Heaven and Hell (Beautiful Beings, #2) (6 page)

He smiled. “We have twenty minutes before the show starts,” he said as we finished our pudding.

“The play is now?”

“Nothing beats a pleasant matinee on a rainy afternoon.”

“I’m sure that’s true, but it’s not raining.”

“It’s London.  Any minute now the clouds will burst open… and we’ll be warm and cozy in the darkness of the theater.”

The play captivated me, so much so I almost forgot the reason for coming out to London to begin with.  As we walked out of the theater, the rain falling as predicted, I grabbed Moore’s arm.  “This is all really nice, and I’ve really enjoyed the afternoon with you, but…”

“But we need to find Brax.”  The pleasant smile that had beamed despite the gloom of dark clouds and heavy rain faltered on Brax’s name.

“It is the reason we came out here.”

“I know, and it’s the reason I planned for an early show; this way we’ll have the rest of the day to concentrate on finding dear old Braxton Kingsley.”

“Really?” I said with genuine surprise. “You planned it especially for that?”

“I know this is important to you,” he said. “I hate that it is, but I promised to do what I could, and I will.”

I was touched by his thoughtfulness and stunned when he pulled out a neat and tidy list of schools.

“These are the more prestigious schools in the area.  I have a second list of schools further outside the London area.  We can check those out tomorrow.”

The limousine brought us back to the hotel where we quickly stepped inside our hotel room to change into more casual clothes.  Once ready, we headed to the rented Maserati.  I made my way around the car.

“What?  Do you want to drive?”

I glanced inside the window and saw the steering wheel.  “Oh, yeah, that’s right.  It’s backward here.”

Moore opened the passenger door and I hurried around the car to get in.  “As far as the Brits are concerned, we’re the ones who have it backwards.”  He closed the door and came around to the driver’s door.

“Are you capable of driving on the other side of the road without getting mixed up?”

He put the car in reverse and screeched out onto the Strand.  “Most of the time.”

In only a few short twists and turns, I knew I had nothing to worry about.  Moore drove expertly, almost as if he’d lived here his whole life.  He quickly found Eton, first school on his list, and as imposing and impressive as it was, there was no sign of Brax.  Harrow, the second school didn’t fare any better, and the third was the same.

I tried to keep my hopes up, but every failure left me with a dismal sense of loss.

As we headed through the outskirts of London and onto the vast countryside, I contented myself with marveling at the beauty of the landscape.

“Gorgeous, isn’t it?”

“For some reason I never thought England would be so beautiful.  I never imagined such greenery, such space.”

The next school had immaculate grounds and an unbelievable view of the countryside, but no trace of Brax.

Another hour’s drive had us at Sheffield School and when Brax failed to be there, I felt the weight of hopelessness, and jet lag, drag me down.

“Ready for another try?” Moore said.

“I don’t know.  I’m worn out.  How many more do you have on your list?”

He pulled out the sheet of paper from his pocket, unfolded the now frumpy page, and counted.  “Four.  Five if we have time to drive to Gloucester.”

“Do you think the headmasters are being honest with us?  I mean, what if Brax was at the very first school we visited, but the guy we talked to just didn’t want to tell us.”

“Don’t worry.  I know how to get the truth out of them.  I gave them all enough to make telling the truth worth their while.”  He rubbed his thumb and index together, holding his hand up in a show of money.  “Besides, they don’t really have any reason to lie.”

“None that we know of.”

“I guess.”

I leaned back against the Maserati.  “How ‘bout we do one more and call it a day?”

“Your wish is my command.”  His radiant smile echoed his great desire to please me.  True to his word, he’d been every bit the gentleman ever since we’d arrive, and now… I knew he’d do anything to make me happy.

I opened the car door and prepared to get in, my gaze curiously caught on the wide circle he made as he went around the car, his phone to his ear and his lips moving.

I shot him a quizzical glance which he quickly dismissed with a wink.

“On to Westonbirt,” he exclaimed.

Westonbirt had no sign of Brax, mainly because it was an all girl school.

“Sorry about that.  My mistake,” Moore said with a sheepish shrug.

“Okay, that’s it,” I whined as we exited the school and headed to it.  “I’ve had it for today.  As much as I want to find Brax, I just can’t stand the thought of visiting another school.”  My steps were slow and lazy as we approached the tiny sports car. “How far are we from London?”

“Two hours.”

The day was already growing dark, and my mood was even darker.  A two hour drive in the sporty but small car was the last thing I wanted.  As I settled back in to the passenger seat, I closed my eyes, trusting Moore to bring us back to the hotel safely.

But barely ten minutes later, the car slowed and the motor was silenced.  I opened my eyes.  “What’s going on?  Why’d you stop?”

I followed him out of the car.  All around us was the lush countryside, dotted with quaint country homes.

“This is all very lovely, Moore, but shouldn’t we be heading to London?”

“You look exhausted, and to tell you the truth, I’m feeling rather tired myself. There’s really no point in driving all the way back to London. We can just pick up our search from here tomorrow.”

“That still doesn’t answer the question of what we’re doing out here.” I followed his gaze as he turned completely around. Behind us was a true fairy princess castle.  “Oh, my God.  Moore, it’s breathtaking.”

“And we’ll be staying the night.”

I looked at him in astonishment.  This was too much and I felt the flame of a blush rush to my cheeks.

“But we have a room at the Savoy, and all our stuff is there.”

“Don’t worry.  Everything is already here in your room.”

I gasped and smiled.  “So that was the secretive call earlier.”

He beamed with pride and pleasure.

“You had this all planned out, didn’t you?”

“When I realized how far we’d be going and how late the day was getting, I thought this would be the best solution.”

He hooked my hand over the crook of his arm and led me to another world, a world of Lords and Ladies in waiting.

“This is unbelievable,” I raved as we entered.  “I almost expect to see Queen Anne step out to greet us.”

“How astute.”

I gazed at him with a curious frown.

“This is Thornbury Castle,” he said.  “Built in 1511 for the third Duke of Buckingham and tonight we’ll be staying in the Duke’s bedchamber, the very room Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn stayed in.”

“Hmm, do I see a theme running here?  Should I be concerned?”

He looked at me. “Why?  Because she was beheaded?”

I laughed.  “Well, it is rather odd that we see a play regarding her, then sleep in the very room she once slept in.”

He patted my hand reassuringly.  “Coincidence, my dear Lux.”

Moore looked at ease in the foreign surroundings.  “While there are many modern conveniences, you’ll notice that it’s the old world charm that really seeps into your senses.”

Before heading to our bedchamber, he guided me through the halls of history and out to the yew-hedged gardens.  That evening we had a sumptuous feast before a roaring flame and I felt as enchanted as any princess.

“I have to admit, I’m glad you insisted on coming to England with me,” I said as we enjoyed our butterscotch pudding.

“I’m happy you appreciate my company.”

“Well,” I said reluctantly. “You are kind of interesting to be around, and of course I never would have come to a place like this on my own.” I gazed at my surroundings with awe before returning my gaze to him.

He’d proven to be more than just interesting.  He was knowledgeable and fascinating to listen to. His profound interest in the Tudors made me want to listen to him for hours.

“Annulled, behead, died, annulled, beheaded, survived. That is the fate met by his six wives.”

“That’s certainly an interesting way of putting it.”

Our room glowed with the warm light of several candles.  Immediately drawn to the view from our window, I hurried to gaze up at the stars.

“Magnificent, isn’t it?” Moore said as he came up behind me. He pointed to our left.  “Did you see?  The moon is rising.”

“I never believed in fairy tales,” I murmured softly.  “My life has always been filled with such ugliness, with the evils of the world.”  I realized in that moment how fighting demons had left me slightly jaded; a little too cynical.  I was too young to have such an unfavorable view of life.

“I want to make all your dreams come true, Lux.”  Moore’s lips brushed across my ear as his promise touched a cord deep inside me. “You're so hardened, so accustomed to battles.  You have a wall built around you, around your heart.  You’ve forgotten how to just let go and enjoy what life has to offer.”

“I didn’t forget,” I said softly, my gaze fixed on the moon.  “I’ve never known how.”

I turned to face him, to face the prince who’d so charmingly weaved his way into my life.  I feared for him, and feared for the emotions that slowly built up inside me.  I couldn’t love him.  I couldn’t allow myself to be blinded by silly emotions.

I couldn’t just let go, as he’d suggested.

“You seem rather familiar with this castle. How many times have you been here?”  I wanted to shake off the emotions and change the subject.

“A few times,” he said with a vague shrug as he paced the floor. “My parents became increasingly desperate to find a way out for us; voodoo, exorcism, black magic, witch’s spell; anything and everything to save us.  Then they heard of the Book of Angels at Cambridge.  It turned out to be a part of a private collection, which then led them to San Francisco.  They didn’t know who had the book or where it was exactly.  Nor did they know just how close they brought Shayne and me to finding it.  I mean, who would have thought Dr. Kingsley could own such a book?”

He remained silent a moment, his eyes suddenly distant, as though traveling back to a more innocent time.  “Even young, Shayne wanted to impress those around her.  She wanted to be part of the in crowd, the social elite; hobnob with the rich and famous.”  He pressed a wry grin.  “I guess her social soirees had a purpose after all.”

“You think she maintained the social standing in order to get the Book of Angels?”

“I don’t know.  Maybe it was just luck that she came to know who had it, and how to get into his circle.  Shayne is a complicated woman.  She has enough charm to disarm anyone, yet she can be insanely savage when she feels wronged or incapable of getting what she wants.  She wasn’t always like that, at least not this bad.  She’s always been quick to anger, but lately she’s angered for no reason at all.”

“Your parents probably had a hand in controlling her when younger.”

“Probably.  I can even remember a time when she was pretty decent, almost fun.  I think when she saw what became of my parents it cleared things up for her.  It made her own future more distinct.”

“Freaked her out?”

He nodded.

“I can imagine it’s not easy finding out you're from a cursed line of succubus and humans. Born as a human and eventually turned into a complete demon. She went from being the epitome of high society to…”

“To doomed.”

Slowly, almost reverently, Moore took my hand and led me to the fabulous four poster bed.

“I didn’t ask to be this way,” he said as we sat down.  “I loathe it and would give anything – anything to be normal. It’s one thing to be completely demonic, to have the conviction of evil and to simply forge forward based on that evil, to follow the devil, but to have that human side, than angelic side that constantly battles for good…  Damn, you have no idea how hard it can be.  I thought… I hoped Asher and that Book of Angels would be the answer.  I could almost taste the freedom from the demons that live within me, but all it did was cause more trouble.”

“I’m glad you realize that, and I’m glad that you're here, alive and willing to fight this.”

He brushed his fingers through my hair. “It’s all because of you.  It’s all for you.  I’m grateful you didn’t slay me. You had so many chances to do so, yet you didn’t.  Why?”

I averted his gaze.  “Because…”

Pulling me into his arms, he brushed his cheek across mine.  “In a way, you're struggling with your own battles, just like I am,” he said, his voice heavy and husky.  eavy anBwA part of you hates me, hates what I am and hates what I’ve done, but a part of you feels something stronger for me. A part of you want me to hold you, to kiss you, to love you, doesn’t it?”