Angels of Bourbon Street (17 page)

“Jade,” Kane groaned as he spilled himself inside me and buried his face in my neck, holding on as if he’d never let go. After a moment, he rolled to his back, pulling me with him.

We lay together, wrapped in each other’s arms, not moving. I listened to his breathing until it slowed and then lifted my head, pressing light kisses on his chest. “I love you,” I murmured.

He was quiet, and I wondered if he’d heard me. Still lying on his chest, I shifted to gaze up at him and found him watching me through hooded eyes. I smiled. “Hey.”

“Hey, yourself.” He brought his hand up, brushing a stray lock from my eyes. “I know.”

“Know what?” I placed another kiss on his collarbone.

“That you love me.”

“Oh, that.” I put my hands down on either side of him and lifted myself until we were face to face. My gaze shifted to his perfect lips, and I lowered my head just enough to give him another soft kiss. “It’s probably pretty obvious.”

He nodded. “It is.”

I laughed. “Like you’re so sly.”

His chest rumbled. “Who said I was trying to be sly?” He shifted again, rolling me on my back, then to my side so I was facing away from him. His lips brushed over my shoulder as he tucked me beside him. He moved his hand in a slow circle over my abdomen. “I’ve loved you since the day you face-planted on the stairs. There was something about the way you spent the next forty-five minutes staring at me like I was your man candy that hooked me.”

“You have not.” I shook my head slightly, chuckling at the memory. “You barely even knew me then.” I’d only moved into my apartment less than a week before. Love? He was crazy.

“Have too. I knew that moment you were the one.”

“How?” I glanced back with narrowed eyes. “No, you were just in lust.”

His hand rose to gently cup my breast. “That too,” he whispered and ran his tongue down my neck, making me shiver.

“What are you doing?”

He pressed against me, and I felt exactly what he was up to. I couldn’t keep the smile from quirking my lips. I
did
ask him to shut everything else out. He had, and now he was ready for more.

“Already?” I whimpered with pleasure as his fingers pinched my nipple.

He paused. “Want me to stop?”

“No. I don’t think that will be necessary,” I said in a tone a lot cooler than I felt. Heat was spreading again.

“That’s what I thought.” His body molded to mine and his magic hands went to work once more, pushing everything from my mind but him and the pleasure we brought each other.

Chapter 15

An hour later, Kane hugged me to him once more, and we fell into a deep peaceful sleep. As usual, Kane arrived in my dream, a nightly ritual that made us that much closer. He was a dreamwalker who could enter other people’s dreams when he wanted, but these days, he only dreamwalked with me. Not only did we sleep together, we dreamed together. As soon as he popped into my dream, I smiled.

“Long time no see,” I said, walking to a railing on the balcony overlooking the French Quarter.

His lips twisted into a half-smile. Turning, he waved a hand over Bourbon Street. “For you.”

“Something’s different.” I glanced around at the empty streets. “Besides all the people missing.”

This time he laughed. “It’s the smell. I tend to try to forget about that unfortunate reality.”

“Ah, yes.” I took a deep breath, inhaling the fragrant honeysuckle instead of Bourbon Street’s usual rotten orange stench. “It’s lovely.”

“Isn’t it?”

We both stared down at the pristine streets. Light shone from the lampposts through the thickening fog filling the humid air. The eerie glow only heightened the romance of the city. “It’s too bad it’s never this peaceful.”

“It’s close enough,” he said, wrapping an arm around me.

I couldn’t help but wish we could stay there forever, on the balcony of the unknown building. The beauty of the heavy fog building on Bourbon Street, barren of the thousands of tourists and street performers, was a rare treat. It was so lovely. Soul-filling. Something I hadn’t experienced since before my soul split with Meri.

The thought weighed on me. Would I always feel partially empty? Or would I get used to living with only half a soul? There was no way to know. We had to find my father, because I didn’t want to find out. I squeezed my eyes closed and breathed in more of the fragrant honeysuckle, only to cough as the air turned fetid with mud and mold.

Jerking back, I opened my eyes and stared at Kane. “What was that?”

“What?” he asked, glancing around.

The fog shifted, moving toward us. Dark gray tendrils twisted and reached straight for me. I screamed and jumped behind Kane.

“Jade?” Kane’s concerned tone barely registered. The tendrils were growing more solid, slipping right past him. One swirled around me then latched on, wrapping around my chest.

I stumbled back, clutching at the solid fog. “Get it off!” I cried.

Kane spun, ready to come to my defense, but he stopped and looked around in confusion. He took a step closer, inspecting me. “What is it? Where?”

A familiar stabbing ice pricked my skin, pushing me deep into my mind. “No!” I try to shout, but it came out more as a whimper.

“Jade?” Kane gripped me by the arms and pulled me to him, but it was too late. Camille was back and she’d already taken over. I felt as if I were trapped inside myself with a film of haze over my vision, so I couldn’t make out the fine details of his expression

“Hi,” she said, her voice lower than the high-pitched tone she’d used before.

“Are you okay?” Kane’s eyebrows pinched together as he studied me. “What happened?”

“Nothing,” Camille said, now in full possession of me just as she had been before. I could feel Kane’s touch, the cool night air, and even Camille’s excitement, but my mental commands went unanswered. I was trapped, unable to do anything. Somehow in this dream state, she’d been able to penetrate my soul. I wanted to scream, pound on something, but I couldn’t do either. Instead, I prayed Kane would realize I was no longer myself.

“I wanted this,” she whispered and ground my body into him like a sex-starved teenager.

A smile blossomed on his face. If I’d had control of my stomach, I would’ve vomited right there. Rage boiled inside my brain. He had to know it wasn’t me. But why would he? We’d just spend the better part of two hours doing exactly what Camille wanted to be doing with my fiancé.

How dare she? My thoughts pulsed with the burning desire to smash her face in. But knowing that was impossible only made me that much more frustrated.

Camille placed both of my hands on Kane’s chest and giggled. Giggled, for God’s sake.

Kane just smiled down at her like we were sharing some private joke. Only there was no joke. This was a nightmare.

“Kiss me,” Camille tilted my head up and opened my mouth, waiting for him to oblige.

And the ass did. He bent down and kissed my lips. Only I could barely feel
him
. I felt her and all her nervous anticipation, mixed with wild sexual desire. The faint image of a man dressed in wool pants and a vest flashed in my mind as Camille’s excitement grew. She flung her arms around Kane’s neck and attacked his face like a mangy dog going after table scraps.

“Whoa,” Kane whispered against my lips, pushing me away slightly. “What’s gotten into you?”

He knows.

The thought bounced through my mind until I realized he was smiling down at me, amused. Panic filled my mind. He really didn’t know it wasn’t me. How far was this going to go before he figured it out?

Camille answered by placing my hand on his crotch. “Nothing yet. You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting.”

Kane stilled and then stepped back, putting space between us. His intense brown eyes searched mine. Had something clicked? “I think we should just go to sleep.” The scene morphed around us, and my body was back in Kane’s bedroom, but my mind was still trapped with Camille.

“Much better,” she cooed and moved to straddle him, lifting his shirt and fiddling with the button of his pants.

Oh, hell no!
I screamed in my mind.
Don’t you even think of touching him, you dead slut.

“No.” Kane’s hands gripped her waist, and he shoved me off him. “Something’s not right. You’re not yourself.”

Camille swung my hand and knocked him in the side of the head.

“Hey!”

When Kane dreamwalked, if anything happened, you tended to feel it the next day. He said wounds didn’t last, but the phantom pain or pleasure did. The mind didn’t know any different. He’d feel that in the morning.

“Of course I’m not myself,” Camille squawked in her normal tone. “I’m in that witch’s body, trying to seduce you, and you’re not man enough to take a woman who’s throwing herself at you.” She stared at his crotch. “What’s wrong with
you
?”

“Camille.” Kane’s eyes narrowed, and Camille’s fear pulsed around me. She didn’t know what to do. She’d only come for Kane. But I didn’t know why. She wanted to have sex with him—not for pleasure, but for something else.

Oh, Jesus Christ on a cracker. Sex magic?

At least Kane had figured it out. The storm raging in my mind lessened slightly, even though he’d kissed her the way he was only supposed to kiss me. My head spun thinking about it.

Then without warning, I slammed back into myself. My limbs tingled as blood rushed to my extremities. I stretched, realizing I was back in Kane’s bed. Awake.

“Jade?” He was standing a few feet from the bed, keeping his distance. “You there?”

I sat up, rubbing my head. Possession gave me a headache. “I’m here. Camille’s gone.”

He peered down at me, not at all convinced.

“It’s really me, all right? I was stuck in my head while that bitch of a ghost rubbed her…
my
body all over you. Only I wasn’t really there.” I glared up at him. “Took you long enough to realize it wasn’t me.”

His breath came out in a whoosh and he sank into the bed, pulling me tight against him. “I’m so sorry, love. I didn’t…well, I knew something was off, I just didn’t know what.” He turned his head in the direction of the guest room. “You don’t think Meri left, do you?”

I shrugged. “I doubt it. She knows I need her here, but how else did Camille get to me?”

Kane pulled on a pair of jeans and a shirt that was draped over a chair. “I’ll find out.”

I jumped out of the bed in my full-on naked splendor and placed a hand over his arm. “No. Better let me go.”

He raised one eyebrow and swept his gaze from my head to my toes. “Like that?”

I let out an exasperated sigh. “No. Not like this.”

A few minutes later, I was dressed in boxers and a tank top, with my robe cinched tightly around me. I headed down the hall and stopped at the closed door of the guest room. I glanced back. What time was it? I had no idea, but the hall seemed lighter than usual, and I guessed it was predawn. Not wanting to wake Meri, I inched the door open just a tiny bit and peeked through the crack.

The bed was empty.

“Dammit,” I muttered under my breath. My heart raced. What would I do now? And why would Meri leave? She knew how much I needed her. At least until we found my father. I had to find him before Camille took a permanent hold.

The door was yanked opened with surprising force, my hand still on the knob. I fell forward into the room.

A figure jumped from the shadows, followed by a gasp of alarm.

“Ouch. Son of a bitch!” I cried out as my knees banged against the hardwood.

“Jade?” Meri’s voice came out skeptical. “Is that you?”

“Shit.” I pushed myself up and clamored to my feet. “Of course it’s me. Who else would it be?”

She took a long, steadying breath. “Well, considering I felt you leave, it could’ve been anyone.”

I turned to face her. “What do you mean, you felt me leave? I’ve been here the entire night.”

Meri gave me a dubious glance and then strode out the door. “I need coffee.”

Trembling slightly with fading adrenaline, I followed her into Kane’s kitchen.

She moved around as if the place was her own, grabbing the beans from the refrigerator, opening the correct cabinet for the grinder, putting her hands on the sugar without even searching. I sank onto the barstool and buried my head in my hands. My eyes watered from lack of sleep. The world spun as darkness closed in, and I jerked upright, blinking away the film blurring my sight.

I shook my head. I needed answers.

Once the coffee pot was brewing, Meri busied herself toasting bagels and setting out cream cheese. I glanced at the clock. Six forty-five a.m. I’d only been asleep for less than three hours. No wonder I was weary.

A scraping sounded on the counter, and the scent of a rich dark roast filled my senses. I opened my eyes and stared down at the oversized mug in front of me. I wrapped my hands around it and let the warmth seep into my flesh. If I drank any I’d never get back to sleep. Meri picked up the plate of bagels and joined me.

“Thank you,” I said, keeping my nose buried in the cup, enjoying the rich aroma.

She shrugged. “I was making some anyway.” A few moments went by with the bagels sitting untouched. “Where did you go?”

I cast her a sidelong glance. “I already told you, I didn’t go anywhere. I was here the whole time with Kane.” Then I frowned. “What do you mean when you say you felt me leave? Are you talking about the empath gift?” Horror settled over me. Had she felt the emotions Kane and I shared? Could she sense farther than I could? My whole body burned with embarrassment.

She shook her head. “No, but you might want to clamp down on what you’re feeling now because it’s coming through loud and clear.”

Shit!
Of course it was. My face felt combustible with the amount of heat consuming it. I took a deep breath to settle myself then imagined my glass silo that had become second nature as an empath. The one I used to shut off other people’s emotions.

“That’s better.” She picked at the edge of a bagel. “I meant I felt your soul leave. I can sense it, you know.”

I twisted. “You can?”