Hidden Conduit- The Complete Series

by J. N. Colon

  “We belong to each other. Don’t you get that?” Etie lifted his hand. “Desann.”

  Lucas crashed back onto his butt, sliding across the floor.

  “Stop it, right now.” I marched after Etie, sensing tendrils of darkness slithering over his light.

  “I’ll stop when he quits trying to steal you from me,” Etie growled.

  Lucas shot a ball of energy at the voodoo caster from the ground, narrowly missing his head.

  My eyes widened. “Hey!” I hadn’t expected Mr. Calm and Collected to use that kind of dangerous magic.

  A sneer pulled at Etie’s mouth. “You want to play like that, brujo? You do know who you’re up against, right?”

  Lucas climbed to his feet, not one ounce of fear in his purple-tinted eyes. “How could I forget? The powerful pouvior bokor. Bring it on.”

  “No!” The objection fell on deaf ears. Lucas was provoking a snake, and he was going to get annihilated. Where had my Zen master gone?

  Lucas tossed another energy ball at the voodoo caster, missing. I ran between them before Etie could retaliate. He used voodoo to slide me out of the way and sent a wall of power toward Lucas. My heart shuddered to a stop as the destruction began to unfold. Magic swirled through the air, hard and dark.

  They were going to kill each other.

  My shields suddenly dropped, and a tiny purple tendril snapped out, latching onto Lucas. I sucked magic from him, and an energy ball formed in my palm. I didn’t even have time to wonder at what I’d done before tossing the crackling light at the wall headed toward him.

  An explosion of sparks ignited, shaking the entire club. The other patrons watched the firework show with slack jaws.

  Etie halted, his luminescent eyes shifting toward me.

  “I said stop!” The command was filled with power, and for several moments, not one single person moved.

  “Show’s over. Everybody out.” A smooth voice echoed above. The woman still stood on the balcony. The shimmer of excitement running through her eyes made the hairs on the back of my neck rise. “The night’s over. Get out of my club. We’re closed.”

  I winced from the power lacing her words. People scrambled for the door to escape her glowering stare. She wasn’t a bokor, but she was more powerful than your average voodoo caster.

  Etie marched toward me and grabbed my hand. “Go. Now,” he hissed.

  “Not you three.”

  I glanced over my shoulder. There was no mistaking who she was talking to.

  Great.

  Etie’s jaw clenched, and a string of angry French poured from his mouth. It only took a minute for the other club goers to clear out. The doors swung shut, locking us in.

  I shifted uneasily. I didn’t like this. Not one bit.

  Etie’s fingers wove through mine, and he pulled me closer. “Don’t let go of me, cher.”

  Yeah, not a chance.

  “What do you want, Mama CeCe?” Etie’s eyes pierced her. “I’ll humor you for a minute, but let’s make it fast. I don’t got time for this.”

  A dark smile crossed Mama CeCe’s lips as she slowly stalked down the red velvet stairs. “You been keeping quite the secret, Étienne.” Her onyx eyes lingered over me as if I were a piece of juicy steak. She even licked her lips. “What a powerful little bruja.”

  Lucas moved closer, pushing me into Etie. I was the meat inside a hottie sandwich. “Back off, priestess.”

  Her head tilted. “Smart brujo. You know your magic.”

  And what exactly was a voodoo priestess? She couldn’t be more powerful than Etie.

  “A pouvior bokor and a conduit joined.” Mama CeCe was practically salivating. “The power between you two is unheard of.” Her hand reached out, long fingers undulating in the air in front of us. “I can feel it.” Her lids drifted closed, and she breathed deeply. “Light and dark, electric and hot.”

  “Back off.” Etie’s growl vibrated through my body, and tiny pops of electricity traveled between us. “You won’t touch my alimèt, Mama CeCe. And if you try, so help me, I will bury you inside this club as I bring it down.”

  Her ominous laughter sent chills down my spine. “Oh, Étienne. You are something to be feared, that is for sure. But when faced with such a sweet combination...” She motioned one long finger toward us. “Well, the threat of death ain’t such a terrible thing.”

  I choked back the waves of dread. This woman wasn’t to be messed with. Something about her reminded me of Baron Samedi, and it turned my stomach queasy. I didn’t want to tangle with her, and neither did Etie. I could feel his hesitation, but if necessary, he would take her on even if it meant losing himself in the darkness again.

  I really didn’t want that. He was still so out of balance.

  “He’s not the only one you’ll have to contend with.” Lucas’s fingers wiggled, a ball of swirling purple light taking form.

  She laughed. “I’ll have you skinned before you can hit me with that thing, brujo.”

  “Enough!” Etie snarled, his voice echoing hollowly through the empty club. “You want to challenge me, Mama CeCe? Prepare yourself.” The snake on Etie’s back began to move, a rattling filling the room.

  Her eyes darkened. “Bringing your koulèvkay out to play? I’ll make sure to cut his head off and skin him. His corpse will make a nice bokol.”

  Power pulsed from Etie. I wasn’t sure who her words angered more, Etie or the snake.

  A keening erupted, and the doors blew open. An imposing figure stalked in, dark eyes narrowing on Mama CeCe. “I think someone’s gotten too big for their britches.” Dark power undulated around Etie’s father.

  The priestess’s head tilted back, rolls of laughter encircling us. “This is rich.” She jerked her pointed chin toward Henri. “You come to save your boy from big bad me?” She shook her head, swaying her long midnight braids. “How sweet.”

  A sneer curled Henri’s lips. “It’s going to be sweet when I cut the stiria talisman from your body and you turn to dust, you old hag.”

  My brow arched. How old was she? Did her power come from her age?

  His threat halted Mama CeCe in her tracks. “I see you’re still as evil as they come, Henri.” Her gaze flicked toward Etie. “Don’t trust your papa. He was born dark, and he’ll always be that way. Ain’t nothing going to change that.”

  Etie ignored her warning. “Let’s get out of here.” His eyes narrowed on the female voodoo caster. “If you say one word about my alimèt to anyone, I’ll cut your tongue out. And I don’t even need to be in the same room to do it.”

  Well, that was a pleasant goodbye.

  Etie turned and ushered me outside, Lucas and Henri following close behind. Tension swirled through the darkened street as he pulled me along, his hand pulsating and hot in mine. If he held on any tighter, our bones would fuse together.

  “What is the matter with you?” Henri’s angry voice stopped us.

  Etie’s hard glare rested on Lucas. “I was trying to figure out the same thing.”

  “I ain’t talking about him, boy,” Henri spat. “I’m referring to you.”

  Etie dropped my hand and whirled around, facing his father. “Me? I’m not the one that brought Angeline to Le Revenant.”

  “No, but you’re the reason she’s here.” He crossed his arms over his chest, glowering at his son. “You’re her alimèt, and you’ve been pushing her away. There’s only so much she can take before she comes looking for you.”

  “I needed some time to think!” Power rippled through Etie’s voice.

  “Liar.” Henri stepped closer, undeterred by his son’s anger. “You were hiding because you didn’t want to face what you almost did.”

  My stomach clenched remembering the moment Etie began to call an entire army of vivankòs from the grave.

  Etie’s jaw clenched. “You don’t know anything. You have no right—”

  “I have every right to make sure you don’t screw it up.” Henri’s nostrils flared. “I was a part of bindi
ng your souls, and I’ll be damned if you ruin it.” He jerked his chin toward me. “You keep pushing her away and all you’ll do is make the darkness grow. And this time, you can’t blame me for it.”

  Etie’s gaze lowered to the dirty street.

  “And you.” Henri turned his attention to the brujo quietly standing next to me. “You know how stupid you were to bring Evangeline here? She’s just learning to control her powers. Any one of those beings could have sensed what she was.”

  Lucas gave a curt nod, his expression solemn. “I take full responsibility for it.”

  Henri rubbed his temples, shaking his head at the three of us. “Take Evangeline home, Étienne. And you, brujo, you’re with me. I’ll take you back to the De la Mora’s house.”

  Lucas’s soft eyes landed on me, reluctant to leave.

  “I’ll be fine,” I assured him.

  Etie scoffed. “I’m her alimèt, remember? She’s safe with me.”

  “Your recent behavior begs to differ,” Lucas snapped.

  “Stop it, both of you.” This did not need to turn into another witch, voodoo caster pissing contest. I turned to Etie. “Let’s go.”

  He mumbled a few choice words in French under his breath and marched off.

  Oh great. I was going to be stuck in a confined space with this Etie. If there wasn’t candy in that truck, I was going to have a long, bumpy ride home.

  Chapter 23

  Fat drops of rain pounded Etie’s truck as he drove through the dark road back to Carrefour. He hadn’t said a word since we left, his jaw clenched and eyes glaring out the windshield. I sat as far from him in the cab as possible, my arms crossed against my chest. I was glad to be back with him, but Étienne Benoit was as stubborn as they came.

  His fingers flexed on the stirring wheel, and his mouth finally came unhinged. “I don’t know what’s worse, you coming to Le Revenant or you coming with him.”

  “Lucas and I are just friends,” I said for the umpteenth time.

  A bitter laugh escaped his lips. “You can’t be that naïve, Angeline. I know you’re not like Marisol, but you have to know when a guy wants to get you in bed.” He cracked his neck, and a wave of angry energy pulsed from him. “He already crawled into your bed when you were asleep. Had I not showed up, what would he have done while you laid there unconscious?”

  My cheeks flamed. Part of me wanted to hide under the seat, the other part wanted to smack him for what he was insinuating. “Lucas would never take advantage of me,” I ground out. “He’s a nice guy.”

  “He’s not as nice as you think,” he snapped, his hands tightening on the steering wheel, turning his knuckles white. “I see the way he looks at you. He’d jump at the chance to steal you from me.”

  “That’s not true.” A fist knotted in my chest. Was I wrong about Lucas? Was this more than Etie simply being jealous?

  Etie suddenly swerved onto the shoulder, yanking me out of my battling thoughts. He slammed on the breaks and cursed, slapping the dashboard.

  “What the hell!” My heart was lodged in my throat. “Why did you do that?”

  “Don’t tell me you’re not attracted to him,” he growled. “I’ve seen you two laughing together like you have some big, secret joke between you.”

  My jaw dropped. How could Etie think I wanted anyone other than him? Most people, including Lucas, barely registered on my radar when he was around. I was lost in him, constantly mesmerized by those mismatched orbs. My soul wept when he was gone and sang when he was near. Even now when we were fighting, some part of me couldn’t bear to be separated.

  And that made his accusation sting that much more.

  “You’re out of your mind, Étienne Benoit.” Unshed tears burned in my eyes, threatening to spill over any second. I ripped the seatbelt off and pushed the door open, rain already splashing my legs.

  “Fèmen.” The door slammed shut before I could escape. “You’re not going anywhere.” His deep voice ominously curled through the cab.

  I whipped around. “Let me out of here or I’ll make you regret it.” My powers began to seep out, pops of electricity hovering around me.

  “You’re threatening me with magic, yeah?” An unnatural glow illuminated his eyes, lighting up the cab. “Did that brujo teach you defensive spells?”

  Defensive spells? Were we at magic school now?

  I tossed my hands in the air. “You are impossible! How are we even bound? All we ever seem to do is fight and—”

  Etie moved before I could react, his mouth crashing on mine and stealing the words right off my tongue.

  Damn it. He’d flipped the personality switch back to the Cajun Casanova. This side of him was deadlier than all the others.

  Sparks crackled between us and tingles ricocheted down my spine. The unexpected contact sent my heart into a frantic gallop.

  “I’m sorry, cher.” His husky whisper made my insides melt. “I know I’ve been stupid.”

  I sighed against him. “So stupid.” My lips brushed over his again, desperate to taste that sweet flavor. I needed a fix.

  “My mind has been so mixed up. The darkness was too thick and…” His fingers skimmed over my neck, brushing my toujou. “I know you’d never betray me. It doesn’t matter if that witch wants you. He can’t have something that doesn’t belong to him.”

  For weeks, I’d fought Etie’s claim on me, denied it to others and to myself. It was a futile battle. I was his as much as he was mine. It had been that way even before our souls were fused together. The gwo-bon lyen was secondary to this aching need we shared.

  Our fates had been sealed a long time ago. Maybe it was the moment our eyes connected when I’d snuck into his swamp looking for help. Or maybe it went all the way back to when I struck a deal with the voodoo king.

  The when and how didn’t matter. Neither did the why. We were it for each other. No other person in the world understood me like he did and vice versa. No one even came close.

  Thunder rumbled outside, and lightning flashed. The storm was as tumultuous as the inside of this cab. One minute we were at each other’s throats and the next we were struggling not to tear off our clothes.

  “You forgive me, Angeline?” Desperation rang through his husky whisper.

  “Yeah.” My brain wasn’t capable of forming more than one word.

  Etie’s tongue slipped inside my mouth, giving me what I was craving. Mirrored moans spilled from us. My body had been aching and my nerves frayed. Too much time had passed since we touched.

  Never again.

  My fingers slipped into the silky hair at his nape, pressing us closer. “Don’t stop,” I murmured.

  My plea had snapped something inside Etie, a dam splintering and allowing his desire to burst through. “I wouldn’t dream of it.” The cool leather of the bench seat rose up beneath me as he laid me back. His eyes were glowing, one a scorching emerald flame, the other a blue ocean of fire. “I missed you too damn much.” He ran kisses along my neck, his warm breath dusting over me.

  My pulse quivered, and every vein filled with lava. “Étienne, please.” I didn’t know what I was begging for, but apparently he did.

  He lifted his shirt off, tossing it on the floor of the truck. Tan, ripped muscles pressed down on me as he lowered his body over mine. His skin was blazing hot. Our erratic, heavy breaths filled the cab, mixing with the rhythmic pelting of rain against glass and metal.

  The storm emulated the atmosphere in the car, growing wilder with each passing second. Were we influencing it?

  Etie’s hands roamed over my curves, slow and languid and then frantic and firm. He nibbled on my bottom lip and soothed it with a flick of his tongue. Tingles radiated deep in my body, coiling and twisting until I could hardly think.

  And the thoughts that did pierce the fog, they alone made me blush.

  “Let’s never fight again,” Etie murmured, his words vibrating on my neck. He gently sucked my flesh, pulling a gasp from me. “Or let’s fight just to make up.”


  As long as he didn’t stop what he was doing, I didn’t care.

  Etie pushed my shirt up and over my head, the steamy air rushing across the skin my bra didn’t cover. His burning gaze lingered over my bare stomach and my cleavage, making me feel as if I was completely naked.

  Why did he always have that effect on me?

  A deep growl rumbled in his chest as he lowered, spreading kisses across my collarbone. Each one left a scorching reminder behind. His mouth traveled further, caressing my curves and skimming my stomach.

  I arched into him, pleading for more. My mark tingled and pulsated, doing a happy dance we were together again.

  “Angeline, you make me so damn crazy.” His hot breath created a fire over my lower belly. “I can’t go one minute without thinking about you.” His hands squeezed my hips. “Without thinking of the way you feel, the way you sound.” He licked my feverish skin. “The way you taste.”

  I was melting into the damn seat. Literally. The air was so hot, steam clouded the windows. I was talking full-on Titanic style. But Rose and Jack had nothing on this bruja and voodoo caster.

  Etie covered my body with his, branding my mouth with a kiss once again. The Cajun Casanova had yanked sense and reason out of me, shattering it along with my inhibitions. We were in a truck on the side of the road getting seriously hot and heavy, and I didn’t give a damn.

  His rough hand gripped my thigh, wrapping my leg around his waist and lowering all of his delicious weight onto me.

  A long groan mingled between us, and his pleasure mixed with mine through the gwo-bon lyen. Fireworks sparked deep inside, ready to explode any moment. The atmosphere sizzled and crackled. The scent of smoke suddenly permeated the air.

  Etie’s head whipped toward the dashboard, and he cursed. His hand shot out. “Alsus.”

  I blinked, trying to comprehend what was happening, but all I could think about was the sexy creature above me.

  Etie’s chest rapidly rose and fell, matching the motion of mine. “Shit, cher. You almost fried the engine.”

  “Oh.” It took a moment for his words to sink in. “Sorry?”

  He glanced back at me, a sexy half smile curling his lips. “We should probably continue this later—preferably not around electronics.” He pulled me up, the reluctance visible in his eyes as they slowly trailed down my half-naked torso.