Demons of Bourbon Street (3 page)

Finally she turned, took a deep breath and met my gaze. “The angel, Philip, is Dan’s biological father.”

Chapter 2

An hour later, Kat and I sat in Aunt Gwen’s sunroom, watching the storm drum against the windows. I cradled a hot mug of chai tea, trying to drive away the chill settled in my bones. Would Philip risk Hell to save his son? He hadn’t for his mate, Meri, condemning the former angel into demonhood, a fate that had triggered a deep-seated need for revenge.

“
Do you think Meri knows Philip is Dan’s father?” I asked Kat.

Kat picked up the sterling silver talisman Dan’s mother had pressed into her hands before we’d left. Her curly red hair fell over one eye as she ran her fingertips over the quarter-sized Celtic knot, almost resembling a sunflower. She sighed and clasped her fist tightly around the pendant. “It’s doubtful. It seems to me if she’d known about the connection, she would have used him to hunt down Philip. Instead she used Dan to focus on her sisters.”

I nodded. Twelve years ago, Meri’s sisters had enlisted my mother to help them rescue Meri from Hell. Only they’d been too late. Hell has a way of quickly corrupting angels’ souls. When they tried to banish her, she captured her two sisters and my mother, intent on letting Hell corrupt their souls as well. Only Philip had conducted a ritual to separate the three sister’s souls from their spirits, trapping their spirits in voodoo dolls and their souls in portraits. With Meri neutralized, my mother had ended up in Purgatory.

But last week, with the help of the New Orleans coven, I’d rejoined their souls and spirits and freed the sisters from their immortal prison. Once Meri had materialized in our circle, her sole focus had been on finding her mate. First to reunite and then for revenge.

Kat was right. Meri would have used Dan to find Philip, had she known about their connection. Instead she’d tried to get Dan to destroy her sisters’ spirits. Dan hadn’t been able to follow through, thank goodness, but he’d gotten himself trapped in Hell in the process.

The tightening in my chest, which seemed to occur every time I thought of what Dan had done, returned. He’d risked everything to free my mom from Meri’s clutches.

We had to save him. I wouldn’t rest until we did. “Looks like we need to get on the first flight back to Louisiana.”

Kat tilted her head toward the kitchen. “What about your mom?”

I sighed. “Gwen will take care of her.”

“
Girls,” Mom called. “We forgot the French bread. Can your friend drive you to the store to pick some up?”

I rose, and Kat followed. We stopped in the doorway. “Kane ran out to overnight some paperwork for a client.” In addition to owning Wicked, a strip club in the French Quarter, he was also an independent financial consultant.

My aunt Gwen paused from kneading her pie dough and wiped her hands on her red apron. She had on her signature red T-shirt and overalls. With her gray curls twisted into a bun, she looked every inch the homemaker farmer’s wife. Only she didn’t have a husband and she did all the farming. “You can take my car.”

“
In weather like this?” Mom gasped. “Jade doesn’t have any experience driving in heavy rain.”

Kat and I exchanged wary looks. “Mom—”

Gwen held up a hand, cutting me off. She moved to Mom’s side and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. They didn’t look anything alike. Mom’s slick dark hair was pulled back in her signature ponytail. Her slightly slanted eyes were jade green, while Gwen’s were hazel. Gwen had a good twenty pounds on Mom’s slight frame. But most of all, Gwen looked the part of my mother, with slight wrinkles around her eyes, while mom could easily be mistaken for my sister. Spending thirteen years in Purgatory, where time stood still, would do that to a person.

“
Don’t worry, Hope,” Gwen said. “I taught Jade all she needs to know about navigating stormy roads while you were gone. Just like Dad showed us.”

Color blossomed on Mom’s cheeks and she averted her eyes. She’d forgotten I’m a twenty-seven year old woman, not the fifteen-year-old she’d been torn from all those years ago. Again. “Of course. I’m sorry.” She waved in my direction. “Go on then. Dinner will be ready soon. If you want garlic bread with the lasagna, you’d better hurry.”

Gwen handed me her keys, and I smiled at Mom. “We’ll be back before the table’s set.”

“
Not too fast, young lady,” Mom said. “Just because the speed limit is fifty-five doesn’t mean it’s safe to go that fast in this kind of weather.”

“
Yes, Mother.” I rolled my eyes, but my smile widened to a grin. Damn, it was good to have her back.

***

After dinner, Kane and I sat on my old bed, propped up against the headboard. I tapped a few keys on my laptop. “There’s a flight leaving at six a.m.”

Kane ignored my statement and ran a hand down my neck. My whole body tingled. It was the first time we’d been alone in days. His hooded eyes met mine, then dropped, taking in the length of my body. I bit my lower lip to keep from licking them in anticipation.

“
Stop,” I whispered without any heat. We’d been at Gwen’s for a week. With the close living quarters, we hadn’t had any privacy. The physical separation only served to heighten our mutual needs.

He leaned in, barely brushing a kiss against my waiting lips. “You don’t want me to stop.”

Heat spiked, nearly melting my favorite Victoria’s Secret panties. I pulled away just enough to get some air and sucked in a breath.

He smiled that knowing smile he gets when he’s aware he’s pushed all the right buttons. He closed the distance between us, but at the last minute, I brought a hand up, stopping him with a finger pressed to his mouth. “Rain check?”

We sat frozen for a few beats. Then Kane gently removed my finger and brought his lips to mine, slowly, artfully exploring with every delicious stroke of his skilled tongue. I melted into him, blissfully lost in his embrace.

When Kane pulled back, he pressed his forehead to mine and whispered, “Count on it.”

“
Huh?” I sighed, breathless.

He sat back. “Rain check.”

The room came back into focus. My brain started functioning, and I remembered Mom and Gwen could walk in on us at any moment. “Right. Rain check.”

Grinning, he focused on his laptop. “Now, what did you say about that flight?”

I checked the screen. “There’s one at six a.m.”

“
We’d have to get up at four.” He frowned and ran another search. “Here’s another one at eleven. That will give us time to eat breakfast with your family before we leave.”

I leaned over, squinting at the information on his computer. “Holy crap. The only seats left on that flight are first class. I can’t afford the cushy real estate, and neither can Kat.”

He got up and moved gracefully across the room to inspect my farmhouse photo collection covering one wall. “I’ve got points on my miles card. I can cover the tickets.”

I plucked at the old quilt covering the bed. Eleven a.m. sounded a hell of a lot better than six. I narrowed my eyes. “You have enough points for three first-class, last-minute tickets?”

“
Sure.” He turned his rich chocolate-brown eyes on me. “It’s my business card. The one I use for the club’s expenses.”

I wasn’t sure I believed him, but if he used the card for the club’s bi-weekly alcohol purchases, it certainly was possible. “All right.”

He nodded and turned back to the photos. “Was this a school project or something?”

“
No. I just always wanted to live in a grand, old, turn-of-the-century house. Something about the history intrigues me. I used to take pictures of them and imagine who lived there and what their stories were.”

“
I like this one.” Kane pointed to one of my favorites. The white house had a giant wraparound porch and tons of windows. He crossed the room and took his place next to me on the bed. “We’ll live in one like that someday.”

I rumpled his dark wavy hair and laughed. “And leave New Orleans? Not likely.”

He shrugged. “You never know.”

“
Sure. Whatever you say.” I closed my computer. “I need to call Kat.” She’d gone home to spend some time with her parents before we high-tailed it back to New Orleans.

“
I’ll get in touch with Lailah about tracking down Philip.” Kane pulled out his phone, but I snatched it out of his hand.

“
You don’t need to do that. I can take care of it.”

Two things: Lailah was Kane’s ex-girlfriend and, even though she was an angel, I didn’t trust her. I had good reason.

Last week we’d accidentally formed a psychic connection. Right before we’d left for Idaho, I’d caught her admiring Kane in a decidedly unangelic fashion.

While I appreciated Kane helping me, the thought of him calling Lailah, especially about my ex…well, call me ridiculous, but I’d rather walk through the swamps barefoot than ask Lailah for a favor.

“
Jade,” Kane warned. “You can’t do everything yourself. Call Kat. In the meantime, I’ll get in touch with Lailah. She can start getting a lead on Philip’s whereabouts.”

Over my rotting, gator-eaten body. Izzy had told us he was living out in the bayou. Dan was the only one who knew exactly where. Unless Hell had a one-eight-hundred number, someone was going to need to cast a finding spell. “Why does it have to be her? Why can’t we ask Lucien?”

“
You could, but Lailah has a lot more experience and she has a connection to Dan.”

Lucien was the strongest witch in the New Orleans coven besides me. He had the skills to perform the finding spell, but Kane was right. He had almost no connection to Dan, and that mattered. Lailah was the better choice.

I raised my chin. “I can perform the spell from here.”

Kane raised a skeptical eyebrow.

I made a face and jumped off the bed. After rummaging around in my suitcase, I pulled out my mentor’s leather-bound spell book. “Bea gave it to me. She said I should take it since I’m the coven leader.”

“
If you’re sure,” Kane said.

“
I just need a few minutes to locate the incantation.” Sitting cross-legged on the floor, I quickly flipped the pages, searching for the correct section.

The old bed squeaked as Kane rose to join me.

A second later, Mom barged in. “Jade, you know you’re not allowed to have boys—er…friends up here with the door closed.” She grabbed the wooden desk chair and used it to prop the door open. “You don’t want to disrespect your aunt.”

Stifling a sigh, I waved my hand, indicating we were both fully clothed and half a room apart. “Mom, nothing’s going on.”

Kane caught my gaze. His lips twitched.

The man actually thought this was funny. I glared, daring him to utter even one chuckle.