Allure (The Hoodoo Apprentice #2) (Entangled Teen) (29 page)

“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

A
s 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 Language
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.