Authors: Charlotte Rose
“Oh, they’re gators all right,” Serafine said. “But they’re men, too. Just watch.” She began the ancient chant, and as the calming words flowed out of her mouth, Oscar felt his animal spirit relinquish control over his body. His limbs lengthened and human skin began to grow back onto his body. His snout shrank until his mouth and nose were of human proportions, and the tail disappeared. Suddenly, he was back in the water, though now he was completely naked. His clothes had slid off of his body during the change, and were now floating around in the water. He hurried to grab them before approaching the boat.
Swimming to the side of the boat, he climbed in carefully, trying to avoid toppling the vessel again. All he wanted to do was get some answers. When he looked at the expression on Serafine’s face, he suspected that not only did she know exactly what was going on, but it wasn't going to be easy to get a direct answer.
A panting Xavier joined him in the boat.
“I’m sorry, man,” Oscar said, still gasping for air. “I don’t know what the fuck came over me.”
“I bet Serafine does,” Xavier said, loud enough for her to hear.
But the second the strange woman realized they were back to human form, she started freaking out all over again.
“What the fuck is going on here?” she screamed. When she saw the startled looks on their faces, she paused and started to take long, deep breaths. “No, no, this isn’t happening. This just isn’t happening. I stayed out in the sun too long. I didn’t drink enough water. I ate some spoiled food for lunch. I never actually woke up from my nap. That’s it. I’m still dreaming. This is just a dream.”
The woman seemed so calm when she decided she was dreaming that Oscar hated to see Serafine reach over and pinch her.
I wish I could pinch her
, he found himself thinking, and wished that they were still in gator form so that Xavier could sense his thoughts and be in on the joke.
“Ouch! What the hell did you do that for?” she asked, rubbing her arm.
Serafine grinned. “You sure you’re dreamin’, girl?”
The woman slowly turned her head toward Oscar and Xavier, and her breathing sped up again. “Oh, God, I can’t believe I’m not dreaming.”
“If it makes you feel any better, neither can we,” Oscar said. Despite her frazzled state, he could tell she was gorgeous. He imagined the messy, curly brown hair she currently had pulled up would look gorgeous when spread out over a cool, white pillowcase. He could envision the curvaceous outline of her petite body through the dingy clothes and rubber boots that covered her. Her face was red from crying and hyperventilating, but her bright blue eyes had a gorgeous sparkle.
Serafine reached over and smoothed the woman’s hair. “Would ya feel better if we made some introductions? I’m Serafine Maxtent. These two are Oscar Galvez and Xavier Dupart.”
Oscar ran a hand through his wavy hair and nodded to the woman. “Pleased to meet you.”
Xavier carefully reached out across the boat, extending his hand. He was so tall he appeared to loom over her, and Oscar didn’t begrudge Adele for looking even more nervous. But she allowed him a gentle handshake.
“I—” She paused, as if uncertain whether or not to trust them with her name. “I’m Adele Roche. And quite frankly, I’m a little worried that I’m having some sort of hallucination, so I think perhaps I should be leaving.”
Serafine chuckled. “Don’t worry, this is all real. I’ll explain in a second. First, let’s just make sure nobody happens to sail this way for a little bit.” She reached into her robes and pulled out a small bag. Opening it, she dumped a pile of black powder into her hand and tossed it into the air. Then, she started to speak.
Spirits of the bayou
Shadows of the water
Invisible creatures of the world
Gather ’round so you may hear
Gather ’round so you may see
Gather ’round so you may be
Unified as one being
Acting as our guardians
Our shields and our protectors
Hiding these forms from the light of day
From the senses of searchers
So even if they seek us out
We cannot be found
So let it be
Brushing off her hands, she turned back to Adele and smiled. “That spell means we’re protected for an hour. Now, what are you doin’ out here, Ms. Roche?”
Adele straightened up, as though she was trying to make herself look taller than her five-foot-five frame. But Oscar could see that she had gone white. “I—I’m a biology professor at Tulane.” She nodded toward a small box at the bottom of her boat. Oscar noticed that her hands were shaking, but when she caught him staring, she quickly stuffed them into her pockets. “I was out here collecting samples for my research.”
Her voice cracked slightly, and she stopped to take a deep breath. Oscar felt sorry that she was so scared, but when he reached out to give her a reassuring pat on the shoulder, she took a quick step back. He quickly dropped his hand, not wanting to intimidate her further.
“Just as I was finishing up, I saw these two pull up in their boat and pull out beer. I tried to stop them, because this is a protected area, and only certain people are allowed to enter.” At this point, she stood up even straighter, throwing her shoulders back. Oscar couldn’t help but noticed the way her actions enhanced her full, round breasts.
“You need to have a special permit,” Adele explained. “And the state doesn’t give those out to beer-drinking locals looking for a place to while away the afternoon.”
Serafine laughed. “Girl, we don’t need no permit to be on these waters. This is our land.”
Adele blinked. “Excuse me? Your land? These marshes are not your land. We’re several miles away from any sort of area that humans can inhabit.”
“Yes, but as you might have noticed, we ain’t exactly human.”
“I–I suppose that’s true.”
“Why don’t you come back to the congregation with us? We’re havin’ ourselves a little celebration tonight, in light of it bein’ the equinox and all that. Spring is finally here, winter finally done gone.”
Oscar could see Adele go pale at the thought. “Thank you, but really, I need to get these samples back to the lab, and I should just go on home. It’s really been quite a long day.”
“Aw, you’re just afraid is all,” Serafine said. “Can’t say I blame you. But there’s an explanation for everything you saw today, and it’ll be more enjoyable for me to tell you all about it over a nice bowl of gumbo.”
“I do appreciate your hospitality, but I’m beginning to doubt my own sanity here, so maybe it would be for the best if I just went on my way.”
“Honey, I promise you, these men might look tough, but they ain’t gonna hurt you, and neither am I. We’re just gonna go back to the congregation, have a little supper, and then I’ll send you on your way.”
“What if I can’t find my way back from your home?”
“I’ll escort you personally, if that’s what you want.”
Oscar heard Adele’s stomach rumble, and he couldn’t help but laugh.
Adele narrowed her eyes at him. “What’s so funny?”
“I just have a feelin’ you’re suddenly more keen on acceptin’ our dinner invitation.”
“I have food at home.”
“You work at Tulane, honey. You ain’t gonna get to the port for at least an hour. And then you have to take your stuff to the lab before you can go home. Might as well just get some dinner with us before you head out for the night.”
Adele sighed. Oscar could see the debate she was having with herself.
“Fine,” she finally said. “But only if I get some more answers to my questions.”
“I already promised that,” Serafine said with a grin. “Don’t worry. It’ll all make sense once we’ve sat down an’ talked it out.”
Oscar shot Xavier a look of optimism, and Xavier gave him a slight smile. Then he turned back toward Adele. “We’re just as interested in gettin’ some answers as you are.”
“Okay, then,” she said, finally revving up her engine. “Show me the way.”
Turning on the ignition to his own boat, Oscar caught Adele’s eye, and she gave him a small smile. Another powerful feeling surged within him, and for a moment, he worried he’d shift again. But this time his body didn’t change, although the power of her gorgeous eyes still pulsed in his body as he set the boat in motion and began to pilot home.
Chapter Two
What the hell am I doing?
Adele asked herself as she followed Serafine’s boat through the swamps. Oscar and Xavier sailed behind her so that if at any point she and Serafine became separated, they could ensure she’d make it back to the congregation safely. She couldn’t believe that she’d willingly decided to follow them. Then again, she couldn’t believe two men had changed into alligators right before her eyes.
After a few miles, the soft glow of white lights appeared on the horizon. As they pulled closer, Adele gasped at the beautiful village of houseboats that was floating along the river. The boats were all decorated with paper lanterns in a variety of colors, and for a moment, Adele believed she had sailed into a magical realm where everything was bathed in a soft rainbow of colors.
Though given everything else I’ve seen today, maybe that isn’t a completely unrealistic proposition
.
“Welcome home,” Serafine said, smiling over at Adele.
Adele gave a tense smile. She felt it would be best not to contradict her guide back to New Orleans, even if this place bore no resemblance to the home she actually had.
“Your community is gorgeous,” Adele said.
Serafine nodded. “Ain’t it? These boats all suffered during Katrina, but we’ve built everything back up since then. Even our fishing business has survived all these tough times.”
Before Adele could respond, two pale, blond men poked their heads out of a second-story window.
“Hey, Serafine! Any new thoughts on that rescue plan yet?” one of the men yelled.
“Not yet, Manuel.” Both men frowned, and Adele began to feel nervous, wondering what sort of strange congregation she had walked into.
“Cheer up!” Serafine continued. “I got company with me. Xavier and Oscar gave her a big ol’ scare down in the swamp.”
Suddenly, their eyes perked up.
“What do you mean by a scare?” the second man asked
The first man laughed. “Don’t answer that. I think we know what she means. Bring her aboard! We’ve been cooking on this boat all day.”
“What did they mean?” Adele asked Oscar and Xavier as they tied up their boats on the fragile-looking docks sticking out of the water.
Xavier grunted. “I don’t think she’ll say anythin’ until we sit down for dinner.”
Adele tried to keep her frustration in check as they crossed the dock and the first man held out his hand to help them into the boat.
If they wanted to kill me, they could have drowned me out in the swamp. I need to calm down.
“My name is Manuel Vitrac,” the blond man said once Adele was safely on the boat. “And this is Andre Celestin.”
“Adele Roche. Are you two in charge here?”
Manuel gave a hearty laugh. “I suppose we are, but only a little bit. We’re more of a collective than anythin’ else. Serafine’s the one who’s really in charge, though. She’s keeps us all together. You can always ask her if you have any questions.”
Adele gave another tight smile. “Serafine seems to delay answering my questions.”
Andre laughed. “You’ll understand why when she finally tells you.
Oscar and Xavier climbed aboard and nodded toward Manuel and Andre.
“It would be nice if someone would enlighten us now,” Xavier grumbled.
“All in good time,” Manuel said. “But for now, it smells like the food is ready. Let’s go eat, and then we’ll explain everything.”
Walking into the cabin to get some dinner, Adele couldn’t believe how big the boat was. It looked like at least three dozen people could live there. The food was laid out in the kitchen, which was twice as spacious as the one in her apartment. Despite the number of people scattered around, the space didn’t feel claustrophobic.