Jewel of the Bayou Read online

  “But they thought I was dead.”

  Her grandmother squeezed her shoulder. “Maybe. Or maybe not. That’s why Robert is searching the records.”

  “What a mess.” Parris stared at the open laptop screen where the picture of Opal had now replaced her screen saver. “I have a child I didn’t even know about.”

  Her grandmother paused at the door. “Parris, I don’t think you realize this yet so I’m just going to be blunt. You may have several children out there in the world. The Council may have tried to build their own army of Originals.”

  9

  The cab dropped everyone and their luggage on the steps of the white mansion. Opal’s eyes were wide and Pru could feel the panic settle in the girl. She stepped closer. “Honey, it’s just a house.”

  “Actually, no, it’s not just a house. It’s freaking huge. Can you imagine how many people could live in a house like that? And we have gates and a garden and probably a backyard that has hills and valleys. This is a hotel, not a house.” Opal took a step back, away from the porch steps. “And there are ghosts in there. I’ve seen them before. There was a shack down the road that had spirits, but your ghosts seem friendlier. Like they actually want us here.”

  “That could be true. Look, Parris and Ty just needed something big. Lots of people live here. Lots of nice people who are looking forward to you staying here so they can get to know you.” Pru put a hand on her shoulder. “Look, I’ll tell you a secret, but it has to be between us, okay?”

  Tears threatened to fall on Opal’s cheeks, but she nodded and turned from the house to look at Pru. “I’m good with secrets.”

  I bet you are. Pru smiled at the little girl. She was only, what, ten, eleven but she acted older. Too young to be mixed up in this war. But in the last battle, an unborn Eric had helped them win and find a way home for all of them so maybe Opal needed to be here too. “I was petrified when I first came to the house. And you know I was in stone for years. So I didn’t scare easily. I wondered what people would think of me. What I’d wear. Even what I’d talk about. But everyone was really nice and it made it easy to fit in. Now I have friends.”

  Opal stared at her for a long time. Then she nodded and took a breath. Wiping her eyes and the tears away, she straightened her shoulders. “I know this is the best thing for me, so I will be brave, like you are. You’re amazing, Pru.”

  Mandy came and took Opal’s hand and as they walked away, Derek paused by Pru. “She’s right, you are amazing. I didn’t think you had a maternal bone in your body, yet you really helped her settle in with her transition.”

  “I have experience at being the outsider.” She glanced up at Derek. “You should realize that.”

  Pru thought he was going to say more, to disagree, but just then, the door opened and what Derek called the zoo poured out onto the steps. Ty and Parris were the first out, but when she saw the girl, she froze. Pru had known there was a resemblance, but this was crazy. She was Parris’s mini-me. Right down to the length of her hair.

  Ty gently pushed Parris closer to Opal and as the girl looked at her, a wide grin filled her face. She ran and wrapped her arms around Parris. “Mama, I knew I’d find you.”

  Parris lifted a hand and stroked the girl’s head, then burst into tears.

  Pru’s gaze met Derek’s with satisfaction. Their job was done.

  When they finished the introductions, they all went inside. “Time for lunch and planning.” Robert put his arm around Parris’s shoulder. “We have a lot to talk about and a lot of meaning to assign.”

  Parris leaned into her grandfather’s shoulder. Last year she’d thought the man was dead. Then when she found him, she thought he was a looney. Now, she didn’t know what she’d do without his gentle guidance in this crazy world. “I made a lousy first impression. She’s going to think her mother is crazy.”

  “Now, dear, don’t be so hard on yourself. Until this week, you didn’t know you were a mother. Now you have a pre-teen in the house. Your grandmother told me what you think happened.” He studied the girl who was in the living room with Pru trying to teach her to play some sort of video game. “You know The Council will come to test her.”

  “I do. And they’re welcome to do it. But not at the headquarters. It’s here, or they have to wait for her to turn sixteen which is completely within my rights as parent.” Parris got the bread down to start making sandwiches. “I didn’t think I’d have that role for years. I mean, Eric and I had a great talk when we were saving April, but I didn’t think I was ready for a baby.”

  Robert started slathering Miracle Whip on the bread. They’d set up an assembly line without even talking about it. Feeding this many people did that after a while. Soup bubbled on the stove and filled the kitchen with warm and homey smells. “Then it’s a good thing that the goddess sent you a child who is almost grown. You know that you get what you ask for and the goddess has a wicked sense of humor sometimes.”

  “I’m not sure parent was one of the roles I wanted to fill. This was supposed to be a mission about a magical jewel, not a missing child that I didn’t know was missing.” She started laying slices of cheese on the bread following Robert. “And there’s something else that worries me even more than finding Opal.”

  Robert put the lid back on the dressing then took out turkey and ham deli sliced meat. He opened both containers and started putting on a pile of turkey. “I’m afraid I know what you’re thinking but go ahead. We might as well get it out into the open so we can shoot holes in the idea.”

  She took the cheese and put it away in the fridge. Then she leaned against the door and watched her grandfather’s face. “Okay then. What if Opal isn’t the only child they set up surrogates for when they took my eggs? What if there’s a whole team or army of these kids? Kids I don’t know anything about.”

  Derek stood outside smoking and checking his phone when Pru found him. She held out a hand and he gave her a cigarette, lighting it before he put the pack and lighter back into his pocket. After taking the first drag, she smiled at him. “I guess our assignment together was a success.”

  He nodded. “Yep. Ty’s contacting The Council and making sure there wasn’t another ‘jewel’ down there, but it feels like Opal was the target all along. If The Council was the one that ordered Parris’s procedure to harvest eggs, they had to be the one to set up the surrogacy and thereby, they knew it was a little girl, not a gemstone. None of this makes any sense.”

  “You don’t think Parris is lying. That she was part of the plan. Maybe she was embarrassed about getting pregnant as a college student and gave up the baby.”

  “I pushed Ty on that, but apparently, Matilda did some sort of scan and she swears that Parris has never been pregnant. Of course, they could all be lying to us.” He took a drag off his cigarette. Derek didn’t know what the process was for terminating parental rights, but Parris was a smart girl. She could have done this and for all the right reasons. But why lie now?

  “Why would they do that? Don’t you trust them?” Pru glanced back at the happy house.

  “I trust Ty. I don’t have enough experience with the rest of the zoo to make an informed decision.” It didn’t feel like their group was filled with liars and cheats, but sometimes he didn’t see the other side of arguments

  Pru studied his face. Derek tried hard to show no emotion as her gaze bore into him. “I guess that means you don’t trust me either.”

  “I didn’t say that.” His determination wavered a bit and his gaze flickered toward her.

  “But you didn’t deny it either. Look, Derek, I know you’re strung out on Parris. That she’s the sun to your moon, even though she’s clearly mated with Ty. Who you are also fully dedicated to as your BFF. But if you ever get your head out of your butt and want to try something new, give me a call. I think you’re pretty special, all on your own. And if you tell anyone I said this, I’ll deny it.”

  He stared at her, his shock at her statement throwing a dash of cold water
on the heat he felt when he looked at her. Then he felt his lips curved into a grin. A sexy, practiced grin. He knew how to play this. Something like, let’s go practice. Or let me feel the way. He’d played this game before. As if she had read his mind, she shook her head and held her hand up when he started to talk.

  “Don’t, just don’t. I won’t have my feelings cheapened into a joke. I just wanted you to know you weren’t alone. I have real feelings for you, but I can keep them in control. Especially since it looks like we’re going to be around each other a lot.” She turned and threw the cigarette down on the sidewalk. She stomped on it a little too hard, then took off inside.

  He watched her storm through the door and into the house. All the way up to her room where she slammed the door after her and set up some wards to keep his mind out. He should go all Rhett Butler on her and follow upstairs. To kiss that mouth that was always talking a little too much. But that would be showing weakness. The feelings washing over him would pass. This was a reaction to the adrenaline, nothing more. It was Pru for God’s sake. He couldn’t have real feelings for that witch.

  He put his cigarette out and went inside to say his goodbyes to the zoo.

  10

  Derek drove away from the house. He’d delivered the kid, her guardian, and both safely. His job was done. But he felt like it wasn’t. He wished he had a magic wand like those television witches that could transport him back through time. He’d go back and change the day Ty met Parris. He could have played darts that night. Reported Parris to The Council and it would be over. Life would be normal. Maybe if she’d stayed hidden, Derek’s world wouldn’t be changing. His eyes widened.

  Maybe, just maybe, there was a way. He started the calculations in his head and by the time he’d reached his upscale condo, he had a plan. The elf, Gabby’s warning sounded in his head like a gong, but he ignored it. Yes, this path was dangerous. But she was wrong. It was the only way to make things right again.

  He had a plan. A plan that would erase the past year and put the world back on the right path. He could do this. He had to.

  Parris and Ty’s fae, Toki and Zander stood in the driveway, watching Derek drive away. The fae had been watching the scene unfold, not stepping in. They’d needed the girl, Opal, here. Zander had given Ty Max’s message and the group had gone there. And yet, it still hadn’t been enough. The warlock was still heading down the wrong path.

  Toki turned to Zander, sadness causing a stray tear to fall from her blue fae eyes. Today she looked like a little girl who’d lost her favorite doll. “Do you think we should tell Parris and Ty?”

  “I’m not touching that one. Ty is just getting over my involvement with Regina. If I tell him now his best friend is going rogue, he’ll never talk to me again. You should leave this alone too. The matters between witches don’t concern the fae. Besides, Gabby already tried to fix this.” Zander shrugged in his leather coat. Trying for the super cool look, then when he didn’t quite make it, he sighed and disappeared from the front porch.

  Toki stood on the step for a little longer watching the car disappear. And she held Zander’s advice close to her heart. She’d watch for a while. But no one was going to hurt her person. Not even someone who used to be nice, like Derek.

  Letter from the Author

  Dear Readers:

  The Council and the new group in town are back. Now, calling themselves, the Originals, this episode of the St. Louis based stories focuses on finding a new member to the group. A member that should never have been born, but if you’re Parris, you go with the punches. I’m thinking The Council doesn’t know what they started. Derek and Pru are the main characters in this next trilogy of novellas. But Derek is looking for a return to the status quo. And Pru? She just doesn’t want to be hung up on Derek any more.

  I’m excited to return to The Council world and tie up some loose ends set up in the first three books. Like where is Regina and what is going to happen to the Originals?

  The next adventure in Derek and Pru’s story will come in late 2020. Hope to see you then.

  Happy reading

  Lynn

  Lynn Collins is the romance pen name for New York Times bestselling mystery author, Lynn Cahoon. Lynn Collins claims to be the daughter of Barnabas (Dark Shadows) and says she grew up in a dark, dank castle on the moors, waiting to be rescued. Finally, as all good heroines do, she rescued herself and now writes about happily ever after’s in small town settings. Someday she hopes to write the next big gothic romance. She lives with her cat. Find out more at: www.lynncollinsauthor.com

  Legal Bits

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright 2019 by Lynn Cahoon

  All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.

  Published by Lynn Cahoon

  Visit Lynn Collins on the Internet:

  www.lynncollinsauthor.com

  This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of International Copyright Law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines and/or imprisonment. This eBook cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this eBook can be shared or reproduced without the express permission of the publisher.