Shadows of Bourbon Street (14 page)

“Let go,” I said to Maximus. Kane nodded, and the leader released me. I bit back a snarky comment and jumped off the platform, heading for Kane. But he stepped back, keeping a bit of distance between us. I froze, shock filling me. Why was he backing away from me? I took a deep breath, trying to calm the panic. “Images?”

“The horror. What those people went through. I can’t sit back and let it happen.”

The demon hunters behind him nodded solemnly.

“What people?” I held out a hand, hoping he’d take it, but he didn’t seem to notice.

“The ones the demons take.” His face contorted with a mixture of pity and pain. He closed his eyes and when he opened them, he met my stare. “Do you remember when we were in Hell and you felt the awful emotions of the souls trapped in those stone sculptures?”

“Yes,” I said carefully. “I wanted to free them, but you said we didn’t know why they were there and that maybe they belonged there.”

“They do,” Maximus said. “But they didn’t always.”

I spun to face their leader. “How did the souls get there?”

“Demon possession. Most of them were regular people when it happened. Then once the demon takes over, their souls become corrupted forever. When the demon has used up all the victims’ resources, their tainted souls are stored in Hell. There they are forced to live through the horrible things they did forever. Usually the crimes are against their loved ones. It is by far the worst existence a soul is subject to.”

Chills overtook my body as I processed the horror of what he’d just said. “Worse than being a demon?”

“Yes.” Maximus climbed down off the platform and joined his hunters. “Demons have no remorse. They live in a world of zero consequences. Once the demon is done with a soul, he moves on, leaving the soul broken. Haunted. The soul exists in a world of torture and despair. Our mission is to keep the demons from possessing anyone not already corrupted. We want to save as many people as we can.”

“I can’t walk away from that,” Kane said.

I glanced from him to Maximus, torn between fear and pride. If Kane did this, his soul would likely always be in danger. If he didn’t, he’d regret it for the rest of his life. “Okay. So what does that mean?”

“Kane has a few days of initiation and training to go through, then he’ll be called to serve.” Maximus nodded to one of the hunters. “Take him to the office.”

“No!” Uncontrollable magic flared to life and sparked at my fingertips.

“Ms. Calhoun, control yourself or you will be neutralized.” Maximus crossed his arms over his chest and sent me a warning glare.

I hadn’t meant to call up my magic. I couldn’t help it, though. It happened sometimes when I was stressed and scared. It wasn’t like I wanted to fight seven demon hunters. All I wanted was to be near Kane and work with him to save Matisse, so we could get on with our lives. Him joining a secret society of demon hunters wasn’t the plan.

“Kane, please,” I begged. “We need to talk.”

Kane blinked and something shifted in his expression. Recognition? Understanding, maybe? Then he looked at Maximus. “Is there a place we can talk privately for a moment?”

Maximus frowned and furrowed his black eyebrows. Pursing his lips, he started to shake his head, but I intervened. “I’ll consider that meeting if you give us ten minutes.”

He stared at me with a blank expression. Then he jerked his head toward the hunter who’d burst into our hotel room. “Derke, take them to my private study. Give them the privacy she asked for.”

Surprise filled Derke’s eyes but he bent his head in acquiescence. He strode past me and said, “This way.”

I reached my hand out to Kane once more and sighed in relief when he took it. His fingers wrapped around mine and squeezed lightly. I squeezed back, relief streaming through me. He wasn’t completely lost in this new role of his.

We followed Derke down a cream-colored hallway filled with pretentious portraits of former demon hunters. They were all dressed in a black button-up uniform that reminded me of a Marine’s dress blues. High color, crisp lines, gold buttons. Only there weren’t any ribbons or patches. The uniforms were plain. And one lone symbol graced the right shoulder. The embroidered scrollwork was the same as on the drapes. The scroll pattern must be their symbol.

“Here.” Derke opened a door and waved us into a large study. Books lined every square inch of the walls. One large desk sat in the middle of the room. Across from it was a row of wooden chairs. Most of the room was practical, full of reference and research materials. But under the window was a sweet built-in bench. The cushions were covered in red gerbera daisies and it was quite literally the only thing in the study that appeared to have any life in it at all.

Hadn’t I seen daisies at Dayla’s house?

I shook my head. None of that was important. I needed to talk to Kane. I waved my fingers at Derke. “Thanks. We’ve got it from here.”

He glanced once at Kane. “You sure you want to do this, man? Women can really fuck with your head when you need to make these kinds of decisions.”

Kane frowned and shook his head in irritation. “I’m fine. I’ll be ready in ten minutes.”

A breath I hadn’t known I’d been holding came out in a soft sigh.

As soon as the door clicked shut, Kane pulled me into his arms and hugged me tight. “I’m so sorry, Jade. This isn’t what I asked for, but since I’ve been exposed to what demons can do to innocents, I can’t walk away. I hope you can understand.”

“I suppose I do,” I said on the verge of tears, only this time they were in relief. He was himself. He wasn’t zombified anymore. He was a man making a decision he had to make. I could live with that. “I was scared for you.”

He pulled back and caressed my shoulders. “I’ll be fine. Listen, we can’t waste any time. I haven’t forgotten about Matisse. And Dayla was right. The only way I’m going to find out about this Vaughn guy is by becoming one of them. When I was in that trance, their history flashed through my mind. They’re a persecuted race. It’s not pretty. But that’s why they keep who they are secret.”

I nodded solemnly and clutched at his T-shirt. “Okay. But what am I supposed to do? I can’t just leave you here.”

“You can. It’s safe enough in this house. I’ll come to you tonight and let you know what I find out. Then we can go from there.”

I clung to him, reluctant to let go. A knock sounded on the door. Kane slipped from my grasp and went to open it.

Maximus stood in the doorway. “Everything all right?”

“It’s fine. Jade and I were discussing this change of plans. I’m sure you understand. Today was supposed to be our wedding day, not the day I turned into a demon hunter.”

Maximus nodded. “Yes, I do understand. My sincerest apologies your plans were interrupted.”

“Thank you,” I said with more sarcasm than I intended. It wasn’t his fault any of this had happened. But I still didn’t like that they’d put Kane in a weird trance that had convinced him he needed to do this. Any man with decent character wouldn’t turn his back on such a terrible injustice.

I gave Kane one more hug, holding on as if it were the last time I’d see him.

He whispered in my ear, “I’ll see you in a few hours, love.”

Standing on my tiptoes, I kissed his cheek, then sprang loose and headed for the door. If I didn’t make a clean break, I’d never leave.

Maximus cleared his throat. “Ms. Calhoun, I believe we have some more business to attend to.”

I turned and placed my hands on my hips. “Your meeting with Dayla?”

He inclined his head. “Yes.”

“After we find her niece. That’s when I’ll see her again. That will be your chance.”

“Her niece is the one missing?”

This time worry spilled from him, which surprised me. So far he’d been really good at keeping his emotions contained. “Yes. Matisse. That’s why we went to see Dayla.”

“Matisse is the one trapped between worlds?” The genuine shock on his face was interesting. He’d known someone was trapped but hadn’t known who. Did he know about Matisse’s connection to Vaughn? I couldn’t tell. But maybe this was a good thing. If he was emotionally invested, maybe he’d help.

I nodded. “She’s the one trapped. It’s my job to get her home safe before she wastes away.”

He ran a hand through his hair, glanced once at Kane and then back to me. “If there is any way I can be of service, please let me know.”

“We will,” Kane said but didn’t elaborate.

I sent him a questioning glance. He shook his head ever so slightly. No. He didn’t want me to say anything about Vaughn. Okay. I turned my attention to Maximus. “When can I see my fiancé again?”

He shrugged. “A few days. Maybe a week. It depends on what comes up.”

I clenched my teeth to keep from saying anything I’d regret. A week? He was out of his mind. I sent Kane one last glance, trying to memorize his stoic expression. I hadn’t seen him like this before. Everything about him appeared amplified. His looks, his determination, his compassion. I memorized the sincerity shining back at me in his eyes and then bolted for the door.

When I was halfway down the hall, Maximus caught up with me and touched my elbow.

I stopped mid-step and barked, “What?”

“He’ll be safe here, you know.” His voice was tender, meant to calm me.

“For now.”

“Yes, but we’ll give him the tools he needs not only to survive but to thrive.”

“If you say so.” I wasn’t interested in any of this. All I wanted to do was leave, to crawl into our bed back at the French Quarter house and wait for Kane to find me.

“Trust me.” There was sincerity spilling from him, but it wasn’t that I didn’t trust him. It was the life. What would be expected of Kane now that he’d sworn with a blood oath? It appeared to me that he was a part of this for the rest of his life. One couldn’t just break a blood bond.

“I need to go,” I said.

“Of course. I’ll escort you out.”

Neither of us said anything more as we walked through the massive house. When we got outside, I swore. “Dammit. I have no way to get home.”

Maximus squinted into the night and cocked his head toward the sounds of Mardi Gras still filling the streets. “It’s going to be hard to get a cab.”

“Never mind.” I waved an impatient hand. “I’ve got somewhere I can go.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yes.” I took off down the walk, trying to acclimate myself to my surroundings. If I could find Magazine Street, I’d know where I was.

“Ms. Calhoun?” Maximus called.

I stopped and glanced back. “Yes?”

“Don’t forget. I still want to meet the ex-demon. I think she could be really useful to our cause.”

“I’ll ask her, but no promises.” And without waiting for his response, I took off down the street.

Chapter 13

Luckily the Garden District wasn’t really that big a neighborhood, and in no time at all, I had my bearings. In less than ten minutes, I was standing on Bea’s front step, grateful for the light shining through the front window. She was home, and I wouldn’t be stuck penniless trying to find a way back to the French Quarter.

I knocked twice and waited. What a shit day. I was actually looking forward to taking one of Bea’s calming herbs and curling up on her sunflower-print couch. It was a far cry from my original plans, but when in Rome…

The door swung open and my bad mood lifted.

“Jade?” my best friend Kat cried, throwing her arms around me. “What are you doing here? Where’s Kane?”

Her red curls tickled my nose, and I pulled back, trying not to sneeze. “Can we go inside? There’s a lot to tell.”

“Sure.” She backed up into the small carriage house. Lucien was inside, sitting on Bea’s loveseat. I gave my second-in-command a halfhearted wave. Well, he’d once been my second. Currently both of us were benched from the coven. Lucien until we figured out his black heart curse, and me until I got back from my honeymoon. I sighed. Maybe it was time to take over again anyway.

I scanned the room and the adjoining kitchen. “Where’s Bea?”

“Working,” Lucien said and stood. “So is everyone else as near as we can tell. Lailah is at the shop with Bea. Pyper went to work the club. Ian is assisting her.”

I raised my eyebrows. “And you’re both here because…?”

Kat chuckled. “Bea offered the house so we could ‘do’ Mardi Gras without being forced to deal with the Quarter.”

“That was nice of her.” I sat down on the couch, kicked off my shoes, and rested my feet on Bea’s coffee table. “But that doesn’t explain why you’re here and not watching the parades.”

“We came back for dinner. Then we were planning on going out again, but after a while we got to talking and…” A blush crept over Kat’s face as she glanced at Lucien.

“And?” I asked with a warning tone. Lucien was in love with her and he was tainted with a black heart curse. Even though Bea had in effect disabled his magic, the spell wasn’t foolproof. Witch power could be very unpredictable. If he managed to do any bit of magic around her or lost control in any way, she could be compromised again. A few weeks ago she’d almost died. We were lucky—with Bea’s help, I’d been able to bring her back, but it had been damned difficult. If it happened again…I didn’t even want to think about it.