Bewitched on Bourbon Street (8 page)

Together we took a step and found ourselves in the middle of his club. A half dozen patrons were lounging in the blue-velvet–covered seats around the stage while one of the regulars danced to the latest Meghan Trainor song.

Charlie, the club manager, glanced up and startled when she saw us. She rushed over, typing on her phone as she went.

Kane jerked his head toward his office, indicating for her to meet us in there.

She quickened her pace and met us at the door. “Where the hell have you two been?”

My eyes widened in surprise, and before I could answer, Kane pulled me into the privacy of his office. Charlie followed, her mouth rigid and her body stiff with tension.

“Well?” she demanded, standing with her fists at her waist.

Kane sat in his chair behind the large banker’s desk. I leaned against it and picked up his office phone to call Bea. While it rang, I said, “In the angel realm, dealing with Chessandra.”

“For two weeks?”

Kane muttered another curse. That dammed room. I’d never understand how so much time could go by when it felt like only minutes.

I echoed Kane’s curse just as Bea answered.

“Jade?” She sounded wary and hopeful at the same time.

“Yes, it’s Jade. Kane’s hurt. Broken arm, I imagine. Can you meet us to check it out?”

“Where are you?”

“His club.”

“I’m on my way.” The line went dead.

Charlie still stood in the middle of the room, her face turning red with anger. “Do you have any idea what you put us through? The police were called. Lailah and Bea had the entire Witch’s Council out looking for you. And Pyper—”

The door burst open, and the woman in question stormed through, her electric-blue-streaked hair flying behind her. “Holy fuck on a throne of dildos. Explain yourselves.” Without waiting for us to say anything, she bombarded me, wrapping her arms around me in a tight hug. “Don’t ever do that to me again,” she said into my ear. Then she kissed my cheek and ran to Kane’s side, kneeling near him as they talked quietly.

I turned, and instead of explaining anything to Charlie, I walked over to her and gave her the same kind of hug Pyper had just given me. “I’m sorry,” I whispered. “We’d never leave y’all on purpose. We were held against our will.”

Her posture relaxed as she sank into the hug. “Jesus, we were worried.” She pulled back and searched my face. “Are you both all right?”

I nodded. “Except for Kane’s arm, I think so.”

“We’re fine.” Kane gave Charlie a look of gratitude. “Thank you. I’m sure it’s you who kept this place running.”

“And Pyper.” She waved a hand. “You know that one could take care of anything even if she was on her death bed.”

“You’re right about that,” Kane agreed.

I sat in a chair, utterly exhausted.

Charlie glanced around the room, her gaze lingering first on me and then Kane. The thick wave of her relief was so strong it nearly suffocated me. She made her way to the door, and just before she slipped through, she turned and said, “You have no idea how glad I am to see both of you.”

She’d been more than worried. My heart squeezed for what Chessandra had put our friends through. Two weeks we’d been gone. Cripes. Kat was going to be a mess as well.

“I think I might have a clue.” I sent her a ghost of a smile.

She let out a small chuckle. “I guess you do.” With a nod, she strode back into the club.

While Pyper and Kane talked, I picked up the phone and called Kat. No answer. I tried Lucien and ended up leaving a message. The same with Lailah. “Damn, where is everyone?”

“They’re with the coven most likely,” Pyper said.

“For?” I asked, curious.

“They’ve been looking for you. With no luck, I might add. Apparently the angel realm is impenetrable.”

“Even Lailah didn’t know?” How could she not?

Pyper shook her head, a lock of her blue hair falling into her eyes. “Nope. If she did, she didn’t tell anyone. But I don’t think so, because she’s been worried sick as well.”

“Damn Chessandra. And Drake too.” He was just as much to blame as she was. Maybe more. Wasn’t he the one hell bent on protecting me?

I clutched the arm of the chair, hatred forming a ball in my gut. They were both way over the line. Stealing two weeks of our lives in that room when we hadn’t committed any crimes. Keeping us locked away because someone had cursed me wasn’t any kind of acceptable.

“We should go stop them. There’s no need for them to keep this up.” I stood, ready to head to the coven circle.

“Don’t worry, dear,” Bea said from the door. Her salon-dyed auburn hair was pulled back into a low ponytail, and she was dressed in a full-length, form-fitting, shimmering, pink-beaded dress. She was truly the bell of the ball. Whoa. Where had she been? “In about five seconds you’ll be speaking with them anyway,” she added.

“Why? Are they coming here?”

“No. You’ll be going there.” She gave me a patient smile and then it hit me. They were summoning me.

Of course. I shook my head, trying to clear the cobwebs as my body started to tingle with a soft caress of magic.

Bea was already inspecting Kane’s arm. He grimaced in pain as she tested his movement. I raised a hand, trying to get his attention, but my arm was transparent…again. I let out a tiny gasp. I was fading into the ether.

My world turned to dark shades of gray, and static filled my ears. Chaos seemed to be my now-normal state of travel. So when I appeared in the middle of the coven circle, I was barely fazed at all.

My eyes adjusted, and instead of the moonlit night I’d expected, I was in a bubble of color. The circle’s ground was lit with electric blue. Beyond the circle was an opaque sheet of green, blocking out the trees I knew resided there. But most interesting was the fact that Lailah glowed with traces of lavender, while all the witches were tinged red. All except one. Zoe was the only colorless soul in the clearing.

“It’s working, keep chanting,” I heard Lucien call from his spot on the northernmost point of the circle. But I only had eyes for Zoe.

Her head was down, her arms out and hands clasped with fellow coven members. But the only magic coming from her was the magic passing through her from the other members. She wasn’t tapping her magic source. Why?

“Zoe?” I said.

The witch’s head snapped up, and her mouth dropped open in shock. “How did… Uh, I mean, you’re here.”

I tilted my head to the side. “You weren’t expecting me.”

It wasn’t a question.

Her mouth worked, but before she could get anything out, Lucien called, “Jade!”

I gave Zoe one last look and then turned to face my second in command. Lucien had the brightest red light of them all, no doubt because he was the most powerful. But he was also haggard. His weariness slammed into me, making me want to sit down right there in the middle of the coven circle.

“Thank the gods,” he said.

I shuffled over to him in my translucent state.

“Where are you?” he asked.

Truly touched at his concern and how hard he’d worked to find us, I gave him a small smile. “Right now, I’m here, but my physical body is in Kane’s office. We just escaped from the angel realm.”

He sucked in a sharp breath. “Escaped?”

I nodded. “We can talk about it more later. But for now, Kane and I are both safe.”

The tension in his jaw eased, and the red light morphed into a soothing blue. “First thing in the morning? Coffee?”

“Yes. At my place.”

“I’ll be there at eight.” He unlocked hands with the two witches on either side of him, and when he did, all the color faded, and my spirit snapped back into my body. The blood rushed to my head, making the room spin.

I came to lying on my back in the middle of Kane’s office. His face swam into view, his brow pinched with concern. A soft, cool hand brushed over my forehead. “Bea,” I said, recognizing her light vanilla scent.

“Welcome back.” Her faint Southern drawl coaxed a smile from me.

“Did you get Kane’s arm working again?”

She chuckled. “Yes, dear. He’s as good as new.”

I stared into her hazel eyes. “Was it broken?”

She shook her head. “Hyperextended elbow. A little magic fixed it right up.”

“Good.” I closed my eyes, exhaustion taking over. “Can I go home now?”

“Of course you can,” she said warmly. “Kane?”

His fresh rain scent overpowered everything, and the next thing I knew, I was cradled in his arms, snuggled into his chest. I wasn’t sure if I blacked out or if he shadow walked us home, but the next thing I knew, we were standing outside the front door. Kane was propping me up with one hand while trying to unlock the door with the other.

I put my hand over his on the door knob. “Let me.”

Kane kissed the top of my head. “I wasn’t sure how aware you were.”

“I’m fine.” I straightened and squared my shoulders as I sent a bolt of magic into the lock. A soft click sounded, and the door swung open. I leaned into Kane and whispered, “Take me to bed. I hear it’s been at least two weeks.”

Chapter 8

Kane carried me to our bedroom and carefully lowered me to my feet. I made a short stop into the bathroom, emerged a few minutes later, and climbed into bed.

As soon as my head touched the pillow, I closed my eyes and reveled in the comfort of everything around me. Even though it hadn’t felt like we’d been gone for more than a few hours, my body seemed to know that wasn’t the case as it melted into the soft pillow-top mattress.

The sound of Kane’s footsteps echoed on the hardwood, followed by the faint click of the bathroom door. I must’ve dozed off, because the next thing I knew, Kane was back, nudging me. “Jade?”

“Hmm?”

His warm lips brushed over my neck, just below my ear. “Are you awake?”

I turned my head, blinking. “I am now.”

Smiling, he trailed more kisses over my jawline.

I curled my fingers into his short dark hair, enjoying the warmth of his lips on my skin.

“I don’t know why—” his tongue darted over my pulse “—but it feels like I haven’t had you in months.”

“It’s the… Oh.”

His left hand cupped my breast, his fingers squeezing my nipple beneath the silk nightie I’d changed into before sliding into bed. He chuckled at my reaction, his chest reverberating against my side. “What was that you were saying?”

“Uh…I think—” I sucked in a breath as he ran his hand between my breasts to my abdomen and down to the edge of my matching silk panties “—that you might have expelled too much power.”

“Could be,” he said, his voice low and full of desire.

We’d been together the night before…or what was actually two weeks ago on New Year’s Eve. And since Kane was an incubus, he gained magic through sex…meaning me. For us, time had stood still, so that shouldn’t have been a factor in his depleted power, but the amount of magic he’d dispelled certainly could’ve contributed to his hunger.

Kane’s demanding hands slid the nightgown up, exposing my bare breasts to the cool air. He suckled one nipple while kneading the other. Desire and need shot through me and coiled deep in my gut. With each movement, his touch became more and more impatient, demanding.

I arched into him, moaning. “I don’t think I can wait.”

He crushed his lips to mine, his tongue invading my mouth with a demand I knew all too well. His familiar weight resting on top of me heightened my need for him. He was mine. Tasted of mint and man and desire. Both of us were on the edge of losing control. My hands found his boxers, and a second later, he was bared, his muscles rippling under my touch. I wiggled out of my panties and was opening to him when a thought slammed into my brain so hard, I stiffened and pushed him away, scrambling to sit up.

Kane froze. “What’s wrong? What happened?”

“The curse,” I whispered, my voice trembling. “We can’t do this.”

He frowned.

“If I get pregnant…” I couldn’t complete the thought. I didn’t want to think about what could happen.

Kane propped himself up beside me, pulling the covers over us. “But you’re on birth control still, right?”

I nodded and shifted away from him, the mood completely broken. The realization of our situation had zapped all my pent-up desire. “I don’t know if the curse affects it…or God, the fact that we were in the room where time stands still. What if I’m two weeks behind on my pills? I’m probably not, but we can’t take any chances. As much as I want your child, we just can’t.”

Kane stared at me for a moment, then he cupped my cheek with his palm and leaned in. “It’s all right, Jade. We don’t have to do this now. After we break the curse, we’ll revisit the idea of starting a family.”

Tears filled my eyes, and I was powerless to hold them back. Just a few days ago we had been all but ready to give the baby-making thing a try, and now we were sitting naked in the bed, with me too terrified to get intimate. “I’m sorry. I know there are other ways to replenish your power, but—”

He pressed his fingers to my lips. “Shhh. We can wait. I’m not in any rush.”

“I love you,” I whispered.

He kissed me gently. “I know, pretty witch.”

***

I stood in my bathroom, towel drying my hair, trying my best to work past the sleep haze clouding my brain. I’d slept like the dead the night before and had woken up twenty minutes before eight. Twenty minutes before Lucien and Kat were supposed to arrive.

A knock sounded on the door, followed by a hand snaking in that held a paper cup from the Grind. I recognized the agate and silver ring on the hand’s middle finger. Pulling the door open, I smiled at Kat and took the cup.

“Chai tea for my missing friend.” She smiled and blinked back the moisture forming in her eyes. Her bright-red curly hair fell in haphazard waves around her face, softening her angular features. She usually spent more time taming her curls, but it was obvious she hadn’t put much effort into getting ready either. Only while she looked adorable, I was fairly certain I resembled a zombie bride with my limp strawberry-blond hair and dark circles under my green eyes.

“Thank you.” I put the cup down and wrapped my arms around her. We both held on tightly to the hug for a long moment. And when we separated, she turned away to wipe her eyes.