Engaged off Bourbon Street (Jade Calhoun Short Story, 3.5)

Deanna Chase

Published by Deanna Chase, 2014.

This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.

ENGAGED OFF BOURBON STREET (JADE CALHOUN SHORT STORY, 3.5)

First edition. December 13, 2014.

Copyright © 2014 Deanna Chase.

ISBN: 978-1940299259

Written by Deanna Chase.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Engaged off Bourbon Street – A short story

“Forget the cheesecake!” I yelled, clutching the flimsy limbs of the noble fir. I grimaced, unable to believe those words had actually flown out of my mouth. Not the cheesecake. But when a girl is suspended twenty feet in the air, on top of a wobbly ladder, she tends to get a little snappish.

Kane strode in from the kitchen, a pink ruffled apron strapped over his white button-down shirt and steel-gray dress pants. He waved a pink oven mitt that matched the apron. “What’s wrong?”

I choked out a bubble of laughter, making the ladder shift again. “Shit!” Adrenaline shot through my veins as I clung to our enormous Christmas tree, praying I didn’t end up splattered on the gleaming hardwood floor.

Kane ran toward me. With a flick of his wrist, the pink mitt flew over his shoulder. “Jesus, Jade.” He grabbed hold of the metal A-frame. “Get down from there before you break your neck.”

I shot him my best death glare. I was only up there because he’d ignored my last three requests to finish decorating the top three feet of the tree. But the worry clouding his expression melted my irritation, and I slowly moved one foot after the other down the steps, careful to not trip on the hem of my ankle-length skirt. “Someone had to finish decorating this thing. The guests will be here in an hour.”

His strong arms came around me, lifting me off before I reached the bottom rung. “Forget the tree,” he said in a low husky voice. “It won’t be much of an engagement party if my fiancée is splattered on the hardwood.”

A lock of dark hair fell over his gorgeous chocolate-brown eyes as he brushed his lips over mine. I closed my eyes, sinking into the kiss, his warm tongue sending electric shocks right down to my toes.

Yeah. Forget the tree. Kissing was much more fun. Good thing I’d remembered the mistletoe. If we positioned ourselves just right, we could go on like this all night. Except...

“Crap!” I yelped and pulled away. “The mistletoe! I forgot to hang it.”

Kane’s lips quirked. “I think we’re doing fine without it.”

“Let me down.” Laughing, I pumped a light fist on his shoulder. “I promised Pyper. She has a plan.”

“Huh?” Kane set me down on my feet. “What plan?”

“It has to do with Ian.” I ran toward the grand spiral staircase. “I’ll have to fill you in later.” Dammit. I’d totally forgotten. If I didn’t get the five bundles of mistletoe up in the next half hour, Pyper, my boss and Kane’s best friend, was going to kill me. It was all she’d talked about for the last week.

I skidded to a stop at the top of the stairs and peered down the hall. Now, which room had I left them in? The office? Or the library? Maybe the guest room? We were having our combined engagement-holiday party at Summer House, Kane’s family plantation house located in a tiny bayou town south of New Orleans. I was still settling in. This place was a far cry from my one-room apartment above Kane’s strip club on Bourbon Street.

Hmm. The mistletoe had to be in the guest room. The one decorated in lilac. That was where I’d dropped my latest round of holiday purchases. And also where I’d been doing all my Christmas wrapping. I opened the door and peeked in. Yikes. Just what I thought. Chaos. Okay, it had to be in there somewhere. I trudged through the remnants of leftover wrapping paper and discarded shopping bags, scanning the mess. We’d only been there three days. I wasn’t that much of a slob, was I?

After frantically searching each bag, I flopped into an upholstered chair and let out a huge sigh. Where was it? The wall clock read five thirty-five. Everyone would start arriving in twenty-five minutes. Time for a finding spell.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, settling my nerves. Working magic while in a frenzy rarely went well. But as far as incantations went, this one was pretty mild. I opened my eyes and stared at the white pillar candle resting on the dressing table.

“Ignite,” I whispered.

The candlelight flickered to life. Perfect. I moved forward, but just as I reached for the pillar, the flame grew twice as large then split from the wick in four tiny orbs of fire.

“What the—”

The orbs shot around the room, circling me. I froze. A second later, they each zoomed to opposite corners of the room, lighting four other white pillar candles. The overhead light went out, and all five candles glowed brightly in the dark room.

Wow. That was...crazy. All I’d done was light a candle. Not all five. Maybe my power was still haywire after the soul-splitting thing two weeks ago. I didn’t feel any different, though. Well, except for losing my empath ability. I hadn’t felt one outside emotion in days. It was freeing but also weird, as if I’d lost a part of myself.

I shrugged off the nagging feeling that something had gone wrong. All I’d done was light a few candles. No harm, really. Twenty-two more minutes until the guests arrived. This time when I reached for the candle, nothing out of the ordinary happened. Thank goodness.

Holding out my arm, I closed my eyes and chanted, “Lost. Found. Lost. Found. Open my sight. Let the lost be found.” Forming a picture of the five ribbon-wrapped bundles of mistletoe in my mind, I commanded, “Reveal yourself!”

The rustling sound of craft paper filled the room. I opened my eyes. To my right, a white paper bag shimmered with light. I smiled. There they were. “Come to me.” One by one, the pretty little bundles flew out of their bag and landed on the bed in front of me.

Perfect. I scooped them up, blew out the candles, and ran back down the stairs. “Kane,” I cried. “I need help.” No way was I going back up on that death-trap ladder.

“I’ve kind of got my hands full,” he yelled from the kitchen.

The delicious scent of roasted turkey permeated the air. Damn, that man was just about perfect. Gorgeous, rich, exceptional talents in the bedroom, and he cooked. I’d bet he even managed to save my cheesecake.

“Never mind.” I didn’t need a ladder anyway. I was a witch, after all. Eighteen minutes. No time to mess around. Five bundles. Okay. I placed one on the floor in our foyer, one at the base of the staircase, another under the chandelier in the ballroom, and one in front of the coat closet. And the last bundle was to go in the kitchen over the sink. It was a tradition of my mother’s, one I was all too happy to honor. I set the last one on the dining room table and focused on the first four.

Instantly, they started to glow with sparkles of light. I raised my hands, and the bundles rose high in the air.

“Unite,” I demanded.

Nothing appeared to happen, but when I lowered my arms, all four bundles were suspended exactly where they should be. That was easy. Except they still twinkled with light. Huh. At least they were festive.

I turned to grab the fifth bundle. “Kane?”

“Still busy.”

I slid through the open door and leaned against the frame, smiling as I watched Kane mixing something with the electric beaters. “Whipped cream?” I asked hopefully.

He cast me a mysterious look and said in a gruff voice, “Come here.”

How could I resist that? I snuggled up next to him, eyeing the bowl of freshly whipped cream. “Is that for my cheesecake?”

“No.” He leaned in, nuzzling my ear.

“Shortcake?”

“Nope.” His tongue darted out, sending a shiver down my spine.

“Pie?” I breathed as his teeth scraped my neck.

He chuckled, his hot breath sending a jolt of anticipation south of my belly button. One arm wrapped around me, dipping me back off my feet into his strong embrace. He scraped the side of the bowl and brought a finger full of fluffy cream to my lips.

I opened my mouth. Yummy goodness melted on my tongue, eliciting a deep moan from the back of my throat.

“This,” he said, heat in his rich-chocolate eyes, “is for after everyone leaves.”

Oh God. How fast could I get rid of everyone?

Ting. Ting. Ting.

“Damn it,” I whispered.

Kane’s mouth covered mine, his tongue dancing over mine.

Ting. Ting. Ting.

I gently pushed him back, more than a little breathless. “They’re here.”

“They can wait.” He dipped his head once more and clutched me close to his body as he made my head spin with one more toe-curling kiss. Everything pulsed.

He pulled away with a satisfied smile. “We should have mistletoe year round.”

I shook my head, laughing. “This one’s not even up yet.” I held out the bundle. “Will you hang it for me?”

“Sure, but you’ll have to pay for it.” He winked and placed the whipped cream in the fridge.

I moved closer, intending to settle my debt.

Ting. Ting.

Damn doorbell. “I’m coming,” I shouted and ran to the entryway. Right before I reached the door, it swung open all on its own.

“Nice trick,” Pyper said, sweeping into the house. She wore a skintight red velvet minidress. Silver faux fur lined the hem and her wrists. For once, her hair was all black, any traces of shocking hot pink gone. I’d never seen her hair all one color before.

“Wow. Sexy,” I said.

“That was the plan.” She grinned and leaned in to give me a hug, but at the last minute, she planted her lips on mine and gave me more than I’d bargained for.

“Whoa,” I sputtered, pulling away. Holy crap, she’d just slipped me the tongue.

I nodded to Ian, her sort-of boyfriend. “Has she been dipping into the nog already?”

He stared at us, his eyes bright with surprise. Then he gave us his easy smile. “Wow, that was some greeting.”

Pyper laughed but turned away, and I swear her face turned the color of her velvet dress.

“Pyper?” I stared after her as she strode across the ballroom.

She cleared her throat. “I’m going to say hi to Kane.”

I turned to Ian. “That was weird.”

He grinned and moved toward me. Just as he leaned in, he pointed at the mistletoe above my head.

I jumped out from under the dang thing, flashing him an apologetic smile. “I need to get something from the kitchen. Make yourself at home.” The very last thing I needed was Ian, the guy I almost dated before Kane, kissing me. Besides, I’d seen enough lips in the last five minutes. I scooted into the kitchen and leaned against the inner wall.

“I don’t know why. It just happened,” Pyper said to Kane, distress ringing in her voice.

“What happened?” I moved to stand next to Kane. “Did Ian do something?”

“No...I...” Pyper turned pleading eyes on Kane.

He snorted.

“It’s not funny!” She smacked him on the arm.

I placed a hand on my hip. “What’s going on?”

Kane draped an arm over my shoulders and whispered, “She’s embarrassed about what just happened.”

I frowned, not sure what to say.

“The kiss,” Kane prompted.

“Oh... well.” I bit my lip. “I was a little surprised, but it’s no big deal.”

“You’re engaged!” Pyper blurted. “To him.” She waved at Kane, as if we weren’t aware. “And you’re not gay.”

I laughed. “No. But I’m sure I’m not the first straight girl you’ve ever kissed.”

“Definitely not,” Kane confirmed, his eyes crinkled in amusement.

“You’re not mad?” she asked both of us. “I mean, things aren’t going to get weird, are they?”

Kane and I glanced at each other. Then we both shook our heads.

I shrugged. “It’s just mistletoe.”

She glanced up at the bundle overhead and stepped forward. Then she seemed to consciously stop herself. She spun around, and without looking back, she strode back out into the ballroom.

I took Kane’s hand in mine. “You’re really not upset?”

He shook his head, his eyebrows pinched in confusion. “I might have been a little concerned if she hadn’t been so wigged about it. But she didn’t seem herself at all.”

“So if she’d brushed it off as nothing, you would’ve worried?”

He glanced down at me. “I trust you, but she did steal my college girlfriend. A guy doesn’t really recover from that kind of thing, no matter how entertaining the fantasies are.” The crinkles around his eyes reappeared as a grin spread across his face.

I punched him on the shoulder. “Shut up.”

He laughed and handed me a tray of goat-cheese-stuffed mushrooms. “Take these. I’ll be out in a second.”

“Hurry,” I called as I headed toward the kitchen door.

A few moments later, Kane appeared by my side, still in his pink apron.

“What’s up?” I asked.

“You told me to hurry.” He took the tray from me and placed it on a side table.

I scanned him from head to toe. “You really want to greet our guests like that?”

He glanced down at himself. “Uh, no.” Laughing, he pulled off the apron. “We’ll need to get something a little more masculine.”

“Obviously.” Summer House had been left to Kane by his grandmother, and until I came along, he’d never spent any time here. Hence the girly kitchen gear.

“Come on.” I grabbed his hand. “Maybe you can kiss Ian to get back at Pyper.”

“Uh...”

“Kidding! Jeez.”

Kane and Ian weren’t on the friendliest terms. They didn’t hate each other; they just weren’t buds.

In the few minutes we’d been holed up in the kitchen, most of our guests had arrived. Kat, Lucien, Charlie, and Lailah were huddled in the center of the room. Pyper was standing near the front windows with Ian, fidgeting.

I waved her over. “Stop it,” I whispered. “Everything’s fine. Take Ian off to one of the mistletoe bundles and get it over with already.”

“Now?”

I couldn’t believe how unsure and nervous she looked. “Yes, now. It’s not like you’ve never kissed him before.”

She swallowed. “Yeah, but that was before that reporter chick came to town.”

An old flame of Ian’s had shown up a few months ago, and according to Pyper, Ian had been preoccupied ever since. His budding romance with Pyper had come to an abrupt stop.

“Is she here?” I asked. “Did Ian invite her?”

“No, but he would hardly bring another woman to your party.”

I put my hands on her shoulders and stared her in the eye. “This is not the Pyper I know. Take charge. Let him know how you feel. March over there and give him a little bit of that tongue you laid on me about ten minutes ago.”

A bark of laughter escaped her lips. “Now you sound like Charlie.”

We both turned to check out the manager of Kane’s club, Wicked. My speech did sound exactly like something she’d say. She caught my eye, and I nodded a greeting. “Go,” I said to Pyper and crossed the room.

Kat spotted me before I made it and flung her arms around me. “Mistletoe,” she cried and then planted a kiss right on my lips.

The others all lined up to mimic her enthusiasm. After they’d each laid their loudest lip-smackers on me, we all laughed.

“Didn’t any of you bring a date?” I asked, noting the large concentration of estrogen in the room.

“I did.” Kat raised her hand and took a sip of her margarita. She wore an elegant fitted silk dress and had her salon-dyed red hair swept up in a twist. “Sort of.” She pointed to Lucien. “We came together.”

I raised one curious eyebrow. Lucien was tall, blond, and my second in command in the New Orleans coven. Kat could do worse. Way worse. “Nice,” I said. “What are you doing kissing me with him around? Go. Play doctor or something.”

“You were warm-up.” She winked and glided off to join Lucien.

Lucien waved, and I smiled, nodding in Kat’s direction just to let him know I approved. Not that he needed my permission, but she was my best friend, and I was his boss. Sort of. Leader of his coven. Close enough.

“Charlie? You’re stag?” I studied her, taking in her spiky red hair and heart-shaped face. Tonight, she wore black skinny jeans, ankle boots, and a cream off-the-shoulder sweater. Supermodel material, that one.

She waved toward the downstairs powder room. “She’s freshening up.”

Lailah shook her head, amused. “Wait until you see her.”

“Cute?”

Charlie caught my eye and chuckled. “You’ll see.”

“Just promise you’ll let this one down easy,” I begged.

The last two women Charlie dated, she’d sent a breakup text. They’d both stormed the coffee shop looking for her. At the same time. It wasn’t pretty.

“Yes, boss.” She saluted me with two fingers and disappeared into the foyer.

I didn’t bother to ask Lailah about a date. She’d just ended an on-again, off-again relationship with an angel who tried to steal my soul. It was a touchy subject. I slid my arm around her waist. “You’ll stick with me tonight. Come on. Let’s meet new people.”

We moved toward a friend of Kane’s standing near the back door, chatting with Pyper. Ian leaned against the far wall, arms crossed over his chest, eyes narrowed. What happened there? Last I saw Pyper, she was off to make a move on Ian. Did she chicken out?

“Pyper,” I called. “Introduce your friend to Lailah.” I took off toward Ian, intending to find out what had happened, but Lailah fell in step beside me. “What’s up?”

“I’m sticking with you, remember?” She tossed her honey-blond hair over one shoulder.

I stopped. “I didn’t mean literally.”

“Oh.” Her face fell.

I mentally kicked myself. “Sorry. I didn’t... I mean...” Oh, shit. I should butt out. She’d find someone when she was ready. “Let’s go. You can help Kane.”

She brightened and followed me into the kitchen. I grabbed a tray of crab puffs and headed back to the party. Lailah stayed behind. On the way out, I passed Pyper and Kane’s friend.

“We need to talk to Lailah,” Pyper said, tugging her companion toward the kitchen door.

“She’s helping Kane.”

Pyper smirked. “No. She’s hiding. We’ll be right back.” They disappeared through the door.

Across the room, Kat had Lucien pressed up against the wall, her face glued to his.

“Wow,” I whispered.

“She follows orders well,” a voice whispered in my ear.

I jumped, nearly dropping my crab puffs. Right next to me was a faint outline of a tall, dark-haired woman. She wore a high-necked, pale-pink ball gown, circa 1890. Taking two steps back, I glanced around, wondering if anyone else could see her.

“Who are you?” I whispered back.

She let out a high giggle and floated off across the ballroom.

Holy crap. We had a ghost. I spun, looking for Kat, but she was still plastered against a very disheveled Lucien. Jeez, get a room. Pyper, Lailah, and Kane were in the kitchen. Charlie was in the foyer, appearing to be having an argument with her date. Oh my god! Was that Candy Rhines? The one who starred in the new hit supernatural drama on Showtime? Dang. She was gorgeous.

A few of Kane’s friends huddled near the punch, but I barely knew them, and asking them about a random floating woman didn’t seem like a good idea. I strode over to Ian, who was sulking against the wall.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, not sure I wanted to say anything about the ghost to him, either. Ian was a ghost-hunter. If I told him, he’d have his EMF detector out in five seconds flat.

A muscle in his jaw twitched.

“Ian?”

He averted his pale green eyes and ran a hand through his short blond hair. “Pyper... she told me... ah, shit.”

“Told you what?” Uh-oh, what had she said?

He swallowed. “She wants to get married.”

“To you?” I blurted.

“Yes, to me. You don’t have to sound so appalled.” His lips formed a tight thin line.

“Sorry. I’m just... surprised.” Yeah. Very surprised. Married? They’d barely dated. “I hadn’t ever thought of Pyper as the marrying type. I didn’t mean that the way it came out. What did you say?”

He pushed himself off the wall. “What could I say? I told her I was flattered, but that I wasn’t ready for that. Hell, we’ve only been on a handful of real dates.”

That wasn’t what I’d had in mind when I told her to tell him how she felt. Had she lost her mind? “Yikes.”

“You can say that again.” He took off, heading for the hallway.

A tinkling laugh rang in my ear, and the ghost appeared next to me.

I shivered, but I wasn’t cold. “Damn it! Stop that.”

She smiled and floated across the room again. Lailah burst from the kitchen, Pyper at her heels.

“But he’s perfect,” Pyper badgered. “Lailah, you have to go out with someone eventually.”

Lailah stopped in her tracks and turned on Pyper. “Not tonight, I don’t. The only thing I have to do is help Kane in the kitchen.” She turned to me. “Right, Jade?”

“No. I mean, not exactly.”

Female voices rose in the foyer as Candy and Charlie’s fight heated up. Kat lifted her face off Lucien just long enough to tell them to keep it down.

Pyper started in on Lailah again. “Philip is gone. Kane is taken. Stop punishing yourself.” She grabbed Lailah’s hand and started tugging her toward Kane’s other two friends, who were staring opened-mouthed at Kat all but undressing Lucien right there in the ballroom.

The ghost materialized, glee written all over her face. She spun around, as if twirling in delight.

“Stop it!” I shouted. “Everyone just stop. This is a party, not a free-for-all.”

Kat froze and then slowly untangled herself from Lucien. She turned to me with wide, shocked eyes and mouthed, “Oh my god.” Color rose high on her cheeks. Lucien cleared his throat and straightened his rumpled shirt.

The shouting in the foyer suddenly became one-sided as Charlie seemed to retreat from Candy.

But Candy advanced, her finger pointed. “You’re a disgrace. I can’t believe you. I’m not a fucking puppet you can string along, thinking I’ll do anything just because you’re a great lay!”

Pyper, standing next to me, let out a surprised laugh but covered it with a cough. “Sorry.” Her gaze travelled to Ian, and she abruptly turned around and hurried into the kitchen. Ian stared after her, then set his shoulders and followed, the muscle in his jaw pulsing with determination.

“Babe,” Charlie pleaded. “You misunderstood. I don’t want to break up.”

“That,” Candy pushed Charlie, making her back up under the mistletoe, “is exactly what you stood here and said. I quote, ‘Before this gets out of hand, I need to let you down easy.’ Unquote.”

“I meant...” Charlie turned to me, her eyebrows pinched.

I held up my hands. “Don’t look at me. I was only joking when I said to let her down easy because of what happened before. I didn’t know you were even thinking of breaking up.”

“Damn it.” Charlie banged a frustrated fist against her thigh. “I meant if we ever did break up. Not today.” She held out her hand to Candy. “Babe?”

Candy stared at her as if she’d grown three heads, but then her expression softened as she took Charlie’s hand.

“Kiss her,” I whispered.

To my surprise, even though I was positive Charlie couldn’t have heard me, she pulled Candy close and dipped her back into a breathtaking kiss. The kitchen door swung open. Lailah stomped out, Pyper and Kane running to catch up.

“Wait,” Pyper called.

Lailah froze and stared at Pyper. A look of horror flashed over her face before her brow crinkled in confusion. “Please tell me I’m hallucinating. That whatever just happened was a dream.”

Kane stepped up beside me. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders. “You’re never going to believe what I just witnessed.”

I leaned into him, exhausted by all the emotional turmoil, not to mention the blatant sexual energy running through the room. “In the kitchen? Did Pyper kiss you this time?” I teased.

His face broke into a wide grin. “No. Lailah.”

“Lailah? What?”

He nodded at where Lailah and Pyper stood. “Like that.”

Sure enough, right in front of us, Pyper had her arms around Lailah, and they were going at it like two randy teenagers.

“Stop hogging.” Kat appeared from behind us and edged Kane out of the way. She planted another kiss on my lips before I could move.

“Kat!” I pushed her away.

Lucien stepped in. “Hey, I thought that was my job tonight,” he joked.

“You had your turn.” Kat moved toward Pyper and Lailah. She placed one hand on each of their backs and leaned in.

“What the hell!” I shouted. “What is wrong with all of you? This is an engagement party. Not a bath house.”

Charlie had Candy pinned against the stairs, her tongue down the woman’s throat. Lailah, Pyper, and Kat were all kissing each other in some alternate lesbian reality. Pyper was bi-sexual, but my other two friends weren’t. None of them paid any attention to my outburst. Lucien, Ian, Kane, and his friends all stared with their mouths gaping.

“That’s it. No more mistletoe.” I raised my arms and focused on the illuminated bunches suspended around the room. “Ignite!”

Four tiny fireballs erupted from my fingers and flew high in the air. Each hovered under the bundles for a moment, then all at once, they erupted in mini infernos, turning the mistletoe to dust. My girlfriends didn’t even seem to notice, not even when the small amount of ash started to rain down on them.

Lucien whistled. “That was a fine piece of magic, Jade.”

I huffed. “Didn’t seem to help.”

The tinkling laughter sounded from behind me again. “This is too much,” the ghost whispered in my ear. “Best party ever. Even better than when Kane’s grandmother threw her tea at the society ladies for gossiping about the young widow who took a lover. Oh my, the looks on their uptight faces when they realized their favorite silks were beyond repair.”

“Do you see her?” I asked Kane.

“Huh?” He couldn’t seem to take his eyes off my friends going at it three feet from him.

I turned to the resident ghost-hunter. “Ian?”

He, at least, had the decency to acknowledge me.  He walked over to stand beside me. “Yeah?” He kept glancing at Pyper, an unnatural scowl gracing his normally genial face.

The ghost spun around, giddy in her delight of the chaos.

“Do you see that ghost?” I asked Ian.

His expression cleared, and he suddenly snapped to attention, eyes alert. He glanced around. “Where?”

I sighed. “If you could see her, you’d have noticed her by now.” She’d moved to twirling around the threesome and laughing like a loon.

“Stop it,” I yelled at her. “You’re making me crazy.”

The two make-out sessions ended abruptly. Pyper, Kat, and Lailah all stepped backward, putting about ten feet between each other. Kat covered her mouth with her hand. Lailah stood frozen, not meeting anyone’s eyes. Pyper glanced around in confusion, met Ian’s eyes, and took a few more steps back.

“Jade?” Kane whispered. “Did you just spell them?”

“No.” I would have noticed a little spark of magic if I’d had. Right? I wasn’t so powerful that I could make things happen without even knowing about it.

Except... I had with the candles earlier.

Candy pulled Charlie toward the front door. “Let’s go. I can think of better places we can... you know.”

Charlie wrapped her arm around Candy’s waist but shook her head, a small smile touching her lips. Candy started whispering in Charlie’s ear, and although Charlie laughed, she didn’t let Candy drag her out.

My other three friends were all avoiding each other’s gazes.

“What was that?” I demanded.

All at the same time, they said, “You told me to kiss her.”

“Huh?” What were they talking about? I’d mumbled for Charlie to kiss Candy, but not the rest of them.

“Hahahahaha. Oh, I do love the effect of mistletoe,” the ghost sang as she floated near me. “It always makes for an interesting party.”

“Is the mistletoe spelled?” I asked her. “Did you have anything to do with this?” Ghosts did carry energy, and if she’d been a witch in life, she could have altered them.

“Who are you talking to, Jade?” Kane asked.

“The ghost,” I snapped, losing the last of my patience.

Beside me, Ian pulled his EMF detector out of his jacket pocket and flipped a switch. A red light lit up, indicating it was on.

I rolled my eyes and pushed him aside. Did he take that thing everywhere?

“Oh, wow,” he said. “The reading is off the charts.”

“Of course it is. She’s right next to you.” I shook a finger at her. “Tell me what’s going on right now. Or I swear I’ll let him exorcise you right out of this house.”

She stopped her girlish twirling and peered at me. “He can’t do that. In ninety years, no one has managed it.” She smiled and started to glide over to the stairs.

“He’s done it before. In fact, we all sent one to Hell last year. You could be next,” I lied. While we could probably open another portal to Hell, I wouldn’t risk it on a ghost who, while annoying, seemed relatively harmless.

That stopped her mid-float. Kane put his hand on my back in a show of support. The rest of my friends started to move closer together, though they showed no signs of making more sexual advances. Thank the gods.

Lailah took a spot next to me, her gaze trained on the ghost. She narrowed her eyes and said, “Reveal.”

The ghost’s eyes went round with shock as she shimmered and suddenly appeared almost solid. Everyone in the room gasped, and chatter erupted.

“Nice trick,” I told Lailah, our resident angel. She had skills unlike anyone else’s. “Did you not see her before?”

Lailah chewed on her lip and stared at her feet. “I wasn’t paying attention.”

“Oh.” Right. I moved closer to the ghost. “Now spit it out. What’s going on here?”

Ian stepped away from the crowd, his hands full of even more beeping electronics. He actually glowed with excitement. I couldn’t stop the Ghostbusters theme song from running through my brain.

“You did it,” the ghost blurted. “When you used those spelled candles from the lilac room to find the mistletoe.”

“Spelled candles?” I asked.

“The pillars. They have magic. They’ve been here forever. This is only the third time a witch has lit them. Usually, the magic enhances the power of the witch, but since you used them to find the mistletoe, it made people want to kiss you. Then it gave you power over those who did.”

She backed up, her arms crossed over her chest as she glared at Ian, a sneer on her lips.

“Oh, stop it,” Pyper snapped. “He isn’t going to do anything to you. He just likes data.”

I would’ve been pissed at Pyper for spoiling our upper hand with the ghost, but a light bulb had popped up over my head with her explanation. All the weird behavior my friends participated in had been a direct result of something I’d told them to do. Pyper telling Ian how she felt. I mean, I had no idea she wanted to marry the guy. I’m certain she never would have said anything like that of her own free will. She kept her emotions pretty close to the vest.

Charlie had let Candy down easy, though she had no intention of breaking up with her. Kat attacking Lucien had been at my suggestion. Though I’d only said to kiss him, not have an almost X-rated adult show. Lailah stayed in the kitchen all night, helping Kane. Pyper tried to set Lailah up with Kane’s friend. And finally, the kissing episode. I’d prompted all those things. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

“Guys?” I opened them to everyone staring at me. “This is all my fault. All the crazy stuff everyone did was something I’d said to do, only taken literally. Very literally and not at all in the way I intended.”

I bit my tongue. So much for helpful advice. That would teach me to stay out of other people’s business. No one said anything. They only stared expectantly at me as if I could erase their embarrassing behavior.

“How do I void the spell?” I asked the ghost.

She glided toward the stairway.

“Camille?” Kane said.

She stopped and eyed Kane with a look of wonder. “You know me?”

He shrugged. “I know of you. Come back over here until Jade is satisfied with your answers.”

She pursed her lips and balled her fists, but she floated back.

He smiled. “Mamaw once told me she’d heard a rumor about a ghost bound here, and that she had to obey any direct orders from the owner. Looks like we’re in luck.”

Jesus. I loved how Kane took everything in stride. I beamed up at him. “You’re amazing.”

He kissed the top of my head. “You too, love.”

I turned to Camille. “How do I free my friends from this spell?”

She glared.

“Answer her,” Kane demanded.

By then, everyone had formed a circle around Camille, most of them awed by the ghost sighting. It was remarkable none of them had run screaming from the house. But my friends had been through a lot the last year. An 1890’s ghost was probably pretty tame compared to demons and black magic.

Camille’s shoulders sagged as if she’d lost a great battle. “Fine. Repeat after me.”

I nodded.

“Candles of Summer House, release your hold. Bind your will to mine and rest for another season.” She stared at me, her steel-gray eyes raging with defiance.

“Try again,” I said quietly and released a thread of coven magic, just enough to form the five-point pentagram at Camille’s feet but enough to let her know that I knew what that spell meant. I would not be bound to any foreign magic, and that was what a binding did.

Panic flashed in those gray eyes. “I mean...uh... sorry, it’s been a long time. And I’m dead.”

“Handy excuse,” Pyper said, her trademark sarcasm firmly back in place.

Camille tried to back up, but the unintended circle held strong. “Okay. This should do it. Candles of Summer House, release your hold. Your magic is not welcome this night.”

I met Lucien’s gaze. He gave a slight nod. Yes, I thought that was safe enough. I repeated Camille’s words and added, “Contain your power within your wick, for the leader of the New Orleans coven shall control your magic from this day forward.”

Camille gasped. “How dare you? That was my only access to power, and you just took it away from me! I’m dead. Don’t you understand? It was all I had left.” Her image flickered as she shot straight up in the air. “You’ll pay for this, Jade Calhoun. Mark my words. You’ll pay.”

“Not tonight, Camille,” Kane said, his voice calm. “Go away now. You’ve caused enough trouble.”

Before she could open her mouth again, she vanished.

“No! Damn it.” Ian waved his EMF detector in the air. “Those were some of my best readings ever.”

Pyper burst out laughing. “Ian, dude, the ghost was right in front of you. Just enjoy that for now.” She grabbed his hand and tugged. “We need to talk.”

“Oh?” Ian was so far into his work, he’d obviously forgotten about the marriage revelation.

“Yeah, we need to clear up an earlier conversation.” She gave me a reassuring smile and dragged a distracted Ian into the den.

“Jade, Kane?” Charlie called. “I’m going to take Candy home. We’ve got to... well, I’m sure you can figure it out.” Her wicked smile left nothing to the imagination.

I laughed. “See you later.”

Kane waved, and the door shut softly behind them. Kane’s friends said hasty goodbyes, both appearing dumbstruck. That left Lucien, Kat, and Lailah. The three offered to help us clean up, but I shooed them away. All I wanted to do was eat cheesecake and go to bed, preferably both at the same time.

Lailah barely met Kat’s eyes as she said goodbye and told me she’d call me later. Kat and Lucien stayed glued together. They left shortly after. From the way they were looking at each other, it wasn’t hard to guess what they’d be up to as soon as they got back in the French Quarter. Maybe the night wasn’t a total disaster.

Ian and Pyper emerged from the den, joking about drive through Elvis chapels. When Kane questioned them about it, they doubled over laughing, barely able to breathe. Okay. Maybe someone really had dipped too much nog. They were holding hands and still laughing when they left. Hand holding was better than glaring. It was progress.

I grabbed a dirty tray and headed into the kitchen.

Kane joined me at the sink a few minutes later. “Not exactly the party we planned.”

“Ha. No, not exactly.” I started scrubbing melted cheese from the tray.

“It’s one of the things I love about you.” Kane took the tray from me and set it aside.

“What’s that exactly? That I attract ghosts and demons? Or that my friends all seem to be closeted lesbians?”

He chuckled. “No. I love that every day is a surprise.” His arms came around me, and he leaned in. He stopped just before our lips met. “Are you up for this?”

“Kissing you? Always.”

“No, the consequences.” He pointed up.

Above us was the fifth glowing mistletoe. Ah, I’d forgotten about it. If he kissed me right there, he’d have to do whatever I said.

A devilish smile made my lips twitch. My eyes met his eager ones. “Yeah,” I breathed. “You?”

“Always.” His warm, demanding lips met mine, nipping and teasing as our tongues danced together. Seconds later, I pulled back, breathless. “Ready for cheesecake?”

He nodded, heat in his eyes.

I pointed to the refrigerator. “You grab the cake. I’ll get the utensils.”

“Who needs utensils?” he asked, his gaze running the length of my body.

I laughed, a low sexy sound, and dropped the forks back in the drawer. I grabbed the whipped cream and moved to the door. “After you.”

He glanced over his shoulder to watch me watching him. “As you wish, my pretty witch.”

Oh. My. Cheesecake, whipped cream, and a submissive Kane. I licked my lips. Forget the party. The night had just begun. 

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The Jade Calhoun Series in order:

Haunted on Bourbon Street

Witches of Bourbon Street

Demons of Bourbon Street

Engaged off Bourbon Street (A Short Story)

Angels of Bourbon Street

Shadows of Bourbon Street

Incubus of Bourbon Street

Spirits of Bourbon Street (A Novelette)

About the Author

Deanna is a native Californian. After spending five years traveling in an RV, she and her husband moved into an adorable cottage in a small town outside of New Orleans. After about six months, Deanna was convinced their 1907 home was haunted. Late at night as she penned Haunted on Bourbon Street, she often heard footsteps throughout the old house. Luckily, the spirit appears to be harmless, as he/she has never done more than make a little noise and possibly smoke a few cigars. However, if the ghost ever shows up in a dream, you’ll be the first to hear of it. Smudge stick anyone?

When she isn’t writing, she is often goofing off with her husband in New Orleans, playing with her two shih tzu dogs, and making glass beads. Visit her website at http://www.deannachase.com