Swamp Kings 1 (Bayou Bishops #18)

CHAPTER NINE

Beth’s heart and stomach ached to see Bishop like this. She couldn’t remember ever seeing him so tortured over something. She fought to be patient while he gathered his thoughts to tell her whatever he’d brought her up to their room to say. Initially, she’d thought he wanted to have sex but this was definitely not that. It was something to do with what he couldn’t tell her when she’d called him earlier. It had to be. She’d done as asked, assured everybody that everything was fine and the racket down by the long boat dock was purely mechanical and nobody was hurt.

The feeling in the pit of her stomach returned as he made his way to the bed where she sat on the top bunk because neither of them could bring themselves to change the place where so many of their firsts happened. Well, mostly it was her that didn’t want to disturb that perfection, but he was very accommodating .

“Take your time,” she whispered, when he lay his head in her lap, and she slid her fingers through his silky thick hair.

“Maybe I’m wrong about them.” He raised his head, his gaze locking onto hers. “Maybe they’re…” His thick brows pulled together with a light headshake. “ Just like us. Not their men, I mean their…” He scrubbed his face with a deep breath, looking at the bed next to her.

“Robots?” she gently helped.

His head began to shake before he locked his dark eyes back on her. “That’s just it. They’re not just robots. I watched him… try to die to save her.”

“Who?” she whispered, fear clenching her.

“His wife. The one called Kaphas. Something was wrong with her. Seer said it was demons and she… used the powers meant to protect her to protect him instead . ”

Her chest clenched at the terror and turmoil in his gaze, still not understanding what all was in his heart concerning it. “Love transcends all creation, doesn’t it?”

“ She died to protect him . And…” His brows pulled together harder. “It… it broke him, Beth . The pain and agony consumed him, he turned into something I could never imagine and yet could. His entire body became black like tar, his nails, his teeth, he… became some kind of war machine. I felt this… pull in the air, sucking at our skin and bones, and our fucking brains.” He let out a gasp, looking at her. “We were paralyzed with his out of control power.”

“What happened?” she whispered, fighting the terror of what this all might mean to him and them.

“His brothers… they tackled him, every one of them. And those three other… triplets, they fought with everything to hold him down while he screamed…” Bishop swallowed and closed his eyes, his words lowering to a strained whisper. “He screamed… my angel, my angel, my angel.”

Tears burst from her eyes when the final angel broke and he laid his head in her lap, gasping for air. “I don’t know how but… I think they’re more… than any of us.”

“More what?” she forced past her tight throat.

He raised his head, aiming his gaze up at her, the sight of his turmoil bringing more tears. “More everything ,” he whispered hotly, shaking his head. “They’re more than part human and machine and I know how fucking crazy that sounds.”

“It’s not crazy, baby,” she whispered, wiping her face. “Did you tell Samuel?”

He let out a huge breath and captured her face, pulling her mouth down and pressing soft kisses on her lips. “Yes.”

She stroked his face with all her fingers, kissing him softly back. “What did he say?”

His fingers slid off her face as he lowered his face back to her lap. “He said… ”

“Oh baby,” she soothed, stroking his head when emotion choked his words and brought a sob into her throat.

“He said with God all things are possible,” he forced out. “And then he hugged me so fucking tight, and then his words… they turned inside me and got in my fucking soul.” He looked up and locked his red, teary eyes on her. “Every waking second of every day, I fear what’s coming, that I won’t be able to protect you and our baby, that I won’t be able to protect anybody. And for the first time I knew how right I was, and then, just like that…” His mouth went hard as he looked down. “I knew I was never supposed to. God was.” He again pulled her face down to his, kissing softly then held it right before his. “That’s when I knew, baby,” he whispered. “These machines, these… half beings did not get here by accident. The nuns, those men, all of them are God’s divine intervention. And that’s just the beginning. Doesn’t even count what Handy said.”

“Handy?”

He let out an astonished chuckle, wiping his face on his shoulder. “He’s part of Kaphas.”

“I think I remember that.” She listened in shock at what being bitten by Nitro would do for him, her brain on fire with dots scrambling to be connected .

“And then?” he said, his entire countenance taking on another darkness. “A second revelation hit me.”

“What?” she whispered.

“This war coming to us? It’s bringing enemies into our camp, enemies like the demons who tried to corrupt his wife. These divine interventions are coming because man alone can’t handle what’s headed our way. There’s more out there like them and they’re not good.” He pushed off the bed and paced swinging his arms with a sudden energy that put her on edge. “I mean… clearly God intended for this divine intervention to mix with mankind for whatever reason,” he reasoned. “Which means we play a part, which means imperfection plays a part, sinful men play a part, sinful men with vulnerabilities play a part and can so very easily fuck shit up with their free will.” He eyed her as his pacing increased. “You realize what that means?”

She truly had no idea and shook her head.

“It means the human side of the equation has some fucking training to do. We need. To be. Ready.”

She wished she knew what that meant. “How?”

“Everything man is supposed to be, he needs to fucking be. The very best of that. And all the shit that falls outside of our humanity, God handles.”

She nodded, finding it reasonable and logical while maybe the most selfish thing nagged at her .

Of course he saw it and hurried to her, pulling her face down and kissing her softly. “Talk to me, what’s that look for? We can’t have any secrets between us from here on out, yes?”

She nodded as he pecked her lips. “I just…” She fought to get her hands over her face and he refused her. “I don’t want you to see me ugly cry,” she wailed, her face contorting with the atrocity while he kissed her goofy looking mouth and spoke soft French. She finally sobbed out the stupid confession, “I guess I’ll have to stop being so obsessed with wanting to have sex all the time with you. And obsessing over sex positions while I’m pregnant so you don’t have to worry about hurting the baby, and obsessing over how to make all the marriages happy and incorporating a mandatory date night across the entire swamp because the bowels of frickn’ hell are coming and you need to focus on being perfect for it.”

“Noooo, no, no, no,” he cooed, chuckling between fat kisses all over her face. “My fucking angel, that’s the exact thing we need more of, not less. And we want to be so fucking perfect at that because it means everything to God, you taught me that, oui? A man cannot be whole without his woman, so I need you , my Belle Eveque, this whole hoard needs you leading that charge. Okay?”

She wrapped her arms around his neck, her sob gushing out with her relief. He pulled her off the bed, hugging her so tight to his body. “You’ve been obsessing over sex positions, Ma Petite?” he asked, his hunger wrecking right into her hormones and sending them exploding everywhere, turning her into a sobbing, clawing, horny freak.

Bishop tossed her onto the bed and jumped up, joining her. The clothes war resumed until they were both naked and he held her jaw, kissing her. “Show me one of these positions,” he demanded.

She turned on her side. “Behind me.”

He lay down, pressing his body into hers and she draped her leg over his hip. “Mmm, one of my favorites,” he said at her ear, pulling her leg higher and wider as he sheathed his cock in one move. He answered her shriek of ecstasy with another thrust and hot, “My angel needs her Bishop’s cock so fucking much.”

His grunts were hot and thick, and his thrusts absolutely mind blowing. His palm smashed against her clit while his fingers pressed into her pussy lips.

“Your fucking ass feels good like this.”

“Bishop!”

“Beth,” he shot, turning up the speed.

“Oh God! Yes!”

He came with her and heaven almighty, what an orgasm! He sucked her shoulder with his seething groans, teeth pressing into the muscle ‘til it ached then hurt .

“Oh fuck, fuck,” he croaked in her ear, slowing as he stroked her pussy still wrapped around his cock.

She let out a half laugh, gliding her hand along his muscular leg between hers.

“What?” he murmured, kissing her shoulder.

“Just thinking how you nailed your first perfection assignment.”

His laugh erupted, making her giggle and happy that she’d caused it. He pulled her on top of him, her back against his chest. Before she could wonder, his hands covered her womb and stroked softly. She smiled and turned her head, kissing his cheek.

“How is… she?” he mumbled.

“She?” she laughed. “ He’s doing amazing.”

He hugged his strong arms along her body. “He? You think?” he asked, hopeful sounding.

“Do you think she ?”

“No.”

“No?” she laughed.

“I say the opposite because if it’s not I don’t want her to have a complex.”

Her heart went crazy at how sweet that was and funny. “What about him having a complex?”

“He can take it if he’s a little Bishop.”

“Awwww, a Little Bishop,” she moaned. “I honestly don’t care what gender it is, but I have to say I would adore a Little Bishop. As much as I would adore a Little Bishopette.”

He laughed. “A Little Beth you mean.”

“No,” she dismissed with a smile, stroking her fingers through his silky hair. “Definitely a Bishopette.”

His chest expanded against her back with his deep breath. “How big is…”

“He,” she helped. “We can take turns. And Mah-Mah said he’s as big as a petite crawfish.”

His hands stopped stroking. “That big?”

“Yep,” she said, stroking her legs along his.

“Is this a baby crawfish, a cooyon, or a pah-pah one?”

“Cooyon?” she laughed.

“Teenager.”

She closed her legs, capturing his now hard cock between them. “Teenager.” She reached down and moved it against her.

“Mmmm, yeah?”

She nodded, already moaning. “Yeah. But this time I do you.”

“Then I’ll do you again,” he said, moaning as she mounted him. “Pretty sure fucking should come in threes. Represents perfection.”

Her head went back with a laugh. “It’s an odd number!”

He lifted her by the hips, getting impatient. “ An odd and holy number.”

Her eyes widened with a smile that turned into a throaty moan as she slowly lowered onto him, locking a drunk gaze on his. “Three is perfect then.”