The Syphon King (Bayou Bishops #16)

Chapter ELEVEN

“So, we’ve got two months to pull this off,” Bishop said, pacing the floor next to the table in the Basilique. “I’m gonna need a full list of every job we’ll be doing. Every leader of every hatch—that’s all of you—will report to me with a daily update and in turn inform our Northern Brothers via the Kings Guard Network as per their request. Jek, you’re in charge of keeping the books on the overall of everything financial along with the who what when where and how of jobs and their respective timelines.”

“You got it,” he said, writing in his notebook.

“Bart, you’ll still be over the Marsh Matrix. Keep a damn close eye on that.”

“Can do more than that,” he said.

“You can be crazy glue. Patch any weak spots you see.” He regarded Zep, still trying to figure out a job for him.

“How much are we telling the families in the swamp?” Mah-Mah wondered.

“The least possible. Zep, I need you to get with the Keepums and give me a list of all able-bodied men of all trades. And resources. Find out what all we have. August, I would like a chart on this wall,” he pointed behind him, “detailing every aspect of the project. Get with Jek for that.”

“You got it.”

“Mah-Mah, you and the Belle Eveque and all the wives of the twelve will be over everything women and children.”

“We can surely do that,” Mah-Mah said, getting Beth and the ladies’ agreement.

“Pah-Pah, you’ll be head foreman with me on all building projects unless you want to be the boss.”

“Son, I get all my bossy needs met with your Mah-Mah who’s been very good at keeping me from retiring.”

The chuckles rolled with that.

“He’s tired of trying to retire,” Jek mused.

“Ain’t my fault the swamp got hit with a northern love bug.” Mah-Mah aimed her wicked brows at Beth and winked. “Not that I’m complaining.”

“I don’t think any of us are,” Bullets chuckled.

“Speak for yourself,” Traps complained.

“Maybe we should let the fate dice speak for you,” Bishop said.

“Ohhhh, spanked by the Eveque,” Spook said.

“Getting back to the job,” Bishop said. “We’ll treat each Hatch like its own town. Everything relevant to expansion will be expanded by fifty percent. Schools, Swamp Hops, fully functioning self-sustained homesteads etc. Jek will give each leader an expansion list. Those who have Hoard-wide jobs like 8-Bit, Patches, and Bacon, will get with Jek on obtaining extra help for the added workloads. Any questions can be brought to—again, Jek.”

Mah-Mah raised her hand and Bishop nodded at her. “Now, hear me out,” she began, getting Pah-Pah’s audible sigh. She shoved him before she smiled sweetly. “In times of trouble and trepidation, it’s been my experience that it’s even more important—”

“She still wants her parties,” Pah-Pah finished.

“Only because I think it’s necessary for the women and children and especially the men who will be well overworked and in need of a good winding down,” she justified. “I was thinking of expanding our new church services y’all had planned with a little supper.”

“Little,” Pah-Pah mused while everybody snickered.

“Well, I mean it’ll be as big as it needs to be,” she said, defensive.

“I like it,” Seer said, getting her blinding smile aimed at him.

“I do too,” Bishop said, bringing her shocked gasp.

“Really?”

“I think we want to build bonds now more than ever.”

“Amen,” she cried, clapping discreetly then kissing Pah-Pah on the cheek. “The women will take care of all of it,” she assured, getting all their eager smiles of compliance.

“Well, if it’s okay, we can get busy with our side of things,” Belle Eveque suggested.

“We’re done enough for now.”

“We’ll be at the main house,” Mah-Mah said. “May as well cook up something while we’re at it.”

That was met with a round of eager approval before they all left out, leaving Bishop eyeing all of them. “I know I said we’re putting all current affairs on hold, but what can’t we afford to let fall through the cracks?”

“What about the Vickis,” Bullets said. “How we dealing with that mess?”

“We’re not, the Creole Kings will.”

“Who said?” Bullets wondered.

“Nidev. Already mentioned it and he guaranteed us they’d handle it.”

“Don’t forget you got that kid in your forced-adoption-prize needing something useful to do,” Zep said with a grin.

“You should take him under your wing,” Pah-Pah suggested, not missing his cocky brother’s humor.

“Yeah, Uncle Zep,” August said. “Teach that boy how to suck his thumb and hold his dick while pretending to work.”

“Do not fucking bite on that,” Bishop warned Zep while the chuckles flowed.

Zep raised both hands. “S’all good, big bro. I’m just here to be told where to sit, stand, and how to roll over.”

“Or maybe bend over,” Nitro muttered.

His brother moved so fast over the table, the two men slammed to the floor before Bishop knew what the fuck happened. Zep let out a sudden roar telling him Nitro fucking bit him.

Bishop ran to break it up. “Nitro!” he yelled right in his face, twisted in that bat rage. “Don’t you fucking hurt my brother, I swear to God, I will not forgive you!”

Bishop’s heart pounded as he stared into those feral eyes, his growls simmering to a purr as his brother remained in his full body lock, breaths straining like he was in the jaws of a boa constrictor.

He gave a slow lick along his bloody lips and released him. “Was just having a little fun. Bite’s already healing. Tell ‘em Zep.”

Zep climbed off him, coughing and gasping for air next to him as every brother remained locked and ready to intervene still.

Nitro held his hand up at Zep, asking for a hand up with his grin.

Zep bitch-slapped it away, causing all of them to brace for another bat-biting frenzy while Nitro chuckled and sprung to his feet like all his muscles had grown boosters. Zep headed out the Basilique and Nitro looked at Bishop, his pleasure slowly fading as he lowered his head, like a bad dog before his master. “Won’t happen again,” he muttered, opening his chair and sitting back down.

“What the fuck was that?” Bishop demanded, realizing he’d been holding his breath. “You need to be in a cage at meetings now?” He looked at Bart. “I need Nitro checked by the Creole Kings, put it on our list of give-a-shit business.” He slammed his fist on the table. “Fuck!”

“I said I’m fine,” Nitro assured.

Bishop snapped his gaze at him. “Was that a fucking warning in your voice?”

He shook his lowered head. “Not a warning, brother.”

Fury boiled in him as he made his way around the table. “What is this? This some kind of challenge?” He held the back of his chair and palmed the table, putting his face next to his. “You need to know if I’m still the fucking Bishop? Is that it? You want to get up and settle that right now?”

“Nah.”

“Then what? You need to prove something? Hurt something? Then I’m the one.” He grabbed his head in his hands and stared him in the eyes. “I’m the fucking one. You understand? You need to get insane on something, you need to get non-consensual, do your bat-fetish bullshit, then it’s me and you. But don’t you fucking hurt my brother like that. You don’t know all that’s happened to him.”

Nitro stared right into his eyes for many seconds. “My Eveque,” he muttered. “I’m okay. I swear.”

Bishop held his hard head tight and placed his forehead on his, closing his eyes. “You fucking better be, Lukas,” he half begged. “I need you to be.” His hands fell to his shoulders for a tight squeeze before he turned and made his way to the door. “Let’s take thirty fucking minutes to get our shit together,” he said, heading out to find Zep while Seer’s ominous wonder from earlier returned to him. “If Nitro’s condition isn’t an accident but a divine defense against what’s coming, then.... makes me wonder what in the exact hell is coming.”

Yeah. That.

Outside, he looked around and spotted Zep on the big swing under the oak tree and made his way over. “Hey brother,” he said as he took a seat. “I’m sorry about that.”

He gave a light snort. “It ain’t you big bro.”

“He was out of line. I made sure it won’t ever happen again.” He eyed the blood on his shoulder. “How’s the bite?”

He gave a shrug. “Nearly all better. Just like he said.”

The hopeless worthlessness in his tone put a stone in his guts. Bishop forced the question from his tongue, desperate for the answer. “You know I love you brother?”

“Yeah, I fuckin’ know that,” he mumbled, indicating that wasn’t the problem. “I’m not pissed, I’m...maybe I’m envious.”

That still? “What can I do to fix it? Name it and I’ll do it.”

“Ah yeah,” he said, shaking his head. “Saint Sahvrin.”

Bishop stared before him, not fucking getting it. “Why do I get penalized for loving my own brother?”

The locusts and frogs carried on in the silence for a bit. “I’m envious of the brotherhood y’all share but not for reasons you think.”

Bishop contemplated it. “I’m too weary to unravel that one, help me out.”

Another stretch of silence filled the gaping void between them. “I’m...” He took a breath and let it out, staring before him. “I’m not... worthy to be your brother.”

Bishop stared at him for a while, his chest clenching at the pain in those words. “Who in this filthy world is worthy of anything?”

His lowered head shook for many seconds. “You are.”

Pain punched him in the chest at the sudden tightness in his words. He reached over and held his neck. “You can tell me anything. I’ll always be your big brother and you’ll always be my baby brother. You hear?”

“I betrayed you,” he barely whispered. “With Katrina. And your real brothers know, that’s why they hate me, they fucking hate me as much as I hate me.”

“Hey.” Bishop pet his head. “I was a na?ve young man back then, but I wasn’t blind. I knew.”

“Fuck, I’m sorry,” he barely strained out. “I’m so fucking sorry.”

Bishop put his arm around his shoulder and pulled him into a hug. “Fuck that’s old news, brother,” he said. “You were younger than me. A little piss ant.”

“There’s no fucking excuse.”

“No, there isn’t, but it helps,” he assured with a chuckle. “And it is hella hard to give even a drop of damn about it now.”

“I’m sorry I was jealous of your angel.” He shook his head. “Not anymore. You deserve her and I’m fucking happy you got her.” He aimed his tormented blue gaze at him. “You believe me?”

“I do,” he swore. “Just like I believe your angel is coming too.”

“Ah fuck,” he chuckled shaking his head. “Not sure I’m ready for that.”

“I think you should get ready. These angels they have a way of falling out of the sky.”

He gave a real laugh and Bishop joined him. “I been cleaning my act up.”

“I’ve been noticing.”

“Yeah?”

“Yep. But if there’s something you want to do for me,” Bishop said, getting Zep’s groan.

“I am not a good role model for no kid.”

“So, he’ll help you become one,” he said. “Think of it as the crucible that burns up all the bullshit these angels don’t like to fuss with.”

“You know I will,” he said, shoving him with his shoulder.

“And I’ll put in that angel request immediately to the man upstairs.”

“Bon Dieu, give me at least six weeks before you kill me with this much mercy.”

Bishop laughed, ruffling his hair and shoving him. “Come on back with me. Fucking swamp ark isn’t gonna build itself.” He stood, holding his hand out to him.

He eyed it and let Bishop pull him up from the swing into his bear hug.

“Didn’t fucking see that coming,” he muttered hotly at his neck as Bishop patted his head.

“You will always be my little brother. I would die for you. You hear me?”

He nodded, wrapping his strong arms around him. “Fucking same.”

“THE GROOM ISN’T SUPPOSED to touch the bride before the wedding,” Juliette squealed as Kaj held her foot in his hand with a grin and stroked softly.

“I’ve never heard of such a custom.”

“It’s true!” she yelled, fighting to get free.

“Your father is going to hear you and I may not live till our wedding.”

“You shouldn’t be sneaking into my room then,” she teased, laughing at his expression. “Doesn’t count that I invited you in the courts here. A man is supposed to be stronger than his wife. Not let her boss him around. Stand his ground.”

He raised his pretty blue gaze up to her, his tongue sweeping over his perfect lower lip. “I’m listening,” he said, his fingers moving up to her ankle now. “What else is he supposed to do?”

“He’s supposed to be the bossy one. Make his wife...do right,” she said, breathless when his hands moved to her calf.

“Make her?” he double checked, his deep voice thick when it was low. “What is he to make her do?”

She wet her lips as her pulse hammered all over. “Whatever he wants.”

He nodded, his fingers so erotic on her calf muscle. “I did pay top dollar for the best lemur furs in all the world.”

She giggled, biting her lips as his touch crawled higher.

“JULES!”

She jerked her head to the window and hurried to it, opening it and looking out. “What?” she cried at seeing Zep down there.

She stifled a gasp as Kaj’s hand moved over her naked butt under the flimsy swamp slut dress she’d worn to tempt him.

“I need...teenager advice. I tried calling you!”

“Well, I’m not answering for a reason!” She gasped again and looked over her shoulder, finding Kaj watching his finger slide between her butt cheeks.

“My wife is beautiful here,” he barely murmured.

“Call Mah-Mah!” She shut the window, and he placed his hand on her back, holding her there.

“Don’t move.”

She held on to the windowsill, burning at the way he gave her exactly what she needed. For him to boss the glorious hell out of her just like that. Was one of her greatest fantasies, having a hunk like him make her get it so good.

“Kaj,” she moaned his touch threatening as he stroked his fingers all along her privates.

A knock pounded the door and she yelped, shoving her dress down. Before she could move, he grabbed her face and kissed her real good and bossy, melting all her bones till she was nothing but tiny whimpers up in flames.

“My family hates me,” she moaned, making her way to the door and yanking it open.

“Your brother is looking for you and I’m busy,” Mah-Mah fussed, then sucked in her breath. “Well, Kaj, I didn’t know you were here. Why didn’t you tell me,” she fussed at Juliette all sweet as pie now.

“I was wanting him to myself, and I can see that’ll never happen!”

“Oh!” Mah-Mah shut the door right in her face. “Pretend I never knocked!”

She turned and her laugh was stolen by Kaj’s rough mouth on hers. His strong hand bit on her jaw then stroked down her neck, reducing her to the sluttiest, desperate cries she’d ever made. God, she wanted to devour him.

Down on her knees, she loved more than ever his traditional clothes. So easy to get in. “My husband,” she gasped when his massive cock sprang out.

“Juliette,” he said, astonished when she took him to the back of her throat while roaming her fingers all over his glorious perfect body, moaning up a storm. “Baby,” he blasted around thick, hot breaths, his native language flying. The guttural words drove her insane as he pumped his cock and held her head tightly between those sexy huge hands. She loved how big he was next to her. She’d suck him to an orgasm and make him fuck her. She didn’t care about waiting till the wedding night, they were already married as far as she was concerned. This wedding was dessert, but this here was the main dish she craved all her life.

He suddenly pulled himself from her mouth and dropped to his knees, kissing her. “What are you doing to me, wife?” he blasted in her mouth.

“Making you feel good,” she said, grabbing his cock in both hands between them. “I want you to fuck me, Kaj. Please.”

“Before our wedding?”

“Baby, I swear to God, I can’t marry you any harder than I already have,” she gasped, getting herself pushed to the floor. “Oh God, yes,” she whispered as he ripped his shirt off and she opened her legs wide for him. He lifted her ass in his strong hands, and she grabbed hold of his thick cock, sliding it along her slick folds. He clenched his eyes shut as his mouth opened with guttural foreign words that sounded deliciously nasty.

“Kaj, oh God, Kaj,” she panted as the head entered her. “So big! Fuck me good husband, make me get it so good. Make me yours.”

“I’ll hurt you,” he strained, his fingers almost bruising as he resisted her pull.

“Fuck me, husband!” she pled with a half growl, desperate and out of her mind.

He shoved all the way to the glorious bottom of her and she didn’t hold back her scream, arching into his beautiful hard body. His hot mouth ravaged hers, the perfect wild storm she craved so hard, him out of control, his cock hammering deep and perfect.

His every breath filled with thick growls as his orgasm rose up to claim both of them. When he finally came, dear God he was a beautiful wild man undone. Undone all over her. She suddenly had one of those powerful alligators between her legs, only this one was taking her down and oh how she loved every pummeling second of it.

In the sweaty aftermath, her fingers continued in a clawing hunger over all his hard muscles.

“My beautiful wife,” he croaked in her ear. “Not what I had planned.”

“I loved it so much, Kaj,” she said, breathless. “I love you so much.”

He lifted up at her half-sobbed confession, his pretty native tongue flowing on her mouth between soft kisses. “It wasn’t what I planned, but there is no way I could have planned such perfection.”

She wrapped him in her arms and legs tight, getting his groan and hot mouth on hers. “Did my wife just make her husband fuck her?”

“I’m not sorry,” she swore. “I need you so much, I’m not waiting another second. All my life I’ve been waiting, and now this stupid wedding is just keeping you from me.”

His laugh filled her mouth. “Stupid wedding,” he murmured on her lips. “Very stupid if my wife needs me more than the breath in her lungs.”

She nodded, her hands on his hard ass, fingers digging as she thrust against him.

“Is my wife hungry for more?” he asked, his kiss getting hotter.

“So hungry,” she moaned as his hands moved over her body with a delicious, hard, pressure. “Make me Kaj,” she begged. “Take everything from me, all that I am.” She moved her arms above her head, silently begging him to make her his prey. “Bind me up and make me take all that you are.”

His groan came with his tongue stabbing into her mouth and his hand locking onto her wrists.

“Oh yes, yes,” she gasped as he stroked his cock all along her tender folds. “Fuck me so hard.”

He stormed her neck with his mouth, then nailed himself to the very bottom of her with his seething groan. Dizziness claimed her as his teeth scraped and his thrusts ripped her apart at every seem. She fought him, testing every inch of his dominance and power over her. He was utter and absolute. A thousand alphas. And he was all hers but best of all she was all his, tied up with nowhere to go and no inch to budge. She was wrangled so damn perfectly. Heart, soul and body. Thank. You. God.

He collapsed next to her, and she snuggled against him, smiling. “I still want to be your sacrifice on your altar.”

“Mmmm...this can be your wedding present, then.”

Excitement roared through her at hearing it. “How long will it take? Will you make me suffer all night? God you are so good at wrangling me.”

His deep chuckle tickled her right on her clit, and she pressed herself into his hard leg.

“And you are so fun to wrangle,” he murmured, pulling her leg up higher, helping with more friction. She remembered he was new to getting and giving pleasure. She pulled his hand between her legs and showed him where to rub her.

“Right there,” she moaned.

He got up on his elbow, watching as he opened her wide. His gaze found hers and he stared deeply as he made her boil. “Yes,” she moaned, pumping into his touch and moving his fingers faster. “Finger me,” she whispered, pulling her knees back.

He knelt between her legs, back to watching closely as he worked his middle finger inside her.

“Yes.” She squirmed, opening wider. “Faster baby,” she mewled, arching into the building heat. “Can I come while you fuck me like this?”

His blue eyes moved up her body, stopping at her breast. She reached up and squeezed one, getting his sexy foreign tongue between harsh moans.

“You may surely come while I fuck your perfect pussy just like this. But don’t always expect me to be so accommodating.”

Those threatening words and the hot burn in his eyes, dear God. He got it. And that he did, brought her orgasm immediately.

“Yes,” he said hotly, jabbing his finger faster as she writhed like a pinned viper under his delicious power. “My wife needs to be taught so many hard lessons. And she will surely pay dearly on my altar.”

His threats were orgasm fuel and lit her up till she didn’t know up from down or here from there. But she figured out her location when his mouth was on hers with those sexy moans of masculine dominance. She was in freaking swamp heaven.

SWAMP EXPANSION

Beth’s heart skipped a beat when she spotted Bishop in the crowd from where she congregated with the wives on the Soap House porch. It was their one-month shindig to celebrate their halfway mark in the grand expansion. Everybody was there, even the Creole Kings and quite a few of Kaj’s clan. Maybe even a few of the Vickis as Bullets liked to call them.

“Alright, here’s to our one-month celebration,” Juliette said, holding up her glass of Kool-Aid to the ladies.

“One month!” they all cheered, clinking various drinking containers together while Beth saluted them with her vitamin water.

“And only one month to go,” Cherie added.

“Amen,” came the next cheer.

“Okay,” Beth said, calling them all closer to her with her free hand. “Don’t look now, but I think that’s Spar’s wife talking to Jek.” They all turned. “I said don’t look!”

“Yep, that’s her,” Juliette muttered. “Wanda.”

“Wanda the wonderer,” Phelony said. “I heard Theodore laughing about it.”

“Theodore?” Cherie asked.

“Bacon,” Phelony clarified, her dreamy smile sobering a little. Everything Bacon related came with a dreamy look on her face which Beth found adorable. He practically worshipped the ground she walked on, and she did the same with him. Was there anything more beautiful? Definitely not.

“And what does Wanda the wonderer mean?” Juliette pushed on gently.

“She wonders about money. Her money, his money, your money, it dudn’t matter,” Phelony explained. “He said her pupils are little dollar signs.”

They all erupted in snickers while Juliette shook her head. “What a waste.”

“Don’t play with Fate,” Cherie said. “My Sammie said they fucked around and found out.”

“Except for Bacon,” Maggie reminded.

“And Hurricane,” Felix added. “He’s head over heels in love with our Claire.”

“Where is she, anyway?” Beth looked out at the crowd before them.

“Where do you think?” Tegan said. “In the arms of her angel,” she sang with her eyes closed, slow dancing with the air.

“Maybe she’s done weaseling out of his lusty grasp,” Phelony mused, getting all their eyes on her. “Theodore tells me a lot,” she explained at seeing their curiosity.

“Sharing is caring,” Tegan said, speaking all their minds.

“Just that he’s been tryin’ to break the ice inside her poor heart and body, poor lil’ thing. She’s got an awful past.” Her hand flew up. “That I did not get the details of, sorry.”

“She’s so dang quiet,” Tegan said.

“And sweet as a blueberry,” Cherie thought.

“Maybe I need to pry a little,” Beth realized. “Find out about this iceberg preventing their ship from sailing.”

“What are you two giggling about over there?” Felix wondered to Tully and Mia.

“We were just sharing the things our husband’s say,” Tully said with a big open book smile.

“Like wut,” Tegan drawled, making Beth snicker.

“Yeah, like wut,” Juliette said, laughing when Tegan gave her the infamous swivel-glare.

“Lesion says things like “My Sweet Venom when he’s...”

“Stop there,” Tegan begged with a hand up.

“Bullets says I make his heart recoil,” Mia confessed with a proud smile.

“Patches calls me his Thrust Therapist.”

Her dry tone brought their laughter splitting the air for a full minute while she sipped her drink behind her smile.

“What about you, Cherie?” Phelony asked. “You have a very unique one.”

Her brows rose. “Unique is an understatement. I think my favorite thing he says to me is ‘I see you’. Or maybe it’s how he says it and when he says it.” She fanned her face and they all made lewd whooping noises followed by “I see you! I see you! I see you!” till she was laughing in embarrassment.

Maggie went next. “It’s when Spook wants me and says... ‘Come ‘ere.’” She wilted and fell into the chair as their laughs erupted.

“Lesion calls my monthly, shedding.”

Holy moly, they were laughing now.

“Bullets calls mine reload week.”

Maggie grabbed her arm with a laugh. “Spook says Code Red Standby.”

“Sammie says, ‘No baby yet.’”

They all gasped and looked at her. “Y’all are trying?” Beth demanded, getting her smiling nod.

“He wants a baby so bad, and I want to give him one. I do love all the trying though.”

“I have positions that can help!” Beth remembered.

Chatter erupted and she laughed, shushing them. “Okay, you are all wanting babies?” she asked in amazement, getting nods from all but Juliette.

“I’d like to fuck my husband freely for a little longer, thank you very much. I’ll just borrow one of your kids if I get a mothering itch.”

“Okay, back to the fun things our husbands say,” Tegan said, swirling her finger at Felix. “I gotta hear yours.”

Everybody agreed then eagerly waited while she squinted thinking. “Would have to be when he...growls because he can smell my arousal and he thinks I’m tempting him on purpose.”

Their jaws couldn’t hang open more, which she thought was funny.

“I gotta know,” Tegan whispered. “How does it...feel when he...” She snapped the air with her teeth.

Felix glanced over her shoulder then eyed them before whispering, “He’s got exceptional hearing.”

This got them sneak-peeking out into the crowd.

“When he bites me,” she began so quietly they had to all press in close. “It feels...like I’m getting struck by a viper. Only his fangs have hot... lightening in them, this agony that’s pure ecstasy. And when his saliva mixes in...” Her eyes fluttered and rolled up in her head. “It’s just...some kind of freak miracle that turns me into this...indestructible vessel that he unleashes his furious hunger into without...”

“Killing you,” Tegan said in awe. “Holy farkle.” She looked at Tully. “You need to get your husband to create us some of this janky juice. I wanna dadgum ride!”

“I’ll stick to my vanilla cookie,” Cherie said with big eyes that Beth agreed with.

“Look at our Belle Eveque,” Maggie giggled. “No janky juice for you?”

“Oh hell no,” she hissed. “My husband needs no extra janky anything. He’s The Bishop. I think that’s Cajun for psycho swampy sex creature.”

She had to giggle at the howls of laughter that brought.

“Ohhh, look, Spar’s pissed,” Juliette said, discreetly pointing.

They all looked, seeing him glaring at Jek still talking to his wondering Wanda.

“We need to do something about that,” Juliette muttered.

“Uh-oh, somebody smells like Bat-tie,” Cherie mumbled.

“It just pisses me off that we’re all killing ourselves in this expansion and this mud-slut is treating one of our top guns like gator gizzards.”

“You trying to get Kaj jealous or what?” Tegan cried.

“Oh my God,” Beth said at the sudden lightbulb look on Juliette’s face. “What are you thinking?”

“I’m thinking I love a jealous husband. I’m also thinking our dear Spar needs our help.”

“Our?”

“I can’t help him by myself,” Juliette sputtered with a mischievous grin. “My Kaj would shit a whole Viking if I tried that.”

“Oh, there’s Trap’s girl,” Tegan said. “What’s her name again?”

“Gretchen,” Phelony said. “She is one firecracker. Gives that man no rest or peace or any form of cooperation.”

Beth sighed. “They need my classes.”

“They need a lot more than your classes,” Phelony muttered.

“She still rolling her Farkle dice?” Juliette wondered with a giggle. “That shit is so fuuuunnnyyyy.”

Beth agreed one hundred percent there. “I get her point but she’s stretching it for a mile.”

“That’s because she’s got baggage.”

Everybody eyed Phelony again.

“Well, it’s not my business to spread, but...”

“Honey, we just wanna help,” Tegan assured smoothly.

It was true, even if there was nosy gobbed on top of that.

“Well, she’s the one with those burn scars covering half her body under her clothes,” she whispered. “From that house fire. I was like six when it happened. They found out it was her fault. Lost a young sibling in it.”

“Oh hell,” Juliette mumbled, her tone matching their faces.

“That’s so awful,” Tegan said sadly.

“Does he know you think?” Tully asked.

“Not sure. I mentioned it to Theodore, but I don’t know if he told him or not.”

“Is that why she dresses like one of them teachers from Little House on the Prairie?” Maggie asked.

“I wonder,” Beth said, watching the pretty girl. “Oh crap, she’s headed here.”

“Well, that’ll be a first,” Tegan barely said.

It would. She never associated with them no matter how hard they tried to include her. Beth figured she was just shy. But maybe it had more to do with the burns. Did she think everybody knew and thought badly of her? Stayed away to avoid seeing the judgment?

“And there she goes,” Maggie marveled as the girl took a sudden sharp detour to the right.

Beth’s phone buzzed and she pulled it from her back pocket. “Mah-Mah’s calling.”

“Finally,” Juliette said. “I’m ready to cap this month and see what our next one’s gonna look like. Ready for more Kaj time.”

“You should get it,” Beth thought. “All that’s left is the doing of everything we put together.”

“But will our husbands get the same break?” Felix said, doubtful.

“We might have to use our right-hand hall pass to see more of them,” Beth thought, ready for a coherent husband that didn’t become the sleeping dead the second his head hit the pillow. Their ‘lovemaking’ had become a morning routine she really loved but she missed their scorching hot nights and being able to sleep in his arms after.

“I still can’t believe this is all happening.”

Everybody looked at Cherie. “What?” Beth asked.

“Everything.” Her eyes held all their unspoken fears right in the open. “My Sammie is always troubled. I try not to ask questions, but I can feel it.”

“Well,” Tegan said. “I’ve always been a need-to-know kind of person when it comes to the affairs of the country. So, I ask. Patches keeps me posted on every detail that comes from that Marsh Matrix thing, and it’s surely happening.” She looked out at the crowd and nodded. “What I’m curious about is the Kings and what they’re up to. I know they’re handling the other Vikings and what not but what’s going on with their coin stuff? Did any of them get another vision of one? Do they know any more about the ones they did get? Are they gonna get with women or what? If that’s what’s supposed to help them, I’m wondering what the holdup is?”

“I’m guessing you asked Patches.”

“Of course. He don’t care,” she accused, appalled.

“I feel like Bishop put them all under discretion orders,” Beth said.

“He’s not forthcoming with you either?” Tegan wondered, maybe hoped.

“He seems to be keeping all his answers straight and narrow. No lies but lots of withelds.”

“Right, right,” Tegan said. “Exactly how I see it and feel it.”

“Well, that one there seems miiiiighty interested in Jolynn,” Juliette said, nodding at the crowd.

They all looked. “Oh yes, that’s Vex,” Felix said, getting their eyes on her now. “He’s Nitro’s King and he is obsessed with his blood. And I think maybe the King is obsessed with his bite.”

“Oh hell,” Juliette said, intrigued with the rest of them.

“He does indeed like Jolynn but thinks it’s the bat bites that caused it,” Felix said.

“Which you don’t buy,” Beth observed.

“Not at all. He’s fallen for her and can’t just accept he could or would.”

“Another mighty Creole King falling for lowly swamp sludge,” Juliette said, gleeful as can be.

“Right?” Tegan agreed. “I wish they all wore cameras so we could watch it happen. One after another. Creole King Take Down. Like them reality shows with the bullies getting their asses kicked. That’s entertainment.”

“Wonder how Zodak is doing,” Beth remembered. “And Zen.”

“Oh, that’s the Syphon King,” Cherie said. “I’ve met him and his little girl.” She added, “I call her little girl because he’s so big next to her.”

“Tell us about him,” Tully whispered while they all tuned in.

“He’s as scary as he looks but you’d never know when he’s with Sammie. And to Raphael, he’s like some kind of marvel character. He calls him Zebra Shark because he’s so white with all the black swirly tattoos on his skin and has sharp teeth.”

“Was he born with pointy teeth?” Phelony dared quietly.

“No,” Maggie said. “I touched him and he’s very good. “He did it to protect people. It makes them scared of him and that keeps them away from him.”

“Sammie said it also helps him sense what’s up with people without having to use his eyes.”

“That’s where his gift is,” Maggie said.

“What can he do?” Phelony marveled.

“He can suck your soul from you,” Cherie muttered, getting gasps and a mix of cautious laughs. “I’m not sure how it works but if he stares into your eyes, he sees emotions I think and can draw them out.”

“What’s he doing with the girl?” Tully wondered.

“She was in one of Sammie’s visions. She’s supposed to help the Syphon King somehow.”

“He’s having some trouble with it,” Beth said, wishing she knew more about all of it. “Seems she has a lot of darkness, and he siphons it without realizing and it makes him...dangerous I guess.”

“Sammie said he uses lightning to neutralize whatever he siphons. They have a whole forest area just for him to do that in the... something that starts with a V. Voltatron or something.”

“Wow,” Felix whispered. “I thought I had a freak.”

“I’m curious where this poor girl got all this darkness from,” Tegan said. “And how come he ain’t done siphoning yet.”

“Sammie thinks it’s because of Zodak.”

“What about him?” Beth wondered.

She waved a hand as her brows became burdened. “I’m ashamed to say I can’t focus well when I watch words come out of my husband’s mouth. I’m mostly waiting for them to stop so I can talk about other things.”

“You just wanna kiss ‘em,” Tegan said, getting a fresh round of laughs as Cherie nodded with zero shame.

“Is he here?” Phelony looked out at the sea of faces.

“You wouldn’t miss him if he was. He wears this long black skirt and no top,” Maggie muttered with a funny light in her eyes. “Spook’s still mad I touched him.” Her eyes got bigger along with her smile. “He gets so mad when I touch any of them!”

Hilarious how much she loved that.

“Oh my God, look but don’t look,” Beth squealed. “I see his little girl, Zen in a black dress over by the big house.” She sucked in a breath. “Oh. My. God, I see him,” Beth muttered, her eyes going huge. “He’s dressed in normal clothes!”

They all searched and one after another their gasps came as they found him.

“Mercy, is that tattoos all over his head?” Tegan wondered.

“Yep. And he’s wearing his gates,” Cherie said. “That’s what he calls them.”

“Mercy, why?” Phelony marveled, still looking for him.

“Because beyond them is a place you don’t wanna go and those gates prevent you from accidentally going there. Unless he removes them.”

“Lordy,” Tegan said. “Don’t he just fit right in with all the rest of these swamp studs.”

“I don’t see him!” Phelony hissed.

“He’s standing right next to that Creole Viking and Seer,” Beth whispered, holding a hand at her chest and discreetly pointing. “On Seer’s left. I mean right. Fitted jeans, black boots.”

Phelony sucked in a breath. “Found him. Swamp sticks he is scary.”

“And those tattoos don’t stop at his head,” Maggie informed.

“And how do you know this?” Juliette demanded.

“I had to touch him to see. I asked to touch his tattoos and he said they cover him everywhere. I told him the ones on his arm were enough. When I got near his face, he snatched my hand and spoke something in another language.”

“Probably ‘back up bitch’,” Tegan said, getting an eruption of laughter.

“Something close to it, I’m thinking,” Maggie said.

“Listen to you, all excited,” Cherie said with a chuckle.

“I’ma tell Spook,” Tully threatened with a laugh.

“Would you, please? I love him all jealous. He gets aggressive,” she said, heat in her wide eyes.

“You should see the man when he smiles,” Cherie quietly said. “I’d hate to see him angry.”

“Now I wanna see his teeth,” Tegan complained.

“Hell, me too,” Juliette cried, heading off the porch. “Come on,” she called over her shoulder. “We’re going find Mah-Mah and we’ll take the best path to get there.”

Like nosy, naughty schoolgirls they eagerly headed for their fun odd couple. Juliette fell back and walked next to Cherie. “You’re our door in. Say hi to your Sammy and get us some introductions.”

Beth held back her laugh when Cherie suddenly noticed her Sammy with a big, “My husband!”

He eyed her and the throng of women just after with a grin. “My wife,” he said, sounding curious as he put a big kiss on her dramatic mouth while they all eased up behind her.

Cherie turned. “We were just going to find Mah-Mah. Zodak, I almost didn’t recognize you! Zen! Look at you, so beautiful in that dress!”

“Good to see you, Mrs. Samuel,” Zodak greeted.

“Thank you,” the girl said, flustered to pieces, poor thing.

Beth hurried forward. “I am so glad you came.”

“The Belle Eveque,” Cherie introduced. “Or wife of The Bishop.”

The girl sucked in a sharp breath. “I’ve heard of you! You’re as pretty as they say!”

Beth stepped out of the spotlight and turned to the rest of the girls with quick introductions. “And here are more wives of The Twelve. This is our lovely Tully, Lesion’s wife.”

“Nice to meet you Zen,” she said, hurrying forward with a big sunny hug.

“And this is Mia, Bullets’ wife.”

Mia smiled with a little wave.

“This is Maggie my sister and Spook’s wife.”

“Oh, I know you!” Zen said happily. “Zodak says you have touching gifts!”

“Seems I do,” Maggie said with a happy confession. “Very nice to meet you.”

Beth continued, “And this is Felix, Nitro’s wife.”

“Hello,” Felix said with a hand toss. “Weird bird lady here.”

“She trains birds and she’s amazing,” Beth corrected getting Zen’s shocked breath.

“Is she the one with the Bat husband?”

Laughter erupted with Felix nodding. “Guilty.”

“And this is Phelony, Bacon’s wife.”

Phelony hurried forward with her hand out. “So very very nice to meet you Zen. Love your name.”

“It’s actually Zenith but people call me Zen. Or Zeen.” She tossed her thumb up at Zodak and whispered, “It’s how he pronounces it.” Which was clearly her favorite.

Tegan came forward now with her hand out. “And I’m Tegan, Patches’ wife. I’m from Texas. Always nice to see a new face, specially when they’re so darn pretty! Look at those eyes.”

She blushed and pressed her lips together in embarrassment as Tegan gave her a big Texas handshake.

“What I gotta do to get an introduction?” Juliette complained, barging in with her hand out now. “I’m known as the Alligator Wrangler.”

“She wrangles alligators,” Tegan clarified.

“If that wasn’t obvious,” Juliette said.

“Well, who the heck thinks some girl like you would wrangle alligators,” Tegan begged to differ in her drawl.

“I’m the wife of Kaj. I call him Kajun cuz he’s a Cajun. And he’s a Viking. Yeah, I’m bragging,” she informed Tegan, getting a shove and laugh.

“She’s always bragging,” Tegan informed. “And she’s also the sister of the Eveque.”

Juliette hung on Beth’s shoulder now. “And sister-n-law to this wonderful woman.”

Zens’ smiles were ear to ear now. “So very happy to meet all of you,” Zen said, lit up. “When Zodak mentioned there was a party in the South Swamp, I begged to come like a child,” she confessed.

Beth spotted Sophie and Darby Mae. “Look who made it!” She waved at them, and they headed over. “I was hoping they’d come.” She hurried to Sophie first. “It’s so good to see you again.” She gave her a hug then turned doing the same to Darby Mae.

The men moved off to the side with their own greetings while they carried on.

“We were just making introductions with Zen,” Beth explained, hurrying through another round. Spotting Sophie’s gloved hands reminded her of her gift and what happened when she’d used it with Shank. Mercy, she hoped she’d be okay in such a huge crowd.

Tegan’s laugh rang out as she put her arm around Darby Mae. “This one here is mine. I like her style.”

“We’re missing a couple wives,” Beth said. “Cat and Claire are probably here somewhere.” She asked their newcomers, “Would you ladies like to join us in the big house for some girl fun?”

Zen appeared stunned and fascinated. “Girl fun?” A concept she’d clearly never heard but wanted to experience. They all watched now as she stepped up to Zodak and took his hand. He turned and lowered his ear near her mouth. “Do you mind if I go with the ladies into the house to visit?”

“I don’t mind at all,” he said, his deep voice almost too low to hear. He put his mouth at Zen’s ear, his large hand caressing the side of her head. She smiled at whatever he whispered then snuck a kiss on his cheek, putting a hint of a smile on his mouth as she hurried back to their circle.

Beth looked around at their group. “Wow, we’re so close to having all the wives!”

Tegan handed Beth her drink. “Hold my Kool-Aid, honey. I’ma go round up our lil lost heifers.”

WHEN THEY ALL SETTLED into the expanded Basilique that could now accommodate thirteen Kings and their future wives should they ever visit, Bishop stood, a victorious feat in the face of his exhausted body. “Gentlemen and Brothers. I realize it’s late and many of us are exhausted so I’m going to make this succinct.”

He strolled over to the wall where Bart covered the entire thing with a life-size map of the expansion and picked up the pointing stick. “There are three colored buildings on this map. Those that exist, those that will exist, and those we’ve just built. The black buildings are the ones that exist,” he pointed. “The green are those we’ve just built, and these red ones are those remaining to be built.” He pointed out other various structures. “This will be a school for the new houses. A second library. Three more Swamp Hops or General Stores. A second Medical Facility here and three more Detainment Facilities or Jailhouse here, here, and here. They also double as a Courthouse. Here are the existing Hatch Leaders’ quarters.” He pointed them all out. “We have an average of a hundred families per Hatch. The increase was fifty percent. To skip remembering or doing the math, we were scheduled to build fifty more houses in each hatch, and we’ve done thirty. So, we’re a little ahead of schedule.”

He set the stick down, nodding through the round of applause, adding his own to it as he made his way back to the table and took his seat. “Bart will give us the current situation that has been monitored by the Marsh Matrix for the past month.”

Bart stood and strode to the other wall, sliding a curtain away from his large dry erase board with gusto. “I should start off by saying all credit goes to 8-Bits’ AL and Big G, the masterminds behind this work of data-art.” He picked up a marker and raked a hand through disheveled hair. “That’s what this is, pure and simple,” he said, yanking off the cap.

“Alright then.” He aimed the marker at the board, glancing over his shoulder. “We’ve blocked off every topic of news. He circled the first box. “This is old news.” He stepped right and circled the next box. “This is new news.” He slid over several more feet and circled the final box. “And this...” he starred each line of data “...is where our beloved AL and Big G shined.”

He pointed to the first starred item. “The attacks are systematic and deliberate.” He crossed it out. “That was a no shitter.”

He pointed to the next item. “Now this is where shit gets interesting.” He underlined the data twice. “Going back six months, we found heavy media traffic that nearly mirrors these attacks... before they ever happen.” He angled his body toward the audience. “We think these sonsofbitches—whoever they are—piggybacked on current conspiracy theories and gave their little mayhem party ready-made suspects, scapegoats, and narratives—all tied up with a neat bow.” He spread his arms wide. “Question is why?” He searched all their faces with raised brows before spinning to the board and drawing three large question marks. “Why are they doing this, what is their intention, and what is their end game?” He set the marker down and regarded them. “That’s where we’re at with that.”

“So, we wait and collect more data to hopefully arrive at that answer,” Jek capped as Bart made his way back to the table.

“What he said,” Bart agreed.

“What about your side?” Bishop wondered. “Anything we’d love to hear?”

“Well,” Nidev began, his expression odd enough to make Bishop uncomfortable. “Something interesting was discovered when Nitro bit Vex.”

“Shit,” Bishop muttered.

“It was consensual,” Nidev hurried. “We’ve been working with Lesion and our own medical research team to learn as much as we can with his condition that seems to be an anomaly.”

“You say that like it’s a good thing.”

“Oh, it is,” he assured. “It means it can’t be duplicated.”

“Well, thank fuck,” Bishop said, still not seeing their light.

“It makes his...condition unique and that can be used in an advantageous way. As I’ve said, he bit Vex and it would seem that Vex’s gifts were amplified with his saliva and in turn, Vex’s blood gave Nitro his gifts for a period of time.”

Various versions of ‘holy shit’ passed around the room at that news.

“And so, we’re thinking...if our gifts are capable of being unlocked, we’d like to try this method since many of the Kings are not ready for bonding with a woman. And it’s been our experience when these conditions exist in a union, nothing good comes of it.”

Bishop realized it was out of his jurisdiction. “I trust the Kings to do what’s best in this regard. It’s surely not my place to insist on unions with the Kings. What’s mine is yours but in regard to Nitro, it’s strictly up to him if he wants to participate in this experiment.”

“I do,” he declared, like he’d given it lots of thought and didn’t just want to but craved.

“Don’t fucking make me sorry I agreed,” Bishop said on a tired sigh.

“We’ll take full responsibility,” Nidev assured while Bishop shook his head at the feeling he had. Like maybe the universe had just copped a slow, shit-eating grin.

“Anybody have a word of caution gnawing in their gut about this, speak now,” Bishop tossed onto the table.

He eyed Seer, hoping he’d have something.

“If it works,” Ruckus said. “We should keep it for consideration with others who are gifted as well.”

That’s right. The Kings weren’t the only gifted. “We’ll keep it in our bag of tricks should things get shittier than they’re currently forecasting,” Bishop said.

“Smart,” Seer said, surprising him. “I have to wonder what would happen if Zodak participated in this experiment.”

“Funny you say that,” Nitro said with that lusty bat-gaze and half-cocked grin. “I fantasized the very same thing.”

“Just remember you have another half that needs to be considered with this,” Bishop warned. “She needs to be on board with it.”

“She’ll be fine,” he said.

Bishop eyed him, not liking what was in his gut. “I’ll take that in the form of a written consent. And no, that’s not a joke.”

He surrendered with both hands up, his gaze locked on him. “As you wish, My Eveque.”

He shook his head, still not liking any of it.

“We’ll make sure he’s closely monitored,” Nidev assured.

“And if he becomes dangerous, I’ll hyper-siphon him.”

“There you have it,” Nitro muttered, eyeing Zodak with that hungry gaze. “Safety measures galore.”

Maybe it was Bishops excessive experience with life-long shit storms that had him unconvinced. He’d leave them to it. “When will this be done?”

“One King every two days,” Nidev said. “Gives us time to sufficiently monitor things without delaying.”

Bishop nodded, raking his fingers through his hair. “If we have no other updates, I’m ready to call it a night.”

“If we missed anything, I’ll text it to you directly,” Nidev said.

“Thank you.” He palmed the table. “One more month, gentlemen. Everything will go the same as last month.”

The room filled with mutters of nods and agreement as Bishop stood and the rest of them followed. “Don’t forget your King’s quarters are ready should you want to stay the night. Mah-Mah makes a mean omelet and would be thrilled to cook for all of you.”

After a round of thanks, he found his way to the door, pulling out his phone and dialing his wife before his need to touch her drove him more nuts than he already was.

FELIX CAME OUT OF THE bathroom and immediately paused at encountering total darkness. And silence. She looked toward the room where her generals slept, hearing nothing. Had Nitro gone up to the room already?

She hurried to the stairs when one of her weird feelings hit her, running up.

“He still thinks I’m in charge.”

She screamed and bolted back, getting jerked forward by the arm. “Fucking shit, Nitro!” she gasped as he pulled her onto his lap.

“I caught you,” he soothed. “Sorry. I wanted to hear your heartbeat.”

“I’m sure it’s breaking your eardrum now,” she sputtered on a shaky voice, wrapping her arms around his neck. “And who thinks you’re in charge? In charge of what?”

“My Eveque. In charge of you.”

“Well...you are in a way.”

“Because you’re obsessed with me.” His nose moved along her neck. “And I’m required to obey your obsession.”

“You make me obsessed,” she argued around the shiver moving over her skin.

“A vicious loop.”

She closed her eyes as his tongue slowly licked up to her earlobe. “It is,” she whispered.

“You’re obsessed this very second,” he murmured, the pulse between her legs raging already.

“I am.”

“What if I told you...there’s a way I could gain more control over it?”

Everything paused in her. “What kind of control?”

“The kind that keeps me from killing those I shouldn’t. Like Eveque’s slut brother.” He was back at her neck, driving her pulse higher again.

“How would you get this control?”

He tongued her earlobe, his groan low in his chest. “The Kings.”

She pulled back, creating a foot of space to breathe in.

“Their idea,” he said.

“Why?”

“Because my bite amplifies their powers. They would rather use that than mating with a woman. For now. And their blood...helps me in many ways. Depending on their gifts.”

Her brain sped with all this information then searched for why she felt so against it.

“My Eveque says I can try it, but I’ll need your written consent.”

She snorted then paused. “You’re serious?”

“Yes.”

She didn’t like being unable to see his face while talking about this. “Can we go where I can see you?”

“Why?”

“I need to read your face, that’s why. You may be required to obey my obsession, but you are known for manipulating that obsession to your own tastes.”

His smiling mouth nibbled along hers. “So fucking guilty.”

“But not sorry,” she gasped as he stood with her cradled in his arms.

“Definitely not sorry.” At the bedroom door he said, “Open sesame.”

She reached and found the doorknob, turning it. “I’m trying to figure out why it feels like a bad idea,” she confessed.

“Lights,” he said.

She slid her hand along the wall and flipped the switch. He walked to the bed and tossed her in it, her giggle disappearing when he removed his shirt. More like unwrapped her drug. She was addicted and he was her eager supplier. She knew it and he knew it and just like he said, he wasn’t sorry. Neither was she, but in that second, she felt like she should give-a-what.

He undid his pants now. “I have something else I need your permission for.”

“Hold on, keep your pants on, brother,” she ordered, eyeing his mischievous look. “We’re talking. We can’t do it and talk at the same time, you know that.”

“I didn’t, actually,” he said, as she patted the bed.

“Sit here without touching me, please. And let’s get this out of the way so we can get to our obsession.”

He sat and faced her, placing his palm on the bed. “Let’s talk. So, we can do it,” he grinned.

She eyed him. “You’re being so weird.”

“I’m not used to needing your consent, I guess.”

“Maybe. Plus, something else.”

“I really want your consent?” he offered. “Willing to negotiate for it?”

She nodded a little, still watching him. “That’s suspicious.”

He laughed at her. “Can I give you one kiss? I missed the fuck out of you all day.”

“There is no such thing as one anything with you,” she said, putting her hand on his forehead when he leaned in for it. “What else you need my permission for?”

“I want to make a better way to bite you.” His grin faded as he looked at her mouth. “Your cunt is getting wet,” he whispered, eyeing her. “Was it something I said?”

“Just tell me,” she gasped, fighting her hunger. “How will you bite me...better.”

“With proper fangs. The Kings have agreed it’s a good idea since it would cause less trauma to the tissue.”

Her pulse raged now.

“You’re making me very hungry.”

Oh shit. Her hungers were waking the ones he had to answer. “You started it,” she said, breathless.

“With more control, I could finish a conversation without going batshit crazy all over you,” he said, serious as could be.

“But...”

He reached behind her head and pulled her to him, his fingers biting in her hair as he declared a lust war on her tongue with hot, hungry breaths. “But you don’t want that,” he said. “You love when I go insane on you.”

“Yes,” she moaned, already a ragdoll in his overwhelming power.

“Control will ensure I go crazy so very perfectly on you.”

A perfect crazy? She couldn’t begin to imagine such a thing, but her lusty mouth knew to cry out, “Yes.”

“Yes? To which one?” he hurried, yanking at her robe.

“All of it,” she said, helping get them naked.

“CLAIRE, YOU’RE WRONG. And I’m tired. We’ll talk about it tomorrow.”

“I want to talk about it now,” she insisted. “You need to know it’s not too late for you to end this farce of a Fate-dice marriage.”

“Nobody’s ending any marriage,” he warned, making his way past her on the stairs.

She followed him. “Well, maybe I’ll do like Gretchen and get my own Fate dice. Roll how life should go on the daily round here, see how you like that?”

He turned at the top of the stairs. “What in the holy swamp fuck is your problem? You want to fight? You need somebody to hit and hurt? Then go ahead, Claire, hit me. But you’re not doing this bullshit.” He turned for the room.

“You think this is a game to me?” she challenged on his heels as he went into the bedroom and removed his shirt. “Unlike you, I don’t play games with people’s lives, and I won’t let you play games with mine or Troy’s. You’re keepin’ things from me, and you think I don’t know? I can spot a deceiver a mile away, mister, I lived with king snakes all my life.”

He spun to her, and she backed into the door. “Let’s get something straight, wife. When I keep something from you it’s because I love you. Don’t you ever compare me to that devil.” He angled his head at her. “Maybe that Vicki you were talking to tonight gave you a better offer? Don’t think I didn’t watch your every move. Yeah, I’m obsessed with you. I don’t want nobody even lookin’ at you. And I surely don’t want no Vicki talking to you,” he seethed, pissed all over again.

She hardened her jaw. “Well, maybe he did give me a better offer.”

Fuck she was playing hardball. “You’d be right at home in that clan, they love using their women and treating them like shit, hitting on them, is that what you want, is that what you miss?”

He hit the door with his fist and she flinched, the sight setting off his fury.

He spun away from her and got out of his pants. “You’re begging for it Claire,” he warned. The second those words left his mouth, it hit him. She was begging for it. He slowly turned, looking at her pressed against the door like cornered prey.

He made his way back to her and put his hand on the door, staring at what he was seeing. She was surely fighting, but what was she fighting?

He raised his hand and grazed her face with her fingers, watching her breath blast out and her eyes close. Holy fuck. Where was her fight now? He moved his touch along her jaw as it fully dawned on him. She was fighting herself. Not him. She needed everything he offered and was too fucking scared to take it.

He leaned in, putting his mouth next to hers, his pulse raging with both their needs now. “My wife.”

The barest whimper of desire hit his ears and he took hold of her jaw and plowed his tongue into her mouth, getting the most compliant silk in the fucking world. A month of needs erupted between them as he fought to get her clothes off while she clawed at his muscles wherever her hands roamed and fuck they roamed everywhere.

She blasted a moan in his mouth, hiking her leg on his waist. He lifted her up and put her against the door, holding her jaw to the side as he sucked at her neck, finally getting his hand in her panties.

“Jeramiah!” she shot out.

He flew to her mouth, kissing her as he fingered her. “Fucking come baby,” he ordered, watching her pretty face bowing to ecstasy. “Then I’m going to put you on that bed and fuck you all night.”

She latched her hand on his neck and jerked his mouth to hers, her cries of hunger wide open and bare before him, driving him to the edge as she came.

He spun and put her on the bed in three steps. “Fuck baby,” he gushed as she helped him out of his pants then hurried back onto the bed with her legs open for him.

He was on her in two seconds, both their hands bringing his cock to that heaven he’d been craving.

“Do it, please,” she begged, digging her nails as he shoved to the bottom.

“Claire,” he swore on her mouth, bucking his hips and making good on his promise. “I fucking love you,” he seethed as he hammered her soft cunt, obliterating the dark hold that had nearly strangled them to death.

He emptied every part of himself as her fingers roamed through his hair and pulled his mouth to hers again, her every breath filled with a sob and her buried confessions. “I love you too much, Jeramiah. I’ll die if this isn’t real, I will. You gotta be real or I’ll die!”

“I’m so fucking real,” he promised, his mouth storming over every inch of her face. “I am so very fucking real.” He explored his wife with starved hands, feeling her perfect silky body, so strong and yet tender to him. “I missed you, baby,” he said at her mouth, his cock hard again. “I missed you all my life, you know that?”

She let out a sob as he nailed himself into her again, every bang of his hips driving his heart and soul deeper into hers, determined to shatter everything keeping all of her from him.

“Oh God, Oh God,” she cried out as his cock pounded without mercy, without remorse, without relent. Come tomorrow every part of her body would tremble and shake with the truth. She was his, always was, always would be. And there would never again be a doubt about it.

THE CROSSOVER

“Hello?”

The cautious greeting paused Nidev’s pacing. “Dr. Ubaldo, it’s Nidev,” he hurried, not wanting to lose him to panic.

“King Nidev?” the man wondered, his hope and doubt on equal par.

“Yes, King Nidev. I used a special program to help find you, my friend. Are you well?”

He stammered for many seconds before giving up on coherent English, filling the phone with a big laugh. Then another. Long and loud. “The King Nidev?”

“It is me.” He smiled and waited through the racket of awe and exuberant joy and... barking. “You have dogs?”

“Let me find a quiet place. My uh...research has brought me to animal shelters at this time.”

“Well, are you available for hire?” Nidev asked, ready to rescue his good friend from whatever he was in trouble with.

“Hire?” he asked, his hopeful curiosity a good sign.

“I have big problems, David. The kind that have your name all over them. Money is no option and we’re thoroughly covered from all eyes.”

His breath gushed. “If anybody else were to say that I’d offer them a dry laugh. But with you, I know this is true.” He gave more expressions of awe and marvel. “Dear friend, my life is in your hands. Whatever you need from me, I am happily obligated to give.”

“Where can I pick you up?”

“Right,” he muttered quieter. “Are you familiar with the Ravenwood Station?”

“In the Appalachians?”

“That’s the one.”

“Enough, yes,” Nidev said.

“You’ll need a helicopter.”

“Coordinates?”

“I’ll need to encrypt them and text it to a secure line.”

“I’ll send you a special number. You remember the codes we once used?”

“I do,” the doctor said, elated.

“Standby for it. Once I get your location, I’ll send your bird.”

“Really,” he said, sounding dazed. “Just like that.”

“Just like that, my friend.”

David filled the line with sporadic breaths. “Thank you, my dear Nidev. I will be eternally in your graces.”

“And you will work for every cent.”

David’s laugh made him smile. “You know my love for working all too well. Talk soon.”

THREE HOURS LATER, Nidev opened the King’s Guard while waiting for the roof to open and receive Hawkeye carrying their mysteriously MIA doctor.

He eyed all the Hatch Leader’s chat rooms not surprised to find it brimming with chatter since they’d completed their two-month work phase a week early. The Marsh Kings kept him informed on expansion progress and every leader had input daily progress without fail. He found it amusing how everything became a competition with them. His brothers were no different. It was a nice change being on the same team with them for once. The North and South Swamp pissing wars were directly responsible for their early completion. He’d enjoyed it since he was advised to loosen up by a particular female in charge of fixing their Reproductive Sciences Division. And though all academics had been placed on hold, personal progression had not.

He pocketed his phone as the roof opened to receive the bird on the helipad. The moment it powered down, he hurried forward as the door opened with a delighted greeting from the doctor.

“My favorite King in all the worlds,” he hailed with a big smile, his r rolling accent a pleasure to his ears.

“The feeling is mutual, dear friend.”

His big laugh echoed in the large space. “But I am no king, just a lowly servant of science.” He looked around him and aimed astonished eyes back at Nidev. “When you tell me you are covered, I know this is a fact, but I was expecting a more rudimentary hole in the ground,” he confessed, his flawless guffaw belting out as they walked. “Why I should think this?” he cried, still looking around in astonishment. “The Creole Kings have always had a love affair with flair.”

“Speaking of flair,” Nidev said, “I’ll take you to your apartment.”

“Did you have it carved out of my favorite gemstone I hope?” he teased with a hearty laugh. The man stopped abruptly and pulled Nidev into a tight embrace, patting his back roughly. “Thank you, thank you,” he mumbled, his sincerity soul deep.

Nidev hurried them along again, wondering what in the worlds brought a man like him to such emotionally charged gratitude. “I’ll enjoy this gratefulness while it lasts.”

“And you pay me with work on top of all this,” he marveled.

“Your love language has met its true mate here, I believe.”

“Oh, the things I hear in your tone, brother.” The man shook a finger at him as they walked. “Do not disappoint me, Dev.”

Nidev allowed himself a smile at the moniker he’d given him after just one encounter. Initially, the doctor had surfaced on the wrong side of their protective initiative for the gifted, his research casting a long shadow of doubt. But a single meeting was sufficient for Alerik to discern that the doctor’s scientific pursuits were guided by a rigorous and honorable passion. They had forged an agreement to collaborate, granting David access to their students to both study and enhance their inherent abilities, aiming to unlock their utmost potential. But then, quite suddenly, he vanished.

“Just as soon as we get you settled, you can fill in the many blanks over breakfast.”

“Fantastic,” David said, looking like he hadn’t had one of those in a long while. “I feel as though I’ve died and gone to the fantastical part of heaven where God’s most special creations are.”

“And that is one passion we both share, dear friend.”

“I should warn you there may be pieces of my personal puzzle I cannot give. For your own safety,” he said when they arrived at his apartment.”

He nodded, not wanting to worry him. “You don’t need to give us anything you’re not comfortable with.” Zodak and Alerik would get him a full report. Security was not an item he compromised with. His biometric and cybersecurity scans were taken the moment he entered Hawkeye. Thus far, he was clean.

NIDEV WATCHED THE DOCTOR study Zodak’s latest charts and current conditions with Zenith. “Dev,” he finally said, shaking his head and looking at him. “I have seen some very remarkable things in my career, but never anything like this.” A full minute of astonished headshaking continued.

“Can you help me?”

He snapped his gaze up. “It would be Dr. Harlow that would surely be more equipped to further your theory involving bio-engineered enhancements for his gifts. It’s his specialty.”

“We’ve given Zodak more control in siphoning and neutralizing, but finding some kind of mechanism that allows him to transmute these energies into something...useful?” Nidev wasn’t sure what other word to use. “That’s what I’m interested in.”

“Indeed. And I myself am a man of zero wastes. All bad energies are merely corrupted forms of good energies, therefore finding a...cleanse or purge is hyper-critical in this regard.”

Nidev was more interested in giving Zodak the ability to also use these dark energies offensively in situations where self-defense required a more direct approach. But being a man opposed to all forms of violence the way he was, he withheld it.

He eyed the troubled look on his friend. “Another problem?”

David crossed his arms on the table, moving his coffee cup as he did. “I’m just not sure how to locate him.”

“We can find him.”

He narrowed his brows, curious. “How?”

“The same way we found you. The Dreamscape.”

Nidev smiled at the eager light in his gaze. “You mentioned a program, is this what you dazzle my ears with?”

“It is. And due to the urgency of our situation, I’ll give you a tour via a demonstration. We’ll use finding your doctor as an introduction to our methods.”

“WHO’S GOING TO DO THE actual telling?” Harlow wondered, eyeing all of them, ready to rip this fucking band-aid off in one go.

“Maybe I should,” Pain said. “I’m her husband.”

“Fuck, I need that phrase on a mug,” Kult said, eyeing their brother.

“I think I should tell her,” Quantum said. “I’m the one who spoke the lie.”

“Maybe we could explain how this happened before telling her what actually happened,” Sync thought as Harlow’s phone buzzed in his pocket.

“Better not be him,” he said, pulling it out.

“Who?” Kult asked.

“You know who, Sir Fuck Fingers.”

“He’s stuck in a suit of armor,” Kult reminded him.

“Sure, he is.” Harlow stared at his phone, putting nothing past him at this point. “Dr. Ubaldo is texting me?” He eyed all of them. “How would he possibly have this number?” He suddenly signed the letters H-A-N-D-Y.

“Not possible,” Quantum positively dismissed.

“Well neither is that,” he whispered, pointing at the phone as he texted back, Prove it, JACKOFF. He shoved the phone back in his pocket. “Unbelievable.”

“It’s not Handy,” Quantum repeated. “So do we agree that I should tell her?”

“What about explaining first?” Atlas wondered. “I kind of like that idea.”

“I like rip off the band-aid method,” Harlow said.

“Well,” Kult reasoned. “Right now, she’s thinking she’s having a miscarriage and Pain’s going to be devastated.” He aimed his stare at Harlow when his phone buzzed.

“You hear that?”

“I do,” he said quietly. “Would you mind turning it off while we discuss exactly how to decimate the heart, mind, and soul of the woman we all need to protect? Pretty please? With your cut-off dick and a cherry on top?”

He pulled it from his pocket and turned it off, showing him the screen. “It’s off. Just like you.”

“How about we offer her the choice?” Atlas suggested.

“I can’t feel a single thing in regard to her,” Quantum said, amazed. “It’s as though our link never existed.”

“Well, whatever you do, don’t let her hear you say that,” Pain said.

“Why?” Quantum asked.

For some reason, all stares landed on Harlow, pissing him the fuck off. “Funny how I never get blamed when he’s being brilliant, but on the rare occasion his evolving humanity data slips, it’s eyeball city for me.”

They all turned at the knock on the door and Sync hurried to it. “Who is it?”

“Lucy.”

Harlow nodded quickly. “Let her in, she’s bringing us an update.”

“She knows?” Kult panicked.

“Yes, I had to tell her,” he said, waving her over to their group.

“We’ve been consoling her,” she announced quietly. “She still thinks she’s having a miscarriage and at the moment it’s all she’s thinking about.” She leveled her compassionate, worried eyes on Harlow. “Do we know what the next step is?”

“It’s like we’re planning a surprise party for her death,” Kult said, appearing sick.

Lucy shook her head at him. “She will be shocked and devastated but we will help her see it’s far better to lose a child that never existed than one who did. She will understand this.”

“Why does she seem so sure?” Kult asked Harlow.

“Because...” She paused and Kult looked at her, then Harlow, then back at her. “Little one, please finish your sentence.”

She shot a worried look at all of them. “It was a confession. Those are private.”

“Does it relate to this situation?” Kult pushed.

She nodded with a somber, “It does.”

“Then we’ll treat it like a legal issue.” He gave Harlow raised brows.

“Uh, yes, legal,” he said, looking at Quantum. “What was that law again?”

He took all of two seconds to produce, “Under the Tarasoff rule, if a...clergy determines that a patient is at risk of injury, the... therapist is required to take reasonable steps to protect that patient or person, which... may include notifying others that could prevent the harm.”

All those hesitations meant he’d found loopholes in the law. He also realized Lucy had told him about the abortion and now she worried about privacy and confessions. Because she was his angel. “Brilliant,” Harlow said getting stares. “That he knew the law,” he added.

“Well...” she began in a whisper. “She has lost a child before and understands such a pain.”

The wave of sick doom washing through the room was fucking tangible. “Holy fuck,” Pain whispered. “When did she lose a child?”

“It was an abortion,” Lucy forced around strained breaths. “She was only seventeen. It was against her wishes,” she added in a distressed whisper in her defense. “She named her daughter even though she wasn’t sure the gender.”

Kult took a couple steps and put his back to the group as Pain stood there, the only sign of observable life twitching in his jaw.

Seeing Lucy on the verge of tears, he went and wrapped his arms around her, selfishly celebrating he’d gotten a reason. She hid her face in his chest, and he stroked her silky cheek with the backs of his fingers.

“Who all knows the truth about the...current non-pregnancy?” Sync asked her.

She pulled out of his arms and turned. “Only the Sisters.”

Kult’s head swiveled around to Harlow. “Only the Sisters. Plural.”

Lucy nodded, oblivious. “We don’t keep such secrets when it’s in the interest of the person for all the sisters to know as it was in this case,” she assured with many nods.

Harlow got her back in his arms. “You did the right thing.”

She nodded a little and again moved out of his embrace, regarding all of them. “I need to return to them. We’re having a prayer circle. But...please hurry.”

NIDEV COULDN’T ENJOY the astonishment on the good doctor’s face more when he provided him with a number to Dr. Harlow. Back in his office, the testing was all that was left, and he closely watched David’s face as he tried texting first.

“Terrifying tabernacles,” he gasped in awe with a laugh. “He replied! I think it’s him!”

“Think?”

He showed him his phone.

Harlow. It’s Dr. Ubaldo. Are you there?

Prove it, JACKOFF.

Nidev wasn’t sure what to say other than, “I can surely understand why he might wonder how you found him, but the hostility is...intriguing,” for lack of a better word.

It made David chuckle. “Harlow is one of a kind. This hostility feels related to our Handy anomaly, hence the JACKOFF term.”

“Handy anomaly?”

He put his phone down, aiming a mix of curious expressions at him that sparked Nidev’s interest. “I suppose there’s no more need for classified secrets now,” he muttered. “As you know, my line of work delves in the realms of advanced biotechnology. Ten years ago, I was invited to work with DARPA on some top-secret projects. The military was one of their prized divisions, and so I focused my talents there and intended to create the ultimate human soldier unlike anything ever imagined. I searched the database for subjects to work with and found five individuals with phenomenal cognitive gifts. Four of them were death row criminals, including our good Dr. Harlow while Augustine I later learned came to me from an orphanage.

“Augustine had a partitioning gift that allowed him to fracture his mind into pieces at will. The term file it away was one of many profound abilities he possessed, only his filing cabinets were entirely impenetrable. I was able to develop a program that allowed me to access this part of his brain for testing my cognitive enhancement theories. Once I managed to partially neuro-link him with the four other gifted individuals, it was balls to the wall as they say in testing, tweaking and even creating programs to sync them into a single acting unit.

“But to be accurate and fair, I was more like the assistant to Dr. Harlow,” he chuckled with pride. “I surely didn’t mind. He and Kult were the engineers. Kult had the ability to see secret things hiding in plain sight and Harlow was able make those things he saw happen. But Sync was the critical component. No matter what sort of extreme stimuli I introduced to Sync’s brain, he was able to level it out nearly instantly, reducing it to harmless waves that mimicked a baby’s sleep.

“Now, Pain, he was something spectacular. Able to turn all forms of algia or pain into physical strength. You’re seeing the possibilities,” David saw with wide eyes when Nidev couldn’t hide his marvel over such a thing. “We all did, each of us. And within a year, we’d done it, we’d meshed their gifts so that they worked together. KAPHAS was officially a formidable soldier where all forms of pain were converted into unstoppable power. Along with his ability to think rapidly and forget nothing, they rivaled superman.”

“Kaphas?” Nidev wondered.

“An acronym I used to refer to them collectively. K-ult, A-tlas, P-ain, H-arlow, A-ugustine and S-ync.”

“What did Atlas do?”

His eyes brightened. “He was our human computer. He gave them the ability to forget nothing with his photographic memory. Together, they were truly a thing to be feared.” Nidev watched darkness ebb into his excitement. “Or misused.”

“The reason you went into hiding,” Nidev said, getting his nods.

“I think I was the last to figure it out, really. The boys already had a plan to prevent it and I merely unwittingly accommodated them. By removing Sync’s ability from the soldier, the program could not function, as it was his synchronization gifts that tailored it, like a signature. Without the signature, they became a ghost, virtually non-existent.”

“So, you helped them escape.”

“I had little to do with the technical aspects of the escape, they plotted all of it, I merely did as instructed. They secretly raised the funds, built a facility, even relocated their real bodies and preserved them in cryonics. Once they reached the phase in their escape that allowed them to reunite with their bodies, they did so.

“But we were discussing Handy, and this is where he comes in. Two things had to happen for this escape plan to work. Only a very small part of Sync was to be left in them, and all their memories had to be removed to ensure traces of what they were became entirely lost. Augustine was dropped off where his only biological brother would find him, which he indeed did. And only through near-death experiences would they be able to access the part in Augustine’s brain that held the fullness of their escape plan. This is where I realized there was more to this plan than I ever knew. There was this...Butterfly in their convoluted web that remained in their conscience. She was to be used in the part of their plan that involved revenge.”

“Revenge.”

“Against those who had hurt Augustine. I did not know that when I put them in Augustine’s head, they’d become one with him, knowing all he’d experienced.”

“What happened to him?”

He shook his head. “I still don’t know that. They never breathed a word of it to me and it was inside a part of him that the program didn’t reach. But they reached it. And for these men to devise an escape plan for the sole purpose of revenge says a lot about the horror of his past.”

“So... they found this Butterfly?”

“They did. And she provided them with details but without remembering the fullness of their revenge scheme, it was a puzzle they had to piece together, and Kult did, being the puzzle genius that he is. But there was one thing none of them foresaw. And that was falling in love with the Butterfly.”

“Oh damn,” he muttered, getting David’s nods.

“Indeed. And this remarkable woman who was an ex-prostitute on the streets who preached Jesus, truly rescued them in more ways than we’ll ever fathom. She rescued them from the demons that created them. They were all madly in love with her and she with them, only she thought she was loving a single man with five personalities, not a man housing literal men with bodies in waiting. And when they finally reached the memory of Sync and he rejoined them during one of their many deaths, he carried the fullness of their plan and caught them up to speed. I can only imagine what sort of commotion this must have caused to learn the woman you were in love with was originally only a pawn in a greater plan.”

“And Handy?”

“Handy,” he exclaimed. “He’s slippery, isn’t he?” he marveled as if he was living up to his reputation. “As it turns out, the small piece of Sync that was put in Augustine was placed in his left hand and Harlow instinctively knew something was wrong with it.”

“Their hand?”

“Yes. He was even diagnosed with Alien Hand Syndrome, always wanting to hack it off.

Wow.

“But Handy proved to be useful. When their vessel became compromised, they discovered that their hand still functioned without them. Like a split personality, but only in the hand.” David laughed at Nidev’s perplexity. “Handy saved their life, and Butterfly’s more than once. It is truly the most bizarre circumstance I have ever encountered. On top of it all, Handy fell in love with Butterfly too.” He grew serious again as he stared in awe before him. “It would seem to me,” he mused as though it was all still a big mystery, “that this piece of Sync synchronized with its vessel and became its very own entity. A part of them and yet separate. They could not control him, except Butterfly, and only then by his cooperation, which he clearly did not always submit to.”

Nidev was back to confused. “So...why would Dr. Harlow hate Handy?”

“It puzzles me,” he mused, brows knitted. “I lost track of them shortly after I reunited with them. At the time, Handy seemed to be growing stronger and I wonder now what sort of problem he’s become.”

“Wouldn’t he still be in Augustine’s hand?”

“That’s the thing,” he said, curious. “He was a piece of all of them. When they regained their original bodies, what became of him?”

“What happened to these men once they reunited with their bodies?”

“If I had to guess, they’re busy finishing the business they first set out to. But I truly hate guessing such things and am dying to know. I only know that whatever they did is beyond my abilities. It is my direst dream to meet up with them again and learn all about each of them. What did they become? What sort of modifications did they make to their human bodies?”

“What makes you think they did?”

“To avoid detection of course,” he assured. “They will be wanted fugitives till the end of time, this, I am sure.”

“So...how are you going to prove who you are to him?”

“I suppose I should just call him. My voice should suffice?” he half asked.

“It can’t hurt to try. There’s also facial recognition. I can give you privacy,” Nidev said, hoping he’d do that now. He too wanted to know more about these highly gifted individuals. And to offer whatever protection they could to ensure they remained hidden from these authorities hunting them. Every scientist there—which was basically all the Kings—would want to observe and study and help further their gifts.