by Deanna Chase
“Zoe?” I called just in case. No response. I hadn’t expected there to be. She clearly wasn’t even around right then. Maybe there was some old residual ghost energy he was picking up on. I took a few steps down the stairs. “Come on, Duke. Let’s go.”
The dog turned his head, studying me with his hackles still raised, but then his eye caught the bagel sandwich. That did it. His concentration was broken and he lunged down the stairs after me.
“That’s it.” I took off down the stairs, Duke on my heels.
After we left the building, Duke trotted along with me without any issues. And right after we got back to the house Kane and I shared, Duke bounded in and made himself comfortable on an oversized chair.
I laughed and took a bite of the bagel sandwich. The dog stared at me with sad eyes. “I know, buddy. I’d share if I could.”
Kane followed me to the back of the house. I grabbed us both a bottle of water and sat with him at the table.
“So,” I said, twisting the cap on and off. “Are you doing all right?”
“Sure.” He took a long drink of his water.
“Really? Even though there’s something about you that’s disturbing the shadows and you’re being investigated by the Brotherhood?” I hated pointing out the obvious, but if he was going to act like nothing was wrong, I didn’t know what else I was supposed to do.
“Well, I’m not thrilled about it, but whatever’s happening, I know I don’t have control over it. So the only thing I can do is move forward until we have more information.” He seemed so reasonable. As if he knew once we had information we’d sort this out.
“You’re right.” I leaned over and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Ready to go find some answers?”
He wrapped his hand around the back of my neck and kneaded his fingers into my tense muscles. “In a minute.”
I smiled at him. “Take all the time you need.”
***
Kane pulled his Lexus to a stop in front of Lucien’s home in the Bywater neighborhood. The residents were an eclectic group of artists and musicians, as well as interlopers from out of state. When we stepped onto his porch, the door opened seemingly on its own, and I registered the small magical signature as Lucien’s. He’d spelled his front door to let certain people in. I guessed we were on the list.
“Neat trick,” Kane said.
I smiled. Lucien’s house was a single shotgun double, meaning there weren’t any hallways and every room was stacked up against the other. We strolled into the living room and passed under an arch into his office.
“Hi, Jade, Kane,” he said from his position at his desk. He had three thick reference books open in front of him and a file opened on the computer. Books lined two complete walls, all of the texts pertaining to either art or witchcraft. He claimed the title Art Gallery Manager in his day job. Spinning, he waved to a small couch to his left. “Have a seat.”
“Thanks.” Kane and I sat, and I immediately went through the events of the last few days, leaving nothing out except the six angels who’d been compromised. I knew there’d be hell to pay if Chessandra found out I’d told him, but he was my second in command. He had knowledge I didn’t and if anything happened to me while Kane and I were working on the case, I needed him to have enough tools to be able to step in and help us.
“So, obviously we’re at a loss as to what’s going on in the shadows and how exactly Kane is connected to that. Any ideas on where to start?” I asked.
Lucien sat back and stretched his legs out as he appeared to process everything I’d just told him.
“I’m going to ask Bea as well. I just haven’t had a chance yet.”
He nodded and then his head snapped up. Pointing to his large shelf, he stood and walked straight to a nondescript-looking leather-bound book. Nondescript, because most of them looked exactly the same. Brown, old, gold-embossed lettering. There was a mountain of them. He handed it to me. “This is the recounting of one witch’s experience with an incubus and if I recall, there was an incident in the shadow world.”
“An incident?” I asked, thumbing through it.
“It was a long time ago when I read it, but I seem to recall a reference to an incubus having some control over the fabric of the world? I can’t exactly remember. Take a look.”
I thumbed through the text, scanning the reference. It involved a specific spell cast by a sex witch and was bound with a blood sacrifice. Nothing Kane had done or would do. I glanced up, frowning. “This doesn’t really look applicable to what we’re dealing with.”
He pursed his lips and scanned the room. “I’m afraid I don’t have much material on this because as witches, we don’t really deal with the shadows much or incubi.” He gave Kane an apologetic look. “The demon hunters and the angels would be a much better resource. Or hell, even the Coven Pointe witches. “
“Hmm,” Kane said.
I eyed him. “Explain.”
He shrugged. “We know we’re not going to get answers from the angels or the hunters.”
“I hadn’t even considered speaking to the Coven Pointe witches. They do seem to know a lot more than they let on. We just need to get them to talk to us,” I said, already dejected. The last thing I wanted to do was go ask Dayla or Fiona for help. Those witches were witches in every sense of the word.
“We could talk to Mati,” Kane said.
“Oh. And Vaughn.” My gloom lifted. Mati was a sex witch who had gotten trapped in another dimension. And Vaughn, another incubus, was her boyfriend. We’d helped save Mati from the other world not too long ago and had teamed up with Vaughn to take down his black-magic-using stepbrother. “That’s a great idea. Even if they don’t have any answers, they can get them.”
Kane stood and held his hand out to Lucien. “Thanks, man. You’ve been a great help.”
Lucien chuckled. “Not really. But glad I could point you in a direction, at least.” He met my gaze. “I’ll keep turning things over in my mind and if I come up with anything remotely interesting, I’ll call you. In the meantime, you know where I am if you need anything.”
I reached over and gave him a quick hug. “Thanks!”
“Lucien!” Kat’s voice came from the front room. “Where are you?”
A smile claimed his lips as he stepped to the side to peer through the archway. “In here.”
“Omigod!” She came running in from the other room, her arms outstretched. “I got the part! I got it!” She barreled into him.
He caught her and spun her around as she laughed. “Got what?”
“I’m going to be on TV!” she gasped out. “Can you believe it?”
“No. I don’t think I can.” Lucien’s eyes were wide with disbelief as he smiled at her.
“TV?” I asked, overjoyed at her happiness filling the room, but utterly confused. Kat was a silversmith and worked at a shop in the French Quarter. She wasn’t an actress and as far as I knew, the only acting she’d ever done was in a couple of high school plays.
“Jade.” She pried herself from Lucien’s grasp and turned to me, tears of joy sparkling in her hazel eyes. “Can you believe it? I saw a notice for a small part in a new pilot television series, and on a whim I went down and auditioned. They said I had the exact energy and look for it and offered me the part on the spot.”
“Wow. That’s cool.” I moved in to hug her, but she turned back to Lucien. Uh, okay, then.
“I have to cancel tomorrow because I need to get my hair and nails done. And a wax. This thing starts shooting in, like, four days and well, I’m just not going to have time for anything.” She slipped past us and seemed to float toward the back of the house.
“Audition?” Lucien asked me. “Did you know about it?”
I shook my head. “No. I had no idea she was even interested in the entertainment business. She’s never talked about it before. Not that I can recall anyway.” I racked my brain, trying to think of anything that would connect this new development to what I knew of my best friend. N
othing.
Both of us turned and looked at Kane as if he’d have the answers.
He held his hands up and laughed. “Don’t look at me.”
“Weird,” I said, eyeing the door she’d disappeared through. “Cool. But weird.”
“What show did she say it was?” Lucien asked.
“She didn’t.” I put the book down he’d given me. “A new pilot TV show is all she said.” I glanced at Kane. “I’ll be right back.”
He nodded, and I took off to tell Kat congratulations again before we left. I found her in the kitchen holding a bottle of orange soda a few inches from her mouth as she practiced an acceptance speech for her impending Emmy.
“And a special thanks to my friend, Jen, for believing in me when no one else did.”
Who the hell was Jen? I cleared my throat. “Hi.”
She spun. “Oh, Jade. You scared me.”
I bit my lip. “We’re taking off. I just wanted to say bye…and tell you congratulations.”
She gave me a shy smile as she tucked one of her red curls behind her ear. “It’s a dream come true.”
“I’d say so.” But whose dream? Certainly not hers. But I didn’t have it in me to question her about it at that moment. I needed time to process everything that was happening. Instead, I held my arms out, inviting a hug.
Kat smiled, but when she took a step forward, she stumbled on what appeared to be nothing and spilled her orange drink down the front of her dress. “Oh, damn.” She glanced back at me. “Sorry, Jade. I need to soak this before it stains.”
And before I could say another word, she disappeared into the bathroom. I stared after her, unease eating away at my gut. I could’ve sworn she’d spilled that drink on purpose. More confused than ever, I slowly made my way back to the office to join Lucien and Kane.
A few minutes later, Kane and I were back at the car. I glanced at him. “To the Pointe?”
He nodded and fired the car to life. “As long as we’re not shot at, assaulted, or magically altered in any way like we were last time.”
One could only hope.
Chapter 9
As Kane headed to the freeway, I called Mati.
She answered on the second ring. “Jade. Hi.” Her tone was hesitant. I couldn’t blame her. Our two covens didn’t really mix, and we only knew each other because I’d been tasked with saving her from another dimension. My presence didn’t exactly evoke pleasant memories.
“Hey, Mati. How are you doing?”
“Good. Still going to school and working with Chessa. How about you?”
“The same. Only no going to school. You know, witch and shadow business.” I shifted in my seat so I was facing Kane. “Listen, I know you’re probably busy, but would it be okay if Kane and I met up with you today for a little bit? There’s a…situation in the shadows and we find ourselves needing to do some research. We thought you and Vaughn might be a good place to start.”
“Me and Vaughn?” The shock in her voice made me cringe.
They were both young. Mati was in her early twenties and still in college. Vaughn was a few years older, but he hadn’t been part of the Brotherhood for long. Was it stupid to think they’d have any information at all? Mati was Chessandra’s sister. Better than going to Dayla’s house and being spelled into Goddess knew what. “I was hoping you’d know where we could start looking.”
“We can try. When did you want to come by?”
“Is now okay?” I sent Kane a grimace. Nothing like just inviting oneself over.
She laughed at that. “Yeah, okay. Vaughn’s on his way, so it’s not bad timing.”
“Great. Thanks.” I hit End and tossed the phone into my bag.
“That wasn’t awkward at all,” Kane said, making the turn onto the Crescent City Connection Bridge.
“Sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do.”
Ten minutes later, Kane parked in front of Mati’s raised basement home. She occupied one of the apartments upstairs. I recognized Vaughn’s Indian motorcycle parked in the small driveway. “He’s already here.”
Kane nodded and led me up the stairs.
“Jade,” Mati said when she opened the door. She smiled and spread her arms for a hug.
“Mati, you look fantastic.” I wrapped my arms around her, thrilled to feel her vibrant energy swirling around us.
“Thanks. So do you. Come in. Both of you.” She waved at Kane, and he nodded. “Have a seat. I’ll get Vaughn.”
Kane and I sat on her slip-covered couch in the small living room. Her space was full of interesting witch paintings and a few framed handwritten spells. Candles lined the room and on one shelf she had a plentiful supply of herbs and potions. They were prepackaged but judging by the labels, they weren’t from Bea’s shop in the Quarter. Some place called The Heart of a Witch.
It didn’t take long for Vaughn and Mati to return. Vaughn’s incubus energy was overwhelming and the second my body tingled in response, I erected my defensive walls. It was disturbing, being physically affected by someone other than Kane. Especially Mati’s boyfriend.
“Vaughn.” Kane rose and shook the other incubus’s hand. “Good to see you.”
“You, too. I wish it was under different circumstances,” Vaughn said.
“You heard then?” Kane stuffed his hands in his jeans pockets.
“Yeah. We were all briefed. There was no getting around it, really. We all feel the disturbance.”
Kane gave him a small nod. “I suppose that’s true.”
“It’s odd though.” Vaughn ran a hand through his dark hair. “The intensity of your energy signature shifts each time I slip through the shadows. Sometimes it’s strong and other times it’s barely noticeable, so faint it’s hard to tell who the signature belongs to.”
“That’s weird,” I said absently, rolling his words around in my head. “For me, faint energy signatures have to do with two things. The energy level of the person or their proximity to me.”
Vaughn shook his head. “I don’t think proximity’s the case here. Incubi are connected on a cellular level and when we sense the other, we can tune in as much or as little as we want to in order to find our fellow brethren when he could use assistance. I can’t speak to energy level, but if that was the case, the signal has been so faint in some instances, I’d question if Kane was moments from his last breath. And considering he appears to be fine, that doesn’t ring true either. But I could be wrong.”
I shook my head. “No, that sounds about right. But then, we can’t know, can we? Not unless there’s a documented case of the shadows being tainted before.”
“You could ask Chessa,” Mati said.
I could, but then I’d have to tell her about Kane, and who knew what she’d do if she thought he was involved in what happened to the angels? “No,” I said too quickly.
Mati frowned. “Why not?”
Vaughn slipped his arm around her waist. “Because, my love, your sister is an act first, ask questions later kind of angel, and Kane’s situation will only get worse if she decides to try to pin any of this on him.”
Mati opened her mouth to respond, then closed it. Nodding, she looked Kane in the eye. “He’s right. I won’t say anything.”
“Thanks,” Kane said and glanced away. A tiny sliver of shame and frustration streamed from him, brushing against my skin.
I knew he was innocent here, so the shame must be from feeling as if he needed to hide what was happening for fear the angels wouldn’t believe he was one of the good guys, just like the demon hunters. Frustration because, well, that was obvious. He was stuck in the middle of something he knew nothing about.
“I can ask Dayla though,” Mati said, her eyes sparking with determination. “When we have girls’ night and she’s drinking, she loves to talk about the good ‘ole days. The more booze she has, the looser her lips are. In fact…” She grabbed my arm. “You should come with me tomorrow night. Then you can help me ask questions.”
Oh, damn. I
wasn’t afraid of Dayla exactly. I could probably take her in a magical duel. Okay, probably not, because she had a ton more experience than I did, but I could out-magic her when measuring spell for spell. I was pretty damn strong. “Do we have to do it while she’s drinking? Wouldn’t it be better to ask to meet her for lunch or something?”
Mati laughed. “Dayla doesn’t lunch. Please, she’s too busy hiding out in her witch’s lair. No, girls’ night out is better because she actually leaves her cave. She drinks more and talks more when she’s sucking down martinis. Tomorrow night. Meet me here at seven forty-five, and we’ll walk over to the Coven Pointe bar. You’ll love it. Trust me.”
She seemed so sure of herself and excited to have a plan, I just nodded. It couldn’t hurt. Right? And if we were in a public place, Dayla was probably less likely to spell me. Though, I had power of my own, so I wasn’t too worried about that. “Okay, it’s a date. Tomorrow night.”
“And I’ll see what I can dig up at the Brotherhood,” Vaughn volunteered.
Kane stiffened. “That’s not necessary. I don’t want you to be implicated in whatever this is that’s going on.”
“It is necessary. You and Jade were there for Mati when I wasn’t. I owe you.” The conviction in his tone had me nodding before Kane could say anything else.
“Thank you,” I said. “Any information you can find is useful at this point. But I agree, please be cautious. We don’t want you being benched as well.” I slipped my hand into Kane’s. “Mati, I’ll see you tomorrow night.”
“Yes. You will. Dressy-casual.”
“Got it.”
Kane held his hand out to Vaughn. “Thanks, brother.”
Vaughn clasped his hand while clutching his forearm with his other hand. “Thank you.” Vaughn cast a protective look in Mati’s direction. “We all need a hand every now and then. I’m glad I can return the favor.”
***
