Christmas eveBri,Things had quieted down since Wyatt and mine's hunt. The boys had fewer issues at school as did the men at work. That is after Wyatt had sent their Apha the video we took and told him the next time we weren’t just scaring the piss out of his future patriarch and his friends. We only had 2 months until everything would change. I turned the small parcels wrapped in old newspaper over in my hands. There was one for each of them. The boys and the men. Blessed gris gris, talismans of protection. Bits of wreckage left over from Jolene’s island as we now call it. Random keys and trinkets that had been cleansed by the moon that night were now repurposed with a pulsing energy of my protection. My blood, the moon, my soul's own fire, the earth, and the water of this land sealed that energy, and it was tied off with a bit of my hair binding it. Thin strips of leather adorned them, to attach them to a keychain tuck into a wallet or wear around their wrists or neck, a simple de
Bri“It's beautiful,” I said, urging tears to not fall, I’d stay strong, I wouldn’t cry.“I made them so you can take them with you,” Lou said, “But I made this one so we can keep it here,” he said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the figure of a dancing woman holding a moon above her head. “I wanted you to put it up somewhere we can keep it,” he said, his shoe tracing a line into the dirt as he looked down.I wrapped my arms around Louis, and let my broken hoarse voice tell him, “It's perfect Lou, I love it,” we clung together longer than necessary, and I held in a sob. “I’m going to miss you so much kid,” I let him know. I swiped at my tears. “I’m gonna miss you too,” He mumbled quietly into my ear, his voice strained. As we pulled away I looked around at my options for the placement of the beautiful gift and found my eyes gazing up, into the branches of the lowest cypress trees. I snatched Wyatt’s hand and he didn’t complain as I urged him to follow me. When I pointed up a
WyattShe had no idea what I wanted to do and that made it even better. I held the scarf in my hands. The silky black fabric was cool in my hands.“Trust me, Ma Sha?” I asked again. She looked from the scarf to me and nodded. She was confused but gave me that trust. I cherished it and though this gift was a bit selfish, If I’d learned anything about Bri it was that she soaked it up like she did the light of the moon. She was a sensual creature. This woman before me, watching her learn to surrender to that had been my greatest gift in life. Tonight the selfish bastard that I was, I’d take another gift for myself. I wanted to memorize her in a different way.When I lifted the scarf over her eyes the darkness peered curiously back at me, a sheen of silver in those soft green orbs, but the wraith didn’t balk. I tied it firmly then, letting that glorious high ponytail stand tall and proud, perfect for grabbing. I then slipped the straps of her dress down her shoulders, the dress pooling at
WyattA dance of cat and mouse commenced, Beau finally pinned her to the wall, after she had purposefully teased him a little too hard by grabbing his cock through his low-slung sweats. He growled. I memorized the curve of her mouth then, the sag of the surrender of her body, and the satisfaction that seemed to waft off of her. Sweet sweet Bri, at least we know you're not as innocent as you portray. She loved it, I watched her body pant as his claws threatened to dig in and her panties fell to the floor in shreds instead. I wanted to see the thrill in her eyes, why had I blindfolded her? That's right, I didn’t want her to see how every face of her wrecked me. How she destroyed me with everything. It was fruitless. Frayed as they were the threads of ourselves unintentionally had latched on to each other over time. I could only hope they would stay brittle, and spare me from what was bound to happen, we had walked the line too many times, and blurred the margins too often. As Beau thru
BriIt was time, I was leaving with the same 2 bags. I came only bringing a few changes of clothes and the gifts the boys and my men had given me. I took one more look around the humble room, my throat tight with emotion, I loved this room, this place, and these people. I’d be leaving this simple rough-hewn, loving home. One full of warmth and fond memories. The pain in my chest throbbed. My fingers are fiddling with a thread on the quilt. It wasn't just the people but the land I was leaving. The stress already pulled at every fiber of my being like pieces of myself threatening to be stripped away. A bandaid left on too long and ready to take with it hair, skin, and all the bits of you that were supposed to remain intact. I heard the boys enter the back of the house and swallowed hard. Tears pricked the corners of my eyes and my throat closed in tighter. Wyatt’s form entered the doorway engulfing the space. I looked over my shoulder at him. His eyes softened, he crossed the distance
BriAs the skiff sped over water she let the tears fall and be carried away on the wind. Her burden of sorrow and pain would mark Beau and me for life. Shadows in the embers of the fires of our souls. It was a strange thing how she gasped out a sob as if physical pain had seized her when we crossed the threshold of the territory.Beau tucked her in close, but she pulled herself together as we neared Mabel's dock. Mabel would take the boat back later shepherding the boys to and from school tomorrow while Landry and Mila kept an eye on them and the territory.The girls embraced and said their farewells before we walked to the church and loaded our bags into the truck.When we settled into the truck Bri's emotions had cleared. She sighed. “I think we need food, does Maria sell breakfast?” Beau and my eyes met over her head. This was going to be bad.“You don't want to wait to get to New Orleans and get some beignets from your Maggie?” Beau tried.“No, I'm not in the mood for anything sw
WyattBri had us pull over once we got into the older part of New Orleans. She pulled her hair through the back of a baseball cap and pulled her hood up on Beau’s hoodie. We all followed suit. We followed her as she led us down dark alleyways that stank of piss and cheap liquor. She had steered clear of the garden district where she said the house was. We were on the outskirts of the historic quarter. All manner of shops and living quarters were tangled here like a puzzle of mismatched pieces. Mardi Gras was in full swing even at its end, which was the peak of tourist season. Music and jubilant glee, mingled with drunken chanting and tipsy stumbling on the main street. Bri stopped at a gate at the back alley of one of the row’s rear gardens down the backside of a row of Creole townhouses and approached the rear door after ensuring Beau closed the gate behind him. She gave the backdoor a peculiar knock like it was some sort of code. Lights flickered within. A knock returned, Bri murmu
BeauA few hours later after using Zoey’s dryer to dry our rain-drenched hoodies we changed and found ourselves entering a coffee shop. The scent of coffee, sugar, and pastries assaulted me. Along with the scent of weed and incense. It reminded me a little of how Bri smelt when she first came to us. Wyatt’s glance at me told me he thought the same. We knew where we were, the girls had spoken about it in front of us but for the scent of such a place to be embedded into the essence of our beloved Bri, meant it was special. Much like the swamp had since found its way into her essence, mingling into all the beautiful fibers that made Bri who she was, whatever she was.We kept our heads down on the street but when we got into the building Wyatt and I pushed our hoods back accessing the place for threats. Bri perked up her gaze searching people at the tables and in the small crowd already dancing without music. Then she kept walking right behind the counter and through the door to the backr