My Soul to Take Read Free

ceremony, and the piece of soul was given to the werewolf's mate in exchange for a piece of their mate's soul. This not only bonded the couple but ensured that if one of them were to die, the other wouldn't suffer for long. They would soon follow their mate into the Void. I held a piece of Trevor's soul but he didn't have a piece of mine. I wasn't a froekn and so was unable to give him a full Binding. It was an unusual situation and yet, he seemed perfectly content with it.
    “Soul-control not mind, but yes,” Yemanja answered him. “And there can be issues with that but normally, the priest or priestess is worthy of the trust.”
    “Normally?” I cocked my head.
    “There are, of course, those humans who are lured by greed or power and abuse the trust given to them,” Yemanja sighed. “These people are considered to be evil and are called bokors. They are the dark side of Vodou, the monsters that so many humans believe my people to be.”
    “Right,” I understood monsters. “So you've got your villains, just like everyone else does, but let's get back to this death you were talking about. What happened to make it unusual?”
    “Well, the soul I found was unsettled,” Yemanja swallowed hard. “She said that her pot de tet had been stolen from the oumphor and that a bokor had murdered her shortly afterward. She believed he was the one who'd taken her pot and she feared that she'd be called back from Ginen early, before the traditional year and a day, and forced into a govi pot to serve the bokor.”
    “A govi pot?” Trevor asked as he brought cups of coffee over to the table for us.
    “Thank you,” I whispered to him. He'd already put cream and sugar in mine and it was perfect. Just like him. Oh, give me a break, I was still in the honeymoon phase.
    “The pot de tet is made into a govi pot when a person dies,” Yemanja explained. “I'm sorry this is so complicated. I don't have to go into all of this if you'd rather just skip to the end.”
    “No,” I waved her concern away. “I think I need to understand everything if I'm going to help.”
    “Alright,” she took a sip of her water and then went on. “Normally, after a year and a day goes by, the family's priest conducts a ceremony for them; calling the dead from the low water. This brings a piece of the soul back into the govi pot while the rest of it transitions on to the realm of the dead.”
    “But why would you do that?” Trevor was completely baffled.
    “Because Vodou is not only about serving the lwas, it's about serving the ancestors,” Yemanja smiled gently. “We are generous gods and don't mind sharing our bounty. The govi pot allows the family to keep a connection with their loved one. They can provide energy for the soul through sacrifice, just as they give us offerings. In return, the soul may do things for its family, just as we look after our followers. It's a fair exchange, as all divine interactions were originally meant to be.”
    “It's intended to be a fair exchange,” I was trying to work through the complex information. “But you're saying that this pot could be used to give an evil bokor power over a soul?”
    “Yes,” Yemanja said gravely. “In the hands of a bokor, the govi pot could be used to summon a soul to Earth and force it into servitude.”
    “Okay, I think I get it,” I tapped my coffee cup as I worked it through. “But you said the pot de tet can be used to control the soul. Why go through the hassle of murdering someone and calling back their soul, when you can just steal their pot and control them that way?”
    “A soul can do a lot of things that a human bound to a physical body cannot,” Yemanja said grimly.
    “That sounds like trouble,” I grimaced.
    “I was concerned, to say the least,” Yemanja nodded. “I instantly followed the soul's connection to her pot de tet and discovered that she was right. The pot was within the hands of a bokor.”
    “Can't you take it back?” I asked.
    “He is