Demons of Bourbon Street by Deanna Chase

other angels in the area and…well, had I known we’d summon Goodwin, I never would have asked the coven to work that particular spell.”
She sighed. “Angels come in all different sizes and shapes, unfortunately.”
I threw a clean T-shirt on the bed on top of my jeans. “I have to talk to you about something. In person. Is now a good time?”
“ Of course. And Jade?”
“ Yeah?”
“ Don’t work any spells, no matter how benign for the time being.” She ended the call before I could say anything else.
Yikes. Had Lailah already filled her in? I grabbed my clothes and headed for the shower. “I’ll be ready in ten minutes,” I told Kane.
Thirty minutes later we pulled up to Bea’s Garden District carriage home. The small white house gleamed in the November sunshine.
“ Something’s different,” Pyper said from the backseat of Kane’s Lexus. She’d insisted on tagging along and left Holly in charge of the café.
“ It’s the flowers,” I said, eyeing the vibrant rows of blooming marigolds in front of her porch. After banishing a spirit to Hell, Bea had been too weak to tend her gardens over the summer. It had taken three months of practice, but I’d finally found my magical spark and restored her energy. “I’m glad she’s getting back to normal.”
“ Yeah, but for how long?” Pyper climbed out of the car.
A chill crawled over my heart. There was no doubt I’d need Bea’s help, even if Philip was wrong about me. One doesn’t go into Hell and expect to get back out again without a witch casting an anchor spell on the other side. And Bea was the only one I knew powerful enough to handle such advanced magic.
Kane put his hand on my thigh and squeezed lightly. “You all right?”
I took a deep breath. “I think so.”
He leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to my temple. “I’ll be by your side no matter what.”
Emotion bubbled in my chest. I nodded, too afraid to speak. A moment later, Kane got out of the car, then walked around to my side to open my door. I took his hand and stood on shaky legs. “Thanks.”
Determined to find out if I was, indeed, a vessel of black magic, I forced myself to put one foot in front of the other. If anyone had the skill to detect the taint, it would be Bea.
“ They’re here,” Lailah called from the front door.
Philip appeared behind her, his face pinched with impatience. “Finally. We’ve been here for hours.”
I waved at Lailah and sent Philip a cold stare. Who cared if he’d been waiting on us?
Lailah nodded a greeting as I brushed past her to join Bea in her dining room.
“ Be nice, Philip,” Lailah said. “We’re going to need to work together, especially now that Jonathon’s in town.”
I sat next to Bea, noting her freshly dyed auburn locks. She was every bit the southern lady in her beige linen pants and violet silk blouse. Strong and confident, exactly as she had been the first time I’d met her. “Did you see the news?”
She nodded and passed me a notepad. A simple incantation filled four lines.
“ What’s this for?” I asked.
Her sympathetic brown eyes stared into mine. “It’s the spell to let us know if your soul has been tainted.”
Panic rushed through my limbs, and without thinking, I pushed the notebook out of my reach.
“ Jade, you don’t have anything to be ashamed of. After our encounter with Meri, I should have thought of this sooner, but I wasn’t quite myself, and you were out of town. We’ll do the incantation together. We’re both at risk. If what Philip says is true, we could both be compromised.”
Her words held little comfort. “No one sent an angel to watch over you.”
A small, bitter laugh escaped her lips.
Startled, I turned to give her my full attention. “Bea?”
“ Why do you think I put you in charge of the coven?”
“ You had to. You were being consumed by black magic.”
She closed her eyes and shook her head. “I had the opportunity to take the position back when you offered. It was my right and,