by Deanna Chase
The storm raging in Kane’s eyes told me he’d rather do just about anything other than listen to Meri. I sighed and nodded at Kane. The sooner we got this over with, the sooner I could lie in his bed with his strong arms keeping me safe. He frowned but gently placed me on my feet.
My knees instantly buckled.
Kane caught me and pulled me to him. “This isn’t going to work.”
“Trust me,” Meri said again and reached a hand out to me.
I stared at it as if her fingertips were fangs.
“Jade,” Dan said. “Please, Meri’s only trying to help.”
Yeah,” I huffed. “Every time someone tries to help, all hell breaks loose.”
“You want to go home, don’t you?” Meri smiled at me, her deep gray eyes almost appearing kind.
Damn, I wished I could read her to make sure I understood her current emotional state. She could be totally faking. But it was either take her hand or stay in the store all night. And I had catering samples to taste.
I reached out my right hand and clasped hers. The effect was immediate. My heart fluttered, and the space below my breastbone seemed to swell. All the masked pain dissipated, and for the first time in a month, I felt normal, one hundred percent myself, ready to face anything. Just the way I had before I’d lost half of my soul.
“Feel better?” Meri asked, her eyes going wide with surprise.
“Yes.”
“Me, too. Let’s go figure out how to make this permanent.”
I was so alive. So happy. So myself. I turned to Lailah with a look of wonder, ready to ask why she hadn’t told me this would happen, but her shocked expression stopped me. “Lailah? What is it?”
She blinked. “You’re…holy shit.”
“Whoa,” Philip said softly.
“What?” I demanded, getting more irritated by the second.
“It’s your aura,” Lailah said. “It’s just shifted from purple-tinged to pure white.”
“Yeah, so?” Purple was the sign of an intuitive. I was somewhat surprised the color hadn’t changed as soon as Meri had taken my empath gift. “Mixing with an angel could certainly mask the purple or wipe it out altogether.”
“No, Jade. Meri’s is still purple-tinged. Yours faded to pure snow white. Something’s changed. It’s the sign of a full-fledged angel’s soul.”
Chapter 6
Everyone decided to meet us back at Kane’s house except Bea. Concerned about our ghost sighting, she opted to go home and strengthen the wards around her house. And to also research ghost possessions. With three angels and my mother watching over me, I had more than enough keepers.
“A full-fledged angel?” I whispered from Kane’s couch for the third time and glanced at Meri sitting in the chair across from me.
She craned her neck to check on Dan, who was sitting by himself in the dining room. Normally, I wouldn’t invite my ex into the home I shared with Kane, but she’d given me no choice. She’d insisted he come with her. She seemed to sense my gaze and stared back, studying me.
“Do you think they’re right? Is it possible that I have some sort of angel gene?” I asked her. She was an angel, after all, and a former demon. She should have some knowledge.
Kane shifted beside me and squeezed my leg.
Slowly, Meri shook her head. “No. I’ve never heard of a witch turning angel. Besides, the soul you and I share is exactly what I’d expect from a powerful witch, not an angel.”
Angels existed to protect souls. It made sense she’d know what mine was supposed to feel like. “What about whatever you did to me back at the shop? We shared some sort of energy. You could’ve transferred a part of you.”
“It doesn’t work that way. I was only letting our souls connect so they could restore themselves. Nothing more.”
Good. I did not want to be an angel. After my experience with the angel council, I wanted as little to do with them as possible. Present company excepted.
The door rattled and swung open, bouncing with a crash off a stone umbrella stand. Pyper bounded in, Ian at her heels. He had his bag slung over a shoulder, a camera in one hand and his EMF detector hanging from another. Without stopping, he headed into the middle of the room, dropped his bag, and sank to one knee. A second later he had the rest of his equipment spread out around him.
I stiffened. “What are you doing?”
His head jerked up at my harsh tone. Frowning, he put down his equipment and stood. “I’m going to take some readings so we know the house is safe.”
“No.” I stood on shaky legs, staring him down. “Not after what happened at Bea’s shop.”
Kane rose, positioning himself to my right but just behind me. I sent him a slight smile in recognition of the gesture. He was there if I needed him, but he’d let me handle this.
“But—”
“No. You’ve already done readings here once before. Nothing was found, and I’m sure as hell not letting you invite anything else into Kane’s home.”
“Our home,” Kane interjected.
“Jade.” Pyper touched my arm. “He’s only trying to help.”
I turned on her. “Like he tried to help by kissing me after the ghost possessed me and I couldn’t do anything to stop it?” I clapped a hand over my mouth. Had I really just blurted that? Shit.
Kane’s hand tensed on my shoulder as my words hung in the air. Pyper gaped at me, and then hurt clouded her bright blue eyes. She turned abruptly to glare at Ian. His face flushed bright red.
Oh, double shit. I’d planned to tell Kane, but I hadn’t wanted to hurt Pyper. Before Kane and I got together, Ian had made no secret of his interest in me. But he’d been dating Pyper the last few months. I’d truly thought he was over his fascination with me.
“You did what?” Pyper asked through clenched teeth.
Ian backed up, his expression resembling a deer in the headlights.
Kane bent close to my ear. “A heads-up would’ve been nice.”
I turned to him and wrapped my arms around his waist, burying my head in his chest. He straightened, his body turning rigid. When he didn’t return my embrace, a tiny piece of my heart shattered.
I sucked in a shaky breath. “I was going to tell you after everyone left. I didn’t mean to blurt it out like that. He just made me so angry…” Tilting my head up, I prayed he saw the truth echoing in my eyes. “I really didn’t have any control over the situation. You know I don’t harbor any feelings for Ian. I never have.” And right then, I had a fair amount of contempt for the ghost hunter. “You don’t honestly believe I would hurt you or Pyper like that, do you?”
Kane sighed and wrapped one arm around me. His other hand came up and brushed a stray lock of hair behind my ear. “Of course not. I want nothing more than to deck the asshole, but it looks like Pyper might beat me to it.”
She’d backed Ian up against the front door and fisted his T-shirt in her hands. Visibly shaking, she gave him a verbal lashing in a hushed tone, making it impossible to hear what she was saying. But the expression on his face made it obvious whatever she’d said wasn’t pleasant. He didn’t even try to defend himself. He just stood there and took her wrath.
Smart move, considering how pissed she was.
“Bastard,” Pyper spat and shoved him against the door. “Get out.”
He reached a tentative hand out toward her, but she knocked it away. With her hands clenched in tight balls, she lowered her arms to her sides and took a step back.
Ian’s eyes never left hers as he reached behind him to open the door. He took one step forward and paused. “I do have an explanation when you’re ready to hear it.” He glanced at me and Kane.
Heat radiated from Kane, no doubt the anger he was trying to control.
Ian closed his eyes in defeat, and when he opened them he grabbed his bag of equipment, nodded once, and slipped outside.
Pyper slammed the door on his retreating back. “Shit,” she said and stalked back to the kitchen.
“That
was…uncomfortable,” Meri said.
“I bet,” Dan said, sending her a look of sympathy. He leaned against the wall with one leg crossed over the other. Meri smiled at him and crossed the room, following him back into the adjoining dining room.
Twenty minutes later, I was sprawled on the couch, too exhausted to move, when Lailah, Philip, Mom, and Gwen showed up. They’d stayed at Bea’s shop to cleanse the space, making sure Camille and any other potential ghosts were gone. Everyone was too busy arguing to pay any attention to me.
“She’s not an angel,” Mom insisted, talking over Philip as they moved deeper into the house. They gathered in the dining room where there were more chairs. “There’s no possible way.”
“But her aura says otherwise,” he replied in a patient tone. “Whether she was one before or not, it’s clear she shows signs of being one now. I want to find out why.”
I grimaced at Philip’s words. I wasn’t a damn angel. White Witches could have white auras. Mine had happened to be tinged purple due to my empath gift. But I wasn’t an intuitive anymore. No wonder my aura had changed.
Kane emerged from the kitchen. “Hot chocolate?” he asked, holding an oversized red mug out to me.
I propped myself up on the pillows, smiling at him. Through all the chaos and uncertainty, he was there, offering me my comfort drink of choice, complete with homemade whipped cream. Tucking my feet underneath me, I gestured to the couch. “Sit with me.”
Kane settled in beside me, his strong, capable arm pulling me close to his body. He kissed the top of my head. “Looks like our brief reprieve has come to an end.”
“Where’s Kat?” I asked him.
He shrugged. “Maybe she went home?”
I raised my eyebrows and cast him a side-long glance.
He chuckled. “Okay, probably not. When they calm down, you could ask someone.”
“Yeah.” I stared into his gorgeous toffee-flecked chocolate eyes, remembering the gleam that had been there this morning, and shook my head sadly. “We’ll never get this wedding planned. And now, unless we find a way to banish Camille, I can’t go back to Summer House.”
His arm tightened around me. “Don’t think for a minute I’m letting my angel get away from me. The wedding will go on as planned.” His lips curved in a half-grin. “Even if I have to snatch a justice of the peace and marry you in the street.”
I ignored his taunt. “But Summer House…” I trailed off, not wanting to say the words. It was where he’d proposed, where his grandparents were married. Part of his history. He deserved a grand, elegant wedding, not some half-assed Bourbon Street tourist attraction. What if Camille possessed me the day of the wedding? Would Kane be married to her? I shook my head, banishing the thought.
Kane’s hand slid over mine, warm and reassuring. He leaned in, his breath tickling my ear. “Summer House is only a house. I told you before I don’t care where we live, and I’m telling you now I don’t care where we get married. I only want you.” His lips brushed lightly over my temple. “No matter what.”
My mother’s voice rose from the other room. “I already told you, Jade is not an angel. It’s impossible. Find a different explanation!” Her footsteps rang through the house as she stomped toward the kitchen. A second later, the back door slammed.
“Hope,” Gwen called and followed her.
I sighed and turned my gaze to Lailah. She stood with her hands jammed in her cargo pants pockets, watching Philip watch his ex-mate. Meri had moved back into the living room and sat as far away from everyone as she could get. Her eyes were closed, and the pained expression on her face made me tense with alarm. But when Mom stormed back into the house, ranting at Gwen about my supposed angel status, Meri’s face pinched even more, and I realized she was just having trouble processing the high emotions running through the room.
It was bound to happen. She hadn’t grown up being exposed to everyone’s emotions from birth. I’d developed ways to shield myself. From the looks of it, she needed help.
“Mom,” I said evenly.
“It’s no one’s business but mine and Jade’s,” she carried on.
“Hope,” Philip said, “I’m just trying to find out why her aura changed suddenly. That’s all. It could be a clue to help figure out the possession.”
“Maybe it’s because she only has half a soul,” Mom snapped. “Thanks to you!”
“Mom.” I raised my voice.
She spun and hurried to my side, placing a tentative hand on my shoulder. “What is it, honey?”
I sat up. Kane’s grip eased, but he didn’t let go. At one time, that would have annoyed me. Now his actions were reassuring, as if I had support in anything I did. “You need to calm down.” I nodded toward Meri. “She’s having issues controlling my gift.”
Mom jerked her attention to Meri. She watched her friend and then slowly lowered herself to the arm of the couch. Rolling her shoulders, she reached one hand behind her neck and kneaded her muscles. “Sorry,” she said to Meri.
The tension in Meri’s face eased a bit. She nodded at Mom.
“If you need a reprieve, you can go outside for a few minutes,” I offered. Sometimes nothing worked but solitude. Experiencing everyone else’s emotions was as physically draining as it was emotionally. If you couldn’t block people out, “emotional vampire” took on a whole new meaning.
Meri shook her head and stared at me pointedly. “I can’t.”
Frustration welled in my chest. “Seriously? You’ll be, like, twenty feet away.” Then a sinking horror coiled in my gut. “Are you saying we have to stay in the same room until this is figured out?”
“No, just the same building. The walls absorb energy, giving you more breathing room. But when one of you goes outside, the other needs to stay close. It’s more of a risk,” Philip said.
That was something at least.
Meri got to her feet, waving off Dan, who sprang to her side. Where had he come from?
“Dan,” Mom said, sounding just as surprised as I was, “you’re still here.”
He nodded and hunched his shoulders. “I wanted to make sure Meri was okay.” He glanced at her, and I wondered, not for the first time, what kind of relationship they had. It skeezed me out to imagine a romantic one. Meri had been his dad’s mate. I shuddered with the thought. Too gross.
“I’m perfectly fine, Dan,” Meri said with a slight grimace. “Really, stop worrying.”
Dan hovered, and Meri turned to him, her gray eyes flashing with irritation. When he didn’t take the hint, she used both hands to shove him sideways.
“Hey!” he protested, rubbing his arm. “Watch it, will ya? You didn’t need to put any angel power behind the blow. Jeez. You gave me a dead arm.”
She smirked, something I hadn’t seen her do before. A sense of recognition washed over me. For the first time since Meri had come into my life, she was behaving like a living, breathing human, not a demon or an angel.
As I watched them, I realized I’d never seen her or Dan touch intimately or share a lover’s glance. No, they interacted with each other much more like the way Pyper and Kane usually did. Fiercely loyal and relentless. Just like brother and sister. A vision of Dan helping Meri find her strength so they could leave Hell came rushing back. I’d witnessed their struggle through a dream while I’d been sharing a soul with Meri. Ah, their relationship became clear. They’d bonded while fighting for survival.
Meri glanced toward the dining room, where Lailah and Philip sat talking quietly. Philip lifted his head to meet her eyes. Meri glanced away without any acknowledgement.
Lailah’s lips formed a thin line as her gaze darted between Philip and Meri.
He abruptly pushed his chair back and stood. “There isn’t anything else to do tonight.”
Lailah rose, still watching him. “You’re leaving?”
“I have research to do. Jade should be safe as long as Meri’s here.” He nodded his goodbye to Lailah and strode over to where I sat with Kane and M
om. “I’ll be by tomorrow to let you know what I find.”
I suppressed a scowl. I didn’t want him around or working on this new development. It was my dumb luck he was still my guardian angel. If it were up to me, I’d have let Kane rip a limb or two off, but that would’ve only gotten Kane imprisoned in the time-warp room and me back in the angel court, trying to free him. Philip wasn’t worth it. The back-stabbing piece of angel turd.
It was much easier to deal with him when I pretended he didn’t exist. Reluctantly, I gave him a short nod, indicating my consent. Without saying another word, he left. The room gave a collective sigh of relief as soon as the door slammed shut.
“Where’s Kat?” I asked Lailah this time.
She glanced around. “She’s not here?”
Dan got to his feet. “She said she’d be a few minutes behind us but”—he glanced at the wall clock—“that was an hour ago.”
My heart pounded with fear. I grabbed my phone, but before I could hit Send, Dan was already speaking to her voicemail.
“Damn,” he said, shoving his phone into his pocket. “No answer.”
I jumped up and grabbed my purse. “Meri, let’s go.”
She startled. “Where?”
“We’re going to backtrack to the store, and if we don’t find her, we’ll head to her apartment. Something’s wrong. Nothing would keep Kat away on a night like this. Not even if I begged her.” I strode to the door and turned to give her an impatient glance when she didn’t move. “Well, hurry up.”
Kane moved in front of me. “Maybe it’s better if Lailah and your mom go.”
The magic in my chest tingled and electric sparks sprang to my fingertips. Shocked, I stared at the blue-tinged glow, overwhelmed with the desire to blast him out of my way.
Holy crap, Jade. Get a grip.
Horrified, I backed away from everyone. I’d almost zapped Kane.
Mom’s hands covered mine. Her soothing earth magic stifled the electric desire. “You’re too weak after what happened, sweetie. It isn’t your fault. Magic can take on a life of its own when your body has been through so much.”