Shadows of Bourbon Street Read Online Free PDF Page A

mist. “Shit!”
    Crouching, I frantically swiped my hands over the ground, searching. He had to be here. We’d come together.
    “Kane!” I tried again when all I felt was brick. Standing, I moved cautiously, both anxious to search and also terrified I would put more distance between us. Instead, I sent out my emotional energy. If he was here, I’d get a read on him. Fear, mixed with intense curiosity and hope, brushed against my psyche. But it wasn’t Kane. Every emotional signature was unique, like a voice, and I’d know Kane’s anywhere. Whoever I was feeling definitely wasn’t him. He was either knocked out or not close enough for me to reach him.
    “Banish the mist,” a feminine voice called from behind me.
    I spun. A solid wall of gray met me. “What? Who are you?”
    “Who are you?” she demanded, the irritation in her tone mirroring the irritation filling her.
    “Mati?” I asked.
    More silence.
    “Matisse? If that’s you, your sister sent me. Chessandra.” I stood in the mist, becoming more terrified by the second that Kane appeared to be missing. And whoever this was wasn’t helping matters. “Come on. I’m here to help,” I said angrily. “It’s my freakin’ wedding day of all days. Now I’m stuck here, my fiancé appears to be missing, and if you’re not Mati, then I’m seriously in the wrong place.”
    “It’s your wedding day?” the woman asked, her voice high pitched with disbelief.
    “Well, not anymore.” I crossed my arms over my chest and clutched both arms out of pure frustration.
    “Damn. That sucks. Chessa’s such a bitch.”
    “Yes, it does. And yes, she is.”
    “Are you a witch? Or just a shadow walker?”
    “Both.” I took a step toward her voice. “Now what did you mean when you said to banish the mist?”
    “You need to cast a banishing spell.” Confusion rippled from her to me. “You said you’re a witch, right?”
    I huffed in frustration. “Yes. But I don’t normally banish things unless we’re talking about evil spirits.” Now her energy turned to amusement. Seriously? “Look. If you want my help, you might want to start cooperating. Otherwise, I’m out of here.” That was a lie. I wouldn’t leave until I was sure Kane wasn’t here, but dammit, this chick was pissing me off.
    “You’re the white witch, aren’t you?”
    I paused. She knew who I was? “Yes,” I answered cautiously.
    “Figures.” She let out a long sigh. “This is the spell. By my mind, by my heart, by the power of my will, may the mists part .”
    “Okay…but why don’t you do it?”
    “I can’t.” Her words were clipped, full of anger. “My magic has…well, it’s not working.”
    “Oh.” My heart broke for this girl. Ever since I’d come to accept my magic, it had become so thoroughly a part of me, I couldn’t imagine it not working. Couldn’t imagine how awful and helpless it would be to be without it. Anxious to find Kane and to see something other than mist, I touched the magic deep inside and repeated her words.
    The mist retreated, leaving us standing on what appeared to be the waterfront of the Mississippi River. The dark-haired girl sat on the rocks, staring out at the normally brownish water. In this dimension it appeared to be black. She was rail thin but otherwise appeared unharmed.
    I searched frantically for Kane but didn’t see him anywhere. “No! Dammit, this is not supposed to happen.”
    The girl—no, woman—turned and regarded me with defeated eyes. The dragonfly pin was resting in her hand, no longer animated. “What wasn’t supposed to happen?”
    “Kane is supposed to be here. He jumped through with me. Where is he?”
    Shaking her head, she closed her eyes. “Unless this Kane is a powerful witch, he likely can’t come here.”
    “What? Where are we?”
    She shrugged. “Damned if I know. But it doesn’t mist in the shadow world, and this place is void of other souls.”
    Shock rippled through me. She was right. There wasn’t