Demons of Bourbon Street

chapter 30

I woke to the sound of hushed voices and someone stroking my head. I blinked, trying to clear my hazy vision. “Meri?” My voice

came out wobbly.


“Jade! Thank the Goddess. You survived.”

“No,” I mumbled. “I died. Angels killed me.” A small, hysterical gasp escaped from my lips.

“Jade?” Someone blond and faceless hovered over me.

“Lailah?” A vague memory of her being carried off by bad angels surfaced in my mind. Had she died, too? Poor thing.

“Yes, I’m here.”

“I’m sorry.” I closed my eyes, more exhausted than I’d ever been in my entire life. Static hummed in my ears, and my mind started to

fade into the abyss.

“Jade!” a familiar male voice cried out.

Kane. He’d found me. I frowned.

How could he find me among the angels? That’s when I knew for sure I’d lost. He had to be a figment of my imagination.

“Where are you?” I asked, hopeful I’d glimpse his mocha-colored gaze one last time.

“Saint Louis Cathedral,” he said.

I opened my eyes and tried to glance around, but I couldn’t lift my head. The black and white tile floor stretched out in front of me.

Odd. I thought it was gold and white.

Strong arms lifted me. A sense of something peaceful settled into my being, and blackness overtook me again.

***

Someone clutched my hand, and I flinched. The tiny movement sent an ache through my core. “Ow.”

“Jade?”

I squinted as my eyes adjusted to the light in the strange room. “Kane?”

He gripped my hand tighter and let out a long, relieved sigh. “Thank God.” He smiled. “Welcome back.”

Frowning, I glanced at his hand in mine. It sure felt real. “Are you really here?”

“Huh?” His brow crinkled in confusion. “Of course I’m here. I’ve been here the entire time.”

“Okay.” I closed my eyes to give them a rest. Focusing hurt.

The bed shifted as Kane sat next to me, running his fingers lightly over my cheek. “Rest, love. We can talk later.”

The suggestion was so welcoming, I almost drifted off into unconsciousness. But irrational panic forced my eyes open. “Don’t leave.

”

“I won’t. Promise.” He smoothed my hair and placed a gentle kiss on my lips as I drifted off again.

The third time I woke, two people were arguing. I couldn’t quite comprehend what they were saying, but the urgent tone jolted me

awake.

“Hey,” I said through dry lips. “Any water?”

The arguing stopped immediately.

“Oh my God, Jade, of course.” Even though I couldn’t see her yet, I knew the voice. Kat. My best friend. She rushed over and held

out a cup.

I took a sip. “Thank you.”

“Need more?”

I shook my head, eyeing her outfit. She wore her favorite faded jeans and a wool sweater she’d had since our freshmen year in

college. If she was a figment of my imagination, at least I’d dressed her comfortably. “So, does this mean I’m not dead?”

She snorted. “Hardly. You’re recovering.”

“And Lailah?” My heart sped up waiting for the answer.

Kat frowned. “She’s okay. Still a little weak. Whatever they did to her left her pretty banged up. She could barely stay awake for the

first twenty-four hours. Bea made her stay here for a few days, but let her go home yesterday after a massive infusion of energy pills.

”

“Thank the Goddess.” I tried to sit up, but my chest hurt too much for me to move. I grunted.

“Here.” Kat handed me a large yellow pill. “This will help.”

I frowned. “Don’t tell me it’s enhanced.”

She gave me a stern look. “You know darn well it’s one of Bea’s healing pills. Swallow it. Unless you want to be laid up here for the

next month or two.”

A month or two. Her words triggered a memory. “How long have I been gone?”

She sat next to me. “You’ve been in and out of consciousness for about four days now.”

“No. How long was I gone?”

She stared at her hands and didn’t say anything.

“Kat, tell me.”

She bit her lip. “Four weeks.”

Four weeks. Only a month. I blew out a sigh of relief. That was far better than a year or more.

Her eyebrows raised in question. “You’re okay with that?”

“Not exactly, but I was expecting much worse.” I glanced around at the tasteful, eighteenth-century nightstand and the sunflower quilt

and recognized Bea’s guest room. “Anything happen while I was gone that I should know about?”

She let out a strangled laugh. “I’ll fill you in later. Now take your pill or I’ll—”

“Tell on me?”

She laughed. “Well, yeah.”

I did as I was told, but only because the weight on my chest made it tough to breathe. Seconds after swallowing the pill, the ache

began to ease. I’d need to remember to thank Bea. This time when I tried to sit up, I managed to get the pillow under my shoulders

enough to see the rest of the room. “Who were you arguing with?”

“Don’t worry about that now. We’ll talk about it later.”

“Kat,” I said. “What’s going on? Why am I still alive?”

She fidgeted. “Maybe Bea should answer your questions.”

I reached and squeezed her hand softly. “Please, Kat, I’d rather you told me.”

She pulled her knee up, making herself more comfortable. “Okay, the official word is your soul split. As in, you have a portion and

Meri has a portion.”

Dan appeared right behind her. “But what we don’t know is if the two parts of your soul will try to rejoin if you and Meri are in a close

enough proximity.”

“Dan!” Kat jumped up. “I told you, now is not the time.”

I lifted a weak hand. “It’s okay. I want to know.” In truth, I was too tired to care. I was alive, and that was enough for now.

“Kane’s going to kill me,” she mumbled as she moved toward the door and peeked out.

My heart pounded, and I craned my neck hoping to see him. “Is he here?”

“No, he went home to shower and change, but he’ll be right back. Dan is supposed to be waiting downstairs.” She sent him a glare.

I chuckled. It was almost like old times. I stared at Dan, so grateful to see him. Smiling, I held out my hand.

He grasped my palm lightly. “I’m so sorry. I never intended—”

I cut him off. “I know, Dan. It’s over. Can we move on? Try to be friends again?”

He stood still, silent in his thoughts. I’d give anything to know how he was feeling right then. But he didn’t project even one tiny

emotion. Not even through our hands. Usually when I touched someone, it was incredibly hard to block the person out. I frowned.

Maybe I was too weak to sense emotions just yet.

Finally, a small, tentative smile ghosted on Dan’s face. “I’d like to try.”

“Good, me too.” I would have hugged him if Kat hadn’t started dragging him away.

“Time to go,” she said. “I think that’s Kane’s car coming up the drive.”

“But what about Meri?” Dan asked.

“Jade’s too weak for that right now. Go.” She gave him a push out into the hallway. “We’ll talk about it later.”

She shut the door behind him and came back over to the bed, smiling as if nothing had happened.

“Talk about what?” I asked.

She started to tell me not to worry, but stopped when I fixed her with an intense stare. “He wants to bring Meri in so we can find out if

either of you are still in danger.”

“I see. Well, I can’t say that task is high on my bucket list at the moment.”

“Exactly. We’ll worry about that later. Right now I’m headed downstairs to let Bea know you’re awake again. She’ll want to check you

out.” Kat waved as she disappeared.

I let out a long breath and closed my eyes, wishing with all my heart I was at Kane’s house. I opened my eyes and stared down at his

ring. Right then, I made the decision to move in with him. Immediately. I wasn’t willing to wait until after we were married. He’d asked

once before, but I’d been reluctant to give up my own space. Not anymore. I just wanted him to take me home. To our home.

***

Over the next few days, Bea, Gwen, my mom, and Kat took turns keeping a watchful eye on me. It would’ve been annoying if I hadn’t

been so happy to just be alive. I’d finally gotten over balking at Bea’s herbal pills. Damn, sometimes I even asked for them. They

were little miracles in a capsule.

“No,” Bea said after I’d asked for some extras to keep on hand. “You’re becoming an addict.”

“No, I’m not.” I sat up cross-legged in the bed. “I just want to make sure I stay on schedule.”

“I find that hard to believe since I caught you sneaking downstairs for one last night.”

“I was thirsty!” I cried in mock offense, but started laughing. She was right. I loved the little energy burst they gave me. It was better

than a jolt of coffee.

“Next time—” she pointed to the bathroom across the hall, “—get some water.”

“There isn’t going to be a next time. Kane’s taking me home today.”

She paused in the doorway. “Don’t think I haven’t already gone over the regimen with him.”

I nodded, knowing full well she wasn’t kidding. Bea had played the part of Nurse Ratchet while she was in charge of my health. I’d

been on a strict diet, combined with short walks down the hall to get my strength back, and she’d kept all my friends away except

Kat and Kane. Between Mom and Gwen hovering, she said my dance card was already full.

A small stab of apprehension ran through me at the thought of leaving. I was safe here. No rogue demons or angels could get to me.

If I lived another hundred years, I’d be satisfied to never see any of them again. Except for Lailah. She’d grown on me.

After Bea left, I rose and took a shower. The glorious hot water worked wonders on my bed-worn muscles. Sure, I’d taken short

walks, but a week in bed was too long…at least, it was when it didn’t involve a gorgeous, naked man doing unspeakable things to

you.

I grinned. Kane had started to enter my dreams again. After what we’d done in the dreamwalk the few nights before, I couldn’t wait

to get him out of his clothes and horizontal somewhere. Preferably not a bed.

I packed in record time, which wasn’t saying much, considering all I had was pajamas, one pair of jeans, and a T-shirt Mom had

brought me the night before. Lugging the small suitcase down the stairs proved to be much more difficult. By the time I got to the

bottom step, I was sweating and winded.

“Way to overdo it,” Bea said wryly.

“I have to build up my stamina somehow,” I gasped out.

“You probably should’ve waited.” She nodded toward the window, where I spotted people milling around outside.

I dropped the suitcase and went to investigate.

Kane, Mom, Gwen, Lailah, Dan…and Meri. I froze. “Why is she here?”

Bea came to stand next to me. Gently, she rested her hand on my shoulder. “It’s time to test your soul.”

I didn’t want to. I wanted to go home to Kane’s house and forget anything ever happened. “But I’m not one-hundred percent.”

“That is why today is perfect. You’ll know right away.” She tugged my arm. “Come outside. If anything goes wonky, I’ll stop it. I’ve got

a spell or two already set.”

Reluctantly, I let her drag me out the door. Meri stood at the far end of the deck, separating herself from the rest of the group.

Each one of them took turns giving me a hug—except Meri. She stayed where she was. But that wasn’t what unsettled me. Every

one of them had touched me, and I hadn’t sensed any emotion.

Something wasn’t right. I’d never gone a day in my life without being privy to someone’s emotions.

Inside Bea’s house, I’d come to the conclusion that she’d put a ward on my room to silence my visitor’s emotions. But here I was,

outside, in a circle of the people most open to me, and I couldn’t feel anything. Not from Kane, Kat, or even Gwen. Frowning, I tried

to send out my awareness and found I couldn’t grasp on to anything. I concentrated harder, scrunching my face up in the process.

Kane put his finger on my brow, smoothing it out. “What’s wrong?”

“I can’t feel anything,” I whispered. “I mean, no emotions. My empath ability is broken.” A sense of loss seized me. Just like when I’d

given up my coven leadership to Lucien. Except this was a thousand times worse. I’d always had the ability to feel those around me.

My sixth sense had literally vanished.

He draped an arm around me. “You’re probably just still healing. Don’t worry, I’m sure it’ll come back.”

“I don’t think so,” Meri said from behind us, and I jumped higher than a cat in a frying pan.

“Geez, Meri. Give us a warning next time,” I said.

“You didn’t know she was there?” Kane asked, confusion written all over his face.

“No. I told you. I can’t feel anyone.”

Kane must have finally gotten used to that little quirk. The ability to sense emotions means I’m usually hyper-aware of the people

around me.

“I can,” Meri said.

I spun to look her in the eye. “You’re an empath.”

“I am now…or so it seems.” Her tone implied she wasn’t happy about the new development.

“Holy cripes!” Kat said, grabbing Dan’s arm. “Did you know that?”

He nodded. “Yeah, we think she got it from Jade.”

Holy cripes was right. Somehow my ability had transferred to Meri during the soul exchange. Jesus, could I still use magic? Panic

seized my brain, and I frantically searched for my magical spark. The power jolted in my chest, sending a ripple of current through

my limbs. I let out a long relieved sigh. At least that wasn’t broken.

“Oh my God,” Kat said in a hushed tone, coming to the same conclusion I had. “Do you think it’s permanent?”

Meri shrugged. “I hope not. Being exposed to everyone’s emotional state isn’t my idea of a great time.”

I couldn’t disagree with her. The gift was a burden, and my week had been blissfully quiet. Still, I didn’t feel like myself without my

unique ability. What else had she gotten from me? I could still do magic, but could she? “Does this mean you’re a witch now that you

have part of my soul?”

Meri shook her head. “No. When you almost destroyed me and sent me back to hell, you actually only destroyed the demon part of

me. I don’t know what I was then. But once I ended up with part of your soul, I morphed back into an angel. The council reinstated me

just this morning.”

I stared at her, trying to comprehend what she just said. I’d destroyed the demon part of her. Bea had told me killing demons was

impossible. But is that what I’d done? No. Impossible. By some stroke of luck, Meri had lived. Though who knows what would have

happened to her if she hadn’t gotten a piece of my soul? I shook my head trying to clear my thoughts. I didn’t want to think about it

just then.

“Let’s go,” Bea said and motioned for Meri and me to follow her.

I hesitated as it became clear she was headed for her yard. Exactly where I’d taken down Meri, destroying her demon side. Meri

held back, as if she might bolt.

“Follow me, ladies. Everything is quite safe, I assure you,” Bea ordered.

Both of us took our places beside her.

“Now what?” I asked.

“We wait,” she said.

“For what?” I kicked an ant off my shoe, wondering what happened to Bea’s bug-be-gone spell. Ants in Louisiana bite.

“To see how your souls react.” Bea held a hand out to each of us.

We stood together for what seemed like forever, though it was probably more like five minutes. Eventually, she dropped our hands

and declared, “You have nothing to worry about. Your souls are content where they are.”

She took off before I could ask what she meant.

“She means neither part is longing for the other. They’re adapting,” Meri said.

I stared at her, wondering what it meant that she now owned part of my soul. I didn’t feel different, just battered. Would weird

complications arise later? Like unfortunate psychic connections? “Did you just read my mind?”

“No. Your confusion.” She shrugged. “Sorry, I can’t help it.”

The situation was so absurd, I almost laughed. All those years I’d hated my ability. Hated that I was different. And now I was certain I’

d miss it. I’d been an empath since…well, forever. “Don’t worry,” I assured her. “If anyone understands, it’s me.”

We talked for a few more minutes and then suddenly Meri wrapped her arms around me and squeezed for dear life.

Half-laughing, half-choking, I finally got out, “What’s that for?”

“Giving me my life and at the same time holding on to yours.” She released me and took a step back. “If they’d given me your soul

and you died, I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself. It wasn’t right what they did.”

I nodded in agreement. “You’re right, it wasn’t. For what it’s worth, I’m glad you’re getting a second shot.”

She shook her head. “After the things I did, I don’t deserve it.”

“Hey! What happened to you wasn’t your fault.” I took a step closer. “Do you hear me? Not. Your. Fault. “

She met my gaze with tears in her eyes.

I lowered my voice. “Just take this second chance and use it wisely. Okay?”

One tear rolled down her cheek. “I’ll do my best.”

This time I caught her in a hug. It was weird and awkward, but also necessary. When we broke apart, she took a few steps back,

nodded an unspoken promise, and took off across the grounds.

I wondered if I’d see her again. With my luck? Yeah. Probably sooner rather than later.

***

After two days of lying around Kane’s house, most of the time spent naked, Kane kept going on about taking a drive. “I have

something I want you to see.”

“Okay, okay. I just thought we weren’t going to get dressed today.”

He kissed my bare shoulder. “We’ll only be out for a couple of hours. Then we can come back here and discard as many garments

as you like.”

He wouldn’t tell me where we were going, not even once we were in the car. In fact, he’d made the suggestion he should blindfold

me. I put the kibosh on that right quick. No way was I getting car sick for whatever harebrained scheme he had going on.

Besides, once we crossed the Mississippi river and headed down Highway 90, I had no idea where we were anyway. I’d only been

south of New Orleans once and that had been to pick up the airboats.

After about twenty miles, he exited the freeway and turned onto a state highway. Five minutes later we entered the quaintest little

town I’d ever seen. Wood-sided cottages lined the residential streets. Main Street looked like something out of a movie set, and

people waved from the sidewalks as we drove by.

“Kane? Do these people know you?”

He smiled mysteriously. “You’ll see.”

No amount of badgering pried any information out of him, so I sat back and enjoyed the southern charm. Soon enough, we came up

on a historical plantation home. A giant oak tree claimed the front lawn, complete with a mass of Spanish moss.

“It looks just like a painting,” I said as Kane turned into the driveway.

“You like it?”

“Like it? I love it. It’s gorgeous. Are we taking a tour?”

He didn’t answer as he pulled the car to a stop. A few seconds later, he hopped out of the driver’s seat and opened my door.

“What are you up to?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at him.

His smile turned to a grin.

The door swung open as we climbed the front steps to the massive wraparound deck, and a well put-together southern woman

stepped out, holding a clipboard. Her blue silk blouse and black A-line skirt fit flawlessly on her trim body. “Welcome to Summer

House. You couldn’t have picked a better day for a visit.”

I gave her a smile. “I’m looking forward to it.”

“This way.” She ushered us into the turn of the century home, its foyer bigger than my entire apartment. We moved into the grand

great room, where the rich oak stairs curved gracefully to the second floor. I sighed, imagining Scarlett O’Hara running down the

steps into Rhett’s arms.

“Through here,” the guide said, not bothering to give us a history on the place. The house was gorgeous, but the tour sucked.

“Lord help her if there’s a comment card to fill out at the end of this thing,” I mumbled to Kane.

He suppressed a laugh. We entered what could only be called a parlor, and I gasped. My mom and Gwen and all my friends, Kat,

Pyper, Ian, Lucien, Charlie, Lailah, and Bea, sat around a large mahogany table.

“Surprise!” they yelled in unison.

“What’s this?” I asked, stunned.

Kane put his arm around me. “It’s sort of an engagement brunch.”

Warmth spread in my heart and my lips quirked. “A what?”

He shrugged. “You needed to get out and everyone wanted to see you, so instead of a party, we arranged a brunch.”

“Complete with wedding planning strategies.” Pyper waved a notebook. “Go on, tell her the rest.”

Kane grinned sheepishly at me and led me back into the great hall. “What do you think?”

I glanced around. “Of what? The house?”

“Of getting married here.”

It was the last thing I’d expected him to say.

“We don’t have to have it here,” he went on. “It’s just this is where my grandparents had their ceremony, and I always thought it must

have been something magical to see. I want that for us, but only if you do.”

The love shining through his eyes when he said those words was more than enough to make me fall in love all over again. I reached

up and kissed him lightly on the lips. “I’d love to.”

He pulled me close, kissing me slowly.

We broke apart, and I snuggled into his chest. “I guess that means we need to pick a date. I bet they’re booked for months,” I said

wistfully.

He cleared his throat.

I leaned back and looked up at him. “Don’t tell me you already reserved one.”

“Not exactly. The house isn’t usually available for weddings. Fortunately, I happen to know the owner.”

“And this owner would be…?”

He grinned.

“Kane?”

He gathered me close again and whispered in my ear. “You. The house is your wedding present.”

“What?” I stepped back, clutching the railing of the stairwell to steady myself. “You bought this place for me?”

His eyes crinkled at the corners with mirth. “No, I already owned it. Mamaw left it to me. You said you always wanted to live in a

farmhouse. I thought this might be close enough.”

My eyes nearly popped out of my head. “You…I mean… How come you didn’t tell me you owned another house?” I waved my hand

around. “Look at this place. It’s…it’s unreal.”

A guilty smile turned his lips up. “I did say I had other property.”

“Yeah! I thought you meant you had other commercial buildings. Not a freakin’ historical treasure.”

“You like it then? You’ll accept it as a wedding gift?”

I stared at him, wondering if he’d lost his mind. “You can’t give this place to me. It’s your family house.”

“You’re my family, Jade.” He gently pulled me back into his embrace. “The month you were gone? I’m never going through that

again. You’re stuck with me. Marry me. Live with me here or in the city or in Idaho. I don’t care. Everything I have is yours as long as

you promise to be my wife.”

I stared into those wonderful chocolate-brown eyes and melted all over again. I cleared my throat. “Is the tour guide always here?”

“You mean, Jillian? The house manager?” Kane furrowed his brow in confusion. Clearly he hadn’t been expecting the random

question.

“Yeah, her.”

“No, she only comes when there’s an event to coordinate. Why?”

I grinned. “I’m wondering how fast we can ditch everyone and christen the master bedroom. I’d like to test run my role as Mrs.

Rouquette.”

Kane let out a whoop, picked me up, and spun me around.

I laughed, and he lowered me to my feet, crushing his lips to mine.

When we finally came up for air, Pyper stood off to the side, tapping her foot. “Cool it, horn dogs. We spent a lot of time planning this

shindig. Get your sorry asses back to the party so we can celebrate.”

I saluted her. “Yes, ma’am.”

She spun on her heel and we followed. Right before we joined the others, Kane whispered in my ear. “One hour, tops.”

Giggling, I tugged him into the parlor, where the people closest to us waited. The family I never thought I’d have. The family I

cherished. And with my second chance on life, I wasn’t ever letting go.