Demons of Bourbon Street

chapter 13

“Did you cause that?” I asked as Philip dragged me down Saint Peters Street. Rain soaked through my cotton shirt, making

gooseflesh pop out over my skin.


“No. Jonathon did.”

I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to keep warm. “Why? Is this his idea of a sick joke?”

Philip stopped under a balcony. “He had to do something before the crowd tore you apart.”

“It’s his fault they were after me in the first place,” I cried.

He stared down at me, impatience clinging to his wet body. “No. It’s yours. You went into a volatile crowd and used your magic. He

did his best to keep you safe. Why do you think he asked them to bring you to him?”

“So he could pray for me? Make me an example? How should I know?”

Philip took a step forward and shook his head. “Pay attention, Jade. Jonathon is interested in people leading moral lives. Fire and

brimstone are his methods of influence. He has no desire for anyone to get hurt. Especially not you. The only reason he called you

out is because you were in danger. You might not like his approach, you might even loathe it, but this was your fault. You had no

business showing up at that rally.”

I glared, teeth chattering. I didn’t give a flying shit what Philip said. Jonathon was fostering violence. “He did this. He went on

television and basically said witches are evil. His words make people distrust each other. Why me? Why now? All I did was ask for

help.”

“You were the perfect catalyst for his cause.” Philip took off down the street again.

I followed. “And that is…what? Burning witches at the stake?” I ducked under another balcony and pressed against the wall to

escape the pounding rain.

He paused. “Mobilizing the masses. Creating press. Keeping the donations rolling in. He’s nothing without a platform.”

“Oh, he’s something, all right.”

Philip gave a noncommittal shrug and we walked on in silence.

We crossed Bourbon Street, moving deeper into the residential area, and I finally asked, “Where are we going?”

“Lailah’s.”

Relief mixed with trepidation. If I went anywhere else, Kane was likely to show up. Of course, nothing was stopping him from looking

for me at Lailah’s. He did know where she lived, after all. But he probably wouldn’t guess I’d be there.

I hated that I was hiding. Hated that I couldn’t be near him, touch him, and most of all, that my presence actually caused him to suffer.

I had to stay away. It would just be too hard to see him, knowing we couldn’t be together. Not while Meri could get to me through him,

anyway.

I’d never been inside Lailah’s house before. The pale pink, single shotgun Victorian had a small front porch and a two-person swing,

painted turquoise with white daisies. A pair of bright pink flip-flops and a yellow mug that said Shoes are a girl’s secret to

happiness had been left on the porch.

“Are you sure this is the right place?” I pushed my sopping hair out of my eyes and scowled as a trickle of water dripped down my

back.

Her place seemed so girly. And not at all what I’d expected.

Philip nodded, and the door swung open. Lailah filled the entry, holding two giant, hot pink bath towels. Since when had she taken a

shine to so much color? In contrast, she wore a faded green peasant skirt and a black tank top.

“Here.” She handed us the towels and shooed us in the door. “Some of them might be following you.”

I glanced back at the fat raindrops and darkened streets. Not likely. I wrapped the plush towel around my shoulders and kicked off

my shoes, leaving them on the porch.

The vibrant colors of the living room assaulted my vision, and I almost stepped back outside. A bright red couch covered in multi-

colored floral pillows sat against the wall. On either side, two end tables had been painted with distorted faces and psychedelic

flowers. And to top it off, a hot pink shag rug covered her oak floors. A sense of déjà vu settled over me. It dawned on me I’d been

there once before in Lailah’s memory.

The place was much brighter in person. I struggled to keep from shielding my eyes. How could anyone think in such a room?

“Follow me,” she said and led us to the back of the house.

We passed through a door into a soothing bedroom, done in white and mint green. If it were possible for my eyes to sigh in relief,

they would have.

The kitchen, to my surprise, was pure elegance, with its black painted wood floors and gorgeous white cabinetry. Fresh red lilies sat

in the middle of her black and white checkerboard table. It was beautiful, but I couldn’t shake the feeling we’d just walked through

some version of a funhouse. I eyed Lailah, trying to decide if her decorating indicated some sort of manic disorder.

“How are you going to work this?” Lailah asked.

“Huh?” I tore my gaze from the lilies and watched her fill an old-fashioned teapot.

Philip searched her cupboards for mugs, appearing very much at ease in her home. I narrowed my eyes and studied them. A slight

brush of an arm as Lailah moved past him. No subtle adjustments for personal space. Brief moments of unshielded eye contact.

Lailah had something going with Philip.

Stop, Jade, Lailah scolded in my head. It’s none of your business.

What about your mate? I accused.

That’s definitely none of your business. Drop it. She turned to Philip. “Sooner’s better than later.”

“True.” Philip placed a tea bag in each cup. “But she isn’t ready. If we send her unprepared, we’ll lose both of them.”

I waved a hand from my position at the table. “Excuse me. What are we talking about?”

They both ignored me.

“What will happen to Kane?” Lailah picked up the teapot and filled the matching red cups with steaming hot water.

Philip closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. “He’ll be tied to her forever unless Jade succeeds.”

Lailah placed one of her delicate hands on Philip’s forearm. A trickle of pity and compassion radiated from her. “I’m so sorry.”

He shook his head. “It’s for the best. It should have happened years ago.”

“It’s not your fault. No one expected you to be the one to do it.”

I stood. “Do what?”

They both turned, expressions surprised, as if they’d just realized I was still in the room.

Philip spoke first. “Annihilate Meri. It’s the only way you’ll stop her from destroying you and Kane.” He moved to stand next to me and

placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. “Even if you keep your distance from Kane, eventually her poison will spread and…he won’t

survive.”

Fear squeezed my heart. Kane was in serious trouble. I’d known it, obviously. But I hadn’t let myself consider the consequences. He

could die. The image of Kane, cold and lifeless, flashed through my mind. Terror rippled through me.

I clenched my fists and straightened my spine. No way was I letting the evil spawn take Kane from me. “How long does he have?”

Philip frowned. “It’s hard to say. Keeping your distance from him helps, but now that the wound is festering, you probably have less

than a week.”

“Are you saying I have to go—” I swallowed “—to Hell?”

“Yes.” His voice turned low, full of regret.

Meri had said Philip didn’t come after her. I couldn’t help but wonder why. Hadn’t he loved her enough? Were there other factors

beyond his control? Whatever happened, I wouldn’t let his mistakes stop me. Not if it meant losing Kane.

“She’s going to need help,” Lailah said gently.

“I know.” Philip paced the tiny kitchen. “This time I have no choice.”

He stood with his back to us, hands on the counter. I glanced at Lailah. “What’s he talking about?”

She shook her head, indicating now wasn’t the best time for questions.

Philip turned around with hardened eyes. “I’ll have to send you to Meri—to Hell— and help you destroy her.”

***

I sat in Lailah’s color-overload living room, staring at my iPhone. I’d envisioned performing some sort of spell to bring Dan back

from Hell. And while I’d considered it a possibility that I might have to navigate the gates of the underworld, I hadn’t truly believed it

was an option.

Now, after Philip’s explanation, I realized it was my only option. If I didn’t go in and find Meri, Kane would slowly lose his soul. If I tried

to summon her, she’d siphon all my strength straight through him.

The phone vibrated. Another text from Kane: Where are you?

I’d sent him a text earlier letting him know I was safe but hadn’t relayed any other information. The phone buzzed again. This time it

was Pyper: Put him out of his misery and call him already.

I typed back, Soon.

It wasn’t that I wanted to avoid him. On the contrary, I longed to curl up in his arms. I just didn’t know what to say. There was no way

he was going to be okay with me sacrificing myself for him. And there was no way I wasn’t going to do it.

I hit contacts and pressed call.

“We’re ready. Say the word and we’ll be on our way,” Gwen said over the line.

“I need…Mom.” I swallowed back a sob of emotion.

“I’ll put her on the phone—”

“No.” I struggled to keep my breathing normal. “Just get her here.”

“You got it, sweetheart. We’ll be on the next flight out.”

I hadn’t wanted to ask my mother to come. She needed time to recover from her twelve long years of being stuck in Purgatory. She

had all the signs of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Making her relive her experience could cause all kinds of awful consequences

to her mental health, but she had information none of the rest of us did. A virtual roadmap of Hell.

Lailah appeared, holding a violet blanket and matching pillow. Did the woman have anything in a neutral color other than clothes?

“Here,” she said. “Philip and I will be in my room if you need us.”

I raised an eyebrow. Sharing a bed?

She ignored my mental question. “There’s a new toothbrush in the bathroom, and I laid out some pajamas for you to borrow.” She

retreated toward her room.

“Did you know Philip is Dan’s father?”

With her back to me, she paused in her doorway. “Does it matter?”

“Not really.”

She glanced over her shoulder. “Yes, I knew.”

My chest tightened with irritation. “Did it ever occur to you that might make him more susceptible to Meri’s magic?”

Her lips pressed into a thin line as she clutched the door frame, knuckles white. “How was I supposed to know Meri was Philip’s

mate? Or even that both of us were being controlled by her? Don’t you think I’d have done something different if I’d known?”

Meri had managed to possess Dan through a portrait her soul had been trapped in. Using Dan’s energy, she found a way to

eventually control Lailah, as well.

“One would think so,” I said.

She winced when my tone came out colder than I’d meant it to.

I bit the side of my cheek. “Sorry.”

“Whatever. Good night.”

“Wait.” There was something else I had to know. “Have you been in touch with Philip this whole time?”

She shook her head. “No one ever knows how to find Philip unless he wants them to.” The door shut silently behind her, leaving me

alone in the living room.

I sagged against the velvet couch and closed my eyes. I didn’t mean to be so short with Lailah. I couldn’t help myself. The mind-

reading, her soul guardianship over Dan, and her history with Kane grated on my last nerve. She was too close to me and the

people I loved. Somehow, I had to move past my possessive tendencies. We all needed as much help as we could get.

Pulling my feet up under the blanket, I wrapped it around myself and then grabbed my phone once more. I tapped Kane’s name and

typed, Meet me in my dreams.

I didn’t wait for a response. He’d find me. He always did.

The couch was surprisingly comfortable and, despite the stress of the day, or perhaps because of it, I instantly fell into a deep sleep.

Sunflowers. Everywhere. The moonlight shone down on a cloudless night, highlighting the sleeping blooms. Movement rustled the

stalks behind me. I spun and smiled when I spotted Dan, his eyes alight with mischief and lips turned up in a goofy smile.

He held his hand out. I moved forward to take it. Just as our hands joined, he tugged me to him and locked his right leg behind mine,

tumbling us both to the ground. We landed with him lying on top of me, his lips inches from mine.

“Hello,” I said, breathless.

His grin widened. “Sorry about that.”

I laughed. “No, you aren’t.”

His expression turned serious and the grin vanished as something primal stirred in his eyes. His voice came out deep and husky.

“You’re right.”

My eighteen-year-old heart sped up, thumping rapidly, and I stopped breathing. The sunflowers swayed back and forth in the light

summer breeze, casting long shadows over us. Even if anyone came looking, they wouldn’t find us. Not at that hour.

I stared at Dan’s lips and licked my own. “Dan?”

“Yeah?” He shifted, easing his weight off me as he laid on his side, still staring down at me.

“Kiss me.”

He brought his hand up, softly caressing my cheek. I rested my hand over his and gazed up at him with lovesick adoration.

His emotions mirrored the ones swelling through me and when he dipped his head, lips brushing mine, a tiny tear of happiness fell

down my temple.

Everything shifted and suddenly I was standing in front of Kane’s house, alone, staring at his front door. The same large moon hung

in the sky, but I was no longer the young eighteen-year-old I’d been moments before. I waited a few beats for the lingering teenage

emotions to fade away.

Kane. The man I loved was inside. Loved. With all my heart. Dan was in the past and had been for some time.

I took the steps and the door swung open to darkness. I poked my head in. “Kane?”

He sat on his overstuffed coffee-colored loveseat, sipping from a mug. “Sorry to interrupt.”

Ah, crap. I’d been dreaming of Dan. Again. But not just any dreams. This time they were memories. Right down to the last detail. But

why? Was it because I was so focused on finding him? Maybe I was slipping into his dreams? No, that was impossible. Neither Dan

nor I was a dreamwalker. That was Kane’s specialty. “Sorry. I don’t know why he keeps showing up in my subconscious.”

He set the mug down. “The mind is a powerful thing.”

“True enough.” I stepped into his house and shut the door behind me. I moved to take the seat beside him, but thought better of it

and perched on the edge of his couch. “How’s your leg?”

I eyed his thigh, but I couldn’t see anything through his dark denim jeans. It wouldn’t have mattered. This was a dreamwalk. Kane

had the power to alter any damage and probably had.

“I took a few painkillers. It didn’t help.” He glanced down and then met my eyes. “Is there something you want to tell me?”

Righteous indignation shot through me. “I told you it was just a dream. I can’t be expected to control those, can I? Dreamwalking is

your thing, not mine.”

“Jade,” he said with no small amount of impatience. “I meant about today. About why you took off without even talking to me? Or why

you ended up almost caught in Goodwin’s media frenzy? And why you’re at Lailah’s house instead of your own…or mine?”

I stared at my hands clutched in my lap. “I’m not sure being here with you in a dreamwalk is safe.”

His tone softened. “Safe from who? You or Meri?”

“Both,” I whispered and met his concerned gaze. “I’m the one she’s drawing power from. You’re the catalyst. Don’t you understand?

The longer I stay away from you, the safer you’ll be.” Tears started to flow, unchecked down my face. “I’ve lost so many people in my

life. I can’t stand to lose you.”

Kane moved to my side and wrapped his arms around me. “Don’t think for one moment I’m going to let you fight this alone.”

I choked back my tears and tried to pull away, but he only held on tighter. With my face buried in his shirt, I said, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t

have run like that. But Kane—” I tilted my head up, “—in order to destroy her, I have to go to Hell. You can’t follow me there. With her

mark on your leg, it’s too dangerous.”

“F*ck that.” He kissed me, lips urgent and demanding.

My hands gripped his arms and I held on, desperate for this last moment together. It didn’t matter what I said. He’d find a way into

Hell. He had all the connections I did, and worse, if he found a way to summon Meri, she’d take him. No, I’d have to go on my own.

Soon.

He broke the kiss. “Promise me we’ll work out a plan, together.”

I bit my lip, not wanting to lie to him. But then I nodded anyway.

“Good. Because I’m not losing you, either. Remember that.”