Hey guys. So I meant to post this chapter on Monday as a back-to-school special lol- that obviously didn't happen. I started back to school a few days ago so I'll update when I can. I feel like I always make excuses for not updating but usually end up posting things on schedule. Anyways, I hope that everyone enjoys the chapter!
Beta Reader: the always lovely bitbyboth
Nero followed behind Marie. He wondered what exactly what he was getting himself into, but was excited nonetheless. Whatever they were going to do it was surely going to be better than listening to two old farts gossip and talk about nonsense.
"Where exactly are we going?" Nero questioned. He had his hands resting in his pockets in clenched fists. All sorts of wild scenarios were playing in his mind.
"When I was in town earlier this week a woman informed me that her husband had been a little distant lately. She suspects that he has been seeing other ladies."
Nero scowled at hearing this. Whatever he had been expecting this had not been it.
"…So, what does that have to do with us? Are we going to try and catch this guy with his pants down or what?"
Marie gave a hearty laugh. "My, you do have a way with words Nero. But no, I have a few tricks of my own that don't involve us being detectives to keep her man on the straight and narrow."
The duo arrived at a large two-story house near the middle of the town. It seemed to be one of the nicer homes in the backwoods community of Creola. They sauntered up the steps to the large wooden door and Marie gave a strong knock.
A few seconds later the front door opened and an older woman opened the door. She had graying hair and was casually dressed.
"Oh Marie, thank you for coming by," the weathered woman said. She opened the door and gestured for the pair to come into her abode.
"Certainly Lucy, it's my pleasure."
After Nero and Marie stepped into the foyer Lucy closed the door behind them and led them into her kitchen.
"Lucy this is Nero, he will be spectating this evening if you don't mind."
"Certainly, it's no trouble."
The older woman, Lucy, had a very tired and worn appearance. She had probably spent too many nights staying up worrying about her adulterous husband. Such a shame.
"Okay then let's get started. Did you prepare his dinner like I instructed you to?"
"Yes I did, tomato soup, just like you said."
Lucy walked over to the stove and removed the lid of a pot steaming on the burner. She picked up the wooden spoon lying on the counter and gave the thick soup a stir. The red soup swirled and gave off a rich aroma.
"Excellent. Now please come over here to the table and we can get to work."
The silver-haired slayer was completely lost. He wasn't sure if they were trying to catch a cheating man or trade family recipes for tomato soup. Whatever the case was he was just going to go along with it.
Lucy and Nero sat down at the kitchen table while Marie took the bag she was carrying and set it on the table. She opened the bag and rummaged around a bit before pulling out a large needle and a vial. Nero's eyes widened as the rather large needle came into view.
"I'm going to draw some of your blood Lucy then we can continue with the preparations."
Lucy look skeptical as well but it was evident that she fully trusted the witch doctor. She rolled up one of her sleeves and extended her arm to Marie. The dark-haired woman carefully stuck the needle into the woman's arm and began to slowly fill the needle.
After a full vial was filled she removed the needle and applied pressure to the point of extraction.
"What do we do now Miss Laveau?"
Lucy continued to apply pressure as Marie went to the sink and rinsed off the soiled needle. She returned to the two puzzled people seated at the table and explained.
"What I want you to do Lucy is add some of your blood to your husband's soup before serving it to him tonight. Don't use the entire vial; save enough so that you can add some to his coffee in the morning as well."
Nero's face looked shocked. The thought of adding one's blood to someone's meal was disgusting. Despite this he was really intrigued by the whole situation.
"By adding your blood to his food and drink you will keep him away from other women. He will be loyal and faithful to only you."
Lucy's face immediately perked up.
"Thank you so much Miss Laveau, I'll add it when I go to fix his bowl for dinner."
Marie gave a small bow before handing over the vial of blood to Lucy. She closed her bag and slung it over her shoulder.
"We should go Nero; we need to be gone by the time her husband arrives."
Nero stood from the table and pushed his chair in.
"Hold on one second." Lucy sauntered over to the kitchen counter and picked up an envelope. She handed the parcel to Marie. "Thank you again, you too Nero."
"No problem, thank you for inviting me into your house. I wish you the best of luck."
Marie tucked the envelope into her bag and headed for the front door. Nero followed behind her with Lucy taking the rear. The two walked out the front door and Lucy gave them a wave before disappearing into the house.
"That was….interesting," Nero finally spoke after a minute of silence.
"My methods may seem strange but they work. She will have no problem with her husband seeing other women- he will never quit her."
"How do you know all of this stuff anyways?"
Marie stopped for a moment and turned to Nero to answer.
"I learned from my mother, who learned from her mother. It's been passed down in my family for generations. The techniques have been proven to work for years over countless trials."
"Huh, seems crazy but I guess it must work. Dante said that the people in this town trust you right. That probably wouldn't be the case if your tricks never worked right?"
Marie nodded.
"Well Nero, that's all the business I had to take care of this evening. I appreciate you accompanying me on this trip. I'm going to head back home now."
"Wait, you're not going to walk back through the swamps this late at night are you?"
Nero's voice had a touch of concern; it didn't go unnoticed.
"I'll be fine, I have lived here all of my life and fear nothing living in these swamps." She reached out her hand and gave Nero's human hand a firm squeeze. "Thank you for your concern though, such a gentleman."
Marie released Nero's hand and turned her back to begin her long walk home.
"Perhaps we'll meet again hunter."
Nero watched her walk away as he flexed his hand. Her touch had left a surprising tingle on his hand- it was almost electrifying.
After Nero gave Dante a ring it wasn't long before he came and picked him up.
"So how was it kid, see anything interesting," Dante took his eyes off the road for a moment and glanced at Nero.
"Yeah you could say that."
He explained the strange events to Dante who didn't seem nearly as shocked as Nero had been. The elder slayer had apparently seen his fair share of strange things on his travels. He left out the part at the end where Marie gave him a friendly squeeze. Besides Nero had no time for a love interest- he took his job and this mission very seriously.
"So what did you find out from Robert?" Nero asked keeping the conversation flowing.
"Not much really. He gave me some more information on that girl that disappeared from her apartment on the French Quarter. She was apparently pretty wild and liked to go out and have a good time. Robert suspects that she may have met someone or something while out one night."
Nero listened, trying to piece things together, to no avail. All of the clues that they gathered seemed unrelated. He wasn't particularly good at detective work.
"I figured that tonight we should patrol around Creola since this is where the disappearances first took place. Tomorrow night we'll check the city out, okay kid?"
"Yeah okay."
This case was turning into something bigger and more involved than either of them had imagined. It was going to take a little more brains and a little less brawn than the pair was use to. They were, however, ready to tackle anything that came their way.
So the new Avenged Sevenfold CD "Hail to the King" came out on Tuesday at I love it! I recommend it to anyone that likes rock. My favorite track is number 9: Planets. I've been jamming to it while driving to school in the mornings. It's an hour drive to class so it helps pass the time!