Shadows of Bourbon Street

by Deanna Chase

  Kat’s bound hands landed on my arm. “Take it.”

  I shifted my gaze from the fantastic magical battle raging around us to meet her eyes.

  “Take my energy. You need it,” she said.

  A lump clogged my throat and tears burned my eyes. I was empty. Had nothing left to give those around me.

  “Jade.” Kat shook me, panic consuming her. “Do it. Now. Take my energy. We need you.”

  I shook my head. They didn’t need me. I’d failed.

  “Look!” She pointed to where Kane and another of the demon hunters were battling one of the demons. The demon was throwing magic, my magic, all over the room. Plaster and brick splintered and cracked. The house was coming down around us and the demons were winning.

  Lucien was standing behind us, all that black magic still clinging to him. He was frozen, unable to unleash his only weapon.

  “Do it, Jade,” Lucien said, his deep green eyes so dark they were almost black. “Take the only gift she has to give.”

  The love pouring off him, despite the fact that he was so utterly consumed with darkness, touched me deep in my soul. I shifted my gaze to Kat. She tightened her hold on my arm and nodded.

  With tears still streaming down my face, I reached for her cooling energy. My own energy was so spent that nothing happened at first. But just as I was about to give up, a trickle of relief flowed into my veins.

  “More,” Kat said in a tired voice.

  Reluctantly, I latched on to the gift she offered and let her energy bring me back from the edge. She clung to my arm, almost willing her strength into me.

  “Enough,” I forced out and tried unsuccessfully to pulled my arm out of her death grip. I was going to drain her.

  She shook her head. “Take it.”

  “Kat, stop!” I cried, frantic now. She gripped tighter, and her energy flowed freely now. There was nothing I could do to stop it.

  She shook her head harder and now tears were streaming down her face.

  I snapped my gaze to Lucien. “Get her off me.”

  “I can’t,” he said through clenched teeth. “If I touch her, you’ll be tainted.”

  Shit! I jerked, trying to dislodge her grip, and rolled. Her nails dug in, but I brought my knee up and caught her in the hip. She grunted and rolled away. I scrambled to my feet and turned toward Kane.

  He was blocking blow after blow from the demon. My magic welled into a pool in my gut. The back spasm was gone, and I was once again myself. The first thing I did was blast away my restraints, then Kat’s and Lucien’s. Raising my arms over my head, I tapped into the power pulsing in my chest. It was weaker than it had been, but it was enough.

  I focused on the light streaming from the demon, felt it calling to me, and yelled, “Return to me.”

  The demon froze and then turned in my direction, his body vibrating.

  “Return to me!” I yelled again with conviction.

  The demon’s mouth opened and light shot from him, streaming straight to my fingertips. My familiar magic pooled there. Time seemed to stop as we remained suspended in the moment. My fingers started to burn and the magic burst through, rushing into me, until I thought I would explode with the heady power.

  The magic stream suddenly broke and the demon stumbled backward. Kane and one of the hunters charged forward. Two daggers flew, each landing with perfect precision right in the demon’s heart. Light swirled around them and fire erupted, instantly incinerating the demon. All that was left was ash.

  I spun, frantically searching for the other two demons. “Where are they?”

  A loud bang, followed by the sound of flesh pounding on flesh, came from the back of the house.

  Kane and the other demon hunter tore down the hall.

  I spun back around to Lucien and Kat. She was propped up against the wall, and he was sitting cross-legged in front of her. They were gazing intently at each other but not touching. It damn near broke my heart.

  Bea had to restore his magic. How else was he going to combat the blackness eating him from the inside out?

  “Are you okay?” I asked Kat.

  She gave me a weak nod. “Go, do what you have to.”

  I sent Lucien a questioning glance. “How about you?”

  “I’ll live.” He closed his eyes, clearly trying to gain control of his emotions. “For now, anyway.”

  I had to do something. I knew I should wait for Bea, but I couldn’t leave him in that state. I gently brushed my fingertips over his shoulder and unleashed a tiny bit of my magic.

  His eyes went wide, then he let out a loud cry of agony as he doubled over.

  Chapter 22

  “Lucien,” Kat cried and jerked forward, her hands out.

  I jumped in front of her. “No! You can’t touch him. Not right now.”

  “Do something, then.” Her face contorted in a mixture of frustration and anger.

  I tried to block it out and focus. But I couldn’t. My emotional barriers were blown to hell and fear, frustration, and desperation fought for dominance in my heart. I did the only thing I could think of. I filled my mind with all the love and joy I’d experienced over the last few months. Let the memories take over and reveled in them. I had a lot to live for, and so did my friends.

  “Lucien,” I said quietly but with force.

  His head turned to the side as he tried to focus on me. Panting, he clutched at his chest.

  “Think about Kat and everyone who’s important to you. Let the joy you feel when you’re around them push you through this. Find the will to fight for them. You’re stronger than you think. Your soul is stronger than ever. Reach deep.”

  Lucien stilled, but it was clear he was still in a lot of pain.

  I turned to Kat. “Keep reminding him of all he has to live for. Make him focus on the good. This is about intentions. Blackness is no match for pure goodness. Got it?” It wasn’t the total truth. Without a spell, the black curse wasn’t going to go away. But together they could hold the darkness at bay.

  She nodded and started whispering how much she cared for him, what a good man he was, and talked about all the people she knew he’d helped over the years.

  His body slowly began to relax and the darkness faded. It wasn’t a cure, but it was a start.

  By the time I got to the back of the house, the other two demons were gone and Mitch was tearing out the back. He ran full out, leaped, and then climbed the wooden fence. The demon hunters tore after him, but Kane paused and grabbed me around the waist.

  He pulled me to him, clutching me tightly. His relief and lingering fear brushed against my psyche. “Thank God you’re all right.”

  I breathed in his familiar musky scent and let the moment sink in. He was here, in my arms, and we both were okay. “You, too,” I said with a sob catching in my throat.

  He bent his head and brushed his lips over mine. It was gentle, a sweet moment.

  When we pulled apart, the cinnamon flecks in his eyes shone back at me. He kissed me once more and then said, “I’ll find you tonight. I promise.” And without another word, he took off after the other demon hunters.

  I watched him disappear over the fence. My heart stuttered in my chest. Kane. My fiancé was a badass demon hunter. And dammit if I hated it yet felt a huge burst of pride at the same time.

  I hurried back into the house and followed the sound of Lailah’s voice. I found her and Bea sitting in a black-painted room. There was nothing there except a closed chest and manacles screwed to the wall. Bea was holding her head with both hands, and Lailah was crouched next to her, whispering softly. It was a healing chant I’d heard Bea use before.

  Even though I was pretty sure we were alone, I sent out my emotional energy just to be sure. My senses touched on Bea, whose energy was clouded, and I couldn’t get a clear read. Concussion most likely. Lailah w
as angry but also hopeful. Hopeful? About what? That she could help Bea? And then there were Lucien and Kat. They were a mixed bag of complexity that was too much for me to sort through.

  There was no one else.

  Lailah finished her chant, and a light blue ball of magic manifested in her palm. She brought her hand up to her lips and blew. The spark floated lazily toward Bea and hovered near her mouth. “Swallow it,” Lailah said gently.

  Bea dropped her hands and shook her head. “You know I can’t do that.”

  “You can and you will,” Lailah demanded. “I’m your soul guardian. It’s my job to make sure you survive. Now do it.”

  “Her soul is in danger?” I asked.

  Lailah startled and glanced back at me. “Yes. Mitch tried to take it.”

  I gasped. “How?”

  “He hit her with an awful spell.” She turned her attention back to Bea, who was staring at the blue orb. “Bea, you have to. Come on. The coven needs you.”

  “They have Jade.” Bea shot me a tired glance.

  I didn’t have any idea what was going on. Why wouldn’t she let Lailah help her? “Bea,” I said cautiously. “You can’t let Lucien down. Something broke inside him and the black magic is taking over. Without you to restore his magic, he’ll be lost to the dark.”

  After a moment, she opened her mouth and the blue orb zoomed down past her lips, her throat working as if she were swallowing it. She grimaced and slumped back against the wall.

  Lailah’s eyes rolled into the back of her head and she fell backward.

  “Whoa!” I caught her before she hit her head on the fireplace mantel. Her eyes fluttered and she stared up at me weakly. “What just happened?”

  Bea sat up, her color rosy pink. Her eyes were bright and she appeared as if nothing had ever happened. “She gave me a piece of herself so I would be strong enough to heal. Unfortunately she’s now out of commission for a few days.”

  “What? There are demons on the loose.”

  Bea nodded solemnly. “Yes. And that’s why we need to get her out of here and somewhere safe.”

  “Let’s go.” I propped her up and pulled her arm around my shoulders. Bea did the same on her other side, and together, we carried the limp angel from the house of doom. Kat and Lucien followed us out the front door. Seconds later I was in Bea’s car with Lailah while Kat and Lucien followed us.

  “To your house,” I told Bea. Her place had all kinds of protections and wards. “We need a safe haven.”

  She nodded. “There’s going to be traffic from the parades.”

  “If it’s too bad, together we can cast a spell to clear our way.”

  Bea cast me a curious glance.

  I shrugged. I didn’t like using magic to force my will on others. But if there ever was a time for an exception, this was it.

  ***

  We only needed to cast one spell to get security to let us through a barricade. But it was full dark by the time we stumbled into Bea’s small carriage house. After we gently deposited Lailah on the sunflower-print couch, Bea hurried to her kitchen and started a pot of tea. Witch’s brew, she called it. To fortify ourselves after the battle.

  Kat went to the bathroom for a wet cloth and antibacterial cream. Lucien sat in the chair farthest from us, trying his best to keep his distance.

  “Lucien,” I said. “Can you do me a favor?”

  He lifted his head and nodded. “Anything.”

  “Call my mom and Gwen and let them know I’m all right. Feel free to fill them in. I’m sure they want to know what’s been going on.”

  “Sure.” He stood and grabbed his phone from his back pocket. After a quick glance, he put it on the side table and headed for Bea’s landline. “It was dead. Probably zapped in the battle.”

  “Probably. Bea should have all the numbers in her address book.”

  “They are,” Bea called from the kitchen.

  Kat reappeared with the damp towel and a first aid kit. She passed by Lucien and reached out to touch him, but at the last moment, she pulled back. I bit my lip. His cure couldn’t come fast enough.

  Sitting beside Lailah, Kat handed me the first aid kit. She averted her eyes from my penetrating stare and brushed the hair off Lailah’s forehead. With an intensity suited for a brain surgeon, she went to work on mopping the angel’s brow.

  Over the next few minutes, I applied antibacterial cream to Lailah’s wrists, where it appeared she’d been shackled, and then her knees. She’d either fallen or been thrown down. I had, too, but I wasn’t wearing a skirt. I doctored my own wrists and then moved on to Kat’s, gently swabbing them. She winced but didn’t complain. By the time I was done, Lucien was off the phone.

  “How’d it go?” I asked.

  “About as well as you’d suspect. They want to come over.”

  “Are they?” Mom was a witch. She would come in handy. Gwen was psychic. And although her visions were always correct, she never shared them. So in this case, she really only was good for moral support.

  He shook his head. “They’re at the apartment on Bourbon Street. They’re never getting out of there.”

  My eyebrows shot up. “Seriously? I thought they were at Summer House.”

  “Your mom said something about needing to get the hell away from Hurricane Shelia’s saggy boobs.”

  I couldn’t help the burst of laughter that overtook me. At least Kane’s mom was having a fun time for Mardi Gras. His dad was probably knee deep in a bottle of whiskey by now. Then I had a vision of Mom and Gwen joining the Bourbon Street crowd wearing boas and body paint. I shuddered. Yeah, not a good visual.

  “Pyper,” I said. “I need to call her.”

  Lucien handed me the phone. She was probably busy at the club, but she’d be worried sick about us. I dialed and waited as the phone rang four, five, six times. Finally on the seventh ring Charlie picked up. “Wicked. This is Charlie and you’re missing the party.”

  I cracked a smile. “It’s always a party when you’re around.”

  “Jade? Girl, where the hell are you?”

  “At Bea’s. Is Pyper around?”

  “Yeah, just a sec.” There was a rustling noise indicating she might be covering up the receiver. “Jade?”

  “Yeah. I’m here.”

  “Good,” Charlie said. “Here she is. Sorry about that. We had a groper.”

  Ugh. Drunk dudes who thought it was okay to touch anyone they liked because they were in a strip bar.

  “Dude. What the hell is going on? I’ve left you both, like, eight messages,” Pyper said by way of greeting.

  “Sorry.” I grimaced. “It’s been a shitty day to say the least. But we’re all right.” Now, anyway. Sort of. “Kane will call you as soon as he can. I just wanted to check in and let you know we’re okay.”

  There was music in the background, but then I heard a door slam and knew she was in Kane’s office. “I talked to Kane briefly after you left the club this morning.”

  “Oh. Good. I’m glad he got in touch with you.” She was his best friend.

  “No, not good. I’m not happy about this. I can’t believe you are.” Her tone was more worried than angry.

  “No,” I agreed. “But there isn’t much I can do about it. And he wanted to join the demon hunters. So it is what it is for now.”

  She snorted. “Right. It is what it is. Fucked up is what it is.”

  She wasn’t wrong. Casting a spell to turn him into an incubus was way over the line. But was it so horrible that he wanted to protect the world from demons?

  “Jade?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I’m just worried about both of you.”

  “I know,” I said softly. “That’s why I called. I’m at Bea’s for now. I’m going to try to get home to Kane’s before the night is over. I think Kane is going to meet me
there if you need to see him.”

  She sighed into the phone. “No. It can wait until tomorrow, I guess. I’d just feel better if I could see you both.”

  “We can come by in the morning. Your apartment. Breakfast?” I could use a little normalcy after all we’d been through today.

  “Yes, please. See you early? Eight?”

  I had to laugh at her idea of early considering we usually worked the six a.m. shift at the cafe. But I said yes and promised to see her then.

  After I hung up, Kat eyed me. “You didn’t tell her anything.”

  “What was I supposed to say? There isn’t anything she can do. And she’s already worried enough.”

  Kat rolled her eyes and huffed. “You do that to me all the time. Do you have any idea how irritating it is to care about someone who keeps shit from you?”

  I jerked back as if I’d been slapped. “I only do that to protect you.”

  “Well, stop. It doesn’t help. We’re in this together. Or haven’t you noticed?”

  Bea appeared and handed us each a mug of tea. My mentor gave me a look that clearly said she agreed with Kat, but she didn’t say anything, and for that I was grateful. I didn’t need to be beaten up anymore.

  “I hear you,” I said to my best friend. “I really do. And you’re right. I’ll work on it.” But I didn’t know if I could. Worrying my friends and putting them in danger was more than I could stomach.

  Bea smiled at me and patted my arm. “Drink it all down, dear. It will help. We still have work to do tonight.” She sat beside Lailah and pressed a mug to her lips. “Drink, now.”

  Lailah didn’t open her eyes. Bea tilted it and when the witch’s brew hit Lailah’s lips, her eyes fluttered open. She swallowed and sat there looking disoriented for a moment. Blinking, she narrowed her focus to Lucien. Worry shrouded her. “He needs help.” She glanced at me and then Bea. “Before the night’s out, or we’re going to lose him.”

  Kat gasped and spilled tea down the front of her shirt.

  I grabbed her hand. It was what I’d been afraid of. The black magic was going to eat him alive. “We need to find Mitch.”

  Lucien cleared his throat. “Vaughn will know where he is.”