Chapter Thirteen
Mambo’s Shop
The Dilemma
Time: Less Than Twelve Hours
W ell, that was the last thing they wanted to hear from the dead woman they’d just necromanced to help them solve their Mathew problem. In fact, now, they were pretty sure that this was going to bone them good.
Talk about their backs to the wall.
Now, they needed to figure out a way around this before the metaphysical clock ran out of time and they were Fate’s bitch.
That would be bad.
Real.
Bad.
At that moment, Flynn was still healing, and he wasn’t out and about in his meat suit. Instead, he was tucked away, waiting until the time came where he had to save Rinnon’s ass again.
That, technically, is the job of my vessel.
I want a pay raise. In fact, I want a week off on a beach with my woman in a bikini. Make that happen.
There was laughter.
I will be joining you.
No, you won’t until that memory of the ten naked vampyres in an orgy disappears, Jolie reminded him.
There was a pause.
WHAT ORGY? Rinnon asked, and Jolie wasn’t one hundred percent sure if he was lying or being honest. Rinnon was getting better at covering his ass.
Instead of saying anything, she focused on Death. He wasn’t far away .
Oh, and to say he was agitated would be an understatement.
“My love, are you with us?” she asked, as she saw him hyper-focused.
Death came to a stop.
“Yes.”
In that moment, he knew what he needed.
Snapping his fingers, Kiera appeared, and beside her was her mate. In fact, they were kissing. As soon as they realized they weren’t alone, Alex hissed.
Then, he saw it was his family and managed to reel it in. Mates didn’t like to be disturbed when mating.
EVER.
“That is awkward,” he said. “Maybe next time, a little warning? If I’m dick out, and you all see it, I’m going to be cranky,” he said.
Kiera laughed.
“I told you it sucked when they popped you in without you knowing it was coming.”
Death apologized in his own way.
“I always look first.”
Yeah, that wasn’t better.
“What do you need?” Kiera asked. She’d just been popped back to the house, assuming she was no longer needed. That’s why she was about to give her sexy vampyre mate a snack.
Her.
Death pointed at Mambo.
“Our Voodoo priestess doesn’t have her memory, so she can’t do a scrying spell to find our artifact. We need a spell, and since you are our witch…”
Kiera sniffed.
“It smells like chicken blood and demon traps in here. Someone was paranoid.”
Rinnon sighed.
“Maybe next time we send the witch in first to see if she boils and then we go in? My Flynn suit is damaged. You know that I’m only fallible because of him,” he said, holding up a blistering arm .
Well, imagine my horror of being fallible because of you. I used to be able to walk through a demon trap. Now, I cook from the demon-y inside out.
He let that go.
“Can you help us get a spell?” Death asked.
Kiera moved toward the once-dead woman, and when she touched her, Mambo stepped away.
“She’s possessed!”
Yeah, well, tell them something they didn’t know.
She was carrying some of a dead vampyre witch with her. Aiobeheann was onboard, and so far, she was behaving.
For now.
That was likely because Death had control, but if Fate got out, and tried to destroy his realm, Aoibheann would be free, and so would a lot of other bad things.
“I think I can restore her memory, but I need a specific spell book that you won’t let me run amuck with,” she admitted.
Oh, Jacques knew the one.
It was the book of spells that Aiobeheann wanted in the worst way.
“If you use it here, and only use that one spell, then we can do that.”
Jacques wished he could read the book and use the spell work, but since Aiobeheann was a witch, and he wasn’t…
Yeah, they had to trust Kiera.
It wasn’t that they didn’t, but they knew Aiobeheann had her claws into the woman, and it was only a matter of time before this came back and bit them in the ass.
They were betting on it.
When the book dropped from the ceiling, Kiera was ready for it, and she caught it in her arms.
She said something in a language that only Rinnon understood, and when Death looked over at him, he nodded.
She’s searching for the spell by using a spell. So scrying for it. She’s good.
Be careful because the tapestry says we will be betrayed. It just doesn’t say by who .
I will watch her.
When the pages flipped, she put it down on the counter, and started working on what was there.
“I need some things,” she said, as a paper slid her way, and a pen appeared.
“Thanks,” she said, not sure who it was from. It could be any of them.
As she began writing down the ingredients of the spell list, she jotted down the spell on paper in the witch’s alphabet.
Just.
In.
Case.
When she was done, she closed the book and handed it to Death.
“You can have this back.”
He made it disappear, and took the paper.
“Vanth,” he called, and she appeared in the corner. It was behind Mambo and her son.
They both jumped the second they saw her.
When they went to move, Vanth grabbed Mambo’s son, and pulled him against her.
“He smells tasty. Can I have him father? I’ll not let him suffer.”
Rinnon opened his mouth, and Jolie pointed at him.
“Don’t do it.”
He began laughing, but it wasn’t Flynn’s voice. It was something deeper, darker, and God-like.
“Fine, Mate. No, Vanth, you can’t eat him. Death needs you.”
She let him go, and Mambo pulled him against her to keep him safe.
Vanth moved around the humans, and headed toward her father.
“Yes?”
He made the paper slide toward her.
“I need you to find all of these things, and then, get them back here. Kiera is going to be doing a spell.”
Vanth looked at the list .
“Where do you want the virgin from? Do you care if I just pluck her from a small town or…”
Jolie opened her mouth, but Death stopped her.
“It’s not my magick. I can’t help if Aiobeheann wrote it. Don’t get wife-y on me. I wasn’t collecting virgins for nefarious games.”
Oh, yes, he was, Flynn said into their minds. He’s ridiculous.
She actually laughed.
“I was actually going to say, ‘ASK OUR MATE SINCE HE SEEMS TO LIKE ORGIES’ .”
Rinnon stood there and looked confused.
“Mate, what is this orgy that you keep talking about and referencing me.”
She stared at him.
“Flynn!”
Oh, he knew what she wanted to know.
The memory is wiped. Now, anything else? Or can a guy heal a little?
No, my love. I miss you. When you’re out, you can hold my hand, and crowd me. Come back soon.
I will, Baby.
Then, she focused on the people watching her.
“Carry on.”
Pulling out a quill, Death wrote something down on some paper.
“Here is a young man I was about to reap in Germany. He’s in a vehicle with his friends after drinking way too much alcohol. Take him. He’s a virgin and dying anyway.”
Vanth nodded.
“I’ll be back.”
With that, she was gone, and they had to get the shop ready.
Death waved his hand, and the blinds all lowered, the lights went out, and the candles lit all by themselves.
When a jug of blood appeared, he began walking around the room, using it to draw symbols on the walls.
Kiera helped.
As they did this, Mambo was reading them .
“You’re expecting to be attacked here. These are warding spells to protect us.”
Death was honest.
“I like to be prepared for the worst. The minute we do that spell to get your memory back, and you find the sword, it’s going to be a race to find it. If Mathew gets wind of it being out in the open…”
They all got it.
It was going to get zombie up in there.
Because he knew what was going to be coming, Rinnon was honest.
“Then, we’re going to need to start moving. We’ll need to be ready.”
On this, he was correct.
It didn’t take long for Vanth to do her ‘shopping’ . As the wall opened, Vanth walked through, and she was carrying a bag with a bunch of things in it. Not only that, but there was a young man fighting to get away from her.
“One virgin, a bunch of herbs, and a goat horn—minus the goat. I couldn’t find a horn by itself, so I had a snack.”
And then, she burped.
“Excuse me.”
Jolie sighed.
“It’s a circus.”
Vanth grinned.
“And you’re Daddy’s head clown,” she stated, nearly inciting violence.
Sometimes, Vanth didn’t know when NOT to make a comment.
As Jolie went to go for her, Rinnon grabbed Jolie by the back of the pants to stop her.
Could she kill Vanth?
No, but they could wreck a place.
“Vanth, go gather Cerise and her cop bed buddy. The lair said they are having sex, and we need all the help when we find this.”
And it got Vanth out of there.
When she waved at Jolie, and disappeared, Jolie stepped on Rinnon’s foot .
HARD.
“My love, when you want sex, just ask,” he said, winking at her.
She actually laughed.
How could she not?
“What do you need from the virgin?” Death asked, focused on the man.
Kiera tapped her own arm.
“For this particular spell, I need his blood.”
Well, then, she would have it.
Moving toward him, the young man started freaking out, and no one blamed him.
Only, he was out of time.
Death waved his hand, freezing him in that spot so that they could tap him.
“Go ahead. Take what you need.”
Kiera pulled a blade from her pocket, and cut his wrist to access his blood. It dripped into a silver bowl that Vanth had gotten for her with the other things.
When she was done, she glanced over.
“You can stop the bleeding now.”
Death didn’t even try.
Instead, he made him disappear, and they all knew where he went.
Mambo protested.
“Couldn’t you let him live?” she asked. “He was just a young man. His life…”
Death turned, and the room got cold.
ICY.
“Would you like to know why I can’t just change the rules and do what I want?” he asked.
Mambo took a step back.
Jolie moved to stand between them, and she wrapped her arms around Death’s waist.
“He has his reasons, Mambo. Don’t go there,” she warmed.
His eyes went back to green, and he kissed his mate on the top of her head .
All he could hope was that if this went bad, she’d forgive him.
“Get to work,” Rinnon said, as Kiera did just that. As he moved closer to his mates, he could tell Jolie was drained.
He needed to feed his child.
My love, you are hungry.
I am, Rinnon.
Going into his body, he shoved energy into his child, making sure she knew he loved her.
My little Lilith, I can hear you making little sounds as you learn to call to me. I love you, and I can’t wait to hold you. Daddy’s never going to not love you.
Jolie just listened.
She knew that Rinnon was picking up traits from Flynn, and she also knew that the man was helping keep Rinnon from making the same mistakes.
I love her already.
Me too, my love. She’s going to have sisters and be loved for her whole existence. She’ll be a different Lilith this time.
He didn’t doubt that.
The love of her mother will make all the difference.
She corrected him.
The love of all of us.
Rinnon was actually happy, and that made her heart feel good. When he was at peace, he was a different demon God.
For the next five minutes, their wicked witch got the spell ready for them. As Kiera finally finished getting it prepped, she glanced over.
“I think I’m ready, Death. Bring her over to me, and we’ll see if I can retrieve her memories enough to make her recall that spell.”
He waved her hand, and Mambo slid across the floor toward Kiera.
Once near her, she smiled.
“This won’t hurt. ”
“You lie. This kind of magick has a cost, and it will be great. You know that, and you are willing to let it change you.”
Kiera blinked, and when she looked at Mambo, her eyes were jet black. Then, as quickly as they were there, they were gone.
She went to say something, but Kiera put her hand over her mouth.
“Hush.”
And she did.
That was another spell.
As Alexzandre created the salt circle around the two, Kiera began her spell. She chanted the words in an ancient language.
“Sorry, Flynn, but we need to retain this,” he said, erasing the man’s fifth grade talent show from his memory.
HEY!
We need to relearn so I’m stronger. We can’t fight fate with you singing Oklahoma while dressed like a hobo.
Flynn actually laughed.
Point made.
When they focused on Kiera, the second she touched Mambo’s forehead, her eyes opened, and she went to her knees.
Well, she wasn’t wrong about it being painful, now was she?
When her son went to go to her, he hit the protective circle, and flew backward into the wall with a thud.
As the circle held, Kiera let the spell do all of the heavy lifting. She could feel Aiobeheann retaining everything that Mambo had in her memories.
All that was hers, was now Aiobeheann’s too.
She was learning also.
When Kiera let her go, Mambo crumbled to the floor. Kiera wavered, but managed to stay up.
“Her memories are back. I didn’t know if it worked or not for a second there. It went black, but then, I saw she got them back.”
That worked for them .
Kiera cleared the circle, and Jolie helped Mambo up to her feet. As she did, she checked on her.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
The woman shook her head.
“What happened? I felt really warm, and then as if something was tearing into my head. Then, it was peaceful all over again.”
“Your memories came back,” Jacques offered. “Now, you should be able to remember your spells.”
From where she stood, she thought about it.
Then, she smiled.
“I do remember them. I know what I have to do.”
Well, finally.
They were down to eleven hours until Fate was going to make them their bitch, and they needed to get this done.
“Well, Voodoo woman, do the spell,” Rinnon said, “We don’t have all day for you to take your good, old sweet time.”
Mambo didn’t argue, but instead, she began going around the place, and gathering her things. When she finished, she came to a stop in front of them.
“Uh, what?” Jolie asked.
“I need one more thing. In order for me to do this spell for you, I need the bones of a loved one.”
They stared at her.
“Pardon?” Jolie said.
Mambo didn’t mince words.
“I think you heard me,” she said. “The last thing is the bones of a loved one, and you have to supply them. This is for you, so you need to give it to me.”
Rinnon looked around but was stopped dead in his tracks.
“We aren’t sacrificing one of them,” Jolie said, as if reading his mind. He was trying to figure out which one they could live without.
The answer was none.
Oh, she knew exactly what he was thinking. If anything, Rinnon was predictable .
“Flynn needs to heal and start driving that runaway train because I can’t with you.”
Jacques laughed.
“It’s bus, I believe.”
Rinnon didn’t care.
Honestly.
“Listen, family,” Rinnon said. “We have a few humans at the house…”
Did he not understand what she’d said? Instead of saying anything this time, simply stared at him. Oh, and it was the angry wife look.
“Or not. Well, then, what do we do? We don’t have bones of our families laying around. I didn’t have a family. It’s just me, and I can’t give you a bone.”
Jacques looked at Jolie.
He knew who they could use. It was the only family member that wasn’t a vampyre.
He dropped the bomb.
“We have Louisa.”
Jolie didn’t say anything.
She knew that was going to be the outcome. Most of her family had gone to ash. Louisa was one of the humans she loved and didn’t protect enough. She was the woman who died and brought her and Flynn together.
My love, why are you sad? Flynn asked, feeling Jolie’s pain. What happened?
I need a bone for the spell, and the only person we have is Louisa.
Immediately, Flynn understood.
Well, it looked as if his time inside to heal was over. He’d have to take his chances, and use some of Rinnon’s magick to make himself look less…
Wrecked.
I’m coming out.
Without warning, he pulled Rinnon back down, and he appeared. He was weaker, but he still had healed a bit. As he stood there, wavering, Death was at his side.
Jolie hated that she’d made him come out.
Her other mate reassured her .
“He’ll be okay, Mon Amour. He needs blood. Let me help him, and then, we can discuss this,” Jacques said.
Flynn stared into his eyes.
“Please.”
Rinnon was protesting from deep within him, but he didn’t try to get back out. It was a good thing too, since Flynn wouldn’t have been able to stop him.
Jacques helped him toward the couch that was in the shop, and glanced over his shoulder at their family.
He didn’t trust Voodoo priestesses at all. They were always…angsty.
“Make sure they are behaved. I’m going to be busy with Flynn.”
Alex got it, and he and Kiera moved to stand in front of them to offer protection.
Jolie did too.
Because Flynn was a bigger man, he sat him down, and then straddled his lap. Jacques could feel his hunger. He’d been holding it back because he didn’t want to feed from Jolie.
You could have asked. I’ll always feed you, my love. It’s my pleasure.
I know. I just didn’t have the energy to come back out. It’s been a long day.
He was aware.
Take what you need. I’m here to be your snack, Jacques offered, making him laugh.
“Please,” Flynn said out loud, again.
Death leaned in, and he could feel Flynn’s body ripple beneath him. Rinnon was going to feed also. To him, this was sexual, and he was never saying no to a moment shared.
Only, they had a problem.
Flynn’s fangs wouldn’t come out.
That was how tired he was.
It was a good thing that Jacques knew how to make that happen. He lifted his chin, and stared into his icy blue eyes.
Kiss me, my Flynn.
Yes, please .
Jacques found his mouth, and the kiss was gentle at first, but then, it became heated. As his mouth moved over Flynn’s, the heat flooded them.
Both men got hard.
How could they not?
As Jacques coaxed out Flynn’s fangs, they broke into his mouth, and he knew what he needed to do.
He broke the kiss, and moved his neck to be within Flynn’s reach.
Then, he felt a quick flash of pain, followed by intense pleasure.
Oh, and it was definitely intense.
Oh, God, Jacques whispered through his mind, as Flynn wrapped his arms around him and pulled him to his body. He was locked to him, and his mate was sucking ferociously on his neck.
More!
Take what you need, my love.
Flynn could barely hear him over the thumping of his heart. He craved the taste of his mates, and when he was wounded, or exhausted, he lacked subtlety or control.
He became that wounded animal.
It also didn’t help that Rinnon was chanting in his mind.
Take him! Take him for us! I need him!
Shhhhhhhh!
Let me out and I will bend Death over and make him mine!
He’s already ours. Let me feed.
Jacques couldn’t move. He’d let Rinnon get all of the control, and he was at Flynn’s mercy. Granted, he couldn’t drain him dry, or kill him, but he could make him wild.
Flynn, he whispered.
Oh, his mate knew what he was thinking about. He, too, was thinking the same thing. Slowing down his drinking, he sent his mate erotic images.
They were of him and Jacques naked.
In bed.
In a shower .
Then and there.
Flynn closed off his mind, and it was just him and Jacques. Well, him, Rinnon, and Jacques.
Flynn knew what would feed him more than anything.
Making Death cum…that would be the power surge he needed to completely heal.
Yesssssssss! Jacques hissed, as he heard his thoughts. His whole body was dying for this man’s touch. They didn’t have to actually have sex to experience it.
It was mental too.
Jacques watched in his mind as Flynn bound him to a bed and was all over him. He watched as it played out like a movie in his head.
He was helpless to the man.
There was kink.
There was pleasure.
There was pain.
While Death was no one’s bitch, Jacques loved being submissive to Flynn and Rinnon.
He saw the visuals of Flynn jerking him off, tormenting him, and using his fangs to make him beg.
You and I will have a moment. When it’s time, we’ll explore your needs.
Yes, please, Flynn.
I feel the need to tie you down and make you cum.
Jacques was so hard. He was trapped against his body, and there was only one place he loved as much.
Against Jolie.
In his mind, their clothes were gone, and it was just the two of them. As the sexy movie played out, he was about to be impaled by his mate.
Then, the images shifted, and there was Flynn standing there in leather pants, a leather belt draped around his neck.
Jacques moaned.
Honestly, he wasn’t sure it was out loud of not. He couldn’t differentiate. Flynn was using Rinnon’s magick, and he knew the outcome.
They were cumming .
Jacques begged as Flynn climbed onto the top of a restrained Jacques, and let that leather kiss his flesh. His body bowed, and he begged for more.
Death begged for everything the man could give him.
You and me alone, and we’ll have some fun.
Please. I need you. I need this to forget.
In the visual, Flynn drove into him, and that was all it took. They both erupted, cumming.
There were shouts of pleasure, the heat of the orgasm, and then slowly drifting back to awareness.
When Flynn opened his eyes, he was still locked to his mate, and time seemed to stand still.
No one was any the wiser.
I’m going to hold you to that date. I feel the need to just be a mate for a little while.
Flynn would always give him whatever he wanted. He was, after all, his mate and husband.
It’s a date. Jolie will understand.
And that was the truth. She had moments away with Rinnon all of the time.
Speaking of the devil, he was quiet.
I’m happily satiated. It’s like Thanksgiving. I’m full and calm.
Flynn was amused.
There was nothing calm about Rinnon.
Releasing Jacques’ neck, Flynn sighed.
“And now, I feel a million times better,” he said, as Rinnon whispered into their minds, and they were immediately cleaned up.
When Death got off of his mate, he held out his hand to him. He pulled Flynn up, and he was better.
MUCH better.
As he headed back toward Jolie, Flynn opened his arms, and she went into them. She knew what her mates had been doing, and she didn’t care. Now, she’d let Flynn keep her together.
Louisa was special to her, and they’d had her body moved there.
“Is there no other way?” he asked Mambo .
“No. If you want to get this done, I need to be where the bones of one of Jolie’s loved ones is. Do you want that sword or not?”
They needed that and the cross.
Jolie stared into Flynn’s eyes and put her faith in her mates to handle this appropriately.
“She can have the bone.”
He hesitated.
“Are you sure?”
She nodded.
“Only, I won’t be there. I’ll go into the house. I just can’t do it, Flynn. Her grave is sacred to me, and I can’t watch her reanimate.”
He understood why.
When he’d been hurting over his parents, she protected him, and now, he’d do the same.
“Okay,” he said. “Then, let’s get there.”
With a kiss to her forehead, and a tender caress of her cheek, he sent her to the manor to hide out for the time being.
They’d do this without her. Then, he’d make sure they were all situated.
“Vanth, go make sure she’s safe. Kiera, you’re with us. Alex, I’m sorry to separate you and your mate, but your sister needs a babysitter, and if she needs someone, you’re her blood.”
He nodded.
“Be safe, my witch,” he said, kissing his woman before being zapped back home.
“Mind the manor, Vanth.”
She nodded and curtsied with a flourish.
“I’ll make sure Cerise and the detective pop into the house, and not Louisa’s grave site to give you privacy to do this. Louisa deserves it.”
Yeah, she did.
He appreciated that.
As everyone was gone, Death stood beside his mate as they waited for Mambo to get her shit together.
Literally .
She packed up the spell items to do the magick at the gravesite.
“I’ll be back, Son,” Mambo said. “Stay inside, and keep the shop closed. They are hunted, and what chases them might come here.”
He nodded.
“Yes, Mom. You’re coming back, right?” he asked.
She looked at Flynn.
“Am I?”
He didn’t see why not.
“Yes.”
That seemed to settle the man’s nerves down. He didn’t look ready to bolt.
Well, not as much.
With that, Flynn waved his arm, and they were off.
It was time to find that sword and make this nightmare end.
Fate wasn’t going to win this round.
It wasn’t happening.