The Curse Keepers Collection (86 page)

Holding my breath, I rested against him for several seconds, taking comfort in his embrace. Something in me yearned for more. I looked up into his face.

His gaze was on my mouth.

David wanted this too.

It would have been so easy to lean closer and press my lips to his. To see if I could actually feel something with another man after Collin.

But would that be fair to David? He had given up everything to help me, so how could I risk breaking his heart?

I took a step backward, my hands trailing down his shirt, knowing I needed to break contact, yet so desperate to stay in this moment.

If I was destined to live a life without love, what was I even fighting for?

His face searched mine, confusion and desire jostling for control of his features.

I reached my hand to his cheek, rubbing his stubble with my fingertips. I was fighting for David. So that he and the other seven billion people on this planet could live their lives without facing the terror lurking outside my door each night. The countless monsters hell-bent on destroying us all.

This was no time for me to explore my romantic life. My hand dropped and I turned away. “We need to keep looking.”

David didn’t answer for several seconds.

I spun around to face him, the desire on his face nearly my undoing.

“Ellie.”

I shook my head. “David. I can’t.”

He ran his hand over his head, looking at the staircase. “That wanker did a number on you, Ellie, but I’m not him.” He walked out of the room, leaving my heart and emotions in a tangled mess.

I grabbed my purse and keys and ran for my car, feeling a sudden, unstoppable need for the ocean. I hadn’t been in days, not since my encounter with Ukinim and Ilena. When I reached the beach, I parked my car in the lot and, leaving my shoes in the car, ran for the water, needing that burst of power to recharge my body and weary spirit.

By the time I got back to my car, I realized over an hour had passed and the sun was nearing the horizon. I hadn’t thought to bring a towel, although by now I should have been smart enough to pile a bunch in my trunk.

The evening was unusually cool, and I shivered when I parked the car at the curb of the inn.

David was in the doorway when I walked up to the building. “You scared the hell out of me, Ellie. I tried calling you and you didn’t answer.”

“I forgot my phone. And I would have told you, but you were angry—”

“I wasn’t angry.” Resignation covered his face. “Hurt is a better word.” He shifted his weight. “I shouldn’t have stormed out like that. And I shouldn’t push you into something you’re not ready for. I’m sorry.” He grabbed my arms and held me back. “Why are you all wet? You smell like seawater.”

“That’s because I was in the ocean.”

His eyes flew open in alarm. “What happened?”

I shook my head. “Nothing bad. It’s a perk of the curse. Daughter of the sea and all that. I get these overwhelming urges to go to the ocean. Sometimes I’m in the water before I even realize I’ve left the house. The ocean recharges me.” I rested my hand on his arm, immediately glad for the physical contact. “I like it because I’m one with the Manitou. Tonight reminded me what I’m doing all of this for.”

His eyes softened. “And what’s that?”

I simply smiled and broke loose of his hold, heading for the staircase. “I’m going to take a shower, and then I’ll cook us dinner. It’s dark enough that we shouldn’t go outside.”

He didn’t say anything.

“Oh, I brought your bag from my apartment and left it upstairs in the hall. I cleaned all the rooms so you get your pick, except for Myra’s, of course.”

I bolted up the steps, not waiting for an answer, stalling in the shower for as long as possible. At least my faded mark had one benefit: I could take showers whenever I wanted now. When I went downstairs in a tank top and shorts, my hair in a wet braid, I found David in the kitchen cooking.

“I would have made something.”

He looked up from his pot with a mischievous grin. “Since I’m staying at your flat and I don’t seem to be paying for my lodging anymore, cooking dinner seems like a fair trade.”

“What are you cooking?”

“Well that, Ms. Lancaster, is where the bloom falls off the rose. I’m making macaroni and cheese. And let’s hope it turns out well.”

I laughed, thankful that he was making an effort to ease the tension between us.

I dragged a bar stool over to the other side of the counter and perched on it. “Beggars can’t be choosers, can they?”

“Just remember that when you eat this mess.” He stirred a pot of boiling water. “How was your shower?”

“Good. I feel much better.” And I did, especially since he seemed to have let our earlier awkwardness go.

“So, do you want to go on a scavenger hunt after we eat?”

“Sounds like fun.” I hopped down from the stool and disappeared into the butler’s pantry.

“It’s not fair if you get a head start,” he called from the kitchen.

I found a bottle of wine in the wine cooler Daddy had installed when he remodeled the back end of the house. I carried the bottle, a corkscrew, and two wine glasses into the kitchen and set them down on the counter. “I’ve heard that a rich Bordeaux pairs nicely with mac and cheese.”

He laughed. “And where did you hear that?”

I waved my hand, the corkscrew in my grip. “Eleventh-grade home economics.” I lowered my voice. “Mrs. March was a lush. But
shh
.” I held my finger to my lips. “We were sworn to secrecy.”

“Your secret is safe with me.”

“Along with all the others.” I opened the wine and poured us both a glass, handing one to David, careful to not touch him.

He took a sip and set it down so he could drain the noodles.

I looked around the kitchen. “I really want to help with something. What can I do?”

“You can get the salad out of the refrigerator.”

“You do realize that a salad blows the whole bachelor mac and cheese image to bits.”

The grin he graced me with was infectious. After he scooped mac and cheese onto plates, we sat on bar stools at the counter.

I took a bite and released a contented sigh. “I haven’t had macaroni and cheese in ages. It was my favorite when I was a kid. My mother used to make it for me, so it’s full of happy memories.” It was nice to have a happy memory associated with my mother after thinking about her death so much. I took another bite. “What was your favorite?”

He laughed, his eyebrows arching. “There’s not a bloody chance in hell that I’ll tell you.”

His protest made me even more intrigued. “Why the big secret?” I shoved his arm. “I told you, now you tell me.”

He cringed, but he was grinning. “I thought that game was usually played with the removal of clothing.”

“Ha! Come on, just tell me. How weird can it be? What, did you eat liver with catsup? Are you
ashamed
?”

He lifted his chin, trying to look serious. “It was spotted dick.”

I started laughing, noodles shooting out of my mouth. “It was
what
?” I choked out.

“See? I knew this would be your reaction. You Americans wouldn’t know good food if it bit you on the arse.”

“Do I even want to know what spotted
dick
”—I broke into more giggles—“
is
?”

“It’s a bread pudding with currants.” He smirked. “Do you think I was raised by paedos?”

“Sorry, I’ll try to be more
civilized
.”

He poured more wine into our glasses and we shared stories of our childhoods. As I watched him tell me about all his antics with his older brother, I smiled, but my heart ached. Why couldn’t I have met this man before all this curse nonsense began? He was so much better for me than Collin ever could be.

But there was no point in dwelling on what-ifs. There was only the here and now.

We cleaned up the kitchen together, and when we finished, David hung a dish towel on the stove handle.

“Okay, Ellie. Let’s figure this out. What was your father’s routine?”

“He spent a lot of time in the living room watching TV with his caregiver. And he loved the front porch. He liked to watch the neighbor’s dog, Chip.” The thought of Chip still gave me a pang.

“That’s a bloody good place to start. We’ll check out the lounge and see—”

“The lounge?” I could figure out most of his British lingo, but this one was unclear.

He made a face. “What you would refer to as the living room. Americans need to learn to be more civilized.”

I stood on tiptoe so that we were face-to-face. “And look where you moved to.”

“The land of the uncivilized. Who knew it was still the wild frontier?”

“Very funny. Besides, you’re half American and you’re fascinated with the Native Americans. I’d think you’d like it that way.”

He grinned mischievously. “I like some things wilder than others.”

I ignored the obvious subtext as he followed me into the living room. I pointed out the chair and ottoman where my father had liked to sit.

David sat down and looked around, lifting a lamp and looking underneath it. He stood and turned around, removing the cushions from the chair.

I got on my knees and looked under the coffee table, shocked to find a folded paper stuffed into the cracks of two seams on the underside. “I think I actually found something.”

David knelt next to me as I pulled out the paper and opened it. Daddy’s handwriting filled the page.

“What does it say?”

I quickly scanned the sheet. “He tells how the curse was created and the rules for the Curse Keepers. Nothing new to me.” When I finished, I handed the page to David. “But this means he really did write things down and that there are probably more hidden around here somewhere.”

We spent the next half an hour looking in every nook and cranny in the living room and dining room without finding anything else. We searched the rest of the first floor until about midnight, when I started yawning.

David leaned his shoulder into the door frame to the dining room. “We should call it a night and go to bed.”

His words sent a flutter through my chest.
Not together, Ellie
, I reminded myself. “Yeah, it’s been a hard day.” I couldn’t help wondering if Collin had managed to evade Tom.

“Are you ready to go upstairs?”

I nodded, suddenly feeling self-conscience. Why was I so nervous?

David followed close behind as we climbed the stairs, and my anxiety increased with each and every step. His bag was still at the top of the stairs, and he picked it up, noticing my own bag outside the bathroom door. “Why didn’t you put your bag in your room?”

“I was waiting to see which one you picked.” Why did I say it like that? Did he think I was waiting for an invitation to his room?

“Why didn’t you just put it in your old room?”

“Because you slept in my old room before you moved into my apartment. I thought you might want it again.”

A soft smile warmed his face, and he walked down the hall to my room, standing just inside the doorway. “I wish I’d known this was your room when I was staying in here.”

“Would it have made a difference?”

He shot me a wicked grin.

My insides turned to liquid fire and I forced a laugh. “I’ll take that as a no.” I brushed past him as I entered the room, every nerve in my body alive and begging for more contact. I turned on the lamp on the nightstand and sat on the edge of the bed. “I haven’t slept here in years.”

David dropped his bag inside the doorway and watched me with a grin. “I’m trying to picture you as a little girl in here. Or you as a little girl, period.”

“That seems so long ago.” I looked around the room. All hints that it had belonged to me had been removed, and it looked like a generic guestroom. But the dresser, the bed, and the full-length mirror in the corner were all mine. My fingers brushed the comforter. “I couldn’t wait to leave home.”

“That surprises me given how close you were with your father and the good relationship you have with Myra.”

“It wasn’t them.” I scooted farther back onto the bed and crossed my legs. “I don’t think I ever felt comfortable here after Momma’s murder. And after we broke the curse and I started having those dreams . . . well, I couldn’t even come in here.”

“You’re in here now.”

My lips parted, and I stared up at him in surprise. “You’re right.”

He moved to the bed and sat on the edge.

“Maybe it’s because you’re here to protect me,” I teased.

His smile faded. “I only wish I could.”

I leaned forward and grabbed his hand. “David, you
are
protecting me. Or trying to. If you weren’t here, I’d be completely alone.”

Sadness flickered in his eyes. “But you wish you were with Collin.”

Did I? I had to admit that his comment wasn’t without a grain of truth. But David had been the one to stand by my side and help me find answers. Even though Collin probably had some of the answers, he refused to give them.

I stared into the hazel eyes of this man who was offering me hope and support, and more importantly, absolute trust. In that moment, I knew that David would be there for me until the end, whatever that turned out to be.

“No, David.” I reached for his cheek, my fingers trembling as I touched his skin. “I want
you
. There’s no one else I’d rather be here with now.” The truth of it hit me like a lightning bolt.

His hand covered mine as he searched my eyes, hope flickering in his gaze.

“But you and I could never work. He ruined me.”

“Because you still love him?”

I shook my head. “What Collin and I had wasn’t love. And it wasn’t real, even if he thinks differently. What we had was based on lies and schemes, hormones and magic. He used me.” I lowered my hand while still holding his and stared at our joined hands. “Even when we started a relationship, he never once confessed that he had broken the curse on purpose.” I paused. “Still, I know his feelings for me were real, or as real as Collin is capable of having.”

“How can you be so certain?”

I looked into David’s eyes. “Because when we touch our marks together, we not only feel the Manitou, we feel each other.” I sighed. “We feel every emotion.”