Witches of Bourbon Street (14 page)

All of Mom’s energy vanished.

I glared at him. “Give it back.” I reached for it, but he shifted it out of my grasp.

“No. I don’t know what was going on, but your face was chalk-white and you were yelling at it. Neither sounds like a good idea.” He rounded the car and pulled out the other two.

I raced to cut him off before he could stride back into the building. “You don’t understand. My mother is trapped in there.” I pointed to Felicia’s portrait.

“What? Felicia’s your mom?”

“No! Just give it back.” The dude was standing between me and the mother I’d lost over twelve years ago. Nothing, not even the man I loved, could keep me from investigating now. I lunged.

The impact of my body ramming into his forced the frames from Kane’s grip. They tumbled to the ground, but I wasn’t fast enough to grab them before Kane caught me around the waist.

“Jade. Stop.”

Without thinking, I rammed my elbow into his gut.

His breath came out in a whoosh as he doubled over. Ignoring the sharp stab of guilt in my chest, I reached for Felicia and ran. I’d gotten just inside the building when my world started to fade. A heavy gray mist clouded my vision.

Mom
, I tried to scream, but the word rebounded in my head. I took two steps through the blinding fog before I lost all sense of direction and stopped. Foreboding weighed heavily on my conscious. Mom’s energy wasn’t anywhere within reach. Where had she gone?

I focused all of my concentration on the recent memory of her, and the mist started to fade. A shadowy form materialized, the image growing more defined as it approached.

“Mom?” I eeked out.

A sardonic chuckle sounded from the shadow right before Felicia’s face took solid form.

“You!” I said accusingly as I lurched forward. “Where is she, and what do you want?”

“You know what I want, Jade. Help free me from this prison, and I’ll lead you to her.”

I narrowed my eyes. “But she was just here. Bring her to me first.”

Felicia pressed her lips together as her face soured. “No. I cannot risk such a thing. Help me. Then I will help you.”

Her ominous tone made the hair on the back of my neck rise. I hesitated, not sure what I should say. Then I decided if we had her cooperation, maybe it would make the spell go smoother. “Tomorrow night during the full moon. Be ready.”

A satisfied smile crept over her beautiful features. “I’ll be waiting.”

The mist reappeared, blinding me, and what seemed like a second later I woke, lying on my bed with Kane hovering over me.

“Jade?” He peered down at me with worried eyes. Something about him didn’t seem right, but at that moment, I couldn’t put my finger on it.

“How’d I get here?” I pushed myself up on the pillows.

He sat on the edge of the bed. “Are you all right?”

“Fine. What happened?”

He raised his eyebrows at my short tone and straightened, his posture stiff. In a careful, measured voice, he said, “After I recovered from your blow to my gut, I found you passed out, clutching that cursed piece of art. I assumed you’d wake up when I took it from you, but you didn’t, so I carried you here. You woke shortly after that.” Kane stood and strode to the refrigerator. A moment later, he handed me a bottle of water. His face was blank of all emotion. “Want to tell me what that was all about?”

I rolled it in my hands while I tried to work out what to say. Resentment crept through me as I remembered he’d been the one to interrupt the meeting with my mother. I tried to fight the feeling, knowing he had taken care of me after I’d collapsed in the hall. Though, I wouldn’t have been there in the first place if he hadn’t interfered. My eyes met his and I had to work hard to keep the glare off my face.

Apparently, I needed lessons on masking my facial features because his face darkened, and a moment later he moved to the door. “I’ll be in my office when you’re done blaming me for whatever it is you don’t want to talk about.”

The door snapped shut before I could reply.

“Damn.” What was wrong with me? Kane had only been trying to protect me, like he always did. He wasn’t even out of line. In his shoes, I would have taken the portrait away from me too. What exactly had he done with Felicia? I glanced around the room. It didn’t take long to realize the portrait hadn’t made the trip with us. “Double damn.”

I picked up the phone, intending to call Aunt Gwen, but before I could hit send, a loud knock sounded on my door, followed by Pyper letting herself in. “Hey. I hear you maybe could use some company.”

“Kane sent you?”

She gave a short laugh and shook her head. “No. In fact, he told me to stay the hell out of it. But since I rarely listen to him, and he was vibrating with a case of frustrated male moodiness, I figured you could use an ear for venting.”

The refrigerator door squeaked as I reached in for a Diet Coke, wishing it was a chai latte. I held my soda out for Pyper, but she shook her head.

“Don’t you have any alcohol in there?” She slid across my wood floors and gently pushed me out of the way. After a quick peek, she pulled out a bottle of Pinot Grigio. “That’s more like it.”

With my soda can, I curled up at the end of my second-hand couch. When Pyper joined me with a wine glass in hand, I turned to her. “He’s angry. That’s why he’s so moody.”

“Kane?” Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Really? He didn’t seem mad. More like worried and frustrated. You know that look he gets when he can’t control everything.” She took a long sip of wine. “But I guess you’d know better than anyone.”

“Yeah.” But her words nagged at me. Had I felt his anger or anything from him? Now that I thought about it, no, I hadn’t. I’d been the one consumed with anger, but none of his physical energy had entered my awareness. I’d read his feelings from his facial expression and tone of voice.

A cold emptiness ran through me like I’d lost something special. Ever since Kane and I had gotten together, his emotions had been as real to me as my own. I hadn’t even needed to try to read him; they were just always there. Had something happened to me while I’d been trapped in Felicia’s energy?

I turned my attention to Pyper, letting her emotional energy wash over me. Her concern warmed my skin. A smile tugged at my lips. After closing myself off from personal relationships for so long, it still took me by surprise to realize I had a network of friends always ready when I needed them. Pyper was one of the best. Kane was even better. My smile vanished. Why hadn’t I felt his emotions? Had I been too self-absorbed after what had happened? It was possible, but in the last three months, I couldn’t remember a time when I hadn’t been intimately connected with him.

I took a deep breath, trying to control the heavy dose of guilt raking my insides. He hadn’t deserved my overreaction. “Okay, maybe he isn’t angry, per se. But I was. Did he tell you what happened?”

She set her glass down and shook her head. “He just stashed those decrepit, papier-mâché pictures in his office closet and locked it. Then he muttered something about you always getting yourself into trouble.”

“Me?” I cried. “What about you? You’re the one who ended up with an evil spirit stalking you.”

She grimaced. “Don’t remind me.”

“Sorry. I’m a little stressed out.”

Waving a dismissive hand, she turned toward me and lowered her voice. “Ian’s been doing some readings with me in my apartment.”

All my current problems vanished from my mind. “Why? Did something happen?”

She held up her hands and waved them. “No, no. Nothing like that. He’s just being cautious. Or so he says. He says people who have been haunted before are likely to be haunted again. Something about being marked by the other side. I think he’s paranoid. Roy targeted me because of our history. Not because I’m some beacon for the dead.”

I leaned back against the cushion. “Has he gotten anything from his readings?”

“Nope. I
told
him he wouldn’t find anything. But it’s okay. I could think of worse ways to spend a few afternoons.”

“You like him. A lot.” I grinned then sobered, remembering my conversation with Kat. Someone was going to get hurt. I needed to speak to Ian. He had to tell them.

She shrugged and hid a smile. “Maybe. But that’s not why I brought it up.” She pressed her lips together and sent me a sideways glance. “I think you should let Ian do some baseline measurements on you. I’m not the only one who attracted a spirit.”

She was referring to Bobby, the ghost who’d followed me home the first day I’d met Bea. He’d eventually moved on, but his dog had stayed. Eyeing the ghost dog at my feet, I shook my head. “I don’t think that’s necessary. Duke would alert me if something sinister was going on.” When Pyper had been followed by a black shadow, he had barked incessantly every time she was around.

Pyper’s eyes followed my gaze. I knew she couldn’t see Duke. No one else but Bea could. That meant she was likely studying the nail polish flaking off my toes. I had a sudden desire to tuck my feet under the throw pillow. Before I could muster an excuse for neglecting a pedicure, she spoke. “You have a point, but Bobby had been wreaking havoc in your life and Duke never uttered as much as a whimper about him.”

“That’s because Duke was Bobby’s dog.” I stood and crossed the room to my full-length windows. “Look, I don’t care if Ian does some readings, but Kane isn’t going to be on board. You know how he feels about all this. And about Ian. I’ve already hurt him enough today.”

Kane wouldn’t be happy when he found out Pyper was working with Ian, but if I ended up getting involved, it would be a disaster. Even though I had totally and completely chosen Kane, I knew it still bothered him I spent so much time with Ian while working with Bea. Also, he hated when I got involved with anything paranormal. I suspected it was because he had no way to protect me if things went wrong. Hell, who could blame him? I felt the same way.

Except when it came to finding out where my mother was. I already knew one way or another I’d do whatever it took to free Felicia. If it meant embracing my inner witch, I’d do it. Ian conducting a reading wouldn’t help. All that accomplished was a bunch of not-so-scientific numbers that meant almost nothing to me. What I needed to do was talk to Bea. She was the one who could help me develop my witch powers.

I grimaced. My witch powers. It was literally the last thing I wanted to explore.

Pyper’s face darkened. “He’s just going to have to get over himself then, isn’t he?”

The massive irritation surrounding her startled me, and I softened my voice. “Really, it’s fine. I’m not interested in readings. And if I’m being totally honest, I wouldn’t want Kane hanging out with someone he’d dated in the past, either.”

“Not that. The part about how he feels about Ian. Ian has been nothing but helpful to all of us. So what if the two of you went on a date? It obviously didn’t take. Kane needs to stuff his inner caveman right up his—”

“That sounds uncomfortable,” Kane interjected from the doorway.

I jumped, caught totally off guard. When had he gotten there? And where the hell was his emotional signature?

He strode across the room toward us. “And for the record, I don’t have a problem with Ian.”

Pyper stood. “No. You just have a problem when he and Jade are in the same room together.”

He leveled his gaze at her. “No. I have a problem when he’s dragging either of you into paranormal activity.” Pyper opened her mouth to speak again, but Kane put his hand up and gently laid it on her shoulder. “It’s not Ian who’s the problem. It’s your willingness to throw yourselves into any situation, regardless of the consequences.”

His statement silenced her.

He had a point. I was known for doing whatever it took to help my friends and loved ones, no matter the risk to myself. She had shown the same traits. I suspected it was part of the reason he loved us both. It was also why he was so protective.

“So you’re going to be nice to Ian the next time I bring him on a date?” Pyper said with a warning in her tone.

He gave a noncommittal shrug.

“Kaaaaaaane,” she dragged out.

I sat frozen through the whole exchange. Pyper’s irritation and frustration was coming through loud and clear, but I couldn’t get a read on Kane at all. The only other time that had ever happened was the first time I’d witnessed him with Lailah. And she was nowhere to be found at the moment.

Kane ignored Pyper and turned to me. “Jade, there’s someone downstairs I think you’d like to see.”

“Who?” I made no move to get up from the couch. Anyone on my short list of friends would have already come up to my apartment.

He reached his hand out to me. I clasped it, desperate to make a connection. My fingers grasped tightly around his, and when nothing flowed from him, I sent an emotional probe. Nothing. There wasn’t a signature. No emotions vibrating under the surface. It was as if I’d never had an empathy gift at all.

Was he shielding his emotions from me? Had I hurt him that much? I wanted to ask him about it, but I didn’t want to do it in front of Pyper. This was private.

He tugged me to my feet. “You’ll see. Hurry, she’s been waiting.”