“Damn. Never thought I’d find a woman who drank neat whiskey,” Josh said.
“It is very good. Thank you.”
“Next time we’ll try bourbon. You might like yourself some good ole Kentucky rye.”
The band starting up put an end to our conversation. Josh pulled his chair around the table next to mine, so that we both faced the stage. He casually draped his arm over the back of my chair, and we settled in to listen to the music.
It was unlike anything I had heard before, but I found that I liked it. Josh seemed to be enjoying it as well, keeping up a steady tapping of his foot to the beat.
During the band’s second set, the doorman approached Josh and whispered in his ear. “Some underage goth kid is here demanding to see you. I told her to scram but she’s insistent.”
Josh stood. “I’ll take care of it.”
I rose as well. Josh shook his head and said in my ear, “Stay here. I think it’s Jaime. I’ll find out what she wants. Plus I don’t want the band to think I don’t like ‘em.”
I nodded and sat back down. Within two minutes, Josh was back at my side. “We gotta go. Jaime needs your help.”
Chapter 15
“I’M SORRY TO HAVE interrupted your evening but I wasn’t sure what else to do,” Jaime apologized. “Master Remy was in a nasty fight with a demon a couple of days ago and has taken a turn for the worse. I know that you’re a talented healer so I hoped you’d help.”
“Of course I will help,” I said.
We pulled up to St. Cecelia’s church and got out of the car.
“Little cliché, ain’t it? Gatekeepers working from an old, Catholic church?” Josh asked.
Jaime shrugged and pulled her trench coat tight around her, despite the hot night. “It’s convenient. It’s Holy Ground, so demons can’t get to us. It has all the amenities we need: housing, kitchen facilities, and conference rooms, plus the rent is cheap.”
“So it has not been deconsecrated?” I asked.
“Officially it is, but not in reality,” Jaime said as she led us around to the side gate.
“Wait. If this is still Holy Ground, will we be able to enter?” Josh asked.
Jaime stopped to unlock the ornate wrought-iron gate. “Dude, you’ve been watching too many movies. Ya ain’t gonna burst into flames or nuthin’. Becoming vampire doesn’t automatically make you evil, ya had to be that way before. Even then, unless you have made a pact with Satan, the wards won’t hurt you. Make you real uncomfortable and want to leave, yes. Cause lasting damage, unfortunately not.”
“Really?”
“Yeah,” Jaime said as she held open the gate for us.
“You did not know that? I even take communion,” I said as I entered the small stone courtyard.
“You can do that? So we’re not damned?” Josh asked, clearly amazed. He hesitantly followed me.
“Clearly,” Jaime replied as she joined us, making sure to lock the gate. “The Rectory is over this way. Nicholas’s room is on the second floor.”
We met no one on our way to Nicholas Remy’s room. I thought this odd and said so.
“Normally we have guards stationed around, but with the increased demon attacks, we’ve beefed up patrolling the city, and we’ve lost several Gatekeepers. More are being sent, but we don’t know if they’ll be enough. We don’t dare strip other cities for fear that we are wrong about where the prophecy is to be fulfilled.” Jaime opened the door to Nicholas’s room and allowed us inside. I was struck by how simple and spartan the room was. It reminded me of the quarters for the house slaves at L’Esperance where I had first learned of my healing power. A single bed was pushed into one corner. Next to it was a plain pine table with a reading lamp, one leather-bound book, and a pair of spectacles on it. A matching pine dresser sat along another wall. The only wall adornment was the crucifix over the bed. A young woman knelt next to the bed tending Nicholas. She stood as we entered.
“Jaime, who are these people? Why have you brought them here?” the woman demanded.
“Rebecca, this is Juliette de Grammont and Josh Bouchard. Juliette is a healer. She’s here to help Nicholas.”
Rebecca’s red-rimmed brown eyes grew large at the sound of my name. “The woman from the prophecy?” she asked as she pushed her long brown hair behind her ears. Dressed in a rumpled green t-shirt and jeans, it was apparent she had slept little in the past several days.
“Apparently,” I said as I walked to the bed. Nicholas Remy, the Master Gatekeeper of New Orleans, lay in a fevered heap in front of me. I felt his head. All humans were warm to the touch, but Master Remy was actually hot. Demon fever raged through his body, causing him to shake uncontrollably. “When did you say he was wounded?” I asked as I felt for a pulse. I finally found it, but it was very weak.
“Two days ago,” Jaime answered.
I knelt next to the bed and pulled the sheet back to my patient’s waist. “Next time, do not wait. Come and get me immediately or bring the person to me. I fear it might be too late to save your Master Gatekeeper, or if it’s not, he might have irreparable damage.”
“Whaddya mean irreparable damage?” Rebecca demanded angrily.
“The demon fever is burning his brain, turning it into tapioca. I cannot fix such afflictions.” I’d had very little luck repairing brain damage caused by trauma or fever. Past a certain point, about an hour after the injury, I could only heal the physical wounds and no longer repair the damage inside.
I placed one hand on Nicholas’s forehead and the other on his chest underneath his shirt. Skin-to-skin contact gave me the best energy transfer, and I needed every advantage to save this man. I closed my eyes. Clearing my mind, I called forth my power and allowed it to pool in my fingertips. Without effort, I let my power spill forth into the Gatekeeper. Only when it ceased flowing on its own, did I push. Nicholas bucked wildly as the demon’s poison left his system.
“Oh my God, you’re killing him,” Rebecca screeched, and I felt her grab angrily at my shoulder.
“Whoa there, little lady. You let Juliette finish up that healing. Your Master Gatekeeper ain’t dying, he’s just getting rid of the last of the nasty,” I heard Josh say behind me. I knew he had pulled her off me and would keep her away until I was finished. Drawing the last of my power, and hoping it would be enough, I pushed it as hard as I could into the man. He gave one last violent convulsion and then was still. I felt his heart beat strong under my palm, and his breath was slow and steady. He cooled noticeably under my touch. I sat back on my heels and opened my eyes.
“Let me go, damn you!” Rebecca spat as she struggled futilely in Josh’s grip. I stood and turned to face her.
“The demon poison that was in his system is gone. His fever has broken. I expect he will sleep for several more hours. I cannot guarantee that he will have all of his faculties when he awakens. There is nothing I can do for that, unfortunately. It is in God’s hands.”
Josh loosened his grip, and Rebecca tore away from him to go to Remy’s side. I noticed that Jaime was leaning negligently against the door frame, a relieved expression on her face. “Thanks, Juliette.”
MY PHONE RANG shortly after ten. I smiled as I answered.
“Evenin’ Juliette,” Josh drawled.
“Good evening, Josh.”
“Since our evening got cut short last night, I was wondering if you want to try again tonight.”
“What did you have in mind? More music?”
“Art actually. Tousaint’s having a little get-together at his gallery,” Josh said.
“That sounds wonderful!” I said, perhaps a bit too enthusiastically.
“You might not be so excited when I tell you that it’s a party to welcome Honore to Mistress status.”
That was certainly true, but I said, “I gave up power willingly. I
bear no grudge. I would be delighted to go with you.”
“Not sure I’m really looking forward to this, but Tousaint usually throws a good shindig. If it’s too bad we’ll put in an appearance and go do something else.”
“What time?” I asked, opening my closet door and flipping on the light.
“I’ll pick you up about midnight. Sound OK?”
“Wonderful. I know you will be in jeans, but what is the dress for everyone else?”
Josh chuckled on the other end of the phone. “It’s cocktail dress.”
“I will see you at midnight,” I said before I hung up.
THE GALLERY WAS thronged with vampires when Josh and I arrived shortly after midnight, except the Aether. There was not a tingle of magic anywhere in the rooms. At first I assumed that Tousaint employed heavy magic suppression wards, but as Josh and I moved through the crowd, I saw no Aether at all. We joined Marc and Sophie, who stood chatting with Tousaint near a large mural of the city.
“Oh, finally a representative of the Aether coven has graced my humble gathering,” Tousaint said as he kissed me on both cheeks.
“I am really the only one here?”
Tousaint nodded and sighed dramatically. “All of my hard work going unappreciated by your Mistress.”
Josh snorted. “Hard work, my ass. You threw this thing together in fifteen minutes and had Nicky call down the guest list.”
“You wound me, Joshua.” Tousaint continued his act, clutching his chest.
Josh rolled his eyes. “It is rather bad form for Honore to skip her own party,” he conceded.
“Perhaps she is just late,” I suggested. “She does like to make a grand entrance.”
Josh snorted. “That’s one way to put it. Why don’t I go get us some drinks? Champagne okay, Juliette?” After I nodded my agreement, he asked, “Anyone else need anything?” No one did, so Josh walked to the main room where a small bar had been set up.
After Josh left, Tousaint leaned over and whispered in my ear, “This should have been your party, my dear.”
I patted his arm affectionately. “You are kind to say so, but the city needs me more than my coven does right now.”
“Well, I was remiss in not holding a party to honor you as Regent.”
“I probably would have arrived late,” I joked.
“Ah, but you would have had a valid reason. That is the difference. Enough about that! Let me show you the wonderful works of art I have.”
“Should we wait for Josh to return?” I asked.
“Oh, he’ll find us. I believe Sophie mentioned you were redecorating? Good thing. It was a travesty what Andre had done to that house. While I like a bit of the erotic now and again, the dining room is certainly not the place for it.”
I found myself being squired through the gallery by Tousaint. “If you see anything you like, Juliette, just say the word and it is yours! Consider it a ‘welcome home’ present.”
Eventually, Josh joined us. “Sorry, I got held up over in the other room.”
Taking my champagne from him, I smiled. “I am amazed you made it back at all.”
“Of course I was comin’ back. I had a beautiful lady waitin’ for me,” Josh said and kissed my cheek.
Tousaint quirked an eyebrow at this but remained silent. I had the feeling that once I was gone, Tousaint would be talking to Josh.
We were about a third of the way through the gallery when I felt a wave of malevolent magic slice through the room. I involuntarily shivered. Josh noticed and said, “You felt it too?”
I nodded but Tousaint looked confused. “What? I did not feel anything,” the Sylph leader declared indignantly.
The wave had been so brief, I was not entirely sure what I had felt, other than it was magic and bad. “I am not sure what it is, but I think I had better go see if I can discover where it came from, or rather, who it came from,” I said.
“I’ll come with you,” Josh said.
“No. Stay here. Keep Tousaint and the Grandmaster safe.”
“You sure?” Josh’s hand on my arm stayed me temporarily. Another wave of magic hit me. It lasted a bit longer this time, and I felt a demonic presence in it. Josh shivered as the magic washed over him.
“It is demonic. If I cannot banish this entity, you will need to get the coven heads and the Grandmaster to safety.” I felt Jaime’s energy aura in the distance. “I will be alright. Jaime is nearby.”
“I don’t like this, Juliette.” Josh’s grip on my arm tightened briefly.
“I do not either, but it must be done.” I smiled weakly.
“Be careful out there.”
“I am more worried about in here. I don’t suppose there is any salt in the gallery?”
“Actually there is, at the bar. It is used to rim the margarita glasses,” Tousaint said.
I nodded. “Is there a side entrance to the building? I can feel the demon on the other side of this wall.” As we had talked, I could feel the creature getting closer. The magic no longer came in waves but in a steady stream of malevolence.
“It’s in the courtyard? Damn, that’s close,” Josh muttered, more to himself than me.
“The courtyard entrance is in the back room. There is a second bar there where you can get salt,” Tousaint said.
“I’ll show her. You find Marc and Sophie and get ‘em to the office. I’ll meet you there,” Josh said.
Josh and I wound our way through the crowd to the back bar. No one but us had yet detected the demonic energy in the courtyard, or if they had, they didn’t know what it was and that they should be concerned about it. Josh spoke briefly to the bartender and then grabbed the salt container from behind the bar. When he tried to hand it to me, I shook my head. “You keep it. After I leave, close the door and run a thick line of salt along the bottom of it. I will mage-lock and ward the door from the outside. Run another line of salt on the inside of Tousaint’s office door. That should keep you safe.”
Josh led me to the courtyard door. Unsure of what was waiting on the other side, I turned and kissed him passionately. Whatever was on the other side of the door, I wasn’t meeting it with regret. And I would regret if I didn’t kiss Josh. It wasn’t the right time or the right place but it might be all I had. “I will come back,” I promised.
His green eyes flared intensely. “I’ll keep you to that, Juliette.”
Without another word, I turned and walked out the door. Pulling it closed behind me, I mage-locked the door with a word and quickly warded it. I was half surprised that the demon had not yet attacked me by the time I turned around, but then I saw what was occupying his attention. The creature was far too interested in his meal of some poor man’s intestines to notice me yet. He sucked them into his mouth as if they were a long, fat strand of spaghetti. I shuttered and then saw a woman in a black cocktail dress paralyzed by demon fright a few feet from me. Hurrying to her, I touched the woman’s arm. Pushing a small bit of power into the word “Run,” I compelled her to leave.
The creature looked up as the woman ran past him, his meal disturbed. It was at least seven feet tall with thick muscles cording his silvery green skin. Two short horns protruded from his forehead like a satyr. The body he had been eating suddenly turned to dust before him, leaving only clothing and jewelry behind. The demon licked his lips with a serpent’s forked tongue, clearly annoyed that his dinner had disappeared and his dessert was escaping.
In the moments before the demon noticed me, I spooled my power in my core. I took a deep breath and dropped my shields. In the next instant, I pushed as much power as I could in two concentrated streams at the demon from my outstretched hands and chanted, “I call upon the power of heaven to help me banish thy foe. Please answer thy prayer.” The demon took a step toward me and slashed with a meaty paw. I jumped back, still chanting.
“To thy front Raphael, to thy right Michael, to thy left Gabriel, to thy rear Uriel. The five points of protection, please answer thy prayer. Anima Mundi in Heaven as thy power. Three by three, I cast this spell to banish thee.”
As I spoke the last word, the creature vanished in a puff of sulfur, leaving me temporarily alone in the courtyard. Clearly, the demon had killed a vampire, since the remains had turned to dust. I hoped the deceased had a wallet in his pocket or some identifying piece of jewelry since I had not recognized him, nor gotten a good look at his face. While I was searching the heap of clothing, I felt Jaime enter the courtyard.
“Did you banish him?” the young woman asked.
“Yes, but not before he killed someone,” I said. I found a wallet in what had been the back pocket of the man’s jeans. Flipping it open, I saw a Louisiana driver’s license under the name Kane Estep.
“How come you’re here?” Jaime asked.
“I was attending a party inside.”
“Really? This demon seemed drawn here. Usually when I chase ‘em, they try to lose me, but this one made a beeline to this building.”
I found this more disturbing than I could say. Standing, I wobbled a bit. I had put a lot of power behind my banishing and it had weakened me. “I had better tell the others that it is safe,” I said.
“Yeah, I gotta go tell the other Gatekeepers about this,” Jaime said.
“Oh, I nearly forgot—how is your Master Gatekeeper?” I asked.
“Much better. He’s sitting up and giving orders. He’d like to see you.”
“I am happy to attend your Master at his convenience”
“I’ll let him know,” Jaime said and surveyed the scene. “Not much to clean up. Just some blood. Wait, where’s your circle?”
“I did not use one,” I said, distracted by a faint light-headedness.
Jaime stood stock still and stared at me. “You banished a demon without a circle?”
I touched the pendant around my neck and invoked the silence charm. I did not want to be overheard by anyone inside. “Jaime, you use magic but I am magic. Having a circle would have been helpful but not completely necessary. Besides, there was not time.”
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