by Deanna Chase
“Whoa,” I said and pressed my hands against the solid barrier. I’d always been able to enter the compound before.
Kane paused and glanced back, reaching for me.
“The witch isn’t invited to this meeting,” Maximus said, in an authoritative tone as he came to a stop beside Kane.
Kane dropped his hand, set his shoulders, and gave his leader his full attention. “I think you’ll find her relevant to the issue I need to discuss with you.”
“I’m afraid we’ll have to agree to disagree.” The leader stood tall and stiff, not meeting Kane’s gaze.
“Maximus,” I said, cautiously. “It’s good to see you again.”
“Likewise, Ms. Calhoun.” He kept his gaze straight ahead, his tone even more formal than usual. “Unfortunately, we have classified Brotherhood business to discuss. I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask that you forgive our rudeness, but I can’t invite you in today.”
I forced a patient smile, trying to ignore the ball of unease forming in my gut. While Maximus had made noises about denying me entrance into the Brotherhood’s proceedings, he’d never tried to leave me in the dark when anyone was in danger from supernatural forces. “I understand your position, but I have classified angel business to discuss with you.”
He finally turned and looked me in the eye. “Classified?”
“Yes,” Kane answered for me. “It’s important.”
Maximus inclined his head, relenting. “Very well. Please enter.”
The air in front of me shimmered with foreign magic as the barrier disappeared. “Thank you,” I said as I joined Kane.
“Don’t thank me yet.” Maximus retreated back into the house.
Kane and I shared a questioning glance but neither of us responded.
Inside the house, Maximus led us to his office. Two of the walls were lined with leather-bound books and a third had rows of daggers and swords.
“Have a seat.” He pointed to the chairs across from his desk, sat in his leather chair and steepled his fingers together. “You have news?”
“It’s classified.” I settled into the chair as Kane took the one next to me.
Maximus pursed his lips. “So you’ve said.”
“Right. The information doesn’t leave this room.”
“Understood.”
This was uncomfortable. “There’s a disturbance in the shadow world,” I said. “The high angel has ordered us to investigate. No one knows yet what’s going on.”
“Last night Jade and I went into the shadows, and my energy was leeched or stolen. Jade brought me back out, but if she hadn’t been there, I’d have been stuck,” Kane said. “Obviously this is a concern for all incubi.”
Maximus stood and crossed his arms over his chest. “Actually, Mr. Rouquette, it isn’t. Two different teams have ventured into the shadows. One yesterday and another one early this morning. None of them were affected.”
Unease spread from my gut and sent ripples of goosebumps over my skin. Why had the shadows weakened Kane and not any of the other incubi?
“No one?” Kane asked.
Maximus shook his head. “There’s more.”
“What did you find?” I asked.
Maximus picked up a file off his desk and tossed it to Kane. “The shadows are tainted with incubus energy.”
“Huh?” I asked. “No, it isn’t. I would’ve felt it.”
He raised both his eyebrows and stared pointedly at Kane.
“Mine?” Kane flipped the file open and scanned the paperwork. Then he looked up at Maximus. “It says here it was tainted yesterday afternoon. How is that possible? We didn’t go in until last night.”
“You tell me.” Maximus leaned against the desk, his expression revealing nothing.
“Wait a minute.” My mind whirled. The club had been soaked in Kane’s energy as well. Something was very wrong. I stood and placed my hands on my hips. “What do you mean, tainted?”
“It means, Ms. Calhoun, that the reason the angels were drained is because incubus energy stole it. Kane’s energy. Somehow, the shadows are bursting with his magic, feeding off the angels.”
Holy crap. He already knew about the angels. How?
“Don’t look so surprised,” Maximus said to me. “I knew about the attack before you did.”
He had to have an informant from the angel realm. Chessandra had been clear very few people knew what happened.
Kane jumped to his feet, ignoring our exchange. “That’s crazy. I haven’t done anything to the shadows. And if you recall, we just told you I myself was drained.”
Maximus picked up Kane’s file, made a note, and then put it into one of his desk drawers. When he finally looked up again, he said, “The shadows are a strange, mystical place, Mr. Rouquette. Whatever was used clearly backfired. The shadows are hungry for more of your magic and will take it by force.”
“But not mine? Or other incubi?” As I heard myself ask the question, I cringed internally at my omission. I had been weakened, though I’d been able to fight it. Since Kane and I shared magic, was it possible the shadows were feeding off the magic he’d shared with me?
“Incubi magic doesn’t feed on other incubi magic. And as for you, I suspect your powers are strong enough to ward off the intrusion.”
I nodded absently, acknowledging his explanation.
Kane sat back down, holding his head in his hands.
“You know Kane didn’t do anything to the shadows,” I said to Maximus as I eased back into my chair.
He stared at me, his expression blank. But then there was a tiny flash of frustration and he placed his elbows on his desk. “I’d like to think that’s true. But right now, we don’t have any solid answers. All we know is that Kane’s energy is what’s causing the disturbance and for that reason, he needs to be suspended.”
Kane’s head snapped up. “What?”
Maximus stood again. “Kane Rouquette, I am officially suspending you from the Brotherhood, pending an investigation. Please turn in your dagger.” Maximus held his hand out and before Kane could grab the hilt, his dagger vanished from his hip and reappeared in Maximus’s outstretched hand.
Kane stood there, his mouth partially open and his eyes wide.
“But he didn’t do anything,” I said quietly, my heart thrumming with anxiousness. His dagger was his connection to the Brotherhood. Without it, his power would be greatly diminished.
“That is entirely possible,” Maximus said. “But until we find some answers, I think you’ll agree we don’t have much of a choice.”
“Well, I don’t—”
“Jade.” Kane put his hand on my shoulder. “It’s all right.”
I gritted my teeth and looked up at him, trying to swallow my frustration. Maximus was treating Kane as if he was guilty until proven innocent. “It’s not all right.”
His resigned expression was more than I could take. I wanted to rail against Maximus. To force him to somehow see the goodness in the man beside me. Instead, I clamped my mouth shut, unwilling to make the situation worse.
Maximus crossed the room and opened the door. “You’ll be notified after we’ve completed the investigation.”
“What exactly does that entail?” Kane asked, not moving.
“The investigation?” Maximus asked.
Kane nodded.
“One of the hunters will be assigned your case. He’ll investigate the magic used to taint the shadows. If he determines it was done by you, you’ll be dealt with and erased. If there’s another explanation, you’ll be recalled.”
“Erased!” I cried, unable to hold myself back. “You can’t do that!”
A muscle in Kane’s jaw twitched as he clenched his teeth. Then he slipped his arm through mine and nodded at Maximus. “Very well.”
Maximus was silent until we passed him. “Ms. Calhoun, regarding the shadows, I’d like to keep the lines of communication open between the Brotherhood and the Angel Council. Please tell the high angel I’d like to be
informed of new developments, and I’ll return the favor in kind.”
I glared at him.
“We’ll be in touch,” Kane said and tugged me gently out of the office.
Neither of us said a word as we left the hallowed halls of the Brotherhood. But when we stepped through the front gate, Kane paused and glanced back at the house. His disappointment brushed up against me. I squeezed his arm in silent support. He stiffened at my touch, and the disappointment vanished instantly.
“What happens when one is erased?” I asked quietly.
“It just means removed from the Brotherhood. Memories, history, anything that I could use against them should I turn evil.” He said the last part with an ironic smile. Then he sobered. “It’s fine. Maximus is only doing what he has to. Just as you would if one of your witches was compromised.”
He had a point. When Lucien had been cursed by a black magic user, he’d been suspended from the coven until we’d been able to figure out a solution. We hadn’t treated him like a criminal, though. “Maybe. But I like to think we handle incidents with a little more understanding.”
He gave me a wry smile. “It’s not as if I’ve been incarcerated.”
“No, but—”
“We’ll work it out,” he said with an air of finality.
Message received. He was done talking about it.
Kane stopped abruptly, scanning the street.
“What?”
“I can’t feel the shadows.” He glanced at me. “Can you?”
I shook my head. “No, but I’m not trying, either.”
“Try.”
Ever since we’d been granted the gift of shadow walking by the angels, Kane had never had trouble crossing into the other dimension. And once he’d been turned incubus, it had been second nature. For me, it was different. I had to focus and imagine the shadows before they appeared. “Can you not cross?”
“I don’t feel them the way I usually do.”
I raised my eyebrows. “The way you usually do? What’s different?”
He shrugged. “I used to always feel them. Now I don’t. And when I focus on them, it’s just…odd.”
“How?”
The large oak tree we stood under shaded us from the sun as Kane stared past me, appearing to be focusing on nothing. Finally he said, “It must just be because Maximus benched me. I’m sure it’s nothing.”
“Is it like it was before you were called to the order?”
“No. It’s more intense than that and yet…not.” His dark eyes found mine. “We have to go back in.”
“To get back home, you mean?”
“To investigate the shadows, again.” He pointed back at the house. “I need to feel what they do. To see what’s going on.” He was dead serious.
“But last night, the shadows drained you. I don’t think—”
“Jade.”
“What?” I asked, panic taking up residence in my chest.
“I’ll be fine. I just need to understand what’s happening.”
“But what if the tainted energy drains you again? What if I can’t get you out? I don’t want to risk you.”
“That’s why I have you, pretty witch. I trust you.” His eyes softened as he smiled down at me. Then he straightened his shoulders and waited for my answer.
He seemed so sure of himself. So sure of me. And it was clear by the expression on his face he wasn’t taking no for an answer. “Fine. But if you so much as even wobble, I’ll spell your ass back home so fast you won’t even have time to blink.”
His smile widened. “Just my ass?”
“Oh, shut up.” I laughed. “Let’s get this over with.”
“If you insist.” He winked and held out his hand.
I refrained from rolling my eyes as I wrapped my fingers around his. “Ready?”
“Ready.”
We stepped together, and once again the world shifted.
Chapter 7
“Did you walk us here?” I asked Kane as we stood in the shadows of his club, Wicked.
He tightened his grip on my hand. “No. I thought you did.”
I shivered, but not because I was cold. Kane’s energy was pressing in on me, scraping against my skin, clawing at me, trying to invade every one of my senses. My head spun from the intoxicating nature of it. I wanted to let him in, to give myself up to his incubus energy. I was all too happy to surrender to his seductive allure.
Swaying on my feet, I leaned in to him, wanting more. Needing more. But when my body brushed up against his, there was a small shift. Something almost immeasurable changed. The energy coming off him was a shade cooler. A tiny bit less intense.
Maximus had been right. The shadows were tainted with his energy. I could feel it now, but it was somewhat different than the energy coming directly off Kane.
“Let’s go,” Kane said. A second later, we were back in his real office, the soft glow of artificial light illuminating his desk.
I sank into a metal chair, holding my head. “That was…odd.”
Kane slowly paced the room, staring at the worn carpet. His energy was completely normal again, comfortable. He came to an abrupt stop. “You felt it didn’t you?”
I jerked my head up at his sharp tone. “I felt something.”
“Me, right? My energy is tainting the shadows.”
Hesitating for a moment, I grimaced and then nodded. “Did you feel it?” As an incubus, he was in tune to desire. Could sense it, but distinct energy signatures weren’t his thing. That was mine.
“Maximus might have taken my dagger, but my incubus senses are still in full force.”
That meant yes. He felt the allure lurking in the shadows. His allure. “But how is that possible?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know.”
Kane and I had slipped into the shadows from the club numerous times. I’d never felt that before. Not even the night before. Except I hadn’t been listening to my own senses that much. Not after being in the charged club. Sexual tension had been everywhere.
The door to the office burst open. “Give me five minutes, will you? If I don’t get this order in, all we’re going to have to serve is tap water tomorrow night,” Charlie called back into the club. She spun and then jumped back with a yelp. “Holy crap. Where’d you two come from?”
I smiled. “We just got in from a meeting.”
Kane stood and waved for her to take his chair. “Don’t let us get in your way. You appear to be busy.”
She laughed. “Busy. You could say that again. Last night we had record business. Like, three times as much income as a night during Mardi Gras.”
“Whoa,” I said softly.
“You can say that again.” Charlie slid into Kane’s chair and grabbed the phone receiver. After punching one of the speed dial buttons, she shook the computer’s mouse, waking up the machine. “Can you do me a favor?” she asked Kane.
“Sure. What do you need?”
“Can you call everyone who isn’t working tonight and ask them if they can come in?”
“Everyone?” I asked.
She held up a finger and spoke into the phone, placing an order for about four times as much alcohol as we normally needed.
Kane watched her with fascinated interest instead of going to work on calling in extra employees. When she hung up, he leaned over her shoulder and clicked on a spreadsheet. “This is last night’s report?”
She grinned up at him. “Yes.”
Kane scanned the document, then clicked another. And another. “All of these are accurate?”
Her grin faded as irritation lit her green eyes. “Yes, boss. I double and triple-checked. It’s accurate. If you’d stuck around either of the last two nights, you wouldn’t be surprised.”
He turned his head to give her an amused glance. “Surprised isn’t the word I’d use. Impressed is closer. Nice job, Charlie.”
She shook her head. “Thanks, but it’s not anything I’m doing. In fact, we were so short staffed the first ni
ght, I’m amazed anyone stuck around. The booze, dancers, and places to sit were in serious short supply.”
I already knew why no one had left. The over-the-top sexual energy made it too hard to resist the pull. But unless someone was an incubus or witch, the person wouldn’t be able to feel the magical charge. He or she would just be compelled to stay.
“What can I do to help?” I asked her.
She didn’t even look up from her notes. “It’d be a huge help if you could restock the bar.”
“Sure. I’m on it.” I waved at Kane and slipped out of the room. The truth was, I could use something mundane to take my mind off the morning’s events. Especially since I had no idea what to do about any of it. My first instinct was to call Bea. The second was Lucien. Both of them had years on me when it came to the supernatural world.
I’d spent my formative years with my mother, an earth witch, but I hadn’t known I had power. I’d thought my only gift—if you want to call it that—was my empath ability. And once Mom disappeared, I’d shunned the witch community altogether. That was, until I’d moved to New Orleans and had been forced to face reality. Now I was the coven leader and couldn’t go even a few months without some sort of major crisis. The only problem was, I’d missed years of learning my craft. I had a few books, but book learning was different than experiencing.
Walking over to the bar, I pulled out my phone and tapped Lucien’s number.
“Morning, Jade,” Lucien said after just one ring.
“Morning.” I sat on one of the stools. “Hey, Kane and I have a situation, and I’m hoping you might be able to help us with some research. Do you have some time today to meet up? Maybe early afternoon?”
He hesitated. “Is it an emergency?”
Was it? I wasn’t sure. “Not a dire one. Not yet, anyway.”
He chuckled. “Right. I can meet you at one for lunch.”
“Your place?” I asked. Lucien had reference material we might need.
“Sounds good.”
I shoved my phone back in my pocket and headed into the storage room. Lugging cases of alcohol was the perfect activity for working off my lingering frustration.