by Deanna Chase
“Kane?” My voice came out weak, useless.
“Jade.” His eyes met mine just before he slumped backwards in Pyper’s arms.
Chapter 11
Numb with horror, I stared at Kane and Pyper. I could tell by the exaggerated movement of her lips that she was yelling at me, but I was trapped in a cone of silence. The world stopped momentarily until Bea’s words flashed in my mind. You’ll know when you see it.
Somehow my feet managed to move. One step. Two. Then three. Pyper’s terror broke through my protective walls. Noise rushed into my brain. I couldn’t decipher any of it.
Kane’s soul was in danger.
I fell to my knees beside him, hands stretched out. Darkness had threatened to take Kat once. I’d redirected the corrupted magic to myself then; I could do the same now. My power erupted from my fingertips, causing thin black threads to peel off the ropes binding Kane. They clung to my hands and crawled up my arms in an intricate net, weaving a tight pattern around my skin.
Invisible knives stabbed deep into my muscles. I focused my magical spark, welcoming the intrusion. I’d fight it one way or another.
Desperate to free Kane, I grabbed the ropes binding his wrists. A fiery ball of energy hit me in my chest the moment I touched them, knocking me back and breaking my hold on the tainted magic. No!
Frustration consumed me as my breath came in shallow gulps. I grasped clumps of rough grass, my hands twitching with the effort. “Kane?”
“He’s fine,” Bea said from somewhere nearby. Her face came into view and her auburn hair fell forward. “Sorry to hit you so hard with that spell, but anything less and I wouldn’t have been able to free you both.”
My vision swam. I blinked. Her calm words didn’t hide the concern strumming through her. I propped myself up on my elbows and glanced over at Kane. He was sitting up, clutching his wounded leg, face white. I crawled to his side. “What happened?”
His dark, serious eyes met mine. He looked down and removed his hands from his leg. A blackened, singed hole in his jeans revealed a puncture in exactly the same spot Meri had stabbed him with a wooden stake when she’d taken him to Purgatory.
My mouth went dry. I tried to swallow and forced out, “I thought the wound had healed.”
“It had.”
Pyper whipped off her cotton blouse, leaving her in a skimpy camisole, and started tearing the hot pink shirt into strips. With deft hands, she quickly bandaged Kane’s oozing wound and tied the ends into a neat bow.
“Nicely done, Pyper.” Bea inspected her handiwork.
“What happened?” I asked again, this time getting to my feet.
“Not here.” Ian scanned the clearing. “We’ve run out of time. The production company has to leave, and if Goodwin finds us here, we’re going to end up in the middle of a media circus.” He extended his hand to Kane.
Kane stared at it, and for a second I thought he’d refuse. But he grabbed on. Ian hauled him to his feet. I sighed in relief and moved to wrap an arm around his waist, supporting him as we walked.
He gritted his teeth each time he took another step. By the time we reached the oak trees, sweat beaded on his agony-riddled face.
“This is stupid,” I muttered, pausing as I kicked my platform sandals off and tried not to think of any toe-hungry bugs that might be crawling around. I’d be damned if I let Kane suffer one more minute. Healing charms were my mother’s specialty. I’d seen her do them a thousand times as a child. All I needed was a little earth magic. “Hold still,” I told Kane.
He leaned against the nearest tree and let out a breath.
“That’s good.” I pressed my toes into the dirt and called my magic to the surface. My second sight slid into place, revealing his aura. The bright gold was marred only by the blackness pulsing around his wound.
Earth magic tickled the bottom of my feet. I embraced it, ignored Kane’s flinch when I placed my hands over his thigh, and said, “Ancient oak, lend your healing strength. From your deep roots, I ask only what you can give. No more, no less. By the power of the earth, mother of goodness, I command thee.”
Pure, clean magic rushed through my limbs and collected in my palms. With one touch, green-tinged white light fused with Pyper’s pink dressing, glowing in the shadow of the oak. Slowly the light started to fade. When the charm winked out, the aura around Kane’s wound faded from black to an unattractive shade of burnt orange.
“Any better?” I asked, hopeful.
He pushed away from the tree, tentatively taking a step. This time he didn’t grimace. “Much.”
He started off ahead of me. I studied the oak. Its newly wilted leaves blew sadly in the gentle breeze. I touched the trunk. “Thank you. Recover quickly.”
After jamming my feet back into my shoes, I trotted the short distance to where Kane stood waiting for me.
“That was some impressive magic.” He took my hand and kissed my palm before wrapping it in his.
I forced a smile. The wound wasn’t cured. The burnt orange tinge was already growing darker. But I’d take what I could get…for now.
***
I sat on Bea’s sunflower-print couch, Kane’s head in my lap, as Pyper tended to his wound. She’d split his pant leg open and was just about ready to disinfect it with hydrogen peroxide.
“You might want to grab hold of something,” Pyper said.
Kane’s hand tightened around mine.
“Not a good idea. I don’t think my poor bones stand a chance against your grip.” I gently pulled my hand from his and offered the thick coven manual I’d been flipping through.
Ian snatched the book first and passed it to Bea. I glared at him.
“What? She needs to find a spell,” he said.
Bea had insisted we meet back at her house. Then she’d driven like a retired stock car racer, running red lights and cutting people off. Now she was frantically searching for an incantation—for what, I had no idea. She wouldn’t say.
Ian handed Kane a throw pillow.
Kane stared at it then shook his head. “I’ll be fine.”
“Suit yourself.” Ian retreated and stood near Kat, who was pacing a small circle in front of the stairs to the second floor.
I smoothed Kane’s hair back from his temple, trying to distract him. His leg had started to throb only moments after he’d settled into the passenger’s seat of his car. Maybe I could summon a numbing charm. Too bad I needed the spell book for that. I sighed. “Bea, isn’t there anything we can do for him right now?”
Before she could respond, Pyper poured the disinfectant over Kane’s wound. His whole body tensed as he bit back a groan.
“Ice,” Bea said.
I tried to shimmy out from under Kane’s head, but he’d gone rigid, pressing into the sofa and my thigh. “Ian? Ice?”
He nodded and disappeared into the kitchen.
“Found it!” Bea hurried over to the couch, holding the spell book open. “Pyper, can I take your spot?”
Pyper glanced at Kane’s wound, patted around the edges with a clean towel, and stepped back. “Can I bandage him first?”
“We’ll take care of that in a second. Right after I spin the containment spell.” Bea set the book on her wooden coffee table and pushed up her sleeves.
“Why didn’t my healing charm work? Did I do something wrong?” I shifted slightly, worried I’d made matters worse.
“The charm did its job. The problem is with the black magic. It grows like cancer. No ordinary healing charm can do anything but create temporary relief.”
“Cancer?” Pyper breathed.
Bea patted her arm. “It was just an example to help you understand what we’re dealing with. The containment charm will keep the curse localized until a more permanent solution can be reached.”
“And what would that be?” Kane asked, pushing himself up into a sitting position. He twisted and rested his foot on the coffee table.
“We’ll have to find one.” She turned to me. “Jade, your p
ower is a distraction. Can you join Kat near the stairs?”
My protective instincts kicked in. The last thing I wanted to do was leave Kane. But I trusted Bea. She’d never failed me before. With no small amount of trepidation, I did as she asked.
Kat clutched my hand and whispered, “Where’s Philip?”
“I don’t know,” I said absently, not caring in the least.
A mixed ball of her frustration and anxiety pounded on me from all sides. Immediately I raised my glass silo barrier, blocking her out. I was too drained to worry about her mental state at the moment.
She tugged on my arm. “He was wrong.”
“Huh?” I kept a close eye on Bea as she waved a crudely wrapped smudge stick over Kane’s leg and murmured a chant I couldn’t hear.
“He said you were compromised with black magic, but it’s Kane. Not you.”
Pyper turned and stared at Kat then fixed her gaze on me.
“No, he’s not,” I argued. That was impossible. Utterly unthinkable. “Didn’t you notice the web that tried to attack me when I was at Kane’s side? It just got sidetracked on its way to me.”
Kat stood with her back straight, shoulders squared, and shook her head slowly. “The smoke made it to you and rebounded to Kane. Don’t you understand? It’s that wound Meri gave him. She scarred him. With black magic.”
I shifted back, bumped into the bottom step, and lost my balance. Pain screamed from my tailbone as I landed on the stairs. Tears burned the back of my eyes, and one fell before I managed to blink them back. “Damn, that hurt,” I said, trying to cover my emotions.
She was right. Kane needed help. Angel-type help. I grabbed my iPhone and sent Lailah a text: Urgent. Get to Bea’s now. Hurry. Our mental connection only seemed to work when we were physically near each other.
To the left, a ball of mist materialized from the unlit smudge stick Bea still held. It trailed the path of Bea’s hand and, with a flick of her wrist, shot to the hole in Kane’s thigh. From my spot on the stairs, I couldn’t see what happened, but the misery eased from Kane’s face. He sagged into the couch, relief apparent in his posture.
Bea leaned over and traced a finger over Kane’s leg. “Can you feel that?”
He shook his head, staring at his leg. I stood, craning my neck for a better view.
“How about this?” She pressed her fingertips right above his kneecap.
“No.”
She frowned. “I may have given the spell a little too much juice.” She moved her hand to his calf and pinched.
He jumped and shifted his leg out of her grasp. “Stop, that tickles.”
She chuckled, and my shoulders sagged in relief. Thank the Goddess.
I moved and sat next to Kane. He wrapped an arm around my shoulder, pulling me close. I pressed my cheek against his chest and held on.
A second later, he planted a kiss on the top of my head. “Thank you,” he whispered.
I pulled back. “For what?”
“The healing charm. I know you don’t like using magic if you don’t have to.”
I waved an impatient hand. “It’s nothing. You know I’d do just about anything—”
“It was something,” Bea interjected. “Impressive, even. You took an amazing amount of energy from that oak. Enough you should’ve killed it.”
“But—”
This time she raised a hand. “But you didn’t. You exercised a control I’ve not seen in you before. It was a perfect piece of magic.”
“Then why didn’t it work?” I chewed on my lip.
“It did.” Bea shifted, blocking Pyper and Kat from my view. “But Meri stole your magic from him.”
I froze, heart pounding. “You mean…?”
“Meri’s found a way to regain her strength.”
“From Kane,” I said.
“Through Kane,” she corrected. Her intense amber-flecked eyes softened as something close to pity brushed my psyche. “And you’re her source.”
Chapter 12
I pulled away from Kane, trying to distance myself from him. His arms tightened around me, but I ducked out from under his grasp.
Frustration swirled around him as he stiffened. “Jade—”
I shook my head, cutting him off. My stomach clenched with fear.
Meri was hurting him and getting stronger because of me.
“How is that possible?” Kat asked Bea, face pinched in confusion. “I thought Meri was weakened when Jade banished her back to Hell.”
“It’s the wound,” I said. “She marked Kane when she took him and Lailah. She has a connection to him.” I met Bea’s eyes. “And because Kane and I are so close, it’s a connection to me too, right?”
“Yes.” Bea handed me the spell book. “Take it. Study. Learn all you can. You’re going to need it.”
The weight of the book settled in my hands, heavier than I’d remembered. I got to my feet and moved toward the front door.
“Where are you going?” Kane asked in a low voice. Tension strummed off him, brushing against my skin.
I longed to reconnect with him, send him some calming strength. Instead I opened the door. There was only one thing to do. “I need to find Philip.”
Before I could talk myself out of it, I ran outside. I didn’t look back, but I sensed Kane following me. His frustration reached me as I ran down Bea’s driveway toward the wrought iron gate.
I had to put distance between us. The stronger Meri got, the more pain he’d endure and the more danger Dan would be in. I couldn’t risk it.
I rounded the corner and spotted the streetcar. No way was I going to catch it while wearing my platforms. I kicked them off, scooped them up with my free hand, and sprinted, jumping on at the last second before it rolled down Saint Charles.
Glancing back, my eyes locked with Kane’s. His frustrated expression turned to one of sad understanding as the car rumbled down the avenue. All too quickly, he disappeared from my view.
I shuffled to a seat in the very back, stuffed the book in my purse, and then closed my eyes.
Kane. I was poison to him.
I shook my head, banishing the thought. Phone. I needed my phone. With shaking fingers, I scrolled through my contacts and landed on Lailah’s number.
“Where are you?” she asked after only the first ring.
“Kane already called you?”
“Kat did. They’re worried.”
They should be. I was. “I’m headed to your house. Philip’s there, right?”
“No, but I know where he is.”
“I thought he was bound to you? What about that charmed silver?”
She let out a long breath. “He’s here to watch over you. I did that because I was mad he didn’t tell me he was in town. I took it off him last night.”
Her halting tone told me there was something more personal going on, but I let it go. “Oh. All right. Where can I find him?”
“Meet me on the riverfront in twenty minutes, in front of Jackson Square.”
“He’s at the rally?” Son of a… The last thing I needed right now was a giant crowd. My emotions were running rampant. I’d never be able to function properly with a riled-up mob of people.
“Yes. He’s doing damage control. But after that, I have no idea where he’ll be, so if you want to catch him, this is your best shot.”
I groaned. “Fine. See you soon.”
She hung up without saying goodbye. I sent Kane a text, letting him know I was okay and that I’d call him later. Talking to him right now would be too hard.
***
Once again strapped in my platforms, I hopped off the streetcar on Canal Street and walked the four blocks to the waterfront. A horn blared, indicating the ferry’s departure on its return trip to Algiers Point. I longed to be lounging against the rail, headed for the quiet neighborhood across the river. Instead, I climbed the steps to the riverwalk and moved toward Jackson Square.
Only a few tourists strolled along the famed Mississippi. I sighed in reli
ef and quickened my steps. But as I neared the rally, a swell of hate pricked my skin. I dug my nails into my arms, struggling not to scrape them over my irritated flesh.
Damn evangelist. I forced myself to keep putting one foot in front of the other and didn’t stop until I reached the wrought iron railing directly in front of Jackson Square and the Saint Louis cathedral. Sickening rage and judgment filled the air.
In the center of it all, Jonathon—an angel—stood watching.
And he thought I was evil?
I let the poison batter against me. Took my time experiencing their inner turmoil. Darkness filled me. My heart ached, and I had trouble breathing. Gasping for air, I pushed the toxic emotions from me. My glass silo snapped in place and my mind went numb.
“That was dumb,” Lailah said from behind me.
I didn’t bother to turn around. “It helps to understand who you’re fighting.”
She joined me at the rail and waved a hand at the mass of people below. “You’re planning to spend energy on this?”
I turned to meet her bright blue eyes. “Goodwin needs to be stopped. How can you, of all people, tolerate this?”
She frowned. “It’s not my place.”
For once, I couldn’t hear her thoughts in my head. I didn’t know if it was because I had my barriers up or if she was blocking them from me. I was both relieved and annoyed. The one time I actually wanted to know what was going on in that head of hers, and I was blocked. “He’s spreading hate.”
Her face hardened and her eyes narrowed. “Look, Jade, just drop it, okay? We don’t have time for this. You, Dan, and Kane are in serious trouble.” She stared past me and jerked her head toward something behind me. “There’s Philip.”
I spun. My soul guardian was striding away down the stairs in the direction of the French Quarter. I grabbed Lailah’s hand. “Let’s go.”
My glass silo disappeared and all the righteous excitement crawled over my skin. But that wasn’t what stopped me in my tracks.
Lailah tugged on my hand. “Come on. What are you waiting for?”