Bayou Bishops Box Set: Books 1-12

CHAPTER 15

Sahvrin remained in the Basilique, needing to think. No, he needed to pray is what he needed. He headed to the prayer room, the early morning sun casting soft colorful light through the large stained-glass window next to one of the pews.

He knelt on the little step and put his forearms on the rest, closing his eyes in the silence, trying to remember the last time he’d even done that. Why did it matter?

“He doesn’t keep track like you think.”

Sahvrin jumped a foot at the sudden voice, turning to see a dark figure in the corner of the back pew.

“Sorry, son, I should’ve said something.”

“Revelator? You okay?”

“I drank,” he confessed with a big sigh. “Lot of good it did.”

Shit. Sahvrin stood and made his way over, sitting a few feet from him. “Sorry you…needed to.”

He gave a derisive snort. “I don’t know if it’s a physical condition or spiritual one, honestly. Go through the trouble to fall off a wagon and can’t even do that. Doesn’t even affect me.”

Sahvrin tried to imagine himself in his shoes, but his strange life made it hard. Then he remembered what Maggie had said when she drew her finger on that scar. “Can I ask you a question?”

He took in a deep breath. “Sure,” he muttered on exhale.

“Why did you choose celibacy?”

He didn”t wait to answer. “The dark.”

His voice croaked on the problem and again he recalled Maggie’s words. “But now that you know the truth… how does it make you feel?”

His chuckle rumbled out lowly. “How does that make me feel,” he mumbled. “Like I’ve been set free into a world with no tether or compass.”

That’s exactly what Sahvrin would feel. He hadn”t known how to live any different either. Maybe this was a job for his Mah-Mah. Surely, she could help him find a new tether. “Not to change the subject,” Sahvrin mumbled. “But Mah-Mah had asked if I would get you to pay a visit to one of the families in need. Of prayer.”

“Of course,” he said, the eagerness in his deep voice exactly what Sahvrin was looking for. He needed somebody to help re-tether him and once that happened, God’s nature could take over.

“Good. Maybe after you clean up you can meet her over breakfast and get the details. I’m not sure of them.”

“Happy to. How’d everybody fare last night?” he asked after several seconds.

Sahvrin considered confiding his issue, feeling like he could use the advice as well as give Revelator something else to think about. “Well…that was kind of why I came in here,” he began, getting Revelator’s eager attention. And now that he prepared to tell him, he found himself tongue-tied on the problem.

“Take your time, son,” he muttered.

“So many things happening at once,” Sahvrin said, stretching his legs in the pew.

“Tell me about it,” he agreed.

“Long story short, I don’t want Beth serving as my right hand.”

“Why not?” he asked, sounding disappointed.

“Because of what’s coming. The war, the bloodshed. I don’t want her in that and if she’s my right hand, she’ll have the license to be.”

“Ahhhh,” he said, leaning back fully. “I can understand such a concern. She’s a good one and I think if you just asked—”

“I can’t ask, the code says I’m not to influence her decision.”

“What do you have in mind?”

“I was going to amend the code that women weren’t allowed in harm’s way is all.”

“You think that’ll be a problem?” he wondered, sounding doubtful.

“I do and I don’t. Mah-Mah set that code into The Twelve. The amendment requires a unanimous vote.”

“Ahhhh and you think she may not agree?”

“These women,” Sahvrin muttered, shaking his head, making Revelator laugh.

“Tell me about it,” he said, only he meant it literally, because he had no clue about such things and was curious.

“They seem fragile and simple but they’re not.”

“No?”

“Not at all. Fragile and simple at times maybe but not at times when you really need them to be. Pah-Pah pointed out that Mah-Mah never got near bloodshed because she understood her role and value in that role.”

“Right,” Revelator said, agreeing.

“But he also said that if she ever thought any of us were in danger, there would be no code she wouldn’t break to protect us. And that sounds exactly like Beth.”

“Help mates.” The whispered words were filled with awe. “That, son, is a profound gift of God and not something you’d want to be fighting against.”

“Well, husbands have a duty to protect their wives too,” he reminded. “How is that supposed to work if she wants to protect me? We can’t both be umbrellas in a shitstorm.”

“Oh you can, sure,” he said excited. “Just in different ways. God is the covering of the man’s body and spirit and he set man up as the covering for his wife. He gives her everything she needs physically, emotionally, mentally, and she gives him the same in return, completing the trinity power-circuit that nothing in hell can touch.”

To hear Revelator on his side had him ready to get on his knees and thank God. The message Revelator had given him returned. “Innocent blood would be shed by my hand unless I do something to stop it,” he said. “I was sure thinking it must be this.” He looked in Revelator’s direction, catching his head shake.

“Maybe so,” he said, while his tone leaned more to maybe not. “Just keep your spiritual eyes and ears open for that.”

“And yours,” Sahvrin muttered, not used to doing this kind of thing.

“My ears are your ears, brother,” he assured. “If ever I know something, you’ll be the first to know.”

That nagged him. “Why wouldn’t God show you this is what I wonder. About my message?”

“Not my business, likely,” he said simply. “Plus God may want to lay tracks with you personally.”

The idea gave him chills and not the fun kind. “Well…I’m here.”

“You are,” he said sounding proud of that much.

“Feel like I need to write my will out if I’m going to be in direct contact with The Man in any kind of way.”

Revelator’s laugh boomed into the room’s tall ceiling. “You know not what you run from.”

“I know I’ve done things,” Sahvrin muttered.

“That you have. And He knows every one of them better than you do.”

There was something about the better than you do. He was willing to be wrong about any of it, that’s for sure. “Now I’m not sure what to do about this code.”

“Always room for improvement and change,” Revelator said. The carefree tone held a hint in it. Like that was exactly what he needed to do. “Well, I better go get cleaned up and resurrect these bones for another day. I don’t like keeping Mah-Mah waiting.”

“Nobody does,” Sahvrin said, standing. He’d call her about Revelator and feel her out while he was at it. “I’ll call you and update you on everything later.”

Revelator stood and put his hand on his shoulder for a firm grip. “I never told you this, son, but when you was in that dark spell, the Lord woke me up one night. Told me to pray for you. And I don’t mean light prayers, He had me on my face. He still does that to this day. I tell you this, so you know He looks after you. Hoping you can figure out why.”

“Make sure I don’t fuck up too badly?”

Revelator’s handsome face split with a grin. “Not quite. Because he likes you.” He patted him once then headed out, leaving Sahvrin with those words to burn in his chest.

****

Sahvrin decided to call his mother from his Swamp Dragon. “Mah-Mah?”

“My firstborn, good morning,” she sang, her tone full of knowing.

“Before I talk to you about what you know I’m calling about, I have a favor to ask.”

“You know I’ll do anything I can for you.”

He didn’t miss the emphasis on can. “I know you would. This is about Revelator.”

“Oh?”

Her surprise was no surprise. “Lazure fill you in on what happened with Maggie and Beth and Rev?”

“He did, but I was gonna get it from the gator’s breath.”

Which meant she wanted more details. “There was something Maggie told Revelator you need to know.”

“About my sister?”

“No, about him.”

“Finally, some backstory on our Moses?”

“Well, not sure about backstory but she said…in so many words that he doesn’t have to be celibate because of the dark that followed him around.”

“Oh sha-peechay, is that why he was celibate?”

“Maggie said the dark followed because it was on a leash, and he was its master and that his father did what he did—which I don’t know what that is still—so that he can live in peace.”

“Ohhhh, Merci Dieu, what a wonderful word to hear for this man! What did he say?”

“Nothing at the time. But I met him in the Basilique this morning and he was in a bad way.”

“Why?” she cried, the sound of cooking happening in the background. “He should be happy, yes?”

“He doesn’t know how to live that kind of life, Mah-Mah and I was thinking we might be able to put him on a path. Give him something to engage his…testosterone.”

“Well…I do have several concoctions I made for—”

“Not that kind of help. More like somebody in the swamp of a female gender, that might need…a spiritual something from the Seer.”

She sucked in her breath. “Sahvrin Wolfgang Bishop, are you playing match maker?”

He laughed. “I’m sure I’d never be qualified. But you are.”

She shot out a single laugh. “Your Belle Eveque too, she’s a natural empath and she’s dying for something useful to impress you with.”

Sahvrin’s protest froze on his tongue as he considered. “I don’t know why I didn’t think of that.”

“Because you’re too busy worried about how to stick her in a closet, maybe?”

“I just want to protect her Mah-Mah, you know this.”

“Oh, better than anybody. I hear you want to amend the codes and I have a proposition for you.”

He stilled at that. “Listening.”

“I’ll consider amending the right-hand code if you consider amending the celibacy code.”

Sahvrin swallowed down his triumphant fuckyes! “I’m very sure it all depends on what kind of amendment you’re talking about for that code.”

“Well, for one, those men need wives. Every single one of em. You know when we’re not at war or fighting, they’re about as useless as a condom. And guess how often we’re at war?”

“I get your point, Mah-Mah, they need to be domesticated,” he agreed. “But I’m not convinced a woman is the perfect solution for that. The very thing I face right now with the right-hand code is proof. She may help in many ways, but she comes with her own sets of challenges.”

“It’s the good Lord’s design,” she said with a finality that put the argument right to bed. “But I’m not havin no Katrina’s in a position of power.”

“Mah-Mah, I can’t force them to marry.”

“I never said force. But once the celibacy rule is lifted, they’ll take wives and I’m thinking ahead to that next problem.”

“Fine, let’s consider the celibacy rule lifts and some of them maybe decide to choose a wife, then yes, no Katrinas. I don’t see that as being a problem but how do you plan to control that?” Sahvrin asked, leading her into the very corner he needed her in.

“Well, although we have ideas that will surely whet their appetites to choose a wife, we haven’t nailed down all the specifics.”

“We? Who’s we?”

“Who do you think?”

“Mon Dieu, you’ve been cah-nighing with my wife?”

“And your sister,” she added with a shameless giggle.

“I can’t begin to imagine what you have in mind, but I surely need to hear it.” So he wasn’t the only one hiding things. That was somehow leverage he could use and would.

“Well, your Belle Eveque is a genius. She has been using the Hordes Nouvelles to get all the current information on the families.”

“Don’t the Keepums have that?”

“They do, but she’s expanding it to include more details, like a family tree of events. And she noticed all by herself how many eligible women there were.”

“All by herself,” he said, rolling his eyes.

“Well of course this was after we discussed amending the celibacy code.”

“Of course. And then ideas sprang forth.”

“Like flowers in spring!”

“Mon Dieu,” he said, suddenly trying to imagine all of it. “I don’t doubt she’s found many eligible fair maidens in the swamp for our Twelve, but have you considered the problem of The Twelve themselves? Have you met them? Yes, you have, and which of your daughters would you want dating them?”

She gave a haughty huff. “Now, I told you we didn’t have everything figured out yet! The question is, do we have a deal to make a deal?”

“We have a deal to negotiate, yes.”

“And that’s all we want.”

“We,” he repeated. “Is she negotiating too?”

“Well, I mean, of course I’m considering her vote, unlike others who should be.”

“Thanks to you I can’t sway her opinion.”

“Well now why don’t we put that one on the table,” she cooed, offering her first compromise.

“Done. And you put on the table I ultimately get final vote on how a woman serves in The Twelve.”

“On the table,” she agreed. “So when will we all meet to discuss what amendments we want amended?”

“Who all is meeting?” he asked.

“Everybody involved in the decisions that will be made.”

“So every eligible lady in the swamp too?”

She gave her famous laugh that tickled your funny bone. “Meh-no! They are just eligible for what we decide and of course they don’t have to accept. Mon Dieu, I’m not wanting to run a harem!”

“A harem,” he said, seeing where she was going with this. A dating system where the women had all benefits. He wasn’t against that if it served the end game. “Well, surely not you.”

“Don’t give me sass, I’m still your momma. Now when is Revelator coming and oh dear, who am I going to send him to? I need to let you go so I can call Beth and Juliette and figure that out! How exciting,” she squealed like she was setting up wedding plans.

“He’s getting cleaned up first then he’s headed over so you better hurry. Should I call Beth and let her know her love therapeutics will be needed?”

“Her what?”

“She didn’t tell you she has a degree in sexual therapy?”

Mah Mah’s gasp was so long he thought she might pass out. “She did not!”

“Well, I hope I didn’t ruin the surprise,” he said, wishing he had more secrets to spill. Mon Dieu, he was going to punish her for hiding all this. So fucking good.

“Well, I can’t wait to learn all about it. I tell you, there’s a tide changing,” Mah-Mah said, giving off three sneezes. “Mercy. You comin for breakfast?”

“No, I’m going to see my wife.”

“Shaaaaa peeechay, I can’t tell you how happy it makes me to hear those words out of your mouth. Don’t fuss her too much, she only means to do good. Ohhhhh you have a beautiful woman inside and out with this one? Katrina’s true opposite.”

“Yes, I know,” he said, ready more than ever to pay his angel a visit. “I’ll see you at the Basilique this afternoon?”

“Will you bring Belle Eveque?”

“She’s technically not that yet.”

“I know, I meant just to observe.”

He rolled his eyes, knowing she had other reasons to have her there. Sheer intimidation? He’d not be. “I will leave it up to her.”

“Perfect!” she said, like she already knew her answer. She no doubt did.

****

Sahvrin went straight back to the Birdhouse and wasn’t the least surprised to find his angel on the phone in eager conversation. At seeing him she quickly hung up and bit her lower lip, her eyes sparkling as she slowly stood. She waited for him on the steps in her red dress that made him need to sin all over her. He remembered she hadn’t had panties on as he climbed the steps slowly, holding her gaze till he looked down next to her, not surprised those fluttering guilty eyes struggled to hold contact. He looked behind him at Spook’s shack. “Follow me, we need to talk.”

“We can talk here,” she suggested. “On the porch.”

“No, you’ll want privacy for what I’m going to say and do.”

“What…don’t’ be mad,” she barely whispered, following him on the narrow bridge to the shed. “We were just brainstorming, really. I had no idea she was actually thinking of doing all this! Not that I’m not thrilled she is…”

He lit a lantern once inside and opened the small curtains to let in natural light then closed the door and locked it. “Undress,” he ordered her, sitting sideways on the small cot so that his back was against the wall.

She obeyed quickly and stood with her hands behind her back. He eyed her hard nipples, a taunt just like the rest of her. He tapped his lap. “Lay across my legs Mah Belle Eveque.”

She stared at him, her arms moving in front as her obedience slowed greatly with that order. She did as he said.

“Your beautiful face where I can see it,” he instructed.

She turned it, even angled her head so she could see him.

“Grab hold of the mattress above your head.”

He gave his first spank the second she obeyed. “How do you answer?”

“Yes Eveque,” she gasped between many breaths now.

“Open your legs.”

“Yes Eveque,” she shuddered around moans, opening.

He spanked her again. “Fucking wider than that.”

“Oh! Yes Eveque!” Her leg nearest him pushed into his side and he lifted it and put it on his right.

“Eveque,” she strained around moans as she waited in a partial split.

He slid his finger over her exposed puckered ass, groaning at the shocked cries she gave. He spanked her left ass cheek then right, loving the fucking way it jiggled with each sharp scream.

“Did Mah Belle Eveque know about these celibacy changes when we talked about the Bat-tie?”

“Y-yes,” she admitted, her moans so fucking lusty now as her body literally trembled on him.

“Such a wet pussy you have,” he murmured, dipping inside her with two fingers.

“Oh God, yes. Yes, Eveque.”

The hot confession wrenched out of her as her hips moved in erratic flicks.

“I’m so wet,” she strained, fighting to see him.

He used his free hand to spank while touching his wet finger on her exposed pucker.

“Eveque!”

“You like keeping secrets from me?” He pushed the tip of his finger into her ass.

“Oh! Yes Eveque! No,” she shot out, getting another spanking.

“I think your first answer is correct.” He spanked her again. “Your naughty fucking ass wants this.” He continued smacking her cheeks, harder, her cries accompanying the flex of her ass sucking his finger deeper.

“Eveque, oh God,” she cried, shaking

“That’s it,” he whispered, spanking her three more times, letting her tug his finger all the way in. “You want your naughty ass fucked?”

“Eveque, please! I…”

“You what?” He moved his finger slowly out, groaning on the sounds she made.

“My clit,” she strained between grunts.

“Your clit.” He reached between her legs, finding it. “This?” He squeezed it as he pushed his finger back into her ass.

“Oh please, oh God, Eveque, I need your…”

“My what?” He released her clit and spanked her again while still fingering her ass.

“Your cock, I need you,” she cried. “Please, hurry.”

“Get on your knees but don’t let go of the bed.”

He leaned and moved her leg so she could, getting out of his pants while watching her move into position.

Kneeling behind her, he already felt it, that lust-crazed animal as he stroked her red ass. He placed one foot on the bed, sliding the head of his dick along her. “Fucking wet and hot baby,” he seethed, gliding his thumb next to his cock, wetting it as he pumped only the head in her opening. He pressed his wet thumb on her puckered ass. “Mmmm, fucking take it in baby.” The sounds she made brought his hot, long hiss. “So fucking naughty,” he shuddered, slamming his hips against her ass, her shriek bringing another wave of heat to his balls. “And your fucking pussy,” he breathed fighting for air as he watched his glistening cock move out of her. “You’ve been so fucking bad, Mah Belle Eveque,” he said, slamming into her again.

“Bishop!” she cried, her hand letting go of the mattress and reaching under her.

“Are you rubbing your naughty clit?”

“Yes, yes!”

“I told you to hold the mattress.” He pushed his thumb in her ass, slamming his cock in again.

“I need to come!” she half shrieked.

“You need to be fucked and punished.” He spanked her nice and hard as he fucked her, every jolting blow making her pussy bite his cock till fire boiled in him and her orgasm hit. “You’re fucking coming on me?” He grabbed hold of her hips and held her so fucking tight as he bucked her on his cock, her screams muffled in the mattress. “I’m fucking coming in your pussy,” he warned, turning her on her side and holding her leg on his shoulder. Seeing her pussy at this new angle and her cute tits jolting with his hammering fucking did it. He fell forward, pushing her leg to her shoulder, kissing her perfect mouth while emptying everything into her. Her nails raked along his face, holding him to the sweet cries she gave back. His fucking reward. Worth anything and everything he had to give.

“Come here,” he whispered, helping her into his lap where he held her. “Now that I’m done sexually abusing you, I was thinking I could use my words.”

She laughed in his neck then gave a sexy moan. “What? I can’t hear you, I only speak Bishop.”

He kissed her tenderly, stroking her cheek. “Seriously…did I fucking hurt you?”

She smiled on his mouth. “Why do you ask? To torment yourself? What’s done is done and I told you I would tell you.”

“I don’t believe you,” he said honestly.

She gave a sigh, dropping her head back for a moment before bringing it forward with her angelic eye scolding. He leaned in and kissed her again.

“I can’t get enough of you,” he confessed. “I’m so fucking addicted to you.”

“Me too,” she whispered.

He pulled her close and hugged her tight till she squealed. “Mah-Mah wanted me to invite you to the meeting this afternoon.”

She pulled her head away, looking at him. “What meeting?”

“The one where we discuss the right-hand rule and celibacy rule.”

“Right hand rule?”

Fuck, figures Mah-Mah hadn’t mentioned that to her.

“What’s wrong with the right-hand rule?” she wondered.

“It just needs amending. Like the celibacy rule.”

She slowly grinned, staring at his mouth. “I knew it,” she whispered.

“You knew nothing,” he said.

“You don’t want me as your right hand!” She gave a gasp, assuming all the wrong things.

“Not for what you’re obviously imagining,” he assured.

“For what, then?”

“Come to the meeting and find out.”

“What do I do there?”

“You can only listen and observe since you’re technically not Belle Eveque yet.”

Her jaw dropped. “You’re pulling a fast one,” she realized on a whisper. “And you call me cah-nigh?”

“I’m doing my job,” he said.

“Making it so I can’t be your right hand before I can even have a say?”

“Mah-Mah will be your mouthpiece no doubt and her vote is required.”

“Well, thank God I have at least her on my side.”

“You have me on your side which is why I’m doing the vote. What’s your excuse for amending the celibacy?”

“I’m not! That’s Mah-Mah’s idea!”

“Don’t tell me you’re not stirring in that pot,” he accused, getting her smile. “Fucking angel,” he muttered, leaning to kiss her. “I’m amending the Bat-tie’s too just so you know.”

She gasped a laugh. “You can’t change the whole swamp because of me!”

“Watch me.” He devoured her neck when she threw her head back with a laugh. “Are you coming or not? You’ll have to sit quiet and submissive. Can you handle that?”

“I obviously can,” she said, filling his face with hungry kiss-smacks that had him grinning.

“Maybe when you get to know The Twelve, you’ll see why this celibacy thing isn’t a great idea.”

“I might could if I knew French.” She pulled back. “Can you have the meeting in English?”

The sweet way she asked made his cock ache. He considered the request. “It’s not a typical meeting,” he said between kisses. “I think I can bend the rules for my Belle Eveque.”

She smiled and turned, straddling his lap. “Mmm,” he said as she held his face and treated him to one of her daring kisses. “Mah Belle Eveque,” he said in her mouth as she raised up and took hold of his cock. “Fuck, yes” he moaned, closing his eyes as she slowly lowered onto him. “My angel wants to fuck her Eveque?”

Her fingers raked in his hair with her whispered, “Yes.”

He let her do the work and she moved up and down, hand on her clit. He broke the kiss, angling his head to see. “I fucking love seeing your fingers on your pussy.” He slid his hands along her sides, determined to let her do everything. “Look at you,” he said, his gaze roaming up, stopping at her tits. She pulled his head to her nipple, her fingers latching in his hair. That vile swamp animal living in his cock answered with a lusty warning-groan.

Her tiny fucking whimpers flooded his balls with glee, and he slid his hands up her back, then back down over her hips.

“That’s it, angel, fuck me good.”

“Bishop!” she cried, bouncing on him now.

“I’m here, my Angel,” he shuddered as her nails dug into his shoulder.

“Fuck me, please!”

He grabbed hold of her hips and jerked her fast and hard onto his cock, putting his mouth in the path of her bouncing tits, raking his teeth on what he could.

She cried out, pulling his hair hard and he held back his own need to fuck as she came, not wanting to obliterate the beautiful event. “Oh baby, feels so good, yes, come for me,” he whispered, pressing a finger over her tight exit, and wiggling while her orgasm rippled through her.

“That was fucking beautiful, Angel,” he said, stroking her hips and sides before grabbing hold where her ass spread on him. He pressed her down and kept her tight on him while forcing the head of his cock against the deepest part of her with fast, short jerks. He watched how that looked till fire had him growling for more, for too much. She covered his mouth with her sharp moans, her tongue fighting to taste. Was exactly what that animal wanted, her screams in his mouth. It brought his tsunami orgasm, and he wrapped his arms around her tight, using her entire body for leverage. She broke his eardrum with frantic cries all while he marveled over her strength. He wasn’t sure how she took that, but he was so fucking glad she could and did because he was pretty sure his appetite wasn’t going to be changing anytime soon.