Demons of Bourbon Street (35 page)

Stress. That’s all it was. Time to finish this. Ten minutes later, clean, but slightly weak from the exertion of standing up, I stepped out of the shower. On the counter sat a mug of what I would bet anything was chai tea, a chocolate muffin, and a note.

Breakfast is ready when you are, but here’s a morning pick-me-up. Love, K

I was going to marry the perfect man. Great sex, love, and chocolate all rolled into one. After I inhaled the muffin, I threw on a T-shirt, jeans, and sneakers. Boots would be better, but I didn’t own any without heels, and I wasn’t sacrificing any to the bayou.

I opened Kane’s bedroom door. Undistinguishable chatter spilled into the hallway, combined with the clattering of silverware against plates.

I glanced at the clock—6:25 am. Holy ghosts! It sounded like a dinner party in Kane’s kitchen. Not at all sure I was up to speaking to anyone, I poked my head around the corner.

Eight people sat crammed together at the six-person table: Kane, Mom, Gwen, Ian, Pyper, Lucien, Lailah, and Kat. What were they doing here? No way was I taking all of them to deal with Meri and Philip.

“
There she is!” Pyper jumped up, ran over, and dragged me back into the hallway. She wrapped her arms around me and squeezed until I couldn’t breathe.

“
Morning,” I forced out with a half-laugh.

“
Oh my God, he did it.” She released me and stepped back, dabbing at the tears glistening in her deep blue eyes. “We’re going to be sisters now.”

I grinned. “As if we weren’t before.”

She nodded. “Right, but now it’ll be official.”

Pyper and Kane weren’t related, but they were as tight as brother and sister. Pleasure warmed my heart. A few short months ago, I’d had only two people in the world I’d been close to: Kat and Gwen. Now I had a whole new family, and Pyper was a very important part of it. This time I hugged her. We clutched each other for a long moment and then broke apart laughing.

Kat rounded the corner, stopped, and planted her fists on her hips. “What’s going on back here?”

I glanced at Pyper. “No one else knows?”

“
Umm, I told Ian, but only because we took Gwen and Hope out last night.”

Of course Mom and Gwen knew. Kane had asked their permission before he’d asked me. The formality was totally old-fashioned, but made me love him even more for making my family feel so important.

“
I hope you don’t mind.” Pyper scrunched her face up in mild trepidation as her guilt crept into my awareness.

“
No, it’s fine.” I turned to Kat and grabbed her hands, making sure my ring was front and center as I gestured to it with a short nod. “Kane gave me this last night. We’re engaged.”

She averted her gaze, and a jolt of her shock shot through me as if it were my own. The exact same reaction I’d had when he’d asked me. Only her shock wasn’t followed by joy. An emotion that felt suspiciously like anger simmered around her.

I dropped her hands and stepped back. All the excitement of sharing my news drained right out of me. “Something wrong?”

“
Huh? Oh, no.” She shook her head. “Just surprised. You know, with everything going on.”

Pyper shifted to meet Kat’s gaze. “Seems like the perfect time to me.”

“
Really?” Kat and I said in unison. As happy as I was, I kind of agreed with Kat. We didn’t even have time for this conversation right now. I should have been getting on the road with Lucien to sniff out Philip and Meri.

“
Well, yeah.” Pyper faced me. “With Meri playing tug of war with your soul, doesn’t a deeper connection to Kane keep you grounded? Give you more strength to fight? Besides, Hope told me planning for the future helps solidify tomorrow’s existence.”

She was right. About everything. The connections and the affirmation of tomorrow. Hadn’t I been operating under the same principles the night before, when I’d made beads and prepped for my next torch session?

“
When did Mom say that?” Had Kane only asked me as a way of saving my soul and not because he actually wanted to get married?

“
Last night at the club. Why?”

I quickly shook my head, dislodging the thought. He wouldn’t have been able to hide his intentions from me. I was an empath, after all. Even though I was weakened, my gift hadn’t suffered one bit. Not once did I feel anything but pure love and hopefulness during the proposal. “No reason.”

“
Jade?” Kane called. “Ready?”

I sent Kat a troubled glance and retreated to the kitchen.

The fresh scent of coffee, waffles, and maple syrup filled the air, making my mouth water. I took a seat between Mom and Gwen. They both looked at me with questioning eyes. Casually I rested my left hand on the table, letting the shining emerald speak for itself.

Gwen grinned, giving me a half-hug and whispered, “Congratulations.”

Mom tried to smile, but it came off as more of a grimace. The last of my happiness vanished.

“
Hope?” Gwen’s concern wrapped around me.

“
Sorry,” Mom said in a quiet voice meant for the two of us. “I’m having trouble dealing with my baby being engaged. I still see her as a young girl. I’ll adjust.”

I wanted to lean into Gwen, protect myself from Mom and Kat’s unwarranted negativity. After everything we’d all been through, couldn’t those closest to me just be happy? Not willing to allow anything or anyone to spoil my mood, I got up and moved to the bar. Mom frowned. A tiny thread of guilt streamed off her, but she didn’t say anything more. No one else seemed to notice my departure. Thank goodness. The last thing I needed was one more person to bring me down.

I made my way through half a waffle before Lailah appeared by my side. Her khaki cargo pants and beige T-shirt were in classic Lailah colors. What I wouldn’t give to put her in pastels.

“
It’s time to go,” she said.

“
Okay.” I dropped my napkin on my plate and followed her to the front of the house. All the chatter stopped, chairs scraped against the tile floor, and footsteps clattered behind us. “Where are they headed?” I asked Lailah.

“
With you, apparently.”

My eyes widened as I gaped at them. “How in the world are we going to go on a recon mission with an entourage?”

She shrugged. “I tried to tell them.”

I stepped back and almost collided with Kane.

He grabbed my shoulders, steadying me, and bent to whisper in my ear. “Did you think even for one second I wouldn’t be going with you?”

“
No. But why everyone else?” I whispered back. “I barely have enough strength to take care of myself, much less a half-dozen others.”

Pyper and Kat appeared, boxing me between them and Kane. Their collective determination penetrated the air.

I’d fully expected a lecture from Pyper, as that was her usual M.O., but Kat beat her to the punch and shook a finger at me. “Why can’t you get it through your thick skull that you need us? Didn’t Pyper help you destroy Meri the first time, when her love helped you work through the black magic? And aren’t I always there to lend you my energy when you’re weak? You’re not the only one who has something to offer in a crisis, you know.”

Gently, I closed my hand over her finger. “I do know. You’re right, I’m sorry.”

“
Where Pyper goes, I go,” Ian chimed in. “Not to mention I have extensive knowledge of the bayou. The last thing you want to do is get lost.”

I raised my hands in defeat. “Okay, okay.”

Lucien was our official bayou guide. At this rate, we’d need two airboats. Ian could man one, while Lucien manned the other. That left Gwen and my mom.

I met Gwen’s hazel eyes and tilted my head in question. She shook her head and cut her gaze to Mom.

That one look made everything clear. Mom wasn’t ready to face the upcoming battle, and Gwen wasn’t going to let her leave. No matter what.

“
Give me a sec. I’ll be right back,” I said to Kane. I crossed the room and wrapped my arms around Gwen in a massive hug. “Take care of her, okay?”

“
Don’t you worry about us. Just make sure you bring yourself home. Whole.”

“
Yes, ma’am.”

She laughed then sobered as Mom moved to join us.

Gwen pulled me in another hug, and brought her lips close to my ear. “Tell her you need her to stay here and work on spells or blessings or something. She can’t go with you, Jade. She’s too fragile.”

“
Of course.” We broke apart, and I proceeded to do just that.

Only Mom wasn’t having any of it. “Jade, I have more knowledge about demons and angels than anyone here—well, except the angels themselves. But my experience in Hell trumps that. I am going. If you try to stop me, I’ll only conjure a summoning and you’ll be right back where you started.”

After arguing for five minutes, I finally caved. “Fine. Come with us.” I gave Lailah a what-can-you-do? look and turned to Gwen. “I have a favor to ask you.”

“
What?” Concern clouded her eyes.

“
Go to Bea’s and keep her informed with anything you might see.”

“
Jade—”

“
Please, Gwen? We have so few tools right now. I know you don’t like to voice your visions, but if you see anything go terribly wrong…well, Bea might be able to help.”

Gwen took her time before answering and finally she nodded. “I can do that.” She retreated then turned and walked back to me with purpose. “I’ve already seen something.”

My mouth popped open. Gwen almost never talked about her visions. She said the consequences were too high. Choices made due to knowing the future ahead of time often led a person down the wrong path.

She nervously licked her lips. “The details are vague, but the feeling is strong. Remember this, okay?”

I nodded. The likelihood of me forgetting this conversation was about as likely as me willfully giving up my soul and everyone I loved in the process.

Her fingers gripped my wrist in earnest. “When the moment comes, a choice will be made. And not an easy one. Someone close will betray you. Another will sacrifice everything…but it will be for naught.” She let go and headed toward the guest room.

“
Gwen?”

She paused in the doorway. “If you pay attention, his true colors will shine through.”

His colors will shine through
. My only clue,
his
. I clenched my hands into fists and tried not to scream. Damn it all to Hell and back. She could mean anyone. I eyed the men around me one by one. My speculative gaze landed on Ian, then Lucien, and finally on Kane.