Page 25 of Nita's Redemption

“What the fuck, man?” Tank pushed him backward.

“Get outta my way,” Abe’s mumbled, his tone odd sounding.

Nita moved fast, gripping Abe’s arm and spun him to face her. She began chanting, words sounding garbled to Abe’s ears, yet his body jerked and shook. He tried to concentrate on her voice as his muscles were locked in some battle that he wasn’t in charge of.

Seconds, minutes, hours passed. Hell, he didn’t know how long he was a virtual prisoner in his own body.

Sweat dripped off of him, soaking his T-shirt and jeans. The need to take a cold shower was high on his list of things to do, but he also wanted to find out what the fuck happened. His breaths came in ragged gasps. He took a moment to look around, stunned to see he was on the floor in their dining room with the table and chairs pushed all the way against the wall.

“Yikes, y’all must’ve done some remodeling while I was whatever I was. Anyone care to tell me what the hell happened and how long I was in fucked up land?” He ran his hands down his face, the slight bristles the same as earlier, so at least it hadn’t been days. Yeehaw.

“Nita recognized the trance you were under.” Link waved his hand toward their mate.

She took a deep breath. “There are things I remember from before my mama was killed. She spoke of a male who was known as Papa Legba. That is the name of the Voodoo King. He acts as the intermediary between Loa and humanity. He is known by many names according to the region he is being worshiped. Papa Legba is the guardian of the center of power as well as support in the home. He is depicted as an old and feeble man with a cane in Haitian religion and often associated with dogs, which are sacred to him. As he is one of the most important characters who know all the languages, the service begins by offering prayers to him first. Red is the color that is commonly associated with Legba. And then there’s Baron Samedi, one of the Loa from Haitian religion who is the god of death. Baron Samedi is depicted as someone who resembles a dead person being taken for burial. He usually is seen wearing a coat with black tails, a top hat, dark glasses, and nostrils plugged with cotton. He also has the powers of healing someone with black magic and Vodou curses. Baron spends most of his time in the invisible realm of Vodou spirits. He is the leader of the Guede, a Loa family who work with the dead.” Nita closed her eyes, twisting her neck from side-to-side.

“What does that have to do with me?” Abe asked a little growl at the end of his words.

Tank growled, halting as Nita placed her hand in the center of his chest.

“It’s okay. I’m trying to explain the history of my ancestry to all of you. Papa Legba of Vodou was syncretized with St. Peter who is the keeper of the keys to the gates of heaven. Many rituals are held privately as it serves to connect the followers to their ancestors. There are temples dedicated to Voodoo as well as alters. People visit the tomb of Marie Laveau, who is a famous practitioner of Voodoo to pay their homage. If you were to go to New Orleans, you’d find shops all around the city that offer products related to Voodoo practices and assistance in a ritual. The women who came looking for me... they are practitioners of either Voodoo or Vodou.”

“I know a little about Voodoo, but I wasn’t aware there were different versions,” Tank murmured, his focus was on Nita and Abe.

“Continue, Nita, please.” Abe rested against the wall.

“Well, Vodou teaches that there are over a thousand lwa. The lwa can offer help, protection, and counsel to humans in return for ritual service. They are regarded as the intermediaries of Bondye, and as having wisdom that is useful for humans, although they are not seen as moral exemplars practitioners should imitate. Each lwa has its own personality and is associated with specific colors, days of the week, and objects. The lwa can be either loyal or capricious in their dealings with their devotees; Vodouists believe that the lwa are easily offended. For instance, if offered food that they dislike. When angered, the lwa are believed to remove their protection from their devotees or to inflict misfortune, illness, or madness on an individual. This makes those who seek something from the Iwi especially dangerous as they will do anything to stay in their favor. I believe the females have made a deal with an entity and will do anything to ensure their bargain is fulfilled. They sacrifice animals to their God. We are shifters. To them, we are the ultimate animal.”

Silence descended around them. Abe opened his mouth and shut it several times before he got up from the floor, holding his hand out to halt Tank from trying to tackle him. “I do not feel the urge to rush out the door anymore. I don’t know how those females got to me, but fucking hell they must’ve. It wasn’t here on pack lands, so it had to have been when we ran into them in town. I do remember brushing against one of them. It was a second nothing longer. I didn’t even scent her on me.”

The disgust he felt at not recognizing the duplicity that nearly cost him and his people weighed heavily on him.

Nita moved in front of him, not allowing him to push her away. “Stop it right this instant, Abe. If there're fingers to point anywhere, it should be at me. They’re my kin. I didn’t recognize their scent on you. I didn’t feel their disturbance when you woke in the middle of the night or when you were fighting their call. So you want to blame someone then blame me.” She poked her finger at her chest, making a little red spot appear after she’d jabbed herself several times.

Abe snatched her hand, bent, and kissed the little hurt.

“Well if we’re handing out blame, I guess I should take some. I’m supposed to be the protector. I even did a sweep before we turned in for the night but felt nothing out of place,” Tank snarled.

Link held his hand up. “I’m your twin, and I didn’t sense anything. Hell, I didn’t even have a twin sensation that had me wanting to go with you. Should I be blamed for being disconnected?”

He snuggled Nita closer to his body, rested his cheek on the top of her head, meeting Link’s then Tank’s stares. His lips tilted into a wry grin.

“You both are assholes, you know that? As for you, missy, you are never to blame for anything unless it’s good things like making my dick hard, making my heart happy, and turning our world upside down in the best of ways. Basically you’re to blame for all things good. Got it?”

Nita didn’t say anything for a long moment then she lifted her head. “I’m scared, guys.”

“Mi sreco, if there’s breath left in any of our bodies, you will always be safe. That is something you can trust and believe. As for those females, we’ll contact the others in the morning. For now, let’s get some sleep.” Tank ran his hand down her back, settling on her hip.

“Um, I should tell you I sent a call out to the demonesses and asked if they could put a shield of protection over our place while we were talking.” Nita bit her lip.

Abe smiled. “Good call. If those crazy females have put a ward of protection around us, then I feel secure enough to go and rest for a few hours, and no, you are not going to touch my dick. You’re sore.”

TANK SWOOPED IN AND lifted Nita off her feet, nuzzling her face with his nose. “You smell so damn good, but Abe is right. We are all going to go to sleep for a few hours. Sleep, you sexy thing. Goddess, we are truly blessed to have you as ours.” Tank clarified the sleeping part when she ran her hand down his chest, scratching her nail over his nipple.

“Why I do declare, you three can’t keep up with little ole me,” Nita said in an exaggerated southern drawl.

He entered their bedroom which had been picked up with clean bedding replacing the messed up one they’d been lying on. Link and his need to take care of them was a true blessing since he and Abe were a little on the messy side. Of course, now they had their Fated Mate they all needed to pitch in, so she didn’t think they were a bunch of slobs.

“Hmm, I like the idea of you guys taking care of me while I lie around eating steak and cheese fries and being waited on hand and foot,” she murmured.

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