by Gow, Kailin
He nodded, and for the first time I saw fear in his eyes.
“But, hey, on the bright side, it gives me even more reason to be with you. Whether we find Brax or not, I know this will be a bonding experience for us both.
Taken in by his hopefulness and optimism, I smiled wistfully. “Speaking of Brax, do you have any idea what happened to his parents?”
“He said they’d disappeared; something about some paranormal investigations. I’d heard they were experienced experts in the spiritual world; anything and everything having to do with demons and angels.”
“Were they human?”
“As far as I know, yeah. They just had an affinity for the paranormal.”
“If they had such great affinity, why’d they disappear?”
He shrugged. “I don’t really know. Could be anything. It’s a dangerous realm to work in.” He glanced at me with a cocked brow. “As I’m sure you already know.”
I grinned, remembering the many hazards and dangers I’d encountered over the years.
“A realm so perilous,” he went on. “That my parents couldn’t even fight it.”
“I’m sorry.” I shook my head regrettably and squeezed his hand. “How awful to lose your parents while still so young. It’s unimaginably tragic. I can’t fathom what it must be like.” I thought of my own parents, alive and vibrant, virtually untouched by the world that so consumed my life.
I gazed at Moore, wondering how much Brax was like him and his sister. Living with the loss of his parents, he must have been tortured by it as well. They all had opulent upbringings, rich and easy childhoods.
My gaze wandered around the plane’s interior. It was almost obscene how luxurious everything was, and dinner… It had been worthy of a five star restaurant, served on fine china, and eaten with glistening silverware. We’d drunk from crystal stemware and had daintily wiped our lips with linen napkins; no plastic forks or paper plates on this flight.
I turned to Moore, beautiful, his soulful eyes alternating between wickedly sensual and surprisingly angelic. He was truly breathtaking, as perfect as Michelangelo. Just as perfect as Brax was.
But, at least Moore had someone to share this journey with, he had a sibling, though it was hard to say whether that was a blessing or a curse.
The boy in my dream came to me suddenly, vivid in his need of me, in his desire to be saved, but utterly vague and obscured to the eye. He was unrecognizable. Before I could do anything, I had to find out who that boy was; who I was supposed to save.
“We should be arriving shortly,” Moore said. “You still have some time to get a good night’s sleep.”
“And what about you?”
“I’ll go have a word with the pilot, make sure everything’s on track and then I’ll take a little snooze myself.”
The moment he rose, I stretched out on the sofa and slept soundly. It seemed hours later when I stirred to the buzz of distant conversation, to the pilot announcing our approach to Heathrow and Moore gently pushing my shoulder, urging me to full wakefulness.
“Sorry to wake you, princess, but we have to strap ourselves in one last time.”
“Sure.” I got to my feet, groggy, but solid and headed to the passenger seats.
Belting myself in, my stomach growled its need to be fed.
Moore smiled. “Of course, we do have a quick moment for breakfast.”
He rose and headed for the galley, returning moments later with a tantalizing tray of fresh fruit and a variety of pastries. He also had two steaming cups of coffee.
Setting the tray down with an awkward clatter, he gazed sheepishly at me. “Sorry, I’m not as adept with service trays as Suzanne is. Seeing how she’s detained at the moment, I thought I’d step in and give it a try.”
“Detained?” I looked back to find the flight attendant slumped over the last passenger seat at the rear. My hunter instincts immediately kicked in as I unlashed my seatbelt and rushed to her side. One quick glance at the peaceful curve of her lips and the relaxed shutter of her eyes and I knew I’d overreacted. She was simply asleep.
Turning to the front of the plane, I caught Moore’s pained expression.
“You seemed surprised to find her sleeping. What did you expect?”
“I’m sorry.”
“For what? For suspecting the worst of me?”
“I know you’re fighting this, Moore, but that doesn’t mean you won’t slip up and do something bad.”
“You thought I’d drained her soul, didn’t you?”
“It’s what I’m trained to look out for, Moore. And you know full well that you have the capacity to do it, too.”
He stared at me, his eyes dark with confusion and hurt.
“I’ll even bet you thought about it, didn’t you?” I approached him, my gaze never leaving his.
His eyes darted away with guilty speed.
“Didn’t you?”
He slowly nodded. “But the important thing is I didn’t act on that thought. Surely that’s worth something.”
It was. I chewed on my lip, fighting the urge to rake my fingers through his hair and reassure him. He seemed so utterly distraught, so earnest in his desire to beat the curse he was born with. I looked up at him, my eyes full on him. “I’ll have to keep an eye on you, don’t I?”
Moore gave me a small smile. “Better you than anyone else.”
The pilot announced the need to be seated and buckled up. Moore gestured to the seats and I dutifully sat down, belting myself in once again.
For a long moment we sat in silence, picking at the pieces of fruits he’d brought.
“I’m happy you didn’t do anything to Suzanne. I guess it must take a lot of willpower to control your urges.” I reached over to grasp his forearm. “I’m sorry I suspected you, but I really am happy with your show of restraint.”
He took my hand and immediately brought it to his lips. “I meant every word I said about my combat with this and I will spend every minute of every hour proving it to you.”
Averting his gaze, I pulled my hand free and reached for a croissant. The emotions that suddenly filled me were far too intense, far too deep and I feared love would actually appear in my eyes should I look at him. I wasn’t ready; not yet.
“I’ll help you,” I said through bites of my croissant. I knew the weight of my emotions clung heavily to every word.
“I’d be forever grateful.” He leaned closer and kissed my cheek; a sweet kiss that lingered and promised. I knew he wanted to kiss more than my cheek, but he held back, gazing at me with his soft eyes.
The wealth of emotions I’d been struggling with took on mammoth proportions. My head spun, my heart pounded and my palms moistened.
“It’s so good, being this close to you.”
“Moore, I’m not really sure what I want right now.”
Confusion veiled the approaching earth as I looked out the window at British soil. With barely a bump, we arrived in London.
Chapter 5
After thanking the crew for a perfect flight and confirming our return departure, we left the elegance of the Global Express and got into the regal limousine that awaited us. The thirty minute drive was filled with trivial facts and fascinating stories as Moore pointed out various buildings of interest. Within what seemed like mere minutes we pulled up in front of The Savoy and were ushered to our room.
“Welcome to your weekend abode,” Moore said as he pushed the door to our suite open.
The suite was an experience in itself. Large enough to fit a good sized family, it was tastefully decorated in Edwardian style and overlooked the courtyard. I was instantly enchanted.
“And, as you can see,” Moore said as he headed to the door on the left. “This is my room.” He crossed the span of the gracious living space and opened the door on the right. “Your room.”
“This really is something.” I was almost afraid to enter. Everything screamed don’t touch and definitely don’t break, or you’ll pay dearly.
“If you wa
nt to freshen up, shower, what have you, the bathroom is over there. When you're ready we can have a real bite to eat at the River Restaurant downstairs, but we can take a quick walk before lunch and take in a few sights on the way.”
“And what’s this?” My fingers ran over the edge of a small envelope propped up against the lamp on the end table. Moore’s name was elegantly written on it.
“Why don’t you open it and see?” he suggested, a mischievously boyish grin on his face.
Picking up the envelope, I gazed at him, hiding my childish enthusiasm. “But this has your name on it.”
His smile broadened.
I flicked open the flap and pulled out two tickets. “What is it?”
“I don’t know. What do they say?”
“Anne Boleyn, at the Shakespeare Globe Theater.”
“Hmmm, who’s that?” he said with a comical grin.
“You who knows everything about England. It’s Henry VIII’s second wife, silly.”
“That sounds like the making for an interesting play. I certainly hope they’re good seats.”
I hid my excitement. I was thrilled at the thought of seeing an English play.
After a luxuriously long hot shower, I slipped on the pretty cocktail dress that fit like a silk glove and we headed down to the River Restaurant for a cozy and tasty lunch. I wanted to weep as I took the last bite of my peach melba. “This is absolutely delicious. I never thought anything could be so yummy.”
He raised his eyebrows and leaned in, his mouth so close to my ear, his breath felt like a kiss. “I know quite a few things even yummier.” His eyes were dark and full of desire. He took a deep breath, ran his hand through his thick wavy hair and said,“I’m sorry, Lux, I didn’t mean to… you’re so beautiful in that dress, and the lighting…”
I patted his hand. “It’s okay, Moore. I like it when you notice what I wear.” I smiled. “I have to admit, it feels good when a man appreciates everything about a woman.”
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.
