by Deanna Chase
We’d decided not to transfer the coven back to me until we were certain Camille was out of my life and I had a handle on my new ability. So far, everything seemed normal, but I’d made up my mind to hold off until after the honeymoon. For the next month, the coven was Bea’s responsibility.
“I suppose, but I wanted to talk with you about it first.” He met my gaze. “We both know Bea is only holding your spot for you. Since I was your second in command, it felt right to talk to you first.”
Slowly, I sat in one of the velvet-covered chairs across from the couch. “I’m not happy about the idea, but I do understand.”
“I’m not sure you do.” He glanced at Kat. Something painful clung to him.
My heart clenched. “I’m pretty sure I do.” That pain clinging to him was anguish-filled love. He was in love with Kat, and I was almost positive she didn’t know it.
His head shot up as he glanced between us. Then he must have seen the understanding in my eyes because he nodded. “Maybe you do.”
Kane shifted behind me. I sensed him but wasn’t expecting it when he leaned down and clamped a hand on my shoulder.
The room turned gray and across from me, Lucien’s form was solid black.
“I think Kat and I should give you two some time,” Kane said into my ear.
I clasped his hand, forcing him to stay connected with me. “Wait!”
He stiffened but didn’t move.
I pointed at Lucien. “What do you see?”
He sucked in a breath. “Darkness.”
“Does he look solid black to you?”
Kane nodded. “Yes.”
“What?” Kat and Lucien asked in unison.
My vision blurred, and I let myself see past the blackness. Lucien’s form was outlined in solid gray. It wasn’t that he was consumed by darkness; the darkness clung to him. “It’s the curse.”
“Whoa,” Kane breathed.
I let go of Kane’s hand. The world turned back to color. “No.”
“No?” Kat said, her voice high-pitched. “What does that mean?”
I shook my head. “I’m not letting Lucien leave the coven.”
“But Jade—” Lucien started.
“No,” I said again. “You’ve been cursed, and it’s clinging to your soul. I refuse to let you renounce the coven. We’ll find a way to fix it. One way or another. Understand?”
They were both silent. Kat got up and moved to the door. “I’ll give you a minute. I’ve got to get that thing from my car anyway.” She quietly slipped from the room.
Kane nodded to me and followed her.
Weariness radiated off Lucien. “Clinging to my soul?”
“And your heart,” I said quietly.
“It’s a love curse then.” It wasn’t a question, only a realization.
“I’m afraid so.”
He hung his head. “Then you have to let me leave.”
“Why?”
Sighing in frustration, he moved to the couch, taking Kat’s place. “It will only go away one of two ways: if I fall out of love with her, or if she dies. I don’t think I can do the first, and the second…” He ran a frustrated hand through his blond hair. “I’ll never let that happen.”
“And what if you fall in love with someone else? What will you do then?”
He shook his head. “I won’t.”
“You can’t control love, Lucien.”
“I can, and I will.” The pain seeping off him stabbed at my heart and was too much to bear.
I reached out and grabbed his hand. “That’s no way to live. If I know one thing about my friend, it’s that if she loves you back, she’ll fight fiercely for you. Trust me when I say she won’t give up. Do you really think you can walk away from that?”
“I have to.” His voice broke and he swallowed. “I can’t let anything happen to her. I’m a death sentence.”
I stood. “Not if I have anything to say about it. I forbid your request, and I’ll make damn sure Bea does to. Got that?” I was so frustrated I was shaking. “Don’t give up on us. We won’t ever give up on you. We’ll find a way to break the curse. Hell, Lucien, we brought Bea back from black magic. What makes you think we can’t fight this?”
The muscles in his arms flexed as he fought for control. “Because I’ve been researching this curse. No one ever survives it. Not one. They all die.”
“Kat didn’t,” I challenged. “We brought her back.”
“Yeah, by some miracle. I can’t risk it again. I won’t.”
I narrowed my eyes. “She’s my best friend. I’d do anything for her. Anything.”
“So would I.”
“Except stay and fight for her.”
“Dammit, Jade!” His fist came down on the sixteenth-century end table, causing it to creak and bow under the pressure. “I’m doing this for her.”
“No, you’re not.” I lowered my voice “You’re doing it because you’re scared. Just promise me a month. Bea’s staying with the coven for the next four weeks. Give us that long to work on this.”
He closed his eyes.
“Lucien?”
“Yeah?”
“Trust me.”
His conflicted gaze bored into mine. “If anything happens to her…”
I nodded my understanding, praying I’d made the right decision. Neither of us said another word. I wouldn’t let anything happen to Kat, and neither would he. Lucien stared at me, his body tense and filled with unease. Then he turned and quietly let himself out. I sat down behind the desk and let out a shaky breath.
“Jade?” Kat let herself back in.
I forced a smile. “Hey.”
“You talked him into staying?”
“For now.”
“Thank the Goddess.” She slumped into a chair. “I thought he was ready to skip town after what had happened to me.”
I nodded. That had been his exact plan.
She pulled an envelope from her purse. “Your mom gave me this to give to you. She said she’s never read it and to tell you she’s sorry. That she had her reasons.”
I took the crumpled envelope from her hands and ran a finger over my name scrolled in jerky cursive handwriting.
“It’s from Marc,” she said.
I nodded, recognizing the green envelope from memory. “She said she didn’t know where it was.”
Kat gave me a sympathetic smile. “I’m sure this is hard on both of you. Obviously, she planned to tell you, or she wouldn’t have brought this from Idaho.”
I nodded again. She must’ve. I didn’t believe for a moment Gwen would’ve kept this from me.
“She also gave me this.” Kat produced a smaller beige envelope and passed it to me.
I recognized the handwriting instantly. It was Mom’s.
Kat rose and kissed me on the cheek. “Call if you need me.”
My eyes never left the beige envelope in my hand. “I will. You do the same.”
“Always.” The door clicked softly behind her.
The room was so quiet I could hear the sound of my own breathing. Why did Mom send me a letter instead of speaking to me in person? Anger rippled through me. Damn her. I turned the envelope over and ripped it open. The card that fell out had one of those stupid LOL cats on the front with his head buried in its paws. The caption read, I screwed up.
Understatement of the century.
Inside she wrote:
I don’t have any excuse other than I was scared for you. Council angels have a way of destroying people. I never wanted you to go through that. I should’ve known there was no escaping it. Your real father—the one who helped raise you, Marc—never agreed with me. My stubbornness eventually tore us apart. I hope you can forgive me for that too. He’s a good man. I should’ve never kept him from you.
Mom.
Tears pooled in my eyes. After all I’d come to know about the council, I couldn’t fault her for trying to protect me from them. They were self-serving and all but void of humanity. I’m not sure
I would’ve made the same choices she had, but I did understand her motivation. And it came from a place of love.
With trembling hands, I carefully tore the seal from Marc’s letter.
My darling Jade,
It’s been two years now since I last saw you. I can still envision you standing by that stream, a daisy tucked behind your ear as you squealed, trying to bait that hook. As long as I live, I’ll never forget the delight I saw on your face when I told you we’d spend the day together. It’s one of those precious father/daughter moments that brands your heart.
By now, I’m certain your mother has told you the truth. Otherwise she wouldn’t be delivering this letter to you. It’s true, you are not my biological daughter, but you are mine in every way that counts. I held you as a baby, watched you sleep, worried when your fever wouldn’t break. My heart aches when I think of all the hours we’ve lost and the thousands more we’re bound to miss out on, all because your mother and I are unable to come to a reasonable compromise.
You’ll never know how much being away from you breaks my heart. But I also couldn’t continue to live a lie. Please understand, I would have gladly gone on being your one and only father, but it became apparent each and every day that your power as a white witch was growing. You were blossoming into a wonderful witch of a woman. And I wanted to nurture that. It’s who I am. My entire adult life, I have sat on the witch council. I mentor youth, teach them to understand their gifts. Help them make the world better with the power they possess.
Your mother was never comfortable with the amount of power you obviously contain. I understood her hesitation. Dark forces follow those who are the most powerful. And you, my darling, may be the most powerful witch I’ve ever met. I wanted to prepare you for the days ahead.
Unfortunately your mother has other ideas. Do not blame her. It must’ve been very scary for her. There came a day when she no longer trusted me to keep her secret and that was the day she asked me to leave. I never wanted to leave you. Never.
Since you are not legally mine, I didn’t have any choice. I’ll be here for you always. Only a phone call away. If you need me, I’ll be there.
All my love, Dad.
My eyes blurred, and tears stained the letter, making the ink run. I lay my head down on the desk, letting the emotions take me. Sobs rippled through me as joy and frustration fought for dominance in my heart.
Neither of my parents had wanted to leave me, yet both had made choices that kept us apart. I wasn’t sure I could ever fully forgive either of them. But at the same time, the hollow ache in my chest seemed to slowly disappear. With each tear I shed, that deep-seated sense of abandonment faded away, replaced by an acceptance I’d never known.
I pressed the sheet against the desk, smoothing the folds, and then wiped the tears from my eyes. The door creaked open, and in walked Kane. He took one look at me and strode over, offering me his embrace.
I willingly stepped into his arms and clung to him.
He kissed the top of my head and ran his sure hands down my shoulders and arms. “What can I do for you, love?”
“You’re already doing it,” I said into his shoulder.
He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me closer. “Do you want to talk about it?”
I shook my head. “Not much to say, except that they both made mistakes.”
“But they both love you.”
“Yeah, they do.” I pulled back and stared up into his gentle face. “My life’s a mess.”
“So is mine.” He cracked a small smile. “Wait until you meet my parents.”
“They can’t be worse than mine.” I laughed. “I mean I have three now, two witches and an angel.”
“You think that’s bad?” He pushed a lock of hair out of my eyes. “I have a disinterested skirt-chaser of a father and a vodka-guzzling mother who ignores his indiscretions in order to keep up pretenses.”
“What?” I made a disgusted face. “I thought they were adventurers.”
“Oh, they are. They’re also pretentious, spoiled, selfish, and not at all interested in their son’s life.”
“Kane!” I stepped back. “Then why are we inviting them to the wedding?”
He shrugged. “It seemed important to you.” His lips quirked into a sheepish grin. “Haven’t you figured out by now I’m only interested in making you happy? You seemed to need family. I was bound and determined to give it to you, even if they are sort of a nightmare.”
I shook my head. “I have all the family I need.” I pressed my finger into his chest. “Right here with you.”
“So I can uninvite the ingrates?”
I laughed. “If you want. All I need is you.”
His gaze met mine, intense and smoldering. “You’ve got me, love. You’ve definitely got me.”
Our lips met, gentle and full of love. When his mouth opened, taking mine, the rest of the world faded away. He was mine and I was his. No matter what happened tomorrow, we’d face it together.
He pulled away and held his hand out. “Let’s go.”
“Where?”
“Upstairs. Remember that moment we were having on that couch earlier?”
I slipped my hand in his. “Yes.”
“We’re going to recreate it about six different ways.”
Grinning, I let him pull me after him and squealed when he picked me up at the base of the grand staircase.
Oh, yeah. Move over Rhett Butler, Kane Rouquette just stole my heart…again.
About the Author
Deanna is a native Californian, transplanted to the slower paced lifestyle of southeastern Louisiana. When she isn’t writing, she is often goofing off with her husband in New Orleans, playing with her two shih tzu dogs, making glass beads, or out hocking her wares at various bead shows across the country. Want the next book in the series? Visit www.DeannaChase.com to sign up for the New Releases email list. Look for Shadows of Bourbon Street coming early 2014.
Other Books by Deanna:
Haunted on Bourbon Street
Witches of Bourbon Street
Demons of Bourbon Street
Influential Magic
Influential Magic Excerpt
The ugly concrete building loomed before us, making my body itch with unease. I gritted my teeth and tried to mentally prepare for the long flight ahead. There was a reason faeries hated airplanes. Metal had an unfortunate way of draining our energy.
“You didn’t have to walk me in,” I said to Talisen, my brother’s best friend and the guy who’d just spent five hours transporting me from Eureka to the Sacramento airport. “I would’ve been perfectly fine if you’d dropped me off at departures.”
“Are you kidding?” Talisen draped a casual arm over my shoulders and made a show of stretching his legs. “One more minute in the truck and my limbs would’ve seized up.”
I eyed his lanky but muscular body. Tall, broad-shouldered, and tan from his long days of working outdoors in my mother’s nursery. He’d dressed nicer than usual today. Gone were his faded blue jeans, scuffed work boots, and pop-culture T-shirt, replaced by olive khakis, a short-sleeved, button-down shirt, and black canvas shoes. “I think you could’ve survived until you hooked up with your lunch date.”
He pulled the glass door open for me. “Date?”
“Yeah. Yesterday I heard you tell a client you weren’t available this afternoon because you had a date. I assumed that’s what this was about.” I waved my hand up and down, indicating the change in his wardrobe choice.
He laughed. “I was talking about you, Willow.”
“Oh.” I smirked. “Sorry excuse for a date. Is dropping your best friend’s sister off at the airport the best you can come up with? Maybe you need lessons. Remind me the next time I come home to set you straight on what a normal twenty-four-year-old would consider ‘dating.’”
“Ha! Look who’s talking. You didn’t even so much as look at any other dudes this summer, let alone go out with one. Pathetic, really. No, thanks. I’ll
get my lessons elsewhere.”
His words hit a sore spot in the middle of my chest, and I was grateful we’d reached the ticket counter so I wouldn’t have to continue our regular banter. David, my ex back in New Orleans, had dumped me right before I’d left my store, The Fated Cupcake, in the hands of my trusted assistant so I could run my mom’s shop while she recovered from an accident. Other than missing New Orleans; my dog, Link; my shop; and my best friend, Phoebe, it had been fun and distracting, hanging out with Talisen nearly every day.
David had become a distant memory. Almost.
I paid the extra fee to check my bag and met Talisen near the security gate.
He held his arms out and sent me a rueful smile.
I tilted my head and eyed him suspiciously. “You don’t expect me to fall for that, do you?”
His smile widened. “Get over here.”
Wrapping my arms around his waist, I buried my head in his shoulder. “Thank you for this summer,” I whispered.
He placed one of his large hands on my head and gently stroked my hair. “There’s nothing to thank me for.”
Hot tears burned the back of my eyes. I squeezed them shut, forcing the emotion down. “Beau…” My breath caught on a silent sob.
“It’s all right, Wil. He’s been with us. He’s with us every day.” Talisen squeezed me harder, and I knew we were both picturing my brother on that fateful day four years ago. He’d been smiling and laughing only a few hours before we’d found him lifeless in my mother’s lavender fields.
I pulled back and nodded.
Talisen eased his grip but didn’t let go. His deep green eyes bored into mine. “Don’t stay away so long this time.”
“I already promised Mom I’d be back for Christmas.”
“Good.” He laced his fingers around a lock of my hair. “Your hair looks nice, lightened by the sun.”
Warmth spread to my belly. All the time spent outside this summer had left streaks of gold in my wavy mane. “I’ll get highlights for December.”
“Don’t. Natural’s better.” Faeries didn’t usually mess with chemicals. And I wouldn’t, either. But there were natural hair dyes. Still, Tal knew the one quality I really loved about myself was my long, slightly curly auburn hair. “Text me as soon as you get there.”