Shadows of Bourbon Street Read Online Free PDF

anyone else here. Just us two. “We’re not in Purgatory, are we?” I’d seen it before. Kane and Lailah had been stuck in a rundown shack. I hadn’t seen anyone else then, either.
    She shook her head. “No. This…feels different.”
    Of course she was right. Kane and I had already picked up on that. There weren’t any lingering emotions. Most places had an echo of those who’d come before. This one didn’t. My heart started to thump hard against my ribs. “Holy shit.”
    “What?”
    “I think we’re in a place where time stands still. It feels just like that room.”
    “What is today?”
    “February twenty-first.”
    She shook her head again. “Not unless years have gone by since I went missing. As far as I can tell, I’ve been here about a week.”
    Relief flooded through me. “Yeah, that sounds right. Thank God for that.”
    She grunted. “Yeah, you hang here for a week by yourself with no one to talk to and no food or water. See how you like it.”
    That horror filled me again. How was she surviving? “No food or water?”
    She shrugged. “Besides being really weak, the lack of sustenance doesn’t appear to be a factor. But still, I’m about to go crazy with boredom. It’s like I’m in limbo, waiting all the time for nothing. Because nothing comes.”
    “I did,” I said. “And I’m going to get you out of here.”
    She raised her eyebrows. “How?”
    “However I leave, you’re coming with me.” I glanced around again. No Kane. Where was he? Still back in the shadow world? Jesus, I hoped so. Otherwise I’d never find him. “How did you end up here? That portal I used was originally a gate to Hell.”
    Mati sat back down and buried her head in her hands. Then she jerked her head up. “I was working on closing the veil from the shadow world to Hell. Chessandra’s orders.” Self-righteous anger engulfed her and for a second I thought her eyes turned red. Whoa. Just like Chessandra’s. “The spell seemed to work, too, but then it backfired and rushed through me.” She shuddered, and a look of terror claimed her face. “I was on fire. It literally felt like I was burning alive.” Her voice was low, shaking as she forced the words out. “I thought I was going to die.”
    The absolute horror of what she’d gone through rushed from her and slammed into me. Even the pain she’d felt hit me hard, making my knees almost buckle. I took deep, cleansing breaths, forcing the energy out of my system, praying I wasn’t pushing it back on her. “What happened then?”
    Tears streamed from her big whiskey-colored eyes, the red completely gone now. “I don’t know. The rest of my magic sort of exploded, and when it was gone, I was left with nothing. Not even a spark.”
    She’d saved herself with her magic. “You must be a really strong witch.”
    “Not anymore.”
    “Bea can help,” I said with confidence. No matter how much I learned, there was always something that I couldn’t speak to. But Bea could. Or she’d help find an answer.
    “Bea?”
    “Beatrice Kelton. The New Orleans coven leader.” I smiled. “She’s back in charge until after the wedding…whenever that’s going to be,” I added, no longer irritated, just resigned.
    She stiffened. “I don’t think that’s going to work.”
    “Sure it will. We just need to get you out of here.” I was getting super anxious now. I prayed to the Goddess that Kane was waiting for me in the shadow world. Because I was not going to lose him today of all days. That was a hell. Fucking. No.
    “I belong to the witches of Coven Pointe.”
    “So?” Most witches belonged to a coven. The collective power could accomplish what most witches couldn’t by themselves.
    She twisted her fingers together nervously. “You don’t know, do you?”
    Oh, crap on toast. Know what? I sighed and shook my head. “Obviously not. Why don’t you fill me in on whatever it is?”
    Maybe it was my eye roll that made her laugh. Or the fact that I seemed