by Lea Nolan
I step back, bracing myself against the cold stone wall. Stay? In the Lowcountry? And face Sabina? My mind spins at this unexpected turn of events.
Jack’s brow creases. “But what about soccer? The school paper? My friends? I’ve got a life I’ve got to get back to.”
“There’s a school here that’s got plenty of clubs and teams you can join. I’m sure you’ll make new friends,” Dad says.
“But you’re always so busy with the plantation. And with Beau gone, you might not have a job. Unless Cooper wants to keep you here.” Jack shoots Cooper a glance.
Dad laughs. “Actually, Beau made me Cooper’s guardian, so I’m the one who makes the decisions. At least until Cooper turns eighteen. Then it’s all on him.”
Cooper crosses his arm. “I don’t want to go back to boarding school. I want to stay here. Learn about the plantation.”
Dad smiles. “Great idea.”
Jack’s brow is still furrowed. “Do you really want to handle us full time?”
Dad sits up in his chair. “Are you kidding? This is my chance to finally be the father I always wanted to be but never could. And if what you’ve told me is half-true, it sounds as if you all might need a little more parental supervision. Or at least help. So what do you say, Emma? You ready to stay here with your old dad? Maybe I can even help you with this archnemesis of yours.”
“Ugh, I guess I don’t have much of a choice do I?” Despite the air-conditioning, the room is suddenly stifling. I need to get out, now, and breathe some fresh air. “Excuse me, I’m not feeling so well.” I sprint from the room and race down the main hall.
My dad might have been forced to serve an evil boo hag and robbed of his free will, but he’s obviously clueless about the seriousness of the danger Sabina poses. Until this moment, I didn’t think much of her threat because I figured if I skipped town, all of this would blow over.
Now that Jack and I are staying, I’ll have to face her and whatever she’s got planned. Not to mention Taneea and Claude, who are probably lurking in the background, planning their next move on Cooper, Jack, and anyone else I care about. And Miss Delia, who’s frail and paralyzed and looking at spending the rest of her days behind bars. The deputies can’t take care of her in there, at least not the way she needs to be cared for. Plus, how can she possibly teach me the rest of what I need to know from a jail cell?
As I charge through the great room, Beau’s words from the Psychic Vision flood back, sending chills over my scalp. He said Cooper and I were destined to get married. What the heck is that supposed to mean? Sabina threw around the destiny word, too, as well as the word, prophecy. How could anyone possibly know what lies in store for any other person? Don’t our own choices account for anything? Sabina was so sure she knew Cooper’s destiny, yet we’ve broken both her curses and now he’s free to make the life he wants. I may not know what my own life has in store, but I want to be the one in charge.
I rush out the veranda doors onto the back patio. Staring out over St. Helena Sound, I breathe in the warm, salty air.
A screeching caw shatters the silence. My earlobes heat. After my fall from the magnolia, I’d recognize that sound anywhere.
An iridescent black crow bursts from the nearby forest and soars across the backyard, headed straight for me. Flinging my arms over my head, I scream as I crouch for cover. It squawks as its sharp claws graze my scalp and the back of my hand, then takes flight again.
My heart pounds as I peer up at the sky, sure it’s headed for another pass, but it flies off, disappearing into the trees.
Bright red blood oozes from my wound.
I’m no bird expert, but I’m pretty sure that was no accident. And, now that I think about it, neither was my tumble from that tree.
Danger, it seems, is everywhere and it’s directed squarely at me. And, by extension, the people I care most about.
Cooper bolts onto the patio. “Are you okay? I heard you scream.”
I wipe the blood from the back of my hand and force a smile. “Yeah. I’m good. It was nothing. Just a bird.”
“I couldn’t stand it if something happened to you.” He steps to my side and reaches for my good hand. “I know you said you needed some time, and it’s only been two days since we discovered the allurement, but do you think you have it in your heart to forgive me for all the horrible things I said when I was under that spell? Because you know I’d never say them otherwise.” He flashes an adorable half grin.
Until a few minutes ago, I assumed everything would go back to normal and we’d spend the last few days of our summer together in bliss. Because honestly, any lingering hurt I felt evaporated when he swam out of that marsh alive and whole.
But now that we’re all staying on the island, Sabina’s threats echo in my mind and I realize just how treacherous things might get. Especially for him, since he’s the source of my greatest joy, and Sabina has vowed to crush whatever happiness I have.
I have to do what I can to protect him. Even if it means breaking my own heart.
“So…are we okay?” His voice is filled with apprehension.
“You’ve been my best friend since I was six years old. We’ll always be okay.”
He tugs on my hand. “That’s not what I’m asking, Emma. I want to know where we stand. As us. You and me. Together.” He lifts my hand and places his mother’s silver locket in my open palm. “Because there’s no one in the world I’d rather give this to.” The ruby shards glint in the bright August sun.
My stomach drops and my mouth turns dry. “Uh, I can’t accept this.” My voice quivers as pass it back to him, then ball my fists and hold them at my sides. I can’t allow myself to touch him. His warm, smooth skin will only break my resolve.
“What? Why?” He looks like I’ve punched him in the gut.
“My feelings have…changed.” I force the words from my lying mouth. They taste like poison.
“Is it because of what happened with Taneea? Because I never cared about her. Not for one single second.”
I shake my head. “No, I told you before. I know the allurement wasn’t your fault.”
“Then why?” His royal-blue eyes search mine.
“Because they just have, okay? When I came here, I thought our relationship was just going to be a summer thing, but now that I’m staying for the year, it’s too much for me. I…just can’t do it. Why can’t you accept that and move on?”
“Because I can’t. You and I, we’re meant to be. And not because the boo hag said it in that vision. Because I know it here, in my heart.” He points at his chest.
I jut my jaw and take a deep breath. “Well, I don’t love you.” My voice trembles over the worst falsehood I’ve ever uttered.
He drops my hand, and his gaze bores into me. “I don’t believe you.”
“Well, I wish you would. Because it would make things a lot easier.” I set my hands on my hips for extra emphasis. My knees wobble and threaten to give out under me.
Cooper squares his shoulders. “No matter what you say, I know you love me, Emmaline. Or at least that you did. And now that I’ve got all the time in the world, I’m going to make you fall in love with me again. Because I’m not going anywhere. And we belong together.
Acknowledgments
As ever, I extend my thanks and gratitude to the Gullah people of the South Carolina and Georgia Sea Islands. I hope this latest installment conveys my enduring respect for your culture and folkways.
Though I’ve taken some liberties to heighten the dramatic elements and ooey, gooey ick factor of the story, I couldn’t write this series without the mini library of Gullah and hoodoo magic books I lug around with me wherever I write and covet with Gollum-like ferocity. These include: Hoodoo Herb and Root Magic: A Materia Magica of African-American Conjure by Catherine Yronwode, Hoodoo Medicine: Gullah Herbal Remedies by Faith Mitchell, Lowcountry Voodoo: Beginner’s Guide to Tales, Spells and Boo Hags by Terrance Zepke, Gullah Fuh Oonuh (Gullah for You): A Guide to the Gullah L
anguage by Virginia Mixson Geraty, Hoodoo Mysteries: Folk Magic, Mysticism & Rituals by Rev. Ray T. Marbrough, Blue Roots: African-American Folk Magic of the Gullah People by Roger Pinckney, and Encyclopedia of 5,000 Spells by Judika Illes. The Lucky Magic Curio Co. located at www.luckymojo.com has also provided a wealth of information.
Deep and heartfelt thanks go to Christi Barth and Stephanie Dray who sacrificed a winter afternoon to offer unparalleled plot whispering expertise, and to Laura Kaye who, as usual, provided counsel, commiseration, laughter, and was always there to answer the burning question, “Er, does this make sense?” Supreme appreciation goes out to Melissa Landers and Stephanie Dray who read the exceptionally long first draft and offered superior critiques that helped refine the story. Your insights were invaluable. I owe you big time. And to my bestest teen beta reader, Rachel Lefkowtiz, thank you once again for an astute and perceptive review.
Writers are lucky to have one great editor; for this project, I had the pleasure of working with three. Guillian Helm, Robin Haseltine, and Elizabeth Pelletier all had a hand in shaping this book. Thank you for your expert advice and consultation and for accompanying me on this leg of the series’ journey.
A special shout out goes to The Apprentices, my street team of enthusiastic readers who loved Conjure and joined on to help promote the Hoodoo Apprentice series. You’ve inspired me more than you know. Whenever my creaky arthritic hands started to betray me or I hit a writing slump, I’d think of you and plod on, knowing I couldn’t let you down.
Exceptional thanks to my most excellent travel companions, Alina Dougherty, Hannah Dougherty, and Gillian Nolan who accompanied my scouting trip to the South Carolina Lowcountry, including Beaufort, and St. Helena Island. Together we partied at the Gullah Festival, toured the Penn Center and its York W. Bailey Museum, discovered ancient ruins, breathtaking marshes, a gorgeous beach, an abandoned cemetery, and even “Cooper’s house”. Not to mention surviving the Worst. Hotel. Mix-up. Ever. Love to you all, along with a slice of the best key lime pie money can buy after all the restaurants have closed for the night.
Finally, mad props and crazy love to my husband, Patrick who makes so much of this possible. Late nights and writing weekends wouldn’t happen without your abiding support and encouragement and late night pep talks. Thank you for helping me live my dream. And to my little pies, Gillian, Riley, and Lila, thanks for putting up with Mommy’s “typing”. Words strain to convey the depth of my adoration, but here are a few that may come close: Your hearts and mine, forever entwined. Love everlasting till the end of time.
Be sure to check out Lea Nolan’s
CONJURE
the first book in the Hoodoo Apprentice series!
Be careful what you search for…
Emma Guthrie expects this summer to be like any other in the South Carolina Lowcountry—hot and steamy with plenty of beach time alongside her best friend and secret crush, Cooper Beaumont, and Emma’s ever-present twin brother, Jack. But then a mysterious eighteenth-century message in a bottle surfaces, revealing a hidden pirate bounty. Lured by the adventure, the trio discovers the treasure and unwittingly unleashes an ancient Gullah curse that attacks Jack with the wicked flesh-eating Creep and promises to steal Cooper’s soul on his approaching sixteenth birthday.
But when a strange girl bent on revenge appears, demon dogs become a threat, and Jack turns into a walking skeleton, Emma has no choice but to learn hoodoo magic to undo the hex, all before the last days of summer—and her friends—are lost forever.
Available wherever books are sold.
About the Author
Lean Nolan couldn’t read until the third grade. After a lot of hard work, she finally got the hang of it, and devoured any book she could find with a shiny Newbery Award sticker on the cover. Today, she writes the stories she sought as a teen–smart paranormals with bright heroines, crazy-hot heroes, and diabolical plot twists, plus a dose of magic, a draft of romance, and a sprinkle of history. She holds degrees in history and women’s studies, concentrating in public policy, and lives with her heroically supportive husband, and three brilliant children in Maryland.
And if you loved Allure, try Andria Buchanan’s
EVERLAST
the first book in the Chronicles of Nerissette series
Allie Munroe has only ever wanted to belong, maybe even be well liked. But even though she’s nice and smart and has a couple of friends, she’s still pretty much the invisible girl at school. So when the chance to work with her friends and some of the popular kids on an English project comes up, Allie jumps at the chance to be noticed.
And her plan would have worked out just fine…if they hadn’t been sucked into a magical realm through a dusty old book of fairy tales in the middle of the library.
Now, Allie and her classmates are stuck in Nerissette, a world where karma rules and your social status is determined by what you deserve. Which makes a misfit like Allie the Crown Princess, and her archrival the scullery maid. And the only way out is for Allie to rally and lead the people of Nerissette against the evil forces that threaten their very existence.
Available wherever books are sold.
