Chapter 44: Guests

Crystal

I hope Bayou made the right decision, if so, I am grateful that I changed my clothes earlier before coming here, just in case something big happens.

“Are you here to see papa?” A small girl no younger than seven said, as we all stood in front of two large brown doors. Her eyes were a pure light chocolate, and she has curly blond hair. Her completion is very light, and she had very puffy red cheeks. She is wearing a long pink puffy dress, with a ribbon tied behind her head. She looked so adorable.

“Aye, lass, can you tell him his friend is here,” Bayou bent down on his knees, eye to eye with the young girl. The girl tilted her head.

“Who are you, mister? Papa told me to never let a stranger in,” her voice sounded like a small squeaky toy. Max shook his head while Belle kept taking controlled breaths.

“Tell your papa that I’m Captain Bayou, he’ll know who I am,” Bayou’s voice was very tender, his expression was so soft toward the girl, I smiled gently at the display.

He looked like he’s good with children, the blond little girl blinked at him, then her small eyes widened.

“PAPA, PIRATE! PAPA, PIRATE, A BLOODY PIRATE IS ON OUR HOUSE!” she yelled, causing me to laugh nervously.

“Well, that was nice of her,” I rubbed my hands. Bayou stood up and turned toward us.

Max sighed deeply and said to him.

“Let’s all have a nice dinner, and for dessert, our heads on a platter, with our own blood as a sauce to give it a kick, you know my soul will take some time to prepare, no, a long time, mind you,” Max hissed through his teeth.

“While we don’t say anything that Crystal is not the princess or is the princess, we were good,” Bayou answers him, while he turned to face me.

Well, there goes Max warning, from earlier today, I sighed.

“Then what do we say, she’s our maid?” Max snapped. I looked up to stare at Bayou’s silver eyes.

“Say whatever you want, and we’ll play along, and if anything, use your powers, he doesn’t know about them, only a few do,” he explained to me.

“Don’t worry, I can handle myself,” I assured him. He sighed and shook his head. A set of heavy footsteps is heard on our right. Turning my head, I see a tall, lean man, wearing a horrible white wig in a horrible braid, around his mid-thirties, with a thin face, and thin eyebrows. His lips were thin as well and he had a tall posture.

“I don’t see any family resemblance,” I whispered, causing Bayou to looked down at me, and the corner of his lips to twitch up at the sides.

“Aye, his looked matches his personality, apparently God knew who to bless with the good looks,” he cracked his neck and fixed his collar smirking before giving me a wink, as he walked right in. I rolled my eyes at him.

“Seriously, he has ego issues,” I mumbled to myself.

Max followed Bayou in, and Belle stood next to me, her body tense. I could have sworn I heard her growl.

“Calm down, Bayou knows what he is doing,” I took her hand and gave her a comforting pat. She glanced down at me.

“I know, but knowing that she is here and I can do nothing, makes it hard to contain myself. I want to kill that bastard, but seeing that he has a daughter, oh God, why?” she shook her head. I frowned and turned to face Bayou and Max.

“My dear guests, welcome to my humble abode,” his voice was similar to Bayou, but with a less pronounced accent, it flows more smoothly from his lips.

“See Papa, now kill them,” the little child ran toward him, pointing at Bayou. I moved getting irritated, but Belle held me back.

“Don’t,” she shook her head at me. I grasped the edge of the door.

“Her father is bad, showing that to a young child, killing is not an option,” I told her, she nodded, but didn’t reply. I heard Bayou chuckle.

“Cute little lass, you got there, I see this little fresh apple didn’t fall too far from the rotten tree. It’s sad to see that, ” Bayou told him. The Duke gave him a dark look and he bent down to place his hand on the child’s shoulder.

“Isabelle, go with Mama, she’s waiting for you, it’s almost tea time,” his voice was tender. I watched Max and Bayou’s bodies turn tense, after the mention of Isabelle. I wonder why? The little girl nodded.

“Oh, teatime, tea time with Mama,” she clapped, then she glanced up at Bayou.

“You better not do anything sneaky you bloody pirate,” she gave him a dark look, then turned around to run up the stairs.

“Isabelle? Huh, very nice lass. Well, she isn’t going to grow up spoiled,” Bayou oozed out with sarcasm, crossing his arms. The Duke laughed, and then he spotted us, his right brow lifted, and his dark eyes landed on me. I mentally groaned.

“In the honor of your dear old ma, may her soul rest in peace,” he bowed. Max balled up his hands, growling with rage, but the duke ignored him.

“Thanks for the lovely thought, she’s probably twisting in her grave with joy,” Bayou ground out.

“It’s my job cousin, and who are these two? The princess I assume?” he asked, walking around them, going up to me. I felt my heart beat nervously while Belle gave him a dark smile. I cleared my throat.

“Those two? I thought you had seen the princess upfront, from what I recall, you and the king were closer than two dogs in heat,” his statement caused me to blush, and the Duke gave him a sinister glare. I could feel the tension becoming thicker and thicker, as each word passed their lips.

“Very funny Captain Bayou,” he turned toward me.

“I was trying to keep it clean,” Bayou answers me, but his cousin ignores him.

“Hello, ladies, and who might you be?”

I breathed out.

“E’llo the’re, my na’me is Cassie and th’is is my older sister Patricia,” I changed my tone, using a heavy accent. Max and Bayou arched a brow at my sudden change of voice and tone. The Duke gave me a strange look.

“Ugh, an ugly looking thing you are, but your sister is very attractive,” he was bluntly honest, lustily smiling at her. I felt Belle’s hand tighten on mine, while I fisted my hand, ready to punch him.

Oh man, he’s worse than Captain Jones, or maybe a pair, eww. Don’t let him get to you

“My lo’rd, do all resep’ect, you aren’t too far fro’m me, yo’re not easy on the eyes eithe’r, poor wife you ha’ve, must he’ve married you fo’r your ti’tle, since is the on’ly thing that att’rack someone to you,” I tilted my head giving him a forced smile.

Bayou covered his mouth with his hand, to let out a fit of laughter. Max tightened his lips while Belle coughed out. His dark eyes narrowed.

“You insolent child, how dare you speak that way to me?” he sounded just like the king himself.

“I da’re, I’m only a slave to the blo’ody pirate over there, so do as you wish sir, it don’t both’er me.”

I felt my hands slick with sweat. He lifted his arm up ready to slap me, just like the king.

“You little wench.” I flinched, ready for that slap.

“Bloody hell, if you lay one dirty finger on her, I swear that hand of yours won’t ever touch another woman, as long as you live, and it will become my personal back scratcher,” I heard Bayou’s threatening voice. I opened my eyes, to see him holding the Duke’s arm. He simply chuckled at Bayou.

“You were always the ladies’ man, no matter how ugly and foul mouthed, they were, so they are your slaves? Then where’s the princess?” he asked.

“Aye, they are, and wouldn’t you like to know.”

Belle cleared her throat.

“Don’t mind my sister, she has no manners, our mother died when she was very young. I had to sell myself to keep food in her mouth, then I met the pirate, he took pity on us, and took us into bed when they were bored, I don’t mind, at least they were kinder than many men I encountered.” Belle plainly lied. I frowned, feeling bad for making this up.

I hope he swallows this story up, I don’t like him at all. The Duke snatched his arm out and took a step aside.

“So you brought me your slaves to please me the night? Nice offering cousin, I’d rather have the eldest, than that wench,” I took notice of how rigid Max went. Belle smiled tenderly at him and walked closer. She swayed her hips in an erotic way, and placed her hand on the base of his bow tie, pulling him closer and causing his eyes to widen. I watched as Max’s face turned red from anger. Bayou moved closer to Belle.

“Not minding that your wife is upstairs? Then I will have to charge you extra, I can do more than your wife put together, I guarantee satisfaction, to its fullest,” she winked at him, his cheeks turned a little red. I sighed, looking down at the floor.

I hope we can find her sister before he finds out the truth.

.................

“Ewww, eww, I couldn’t believe I said that I need a bath, a hot boiling bath, I feel disgusted,” Belle shivered in disgust, watching her face twist. We sat in the living room, waiting for Bayou’s horrible cousin to return. Belle sat next Max, across us.

“Be quiet, we won’t really spend the night, the question is how did he know we were here? How did he find out that Shawn was around?” Max questioned, folding his arms and leaning back on the couch. We found ourselves in a huge room. The couches were made out of leather, and the walls were very white, to the point of snow. The windows were large, similar to the king’s ballroom, the red curtains had a curve on the bottom. There’s a small fireplace right behind where Belle sits.

“I had an idea,” Bayou said, leaning back as well. He sat right next to me. I moved closer to him, and looked down at my lap.

“What idea?” Belle asked him. Bayou turned his gaze toward her.

“Walls have ears, let them turn deaf, then I say,” he told her. She nodded, and I kept feeling worse.

“Sorry for lying, for making Belle say those horrible things, I didn’t mean to. I tend to speak my mind out,” I finally surrender.

“We know,” everyone said at the same time. I looked up with wide eyes.

“It’s okay, it got us in, without suspicion. Now, how can we look for my sister?” she questioned. Bayou groaned, stretching his arms out. Belle shook her head and leaned back on the couch. Bayou sensing my distress turns his head to look at me.

“Don’t worry love, keep on playing along, no one was harmed,” Bayou assured me, but I shook my head. He frowned, then his voice dropped, almost into a very low whisper.

“He is planning something, and is not good, keep guarded,” he warned us. I nodded. Then he turned toward me and reached out his hand, patting my head. My cheeks flared up, and I lowered my head.

“You, my little vixen, were very sharp, but please be careful next time,” His voice filled with worry, he moved back, and his expression changes into a very dark one.

“Sorry for the long wait, my wife needed some help, but come dinner is ready. Besides, the wench, she can go on the back and eat with the maids,” he spoke. I gave Bayou a worried look, but he shook his head.

“You heard him, go and eat with the maids,” he stood up, and everyone did. I nodded, watching Max and Belle leave behind the Duke. Bayou stopped wrapping his hands behind his back, suddenly a bad feeling overwhelmed my heart.

“Bayou, I have a bad feeling,” he lifted his gaze up, as I moved behind him and grabbed his hand. I closed my eyes, letting my energy flow around my hand wrapping it around his wrist. Remembering how he showed me last time. I pressed my forehead against his broad back.

“Please be careful,” I whispered. He took ahold of my hand and gave it a little squeeze.

“Keep your eyes sharp and figure out anything about where the girls could be. Be careful alright, and call out for me, if anything happens.” I nodded, as he let go and left me alone.