CHAPTER 3

 DAKOTA’S NOSE twitched. “Mmm,” she murmured drowsily. “Food!”

Yemaya laughed. “Wake up, sweetie. Maria made breakfast for us. Your favorites: eggs, bacon, homemade biscuits, fresh fruit, and juice.”

Dakota yawned and opened one eye. “God, you’re beautiful,” she whispered, her voice gravelly from sleep.

“Flattery will get you everywhere.” Yemaya chuckled. “Now sit up so I can serve you.”

“Now there’s an offer I’d like to pursue.”

“Behave. You know what I mean.”

“Damn. Can’t a girl dream?” Dakota pushed herself into a sitting position and slid backward, leaning against the headboard. Yemaya put the tray on her lap, then climbed in next to her. Picking up a piece of bacon, she placed it against Dakota’s lips. Dakota smiled and took the offering before leaning forward to give her a quick kiss.

“Did you sleep okay?”

“Yes, how about you?”

“Me too. I’m glad to be home.”

Yemaya smiled. They had only known each other a few months. She was happy Dakota felt she belonged here.

A light knock on the door interrupted them.

“Come in,” Yemaya said, knowing Maria wouldn’t bother them if it wasn’t important.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, mistress. Andrei is downstairs with Kenyon. They need to talk to you about a young woman who was found unconscious early this morning.”

“Tell him I will be right down,” Yemaya said, sliding off the bed.

“Wait for me,” Dakota yelled. “Damn, she moves fast!” Muttering a few swear words, she scooted off the oversized bed and grabbed her jeans and yanked them on along with a T-shirt.

*  *  *

Andrei and Kenyon paced restlessly near the front door. When Yemaya appeared, closely followed by Dakota, both men bowed respectfully.

“We’re sorry to intrude, Ms. Lysanne, but we may have a problem developing,” Kenyon began. “This morning, a young woman was found unconscious on the edge of town. She’s the seventh this month. Thankfully, she’s alive. Two weren’t as fortunate.”

“And the others?”

“They’re recovering. We’re not sure if there’s any connection between the dead women and the others, but all of them are of our blood.”

Yemaya frowned. “All?”

Kenyon nodded.

“Has this girl regained consciousness yet?”

“It may be a few days before she wakes up. That’s why I’ve come here. The doctor says this might be the start of an epidemic, perhaps a virus.”

“Hmm. I assume they have run the necessary tests.”

“Yes, the victims are slightly anemic but healthy. There’s one other thing. Each woman talked about strange dreams.”

“Nightmares?”

“They couldn’t say. They remember bits and pieces but nothing more. What’s strange is that they each described variations of the same dream. Dr. Lichy thinks it might be the result of the sickness and sent blood samples to Cahul for additional testing.”

“What about the dead women? Why was I not informed of this earlier?”

“You were in the States.”

“I am always reachable, Kenyon. You know that better than anyone. What do the authorities say about this?”

“They think the women may have been attacked by a wild animal. Their throats were ripped open and there was considerable blood lost.”

“Animal? Are you saying we might have a feral dog or something running loose again? Has anyone reported other attacks in town or neighboring villages?”

“None that I’ve heard about. Just these two. At first, we thought there might be a connection between the five injured women and them. All had marks on their throats, but Dr. Lichy has decided it’s unrelated.”

“Thanks. Andrei and I will drive into town later today. Please, tell Dr. Lichy I will be in touch with her.”

“Thank you, Ms. Lysanne. Everyone will feel better knowing you’re involved in the investigation.”

Bowing again, Kenyon left.

“Andrei, bring the car around. I will be ready to leave in an hour.”

“We’ll be ready,” Dakota corrected.

Rolling her eyes, Yemaya chuckled and shook her head. “Yes, we’ll be ready.”

Andrei nodded and left.

“Are you always going to be this way?”

“Nah. Only when you try to exclude me from the good stuff. Otherwise, I’m quite easy, you know.” Dakota grinned impishly.

“Yes, I know.”

Slapping her arm, Dakota ran up the steps and disappeared into the bedroom. Yemaya shook her head again and sighed.

I am definitely whipped, she thought, following her lover up the stairs.