Demons of Bourbon Street (6 page)

“
Excuse me.” I shifted, trying to get further away from him, accidentally bumping the mom next to me. The baby started wailing again. I ignored her and turned my wrath on Mr. Judgmental. “You don’t know me. I didn’t ask for your sermon. If I were you, I’d stuff a sock in it before someone puts a pox on a body part. Preferably on one all you ignorant bastards have trouble keeping to yourselves.”

So the lack of sleep, the baby crying for most of the last hour, and my anxiety over Lailah had zapped my brain. And my patience.

Anger rose from the depths of the man next to me, crawling over my skin. I cringed and shrunk into myself. His face twisted into a scowl and turned almost purple. Whoever he was, he clearly wasn’t used to women fighting back. He reached up and hit the call for assistance button.

I turned away from him and focused on the baby. The mother had given up trying to do anything for the hysterical child. I closed my eyes, praying for calm, and took a deep, steadying breath. It wasn’t going to work. I’d lost my last nerve.

A perky flight attendant with an easy smile materialized. “What can I help you with, sir?”

“
I cannot sit next to this…
person
any longer. You’ll have to find me a new seat.”

“
I’m sorry, sir.” She frowned helplessly. “Our flight is full. There aren’t any other seats available.”

“
There must be someone willing to switch,” the man drawled, laying his southern charm on thick. “Tell them it’s for Reverend Goodwin.”

I held back a snort. Just my luck. I’d been seated next to a right-winged blowhard who currently topped the Nielsen ratings every Sunday morning on the cable station owned by his grandfather, the mega-media conglomerate powerhouse Fredrick Goodwin. What the heck was he doing in economy class?

The flight attendant’s kind eyes narrowed and irritation radiated from her. “Sir, again, the flight is full. There’s nothing I can do.”

Goodwin raised his voice, clearly going for intimidating, but instead he sounded petulant. “First you overbook and I end up back here, in these sardine can chairs instead of in first class. Then you put me next to this disrespectful, foul-mouthed, unchristian—”

“
Sir, there is no need for name-calling.” She waved to someone at the back of the plane.

Goodwin wiped his brow and gestured toward the window seat, continuing his diatribe. “Not to mention she’s upsetting that poor child. I have a lecture to give twenty minutes after we land. I can’t focus here.”

“
Hey,” I interjected. “I was just sitting here.”

An official with a TSA badge on his arm joined the flight attendant. “Is there a problem?”

“
Yes,” Goodwin said, relief in his voice. “I need to be moved. This woman is causing a disturbance.” He jerked his head in my direction.

“
It seems to me you’re the one disturbing the other passengers.” He glanced at the flight attendant. She gave him a curt nod. Mr. TSA turned his attention back to Goodwin. “You’ll need to come with me.”

“
Thank you.” The reverend rose gracefully from his seat. “If you can arrange anything in first class, I’ll be sure to put a word in with the man upstairs.”

The officer sent him a steely glare. “Sir, you are now in the custody of the TSA until we say otherwise. Please step to the back of the plane.”

“
What?” Goodwin tried to back up, but with the flight attendant in his path, he didn’t have anywhere to go.

“
If you resist, you will be arrested. I suggest you step to the back of the plane.”

I snickered, and Goodwin sent me a death glare. “Now, now, Reverend, that isn’t very Christian of you.”

The TSA agent gave him a nudge, and the pair disappeared to the back of the plane. My shoulders relaxed, and relief bubbled from the young mother beside me. “Sorry about that,” I said.

She cradled her now-whimpering child to her breast. “Don’t apologize. I wish I’d had the courage to tell him off. I’m sure part of the reason Katy is so upset is because that man was making me so mad. Babies sense these things.”

Of course they did. People fed off other people’s surface emotions all the time. They were the lucky ones. I had the pleasure of being up close and personal with everything they were feeling. Blocking it was exhausting. However, there was something I could do to help. “Can I hold her?” I smiled at the bundle in her arms.

“
Um…” The mom glanced at her child and then tentatively held her out. The baby let out a wail she’d been barely holding back. “She’s really fussy with strangers.”

“
Couldn’t hurt to try.” I took the swaddled baby and held her against my shoulder. She continued to cry, sobbing in loud hiccups. Rubbing her back, I cooed softly in her ear. “It’s okay, sweetie. He’s gone.”

My magical spark warmed inside my chest, but I pushed it down. There was no need to spell the child. She just needed some calming energy. It would be better to take it from someone else and transfer it.

I could do it myself, but I still had issues with accidentally transferring my own essence. Not a good thing. If I gave too much away, I’d compromise my soul. Then blackness would take over, and I wouldn’t be trying to get to Hell to save Dan. I’d gleefully try to take everyone I knew to the underworld, for good.

“
Look at you,” a familiar male voice said.

I glanced over to find Kane settling into the chair next to me. “Where’d you come from?”

He smiled. “I used to occupy the seat next to the TSA agent. Leave it to you to cause a scene just so you could get our seats switched.”

I laughed. “Yeah, that’s what happened.”

Kane’s easy calm settled over me. I reached out and touched his leg, letting his energy collect at my fingertips. After a moment, I gently nudged the calm through my body from one hand to the other. The baby’s crying abruptly stopped and she laid her head on my shoulder, breathing steadily.

“
Oh my gosh. You did it,” the young mother whispered. She slumped back against the window and closed her eyes in relief.

“
Thanks,” I whispered to Kane.

He turned tender eyes on me, and when he reached up and gently smoothed the baby’s pale blond hair, my heart melted.

Chapter 4

Kane pulled his Lexus to a stop in front of Lucien’s single shotgun home. Bright red hibiscus blooms filled the flower boxes, and ornate stenciled vines decorated the door and window shutters. The house to the right had vibrant stained glass fitted to each of the front windows, and the house on the left was adorned with a number of handmade, brushed aluminum wind chimes.

The Bywater neighborhood, a few miles east of the French Quarter, housed a community of artists and witches alike. Lucien fit right in. He managed an art gallery and was the second most powerful witch in the New Orleans coven.

I jumped out of the car and ran up the steps of the small porch. The door swung open seemingly on its own. I stopped in the darkened doorway, squinting as I waited for my eyes to adjust. All the shades had been drawn to block out the mid-afternoon sun.

I took a tentative step. “Why is your living room impersonating a vampire lair?”

“
Luminarium
.” Lucien’s voice sounded from deeper in the house. A soft light glowed to life through the archway of the next room. Shotgun homes don’t have hallways. Each room is situated right behind the other, separated only by partial walls or doors.

With Kane and Kat on my heels, we made our way through the living room and straight into Lucien’s office. The light he’d conjured floated near the ceiling, no fixture in sight. Lucien sat at his desk, his jawline stubbled and his blond hair uncharacteristically unkempt.

“
Is Lailah okay? Where is she?” I asked.

“
Other than not knowing what she did for twelve hours, she’s fine. She’s working on a recovery potion in the kitchen.” He barely glanced in my direction before he turned back to the computer. “I’m researching a hunch.”

I stopped behind him and peered over his shoulder. He’d typed
ancient memory charms
into the search field. “You think Philip spelled her?”

“
Philip who?” He finally swiveled, acknowledging us.

“
Philip Pearson. The angel I told you about. I saw him in my finding spell.”

Lucien stared at me. “How can you be certain it was him? You’ve never met the guy.”

“
I’m sure.” I crossed my arms over my chest, daring him to argue with me.

He took a deep breath. “Okay, but it would be better if you thought of that as a working theory for now.”

Was he questioning my magic abilities?

I opened my mouth to protest, but Kane put his hand on my arm. “He’s probably right. Until we verify his identity, we shouldn’t make assumptions.”

I didn’t particularly like them ganging up on me. Who was in charge here?

“
I’m done,” a familiar female voice said from behind me.

I spun, finding Lailah in the archway that led to the back of the house.

“
The potion’s ready,” she continued. “Jade? I could use your help.” She turned and disappeared into the room she’d come from.

“
Kat, can you fill Lucien in on what we learned from Izzy?” I asked.

“
Sure.” She sat perched on a wood-framed futon and crossed her legs.

Kane leaned closer. “Do you want me to go with you?” he whispered.

I shook my head. Absolutely not. Kane would only be a distraction for both of us. “Have a seat. I got this.”

Before he could protest, I escaped into the next room. Then stopped dead in my tracks.

It appeared one had to go through Lucien’s bedroom to get to the kitchen. To the left sat a wrought-iron queen-sized bed, covered by a gorgeous lilac comforter with delicate embroidered orange blossoms. On the nightstand sat a vase of fresh-cut daisies. A couple of bright 3-D, acrylic floral paintings brightened up the opposite wall. I moved, intending to join Lailah, but paused next to his open closet.

I couldn’t help myself. As far as I knew, Lucien didn’t have a significant other. But the room was so…feminine. Was he hiding someone? A quick glance told me if he did, her clothes didn’t mingle with his. Only dress shirts and suits lined his closet.

“
Jade?” Lailah called.

Oops! I glanced back toward the office. A low rumble of voices filtered through the doorway, and I prayed they hadn’t heard Lailah. Fearing someone might investigate, I scooted into the kitchen.

“
It’s about time. What were you doing?” She set a bowl of clear liquid on the table.