crowd on Friday and Saturday nights, but she preferred to work the weekday nights for those who didn’t like to come downtown on the busier weekend evenings. Tilly let her set up and do readings in a corner table, not charging her for the space or asking for part of her fee. To Tilly’s way of thinking, if folks came in for a reading, they would always buy something to eat or drink before or after their reading. And ninety percent of the time they dragged a friend or two with them and they bought something as well.
The arrangement worked out great for both of them. Cafe Ledet was well known for having a tarot reader there six nights a week, so she wasn’t the only professional working there in the evenings. There were two other women who came in two nights a week to do readings as well. Sunday evenings were reserved for live music, usually a solo performer with a guitar.
The art on the wall was available for sale and Tilly got a commission for whatever she sold. That was more than fair to Sabrina’s way of thinking. She studied the paintings as she absently shuffled her tarot deck. Tilly had two of her pieces left, but it was probably time to swap them out. After a while, the regulars stopped noticing the canvases if they weren’t changed. She’d do that tomorrow when she stopped by for her morning coffee.
The low hum of the music and conversation soothed her as she continued to shuffle the cards. The long, warm day in the Square coupled with her restless night had left her drowsy. She yawned and glanced at her watch again. Twenty-five minutes left.
The cafe closed at nine on weeknights and eleven on the weekend. Tilly would be back soon and then the three of them would head around the corner to her apartment. She hoped whatever Jessica had in mind would work. She could use a night without dreams.
Her eyes were heavy and she closed them to rest a moment. She swayed to the jazzy music drifting out from the stereo speakers, letting the music soothe her soul. Her surroundings melted away. Shadows filled her mind but quickly parted to reveal the bayou. Some folks found it scary out there, but she loved it, always had.
The cypress trees were heavily laden with Spanish moss, giving the entire area a ghostly appearance at night. Marshy grasses sprang up under her feet. The world was alive with the music of the bayou as the sun sank in the distance, bathing the land in its dying colors. The grasshoppers chirped, insects buzzed and the bullfrogs sang their nocturnal song. Something flew overhead, probably an owl or a bat, and in the distance she heard a splash as something entered the water.
The pathway before her was familiar, one she’d walked most of her young life. Her grandmother was gone, but the little house and the land on the edge of the bayou were still there, still called to her when she needed to get away from the noise and business of the city. Now they belonged to her.
She heard a low hiss and froze in her tracks. There in the grass three feet in front of her was a snake that stretched about four feet in length. She couldn’t tell if it was poisonous or not, but it was always better to err on the side of caution and let it pass. She curled her toes into the warm dirt beneath her bare feet and stood still as the snake slithered over some moss and through the grass. It paused for a moment and seemed to study her. She held her breath, releasing it slowly as the creature eventually moved on.
Sabrina continued walking but paused to pick up a sturdy stick from the ground. It would work to flick away a snake if she came across another one. The air was thick with moisture and the atmosphere seemed to close in around her, the scent of water and slightly rotting vegetation mixed with the sweeter perfume of the irises and other wildflowers that edged the path.
Why was it taking so long to reach her grandmother’s?
Frowning, she stopped and turned in a complete circle to get her bearings. There was no doubt she was on the right track, but she didn’t seem to be getting any closer to her destination.
The frogs and insects suddenly went quiet and the night seemed to hold its breath in anticipation. The animals that populated the swamp went silent, neither moving nor vocalizing. Something had disturbed them. Was it a cougar? They were rare in this area, but they did make their presence known from time to time.
The air in front of her seemed to coalesce and she could make out a shape in the near distance. She increased her grip on the stick, ready for anything. It wasn’t an alligator as it was too high off the ground.
A low growl made the short hairs on her arms and the back of her neck stand on end. Whatever it was, it was big. She took a small step back but paused when the growling got louder and closer. She couldn’t run. To an animal, anything running was prey to be hunted. All she could do was stand her ground, pray and wait for her opportunity to escape.
The necklace warmed against her skin and the tattoo on her back began to itch. It felt as though it was trying to shift position on her skin, which was impossible. She’d experienced the sensation several times before in her life, always at times when she was either in great danger or a life-changing event was about to occur. Either way, it left her even more unsettled.
A bead of sweat trickled down her back and, in spite of the moist heat making her clothing stick to her skin, chill bumps covered her arms. Two eyes glowed in the thickening darkness, the overhead canopy of dense branches and vines making it harder for the dying rays of the sun to peek through. She swallowed past the lump of fear in her throat. “Who’s there?” Not that she expected an animal to answer her, but hearing her own voice gave her courage.
She held the stick out in front of her, pointing one end toward the animal. “Go on now. I don’t want any trouble.”
The low growl was more menacing than anything she’d ever heard, and she had to force herself not to turn tail and run. Whatever it was, she couldn’t outrun it. The house wasn’t close enough for her to reach before whatever was out there would be on her.
It moved and caused the dry grass to crackle beneath its feet. The heavy panting got louder. It was coming toward her. The shadows shifted like a curtain opening to reveal the creature. Oh, it was magnificent and terrifying all at once. It was the largest wolf she’d ever seen, too large to be real.
“I’ll leave. I didn’t mean to disturb you.” She took one step back but stopped when the beast threw back his head and howled, exposing razor-sharp teeth. The mournful sound pierced her heart and brought tears to her eyes. The beast sounded lonely.
Great. Now she was losing her ever-loving mind, thinking she could understand a wolf by the way it howled. The creature lowered its head and sniffed the air, prowling ever closer. Her skin prickled and every instinct she possessed was screaming at her to run even though she knew that would be a fatal mistake. She held her ground and tightened her grip on her makeshift weapon.
The enormous creature stopped three feet in front of her and she could make out the animal’s markings and coloring. The wolf’s thick coat was a mixture of gray and black, making it blend easily with the environment. Eyes dark as midnight stared back at her. The beast was thick through the shoulders with long, sturdy legs and massive paws. She’d never seen anything like him in her life. The urge to reach out and touch him was almost overwhelming, but common sense and self-preservation kept her from following through with the act.
The wolf was studying her as closely as she was studying it. They stared at one another and she felt a connection to the great beast, which would be totally insane for most people, but not for her.
She’d only been a child when a wolf much like this one, only not nearly as large, had appeared before her in the swamp, rescuing her from the attack of an alligator. When she’d told her granny what had happened, the old woman had stared deeply into her eyes, nodded and declared that the wolf was her spirit guide, her protector. For an orphaned child, the wolf had been the strong guardian she’d needed to keep the bad thoughts and feelings of abandonment at bay. It also gave her a connection to her dead parents through the last name they’d shared with her.
But she was an adult now and hadn’t seen any sign of the wolf in a very long time. The creature suddenly snarled, flashing sharp teeth that could easily rip through flesh and bone. Sabrina’s hands trembled. Indeed her entire body was shaking with fear. She locked her knees to keep from stumbling.
“Nice wolf.” She kept her voice low and, she hoped, unthreatening. “Don’t eat me.”
The massive beast suddenly whirled around and stared deep into the shadowy trees. His fierce growl sent icy rivers of fear snaking down her spine. She sensed something else had joined them, something evil that seemed to expand, growing larger and larger with each passing second until Sabrina wanted to scream.
