Voodoo Love (And the Curse of Jean Lafitte’s Treasure) (18 page)

             
"Oh, back off," I snipped. "You're no better than he is, with all your hoodoo secrets. Bet you didn't tell him about La Sirene."

             
She glowered at me while Eddie looked faintly amused. What man doesn't like to watch a cat fight?

             
"Ladies." Eddie stepped between us. "Let's keep our cool, okay? We still have a few things to sort out. For instance,
Elizabeth
what happened to the missing piece of the map?"

             
"It's in the locator wrist beacon that was used to find me in the life raft. Juan pulled it apart and put the paper inside."

             
"You're kidding? You mean, we've had it the whole time?"

             
"It's in my purse right now." I patted my bag.  "And I don't know what you mean by saying we. I didn't know what was in it. Which reminds me, did you know about this curse thing?"

             
I looked over his shoulder at Euralie. "I assume you told him what happens to people when they touch the treasure."

             
"He knows about it," Euralie told me grudgingly.

             
"
Elizabeth
, you don't buy into all that cursed treasure crap?" Eddie gave a small laugh. "You always seemed so rooted in the here and now."

             
"After what I've seen in the last twenty four hours, I'd believe just about anything."

             
As if to prove my point, the air swirled around us. The cypress trees shook with wind and a swirling light surrounded the clearing before coming together to form the shadowy figure of a man.

             
"Juan," I breathed the word softly, surprised at the quick flutter my heart did. He studied us for a moment, sizing up the situation, giving Eddie a look of pure distrust.

             
"What. The. Hell." Eddie spoke each word as if it were its own sentence. If I hadn't already come to terms with what Juan was, I probably would have done the same thing. "How did you do that?"

             
"I’m dead," Juan said.

             
"That is just…crazy," Eddie took a step towards him. Then he stopped and looked back at me. "And how long have you known about
this
?"

             
"I told you last night at dinner that I'd seen him."

             
"Yeah. But I didn't think you meant that he was a ghost."

             
"I might have left that part out, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't listen to me when I tell you things."

             
Eddie shot me a look of frustration and ran a hand through his hair. I knew that gesture. He was fighting back the urge to really shout at me.

             
"Look, the dead thing is beside the point," Juan said and we turned our attention to him. "We need to focus on removing this curse from the treasure and getting Diego out of the way for good. This treasure is his obsession now, and it will drive him until he gets his way."

             
"What are we supposed to do?" Eddie asked.

             
"I think the plans have already been made." He gave Euralie and me a pointed look. "I wasn't included in them, though."

             
Stone-faced, Euralie saved me from answering.

             
"We must draw the circle and prepare the ritual for the voodoo loa that made the original curse. The bargain must be made with him."

             
Juan frowned. "What bargain?"

             
"The bargain that will set you and Jean Lafitte free. The bargain that will end this madness."

             
Euralie certainly had a way with words when she wanted.

             
"What does
Elizabeth
have to do?" Juan walked over to me and wrapped an arm around my shoulder. "Lafitte told me she was the key."

             
"She will have to summon the most powerful loa in the underworld, the great trickster of the crossroads," Euralie said.

             
"The Baron," I whispered.

             
Everything grew still, almost as if the bayou were holding its breath.

             
"Don't say it," Euralie commanded. "Don't even give warning that we are planning to call him. It gives him too much time to plot."

             
"Euralie, what is going on?" Eddie asked, concern in his voice.

             
"Don't you worry none," she said, her voice softer than I'd ever heard it. "I'll catch you up in a minute.
Elizabeth
, why don't you take your man further in the island to talk things over."

             
I took her advice and grabbed Juan's hand, pulling him away from the murky water of the swamp.  As we headed into the thick brush, Euralie called out, "Don't you touch none of that treasure, girl."

             
As if!

             
I trudged through the thick vegetation, uncertain that I was going the right way. In all honesty, I'm more of an indoor type girl, and I hadn't paid too much attention to the landmarks of the place the last time I'd been there. I'm sure my old Girl Scout counselor would have been unsurprised to learn this.

             
"
Elizabeth
." Juan stopped me by putting a hand on my shoulder and turning me towards him. "Are you okay?"

             
I didn't look at him right away. The slight pressure of his palm against my skin made me feel shivery again, like a small fever coursed through me. Memories of our night together passed through my mind, mixing with images from two years ago. And along with that came feelings--deep, powerful feelings that I hadn't known,
hadn't remembered
, existed.

             
I'd fallen in love with Juan Carlos.

             
But the memory had been lost to me. My subconscious mind had given me clues, making me dream about him night after night, but it wasn't the same as actually feeling it. And I did. Which was why I didn't want to tell him about the Baron and what I needed to do to free him and Jean Lafitte.

             
Sleeping with other guys, even if they are powerful voodoo spirits, is just not acceptable with most men.

             
"I’m okay," I said, finally meeting his gaze. He studied me, those deep brown eyes probing for information, searching for answers. "Juan, I remember it all now."

             
He nodded, a slow smile creeping on his face.

             
"That's good." His voice was cautious. "How are you feeling?"

             
"Like I've finally awakened. Like the puzzle pieces are coming together."

             
"That's not what I mean."

             
"I remember how I felt," I said, slowly. "About you."

             
"And now? Do you feel the same?"

             
"Yes."  The word came without hesitation. I did still love him. I did still long for him. But right then I couldn't ignore the reality of the situation. It didn't matter if I slept with some sex crazed voodoo spirit or not. Juan would still be dead. His soul might be free, but he would still be dead.

             
"That's good." He pulled me to him, obviously relieved by my answer. As his lips came crashing down on mine, my bewildered brain battled with a different question. Did he love me? Was he relieved because he felt the same way about me? Or was it because my love was the only thing that could save him from an eternity on the Deadman's Ferry?

             
You never really knew him that well
, a sly little voice whispered in my head.
You just gave your heart blindly.

             
I tried to push the thoughts away. But they kept coming back up, hindering my enjoyment of his hands running up and down my back as he kissed me in a way that normally I would have felt all the way to my toes. Juan must have sensed this because he pulled away.

             
"What's wrong?" he asked.

             
"Nothing." The lie came easily. Not a good sign. "I'm just…overwhelmed by it all."

             
"Everything will be alright soon." Juan tugged on my hair affectionately. "C'mon. Let's get to the treasure. I want you to tell me about the ritual that is going to take place."

             
I took a deep breath and let Juan take over leading the way.

             
He always has to do everything his way
.

             
There was the damn voice in my head again! My subconscious was definitely doing a number on me.

             
"Well, basically, Euralie wants to re-create the ritual used to start the curse. Then I'm supposed to renegotiate the terms with the spirit of the crossroads. I'm going to suggest Diego as a suitable replacement for Jean Lafitte. That will be a fair trade," I said.

             
"Do they think that will work?"

             
"Sort of."

             
"What do you mean? Is there something else?"

             
"Well, there's you, of course," I said. "I’m going to have to offer this guy more to get you off the hook, too."

             
"Like what?"

             
"Um…well," I gulped. "He likes sex."

             
Juan stopped walking. It was a full minute before he turned to look at me. I'd never seen him angry before. It hardened his features, somehow making him sexier than ever. Except for his eyes. They glowed with this new emotion, making me uneasy.

             
"So you are going to sleep with him?"

             
"Well, I don't think there will be any sleep involved."