Shadows of Bourbon Street (15 page)

“Oh, Jade.” Kat waved a hand. “A little kissing isn’t going to hurt anyone.”

I stepped back and glanced between them. Kat’s button-down shirt was misaligned, leaving one side longer than the other. Her red curls were mussed as if someone had been running his hands through them, and there wasn’t a speck of lipstick on her lips, despite the fact that she never went anywhere without it. Lucien’s shirt was wrinkled, his shoes were off, and he had smeared lipstick on his jaw. “Just a little kissing, eh? Looks like I walked in on a serious make-out session.”

“Jade—” Lucien started.

I held up a hand. “Stop. You’re both adults. I can’t make you stay away from each other, no matter how much I want to.” I felt the tension drain from my face. “I love you both. I just want you to be safe. And I’m not talking about contraception, either.”

Kat laughed.

I gave her a weak smile. “We just don’t know what other harm the black heart curse can cause.”

Lucien stood. “I should go.”

“What? No.” Kat moved to his side and took his hand in hers. “You have to stay.”

He gave her a pained look. “Jade’s right. You could get hurt and we’re… Well, letting things get out of control.”

Irritation shot from Kat and brushed against me as it flew around the room. “Your magic has been neutralized. Bea did it herself. So unless anyone thinks you still have access to your power, I think we’re just fine. And quite frankly, I’m getting sick of everyone else deciding what I should and shouldn’t do. So, no. As much as I love Jade, she doesn’t have a say over what I do. Or you either.”

Lucien stared at her, open mouthed. I coughed to hide a chuckle. Kat and I had been best friends since we were fifteen. I’d seen her temper in action numerous times. But Lucien hadn’t. In her adult life, she was pretty reasonable and it took a lot to get her worked up. But when she did, whoa, watch out.

“Kat.” Lucien rubbed his jaw thoughtfully. “The thing is, even though Bea neutralized my magic, that doesn’t mean it’s gone. I
want
to think nothing bad can happen because, well, dammit. I want you.” He continued to stare at her while her blush deepened.

“I’ll be in the kitchen,” I said and took a step backward, not wanting to be in the middle of this conversation. The place was so small, though, I’d still hear every word they said. At least I wouldn’t be right in the middle of it.

“Lucien,” Kat said softly. “I want you, too.”

“But I don’t want to hurt you.” He reached over and tucked a stray curl behind her ear. “Jade’s right. If something goes wrong with Bea’s spell, my magic will be right there again. Plus we don’t even know what the black curse is doing to me. If I lose control around you, the consequences could be devastating.”

Their situation was heartbreaking. The curse was only a problem for the one Lucien loved—Kat. And I was supposed to be helping Lucien figure out how to reverse it. That had been first on the list for when Kane and I got back from Italy. Now here I was in the middle of something else.

I pressed my head against the cool refrigerator, trying to calm the ache above my eyes. I didn’t know yet how to help Matisse and I sure as hell didn’t know how to help two of the people I loved most. What was the point in being a white witch if I didn’t know anything?

“Jade?” Kat called.

“Yeah.”

“Can you come in here?”

“Sure.” I opened the fridge and pulled out a diet soda before joining the lovebirds back in the cheery yellow living room.

Kat sat on the couch, and Lucien was in one of the chairs across from her.

I sat next to Kat and twisted the cap on my soda. “What’s up?”

“We could really use something else to focus on right now.” She glanced down at her clutched hands. “Do you think you could tell us what happened after you left Summer House?”

“You sure you want to talk about that right now?” I glanced at Lucien. His jaw was set at a stubborn slant.

Kat took a deep breath. “Yes. We seem to have come to an impasse on the previous topic of discussion.” Her words came out clipped, the bit of irritation aimed at Lucien.

I took a moment to study him and then sent a tiny energy probe in his direction. Regret. Sadness. But there was also joy. Probably from just being in the same room as Kat. A small crack formed in my heart for him. I leaned into Kat and whispered, “Give him a break, maybe? This is hard for both of you.”

She whipped her head around, ready to blast me, but then she took a good look at me and stopped. “You’re exhausted.”

“It’s been a day,” I said, slumping against the cushions.

She clamped her mouth shut and took my hand. Her worry touched me.

I squeezed her fingers. “I’m okay. I think.”

“What happened?” Lucien leaned forward, his green eyes locked on mine.

I took a sip of my soda and started with the meeting with Dayla and Fiona. Then I talked about Kane’s transformation to an incubus/demon hunter and how he needed my power to stay strong.

“Oh my God, Jade.” Kat stared at me in horror.

“Incubus?” Lucien said.

“Yeah.” I closed my eyes, knowing I sounded insane.

“They’re pretty rare,” he said.

My eyes popped open. “You knew they existed?”

He nodded. “Well, sure. A lot of supernatural beings exist. But we’re unlikely to come in contact with most of them during our lifetimes.”

I sat up and placed my feet on the floor. “Do you know any incubi?”

He shook his head. “No. But I had a friend whose stepbrother was called.”

I didn’t know why, but I had a feeling that what he was telling me might be significant. “What do you mean called?”

“You know. To the demon hunters.”

My eyebrows shot up. “You knew about demon hunters?”

He shrugged. “Sort of. I heard about them from Chez, and outside of his brother, Wren, I’ve never met any of them. And I knew Wren only before he joined. Like you said, they’re really secretive. I’m not even sure Bea knows any of the demon hunters.”

I found that hard to believe, considering their headquarters was just blocks away. I’d suspected they’d had some sort of agreement. But then, wouldn’t Bea have called on them for help when we’d had issues with Meri? It didn’t quite make sense. Maybe she wasn’t involved with them.

“Anyway,” I plucked at my jeans. “We need to find this Vaughn guy. That’s Kane’s mission while he’s with the demon hunters.”

Kat tilted her head. “But didn’t you say he wanted to be one of them? Did he mean, like, permanently?”

I shook my head. “I have no idea. And he has no hope of losing the incubus curse until we free Matisse anyway. So that’s my focus. We’ll take everything else one day at a time.”

The three of us fell silent. After a few minutes, Kat got up.

“Where are you going?” I asked.

“To make you a sandwich, then after that I think it’s time to go home.”

Home. My eyes stung with tears of sheer exhaustion. What I wouldn’t give to be tucked away in the bed I shared with Kane. At least then I’d have his familiar fresh-rain scent.

“Um, you think we’re going to be able to get into the French Quarter?” Lucien asked.

“Not all of the streets are blocked off,” Kat said testily.

“No, but that last parade is going to run until at least midnight or one a.m., and the party on Bourbon Street isn’t going to wind down until the wee hours of the morning. I’m just trying to decide what might be the most practical solution.”

“Summer House?” I said hopefully. Mom and Gwen were there. Of course, so were Kane’s parents. That thought took the wind out of the idea. But if I went straight to bed, I wouldn’t have to deal with Hurricane Shelia. Probably. Hopefully.

“Oh, Jade. You don’t really want to drive all the way out there tonight, do you?” Kat said.

“All the way? It’s only thirty minutes.”

“Once we get on the freeway. And think of the drunk drivers. I’m just concerned, that’s all.”

“Well. Both of our places are out.” She lived in the French Quarter as well. “So unless we go to Lucien’s, we’re pretty much out of options.”

Kat glanced at him with one eyebrow raised in question.

“That’s fine, but I only have one bed,” Lucien said.

I’d crashed at Lucien’s house once before. He lived in a meticulously decorated single shotgun house. It was plenty big for one or two people who shared a bed, but add in visitors and things tended to get tight really fast.

I waved a hand. “Why don’t you two go? I’ll stay here. I’m sure Bea won’t mind.” Bea had a guest room I’d utilized before.

Kat stood abruptly. “I’m staying, too.”

“Why?” But as soon as the word flew from my mouth I knew the answer. She didn’t trust herself to be alone with Lucien. “Never mind. I’m sure Bea won’t mind having both of us.”

“You’d better call her.”

“Right.” I grabbed Bea’s cordless landline and silently thanked her for her old-school technology. I’d been taken from the hotel room without my purse, and my phone was still on the nightstand. It sucked.

Bea answered on the fifth ring. “Hello, dear. How is everything?”

I gave her a vague rundown of what had happened and then blurted, “Bea, I need a place to stay for the night. Is it okay if I crash here?”

She didn’t even hesitate. “Of course it’s fine. The guest room is already made up. I had a feeling it might be needed. Call it intuition.”

Whatever she wanted to call it, I was grateful. “Thank you. Kat might stay over as well. Is that okay?”

“Of course.” A bell rang behind her and then she said in a rushed voice. “Gotta run! Talk to you later.”

I turned to Kat and Lucien. “We’re all set.”

Kat smiled halfheartedly and I wondered what that was about. Lucien? The fact that I’d interrupted them? That her night was coming to an end?

“You two spend some time together. I’ll just go on upstairs. I could use a few minutes to myself.” I gave Lucien a hug and whispered, “We’ll figure this out. I haven’t forgotten.”

He didn’t say anything as he hugged me back and then stuffed his hands in his jeans pockets when I let him go.

I gave them both a little wave and took off, feeling more and more uncomfortable by the minute. No one liked being the third wheel.

Chapter 14

Bea’s house was as familiar to me as my own. At the top of the stairs I turned right and headed to the hallway bathroom. After washing up, I crossed the hall to the spare bedroom. She’d changed it since I was last there. The sunflower bedspread was replaced with a rich velvet purple one. The edges were piped in gold satin. No doubt this was her nod to Mardi Gras.

I sat in the middle and held my head in my hands for a moment. The day’s events hit me hard. I hadn’t spent a night away from Kane since I’d been trapped in the angel realm. And for it to be tonight of all nights, it was too much. I stripped out of my jeans and climbed into the bed, burying my head under the covers. The sooner I fell asleep, the sooner I’d find Kane.

As I lay in my cocoon, I heard the soft murmurs of Lucien and Kat downstairs. My heart ached for their situation. To be in love with someone and to know he loved you back but to not be able to be with him was awful.

My thoughts did nothing to settle me, and I drifted in and out of consciousness. At some point, the front door opened and I heard Bea and Lailah’s voices, but I never left my cocoon. If only I’d had some booze or one of my mother’s sleeping herbs, I might have drifted into oblivion. After tossing and turning for what seemed like hours, I finally fell into a fitful sleep.

And there was Kane. My heart fluttered with anticipation as he opened his arms to me. “Hey, pretty witch. Where have you been?”

I stepped into his embrace and tilted my head up to look at him. “At Bea’s. I had a hell of a time getting to sleep. How long have you been waiting?”

“Forever.” He kissed the top of my head. “But you’re here now.”

We held each other in silence for a while. Finally I pulled back and glanced around. We were in his living room in the French Quarter home. “Sit with me?”

He smiled and moved to the couch, pulling me down beside him.

“This is much nicer than sleeping alone in Bea’s guest room,” I said into his chest.

“You didn’t go home?”

“No car. No money. No keys. Plus the crowds. It was easier to just stay there.”

“Right.” He stroked my hair and tightened his hold on me. “I think I might owe you an apology.”

I glanced up, noting the tightening of his jaw. “Why?”

He frowned. “I made a pretty major life decision without even discussing it with you. That’s not exactly how I wanted to start our lives together.”

I shifted and clasped my hands around his. I’d been frustrated earlier, but not exactly angry. “I can imagine what those images must have done to you. I felt them once, remember?”

He nodded, but the tension in his face didn’t ease.

“I agree it’s a major life decision and not one either of us was ready for. But I get it. I don’t know that I could’ve walked away. I haven’t, actually. I’ve got a coven to look after. You’ve never once asked me to step back or refuse to help anyone who needed it.”