by J. N. Colon
I scoffed. “You couldn’t.”
A feral smile split his lips. “I could, and I would to keep you away from this.”
My jaw clenched, but I backed up. I preferred not to be immobilized in case Etie needed me—even if he wouldn’t admit it. The spell he did to banish Baron Samedi at Marcus’s was as scary as I’d seen him during voodoo.
I had a feeling raising a vivankò was going to be just as terrifying.
I perched against the headstone Etie had pointed out, the granite cool through my shorts. I hoped Mr. Joshua Benson wasn’t too upset about sharing his final resting place for a few minutes.
Etie picked up the drum and began tapping a slow, steady beat. Selena joined in, shaking the gourd and swaying her body to the rhythm. Etie could have done this on his own, but at least the other voodoo caster could bear some of the burden it took to raise the dead.
The exotic, electric tang of his power began to swirl in the air. My conduit side yearned to reach for it, but I slammed the barriers in place. I sure as hell hoped my figurative brick-and-mortar walls held steady. My fingers ran over the nivum talisman around my neck. At least this would help too.
The wind blew, tousling Etie’s dark brown locks wildly around his face. His eyes glowed through the night, burning a brilliant shade of radioactive green and shimmering blue. My heart quickened as I watched my voodoo soul mate weaving his spell.
“Pote m 'kò.” The beat of the drum grew faster. “Kite gwo-bon ange sèlman pote m 'yon veso.”
A wave of heat slammed into me. If I hadn’t been leaning against the headstone, I would have fallen.
I tried to shake it off. Etie was swaying frantically now, his words coming faster. Darkness crawled up from his depths, climbing over the light. A cool, velvety feeling melted over him, and I felt rather than saw him smile.
My stomach clenched. He liked the darkness.
Holding it at bay was so tiring, and now, during the spell, he could finally take a breath of relief. Sweet, sweet surrender.
“Pote m 'kò. Kite gwo-bon ange sèlman pote m 'yon veso.”
I swallowed hard and leaned off the tombstone. I needed to get to him. This was not good. I didn’t like what it was doing to him. We’d find another way.
“Monte sèvitè. Fè travay mwen.” Etie continued, his voice growing deeper with each passing second. “Kounye a!”
A wave of dark power hit me, and I grabbed my chest. My conduit side wanted out. My walls trembled, and the silver talisman began to vibrate.
Uh-oh.
A cold sweat slickened my skin. I gritted my teeth, trying to focus on keeping my barriers in place. Etie’s magic was so strong, so intoxicating, it was like putting up a dam made of toothpicks against a rushing river. One splintered, and then the next and the next until a flood swarmed me.
I was drowning in magic.
“Oh my god.” Selena stopped dancing, and the gourd fell from her fingers. “A conduit.” Her whisper was barely audible over the howling wind.
Dread spilled through my gut. She knew.
The talisman suddenly burned. I hissed and held it away from my body by the leather strap. My last line of defense disintegrated, turning to ash and blowing away.
Panic. And power. It was all I knew.
Invisible receptors rose out of me, soaking up the magic in the air. My body took it in and doubled it, creating a swell inside of me too large to contain.
Etie’s head snapped toward me, his eyes lit up like neon lights. He’d felt my power, or rather his darkness had.
I took a step back. Maybe I should have gone back to the restaurant.
Too late now.
Tiny sparks crawled along my hands. It was definitely too late.
I inched further away from Etie, my chest rising and falling too fast. I was going to hyperventilate. I stumbled over a root, slamming into something warm and solid.
“I’ve never seen a conduit in person.” Selena steadied me, her grip tight on my shoulders.
Big mistake.
Etie growled, and the distinct rattle of his snake slithered through the air. “Get your hands off her.”
Selena’s eyes widened, and she released me. Unfortunately, my powers had gotten a taste of her. And they wanted more.
A jolt of electricity sped down my arm and snapped out. A delicate violet string of light wrapped around her wrist, spreading thin webs over her creamy skin. A look of euphoria crossed her face as I filled her with the magic I’d sucked from the atmosphere. How the hell was I doing this? Maybe it came naturally to me—as natural as breathing.
Then that power exchange switched direction.
I gasped as her powers soared through the web of lights, bleeding into my veins. The cemetery spun, the nighttime sky a kaleidoscope of stars. My body swayed. Everything was a dizzying whirlwind. The ground beneath me vibrated.
“Angeline, get out of here!” Etie’s voice was only a whisper drowned out by the rush of powers gathering inside me.
There was so much. It took up every single corner of my existence.
My head slowly dipped forward, and Etie came into focus as he ran toward me, his expression wild. Our eyes locked.
My toujou burned before another cord of violet light lashed out, hitting Etie in the chest like a bolt of lightning. He halted in his tracks, his body tense as he tried to fight the connection.
It was no use. My powers swirled around him, lighting up his skin.
A two-ton weight sank to the pit of my stomach. A conduit and a pouvior bokor had just become one.
I didn’t take from him. Instead, I poured power into Etie, magnifying his already immense magic. His violent snarl lit the air as did a sharp metallic tang.
The fog cleared from my mind now that I wasn’t brimming with magic. Oh god. What have I done?
“Etie, stop the spell!” I yelled over the bedlam. “You have to stop.” I yanked the cords of violet light from him, halting the flow of power. But it was too late. He was already loaded, and I wasn’t sure how long it would take the extra magic to fade.
He ignored me and stalked back to the grave, a man on a mission—a mission of darkness. His arms lifted toward the sky. “Monte vivankò. Vin lame mwen nan ondèd.” The ground heaved, throwing me off balance.
My stomach clenched. That didn’t even sound like Etie.
I stumbled to him, air ripping from my lungs at what I saw. Both of his eyes were a dark shade of navy, oily and thick. Color had drained from his cheeks, leaving his face ghostly pale. The power throbbing from him was murky and unfamiliar.
His balance had been obliterated; the darkness was taking over.
“Etie, stop! Please.” I wasn’t getting through the wall of magic surrounding him—the wall I’d created.
“Monte! Monte!” His head tilted back. “Monte.”
The entire cemetery trembled. I tumbled to the ground as creatures writhed within it. The picture from that voodoo book flashed through my mind. The bokor stood in a cemetery, raising every single corpse from their grave.
Now, Etie was that bokor.
Selena was holding onto a tombstone, her face the color of fresh snow.
“Help me!” I called out. “Stop the spell.”
She shook her head, fear staining her eyes. “He’s taken control. There’s nothing I can do.”
A figure emerged from the trees lining the perimeter. My heart shuddered to a stop. It was a vivankò! Or at least I thought it was until those dark eyes met mine, and a flash of silver glinted on his finger.
“Henri!” I never thought I’d be happy to see Etie’s father.
He spotted me struggling on the quaking ground. His pace quickened, and he pulled me up. “You need to go, Evangeline. It’s not safe.”
I shook my head. “I can’t leave him.”
Henri’s lips thinned, but he nodded knowing it was pointless to argue. He leaned me against a tree and spun toward his son. “Étienne, stop this now!”
Henri’s command didn’
t faze him. Etie continued the spell, an eerie smile over his face. The sight of it chilled me to the bone.
“Stop.” Henri grabbed Etie’s arms, shaking him. “Don’t you know you’re hurting Evangeline?”
Etie snarled and shoved his father away. “Back off. They’re mine.”
My stomach clenched. This wasn’t going to work. Henri was no match for Etie right now, not when the younger bokor was ten times stronger—thanks to me.
Henri ran his hand down his face, the internal struggle visible in his taut expression. None of us were powerful enough to stop Etie.
Writhing fingers burst through the surface of the ground like worms wriggling in the soil. I squealed and stomped at them only to find more popping up.
Etie had to be stopped.
I made a rash, last-minute decision—one I hoped I didn’t regret—and darted forward. My hand wrapped around Henri’s arm, and I let my conduit powers loose on him. Tiny threads of light latched onto his chest, and I pushed energy into him. He stumbled and slipped out of my hold, doubling over as he gasped for air. Never did I think I’d purposely use my magic to strengthen Henri’s. The man glanced back at me, a chilling glint to his glowing eyes.
Every drop of moister evaporated from my mouth. Had I just made things worse?
“Thank you.” His voice was rough and deeper than usual, puckering my skin.
Henri whipped back around and charged Etie, tackling him.
“Get off of me,” Etie snarled. “Tounen!”
The voodoo spell hit Henri, and he writhed on the ground, pain etched into his face. I sent another wave of energy to him. He gasped as it crashed into him, and then quickly gathered himself in time to block Etie’s next words of Vonduo.
“You’ve got to stop this,” Selena hissed, still hanging onto the tree limb. “The bokors are going to kill each other, and we’ll die by the vivankòs with no one to control them.”
Great. No added pressure.
My lids squeezed shut, and I concentrated, attempting to latch onto Etie again and take back what I’d given him. Fire seared through my chest, and my toujou burned. When I opened my eyes, those lights were connected to Etie again, sucking up the excess power.
My stomach twisted. Oh my god. I may as well have been a vampire feeding on magic. I wanted to hurl.
When Etie stumbled, I yanked the glowing strings from him and then Henri. I did as Lucas had taught me, imagining them as threads of my very being. They belonged inside me. Not out. They slithered back in, and my walls erected, bricks stacking over bricks, and then a layer of concrete poured over them.
The howling wind stopped, and the ground remained solid and unbroken. The dead were no longer crawling toward the surface.
An eerie atmosphere settled over the cemetery.
Blood suddenly rushed to my head, and the tombstones spun. I swayed on my feet, grabbing the nearest thing—Selena—to keep myself from face planting onto the ground.
“Be careful.” She steadied me, her widened eyes glued to something over my shoulder.
My toujou burned, and I spun around as Etie collapsed to his knees, breathing hard.
I broke away from Selena and sprinted toward him. My hand trembled as I reached for his shoulder. “Etie.”
He shifted out of my grasp moments before my fingers connected. “Get away from me.”
I flinched at the harshness of his voice. “Etie, please.”
His head snapped in my direction, his eyes still too dark. “When are you going to learn I ain’t the kind of person you want to be around?” He flicked his hand toward the graves surrounding us. “You saw what I tried to do.”
I shook my head. “That was my fault. My powers—”
His bitter laugh cut me off. “I wanted to do it, with or without your powers. It’s always inside me. I know you feel it.” He stood, his gaze looking past his father for an escape.
Panic tore through my insides. “Wait.”
Etie grabbed my wrists, yanking me forward. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay away from me,” he growled.
My jaw clenched, and I shoved him off. “It’s a little late for that.” My throat convulsed as I choked down a lump of emotion. I was not going to cry. Not now. “Or did you forget our souls were bound?”
Etie’s fingers flinched toward his mark, and I felt the regret seeping through his veins. But the hardness in his face wouldn’t relent. Without another word, he spun around and bolted.
I took off after him, only making it three steps before an iron grip fastened on my arm.
Henri hauled me back. “Let him go.” His gaze followed his son through the cemetery until he disappeared.
I pushed him off. “He needs me.” My voice cracked, and unshed tears already burned my eyes.
“Étienne will always need you.” Henri ran his hand over his stubbly chin and released a deep, weary sigh. “But right now, he needs to calm down.”
“He’s a pouvior bokor.” Selena stood shakily next to me, her deep brown eyes trained on the other voodoo caster. “You must be Henri Benoit.” Her voice was quiet as she said his name. Henri’s reputation was well known among the voodoo community in Louisiana—and feared.
“Yes.” His expression hardened. “And you’d do well to keep your mouth shut about what happened here.”
“Y-Yes. Of course.” She nodded and wrung her hands. “But about the boy’s murder…”
Henri’s brows knit. “What boy? Does this have something to do with my son trying to raise a vivankò?”
Selena explained how we ended up in the graveyard. I tuned out their conversation and stared at the spot Etie had vanished, willing him to come back. My knees wanted to give out. It was hard to breathe let alone stand. My heart was being crushed by the weight of guilt. I did this to Etie—me and my stupid powers. What would he do alone with the darkness still trying to take over? Would he fight it or would he let it in?
Chapter 19
I silently eased the front door shut and leaned against it, taking several deep, quiet breaths. Waking Lucas or Abuela was the last thing I wanted to do. I couldn’t look either of them in the eye after what happened. Not only did I reveal myself to another voodoo caster, but I pumped Etie full of power and made his darkness take over.
My lip trembled thinking of what Etie was going through right now, and there wasn’t a thing I could do to help him.
Henri had struck a deal with Selena. He was familiar with this rogue group of Lounage le Noir. They’d been kicked out of several places because of their magic. According to Henri, it wasn’t just dark, it was evil. I was surprised by his disgust. I’d thought Lounage le Noir was all the same.
Henri would remove the sadistic voodoo casters in return for Selena’s silence. She could never tell a soul what I was. And if she did, Henri would come after her.
A thud echoed from the kitchen, making me jump. My pulse spiked. Etie. I rushed into the room, my heart dropping when I spotted Marisol clumsily hanging off of Jesse.
She shot me a lopsided grin. “Flaca! What are you doing here?” Her words were heavily slurred.
My shoulders deflated. “I live here.”
“Oh yeah.” She giggled and swayed, pulling Jesse with her. “Have you met my boyfriend?” She grabbed his face, puckering his lips. “Isn’t he hot?”
“Okay, Mar.” He removed her hand and tried to stand her up. “I think it’s time to get you to bed. Those Jell-O shots Max had were made of pure alcohol.” He flashed me a wry smile. “I left her alone for twenty minutes and came back to this.”
I shrugged. “It happens. She has no limits.” I motioned toward a door on the left. “Go that way. You’ll find a staircase that ends closer to her room.”
Jesse looked relieved. “Thanks. I’ll try to keep her quiet. I don’t want one of those scathing looks from your grandmother. Or that disappointed one from your mom.”
I watched him lead Marisol away, my chest aching again. I dragged my fingers through my hair, my bre
athing painful. This was all my fault. I shouldn’t have let Etie use such dark voodoo. I should have thought of another way. I should have called Bastien or even Henri.
But no. I let Etie put himself in danger to keep me out of it.
I stormed upstairs to the attic. I needed to practice controlling my powers. Clearly, I hadn’t made as much progress as I’d thought. My barriers had been obliterated, and nothing but ash was left of the nivum talisman.
I placed a candle in the center of the pentagram. I concentrated on the black, unlit wick, imagining a flame coming to life. “Ignis.” If I could just light one candle—just one—then my barriers were holding steady.
My chest tingled, and within a few moments, a flame appeared. A smile began to cross my face—until the other lit candles around the room came into focus.
I cursed and blew them out. One candle, just one. That was all I wanted to light.
A deep breath streamed from my mouth. Let’s try this again. I focused on the white votive in front of me. “Ignis.” Smoke swirled again, and a flame appeared. My gaze lifted to check the others in the attic.
Only one candle remained lit. Unfortunately, they were all floating in midair.
Damn it!
My palms slapped the floor, tiny pops of electricity scattering over me. I couldn’t do one thing right. My powers were about as controllable as the ocean. The moon’s gravitational pull probably wasn’t even enough to help.
A creak echoed on the stairs. A rumpled Lucas appeared, deep lines creasing his brow. “What are you doing?”
“Practicing,” I hissed, blowing out the candle. The other ones dropped. “What does it look like?” I cringed at my tone. Was Etie’s darkness beginning to trickle into me, or was it simply my guilt?
Lucas folded down in front of me. “You want to tell me what happened?” His calm, soothing voice extinguished the rage swirling through my blood.
My eyes slowly lifted, his form turning watery. “I did something bad tonight.”
He reached for my hand, and I let him. “Tell me.”
A tear streaked down my cheek followed by another. “I hurt Etie, and I’m not sure he’ll forgive me.”
