“Mason…”
She didn’t want to bother him with her worries, but every time he mentioned the Elders, she thought of the pain he’d endured to keep her safe. It was still fresh on her mind, as were the night terrors that still plagued him since his punishment. She knew he’d sacrificed a lot for her, and it made her wonder if there was a real chance things could indeed work out between them.
He wrapped his arm around her and cradled her against him, before kissing the top of her head. “Do not worry, my love. No harm will come to me.”
There was little conviction in his voice, and she knew not even he believed his own words. Having been around for ages, the Elders were fickle and moody, and the murders were making them even more testy than usual.
She squeezed her eyes shut and leaned against him, breathing in his scent to help calm her fears. It took her a moment more, but she was finally able to compose herself.
“Please be safe.” She then kissed him as if it were their very last kiss, and left to start her day.
She took the carriage to her home where Corwin was waiting for her. He climbed into the carriage with a smile on his face, leaving Lilly to curse the fact that her stomach still fluttered at the mere sight of him. “Are you ready then? It feels like it’s going to be a busy day.”
“Aye, lass. Let’s be on our way then.” Corwin settled by her side. Though he didn’t pull her close, he did drape his arm across the back of the seat, so the first bump in the road had her landing in his arms.
She glanced up at him with a scolding frown. “You did that on purpose.”
He’d yet to let her go, their bodies pressed against each other in the most inappropriate fashion. Her heart raced despite feeling guilty that he still had such an effect on her.
“My love, there’s naught to be done for the bumps in the road.” He kissed the tip of her nose, and settled her against his side, clearly no intention of letting her go.
She shook her head, trying to find the strength to pull away and failing. “Corwin, you know what you mean to me, but… I’m married.”
“Do ye think I could ever forget that ye’re not mine?” He looked away as if mulling something over. “Do ye not find it odd that the moment I’m back in yer life, he finds a reason to marry ye?”
“He did it to keep me safe. There was no other option.” She shifted out of his arms, annoyed.
“Can ye know that for sure? Who’s to say there wasna another option?” He took her hand in his and gave it a squeeze. “I’m not trying to upset ye, love, but it feels like an awful coincidence.”
“How can you say that? You saw the results of his punishment. He was broken and battered. Do you really think he’d endure all that just to keep me from you?” She’d never argued with Corwin before, and it upset her.
“No, love. Not to keep you from me.” He touched her cheek, his fingers just a little rough against her skin. “However, I do think he’d endure every hell imaginable if it meant ye’d be his and he wouldna lose ye.”
She started to protest that they were the same thing, and then realized that they were completely different, even if the end result was the same. “He’d not do such a thing, Corwin.”
“Ye know him best, aye?” He brought her hand to his lips, his stubble tickling her skin. “Forgive me if I upset ye. It wasna my intention.”
She nodded and sat back in her seat, but with the words already spoken, they niggled their way into her thoughts to fester. Before she could give it any more thought, they pulled to a stop near the location of her first reap. Corwin helped her out of the carriage, though she found herself unable to look at him.
He tucked her hand in the crook of his arm as she guided them in the direction she was being pulled. It was still early and the roads were bustling with people and the sounds of business, the air rich with the scents of London—some good, some she could do without.
The conversation in the carriage had soured her mood, and it was only made worse by delivering someone to their death—in this case a worker in his twenties, still vibrant in his youth.
When she looked at Corwin, it was only for the briefest of moments, her manners and tone clipped and to the point. “I think it’s best if you give this one a try.”
“Lilly, I canna stand ye being angry with me.” Hopeful eyes searched hers, but she could not bear to look at him, even if it wasn’t his fault.
“I’m not angry with you.” She tried not to sound frustrated, but failed. All she could now think of was Mason and that cursed day. She was doing her best to make their marriage work, however she’d strangle him if she found out they’d married just to keep her from being with Corwin. “Let’s just get through the day. I’m in no mood to be dolling out death any longer than I have to.”
She turned to go, but he stopped her with a gentle hand. “I shouldna have said anything, love. It was not my place.”
“No. It wasn’t.” She let out a ragged sigh and finally turned to look at him, her heart aching. The sun set his dark red hair ablaze, but it was his green eyes that kept her from looking away.
“I dinna blame him, Lilly. If I thought I might lose ye, I’d do whate’er it took and not give it a second thought.”
Guilt ate away at her, for though she loved Mason, she couldn’t ignore the nagging feeling he’d played her a fool. She knew the threat from Nelson had been very real, but she now wondered how imperative it was that they marry. Had there been an alternative that would keep her safe and wouldn’t require such drastic measures? She knew not.
“We’ve got work to do.” Pushing the matter aside, the rest of the day was spent with Lilly in a numb haze and Corwin trying to make up for upsetting her.
There had been several reaps, none too difficult, and Corwin had done well with each and every one. Though he’d kept himself emotionally distanced from the deaths, he’d also been a kind face passing through those people’s lives, and it reminded her of why she fell in love with him so many years ago. Soon, he would be on his own, with his own souls to cast off from this earthly plane of existence.
Back at the carriage, Corwin took her hand in his. “Och, love, I’m sorry…”
Despite the doubt cast upon the necessity of her marriage, she knew she needed to remain committed towards it. It wouldn’t be fair to Mason or Corwin if she kept changing her mind. She spun in her seat to face him.
“I know you have your doubts about Mason, and I know he can be a bastard at times, but I need to make this marriage work. I cannot have you questioning Mason’s motives, nor can I have you waiting around for me.” She let out a weary sigh and fought back her tears.
“Lilly, please—let me wait the year and a day. Ye know things are uncertain between the two of ye.” He cupped the nape of her neck and leaned his head against hers. “I love ye, a ghaoil.”
The tears spilled over. “You love a girl that no longer exists.”
He cupped her cheek, his gaze fierce. “I love the woman before me, Lilly. Please, don’t do this.”
She turned away from him, feeling numb and heartbroken. She knew it had to be done, but it didn’t make it any easier. When the silence became too much to bear, she did her best to smooth things between them. “I could do with a drink and a bite to eat. Would you mind accompanying me?”
He let out a weary sigh, but took her hand in his before bringing it to his lips. “I know just the place.” They left the carriage, and with his fingers twined around hers, he led her down the road.
They skirted the docks, the smell of the river pungent in the air, their path twisting and turning down the narrow alleyways. The houses here seemed as if they were built one upon the other, the neighborhood congested with the activity of cargo being moved on and off ships.
They slipped into a tavern bustling with dock hands and sea legs, though it was clear not many women frequented the establishment. In no mood to be gawked at, Lilly cast a glamour, everyone returning to their drinks and meals, her presence there now forgotten and
unnoticed.
They found an empty table at the back of the tavern, not far from the fire. Corwin pulled out the seat for her, and tucked her in. “I’ll only be a moment. Will pies and cider do?”
She nodded, still feeling heartbroken. Watching him disappear into the crowd, she told herself it was for the best. Even if things didn’t work out with herself and Mason—and there was a good chance they wouldn’t if she found out he’d manipulated her into marriage—it would still be a year and a day, no matter what happened. She’d committed herself to that at the very least.
Would she then turn to Corwin if things turned sour between herself and Mason? He’d passed over only six weeks ago, yet in his presence, she sometimes felt like she struggled to maintain who she’d become these last ten years. He claimed he loved who she was now, but how could he be so sure when he still saw the woman he once loved?
After their engagement, he’d taken care of every detail, doing all he could to provide and do right by her. It was admirable and sweet. However, she now found herself happy to take care of matters on her own, savoring the independence this life had to offer.
It was something never afforded to her while alive. Though Lilly had been a head strong girl, society and her parents made sure she had few decisions to make. Upon her engagement, Corwin had stepped in and taken care of everything.
But now? She could take care of herself. Not that she didn’t muck things up more often than she’d like. At least the mistakes she made were her own, and she could live with that. That was the nice thing with Mason. He might very well be a manipulative bastard, but he never thought of her as vulnerable or incapable.
She owed this marriage—and Mason—a chance to make it work.
Deep in thought, it caught her by surprise when someone slipped into the empty seat across from her, and even more surprised to find the man before was not Corwin.
“Surprised to find you here, my dear.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
“There’s got to be an explanation.” Mason rubbed his hand across his chin, giving it some thought as he shifted in his seat to avoid getting jostled by the carriage. It’d been nagging at him ever since that day in the cabin. “Lilly’s been able to recreate two out of the five murders, but neither scene unfolds from the very beginning. Technically, she should be able to see the murder from start to finish. Yet in the latest two, she saw not a thing—nor were the women reaped—and in the other two before that, we saw Jack hacking the women to bits, but not their actual deaths.”
“It could be that she cannot bring herself to see Jack actually take their lives. You know she’s had a hard time believing him capable.”
“I know.” He let out a ragged sigh. “I’d hoped that her help in catching Jack would prove her worth to the Elders, and perhaps they’d make her life easier. Unfortunately, by dragging her into this to the extent that I have, I’ve done nothing but make things difficult for her.”
“Perhaps. But there’s also been some good to come out of it for her.” Pierce gave his hand a quick squeeze.
“Yes.” Mason pursed his lips in annoyance. “I doubt she ever imagined being reunited with her betrothed.”
Pierce let out an exasperated huff and shook his head, his chestnut locks falling carelessly in his face. “I meant you, you fool.”
Mason grunted back in answer. The truth was he didn’t know if Lilly would consider him any sort of prize in this mess. Not when she could be with Corwin. She agreed to make their marriage work, and he knew she loved him, but he wondered if she’d have made the same choice if they had not married. If they hadn’t been forced into such a drastic situation, they’d surely have taken their time and let their relationship take its natural course, rather than rush things.
Would he still have been her first choice? He knew deep down he was the better match for her, but on the surface? Corwin had been her first love and likely her first lover. He was a link to her past and the child that was taken from her. Never mind that she’d changed these last ten years.
“If that’s what you think, then you’re probably not helping matters by having her spend her entire day with him.” Pierce stretched out his long legs and braced them against the wall of the carriage to avoid falling out of his seat as they hit a particularly bumpy segment of road. “Why are you having them spend all their time together? Whatever your motivations, I fear they may go awry.”
“I need to keep her safe, Pierce. Even if it means she’s with Corwin every day.” He bit his lower lip as he thought of not only Nelson but Stefan—another one they’d yet to find. The thought of her coming to harm left his gut in knots. “Stefan’s still out there, and I shouldn’t need to remind you of what that madman’s capable of. Stabbed you, and then nearly raped her. She may not be able to die, but it’d mean she’d have an eternity to live with the memory of being violated.”
“That bastard’s like a ghost. I’ve gone back to where Lilly first met him, but the publican doesn’t recall seeing him before. When I asked around the surrounding area, some recall seeing him, but said it was infrequent and they knew not his name nor where he lived.”
“I’m assuming the same is true for the other places we’ve spotted him?” Mason went through all the details in his head. There was something about Stefan that bothered him, and it went beyond his obsession with Lilly or the fact that he could see their true form.
“Aye. Like you said, it’s likely he turned up because he knew he’d find Lilly there.”
“I swear, if he harms her, I’ll murder the bastard, and to hell with it not being his time to die.” Mason’s guilt nagged at him. She’d come too close to harm, and yet she was still out on the streets reaping lives because he had yet to convince the Elders she was worthy of a new position. “Something will need to be done. I cannot fail her.”
Mason could feel Pierce’s gaze on him, and knew that if he turned to face his lieutenant, he’d be looking into eyes the color of honey, alight with intelligence. They’d been friends a very long time, and there were few who knew him better or who he trusted more. Lilly, was one of those people, even if he’d known her just the short ten years. And he’d hate to admit it, but she was the only one to touch his very soul.
“We’ll find him before long, aye? He cannot hide forever.” Pierce put a gentle hand on Mason’s knee. “I have that information you wanted. It wasn’t easy, but it’s all there.”
Pierce reached into his satchel and pulled out a paper, giving it a quick glance before handing it to him.
Now it was up to Mason to decide what he should do with the information.
***
Mason sipped his brandy, relieved that Damon hadn’t invited any of the other Elders to join them. The fire burned hot in the massive stone fireplace, the entire home and its décor harkening to centuries past. Massive wooden beams crisscrossed the vaulted ceilings, while thick stone walls fortressed the room, their surface blackened with age. It suited Damon perfectly.
Damon shifted his glass in a small circle, while watching the liquid swirl within. He then took a sip and gave Mason a smile.
“You’ll be glad to know Nelson’s finally been dealt with. His mistake was to go after Ms. Gordon’s betrothed—or should I say Lady Archer?” Damon laughed before continuing. “If we’ll not tolerate Jack altering the fabric of fate, we’ll certainly not accept it from a chancellor. Unfortunately, he had Amara pleading his case which is why the matter took so long.”
“In other words, he’ll get naught but a slap on the wrist.” Anger boiled up within him, even if he knew all along that justice would not be served.
“He’ll face a punishment worse than yours, to be sure. He’s also off the case and has been suspended indefinitely from his position as chancellor.”
At least that was something. “I want Lilly excused from reaping. It’s not safe for her to be out there. She’s my wife, aye?”
“Very well. But be warned—Nelson’s furious about his dismissal and suspension, and
he’s holding you responsible.”
The blood drained from Mason’s face. Lilly. “When was he told?” He was out of his seat like a shot. “When, Damon?”
“This morning.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
Lilly’s heart thundered against her chest as she reached into her skirt pocket. Her hand closed around the pistol Mason gave her, while she did her best to shield her mind. She did not draw the weapon just yet, but pulled it free from her pocket. “What do you want?”
Jack - A Grim Reaper Romance Page 26
