by Deanna Chase
“I sure hope so.”
“It is,” he said. “Trust me.”
Marc guided me down the hall and stopped a few feet before we came into view at the top of the grand staircase. “This is it. Ready?”
My heart seemed ready to explode. Our day was finally here despite the ghosts, the demon attacks, and the fact I’d almost died when my soul had been split. Kane had stayed by my side the entire time, and I couldn’t wait to spend the rest of my life with him.
The music changed to the traditional wedding march, and tears sprang to my eyes as we appeared at the top of the stairs. A low murmur ran through the crowd below, but the only things I saw were Kane’s love-filled eyes gazing up at me.
I floated down those stairs, all the foreboding forgotten. The love of the room pressed in on me and filled my heart to almost bursting.
When the minister asked “Who gives this bride?” both Mom and Marc answered. I hadn’t been expecting that. In rehearsal we’d practiced Marc saying it, but I appreciated Mom speaking up as well. It finally felt as if I had a real family. Dysfunctional, yes, but one that cared about one another unconditionally. That was fine with me.
Kane, his expression full of admiration, held his hand out to me. Marc completed the transfer by placing my hand in Kane’s. His fingers immediately tightened over mine and my knees went weak with the sheer emotion radiating from him. It was the most perfect moment of my life.
The minister said a prayer, followed by an earth blessing. Kane grinned at me and ever so slightly jabbed his head in his mother’s direction. I almost laughed, knowing she was probably losing her mind over the earth blessing. She’d already told me no less than five times how out of place it was in the ceremony. But I was a witch. And there couldn’t be a wedding without an earth blessing.
After clearing his throat, the minister continued with our Christian Pagan wedding. “If anyone here knows any reason why these two should not be joined in holy matrimony, speak now or forever hold your peace.”
Silence.
“Excellent—”
A loud boom rippled through the ballroom, followed by a brilliant flash of white light. A collective gasp rose from our friends, and Kane instantly stepped in front of me, shielding me from whatever was to come.
I knew it was instinct, so instead of getting irritated, I just stepped out from behind him to find my real father and his consort Chessandra, the high angel, standing center stage between us and our guests. Anger coiled up from the depths of my soul. What the hell were they doing, and why were they dressed in their gold-embroidered council robes?
Before I could say anything, the high angel waved a hand, casting the entire room in a blue light, and said, “Jade Calhoun and Kane Rouquette, you are hereby summoned to the shadow world immediately.”
“What? Now?” I cried. “We’re getting married.”
Chessandra leveled an unfeeling stare at us. “Change of plans.”
Chapter 2
The room faded to black, and when my eyes adjusted, we were no longer at Summer House—at least, not the one filled with our wedding guests. No, this one was in disrepair with vines growing up the cracked walls and plaster falling from the ceiling. A sad emptiness clung to the air as thick as a hot, humid day.
“What the hell is going on?” Kane demanded in a tight and dangerous voice.
Chessandra bristled. “Watch your tone, dreamwalker.”
My father took a step forward, holding a hand out in a “stop” motion. He was perfectly groomed, but his face was haggard as if he hadn’t slept in days. “Hold on now. Let’s all calm down.”
“Calm down? Are you out of your mind?” I cried as Kane tightened his hand over mine. “Look at us. You ruined our wedding. And what about our guests? Aren’t they going to be freaking out since Kane and I just disappeared?”
“Lailah and Beatrice can cast an illusion spell. They’ll think it never started. You can work out the details later.” Chessandra strode across the room, kicking up dust as she went. She stopped at a broken window and peered out.
“This shouldn’t have happened,” I said to Kane. “We cast a protection spell. No one should have been able to penetrate it.”
Dad cleared his throat. “I was invited, remember? Chessa was my date.”
“Figures,” I mumbled and then glared at my father. “This is insane. I can’t believe you went along with this.”
He opened his mouth to speak, but Chessandra cut him off. “A witch’s life is on the line. And unfortunately you’re the only one who can help her. So forgive me if I ruined your special day.” Her tone was clipped and sarcastic. She didn’t give one flying monkey about our wedding.
I rarely experienced true hatred. Not within myself anyway, but I was dangerously close to the edge just then. How dare she?
Kane and I shared a glance. Every witch I knew was already at my wedding. “Who is it?” I asked, unable to tamp down my curiosity.
Drake, my dad, sent Chessandra a concerned look. “She works for the angel council and is stuck in the shadow world.”
“So send someone else,” Kane said and wrapped an arm around me. “We don’t work for the council yet. I demand you transport us back to the wedding. Or else we’ll take this up with the witches’ council appointed to oversee shadow walkers.”
“Weren’t you paying attention?” Chessandra whirled and faced us. “There isn’t anyone else. You two are the only chance to rescue her before she’s stuck forever. You’re not going back. Not until you find out what happened to her.”
Tears glistened in Chessandra’s eyes as she ran a shaky hand over her frazzled chestnut hair. She was moments from unraveling. Nothing about her resembled the sleek angel we’d met a few weeks ago when we’d negotiated the terms of our new positions.
“What do you mean, we’re the only two who can help her?” Kane asked. “Where are all the other shadow walkers?”
The color drained from Chessandra’s face, and a ball of panic started to filter through me. The outrage that had been consuming my mind started to dissipate. Something had gone terribly wrong, something that even the high angel couldn’t fix, and we were being pulled right into the middle of it.
Drake put a hand on Chessandra’s shoulder and faced us. “Others have tried. They have not been successful.”
“Tried? What happened?” I was a powerful witch, I didn’t deny that, but it wasn’t as if I was expertly skilled. I’d only been an active witch for less than a year. My knowledge in all things magic was sadly lacking. If others couldn’t save this missing person, I had no idea how I could.
“Maybe we should sit down?” Drake glanced around and gestured to a beat-up living room set. The tattered settee and both wing-backed chairs were covered in dust.
I glanced down at my dress and wanted to cry. “You can’t be serious.”
“Just say what you have to say.” Something close to rage streamed from Kane. He was seconds from kicking some serious angel ass.
Chessandra turned slowly, her eyes wide and glowing red.
“Oh, crap,” I muttered and pressed into Kane. Red eyes? Creepy. It was a sign she wasn’t far from losing control.
“Matisse—Mati—was working on a spell to block the veil between Hell and the shadow world. It worked, but something went terribly wrong and now she’s trapped…somewhere. Angels and shadow walkers alike have both come up empty.”
I gasped. If they couldn’t find her in the shadow world, then… “Could she be trapped in Hell?” Please, no. Not Hell. The last time we’d been there we’d barely made it back, and even then only because we’d had the help of two angels.
Drake quickly shook his head. “No. We don’t think so.” He shot Chessandra a glance. “She still feels a vague connection to her. If Mati were in Hell, Chessa would know. The soul-crushing oppression of Hell would be affecting them both.”
That was something at least.
“Why us?” Kane asked. “If no one else can find her, what makes you think we can?”
“Because of this.” Chessandra reached into her pocket and held her fisted hand out to me. “She gave this to me before we started working on the spell just in case anything went wrong.” She dropped a gleaming silver dragonfly into my hand. “It’s important to her. When we set the finding spell, it always goes to the same place.”
As we waited for her to finish the explanation, my impatience grew to obnoxious levels. “Dragging out the details for effect is not the way to get on my good side,” I warned.
Kane hid a smile, and Drake let out a sigh.
The high angel narrowed those blood-tinged eyes at me. “It always ends up at your lover’s club.”
Startled, I jerked my head in Kane’s direction. His eyebrows were raised. He was clearly just as surprised as I was. Why would she go to the club? Unless…
Recognition dawned in Kane’s expression and we both said, “The portal.”
“What portal?” Drake asked.
“Bea opened one to Hell at the club in order to banish an evil spirit,” I said quietly. “But if the veil to Hell has been closed, I don’t know that we’ll be able to open it again.”
“If it’s truly a portal, and not a gate to Hell, it shouldn’t be a problem. Open it, and you’ll find our witch,” Chessandra said with finality as if the conversation was over.
I glanced at Kane. His expression mirrored exactly how I felt: completely confused and extremely dubious. “So you don’t really know if I can. You’re just hoping that’s the case, right? What if I do find her but then can’t get back myself?”
“You’ll find a way,” Chessandra said. “Your power…it’s unparalleled.”
“Jade,” Drake said. “Please. We need you to try.”
We. The desperation filling the room pressed in, threatening to suffocate me. This seemed personal for both of them. I would help if I could. I’d never leave someone trapped in another dimension if there was something I could do about it, especially not with my history. My mother had been trapped in Purgatory for over fifteen years, and no one had tried to help her, not even the angels. I narrowed my eyes.
“Hey. Why are you suddenly worried about this witch? When Mom was taken to Purgatory after trying to help an angel, the council didn’t step in then.”
Chessandra hung her head.
Drake went to her side and bent to whisper in her ear. She nodded, and when she looked up, pink-tinged tears ran down her cheeks. Whoa, pink?
Drake noticed my alarm and said, “It’s the blood of her ancestors.”
Chessandra wiped the moisture from one eye and held her fingers up, staring at them. In a wispy, ethereal voice, she said, “We weep the blood of our own when they are at death’s door.”
Kane stiffened beside me. “Are you saying this witch belongs to you?”
“Not belong, Mr. Rouquette.” Chessandra focused on him as her unearthly expression vanished. Those red-tinged eyes dilated and a fire lit in them. “Mati is my sister.”
“Okay,” I said quietly.
“Jade—” Kane started.
I held up a hand and turned to him. “I can’t leave her there. You know I can’t. You can’t either. I know you.”
He dropped his gaze and gestured to the gorgeous silver dress. “But what about the wedding?”
“I know.” I grimaced. “But what else are we going to do? Say no?” I pulled away and shook my head. “I can’t do that. Can you?”
He closed his eyes and sighed. “No.”
I threw my arms around him, hugging him tight, overwhelmed at his huge heart and unwavering support. “I love you.”
“I know, pretty witch.”
I turned to the angels. “Fine. We’ll help, but I have to get home to change.”
“Bring her back,” Chessandra said and waved an arm. The darkness faded as the world blurred around us. I groped for Kane’s hand, coming up empty. When the world righted itself, my head was spinning, but Kane was standing next to me, holding me up. And right in front of us was his shotgun double in the French Quarter.
Kane put his hand on the small of my back and led me into the house. Once inside, he pulled me into his arms. “You okay?”
I swallowed. “Yeah.”
Tenderness filled his deep-chocolate eyes. “You’re amazing, you know that?”
I let out a choked laugh. “More like a walking nightmare. No one else has angels breaking up their wedding.” I placed a hand over his heart, my own breaking from the rush of emotion I felt seeing him in his tux. “You’re the amazing one for sticking with me through the crazy.”
He covered my hand and then brought it to his lips. “I’m part of the crazy, too, love. The evil started at my club, remember?”
Tears filled my eyes. “I know.” Sniffling, I met his penetrating gaze. “But you have to admit if it wasn’t for me, you likely wouldn’t be in this mess.”
He brushed a lock of hair off my forehead. “Babe, without you, my life would be empty and incredibly dull. We’ll do what we have to and then this wedding will go on. Now let’s get you out of that dress and go kick some ass.”
The way he said get you out of that dress made me go a little weak in the knees. Then I instantly felt horrible for my reaction. A woman’s life was on the line.
I nodded and headed for the bedroom. A sense of loss filled me as I slipped out of my wedding finery. Why couldn’t I have one normal day? Sighing, I hung my dress up and pulled on jeans and a T-shirt. There were about two hundred bobby pins and a gallon of hair spray keeping my hair in the fancy updo. It looked fairly ridiculous with my casual attire, but unless I spent the next half hour unpinning and then washing the product out, I was just going to have to live with it.
Kane changed into a similar uniform: blue jeans and a black T-shirt.
Clutching the dragonfly, I followed him into the kitchen. Hope and happiness streamed off Mati’s talisman. She’d had positive energy before she’d been trapped. That was a good sign. “Ready?”
“Unless you think we should call in reinforcements.”
I thought about that for a moment. Getting the coven members to downtown during Mardi Gras would take hours. And if we did open a portal, once we slipped into another dimension, their power wouldn’t be useful anyway. Not unless they came with us. It was very tempting, though. Having others as backup was definitely preferable. But I shook my head. “I think we can at least check things out. See if we can find any clues first. I just hate the idea of leaving anyone trapped any longer than necessary if we can do something about it.”
“Okay, but I’m not letting you go anywhere by yourself.”
He wasn’t kidding, either. He’d followed me into Hell once. “Got it.” I held the dragonfly out. “I’m going to use this to create a connection to her. I want to see for myself where it goes.” I pulled some herbs out of my rack and went to work with the pestle and mortar. Once the ingredients were ground together, I placed the dragonfly in Kane’s hand.
He stood still, eyes locked on me. It was intense and oddly moving. This was the first time Kane and I were going to officially work together as shadow walkers. I smiled at him. Taking a pinch of the poppy seed and white willow mixture, I sprinkled the herbs over the dragonfly and said, “Goddess of the earth, we humbly offer the herbs of discovery.” The dragonfly immediately started to glow. “May your sight see through the veils of the universe and lead us to our quest.” Magic tingled from the center of my chest, and when I touched the dragonfly, it lit with sparkling white light.
For a moment, we stared at the pin. Then just as I was ready to give up, it fluttered to life.
“Wow. Impressive, Jade,” Kane said, his eyes wide.
I grinned. It wasn’t exactly a complicated s
pell, but the fact that it worked without having to call on the coven’s collective magic pleased me. “Now we’re ready to roll.”
Kane held up a hand. “Wait. Better leave a note for everyone. They’re bound to come looking for us sooner or later.”
“Good idea.” Our phones were still at Summer House.
Kane scribbled a note and left it on the counter. Pyper had a key. She’d find it.
“Go forth, dragonfly,” I said. “Take us to Mati.”
Kane and I followed the dragonfly out of the house, down his street, and then turned left into the crowds of Bourbon Street. The collective excitement of the crowd clung to me, both giving me a boost and draining me at the same time. No matter what I did, I couldn’t block out the emotions of hundreds of people all at once. The crowd was the exact opposite of an emotional vampire, like a drug rush or something. But it also left me raw and unable to control any of it.
“Oh, damn.” I waved a hand upward, forcing the dragonfly above the crowd. The last thing we needed was for it to get lost in the crowd, even though it seemed fairly obvious it was headed for the club.
Kane pressed against me, his hands on my hips as we fought our way through the hordes of people and the rogue strands of beads being thrown everywhere. Instant relief. His steady energy flowed into me, fortifying my own. I clung to him like a lifeline. It was slow going, but we’d gotten quite a few blocks before we were finally assaulted with a mass of flying beads. I ducked.
“Son of a bitch!” Kane cried and let go of me. The crowds instantly filled in the space between us and panic filled me, along with the crowd’s collective energy. My body hummed with it, making me want to crawl right out of my own skin. The violation of hundreds of strangers’ energy was something I wouldn’t wish on anyone.
“Kane!” I cried, pushing against a large intoxicated man begging a woman to flash her tits for him. “Move.”
When the man didn’t budge, magic burst from my fingertips.
“What the fuck?” he sneered, rubbing his arm. “What the hell, bitch? You got a stun gun or something?”