Demons of Bourbon Street

by Deanna Chase

  “And that would be?” A pit the size of a crater formed in my stomach.

  “Destroy the one who tainted it.”

  I stopped breathing and forced out, “Me?”

  “Yes.” Compassion and no small amount of apprehension radiated from him. “Your magic tainted the circle. Your black magic.”

  Chapter 8

  Chaos erupted. Everyone spoke over each other while I stared at Philip, frozen in shock. He met my gaze, a trace of sadness in his pale green eyes. One blink and the emotion vanished, replaced by stony determination.

  Goodwin’s voice rose above the others. “We need to bind her. Now.”

  “Jonathon, don’t be ridiculous,” Lailah scoffed. “Clearly Jade isn’t posing an immediate danger. No need to be drastic.”

  Magically binding me would keep my soul from being corrupted. It would also put me in a coma. Forever. Unless someone managed to neutralize the black magic. And I was the only witch I knew strong enough and stupid enough to attempt such a thing.

  Goodwin stalked toward me, and I glared at him. Bind me first and ask questions later, huh? Yeah, not gonna happen.

  Kat and Lailah appeared beside me, each flanking one side.

  Kane stepped in Goodwin’s path. “Turn around and walk away.”

  “Who are you?” Goodwin asked, impatience lacing his voice.

  “The guy who’s going to send you to your own special version of Hell if you don’t get the fuck away from my girlfriend.”

  Goodwin started to glow, magic building around him. He took a small, challenging step toward Kane. “Go ahead and try.”

  “Jonathon!” Lailah barked. “Back off.”

  Neither of the men acknowledged her. Kane’s arms flexed, and Goodwin’s magic rippled. Jonathon raised his arm, ready to throw the magical equivalent of a punch.

  “Kane!” I cried as he took a swing at an honest-to-Goddess man of the cloth. Not that Goodwin didn’t deserve it.

  A bright white light materialized between them and forced them a good five feet apart before either could strike the other. Kane stumbled and grimaced as he clutched his thigh—the same one Meri had stabbed during his stay in Purgatory—but he managed to stay upright. Goodwin tripped over his own feet and landed on his backside.

  They both stared at me.

  I raised my hands. “I didn’t do it.” Jerking my head toward Lucien, I added, “That’s his magical signature.”

  Lucien stormed over and positioned himself in front of me, power still brimming at his fingertips. “Enough. We’re not binding Jade. At least, not until we figure out what’s happening.”

  Goodwin scrambled to his feet, a challenge already forming on his lips.

  “One more word and I’ll curse you,” Lucien snapped, an icy calm radiating off him.

  I’d never seen him work so much magic by himself. Something suspiciously close to pride welled in my chest. My second in command was growing stronger.

  Philip, who’d stayed back assessing the dynamics, moved and whispered something to Lailah. She tilted her face up, studying him. Finally she looked away and cleared her throat. “Maybe we should all go somewhere and figure this out.”

  ***

  A wave of exhaustion washed over me. I brought a steamy cup of coffee to my lips and leaned back into the overstuffed loveseat in Kane’s living room.

  The three angels hovered in the corner, arguing in hushed tones. Kane sat next to me, silently keeping an eye on Goodwin. Kat perched on my other side in a wooden chair she’d snagged from the kitchen. Her anxiousness was actually making me nauseated. To keep my dinner down, I raised my imaginary glass silo, blocking everyone’s emotional energy. My stomach settled, and I sighed in relief.

  Lucien paced back and forth in front of us, his brow creased in thought. “If what Philip said is true, why didn’t I turn on you?”

  “You think Jade’s tainted?” Kat sent him a hard stare.

  “No. I mean, I don’t know.” He paused and glanced at Philip. “We can’t take anything he says at face value. He’s a stranger. A demon’s mate, even. He could be helping Meri.”

  My head started to pound. I rubbed two fingers across my skull. “He’s not helping Meri. He shunned her after she fell, remember?”

  “That doesn’t mean he hasn’t changed his mind.” Lucien stopped and turned his attention to the angels. “What are they arguing about?”

  Can she be saved? Lailah’s thoughts slipped into my brain.

  With a heavy sigh, I leaned against Kane. “They’re trying to decide what they’re going to do with me.”

  “What does that mean, what to do with you?” Kane asked, caressing my arm.

  I met his worried mocha-colored eyes. “If it’s true I’ve been corrupted by black magic, then I’m a threat to not just the magical community, but all the people around me. They’re trying to come to an agreement about the best way to handle it.”

  “And?” Kat asked.

  “Goodwin’s proposing to send me to Hell. He’s of the mind that I’m a lost cause.” As far as he knew, there wasn’t a way to reverse threads of black magic. Once it took hold, it would eventually eat your soul. Then the only safe place for me would be the fiery underworld.

  Except, I’d saved Bea, the former New Orleans coven leader, from the hold of black magic just one week before.

  “That’s crazy!” Kat stood and stalked across the room. “Jade is not a lost cause. I can’t believe you’re making plans for her future when we don’t even fully understand what’s going on.” She placed her hands on her hips, her feet spread wide. “The three of you have some explaining to do before we go any farther. Philip, we’ll start with you.”

  His pale emerald eyes crinkled in amusement and he shot her an easy smile. “You’ve got spunk.”

  She stepped back, clearly caught off guard, a troubled expression on her face. I could almost hear her thoughts. The easy reaction to Kat’s outburst was so eerily familiar to the way Dan used to behave, I had to steady my own shaken emotions. Her expression cleared, replaced by a sense of resolve. “Enough. Tell us exactly why you think Jade’s been compromised. And if so, why didn’t Lucien turn on her?”

  Philip grabbed his coffee mug off the mantle and moved to sit across from me on one of the overstuffed chairs. He took a sip and glanced at Lucien. “He’s stronger than the rest of the witches. When the threads weave their way deeper through the circle, eventually he’ll be affected.” Dan’s father turned his steady gaze to me, staring intently into my eyes. “Normally angels work under the radar, but I’m going to need your cooperation if we have any chance of defeating the evil we’re up against. I believe it would be to your detriment to keep my purpose here a secret.”

  Did he already know about Dan? Was he here to save him? A small tingle of hope formed in my chest.

  “A week ago, I got the call your soul is in danger. I’ve been assigned to you,” Philip said, still holding my gaze.

  Kat gasped.

  Lailah stared at him, realization dawning in her eyes. “That’s why you allowed the spell to physically transport you into the circle, isn’t it?”

  He nodded. “I needed to be there to defuse the situation.”

  “Well, you didn’t need to bring me along for the ride,” Goodwin scoffed.

  Philip shrugged, barely acknowledging his complaint.

  “I still say she’s too dangerous,” Goodwin said, his demeanor suddenly calm. “But since you’ve been assigned to her, I’ll give you three days until I file a report with the National Order.”

  This time Philip nodded. “Understood.”

  “Good.” He turned to Lailah. “I’ll see you soon, mate.”

  “Don’t count on it,” she said with an air of disgust.

  A second later the door slammed closed, rattling the windows.

  “The National Order?” I asked Lailah.

  “It’s the angel’s council. They govern souls. If yours is compromised, they have the power to order you bound.�
��

  “Oh.” Three days until I potentially had a whole mess of angels deciding my fate. Peachy.

  Lailah stared at Philip. “You still have some explaining to do. What happened to me for twelve hours last night?”

  “Sorry about that.” He sighed, weariness suddenly showing in his tired eyes. “I had to put you in a temporary trance to stop you from using the circle. I’ve been watching it ever since the black magic breach last week. I needed to make sure you weren’t part of the problem. After your trip to Purgatory, I couldn’t be sure.”

  “Someone noticed a breach?” I asked. Were people watching everything we did? More pain pulsed over my right eye.

  “Not someone. Me.” His voice hardened. “I arrived the day after you battled Meri.”

  Lailah reached over and grabbed his hand. “I’m sorry. That must have been a shock when you assessed the circle.”

  He gave a short nod of acknowledgement and turned back to me. “What Lailah said is true. The council could order you magically bound if they deem you dangerous enough. But it’s worse than that. They oversee all magical beings, witches included. If they decide you are a willing black magic user, but your soul isn’t compromised, there could be serious consequences.”

  “Such as?” I asked, fear creeping into my heart.

  “They could imprison you and strip you of your power.”

  A shiver crept up my spine. I’d almost used black magic while battling Meri. It had been right there at my fingertips. I would have unleashed it on her if it hadn’t been for Kane and my friends bringing me back to myself.

  The wall clock clicked over to two a.m. I said nothing and concentrated on the second hand, making its way steadily around the face. Tick. Tick. Tick.

  “But how did this happen?” Lucien asked. “I’ve never heard of a circle being compromised before.”

  “None of us have ever met a witch as powerful as Miss Calhoun.” I could barely hear Philip’s reply over the ticking clock ringing in my head.

  More voices joined his. They rose and faded in and out of my awareness. Someone was yelling. I think it was Lailah, but I couldn’t follow what she was saying. All of it blurred through my mind. A chill crept over my skin, leaving me numb.

  A hand squeezed mine, and warmth penetrated my exterior. Kane. I studied him, finding concern and worry troubling his chiseled features.

  “Get me out of here,” I whispered.

  Kane stood and pulled me to my feet. “Jade needs to process. You’re all welcome to stay here if you like. But I’m taking her home for the night.”

  Philip moved in front of the door. “I can’t let you do that. It’s too dangerous.”

  Lailah, of all people, came to my rescue. “Let them go. Jade hasn’t shown any signs of her aura eroding. It’s glowing white, tinged with the faintest trace of purple, right now. No black in sight. And Kane can take care of himself.”

  One of Lailah’s specialties was reading auras. She’d once identified a black shadow attached to Pyper. If anyone could see erosion, it would be her.

  “That’s against protocol.” Philip didn’t move.

  “So is leaving your mate stranded in Hell and not even asking for help to free her.” Lailah’s blue eyes flashed with defiance. “Yeah, I know everything that went down with Meri. If you don’t want me to bring it to the NO’s attention, you’ll let my friends go for the night.”

  I stared at her as if I’d never met her before. Why was she threatening a powerful angel? Especially in order to help me?

  Because no matter what, we’re friends. Even if we don’t act like it. You don’t deserve this. Go home. Spend time with Kane. We’ll deal with everything tomorrow.

  Tears threatened to burn my eyes. I didn’t know why, but Lailah using the word friends after all we’d been through touched me. For much of my life, friends hadn’t come easily. Now that I had a group I counted on, I held them closely guarded in my heart. I hadn’t trusted Lailah before. But she trusted me. I made a mental vow to not make that mistake again.

  About time, Lailah’s cheerful voice rang in my head.

  Philip reluctantly moved away from the door, anger shooting from him in Lailah’s direction.

  Kane pulled me outside. I sent Lailah one last mental message. Thank you.

  ***

  Duke, my ghost dog, jumped and drooled pools of dog slobber upon our arrival. If he’d been solid, he would’ve knocked me over despite my five-foot-seven frame. “Down, Duke,” I commanded.

  “He missed you.” Kane pulled me into the room and nudged me to sit on my sagging secondhand couch.

  “Yeah.”

  His footsteps echoed over my wide-planked pinewood floors as he headed to the kitchen on the other side of the room.

  I closed my eyes and leaned back into my lumpy couch. What seemed like only a second later, Kane appeared with a toasted, buttered bagel, a glass of water, and some ibuprofen. I gulped down the pills and nodded toward the bagel. “Where’d that come from?”

  “I ran down to the café after checking out your condiment holder over there.” He nodded to my refrigerator.

  Not knowing how long we’d be gone, I’d intentionally tossed all perishables. The last thing I wanted to come home to was a penicillin farm. “You left?”

  “Just for a second.” He kissed my temple. “You fell asleep.”

  I took a few bites and then set the bagel down. After the scene at Kane’s house, I wasn’t at all hungry.

  Kane pulled me up from the couch. Instead of leading me toward the bed, he steered me to the bathroom. Inside, the sweet aroma of jasmine filled the tiny room. He’d run a bath and filled it with my favorite bubble bath.

  I smiled. “Perfect.”

  He bent his head and touched his lips to mine, kissing me slowly and tenderly. His love radiated through that kiss.

  I pressed into him, sliding my hands up his back, gently biting his lower lip before sinking deep into the kiss. His clean rain scent, mixed with the jasmine in the air, sent a dart of desire straight to my center. I pulled back, tilting my head to look up at him. “It’s been a while.”

  “A week,” he mumbled as he bent to nibble my ear.

  An intense shiver tingled over my skin. The anxiety and implications of what I faced in the coming days made me want to lose myself in him.

  With my eyes closed, I leaned back, giving him full access to my neck. He trailed hot kisses as his hands came up, unbuttoning my shirt. The cotton fell open, my breasts spilling over the top of my black lace bra. He cupped them together, gently kissing the exposed skin. They instantly became heavy and my nipples ached, impatient for attention.

  Burying my hands in his thick, wavy black hair, I moaned with pleasure. I felt his lips curve into a satisfied smile, and then his tongue darted under the lace, flicking the hardened tip of my right nipple. I pressed into him, demanding more.

  In one quick motion, my shirt and bra fell to the floor. His lips closed over my left breast, sucking hard, while his hand kneaded and teased the other. I gasped, and he scraped his teeth over my sensitive tip. Ripples of glorious heat slithered through me.

  “Kane,” I said, my voice thick.

  Raising his head, he moved his hand to my hip and pulled me against his hard body. “Yes, love?”

  “Take me to bed.”

  His brown eyes turned molten chocolate with heated passion. I didn’t have to ask twice. He lifted me easily and carried me into the other room.

  Taking his time, he liberated me of the rest of my clothes. First my jeans, and then he placed both hands on my waist. Inching his way down, he slowly lowered the last of my garments, kissing a trail to my belly. Kneeling on one knee, his hot breath mingled with the heat between my thighs.

  I sucked in a breath and waited. Days. It’d been days. He hadn’t even visited me in my dreams while we’d been gone. My real life reactions to Kane’s dreamwalking was entirely too personal considering I’d been sharing a bedroom wall with family.

 
He ran firm hands along my legs, pressed a soft kiss to my inner thigh, and then looked up at me.

  I quirked an eyebrow.

  A low rumble sounded in his chest as he rose. “The next time I touch you, I want you lying down.”

  “Oh?”

  His lips turned up in a predatory smirk. “What I have planned, your muscles can’t be trusted to keep you upright.”

  I took a tiny step forward and slipped my hands under his shirt. “What if I have my heart set on seducing you?”

  His gaze turned intense. “What the lady wants, she gets.”

  “Good,” I murmured and pressed my palms against the concave of his hips. God, I loved touching him there. I slowly brought my hands up, pressing fingers to his corded muscles. He raised his arms, and a second later I pulled his shirt off.

  I took in his beautiful form. Over six feet tall, slightly tanned, and the body of a man who knew his way around the gym. He was gorgeous. I placed a soft hand over his heart, knowing that was what I loved most about him.

  Abandoning any pretense of seduction, I wrapped my arms around him, holding tight. He was mine and I was his.

  His strong arms came around me, and he whispered, “I love you too, pretty witch.”

  “I know,” I whispered back and brought my lips to his for another slow, tender kiss. But as soon as our tongues met, the spark reignited. That intense heat flooded through me again. I reached for the button of his jeans and seconds later we were both naked. His hard length pressed against my belly, forcing a strangled moan from the back of my throat.

  I leaned back.

  His eyes were glinting again as he watched me. “Lie down, Jade.”

  The gruffness in his voice sent shivers of anticipation to all the right places. I did as he asked.

  He hovered over me, and I pulled him to me, flesh on flesh. Tension shot through my starved body. Our lips met, tongues darting, teeth scraping.

  Heat burned my insides, pulsing with his desire.