The Syphon King (Bayou Bishops #16)

Chapter TWO

Bishop studied his wife sitting like a virgin student in the chair on the other side of his desk. Fidgety. Fuck, he loved her too much. “Ma Petite,” he began, fighting back his grin at the suggestion she brought to him. “I’m trying to understand.... given that you’re a geospatial engineer why do you want to go fifty miles farther to get these flowers rather than at the place in Lafayette?”

He reclined back in his chair, already entertained as she launched into her reason. “So...for one, this one’s a farm. And family owned,” she added.

“So is the one in Lafayette. And they also have a farm. They merely sell the harvest in their store downtown.”

Her expression fell a little. “Well, I... like the...pots they come in, too,” she remembered. “Old-world look, I really love that.”

He angled his gaze at the modest, soft pink material showcasing her tits. “Here’s the thing, Ma Petite. The Leblanc’s are friends of ours. They give a lot to the charities at our lil’ festivals, and their feelings would be hurt if we didn’t buy from them, especially for my sister’s wedding, and mine.” He watched her lowered face as she knotted up her fingers. “Beth.”

She snapped her eyes up.

“What’s wrong?” he pled, hating that she didn’t feel safe to tell him whatever was the problem. “You know you can tell me anything, yes?” he reminded gently as he prepared to use his bossy tactic.

“There’s nothing to tell, I just...” She finally covered her face with a cute growl that clobbered his already hard dick. She dropped her hands in her lap. “I can’t parallel park,” she confessed, aiming her wide eyes at his desk while he held back his laugh at this adorable news. “Yes, I was taught. No, I did not learn, and Leblanc’s Florist is downtown in parallel parking hell—I checked. I always check for that because I cannot do it. You can laugh,” she offered crossing her arms as he did just that. “I’m not ashamed, there’s plenty of people who don’t know how.”

“Here, it’s required learning for you to get your license.”

“Well, there too,” she quipped, bringing his brows up.

“So, you passed the parallel parking test?”

“I got my license, didn’t I?”

Oh, the hidden story here. “Yes, you did, and the plot thickens. If you parallel parked once, you can do it again.”

She stared at him with her lips pressed tight. “He passed me because of the effort. A for effort, you’ve heard of it.”

Bishop was howling as he imagined the terrified teacher ready to be done with the non-stop near collisions. “How many tries before he passed you, Ma Petite?”

Her eyes went wide. “How irrelevant can you get?” she cried, renewing his guffaws.

“I’m just curious,” he managed after catching his breath. “I can only love you more learning you cannot parallel park,” he assured.

Her fluttering eye roll came with her muttered, “Like...maybe ten.” His snickers erupted and she eyed his outstretched arms with angry brows. “I’m not coming to you,” she said. “While you’re laughing at me.”

“I will teach you to parallel park this very day,” he said.

“No! I don’t want to learn, you can just come with me to get the flowers and drive for me.”

He rose from his desk. “The Belle Eveque must know how to perform this.”

Her whole face balked. “Why!” She stood and got behind her chair when he came for her. “Nobody cares if I can parallel park!”

“I care.”

“And why?” she demanded, looking for something to fault him in.

“Because I just do, and I’m your Eveque,” he said, pulling his dick card with a grin as she ended in a corner.

“Okay, I’ll let you teach me but not today, I have a lot to do still for the class tonight.”

“You mean tomorrow night.” He put his hands on the wall, caging her.

“I mean I have a lot to do tonight for the class tomorrow night!” She clamped her hand over his incoming mouth and giggled. “Please, I swear I will let you teach me. We have time,” she said in a squeal as he captured her hands and pinned them above her.

“You will learn this today,” he assured softly, chasing after her dodging mouth. He held her wrists together and grabbed her jaw. “Ma Petite, I’ve noticed you’ve been much more sassy than usual lately. What do you think is causing this rebellion? Are you still angry that I’m not risking the life of our child with my psycho-fucking?”

She pressed her lips shut as he kissed along them. “Yes,” she barely said. “But I’m not sassy.”

He paused, eyeing her. “You are seriously pissed at me for this,” he realized, kissing the side of her face softly before moving to her ear. “Let’s strike a lil’ deal. You let me teach you to parallel park today, and tonight I’ll fuck you till you’re begging me to stop.”

She eyed him, her breaths already heavier. “You can’t lie about something like that.”

“No, I cannot,” he agreed, kissing along her brow.

“Then deal,” she whispered.

He lowered to her mouth and took it with all the hunger she created in him, her gasps and whimpers fueling his fire.

“Why are you changing your mind?” she wondered.

“Because I read the book that came in today. Well, that part anyway.”

She gasped as he smiled. “You shit!”

He chuckled, releasing her arms and shoving his leg between hers, pulling her hips into it. He eyed the lust in her gaze as he gripped her ass and moved her clit on him till she was lost in the flames, moaning. “You want one?” he murmured, ready to watch her orgasm.

She nodded with a breathless, “Yes,” grabbing hold of his shoulders. “Make my pussy come.”

“Oh fuck,” he muttered, loving when she talked like that. He rocked her faster on his leg, nipping at her lower lip. “I can’t wait to see my dick pound your sweet cunt,” he said at her mouth, getting her cry and immediate orgasm. “You need my cock so fucking bad baby?” he said, grinding her clit on him as she said yes, yes, yes, loud enough for other ears to hear. He did not fucking care. He held her face in his hands and adored her mouth with immense satisfaction. His angel couldn’t parallel park. Fucking sweetest thing he’d ever heard. “I love you so much Beth.”

“THESE ARE YOURS.” ZODAK put the bag on the sofa then headed into his library. Shutting the door, he turned on the computer and located the file for the security cameras in his area. They’d installed them long ago when he'd first come to the Kings at a time when he was dangerous. Now they only used them when doing siphoning work for his Brothers, which he hadn’t in months. They were in every room and accessible by the Kings, but he’d asked to use them for monitoring her.

The evil he’d taken from her gave him everything he shouldn’t know about a woman. She mentioned not having memories and he could scarcely contain his relief at hearing it. If he could keep them all from her, he would, even while knowing that wasn’t possible. But she must remember some judging by how she acted.

Keeping her safe was his first concern and that meant keeping her far from him till he had more time to assess the extent of this dark residue he was experiencing. He recalled Seer’s clarifications of the vision he’d had about her unlocking doors, telling him these doors were in him. A detail he would have surely wanted to know. Then, when he’d told Seer about the symptoms with the residual evil, he merely laughed about it. Said everything would work out in his not-knowing-while-knowing manner.

He didn't like this method in regard to Zenith, it was too big of a risk, especially with some of these stains involving sexual visions that affected him physically in incredibly alarming ways. Ways he’d never experienced with a woman—no, an abominably abused woman. The reaction was vile. And her need to please him wasn’t going unnoticed by this...thing in him, this stain.

He wanted Seer to zap him again to ensure he was entirely cleansed. Recalling the way her tiny fingers felt on his chains and the innocent look in her eyes had stirred a vicious hunger he could barely contain. She was most unsafe with him but letting her out of his sight was not possible. She was his to keep and protect. Him being part of the threat made it difficult but not impossible. He would find a way. She would live a new life and hopefully forget every second of her old one.

For now, he needed to learn how she found herself in the predicament he'd rescued her from. Where did it start? Did she have family? Did they know where she was, what had happened? Were they looking for her? Or were they part of the problem?

Each answer determined how to proceed.

He recalled Seer saying she’d help them work. The initial outrage at the idea was now replaced with a vision of her in his immediate shadow, right wrist chained to his repelling links he wore around his waist. How or where this vision came from, he didn’t know. Was it from the darkness wanting to keep her or his need to protect her? Or both?

The computer screen before him filled with images of all the rooms being monitored and his gaze snapped to the one in his living room. Even though she couldn’t see him, he engaged his stealth gates and slowly blinked through various lenses, observing the dramatic production as she held up the clothing to her body that he’d delivered.

Realizing she was talking to Jinxxy, he quickly found a headset and put them on, watching her parade about while the canine angled her head in immense rapture.

“You think it will fit me?” she whispered, her face falling with worry as she carefully folded a black dress and returned it to the bag. “What if I look stupid in it?” She cast her worried glance to the door of the library, and he wanted to assure her she would not. She might not have exact memories, but having no self-esteem or self-worth seemed to be a scar left by the evil on her psyche. Unless she never had any which may have served as the perfect lure for malevolence.

She cast a cautious glance at the library door again then called Jinxxy to her with quiet pats on her legs. His eyes caught the bandages on her wrist, reminding him he needed to check on her wound. Jinxxy raced over and plowed her into the couch. Zodak studied her joy, enraptured by it. Such beauty it put on her delicate face. He recalled again the way it looked and felt in his hands when he’d had to peer inside her earlier. There had been something familiar about the close distance to her. His gift had insisted. This would make everything more difficult he knew. When his powers demanded things, it did so without discrimination. Like a reflex. He could never let his guard down while his powers behaved this way even though it never had, outside the lust for power that wickedness offered it. It wanted something different from her that he could not fathom. Yet.

He removed all his ocular gates, wanting to see her fully as she hugged and squealed while Jinxxy lavished her with affection. Zodak recognized the power roiling in him as he watched. One he was quite familiar with but hadn’t experienced to such a degree since his early years of arriving in the country. A bone crushing longing. Why should he feel that? Perhaps because he was seeing it in her. The same longing that he’d had. Only, hers was being fulfilled and fed by Jinxxy.

Another power entered his blood, one that wasn’t familiar at all but clearly identifiable. Jealousy. And not of what she was getting.

He surely was possessed.

He caught the time on the computer. 10:00 AM. It was breakfast and she was obviously malnourished. He pulled his phone out and contacted Trixie, ordering a healthy meal from the cafeteria for her. He realized he should keep his own health up and dialed back, ordering a king sized serving for himself. Now that she was renewed, he’d build on that renewal.

He looked at the computer screen, seeing she was investigating his statues again. He rose up and headed out to discuss important particulars with her, then paused, remembering he needed every detail about her. He dialed King Thakx and put in a search request then fixed his ocular gates in place.

As he entered the living room, he recalled the name she’d given his brothers. Zenith. Or Zen. “Miss Zenith,” he called.

“Yes,” she said, turning to face him, her head lowered in...deference? Shame?

“You have a new life now and I want you to embrace it," he said, skipping conversation etiquette. "I will see that you have everything required to do that. But you can never leave my presence without my permission, you understand?”

She nodded. “Yes, my King.”

He tensed. “I am not your King.”

“My Savior,” she quickly corrected.

“Call me Zodak. That is my name.”

“King Zodak,” she said, breathless.

“Just Zodak. No titles.”

More hesitant nods with her face lowered. “Understood.”

“Why do you not look at me?”

Those azure gates snapped up and locked on him. “You said you couldn’t be around me or see me,” she reminded, lowering her face again.

“But I also have to watch over you.”

“Yes,” she said, not moving.

He realized he could do both without her looking at him. He also realized his gifts wanted to see her eyes and the face they belonged to. The stains in his mind insisted he see everything else attached to that. “You may look at me when I have my lenses on,” he said even while knowing he could see her every layer when in stealth mode.

She slowly raised her gaze to his. “Thank you.”

“For what?” he wondered, wanting to know the manner in which she perceived things.

“For... letting me look at you.”

He realized she was curious about him and said, “I have ordered breakfast. I will see to all aspects of your health, and you will comply.”

“Yes,” she said, staring at him still. “Thank you.”

He blinked, using his magnifying lens to bring her face closer. “You can shower before the food arrives. We will eat and you can ask all the questions you have about me. I am your guardian,” he added. “You understand what this means?”

She slowly nodded. “You will take care of me. In all aspects. And I will obey all that you require and request of me.” She lowered her eyes. “And...if I can, I would like to serve your every need and desire.” Her gaze snapped up to his again. “I’m sorry, I mean only the good desires and needs.” Again, she bowed her head as her words conjured up an electrical storm. “Please forgive me if I have spoken...wickedly,” she said, out of breath.

“There is nothing to forgive,” he said, guarding his tone. “With me there are no requirements or needs.”

“I...don’t know how to thank you,” she sputtered. “For everything.”

He watched her lashes glisten with tears before they fell over her cheeks, and she quickly wiped them. “By allowing me to protect you and ensure you live a long, happy life.”

More tears fell as she nodded and wiped those too. “Thank you Zodak,” she whispered, a sob escaping her, then another. Soon, she covered her face with both hands.

“Jinxxy. Idha-ee-layuh,” he ordered, watching his pup race over and administer her wet whimpering condolences.

Zen dropped to her knees, a little laugh mixing with her sadness. The sight and sound again filled him with senseless, volatile urges. He focused this new power on killing the evil responsible for hurting her rather than killing his canine in a jealous rage for licking what was solely his.

He'd call Seer again and insist on another purge.

IT WAS WHILE PACING in the living room that Zodak realized he needed a way to ensure he not only had the ability to always protect Zenith in all things, but also had the right to. He’d called Trixie and instructed her to tend to all of Zenith’s needs while he spoke to Nidev and as expected, the King had the precise solution he sought. But it required her consent.

Zodak arrived back at his apartment, not finding Zenith anywhere. He pulled his phone out and dialed Trixie.

“She’s in the Voltorium, I left you a message on the phone, and texted had you picked it up to see.”

He hung up and left out, wondering why she’d go there. He should have asked. Zodak slowed through the trees and froze at seeing her in one of the long black dresses. Her inky hair matched the material and flowed in waves down her back.

He made his way slowly toward her and removed his gates, watching her with all the lucidity he possessed as she stared up at the wall of repentance, stroking her tiny hands over the chains.

She suddenly spun and he stopped at the bottom of the steps, her brilliant blue gaze locked on his like a prophetic vision. She was exactly as he’d imagined in the dress. Profoundly and poetically beautiful.

She quickly looked down. “Zodak,” she said, turning his name into a breath of silk.

“Miss Zenith.” He lowered his voice, attempting to remove some of the rough edge. She was created for everything opposite of what he was. “I need to speak to you about an important matter.”

She hurried forward then stopped abruptly and took several steps back. “Where would you like to talk? I was going to wait for you to eat breakfast but thought it was better to have it done at the proper time. For health reasons. And...there is always lunch and dinner to share with you. Not that sharing meals means anything...”

“Would you like to walk in the forest?” he asked, ending the word torture she always assailed him with.

Her entire face lit up like she’d never been outside in her life. “I would love that,” she cried, the power of her direct gaze making him want to remove his lenses and see her with his naked eyes. He remembered they frightened most people. As did his sharpened teeth.

“Come,” he said, turning. Five steps later he found her twice that many steps behind him. “Walk with me,” he clarified.

He waited as she caught up to him before continuing. He adjusted his steps to her tiny ones as he led the way to the back entrance. “What are we talking about?” she asked.

He glanced down, encountering the delicate lace covering her chest. “About your future.”

“Oh,” she said, seeming surprised to have one of those. “Okay. Why did you save me?” The force of the words implied she’d wondered many times but feared asking.

“Because we were told to.”

She glanced up at him. “By who?” she wondered curious.

He clasped his hands behind his back as they strolled toward the exit. “Seer’s God.”

She suddenly stopped in her tracks. “What...god is this?”

He glanced and found terror on her face. “A very good God,” he assured.

She studied the air before her, and he held out his hand for her to come. She regarded the invitation and Zodak quickly withdrew it when she reached out, thinking he meant her to take it.

She snapped worried eyes up at him. “I’m sorry, I don’t...always know what things mean.”

She held her hand at her chest as if he’d crushed it. The idea was a torment while he strived so hard to do the opposite. “My gifts don’t allow me to touch humans.” He resumed walking toward the wooden bridge spanning several swamp miles. “Ask your questions,” he encouraged, ready to get to what he needed to talk to her about.

She made her way alongside him again. “Why can’t you?”

The concern in her tone for him brought hot currents in his ink. “Because I see and feel too much of what they carry. And I can also take the wrong things from them.”

“Oh no. This must be very lonely.”

Her tone puzzled him. Almost like loneliness was a good thing. “You know something of this,” he said as they came to the wooden walk bridge.

“I do and yet don’t. I mean...I know it by feeling but not by understanding. Somehow.” She went silent for a bit then asked, “Are you afraid of what you will see in me if you touch me?”

He considered his answer carefully with her. “Touching isn’t an issue except with you. The true burden of my gifts are in my eyes where certain wavelengths of light that hold emotional energy are detected. When I choose to look and see, I absorb it and it interacts with my biochemical processes, influencing my thoughts, feelings, and perceptions.”

“Are you an empath?” she wondered, curious.

“Somewhat. When I see these things in people, my brain triggers a mechanism that entangles their emotions with mine, allowing me to draw these energies into myself. I can self-maintain these levels in usual circumstances. But when performing some siphons, I must use the Voltorium to neutralize what I absorb to prevent an overload.”

“The lightning,” she marveled. “Is that what it was doing?”

“Yes,” he said. “It’s linked to the biometric tattoos on my body for controlled release.”

“Your tattoos do this?” she whispered, astonished.

“Yes.”

“And...the Seer,” she said, stopping in her tracks. “What did he do to you? There was an explosion of light. Was this him or the Voltorium?”

“That was all him,” he said.

“And that amazes you,” she noticed.

“I have never experienced such a power greater than all the electricity in the Voltorium.” He regarded her as they walked. “With one word, he stopped a legion of malevolence.”

“How remarkable,” she said, his tattoos hungrily devouring the passion in her words.

“I have to be careful,” he remembered. “As I mentioned, I can also absorb the good things from people which can hurt them.”

“Like what?”

“Like peace and joy and happiness. Before I understood my gifts, those I cared for fell into soul crushing depression. I didn’t realize I was sucking the good things out of them.”

“Oh no,” she said, her lament like a balm. “How tragic and yet...you must not be using your gifts on me. I’m very happy and every second I walk with you, it grows stronger.”

He paused his steps and she stopped, aiming her pure, exhilarated gaze at him as he pondered her words.

“Did I upset you?” she worried softly, her caring again getting devoured by his gift.

“Did you feel anything just now?” he asked.

She barely shook her head. “I don’t think so. Other than...a very strong need to console you. Like Jinxxy does.”

His body erupted as images of her consoling him like Jinxxy filled him.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m trying to understand your gift.”

“I have a gift?”

He lifted his lensed gaze to her curious one. “You seem to be unaffected by mine. And yet...I siphoned everything from you.”

“But...you only took the bad things?” she carefully hoped.

“Yes.” He walked again, slower, grappling with the conundrum.

“Maybe you can only take what isn’t mine,” she mused.

Again, he paused on the walk bridge, looking at her, his gifts begging to test the theory. “May I...touch you to test something?”

She stared back at him then nodded. “What do you need to touch?”

The open offer tied up his tongue as his gift insisted he touch everything. “Your hands.”

She held them both out before him and his circuits fired up with a hunger to receive.

“Are you...afraid?” she asked, seeing the shake in his hands now hovering over hers.

“Very,” he had no problem saying.

“I don’t think you have anything to fear,” she said quietly.

And yet, he couldn’t make his hands close the distance. “I think I do,” he whispered.

She raised her palms and pressed them into his. His breath rushed out and he closed his eyes, his gift devouring the light vibrations. He remembered them from long ago. Joy. He knew its color, but he wanted to see hers. Would it be the same? He carefully raised all his gates and looked. Yellow. Bouncing gently and lighter than air. Translucent and... mouthwatering as it entered and coaxed buried appetites.

“What are you feeling?” she whispered.

“Your joy,” he marveled, fearful at how hungry his powers were reacting to it. “I like it too much.”

He snatched his hands from hers when he felt every one of his receptors open wide, readying a hyper-siphon. The technique was only used when taking powers that were dense and dangerous. He wanted to devour it for other reasons. Ones he feared discerning.

“Am I too happy for you?” she wondered.

He turned away at hearing the light tease in her tone. “How do you feel?” he asked.

She let out a small giggle. “Happier than before?”

How was that possible? “Are you sure?”

“Maybe your gift works in reverse with me? Did you just give me some of your joy?”

He walked again and she followed next to him, her gaze hot on his face. “There is no joy like this in me to give.”

She went quiet as they walked. “Then it must be how much I like your touch that tripled it,” she said quietly.

His legs ceased working and he stood there. “Your words have power with me and provoke things that aren’t safe. You can’t say such things.”

“I’m sorry,” she said, seeming pained at her many mistakes. He resisted the temptation to console her. “It’s beautiful out here,” she said, changing the subject. “This is likely why my joy is tripled. Oh!” She ran ahead to the benches with the look-out over the small pond. “Now it’s quadrupled!” she exclaimed, aiming her happy face at him.

He stopped ten feet from the phenomenal show that she was, riveted as he studied her with his ocular gates all tightly in place. The urge to remove them all and absorb every bit of her had his body boiling.

She sucked in her breath at the rumble of thunder, turning her smile on him. “What about real lightning? Does it also work like the Voltorium? Can you use that too?”

He forced his gaze away from temptation. “Yes,” he said, struggling to regain stability. “We should go back.”

“We should or must?” she lightly lamented.

“Must,” he realized. “I’m not well.” She came toward him, and he put out his hand. “No closer.” She froze many feet off and he added, “My gift must calibrate to people.” It was true but not to this extent.

“How can I help?” she wondered. “Maybe we should do exercises to help you?”

She was inviting him to touch and have everything he craved. “It’s a logical solution,” he said, not wanting her more discouraged than he’d made her.

“Will we still talk about...my future? When we get back?”

The idea of being in a confined space with her spiked his adrenalin. How was he supposed to help her and protect her while in this condition? Was this happening from a single touch? What if she was right and he could take without draining her? Those things that were hers.

He wasn’t sure how or why that would be possible other than it was a gift she possessed. Every other soul was left empty after a short time of him allowing himself to absorb. The rate at which he hungered to devour her joy would demolish her spirit in a single minute. It all made him angry with himself for choosing to go around the problem rather than train himself to control it the way he did the malevolence. But would the calibration method even be the same with her emotions? Too many questions without answers.

He had to find a way to test these things without risking her.

His brain erupted with micro-explosions and the obvious solution. He would discuss with her the measures required to protect her that he and Nidev talked about. This solution would also handle any accidental siphon draining when he was with her, should she accept the proposition.

“The storm is getting closer,” she whispered, sounding excited about it.

“It is,” he said. “Let’s hurry back so we can discuss your future.”