Hidden Conduit- The Complete Series

by J. N. Colon

  My blood chilled as I thought of my little visit to Madame Monnier’s. If she had known what I was, she didn’t say anything. Would Etie’s friends Dumarsais and Marcus know if I saw them again?

  “Will I ever be able to leave Carrefour?” The thought of remaining here for the rest of my life made me feel like a caged animal.

  Lucas offered a weak smile. “Of course you will. I’m going to teach you how to construct barriers so you won’t be a walking sponge.”

  “How?”

  “You need to take that off.” He touched the leather strap holding the nivum talisman around my neck. “It’s helping dull your receptors, but we need them at full force to practice this.”

  My pulse jumped as images of last night crashed through my mind. “I’m not sure that’s such a good idea.”

  Lucas’s fingers wrapped around mine. “It’ll be okay. I promise. As soon as we’re done practicing, you can put it back on.”

  I chewed on my lip and then hesitantly removed the necklace, handing it to him. Lucas used magic to make it soar across the attic, landing next to the book about telekinesis.

  “Now what?” I felt exposed without my new security blanket.

  A hint of violet colored his brown eyes. “I want you to imagine thick walls around yourself.”

  My brow arched. “Seriously?”

  “It’s not hard,” Lucas assured. “Just concentrate.”

  I groaned. “I hate when people say that. What does that even mean? Am I supposed to just stare at you with a constipated look?”

  Lucas chuckled and unleashed those symmetrical dimples. “Sure, you can start there.”

  I shook my head. We were going to be here all day.

  Chapter 11

  A knock echoed on my door, and my mother poked her head in. “Can I come in?”

  “Sure.” I texted Lana one last time before dropping my new phone on the bed beside me. After I disappeared on her and Riley in the Department Store and never answered their calls or texts, they were ready to send a search party for me. I told them part of the truth. I ran into Trisha Belmont and stormed out.

  My mom hesitantly sat on the edge of my bed. She’d traded in her usual scrubs for a t-shirt and comfortable yoga pants. Her hazel eyes scrutinized me, searching my face for something. A forced smile crossed her stilted expression. “How was your lesson with Lucas?”

  “Fine.” We’d stayed in the attic for hours while I practiced forming a barrier. Once I was finally able to do it, Lucas began pouring his magic around me. The walls were pretty thin so they crumbled fast at first. By the end, I was able to keep them up for a good five minutes before they fell and my conduit receptors latched onto the magic.

  It was a start.

  “He’s nice, right?” She nervously fumbled with a throw pillow I’d tossed to the end of the bed.

  I gave a noncommittal shrug. “Sure.”

  Her gaze fell to the comforter, and a heavy silence stretched. There had never been so much tension and awkwardness between us. Up until a few weeks ago, my mom and I were close. Now it felt like we were two strangers.

  “Angel, I’m so sorry for everything,” she finally said, her voice trembling. “I never meant for any of this to happen. All I wanted was to keep my baby girl safe.” She quickly blinked as moisture filled her eyes.

  My chest tightened. “I know.” What would I have done in her position? Parents didn’t always make the right choices. I couldn’t fault her for being human.

  She grabbed my hand, squeezing it. “I’m sorry for not listening to you sooner.” She swallowed hard. “I should have paid attention. You were telling me, begging me, for help, but I just wanted things to go back to the way they were.”

  “They can’t.” My powers would never be shoved back down, no matter how hard they tried.

  My mom nodded, tucking auburn strands behind her ear with her free hand. “I’m just so afraid for you.” She brushed an escaped tear from her cheek. “If the wrong person finds out you’re a conduit—a very powerful one—they’ll try to use you. No ifs, ands, or buts about it.”

  I sighed. I couldn’t promise her that would never happen. I couldn’t tell her I’d never be in danger because chances were, it could happen. “I can learn how to use my powers to protect myself,” I said. “Lucas is going to teach me.”

  “Your grandmother spoke very highly of him and his family.” She released my hand, leaving hers on the bed between us. “I think he’s exactly what you need.”

  “And I have something no other conduit ever had.” I tried not to smile as I thought of Etie. “I have a pouvior bokor protecting me.”

  She grimaced at the mention of Etie. “I’m not so sure you and he are the best for each other. You both have such volatile powers.”

  I rolled my eyes. Etie could save a baby from a burning car, and she’d still find something bad to point out about his heroics. “He knows how to handle those powers. And he’d do anything to protect me. You have to know I’m safe from practically anything when I’m with him.”

  Her lips pursed. “Maybe.”

  I swallowed past the lump in my throat as her haunting words replayed in my mind. “What did you mean when you said Dad sacrificed everything for me?” Even saying it had a massive knot fisting in my gut.

  Her cheeks paled. “Nothing, Angel.”

  “His death was an accident, right? A car accident?” My voice was barely more than a weak whisper.

  “Finally!” Marisol stormed into my room and jumped on the bed, interrupting the conversation. “You two are talking again. I thought I was going to have to lock you in a closet.”

  My mother grimaced. “I hope not your closet. That pile of stilettos is a death trap. We wouldn’t leave without major injuries.”

  She stuck her tongue out. “Whatever. Now I don’t have to.” She flung her dark hair over her shoulder. “How was your lesson with the hot teacher?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Fine.”

  “When can I get a session with Professor Hotness?” Her eyebrows waggled. “Is the bind on my powers going to come off, too?”

  My mom shook her head. “Not if I can help it.”

  Marisol sat up, her mouth curved down in a pout. “Come on. Angel gets to twitch her nose and wiggle her finger. Why can’t I?”

  “That’s not how this works.” I held my hands up in surrender. “If I could give you my powers, I would. They’re more trouble than anything.”

  “Now that would be a nightmare.” My mother tossed the throw pillow at Marisol.

  My sister’s grin turned menacing. “Just as well. I’d end up accidentally on purpose changing all my enemies into toads.”

  I could think of one enemy we both had in common I’d very much like to see as a little green amphibian. “Maybe Lucas can turn Trisha Belmont into a toad for us.”

  Pure joy filled Marisol’s dark eyes. “That would be freaking awesome.”

  My mom crossed her arms against her chest. “No more talk of transforming people into animals, girls. It’s not nice.” She winked, probably thinking of a Carrefour citizen or two she’d like to put a spell on.

  Eyes were heavy on me, following my every move down the road to the Leroux house. I glanced over my shoulder, nothing but the twilight sky behind me. The sun had melted away, and the old neighborhood was darkening with every passing second.

  Was I paranoid or was someone—or something—out there? A chill slithered down my back. It could be Baron Samedi or one of his spirits. Maybe it was Henri.

  I still didn’t know Henri’s endgame. He didn’t exactly seem like an evil, power-hungry bokor. Was he only pretending to be this reformed version of his former self?

  A lump rose in my throat every time I thought of what Etie—and Bastien—had gone through because of their father’s thirst for power. At least Gabrielle wasn’t part of the voodoo equation. She would have been his victim, too.

  The snap of a twig echoed behind me, and I spun around, searching the empty road. My
breath quickened. Why didn’t I drive? Oh yeah. I fried my car’s engine in Monroe.

  I took a deep breath and twisted around, nearly jumping out of my skin.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you, Angel.” Jesse towered in front of me, his light green eyes wide.

  My hand rested on my chest as I tried to calm my racing heart. “Where the heck did you come from?” No one had been ahead of me, and I hadn’t been turned around that long.

  A smile quirked up the edges of his lips, and he hitched his thumb over his shoulder. “I was walking from that way. Didn’t you see me?”

  I shook my head. Maybe I’d been too distracted. It has, on occasion, happened. “Why are you walking? Don’t you have a car?” Asked the girl who walked everywhere in town even before her car’s engine was burnt to a crisp. But it was like a hundred degrees, and Jesse was dressed in dark jeans and a light-blue button-down shirt. The sleeves were rolled up his forearms, revealing smooth, tan flesh.

  “I just felt like walking.” He jerked his chin back toward our houses. “I’m going out with your sister tonight, and she takes forever to get ready.” He ran his hand over his perfect, glossy locks. “As you can see, I’m good to go. I got bored waiting for her.”

  I grimaced. “The trick with Marisol is to tell her to be ready two hours before you really intend on picking her up.”

  “Really?” He rubbed his jaw, biting back a smile. “I might need to make it three hours these days.”

  I laughed. “She’s a mess.” Literally. I walked into her room today, and it looked like a tornado had sped through.

  Jesse ticked his head down the road. “Mind if I walk with you for a little bit?”

  “Not at all.” Marisol wasn’t going to be ready anytime soon. When I left the house, she still had curlers in her hair, and she was chowing down on some arroz con pollo. “So you and Marisol met at school?”

  He nodded. “I transferred from a school in Georgia.”

  “How come?”

  “Change of scenery. Athens was feeling stale. Besides, I’ve always wanted to check out all the spooky voodoo places in New Orleans.” He nudged my arm with a grin.

  A dry laugh escaped my lips. If he only knew how real voodoo was, he wouldn’t be joking about it. Would he still date my sister if he knew she came from a long line of Spanish witches? Probably.

  “I’ve never seen you in Carrefour before.” His refined, polished looks made him stick out. Carrefour wasn’t filled with a bunch of hicks, but most guys his age cared more about their trucks or boats than a designer pair of jeans. “I didn’t even know Ms. Delphine had any children.”

  Jesse shoved his hands in his pockets and shrugged. “Delphine’s not really my aunt. She’s more like a third cousin once removed.” His green eyes stared off into the darkening landscape.

  My brows puckered. Still family, so not too much of a difference. It was just easier saying she was his aunt.

  “I met her at this family thing a year ago. She’d mistaken me for her cousin Billy. They were best friends growing up.” He kicked a pebble down the street, a hollow sound echoing as it bounced along the ground. “He died when they were in their twenties.”

  “That sucks.” I’d be heartbroken if anything happened to Lana or Riley.

  Jesse nodded. “She seemed so happy to hang out with me and invited me to spend a summer at her house.”

  “How crazy is it you ended up dating her neighbor before even visiting.” I twisted the hair off my neck and fanned myself. “There’s not a lot of people in Carrefour, and you happened to meet the only one at Tulane.”

  He flashed a crooked smile and winked. “It was fate.”

  Fate had done a number on me lately. I wasn’t sure I trusted it.

  Jesse pointed to my chest. “That’s a cool necklace. Where’d you get it?” He reached over, his fingertip barely brushing the pendant. A pop of electricity snapped out, and he yanked his hand back with a hiss. “What was that?”

  Color flooded my cheeks. “Sorry.” This was the second time I’d shocked the hell out of this guy. “I’m kind of a magnet for static electricity.”

  “I’ll say.” He blew on his fingers. “Marisol told me to watch out for that, but I thought she was just pulling my leg.”

  “Nope.” God, I sucked. Marisol drew them in while I scared them away.

  Jesse shoved his hands back in his pockets to keep them safe. “I should head back and nudge your sister along.” His smile had become forced. “I’ll see you later, Angel.”

  “Bye.” I turned around, cringing. Maybe after working with Lucas more, that wouldn’t happen.

  The Leroux house came into view, the ancient southern mansion looking a little less tired thanks to the Benoit brothers. My flip flops crunched on the gravel driveway as I passed their black truck. Etie was definitely still there—a tingle coursed through my body—but Bastien may have gotten a ride home with Antoine.

  I licked my lips. It would be nice to watch my Cajun doing something hot and sweaty. And even better if I participated.

  I shook the smut from my head. Geez. When did my thoughts become so slutty?

  When I met Etie Benoit, that’s when.

  That boy needed to have a warning in bright red letters stamped on his ass. Maybe he did. Maybe I should find out.

  Oh shut up!

  The moment I crossed the threshold of the renovated house, my blood heated and not for the reasons I just contemplated. A saccharine sweet voice seeped from the depths of the old mansion.

  Trisha Belmont.

  My fingers curled by my sides as I marched through the house. I’d really like to shock her right about now. Was that harlot ever going to get it through her skull Etie was mine? All mine!

  I understood how he felt when he saw me with Jake. This possessive urge flowed through my veins, compelling me to claim him.

  But claim him how?

  Etie wasn’t pleased when he left this morning. He wasn’t happy about Lucas, a young male witch, being my teacher. What if he decided to pay me back? Or what if he decided I wasn’t worth the trouble?

  Trisha was pretty—in a trashy way. But guys liked her, and Etie had been with her before. I glanced down at my short, thin frame. She definitely had more of a womanly body.

  Ugh. Why did I always doubt myself? Etie wanted to be with me. Of course part of it was the gwo-bon lyen. He might have broken up with me by now if not for it.

  I turned the corner, my mood sour as a fresh lemon. Etie was fastening a screw into one of the ornate French doors in the ballroom. A mess of dark brown waves fell into his flushed face. The tool belt around his narrow waist pulled at his jeans, and I could imagine that defined V disappearing below the material. His t-shirt stuck to him, outlining all those delicious muscles. He looked damn fine.

  Trisha was watching him, a feral look in her blue eyes. She licked her lips, probably thinking about licking the salty sweat off of Etie’s abs.

  Over my dead body.

  “You’re so good at this, Etie,” she said, running her hand down his bicep. “I could watch you all day.”

  Etie ignored her, his head whipping around. Those mismatched eyes landed on me, searing all the way to my soul. “Angeline.” A beat passed, and I thought he was still angry until that warm, crooked grin crossed his lips. He pulled the cherry lollipop from his mouth. “I didn’t know you were coming.”

  Trisha’s hungry looked turned downright evil as she glared in my direction.

  I slowly made my way to him, my heart fluttering as if I hadn’t seen him in days. “I just thought I’d stop by.”

  “What a nice surprise.” Acid dripped from the blonde’s words.

  “It is.” Etie’s smile made my knees weak.

  “You’re not mad about Lucas…?” I was certain he was going to be in one of those brooding moods.

  “He’s not really much competition, yeah?” He winked his green eye, those sooty lashes framing the vivid mossy orb.

  “Who�
�s Lucas?” Trisha’s brows knit, ready to pounce on this tidbit of information.

  I ignored her and stepped closer to the voodoo caster, breathing in his wild scent. “Yeah, who’s Lucas?” Etie’s presence could wash everyone else from my mind.

  Before I could take another breath, his lips were pressed against mine. My insides shivered as I melted into him. He tasted like sugar and sin. The combination was more addicting than any drug on Earth.

  Trisha loudly cleared her throat. “Did you want to go, Etie?”

  He pulled back, blinking in her direction. “What?”

  She gave him a sweet smile. “To Chickarees with me? They’re having a gator fry tonight. Your favorite.” She bit her bottom lip, smearing scarlet lipstick on her teeth.

  “Oh, uh, no.” His fingers ran down my spine. “I’m going with Angeline.”

  Her face turned every shade of red known to man and maybe a few only aliens had seen. She took a deep breath. “Okay then.” Her smile looked painful now. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” She spun around and marched out of the room. The front door slammed behind her.

  A groan left my mouth. “Will she ever stop trying to steal you?”

  Etie’s brow arched, and he stuck the candy back in his mouth. “Maybe if I put an announcement on the front page of the Carrefour newspaper that you’re my girlfriend.” He shot me a grin.

  “Right,” I scoffed. Was I his girlfriend? Did I want that?

  According to town talk, neither of the Benoits had ever had a girlfriend. They had flings and women who lusted after them.

  Etie picked up the screwdriver to resume his task. “How did it go with Lucas?” His jaw ticked at the brujo’s name.

  “Okay, I guess.” I explained how Lucas was teaching me how to construct barriers around my conduit powers. Blood highlighted my cheeks when I described how many times they crumbled to dust at first.

  “I don’t think you should work with me anymore.” Etie’s words were like a choking wall of ice water crashing over my head.