by J. N. Colon
“Evangeline? What business you got here?”
I jerked out of the man’s grasp, hitting the brick wall of the building. I hadn’t seen him since that night in the graveyard, and he was just as intimidating as I remembered. “Henri.”
The moonlight eerily glittered in his dark amber eyes as they scrutinized me. His full lips tilted down. “You here alone, girl?” He glanced around, searching the darkened street. “Not a smart idea.”
“Who asked you?” I slapped my hand over my mouth, silently cursing myself. This was the big bad voodoo guy everyone in Carrefour feared. People said if you stood close enough, you could hear the screams of those he’d hexed and see the flames of hell in his eyes.
They were exaggerating, but it still painted the man in a terrifying light.
Etie’s father reached for me, drawing his hand back when I flinched. “Easy there. I’m just trying to make sure you’re all right. That boy of mine would have my head if anything happened to you in my presence.” The silver snake ring glinted on his finger, giving the emerald eyes an ominous glow.
What was with voodoo and snakes?
“W-What are you doing here?” My heart was going a hundred miles a minute, and so loud he could probably hear it.
“Visiting a friend. You?” His gaze flickered behind me. “What you running from?”
“Did you send something after me?” Bumping into Henri Benoit in Monroe was a pretty big coincidence, especially just as something began chasing me. We didn’t know his motives or why he so easily helped save me.
His brows dipped in his dark caramel face. “Why would you say that?”
I shrugged. “You’re a voodoo caster, and I heard Vondou right before something started following me.”
He slipped by me and peered around the corner. His shoulders stiffened. “That ain’t my doing, girl.”
Against my better judgment, I scurried to his side and peeked. My lungs seized as the outline of a figure still moved through the shadows.
“This has Baron Samedi all over it.”
My eyes widened. “How do you know?”
“I just do.” He jerked his chin in the opposite direction. “Did you drive here?”
“Yeah, but my car isn’t working.” A grimace crossed my face. “I kind of fried it.”
“Come on, then. I’ll take you home.” His fingers curled around my arm.
I had no choice but to let Etie’s father pull me down the dark street. It was either him or whatever the baron had sent to haunt me. In this situation, Henri was the least dangerous option—not by much though.
Henri’s dark eyes continued to flicker in my direction as he silently drove toward Carrefour, trees whipping by on the narrow highway. I shifted uneasily in the front seat of the sedan, my pulse still racing. Being in close quarters with the man who had used Etie—made his struggle that much more difficult—had me on edge. He also knew what I was. What was stopping him from using me to gain more power?
The tattoo on his upper arm sent chills through my gut. A skull atop a snake-wrapped cross was the mark of Louange le Noir.
My phone buzzed in my pocket, and my heart doubled when I checked the screen.
“If that’s my youngest, you better answer. He’s your alimèt. He knows something happened.” Henri’s body stiffened. “He’ll only get more worried if you don’t answer and we don’t need that.”
How was Etie going to react when he found out I was with his father?
I reluctantly pressed the green answer button and put the phone to my ear. Before I could even get one word in, Etie’s frantic voice flew over the line.
“Angeline! What’s a matter! Where are you? Are you okay? What happened?”
“I’m fine, Etie,” I assured him, my muscles as tense as stone.
“Something happened. I know it.” He took a deep breath. “I’m leaving Chickarees right now. Where are you?”
Oh shit. “No. I’ll come to you.”
He paused. “Why? Where are you?” Suspicion was already swirling through his voice.
“Nowhere. I’m fine.” He was going to be so pissed. “I’ll see you in a few minutes. Bye.” I quickly hung up before he could ask more questions. I slumped against the seat, my chest tightening.
“You sure me dropping you off at Chickarees is a good idea?” Henri asked.
“Me being with you in any way is the opposite of a good idea.” There was no point in denying it.
He grumbled something in another language. “I guess Étienne and Bastien told you all the terrible things I did before their mama kicked me out?”
“Some.” Neither of the boys went into too much detail, but what they did tell me made my stomach knot. I didn’t know how Gabrielle got the strength to go against a bokor from Lounage le Noir. No telling how Etie and Bastien would have turned out if Henri had stayed with them.
His lips thinned, and his long fingers tightened on the steering wheel. “I did a lot a bad. I ain’t denying it. But that person doesn’t exist anymore.”
“You’re still in Lounage le Noir,” I pointed out.
Henri shrugged. “They’re not all as bad as Etie and Bastien say. We just prefer the dark loa.”
A shiver rippled over me. “Like Baron Samedi.” That didn’t help his cause one bit.
He reached over to cut the air down, making me flinch. His dark gaze flicked toward me. “There’s no reason to fear me. I wouldn’t hurt you, Evangeline.” His hand returned to the steering wheel. “I came when Etie called to save you, didn’t I?”
“You also know what I am.” I swallowed hard as ice trickled through my veins. “You could use me. You could have me steal powers for you or make yours greater.” Geez. Way to go, Angel. Let’s give the scary voodoo caster ideas.
He shrugged. “I’m a bokor. I got enough.” Thanks to his sons. “Too much power can create problems you don’t want.”
His ominous words sank through my chest.
I shifted restlessly in my seat again. I understood that more than I wanted to. Marisol had it easy. Even if her powers were unbound, she’d never have to worry about someone plucking her from her life to enslave her.
Henri cleared his throat. “Is this the first time the baron has threatened you since your soul was bound to my son’s?”
I shook my head. “Last night I think I saw him in my bathroom mirror.”
He made a humming sound and rubbed the thick, dark stubble on his chin. “He likes to communicate from the spirit world using mirrors.”
“He wasn’t really there? He was calling me? Like a phone call?” That was kind of a relief.
His gaze slanted toward me, filling with a warning. “Make no mistake, Evangeline. He can be in this world like that.” The snap of his fingers echoed loudly in the otherwise quiet car.
I began gnawing on my nails, my brief moment of relief completely shattered.
“You tell Etie about this?” he asked.
I slumped lower in the seat, trying to hide from his gaze.
“You plan on telling him?”
“Yes.” My voice came out as a squeak.
Henri grumbled under his breath, unconvinced.
Chickarees Bar and Grill finally came into view, and my heart started a frantic beat again. Etie was going to go apeshit when I told him about tonight. Of course I didn’t have to tell him at all.
Henri rubbed his forehead with one hand while the other was steering the car into a spot. “You really going to make me do this?”
My head snapped back. “Do what? And why are you parking? You can just let me out.”
“Not a chance, girl.” He motioned toward my face. “I can tell you’re already thinking of ways to hide this entire thing from Etie. I’d rather face my son’s wrath and make sure he knows his alimèt is in danger than let you keep it a secret from him.”
Oh hell. Etie was going to lose it.
I scrambled out of the car, tripping over my flip flops to catch up with Henri. “This is a really bad idea,�
�� I said. “I’ll tell him. I promise.”
He shook his head. “Better safe than sorry.”
“But this isn’t safe,” I hissed. “For anyone.”
Henri was already pulling the door open, motioning me in. Resigned to my fate, I marched in, my eyes instantly falling on Etie who was pacing back and forth in front of the bar where Bastien sat.
Relief showed in his eyes when he spotted me—until his gaze lifted to the tall figure behind me.
Etie’s anger slammed into my chest, knocking me back. I stumbled, Henri catching me. This was the first time I’d felt anything this dark through our linked souls.
The pouvior bokor closed the distance between us in quick strides, Bastien on his heels. Etie didn’t look happy to see his father.
“What did you do to her!” His voice boomed through the bar, catching the eyes of the patrons who hadn’t already noticed the impending drama. Etie grabbed my arm, roughly pulling me behind him. “Did you hurt her? I’ll kill you, Henri.”
“Etie, wait.” I tugged his shirt, but he shook me off.
Bastien pulled me away from Etie. “I don’t know what’s going on, cher, but you don’t want to be close to him right now.” Bastien looked at his father. “What are you doing with Angel?” Like me, he suspected Henri wanted to use my power for his benefit.
The jukebox went silent, and murmurs began to spread around the bar. Some of the older customers remembered Henri Benoit, and from their pale faces, I’d say they were a hundred times more afraid of him than they were of his sons. Although, Etie was currently looking like more of a threat than his father.
Henri’s hands lifted in surrender. “I was only giving her a ride home.”
Etie’s fingers curled in his father’s shirt as he yanked him forward. “A ride? A ride from where?”
“A ride home from Monroe.” Henri yanked out of his grasp. “I just came to make sure she told you what happened.”
Etie’s nostrils flared. “Or to make sure she told your version of what happened.” He reared back, ready to punch his father.
Power surged through me, and every light in the place flickered.
Etie glanced back at me, his fist never making it to his father’s face. He cursed and grabbed my arm. “Calm it down, cher.”
“I’m trying to,” I hissed. The power flowing through him was affecting me. “You know I can’t help it.”
Bastien moved to his father, gripping his arm. “Let’s go outside.”
The older bokor narrowed his eyes. “Don’t give me orders, boy.”
“Shut up, Henri.” Etie put his arm around me and dragged me outside. “Don’t worry,” he whispered through clenched teeth. “They think it’s us Benoits. Probably Henri.”
The humid air clung to my hot skin the moment we stepped outside. The tall parking lot lights flashed a few times. And then, Etie was on his father again, his meaty fist crushing into Henri’s jaw.
“Stop!” My voice had no effect and neither did Bastien’s.
“You think you have a right to talk to Angeline just because you helped me?” Etie slammed his father against a tree, the crack of wood snapping through the night. “You mistake me for the same boy you left.”
The power in Etie gathered, darkness swirling over the light. It was murky and thick, like something that could pull you down and drown you in an instant. “Etie, please stop.”
He wasn’t listening.
Crackles of electricity rippled over my hands like they had in Monroe. Sparks flew and hit the ground at Etie’s feet.
He whipped around, his eyes wide. “What are you doing?”
My hands closed into tight fists. “I don’t know. I can’t control it!” More crackles popped on the ground. “And you fighting with him is making it worse.”
His nostrils flared. “You just expect me to ignore this? He shouldn’t have been anywhere near you.”
“Shut up and listen to me,” I hissed.
While we were arguing, Bastien grabbed their father and high-tailed it to Henri’s car before Etie had a chance to catch up with them. Thank god one of the Benoits still had some sense left.
“He didn’t hurt me,” I said. “I’m fine.”
A long, furious string of French tumbled from Etie’s lips. “You can’t trust him. Not ever.”
“I never said I did!” I spun around and marched toward the back of Chickarees where the deck overlooked Lake Twala. I tried to tell Henri this was a bad idea. Etie was so fixated on his father, I couldn’t even explain what happened with Baron Samedi.
The pouvior bokor was hot on my heels. “Then why were you with him? Did he trick you into using your magic?”
“I’m trying to tell you.” The string lights around the deck flickered. Thankfully no one else was out here. They were probably all inside talking about the return of Henri Benoit.
Long fingers wrapped around my arm, and Etie whirled me around. “Then tell me what happened.” Darkness still swirled through him.
I yanked away. “When you calm down.”
“I am calm!”
A surge of power shot out of me, hitting him in the chest. Etie’s eyes widened as his body was flung forward, slamming into mine. We both flipped over the railing and splashed into the dark water below.
I gasped for air as I came up, hacking my lungs out. My magic sucked!
Etie appeared beside me, a dark scowl over his features. “You did that on purpose,” he growled, brushing the mop of drenched hair out of his face.
My jaw dropped. “If I did, don’t you think I’d be up on the deck dry instead of treading water with you?”
Etie continued to glower. And then, his entire face changed. His head tilted back as laughter poured out, echoing across the lake.
You’ve got to be freaking kidding me. He was two seconds away from plunging into some seriously dark voodoo, and now he was laughing. I wanted to be annoyed, but my relief was too great. The darkness slithered back down inside him while the light emerged.
“Come here.” Etie pulled me to him, wrapping his arms around my waist. “I’m sorry, Angeline. I didn’t mean to make your powers go crazy.”
“I know.” We spent half our time fighting and the other half making up. Or making out.
“Seeing you with my father broke my own control.” His smile faded, and he sighed. “Tell me what happened. I promise I’ll listen.”
My legs wrapped around his waist, and I let him do all the work of treading water. “I went to Madame Monnier’s to look for answers about my conduit powers.”
His brows dipped into an angry line. “That was a stupid idea. If the wrong person realizes—”
I cut him off with a look. “No one was there except for the owner, and my magic didn’t wake up to say hi.” I wasn’t going to mention the lights flickering as I ran out of the store. “Besides, that’s not the worst part.”
His lips thinned. “Tell me.”
I sucked in a deep breath and spilled my guts about being chased by the figure Henri claimed had something to do with Baron Samedi. And then, I told Etie about what really happened in the bathroom.
I expected a huge lecture, but all I got was a gentle kiss.
Etie laid his forehead on mine, brushing my lips with his one more time. “I’m sorry you were afraid to tell me, cher.”
“You’re not mad at me?” I asked, my arms curling around his neck and pressing us closer.
A humorless laugh exited him. “Oh, I mad as hell you tried to keep that from me.” His hands soothingly rubbed my back. “I knew something more happened, but I didn’t want to push you.”
Ugh. Why did he have to be so damn sweet sometimes?
“I still don’t want you around my father though.” His voice deepened, the threatening cadence spawning goosebumps across my skin even though his anger wasn’t directed at me. “I don’t trust him.”
“I don’t either.” Henri couldn’t do anything to make me relax around him. “What are we going to do about Baron
Samedi?”
“He’s wasting his time.” Etie’s eyes bored into me, searing all the way to my soul. “He knows he can’t have you. You’re mine now.”
My arms tightened around him. This was the first time I didn’t dispute his claim on me. This was the first time I didn’t mind being called his.
Chapter 7
Eyes followed me everywhere I went in the Department Store, whispers floating around the silver racks of clothes. Not one single person in Carrefour could mind their own business, not when the rumors flying around were this juicy.
After the scene at Chickarees, there was no doubt I was involved with Étienne Benoit. The whole town knew it. And they were also aware Henri Benoit, the insane voodoo man, had returned.
“We’re best friends with a town celebrity.” Riley giggled beside me, sipping an iced coffee. “Now I know how Marisol’s friends feel.”
“I think Angel’s more famous than her sister now.” Lana winked over the rack of clothes.
A groan slipped out of my mouth. “You guys suck. This is a freaking nightmare.” I jerked my chin toward a group of nosy housewives. “I can’t even pick up a shirt without them jumping to conclusions about it, thinking it has something to do with Etie.”
Riley scrunched her nose at the skull shirt Lana held up. “You have to understand their fascination though. The Benoit brothers are terrifying and mesmerizing. They’re mysterious, and people want to know about them, but most won’t get close enough to ask. You’re like a window into their secretive lives.”
“I’m not a window. I’m a person,” I corrected her. “One who hates being the center of attention.” I wasn’t one of those people who blossomed under the limelight. I melted into a nervous puddle.
Lana’s eyes narrowed on the group of women. “Those four busybodies have been following you all day. Do they really have nothing better to do?” Her voice was loud enough to make it to their ears.
Two of them had enough manners to look embarrassed while the other two shot sneers at us before turning and sashaying down the overly buffed mauve tile.
I wanted to bury my head in the sand. “I cannot believe you did that.”