by J. N. Colon
Her lips pursed. “Maybe.”
I swallowed past the lump in my throat as her haunting words replayed in my mind. “What did you mean when you said Dad sacrificed everything for me?” Even saying it had a massive knot fisting in my gut.
Her cheeks paled. “Nothing, Angel.”
“His death was an accident, right? A car accident?” My voice was barely more than a weak whisper.
“Finally!” Marisol stormed into my room and jumped on the bed, interrupting the conversation. “You two are talking again. I thought I was going to have to lock you in a closet.”
My mother grimaced. “I hope not your closet. That pile of stilettos is a death trap. We wouldn’t leave without major injuries.”
She stuck her tongue out. “Whatever. Now I don’t have to.” She flung her dark hair over her shoulder. “How was your lesson with the hot teacher?”
I rolled my eyes. “Fine.”
“When can I get a session with Professor Hotness?” Her eyebrows waggled. “Is the bind on my powers going to come off, too?”
My mom shook her head. “Not if I can help it.”
Marisol sat up, her mouth curved down in a pout. “Come on. Angel gets to twitch her nose and wiggle her finger. Why can’t I?”
“That’s not how this works.” I held my hands up in surrender. “If I could give you my powers, I would. They’re more trouble than anything.”
“Now that would be a nightmare.” My mother tossed the throw pillow at Marisol.
My sister’s grin turned menacing. “Just as well. I’d end up accidentally on purpose changing all my enemies into toads.”
I could think of one enemy we both had in common I’d very much like to see as a little green amphibian. “Maybe Lucas can turn Trisha Belmont into a toad for us.”
Pure joy filled Marisol’s dark eyes. “That would be freaking awesome.”
My mom crossed her arms against her chest. “No more talk of transforming people into animals, girls. It’s not nice.” She winked, probably thinking of a Carrefour citizen or two she’d like to put a spell on.
Eyes were heavy on me, following my every move down the road to the Leroux house. I glanced over my shoulder, nothing but the twilight sky behind me. The sun had melted away, and the old neighborhood was darkening with every passing second.
Was I paranoid or was someone—or something—out there? A chill slithered down my back. It could be Baron Samedi or one of his spirits. Maybe it was Henri.
I still didn’t know Henri’s endgame. He didn’t exactly seem like an evil, power-hungry bokor. Was he only pretending to be this reformed version of his former self?
A lump rose in my throat every time I thought of what Etie—and Bastien—had gone through because of their father’s thirst for power. At least Gabrielle wasn’t part of the voodoo equation. She would have been his victim, too.
The snap of a twig echoed behind me, and I spun around, searching the empty road. My breath quickened. Why didn’t I drive? Oh yeah. I fried my car’s engine in Monroe.
I took a deep breath and twisted around, nearly jumping out of my skin.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you, Angel.” Jesse towered in front of me, his light green eyes wide.
My hand rested on my chest as I tried to calm my racing heart. “Where the heck did you come from?” No one had been ahead of me, and I hadn’t been turned around that long.
A smile quirked up the edges of his lips, and he hitched his thumb over his shoulder. “I was walking from that way. Didn’t you see me?”
I shook my head. Maybe I’d been too distracted. It has, on occasion, happened. “Why are you walking? Don’t you have a car?” Asked the girl who walked everywhere in town even before her car’s engine was burnt to a crisp. But it was like a hundred degrees, and Jesse was dressed in dark jeans and a light-blue button-down shirt. The sleeves were rolled up his forearms, revealing smooth, tan flesh.
“I just felt like walking.” He jerked his chin back toward our houses. “I’m going out with your sister tonight, and she takes forever to get ready.” He ran his hand over his perfect, glossy locks. “As you can see, I’m good to go. I got bored waiting for her.”
I grimaced. “The trick with Marisol is to tell her to be ready two hours before you really intend on picking her up.”
“Really?” He rubbed his jaw, biting back a smile. “I might need to make it three hours these days.”
I laughed. “She’s a mess.” Literally. I walked into her room today, and it looked like a tornado had sped through.
Jesse ticked his head down the road. “Mind if I walk with you for a little bit?”
“Not at all.” Marisol wasn’t going to be ready anytime soon. When I left the house, she still had curlers in her hair, and she was chowing down on some arroz con pollo. “So you and Marisol met at school?”
He nodded. “I transferred from a school in Georgia.”
“How come?”
“Change of scenery. Athens was feeling stale. Besides, I’ve always wanted to check out all the spooky voodoo places in New Orleans.” He nudged my arm with a grin.
A dry laugh escaped my lips. If he only knew how real voodoo was, he wouldn’t be joking about it. Would he still date my sister if he knew she came from a long line of Spanish witches? Probably.
“I’ve never seen you in Carrefour before.” His refined, polished looks made him stick out. Carrefour wasn’t filled with a bunch of hicks, but most guys his age cared more about their trucks or boats than a designer pair of jeans. “I didn’t even know Ms. Delphine had any children.”
Jesse shoved his hands in his pockets and shrugged. “Delphine’s not really my aunt. She’s more like a third cousin once removed.” His green eyes stared off into the darkening landscape.
My brows puckered. Still family, so not too much of a difference. It was just easier saying she was his aunt.
“I met her at this family thing a year ago. She’d mistaken me for her cousin Billy. They were best friends growing up.” He kicked a pebble down the street, a hollow sound echoing as it bounced along the ground. “He died when they were in their twenties.”
“That sucks.” I’d be heartbroken if anything happened to Lana or Riley.
Jesse nodded. “She seemed so happy to hang out with me and invited me to spend a summer at her house.”
“How crazy is it you ended up dating her neighbor before even visiting.” I twisted the hair off my neck and fanned myself. “There’s not a lot of people in Carrefour, and you happened to meet the only one at Tulane.”
He flashed a crooked smile and winked. “It was fate.”
Fate had done a number on me lately. I wasn’t sure I trusted it.
Jesse pointed to my chest. “That’s a cool necklace. Where’d you get it?” He reached over, his fingertip barely brushing the pendant. A pop of electricity snapped out, and he yanked his hand back with a hiss. “What was that?”
Color flooded my cheeks. “Sorry.” This was the second time I’d shocked the hell out of this guy. “I’m kind of a magnet for static electricity.”
“I’ll say.” He blew on his fingers. “Marisol told me to watch out for that, but I thought she was just pulling my leg.”
“Nope.” God, I sucked. Marisol drew them in while I scared them away.
Jesse shoved his hands back in his pockets to keep them safe. “I should head back and nudge your sister along.” His smile had become forced. “I’ll see you later, Angel.”
“Bye.” I turned around, cringing. Maybe after working with Lucas more, that wouldn’t happen.
The Leroux house came into view, the ancient southern mansion looking a little less tired thanks to the Benoit brothers. My flip flops crunched on the gravel driveway as I passed their black truck. Etie was definitely still there—a tingle coursed through my body—but Bastien may have gotten a ride home with Antoine.
I licked my lips. It would be nice to watch my Cajun doing something hot and sweaty. And even better
if I participated.
I shook the smut from my head. Geez. When did my thoughts become so slutty?
When I met Etie Benoit, that’s when.
That boy needed to have a warning in bright red letters stamped on his ass. Maybe he did. Maybe I should find out.
Oh shut up!
The moment I crossed the threshold of the renovated house, my blood heated and not for the reasons I just contemplated. A saccharine sweet voice seeped from the depths of the old mansion.
Trisha Belmont.
My fingers curled by my sides as I marched through the house. I’d really like to shock her right about now. Was that harlot ever going to get it through her skull Etie was mine? All mine!
I understood how he felt when he saw me with Jake. This possessive urge flowed through my veins, compelling me to claim him.
But claim him how?
Etie wasn’t pleased when he left this morning. He wasn’t happy about Lucas, a young male witch, being my teacher. What if he decided to pay me back? Or what if he decided I wasn’t worth the trouble?
Trisha was pretty—in a trashy way. But guys liked her, and Etie had been with her before. I glanced down at my short, thin frame. She definitely had more of a womanly body.
Ugh. Why did I always doubt myself? Etie wanted to be with me. Of course part of it was the gwo-bon lyen. He might have broken up with me by now if not for it.
I turned the corner, my mood sour as a fresh lemon. Etie was fastening a screw into one of the ornate French doors in the ballroom. A mess of dark brown waves fell into his flushed face. The tool belt around his narrow waist pulled at his jeans, and I could imagine that defined V disappearing below the material. His t-shirt stuck to him, outlining all those delicious muscles. He looked damn fine.
Trisha was watching him, a feral look in her blue eyes. She licked her lips, probably thinking about licking the salty sweat off of Etie’s abs.
Over my dead body.
“You’re so good at this, Etie,” she said, running her hand down his bicep. “I could watch you all day.”
Etie ignored her, his head whipping around. Those mismatched eyes landed on me, searing all the way to my soul. “Angeline.” A beat passed, and I thought he was still angry until that warm, crooked grin crossed his lips. He pulled the cherry lollipop from his mouth. “I didn’t know you were coming.”
Trisha’s hungry looked turned downright evil as she glared in my direction.
I slowly made my way to him, my heart fluttering as if I hadn’t seen him in days. “I just thought I’d stop by.”
“What a nice surprise.” Acid dripped from the blonde’s words.
“It is.” Etie’s smile made my knees weak.
“You’re not mad about Lucas…?” I was certain he was going to be in one of those brooding moods.
“He’s not really much competition, yeah?” He winked his green eye, those sooty lashes framing the vivid mossy orb.
“Who’s Lucas?” Trisha’s brows knit, ready to pounce on this tidbit of information.
I ignored her and stepped closer to the voodoo caster, breathing in his wild scent. “Yeah, who’s Lucas?” Etie’s presence could wash everyone else from my mind.
Before I could take another breath, his lips were pressed against mine. My insides shivered as I melted into him. He tasted like sugar and sin. The combination was more addicting than any drug on Earth.
Trisha loudly cleared her throat. “Did you want to go, Etie?”
He pulled back, blinking in her direction. “What?”
She gave him a sweet smile. “To Chickarees with me? They’re having a gator fry tonight. Your favorite.” She bit her bottom lip, smearing scarlet lipstick on her teeth.
“Oh, uh, no.” His fingers ran down my spine. “I’m going with Angeline.”
Her face turned every shade of red known to man and maybe a few only aliens had seen. She took a deep breath. “Okay then.” Her smile looked painful now. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” She spun around and marched out of the room. The front door slammed behind her.
A groan left my mouth. “Will she ever stop trying to steal you?”
Etie’s brow arched, and he stuck the candy back in his mouth. “Maybe if I put an announcement on the front page of the Carrefour newspaper that you’re my girlfriend.” He shot me a grin.
“Right,” I scoffed. Was I his girlfriend? Did I want that?
According to town talk, neither of the Benoits had ever had a girlfriend. They had flings and women who lusted after them.
Etie picked up the screwdriver to resume his task. “How did it go with Lucas?” His jaw ticked at the brujo’s name.
“Okay, I guess.” I explained how Lucas was teaching me how to construct barriers around my conduit powers. Blood highlighted my cheeks when I described how many times they crumbled to dust at first.
“I don’t think you should work with me anymore.” Etie’s words were like a choking wall of ice water crashing over my head.
“What? You’re firing me?” Had he changed his mind? Did he not want to spend time with me anymore? Would he rather be with someone else?
Holy crap. Why was I freaking out so much?
“Hey, cher.” He dropped the screwdriver and closed the distance between us. “It’s nothing bad.” The weight of his hands on my shoulders already began to soothe me. “I love being with you, even if we’re not in the same room.”
A shaky breath exited my lungs. “What then?”
His hands left my shoulders, running down my arms. I savored the rough feel of them. “If he’s helping you, I think you should focus on that.” His lips thinned. “As much as I don’t like the idea of you spending time with some other guy, I want what’s best for you, Angeline. And getting control of your powers is what’s important. Not my ego.”
I swallowed hard, my chest aching at his sweetness. “That’s very mature of you.”
His brows dipped. “Don’t get me wrong. If he touches you in a way that only I should be touching you—or if he even thinks about it—he’s going to find out what a pouvior bokor really is.”
I gulped. That was no idle threat. Bright pops of power flickered in his eyes. “You won’t have to do that.” Lucas seemed pretty business-like. This was his job. He wasn’t doing it for kicks.
“Good,” Etie growled before covering my mouth in a steamy, possessive kiss that made my toes curl. “You’re my girl no matter how much you deny it.” His voice rumbled through my chest. “We both know it’s only a matter of time before you start believing it.”
Chapter 12
Staring into Lucas’s purple eyes was more intense than I cared to admit. I had to work hard to ignore the goosebumps puckering my skin. Of course that could have been more from the magic in the air than any effect he was having on me.
That was it. The magic. Nothing else.
“Are you concentrating, Angel?” Lucas’s soft, husky voice zapped the confusing thoughts right out of my head.
“Yes.” No. It was hard to concentrate with the handsome brujo sitting in front of me. I was addicted to Etie, but I still appreciated a hot guy when I saw one. And Lucas was way above average on the shmexy meter. It was a wonder he didn’t have an obsessed girl of his own tagging after him.
His brow arched skeptically. “You’re lying.”
“Am not.” My bottom lip poked out.
Lucas fought back a smile. “Don’t make me laugh. I’m trying to be serious.”
A giggle slipped out. “Sorry. I’ll try.”
He shook his head, his dimples flashing. “You’re too cute for words.”
“I’ve been called worse.”
He sat up straight and cleared his throat. “Let’s try this again.”
I choked back a groan. We’d been at it for hours, and I wasn’t even close to casting the stupid spell. I was supposed to use a one-word incantation to light the white votive candle in front of me. Unfortunately, all I seemed capable of doing was lighting every single wick in the vicini
ty.
“You’ve been practicing keeping your barriers up, right?” he asked.
“Yes.” I absentmindedly flicked the pages of the spell book. “I’m not very good at it. I can feel them slide into place, but if I’m not paying attention, they just dissolve.” If I had to constantly think about a brick wall surrounding me, I’d go insane.
“Once you master the barriers while using a simple spell, everything will begin to fall into place. You’ll be able to use regular magic without your conduit power magnifying it.” A warm finger touched my chin, tilting my face up. “Angel, I know right now it seems impossible, but I promise you’re going to get it. You just have to keep practicing.”
Lucas was persistent. I had to give him that. He had more patience than most twenty-year-olds. He was Buddha compared to Marisol.
“Okay,” I sighed. “I’ll keep trying—for you.”
“Good.” He smiled and pulled the spellbook away, closing it and sliding it across the floor. “Let’s try something else. I think the incendiary spell is getting old.”
He wasn’t wrong. I’d been doing it for hours.
He moved the candle and placed a blue crystal in front of me. “Try levitating this instead.”
I tossed my hands up. “I can’t even light just one candle and suddenly you think I can lift this little rock?” Lucas had officially lost his mind.
“You can do it, Angel.” His hand brushed my arm, spreading warmth down it. “I believe in you.”
“You should find something else to believe in,” I mumbled under my breath.
He ignored my cynicism and tapped the crystal. “Construct your barriers and concentrate.”
There was that word again. Concentrate. If it were a concrete object, I would have shattered it with a sledgehammer by now.
“Imagine how the crystal feels,” he said in that soothing voice. “Think of its hard edges and smooth planes. Imagine the weight of it in your palm. Picture it floating in the air.”
Lucas continued coaxing me. Magic permeated the air, tickling my skin. The conduit in me wanted to reach out and suck it up, but the walls prevented that. They tried anyway.