Demons of Bourbon Street

chapter 20

I followed Lailah down the narrow path toward the driveway. Her sandals slapped against the stones, filling the silence between us. I

stared at my dirty Skechers, racking my brain on how to locate Dan.


Could Kane dreamwalk me to him? A tiny shudder ran through me. The last thing I wanted to do was ask Kane to invade Dan’s

dreams.

Lailah snorted. “Good luck with that.”

“Get out of my head.” I kicked a tiny rock in her direction. The pebble missed and landed in the dirt.

She stopped at the edge of the driveway, holding her hands up in defeat. “Sorry. I can’t help it.”

I rolled my eyes and swept past her.

“You know…” She fell in step beside me and let out an exaggerated sigh. “There is one way to smoke them out, but it’s pretty

drastic.”

I sent her a sideways glance and raised my eyebrows.

She massaged her temple before answering. “I could get them on Goodwin’s ‘save’ list. Then all of his followers would be on the

hunt.”

I froze. “Are you serious?”

“Well, sure. It’s not like we can put an APB out on them or anything. This is the next best thing.”

My stomach turned at the thought of unleashing hundreds of ‘saviors’ on anyone. It was too damn bad the idea had merit. I closed

my eyes and took a deep breath. “Let’s check with Bea and Lucien first. If they don’t have any suggestions, I guess we can try.”

“Great,” she said her tone flat.

“You don’t think they can help?”

She shook her head. “No, that’s not…look, I’m just not crazy about working with Goodwin.”

“I’m not crazy about the idea either, but it was your suggestion.”

“I know.” She plucked a leaf from a nearby tree. “Just because it’s the only suggestion I have doesn’t mean I want to do it.”

Watching her, I narrowed my eyes. Exactly what was their relationship? Were they mates or not? Hard to believe if Lailah had

feelings for Philip.

She spun. “Goodwin is most definitely not my mate. No matter how delusional he may be about the subject.”

Her indignation made me smile. “So why would the good Reverend think such a thing if it’s out of the realm of possibility?”

All the fight seemed to drain out of her as her shoulders sagged and the irritation vanished from her face. “We dated as teenagers.”

“Really?” I had trouble reconciling the conservative religious evangelist and the bohemian free spirit actually dating. “For how long?”

She swallowed. “Three years.”

“Holy smokes!” I gaped. “No wonder he thinks you’re mates.”

“You dated Dan for years. Do you think you’re destined to spend the rest of eternity with him?”

“Of course not, but I’m not an angel.”

She shook her head in exasperation. “Angels are only mates once they claim each other in a formal ceremony.” The tone of her

voice softened as she continued, “I never claimed Jonathon.”

I’d never heard her so vulnerable before. I took a step closer and gently touched her arm. “But he claimed you.”

Tears filled her bright blue eyes and she nodded.

“What happened?”

She brushed a hand across her eyes and pasted a forced smile on her face. “The classic runaway-bride scenario. I made it all the

way to the binding ceremony, but when it was my turn, I ran. By the time I found the nerve to face him again, he’d joined the church

and turned into someone I didn’t recognize.”

Oh, God. How awful. “How much time went by?”

“Six months.”

“Poor Jonathon.” I let the words slip before I had the time to bite them back. Yikes. “Sorry.”

She shook her head. “You’re right. It was an awful thing to do, but I was young and I panicked. Afterwards, I didn’t know how to

approach him. Since then…well, we are two very different people. But I wish he’d come to terms with the fact that we are no longer

meant to be.”

“And Philip’s the right angel?”

She shrugged. “Probably not. Especially since he’s helping Meri now.” Sadness flashed in her eyes, but she pulled her hand away

and held her head high. “Let’s get going. We have an ex-demon to find.”

I followed Lailah back to Bea’s. We were climbing the porch steps when a red VW Bug roared up the drive and skidded to a stop

behind Bea’s silver Prius. Kat jumped out and ran over, grasping me in a fierce hug. “Thank God you’re okay.”

“Whoa.” I laughed and gently pushed her away. “Did Gwen call you?”

“Lucien.” She nodded to Lailah. “Thanks for taking care of her.”

“All in a day’s work.” Lailah smiled and moved onto the porch.

Kat turned to me. “Where’s Dan?”

“Lucien didn’t tell you?” I mentally cursed him. I hated to be the bearer of bad news…again.

She shook her head.

“He’s—” A crippling flash of anger rippled through me. The weirdly familiar yet foreign energy made my knees buckle, and I grabbed

Kat’s arm for support. Uncontrollable rage took over my senses. I dug my fingers into Kat’s flesh until she cried out.

“Jade, stop!”

Her cry sliced through the unwanted mental energy, bringing me back to myself. I let go. “Oh my God. I’m so sorry.”

Kat cradled her arm against her chest. “What was that?”

I took a step back as the rage tried to overtake me again. Quickly I raised my mental silo, the one that never failed to give me

peace. But this time, the anger only grew stronger. And worse, I couldn’t get a read on Kat at all. She was usually the one person I

could count on to lend me strength when I needed some. I grabbed my head with both hands, trying to curb the intense pounding

caused by the turbulent rage.

“Jade!” Kat cried again and shook me. “What’s going on?”

My barriers disappeared, and Kat’s panic started to edge out the foreign energy. “It’s okay,” I said, letting out a long breath. “I’m

okay.”

I sought out Lailah, now holding Kane back on the porch. When had he come outside? I gave him a weak smile. He tried to brush

her off, but she moved in front of him. “She needs to work this out herself.”

I met her worried eyes. “Meri’s causing this?”

She nodded. “I’m afraid so. The sooner you learn to control the connection, the stronger you’ll be.”

Ugh. My trusty silo wasn’t going to do the trick this time. How did one block out emotions connected to her own soul?

***

I leaned against the counter at The Grind, the café I worked at, and popped my sixth magically enhanced vitamin of the day. My chai

tea scalded the roof of my mouth as I choked the concoction down.

“Again?” Pyper asked, packing grinds into the espresso machine.

“Yes. I can’t seem to get through a few hours without needing one.”

She made a face. “Your condition is getting worse.”

I twisted, stretching my back. “I know, but until we find Meri, there isn’t much else I can do.”

Five days had passed since our trip into Hell. After hours of research, neither Bea nor Lucien had found any practical way of

locating the trio. Bea tried a finding spell, but as suspected, Philip had the group shielded by a specialized spell only angels could

wield. Lailah knew the counter-spell, but couldn’t reverse it unless she was near them.

We also tried the same locator spell we’d used the night we transported Philip and Jonathon to the coven circle. It actually backfired

and Bea produced a mirror image of herself. That was weird. Especially since Bea number two didn’t fade for twelve hours. It was

like having a doppelganger following her around.

“Has the good reverend and his merry band of proselytizers had any luck?” Pyper handed me a chocolate cinnamon danish. “You

look like you need a pick me up.”

I took it and jammed a piece in my mouth, barely chewing before I swallowed. I’d been having sugar cravings all week. Serious

cravings. Like, get up at two in the morning and run to the neighborhood Quick Mart for some ice cream cravings.

Afterwards I always felt a little more energetic. I was sure I was only contributing to a future hypoglycemic crash, but damn. I was

sharing my soul with a demon. There couldn’t possibly be any other better excuse for overindulging on the sweets.

Reluctantly, I set the danish down. Caving to chocolate and cinnamon was one thing. Inhaling my food was another.

I turned back to Pyper. “No luck yet from Goodwin or his followers. This morning he released pictures of each of them on his

television show. We’re hoping his TV audience can help with the hunt.”

Her eyes went wide. “Goodwin put out a religious Amber Alert on them?”

I made a face. “Sort of. I mean, for our purposes he did. But his followers think the three of them voluntarily sent in pictures asking for

prayers. He didn’t say they were missing, only that if anyone spotted them, to please offer them prayers and assistance. Then he

added a hotline number asking the three of them to call him directly so he could be their personal savior. Knowing Goodwin’s

zealots, if Philip, Dan, or Meri are spotted, someone will call.”

Pyper shook her head. “Remind me to never get on the wrong side of Goodwin. I can think of nothing worse than being hunted down

by a bunch of religious fanatics.”

“I know it’s extreme, but we’re out of options. Lailah’s on the phone constantly with her angel connections, but she wasn’t kidding

when she said if Philip doesn’t want to be found, he won’t be.”

The bell chimed, and in walked Charlie, the manager of the strip club next door. “Hey, pretty ladies. Lookin’ sexy as usual.”

I laughed, and Pyper rolled her eyes. “You need new contacts,” Pyper said, scanning the milk-stained apron she wore. She tilted her

head toward the carafe of premade Columbian. “Coffee?”

“No, thanks. I’m here on a mission.” She walked behind the counter and grabbed a metal pitcher then rummaged through the

refrigerator.

I stepped up. “Need help?”

“I’ve got this.” She reached out and untied my apron. “You look like you could use a break. Take a load off. I can cover you.”

I retied my apron. “That’s sweet, but no. I need to help Pyper. We close in an hour and there’s still a lot of cleaning to be done.”

Charlie put on a no-nonsense manager face I’d never seen before. “It’s not a request. The boss sent me to check up on you.” She

scanned the length of my body. “I’m sorry to say, despite finding you hotter than a fried green tomato, I’m going to have to insist you

call it a day. If Kane walks in and sees you dead on your feet, I’m gonna be the one who has to deal with his cranky ass all night.”

She poured soymilk and some chai tea concentrate into a cup, filled it with ice, and handed it to me. “Now go. I’ll help Pyper clean

up.”

I sent Pyper a questioning glance.

She shook her head. “I don’t want to deal with his cranky ass either. Go on up to your apartment. We can manage from here.”

With my chai in one hand and my danish in the other, I took off through the back door and headed up the first of the three flights of

stairs leading to my studio apartment. At each landing I had to pause, taking bites of my snack to regain some energy. Stupid soul-

stealing angel-demon. I couldn’t even get up to my apartment without a major sugar injection.

When I finally stopped in front of my door, I frowned at the tiny sliver left of my danish. Darn it. I should have taken another one for

later. Deciding it was too hard to hold the pastry and unlock my door at the same time, I stuffed it in my mouth.

I jiggled my key, forcing the sticky lock that had been acting up for over two weeks. Since I hadn’t been home much, I hadn’t gotten

around to telling Kane, who also happened to be my landlord. I made a mental note. He needed something else to focus on other

than me.

Inside my apartment, I didn’t stop to change out of my café clothes. All I cared about was my bed.

Five steps later, and I flopped on the goose down comforter. Ah, the soft pillow top was better than heaven. Better even than the

chocolate cinnamon danish. The bed shifted. I squinted at Duke, my golden retriever ghost dog, now lying next to me, his head on

the second pillow. “Enjoy yourself while you can, buddy. Once Kane shows up, you’re back to the couch.”

The dog let out a muffled snort and in seconds was snoring.

I closed my eyes, more than ready to follow him into dreamland.

My reality faded and a moment later I found myself in a rustic shack with white paint peeling off the wood plank walls. The floors

were constructed of the same thick wood planks, but no one had bothered to ever paint them. Swollen with years of humidity, the

grain was rough against my bare feet as I moved to the only window in the old structure.

Unfortunately, the glass was completely obscured with layers of caked on dirt. I paced with my hands laced behind my back. A

heavy dose of anxiety rippled through me, but I didn’t know why.

Female voices carried from the hall into the small room. Nervous energy made me bite my nails, but I quickly dropped my fingers

from my mouth as the door creaked open.

I stood stock-still, terror and hope fighting for my dominating response.

My shoulders hunched with disappointment when Dan filled the doorway. I didn’t mind seeing him. I just expected someone else.

He smiled reassuringly. “Don’t worry so much. Everything’s going to be fine.”

I grimaced. Easy for him to say. He wasn’t the one sharing his soul.

“You’ll see.” He stepped into the room, leaving the door wide open, and gestured to me. “Ladies, Meri’s waiting.”

Meri?

Holy shit! He meant me. In my dream I was Meri. Was this happening right now, and I was witnessing it? My excitement was

squashed by the turmoil churning inside her.

A second later, a woman with long, pale blond hair and striking Caribbean blue eyes hesitated in the threshold. Meri held her

breath. The last time she’d seen her sister, she’d been wielding enough magic to bring down half the state of Louisiana.

An incredible amount of relief rushed through Meri. Felicia was safe.

“Where’s Priscilla?” Meri asked, her voice quiet and strained.

A slow smile crossed Felicia’s face, and she headed straight toward Meri.

“Felicia!” A fierce voice carried in from the hallway, followed closely by its owner. Priscilla stomped into the room, hands on her hips,

eyes narrowed. “Don’t go any closer.”

“I can assure you she’s safe,” Dan said mildly.

Priscilla shot him a skeptical look and then dismissed him with a cut of her eyes back to Felicia. “If what he says is true, her soul is

still compromised.”

Felicia sighed, and Meri could almost hear her praying for patience. “Yes, but she isn’t tainted.”

“Not yet,” Priscilla said.

Felicia moved closer, carefully studying Meri from head to toe. She squinted. “Your posture is different.”

“What?” She straightened, pulling her shoulders back.

“You’re carrying yourself differently.” Felicia walked around her in a circle, nodding. “Yes, that’s it. You’re less confident, and it

shows.”

“You’re right.” Meri’s shoulder slumped in defeat. “This can’t last. Two people weren’t meant to share the same soul. One of us will

eventually overtake the other. Then what happens? I want a normal life, but not at the expense of someone else.”

Dan’s face clouded. “What do you mean, one of you will take over the other?”

Meri stared at him for a minute, sadness squeezing her heart.

“She means two people cannot share the same soul forever.” Philip leaned against the door frame. How long had he been standing

there? Meri’s heart started to hammer with excitement, quickly replaced by disappointment and rejection.

He uncrossed his ankles and stood straight with his hands shoved in his pockets. “They can for a little while, but when one becomes

too weak, the soul will migrate to the stronger individual.”

“Do you think Meri’s stronger?” Dan asked.

Philip nodded. “She’s an angel.”

“No, I’m not,” Meri said.

“You’re not a demon anymore. What else would you be?” Philip countered.

“What about Jade?” Dan frowned, worry creasing his brow. “What will happen to her?”

“That’s for the council to decide.” Philip moved to stand in front of Meri, his eyes filled with longing, regret, and something tortured.

Meri’s two sisters retreated from the room. Dan hovered near the door, uncertainty clear in his expression.

With Philip’s gaze so intently locked on her, Meri asked, “Why didn’t you come for me?”

“I…” He swallowed. “I wanted to, but I had Dan to watch over. By the time I formed a plan, it was too late.” He closed his eyes. “I can’t

begin to imagine what all you—”

“No, you can’t. So don’t even try!” She curled her hands into fists, nails biting into her palms as unbridled anger rippled through her.

Meri’s mind filled with dozens of unwanted memories, all shared and stolen moments with Philip. The pair of them sitting on a porch

swing holding hands. Their first kiss. Their first…

“You’re not my mate,” she spat. “Whatever the witch did to me dissolved our connection. Including the mating bond everyone says is

unbreakable. Lucky you. Now you can go off with your airhead hippy girlfriend and forget about me. Like you’ve been trying to do for

the last twelve years.”

Philip moved closer.

She bristled. “Leave me alone, Philip. Go take care of your witch’s soul. There’s nothing left for you here.”

He took a long time before answering. When he did, he raised his chin and met her haunted gaze. “I gave up on you once. I won’t do

it again.”