Rose, Charlotte - Bayou Famine [Shifters of Alligator Bend 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (12 page)

No. I don’t miss them. It’s just a reaction to having left so suddenly.

A yawn caught her off guard, one so deep that she almost lost her balance as her lungs took in air.

I’m just worn out from making such a long trip with so little money. I’m tired and it’s been a stressful few days.

The sense of fatigue became more insistent, and Narcisse couldn’t help but curl up on the couch. She told herself it would just be for a minute, that she just needed to give herself a pep talk before going to face the outside world and getting her life back in order.

I have to remember how unhappy I felt when I left. That’s all I need to do. I’ll feel better if I get out of the apartment, even if it is to deal with a disgruntled pawn shop employee.

Despite all of her insistence, she couldn’t bring her feet to stand up and walk out the door. All she wanted to do was crawl back into bed and dwell in her loss.

Just stop being so negative. Don’t think about it.

Suddenly filled with energy, Narcisse got up, hurried to her room, and pulled out a suitcase. She haphazardly began throwing things inside, determined to take what she needed and get back to her mates. But just as suddenly as she began, she stopped.

You can’t go back, anyway. You left without saying goodbye, and you stole a boat to boot.

Hanging her head, Narcisse tried to push the newest batch of ideas out of her head, but it was no use. She couldn’t shake off the fact that she’d done something horrible, and even if she did want to go back, Armand and Nelson had no reason to trust her again.

There’s no way Nelson and Armand would forgive you. And even if they did, nobody else from the congregation would welcome you back. You made your choices, and now you need to move on and deal with it. Start your life over, the way you wanted to
.

Glancing at the clock, she realized it was starting to get late.
The shops will probably be closing soon, anyway, and they’re not in the sorts of neighborhoods where I’d be safe alone after dark anyway.

Wandering back to the kitchen to evaluate her supplies, she decided she could probably put real life off for another day.

I have a little more food left. I’ll take care of this tomorrow
.

Finally convinced she had a reason to stay in, Narcisse walked over to the couch, flopped on the lumpy cushions, and turned on the television. She was relieved to lose herself in the flickering stories. She finally stopped thinking about Nelson and Armand, finally stopped remembering the passionate nights they’d shared before she’d taken off. She fell asleep with the television still on.

Narcisse woke up the next morning to droning news anchors and promptly shut the television off. She dragged her stiff body off of the cramped couch and changed her clothes. She put on dress pants and a nice blouse. She hoped it would make the person at the pawn shop treat her more seriously. In addition, she planned to at least try to get her old job back. Looking the part wasn’t going to hurt her chances.

The trip to the pawn shop was disheartening. Narcisse knew she hadn’t gotten the best deal, but she felt too emotionally drained to really haggle. Even though she didn’t get a fair price, she had enough for groceries for a few days, at least.

Narcisse almost changed her mind about begging for her old job back. She just felt tired and dejected, and she kept yearning to be back on the bayou, spending time on that beautiful houseboat.

No. This was the life you wanted. You chose to return here for a reason. This is where you belong. Now is the perfect time to start over.

Narcisse repeated these thoughts to herself on the bus ride across town to her former job. When the bus pulled into the stop, she almost didn’t get off, but then she forced herself to stand up. At the building door, she paused again. Still, she refused to let herself give up and go back to her apartment and wallow. She went through the visitor entrance with her head held high, refusing to feel embarrassed about the fact that she didn’t have an employee badge to scan.

“Ms. Laurent!” The security guard wore a shocked expression. “I heard you quit.”

Narcisse swallowed her pride and nodded. “I did. But I have some unfinished business with Dave. Would you be able to either buzz me up to his office or call him down for me?”

“Hold on.” The guard dialed an extension and held the phone up to her ear. “Dave? Hi, it’s Lisa downstairs. Narcisse Laurent is here to see you. No, I—no, she just said she had some unfinished business. I—are you—okay, I’ll tell her.”

Lisa looked almost embarrassed as she hung up the phone. “I’m sorry, Ms. Laurent, but he’s not available today.”

Narcisse allowed herself to cringe. “He’s not going to have any availability in his schedule in the future, is he?”

Lisa shook her head. “I don’t think so.”

“Well, thank you for trying.” Narcisse put on the biggest smile she could muster.

“Of course.”

Narcisse turned and hurried out of the building before Lisa could see the tears beginning to flow. She barely made it to the bus stop before she burst out sobbing.

I’ve ruined everything. I don’t have a job, I don’t know what I’ll do to make rent, I don’t have my mates, and I can’t go back to them. I’ve ruined everything
.

By the time the bus arrived, Narcisse’s sobs had slowed, and she managed to keep her composure for the rest of the trip home. But the second she was locked into her apartment, she collapsed in the bed. She didn’t care that it was still broad daylight. She didn’t care that she needed to get up and look around for other job possibilities. All she could do was cry again, the tears welling up even faster than they had before.

The next day, Narcisse woke up thinking she had a fever. She was drenched in sweat, but the second she threw the covers off, the shivers started. Her entire body rocked back and forth with the chill racing around her body, and her teeth chattered so hard that she thought they were going to crack. Narcisse pulled the covers back up to counteract the sudden cold, but the sweat and heat built back up almost immediately.

Fumbling to the bathroom, she pulled out her thermometer and took her temperature. She was shocked when it read ninety-eight degrees because her pajamas were completely soaked and yet her skin felt like ice.

“I just need to eat something,” she said to herself, turning toward the kitchen and leaning against the wall to fight the dizziness that came despite such a slow movement. “It’s been nearly a day since I last had food.”

But as she made her way down the hall to the kitchen, her knees buckled, and she crashed to the carpet. Narcisse didn’t move for a moment, but let herself lie there, trying to catch her breath and fight the dizziness that blurred her vision and cramped her stomach.

After realizing she wasn’t injured, Narcisse tried to push herself back up onto her feet but couldn’t get higher than her knees before her thighs cramped and she crashed back to the floor. Suddenly, she began to shiver with even stronger tremors, and a stabbing pain began to ricochet through her temples. Narcisse had to close her eyes against the early morning light filtering through the curtain, because it hurt her eyes. She knew food was impossible, and she turned every ounce of her energy toward getting into bed.

Unable to stand up, she crawled along the carpet. The rough fibers made her skin sing with pain, a burn that took hold of every single nerve until the sensation coated her entire body. With each movement, Narcisse began to think she might have been foolish to disregard Serafine’s warnings about the importance of staying in the congregation. Then another jolt of pain went through her head, and for a moment she lost all sense of who or where she was. She had to stop and gasp for air, waiting for the ache and fire to dissipate enough for her to crawl a little farther.

When she finally managed to climb into bed, the heat came back, but this time the cold didn’t dissipate. She was simultaneously freezing and burning, and the faintest amount of light hurt her eyes with even more intensity every time she blinked. As she slid a cool pillow over her head to blot out all stimulation, she was struck with the realization that she was dying, and that she was in trouble if she didn’t get back to the bayou.

Chapter Seven

Nelson’s hands trembled as he climbed into Xavier’s speedboat. He struggled to press the proper buttons to put a call through to Armand, but as the boat peeled through the water, he managed to get it right.

“Hello?”

Nelson couldn’t believe how weak Armand’s voice sounded. “How you holdin’ up, man?”

“Not so good. No sign of her. Did you find her yet?”

“No, we been lookin’, but nothin’. But we’re comin’ out toward Houston. Adele thinks she figured out the address. If I give it to you, are you strong enough to head over there and find her?”

“I can get to her, but I ain’t in no shape to drive.”

“That’s okay. Xavier, Adele, and Oscar are with me. They’ll get us home.”

“Shit, man, how long do we have before the curse really kicks in?”

“I didn’t ask. I didn’t wanna know.”

“Hurry up, man. I don’t wanna die like this. I wanna get her home.”

“It’ll happen. I promise. We got friends helpin’ us. We’ll make it.”

“What’s the address? I’ll get over there now.”

“2439 Catherine Street, apartment 336. If all goes according to plan, we’ll be there in about five hours.”

Armand gave a weak chuckle. “Drained as I feel, it’ll probably take me that long to make it there.”

“Stay safe. Call me if you need anything.”

“I will. Just get here in one piece, okay?”

“I promise.”

Nelson hung up the phone and immediately felt himself beginning to drift off. He struggled to stay awake, wanting to remain alert for the trip. Part of him was afraid that if he fell asleep, he wouldn’t wake up again. But the exhaustion oppressing his body proved to be too much for him, and eventually, he passed out.

Nelson came to with Adele giving him a gentle shake to wake him up.

“The guys got the rental car all worked out. Come on. Let me help you up.”

Nelson accepted Adele’s assistance, struggling to regain his balance once he was on the dock. Adele helped him over to the van that Xavier and Oscar had rented, where he immediately collapsed in the backseat.

Again, he struggled to stay awake as Oscar got behind the wheel and sped toward I-10. Adele, who was sitting next to him, placed her hand on his.

“Why don’t you rest? You need it. We still have a four-hour drive ahead of us. You draining all of your strength isn’t going to do you any good or make this any easier.”

“What if I don’t wake up?”

“That won’t happen. I’ll be keeping watch over you the entire time, okay?”

“Okay,” he said, too tired to put up any more fight than that. He slumped up against the window and let his fatigue win out.

* * * *

It took all of Armand’s energy to call for a cab to take him from his hotel to Narcisse’s apartment. He knew there was no possible way he could handle the walk, and he didn’t want to have to try to figure out the bus system with his head as foggy as it was. But he could handle telling a driver an address and handing over whatever cash was necessary.

“2439 Catherine Street,” he croaked out as he hobbled into the cab.

The driver glanced back with a wary expression. “You okay, buddy? You look more like you need to be taken to the hospital.”