CHAPTER 6
Patches was on fire for the rest of the trip through the bayou. He kept Tegan between his legs, not in a hurry to get where they were going. Already she needed another orgasm, and he couldn’t wait to get this shit delivered and return where he could give her many. She wanted him to teach her. Fuck, that was precious. He could call himself an expert on a lot of things, but sexual pleasure wasn’t ever an area he’d intended to master. But all his mastery skills were salivating to get their hands on those details and become an expert immediately.
He leaned down and kissed her head, again regretting his promise to his Grand Pier to date those women. But that was bought and paid for. He’d try it on and return it when it didn’t fit. And it didn’t fit because he was already fitted with this beautiful woman between his legs.
He stroked her arms, loving her silky skin. His dick ached at recalling the feel of her ass. Mother of all fucks, nothing had ever made him need to be as mean as that ass of hers did. Infuriatingly thick and needing to be punished. He’d never wanted to play rough with a woman before. But he hadn’t met that ass.
Finally arriving at the location, he helped her out of the boat, getting mindful of his surroundings.
“Anything I need to know before meeting these people?” she wondered. “Mannerisms, customs?”
“Just stay close to me and don’t talk unless you feel the need to. They’re respectable people, mostly to themselves. Patriarchal types.”
“What’s that mean to them?”
“The men lead, the women submit.” He shrugged. “About sums it up.”
She nodded. “Well…that’s not so bad.”
“No,” he agreed, swatting off a mosquito. “It’s about a half-mile walk from here. Let’s add more repellant. The mahdigwan are bad out here.”
“The what?”
“Mosquitos.”
“Oh.”
He sprayed his hands and patted her clothes down with it then dabbed some on her face and any exposed areas. Their gazes locked for several seconds and he leaned in and stole a kiss, smiling at the look of surprise she gave. He was going to really like taking from her.
He held her hand, finding the moon full enough not to need light on the familiar path. Halfway in Patches stopped and turned, putting a silencing finger to his mouth. He jerked his head left, seeing a blond head in the distance. Sounded female. And distressed. He looked at Tegan and she saw it too, pointing and mouthing somebody’s crying.
He held her hand tight and made his way closer. Definitely a woman crying. His stomach tensed as he got closer. Whatever was wrong had her so distracted she didn’t hear them until he knelt next to her.
She sat against a tree with her head on her knees and arms covering her head. Not wanting to startle her, he called softly, “Mah-dam?”
She sucked in a breath and jerked her head up and Tegan gasped as Patched grabbed hold of her arm before she could run. “It’s okay, it’s okay,” he hurried. “I’m the doctor of the Hoard, I’m just here bringing supplies and I heard you. Chee-ah feh selah, angel?”
She shook her head. “Nothing.”
“Who hurt you?” he tried, firmer, sure her orbital bone was broken by the amount of swelling around her eye and face.
She lowered her head and covered it again, sobs straining out of her. He looked up at Tegan, his rage burning as he stood and looked around. “Let me take you back, it’s not safe out here,” he said eyeing her, remembering their enemies.
She shook her head. “I can’t.”
He lowered back down again. “Why can’t you? Who should I talk to about this?”
She snapped her head up, immediately shaking it. “Don’t tell, please,” she begged. “He’ll only punish me more.”
“Who will?”
“Please just leave me,” she begged, looking behind the tree.
“Who is he?” Patches demanded. “You have to tell me, or I have to go ask questions.”
“My husband,” she gasped, her face petrified.
“Your husband did this?” Patches asked, having to lower his voice to hide his rage. “Do your people know he’s hurting you?” He’d guarantee this wasn’t the first time now.
She let out another sob, nodding.
“Oh my God,” Tegan whispered. “We can’t leave her here with them.”
“Can I look at your injuries, angel?”
She shook her head. “Please leave before they know. Please!”
Patches stood and pulled Tegan who suddenly yanked her hand out of his. “We can’t just leave her!” she barely whispered.
He grabbed her head and put his mouth right at her ear. “I would have to drag her out of here. I can’t do that. These people might be peaceful but they’re very protective of their clan. We need to go now.”
Thankfully she got the nature of the situation and hurried with him back to the boat. Once they were back on the water, she asked, “What will you do?”
“I don’t think that’s a common occurrence. But I will get to the bottom of it. I’ll call Bullets when we get back.”
“Why Bullets?”
“This is his Hatch. His jurisdiction.”
“What will he do? You heard what she said. If he goes there and says anything she’ll just get it worse.”
“Yes, I heard,” he swore. “He’ll need to invoke the Bayou Brigade code which allows him to take a small army and arrest him.”
“What about her?”
“I’ll let him know she needs to be removed from there.”
“She can come to the hospital. She can have the room I was gonna stay in, I’ll sleep on the couch or something.”
“She’d have to go to Bullet’s Hatch unless I put her there as a patient. Which I could.”
“My God, that poor thing.”
Patches eyed the genuine concern on her pretty face. “Why are you a mile away?”
He leaned and took her hand, helping her to the seat before his, again stealing a kiss before returning to his spot.
“What if they give trouble?” Tegan wondered, still worried.
“That would be pretty stupid of them.”
She aimed her worried eyes at him. “Why?”
“Because the Bishops and his Twelve rule these swamps with an iron rod.”
Patches pulled his buzzing phone from his back pocket. Sarah. “I’m on my way back, is everything okay?”
“It’s Grand Pier, he’s not wanting to take his meds.”
“Boo-san,” he muttered with a sigh. “I’ll handle it.”
“You get that stuff delivered?”
“No. Ran into something. Gonna have to wait.”
“All right. Well, the mothers are all tucked in for the night. Did you still want to meet tonight?”
His mind stumbled at that. “Uh…shit, remind me what’s happening?”
She gave a little laugh. “We were going to go over final plans?”
“For the hurricane,” he remembered.
“Uhhh yep, that’s the one. I can’t find Tegan, hope she didn’t get lost.”
“She’s with me.”
“Oh good,” she said.
“We’re ten minutes out,” Patches said, ignoring the unspoken curiosity in her tone. He sure didn’t need her guessing at his intentions with Tegan. That would surely get messy. It was no longer a secret that the swamp women were up in arms about these foreign women moving in on their male territory. He understood, he was right at the front of that charge. Till Tegan.
“See you when you get here, then,” Sarah said.
“Yes ma’am,” he said, hanging up.
“Everything okay?” Tegan asked.
Patches scrolled for Bullet’s number, not missing the same curious tone Sarah had in hers. These women. They had their own language going on between them with an inside track you knew existed but didn’t understand. “Grand Pier is being cah-nie with his meds.”
“Cah-nie?”
“Fussy, rebellious, troublesome,” he said. “Gonna report what we found to Bullets then when we get back, I want to get Nitro taken care of.”
“But he’s okay,” she double checked. “Grand Pier.”
“Yes, he’s fine,” he said, wondering why she felt the need to be brave when showing her concern for him. Did she think he’d find that strange? Over the line? Dramatic? Fake? Hard to know why she used her Texan bravado when she did.
He did love her strength but not when it hid her fear and worry from him. He took her hand and brought it to his lips, pressing a kiss to her fingers. He watched all her fears melt from her face and damn he loved having that kind of power over her. “You okay, ma-Texas Tegan?”
Her eyes rose from his mouth to his, her soft, vulnerable side begging him to use more of that power on her. He surely would. That very night. She gave him a little smile. “I’m…not gonna lie, I get to feeling out of sorts here. An island almost. With a contagion.”
He slid her knuckles along his lips. “You are surely contagious,” he said. “And you’re my island.” She locked her gaze on his, her breaths shallow. “Oui?” he whispered.
She nodded and he leaned in, stopping just before her mouth, feeling the silk of her cheek with his fingers. “Don’t fear me, Texas.” He moved her hand to his chest and pressed it against the raging thump of his heart. “This is your island.” Her gasp hit his mouth and he kissed her, being extra soft and gentle as he melted more of her fears.
“Your…phone,” she whispered.
“What fucking phone?” he murmured, nipping delicately on her lips.
She gasped a laugh, and he eased back, searching her face for anymore symptoms he needed to kiss away. Gone. For now.
He looked, seeing he missed a call from Sarah again. Buh-san, it had begun. She was going to be his biggest issue with this. He’d given her too much hope and that part was going to bite him in his fucking ass but good.
He pulled up Bullet’s number and hit it, eyeing her as it rang.
“Doc,” he answered, sounding curious.
“Hey, I just left the Viking clan in your hatch and I’m calling to report a violation of ordinance 35, Marital Malevolence.
“What?” The shock in his dark tone dumped adrenaline in Patches’ blood.
“I saw it with my own eyes. Bloody nose, busted lip. And judging by the swelling on her face and right eye, her orbital bone is fractured.”
“Which clan. I got three in my Hatch.”
“Tell him she’s scared, she shouldn’t be left there,” Tegan whispered.
“Also, this is a bit of a hostage situation. She showed fear of further retribution should anybody get involved.”
“Understood,” he muttered, murder in his tone.
“What’s he gonna do?” Tegan whispered. “When?”
“What’s your plan?”
He heard the crackle of a radio. “38, come in.”
The static broke several times. “Yeah, boss?”
“Gather fifteen men for a Bayou Brigade.”
“You got it, boss,” he said, sounding eager. “Weapons?”
“Hot and hostile. We’re grabbing a male and the victim. Female with injuries.”
“You fuckin’ got it,” he said, sounding thrilled to do something of use. “Location?”
“One of our Viking clans,” he muttered, like he wanted to spit. “Meet me in fifteen.”
“Holy shit. We doing this tonight?”
“No. We’re doing it now.”
“I’ll text you the coordinates,” Patches said when 38 signed off.
“I’ll call Eveque and be waiting for them.”
Patches located his joint and lighter in his boot pocket and pulled them out, firing it up and taking a long hit.
“What y’all do for this kinda thing?” Tegan asked.
He released his breath and handed it to her, getting a quick headshake. He chuckled and opened his phone, finding their codes. “It falls directly under the Bayou Bishop Marital Codes.”
“Oh! You have codes?”
“Lots of them. That one is under Ordinance 35--Marital Malevolence--Defined as crimes committed by creatures masquerading as a man in an unforgivable act of domestic tyranny. Enacted Penalties are immediate protective custody for the victim and depending on the severity and circumstances of the offense, the offender is subject to no less than five years imprisonment, with the possibility of life for the most egregious violations.”
He took another hit, holding it briefly then continued. “In addition, the offender provides restitution to the victim and performs community service as determined by the presiding judicial authority--Bullets in this case. Then the offense is entered into the permanent community records, ensuring long-term accountability.”
“Wow,” she said, sounding impressed.
“The real fun comes with Bullet”s form of community service.”
“Like what?”
“Well...like one eye Jake. He still serves his wife and her new husband as a field hand. He provides food for his family with his own two hands. Her new husband is only required to meet the needs her husband forfeited as a husband. He”ll serve his family that he wrecked till he draws his last breath.”
“Holy guacamole. And what he do?”
He raised his brows. “Committed adultery.”
He smiled at her huge eyes. “Now I”m definitely moving here.”
“Yeah? Where you gonna be staying?”
She gave him a big laugh and the sound made him fucking ravenous for her. “Oh, I don”t know. Might set up me a swamp stop and live there.”
“I might apply for a job.”
She gave him another laugh. “Like what?” she challenged, curious.
He shrugged. “Some kind of… service.”
“Service, huh? What you sellin” swamp cowboy so I know if I”m buyin?”
“Not selling anything, Texas. I’m bartering.”
“Oh yeah? What you got like that?” she asked, as heat and everything else he craved filled her gaze.
He grinned at her. “Just all your wildest dreams come true.”
“Oh is that all?” she laughed, not hiding that thrill in her voice. “And what you wantin’ in return for all these miracles?”
He held her gaze, considering that. “Everything.”
He laughed at how much she liked that. “Just everything?”
“Yep.”
She sighed with a “Well,” and looked around. He reached for her hand and took it in his as she finally angled her sparkling gaze at him. “Funny how I just so happen to have one of those on the tippy top shelf in the back of storage.”
He took her face in his hands and kissed her softly. “You been saving everything for me? Your swamp cowboy?”
“Yes,” she breathed, holding his face and kissing him back with a breathless laugh. “I saved everything for my swamp cowboy.”
****
“Tegan, this is Felix, Nitro’s wife. And this is my brother Nitro.”
“Very nice to make your acquaintance,” Tegan said, shaking the tiny girl’s hand while trying to ignore the bandages on her neck and shoulder. She offered her hand to the brother, not wanting him to think she feared him even if she did.
He regarded it and looked at her, giving it a one second shake.
Lord his skin was hot. And those eyes. The blue one was freakily bright.
“From Texas, huh?” Nitro muttered.
“Yes sir. Born and bred.”
His eyes swung to Patches, and she had to wonder over the barest smile and look in his gaze. “Born and bred. Well, Doc? What’s next?”
“Tegan, you want to let him know his options?”
“I sure can,” she said. “So, there’s invasive and non-invasive options and since the non-invasive one performs just as good, I’d suggest you go with that which would be your upper arm in what they refer to as the subcutaneous tissue. Same place they put nicotine patches or birth control.”
“Do it,” he said, his head lowered. “And then?” He eyed Patches.
“Then we upload the information we want monitored into the program that tracks whatever levels need tracking.”
“And when they go off the rails?” he wondered.
“You’ll get the recommended prescription to bring it back. Lesion has all the protocols ready that you might need until we can develop something automatic.”
“I don’t think it’ll get to that, “Felix said.
“I want it,” Nitro said, his voice hard.
“It’s better if you learn to control it,” Felix tried again. “Your body needs to determine the production of these anti-dotes.”
“And I told you I can’t let you be the test tube where I lose my shit and f…” He shook his lowered head, eyeing Patches. “I want whatever he has. When I have no doubt in my mind that I can control it, you’ll be the first to know but I have to be the one to know that. Not a test.”
“You got it.”
Tegan couldn’t keep her eyes off the tiny woman, wondering what on earth she’d endured and why was she not more terrified.
“We’ve already controlled it,” Felix injected with a surprising strength for her size. “What I do with my bats, he responds to that. I can fix this. I should fix this, it’s mine to fix.”
“Baby,” Nitro begged, like they’d had this discussion a million times.
“What!” she demanded, wiping tears. “I did this and it’s only right I fix it,” she gasped, looking at Patches then Tegan. “He doesn’t hurt me,” she said. “He protects me. He’s just doing what I need and want, he’s responding to my needs, that’s all. I can control that, I can help him. And I have, tell them Lukas.”
He barely shook his lowered head. “She’s right,” he conceded with a but I still can’t in his tone. “Every hunger I had before all this is now multiplied by a thousand. And every time I feed her, I feed me. And guess what? This hunger is only growing. Even still, I don’t think I would ever hurt her but that doesn’t mean what I’m doing isn’t hurting her.”
She undid one of her bandages on her shoulder. “Look at it,” she said to Patches, then showed Tegan. “He did that maybe four hours ago. By tomorrow, you won’t find it.”
Tegan eyed her, then Patches, not wanting to say it out loud and piss off the bat dude, but that was freakin’ remarkable. “Don’t let the kooks in white jackets ever hear about this,” she muttered, getting those creepy eyes aimed right at her. “Well, I sure ain’t sayin’ anything,” she said, making a cross over her heart with a finger. “But I should point something out that we really need to remember.”
They all looked at her and she eyed Patches and reached over, pulling his t-shirt up to show his colorful skin. “It’s clearly not Felix we need to be worried about, but anybody else unfortunate enough to happen near when these uh…mating urges happen. There ain’t no fault in love, and this little lady has a very brave amount of it as…he has for her. But uh…that exchange and the protection that comes with it stops with them. Sure, I think it can be controlled, but…we definitely might want to consider manual protocols till he’s confident. He’s the only one that actually fully knows.” She regarded Felix who turned and wiped her eyes.
“She’s pissed at you,” Nitro said lowly. “And guess what that suddenly makes you?”
“A threat,” Tegan already knew.
“I’m not pissed at her,” she said, spinning around. “I’m just pissed!”
He chuckled dryly. “Guess what can’t seem to differentiate that?” He looked at Patches. “Tag me and get me hooked up to whatever you have. I’m ready to get the fuck out of this place.”
“You got it. Oh and Eveque called a meeting tonight so we can all get on the same page. You can do virtual.”
Nitro eyed him. “At the Basilique?”
“Yep.”
“You going?”
“Virtual for me.”
He nodded. “I’m ready for some fresh air. You think it’s safe?” he asked.
“I can call Lesion and ask him.”
“Where is he, anyway?” he wondered, almost like he might miss him. Almost.
“With 8-Bit. He had uh…some kind of episode,” Patches said, making Tegan wonder about that again.
“Episode,” he muttered, like this individual was way above those.
“I just checked on him a bit ago. He’s stable.”
“What the fuck happened to him?”
Patches seemed to choose his words carefully before saying, “Cat met his past. It didn’t go over well.”
“Oh fuck,” Nitro muttered, sounding genuinely sorry for him. Teagan was realizing just how close they all were. Like real brothers. “What else has happened while I went bat-shit crazy?”
Patches snickered and Felix crossed her arms, immediately removing the funny from the moment.
“Tell him about those damn Vikings,” Tegan reminded him.
“Vikings?” Nitro echoed, like he’d never heard of them. “What the hell’s going on?”
Tegan said, “We found a poor girl in the woods beat up by her husband.” She eyed Patches. “Sorry, this isn’t my business, you finish.
“No, it’s fine, you were an eyewitness.”
“I sure was and if I need to testify, I will happily do that.” She looked at Felix. “Her husband busted her lip and nose and broke bones around her eye, right?” she double checked with Patches now.
“Ninety-nine percent sure. I need to x-ray to verify.”
“Wow,” Felix said, eyes wide. “You never hear a bad word about them.”
“You never hear word period,” Nitro said. “Which clan,”
“Bullets Hatch.”
“Oh shit.”
“Yep.”
“You told him?”
“I did.”
“What he say?”
“Wouldn’t be surprised if he’s not already there collecting the wife and the husband.”
“The wife?” Felix wondered.
“She was terrified of them finding out we knew,” Tegan said. “Worried they’d hurt her more.”
Nitro appeared shocked. “This is going on in our swamps?”
“I know.”
“What will they do?” Felix wondered. “Are they even part of our Hoard? I thought they weren’t.”
“If they live in these swamps,” Nitro said, “They answer to us whether they want to or not.”
“Probably why Eveque called a meeting,” Patches thought. “Bullets was headed over there tonight with fifteen men. They were going hot and hostile were his words.”
“Holy shit,” Nitro said. “Just what we fucking need right now. More enemies.”
“Not exactly the kind of friends you want either,” Tegan said. “Not if they’re okay with that.”
“I don’t think this is a common thing,” Patches thought.
“They stay to themselves,” Felix reminded. “They have their own little world. I remember my Pah-Pah saying that. I used to think they were make believe.”
“Well, I know what Eveque thinks about them,” Nitro said, eying Patches.
“What?”
“Remember The Noctambule War? We called for help from everybody.”
“Shit, right,” Patches said.
“They wanted no part of it.”
“Exactly. And Eveque doesn’t let that kind of thing go.”
“And he shouldn’t,” Felix said. “I didn’t even know that one. Now, that”s BS.”
Nitro said, “They didn’t help and they never asked us for help for anything. But I do remember him saying to mark his words. One day they’d find themselves needing. And he’d be there to remind them.”
“That might actually be a thing before Belle Eveque,” Patches said.
Tegan watched them both laugh at that, making her wonder. “That’s his wife, right?”
“His wife, his obsession, and the swamp’s saint,” Nitro said.
“So, she’s gonna make him play nice,” Felix interpreted.
“Maybe she’ll surprise us. Or ya’ll,” she corrected, not wanting to sound like she had rights to family related interests.
“Maybe she will compel them to get along,” Felix said.
“Oh yeah, Juliette said she’s got the Compelling,” Tegan remembered.
“Yes,” Nitro said. “She makes people want to do whatever she wants.” He reached for Felix and tugged her close. “Just like you.”
“I think I have that gift with my daddy,” Tegan said, getting Patches’ chuckle.
“I bet you do.”
“She seems smart from the little I’ve heard,” Tegan said. “Maybe she’ll compel them to get off their asses and mingle, see that the families in the hoard have a lot to offer them. Like how to treat women, for one.”
“Maybe you should stick around and befriend our Belle Eveque,” Patches said, grinning at her. “Compel her to compel them?” He sighed and pulled his phone out his pocket, looking. “Nurse Sarah is calling.”
“She’s wondering when you’re taking her on that date,” Felix said. “You realize the whole hospital knows all about it.”
Patches groaned and shook his head.
“You did that one to yourself,” Nitro chuckled. “Mr. Marry local.”
Felix smacked him on the shoulder. “You act like that’s a bad thing?”
“That’s not what I meant.” He wrapped his arms around her. “You’re with me, aren’t you?”
She gasped, looking over her shoulder. “No, I’m not with you, you’re with me.”
He gave a big laugh and Felix joined in, the sound making Tegan smile. She had the feeling those two hadn’t had very many of these moments over the past three days. She glanced at Patches and her breath caught at catching him watching her. He tossed his head toward the door with a wink and headed toward it.
“We’ll be back to get you tagged in thirty minutes,” he said at the door. “And please. No blood baths till after?”
“We’ll try,” Felix said, squealing out a laugh when Nitro gobbled her neck.