Hidden Conduit- The Complete Series

by J. N. Colon

  She hadn’t planned on me being connected to one of the most notorious citizens of our little town, though.

  Neither had I.

  “I still don’t understand what the soul bind means. How can we belong to each other?” My lips pursed. “It sounds kind of archaic if you ask me.”

  Etie leaned back on his hands, his gaze never leaving mine. It had been that way since we returned from the graveyard. “It means our souls are tied together. Permanently.”

  Permanently. That word never held so much weight.

  “What should I expect?” The consequences he’d mentioned yesterday were binding our souls together and all that came with it. This link between us was a complicated thing. It stirred inside me as if alive. It flared to life when he was near.

  And hated the thought of him leaving.

  “Will there be side effects?” Was I going to develop some monster addiction to his touch? Would I crave it?

  His head tilted to the side, surveying me. “Possibly.”

  I dropped my hands with a huff. “Could you be more ominous and vague?”

  The corners of Etie’s lips twitched. “Yes.”

  I rolled my eyes.

  Despite the unknowns, one thing was for certain. We were in a mess of trouble. I, some powerful sought-after bruja conduit, was bound to a powerful sought-after voodoo pouvior bokor.

  Trouble wasn’t simply on the horizon. It was the horizon.

  “Angel, are you coming to dinner?” My mother’s voice echoed from the end of the hall.

  My lips curled in a grimace, and the lights flickered. I really needed to learn to control that. “Nope!” I yelled back.

  Abuela’s muttering seeped through my door as she stalked by.

  I’d barely spoken more than a few words to them since they refused to tell me about my powers.

  “You’re going to have to face them, cher,” Etie said. “You can’t avoid them forever.”

  My eyes narrowed. “What are you going to do about Henri?”

  His face turned to stone at the mention of his father. As we left the graveyard, the intimidating bokor made it clear he wasn’t leaving Carrefour yet. Part of me had a sinking suspicion he only helped because he wanted something from his sons, particularly Etie.

  “Don’t speak of him,” he growled.

  Shit. That was a low blow. What was wrong with me? Mentioning his father was like throwing battery acid on his wounds.

  My gaze averted to the reflection of my bare feet. I hated he called him for me.

  Etie sighed, and my bed creaked as he stood. “It was my choice to call him, cher. You had no say in the matter, and therefore, bare no fault.”

  Could he feel the guilt eating at me?

  I turned away from the mirror to face him directly. He studied my tattoo. A perfect replica was branded on him in the same spot. His fingers ran over the swirling lines on my skin. Tingles hummed across it from his touch, and a sound of pleasure exited my mouth before I could catch it.

  Etie’s eyes brightened while a slow smile spread across his face. “I wonder what other noises I can get out of you tonight,” he whispered, his voice sending chills over my skin.

  I gulped and tilted my head back as he came closer, helpless. “Don’t push me, buddy. I’ve got powers of my own now.”

  He chuckled. “You’ve always had powers, Angeline.” His lips brushed mine, a featherlight kiss. He wasn’t talking about my witchy abilities.

  I licked my lips, already tasting his candy sweetness.

  Etie made a sound in the back of his throat, and he brought his mouth to mine again.

  Just as I began to melt, a familiar, ominous laughter drifted into the room. The voice that had haunted me returned.

  Etie’s arms wrapped around me. A surge of power swelled in the room. Electricity popped, and the lights flickered wildly.

  “Eve-angel-ine.” Baron Samedi stood in my mirror, the smoke from his cigar coiling through the glass. “I have plans for you.” His onyx eyes slid toward Etie, a sinister smile tilting his lips. “Nice play, bokor. Nice indeed.”

  My pulse spiked. I should have known the baron wouldn’t take losing so graciously.

  A growl rumbled through Etie’s chest, and his voodoo magic instantly rushed toward the surface.

  “What do you want?” I snapped, leaning into Etie and taking some of his strength. The light bulbs above my dresser exploded, raining shards of glass.

  My eyes bugged out of my sockets. That had been the biggest surge of power I’d experienced from my own magic so far.

  “Nice little talent you have, Eve-angel-ine.” The voodoo king pulled on his never ending cigar while regarding the two of us with an unreadable—and unsettling—expression. “You two are quite the pair.”

  “You can’t have her.” Etie’s voice dipped, slicing through the room like a sharp, lethal blade. “She’s mine now.”

  I was going to have to remind him I wasn’t a piece of property and I couldn’t be owned—just as soon as we weren’t being tormented by a dark voodoo loa.

  Baron Samedi clucked his teeth. “You forget one thing, bokor.” He spread his arms wide, smoke seeping between his teeth. “I’m a deity, boy. I cannot die. I am forever, and in the end, I will have what I want.”

  His ominous words sent tendrils of ice through my bloodstream.

  Hellfire flashed in those polished orbs. “Until next time, Eve-angel-ine.” Baron Samedi tipped his top hat and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

  His laughter remained long after he was gone.

  I chewed on my bottom lip as Etie stared down at me, his eyes glittering with magic—and darkness.

  He was going to do something dangerous.

  Trouble had left the horizon and was slapping me in the face. The voodoo king wasn’t going to let me go without a fight, and Etie wasn’t going to back down.

  My tattoo tingled. “What is going through that mind of yours?”

  The corners of his lips twitched. “How would you feel about having your own personal, round-the-clock pouvior bokor bodyguard?”

  My jaw unhinged. “You’re not serious.”

  “Dead serious, cher.”

  I was right. This was dangerous. One, my mom would flip her lid. And two, I would never get a moment of peace with the Cajun Casanova breathing down my neck.

  I was so screwed.

  To be continued…

  Evangeline thought her problems were over. But as a conduit, they’d only just begun…

  KEEP READING!

  Book Two, Magic Untamed, is next.

  Magic Untamed

  Hidden Conduit Series Book Two

  Magic Untamed © copyright 2018 J.N. Colon

  www.jncolon.com

  All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  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.

  Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

  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 consequ
ences. 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 i
s 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.