The Hauntings Of Sugar Hill: The Complete Series

by M. L. Bullock

  I didn’t want to think about how dangerous this was for Reed, what Ambrose might do to him if given the chance. I knew I was being selfish, but I was desperate. I never identified with the gals in movies who needed rescuing, but here I was in that position. Being too close to me would be precarious for Reed, but I didn’t much care at the moment.

  Let him go, Avery, I imagined Vertie warning me. I had to be imagining that, right?

  I needed him. I needed to be with him so badly. I could barely admit this to myself, but Ambrose had awoken a desire so fiery within me that I had to have the touch of a human man to remember what it felt like to be loved by one. Yes, I felt desperate, but I also wanted to keep my secret. I had a decision to make.

  My soulmate.

  If Reed knew how tempted I was by Ambrose, he’d turn away disgusted. And I knew the facts. I’d been trained to study them. I knew who the villain was here. Ambrose had been Susanna’s undoing and the downfall of other Dufresne women, I gathered, although the details of their situations still eluded me. Why wouldn’t the family talk about him? It’s like they all wished they were me. They wanted to have him for themselves.

  Except for Summer. She had renounced him. Rejected him. And now he wanted me. That thought warmed me when it should have frightened me. But right now, at this moment, I chose Reed. Maybe it would work. We could make it work!

  I closed the door behind me and leaned against it, the white paint cool against my skin. I stared into Reed’s handsome face. From day one, I had considered him the handsomest man I knew, better looking than Jonah or any of the celebrities I’d interviewed.

  “I can’t explain, Reed. It’s been so long since I’ve, well, you know. And I…”

  I didn’t need to say another word because Reed was there. He kissed me, fevered and hungry. Yes, this was what I wanted. I wanted to feel his hot breath on my skin. His breath, not Ambrose’s. His warm tongue in my mouth. His hands on me. I fought with the zipper of my jeans, trying to step out of them.

  “Reed,” I breathed in his ear as I stood shivering and naked. Where did that chill come from? “I need you. I need to feel alive. Make me feel alive.”

  “Oh, Avery.”

  We lost ourselves in one another, and after our frenzy peaked, we somehow managed to collapse on the bed. We lay there, holding each other, still kissing, still touching. I wanted to sob with relief. Reed’s touch had burned away Ambrose’s, but for how long? I kept those strange emotions quiet, refusing to let them overtake me.

  I felt no shame or fear. I felt comforted, and I was not in the least bit regretful. But I wondered about Reed. What could he be thinking? Could he know about my secret? He was quiet, running his hand up and down my arm.

  After a few minutes, when he still didn’t speak, I felt like I needed to apologize or something. Maybe I had pushed him into something too fast. But before I could say a word, Reed said, “Don’t. Don’t say you regret it. Don’t say it should never have happened.”

  “I wasn’t going to say that.” I pushed my hair out of my eyes and propped myself up on my elbows, kissing his chest.

  “Really?”

  I smiled at him and shook my head. “I have nothing to add to what I’ve already said, counselor.” I pulled back the sheets and crawled into them completely nude, uncaring that Reed could see all parts of me. There was no sense in playing prim and proper now, was there? I leaned back on the pillow and smiled at him. “No regrets, Reed. No regrets.”

  With a sigh of relief, he slipped in beside me and put his arms around me. He kissed me, and together we lay quietly until we both fell asleep.

  I dozed off for a little while but then awoke feeling sweaty and hot. Had the air conditioning gone out in here? Beside me, Reed slept soundly even though his dark hair stuck to his forehead. I was half tempted to wake him up and cover him with kisses, but I decided to give him a break. I hopped into the shower to cool down, put on a loose nightgown, and slipped out of the room to check the thermostat. Hmm, everything looked like it was working. I put my hand under a nearby vent and felt the cold air blowing, so why wasn’t it cool in my room?

  Shaking my head, I pledged to call the AC guy in the morning anyway. It was too late now, nearly eleven. Maybe it was a blockage of some kind. The least he could do was come and make sure everything was working okay. I was sure I had enough authority to at least make that phone call. Maybe. I padded downstairs and filled a pitcher with ice water. I loved this old pitcher. This old house, for that matter. It wasn’t nearly as scary as I remembered it. Nope, not scary at all. I put the pitcher and two glasses on a tray and headed back upstairs with it. The house was quiet, except for the low hum of the air conditioner. As I passed Jessica’s room, I heard her talking to someone, so she must have been on the phone. She spoke in low tones, and I heard concern in her voice. I paused but reminded myself not to be nosy. I had invited her here, kind of. It wouldn’t do to be a Nosy Parker, as Vertie used to call the neighbors.

  “No, you don’t understand. He knows I’m here.”

  Who was she talking to? One of her paranormal folks? Keep walking, Avery.

  I headed farther down the hall but was distracted by another sound. A strange rustling came from the library. It sounded like someone turning the pages of a book rather quickly. Could Reed have gotten up? Holding the tray with one hand, I opened the door. It came open easily. The room was dark, and the place smelled like old leather, wood polish, and dusty books. I flipped the wall switch, but the light didn’t come on. I could see a little, though, thanks to the moonlight filtering through the curtains. The room was small, and each wall was lined with books. A fantastic plush antique rug covered a section of the room, and I found an empty table near a leather chair and set the tray down. I walked to the desk, sat down and turned on the gold-toned lamp. At least that worked.

  I glanced around the room and found no one here. Not Reed, not anyone. I walked to the window, but it wasn’t open. What could have made that sound? Then my eyes fell upon the book, and I caught my breath in surprise. It was one of Vertie’s journals! Had I brought that with me? Maybe, but I sure didn’t remember putting it in this study. How did it get in here? I never used this room and had only poked my head in a few times during my two short stays here.

  But there was no mistaking it—it was Vertie’s. The old book had a denim cover, and her name was engraved on the bottom right corner, just like all the other journals in her private library. With shaking fingers, I picked it up and flipped the stiff pages. They made the same sound I’d heard just a few minutes ago. Subtly, slowly, the room began to fill with Vertie’s presence. I knew it was her! I could feel her warmth around me, and smell the lemony perfume that she wore on special occasions. I heard the clinking of her many bracelets, and then, as quickly as she had appeared, she was gone again.

  “Vertie?”

  In life, Vertie had been a force to be reckoned with, and that was apparently true in the afterworld as well. Maybe that was why she came, just to tell me she was watching over me. There must be something significant hidden in this book. I clutched it to my bosom, sighed, and whispered, “Thank you, Vertie.”

  I didn’t ponder what it all meant. I knew what it meant. The message was clear: Read this book now!

  Chapter Fourteen

  Avery Dufresne

  You must hate me for keeping so many secrets from you, Avery. What irony that I would be a secret-keeper when I hate secrets. You know this! Never cared for the damn things. Secrets are like hidden snakes that strike at you when you least expect them to. But as it turns out, I am the secret keeper. I am the snake handler. And for that, I’m truly sorry.

  I won’t waste your time with a lot of flowery nonsense. I’m sure you’re getting that by the truckload from various cousins and friends who seek to gain something by flattering you. I was fooling myself, thinking I could keep you hidden. Blood speaks to blood, and now my stupidity has likely put you in further danger.

  I knew this was true the da
y your father died. I saw the Lovely Man then, standing near us, smiling at you. I saw him, and I did and said nothing.

  I remembered the cold touch I’d felt that day. How it alarmed me, how it felt like death. Later, after I found out about my parents, I knew it was death. But it was him? It was Ambrose?

  Before you came into my life, I thought being a parent was the hardest thing I would ever do. But the truth of the matter is that being a grandparent is even harder. As a grandparent, you get the benefit of hindsight. If you’re wise, which I hope I am in some respects, you recognize the mistakes you made raising your children and try not to repeat them with your grandchildren. Maybe I have, maybe I haven’t. I’ll leave the honest appraisal to you and to history. There’s nothing I can do about any of it now.

  Unfortunately, neither of those occupations, parenting or grandparenting, comes with a handbook. One day, if it’s safe, I hope you are blessed by such an experience. For you have been a blessing to me, Avery. In every respect.

  And for the record, I do not regret for one minute having taken you out of Belle Fontaine and away from that horrid pit of vipers. While many are charming, you should have no illusions, my dear. The Dufresne family are vipers.

  I have no doubt that the ghosts of Sugar Hill will somehow come to find you, but I know you. You are smart enough, brave enough, and intuitive enough to overcome them all.

  I’m sure you’re wondering why. Why would I not tell you? Why have I hidden the past from you? Yes, I know what you’re thinking. I am your grandmother, and although you are far more attractive and intelligent than I am, you also have a double dose of my common sense.

  I hope you have more courage than I do. I am a coward. Instead of fighting him, trying to help Anne, I ran as far away as I could. I took your father, my Andrew, and ran. He was all I had left. Hub had left me a long time ago, for he grew tired of the terror that stalked him. And your namesake, my own daughter, was dead. What else was I to do? Please don’t judge me too harshly, my dear.

  I put my finger in the book and leaned back in the seat. “Namesake? What are you talking about, Vertie?” I didn’t get an answer, nor did I expect one. Had I missed something by not reading the other journals? I suspected I had.

  For some reason, I hadn’t wanted to dive into them, unlike Grandmother Margaret’s videos. I didn’t know Margaret, but I knew Vertie so well. Reading her journals felt like invading her privacy, and she was nothing if not private. And the truth was, I couldn’t forgive her yet. She’d kept secrets from me. When she was alive, she swore she would never do that. What could I believe anymore? With a sigh, I opened the journal again and ran my fingers over the faded ink. I missed her so.

  “Oh, Vertie. You should know I love you, no matter what.” I rubbed my forehead and refused to succumb to the headache that threatened to hinder my exploration of my newfound treasure.

  I have seen him too, Avery. The Lovely Man, as the cousins called him. He came to me when I was a girl, long before he visited Anne and long before Grandmother Margaret slid the ring on my sister’s finger. How I hated that old lady! Her selfishness ruined everything. Anne, Asner, and I were inseparable when we were children, but the ring and the Lovely Man separated us forever. I couldn’t save Asner or my daughter, but I’ll be darned if I let you become his next soulmate, the next dead flower in his garden.

  You are in danger, my girl! You must say no to him. If you do not, I am already too late.

  By now, you have the ring. I hope my sister Anne was kind enough to explain what all of this meant before presenting it to you, but I know she does foolish things when she feels desperate. As much as the ring cursed her, and I know for a fact she did not want it and did not seek it, I hope she extended you greater courtesy.

  “No, Vertie, she didn’t, and now I have the ring.” I shook my head at the foggy memory of waking up with the ring on my finger. “It’s come to me, and he has too, and I’m ashamed at how tempted I was to surrender to him.”

  As if the ring knew my thoughts, it warmed on my finger. It warned me that he’d not forgotten me, that he wouldn’t give up on claiming me.

  Yes, he came to me. How surprising that was to my grandmother. How all my silly cousins had swooned over the idea of a ghost lover. A demon that would do your bidding, make you wealthy, grant your wishes at only the small cost of your soul.

  You wouldn’t believe some of the foolish things they said and did to try to lure him to them. Silly, stupid girls they were, pricking their fingers with needles, thinking the blood would draw him. Their foolish mothers encouraged them in these pursuits in hopes that their daughter would be the one the ring and the Lovely Man chose. I never wanted him, and I never did such things.

  In spite of all that, he picked me.

  Me, the one who would never accept him. Who never wanted him. I was repulsed by the idea of the dead returning to molest the living. I never wanted his dead hands to touch my body. I didn’t want his “blessings” or anything else. I wanted Hubbard Gordon Smith. I wanted him and loved him with every fiber of my being. He was all I ever desired.

  Despite my revulsion, night after night, the Lovely Man walked into my dreams and tried to trick me into speaking his name. Did you know he becomes more powerful when you speak his name? Never say it! He promised me everything with those lips of his, but I knew he could do none of it.

  I couldn’t believe what I was reading! Vertie knew Ambrose and had fought him off! But how? How, Vertie? I sipped the water and flipped a page in the journal.

  I did my best to keep you safe, Avery, but distance doesn’t matter to this creature. If he wants you, he can come whether you summon him or not. I knew that, but I had to try! And I think you were safe, until now. If you’re reading this, dear girl, you are not safe! The Lovely Man is what they call an incubus, a sexual demon. Yes, I know he was once a man, but I know who he is. Although his story may be sympathetic to some, make no mistake, my dear, he is a demon. A soul stealer. He’ll ravish your flesh until you don’t satisfy him anymore, and then he’ll steal your life. You can never take her place, the one he is truly bound to, but her blood is in your veins, and for a while, he’ll enjoy her through you.

  I tried so hard to keep him at bay. First, I stayed away from you as much as I could, except for our all-too-brief summer visits. I could never be sure he wouldn’t come see me again and then see you. When your parents died, that was no longer an option, so I moved us as far away as I could go and had our new home blessed. I also discovered that facing mirrors repels him. Also, he is weakened by love, true love between a man and a woman. He’ll tempt you to speak his name. He’ll make you curious, but resist him, Avery! Resist him with your last breath!

  If you decide to take him on, to get rid of him for good, you’ll have to break the curse of the ring. Challenge him where he’s weakest, at Sugar Hill. There’s one room in particular, the Mirror…

  Just then, I heard screaming coming from down the hall, from my temporary bedroom. The house shook like a train was speeding by a few feet from the outside wall. I heard a loud banging and another yell of pain. “Reed?” I slapped the journal shut, jumped out of the leather chair, and bolted into the bedroom to find Reed lying on the floor, still wrapped in the sheet. The contents of the dresser lay on the floor and on top of him. “What the hell happened in here? Are you all right?”

  “No, I’m not.” He groaned. I tried to help him up, but he wasn’t having any of it. He dug himself out of the clutter, waved me away, and hurriedly slid on his blue jeans. “Just hold on a second while I get my bearings.”

  I stood there feeling helpless for a few seconds, then I spotted blood trickling down his left temple and panicked. “You’re bleeding, Reed. Did one of the drawers hit you?” I grabbed one of my clean t-shirts off the floor and pressed the cloth to the side of his head. He took over the pressure and stepped away from me. I was getting the hint that he didn’t want me near him, and that hurt.

  “I’m fine.” He was walking into
the bathroom when Jessica ran into the room.

  “You guys all right? I thought I heard someone screaming. Was that an earthquake?” Jessica looked perpetually sleepy with her big sad eyes, but she was wide awake now.

  “I’m not sure what happened. I was in the library.”

  She stared wide-eyed at the mess and helped me slide the drawers back in and pick up the clothing. There wasn’t much to put back, but there were some sheets and other linens tossed about. Although I hadn’t packed much, it looked like someone had dumped an entire linen closet on the floor. “Just toss them in there. I’ll tidy it all up tomorrow.”

  Reed came back out, a bandage on his head and his shirt on. “I’ve got to go.”

  “Tell me what happened, Reed.”

  “You know what happened, and you know who did this. I guess you made your choice, Avery.” Without another word, he grabbed his keys and left Jessica and me staring after him. I sat down on the bed, unsure what to do next. I couldn’t believe this. He knew what being with me meant. He knew and had been ready to take a chance. But now, at the first sign of trouble, he was gone. He assumed I chose Ambr…the Lovely Man over him. Well, hadn’t I?

  Jessica sat beside me and held my hand. We didn’t talk for a while, but I felt comforted. “Would you like a glass of water?” she asked.

  “I have some in the library. I was in there when all this happened. I heard Reed yelling and came in here. The room was a mess like you saw, and he was lying on the floor with his head bleeding.”

  “I’ll go get that water.”

  “Thanks.”

  A minute later, she was back with a glass of water…and Vertie’s journal. It was open and looked like it had been set on fire because the edges were charred.

  And all the pages were missing.

  Chapter Fifteen