Enola recoiled from shock. Someone had forgotten that part of the story.
“What?” Gabriel scoffed.
The look on Gabriel’s face was that of pure disgust.
“I owned her mother. When she was born, she was so beautiful that I claimed her as my own. But she chose to lay down with a dog instead of having me. I vowed then to crush her and her entire blood line.”
Enola gasped. It had finally hit her. She didn’t know why it had taken her so long to figure it out. In order for Auriette to have a blood line, there had to have been a child.
She walked over to Gabriel. The horror in his eyes was telling his story.
“He killed her too,” Gabriel sighed.
“Oh, my God,” Margo gasped.
Enola squinted, thinking of a piece of the puzzle that was missing. Gideon placed his hand on Enola’s shoulder. As if reading her mind, he explained.
“There were two. Twins. Gabrielle and Geneva. He knew of Geneva, but he had no clue about Gabby. She kept your line alive.”
Enola was blown away. She had just learned that she was not only a descendant of Auriette Moreau, but she was also a descendant of Gabriel Toussaint.
Margo walked up behind Gabriel and placed her hand on his shoulders. “All right, Grandpa Gabe, we’ll get the history lesson later. Can we kill the evil priest now?”
Gabriel dropped his head and chuckled. Typical Margo. She could make a person laugh in the worst of circumstances. But within seconds, Gabriel returned to the matter at hand. He stepped closer to the priest, his demeanor serious and deadly.
“Father Bartholomew Batiste, you have been tried and found guilty of witchcraft. Having whored yourself to Satan, you are sentenced to death!”
Gabriel smirked devilishly at the priest.
“You can repent for your sins, but it won’t matter. You will die the same fiery death that you bestowed upon my love.”
Gabriel stepped back and turned to Enola. The priest struggled against the ropes as if Margo couldn’t confine him without them. Enola stepped forward. She looked the monster right in the eye, and proudly recited Auriette Moreau’s curse.
“Je déclenche le feu sur vous tous! I unleash these very flames upon you!
Enola raised her hand and directed her palm at the priest. He screamed bloody murder as he burst into flames. Admittedly, it gave her great pleasure to set that son of a bitch on fire.
Gabriel walked over to Enola and pulled her in his arms. She could feel a slight tremble as he held her tight.
“Thank you,” Gabriel whispered. “You have given me something I have waited over a century for. I will forever be grateful.”
Enola returned Gabriel’s hug. “Don’t thank me, Grandpa Gabe.” Enola chuckled. “This was my destiny.”
Enola could hear Gideon clearing his throat behind her. Gabriel kissed the top of her head and mouthed, “Thank you.”
“Can you turn my woman loose now, baby brother?”
“Four minutes,” Gabriel muttered before walking away. “You’re four minutes older than me.”
Enola walked over to Gideon, snaked her arms around his neck, and pulled his mouth to her own. When their lips touched, it was as if a pound of stress melted away. He deepened the kiss, making her weak in the knees.
“You’re a beast,” she mumbled against his lips.
“That I am, Nola, darlin’.”
They’d been through so much, in so little time. Enola just wanted to go to Gideon’s place, take a hot bath, and lay up with her man all night.
EPILOGUE
