Spirits, Stilettos, and a Silver Bustier Read online

  “Pyper, are you coming?” Nissa asked when I broke off to wait for Marc.

  “I’ll be there in a minute.” The witch had a variety of herbs and brews ready to go. I suddenly longed for Bea, who’d healed me and almost all my friends at some point or another in the past year. But she wasn’t here, and I had to admit the council witch looked more than capable. “I need to talk to Marc first.”

  I turned to him. “Where’re Jade and Kane?” Maybe it wasn’t the most pressing question I should’ve been asking at that point, but they weren’t anywhere to be found. And unless either of them had undergone a personality transplant, it was hard for me to believe they hadn’t cared enough to come see if I was all right.

  “Outside, raising holy hell that they haven’t been let in.”

  That made me chuckle with relief. That made sense. We were standing in the middle of an investigation. “Of course they are.”

  He smiled but then quickly turned serious. “Listen. The case against Tyler isn’t totally cut-and-dried. His apartment is downstairs, while it appears this one on the second floor is Brant’s. But all the evidence was found in Tyler’s place. It implies they were working together.”

  “Oh no.” A pit formed in my stomach. “But Brant told me Tyler would never hurt anyone. And I believe him.”

  “Hold on.” Julius raised his hand. “That might not be entirely accurate.”

  “What?” Marc and I said at the same time.

  “I’m the one who found the hidden room. Only the thing is, there are usually multiple ways to access those kinds of rooms in these old buildings.”

  We both stared at him.

  “Let me show you.” Julius jerked his head back toward the large room we’d just left.

  I glanced over at the healer. My wrist and arm were starting to throb, and I wasn’t sure how much longer I was going to be able to stand it.

  Julius paused mid-step. “Pyper?”

  “I… think I need to sit this one out.”

  “She’s turning pale,” Marc said.

  I pointed to the healer. Julius nodded once and immediately guided me to her station. “Take good care of her,” he said to the witch. “We’ll be right back.”

  I sat in the hard chair, relieved to take a load off, and leaned back, my feet stretched out in front of me.

  The healer went to work on my wrist without saying a word. And after the first numbing spell, my mind went blank. The events of the night scattered, and I no longer felt a thing. I tried to say something to the healer, to ask her to reverse it, but it was too late. My eyelids turned heavy, and even though I tried to fight it, I fell into a magically induced slumber right there in the chair.

  ***

  I woke with a start in Julius’s arms. “Where are we?”

  “On our way up to your apartment.” He gazed down at me, his eyes full of tenderness.

  I reached up, wanting to touch his face, only to find a cast on my arm. I twisted my arm, wondering how the cast had got there. “I thought the healer was going to take care of this?”

  “She did.” He gave me an odd look. “Why? Does it still hurt?”

  I shook my head. “No. I guess I wasn’t expecting a cast.”

  “Oh, that. She said it would heal faster this way.”

  “Yeah, but I’m going to have to wrap it in plastic to shower.” I grimaced. Because there was nothing I needed more than a good long hot shower that would scald the remnants of Brant’s blood from my skin.

  “I’ll help.” His eyes gleamed with mischief.

  That made me smile. “I bet you say that to all the girls.”

  “Only this one.” He stopped in front of my apartment door and set me on my feet.

  I grinned like a lovesick fool.

  As he unlocked my apartment, he said, “Marc’s working on getting Tyler released. We found another passage to that room from Brant’s apartment, and this one had been opened recently. There’s a fresh magical signature over the panel that wasn’t present in Tyler’s place.”

  I studied him. “How is it you know all about secret rooms and passageways in the French Quarter?”

  He grinned. “Doesn’t everyone?”

  “No. I sure didn’t, and I’ve been hanging out here for a decade.”

  “I might have had need to use them in my younger days.” He winked and opened my door.

  The sun was shining through my floor-length windows. I squinted and glanced at the clock on the wall. Damn. I’d been out for hours.

  There was a carafe of coffee and fresh pastries on the table with a note from Jade.

  Pyper,

  Hope you’re feeling better. I’ll be back up around noon with lunch in case you’re hungry. Get some rest.”

  Love, Jade

  PS: Kane is going out of his mind that he hasn’t had a chance to talk to you. Please call him as soon as you’re up to it.

  “I thought Marc said they were at Brant’s apartment?” I asked Julius.

  “They were, but by the time they actually got through the investigation squad, you were already knocked out.” He handed me a blueberry muffin. “You should eat this.”

  I took a bite, unable to resist. It was delicious and, as always, melted on my tongue.

  He gazed at me, seeming to see right through me, and I was suddenly very self-conscious. “I need a shower.”

  He nodded. “Need help with that?”

  My blood raced at the suggestion, but I shook my head no. Not now. Not like this. “Just a plastic bag and some rubber bands. You can find them in the kitchen pantry.”

  “I got it.” He disappeared into my kitchen while I took the opportunity to eat another muffin. Damn, they were good.

  When he returned, I let him wrap my arm. Then I did the disappearing act and took the longest shower in the history of mankind. After I was done, Julius did the same. Once he remerged, he found me at the table, holding a cup of coffee, my eyelids so heavy I could barely keep them open. I put the mug down and stood, joining him in the sunlight near the window.

  “You should get some rest.” Julius brushed his thumb over my lower lip.

  I nodded but then raised a defiant eyebrow. “Not until you tell me why you knew about those secret rooms. Were you sneaking around with the ladies? Running from angry fathers after taking advantage of them?” I tried to keep a straight face but failed miserably as I chuckled.

  He narrowed his eyes and gave me a look of mock irritation. “How dare you impugn my reputation, dear lady? I’ll have you know, my knowledge comes from far less scandalous activity.”

  “Well?”

  He hooked one thumb in his belt loop, extended his hand, and bent at the waist. “Rum runner Julius, at your service, madam.”

  “What?” I laughed. “You were smuggling booze during the Prohibition?”

  “Yes.” He frowned. “What’s so funny about that?”

  “Nothing. Nothing at all.” I threw my arms around him, careful not to knock him out with my cast, and planted a searing kiss on his lips. A smuggler? Jeez. Did it get any better than that? I pulled back and smiled up at him. “I think I might be a little dazzled by your criminal past.”

  It was his turn to raise an eyebrow. “You don’t strike me as a lawbreaker.”

  “I’m not usually… but Prohibition? Worst law ever. Especially in New Orleans.” I pulled him into the bedroom, unwilling to let him out of my sight, and kissed him again. “You might have earned a little bit of hero status with that confession.”

  “Well. That I can live with.” Heat clouded those gorgeous eyes of his. “Do you have any objection to this hero holding you while you sleep?”

  “That would be just about perfect.” I let him tug me to the bed, and before I could climb in, he lifted me off my feet, pulled back the covers, and placed me gently in the bed. I watched a
s he kicked his shoes off and shrugged out of his shirt. His chest was just as gorgeous as I remembered.

  And if I hadn’t been dead tired, things might have escalated rather quickly. Instead, I rested my head on his shoulder, relaxing into his embrace. The smell of his soap mixed with a faint trace of coffee, and for once everything felt just right as I drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

  Chapter 30

  I woke to weak sunlight streaming through my bedroom window.

  Alone.

  Julius was gone and my apartment was dead quiet. I rolled over, wincing as my body groaned in protest. Muscles ached that I hadn’t even known existed. Man. This was going to be rough.

  The clock read 5:22 p.m. I’d been asleep for almost twelve hours. No wonder Julius wasn’t there. I sat up carefully, relieved my head was no longer pounding. And my wrist was only a minor annoyance. Whatever the healer had given me had done some good at least.

  I reached for my phone, noted the half dozen texts from Jade and Kane, and put it back on the nightstand. Apparently they’d left lunch in the fridge, and I was supposed to call as soon as I was awake. They could wait. If I didn’t eat a real meal soon, my stomach was going to gnaw itself raw.

  After a quick trip into the bathroom to make myself somewhat presentable, I stuffed my feet into slippers and headed out into the living room, still wearing my tank top and pajama pants.

  The room was exactly as I’d left it the day before except for the unfamiliar duffel bag sitting near my front door. “Julius?”

  No answer.

  I knocked on the guest room door, but no one answered. Frowning, I made my way to the kitchen. He was sitting at a small eat-in table near the window, cupping a mug.

  “There you are.” I automatically started making a fresh pot of coffee. “Whose bag is that out there?”

  He glanced at me, his eyes bloodshot with fatigue.

  “Whoa. Did you get any sleep at all?”

  He shook his head. “Too much on my mind.”

  I scanned the fridge, and decided on the pasta Jade had left for me. After grabbing a cup of coffee, I sat at the table. “Want to talk about it?”

  His lips formed a flat line as he stared out the window.

  “Uh-oh. That’s a serious look.” I was careful to keep my tone light, hoping I could tease him out of his mood.

  It didn’t work.

  He shifted to meet my eyes, his expression grimmer than ever.

  “Julius? What’s going on?”

  He reached out and grabbed my hand in both of his. “As much as I want to stay here with you, I think it’s better if I go.”

  My fork slipped out of my fingers and tumbled to the floor. “Why?”

  He shook his head and looked away.

  “Oh no, you don’t. You’re not going to drop a bomb like that and then just clam up. Where would you go? Kane’s? The Witch’s Council?”

  He shrugged. “Anywhere. It’s not right that I stay here.”

  I cleared my throat. “I don’t mean for this to sound condescending or anything, but wake up, man. This isn’t nineteen twenty-four. We’re well into the twenty-first century where women are not judged for men living in their apartments. No one cares. My marriage prospects and my reputation aren’t going to be ruined. Seriously. Kane was my roommate for years before he met Jade. This”—I waved around, indicating my apartment—“isn’t a problem.”

  His lips twitched, and for a moment I thought he was going to crack a smile. Instead, he frowned and met my gaze. “I’m not worried about your reputation. Although if I were a gentleman, I’d never have let things get so far between us.”

  I laughed. I couldn’t help it. “We haven’t even done anything.”

  “No?” He reached out and touched his fingers to my lips. “I know what it feels like to kiss you here. I know what sounds you make when you’re overcome with desire. I know exactly what your body feels like pressed up against mine. And I know what sounds you make in your sleep.”

  He got up and flattened his hands on the counter. When he turned to face me, there was regret in his eyes. “That knowledge should be reserved for someone worthy of you and everything you have to offer. Your generosity, your warmth, the light that lives in you. Not for me, a man who failed to keep you safe.”

  His words startled me into silence. First for the beautiful way he described me. And second for his terribly inaccurate assessment of himself. I pushed the chair back and stood to face him. “What are you talking about? You were the one who showed up last night when no one else could. You were the one who freed our bindings. And then you beat the ever living hell out of that bastard. How is that not keeping me safe?”

  He closed his eyes momentarily and blew out a breath. When he opened them, the pain radiating back at me nearly broke me. “Don’t you understand? It was my job to protect Grace. And I didn’t. Do you know where I was when her attacker got to her?”

  “You told me you were at a speakeasy.” I glanced away, too gutted by the look on his face to keep eye contact.

  “I was smuggling rum. I left her for a paycheck. So that the speakeasy would keep running.” He lowered his voice, the emotion nearly making it crack. “She died because of me.”

  I couldn’t help it. The pain consuming him was too much to bear. I reached out and placed my hand on his heart, willing my touch to soothe him in some small way. “She died because some evil shit tried to take her life and use it for his own.”

  “He did take her life!” he yelled and pushed off the counter. His footsteps echoed off my floor as he stalked into the living room.

  I rushed after him, angry he was still blaming himself ninety years later. “So what? Now you’re going to just give up? Your life has been given back to you. I thought we had a chance at something here. But because you can’t forgive yourself, you’re throwing it all away. Throwing me away?”

  He stopped near the door, his shoulders rippling with tension. His face was stone, all traces of emotion gone. “I’m not throwing you away, Pyper. We barely know each other.”

  Ouch. He had a point, but we were also emotionally connected. He knew it. I knew it. And even though our time together had been short, the feelings I had for him were deeper and more intense than they’d been for anyone else I’d ever come close to dating. It was strange, unfamiliar, and… right. But he wasn’t going to admit to that. Not when he was dead set on punishing himself. “You can lie to yourself if you want to, but it won’t change what’s between us.”

  “There’s nothing—”

  “Oh, just stop. Of course there’s something. Otherwise you wouldn’t have held me while I fell asleep last night. And you sure as hell wouldn’t have kissed me like I was the most precious thing on the planet. So leave if you want to, but don’t you dare stand there and tell me it’s because you don’t feel anything for me.” Tears of frustration burned the backs of my eyes. But I’d be damned if I let them fall. Not then. Not in front of him.

  His stony expression melted away, and his mouth worked as if he was trying to figure out what to say. But no words came out. His eyes met mine. The torrent of emotion there only made me want to scream.

  “Julius?”

  We both jerked at the sound of the woman’s voice.

  “Grace?” Julius asked, staring over my shoulder.

  I turned, finding her ghostly form floating in the middle of my living room.

  “I think there are a few things you should know.” She gestured for both of us to join her.

  I moved almost as if in a trance. She was glowing with light, her long blond hair swept up into a fancy twist, and she was wearing what appeared to be the silver bustier dress I’d had on last night. Only it wasn’t ruined. It was perfect. And she was radiant.

  “How are you here?” Julius asked her.

  She shook her head, the light bouncing in her eye
s. “That’s not important. But I have some information that is.”

  Julius slowly lowered himself into the chair closest to the door. “Okay.”

  “That night my life was taken? You were set up. That message you got was planned. Meant to make sure I was vulnerable.”

  He nodded, a frown tugging at his lips. “I know. That much seems obvious.”

  “What you don’t seem to know is that you were spelled to go. He used a potion of suggestion, and that’s why you never knew. The spell was too subtle. You wouldn’t have felt it.”

  Julius studied her, curious. “And how did you come by this information?”

  She sighed. “He told me. That was moments before the attack. Right before you tried to sacrifice yourself for me.”

  “I’m so sorry I failed. You deserved to live.”

  She floated down and kneeled near him. “So did you. But you did give me something else. My freedom. You stopped him before he was able to complete the ritual, and my spirit went free. And you saved the others from a lifetime of sustaining someone undeserving.”

  Julius glanced around. “You’re talking about the other two women? Are they at peace?”

  She nodded. “Yes. Inside you.”

  He stood up abruptly. “How is that possible? No one could be at peace inside me. We need to free—”

  She held up a hand to stop him. “No. We don’t. When you unleashed all your magic on that witch, it freed the essence of their spirits. Their spirits, the part of them that retains consciousness and allows them to live on in spirit form, had already been destroyed. Thus there is nothing tangible of them that can be freed. There was nothing left other than the life energy he needed to sustain himself. And when your magic killed him, it had nowhere to go other than into you. That’s why you’ve been able to walk in life and death. It’s why Beatrice was able to solidify you in this world.”

  I sat there in utter shock. That was why I hadn’t been able to call Thelma in the cemetery. She truly was gone. And what energy was left lived on in Julius.

  Julius stiffened. “No.” His tone was low, full of disbelief. “No,” he said louder. “This can’t be.”