by Deanna Chase
We all turned to stare at him.
Lucien’s jaw tightened. “I went to the shop he supposedly works at to see about finding him to help Matisse. But when I got there, the place was deserted. And as I was leaving, he jumped me. Mitch put a bounty on me, and apparently Vaughn Paxton is a bounty hunter.”
Kat cleared her throat. “Are you saying the guy who brought you to Mitch’s house is Vaughn? The same guy we’ve been looking for?”
Lucien nodded.
“Mitch fed us the information about Vaughn when you asked him about his brother,” I said. “Apparently he decided right then and there he couldn’t wait for revenge and must have contacted Vaughn not long after he abducted you. Did you hear him call anyone?”
Kat swallowed. “We stopped at a gas station, but he locked me in the truck. Trust me. I tried everything, even breaking the window.” She held up her wrist, showing off a massive bruise. “But it didn’t work. He made a phone call, so I guess he called Vaughn then. No one was around, but that’s because he spelled the place as soon as we got there. People actually got in their cars and left. It was crazy.”
Crazy indeed. That was a lot of magic to dispel. I had no doubt Mitch had made a deal with a demon. He couldn’t wield that much magic and not drain himself. I couldn’t. Neither could Bea. Not unless he was being fed from somewhere. It explained Lucien’s black heart curse as well.
“So? We find Vaughn and we can find Mitch? Is that the plan?” I asked. “But obviously we can’t trust Vaughn if he’s in Mitch’s pocket.”
Lucien shook his head. “I don’t think they work together. Vaughn didn’t seem overly fond of his brother. He was just hired for a job. No questions asked. But I do think he’s the place to start.” He turned to me. “Unless you think Kane and the demon hunters have a line on him.”
“It’s hard to say. I can’t even contact him. Not unless I go to sleep.”
“Don’t you know where their headquarters is?” Bea asked.
“Yes. It’s not too far from here.”
She gave me a gentle smile. “Looks like that’s a good place to start.”
Chapter 23
Bea and I walked the six blocks to the antebellum home of the demon hunters. Twice I had to stop her from turning around. “It’s a confusion spell. Stick with me.”
“Goddess above,” she said. “That pisses me off.”
I chuckled. I wasn’t sure I’d ever heard her use that particular phrase.
“It’s not funny. Why isn’t this happening to you?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe because Kane brought me here before?”
She huffed and smoothed her salon-dyed auburn hair. “I can’t believe they’ve been in my neighborhood this entire time and I never knew.”
“It’s a strange world,” I said.
She cast me a sidelong glance, and I laughed. This Bea was different. One who wasn’t all knowing. It was weird and oddly refreshing.
I clasped her hand as we made our way up the front walk.
“It’s frustrating.” She waved her hand. “It’s like the house is a hologram or something. If you weren’t guiding me, I’d for sure think there wasn’t anything here.”
“It’s powerful magic. When I was here last, I felt compelled to turn around, but I could always see the place.”
We climbed the steps, and before I could reach for the doorbell, the double door opened. Maximus filled the entry, his large body filling the doorframe.
Bea let out a tiny gasp. “Oh, hello.”
He stared at her, his mouth slightly open. Then he closed it as he recovered. “Beatrice. It’s been…”
“A long time,” she finished.
“Too long.” His eyes glowed as he scanned the length of her body, and she blushed.
Oh, holy shit. And gross. The incubus was making eyes at Bea right in front of me, and she was enjoying it. “Okay, that’s enough.” I stepped between the two of them. “Maximus, we’re here on official business.”
“Ms. Calhoun,” he said, staring over my head at Bea. “What can we do for you? Your fiancé is not here at the moment.”
My heart sank. I really wanted to see Kane. “We need to know if your incubi are hunting Mitch, the one who unleashed the demons today.”
He tore his gaze from Bea. “The mortal?”
“Yes.”
“No. We focus on the demons themselves. Rest assured, the ones you met today will no longer be in existence once the hunters get done with them.”
“You just let the offending witches go?” I said indignantly. “Seriously?”
“Jade.” Bea put a light hand on my arm.
“It’s fine, Beatrice.” Maximus stepped back and opened the door wider. “Maybe the two of you should come in for a moment.”
I didn’t really want to. If Kane wasn’t there and they weren’t hunting Mitch, I had no use for them, but Bea swept past him, running a hand lightly over his cheek. Lust sparked between them, coating me in an icky film. I wanted to vomit right there on the porch.
“Jade,” Bea called. “You’re being rude.”
I refrained from rolling my eyes. We couldn’t have that now, could we? Reluctantly, I followed her into the opulent house.
Maximus led us into his large study and closed the door. “Have a seat. Do you need tea? Water? Anything?”
“No, thank you,” I said and sat stiffly on a velvet-covered chair.
Bea sat beside me, her posture refined, and she looked every bit the Southern lady.
Maximus grinned at her. “It’s very good to see you.”
Her lips turned up into a secret smile. “You, too.”
There was silence while they drooled over each other. If I hadn’t been so worried about Lucien, I might’ve thought it was cute.
I cleared my throat. “Um, maybe we should focus? You said you were taking care of the demons, but not the witch. Why?”
He shifted his smoky gaze in my direction. It had zero effect on me, thank the Goddess. “Right. Yes, you see, we are demon hunters. Once we interact with a demon, we’re hardwired with an internal tracking. Meaning if one of us battles one, we can all track it. But witches who summon them? No. There’s no connection. So we focus on finding the demons. If we find a witch, we’ll turn him or her in to the council, but our primary job is to hunt demons, and that’s what we do.”
“I see,” I said. “But isn’t that sort of like letting the drug buyers off the hook and going after the drug dealers?”
“It’s exactly like that, Ms. Calhoun. There are not that many of us. As you said, we have to focus.”
Bea scooted forward. “Can you tell us anything about the witch? Did you know we were being held captive? Or were you already hunting those particular demons?”
He stood abruptly. “You were held captive?”
Bea’s eyebrows rose and disappeared under her bangs. “You didn’t know?”
“No. I knew about Ms. Calhoun and that’s why Mr. Rouquette was sent with a small team. But I didn’t know that you were involved.” He scowled and rang a bell. One of the demon hunters I’d seen there the day before appeared. “Dawson, what was the intel on today’s raid? Is there a report?”
He nodded. “Yes, sir. We interviewed the bounty hunter and the report is being prepared now.”
“Good. Make sure I get a copy as soon as it’s ready.”
“The bounty hunter? You mean Vaughn Paxton?” I asked.
The two demon hunters stared at me for a moment. Maximus cleared his throat. “We do not reveal sources.” Then he glared at Dawson. “Be more careful in the future.”
Dawson bowed his head. “Yes, sir.”
I stood. “He’s an incubus. Paxton. I’m already aware. Why doesn’t he work with you?”
Maximus gave Bea a look of incredulity as if to say, co
ntrol your witch. Bea just shrugged.
“Well?” I pressed.
“That is classified information.”
“It doesn’t appear to be classified anymore,” Bea said softly. “I hate to pry into your business, but a few lives are on the line. It would be helpful to know who we can trust.”
Maximus’s face softened and he bowed his head. “It’s not for me to divulge any details of Vaughn’s personal decisions, but I think it’s safe to say you will not find yourselves in danger around him. If you need him for something, I can call ahead and secure a meeting.”
Bea reached out and squeezed his hand. “That would be very much appreciated.”
“Consider it done.” He gazed at her and longing lit his eyes.
I turned away, feeling like I was spying on a private moment. This guy was Fiona’s father. And unless I’d severely misjudged the situation, he was the reason Dayla and Bea were at odds. Matisse had been right. The friction between the New Orleans coven and the Coven Pointe witches was about a man. “Excuse me.” I stood. “I need to get some air. Bea, I’ll meet you outside.”
“I’ll be out in a moment, dear.”
I shut the door silently behind me and headed for the front porch. I sat on a wooden swing and listened to the shouts of the Mardi Gras parade in the distance. So many people were out celebrating, while Lucien and Matisse suffered. Life was crazy hard for the witches around these parts, though I supposed witches had it hard everywhere else, too. After all, my mother had been kidnapped by a demon when we’d been in Idaho. Power attracted darkness. Wasn’t that what Bea had told me once?
When Bea finally emerged from the house, she had a wistful expression on her face. I was dying to ask what was up with Maximus but didn’t want to pry. I knew she had been married once and her husband had passed. I was certain whatever had happened with the leader of the demon hunters had been many years ago. On one hand, I was happy she had someone who appeared interested in her. On the other, if we were going to deal with the Coven Pointe witches, this could be a terrible development.
I decided it was best to let it go. “Where to?” I asked.
She held up a piece of paper. “I’ve got an address. All we need is Kat and Lucien.”
“Let’s go.”
***
“This is the bike shop,” Lucien said.
I checked the address Maximus gave us. “It’s the place next door.”
“The apartment building?” Kat asked.
“Yes.” The four of us—Me, Bea, Kat, and Lucien—piled out of Lucien’s Jeep. We’d left Lailah back at Bea’s house to recuperate. “The apartment’s in the back.”
We bypassed the motorcycle shop and slipped through the gate of the apartment building. After climbing three flights of stairs, we stood on his landing. I knocked twice, and Bea rang the doorbell three times. No answer.
I pressed my hand to his door and sent in my emotional energy. Nothing. No one was in there as far as I could tell. “Damn. What did Maximus say? I thought he was setting this up.”
“He did.” Bea frowned. “I was sitting right there when he called.”
“Let’s go wait in the car,” I said. It didn’t make sense to hang out on a crowded stairwell. We all filed back down and were almost out of the courtyard when a shadow caught my eye, and something cool was pressed into my hand. I jerked and thought I saw a tall man with dark hair, but he was gone before I could get a good look at him.
“Whoa.” I held my hand up and stared at a white piece of paper. “Did you see that?”
“What?” Bea asked, glancing around. “I didn’t see anyone.”
“Well, someone was here.” I opened the folded piece of paper to find an address written in neat handwriting. “This is across town.”
Bea gently took the note from me. “Looks like Vaughn wants to meet somewhere a little more private.”
Great. I was all but positive the man I’d seen was Vaughn, and he’d shadow-walked. I tried not to scowl, but time was running out. Lucien was starting to fade. The black magic was creeping over him again. I was terrified if we didn’t find an answer for him, we’d lose him. And although Kat couldn’t see what I could, it was obvious to me she knew he was in trouble. My zap of white magic earlier hadn’t lasted very long.
I drove Lucien’s Jeep. Bea sat in the front passenger’s seat, and Kat and Lucien occupied the back. I kept glancing in the rearview mirror, terrified Kat was going to hug him or hold his hand, but she seemed to have come to terms with the fact that touching him was out of the question. Instead, they were turned toward each other, talking quietly. I glanced at Bea and whispered, “We’re running out of time.”
She gave my knee a reassuring pat. “We’ll make it.”
I wished I could be so sure.
We headed all the way up Canal Street until we were in the Lakeview neighborhood. Most of the houses were new or had been completely redone after Hurricane Katrina, and it had a very suburban feel, unlike most of the rest of the city.
“Take a right,” Bea said. A few streets down, we parked in front of a modern-day city farmhouse. The lots on either side were empty. And the house across the street had a construction sign on it.
“Still rebuilding,” Kat said to no one in particular.
“Looks like it,” I said.
We once again got out of the Jeep and headed to the front door. Only this time when we rang the doorbell, Vaughn answered. His hair was wet as if he’d just gotten out of the shower, and he was wearing only jeans. No shirt, no socks, no shoes, no nothing. And goddamned if he wasn’t smokin’ hot. I resisted the urge to fan myself. “Mr. Paxton? I believe you were expecting us.”
He flashed a sexy-lazy smile. “Ms. Calhoun. It’s good to see you well. Our last meeting was an unpleasant piece of business. I’m glad the order was able to get the situation under control.”
Lucien scowled. “Under control? You’re the one who delivered me there.”
His lips formed a thin line. “My apologies to you, Mr. Boulard. I was only doing my job. I can assure you as soon as I assessed the situation, I called in the order.” He opened the door wider. “Please, come in where we can talk.”
I glanced back at the street. No one seemed to be paying any attention to us. I couldn’t help but wonder what this goose chase was all about. “No offense, but you do realize someone could be watching us, right? I mean, anyone staking out your apartment could’ve just followed us.”
He laughed. It was low, sexy, and damned alluring. Jeez. Incubus for sure. Why didn’t he work for the order? “They could’ve, but why would they? As far as they know, you came by my apartment, realized I wasn’t home, and left. Besides, there’s a spell on the house. Only those invited can see it. We’re all safe here. Don’t worry about it. Have a seat.”
“What about the car?” I asked.
“They can’t see that either,” Vaughn said, starting to sound impatient.
Okay then. The house was sparsely furnished. A leather couch sat against one wall. Two matching recliners were off to one side, facing a giant wide-screen television. But there was nothing else. Not even a print on the wall. Bea and I sat on the far end of the couch. Lucien and Kat remained standing, obviously still skeptical.
I introduced Kat and Bea and then we got down to business. “I’m here for two reasons. They’re both equally important, but one matter is more pressing.” I waved to Lucien. “He’s been spelled with a black heart curse. One person has already died. And now one of them—” I indicated either Lucien or Kat with a nod to each of them “—is next.”
“A black heart curse?” Narrowing his eyes, he studied Lucien. “I see.”
“We know who cursed him,” I said. “We need the person in order to reverse it.”
Vaughn turned to meet my gaze. “And how can I help?”
“It’s your brother, Mitch.
Can you help us find him?”
Vaughn stood and paced the room. “You’re sure it was him?” He didn’t seem all that surprised. More like disappointed.
“I’m positive,” Lucien said. “We were acquaintances back then. He was there when it happened, and today he admitted it to me.”
“Fuck me.” Vaughn ran a hand through his lush black hair. “This is going to get messy.”
“I suspect it is,” I said. “And since the order didn’t take him down, I imagine he’s on the run or in a safe house until this blows over.”
He sat back down. “I can probably lead you to him.”
Bea gave him a grim smile of her own. “You’re sure about that? You’ll be signing your brother’s death certificate before long.”
Vaughn met her eyes with a cold, hard stare. “Ms. Kelton, I’m a bounty hunter for the Witches’ Council. It’s my job to take down those who make deals with the devil.”
She regarded him a minute and then nodded. “Understood.”
Vaughn turned his attention to me. “What’s the second piece of business?”
“It’s Matisse.”
Vaughn’s demeanor changed instantly. He sat up straighter, and while he’d been cold and business focused before, now there was something else shining in his eyes. He was good at keeping his emotions masked, but I thought it might be pain.
“She’s trapped in a void world, and we need you to help her cross back over.” I watched him carefully.
His expression never changed, but emotion certainly rolled behind those intense eyes. “Trapped?”
“Yes, and she’ll fade away into nothing if we don’t get her out soon.”
“And why do you need me?” His tone was unfeeling, but he’d curled his left hand into a fist, and his knuckles were turning white.
“Dayla says you stole something from her. And in order for her to cross, she needs it back.”
“What?” Vaughn stood, outraged. “Stole? I took nothing from her.”
I gave him a sympathetic smile. “But you did. Do you know what kind of witch she is?”
“Yes.”
I leaned in and lowered my voice. “Did you know that after the last time you saw her, she spent a month recuperating?”
