by J. N. Colon
Magic Untamed
Hidden Conduit Series Book Two
J.N. Colon
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Wicked Unveiled
Chapter One
Read more from J.N. Colon
About the Author
Magic Untamed © copyright 2018 J.N. Colon
www.jncolon.com
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This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
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Evangeline De la Mora was told a ton of lies, but she was certain of three things:
One, being a conduit witch sucks. Two, having her soul bound to a powerful—and ridiculously hot—voodoo caster with multiple personalities is hazardous to her health. And three, the voodoo king isn’t likely to release his claim on her any time soon…
When Étienne saved Evangeline from Baron Samedi by binding their souls, neither of them considered the consequences. Now there’s enough power between the two to rattle the entire magical world.
Controlling her magic isn’t Evangeline’s only problem. The Cajun Casanova thinks he owns her. To make matters worse, they can’t even stand to be apart for more than a few hours. And when Lucas, a young male witch, shows up, Étienne’s darker side begins to rise.
Before long, it threatens to drown the light…
As more lies unravel, leaving Evangeline at her most vulnerable, enemies descend. If Étienne doesn't reach her in time, a fate worse than Baron Samedi awaits her.
Chapter 1
Fingers slowly trailed down my spine, spawning hot tingles across my skin. Every nerve ending came alive, pulsating and desperate for more of that familiar touch. My soul was already branded by his. Why not surrender everything to him and parish in this scorching inferno?
Not a bad way to die.
A rhythmic rattle echoed, cutting through the sinful dream. Reluctantly, my lids fluttered open, the scene in my bedroom slowly coming into focus.
Okay. Not a dream.
I choked back a long string of obscenities. Étienne Benoit was in my bed. Again. This was the second time in a week I’d found the Cajun Casanova sprawled out beside me sound asleep. Well, he wasn’t exactly asleep now. His hand had slipped beneath my shirt and was moving up and down my back slowly. Sensually.
Crap. Focus.
“Etie.” I nudged him. “Etie, get up.”
His only response was to snuggle closer, mumbling French under his breath.
I tried to ignore the wild fluttering of my heart. “You can’t keep sneaking into my room at night whenever you feel like it.”
“You weren’t complaining a minute ago, cher.” His deep voice vibrated in the small, nearly nonexistent space between us.
A hot flush spread across my skin, and I swallowed hard, unable to deny his words. An exotic blend of herbs and spices swirled around me, sticking to the sheets. It was a flavor I had grown exceedingly addicted to. Dark brown hair was wild around his bronzed face, and those lush lips were begging to be kissed.
So the ultimate voodoo child was hot? No one could deny that. But it didn’t give him the right to slip under the covers with me whenever he wanted.
No. This damn soul bond was responsible for that. Etie had been stuck to my side for the last week since he rescued me from Baron Samedi in the spirit world—by binding our souls. He called it a gwo-bon lyen.
My fingers traced the swirling black tattoo above my collarbone the spell had given me—a toujou. A matching one marked Etie in the same place. He’d sacrificed his shot at peace to save me. As a powerful conduit, I could have permanently taken his powers, relieving him of the constant inner battle of light and dark.
Now that we were bound, I couldn’t drain his powers. They’d simply circle back to him.
A lump rose in my throat. He’d even called his father, the man who tortured him and his brother when they were children. Binding our souls while I was in the spirit world was no small feat, not even for the pouvior bokor.
Henri was still hiding in Carrefour somewhere. That was all Etie would say on the matter.
We hadn’t received any more threatening visits from Baron Samedi. Hopefully, he’d given up his claim on my soul. Etie had more or less broken the deal I’d made with the voodoo king. I’d only wanted to save my sister from the mysterious illness slowly but surely killing her when I bartered my life for hers.
Payment was to be made on my eighteenth birthday. Too bad Etie decided my soul was worth fighting for.
The frightening voodoo loa wasn’t likely to give up though. He’d waited eight years to claim me. Baron Samedi had even threatened to take Marisol in my place, but Etie put a protection spell around her. The baron could only get to her if she summoned him, and my sister had no reason or desire to call upon the keeper of the dead.
“Stop that,” Etie mumbled against my neck, the vibrations curling my toes. “Your thoughts are keeping me awake.”
I stiffened. “You said you couldn’t read my thoughts.” I was in for a world of trouble if he could. The things that ran through my mind when he was around would make a grown man blush.
His rough chuckle did nothing to ease the hot embarrassment creeping up my throat. “I can’t. I can just feel your worry.” Etie lifted his head, his mismatched blue and green eyes burning between hooded lids and sooty lashes. “No one’s going to take you away. You’re mine now.”
That was another problem in itself. Etie had gotten in his head that just because our souls were linked in some magical way, I was his.
Things between us were strange. I liked him—obviously—but was it only because of the gwo-bon lyen? Even before then, my grandmother had orchestrated our meeting. She’d wanted Etie to care enough to return to his darker voodoo roots to save me.
Was our entire relationship built on a scam and reinforced with magic?
This was about as complicated as Marisol’s makeup routine. “I told you, I’m not—”
My protests were cut off as his lips brushed against mine, the lightest of kisses and yet it burned my mouth.
“Mmm, Angeline…” Etie’s lips skimmed along my jaw and down my neck. “You taste like honeysuckles.” Teeth grazed my throat.
“I-um… was saying…” A gasp slipped out as he nibbled my ear, his fingers creeping over my lower stomach.
The overhead light began to flicker wildly, matching my erratic
heartbeat.
Add that to the collection of problems piling up. Ever since I’d demolished the magical binds my father and his coven had put around me, my powers were as unpredictable as the voodoo caster currently unraveling me.
“If you bust another light bulb, I don’t got any more to replace it,” Etie murmured. “I’ll have to go to the store.”
I’d graduated from light flickering to bulb shattering. “Then don’t make me.” Ugh. My voice was way too breathy.
A low growl rumbled deep in his throat, and the snake on his back rattled again. “It don’t sound like you mean that, cher.”
My body didn’t mean it. Not one damn bit.
“Etie,” I warned when his mouth dipped lower, brushing over the swirling black lines of the toujou. Electricity crackled along my skin as his lips connected with it.
He wore a satisfied smirk when he drew away, settling back on the pillow next to me. “Sleep for a little while longer, no?”
I sighed, finding it impossible to kick him out. Sensing my surrender, he rolled over on his side, drawing the blankets over his back.
He was even hot covered up. A puffy snowsuit couldn’t hide his impressive physique.
In all honesty though, Etie wasn’t the only one experiencing this crazy separation anxiety. The longer we were apart, the worse it became. He said there would be side effects of the gwo-bon lyen, but he didn’t mention I’d start having withdrawals from the Cajun Casanova.
Maybe I was a little happy when I woke up next to him. I just hoped my mother or grandmother didn’t charge through my bedroom door. Neither of them was thrilled their innocent, barely legal little girl was bound to one of the most notorious figures in our little town of Carrefour, Louisiana.
A squeak echoed, and my gaze snapped to the door just as the knob began to turn.
Speak of the devils.
My heart leaped in my throat, but before I could move, the door swung open, revealing two familiar figures.
Chapter 2
“Hey, chica—” My best friend Riley halted when she caught sight of the guy-sized lump next to me. Her jaw dropped to the top of her white sundress. “Holy frijoles.”
Lana—my other best friend—bumped into her. “Ri, what gives? Why’d you stop?” She poked her head around the frozen redhead, her mouth forming a petite circle.
I bolted up and motioned toward the door. “Shut it!” I could have sworn that thing was locked.
Lana spun around and shut the door, leaning against it with her palm over her heart. “What is going on? Why do you have a guy in your bed?” Her dark, hooded eyes examined Etie’s covered form. The only thing visible was his tousled dark brown hair.
Riley inched closer, her usually pale, freckled skin a few shades darker from the sun. “Who is that?”
“I thought you guys weren’t coming back from Spain until tomorrow,” I said, trying to divert the subject. How was I going to explain Étienne Benoit?
“We caught an earlier flight.” Riley’s green eyes never left the bed. “We missed you.”
“Clearly she didn’t miss us.” Lana leaned away from the door, a smirk tilting her lips. Her long dark hair was newly accented with a few vibrant blue highlights, something she never would have gotten away with in high school. Her parents probably had a fit. “She’s been traveling outside of her usual square-foot comfort zone.”
She had no idea.
“Why don’t you guys meet me downstairs.” I tried herding them to the door, but they weren’t having it.
“Is it John McNeil?” Riley wiggled her eyebrows. “He’s a good kisser.”
Man, she was persistent. Riley McDunum was the epitome of a boy-crazy girl. Like a shark smelling fear, she could sense the testosterone when a guy was near, especially a hot one. If I didn’t make something up, she’d never leave.
Unfortunately, Etie decided to move. The covers fell from his shoulder, revealing the massive snake tattoo stamped across his back. Everyone in Carrefour had either seen or heard of the youngest Benoit’s impressive ink. There was no mistaking it or confusing it for something else. No one in town sported anything like it.
Heat crawled into my face. There was no mistaking who was laying in my bed.
Lana clapped both hands over her mouth to muffle the long string of profanities. Riley’s eyes were three times the normal size, threatening to pop clean out of the sockets. And me? I was shaking my head at the Cajun Casanova. His timing was impeccable.
Riley grabbed my shoulders, shaking me. “What is Étienne Benoit doing in your bed!” she whisper-yelled.
My head snapped back and forth until I finally slipped out of her grasp, the room spinning. “It’s a long story.”
“Girl, you better start talking.” Riley began jumping up and down, her red curls bouncing chaotically. “I want all the dirty deets.”
A throaty groan escaped Etie, and his hand slipped out, searching the mattress beside him. “Angeline?”
Lana mouthed Angeline, dramatically waving her face as if she were going to faint.
“Angeline? Where’d you go?”
Flames licked at my cheeks, and the absence of smoke was the only thing telling me I wasn’t actually on fire.
Etie shifted, his head turning in our direction as his lids fluttered open. A sleepy smile split his lips. “I didn’t know we had company, cher.”
My eyes narrowed. Something about that crooked half smile made me think he’d been awake longer than he was letting on. “I have company.”
He ignored my snarky tone and glanced at the tall girl next to me. “Hello, Riley.”
Her grin was borderline manic. “Hi, Étienne.”
“And you must be Lana.” His attention swiveled to the girl currently frozen against the door.
My usually silver-tongued friend had nothing to say in the face of the roguish Cajun.
“I guess I better go to work now.” Etie kicked the covers off, revealing his tight boxer briefs that left little to the imagination, and rolled out of bed.
We watched in silence as he grabbed his jeans from the floor, tugging them on. He spun around, his carved upper body ensnaring us. For the love of all things holy, Etie was built like a Greek god with a lure as sinful as the devil. He ran his hand through his wild locks as he searched the floor for his t-shirt.
Hot incarnate, plain and simple. Drool was probably dripping down my chin.
“Oh.” Etie finally spotted his shirt near the foot of the bed. He tossed it on, his muscles twisting and bunching as he covered that beautiful sight. When he glanced up, that crooked smirk curled his lips as if he knew we’d enjoyed watching him dress.
I certainly did.
“I see you soon, yeah?” he asked, walking toward me, looking rumpled and oh so sexy.
I tried—and failed—to keep the lust from my eyes. “Yeah.”
His hand curled around my hip, and he pulled me closer. My body melted under his touch. Etie’s head dipped and his mouth covered mine, giving me a quick yet steamy kiss that left my head spinning.
Riley’s barely contained excitement bubbled against my back the entire time.
“Bye, Angeline.” Etie’s deep, gravelly voice sent a swarm of butterflies through my stomach. He released me and headed toward a window, grabbing his boots on the way. “Nice meeting you, Riley and Lana,” he called over his shoulder.
My heart gave a whine of protest as he disappeared. It was never easy watching him go.
A high-pitched screech shattered the moody haze beginning to descend around me. “OMG! Angel De la Mora is getting it on with Étienne Benoit.”
“I am not getting it on with him. We’re just…” I wasn’t sure what we were doing.
“Hold on.” Lana held her hand out, her gaze bouncing between us. “Is anyone going to acknowledge that this guy just jumped out of a second-story window like it was nothing?”
Oh damn.
Riley waved her off. “There’s probably a ladder or something, right, Angel?”
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“Uh, yeah.” Etie didn’t need a ladder when he had voodoo powers. I began tossing pillows off the bed, keeping my eyes averted so they couldn’t see the lies shimmering in them.
“Fine. He used a ladder.” Lana yanked the pillow from me, dropping it on the floor. “But does someone want to explain why you two have matching tattoos?” Her knowing eyes shifted to my collarbone.
My fingertips brushed over the intricate black lines crisscrossing my skin. Crap. How was I going to explain this? I was never the kind of girl who got inked much less one who did it for a guy.
Riley bolted over, yanking my hand away. “Holy shit.” Her eyes were bugging out again. “You guys are like seriously into each other.”
There weren’t enough fans in the world to cool the heat in my cheeks. “No, we’re not.” I spun around and busied myself with the bed again. “It was a drunken dare kind of thing.”
Lana scoffed. “That is such bull, Angel.”
Riley plopped herself on the center of the mattress and snatched the blanket from me. “What happened to our little angel? We were only gone a few weeks, and you bagged the mysterious Étienne Benoit.”
“I can’t believe he was standing here only a few minutes ago.” Lana grabbed a pillow from the floor, sniffing it. “Oh my god. Is this what he smells like?” She tossed it to Riley.
A grin curled her lips as she breathed in his residual presence. “I want to take a bath in this. He smells like sin and paradise all rolled into one.”