Demons of Bourbon Street

by Deanna Chase

“Give it up,” I growled, grasping the raw, tingling edges of my soul. I gripped tighter, ready to suck the last strands from the former demon.

  Her sad gray eyes stared straight into me as if she were searching my hidden depths. Then she spoke, her voice broken, defeated. “Take care of him for me.”

  “No!” Dan sprinted from another room and pounced.

  I lost my grip, and a sliver of heat slashed through my gut, causing a vague sense of loss. My strength wavered slightly then stabilized. I searched the rough edges of my soul, and I realized a small section had snapped back into Meri.

  A small gasp of surprise escaped her lips, echoing my own.

  “Dan, move,” I grumbled, scrambling to get out from beneath him as Kane grabbed his arms.

  “Don’t touch her again, Toller.” Kane’s voice was low and dangerous, matching his hard face. I shuddered a tiny bit. I’d seen him mad before, but never like this. “Next time I’ll put a permanent dent in that straight nose of yours.”

  I sprung to my feet, rubbing my battered knee. “Dan! What are you doing? She forced you into Hell.”

  “You don’t understand.” Dan tried to struggle out of Kane’s grip. Kane tightened his hold, forcing Dan’s arms behind his back. “Ouch. Damn it, let go. I’m not going to hurt anyone.”

  I stalked up to him. “I’ve been trying to save you from the moment you sacrificed yourself, and this is how I get repaid?”

  “It’s not his fault,” Meri said, keeping her distance.

  “Oh, I know,” I spat at her. “A demon is to blame.”

  She winced and a bone-deep shame filled her, echoing in my being.

  I closed my eyes for a moment and heaved a heavy sigh. “Kane, you can let Dan go. She’s right, it isn’t his fault.”

  “Are you sure?” he asked.

  I nodded.

  “If you say so.” He jerked back on Dan’s arms one more time for good measure and leaned in to speak into his ear. “Touch her again, and I won’t hesitate to break you in half.”

  Dan nodded, grimacing.

  Kane released him, pushing him forward. Dan stumbled. He caught himself on the back of a wooden chair and glared at Kane.

  “What’s wrong with you?” I demanded, pointing a finger at Dan. “Why are you helping her?”

  Dan’s eyes darkened. “She isn’t a demon anymore.”

  “But she stole my soul!” I cried.

  Meri winced. Dan frowned in sympathy then turned back to me. “She didn’t do that on purpose. She can’t control what’s happening. Don’t you understand? She’s a human now, possibly even an angel. You can’t just…she doesn’t deserve this.”

  I shook my head and eyed Meri. She still had a piece of my soul, but she wasn’t trying to drain me anymore. What was I supposed to do, give up my life for hers? She leaned against the rough wall, her burgundy button down shirt askew and her tattered jeans ripped at the knees. She gazed through an open door a few feet from her.

  Muffled voices filtered into the common room, one of them Lailah’s. Keeping a wary eye on Meri, I inched toward the door. Inside the small, pea-green kitchen, Lucien stood slightly behind Lailah with his arms folded over his chest, while she proceeded to chew someone out. I couldn’t see the person in question, but it didn’t take a psychic to figure out who.

  “I can’t believe you.” Her normally pale face was covered in angry red splotches. “You have no right to mess with Jade’s life this way.”

  “You know it’s not that simple.” Philip’s voice was quiet, but steady.

  I moved closer to the door, hyperaware of Kane at my back and Dan hovering protectively over Meri a few feet away. Lailah gripped the edge of the sink until her knuckles turned white. “She was a demon, Philip. Now you’re trying to save her by sacrificing someone else.”

  “The council won’t see it that way.”

  I tensed. Was he planning to invite them to this party?

  “I didn’t know it was happening,” Meri said, her tone almost apologetic. “The sharing of your soul, I mean.” She slid down against the wall, as if her legs couldn’t possibly hold her up any longer.

  I took a slow step toward her, taking in the purple smudges under her eyes and the way her hand slightly shook as she smoothed her rumpled shirt. She was weak. Exhausted. Barely holding on. Exactly how I’d been when she had the majority of my soul. In the other room, Lailah continued to argue with Philip, while he patiently tried to reason with her.

  I ignored them and focused on Meri. “How did it happen?”

  She stared at the rotting floor. After a moment, she glanced at Dan. He nodded. “After you destroyed me…”

  I winced. She’d been a demon. My choice had been her or Bea. Holy ghost on a cracker, why did that statement make me feel so guilty?

  She cleared her throat. “I was just a shell, a nothing, trapped in my gilded rooms in Hell. Not a demon, but not an angel either. Just a void wrapped up in human-like packaging.”

  “You weren’t nothing,” Dan interjected.

  I glared at him. “You do know if she succeeds in stealing my soul, I will cease to exist, right?”

  “No. Philip said that wouldn’t happen.” He spun and stared through the open door, where Lucien was holding Lailah back.

  Jesus Christ. Had they come to blows already?

  Dan let out a huff of frustration and turned to me. “Philip said the council would do what was best for everyone.”

  “They won’t.” Meri raised her head. “They’ll do what’s best for them.”

  “And more angels are what’s best in their eyes, right?”

  She shrugged. “I’ve been away a long time. Maybe things have changed.”

  “Jade.” Kane wrapped his large hand around my wrist and tugged me backwards to his side. “I think you should end this now. Do what you have to.”

  With Lailah monopolizing Philip, I wouldn’t get a better opportunity. Kane was right. Meri was weak; this was my best shot.

  In three large steps, I leaped to Meri’s side and kneeled on the floor beside her.

  She flinched, trying to move away from me, but I caught hold of her arm, keeping her in place.

  Immediately, the last remnants of my soul started to flow toward me, a cool salve on my battered insides. Slow at first, then faster, sensing its rightful place.

  Whole. I’d be whole again. All me, ready for my new life with Kane. I’d get to know my mother again. Dan would be free. My body tingled with anticipation, welcoming what Meri had stolen from me.

  Through my giddy haze, my focus narrowed on her pale, slumping body. I snatched my hands back, horrified to realize I was draining every last bit of life out of her.

  I was killing her.

  “Meri!” Dan cried as he ran over and scooped her in his arms.

  She lay motionless, her body limp.

  “I…I was only trying to get my soul back.” Angry tears sprung to my eyes. Mom was right. Nothing was black and white. Meri didn’t deserve to become a demon and now that she wasn’t one, she didn’t deserve to die, either. Even though I knew it was a her-or-me situation, I couldn’t do it.

  Kane slid to the floor beside me and pulled me close. “It’s okay.”

  “Kane, I…”

  “I know, pretty witch. I know.”

  We sat against the wall with my head on his shoulder. I stared at the emerald stone on my left hand, trying only to think positive thoughts for the future. Though the exercise was useless if I couldn’t bring myself to claim my soul. But would I be able to live with myself if I did? I’d never considered I might not be able to go through with it. I hadn’t let myself think of Meri as a real person.

  Dan picked Meri’s lifeless form up and carried her toward the single bedroom. As they passed me, a sliver of my soul slipped from me to her. Her eyes fluttered open. “What happened?”

  “Shh.” Dan smiled down at her. “You fainted.”

  Philip came storming into the small living room with Lailah at his heels. />
  She ran around him, begging, “Don’t do this. It’s not fair.”

  “None of this is fair.” The despair in his voice was unmistakable. “I lost my mate. Do you understand what that means? My mate! It was my fault for not going after her. I can’t sit by and let her slip away again. I won’t.”

  “But Philip.” Lailah took a small step, edging slightly closer to him. “She isn’t your mate anymore. The bond is broken. You know as well as I do it’s highly unlikely to form again.”

  Hot fury exploded from him, noticeably raising the temperature in the old shack. “This is not about that, Lailah. Are you so self-centered—”

  Lailah swung. The loud smack of her open palm against Philip’s face rang through the room.

  He stepped back in stunned silence.

  Everyone else froze, too.

  “How dare you?” she seethed. “Do you think me so shallow I’d be worried about whatever arrangement we have? The one where you decide to come into town for a night every four to six months and expect me to drop everything to keep you company in my bed? Fuck you, Philip.” She waved an angry hand in my direction. “I’m worried about my friend and what’s going to happen to her. Not your goddamned ex-demon mate. It’s not Jade’s fault Meri got stuck in Hell and her soul corrupted. It’s yours. And here you are, using a witch to right your wrongs. You should be ashamed of yourself.”

  His eyes had gone progressively wider during Lailah’s rant. I had a feeling my own expression mirrored his. I’d never heard her speak like that before, and I was willing to bet neither had he.

  His lips turned down in a sad, almost hopeless frown. He reached for her hand, but pulled back when she flinched. A ray of sun spilled in the window and over his face, illuminating the deep sadness burning in his eyes. “You’re right. I am ashamed.” His troubled gaze flickered to me. “I’m so sorry, Jade. You don’t deserve this.”

  “Damn right, she doesn’t,” Kane said, not bothering to hide the anger coursing through him.

  “You have no idea how much this pains me,” Philip said.

  I started to nod. But when Philip raised his hands and an ice blue circle sprang up around me, I jerked, trying to scramble out of it. No witch ever wants to be caught in an unsanctioned circle. Anything could happen. My shoulder slammed into what might as well have been a concrete block. I let out a cry of pain.

  Clutching my arm, I realized Kane was no longer pressed against me. He was sitting outside my circle, pounding on the invisible wall. There was no sound, only an eerie cone of silence while I watched his mouth move, frantically trying to communicate with me.

  Jade! He mouthed and then turned in the direction of Philip.

  The angel stood in the middle of the room, bright light shining down on him like a sunbeam from Heaven. The anguish shone clear on his face as his pale green eyes bore through me.

  Almost as if in slow motion, the front door swung open behind him and our friends appeared: Ian. Pyper. Kat.

  And just behind them, my mother.

  Her jade green gaze was the last thing I saw before I was blinded by Philip’s brilliant sunlight.

  Chapter 26

  The blinding light faded and I blinked, clearing the moisture from my burning eyes. One thing became immediately clear—I was no longer in the shack out in the bayou. Lailah and Lucien’s anti-transportation spell had failed. The cold, hard floor gleamed in the sunlight. Its gold and white checkerboard pattern stretched out in front of me, leading to white marble steps. I squinted.

  Lined up on what looked to be a dais sat six robed individuals, all of them staring in my direction with stern frowns.

  I scrambled to my feet and stifled a cry when someone rested a hand on my shoulder.

  “It’s me, Jade,” Dan whispered.

  “Where the hell are we?”

  A collective gasp echoed through the room. Slowly I turned and focused on the surroundings. Rows of gorgeous, perfectly groomed, flawless faces stared back at me from the spectators seated behind us in what were unmistakably pews. They were all dressed alike, in white robes, adorned with intricate embroidered gold ruins.

  Who were these people, and why were we in a church? I glanced around, desperate for a clue as to where we’d ended up.

  Please, God, let us still be in Louisiana.

  I gazed upward to the arched ceiling and the familiar murals. Instantly, recognition dawned on me. I should have known right away when I saw the tiled floor, but the colors were off. In fact, there weren’t any colors at all except shades of white and gold in the entire building. Even the paintings had been white-washed.

  I covered my mouth with my hand, horrified. What had happened to New Orleans’ most notable landmark—Saint Louis Cathedral? And who were the drones filling the pews?

  “What’s going on?” I demanded.

  “Jade.” Lailah, who for some crazy reason wore one of the gold-thread-embroidered robes, rose from the front row and joined Dan and me. “We’ve been summoned to the angel council.”

  Philip, who’d been sitting next to her, stood, revealing his matching robe. Meri, still in her burgundy shirt and ripped jeans, followed his movement and faced the dais.

  Holy cherubs. We weren’t in the French Quarter Saint Louis Cathedral. We were in an alternate angel realm, just like we’d been in an alternate New Orleans underworld when we were in Hell. Was this Heaven?

  An ominous bell chimed, and everyone stood. Dan took a few steps toward Philip and Meri and then looked back at me, indecision clear in his eyes. His inner conflict made me queasy.

  I glanced away, unable to deal with his turmoil. What was he doing here, anyway? Had the council summoned him, too? If so, why?

  A tall, white-haired angel stepped forward, ethereal in her graceful movements. Her undeniable beauty triggered an intense desire to weep. I’d be happy to bask in her presence forever. Then her cold blue eyes locked on mine, sending a startling ripple of fear through me. I shivered and took an involuntary step backward. How could someone be so beautiful and scary at the same time?

  Lailah pushed me forward and whispered in a harsh tone, “Do not show weakness.”

  “Jade Calhoun,” the woman said, her face void of all expression. Her emotions were hidden from me as well, though most angels’ were. “How exactly has the ex-demon, Meri, obtained a piece of your soul?”

  I wasn’t sure what to say. Couldn’t someone have prepped me on the correct way to answer? I glanced at Lailah, but she stared straight ahead, just as blank as my inquisitor. Fine. What was the worst they could do to me? My soul was already compromised.

  I raised my chin. “She stole it.”

  The ice blue stare didn’t falter or soften. “Speak truthfully, or you’ll suffer the consequences.”

  Was she calling me a liar? I narrowed my eyes, too irritated to temper my reaction. “I am speaking the truth. When Meri was a demon, she stabbed my fiancé in the thigh. Even though the wound healed, somehow she maintained a connection to him. Through him, she began slowly sucking away at my soul. We managed to sever his connection to her, but mine remained. Earlier today, she almost succeeded in killing me as she tried to claim the last of my soul. I demand you put a stop to it.”

  “Jade!” Dan and Lailah gasped at the same time. While Lailah reprimanded me, Dan’s tone was one of shocked surprise.

  I ignored both of them and took a step forward.

  “Plus, Philip over there—” I waved a disgusted hand in his direction, “—the one you put in charge of my soul?”

  The woman glanced at Philip.

  “Yeah, him. He bailed on me, opting instead to worry about his ex-mate. Seems kind of unethical, doesn’t it?”

  One of the other council members joined the ice queen angel. He had long hair that hung perfectly straight in a sheet of the palest blond I’d ever seen. His mane barely moved, not one strand out of place as he stepped up to the microphone. “Ms. Calhoun,” his voice boomed. “You will address the council with respect, or you
will not address us at all.”

  I opened my mouth to speak, but Dan strode over and put a hand up in a wait-a-moment gesture. “What do you mean, she almost killed you?”

  “Exactly how it sounds, Dan. She’s been surviving off me. We can’t share my soul forever. One of us will die. And today when I burst into the cabin, Meri almost won the battle.”

  His face paled, matching the council members’ stark white robes. Fear and an overwhelming burst of anger shot through him. The sharp stab of his emotions pierced deep inside me. I clutched my chest, trying to dull the pain as he whirled on Philip.

  “Is that true?” Dan took three steps, his fists clenched.

  Philip met his eyes, staring him down, unapologetic. “Yes. That’s why we’re here, to let the council decide the best course of action.”

  “You son of a bitch.” Dan’s right fist flew, followed by a sickening crunch as he broke Philip’s nose. Philip recovered quickly, trying to stem the blood flow with one hand and raising the other in defense as Dan came at him again. “This whole time you were aware Jade’s life was at risk and you never said anything?”

  Lailah inserted herself between Dan and Philip. Meri stood to the side, staring at me. I met her gaze, trying my damnedest to sense her emotions. But I got nothing. You’d think with our connection, she’d be the one person I could read.

  “Fucking bastard,” Dan spat, reaching around Lailah.

  “Dan!” she cried. “Now isn’t the time.”

  “It’s the perfect time.” Dan reached out and grabbed Lailah by the waist and lifted her off the ground.

  “Stop it. Put me down.” Her arms and legs flailed as she tried to dislodge herself.

  He set her off to the side. “Stay out of this, Lailah. This is between me and my father.”

  “It’s angel business,” she reasoned with him, but he’d already turned his back on her.

  “You used me,” Dan accused, advancing on his father once more. “You abandoned me and my mother and only connected with me when you thought I could help you get your lover back.”

  “That’s not how it happened,” Philip said in a calm, steady voice, despite the blood trickling from his nose. “I’ve never been more than a phone call away.”