Free Demons of Bourbon Street by Deanna Chase Page B

who’d stayed back assessing the dynamics, moved and whispered something to Lailah. She tilted her face up, studying him. Finally she looked away and cleared her throat. “Maybe we should all go somewhere and figure this out.”
***
     
A wave of exhaustion washed over me. I brought a steamy cup of coffee to my lips and leaned back into the overstuffed loveseat in Kane’s living room.
The three angels hovered in the corner, arguing in hushed tones. Kane sat next to me, silently keeping an eye on Goodwin. Kat perched on my other side in a wooden chair she’d snagged from the kitchen. Her anxiousness was actually making me nauseated. To keep my dinner down, I raised my imaginary glass silo, blocking everyone’s emotional energy. My stomach settled, and I sighed in relief.
Lucien paced back and forth in front of us, his brow creased in thought. “If what Philip said is true, why didn’t I turn on you?”
“ You think Jade’s tainted?” Kat sent him a hard stare.
“ No. I mean, I don’t know.” He paused and glanced at Philip. “We can’t take anything he says at face value. He’s a stranger. A demon’s mate, even. He could be helping Meri.”
My head started to pound. I rubbed two fingers across my skull. “He’s not helping Meri. He shunned her after she fell, remember?”
“ That doesn’t mean he hasn’t changed his mind.” Lucien stopped and turned his attention to the angels. “What are they arguing about?”
Can she be saved? Lailah’s thoughts slipped into my brain.
With a heavy sigh, I leaned against Kane. “They’re trying to decide what they’re going to do with me.”
“ What does that mean, what to do with you?” Kane asked, caressing my arm.
I met his worried mocha-colored eyes. “If it’s true I’ve been corrupted by black magic, then I’m a threat to not just the magical community, but all the people around me. They’re trying to come to an agreement about the best way to handle it.”
“ And?” Kat asked.
“ Goodwin’s proposing to send me to Hell. He’s of the mind that I’m a lost cause.” As far as he knew, there wasn’t a way to reverse threads of black magic. Once it took hold, it would eventually eat your soul. Then the only safe place for me would be the fiery underworld.
Except, I’d saved Bea, the former New Orleans coven leader, from the hold of black magic just one week before.
“ That’s crazy!” Kat stood and stalked across the room. “Jade is not a lost cause. I can’t believe you’re making plans for her future when we don’t even fully understand what’s going on.” She placed her hands on her hips, her feet spread wide. “The three of you have some explaining to do before we go any farther. Philip, we’ll start with you.”
His pale emerald eyes crinkled in amusement and he shot her an easy smile. “You’ve got spunk.”
She stepped back, clearly caught off guard, a troubled expression on her face. I could almost hear her thoughts. The easy reaction to Kat’s outburst was so eerily familiar to the way Dan used to behave, I had to steady my own shaken emotions. Her expression cleared, replaced by a sense of resolve. “Enough. Tell us exactly why you think Jade’s been compromised. And if so, why didn’t Lucien turn on her?”
Philip grabbed his coffee mug off the mantle and moved to sit across from me on one of the overstuffed chairs. He took a sip and glanced at Lucien. “He’s stronger than the rest of the witches. When the threads weave their way deeper through the circle, eventually he’ll be affected.” Dan’s father turned his steady gaze to me, staring intently into my eyes. “Normally angels work under the radar, but I’m going to need your cooperation if we have any chance of defeating the evil we’re up against. I believe it would be to your detriment to keep my purpose here a secret.”
Did he already know about Dan? Was he here to save him? A small tingle of hope formed in my chest.
“ A week ago, I got the call your