Demons of Bourbon Street (37 page)

An ominous sense of loss settled over me. The river became quiet except for the faint hum of the airboat, and I had the eerie sensation we were all alone.

But that wasn’t right. No one was ever alone in these parts. Landowners and fisherman never left the waters for long. Not to mention the abundance of wildlife.

Lucien slowed the boat and turned into a narrow opening. Bare tree limbs threatened to scrape the hull on both sides. The air started to warm, bringing a blanket of moisture from the humidity. Though I hadn’t touched the water once, I suddenly felt damp all over.

Ian waved from ahead as they continued up the main channel.

“
They’re not following?” I asked.

“
No.” Lailah pulled out a hand drawn map and pointed to a section highlighted in blue. “They’re covering this area.” She pulled out an identical map, this one with a section outlined in yellow. “And we’re taking this one. Keep an eye out for the camp.”

“
Got it.” I hoped my hastily drawn description was enough for Kat. She was scouting the house from the other boat. I wasn’t a two-dimensional artist, so combined with vague details and my lack of talent, she had her work cut out for her.

I prayed she didn’t identify the wrong camp. I could just see the four of them barging in on some family. One of two things would happen: Either they’d scare the occupants to death, or the owners would shoot and ask questions later.

The algae floating on the surface became dense, and Lucien slowed to maneuver his way through the thick vegetation. Something moved, startling me as it splashed into the river on the right. Gator. It left a sizeable wake as it glided toward the airboat.

My muscles tensed, and I clutched Kane’s leg.

“
Don’t worry. He isn’t going to climb into the boat,” he said, chuckling.

“
You’re sure?” I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the massive thing. “How sturdy is this contraption?”

“
Sturdy enough to haul us through the bayou,” Lucien said.

I glanced at the left side and gasped as the gator rose up in the water and snapped at the side of the boat. “Go faster!” I cried, clinging to Kane.

Kane wrapped his arms around me and tried to hide a smile. I grimaced and turned my attention to Lucien.

“
We can’t.” Lucien appeared unfazed by the five-hundred-pound monster trying to eat the airboat.

“
But—”

“
Stay away from the edge,” Lailah said. “He can’t jump into the boat.”

“
You sure?” I stared at the still water, wondering where the beast had gone.

“
Positive. During tourist season they’re trained to come up to the boats. As long as you don’t feed him your hand, you’ll be fine.”

I bit my lip and moved over one seat so I was sitting right in the middle of the boat. For the remainder of the trip, I planned to stay as still as I could, frozen in my spot.

“
I’m sure you’ll be much safer there,” Kane teased.

I shot him my best death glare, but he only laughed.

The morning sunlight bounced off the trees, casting long shadows and dark corners. At every turn, I was convinced the gator or, worse, a water moccasin, would find its way into the listing airboat. Honestly, the way the hull was crumpled, it wouldn’t take much. I was shocked the boat glided along the top of the water as well as it did.

The radio crackled with an update from Ian. They were a few miles downriver, circling the town of Cajun Cove. We were trolling the small waterways around the island. So far, we’d worked our way past a dozen or so deserted camps, none of them even closely resembling the one I’d dreamed of.

Lailah and Lucien sat together making notes on the map. Kane moved to my side, resting one hand on my knee. He grabbed the binoculars and scanned the banks for any sign of activity. Despite Lailah’s energy transfer, my body became heavy with fatigue. Even the hard candy I’d brought along didn’t help perk me up. My eyes became heavy, and I swear I started to drift off right there in the middle of the bayou. No one bothered me, even though I was supposed to be searching for Philip’s hideout. I’d been still for so long they’d stop paying attention to me.

A tingling sensation washed through me, and I shot up in my seat. Standing, I faced west and stared into the trees and vegetation. Something just beyond the bend called to me.

“
Lucien.” I pointed to a small opening between the overgrown grass. “Turn here.”

He let up on the throttle and the boat cruised to a stop. “You sure?”

“
Yes.” I turned to Lailah. “I feel it. The rest of my soul is there. With Meri.”

Chapter 25

The warped, wood-sided house sat buried in the overgrown marshland. With most of the windows boarded up, the camp appeared deserted. There wasn’t a boat, or even a footpath cut through the thick brush from the dock to the front door. No light, no movement, no life.

I knew better. My emotional radar went into overdrive. I couldn’t sense Philip, but a tiny thread of Dan’s energy reached me. He was inside. Antsy, but not nervous. More like he had cabin fever. Who could blame him?

Most importantly, Meri waited inside with the rest of my soul. My fatigue instantly vanished, and I felt
whole
for the first time in days. Did Meri feel it too? Would she know I was nearby? It didn’t matter. We were already here. I stepped onto the rickety dock. “Let’s do this.”

“
Hold on.” Lucien radioed our location to Ian and stashed the device under a seat.

I eyed the radio and then raised my eyebrows in question.

“
The silence charm only works while we’re on the boat. The last thing we need is Ian trying to reach us before we secure them in the building,” Lailah said.

“
Secure them?” What was this—a sting operation? All I wanted to do was confront Meri. Surely if we duked it out, my soul would find a home with one of us. And that one of us was going to be me, if I had anything to say about it.

“
Yeah.” Lailah gestured to the house. “So Philip can’t transport them anywhere.”

“
He can do that?”

She sighed. “Yes. He’s an extremely powerful angel.”

More powerful than her. The thought popped in my head before I could stop it. I winced and glanced at her, but either she ignored me or our mental connection was on the fritz. “You better hurry. My soul feels whole again. If Meri is paying attention, she might already know I’m here.”

Lailah nodded and split from Lucien as the pair crept along the bank in opposite directions. Their magic collective barely brushed against my skin in a feathery caress. Magic filtered in a silver stream toward the house, split apart, and circled around until the two threads met again, sealing together. Another transparent bubble covered the shack. It was the same type of spell they’d used back when we’d gotten on the airboats. Though, this time the magic hadn’t affected me at all. My soul had to be the difference.

Lailah nodded. “They aren’t going anywhere now.”

With her statement, I strode straight up the front door, not caring who saw me. I didn’t even knock. What was the point?

I threw the door open, surprised they hadn’t even bothered to lock it. Not that a deadbolt would’ve stopped me. I had my strength back. Or so I thought.

My eyes met Meri’s determined gray ones and an internal battle began. My newly won strength faded just as quickly as it had appeared.

Meri seemed to stand taller, more confident with each passing moment. My eyelids grew heavy, and my legs ached with fatigue. All I wanted to do was sink to the floor. A hollow sensation grew inside my gut, and that’s when it hit me. Meri was sucking me dry.

I had to do something. Anything.

I lunged.

Surprise flickered over her face and she side-stepped me, but she was too late. I tackled her, and we crashed down on the rough wood floor. My right elbow throbbed. I grunted and clutched Meri’s arm. Her energy and my soul started to fill the empty crevices of my being. Everything hummed with possibilities. I’d never felt so…powerful.

“
Give it up,” I growled, grasping the raw, tingling edges of my soul. I gripped tighter, ready to suck the last strands from the former demon.

Her sad gray eyes stared straight into me as if she were searching my hidden depths. Then she spoke, her voice broken, defeated. “Take care of him for me.”

“
No!” Dan sprinted from another room and pounced.

I lost my grip, and a sliver of heat slashed through my gut, causing a vague sense of loss. My strength wavered slightly then stabilized. I searched the rough edges of my soul, and I realized a small section had snapped back into Meri.

A small gasp of surprise escaped her lips, echoing my own.

“
Dan, move,” I grumbled, scrambling to get out from beneath him as Kane grabbed his arms.

“
Don’t touch her again, Toller.” Kane’s voice was low and dangerous, matching his hard face. I shuddered a tiny bit. I’d seen him mad before, but never like this. “Next time I’ll put a permanent dent in that straight nose of yours.”

I sprung to my feet, rubbing my battered knee. “Dan! What are you doing? She forced you into Hell.”

“
You don’t understand.” Dan tried to struggle out of Kane’s grip. Kane tightened his hold, forcing Dan’s arms behind his back. “Ouch. Damn it, let go. I’m not going to hurt anyone.”

I stalked up to him. “I’ve been trying to save you from the moment you sacrificed yourself, and this is how I get repaid?”

“
It’s not his fault,” Meri said, keeping her distance.

“
Oh, I know,” I spat at her. “A demon is to blame.”

She winced and a bone-deep shame filled her, echoing in my being.

I closed my eyes for a moment and heaved a heavy sigh. “Kane, you can let Dan go. She’s right, it isn’t his fault.”

“
Are you sure?” he asked.

I nodded.

“
If you say so.” He jerked back on Dan’s arms one more time for good measure and leaned in to speak into his ear. “Touch her again, and I won’t hesitate to break you in half.”

Dan nodded, grimacing.

Kane released him, pushing him forward. Dan stumbled. He caught himself on the back of a wooden chair and glared at Kane.

“
What’s wrong with you?” I demanded, pointing a finger at Dan. “Why are you helping her?”

Dan’s eyes darkened. “She isn’t a demon anymore.”