Angels of Bourbon Street (24 page)

I turned to her, my body trembling. “No more lies, Mother.”

She stood frozen in the twilight, her mouth partially open. Slowly, she shook her head. “I’ve wanted to tell you.” Her voice dropped to barely a whisper. “It’s too dangerous. He’ll hurt you.”

Ice formed a thin layer over my heart. “It’s too dangerous not to. Let’s go,” I said to Kane. “We’ll find out another way.”

We took off without looking back. Thankfully, Meri followed without being asked. When we got to the trees, she said, “Jade?”

I paused, staring at a water oak, concentrating on the pattern of its intricate bark. “What?”

“What about Hope?”

“What about her?”

“Are you going to wait for her, or is she finding her own ride home?”

I gritted my teeth. I didn’t want to be anywhere near her, but I couldn’t just leave her there. I didn’t even know if she had her wallet or cash for a cab. “Tell her to meet us at the car.”

Kane and I waited at the edge of the trees while Meri returned to the circle. They exchanged a few words that had Mom shaking her head and frowning. She waved Meri away and turned back to Marc, obviously giving him a piece of her mind, judging by the angry expression on her face.

Meri returned and shrugged. “She says she’ll meet you later.”

An all-encompassing anger took over, and I had to suppress the scream clawing at the back of my throat. It came out in more of a strangled cry. “Goddammit.”

I stalked off through the trees. Who did she think she was? Yeah, I was pissed at Dad—Marc—but she’d set the events in motion. She’d lied. She was hiding who my real father was from me and Marc. Gwen said she’d known for only a few days. I believed her. But had she known where Marc was all those years? A tiny seed of doubt planted itself in the middle of my chest. Marc said he knew where I was after I went to live with Gwen. Had she kept him informed?

And with that one thought, my entire life became a lie. I couldn’t trust any of my parental figures.

We came upon another water oak. One of its massive limbs was growing right into the ground. As I passed it, I struck out my leg, needing to kick something.

Pain engulfed my foot, and I let out an agonizing cry. Half hopping, half limping, I clutched Kane’s arm as tears of pain stung my eyes. I blinked them back, determined to not let anyone see me cry. I was too pissed off. All I wanted to do was kick something else.

I didn’t, though. My toes throbbed entirely too much. I dug around in my pocket and came up with one of Bea’s healing herbs.

Kane gave me a small smile. “Not too long ago, if I’d tried to take one of those, you would’ve slapped it out of my hands.”

“True,” I said. “I’ve evolved.”

He shook his head, his eyes worried. “I can see that. You okay?”

“No, but I will be as soon as we get to Bea’s.” And perform that finding spell.

Chapter 22

The car bounced over the rough road as we made our way to Bea’s house. The potholes in the streets were getting worse. Turning into her long driveway, I held my breath. I didn’t really want to see anyone except Bea, but all too often her small carriage home was the gathering place for all things paranormal. With her acting as the coven leader again, anyone could be there.

I blew out a breath and shook my head. Who was I kidding? I didn’t care if any of the coven members were there. The only person I really didn’t want to see was her nephew, Ian. There was a good chance he’d come to Bea for healing herbs after Kane had broken his nose. Would he tell his aunt he’d almost had sex with me while I’d been possessed? A cold sweat coated my body, and I sucked in a deep breath. I could get through this. I had to. As long as I stayed in possession of my body, everything would be fine.

Kane squeezed my hand. “Try not to worry so much. Everyone here loves you.”

I gave him a small smile. Easier said than done.

We rounded the bend in the driveway, and Bea’s bright yellow carriage house came into view. The tension eased out of my shoulders. Two cars sat in front: a Prius and a Bug. Bea’s and Pyper’s.

We climbed out of Kane’s car, and a second later, Kat flew out of the door and ran straight for me. She caught me in a giant hug, nearly knocking me over. “Jade! Are you okay?”

Tears sprang to my eyes. “Yeah,” I forced out on a sob.

“Oh, no.” She pulled back, holding me at arm’s length. “You’re not.” She tugged on my hand. “Come inside so we can talk.”

I shook my head, fear keeping me rooted to my spot. If I went inside, I’d have to see everyone. I longed to be cuddled up in Kat’s apartment, drinking hot chocolate and listing to eighties music while we ate Chinese food and talked about nothing and everything at the same time. When was the last time we’d done anything even remotely normal like that? Not since before I’d moved to New Orleans. “Can we stay out here? I’d rather sit on Bea’s back porch.”

“Sure. I’ll just get Gwen and grab us something to drink. Meet you there in a few.” She turned to go, but I grabbed her arm.

“No. Not Gwen. I’m not ready to talk to her yet.”

Kat’s hazel eyes went wide with curiosity, then cloudy with worry. “Something else happened, didn’t it?”

I gave her an incredulous look.

“I mean after what happened…umm, since Gwen and Pyper came over an hour ago.”

“You could say that.” I stepped away and glanced at Kane. “Can you fill Gwen and Bea in? I’m pretty sure Gwen knows about Marc, but I’m not ready to face Bea.”

He nodded and swept me into a hug and whispered, “Anything, love.”

I hugged him back, not wanting to leave the comfort of his embrace, but if we stood there any longer, I was sure the rest of the house would come to investigate.

“Go on to the back,” Kane told Kat. “I’ll bring you three some dinner.”

Meri, who’d been standing off to the side, said, “I’d appreciate that. Thank you.”

Kat and I nodded, staring at each other. Her eyes gleamed and she raised one eyebrow, barely tilting her head in his direction. I knew she was thinking the same thing I was. Where did this man come from? Despite all the shit that kept going on around me, he was always there for me. It was almost scary. No one was that great.

The three of us walked around the house and settled at the patio table. Bea’s screened-in porch overlooked her garden, and her freshly planted annuals. The bright pink flowers were a welcome reprieve in the shit storm my life had become.

“Okay, spill it,” Kat said, cutting to the chase. “What did your mom say?”

“Not much.” In the middle of the table sat an unlit candle, and just for something to do, I concentrated and muttered, “
Flama
.”

The wick smoldered, then a flame rose tall and strong.

Kat frowned. “Stop that.”

“Why? No one said I couldn’t use my magic.”

“Not that.” She waved at the candle. “Your avoidance. How can I help if you don’t tell me what’s going on?”

Meri leaned in. “Actually, it’s probably better if you conserve your strength and not use magic right now.”

I scowled but chose not to respond. I’d use magic if I damn well wanted to. It was just about the only thing left that I had any control over—sort of, as long as Camille wasn’t in my body.

Not ready to talk about Marc, I asked Kat, “How are you?” I studied her bright eyes, rosy cheeks, and full red lips, all void of any traces of makeup. “You look fantastic.” Not even a hint of what she’d gone through the day before remained. “I take it you’re feeling better?”

“As good as new. Bea plied me with her healer drugs, and today, I feel like I could almost fly. Those pills are amazing.”

My lips twitched at the wonder in her eyes. “Totally addicting,” I agreed then sobered. “And Lucien? Any word on what’s going on with him?”

Kat frowned. My heart weighed heavy in my chest. I should’ve called to check up on him. I’d been a complete bitch the last time we’d spoken. I knew he’d never do anything to intentionally hurt Kat or anyone else. If he’d thought for one moment a spell he cast would harm anyone in the slightest, he’d give up witchcraft altogether.

“Yeah,” Kat said quietly. “He’s not handling this well.”

Damn you, Jade
. My behavior must’ve made him feel infinitely worse. “Did you find out anything else about his curse?”

She nodded slowly.

“Well?”

Grimacing, she sent me an apologetic look. “It’s not really for me to say. I’m sorry. But Bea knows, and she’s working on it.”

A low, angry buzz started in my head. She couldn’t tell me? Bea knew? What the hell? Up until yesterday, I had been the coven leader. But I was stripped of my title due to no fault of my own. Kat was my best friend. She’d almost died, and now she wasn’t allowed to tell me why. “Does no one trust me around here?”

She reached across the table to take my hand. “I’m sorry. You know I don’t like to keep things from you, especially these kinds of things, but it’s personal. It really should come from him.”

I gently released my hand from hers and reluctantly nodded. It wasn’t like he could do any magic right now anyway. “Okay. Since that subject is off limits, did anyone tell you what happened to you? Why Lucien had to spell you in the first place?”

“Yeah.” Kat glanced down at her hands.

My heart just about broke in two. She’d been possessed because of years of being subjected to my magic. And though I hadn’t known what I was doing at the time, it still didn’t mean I wasn’t ultimately responsible for the invasion and her near-death experience.

“I’m so sorry,” we both said at the same time.

“What? You have nothing to be sorry for,” I said.

Meri quietly got up and moved to the other side of the porch, clearly picking up on the turmoil running between Kat and me. She curled up in another chair and rubbed her forehead, a sure sign of a headache. More guilt shot through me. It was the empath gift again. After living with it my whole life, even I would’ve had trouble after a day like today.

“Stop feeling guilty,” Meri called. “It’s not your fault. I took your soul, remember? None of this is your fault.”

“She’s right,” Kat said softly. “I said I’m sorry because I’d only been possessed for a short while. And Jade, it truly was horrible. I didn’t know what was going on at the time. I thought I was having some sort of stroke or schizophrenic episode or something. Then after what happened with Lucien, everything was so confused I didn’t know what was real and what wasn’t. The point is, you’ve been through so much, and yet you continue to worry about me and be here for me, even when your life is falling apart around you. After what happened today at the hotel…” She shuddered. “I don’t even know how you’re functioning.”

I sat there, stunned by both of them. Neither blamed me? I was at the center of all of this.

“We’re in this together.” Kat scooted closer and brushed her shoulder against mine.

A weight lifted off my chest. There was still a lot wrong, but with my friends by my side, I could get through it. We just needed to find my father. Whoever he was.

A shout came from inside the house, followed by shattering glass. I sprang to my feet, knocking over my chair.

Kat jumped up and ran to the door, covering her mouth with her hand. “Oh, no.”

High-pitched screaming floated through the closed door, too muffled to make out the words.

I took two steps to join Kat, but she whirled, blocking my view. “No. Do not go in there.”

“Why?” Something was very wrong.

She took me by the hand and led me back to the table. “Trust me. Not now. I’ll be right back.”

Kat disappeared into the house. Pyper’s voice carried out the door. Something about consequences. Who was she yelling at?

Meri took Kat’s spot by the door. She glanced back at me and frowned. “Maybe we should take a walk.”

“What’s going on?” I shifted, trying to peer into the window, but Bea’s drapes were blocking my view.

Meri pursed her lips and glanced back into the house. Then she shrugged. “You’ll find out eventually. Your mom’s here. She brought Ian.”

“What?” I barked and stalked to the door. My entire body shook with anger. What was she doing? Had she lost her mind? First the lies and now this? Nudging Meri out of the way, I yanked open the door and strode in. I made a beeline to Ian, stopping behind him. “Get out.”

Pyper stopped chewing him out, and everyone seemed to freeze. Ian turned slowly and looked down at me with a crooked nose and anguish-filled eyes, one black and blue and swollen shut. Jeez, Kane had done a number on him.

I took a step back and blinked. He had his hands stuffed into his pockets. His shoulders were hunched, and he was white-faced. He looked…haunted.

He closed his good eye and took a steadying breath. “Jesus Christ, Jade. I’m so, so sorry.”

I took another step back, and Kane moved to stand in front of me, blocking my view of Ian. The tight ball of panic in my stomach eased slightly.

“Ian,” Kane said, his voice vibrating with anger, “leave. Now.”

Ian nodded solemnly. “Yeah. Sorry.” He turned, gave Pyper a pained look, and strode toward the door.

Kat sent me an apologetic grimace and ran after him. The pair disappeared onto the front porch.

“Why?” I asked the room.

Everyone turned to my mother. She had circles under her eyes and locks of her dark hair had fallen from her signature low ponytail. In a defeated voice, she said, “I was walking along Saint Charles and he drove by. He insisted on taking me home. I told him I didn’t want his help, but he was blocking traffic and wouldn’t take no for an answer. Short of spelling him, I didn’t know what else to do. So I told him he could take me here. I’m sorry.” She took off up the stairs to Bea’s second floor.

“Hope,” Meri called after her. The angel glanced at me once then followed Mom.

I didn’t care. I was beyond worrying about what Mom did or didn’t do. If she wasn’t going to be honest with me then there was nothing for us to talk about. I stood in the middle of the room with Bea, Gwen, Pyper, and Kane. These were the people I trusted most in the world, but an overwhelming urge to go back outside seized my gut. The walls were closing in on me. But Meri was upstairs, and I couldn’t risk being taken over by Camille yet again.