Angels of Bourbon Street (34 page)

Heartbroken? Terrified? Those were not the emotions I’d expect to feel from a ghost intent on bringing pain to anyone. Desperation clung to me, the emotion clear even though it wasn’t my own. I tilted my head heavenward, awe filling me. The soul transfer had given me more than a whole soul. My empath gift had returned.

I clamped down on my wonder and focused. Nothing sinister came from Camille, only desperation and fear, but not for herself.

The child moved closer, standing right next to the blue candle circle, and reached a hand up. Camille stifled a cry and pounded on an invisible wall, trying to get to the little girl. They both pressed their hands flat against the barrier, palm to palm, as if they were touching.

Tears filled my eyes as their mutual heartache crashed into me. Their separation mirrored the one Mom and I’d suffered all the years she’d been in Purgatory.

The man reached down and grasped the child by the middle, tearing her away from her mother. Pure hatred and glee sparked off him as he reveled in Camille’s pain.

“No!” I cried. “Stop.”

The coven went silent.

Bea’s hand tightened around mine wariness radiating off her. “We can’t stop now, Jade,” she said calmly. “Once Camille is gone, we’ll all be safer.”

“You don’t understand,” I forced out through the emotional agony tearing through me. She’d told me before all she wanted was to find her daughter. She’d only used me because she’d been desperate to save her from the man who was somehow responsible for her death. Even in the afterlife, he’d managed to keep them apart. No wonder she’d gone crazy. “There’s someone much worse feeding her behavior. I can see him, feel him. We have to help her.”

“Jade?” Bea’s voice faded into the wind as it picked up and the portal started to grow.

“Release her!” My voice came out deep and commanding. Even with all the pain Camille had caused, I couldn’t condemn her to an eternity in Hell.

A murmur went through the coven. Everyone fell silent, and then Bea shouted, “Unlock!”

The candles extinguished, and the wall rippled into nothing. Relief crashed through Camille, and she flew with furious determination at the man clutching her daughter. She rammed into him, and the little girl fell to the ground. His lips curled into a snarl as his hands shot up, wrapping around Camille’s neck, trying to choke the life out of her.

Good thing she didn’t need to breathe. Confusion ran rampant through the coven, and I realized they couldn’t see the man, only Camille. “She’s fighting the ghost who killed her daughter. He’s the one we need to banish.”

Bea didn’t hesitate. She started to chant. The coven followed, and the ground rumbled to life, the portal growing again.

How had the man and Camille’s daughter gotten into the circle in the first place? I had no idea, but now that they were there, they couldn’t leave until we broke it. Unfortunately, we had no way of forcing him into the portal. Camille needed to do that herself.

The man shifted her into a headlock and dragged her toward the portal. She bucked, clawing at his grip, her eyes bulging.

The protective streak in my heart longed to rush to her defense, but I was bound by the coven magic to hold the circle. Bea, as the coven leader, was directing the magic, and I couldn’t do anything but feed her my strength.

Camille forced out a strangled gasp and bit down hard on his hand.

“Filthy wench!” he growled, yanking his hand back and smacking her in the side of the head. “Do that again, and your daughter goes to Hell with you.”

Camille went limp, soul-crushing fear slamming into me. “Not Lizzie,” she whimpered, pliant and defeated.

His lips turned up in a sinister grin as he lifted her off the ground, her feet dangling in the fiery hole.

“No!” the little girl screamed and ran toward the pair, tears streaming down her anguished face. “Mommy!”

The sound of her daughter’s voice stirred a primal reaction in Camille, one that touched me deep in the depths of my newly healed soul. A mother’s love. The kind that moved a mother to sacrifice herself for her daughter. Exactly like Mom had when she’d offered her soul, knowing it could mean the end of her life. My eyes filled with tears, and I wished I could do something, anything to help.

At the edge of the portal, Camille kicked out, catching the man on his knee. As he went down, she launched herself over him, barely scrambling from his grasp. She rushed across the grass and picked up her daughter into a fierce hug.

“Now!” I shouted. “Trap him before he gets away.”

“Ignite!” Bea commanded.

The blue candles sprang to life around the man, encircling him in the light. The portal continued to grow beneath him. Camille collapsed to her knees, anguish and relief wiping away the last of her energy. My knees buckled from the sheer intensity of her emotion, but I managed to stay upright. I couldn’t disconnect from the magic, not now that we were so close to banishing the kidnapper.

My hair blew over my face, partially obscuring my vision as a wind picked up in the circle. The force whipped around the man I realized must’ve been Camille’s murderer. He stayed suspended above the portal, rage shining in his empty eyes, expletives getting lost in the storm.

“Take our sacrifice. Bind him to the fiery realm. Never let us gaze upon his fetid soul again.” Bea dropped my hand and raised her arms heavenward, her final salute to the Goddess.

All the wind rushed into the portal, sucking the evil bastard with it. He vanished, and the hole sealed itself, the perfectly manicured lawn appearing unmarred.

Silence filled the yard as Camille and her daughter clung to each other. Camille raised her head, her pointed gaze landing on mine. Gratitude and regret brushed against my psyche.
Thank you
, she mouthed and then the pair slowly faded away. Not one sign of the magic remained.

“Where’d she go?” Rosalee whispered to me. “Camille, I mean?”

I shrugged. “I’m not sure. But she got what she wanted. I’m fairly positive we won’t be seeing her again.”

Bea’s hand gripped mine. “Are you sure?”

Without turning around, I knew Kane was behind me. A smile tugged at my lips. As much as I’d enjoyed being empath-free, I had to admit, having the ability back was like coming home. I turned to him and held my arm out. “Let me check.”

Our hands met. I fought the shadow world for just a moment, proving that I could, and then let the grayness rush in. Slight movements danced at the edge of my vision, but nothing turned solid and more importantly, I felt nothing. No grief. No frustration. And no icy chill. “She’s gone,” I said with certainty.

Kane pulled me into a bone-crushing hug. The world was still gray, but when I closed my eyes, I only saw him. And that was all I needed.

Chapter 32

I lounged on the cream-colored chenille couch in Summer House’s vast library.

Kane sat at the desk, sorting through brochures of honeymoon options. “How about Hawaii?”

I wrinkled my nose.

He laughed. “You have something against the brilliant blue waters and pristine beaches?”

“No, that sounds lovely. But I’d rather go somewhere a little more interesting.”

“Like?”

I shrugged. “Italy sounds cool.”

“Oh? Let me guess. There’s this island not too far from Venice you’d like to check out.”

I couldn’t help the twitch of my lips. He was on to me. “Well, yes. You know I’d love to go to Murano.”

He rose from behind his desk and joined me on the couch, careful to not touch me. I reached out to him instead. We’d learned over the last few days that I had to consciously shut the shadows out before we touched. If he caught me off guard, sometimes it proved too hard to push them away. For some reason he didn’t have the same problem. I thought it had something to do with his dreamwalking ability. He had more control than I did.

Our fingers touched, and the familiar spark we shared rushed through my arm, making me tingle everywhere. No ghosts or shadows anywhere.

“We can go check out your cute glass island if that’s what you want.”

I chuckled. “They’re master glass workers. I don’t think they’d appreciate their island being called cute.”

“It’s cute if you’re there.” He leaned in and brushed his lips over mine. I opened my mouth, darting my tongue over his. He pulled back. “Not sure it matters where we go on our honeymoon. I don’t plan to spend more than five minutes outside of the hotel room.”

“Why go anywhere?” I murmured. “Seems easier to stay here if you’re going to keep me naked for two weeks.”

He groaned and pushed me back into the cushions. My arms came around him, and I pulled him closer, pressing my body against his hard form. “Now you’re on to something.”

My nipples hardened into tight points as his hand brushed over my breast, taking the nub between his thumb and forefinger through the flimsy material of my cotton shirt. I arched into him, heat pulsing between my thighs.

His hand snaked under my skirt and was dipping beneath my lace panties when the doorbell rang.

“Damn it,” he muttered into my neck. “This is why we’re going away on a honeymoon.” He pushed himself up and gazed down at me, molten desire raging in his dark eyes.

My breath caught as it always did when he looked at me like that.

“Give me two minutes to get rid of them.”

I nodded, my mouth suddenly dry.

He disappeared, and a few moments later, voices I recognized filled the hallway—Kat and Lucien. I jumped off the couch and busied myself with straightening my clothes.

Kane knocked on the partially open door and poked his head in. “You decent?” he mouthed.

I laughed. “Yes.”

The pair filed in behind him. Lucien hung back, leaning against the vast bookshelf, while Kat gave me a hug.

“Sorry to barge in on you,” she said. “Hope asked me to drop something off, and I was wondering if we could talk for a minute.”

“Sure.” I glanced around, noting she wasn’t carrying anything but her handbag. “What do you have for me?”

“It’s in the car.” She sat on the couch Kane and I had just been making out on and perched on the edge.

“Okay.”

Lucien shuffled in place, staring at the floor.

“What’s up?”

“Actually, Lucien wants to talk to you.” She waved him forward.

Shaking his head, he cleared his throat. “I’m good here.”

Nervousness spiked off him, and I had the sudden urge to send him calming energy. Whatever it was, he was struggling. But in light of recent events, I’d decided to keep my energy to myself, especially since I now saw into the shadows. Who knew what sort of side effects my new ability would bring?

“What’s up?” I asked.

He pushed away from the bookcase, determination taking over his demeanor. “I’d like permission to renounce my membership in the coven.”

Shock seized me, and my mouth fell open. “Why?”

His green gaze flicked to Kat. “You know why.”

Sadness rippled in my chest. Lucien was a powerful, conscientious witch. And that was why he was trying to quit. He wouldn’t knowingly put anyone at risk. I frowned. “Bea’s still the coven leader. Shouldn’t you be having this conversation with her?”

We’d decided not to transfer the coven back to me until we were certain Camille was out of my life and I had a handle on my new ability. So far, everything seemed normal, but I’d made up my mind to hold off until after the honeymoon. For the next month, the coven was Bea’s responsibility.

“I suppose, but I wanted to talk with you about it first.” He met my gaze. “We both know Bea is only holding your spot for you. Since I was your second in command, it felt right to talk to you first.”

Slowly, I sat in one of the velvet-covered chairs across from the couch. “I’m not happy about the idea, but I do understand.”

“I’m not sure you do.” He glanced at Kat. Something painful clung to him.

My heart clenched. “I’m pretty sure I do.” That pain clinging to him was anguish-filled love. He was in love with Kat, and I was almost positive she didn’t know it.

His head shot up as he glanced between us. Then he must have seen the understanding in my eyes because he nodded. “Maybe you do.”

Kane shifted behind me. I sensed him but wasn’t expecting it when he leaned down and clamped a hand on my shoulder.

The room turned gray and across from me, Lucien’s form was solid black.

“I think Kat and I should give you two some time,” Kane said into my ear.

I clasped his hand, forcing him to stay connected with me. “Wait!”

He stiffened but didn’t move.

I pointed at Lucien. “What do you see?”

He sucked in a breath. “Darkness.”

“Does he look solid black to you?”

Kane nodded. “Yes.”

“What?” Kat and Lucien asked in unison.

My vision blurred, and I let myself see past the blackness. Lucien’s form was outlined in solid gray. It wasn’t that he was consumed by darkness; the darkness clung to him. “It’s the curse.”

“Whoa,” Kane breathed.

I let go of Kane’s hand. The world turned back to color. “No.”

“No?” Kat said, her voice high-pitched. “What does that mean?”

I shook my head. “I’m not letting Lucien leave the coven.”

“But Jade—” Lucien started.

“No,” I said again. “You’ve been cursed, and it’s clinging to your soul. I refuse to let you renounce the coven. We’ll find a way to fix it. One way or another. Understand?”

They were both silent. Kat got up and moved to the door. “I’ll give you a minute. I’ve got to get that thing from my car anyway.” She quietly slipped from the room.

Kane nodded to me and followed her.

Weariness radiated off Lucien. “Clinging to my soul?”

“And your heart,” I said quietly.

“It’s a love curse then.” It wasn’t a question, only a realization.

“I’m afraid so.”

He hung his head. “Then you have to let me leave.”

“Why?”

Sighing in frustration, he moved to the couch, taking Kat’s place. “It will only go away one of two ways: if I fall out of love with her, or if she dies. I don’t think I can do the first, and the second…” He ran a frustrated hand through his blond hair. “I’ll never let that happen.”