by Deanna Chase
I waved a hand. “Why don’t you two go? I’ll stay here. I’m sure Bea won’t mind.” Bea had a guest room I’d utilized before.
Kat stood abruptly. “I’m staying, too.”
“Why?” But as soon as the word flew from my mouth I knew the answer. She didn’t trust herself to be alone with Lucien. “Never mind. I’m sure Bea won’t mind having both of us.”
“You’d better call her.”
“Right.” I grabbed Bea’s cordless landline and silently thanked her for her old-school technology. I’d been taken from the hotel room without my purse, and my phone was still on the nightstand. It sucked.
Bea answered on the fifth ring. “Hello, dear. How is everything?”
I gave her a vague rundown of what had happened and then blurted, “Bea, I need a place to stay for the night. Is it okay if I crash here?”
She didn’t even hesitate. “Of course it’s fine. The guest room is already made up. I had a feeling it might be needed. Call it intuition.”
Whatever she wanted to call it, I was grateful. “Thank you. Kat might stay over as well. Is that okay?”
“Of course.” A bell rang behind her and then she said in a rushed voice. “Gotta run! Talk to you later.”
I turned to Kat and Lucien. “We’re all set.”
Kat smiled halfheartedly and I wondered what that was about. Lucien? The fact that I’d interrupted them? That her night was coming to an end?
“You two spend some time together. I’ll just go on upstairs. I could use a few minutes to myself.” I gave Lucien a hug and whispered, “We’ll figure this out. I haven’t forgotten.”
He didn’t say anything as he hugged me back and then stuffed his hands in his jeans pockets when I let him go.
I gave them both a little wave and took off, feeling more and more uncomfortable by the minute. No one liked being the third wheel.
Chapter 14
Bea’s house was as familiar to me as my own. At the top of the stairs I turned right and headed to the hallway bathroom. After washing up, I crossed the hall to the spare bedroom. She’d changed it since I was last there. The sunflower bedspread was replaced with a rich velvet purple one. The edges were piped in gold satin. No doubt this was her nod to Mardi Gras.
I sat in the middle and held my head in my hands for a moment. The day’s events hit me hard. I hadn’t spent a night away from Kane since I’d been trapped in the angel realm. And for it to be tonight of all nights, it was too much. I stripped out of my jeans and climbed into the bed, burying my head under the covers. The sooner I fell asleep, the sooner I’d find Kane.
As I lay in my cocoon, I heard the soft murmurs of Lucien and Kat downstairs. My heart ached for their situation. To be in love with someone and to know he loved you back but to not be able to be with him was awful.
My thoughts did nothing to settle me, and I drifted in and out of consciousness. At some point, the front door opened and I heard Bea and Lailah’s voices, but I never left my cocoon. If only I’d had some booze or one of my mother’s sleeping herbs, I might have drifted into oblivion. After tossing and turning for what seemed like hours, I finally fell into a fitful sleep.
And there was Kane. My heart fluttered with anticipation as he opened his arms to me. “Hey, pretty witch. Where have you been?”
I stepped into his embrace and tilted my head up to look at him. “At Bea’s. I had a hell of a time getting to sleep. How long have you been waiting?”
“Forever.” He kissed the top of my head. “But you’re here now.”
We held each other in silence for a while. Finally I pulled back and glanced around. We were in his living room in the French Quarter home. “Sit with me?”
He smiled and moved to the couch, pulling me down beside him.
“This is much nicer than sleeping alone in Bea’s guest room,” I said into his chest.
“You didn’t go home?”
“No car. No money. No keys. Plus the crowds. It was easier to just stay there.”
“Right.” He stroked my hair and tightened his hold on me. “I think I might owe you an apology.”
I glanced up, noting the tightening of his jaw. “Why?”
He frowned. “I made a pretty major life decision without even discussing it with you. That’s not exactly how I wanted to start our lives together.”
I shifted and clasped my hands around his. I’d been frustrated earlier, but not exactly angry. “I can imagine what those images must have done to you. I felt them once, remember?”
He nodded, but the tension in his face didn’t ease.
“I agree it’s a major life decision and not one either of us was ready for. But I get it. I don’t know that I could’ve walked away. I haven’t, actually. I’ve got a coven to look after. You’ve never once asked me to step back or refuse to help anyone who needed it.”
He brought one hand up and caressed my jaw. “How could I ask you not to? It’s who you are.”
Brushing my lips against his, I whispered, “And it’s who you are, too.”
His lips parted and his tongue slipped between mine, the kiss hot and needy, a sensual desperation on both of our parts to just feel each other.
When we broke apart, I eyed him. “Interesting.”
“What?”
“Your incubus allure is gone. I don’t feel that magical tug I did earlier.”
He cocked one eyebrow. “Are you trying to say you don’t find me sexy anymore?”
I laughed. “Hardly. No, that’s not it. Your new incubus status has a physical effect on me…and, I’m certain, other females. It’s uncontrollable and primal at its core. But what we have together right now? It’s mostly emotional. And I’m sure if things went further, the heat would ratchet up, but it’s not the same as what happened earlier today.”
He held my gaze but didn’t say anything.
“Isn’t that odd, considering the legend of incubi is that they visit their conquests in their dreams?”
He pulled me back against his chest. “Is there anything about this that isn’t odd?”
I chuckled. “No. Not at all.”
“All I know is that I’m not interested in subjecting anyone else to this incubus charm.”
“Well, that’s good,” I said a little sarcastically. Then I sobered at the serious expression on his face. “What is it? Something’s up.”
He extracted himself from my arms and got to his feet. Pacing the living room, he started to talk. “I don’t know when I’m going to be able to get away from the brotherhood. There are rituals and training classes for procedures and weapons. I already took the blood oath, so it’s not like I can just up and leave. Or maybe I could, but they’d track me down pretty quickly.”
“But what about Vaughn?” I jumped to my feet.
He stopped and faced me. “I need you to hunt him down on your own. I’ve got some personal information on him that might help. And I’ll keep trying to get a lead on him, but so far I’m not finding him.”
“What does that mean? I thought you were supposed to have a connection with everyone.”
“I do.” He let out a breath. “But mostly it’s with Maximus.”
Of course it was. “It was his energy that Dayla used to spell you, right?”
He nodded. “And now I always know where he is and I assume he always knows where I am. I can sense other incubi, but it’s vague. I suspect because I’m not a natural incubus, that part of the gift is a little muddy for me.”
Just perfect. The whole reason he’d been turned into an incubus hadn’t even worked. I scowled.
“Yeah. I agree,” he said in response to my frustration. “But I did manage to get some background information on him.”
“Really?” I glanced around, looking for a piece of paper, but then realized we were in a dreamwalk. That wouldn’t be helpf
ul. “Lay it on me.”
Kane sat across from me on his coffee table and clasped his hands together. “He grew up in Baton Rouge, so he has family fairly close by. It’s likely he’s at least in touch with them. The demon hunters don’t go completely underground. He’s young. Twenty-two, twenty-three maybe. He used to attend Tulane University, but he dropped out a year ago.”
“I’ll see what I can do.” I held a hand out to him. He took it but didn’t get up from the table. “I’m going back to see Mati tomorrow morning.”
That got his attention. His head snapped up. “Jade, no.”
“Yes. I’m going to try to bring her some food and ask her if she knows where to find him.”
He tensed and narrowed his eyes in resistance.
I put a hand on his arm. “Kane, I went in before and came right back out. I have to try. I can’t leave her there.”
He visibly calmed himself. “Do me a favor and take someone with you. Like Bea or Lailah.”
“That’s not a bad idea.”
His skin started to shimmer, and I knew he’d be gone soon.
“Come here,” I said.
He swept me into his arms and kissed my temple. “Be safe.”
“You, too.”
And then he was gone. My eyes popped open and the pale predawn light filtered through the blinds. Kat was curled up next to me, sleeping peacefully. I slipped from the bed, grabbed my clothes, and tiptoed to the bathroom.
A few minutes later, I was standing in Bea’s kitchen, making coffee. The quiet of the early hour was almost too much to bear. I wanted to turn her radio or TV on for background noise but didn’t want to wake anyone up. Instead, I went about making breakfast.
I rummaged through Bea’s cabinets and came up with pancakes and bacon. Before long, a skillet was sizzling and I had a stack of pancakes ready to go. I was setting the table when I heard light footsteps on the stairs.
“Jade,” Bea said hesitantly.
“Morning, Bea. Breakfast is ready.”
She clutched her robe tighter around herself and shuffled to the table. “Were you expecting more company?”
“No, I had a few things to work out in my head.”
She nodded. “I see.”
“I hope I didn’t wake you.” I grimaced. It was still before seven and she must have gotten home really late.
She sat at the table and poured herself a cup of coffee from the carafe. “The bacon is responsible for that, but I can’t think of a better way to wake up.” She held the coffee carafe over another cup and nodded to it, silently asking me if I wanted any.
“Yes, please,” I said and turned the stove off.
Once I was seated across from her, she propped her elbows on the table and leaned forward. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“Not really.” I smiled apologetically. “But I did want to ask a favor.”
She took a small bite of bacon and nodded for me to continue. “I’ll help in any way I can, you know that.”
More footsteps on the stairs interrupted us, and Kat rounded the corner. She stopped when she noticed both of us staring at her. “Am I interrupting?”
“Not at all. Have a seat.” I poured another cup of coffee.
She sat next to Bea and sipped. “Thanks. I needed that.”
“I hope I didn’t wake you.”
She shook her head. “No, I set my alarm. I wanted to get home before the traffic gets crazy again.”
“Oh, good. Can I catch a ride?”
“Of course.”
“What’s going on, Jade?” Bea asked, concern radiating from her. “What happened yesterday?”
I spent the next half hour explaining everything that had happened after Kane and I were transported to the demon hunters’ headquarters and then relayed my plan.
“That sounds reasonable. I’m happy to go with you.”
“And I’ll work on tracking Vaughn and his family,” Kat said.
“Thank you,” I said to both of them. “I just feel so helpless, like there isn’t anything I can really do.”
“You’re already doing it,” Kat said as she grabbed my hand. “Both you and Kane are doing as much as you can.”
“She’s right,” Bea agreed. “And after you meet with Matisse, you’ll have more to go on.”
We spent some time brainstorming possible spells that might free Matisse, but Bea wasn’t confident in any of them. Finally we called Lailah and asked her to meet us at the club. “Give us an hour,” I told her.
“Sure,” she said. “See you then.”
I honestly didn’t think either of them could help, but it sure made me feel better knowing I might have backup.
Chapter 15
It was Monday, the day known as Lundi Gras, the day before Fat Tuesday. And at eight in the morning, the city streets were mostly deserted. Trash and broken plastic beads lined Saint Charles along the parade route. In a few hours, the crowds would convene again and traffic would be impossible to manage as everyone lined up for another evening of parades.
It was not the best time of year to be on a search for someone in the city. Not to mention I didn’t have a car. I could borrow Kane’s, but it was still at the hotel on the west bank. I glanced at Kat in the driver’s seat of her Mini Cooper. She’d drive me wherever I needed to go, but I hated taking her on supernatural missions. With no magic to call on, she was the most vulnerable of all of us.
“Stop it,” she said.
“What?”
“You’re giving me that go-home-and-lock-the-door look. Just forget it, all right? I’m helping, and there’s nothing you can do about it. Got it?”
Busted. I gave her a sheepish smile, but my heart sank a little. If anything happened to her again—
She hit the brakes just a little too hard at the light and we jerked forward. “Don’t make me go all apeshit on your ass. You can’t do everything alone, you know.”
I twisted in my seat. “I’m not. You’re here. I called Lailah. Bea is helping. We’ve even got Lucien doing some research.”
The light turned green and she eased through the intersection. “Yeah, but I know what you’re thinking. You don’t want to call your mom or Gwen or Meri and you definitely don’t want to tell Pyper about Kane because you’re too afraid they’re all going to want to get involved.”
“Well…” She wasn’t too far off. I didn’t want to call any of them, but it was because I wasn’t sure what they could do. I wasn’t in any immediate danger. Neither was Kane as far as I knew. “I do need to call Meri. The leader of the demon hunters wants to meet with her.”
“Why?”
I shrugged. “I suspect he wants information on what it was like to be a demon. I don’t really know exactly.”
“Makes sense.” She double-parked in front of Kane’s house. The street was already packed. “I’ll drop my car off at my house and will meet you at the club in, what…twenty minutes?”
“Yeah. If I’m not there yet, just go through the café. I’m sure Charlie will already be there.” The club usually didn’t open until around four in the afternoon, but because this week was the busiest of the year, they were running extended hours. Hopefully we could get in and out before they opened for business. It would be easier since I’d have Bea, Lailah, and Kat. It wasn’t like any of them could shadow walk. They’d be a little conspicuous.
Kat sped off toward her apartment a few blocks over. I ran up the steps and stood on the porch, realizing I didn’t have my key. No problem. Clutching the knob, I touched the power pulsing quietly in my chest. Then I imagined the door unlocked. The power tingled through my veins, and a second later the lock clicked.
I smiled. That was one perk of being a witch. The house felt big. Empty. And the sudden loss of Kane not being by my side hit me hard. I sank down on the couch we’d sat on the night b
efore in the dreamwalk. The ache in my heart widened and tears stung the back of my eyes.
I jumped up and blinked them back. What the hell was wrong with me? It hadn’t even been twenty-four hours since I’d seen him. Just a few since we’d last talked. I wasn’t one of those needy girls who had to have her man by her side at all times. I never had been. I shook my head and stalked into the kitchen. I wasn’t hungry but opened the fridge anyway. I needed something to fill the void eating me up inside.
Unfortunately the fridge was all but empty. We were supposed to be on our way to Italy. “Shit!” I slammed the door shut and ran to the bedroom to change.
Ten minutes later, dressed in fresh jeans and a sweater, I walked into the Grind.
Holly, Pyper’s assistant, greeted me. “Jade! I’m so sorry about the wedding. It’s awful the minister had an emergency and you had to cancel. I hope you can reschedule soon.”
So that was the story of record. Okay, I could live with that. No one needed to know angels came down and ruined my wedding day. I gave her a tight smile. “Thanks. I’m sure we’ll work it out.”
“Oh, Jade.” Her sympathetic expression shifted to one of pity. “Don’t worry. I’m sure Kane won’t change his mind.”
“What? This had nothing to—”
“Good morning,” Pyper said as she burst through the back door. “Holly, can you make Jade a chai latte please?”
“Sure.” She flipped her blond hair over her shoulder and went to work steaming soy milk. She knew my typical order.
“We’ll be next door when it’s ready.” Pyper slipped her arm through mine and tugged me into the back. When the door closed, she gave me a horrified expression. “God. I’m so sorry. There’s a rumor going around that Kane called off the wedding.”
My mouth fell open in shock.
“But don’t worry. I’ve been putting a stop to it. Or trying to at least. It doesn’t help that he’s not here. Where is he, by the way?”
“Oh, son of…”
“Jade? What’s going on?”
“Let’s go next door. Is Lailah here already?”
“Yes.” She tugged on a lock of her bright pink hair. She must have put a fresh strip in her dark hair the night before. No doubt it was for the Mardi Gras party she was attending tomorrow night. The one where she’d be body painting a bunch of celebrities.
