Hidden Conduit- The Complete Series Page 26

  Etie and I were bound. There was no keeping us apart, not physically anyway. Even though I was unsure about our relationship, I was smart enough to realize he was going to be in my life. When he was gone, my soul felt it.

  “Oh my gawd.” Riley let out a dramatic gasp. “Jake Vincent is back in town.”

  Our classmate was strolling down the sidewalk, his copper hair blowing in the hot summer wind. “I thought he was helping his grandmother all summer in Charleston.” She’d broken a hip, and he and his mom left right after graduation.

  Lana shrugged. “Maybe she’s better.”

  “Jake!” Riley wildly flailed her arms. “Over here.”

  It didn’t take long for him to notice the tall, fiery redhead waving him down. Every pedestrian on the sidewalk noticed her. He changed directions and crossed the street, heading toward us.

  Riley turned her emerald eyes on me. “Jake was totally going to make a move on you this summer.”

  I scoffed and grabbed my cup. “Yeah, right.” The hot football player had never once shown any interest in me.

  She rolled her eyes. “You are so clueless when it comes to guys. You’re the sweet girl they all want to date, but are terrified to disappoint.”

  I choked on soda, slapping my chest to clear my airways. “I’ve never heard such a thing.” It wasn’t like I didn’t date in high school. There just weren’t that many options. Most guys were looking for fun, outgoing girls and not the shy, quiet type. “And I’m not that sweet.” They could ask Etie.

  She waved my protests away. “Whatever. Having Etie Benoit sneaking into your bed at night should tell you something.”

  I shushed her as my face burned. The entire street probably heard her.

  “Hey, girls.” Jake took the seat next to me, broadening Riley’s grin.

  “Hey, Jake.” She pushed her plate of nachos toward him. “Want some?”

  He smiled. “Thanks.”

  “I thought you were in Charleston all summer,” Lana said, dipping a piece of chicken into honey mustard.

  “My mom let me come home for a bit.” He crammed a chip in his mouth and quickly chewed. “Her brother was able to come to South Carolina and help for a few weeks.”

  “Sweet.” Riley got that wild look in her eyes. “You have the house to yourself. Are you considering throwing any parties?”

  Lana kicked her under the table. “Ignore her, Jake. She meant to ask how your grandmother was?”

  He wiped his hands on a napkin. “She’s better. It’s just hard for her to get around. Thanks for asking.”

  He turned his soft brown eyes on me. “How’s your summer, Angel? I wish I could have been here when these two were gone. I hope you weren’t too lonely.”

  I gave a nervous laugh. “I got a job. It kept me pretty busy.”

  “Where are you working? Outside, I’m guessing.” Jake smiled as he took in my tan. “You look great by the way.”

  What the hell? Maybe Riley was right.

  “She’s working with—” Riley’s words were cut off as Lana sent her another kick under the table.

  Jake glanced between the two girls, a line creasing his brow. “Am I missing something?”

  Before anyone could answer, a crash echoed. My neighbor Ms. Delphine had dropped her bags coming out of the drug store. Jake was already out of his seat, jogging to her aid.

  I stood. “Talk some sense into her while I’m gone, Lana.”

  She lifted her hands. “I’ll try, but Riley never had much sense to begin with.”

  “Hey!” Riley puckered her lips. “Take that back.”

  I pivoted and headed across the street, their bickering fading with the distance. “Are you okay, Ms. Delphine?” I asked, picking up a bag of prescriptions and handing them to her.

  “Thank you, dear.” She took them with trembling hands. “I’m all right. Just a little out of sorts. I haven’t been sleeping well.”

  Ms. Delphine was a little younger than my grandmother and normally very sharp and poised. Today her light brown hair was loosely pulled back into a messy bun at the nape of her neck. Her mismatched outfit was wrinkled and smelled faintly like charred herbs.

  My skin prickled, and an uneasy feeling descended through my stomach. The scent almost reminded me of the acrid air after the voodoo spell Dumarsais and Etie performed on me. Almost.

  “Maybe you should see Dr. Thatcher.” Jake handed her another bag.

  “Already did.” She jiggled the bag I’d picked up. “He gave me something to help me sleep.” Her smile wavered. “I just need a little sleep, and I’ll be right as rain.”

  Jake shoved his hands in his pockets. “You take it easy then, Ms. Delphine. If there’s anything I can do for you, let me know.”

  “Thanks, but I’ve got my nephew staying with me,” she said. “He’s such a sweet boy.”

  If he was dating Marisol, he couldn’t be that sweet.

  Jake and I turned around and headed back to the table where Riley and Lana were arguing over which dessert to split.

  “Let’s get a double fudge brownie sundae.” Riley licked her lips.

  Lana shook her head. “It’ll melt in two seconds out here.”

  “What about a piece of chocolate chip cheesecake?” Riley offered with a tight smile.

  Jake turned to me. “Want to split a dessert?”

  My brow furrowed. “You didn’t even eat.”

  He flashed that boyish smile most girls at school had swooned over. “Maybe I just have a sweet tooth.”

  He had nothing on Etie. No one did.

  Jake leaned closer, his clean soap scent flooding my nose. “Or maybe I just want an excuse to scoot my chair closer to yours.”

  I blinked, my mouth opening and closing. Was he serious? We’d known each other forever, and he picked now to hit on me?

  He chuckled. “Can I take your silence as a yes?” Jake didn’t wait for an answer to either of his questions before sliding closer to me. “What do you want to share?”

  What the hell was happening here? I didn’t agree to anything. My tattoo pulsed, but I wasn’t sure if it was for real or just my guilty conscience. Sharing a dessert with Jake kind of felt wrong, which was completely ridiculous.

  I reached up, rubbing the toujou as I tried to gather my thoughts.

  Jake’s gaze was drawn by the movement, and his eyes widened. “Holy crap. Did you get a tattoo?”

  “Oh, uh, yeah.” Why couldn’t the toujou have appeared somewhere a little less noticeable?

  He rubbed his hand through his copper locks. “I never would have thought you were into tattoos.”

  “You have no idea,” Riley mumbled under her breath, as she tried to keep a straight face.

  A nervous laugh slipped out of me. “It was a surprise to me, too.”

  “Can I see it?” Jake leaned in, his fingers brushing my hair back to get a better look. His warm hand rested on my bare shoulder. “Cool. Does it mean anything?”

  Lana’s eyes widened just as a tingle sped down my spine.

  “It means you need to keep your hands off my girl.” The deep, gravelly voice hit me right in the gut.

  My head whipped around. Etie was looming behind us, shooting Jake a death glare; he could very well be putting a voodoo hex on the poor guy. “Etie,” I warned.

  Jake yanked his hand away and scooted his chair back a good five feet. “Uh, sorry. I didn’t mean anything. We’re just friends. W-We went to school together.” He swallowed hard under the scary Cajun’s glare.

  Etie’s hands rested on my shoulders, his touch soothing and yet possessive. He wanted Jake to know I belonged to him.

  Except I didn’t. I didn’t belong to anyone.

  “I-I didn’t know Angel had a boyfriend,” Jake stuttered.

  “He’s not my boyfriend,” I blurted.

  “Yes, I am.”

  I spun around in my chair. “No, you’re not.”

  Etie’s eyes were blazing, and if he wasn’t careful, they were going t
o start glowing. “That’s not how you felt this morning in your bed.”

  My jaw dropped. It was one thing for Riley and Lana to know he’d spent the night, but telling Jake was another story. Jake wasn’t sworn to the secrecy of girl code, and he would probably spread this little tidbit of info to every one of his guy friends—which was exactly what this crazy Cajun wanted.

  I hopped out of my seat and grabbed Etie’s arm. “We need to talk.” I dragged him away from Bernie’s and around the corner, out of eyeshot. “What is your problem?”

  His nostrils flared. “My problem is that pretty boy had his hands all over my girl.”

  Why did Etie calling me his girl send such a thrill through me? I was supposed to be angry with him.

  “You’re not my boyfriend, Etie,” I hissed, trying to ignore the stupid flutters in my stomach. “We’re not dating.”

  “Then what do you call what we’ve been doing?” He stepped closer, his blue and green eyes searing into me. Again, it felt like I was naked in front of him.

  My head was already dizzy from his close proximity and that damn wild, herbal scent. “We’ve been… The gwo-bon lyen… I don’t know.” I shook my head, trying to jiggle free of his spell. “I’m not yours. You can’t just go around telling people that.”

  The tendons in his jaw clenched. “We’re bound, Angeline. You’re my alimèt. I’m not going anywhere, so you might as well get used to it.”

  Electricity sparked over my skin, and it had nothing to do with his effect. My powers were brewing up a storm. “I know we’re bound, Etie, but that doesn’t mean I belong to you. I’m a person, not an object.”

  A few people walking by cast curious glances our way, and whispers began to circulate. Great. The rumor mill was going to go wild.

  “Stop pretending you don’t like this.” His fingers slowly trailed up my arms, and I choked back a gasp. “The kissing, the touching—you crave it as much as I do, cher.”

  Oh crap. My mind was going foggy again. When had he gotten so close?

  His hand reached up, caressing the toujou above my collarbone. “This makes you mine, Angeline. Get over it.”

  His words were like a cold bucket of water dumping over my head. I pushed him away—tried at least. “You are acting like such a Neanderthal.” My powers were spiking again, a deep fire beginning in my chest. “Has this gwo-bon lyen gone to your head, or are you like this with every girl?”

  “Only you, cher.” His nostrils flared. “Do you not realize this goes both ways?” He grabbed my hand before I could stop him, pressing it against his toujou. It buzzed beneath my palm. “I’m your alimèt, too. I belong to you.”

  My heart slammed against my ribs, and I couldn’t catch my breath. How was I supposed to react to that?

  A jolt of electricity shot through me. The newspaper machine we were standing next to started spitting quarters. I jumped back with a squeak, my eyes widening. People were stopping, glancing between us and the spewing quarters.

  Oh god, they know it was me!

  A warm hand rested on my arm, pulling me further away. “Relax, cher. They think it’s me.” He muttered something in Vondou, and the coins stopped falling. “Let me take you home.”

  Nothing good could come of being alone with Etie right now, even in his truck. He’d have me undone in under a minute. I needed space to think.

  I searched for an exit strategy, spotting Marisol getting into the passenger side of a BMW. “Marisol! Give me a ride.” I didn’t care who was driving.

  Etie cursed as I darted away before he could catch me. He could have used magic, but we’d created enough of a scene already. Marisol waved me in, and I hopped into the backseat, sinking against the smooth tan leather.

  She turned around, her plump lips curving into a smirk. “Trouble in paradise?”

  I groaned and covered my face with my hands. “Just drive before he marches over here.”

  Her smoky laughed echoed through the car. “I never thought a time would come when Etie Benoit was head over heels about a girl, and it’s my little sister.”

  A buttery male voice responded. “Glad I could be of assistance.”

  I peeked through my fingers at the hot guy navigating the car down the road. “Oh, um, thanks.”

  “Angel, meet my boyfriend, Jesse.” Marisol motioned her hand toward him.

  He flashed a smile over his shoulder as we stopped at a corner and reached back. “Nice to finally meet you, Angel. Marisol has told me a lot about you.”

  I made a face imagining all the embarrassing things she probably told him. “Hi.” I took his hand and a loud crack of electricity popped between us.

  Jesse yanked his arm back. “Woah. You’ve got some major static electricity going on there.”

  Flames licked at my cheeks. “Sorry.”

  Static suddenly consumed the radio, the station going in and out. My powers were on the fritz again. That argument with Etie had me so worked up I couldn’t control them.

  Like I ever could.

  Marisol shot me an incredulous look from the front seat. I answered with a shrug. It wasn’t like I did it on purpose. My magic had a mind of its own, and since Abuela wouldn’t help me, I was stuck trying to figure this out alone. And I didn’t have a good track record with that. If my past was any indication of my future, I was in for a crapload of trouble. Just look at what I did when I wanted to find a way to save Marisol.

  I rolled my neck, trying and failing to loosen the tension in my muscles. I hadn’t seen Etie since our argument in town, and that had been hours ago. His absence was eating away at me. Most of it was the gwo-bon lyen wanting to push us together, but some of my unease came from the fight. Could I really blame him for being angry another guy was sort of hitting on me? I wouldn’t be too happy if a girl was flirting with him.

  A fist squeezed my insides. What if he took that job for Trisha’s father and she’d shown up at his sporting goods shop? What if Etie decided he’d had enough of my hot-and-cold behavior?

  I thrust my head under the hot water in the shower, squeezing my lids shut against the images of Trisha and Etie together. Unlike Jake and I, they’d actually had a thing before. And she wasn’t the only girl in Carrefour. Etie was no stranger to the opposite sex. I knew that long before we met, but now, the thought of any other girl kissing him much less doing other things sickened me. It filled me with a murderous rage.

  A groan slipped out, and I leaned against the shower wall. What was I going to do? It wasn’t that I didn’t want him. Please. I salivated after the voodoo caster like a dog taunted with a juicy steak. I was just afraid none of it was real. What if I gave myself to him and he woke up one day and decided the only thing between us was this gwo-bon lyen?

  I’d be crushed. Beyond crushed.

  My nose crinkled at the sudden change in the air. The cloud of steam wafting around me didn’t smell like my gardenia shampoo anymore. Instead, a sickly sweet scent floated around me, one I’d recognize anywhere.

  Ice bled through my veins, and my breath came in fast pants. The odor of Baron Samedi’s cigars and rum wasn’t something I could ever forget. A million thoughts ran through my mind as I peeked through the glass door, clearing a spot of fog away with my palm.

  The voodoo king couldn’t take my soul. It was tethered to Etie’s. He had no claim over it anymore. Had the dark voodoo loa returned to simply haunt me?

  When nothing moved outside, I relaxed against the wall. It was probably just my imagination. I’d had a long, tiresome day, and I needed sleep.

  I finished washing the conditioner from my hair and stepped out of the shower, wrapping a plush white towel around my body. I grabbed a bottle of lotion from the cabinet as faint whispers swirled through my ears.

  Gwo-bon ange se li. Gadò moun ki mouri ar. Ou pa ka chape anba.

  Gwo-bon ange se li. Gadò moun ki mouri ar. Ou pa ka chape anba.

  The bottle fell from my fingers, hitting the tile floor with a hollow thud. This wasn’t happening. I d
idn't hear chants from Baron Samedi’s spirits.

  Memories of my encounters with the voodoo spirits flashed through my mind, making my knees tremble. I secured the towel tighter around me as if it could provide protection from the vile, lascivious things.

  Nothing moved in the steam-clouded room, but the dim words continued, mixed with the distant beat of a drum. I wiped steam from the mirror with a hand towel. An ebony face with white paint swirled over its cheeks appeared in place of my reflection.

  A screech tore from my mouth. I stumbled back, my eyes glued to a grinning Baron Samedi. Electricity crackled over my skin as my powers came alive, and every light bulb exploded. My arms flew up, shielding my face from flying shards.

  There was no need to. Not one piece of glass touched me. My magic had protected me from the dangerous projectiles.

  My lids pried open to nothing but darkness, my ragged breaths the only sound. I couldn’t even see my hand in front of me.

  Oh this was bad. Way to go powers.

  I blindly stepped forward, my foot brushing over sharp glass. Shit. If I moved anywhere, my feet were going to get butchered.

  Cold air blew across my nape, and I froze. Something was behind me.

  My pulse spiked to unhealthy levels. This wasn’t happening. Not again.

  I bit my lip to keep the sob from slipping out. If only I could make my damn powers open the door.

  The weight of a hand came down on my shoulder.

  My scream echoed through the bathroom, desperate and terrified. It was all I could do. Something wicked loomed behind me, touching me, and I was at its mercy.

  Chapter 5

  The door crashed open. An imposing figure outlined in light flooded the bathroom, mismatched eyes glowing like blazing fires in a dark forest.

  “Angeline!” Etie barreled in, the glass crunching under his boots. He halted, taking in the dangerous mess with a furrowed brow. “Deplase.” The shards slid to the side, clearing a path for him. “What happened?” He made it to me in two strides, his warm hands gripping my arms.