by Deanna Chase
“Yes! Another task checked off the list.” Kat made a big show of scribbling in her notebook and then tucked it away to answer another text.
I rolled my eyes but couldn’t get the stupid grin off my face. My anger melted when I saw the pride shining in Mom’s eyes. She was my mother. I knew she’d been ruled by her fears and that’s why she’d kept secrets. We’d work our problems out later. Right then, I wanted to share this joy with her. I opened my arms, and she stepped into them. She hugged me tight, and I prayed one day we’d find our way back to that easy mother–daughter relationship we’d once had.
After that, the day flew by while we met with the wedding planner and went over every last detail, from the invitations, decorations, and flowers to the band, the entrees, and the photographer. Our final stop was the bakery to decide on the cake. I was exhausted but ridiculously happy with our progress.
I still had the desserts in Kane’s refrigerator at home. It was a true testament to how horrible the last couple of days had been that I hadn’t even tried one of them. I shuddered at the thought. Dessert never lasted long in our house.
Despite my running out on her a few days earlier, the bakery owner greeted us with warm smiles and understanding. Her dark hair was pinned up, and she wore a crawfish-covered apron over her jeans and work shirt. Across the top of the apron, someone had embroidered Stella, Head Cookie in Charge.
“I’m so sorry I missed you the other day. Uh…something came up,” I said, shaking the woman’s hand and smiling at the flour smudged across her forehead. I liked her instantly.
“Don’t worry about it, hon.” She flashed a brilliant smile. “After twenty-five years in the wedding business, we’ve seen it all.” She led us to the back of the shop and through an intricately carved door into a tasting room. Three cloth-covered tables sat in the middle of the room with velvet-covered pink seventeenth-century chairs. A matching settee lined the wall. But the real show was the dessert trays set up at each place setting. There were no less than seven of the most beautiful confections I’d ever seen.
My mouth watered just looking at them.
“Oh, wow,” Kat said with her eyes wide. “Any of them cheesecake-flavored?”
Stella laughed. “Three of them. We heard the bride is a fan.”
“Stella, you just became my new best friend.” I winked.
An hour later, my mouth happier than I’d ever imagined, I chose the mocha cheesecake-filled butter cream cake and sat back to watch my friends devour as many of the samplers as they could possibly stand.
“Excuse me,” Kat said. “Restroom time.” She hurried out of the room, almost waddling from the decadent desserts.
Laughter rang around me, all my friends in good spirits from the productive day and the lack of drama. It almost seemed unreal that we’d survived a whole day without any hiccups.
I pulled my phone out to call Kane but got his voicemail. Instead of leaving a message, I hung up and sent him a quick text. Placing my phone on the table, I dug into my cake of choice one last time, letting the creamy goodness melt in my mouth. Good Goddess. If I hadn’t been surrounded by my friends and family, I might’ve orgasmed right then and there, it was that good.
My phone buzzed. I grabbed it, smiling, until I read the text. It was from Ian.
Text me after you talk to her.
I frowned. Talk to who? About what? I scrolled up, finding a string of texts from throughout the day, but they weren’t from me.
Another phone buzzed on the table. My gaze landed on it, and that was when I realized I was holding Kat’s phone, not mine. It took all my willpower to put Kat’s phone back on the table and not read the exchange. I stared at it, watching it buzz with another incoming message.
I shouldn’t read her private texts. No matter how much I wanted to. Who was she supposed to talk to? Me? Pyper?
I grabbed my phone and smiled at Kane’s enthusiasm for the cake I’d chosen.
Bring some home, so I can feed it to you and watch your magical lips do unspeakable things to the fork.
I couldn’t hold back the laugh. On our first date, he’d found my sexual weakness while feeding me cheesecake.
Kat reappeared. Her phone buzzed again. She snatched it and frowned.
I stared at her expectantly. She stuffed her phone in her pocket and pretended not to notice.
The chatter of my wedding party rose, and laughter rang through the room at something Ms. Bella said.
Even though I knew I should, after everything that had happened I couldn’t let it go. I leaned in close to Kat. “You’ve been texting with Ian all day.”
She cut her eyes to me. “So?”
“You said Lucien.”
“No, you said it was Lucien. I didn’t disagree with you.”
I raised skeptical eyebrows. “You confirmed it was him. Why did you lie about it?”
She sat back down but pushed her chair a few feet away, as if that was going to stop my questioning.
“Kat? What’s going on?” I asked quietly, trying to keep our conversation somewhat private.
She closed her eyes and sighed. “I don’t want to bring this up here. You’re having a good day. I don’t want to ruin it.”
The familiar panic flooded my chest, and I stood up, almost knocking over my chair.
Bea, Pyper, and Meri, all looked up at me, concern lining their eyes.
“Everything all right, dear?” Bea asked.
I nodded and glanced at Meri. “Can you join me and Kat outside for a minute?” This couldn’t wait. If something was wrong, I needed to know.
Meri nodded and came around the table to join us. I grabbed Kat’s arm, smiled at the others, and said, “We’ll be back in a minute. Just need some fresh air after all the gluttony.”
They laughed and continued to chatter in high spirits.
“Jade.” Kat sighed as I pulled her out onto the street.
“Kat,” I mimicked. “What is going on?”
She met my eyes, with compassion shining in hers. “I know you’re having a hard time with all this, but you need to talk to Pyper about Ian. What happened isn’t his fault.”
Meri stood beside me, leaning against the brick wall. “Why does she need to talk to Pyper? Shouldn’t Ian be the one doing the explaining?”
I nodded, wondering the same thing.
“Pyper won’t talk to him. She thinks he still has feelings for Jade. But he doesn’t. Plus she’s convinced he has something with that reporter chick, Sybil. That piece of work has been all over him, thinking she can hitch her star to his with the ghost hunting. He isn’t into her at all. In fact, he’s disgusted by the way she’s behaved around him. But that’s for them to discuss. What’s important is that he’s beside himself with what happened.” Kat shoved her hands in her pockets and met my eyes. “Honestly, he’s not doing well. Way worse than you are.”
“Hey!” I stiffened. “You don’t know what I’m dealing with.”
“You’re right. I don’t. But I do see you out with all of us, managing to at least put part of this behind you. I’m sure it’s hard. God, I can’t even imagine how hard it is. But you have all of us and Kane.” She shook her head. “Ian has no one except me right now. He can’t talk to Bea about this, and Pyper, who’s become his best friend, won’t take his phone calls.”
What must it be like for him? Feeling like he’d assaulted one of his friends against his will and losing the one person he trusted most because of it? Understanding and compassion consumed me. He was the victim and villain rolled into one.
I nodded to Kat. “I’ll talk to Pyper.”
Chapter 28
The rest of the week flew by with Meri and me spending hours every day dealing with questions from the wedding planner. I’d tried twice to talk to Pyper about Ian, but she’d shut me down both times.
The day before the council hearing, we stopped at The Grind as the last of the day’s customers were leaving. I’d taken the week off, mostly because it was awkward having
Meri hang around the cafe all day while I worked. The fact was, Kane had made it clear I didn’t need to work anymore, so it wasn’t as if my pocketbook was taking a huge hit. Once I’d moved in with him, he’d stopped accepting my rent check for the apartment, even though most of my stuff was still there.
It wasn’t as though I planned to be the little wife. I still had a teaching commitment at the glass studio. As soon as life got back to normal, I’d get back to working in the cafe and making the intricate glass beads for my online store.
Pyper glanced at the clock. “Just in time. What can I get you two?”
I smiled. “I’ll get it.” I whipped behind the counter and made two iced chai teas. After placing the money in the register, I slipped the change in her tip jar and then leaned against the counter to wait.
A few minutes later, she flipped the lock on the door and announced, “Closing time.”
“Good.” I pulled out a chair. “Sit.”
She quirked a skeptical eyebrow at me.
“Please? It’s important.”
She pursed her lips and pulled her freshly dyed hair into a bun. This time around, she’d layered streaks of ash blond through her black locks. “If this is about Ian—”
I cut her off. “It is, but it’s also about me. Please, Pyper? Just hear me out, and I won’t bother you about it again.”
She eyed the swinging door to the backroom as if she was considering bolting, but I placed a soft hand on her arm.
“Please?” I said again.
“Fine,” she huffed and reached over the counter to pull out a small bottle of chocolate liquor she always kept there. After dousing her coffee with a generous shot, she sat and crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m listening.”
I blew out a breath, not sure where to start. I glanced at Meri. She shrugged.
Okay, maybe it was best to jump right in. “Can you explain to me how you felt when Camille took over your body?”
Pyper’s eyes went wide. I’d caught her mid-gulp, and she started to choke. “Excuse me?”
“When you lured Meri away from my apartment that day, do you remember what it was like to have Camille controlling you?”
She put her coffee cup down. “Yes. Of course I do.”
My fingers drummed on the tabletop. Staring at them, I stopped the motion, forcing myself to calm down. “Can you explain it?”
“Why?”
I leaned in. “I’m trying to understand something.”
Her nostrils flared, and I recognized her attempt to control her temper. Pyper wasn’t known for over-sharing. “Fine. I was myself, then it was like I had a brain reset, and I couldn’t control what I was doing.”
“Were you conscious of your actions?”
“Yes,” she said through clenched teeth.
“And did you try to stop it?”
“Yes.”
I softened my voice, hoping I was coming off as understanding. “But you couldn’t, right?”
She leaned back, her shoulders slumped. “No, I couldn’t.” Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. “I’m sorry. It was my fault what happened to you.”
I slammed my hand down on the table in sudden anger. “No, it wasn’t. And that’s the point, isn’t it?”
Shock flickered over her face and she sat up. “What do you mean?”
“Camille was controlling you. You had no way of stopping her. I don’t blame you. I never have.”
“Yeah, but—”
“No, Pyper. No buts. This is a ghost possession we’re talking about. And the same thing happened with Ian.”
“He wasn’t possessed!” she cried and stood up. Suddenly, her body went rigid, and her eyes rolled back in her head.
“Pyper?” I jumped to my feet and took her arm at the same time Meri did. “What’s happening?” I asked the angel.
Meri shook her head. “I’m not sure.”
Pyper relaxed, and her eyes focused on me. A slow, satisfied smile spread over her face. “Hello again, Jade.”
The high, tinkling voice made my ears ring. I shook Pyper’s arm. “Get the hell out of her body, Camille! You aren’t welcome here.” I pivoted toward Meri. “How is this possible?”
“She’s too vulnerable. Camille might be going after her again because you’re here, trying to use her to get to you.” Meri let go of Pyper’s arm and ran behind the counter, frantically searching the shelves.
Because of me? I dropped Pyper’s arm and backed up, my entire body cold with fear. This was happening because of me. It had to be. Pyper had been fine all week. “What are you looking for?”
“Her charm!”
Of course. “Check in the back. She has a shelf she keeps stuff on.”
I backed up, blocking the front door to ensure Camille couldn’t get away. “What do you want?”
Pyper’s eyes narrowed. “Isn’t it obvious? I want my daughter back.”
I scowled. “Then why have you been trying to use my body to have sex with anyone who’ll move?”
Camille’s humorless laughter rang through the cafe. “You’re the worst witch I’ve ever met. Don’t you research anything anymore?”
What the heck was she talking about? I leaped forward and shook Pyper’s arm. “Just tell me why, dammit! We could’ve helped you if you’d just tell us what you need.”
Pyper’s face fell from righteous indignation to desperation. “You’d never help me. No one helps witches who use sex magic.”
“What?” I cried. Who cared if she was skilled in sex magic?
“I needed the spell to bring back my daughter.” Tears formed in Pyper’s eyes. “She’s being held captive by another spirit. If I could free her, I’d leave everyone alone. I just want to free her soul.”
Her daughter’s soul was what she’d wanted all along. She hadn’t wanted to bring her daughter back to life, just free her. Why hadn’t we tried to figure that out? The last time we’d had a ghost, I’d researched as much as I could. With Ian’s help—
Ian.
He was the ghost hunter and the one person I hadn’t been able to even think about, the one who would’ve put me on the path to uncover the mystery. If Camille hadn’t chosen him, we might have figured this out sooner.
The back door swung open, and Meri burst through. Within moments, she had the charm pressed into Pyper’s hand. Pyper’s eyes rolled into the back of her head again. She slumped into my arms as Camille left her body.
“Pyper?” I stared down into her pain-filled face.
“Yeah,” she whispered, and tears filled her eyes. “It really wasn’t Ian’s fault, was it?”
I let out a huge sigh of relief. “No. He was spelled.”
She steadied herself and walked over to the bar, gripping the counter to hold herself up. “Did he know what was going on and couldn’t stop it? Just like I did?”
I nodded.
“Oh, God.” She placed a horrified hand over her mouth. “He must feel terrible.”
I nodded again. “I think he could use a friend besides Kat.” I stared pointedly at her.
“Have you spoken to him?”
“No.” I swallowed and moved to stand next to her, staring at the floor. “It’s too hard. I don’t blame him. I really don’t. But I can’t seem to let it go either. I’m sure in time…”
Pyper squeezed my hand. “I understand.” Then she pulled me into a hug. “I’m so sorry. I know this is hard. I didn’t mean to make it harder.”
I let out a relieved huff of laughter. “You don’t need to be sorry, but we have to find a way to move past this.” I gulped in a welcome breath of air. She’d scared the crap out of me. “Tomorrow’s the hearing. After that, everything will be better.” I hoped.
“Yes, it will,” Meri agreed. But I saw the unease in her eyes. Whatever happened, one way or another, we’d keep Pyper and Kat safe.
“Why did Camille show up now, when we haven’t seen her all week?” I asked Meri.
She frowned. “My guess is the spells on the vood
oo dolls are fading. With the high emotion running between the two of you, Camille gathered the strength to invade Pyper. But not you, because I’m here.”
“Crap,” I muttered. Tomorrow couldn’t come soon enough.
***
I awoke the next morning wrapped in Kane’s arms, wishing for more time. I’d been waiting impatiently all week, but now that the day was here, all I wanted to do was stay in bed, content with the illusion of safety.
He shifted beside me and then ran a careful hand over my cheek. “Morning.”
“Morning,” I said, and he wrapped his arms around me tighter. I could feel his arousal on my back, just as I had all week, but I didn’t turn to him as I normally would. We hadn’t been intimate since the hotel incident, and to Kane’s credit, he hadn’t made a move even once. He’d been sweet and gentle, waiting until I was ready.
But each time I even thought about it, I chickened out. What if I had flashbacks? Or if all the helplessness came back? I never wanted to feel like that with Kane. Instead, I snuggled into him, hoping it was enough.
A knock sounded on the door. “Jade? Kane? Lailah called. She’ll be here in an hour,” Meri said.
“Damn,” I murmured.
Kane’s warm breath heated my skin, and he pressed a slow kiss to my neck. “Let’s get this done, pretty witch, so I can bring you home and marry you.”
I smiled. “I like the sound of that.”
He rolled away and disappeared into the bathroom.
I suppressed a shudder, trying to ignore the apprehension building in my chest. What if these were the last moments Kane and I had together? What if the council put me back in the room where time stood still? Or worse? My feet hit the floor, and before I lost my nerve, I stripped, and headed into the bathroom. With my body and soul exposed, I pulled open the shower curtain.
“Hey,” Kane’s face blossomed into a slow smile. “Want to join me?”
I nodded and stepped into the clawfoot tub. The hot water hit my back, cutting off Kane’s access. My heart raced with a painful combination of fear and excitement. I lifted my head and pressed a kiss to his open lips. He held perfectly still, letting me move over his lower lip, and when I flicked my tongue into his mouth, a soft moan escaped his throat.
