Bayou Summons Read online

  A Dark Eden Press Publication

  www.darkedenpress.com

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

  Bayou Summons Copyright© 2007 Missy Sue Hanson

  Edited by Billi Graham

  Cover art by Missy Sue Hanson

  Electronic book Publication: June 2007

  This book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Dark Eden Press, Inc.® 8824 Jeanes Lane, Alvarado, TX 76009

  This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the authors’ imagination and used fictitiously.

  [email protected]

  www.missysuehanson.com

  www.thewhispermoon.com

  Bayou Summons

  Missy Sue Hanson

  For Mr. Scott Wayne Nolan, the man who pointed to the stars and told me to reach for one

  Prologue

  The little girl was frightened, that much she could tell. Her hair hanging in matted knots, she wrung her hands in her lap.

  “I can’t find my teddy or my blankie!” she said in a panic. “I’ve looked everywhere, I had them, they were in my hands, and then they were just gone!”

  Sensing the confusion in the little girl, she laid a hand on her hair and soothed, “Oh, honey, don’t worry. When you leave here they will be waiting for you, I promise. Along with everything else you’ve ever lost. I know it’s spooky, but I’m here with you, just look into my eyes and you will be at peace.”

  Hesitating, the little girl's big blue eyes glanced her way. “I’m really scared, what about mommy and daddy? Will they be there?”

  “Not yet, but before you know it, they will be. An eternity here is the equivalent to just one second where you’re going. Don’t be afraid, look into my eyes, sweetie.”

  “Thank you for being so nice.” she said as she looked up into circles of glittering green.

  There was a quick flash, then a burn in her skull, located directly behind her pupils. The power and energy burst into one as sparks flew around woman and child. The effervescent glow came to an eruption, sending showers of simmering embers raining down on the woman who now sat alone. The child with the big blue eyes had gone home.

  Chapter 1

  Summer Peters slammed the door of the car as she listened to the grumble of her angry bones. Cramping yourself in a car for twelve hours was a good way to get an angry response from your muscles. After hopping around a bit, she glanced around. The dust from the gravel she had kicked up was just settling. She hadn’t paid much attention on the way in. She had still been on auto pilot, tuning out the screaming in her legs and the lullaby of the engine. Summer had a singular mission; get there, get out, sleep.

  Looking around she had the odd sensation that she had just danced around in a scene from a vampire movie. Louisiana was already proving to be the stuff of magic. Moss hung from the trees and a fine mist covered the green grass to her left. The subtropical climate had her long blonde curls clinging to her neck and her pants were sticking to the insides of her legs. Summer didn’t wear shorts, she simply wouldn’t. It came from envying the willowy figures of women she had known, herself being a scant five feet with stubby legs built for soccer instead of ballet. As if on a dare, she shook her head at the sun hanging above. No, way, you can blaze to 120 degrees and I still wont wear shorts!, she thought to herself.

  The inn she had booked ahead of time should be just ahead, according to her map. The website had boasted pictures of a stately Louisiana manor, complete with double-decker balconies and a path through the swamp beyond the garden. She was going to like being here. It would be hard to leave when her research was complete. In awe, she saw across the lawn the start of what looked like a main street, with buildings lining each side of the cobblestone street. Maybe she would look into the real estate here, finally put down some roots.

  Out of the corner of her eye, Summer caught a glimpse of black. Turning her head in that direction, she saw a man standing by a bench. The rest of him was blurry due to the condensation building on the lenses of her glasses. The feeling she got was not blurry at all. She felt a sizzle in the air and could swear the stranger was intensely surveying her, as if he was sizing her up… that was weird. Shrugging, she headed back towards her car fighting the urge to look back. Giving in to the urge, she looked back at the man. He was still staring, though this time he gave a nod in her direction. She responded with a nod of her own and then slumped back into her seat to start the car.

  “Are you lost, mademoiselle?”

  The silky, Creole accent had her jumping in the seat. Putting her hand to her heart, she exclaimed, “Lord Almighty! What are you trying to do? Scare somebody to death?”

  Her words and venomous curses came to a halt when she lifted her head to yell at the voice. A massive person stood at her window. He was by far the tallest man she had ever seen with broad shoulders that blocked the sun. Green eyes, like her own, only more fluid. Shoulder length hair the color of caramels that brushed the collar of his black shirt.

  Placing his hands on the window frame, he stooped closer. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you. I just saw you hopping around and thought maybe you could use some help. Thought maybe a snake had spooked you.”

  “No, no snake. I was just loosening up my legs, is all.”

  “Oh, okay. You must be new in town. I’m Cayden Beauvais.” He said as he extended one huge hand towards her, taking her hand in his. There was an unexpected heat, a shimmer below the surface. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Beauvais, I’m Summer Peters,” she announced.

  Removing his palm from hers, Cayden studied her for a moment. Tilting his head he asked “You’re the Dr. Peters” Shaking his head in disbelief, he said, “I pictured her being older, more wrinkles, with maybe a pair of those bifocal deals hanging from her neck. You know the chains that have beads on them and such?”

  For all his rather imposing good looks, this man was seriously annoying. You’d think with a face like that charm would come natural especially in Creole country, but apparently it did not. “It was nice meeting you, Mr. Beauvais, but if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to get going. I’m in desperate need of a shower and sleep.”

  “By all means, call me Cayden. Are you staying at the inn?” His warm accent was easy to get lost in.

  “Yes, I am actually. The Lilith Plantation House, it’s just up the road, right?” she asked.

  “That it is. When you get there tell Lurleene to make you her famous oyster pie, best in Louisiana.”

  “Maybe I’ll do that, I’ll see you around.” She began to shift the car into drive.

  With an unabashed grin on his face, he said “Oh, that you will, mademoiselle, that you will. And remember, it’s Cayden.” She watched as he walked back across the lawn to the bench she had seen him by earlier. He sat, propped his elbows up on the back of the iron and stretched his legs out.

  This small town, named after her favorite season, Harvest, was beginning to feel like a different corner of the world altogether, complete with impossibly gorgeous men, albeit bothersome with a lazy quality to life. Summer was used to loud cities. People honking while talking on cell phones, always rushing to this or that place. She didn’t see any of that. Driving down the oak lined gravel drive, she thought of what she had seen so far.

  She hadn’t seen much and had only met one townie, but she got the feeling that here, it was almost as if time slowed the steam and fog in the air making it unthinkable to move or even talk fast. Her limbs seemed to liquefy and every word came out in a deliberate drawl, tainted with drowsiness, as if the town had all the time in the world. She couldn’t wait to meet others who
resided here. She had wanted to jump in an icy shower, sleep for twelve hours, and then start her research. Now she was feeling energetic, ready to unravel the mystery behind Harvest.

  Chapter 2

  Cayden relaxed as he sat back down on his favorite bench in town. He didn’t know why it was his favorite; there were plenty of others lining either side of the street. Maybe it was because this one was a little more private. It wasn’t directly in the hub of middle afternoon activity that regularly took place on Creole Way

  , the main street of Harvest, Louisiana. He could kiss the bench today for giving him an opportune moment to meet a fine specimen of a woman. Or he could kiss his altar where he had performed the divination that told him to be at this spot at exactly 3:30 pm. That was when she had showed up.

  He had been confused when he looked over his shoulder and saw a petite woman jumping around, in long pants no less. It might be nearing Halloween, but it was still close to 75 degrees. That was his first hint that she was an outsider. He knew just about everyone in this town anyway. Cayden watched as she did a little dance, her cat-like glasses bouncing up and down on her face. Then a thought had struck him. What if it was a snake? They were always coming up out of the bayou that bordered the Lilith Plantation. He would find them on the sidewalks sometimes. Mostly they were left alone, the people of Harvest being inclined to magic, the snakes were seen as the good omen they were.

  This newcomer, though, she wouldn’t know what to do. She might frighten the snake and get bit. Starting to make a beeline for her, he stopped as she lifted her head to the sky, glimpsed around. The genuine awe in her face struck something deep inside him. Cayden’s heart nearly stopped beating when she fixed her gaze on him. Immediately there was a vibration, a welling in his palms that told him he wasn’t alone. There was another person near, besides himself, who possessed a dark art. The aura was unfamiliar, a warning. He had never felt anything like it before. Seeing as he knew every dark-arter in this town, he concluded it was the blonde haired beauty staring back at him. Just great! That was all he needed, a witch from a warring coven coming here to get the skinny on their operations.

  Talking to her had done nothing but disprove his theory that all women were warm and inviting. The invitations usually consisted of more than he wanted. Cayden had learned over the years that he had an uncanny way with the female species. She must have cast a spell, one to keep her from getting involved with the people she was collecting evidence to destroy. He didn’t think so. Something about her aura told him that she was a different breed of dark-arter and she might not know it. It was time to call the coven, see if anyone had any information on this beautiful new addition to Harvest.

  ***

  Lugging her suitcases up the stairs to the inn, she was taking care not to ding or scratch the white paint. Even the steps looked pristine.

  “Oh, Darling!” A splendid black woman stood at the door to the plantation. “Leave those, Alfie will be along to get them shortly. Come in, Come in!” She gestured with one elegant bejeweled hand towards the inside of the house.

  “Thank you, Ma’am,” Summer said as she stepped into the foyer. The ceiling fan was a monster. The largest she had ever seen. Closing her eyes, she relished in the cool breeze. “Feels good, then? We are truly original here at Lilith so we have no air conditioning, but we seem to get by.” The woman looked like she did a lot more than get by, Summer felt like a peasant standing next to her and was all too aware that she hadn’t bathed in almost 24 hours. She wondered if she was stinking up the foyer. “Call me Lurleene, Sweet.”

  “Oh, Lurleene, I just met a man down the road, he said I should ask for some of your famous oyster pie.” Summer said, hoping she hadn’t already over stepped her boundaries in this beautiful place.

  “Oh, he did, did he now?” Lurleene’s mile was a mile wide as she swept one skinny hand to her chest, splaying out her fingers so that the prisms from her diamonds did a dance on the wall. “The only man in this town to do something like that would be Cayden. He just loves to stir up trouble.”

  Taking one step up the wide stairs, she gestured for Summer to follow. “You see, Cayden knows I envied my momma’s oyster soup and he also knows I can’t make it.” The sound of her laughter reverberated through the huge hallway. In width, it was larger than the last room Summer had slept and worked in, endless days and nights that eventually all melted together.

  “This is the most gorgeous room I’ve ever seen,” she said. Spinning, she tried to look at everything at once.

  “Whoa, now, you might want to stop spinning there, Sugar. You’ll flat faint if you keep that up and at my age I might go down right alongside you just for watching.” Lurleene looked as if she were breaking a sweat. Feeling like a little kid, Summer blushed and kept her head straight.

  “Have you ever been to Louisiana before, Ms. Peters?” Lurleene asked as she paused in front of a door, her hand on the knob.

  “No, I haven’t.” Summer felt a giddy excitement at the thought of living here for the next few months. She tamped it down, so as not to look childish in front of Lurleene again. “I’ve always wanted to, though. I’ve dreamed about it ever since I was little. I used to draw pictures, too. I’d post them on my wall at home and pretend I was here.” The thought of home had painful memories rushing up to meet her.

  Both her parents died awhile back, but that wasn’t what made her sad. It was remembering the endless tests, counseling and therapy they had made her endure. It gave her a headache just thinking about it. When she had been very little, Summer hadn’t known the things she saw were better kept to herself. After telling her mom, she had freaked, pushing her into every session, having doctors prescribe her little girl the newest craze in therapeutic drugs. Lurleene’s voice cut off the visit to her past.

  “Well then, Sugar, say hello to your dreams.” She spoke in a hushed tone as she slowly turned the knob and opened the door. Stepping back, Lurleene held the door open with an expression pasted to her face that Summer couldn’t quite figure out.

  “Are you okay?” She asked, beginning to feel nervous about this woman’s faculties.

  “Hmmm… Oh, yes, of course. We’re very old-world around here. I follow every Creole tradition my momma taught me. One of them is to never walk into someone’s domain ahead of them, brings them bad luck.” There was a hint of pride in her voice and Summer could see she was very serious. At least she wouldn’t be the only one around here who believed in strange things.

  Interested, Summer said, “I would love to hear about that if you have time at some point. That’s actually the reason I’m here. I’m researching for a book on the myth of magic.”

  “A myth?” The wondrous woman let out a snort so loud that it echoed off the walls. “Honey, there is no myth to magic. It’s real. I’ve seen it, felt it, it was a presence in my life since I was little.” The last sentence came out as a whoosh of breath, with words stringing together on account of how fast she was speaking them. Summer mentally patted herself on the back for already making an enemy, one whose roof she would be under for the unforeseeable future.

  Quickly searching for an explanation, Summer bit her lip. “I know that’s why I write the books that I do. I don’t know if I believe in it, but I certainly know it’s there. It’s been a big part of my life, too.” There was no way she was going to spill the beans about what her research books really were. What the driving force was. Somehow, she would have answers. Someday those answers would prove that she wasn’t crazy or deficient in some way.

  Chapter 3

  Summer had showered in a claw foot tub, reveling in the splendor she found herself in. After towel drying her hair and putting on jeans and a sweatshirt, she headed out for the main street that ran through the town. Armed with her notebook and camera, she crossed the bench where she had seen Mr. Beauvais. It seemed strange to call him that. He certainly didn’t look like anyone’s mister. Laughing to herself, she looked up. Before her stretched rows of slab buildings, ea
ch containing its own second story balcony, vibrantly colored flowers and vines burst forth from the railings, hanging down and twining themselves around the wrought iron.

  Wanting to capture this moment, she grabbed for her camera. Snapping away at the scenes, movement caught her eye on one of the balconies. It was Cayden leaning on the balcony staring directly at her, his mouth twisted in a devilish grin. Winking, he nodded her way. Summer nodded back, feeling foolish for not being able to turn her gaze. She felt locked there, suspended in an instant that made everything else around him go black, making him the only thing she could see.

  Shaking out of it, Summer turned her head. But, not being able to resist, she glanced up again. He was gone. She really needed to get some sleep; she was beginning to have hallucinations. She couldn’t leave this new adventure left unexplored just yet, though. Maybe she’d just take a peek into some of the stores and then go back to the inn.

  One store stood out in particular. The wooden sign hanging from rusted hinges read, “The Enchanted Attic”. It was carved with images of fairies and hooded figures. Summer knew she had to check it out. Pulling on the brass doorknob, she entered the little shop. It smelled of lavender and myrrh, with a little frankincense mixed in. Crystals hung from clear cords in the ceiling beams, along with herbs that were tied with ribbon and left to dry. Bookshelves lined one wall. Witchcraft, sorcery, fairies, voodoo, all books put in their labeled section.

  Summer wondered over to a talisman that hung on the wall. It looked like a dream catcher, but she couldn’t be sure.

  “That there is a spirit catcher.” A deep female voice with a thick French accent stunned her from behind. Jumping a little, she turned. A woman wearing a brightly colored turban stood eyeing here, expressionless.