Sweaty Nights & Gator Bites (Twisted Sisters Midlife Maelstrom #12)

Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

DAHLIA

T he morning light filtered through the lace curtains of Willowberry. I sat there lost in the delicate patterns it made on the worn wooden floors. Dani and I sat in our usual spots at table with the comforting aroma of freshly baked cinnamon rolls. They weren’t homemade like they would have been if Kota were there, or if Cami had done it. The frozen kind were a good substitute.

I looked up and over when I heard the gentle hum of morning chatter. Dre and Kota were coming in the back door. A smile creased my face when I heard them talking about the smell of something delicious cooking. The insistent buzz of my phone interrupted me enjoying the calm before the storm of our day. I glanced down to see Britney's name flashing on the caller ID. She was a witch in the coven and had never called us before. What could she want? A party? Or was something wrong with Kaitlyn?

Accepting the call, I put it on speaker. “Hey, Britney. Is everything alright? Or did you need the party planning services of the Six Twisted Sisters?”

“Hello, Lia,” Britney's voice crackled through the line. “I’m sorry to call you so early. I honestly didn’t know who to call. The protocol says to call the supernaturals’ leaders when we have an emergency. But there isn’t one for this, and you guys are the expert private investigators of our world. You guys are the only ones we could think of to handle this.”

I took a deep breath and interrupted her blabbering, “It’s okay. Just get to the point.” I hadn’t had enough of my energy drink yet.

She squeaked and said, “Sorry. I’m nervous. We've got a situation. A Fae discovered a body near the swamps. They said it looks suspicious.”

My heart lurched in my chest. “Suspicious how? And where did they find it exactly?”

“The caller indicated the wounds looked as if something supernatural was involved. When I questioned them more, they said it could have been a wild animal, but it seemed too controlled for that. They were near the old Oakwood trail. I'll send you the coordinates.”

Adele came into the kitchen and rubbed her side against Kota’s leg. “ That area isn’t easily accessible for mundies. The call was warranted, ” she said into our heads.

Kota and Dre had walked in the door and had concerned looks on their faces that only increased my concern. There was no way we could ignore this. It made me think of the time my childhood friend was killed by one of Marie’s minions.

“Is the dead a supernatural or mundie?” Dani interjected.

“That wasn’t clear, and I didn’t think to ask. I should have. That would be important to know. Should I have called Lucas in case this is a shifter?” I could hear the doubt in Britney’s voice about calling us to deal with this matter .

“You could have called Lucas but you did nothing wrong by calling us. This situation isn’t clear-cut,” Dre reassured Britney. “We will create more guidelines to add to the manual for those answering the hotline. With a situation like this, always call us. We can do a cursory investigation and reach out to the appropriate leader if needed.”

“Is the Fae still there?” I asked. It would be good to ask more questions.

“I have no idea. They sounded eager to get the hell out of there, but I can try and call them back,” Britney offered.

Dre nodded her head and grabbed a to-go tumbler for her coffee. “Please do. We might have more questions for them after we go out to the scene.”

“I’ll do that right away,” she replied. “Let me know if I can do anything else. I’m on shift for another three hours.”

“Will do,” I agreed. We thanked her and then hung up the phone.

“I suppose we should leave right away to check this out,” Dani said, her voice tinged with a sense of frustration.

Kota took the rolls out of the oven and grabbed a plate. “The last thing we need is a mundie coming across a body. Let's go.”

“ Be sure to gather as much evidence as you can while there. You never know what you can use to track the killer, ” Adele told us.

I lifted an eyebrow and looked down at the kitten. “You assume this was a murder.”

Adele’s green eyes focused on me. “ Better to assume that and be prepared for anything than lose evidence and clues that might lead to solving the case. ”

“If this is a case of a mundie who found themselves on the wrong side of a wild animal, we aren’t going to do anything,” Kota told her.

Adele inclined her head. “ Fair enough. I will be here if you need anything. ”

Nodding, we gathered our belongings and hurried out into the warm morning. We left Willowberry’s cheerful ambiance behind. Kota grabbed some cinnamon rolls, and Dre snagged napkins.

I ate on the drive to the Oakwood trail. The atmosphere in the car was silent and tense. I was not looking forward to investigating a death. Dead bodies made me sick to my stomach. It got so bad I had to set my roll aside. Rather than churn up more bile, I focused on the drive. The cityscape gradually faded into a winding road flanked by ancient cypress trees, their gnarled roots clawing at the mist that hung like a spectral veil over the landscape. Along with the Spanish moss dripping from the limbs, it created a mystical ambiance.

I drove as close to the location as possible and parked the car on the side of the road. The heat and humidity pressed in on us as did a sense of foreboding. “Ready for this?” Dre asked.

“Not really,” Kota replied. “But we have to do this, so let’s get it over with.” She headed to the trail leading into the swampy wilderness.

Although the path was being reclaimed by nature it beckoned us forward. It was shrouded in an eerie silence broken only by the distant calls of unseen creatures. After a few minutes of walking, the earth beneath our feet started squelching with each step. The dampness seeped through our shoes.

“Careful,” I cautioned. “We don’t want to step into the swamp.”

Dani shook her head and scanned our surroundings. “We should look out for gators, too.”

Mist swirled around us, veiling our surroundings in a ghostly haze. And shadows danced among the tangled branches, adding to the otherworldly allure of the place. We followed the winding trail deeper into the heart of the swamp, our senses heightened by the unsettling ambiance. The air was thick with the mingled scents of decay and wet earth, creating a unique blend that hung heavy in our lungs.

I wondered if we were too late when we finally stumbled upon the body. It was a chilling scene that froze us in our tracks. A body lay half-buried in the muck, its form obscured by the murky waters. The sight sent a shiver down my spine, and I felt a knot tighten in my stomach. I stood next to Dani, whose eyes narrowed as she examined the gruesome remains. Dre and Kota stood guard, their gazes sweeping the surroundings for any signs of danger lurking in the shadows.

“We need to gather more information,” Dani said, her voice steady despite the grim discovery. “We need to get a better look at the body to see why this was called into the hotline.”

Dre used her telekinesis to lift the victim out of the water. She moved it to a more stable section of the swamp. There were no missing limbs or anything else that you’d expect of a gator attack. The wounds were the only thing that made me think animal. They were wide furrows cut across the man’s chest. But there was only one row of four that I could see. There were some puncture wounds, but I didn’t get up close to see more details.

My hand went to my stomach as I focused on other details of our investigation. “We should also look into recent missing persons reports. Focusing first on supernaturals. There's definitely something sinister at play here.” This wasn’t a lost hiker who was attacked by a wild animal.

“Is this a mundie or supernatural?” Kota asked. “We might not need to do more investigation. This could be attributed to an animal.”

Dre nodded her head and crouched close to the body. The back of my throat burned, and my stomach roiled. Not wanting to leave this to my sisters, I followed suit and was struck by how handsome the man was. Putting everything aside, I focused on wanting to know if he was a magical creature. I cast a spell that would give me that information a second after my sisters.

“He’s a selkie,” Dre blurted with a frown. “Did you know they lived out here?”

Kota stood and backed away. “I assumed they lived near the coast. You should call Lucas. I don’t feel safe investigating this further here.”

“ Selkies rarely live outside the ocean. You should assume this one was visiting. Don’t let your guard down ,” Adele interjected into our minds. “ I’m too far away to pick up on anything, so one of you should be vigilant while the others gather evidence. ”

Pulling out my phone, I sent Lucas a message about the body. His reply was quick. “Lucas and Noah are on their way. We should take some pictures and look for clues like Adele suggested.”

Dre moved away from the body and to the edge of the water. “There’s something down there.” She twitched her finger, and something silver floated to the surface of the water. It was an amulet of some kind.

“ That has some power in it ,” Adele said. “ I can feel it through our bond. It’d be best not to touch it in case it’s cursed or something worse. ”

I opened my crossbody bag and unzipped an inner pocket. “Put it in here,” I told her.

Dre used her telekinesis to do as asked, and we snapped pictures of everything within a fifty-foot radius. Dani led the way, her footsteps deliberate and purposeful, navigating us through the labyrinthine maze of swampy undergrowth. “I assume we're searching for any signs of movement through the area. Tracks, clothing remnants, anything that might tie back to our culprit. ”

Picking up a small piece of cloth, I carried it to our growing pile. I texted Lucas and asked him to bring a bag to carry stuff in. “That’s what I’m looking for. I tried using my magical senses to pick up anything with power, but there is so much around us, I didn’t get anything specific.”

“Same,” Dre agreed.

As we delved deeper into the bayou’s shadows, the canopy above thickened. The ancient cypress trees loomed like sentinels. Their twisted roots clawed into the dark waters.

Dre's voice broke the silence a few seconds later, like a whisper on the breeze, “Over there—do you see those markings on the tree trunk?”

We converged on the spot, examining the deep gouges etched into the weathered bark. I snapped several pictures. From what I could tell, the jagged patterns bore a striking resemblance to the teeth marks on the dead selkie.

“These marks are too large for a normal gator,” Dani mused, her brow furrowing in concentration.

Kota's gaze swept the surroundings, her eyes flickering with heightened awareness. “If gator shifters are around, they won't be far. And we don’t know shit about them to know if they’d be friend or foe.”

“Stay vigilant,” Dre warned.

I wiped sweat from my brow with the back of my hand. “Always.”

Lucas and Noah arrived as we finished up. Lucas handed me an empty duffle bag. “Here you go, Flower. You’re sure this is a selkie?”

Nodding, I took the bag from him and set it next to the random things we’d seen while taking pictures. We had no idea if they were clues or not but decided to take them anyway. “Yeah. Did you know there were some here?”

Lucas laid a tarp down next to the body. “No. They tend to stick to coastal areas. These injuries look like marks from a gator. Are you sure something nefarious is involved?”

I lifted a shoulder. “Fairly certain. We need to investigate this more.”

“Okay, let’s load up and get out of here,” he replied.

We put everything in the duffel while he and Noah wrapped the body and carried it to their truck. With a sense of purpose driving us forward, we retreated from the harrowing scene. The weight of unanswered questions hung over us like a heavy fog. Whatever malevolent force lurked within these murky depths needed to be unveiled. My nerves were strung taught. A thought passed through my mind as I headed home. We needed to unearth the truth before more lives were claimed by the darkness that haunted those ancient waters.

The oppressive Louisiana heat bore down upon us as we regrouped at Willowberry. The air was thick with the scent of magnolia blossoms and the distant murmur of tourists taking Cami’s tour. Lucas and Noah drove right to the back portion of the plantation where mundies never went. They put the body in one of the old buildings and we cast a spell creating a barrier no one could get through.

Sweat glistened on our brows as we gathered around our familiar table. I ran a hand over the surface that had been worn smooth by years of shared meals. Dani cradled her tallboy as her eyes remained fixed on the notes spread out before her like a map of the unknown. Her expression was grave, the usual spark of mischief replaced by a solemn determination that mirrored the weight of our discovery in the swamps.

“I can’t get past the victim's injuries,” Dani finally spoke. Her voice carried the soft lilt of the bayou, each word was measured and deliberate. “The pattern of the teeth marks... they're too large and jagged to be from a normal alligator. ”

The implication hung heavy in the humid air. To us, gator shifters were more beings of myth and legend, said to haunt the remote reaches of the bayou. We’d never met one, and yet they were a haunting possibility in this case. I looked at Lucas and asked, “Could it be gator shifters? I don’t know much about them. All I’ve heard are the stories that say they're protectors of the bayou and guardians of their domain.”

“ They’re willing to defend their space with deadly force ,” Adele added.

Dre's brow furrowed in thought, her fingers absently moving around the rim of her mug. “If gator shifters are responsible for these deaths, we'll need to approach this with caution. They're unlike anything we've encountered before.”

Kota nodded in agreement, her gaze fixed on the horizon beyond the windows, where the sun shone through the moss-draped canopy. “We should delve deeper into the local lore. Consult our contacts and uncover any hidden knowledge that might shed light on this mystery.”

Lucas sighed and put a hand on the back of my chair. “Gator shifters are reclusive. They rarely interact with others. If they did this, the selkie had to have done something significant.”

Dani nodded in acknowledgment. “We can examine the evidence to see what it can tell us, but first we should reach out to the other council members and see what else we can learn about gator shifters.”

“Adele,” I began, addressing our familiar, “what's your take on this? Could gator shifters really be behind the death of the selkie in the swamp?”

Adele jumped onto a chair next to Dre. “ It's within the realm of possibility ,” she replied, her voice carrying a hint of caution. “ Gator shifters are known to roam these waters, and like I said, they can be quite protective of their territory. Although, I can’t see a selkie doing something to cause them to kill him. Selkies are passive and peaceful creatures. ”

Lucas ran his fingers over my shoulder. “Gator shifters don't take kindly to intruders, especially near their nesting grounds. The selkie might have run across a pregnant gator.”

Noah nodded in agreement. “That would be seen as a threat to their unborn and when provoked, they are as dangerous as the creatures they resemble.”

Before we could delve further into the details of gator shifter behavior, Dani's phone buzzed, filling the room. My stomach twisted further when Dani’s eyes widened. She answered and put it on speakerphone. “Marie,” Dani greeted cautiously, “what brings this unexpected call?”

Marie's voice, smooth and authoritative, resonated through the room. “I need your assistance in planning and hosting the Leveau family reunion,” she declared.

Silence fell over us as we processed her request. Planning an event of this magnitude for Marie Leveau's descendants was no small feat. Especially given the family's complex history and the intricate dynamics among its members. Not to mention that she’d tried to kill us more times than I could count. It was only recently that she seemed to stop.

“We appreciate the request, Marie,” I replied diplomatically, “but could you provide more details about your vision for this reunion?”

Marie's tone remained confident. “I want a grand gathering,” she explained, her voice tinged with nostalgia. “A celebration of our shared heritage and a time for family to come together. The males of our line are largely forgotten, and I want to change that. It will be easier to envelop them into the fold if I begin with a celebration of our bond as a family. I want this to be an annual thing.”

Dre raised an eyebrow, her skepticism palpable. “What prompted this reunion?" she inquired .

Marie's response was cryptic. “Let's just say it's long overdue, my dear sisters.” Her voice carried a hint of mystery.

Kota leaned forward, her curiosity piqued. “And the venue?" she probed, her gaze fixed on Dani's phone. “You want us to host it here, at Willowberry?”

Marie's answer was decisive. “Of course. The power in your lands will add to the grandeur of the event.”

The weight of Marie's request settled upon us, mingling with the new mystery of the selkie's death. Planning a family reunion for the descendants of Marie Leveau would undoubtedly test our abilities to navigate supernatural intrigues, intricate family ties, and possible betrayal. I still didn’t trust her.

My sisters and I shared a look, and I shrugged. I had no idea if we should do this or not. On one hand, doing it would prove we didn’t hold grudges and gave people second chances. On the other, it could bite us in the ass.

Dre inclined her head to Dani who said, “When would you like to have this? If we are available, we would be happy to do it for you.”

I held my breath as Kota pulled up the calendar on the tablet that was connected to Phi’s. My heart twisted in my chest when we had an opening the day she wanted. After putting her in, we set up a time later to discuss ideas for the event.

“Well, that was unexpected,” Dani mumbled as she stared at the blank cell phone screen.

“Do you think she’s going to use this event to take us out?” I asked.

That got everyone’s attention. Adele was the first to speak up. “ It’s something to consider. However, none of her family will be able to step foot on your property if they have ulterior motives. When you recast the wards after Kezia’s infiltration, we modified it, remember? ”

Dre’s shoulders relaxed, and she smiled at our familiar. “I never thought I would be grateful for Kezia’s evil plan. That makes me feel better about doing this. If Marie has plans of using her family against us, they won’t be able to pull into the parking lot.”

Dani’s gaze snapped up and focused on Dre. “We should reach out to each descendant individually.” Her eyes were alight with planning. “It is going to be important to understand their needs and their grievances. From the sounds of it many have been ostracized. Ultimately, I see this reunion as about more than celebration. It's about healing old wounds.”

“Given the Leveau family’s history in our city, we should embrace the spirit of New Orleans with this one. Jazz music, Cajun food, and the paranormal community. We might not like her legacy, but we will create an event worthy of it.”

Dre nodded in agreement, a glimmer of excitement in her eyes. “We can’t forget to add a touch of voodoo. It should be subtle but not enough to give them power over our wards. Honoring that will be significant. We don’t want to be known as event planners that ignore culture.”

As we brainstormed ideas and divided tasks, the lace curtains billowed softly in the breeze. With each plan and proposal, the anticipation for the Leveau family reunion grew. I wanted it to be a manifestation of a beacon of hope amidst the tumultuous relationship we’ve had with the Queen of Voodoo. A history like the one we shared was impossible to ignore, so it remained a glimmer.

Regardless, we were taking on the ambitious endeavor and determined to unite the descendants of Marie Leveau. It wasn’t going to be easy to navigate their intricate histories and create a memorable event that would honor our shared legacy and heal old wounds. But we would try.