having fun. His smirk grew, but his eyes were innocent, almost angelic.

  “I’m fine.” I focused on my gumbo again.

  “I see that you’re wearing a fancy new dress and you seem very impressed with what Prince Charming has done with the place. I guess money really can buy everything, can’t it?”

  His torment continued.

  I couldn’t hide my guiltiness any longer. “Will you please excuse me? I have to go powder my nose.” Why the hell did I say that? Powder my nose? When did I ever powder my nose?

  “Yes, of course,” said Lucus
. He kissed me on the cheek and my blood ran cold. Edmond’s musky Parisian cologne filled my nostrils.

  I left the table and walked elegantly towards the house. Damn it. I needed to get to the cemetery, but there was no way that would be possible without Louis and Lucus noticing. I entered the main house with a million and one thoughts racing through my mind.

  Louis’ voice found itself inside my mind. I know your little secret Queen. “So, you’re the one responsible for all of this misery? I knew I should have killed you when I had a chance. The only reason you’re still alive is because you haven’t helped my Mother yet. You see, I don’t give a damn about myself, but I do care about her. So, here’s what’s going to happen, you’re going to give her peace and then you’re going to allow me to hurt you just like you hurt me.”

  Damn it. I needed to think fast. I found myself in the busy kitchen. The spicy smell and fast conversation of the chefs and bartenders was a temporary distraction. I let myself into the little garden with its red chrysanthemums and white wrought iron furniture and paced back and forth like a mad woman.

  “Ouch.” I felt a lash against my skin. “Not this again,” I muttered.

  “You see, if you leave things unresolved, they always come back and bite you in the ass. You’re going to help my Mother, but that doesn’t mean I can’t have a little fun with you first.” Louis’ voice was now one with mine.

  “But how do you know.” Another lash ripped open the back of my dress and I fell to my knees. “I made you remove the trick you placed on me.”

  “Oh, that. I remove that, but, unlike you, I’m always prepared. Remember that little Voodoo doll I made of you. Well, I kept it and as you know by now, those little dolls can do a lot more damage than what people give them credit for. I’ve been tracking your spirit for the whole year. What a sad little history you have. I knew you weren’t as innocent as you made yourself out to be. Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Sleeping with Prince Charming’s cousin for money.”

  “Shut-up you sadistic ass!” I hissed. Another whip blindsided me.

  “Get up Arelia. Don’t you know when one door is closed, there are many more that are open?” Bade hissed.

  I forced myself to get up. “Bade, guide me please,” I begged.

  “There’s more than one cemetery at Darkwood. You’re familiar with the slave cemetery, but you’ve never been to the LaPlante family cemetery. It’s much closer. You can get there in a few minutes. Run, silly Arelia! Run! There is a back door in the main ballroom. Go through that door and turn right. The cemetery is a few feet from there.”

  Wasting no time I made a mad dash through the kitchen. The chefs and bartenders let out cries of disgust as I leaked blood onto the shiny marble floor. I ran down the long hallway until I finally reached the ballroom. It was dark, cold, and utterly silent. Like a drunken sailor, I fumbled around in the dark trying to locate the mysterious door that would be the answer to all of my problems.

  “Oh, Queen. I know you made that little Voodoo doll of me and you’re trying to bury it. Nice try. I’m coming. You’re going to play by my rules.”

  I fell onto the floor as another ruthless lash ripped open more of my skin, but I was determined to keep going. I fought back the pain and thought of the task at hand. I finally found the door and let myself out. The hot sticky wind quickly dried up the blood that was running down my skin and I swore it closed up some of the wounds.

  “Thank you, Bade.”

  “You’re almost there,” encouraged Bade. “Don’t give up, silly one.”

  I ran until my legs wobbled and my mouth was bone dry. When I finally reached the intricately designed cast iron gate that boasted the words LaPlante Family Cemetery, I almost jumped for joy. I took out the pennies and the rum bottle, and placed them at the front of the gate. “With all due respect Papa Ghede,” I said.

  The gate which appeared as if it were woven out of black lace rattled and shook before opening.

  “I’m coming, Queen. This isn’t going to work out well for you. All these years my bitterness was aimed at Prince Charming, but now I see the truth. You’re the one who deserves to be punished.”

  “NO I DON’T!” I shouted through the pain and the tears.

  Inside, the LaPlante Family cemetery was absolutely gorgeous, with its grand above ground tombs. Detailed marble statues of weeping angels and saints in mourning, diligently protected each tomb along. Ancient oaks, who with their heavy arms, guarded a little chapel that appeared as if it had been freshly painted. Even though it was a cemetery, in the center there stood a large water fountain with a pond of floating water lilies.

  I crawled towards a clearing between two stately tombs. I started to dig as fast as I could, knowing that I didn’t have another second to waste.

  I felt thick fingers tug at my hair with violent force. “Oh no you don’t, Queen.” Louis’ voice was savage as he continued to pull my hair.

  “Let go of me! I’m not the enemy.” I dug my fingers into his hands ruthlessly drawing blood and tearing his flesh until he let go. He lost his balance and tumbled backwards. I relied on good old fashioned defense mechanisms and kicked him in the balls. He fell to the ground and let out a low primal grunt. Killing my feelings for him and resisting the urge to say “I’m sorry,” I ran back to the hole and continued to dig. Afterwards, I took the little box and placed it in the hole and covered it with the dirt.

  “May all of your evil, negative thoughts be suppressed inside of your own head. May all of the anger and the hatred towards me remain with you until you willingly decide to change your ways. Until you see the error of your ways and have a true change of heart, I must keep you in bondage for your own good and the good of others,” I repeated the spell as I buried the doll.

  “NO!” Louis screamed.

  I turned to face him and saw that he was lying with his face buried in a pile of dirt. His shirt ripped open and fresh lash marks began to appear on his back.

  “No!” he screamed again. He got up from the ground and faced me. “I hate you, Queen. I hate you for all that you’ve done.”

  The lashes continued and as much as I wanted to look away and run, I didn’t. I faced him and looked him in the eyes. They were pained and haunted, but utterly devoid of tears. His blond hair shone under the moonlight and his lips trembled violently. He resembled a little child on the verge of a really nasty temper tantrum.

  “I’m not the enemy and until you realize that, I cannot let you hurt me. If you’ve been following my spirit for the past year, you know that life wasn’t easy for me either. I never meant to hurt you or Lucus. I’m trying to make things right. And if you’ve noticed, I refuse to call you Ivan any longer, because you’re not the monster you make yourself out to be.”

  “You’re only trying to ease your own guilt. You’re just as selfish and self absorbed as the rest of them,” he snarled. At this point his entire chest was covered in grotesque lash marks, but I had to stay strong. I could not reverse the spell until I had him under control. He needed to be schooled.

  “Do you think I wanted to sell my body for a bit of security, and the illusion that I was free? Do you think I wanted to be viewed as a parasite, just because I chose to follow my own path? I was a slave too! Can’t you see that? Can’t you see that I still feel broken? But unlike you, I’m trying to put myself back together, piece by piece. I’m taking my own power back. I can help you take your power back if you only let me. I’m sorry that Sophie never loved you, but you deserve better. You’ll find better. You deserve someone who truly loves you. Don’t you see all of the power you have? We can work together to stop whatever evil Emilie is cooking up.”

  He remained stoic as the lashes continued. My speech hadn’t made any impact on him at all. Blood gushed out of his wounds and leaked onto my toes, but I remained firm.

  “You haven’t learned a thing have you, Queen? We don’t live in a damn fairy tale. Life is brutal, hard, and the only way to survive is to be as equally brutal and hard. Unlike you, your sis
ter is smart. Maybe I’ll join her in her little plan to bind your soul to Edmonds. That would be the perfect revenge, wouldn’t it?”

  My confidence vanished at his suggestion. I hadn’t thought about that. What if Louis and Emilie united? They did have a common enemy, and that was me. I would not let doubt eat away at me. I could not give into the “what ifs” and “maybes” and other paranoid thoughts that most likely would never occur. “I know you won’t do that. You’re so much better than that. Your heart is pure. As much as you’d like to cover it up and suppress your goodness, it still has a way of shining through.”

  “Why does it feel like I’m listening to Tony Robbins or some other ridiculous self-help guru who can't even get their own shit together? You’re pathetic.” He fell to the ground and howled like a wild animal, as the spell worked its magic and continued to send all of his negativity back to him.

  I kneeled beside him and stroked his forehead. I used my dress to wipe away the blood that was flowing from his wounds. “All of this can stop if you agree to work with me.”

  “You can’t blackmail me, Queen. You’re just like him. He tried to buy me again and now you’re trying to blackmail me into doing your bidding. You two are nothing but a pair of hypocrites and parasites. Tell me one thing, why this body? Why did you trap me in this body? Why did you choose this one?”

  I thought back to the forest and how much pain Louis had been in. Mait Carrefour hadn’t directly asked how I wanted Louis to be saved. However, he had read my thoughts. I thought that if Louis had gotten a new body with lighter skin he would have a shot at having a better life. I had been foolish enough to believe that he would forget all of his pain and somehow start over. I had grossly underestimated the power of the soul and how it was scarred by brutality. “I wanted to make your pain disappear,” I whispered. “I thought I was giving you a chance at having a better life.”