Demons of Bourbon Street Read Online Free PDF Page B

this… person any longer. You’ll have to find me a new seat.”
“ I’m sorry, sir.” She frowned helplessly. “Our flight is full. There aren’t any other seats available.”
“ There must be someone willing to switch,” the man drawled, laying his southern charm on thick. “Tell them it’s for Reverend Goodwin.”
I held back a snort. Just my luck. I’d been seated next to a right-winged blowhard who currently topped the Nielsen ratings every Sunday morning on the cable station owned by his grandfather, the mega-media conglomerate powerhouse Fredrick Goodwin. What the heck was he doing in economy class?
The flight attendant’s kind eyes narrowed and irritation radiated from her. “Sir, again, the flight is full. There’s nothing I can do.”
Goodwin raised his voice, clearly going for intimidating, but instead he sounded petulant. “First you overbook and I end up back here, in these sardine can chairs instead of in first class. Then you put me next to this disrespectful, foul-mouthed, unchristian—”
“ Sir, there is no need for name-calling.” She waved to someone at the back of the plane.
Goodwin wiped his brow and gestured toward the window seat, continuing his diatribe. “Not to mention she’s upsetting that poor child. I have a lecture to give twenty minutes after we land. I can’t focus here.”
“ Hey,” I interjected. “I was just sitting here.”
An official with a TSA badge on his arm joined the flight attendant. “Is there a problem?”
“ Yes,” Goodwin said, relief in his voice. “I need to be moved. This woman is causing a disturbance.” He jerked his head in my direction.
“ It seems to me you’re the one disturbing the other passengers.” He glanced at the flight attendant. She gave him a curt nod. Mr. TSA turned his attention back to Goodwin. “You’ll need to come with me.”
“ Thank you.” The reverend rose gracefully from his seat. “If you can arrange anything in first class, I’ll be sure to put a word in with the man upstairs.”
The officer sent him a steely glare. “Sir, you are now in the custody of the TSA until we say otherwise. Please step to the back of the plane.”
“ What?” Goodwin tried to back up, but with the flight attendant in his path, he didn’t have anywhere to go.
“ If you resist, you will be arrested. I suggest you step to the back of the plane.”
I snickered, and Goodwin sent me a death glare. “Now, now, Reverend, that isn’t very Christian of you.”
The TSA agent gave him a nudge, and the pair disappeared to the back of the plane. My shoulders relaxed, and relief bubbled from the young mother beside me. “Sorry about that,” I said.
She cradled her now-whimpering child to her breast. “Don’t apologize. I wish I’d had the courage to tell him off. I’m sure part of the reason Katy is so upset is because that man was making me so mad. Babies sense these things.”
Of course they did. People fed off other people’s surface emotions all the time. They were the lucky ones. I had the pleasure of being up close and personal with everything they were feeling. Blocking it was exhausting. However, there was something I could do to help. “Can I hold her?” I smiled at the bundle in her arms.
“ Um…” The mom glanced at her child and then tentatively held her out. The baby let out a wail she’d been barely holding back. “She’s really fussy with strangers.”
“ Couldn’t hurt to try.” I took the swaddled baby and held her against my shoulder. She continued to cry, sobbing in loud hiccups. Rubbing her back, I cooed softly in her ear. “It’s okay, sweetie. He’s gone.”
My magical spark warmed inside my chest, but I pushed it down. There was no need to spell the child. She just needed some calming energy. It would be better to take it from someone else and transfer it.
I could do it myself, but I still had issues with accidentally transferring my own essence. Not a good thing. If I gave too much away, I’d