Page 20 of Ride Me

The women laughed at that, and Allegra chewed on her lip, focused on concealing her disappointment. Now was obviously not the right time to talk about Rousseau and his unusual issues. Not when Ben’s mother was here.

“Look at her, Elise. So beautiful to be so serious.”

“Well, who can blame her? She’s had to overcome so much for such a young thing. The accident, the rehabilitation, and she’s only just realized she’s in love with Theresa’s troubled boy, Celestin. She’s got a lot on her plate.”

Allegra looked down to where Elise was touching her, recalling with crystal clarity all the times Ben had done the same as he repeated her thoughts as they were forming in her mind. Her memories.

“How do you know all that?”

She’d never told Ben about the accident. Never talked about it with her family. Michelle was the only one she’d given all the details to.

It was a fluke. She’d jumped from a plane hundreds of times, logged enough hours in the sky to be labeled a true adrenaline junkie, but it was never about that. Oddly enough, it was the peace more than the rush that kept her coming back for more. Floating above the world had always given her a sense of completion and serenity she’d never found anywhere else. It was heaven.

One torn chute had stolen that from her forever.

Elise hummed sympathetically and patted her arm, as if she could see the image in her mind, feel the terror and loneliness that had washed over Allegra as she waited to be rescued.

She can.

She supposed after deciding to believe in spirit possession and carnal Loa, a family of psychics wasn’t too out of her way. “Ben said it ran in the family.”

Elise tipped back her head and laughed. “You’re just as strong and smart as Benjamin said you were. Good. You’ll need to be to get through what comes next.”

Annemarie nodded, reaching for Allegra’s free hand supportively. “Don’t worry, that’s what we’re here for.”

Allegra studied the two women carefully. They already knew why she was here. They wanted to help.

“What should I do?” Allegra said determinedly. “I have to be honest, I’m still a bit wobbly on the whole possession thing. But with Bone Daddy? According to the book long-term spirit possessions are more than unusual.”

“It is rare.” Elise nodded. “But then, this is a unique individual we’re dealing with. Everyone who knows anything about him agrees he’s nothing like the rest of the Loa. Some of us have even argued that he might not be one at all.”

Annemarie leaned back, eyeing her friend closely. “Yes. Some of us have said that. Though he has most of the qualities, follows most of the traditions and initially came through in the usual way, Bone Daddy is…well, you’ve met him.” She patted her headscarf and glanced thoughtfully at Allegra, as if deciding how much to tell her.

“I need to know everything I can.”

“I know you do. I’ll be honest, the fact of him makes me uncomfortable. He’s a wild card to those of us who practice, you see. Sexy, entertaining and mischievous as all get-out, but so mysterious even The Mysteries—what we like to call the Loa—don’t seem to know that much about him. Or maybe they just aren’t talking. And when they aren’t talking? It worries me.”

Allegra frowned, trying to remember what she’d read. “You wrote something about him showing up in the eighteen hundreds? Has he just been wandering around since then? Was Rousseau his first, um, permanent rider?”

“We’re not sure about that either, but I know your man wasn’t the first.” She shrugged, her vibrant caftan shifting with the movement. “Before he found Celestin, he’d pop up on our radar from time to time, always causing the same kind of trouble, usually leaving sobbing women and tired men in his wake before he disappeared again.”

Allegra blushed at the knowing look Annemarie and Elise shared. “He is a hard one to resist, and why would any normal woman want to? He gives them pleasure beyond their wildest dreams, no strings, and they move on to find the pastures greener than they’ve ever seen, and good fortune shining on all their endeavors.”

Allegra watched Michelle’s mother fan herself and had to agree. How could anyone resist something like that? “Michelle isn’t tempted. She never has been.”

“Oh, honey, my baby isn’t a normal woman, no matter how much she wishes she was. I think you know that. It’s one of the reasons you were drawn to each other to begin with. Strong spirits. And before you say anything, I know she’s been going through it. That girl is running so hard from being special that she doesn’t have time to see what’s right in front of her. But that’s another story for another day. We’re talking about you right now, and your situation is quickly coming to a head.”

She paused. “Speaking of heads, has he played with your mind yet? Shown you your fantasies?”

“Yes.” She’d almost convinced herself she’d imagined it. “Does he do that with everyone?”

Elise leaned closer, not answering her question. “Do his eyes change while you’re watching? Maybe his personality?”

“Yes. And…” she hesitated, and Elise frowned in concern.

“Oh. Well, that’s never happened before.”

Annemarie lifted an impatient brow. “What’s never happened?”

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