Free Witches of Bourbon Street by Deanna Chase

damage, one scratch, you’re paying for it and a rental car while it gets fixed,” Pyper seethed from the back seat while we waited for the gate to inch open.
    Kane ignored her and sped through the barely open gate, past the main residence, and screeched to a stop in front of Bea’s tiny carriage house.
    Thank you , I mouthed to him and jumped out before either had even undone their seatbelts. “Bea?” I called through the screen door.
    “In here, dear,” her voice floated from inside.
    The screen door shut with a soft click behind me.
    Bea sat at her kitchen table, grinding dried herbs. “What a nice surprise. Let me get you something to drink.” She rose, but I waved her down.
    “I’ll get it.” The act of finding glasses and filling them with ice gave me a moment to collect my thoughts. So much had happened in the last few days, I hardly knew where to start.
    By the time I had the iced tea ready, Kane and Pyper had joined Bea at the table.
    Pyper, God bless her, jumped right into the thick of things. “Bea, is it possible to trap a spirit in an object?”
    Bea put down her pestle. “You mean magically bind a spirit to something?”
    Pyper nodded.
    “Sure. If the witch is powerful enough.”
    “Why would someone do that?” I asked, handing Bea a glass.
    “Any number of reasons, but usually it’s done to control a spirit. Keep her from expelling any of her own energy.” Bea peered at us. “It’s a highly dangerous curse and not one condoned by the coven.”
    “Don’t worry,” I assured her. “No one here is interested in working that kind of spell. We just need information.”
    “Right,” Pyper said. “Now, is it possible to put part of a spirit in one object and another part in something else—say, a voodoo doll?”
    Bea frowned. “Witches don’t use voodoo dolls.”
    “We just want to know if it’s possible.” I fingered the rim of my glass.
    She shook her head. “But one could trap the soul and the spirit separately. Such a curse would be very dark. Very dangerous.”
    No one said anything.
    “I think it’s time you filled me in.” Bea pushed her mortar away and clasped her hands together.
    I closed my eyes then let it all out. I started with the night my mother had disappeared, and moved on to the portraits, my vision, Lailah running off with them, Felicia’s warning, Dan’s energy, and the voodoo dolls. When I finished, Bea got up and retrieved a notepad from a small desk.
    “What does it all mean?” I finally asked in a hushed tone.
    Bea looked up from her notes. “It means someone has trapped the souls of those three sisters in the dolls and their spirits in the portraits.”
    The memory of what I’d felt from the dolls came rushing back. Love was the underlying factor. Bea had told me the soul was what gave humans their ability to love. Oh, man. No wonder I hadn’t detected anything warm and fuzzy from the portraits.
    “Demons have souls?” Pyper asked.
    “In the early stages of demonhood, yes,” Bea said. “When an angel falls, his or her soul gets corrupted. After enough time goes by, it will eventually die.”
    I bit my lip. “Does that mean there’s hope to save Meri from demonism? If her soul is safe in one of the dolls?”
    Bea frowned. “Unfortunately, no. Once angels fall, their souls are damned.” She made another note. “Someone has gone to an awful lot of trouble to get a few witches and a demon out of the way. Meri is beyond our help, but the other three we have to save.” Bea jotted down some notes then made a phone call. When she hung up, she smiled. “Lailah will be here shortly.”
    “Three?” I asked, barely able to breathe. The two witches in the circle, the demon they’d summoned, and… “Does this mean you think we can find my mother?”
    “If Meri isn’t too powerful, it’s a possibility.” Bea continued to scribble notes.
    For the first time in twelve years, a small tremor of hope started to blossom in my chest. Tears blurred my