The Syphon King (Bayou Bishops #16)

Chapter TEN

Zodak sped toward a massive mouth of light on the skin of the universe, its brilliant shards stabbing into his eyes and body then pulling with such a force, he feared it would rip muscle from bone.

Air punched into his lungs as something hard bit into his ankles, wrists and forehead, roars blasting out of him.

“Zodak! It’s Samuel!”

He blinked, realizing something covered his eyes. Those hard barriers bit repeatedly as he growled to get free.

“Let him loose,” Seer said.

Every restraint fell off simultaneously and he reached up and ripped the covering from his eyes, shooting up on the bed. He stared at Seer, seeing the cautious way he held his hands up before him. “You had a little episode, Brother. But seems you’re all good now.”

Episode? “Zeen!”

“Zeen’s fine,” Seer assured, coming closer. “You sucked a great deal of hell out of her.”

“Great deal?”

“I’ll let your Brothers explain.”

“Where are they?” He launched off the bed and hit the floor, the muscles in his legs like over-stretched rubber bands being strummed with a knife.

“Easy brother.” Seer helped him up and he realized the rest of his body matched the feeling in his legs.

“What happened to me?”

“You died.”

His gaze snapped up to his. “I died?”

He nodded. “They brought you back.”

He felt like he’d been hit with a million volts of electricity.

“They’re pretty devastated over it, Brother.”

He looked at him. “Over what?”

“Vex had to kill you to stop you.”

Panic seized him and he fought to get to the door. “Where is he? I need to see him.”

“He’s on his way. They brought you back, but you didn’t wake up for a bit.”

“A bit?”

He eyed him, putting a hand on his shoulder. “You’ve been out for a day.”

“Zeen,” he whispered, his panic growing. “I need to see her.”

“She’s fine but under strict surveillance.”

“What does she know?” he demanded when Lore entered the room.

He paused then stopped before him. “We didn’t tell her, but I think we should.”

“No, she can’t know!”

“Try to stay calm brother till we run more tests.”

“She can never think I would do this for the wrong reasons.”

“She blames herself,” Seer said.

“And isn’t that enough?” Zodak demanded. “I will surely continue to take this darkness from her. These risks are mine to take.” He looked at Lore. “How are her scans?”

“No sign of dark energy.”

He considered that, remembering. “I’ll only know when I do it again.” He paced on numb legs. “I need to see her.”

“I’ll get her,” Seer said to Lore. “Where is she?”

“Taking care of Jinxxy in your apartment.”

“What’s wrong with Jinxxy?”

“Nothing,” Seer murmured. “I just told her she’s probably missing her master and needs a friend till you wake.”

A dozen emotions assaulted him as he held his head. “Thank you.”

The door opened and Vex walked in, his face a mask of anger. “The man I need to thank,” Zodak said.

“You only get one of those.”

Vex’s biting tone tickled his sensors and he looked at Lore. “Perhaps you next time. If required.”

“Negative. I prefer finding less deadly measures.

He regarded Vex. “Thank you.”

“It wasn’t free,” he assured. “You owe me.”

“My life, apparently.”

“You’re not cute.”

“Don’t let Zeen hear you talk about her beautiful King that way,” Seer warned, bringing a massive wave of need through him.

“I’ll call you, Brother,” he said to Seer. Then to Lore, “And you. I want to know everything learned in every scan.”

“It’s all in your email. Call me and I’ll give you my opinions.”

His opinions. That meant they might all have different ones. Which meant they needed more data to work with.

“I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU’RE making me do this,” Beth muttered with rising panic when they reached downtown Lafayette for their parallel parking date. “You literally just spent an hour explaining to me how dire the next two months will be and everything would be back burnered for the expansion.”

“Yes, I did,” he said, his tone measured with patience.

Her stomach knotted as he parallel parked in a tight spot all zippity doodah. “And this is now more important than marital classes and weddings,” she said.

“It will only take one lesson, this I’m sure of,” he said.

“Well, giving me more than zero minutes of warning would be really...thoughtful and even respectful since you know how I feel about it.”

Once parked, he sat with the truck idling and looked at her. She looked back at him, seeing that new something in his gaze. At its core, it was fear. Of what all, she wasn’t sure, and she wished he’d talk to her. “Just...do this for me. Yes?”

The soft beg in his tone gave her fears a punch in the hoo-hoo and she sighed in defeat. “Do you have to teach me in this huge truck?”

“It’s a short bed,” he said with a smile. “About the same length as a midsize car.” He turned off the truck and handed her the keys.

She snatched them from his hand before sighing extra big at the windshield and opening her door. Making her way around the truck, she realized the whole damn town was up and at ‘em right on that street.

She opened his door to him patting his lap.

“What?” she wondered, confused.

“I’m going to show you how to parallel park.”

He tapped his legs again and she balked. “I’m not sitting on your lap!”

“Come on. You’ll hold the wheel while I parallel park a couple of times and you’ll feel how it’s done. Best way to learn.”

Her face burned with shame at imagining. “No!” she whispered. “I’m not driving around like some kid on daddy’s lap!”

“Fine,” he said, getting out and towering next to her like a bully, forcing her against the open door.

She shoved him away and watched as he laughed his way around the truck with his stupid gorgeous self. “Sit in your lap,” she muttered quietly, sure he was just screwing with her.

“Nobody can hear you Ma Petite,” he said, raking his hand through his gorgeous hair at the passenger door.

“The universe can hear!” She climbed in and promptly got pulled into a passionate kiss.

“I’m going to pay you so good for all of this. Being my sweet angel?”

Her pulse shot a mile high at the threat in his lusty tone. “What are you doing?”

He held her face before him, smiling curiously at her question. “Giving you incentive.”

She took his hands and lowered them then moved them to his side of the car. “You’re becoming a big pain in the vagina.”

He filled her with his beautiful laugh, and she realized how desperate she was to hear it. Scarier than parallel parking was that brewing storm in the back of his gaze when she looked at him. Something so big he couldn’t seem to voice it or didn’t want to.

She faced forward, ready for the problems she could see and do something about. “Now I have to pull out of this tight mess.”

“Yes,” is all he said.

She looked at all the stores and people everywhere. “What first?”

“You’ll need to start the truck.”

She did it, too nervous to be offended by the humor coloring his tone.

“Now, check your mirrors.”

She eyed each one. “Done,” she said, breathless.

“Next, put your foot on the brake and the truck in reverse.”

She pressed the brake and grabbed the shift. “What about blinkers?”

“What about them?”

“Don’t I use them? To signal other drivers?”

“If you want.”

“If I want?”

“Pulling into the space you do, but pulling out is not so necessary here.”

Not necessary here? “I can’t imagine a worst-case scenario, but it sounds like there is one and I think I should practice for that, don’t you think?”

“Good idea, Ma Petite,” he agreed. “Use the blinker.”

She paused, stumped again. “Here’s a stupid question. Which blinker?”

“The side that is going into traffic,” he said very patiently.

God that was common sense. She put her blinker on and checked her mirrors again. “Foot on brake, truck in reverse,” she verified.

“Now, ease off the brake and turn your steering wheel right.”

“Ease off the brake and turn the steering wheel right.” Repeating it didn’t help. “Can I turn right and then ease off?”

“Yes, you can, this time.”

“This time?”

“You need to be able to do both simultaneously, but for practice, do them separately.”

“Okay.” She strangled the steering wheel. “Do I turn it all the way right?”

“You can.”

“Bishop!” she cried. “Is it right or not? Can we just stick to yeses and nos?”

“Yes,” he said, his laugh threatening.

She realized she was lost now. “Yes, I can turn all the way right?”

“Yes. And check your mirrors.”

“Check mirrors again. Right, left, and rear.”

“Now turn your wheel all the way right.”

“Wait, why right, that’s going to make me go into the sidewalk!”

“You’re going very close to it, not into it.”

She considered what he was saying. “You’re creating more room for me to go left!”

“Very good, Ma Petite.”

“Got it, got it. Checking mirrors again. Turning wheel,” she grunted, yanking it till it would yank no more.

“Ease off the brake now and get a feel of where you’re moving. Slowly. You want to get as close to the car behind you and the curb without hitting them.”

She snapped him a look. “I’m already too close from where I’m sitting!”

“Ma Petite.”

“I told you I suck at this! Now do you see the mess in my head? This is what wrecks look like before they happen!”

“Would you like to do it on my lap?”

She held his serious gaze then faced forward. “God this is stupid,” she barely muttered, not about to get on his lap in broad daylight. “Can you look and tell me how far I have at least? This time? Till I get a feel of how it looks?”

With fun chuckles, he got out of the truck and stood at the back with his hands apart before his face. “You’ve got this much till you hit the curb.”

Finally, something she understood!

She slowly backed up, watching his hands get closer together then hit the brake at six inches.

He gave a thumbs up and returned to the truck. “Now turn your wheel—”

“Left?”

“Already a pro,” he said, getting her snort.

“Real funny,” she mumbled, yanking on the wheel. “Why don’t you have power steering in this thing, I’m already exhausted!”

“This will make you so so strong.”

A horn blew, making her jump. “Shit! Oh no!”

“Take your time, Ma Petite. They’ll wait.”

The ass-beating promise in his tone put her mind on all the wrong scenarios as she put the truck in drive and tried her best to barely press the gas. Another jerk forward brought her foot smashing the brake. “Crap!”

“You’re fine. Keep going.”

She shot forward and jolted again.

“Halfway there. When the right side of your vehicle passes their left brake light, you can start to straighten up.”

White knuckling the steering wheel, she pressed the gas, getting the same vroom/stop result, only now she was in the road.

“Get straight now, you got it.”

The person honked again and Sahvrin opened his door and stood on the truck ledge. “We are in the fucking middle of maneuvering out of this parking space!”

“Oh God, oh God.” She gave it the gas again too hard and nearly collided with an oncoming car while correcting her trajectory. Now she had another one sitting on their horn as she hit the brake. “I almost hit them, I’m sorry!”

Sahvrin got out and hurried around the truck, opening her door. “Move over Ma Petite.” She slid across the seat and he climbed in. “Seatbelt.”

Her hands shook as she put it on, feeling like such an idiot loser as he drove off. She realized he was leaving the parallel parking hell block and her whole body sagged right as a gush of estrogen blasted from her mouth in a stupid sob.

“Aww, Ma sucre ange,” Bishop sighed, pulling off the road as she fought to get her crap together. He pulled her against him, and she suddenly just wanted to climb inside him while he spoke soothing French and petted her. “I’m an idiot for not listening to you.” She nodded, pressing her mouth against his warm neck. “I should be bat-tied for making Ma Petite Belle Eveque cry, oui?”

She shook her head with a gasp.

“No?” He held her face, kissing her mouth and she pushed him off.

“I’m gross now,” she croaked, sucking in jagged breaths.

“What if I make it up to you and bring you home later?” He caressed her womb, and she held his hand on it, looking at him.

“Home?” Hope and longing made her tears return.

“Where you fell in lust with me, and I fell in love with you?”

She wrapped her arms around his neck with another sob. “I would like that so much. I miss our little house.”

His mouth took hers without warning or mercy. “Yes,” he swore as he kissed her. “And I will make love to my beautiful wife.”

“And...make me some gumbo?”

He smiled on her lips. “You miss my cooking?”

“So much,” she whispered, stroking his beautiful face. “And how you fed me.” She gasped with a smile, wiping her tears. “I’m being so childish,” she forced past her tight throat. “You spoiled me, and I never loved anything so much,” she sobbed, back to strangling his neck as his French erupted again with much caressing and soft face kissing.

“I will surely take you home and do all these things you say, yes? I love you so much, my beautiful angel. My perfect wife. My best best friend in all the world?”

She nodded a lot.

He got back on the road. “We’ll get you a bite to eat before we go to our next appointment, oui?”

She looked at him. “What appointment?”

“With Bullets. He’s going to let me use his firing range to teach you how to handle weapons.” He regarded her with a look of mischief and regret. “I need you to know these things more than ever now. I don’t know what’s coming and—”

“It’s fine,” she cut in. “I want to learn whatever you think I need to.”

He reached over and took her hand in his, squeezing it. “There’s my angel.”