Black 21: (Golden Hills Legacy of Black 21 Book 1)

by Nancy Glynn

  All self-conscience fears abandoned her. She returned the kiss in the same urgency of his. A small groan escaped Christian, deepening the kiss, becoming more insistent. “Oh, Christian,” she moaned, never feeling so alive just from a kiss. Their tongues entwined like silk against silk, tasting each other, not getting enough. Daisy’s breath grew heavier to match Christian’s, a hunger growing inside them.

  She leaned in to his chest as his hands caressed her back. Then she felt it, claws gripping her from behind, scratching her, breathing that wasn’t Christian’s, a growl-like sound. She twisted around to see who was there but nothing.

  “You trust me, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “You’re safe with me right now. No matter what you feel or hear. Do you understand?” he murmured against her mouth for her to hear.

  “I don’t like this,” she cried, shaking her head.

  “I know, honey. Just trust me and it’ll be over,” he whispered so low she had to strain to hear him. “I won’t let anything hurt you.”

  “I trust you, Christian,” she said, looking into his eyes. He pulled her face back to his so her eyes leveled with his. She noticed for a brief moment that his pupils dilated and then returned to normal. Their foreheads touched and he cradled her close to him.

  “Daisy,” a low grunted voice came behind her. A demonic laughter erupted in her ear. “My Daisy, my Daisy, my Daisy,” over and over from that low, guttural voice.

  She let out a scream. “Christian...what is that?” her voice trembled. She couldn’t bring herself to turn around for she knew she would see something this time, could feel it. Sweat broke out in a wave.

  Christian put his finger to his mouth to hush her. “Close your eyes and make a wish,” Christian instructed her in a low whisper. He enunciated wish.

  She was in a tug-of-war, fighting something she couldn’t quite see. The flaps of huge wings roared in her ears. Something breathed as if fire were roaring out. One side was her Christian and the other...what? What was it? The cold air gave her sweaty body the chills, causing her to shiver.

  Something long and hard slithered around her leg. She squeezed her eyes shut and did as Christian told her to do. She said a prayer and caressed her cross. And then whatever it was disappeared. The weight dissolved and she could breathe again.

  Her heart pounded hard against her chest. She was sure Christian could hear it. Turning around, her arm flew out to punch whatever might still be there.

  Nothing.

  “You’re okay now, Daisy. You did good." He wiped her tears away and kissed her wet forehead. He grabbed one of the burlap blankets on the bench and wrapped it around her.

  She trembled in his arms, afraid it might come back. The hayride lurched to a stop, jerking them forward. Fog surrounded them, making it impossible to see a thing. Out of nowhere, people wearing short, black-hooded cloaks walked through the hazy smoke with what looked to be blood smeared on their faces. Daisy squeezed his arm tighter, hiding behind him.

  “It’s okay, Daisy. Nothing to be afraid of,” he said.

  They held out their long-sleeved arms, holding hands, and began to circle around the hay truck, chanting words Daisy couldn’t understand. The only thing she could hear was “hail Prince Christian” over and over again.

  She turned to Christian, but he carried a look of defeat. “Christian...what is going on?”

  “It’s a celebration of our...kiss...our union,” he admitted, somewhat embarrassed.

  “Celebration?”

  He sighed and looked into her eyes. “Something more happened here tonight, Daisy. I can’t explain it now, but I will. This is all leading up to the ball,” he shared.

  She surveyed the crowd swinging their arms in a circle, orbiting them and chanting louder than before. A girl sauntered over to the edge of the truck, and, with her fingers, marked Daisy’s lips in the sign of the cross with what tasted like blood. She then turned to Christian’s lips, repeating the ritual, chanting some unknown words again.

  The girl then proceeded to kiss Daisy on the lips, swiping her tongue inside her mouth for a flash second, causing her to jump back, and then the same to Christian.

  Anger filled her after watching another girl kiss Christian. Or was it jealousy? Whatever it was, she hated the feeling. She wiped the blood away with the back of her hand, some of it seeping into her mouth.

  Before walking away, the girl pulled the hood back a little so Daisy could see it was Lydia, smiling and giving her a wink. Daisy’s eyes widened in surprise.

  The group bowed to both Christian and her and then turned, exiting to wherever they first came, fog closing in around them. As they began to stand, a man stepped up on the wooden plaque and moved toward them. A handsome man in blue, designer jeans and a long-sleeved, buttoned-down, white shirt. His dark brown hair curled at the ends over his shirt collar. He had the bluest eyes she’d ever seen.

  A deep voice resonated from this man. “Christian, always good to see you. And you must be the Daisy Lock I’ve heard so much about." He bent and kissed her hand.

  At the touch of his hand, a vision flashed in her mind of an unknown woman screaming and clawing at a car window in a fire. After the vision disappeared, she pulled her hand back in fear. No words would come to her. She felt frozen to the wooden seat. Something about his eyes...his eyes.

  Christian broke her trance. “Daisy, please meet Jack Red. He’s an old friend of the family,” Christian added through gritted teeth.

  “Hello, Mr. Red,” she responded. A flicker of recognition ignited her face. He seemed so familiar, but from where? Memories tried to form, but then they would disappear. Something was stopping them.

  He gave a wide, bright smile. “Please, call me Jack. Everyone does. Well, I won’t keep you kids long, just wanted to meet the beautiful Daisy myself. Christian’s a lucky man." He bowed to them both and turned on his heel, walking off into the darkness. “I’m sure to see you again very soon,” he added before disappearing.

  She tried to figure out where he departed, but he seemed to vanish. “Christian?”

  “Yes, Daisy,” he said dryly.

  “There’s things I need to know, aren’t there,” she stated.

  “Yes. Let’s get to the truck before you freeze to death.”

  They walked at a fast pace to Christian’s truck in silence, looking behind them every so often. He tried to grab her hand, but she pulled it away. She didn’t know what to think anymore or about these rituals and what else was expected of her. Something dark was at play here.

  After getting inside the warm cab, Christian turned to her. “Please forgive me for not warning you first, Daisy. But would you have gone through with it if I had told you what would happen?" He grabbed a napkin and wiped her mouth of the blood and then his.

  “Of course not! This is crazy, Christian! Some...whatever that was attacking me, all to celebrate you and our kiss? What exactly is going on in this town? If my father even knew–”

  “He does.”

  “Wait...what?

  “He’s always known." He grabbed her hand and rubbed it against his cheek. “Don’t you see, Daisy? You’re part of a bigger plan.”

  “No! I don’t believe you,” she said, pulling her hand back. “I’m going home and calling my father. He’ll be so angry about this, I just know it,” she cried.

  “Is there anything else that bothered you about tonight you want to tell me? I feel a distance between us now.”

  “No,” she lied, turning away and chewing on her nail.

  He turned her face back to his. “I’m sorry about Lydia and what she did, but it’s been done a thousand times before–”

  “With you?”

  “No, with other birthdays.”

  “You seemed to enjoy her kiss. And the way she kissed me...this is all so strange!”

  “The only kiss I enjoyed was yours, sweet Daisy. Only yours, I swear. I think Lydia likes you.”

  “Yeah, I could see that.”
<
br />   “No, not like that. She likes you for me. She knows what I’ve been through and wants to see me happy. That was her way of saying she approves.”

  “Christian, that thing that was behind me, what was that?" Her voice cracked. “And who was that man?”

  “We can’t talk here. It needs to be somewhere...safe.”

  “You’ll tell me everything that’s going on, everything?”

  “Yes, I will. But it has to be somewhere private. I’ll pick you up in the morning, say around nine, and we’ll talk,” he promised.

  She let out a sigh and slunk down in her seat. He grabbed her hand and she allowed it this time.

  After pulling into her driveway, she kissed his cheek and jumped out. She ran up the stairs and into the house, shutting off the porch light after closing the door.

  Uncle Joe waited up for her and asked about the big event. Then she remembered Christian’s words of how she was part of a big plan, and said it was a wonderful night. He seemed satisfied with that and let her go to bed.

  She closed her bedroom door and took her sweater off, stifling a scream when she saw the back of it.

  It was shredded to pieces.

  Chapter Five

  “Where’re you going this early, Daisy?” Aunt Betty asked with concern in her voice. She stood over the stove, cooking bacon and eggs while looking at her for answers.

  Daisy picked at her fingertips where there had been nails, not knowing what to say. “Um, just for a ride around town. He never really showed me, so today’s my lucky day, I guess,” she lied. Her stomach grumbled. She pulled her blue baseball cap with a big C on it for Chicago Cubs. Her hair stuck through the hole in the back in a ponytail.

  She stood and poured coffee into her flowery ceramic mug, added cream and five spoonfuls of sugar. No Splenda here. After stirring it, she sat back down and looked at her phone, waiting for Christian’s text.

  Aunt Betty sat in the chair next to her. “But why today...why now?”

  “Don’t worry so much, Aunt Betty." She comforted her aunt, reaching out to touch her hand.

  But Daisy saw something flicker in her aunt’s otherwise pretty brown eyes, something dark. Part of a big plan was what Christian had said. She snatched her hand away and finished her coffee without another word. Her aunt just sat there watching her with a smile that never reached her eyes.

  “Aunt Betty, your bacon will burn,” she reminded her.

  “It never burns, Daisy. I cook sometimes at Jack’s Den because I don’t burn food. That’s my specialty, you know,” she snipped.

  Jack’s Den. Was Jack’s Den named after Jack Red, she wondered? “Really? Wow, that’s great…oh, there’s Christian now,” she lied again. It was eight-fifty, but nine couldn’t come faster. “I’ll meet him outside,” she said after washing out her mug and setting it in the sink rack.

  “But your breakfast, Daisy. Aren’t you…”

  Daisy bolted for the door. “I’m good for now. See you later,” she yelled from the door and closed it behind her. The sun blinded her, forcing her to tug her cap lower over her eyes. Her pink purse bag hung over her shoulder.

  Christian’s shiny, black truck raced down the street and into her driveway. He rolled down the window to greet her, “Morning, beautiful.”

  As soon as she jumped in her side, she pulled her sweater out of her bag and held it out for him to see.

  “Like I said last night, we need to talk,” he responded, eyeing the torn, pretty sweater. He grabbed her hand and kissed it to try to ease some of her discomfort.

  “Are you who you say you are? Am I in some sort of danger, Christian?”

  “Maybe.”

  They drove in silence, only occasionally looking at each other. He glimpsed at her long legs being shown off by red shorts and just a hint of sun to her pale skin. He slid his hand into hers after she finally opened it for him.

  She crossed her legs and turned to face him. “I know I should be more scared, but I feel safe with you,” she confessed.

  “Daisy, you do realize you’re in danger because of me?”

  She shot him a worried glance and then looked away. Her face softened, and she squeezed his hand. “I can take care of myself.”

  They drove up to black ornate gates. Christian punched a code in the box next to his window. The gates swung open. “Welcome to my home.”

  Daisy gazed in wonder. They drove down a circular driveway built for thirty cars. Gargoyles surrounded a fountain as well as perch atop the mansion and the porch.

  Christian parked by the curb and helped her out. He took her hand and guided her up the steps. The double doors opened and a butler greeted them, wearing a uniform from the 1920s. He bowed to Christian and smiled at Daisy.

  Christian introduced them. “This is James – been with us forever. James – Daisy.”

  “Honor to meet you, Madam,” James said.

  “Hello, James.”

  Christian guided her through the foyer to the modern kitchen and out through the French doors that led to a private patio garden. A black wrought-iron bench nestled in a colorful garden near a fountain encasing a sculpted naked woman.

  “That’s my mother,” he said, glancing at the sculpture.

  She took off her cap out of respect. “What a lovely tribute.”

  Taking her hand, he sat her on the bench and gazed at the statue. “It’s safe to talk here. That fountain guards.”

  “You’re scaring me, Christian.”

  “You should be terrified.”

  “I’m listening.”

  Birds that sang and cawed now scattered out of the trees, causing a whooshing sound and then silence. She looked around, afraid to speak.

  “It all began in the year 1879. Basically, my ancestor, William Stone, was poor but greedy. He wanted it all but owned nothing of true value. He went to church on Sundays, and whipped his three boys when they misbehaved except for the one girl, his sweet Suzanna.

  “Suzanna was like a beautiful doll, and at thirteen, the town boys all wanted to court her. One day, he saw a stranger staring at his daughter and confronted him. The man told William he could have anything he wanted in exchange for his daughter,” Christian explained.

  Daisy gasped and knew where this was going. She felt the blood drain out of her.

  He continued. “William looked at his daughter who stood there believing her father would never give her up, much less to this stranger, for money. He asked him exactly what would he get out of this. ‘Unlimited funds for the rest of your life,’ this man had said.

  The fountain turned off and stopped pouring water. Daisy stared at it before slowly returning to Christian. “Go on.”

  “So, William closed his eyes and did some thinking. His daughter began to cry knowing what her father wanted more. He asked this man if he would care for her like his own, to which the man said yes…she would be his bride. Suzanna screamed then and shook her head, but he asked what else was involved.

  “The man told him that he would have power and glory if he and his kin would pray to only him, to let their Christian ways go and to make a church dedicated to him. All the men in his lineage would have this power when they turned twenty-one. The women would also have power and get to enjoy all the benefits of these men.

  “He asked what kind of power, and the man smiled and said he would feel the blood of the beast running through his veins. He would know certain things humans could not know,” he paused, giving her time to hear him. “He then asked him to remove the cross around his neck and to burn it.”

  Clutching her cross on her chest, she drew her brows up and had to ask it. “How do you know all these things, Christian?”

  He hesitated before taking a deep breath. “William is my father. He’s still alive and well, Daisy,” he responded in a low tone.

  “But that’s impossible! He would have to be...”

  “Immortal? Exactly,” he answered for her.

  It took her a moment to digest this and then it came.
“So what does that make you, Christian?”

  “If I take the next step of becoming the master at my birthday ball, I will also become immortal. I have some powers now, and the beast fights within me all the time. It’s a war inside me, Daisy,” he admitted.

  “You don’t want this status?”

  “No. My mother named me Christian to try to keep God in me. She would sneak me off to her church and teach me all the prayers and to love God, but every day this beast, or that man I spoke of, tries to control me and turn me against the good,” he said.

  The fountain turned back on. Water splashed in the base. Their eyes drifted to it and then back to each other.

  “…like last night at the hayride? I felt something behind me, breathing in my ear.”

  “Yes. He wants you, Daisy. And he knows I want you, too,” he said.

  “Who is Jack Red?”

  He looked her straight in the eye. “That’s the man, Daisy...the beast.”

  Her mouth dropped open and she shook her head. “I’m not strong for this, Christian. I’m just not,” she cried. Her face dropped into her hands. “There’s still so many questions!”

  “The thing you need to know for now is that he wants to impregnate you with his son at my birthday ball. I am supposed to bring you to him in front of his congregation. Then you’ll be given back to me to be by my side for eternity. You’ll not just be my date for a dance, but a high priestess,” he paused, seeing the fear in her eyes. “It’s a gift from my father for all that he’s done for him, all his lives he has lived on this earth and the families he has created.

  “The other men in this town are related to my father one way or another, so they get to sample the riches as well, and their sons get privileges, like Dane. This is why I wanted to just leave and not have a ball. I don’t want this...life, if you call it that. But I do fight this darkness in me every day, every moment. I’m good at hiding it,” he admitted.

  She wiped her tears away and looked at him. “So why are you more special than any other son your father has sired? Where are they now?”