by Nancy Glynn
Another rapid knock on the door turned her head.
“Daisy, you okay? You need to come out some time,” Christian said, concern in his tone. “Jack’s waiting.”
Chapter Thirty
She took a deep breath and said a prayer. She opened her purse, sliding her glove on and bent down, picking up the cross and placing it in her purse. “I’m coming,” she yelled out.
Christian stood patiently on the other side, smiling at her as she opened the door. “Everything okay in there?”
“It’s happening to me,” she said in a low tone.
“What?”
She nodded, showing him her burned hand.
He held it and put it to his lips. “You can fight this, Daisy. I know you can.”
“Where is he?” she asked, glancing through the room.
“You’ll see him. It’s nine-thirty, one more dance." He grabbed her hand and guided her to the dance floor for a slow dance.
She followed his lead and moved against his body, draping her hands around his neck. Sweat rolled down her back as her heart quickened, looking for Jack. All she could see were jeering faces, hear their obnoxious laughter, and Emily being dragged off to some room in the back of the house, peering back at her parents with one last plea. Her mother cried against the father’s chest as he waved goodbye to his daughter.
“I thought I’d see Charlotte here tonight, the strangest thing with her,” he said in her hair.
“Christian, Charlotte died. She came to me in my room, and I ended up killing her,” she muffled a cry.
He looked down at her. “What? Oh, Daisy. I’m so sorry. I know you, and I’m sure it was in defense. I knew something had to have happened to her." He softly kissed her hair. “Let’s just act normal until Jack comes out.”
Spinning around in the room, getting dizzy, the faces blending, merging, staring at her, she closed her eyes.
Christian stopped and steadied her. And there he was. Mr. Jack Red, handsome as ever in his black tux, holding his hand out for her to take.
Daisy watched as Christian bowed to her, holding her gaze as he bent down, encouraging her. She curtsied in return and turned to Jack.
“My sweet Daisy, at last,” Jack said, bowing to her, steering her into a circle. “That first song should have been played for us, but I let him have it,” he shrugged.
She smiled and allowed him to move her on the floor as everyone looked on in awe.
“Not much to say tonight?” he asked, arching his dark brow.
“Just a little nervous. I’m sure you understand.”
“Of course. Did I tell you how stunning you look? Absolutely stunning,” he murmured in her ear.
“Thank you.”
“Why the gloves still? You don’t really need to wear them after a certain time. Put them away.”
She stopped and pulled the chained purse off her shoulder and threw the gloves back in there.
Jack grabbed the purse and gave it to a server walking by. “Please put this away. The lady won’t be needing it for a while." He returned his attention to her and resumed the dance.
Her heart sank, knowing what he knew.
He leered at her as his eyes widened. “I can’t wait to taste you later. Do you feel your ovulation pains? I hope they’re not too painful.”
She grabbed her stomach, feeling a pinch on her left side. “Where did Christian go?” she winced.
“Miss him already? He was summoned for some last-minute duties,” he said, twirling her.
Rubbing her aching left side, she searched for Christian or even his father. Were they in the movie theater?
“Anxious to go to the movie theater, my dear? No worries, we will fairly soon. Be patient,” Jack mocked.
Fear flickered in her eyes as she felt defeated. She kept her eyes averted as instructed by her father.
The grandfather clock struck ten chimes. Only twelve minutes to go.
The servers wheeled the five-tier cake dressed in black and white frosting out on a cart to the front of the room in the middle of the staircases. Guests gathered around it to take pictures, smiling in wonder at the glorious birthday cake.
On top of it was a fountain sprinkling water out onto a tray surrounding it, turning it into red water, like a red river. Her gaze flew back up to the fountain, squinting to see what she thought she was seeing. It was part of Lana’s fountain from the garden!
Christian had to be behind that, just had to be. She kept her mind blank, just taking note of it silently. She moved them closer to the cake, closer to the fountain.
“You seem to be of better spirits. I see you approve of the cake?” Jack asked.
She nodded with heartiness. “I do. It’s beautiful,” she smiled.
A strength began to build in her, feeling higher spirits in the room with them, reassuring her to go on.
Jack stared at her in confusion, drawing his brows together, trying to figure something out.
“What’s wrong, Jack?” she mused. Can you read my mind now?
“Nothing. Everything’s fine,” he smirked.
Daisy knew that fountain was helping. She wanted to run to it and hug it. She smiled up at him and knew what she needed to do. “I’m so happy you bought me from my father.”
“Well, Richard did his part. I need you to do yours.”
“Richard? My father is William.”
“William? What game are you playing, Daisy?”
“Who’s Daisy? It’s me – Suzanna. You’re so silly, Jack.”
He stopped to stare at her. His eyes grew wide with a recognition.
Christian walked out to the cake and caught her eye. He pointed to his watch, warning her of the time. The clock showed 10:10. Her heart began to pound through her chest, fearing he would hear it or feel it.
“My sweet Suzanna? But I thought…”
She put her index finger to her lips.
The lights flickered off and on, signaling the time was near. 10:11.
“Kiss me, Jack. It’s been so long…" She pulled his face to hers, pressing her lips to his, opening his mouth with her tongue, hearing him moan one last time as she simultaneously took her hand and pressed it against his chest with the burned in cross.
Nothing happened. He pulled back and gave a sardonic smile.
“No!” she screamed. She stared at the clock, freezing the long hand before it clicked to the twelfth minute. She thought the burnt silhouette would be the same effect. She looked down and found it had disappeared into smooth skin.
Someone brushed past her, handing her her purse. She snapped it open and searched for the cross, finding it and throwing the purse down.
“I want another kiss...Jack,” she said, kissing him and pressing the cross inside his shirt to his chest at the same time. She felt the cross sizzle into his skin, saying the prayer her father had taught her. The time resumed and turned to 10:12.
Jack’s head fell backwards in agony, his face contorting in different shapes, changing from a human to a wolf, to a goat, to a jackal, his true form dying in front of her.
The lights flashed off and on. Guests ran screaming to the doors to get out, clawing their way out, changing forms.
“Daisy!” Christian screamed, trying to find his way to her through all the smoke from the burning corpses blistering on the floor.
The smell of fire rose to her nose. “Christian, I’m here!”
He grabbed her and looked at what was left of Jack, what appeared to be a goat carcass seizing. “You okay?”
She nodded. “Let’s get out. I smell fire!”
“My dad!”
“Christian, no!”
William stumbled down the staircase after trying to run up them to escape, clutching his chest and gazing at his son. “Go ahead, son. You’re free now. I’m joining your mother finally. Take care of Daisy." He fell to the landing, letting his head fall to his arm and closed his eyes.
“Dad!” he cried. He then saw his mother standing over him, and pulling his
spirit to her. They smiled at Christian and walked up the stairs holding hands.
“Oh, my God, Christian. Was that really...” tears formed in her eyes.
“Let’s get out before the house collapses." He led her through the dozens of melted corpses, some turned to ash silhouettes, most of them rotting skeletons.
“Mama? Daddy?”
Daisy and Christian turned around to see Emily rubbing her eyes, with no clothes on, smeared in blood, ready for her sacrifice.
Christian ran to her and grabbed her, wrapped his jacket around her body, threw her over his shoulder, and clutched Daisy’s hand. They pushed through the heavy doors and out to the fresh air, running down the stairs.
“Wait, I forgot!” Daisy yelled, running back in the house.
“Daisy!”
She ran back out holding the fountain piece that belonged to Lana. “I can’t leave it behind–it’s too special and also keeps us safe,” she said, clutching it to her chest.
They stumbled through the doors as the house was engulfed in flames. A car screeched to the front. Eric got out and waved his arms.
“Eric! Thank God!” Daisy said. She ran to the car and opened the back door for Christian and Emily. She slid in and closed the door.
“What took you so long, man?” Christian asked.
“I lost the keys. You guys okay? Is that Emily?”
Emily sat in the middle, still in shock.
Daisy handed her unicorn to her. “Here, sweetie.”
Emily lifted it up and kissed it. “Where will I go now?” she asked, looking to Daisy for answers.
“With us. You’ll be ours,” Daisy said. She looked to Christian who nodded in agreement. He reached around and rubbed her shoulder, confirming his love.
They all watched as Stone Manor crumbled away. The roof caved in and turned into a billow of smoke. The once grand estate disintegrated before their eyes.
Eric peeled out of the drive and through the gates. “Let’s get the hell out of here!”
Daisy looked back once more and said a silent prayer. She prayed for the lost souls that would need to find their way. She had faith they would. She turned back to Christian whose eyes were closed, probably exhausted from the decisions he was always forced to make to please his father. He could be free now to do what he wanted. Emily stared wide-eyed, caressing her beloved unicorn, unsure of a future without her family.
As long as they all had each other, that’s all that mattered in this horror. They would lean on each other and get through this. She would probably start her job as a kindergarten teacher while Christian would find some counseling job, maybe to help others understand their family dynamics and to get out from their parents’ grip.
She had hopes for Eric to find the true love he deserved, to let go of anything that ever was between them, maybe finish out his last year of college. Whatever it took, they would be fine.
They were finally leaving Golden Hills for good, never to look back. For that, Daisy was grateful.
About Nancy Glynn
Nancy Glynn was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago (known as the South Side Irish!), and has moved to the southwest suburbs of Plainfield, IL with her family. She has a wild imagination that begs her to create worlds that will touch your heart.
Please join her in these worlds and sign up at her Website or Mailing List to stay on top of any current and future works. Lana’s Calling is the sequel to Black 21, where Christian & Daisy’s daughter takes on Golden Hills and…Jack.
She also writes contemporary romance, And Never Let Her Go, to be released in May 2016. Sign up to be part of her ARC team to receive free books in exchange for a review posted on Amazon and Goodreads. Follow along with the same-town series, Town of Destiny, and fall in love with each new couple as they take their journey founded on fate. These stories will have a meant-to-be story line driven by the hands of fate, woven through strange circumstances, and finding the love they were meant to have.
