by J. N. Colon
I reluctantly explained the last few hours, my ribs crushing my heart with each word. Lucas patiently waited through all my blubbering, squeezing my hand in comfort.
“Angel, it’s okay. You couldn’t have seen this coming.” His fingers dove through his hair, mussing up the sandy-brown locks even more. “You couldn’t have known what would happen.”
I hastily wiped the moisture from my cheeks. “I shouldn’t have let Etie put himself in that position in the first place.”
Lucas leaned closer, his melted chocolate eyes filled with sympathy and something else. Was it anguish over my own pain? “I’ll help you gain control of your powers again. We can work all night if you want. I’ll be here for you.”
I nodded, unable to speak through the lump in my throat. “Just tell me what to do.”
Tendrils of my magic slowly sank back into my body. The walls rebuilt, brick by brick with a cement, and now an iron layer reinforced it. I wasn’t taking any chances.
I slumped and wiped the sheen of sweat from my forehead.
“Good job, Angel.” An invisible shield surrounded Lucas for his protection—from me. “You should be proud of yourself.”
I’d be proud when I could keep my conduit powers from affecting my soul mate. “Thanks.” My voice was raspy. The sun had already risen, lighting up the attic through the small windows. We’d been working for hours. Lucas had me release the receptors and tiny violet cords over and over again, only to yank them back in and reconstruct the barriers. I was desperate to fix myself, to prevent the real danger I was capable of.
My lids drifted closed and reopened even slower. It felt as if I’d been through a dozen car crashes. To make matters worse, Etie hadn’t called or answered any of my texts.
“Let’s do it again.” I fought the yawn trying to break through.
Lucas lowered his shield and shook his head. “No, Angel. You need to rest.”
My lips thinned. “What I need is to have full control over this crap.”
“You will.” His hand rested on mine. “But continuing without sleep isn’t going to do you any good. It might even do more damage. Your body needs to recuperate.”
“Fine.” I checked my phone again, my chest squeezing so tight it was difficult to breathe. Nothing from Etie. I climbed to my feet, and the room spun. I turned away from Lucas so he wouldn’t see the pain in my eyes. “I’m going to lay down.”
“Good.” He stood, then gently rubbed my shoulder. “We’ll practice more later.”
I pulled away from his touch and headed for the stairs. I had no intention of sleeping or taking a break from practicing.
Abuela was at the stove, cooking breakfast. “Ah, Evangeline, I was about to call—Why are you still in your clothes from yesterday? Have you been in that attic all night?”
I ignored her and shuffled out of the room, the scent of food churning my stomach. Lucas’s voice echoed as he explained the reason for our all-nighter. Perfect. My grandmother was going to launch into an I-told-you-so lecture the next time we crossed paths.
My lids drooped again. After showering, I needed to sneak down to the kitchen for caffeine. And something chalk full of sugar.
A pang resonated through my chest as I thought of Etie. What was he doing right now? Was he okay? Maybe I should call Bastien. I didn’t give a damn if I woke him.
I reached for my bedroom handle, stopping as a familiar cadence twisted from Marisol’s room. Ice bled through my veins. Whispered words of Vonduo floated down the hall.
I bolted for my sister’s room, my heart crashing against my ribs. Was someone putting a voodoo spell on her? I twisted the knob. It was locked.
I concentrated on the handle, picturing the locking mechanism inside. Tingles radiated through my palm, and seconds later, a pop sounded. I pushed the door open, frantically searching the room. Marisol was alone and sound asleep in her bed.
I hurried forward. Her mouth was opened, and she was lightly snoring. I shook her. “Marisol! Marisol, get up.”
She groaned and rolled onto her side. “What time is it?” One eyelid peeked open, peering at the clock on her bedside table. “Oh my god, Angel.” Her arm swung as she tried to hit me.
“Was someone in here?” I asked, my gaze still searching the messy piles of clothes and beauty products. There was no sign of anyone.
“No,” she mumbled. “It’s way too early. Leave me alone.”
I stepped away from her bed and rubbed my forehead. I could have sworn someone was in here speaking Vonduo. Maybe I was just tired. I had been up doing magic all night, not to mention the horror show I caused in the cemetery.
Could I have imagined it?
My eyes lingered over my sister again, no sign of foul play visible. She was fine. Me, on the other hand, that was a different story.
Chapter 20
My pacing was going to wear a trail into my bedroom rug. When I wasn’t practicing releasing my powers and rebuilding my barriers, I was marching back and forth. My nails looked like a rodent had chewed them. My body ached, and I didn’t know if it was from lack of sleep or Etie’s absence. It was the afternoon, and I still hadn’t heard from him.
Either way, I was desperate to know if he was okay.
I’d already called Bastien a dozen times. Etie never came home last night, and Bastien hadn’t heard from him.
Sickness overwhelmed me. Was he with Trisha?
I shook my head, shattering the nightmarish thought. Etie wouldn’t do that. No matter how mad or dark he was, he wouldn’t stoop that low.
A sliver of fear still pierced my heart. I needed to find him.
I stormed into the hall, heading for the guest room Lucas was using. There had to be a spell to locate Etie. The room was empty. I searched through his dresser first. He didn’t keep all his magical objects and books in the attic.
After rifling through his clothes for five minutes and coming up empty-handed, I slammed the bottom drawer shut. Maybe his suitcase held something. I whipped open the closet, an antique trunk positioned against the back wall. My brow quirked up. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were an owl and a wand inside.
The lid creaked as I lifted it, a plethora of books staring back at me. Bingo. I crashed to my knees, my hands trembling.
I flung book after book over my shoulder, not caring what kind of damage it did to the antique tomes. The only thing that mattered was finding Etie.
This wasn’t like me. Not at all. I was an addict, and I’d missed the last dose of my drug. My energy was drained and so was any ability to see reason.
I was beyond reason.
I tossed another book, and an oomph echoed behind me.
“Angel? What are you doing?” Lucas’s warm presence loomed against my back. I could practically feel the worried expression crossing his face.
I didn’t care.
“There has to be a spell to find Etie.” The raw, scratchy voice sounded nothing like me.
“Etie’s a pouvior bokor. His powers naturally block him from simple locator spells, just like you.” He grabbed the book from my hand before I could throw it. “Have you been to sleep yet?”
“Nope.” I spared a glance over my shoulder. Faint dark circles bruised beneath his eyes. “You?”
“Some.”
I scoffed at his thin lie. “Why didn’t you sleep? I’m the one with the soul mate who’s gone off the handle.”
“I was worried about you.” Lucas bent and pulled me up, making me drop the book I was gripping. “You need to stop.”
“I’m fine!” I wrenched out of his grasp, stumbling.
Lucas caught me, stopping me from crashing into the half-empty trunk. “You need to rest. This isn’t going to help Etie.”
I bit my lip as the sound of his name sent a punch to my gut. “But I have to find him.” If Lucas wouldn’t help me, then I’d go to Henri. Etie left me in the cemetery with his father, so he couldn’t be too pissed if I sought him out.
I stomped out of the closet, o
n a mission. Unfortunately, the world had other plans. The room tilted, and my hip connected with the corner of a table. Strong arms caught me as I staggered.
Oh crap.
Dizziness overwhelmed me, and I moaned into a warm chest. An invisible hammer pounded on my skull. “Make it stop.”
“You need to lie down.” Lucas’s soft voice was distant. “I’ll get you to your room.”
“No. I need to find Etie.” Hot tears slid down my cheeks.
“He’ll come back to you. I know he will.” Lucas gently picked me up, cradling me to his chest. “But you have to get some rest or you won’t be able to stand, much less keep your barriers up.”
I finally relented, my body going slack in his arms. I must have blacked out because moments later, a soft bed was beneath me. My lids cracked open to those velvety chocolate orbs. “Sorry I destroyed your room,” I mumbled.
A half smile curled his lips. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll make sure to do the same when you’re feeling better.”
“Deal.” Losing the battle, my lids fluttered closed again.
Lucas sighed above me as his fingers brushed the hair from my face. Darkness took me under, embracing me in a warm cocoon.
I rolled over, my hand reaching out for another person and finding nothing but cool sheets. My face pressed into the pillow, breathing in that familiar wild herbal scent still coating it. A lump rose in my throat.
Etie still hadn’t come back. I was going to wring his neck—after I finished clinging to him like a spider monkey.
I shuffled out of the bed, the room dark now that the sun had set. I clicked on a lamp and walked to the antique mirror in the corner. My hair was a mess and creases from the pillows marked my pale face. My clothes were wrinkled and mismatched. Basically, I looked like hell.
Maybe it was a good thing Etie hadn’t dropped by.
I grabbed the brush from my dresser and tried to work out the knots in my snarled hair. It was a painful process. There was probably a nifty magical way to do it, but I didn’t want to risk setting my hair on fire. I liked it most days.
Something tickled my foot. And that something was a spindly black spider crawling across the top of it. I screeched and kicked it off, the bug taking refuge under my bed. Shit. I was going to have to hunt the critter down. I’d never be able to sleep knowing it was skittering around somewhere. I could wake up to it trailing over my face.
A shiver trickled down my spine at the horrifying image.
Deep laughter boomed through my room. The familiar cadence had my muscles frozen to the spot. The sickly sweet scent of cigars flooded my nostrils.
Oh no.
“Eve-angel-ine, I missed the delicious smell of your fear.”
My eyes slowly lifted to the mirror. Baron Samedi had replaced my reflection, a twisted smile curling his lips.
The brush fell from my hand, hitting the ground with a hollow thud. Moonlight gleamed on the the white skull painted over his dark skin. The cemetery from the spirit world was behind him, thick fog ominously swirling around headstones. The long table he and his spirits dined at was piled with food again. An intimidating iron gate loomed in the distance.
I could never forget that place.
“Baron Samedi.” The name felt like slime falling from my mouth.
“In the flesh, girl.” He lifted his hand, running it along the edge of the mirror. “Well, close enough.”
“What do you want?” My voice was barely more than a weak whisper.
His dark chuckle puckered my already icy skin. “You know what I want.” He put a cigar to his mouth, the embers of the cherry burning like brimstone. “And don’t think for one minute that pouvior bokor done stopped me from getting it.” Smoke oozed between his teeth.
I took a cautious step back. Henri had said the baron wasn’t technically here when he communicated from a mirror in the spirit world, but he could be with the snap of his fingers. “Why do you want my soul so much?” There had to be a reason he’d gone through all this trouble to get his dirty hands on it.
He casually lifted one shoulder, something ominous churning in his eyes. “Never you mind that, Eve-angel-ine. Just know I’m going to get it any way I can.”
The smoke of his cigar stung my eyes. Was he close to stepping into this world? “You need to leave.” I let loose some of my power, the lights in the room flickering.
His mocking laughter hammered against my skull. “That’s cute, little girl. Is that brujo teaching you magic tricks?” He removed his crooked top hat, holding it toward me. “Want to pull a rabbit from my hat?”
So he knew about Lucas. Did he also know I’d amped up Etie’s powers last night and made him flee from me?
“Oh yes, I know your alimèt ain’t nowhere in the vicinity.” He placed the hat back on his head and took another long pull from his cigar. “He left you unprotected. He should have known better.”
Before his words could sink in, Baron Samedi’s hand snaked out, grabbing my arm.
A gasp clawed up my throat. “Get off me!”
Teeth flashed through his wide smile. “You didn’t really think you could run from me, did you?” He yanked me forward, and my body sailed into the mirror, crashing onto the cool grass of the cemetery.
My room was on the other side now. Panic crashed over me. “No!”
The ground shook from the voodoo king’s laughter. “Your soul has always been mine.”
Oh god. Would Etie know what happened? Would he come looking for me? Could he get me out?
“Etie! Étienne.” I scrambled toward the small doorway that was the mirror, my fists beating on the invisible barrier. “Etie! Please!”
My room faded until miles and miles of cemetery was left. My chest grew so heavy it was difficult to breathe. I was at the mercy of Baron Samedi once again. “Etie!” I called out toward the onyx sky, praying he heard me.
My lids snapped open. I was in my bed again, the covers stuck to my sweaty skin. Several deep breaths worked over my lungs as the frantic pounding of my pulse relented. It was only a nightmare.
I rolled over, facing the door. It took a moment to register the figure in my room. I blinked. “Etie?” My voice came out hoarse as if I’d been screaming. “You’re here.”
The expression he wore turned my blood to ice. “The gwo-bon lyen told me you were in danger.” His hands curled into tight fists by his sides. “I guess you didn’t need me after all.”
I struggled to sit up. A weight was pinning me down. “What are you talking about?”
The bed shifted, and something moved next to me. My head snapped around, and I came face to face with a rumpled Lucas.
Chapter 21
The room spun like a Tilt-A-Whirl. If the amusement park ride didn’t stop soon, I was going to hurl. What the hell was going on? Why was Lucas in my bed?
The blushing brujo withdrew his arm, and the weight on my torso disappeared. Oh great. That had been Lucas. If Etie had seen this…
Oh god. Etie!
By the time I turned around, the voodoo caster was already gone.
I bolted, stumbling off the bed. “Etie, wait! Let me explain.” Stars swam in my eyes. I slammed into a wall and waited as the dizziness passed. It felt like a lifetime before my vision cleared. A stony face came into focus.
“Good. You’re okay.” Etie’s sharp voice stung me.
I reached for him, but he stepped out of my grasp.
“Don’t.” His nostril’s flared, and he tore his gaze from mine. “I can’t right now.”
I swallowed hard. “Etie, please. You know I would never do that to you.” My breath hitched. “I don’t remember… I don’t know why he was there.”
“I do.” His jaw tightened. Dangerous power throbbed from him. “I need to leave.” He peered into my eyes for the briefest of moments. “I know you didn’t invite him into your bed, and that only makes me angrier.” Fine tremors shook his taut body. One tiny flick to his exterior and he’d shatter. “If I stay, I’ll rip him
to pieces.”
“Then let me come with you,” I pleaded. Who cared if I sounded like the epitome of a clingy, needy girlfriend?
He stepped out of my grasp again. “No.”
The realization hit me like a two-ton anvil. Etie didn’t want me to touch him because he thought my conduit powers would multiply his again. He was afraid I’d disrupt what little balance he’d manage to gain.
Unshed tears burned in my eyes. “Okay.” I couldn’t blame him. This was my fault.
“I’ll see you later.” He spun around, disappearing down the stairs.
It took every ounce of control not to go after him. The gwo-bon lyen was begging me to. Instead, I leaned against the wall, my chest squeezing my heart into a tiny ball of pain. I wanted to slide to the floor and sob.
Lucas appeared. “Is everything okay?”
“Are you kidding me?” I pushed off the wall. “What the hell were you doing in my bed!”
He glanced away, but not before a flash of pain registered on his face. “You were tossing and turning, crying even.” He shrugged. “I was afraid to leave you alone.”
“That still doesn’t explain how you ended up in my bed,” I snapped.
Lucas’s jaw clenched. “I was exhausted. I was up most of the night with you, remember?” He ran his hand down his tired face. “I just sat down for a minute and the next thing I know, your boyfriend is two seconds away from beheading me.”
I suck. So freaking bad.
“I’m sorry.” I rubbed my eyes, feeling the weight of a thousand pounds crushing me—a thousand pounds of guilt. Lucas had been nothing but kind to me. He’d been uprooted from his home and his coven to help me, and I was acting like a selfish jerk.
Maybe I was better off with the bind around my powers. Unfortunately, it was too late for that.
“Hey, don’t get upset.” Lucas took a cautious step forward. “You’ve been through a lot lately. It’s not your fault.”
A dry, humorless laugh escaped my mouth. “I’m in this mess because of my own damn powers. It’s exactly my fault.” I lifted my hand when he tried to protest. “I don’t want to talk about it.” A knot fisted in my stomach, and I was seconds away from retching. My soul mate was hurting once again, and I couldn’t do a damn thing to fix it.
