Sweet Desire, Wicked Fate Read online

  Jaden had barely stepped into the kitchen when Isadora stuck a small bottle in her hand. “This is for you, dear. Put a dropper full under your tongue. For now, do this every twenty minutes.”

  Jaden remembered the other day when the triplets pricked her finger. They’d been planning to mix drops of her blood with ground mosquito larva and pulverized thornapple seeds, in an attempt to make it similar to Datura’s caustic system. According to what Violet had said about Datura, this was as close to a homeopathic formula as they could create without actually using Datura’s blood.

  She did as she was told, then sat at the kitchen table, where Olympe immediately set a glass and a bottle of brew in front of her.

  “This here mixture is more potent than the first one. Plus we added some of the homeopathic remedy. In case you forget to take it.” Olympe’s mouth crumpled into a thin line as she walked over to the stove.

  “Aren’t you going to tell her, Olympe?” Tamara looked at her sister. Olympe gestured to Tamara to go ahead. “We have no idea if, or how, this new formula is going to work. You’re just going to have to give it a try. If it seems too strong, stop drinking it. We won’t be with you, so you’re going to have to be the judge. We researched all of the ingredients, and don’t believe the combination will be harmful to you. But we can’t be certain.”

  Wonderful. If the Mal Rous don’t kill me, the cure will.

  The triplets encouraged Jaden to drink up the mixture. The new improved herbal blend was ready for a test drive. Jaden opened the bottle. The smell hit her. Her face went limp as a wrung-out washcloth.

  “You’re kidding me. You want me to drink this?”

  “Yes,” Isadora said with both regret and pride. “Do your best, dear.”

  Jaden caught a glimpse of Tamara. She actually looked concerned.

  “You should probably have some food in your stomach when you drink it.” Olympe set a bowl of grits in front of her.

  Jaden poured a glass of the mixture. Feeling like a disgruntled guinea pig, she took a sip. The flavor was hard to pinpoint. Perhaps swamp water with a hint of liquefied toad. She wiped her mouth as if to erase the taste. “Violet, do the Mal Rous eat toads?”

  “No. They lick the fluids from their skin.”

  With a loud thud the back door swung open. Hubs and Briz came in lugging a five-gallon cauldron. Whatever was in it stank worse than Jaden’s brew.

  “That better not be for me. This is bad enough.” Jaden forced down the rest of her drink.

  “No, no, it’s for the Mal Rous.” Sitting on a throne of Olympe’s herbal books, Violet gestured to the three sisters. The women began filling containers with the thick, stringy solution. “The triplets have been brewing it out back for the past two days. I’m surprised you couldn’t smell it.”

  Jaden had forgotten all about the broken-down structure behind the house, the one Dr. Whiting and his wife had originally helped the triplets build. How could they stand living there? Even when it was new, it couldn’t have been more than a hovel. Were their lives that miserable in town?

  “I can’t breathe,” Jaden whined as if she’d inhaled a bad attitude. Tamara switched the fan on high, but it didn’t help get rid of the stink. “Why don’t you have more fans in this house, or air conditioning?” Slurping up a second glass of tonic, Jaden considered the possibility that it was making her feel as bitter as it tasted.

  Violet pointed her twig crutch toward the cauldron. “Of course, the formula for the Mal Rous is not nearly as potent as the Amanita mushrooms. But it is the best the triplets can do for now, and it should sedate most animals.” Her weary eyes focused on Jaden. “We do not know for certain how the mixture will affect them. I drank a small glass of it earlier. It made my extremities tingle. I became inebriated, and remained unconscious for approximately twenty minutes. Hubs was able to get prescription sleeping pills, which they are adding to the mixture. So, we decided it would be worth a try.”

  Only half-listening Jaden stared into space. Violet tapped on the table with her crutch to get Jaden’s attention.

  “Jaden, if the Mal Rous think you have changed as the Professor did, they will trust you. And trusting you is our only hope of stopping them. If you can persuade them to drink this, and they have the same reaction that I did, you should be able to capture them. Then if we can keep them captive until the mushroom tonic is ready, they won’t be able to harm your family, or anyone else.”

  It was all Jaden could do not to laugh in Violet’s face. Oh yeah, that’ll happen. Just capture them, no problem. Or maybe we could get our hands on some Agent Orange and spray them with it.

  She was on her third glass now. Her fingers were twitching and her heartbeat felt erratic. It dawned on her that the pint-sized bug was still talking to her.

  “Are you all right with that plan?” Violet asked again.

  Jaden had no idea what Violet had just said, but she nodded in agreement.

  “Good then. That’s settled.” Violet sounded like a tired schoolmarm. “You will locate the Mal Rous first. After they are sedated and tied up, you will go to the cave to retrieve your mother and sister and Dekle’s records.”

  “And remember,” Tamara directed her words at Jaden, “once we make the mushroom concoction, it’ll have to ferment for seven days.”

  Nice subtle reminder. Jaden refrained from throwing her glass at Tamara, saying, “Let’s just get some explosives and blow them to bits!” Everyone’s heads snapped in her direction.

  “Yes, child. Well, we’ll consider that,” Isadora said, observing her. “Excepting, there is the possibility that all of those bits might go into a state of hibernation, or take to seed, and eventually grow into more Mal Rous. With the exception of them ingesting the mushroom formula, Dekle seemed to be convinced that the Mal Rous are capable of regenerating.”

  Don’t call me child! Jaden slammed her glass onto the table.

  “Hey,” Briz leaned over and whispered in her ear. “Chill out.”

  Ignoring him, she held up her empty bottle. “All gone. Can I have another?”

  Olympe pulled a bottle from the refrigerator and placed it next to Jaden’s bowl of grits. “You haven’t touched your breakfast. You need to get some food in your stomach.”

  As Jaden opened the bottle she wondered what else the new formula would give her an aversion to, besides Briz. Bypassing her glass, she pressed the fresh bottle to her lips, enjoying the comforting feeling of the liquid crawling back up her throat, winding its way behind her eye sockets, and snuggling around her brain.

  “W-we could s-sedate them, then bu-burn them,” a voice said. Jaden had forgotten that Hubs had ensconced himself in the antique recliner. “Lots of p-plants die when ya bu-burn them.”

  “That’s not a bad idea, Hubs,” Briz agreed. Tipping his chair back, he dragged his fingers through his hair.

  He does that all the time. Jaden wanted to whack his hands. Maybe I should shave his head when he’s asleep.

  Clearly this new concoction was working.

  Hearing these people’s ideas about how to destroy the Professor’s creations was making her feel protective. Why would I want to harm the Mal Rous? They’re a part of me now.

  Jaden ate her grits and sucked her drink as she studied the haggard faces around her. Compassion for the Mal Rous was stealing its way into her heart. The little vermin weren’t all bad. Her empty bottle hit the table harder than she’d intended. She didn’t think anyone was paying attention. Then she realized they were all looking at her. The triplets had said they weren’t sure how this mixture would work, or if it even would work at all. Jaden was pleased with the way it was making her feel—a little angry, a bit wicked. Briz interrupted her thoughts by placing his clammy hand on hers.

  “Come on Jade, it’s time to get ready to go.”

  She pulled away from him, picked up the bottle, and sucked out the last drop.

  CHAPTER 42

  Until this morning, Jaden had wanted to obliterate the Mal Rous.
Now doubt was growing in her like an invasive weed. Her stomach growled during the drive toward the shack, even though she’d had breakfast back at the triplets’ house. She was hungry again, but this time for a hunk of meat.

  “So will you do it? Please?” Briz said, talking on his phone.

  Jaden hadn’t heard the beginning of his conversation. She’d been too preoccupied with thoughts of food. Her body went rigid as she listened to his voice now, all sugary sweet.

  “Come on. It’s just a toadstool. For a science project I’m working on.”

  Jaden heard someone squealing over the phone, “You graduated. You don’t have any school projects.”

  He was talking to a girl. Probably Abigail.

  “It’s a friend’s project, for summer school. Don’t worry, I’m not ingesting it.” Jaden detected delight in his tone. He was probably happily thinking, Better Jaden than me. “So you’ll send it to the P. O. box I gave you? Address it to me, care of Hubs. H-U-B-S, right. And let me know how much I owe you.” Glancing guiltily at Jaden, Briz held the phone closer and lowered his voice, “Yeah, me too. We’ll talk soon. Bye-ee.”

  Bye-ee. Jaden wanted to puke. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Briz giving her a crooked grin. No doubt from guilt. Staring out the front window, she felt the tiny hairs on the back of her neck curl like pinworms and wriggle around. Another Mal Rou trait? Her legs were jittering. She was ready to jump out of her skin.

  Jaden savored another mouthful of her tonic, letting it barrel through her like a fat snake intent on strangling her heart. This stuff is working. I don’t feel like a wuss any more.

  “You okay?” Briz asked, placing his grimy paw on her knee as if that would calm her down.

  She wanted to slap his hand away. Nodding, she held in a cackle that was trying to burst free.

  “So I’ll drop you off. Then I’ll park a half mile down the road.” Jaden flinched as the sound of Briz’s voice scraped over her skin. “Once the Mal Rous finish their drink and pass out, call me. I’ll be at the shack as fast as I can to tie them up. I’ll bring more bottles in case we need them.”

  Yeah, yeah, you can shut up now. We’ve been over it a hundred times. You have a carload of brews for them, plus more for me. You jackasses really think this is going to work! Jaden bit her lip, trying not to taunt him. He’d never be able to defend himself from the Mal Rous if they found him on the road. She opened the passenger door before the car came to a complete stop.

  “Are you sure you’re okay?” Briz removed his hand from her knee and hesitantly touched her forearm. “I know you’re stressed and scared, Jade. But I’m here for you. I’ll do my best to not let them hurt you.”

  Jaden nodded. She wanted to be rid of the smelly jerk. Climbing out of the car, she could barely hide her contempt. The weight of the overstuffed backpack, heavy with drinks for her and the Mal Rous, challenged her slender arms as she lifted it. Briz was still talking as she slammed the door shut. He lowered the window and handed her a half-empty bottle.

  “Here.” He paused. “Jade? Maybe you should have some now.”

  What is it with him? Can’t he just zip it?

  Grabbing it from him, she swung around and charged into the foliage, mumbling to herself, “Everyone’s always telling me what to do. Drink this! Do that! Set the Mal Rous on fire. You’re all disgusting!”

  When Jaden reached the shack and stepped into its moldy interior, she took a deep breath. She relished the musty surroundings. The place was comforting, homey. Much nicer than the triplets’ rank-smelling house.

  “Where has ya been?” Datura came from the kitchen, picking cockroach legs from between her teeth. “Did ya go off with yer little boyfriend? Did ya have yer way with him? Did he promise to make everythin’ better? ‘Cause there’s no way to do that.” She laughed. “Didn’t that pathetic Bellibone tell ya? It’s too late now.”

  “I haven’t even seen that lame little bug. Besides, why would she help me, when I’m one of you now?”

  “One of us?” Datura smiled.

  “Don’t act like you didn’t know,” Jaden sneered. “I can feel your scummy cells moving through me.” She dropped her backpack between them and it landed with a thud, denting the weak floorboards. “You think I’m your godly Professor now? Well I’m not. I’ll help you however I can, but I’m not your nanny—or your slave.”

  Jaden knew she was supposed to convince the Mal Rous that she was as obnoxious as they were now. She just hadn’t expected the words to flow out of her so effortlessly. This must be how Ava feels all the time, empowered to the ninth degree of odious. Jaden laughed out loud. Odious. Now I’m repulsive, too.

  “Don’t ya disrespect me!” Scowling, Datura took a step forward. “Ya’ll never be like the Professor. He was a great man. Ya is just a simpleminded kid.”

  “Ha! Look who’s talking.”

  “Ya is the simpleminded one! Only ya is all we got.” Datura’s tentacles twitched. “Ya’ll learn real fast, I’m the one in charge. From now on, yer gonna do what I tell ya to do.”

  “I bet Ivan wouldn’t appreciate you calling yourself the leader of your hideous little pack.”

  “Ivan’s opinion don’t matter. I’m the smartest. I’m in charge.”

  “Well, if that’s the prerequisite, I should be the one in charge.” Jaden laughed.

  A growl came from the other side of the room. Jaden turned and saw Anders leaning against the wall. “Ya is nothin’,” he snarled. “Ya couldn’t hurt no one. Ya ain’t never gonna be powerful as us.” Dropping down on all fours, he charged at Jaden.

  She didn’t cower or move out of the way. Is it because of the tonic, or am I mutating into a Mal Rou sooner than I expected?

  As if ignoring him, Jaden pulled a bottle of water from her pack and chugged half of it down.

  His pace slowed as he neared her and realized his game of intimidation wasn’t working. Tendrils stretched out from the back and sides of his head, pecking at her bare legs, making him drool. “Yer sister is smarter than ya is. She done smashed Esere. He is dead.”

  “Anders, shut up!” Datura’s tentacles crimped, twisting into tight ringlets.

  “My sister killed Esere?” Jaden chuckled. “That’s funny. So, it must be a lot easier to get rid of you than I thought.”

  “It wouldn’t a happened if our Professor was here.” Datura stroked her wormy strands of hair to calm them down.

  “Face it, you little rodent.” Jaden felt good calling Datura that. “The old man is dead and gone.”

  Datura’s lips curled back. Pushing Anders aside, she leaped at Jaden and slashed her leg with a claw, releasing a plume of fresh blood. She sniffed Jaden’s skin. “Ya reek ‘a that boy.”

  “Get away from me!” Jaden stepped back. “You’re dumber than you look if you think I’m with him. My sorry-ass sister wants him and she can have him. They both make me sick.”

  “Well then, I has a real treat for ya.”

  “What are we going to do, lick some toads?” Jaden raised her eyebrows. Suddenly toad-licking sounded genuinely appetizing. Glancing around, she asked, “So where’s the rest of your gang of morons?”

  “They is makin’ the rounds.”

  “What, patrolling for wayward rats?” Jaden knew what Datura meant. But she didn’t care if they went after some chump who strayed onto the property, or parked his car nearby.

  “Rats. They come in all shapes and sizes.” Datura sniffed Jaden again. “Come on, girl. Let’s get.”

  Sweat trickled over the remains of the mosquitoes on Jaden’s skin as she followed Datura and Anders through the cane field. Observing their ridiculous bodies scurrying along, she wondered why she should even bother bonding with them. She didn’t need the Mal Rous. She didn’t need anyone.

  “Are you going to tell me where we’re going? Or do you just enjoy strolling in the heat?” There was only one place they could be heading. Jaden had guessed it when Datura asked if she had a flashlight. Plus, Anders was babbling abo
ut how lucky it was that they’d brought their boat farther down the bayou, closer to the shack. Jaden took a deep breath and her nostrils pulsed. Datura’s cunning scent reminded her of a nauseating cologne.

  “Stop gripin’! I told ya I got a present for ya.”

  Jaden knew she’d better act surprised when she saw it.

  When they reached the pirogue, Anders climbed in ahead of Jaden. As soon as she sat down, he shoved an oar into her side. Snatching it from him, she rowed up the marsh, following their directions, pretending to be clueless about their destination. This was her second jaunt on the bayou today. She found the sights even less intriguing. She didn’t care about its beauty or its ugliness. She just wanted to get on with her life, whatever that meant. It didn’t matter whether she was her mother’s daughter or Datura’s servant. Just no more games. Or maybe that was what being a Mal Rou was all about, so she’d better get used to it.

  It seemed like hours before they reached the remains of the Professor’s dock. Jaden’s arms were worn out from rowing. She was thirsty and hadn’t thought to bring along water, or a bottle of her brew. She tied the pirogue to a tree stump, then followed Datura and Anders up the hill; pausing at Esere’s grave. This path was easier to climb than the one she and Briz had forged.

  Jaden stood at the mouth of the cave, relieved that Boy Scout Briz had remembered to put the ladder back after they climbed out yesterday. If any of their odors lingered inside, hopefully Datura would think it was the smell of him on Jaden’s skin. Climbing down the ladder was a breeze this time. Best thing about my new drink: I don’t give a damn about being in a friggin’ hole in the ground. I don’t give a damn about anything.