Free Angels of Bourbon Street by Deanna Chase Page B

followed by bone-shaking laughter. Tears streamed down her face. “Oh, God,” she gasped. “I’m sorry. I was just…so mad.” Another bubble of laughter sprang from her lips.
    “At me?” I asked, more than a little pissed. “What did I do?”
    “Nothing,” she wheezed as she tried to sober. “Nothing at all, and that’s the problem.”

Chapter 7
    Eyeing Pyper with caution, I reached over and pulled open a drawer full of dish towels. I wiped the water dripping from my chin and asked, “What are you talking about?”
    “You.” Her amusement faded and she huffed with exasperation. “You do nothing, yet everything revolves around you. Everyone drops everything to deal with the crisis of the week. It’s no wonder everyone’s so fascinated with you.”
    Her words were a sucker-punch to my gut. Crisis of the week? Everyone drops everything for me? As if I asked for these things to happen to me? Hell, I’d even saved her ass once. Everything about me? What the…? I narrowed my eyes. “By everyone, do you mean Ian?”
    “Obviously.” She bent down and picked up the sopping sponge from the floor. Her fingers curled around it and a puddle formed at her feet. “And Kane. And Kat. And Lailah. And your coven. Jesus, even your ex-boyfriend shows up.”
    My mouth hung open, and as her words sank in, my vision blurred a hazy shade of red. “Are you kidding me right now?” After all I’d done to help her, I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “Are you saying you’d rather be stuck in an alternate reality with Roy? Or that I should’ve let Meri keep Kane and Kat in Hell? Or that I should’ve given up my soul to a demon? Because all of those options sure as shit would’ve been a lot easier to deal with. In fact, none of us would be here right now to even argue about it.”
    “Oh, fuck you, Jade!”
    The sponge flew again, but this time I ducked.
    A startled gasp sounded from behind me. I whirled to find Gwen standing in the doorway, her red shirt darkened with sponge water. She held the sponge in both hands. “Ladies, is there a problem in here?”
    “No,” we said in unison.
    I turned angry eyes on Pyper. She’d just nailed my aunt with a sponge, and she hadn’t even apologized. “What’s wrong with you?” I demanded, scowling at Pyper.
    “You!” She threw a wooden spoon into the sink and stalked toward Kane’s bedroom. My bedroom now. The door slammed shut, rattling the glassware in the cabinets.
    I threw down the dish towel and forced out a breath. None of this was my fault, but I still couldn’t help feeling guilty. I’d kissed Ian. So what if I’d been possessed at the time? It was still awful. My whole body started to shake with delayed adrenaline. Clutching the counter, I hung my head. “Goddess, Gwen. Is that what she thinks of me? That I invite this crap to happen so I can be the center of attention?”
    Gwen’s strong, capable hand wrapped around my arm. She gently tugged and led me to the table. “Sit.”
    I did as I was told and buried my head in my hands. First, I’d been possessed—twice. Then Kat went missing, and now Pyper was ready to delete my number from speed dial. What a fucked-up day.
    “Want to talk about it?” Gwen asked.
    “No,” I mumbled, not lifting my face from my hands. “I’d really like to have a moment to myself if you don’t mind.”
    I felt Gwen hovering, clearly not wanting to leave me alone, but then she nodded and squeezed my shoulder. “I’ll be in the living room if you change your mind.”
    As her footsteps faded into the other room, I dropped my hands and leaned back in the chair. Damn Pyper. Why’d she have to take my room?
    “Jade?” a deep female voice said quietly.
    I jerked, finding Meri standing just inside the kitchen door. Her head was tilted to the side as she studied me. “Yeah?”
    “Do you mind if I join you?” Her tone was quiet, cautious.
    Now what? Frowning, I waved a hand at the chair next to me.
    She chuckled. The