Shadows of Bourbon Street Read Online Free PDF Page B

so clueless. But whatever it was, she seemed amused now. “You’re the white witch who took over for Beatrice and you have no idea. This is just…” She shook her head. “She sure has her secrets. The witches of Coven Pointe live across the river.”
    “You mean Algiers Point?” It was the second-oldest neighborhood in New Orleans. They had a coven? I thought I knew all the witches in New Orleans.
    She raised a sardonic eyebrow and nodded. “We call it Coven Pointe. Have you ever been there?”
    “No.”
    “There’s a reason for that. Before Algiers Point was founded, it was claimed by my ancestors and was called Coven Pointe. Over time, they were driven out. But fifty years ago, my grandmother and her siblings reclaimed what is ours. We’ve been at war—if you will—with the New Orleans coven ever since.”
    “What?” It was as if she were talking a different language. I’d never known Bea to not welcome a witch into the fold…unless… “Do your people dabble in black magic?”
    “No,” she said, clearly offended.
    “Thank the Goddess for that.”
    “But we do experiment more than the NOLA coven.”
    “How?”
    She gave a noncommittal shrug. “We just embrace more unorthodox methods.”
    I didn’t have any idea what that meant. I didn’t really want to know, either. The angel of the high council had sent me to get her sister. Whatever magic they used, it couldn’t be that bad. I mean, her sister was a freaking angel, for God’s sake. The high angel at that.
    “But that’s not why there’s a war,” Mati added.
    I raised both eyebrows. “Are you going to fill me in? Because I have to say, this vagueness seems to be a family trait I’m not particularly fond of.”
    That actually got a smile out of her. Her entire face lit up, and just like that she morphed into a carefree, vibrant young woman. “Ha. Yeah, Chessa and I do that sometimes. Sorry. All I know is my auntie Dayla and Beatrice had a falling out over some man, and from that point forward, we never talked of or spoke to anyone in the coven on the east bank again. The details are vague, but for as long as I can remember, we’ve been kept isolated from the rest of the witches of New Orleans.”
    “That seems…crazy. No offense.”
    She shrugged. “Maybe. But Auntie Dayla is our coven leader and she’s fair. I assume she has good reasons.”
    “Bea is fair, too.” But doubt nagged at my mind. I trusted Bea, but I didn’t know much about her past. “Never mind. That’s their issue, not mine. Whatever war they have going on, it doesn’t have anything to do with me. Let’s just get out of here and we’ll figure it out later.”
    She held her hand out to me. “Whatever you say, witch-girl. I’m more than ready to leave this hole.”
    Now what? Without knowing where to go, I opened up my senses one more time, pushing past all boundaries. Kane most definitely wasn’t there. Nobody was. Only Matisse. But there was a tiny tickle of nondescript energy. I latched on to it, forcing the stream of consciousness to merge with my magic. A tug started in my belly and the world turned to mist.
    Clutching Matisse’s hand, I let my magic go. Everything faded and once again, I landed on my butt. Hard. Would I ever learn to get my feet under me?
    “Jade?” Kane’s voice penetrated my thoughts.
    I jumped up and ran to his side.
    He caught me in his arms, relief cascading from him in thick waves. “Where were you?”
    “I…” I glanced around and realized we were back in the club but still in the shadow world. Souls milled around us, watching with dispassionate interest. They were ghosts who hadn’t been called to either a higher or a lower plane. They just existed between worlds. It was sad, but I was grateful they hadn’t ended up in Hell. “Where is she?”
    “Who?” He glanced around and then back at me. “Mati? Did you find her?”
    “Yes. Oh, son of a bitch.”
    “Jade?” When I didn’t say anything, he took my hand and a