Witches of Bourbon Street (12 page)

“I guess not,” I said, more than a little relieved. That was the last thing I needed.

The door swung open, making me jump, but I sighed in relief at the sight of Kane.

“You okay?” he asked with concern clouding his face.

“I am now.” I buried my head in his shoulder as he pulled me to him. The night’s events were too much for me to handle. Ever since I’d ignited my magical source, my body had gone haywire. The spark I’d used to cure Bea hadn’t faded. I couldn’t sit still or be in confined places. It’s a miracle I hadn’t jumped out of Pyper’s car on the ride home. And Kane’s touch was sending shockwaves through my charged body. I was intensely aware of his firm fingers splayed across my back. As I focused on them, a tingling radiated from his touch, spreading through my spine and downward. My body shuddered as the sensation only intensified.

Carefully, I extracted myself from his embrace and stepped back.

He matched my step, filling the void between us. Heat smoldered from his chocolate brown eyes. “You’re not going anywhere.” He reached out and pulled me back in his arms, this time burying both hands in my hair as he tilted my head up. His lips met mine with a fierce passion that hadn’t been there moments before.

Sparks erupted with each caress of his velvet tongue. The night’s events vanished as I poured all my pent-up energy into the kiss. Locked in a tight embrace, we each fought for control, nipping and biting, devouring each other. With each contact, each taste, Kane’s exploration intensified until I no longer knew where my lips stopped and his started.

The power I’d conjured earlier in the night raged through me, growing with each of Kane’s kisses. My body pulsed, vibrating with it. It had to get out; somehow I had to release it.

With a groan, I wrenched myself from Kane’s embrace and backpedaled to the door. “I can’t,” I said in a hoarse voice. “It’s too much.”

He stalked toward me, pinning me with his gaze. “What is?” His hand cupped my cheek gently.

But the lightning bolt of energy that dove straight to my center made me moan in answer. Before he could say another word, I reached for him, yanking his shirt out of his jeans and over his head in one motion. Shadows from the soft lighting cascaded over his chest. The sight riveted me. I traced my fingers over the curve of his toned muscles, holding back as ripples of energy spiked through my hand.

“I don’t know what you’re doing,” he whispered gruffly. “But if this is an energy transfer, you are forbidden from ever doing it again.”

I froze and met his hooded eyes.

“Unless it’s with me.” Before I knew it, he had me undressed and in his arms. He took three long strides and laid us both on the bed, with me pinned beneath him. Everything pulsed. Every inch that touched him spasmed with power. His lips found my neck, tracing it with soft feather kisses. The pulse in my throat quickened to an alarming rate.

Clutching his shoulders, I held on as he bit down hard at the nape of my neck. I tensed and suddenly convulsed against him.

“How—” he gasped, “—are you doing that?”

“Hmm?” Unable to be pinned any longer, I locked my leg around his and flipped us both, so I was on top. “I’m not doing anything. It’s you.”

He groaned as I wrapped my lips around his nipple and bit down, flicking my tongue back and forth until it stood erect. As I inched lower, alternatively nipping and kissing his hot flesh, he forced out, “No, love, you’ve bewitched me.”

I grinned and lowered the zipper on his jeans. “You haven’t seen anything yet.” After stripping him of the rest of his clothing, I ran my hands firmly down the length of his solid thighs. With my eyes locked on his, I bent my head and paused a moment, watching him watch me as I wrapped my lips around him.

Tiny fireworks exploded with every stroke of my tongue. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I heard Kane’s strangled moans. I took him deeper, running my lips against his hard length, feeding off the power we were generating, waiting for him to lose control.

His breathing became ragged. I waited for his intense passion to overtake me, like it always did when he couldn’t wait even one more second. I was more than ready, slick with need, pulsing with it. But his emotions didn’t come. Instead, he yanked me by the shoulders and flipped me on my back. I heard the faint rustle of a condom wrapper just before he buried himself deep inside me.

My insides exploded. The power that had been coursing through my veins concentrated at our joining with each thrust. It built, drawing from our raw hunger, intensified, and sent currents of delicious pleasure through my core.

My mind blurred in the wave of pure sensation until the power crested, sending shock after shock through my limbs. I held on, clinging to him as he quickened his pace, pounding deeper and harder, filling me with all of him, possessing every last inch of me.

Finally, with a guttural cry, he spasmed. All the power we’d built up exploded, leaving me empty and limp in his arms.

We lay unmoving for a long time, until Kane shifted to his side. He gathered me close, ran a hand over the curve of my breast, and whispered, “I think you spelled me, little witch.”

Snuggling deeper into the pillow, I closed my eyes.

“Sleep well. See you in your dreams,” he whispered.

I kissed his hand and, in my love-spent haze, sighed as his arms tightened around me.

Moments later, sleep pulled me under. Kane appeared almost instantly, radiating with warmth and a honey-toned glow. Overwhelmed, I wrapped him tight in my arms and poured every ounce of emotion from my pounding heart into a long, slow kiss. The honey glow meant one thing.

Love. Deep, soul-filling love.

The kind most people had to spend a lifetime together to achieve. But there he was, just three months after I’d met him, ready to share his soul with me. And I knew I’d share mine, even if my aura hadn’t achieved the undeniable color of a person head over heels.

I loved him. More than I’d ever thought possible. My aura would turn one day when it was ready. Though, it would always be tinged with purple, a trait all intuitives shared. Perfect. Gold and purple. I’d be the ultimate LSU fan…if everyone could read auras.

When we parted, he gave me a lazy smile and tucked me close to him. He gently traced his fingers down my arms and over my back. I closed my eyes, concentrated on his soft touch. I’d just about slipped from the dream back into oblivion when a piercing jealousy shot needle-point jabs of pain in all the places Kane’s body touched mine.

Still dreaming, I jerked back with a yelp, staring at him wide-eyed. He sat straight up in the bed, reaching for me.

I scooted away, rubbing my stinging shoulder.

“Jade—” Kane’s voice went silent as he started to fade away. His lips were still moving, his face pinched with worry lines.

I reached out a hand, but he vanished right there.

A faint trace of triumphant satisfaction entered my awareness. The signature was familiar, but I couldn’t quite place it. I scanned the room, wondering if a person had to physically be present in my dream for me to lock into their emotions. I supposed not. But as I flopped back on the pillow, a familiar sheet of pale blond hair caught my eye.

Lailah! Again. She stood in the corner of my apartment, her translucent form rapidly fading into the ether. She raised one hand and wiggled her fingers in a cutesy wave just before she disappeared.

I woke with a start, throwing my arm across the bed. My hand hit something hard and Kane groaned. He didn’t move.

“Kane?” I shook his shoulder.

Nothing.

“Wake up. I need to talk to you.” The volume of my voice echoed off the walls, making me cringe.

Still, he slept. I got up, padded to the kitchen, and filled a tall glass of water. I wasn’t waiting for morning to have this conversation. When I reached the side of the bed, I shook his shoulder in one last attempt to wake him.

Nothing.

Frowning, I lifted the glass and poured the entire contents on his head.

Kane shot straight up, sputtering. “Jade, damn it, what the hell?”

I crossed my arms over my bare chest and glared. “That’s what I’d like to know.”

He grabbed his shirt from beside the bed and ran it over his face. A moment later he rose, staring at the soaked bed. Anger and confusion flashed in his eyes when he turned back to me.

“Don’t give me that look. That’s the second time in two days you’ve left me in a dreamwalk to be with Lailah.” I grabbed my terry cloth robe from my closet and wrapped it tightly around myself. With my arms over my chest, I dug my fingernails into my forearms, trying to focus on anything other than the tears threatening to burn my eyes.

Kane didn’t bother to cover himself. He just walked over and placed his hands on my shoulders. “I seriously have no idea what you’re talking about.”

I shook him off, feeling used. “Just now, you were dreamwalking me. Then Lailah showed up. First you vanished and she followed. Don’t try to deny it. I saw her.”

Kane’s expression turned concerned. “Just now? The last thing I remember is…” he paused and rubbed his forehead. “Huh. We were lying together, and suddenly you seemed like you were in pain. But when I tried to reach for you, I was locked out of your dream.”

I sat on my couch. “What does that mean, locked out of my dream? You left. With Lailah.”

He took the seat next to me and grabbed my hands. “I assure you, I was not dreamwalking with her. I was with you one moment, the next you were gone. That usually happens if you wake up or fall into a deeper sleep.”

I wasn’t convinced. “Last night you said her name.”

“What?” He stiffened. “I did not. Nor have I dreamwalked Lailah in the past year. The only time, and I repeat, the
only
time I ever did was when I dated her, long before I met you. If she showed up two nights in a row, the only explanation is she’s forcing her way in.”

I stood, staring down at him through narrowed eyes. “That explains why you said her name?”

He stood. “It could. If she forced her way in, that means she was in control. But I don’t know because I don’t remember.” His expression turned tender. “Jade, I promise you, I have no interest in that woman. None. You have to know that.”

I did know it. Hadn’t I just witnessed his love-filled aura not even twenty minutes ago? That wasn’t something he could fake. Not to mention he’d never given me any reason to doubt him before. I unclenched my jaw. “I do. But Bea took away her powers. Without them, how did she force her way in?”

He shrugged. “I don’t have powers and I dreamwalk. Maybe she has the ability naturally.”

The tension in my body eased and I relaxed against him. That was possible. I had empath abilities that had nothing to do with being a witch. At least, I didn’t think they did. My gaze flicked to the bed. “Sorry about the water. In my defense, I did try to wake you up the conventional way first.”

He chuckled. “I admit it isn’t my favorite way to wake up, especially after mind-blowing sex.”

Heat burned my face.

He leaned in and brushed his lips across mine. “Don’t ever doubt my feelings for you, Jade.” He moved closer and untied my robe. His hands came around me, running down my bare back. “I don’t know what’s going on with Lailah, but trust me when I say, I’ll find out. There’s only room in my dreams for one woman.” Kane lowered his lips to mine, his expert tongue showing me exactly which woman he preferred. “Now,” he said in a husky voice. “Let’s continue this in the shower.”

***

The next morning, Kane left for work and all I wanted to do was head back to Bea’s house. We’d settled on meeting there in the early afternoon to go over the spell we’d perform on the full moon. I glanced at the clock. Five more hours to wait.

I stifled a sigh, contemplating heading to Lailah’s to retrieve the portraits she’d run off with. But the thought of seeing her made my blood boil. Besides, if I touched the portraits, I’d likely get sucked back into one of their visions.

Instead, I called Kat again and made plans to meet up at my glass studio. There was no way I could wait around inside my apartment all day. I’d go insane. Besides, I needed to tell her Dan had broken into the club. He was my ex, but after we’d broken up, Kat had dated him too, and we’d all been friends once. She deserved to know.

The walk to the studio was pleasant with the gentle October breeze. Good. The glass studio wouldn’t be quite as stifling as usual. I waved to the shop manager and headed back to my workbench. I wasn’t teaching today, so that meant I could work on inventory for my online bead store. With everything going on, I hadn’t made anything new in over a week.

My hands shook slightly as I lit my torch, and I frowned. I hadn’t had any caffeine and I’d eaten breakfast, so it wasn’t low blood sugar. Maybe it was the lack of sleep. Guess I wasn’t making anything too detailed today.

The anxiety I was carrying started to ease the moment I introduced the first rod of glass into the flame. Nothing calmed me like bead making did. It was the only time I could block out everything and fully concentrate on something else.

I’d just begun winding glass on a metal mandrel, intending to make a long organic tube bead, when the torch flame flared into something resembling a flamethrower.