Black 21: (Golden Hills Legacy of Black 21 Book 1) (11 page)

She looked at
the massive building. How sad to think of girls of all ages in there, learning
the ways to sacrifice their lives, both literally and figuratively. “No, I’ll
go in myself. They might wonder about...things, and I don’t want that. I
shouldn’t be too long.”

“I’ll just park
over there and close my eyes. Good luck, Daisy.”

“Thanks."
She got out of the car and walked toward the entrance. Chanting sounds emanated
through the walls. She pushed the bell and waited, her heart beginning to
pound. After announcing who she was, they buzzed her in and welcomed her.

Christian
glazed over the ramblings of the men discussing the town issues with his
father. His attention was elsewhere, daydreaming of a magical night ahead
filled with love. He envisioned her standing before him in the garden. Her
nightgown sliding down her beautiful body. A body he dreamed of making love to
since the moment he saw her.

Feeling her
soft, long, Auburn hair tussle his face, his chest, bringing her to a place of
no return, helping her to escape the horrors of the previous night. His body
tightened in response to his thoughts. He folded his hands over the table,
pulling himself closer in.

“Christian, you
all right?” his father asked.

He cleared his
throat. “Yes, fine. Continue.”

The conference
room was designed just for these meetings, smelling of cigars and oak, the
leather chairs made of the finest material, wooden bookshelves filled with
historical fiction and nonfiction dating back to the 1800s.

A mural hung on
the wall behind his father, depicting the true power of this town, his father
and Jack shaking hands, their blue eyes piercing the camera, and mouths set in
determination.

The one
painting showcasing a pack of jackals hovering over a cradle rocking baby
Christian, had always given him chills. He had asked his father to take it down
multiple times.

His text
message sounded on his phone. He glanced down and jumped up. “Dad, I need to
go,” he said, grabbing the paperwork on the table.

“What’s up,
son?”

“Nothing
really. Daisy asked if I could get her something to eat. Lucinda’s out,” he
responded.

“Then she needs
to learn to cook,” his father retorted, turning back to the men who chuckled.

“Right. See you
later." He ducked out of the office and ran to his truck. The dark skies
loomed overhead, threatening a storm.

He texted Eric
back and told him he was on his way. The town muddled by in a blur, running
every red light and stop sign to get there. “Damn it, Daisy!" He slammed
the steering wheel.

His tires screeched
into the school parking lot. He parked next to Eric who paced near his car,
running his hands through his hair.

“How long has
she been in there?” Christian asked.

“I don’t know,
maybe eight hours or so. We got here around ten or eleven,” he stammered out,
his hands trembling. “I can’t get a hold of her, been texting her and nothing.
I tried banging down the door. I’m such an idiot." He punched his fist
against the car roof.

“I agree, but
there’s no time for that now. You screwed up, Eric. She shouldn’t be here in
the first place. You stay here and I’m getting her.”

“No, I’m
coming. This is my fault.”

“Fine, but I
talk. They won’t listen to you.”

They strode to
the front entrance and rang the bell a few times. After what felt like forever,
the door slowly opened and Christian pushed past the plump woman in her starchy
dress.

“Where is she?”
he asked, looking down the corridors.

“Daisy? She’s
right down the hall with the other girls. She’s learned so much. I think she’ll
fit right in with us, Christian." She bowed to him and he dismissed her.

Eric ran
alongside him, searching in each room until they finally found her.

“Daisy, honey.
You okay?" Christian ran to her, and she smiled in response.

“Of course I
am, silly. I’ve learned so much. I really love it here, Christian. I can’t wait
to start our life together.”

A tall, slender
woman bowed to Christian. “It was such a surprise to see Miss Daisy at the
door. She’s one of us now, Mr. Stone. We’re all so lucky to have her." Her
lips smiled, not touching her eyes.

“What did you
do to her, Ellie?”

“Nothing at
all. She wanted to learn more and–”

“What happened
here?” he hissed.

Eric stood next
to Christian, clenching his fists to his side.

Ellie shook her
head and shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know what you mean. Please leave now
before I send for–”

“For who, Jack?
Please. Let’s go, Daisy. She won’t be back,” he informed the women. He took
Daisy’s hand and walked to the door along with Eric behind them.

Daisy turned to
wave to her new friends. “Thank you again, ladies. Tell the girls I said
good-bye. It doesn’t look like Christian’s letting me come tomorrow,” she
pouted.

Darkness met
them as they stepped out into the night. Street lights had turned on to
illuminate the parking lot.

“Wow, I did
stay in there long. Sorry, Eric. You’re such a good friend to wait for
me." She stood on her toes to kiss him, and Christian snapped her back to
his side.

Eric caught
Christian’s glare. “I’m so sorry, Daisy. I shouldn’t have let you go in there. I
don’t know what I was thinking.”

“Yeah, what
were
you thinking?” Christian asked, narrowing his eyes.

Daisy slapped
his arm. “Don’t be mean, Christian. Eric is my friend as well as yours.”

Eric stopped
and stuck his hand out to Christian. “Look, I’m sorry, man. I’ll talk to you
first next time she wants to do something like this, okay? Don’t be pissed.”

Christian’s
anger seeped away and he shook Eric’s hand. “Fine. I need to get her
home." He got her in the truck and walked to his side where Eric still stood.

“You think
she’s okay, Christian?” he whispered.

“I don’t know.
She doesn’t seem like the Daisy I know, but hopefully she’s just tired. Sorry
for taking it out on you, Eric. You’re a good guy." He shook his hand
again and got in his truck.

“It’s all good.
Take care of her, man." Eric waved and drove off.

Christian
glanced at Daisy every so often, concerned for her. She appeared to be under
some sort of spell, as if she were brainwashed.

He held her
hand and she smiled.

She turned to
him. “Maybe we should wait until our wedding night.”

“What?”

“You know...to
be together. I know we had planned on tonight, but it would be so much more
special to wait, or even for your birthday.

“Daisy, I
thought you wanted to try to get out of this town, away from it all. Start a
new life." His heart pounded at first to the fear icing his veins.

She shrugged
her shoulders. “I don’t know. Maybe it would be nice to stay here. I really
like those women. They were so kind to me.”

“No. This isn’t
you talking. What did they do to you in there?”

“I just learned
what would be expected of me as your high priestess. God, that sounds sexy,
doesn’t it? Baby, come to your high priestess. I’ll make it all better,” she
teased, laughing at her own joke.

“Stop!”

She jumped at
his words.

“I’m sorry,
honey. I just can’t take in what you’re saying to me now. This is not you.”

“Pull over,
Christian. Let’s talk.”

He pulled over
to a private dirt road and turned the engine off. “Fine, let’s talk. Tell me
you still want to get out. Tell me you still love God and want nothing to do
with the evil of this place. Tell me something!”

She unclicked
her seat belt and moved over to his side, straddling him. She slipped her hands
in his hair and pressed her lips against his.

“Daisy, what’re
you–” he panted, sliding his hands around her back.

“Don’t you want
me to be happy, Christian?” she said against his mouth.

“Yes, but...”

“Then let’s
stay here. I want to be by your side here...for eternity. We can be together
for centuries like your father and mother.”

His eyes
snapped open. “No!”

“Just because
your mother wasn’t happy doesn’t mean I won’t be, darling. I want this life and
all it offers...all of it!”

She unzipped
his jeans and caressed him. He groaned in response, his head flung back. “No, Daisy.
I know you really don’t want it like this. Stop!" He felt dizzy at her
touch, immobilized by his desire. Wanting her. Not wanting her this way.
Wanting her.

God help him.

A small moan
escaped her as she rubbed against him, her summer dress floating around them.
“It’s okay, Christian. You can be your true self. Just love me.”

He growled and
ripped her underwear off, and then saw his own reflection in the mirror. It
looked distorted, not his face but that of some beast.

“No!" He
pushed her off and jumped out of the truck.

“Christian,
it’s okay. Come back!”

He got to his
knees and prayed. “Please help me, God. I don’t want to be this. Mother, please
help me,” he cried, tears wetting his face. He touched his face and it felt
normal. “Thank you.”

When he got
back in the truck, she was asleep on her side, her underwear still on the
floor. He picked them up and put them in his pocket. He clicked her seat belt
in. He then grabbed a blanket from the back to place over her before starting
the engine.

After returning
home, he carried her up the stairs and laid her on her bed under the covers. He
kissed her on the forehead and left for his room.

The next
morning he showered and went down for breakfast. He could hear giggling in the
kitchen.

“Good morning,
my darling!” Daisy ran to him and hugged him. “I’m helping Lucinda, or should I
say she’s helping me to learn how to cook.”

“Why the sudden
interest?” he asked with deep concern.

“So I know how
to cook for my man after we get married, silly.”

“Miss Daisy is
doing very well,” Lucinda said, rolling her eyes and smiling, not wanting Daisy
to see.

“Oh, ok. I’ll
be in the dining room with my coffee–”

“Let me get
that for you,” Daisy grabbed his cup and carried it to the Mahogany table. She
kissed him and ruffled his hair. “Anything else, and you just let me know,
handsome,” she teased, winking.

He thought he
felt his heart stop. She remained the same as yesterday. This wasn’t his Daisy,
the independent woman he knew and loved.

She joined him
after finishing up in the kitchen. “What’s wrong, Christian? You don’t look
happy,” she asked.

“I just want to
understand what’s going on here. You’re saying you want to go through with the
whole ritual of the ball...everything...and live here forever? Because
yesterday you weren’t sure what you wanted, and now…”

She frowned.
“Of course I do. Wasn’t that the plan from the beginning? I want to be the best
wife and mommy to our babies." She drank her coffee.

He swallowed
hard. “What about God, Daisy?” he whispered.

She blinked.
“That’s my old life now, Christian. This is my new life. My life with you. The
good life.”

“So, you want
the whole lifestyle no matter what that entails? I love you no matter what, but
if that’s what you really want then I do, too." He grabbed her hand. “I’d
do anything for you.”

“Yes, the whole
thing. Your birthday is in what...a month? I still need to get my dress.”

“That’s already
designed and ordered, tailored just for you. But you could wear a potato chip
bag and look gorgeous.”

“You make me
feel beautiful, Christian. The way I see myself in your eyes, I feel
glorious." She flipped her hair and grinned.

He felt himself
wanting her again, right in that moment. He pictured throwing her on top of the
table and making love to her forever. The need to be inside her froze him. That
familiar dizziness came on, and he closed his eyes to numb it. He physically
shook.

She rested her
hand on his to relax him. “I want you, too. I dreamed of you last night. God, the
things we did. You took my breath away, Christian. I just know it’ll be like
that.”

“You dreamed of
me last night?" He clenched his jaw.

“Yes. It was so
dark, but I know it was you.”

Dreams don’t
happen in this house, he thought. They’re more real than what happens in real
life. Jack must’ve come to her knowing how close Christian was to making love
to her.

Jack got what
he wanted, but she’ll never know it.

Daisy showered
after breakfast and changed into boating clothes for the day. Christian wanted
to take her out on Lake Michigan. She’d been on a speed boat quite a few times
in her teens with her family. Her dad would let her drive The Rose, while
Gloria sulked in the back by the stern. The wheel would sometimes turn the
opposite direction of where Daisy wanted to go, not knowing her stepmother was
behind it then, but realizing it more now.

She grabbed her
hairbrush and knocked something on the floor. Bending to pick it up, she
realized it was the pouch that protected her cross. Sweat pooled in her palms
as she held it, her heart beating a little too fast. Feeling a little woozy,
she placed it back on the vanity table and walked away.

She grabbed the
doorframe to steady herself, nausea overcoming her, until the lightheadedness
disappeared. Her brain felt foggy, as if looking through a cloud.

Christian
knocked at the door.

“I’m
coming." She took a deep breath to help clear her mind. She opened it and
turned to mush at seeing him. “Hi, handsome. I missed you." She flung her
arms around his neck in an enthusiastic hug.

“You okay? You
feel clammy,” he said, feeling her forehead.

She nodded. “I
just felt a little dizzy, but I’m fine now.”

Concern stamped
his face. “Okay then, let’s go for a boat ride." He grabbed her hand and
they jogged down the hall, laughing.

Daisy stopped
suddenly, bent over, and grabbed her stomach.

“Daisy, are you
okay?" Christian ran back up the few steps he already took and sat her on
the landing.

“It’s my
stomach. I felt like that in the bathroom earlier.”

“You’re going
back to bed." He picked her up and carried her in her room. “I knew
something was wrong." He sat her on the bed.

“I’m fine, just
let me get my bearings. I don’t want to ruin this nice day,” she pleaded,
sitting on the edge of the bed, holding the corner poster.

“No, I want you
to lie down. You want me to get your nightgown?”

She grabbed her
head to still the dizziness. “Over there on the door hook,” she said, pointing.

He ran and
grabbed it, bringing it to her. “Can you do this yourself, honey?”

Trying to
stand, she fell back down. “No. Can you help me?" She spoke just above a
hoarse whisper.

“Okay, hold
your arms up. That’s it. Now, I’m going to pull your top off. Don’t worry, I’ll
turn away." He tried pulling it and trying to be respectful.

“Christian,
it’s okay. I need help with my bra. I don’t care if you see anything, just get
it off.”

He stood her
and draped his arms around her waist, unclipping her bra. She moaned, but not
for the reason he had dreamed.

“Sorry, Daisy.
I’m trying to go fast.”

She lay back
against the bed and pushed her shorts off, rubbing her stomach the whole time.

“My God,” he
whispered. He got her nightgown and sat her up, pulling it over her head.

“Thank you,
Christian. I’m sure this is killing you,” she managed a smirk, her head
wobbling to her arm.

He cleared his
throat. “Not at all. Here, get under the covers and rest, beautiful. I’ll see
if Lucinda can make one of her special potions.”

She turned the
other way and groaned.

***

After speaking
to Lucinda, Christian went in his room to look in his closet. He searched the
shelf and found the black book he wanted. In it were spells he hoped would help
Daisy. He was given this when he was a young boy. Lucinda used to sit with him
and teach him the chants, but he never felt good reading it.

If he needed to
do black magic, it was now. He didn’t know if some spell had been cast on her
to make her feel sick. He had to try.

He blew the
dust off it and opened to the spells part. Lucinda knocked on his door with a
tray. “Thanks, Lucy. Just put it in Daisy’s room and I’ll feed her.”

“Mr. Christian,
those spells are no good for Miss Daisy." She stood at the door, observing
him.

“What? Why
not?”

“It’s not the
darkness that makes her ill, but the light.”

“The light?”

She nodded her
head. “There’s a battle for her soul going on inside her. She’s trying to fight
the good to be with you, and it’s making her ill.”

“How do you
know this?”

But she was
gone.

He threw the
book down and ran to her room, but Lucinda already left the tray and disappeared.

“Honey, you up
to drinking something for me?" He sat next to her and pushed her hair
back. “Here, just take a sip." He put the cup to her mouth, and she drank
some then lay back down.

“What is that?”
she asked, puckering her face.

“It’ll help you
feel better." Although, he wondered if he was supposed to be butting in on
something bigger than him. Maybe he should let this bug take over her and do
its work. It might bring the old Daisy back to him.

But he didn’t
want her to feel sick. Creasing his brows together, he held her hand, not
knowing what to do.

A voice spoke
behind him, a woman’s voice. He turned but no one was there. “What?" Who’s
there?”

“She’ll be
fine, Christian. Just keep being good to her and she’ll be fine. Don’t ever
change. Just remember I’m here.”

“Mom? Is that
you?" He focused on a soft apparition near the window. He wasn’t sure if
it was the afternoon sunlight shining through the blinds or really his mother.

Daisy moaned, tossing
her head back and forth on her pillow. He wet a washcloth and laid it on her
hot forehead.

He decided to
go against Lucinda and get the book anyway. He couldn’t lose her.

After coming
back with it, he sat on the bed and flipped through some pages. A certain spell
stood out to him on how to reverse a spell. That seemed to be what she needed.
Tracing the words in the thin warn out page, he read aloud the spell in the way
he had been taught in their church.

His voice deep
and booming in the air, he read. He held his palm over her head and repeated it
until he saw her eyes flutter. Something was happening inside her, he could
tell. “Daisy, you okay? Can you hear me?”

The lights
flickered a few times.

She thrashed
her head and moaned. “No!” she said as if fighting something.

“I’m here,
baby. Come back to me." He put the book down and hugged her to him. “I
love you so much." He rocked her back and forth.

“I love you,
too,” she murmured and closed her eyes again.

He checked her
pulse and found one, although faint. He laid her back down to rest. “Get well,
Daisy. You’re not alone in this. I’ll fight this with you. I’ll take the whole
damn town down if I have to for you!”

After rewetting
the rag in her bathroom, he caught sight of the purple velvet pouch. He opened
it and peered inside, seeing the gold cross cast a glint.

He carried the
pouch over to her, sat her up, and wrapped in a Kleenex without touching it, he
clasped it around her neck, her head wobbling against his arm. “There. That
should help.”

The cross shone
on her throat in a brilliant sparkle.

Kissing her
forehead through the wet cloth and wishing her a good night, he slipped out of
the room with hopes of a new day.

What he didn’t
notice was the black book falling off the table.

***

After dinner,
Christian decided to go out in the garden and sit near his mother’s fountain
statue. He always seemed to pull strength from her even if it was only stone.

In his memory,
he held Daisy on the bench. He leaned his elbows on his knees and cradled his
head in his hands.

The sun rode
low in the tree branches, warning of its departure. Corals, pinks, and purples
imbued the sky.

Something
touched his shoulder and he turned, but nothing. He sat back against the iron
bench and closed his eyes.

“Christian?”

His head
snapped in the direction of the patio door. It couldn’t be. His eyes widened
and his jaw dropped. “Daisy?”

She walked out
in her robe with the biggest smile. He ran to her and swung her around, his
eyes feasting on her.

“You feel
better?” he asked, grinning, feeling her forehead to feel the coolness.

“I do. I really
do. I feel back to my old self.”

“Oh, honey.
Come sit just in case." He guided her to the bench.

“Really, I feel
fine, like it never happened. I want to thank you for all you’ve done. Lucinda told
me how you tended to me like a mama bear. That means so much to me, Christian.”

She kissed him,
creating stirrings in him he tried to ignore.

“I took a nice
bath and washed everything away except your touch. I never want to wash your
touch away,” she said, giving him a deeper kiss to cement her meaning.

The sun
disappeared to the other side of the world, leaving them in total darkness
except for the lights built into the fountain and the sounds of crickets.

She stood
before him and dropped her robe revealing only her sheer nightgown cascading
down her body, the moonlight exposing her every curve.

He wondered
where her cross was.

“We’re safe
here, right?” she whispered in a husky tone, tracing her finger along his jaw
and then his full lips.

He nodded, unable
to speak or even breathe. His breaths grew shallow. “Are you sure, Daisy?
You’re sure you feel better?”

“Yes, my
love." She pushed her nightgown up to her collarbone and drew his face in,
allowing him to nuzzle her breasts at first and then devour them. He felt like
a newborn getting his first suckle. A hunger grew like wildfire in his body.
Seeing her head arched back, knowing he did that to her, drove him to a place
he never knew existed.

“Here or on the
grass over there?” he panted.

“Here and there,”
she moaned.

He undid his
zipper and freed himself. She let her gown fall back down, but then held it
around her hips, wrapping her legs around him, cupping him, and bringing him
inside her. “Oh, God,” she groaned.

“Should I
stop?" He didn’t know if she was in pain or pleasure.

She shook her
head. Her body instinctively rocked against him.

He thrust
against her in agony, their bodies meeting in a dance, wanting more than her
body could possibly give.

She ground her
hips in a steady motion, feeling the silky material of her gown, forcing
himself to think of anything but her. There was no way this was ending that
fast.

The look of
ecstasy on her face did it for him. Waves built up. He couldn’t control himself
anymore. “Daisy...my Daisy." His damp hair lay against her breasts, sweat
trickling down her stomach.

He knew it was
too soon and picked her up, placing her on the grass.

The soft grass
tickled them. He thrust inside her, lifting her legs around his back. Her moans
and soft screams startled him.

He bent down
and probed her mouth with his tongue, sucking on her lower lip, needing to
taste her inside out.

He rubbed
against her pelvic bone in a rhythm that finally met her needs.

Her head arched
into the grass, clawing his back to pull him in deeper. “Christian,” she
moaned. She tensed and shivered, her body still quivering in his arms, her
breathing labored.

“I love you,
Daisy." He closed his eyes and allowed himself to meet her.

His head fell
on her chest, hearing her heart thunder. Feeling crusty skin underneath his
cheek, he lifted his head to find a burn mark on her skin. He sat straight up,
now understanding the need to keep her gown on.

She was hiding
this from him.

Another thought
struck him. He felt her nails dig in his back, something she didn’t usually
have.

He grabbed her
hands and looked at her nails. They were longer and unchewed in just a day.