Cursed Kiss (Paranormal Romance)

by Taylor, Helen Scott

  Clare's legs wobbled with more than the remnants of fatigue. She plopped down on the stone bench. In her mind, she relived many encounters with Edward, the way he spoke, the way he moved, his face, his attitude. He was weird but… "He's the chief financial officer of Moray. You should see the financial reports he generates. There's no way he's a clay model."

  One of the stable lads approached and asked Luka a question, which he answered in French. When the boy walked away, Luka indicated the gateway out of the yard. "Let's adjourn to a more private location. We don't want to be overheard."

  They wandered out of the yard, along a dirt track that led past the back of the stables, and halted by a field where some horses grazed. Luka leaned his forearms on the gate and Pablo mimicked him. Clare sat on the grass and rested her back against the gatepost.

  Could she have been working with a man made of clay? His groin had been smooth like pottery. Eyes closed, she pressed her forehead against her knees and tried to get her head around the possibility. But it just didn't add up. "There's got to be more to Edward than a bit of clay."

  "How long has he been around?" Luka asked.

  "As long as I've been at Moray, that's five years."

  "I understood egregores were mindless beings created for a single task. It doesn't sound as though he fits that description, but Monique is clever enough to make her own improved version. I wonder if she's summoned a spirit from the astral plane and trapped it in the egregore to give it intelligence."

  Clare plucked a wildflower and twirled it in her fingers. She couldn't connect this egregore thing with the man she'd worked with, even though he was a weird creep. And the truth was, she didn't want to. The idea that Edward might be made of clay was too unpleasant to contemplate.

  "If it contained a spirit, that would explain its long life and its intelligence." Luka drummed his fingers on top of the gate. "You know, it might also explain the fact it's a psychic vampire. A creature like that would produce no energy of its own. It would need to feed regularly. Do you know anyone else who's been attacked like you were last night?"

  "No. That was a first for me." The statement comforted her for a second, then her father's haggard face flashed before her eyes. "Oh my God." She pressed a hand to her mouth as an awful possibility occurred to her.

  She'd locked away the memories of her father; now they flooded back, threatening to overwhelm her with guilt: her father cowering in the corner of his room, whimpering, his face a mask of terror as he hid from what she'd assured him were imaginary monsters.

  "Clare, mi amor, what's the matter?" Pablo crouched at her side and rubbed her arm.

  "My father…he had night terrors. In the morning I'd find him under his bed." Clare covered her eyes. "He said a devil with red eyes was killing him. The doctors told me he had a wasting disease, but they couldn't identify it." Clare's fingernails bit into her scalp. "He went from being a strong, healthy man to a shriveled skeleton. When they took him to the hospital, I was relieved. Do you think Edward was his devil?" she whispered.

  "It's possible," Luka said.

  "Poor Dad. I didn't believe him. I thought it was all in his mind."

  "Clare," Luka said gently. "If Edward was the one attacking your father, do you understand what that means?"

  "Dad probably wasn't ill at all." Anguish surged through her at the thought she might have been able to help him if only she'd known the truth.

  "You're right, but that's not what I meant. An egregore follows the commands of its creator. If Edward attacked your father, it was at Monique's bidding."

  Darkness ringed Clare's vision. If that were so, her grandmother had condemned Clare's father to a slow, painful death. She'd condemned Clare to be a child caregiver, coping with schoolwork, social workers, and an invalid father.

  Clare was at a loss to understand her grandmother's motivation. "Then why offer me a home and a chance to work for Moray?"

  "I imagine she wanted someone of her blood to inherit Moray."

  Clare glanced up at Luka, shading her eyes with her hand. "So why did she send Edward to attack me last night?"

  "That, my love, is a good question."

  Chapter Thirteen

  Clare lifted another massive leather-bound book down from a shelf in the library and added it to the pile in Pablo's arms. For the last three days, he'd been her constant companion.

  As she dropped into her chair, he set the heap of books on the table before her. She hadn't studied this hard since her college exams.

  "You're exhausting yourself, mi amor. You still haven't recovered from the psychic attack. Please, take a break."

  He had been thoughtful and helpful, providing moral support. Without him, her crash course in magic would have been much harder. He was trying to repay her for looking out for him in Taldom, and he was doing a good job.

  Pablo dropped into the chair at her side and gazed at her with adoring eyes like a dog waiting for a pat. She felt a twinge of guilt at her comparison. With a smile, she patted his arm affectionately. Luka often touched Pablo in the same way—a reassuring pat to say, "Good boy, you haven't been forgotten." Poor Pablo adored Luka and seemed to have formed an attachment to her as well. Yet neither of them gave him the love he wanted. He deserved more.

  "I told you," she said gently. "I haven't got time for a break. I must cram until the end of the week. Then I'm going back through the portal. I can't wait any longer, otherwise Monique might find another way to get hold of the Red Death flowers, and I need to stop her."

  "She won't back down easily." He tapped his fingers on the pile of books. "All the learning in the world won't arm you to face Monique in a magical confrontation. She has years of experience. There's only one way you can stop her—slay her."

  A shiver passed through Clare. No matter what her grandmother had done, Clare couldn't sink to her level and resort to violence. She hoped to try and talk some sense into Monique, although realistically, she didn't expect reasoning to work. Her best option was to cast a spell of forgetting, and leave her grandmother to live out her years in Taldom with no memory of Earth.

  The library door opened. Luka strolled in, bringing with him a breath of summery garden air.

  Pablo rose and embraced him. "Where've you been, amigo? We've missed you."

  Luka dropped into one of the leather wing chairs and ran his fingers through his sweat-dampened hair. "I took one of the horses out. I needed time to think."

  "I assume as you're back, you've finished thinking?" Clare said.

  He met her gaze, his expression firm with determination. "I'm going to return to Taldom."

  "No!" Clare and Pablo said in unison.

  "Monique's waiting for you," Clare added.

  Luka raised a palm to quiet them. "I'll go well prepared. I have family matters to deal with, and I want to find out how Monique enchanted Pablo so I could touch him. Then I'll return."

  Clare's heart leaped. "You're going to come back?"

  Time seemed to stand still as Luka's dark gaze scanned her face. "If I discover how to make it so I can touch you, and you agree, then yes."

  There might be a way for them to be together, and Luka was willing to go to Taldom and brave Monique to find out how.

  As if Luka had only just remembered Pablo was there, he turned his attention to the Spaniard. "I've depended on you for too long, my friend. You deserve a life of your own, and so do I."

  "You don't want me anymore?" The pain in Pablo's voice dragged Clare back from her musings. She wanted to be with Luka but she didn't want to see Pablo hurt. She was halfway out of her chair to go to him before she realized he wouldn't welcome comfort from her right now.

  Luka looked mortified. "Of course I still need you. I just thought…" Obviously realizing words weren't enough, Luka rose and embraced Pablo. "We have been through so much together. You and I will always have a special bond."

  Pablo allowed himself to be comforted for a few minutes, then pulled back. "Does that mean the three of us wil
l be together, as we were after Clare was attacked the other night?"

  Clare's eyes had unfocused, her gaze turned inward filled with romantic notions of herself and Luka. Pablo's words snapped her back to the room. She wasn't a prude, but this was not what she had in mind at all.

  "I'm not sure…" Being in bed with them both after the attack was a one-time thing as far as she was concerned.

  Luka stared out of the window, his mouth a tight line. She could almost feel him withdrawing. He might want her, but not enough to hurt Pablo.

  "Let's get back to business," Luka said. "We have much to do before we can even think about our personal relationships."

  Luka picked up a book and checked the title on the spine. "What are your thoughts on Monique's egregore now you know more about the creatures?"

  She was relieved to change the subject. "It does sound as though Edward is an egregore. I've read up on summoning spirits as well. I think Monique must have done what you suggested and used a spirit to give the egregore the appearance of life."

  "Do you know enough to reverse Monique's spell and release the spirit from the clay? That would be the kindest thing to do and it would also help us. Once Monique has lost her slave in this world, it will be difficult for her to put her plans into action."

  "Gosh, I don't know." It sounded like he wanted her to kill Edward, although she knew that technically he wasn't really alive, but still. "If Monique loses Edward, there's a possibility she might come back through the portal herself. I'd rather not drive her to that."

  "Monique wouldn't have left her business in the hands of others unless she had to."

  Clare knew Luka was right. She'd thought the same thing herself. Monique had never explained why she'd faked her death and left.

  Luka laughed, a smooth tenor ripple that flowed around the room and resonated through her body. "Whatever the reason she left, I know why she won't risk returning."

  "Go on."

  "Passing through the portal puts tremendous stress on the body. It might negate the youth-restoring effects of Red Death."

  Clare frowned. "You mean if she returns she'll look old?"

  "Quite possibly. There's no way to be sure without trying it."

  The situation started to make sense. Monique had always been obsessed with two things, money and her looks. She might have faked her death and gone back to Taldom because the portal had aged her.

  "Okay," Clare said. "Monique won't come back. That means if we get rid of Edward I'll have control of Moray." An image of her father's desperate face flashed in her mind, and she wanted to avenge him, she really did, but Edward was simply Monique's tool. If he was a trapped spirit, he was as much a victim as any of them. "Whatever Edward's done, I still can't kill him."

  "Clare, darling, the egregore is not alive. The spirit trapped inside probably longs to be released."

  Clare rose and went to the window. She had read the details on creating egregores and how to destroy them. But she mustn't think of it as destroying Edward, rather as releasing the trapped spirit. But what kind of spirit must it be to have attacked her like it did?

  "Ahh." Clare closed her eyes and sucked in a catchy breath. "I'd rather return to Taldom and leave you to deal with the egregore."

  "I'm sorry. I must be the one to go to Taldom. As well as my own reason for wanting to see Monique, I have a family responsibility to ensure Red Death is not allowed to fall into her hands. Jaska has lost what little integrity he had if he allows a woman such as Monique to have access to the beast."

  "Beast? What beast?"

  "Red Death."

  Clare had been lost in thought, trying to get to grips with this Edward situation, but she was right back with Luka now and more confused than ever. "We've got our wires crossed somewhere. The Red Death my grandmother showed me was a flower."

  "Red Death is both a flower and a beast." Luka slipped off his ring and placed it on the arm of his chair. "Here, take a look."

  She picked it up and examined it. Turning it in her fingers, she noted three colors of gold—a pale yellow, a bright yellow, and an orange—all worked together to form the image of a dragon, its wings half extended and its mouth agape. "This is similar to the Moray logo. Ours is more stylized, but there's a definite similarity."

  "My family has been guardians of the winged serpent for generations. It's no coincidence it looks like your logo. Monique thinks she has the right to anything she wants."

  "Does it breathe fire?" Pablo asked.

  "Dragon legends in this world may well be based on Red Death, but no, it doesn't breathe fire. It has fangs like a serpent. Its poison is mixed with the flower extract to make a rejuvenating potion. It's been used in Taldom for centuries."

  That wasn't as crazy as it sounded. Clare knew snake venom was used in medicine.

  Luka held out his hand and Clare dropped the ring onto his palm.

  "Now you understand why I must return to Taldom and you must stay and deal with the egregore," he said.

  "We should both go to Taldom to make sure Monique doesn't get hold of this thing. I'll worry about Edward when we get back."

  "I'm coming too," Pablo said.

  "And if we don't return, Edward will be left unchecked," Luka observed.

  They were all silent for a few seconds.

  "Well, we'll just have to make sure we do return, but there's no reason for Pablo to be put in danger again." And she didn't want to have to watch out for him as well as herself.

  "If you're both going, then I'm definitely coming," Pablo said in a tone that brooked no argument.

  Clare caught the flash of concern in Luka's eyes but he simply nodded. She hoped he would not get himself killed trying to protect Pablo.

  ***

  Luka awoke to the sound of a helicopter landing on the lawn outside the château. It would be the messenger with the papers he'd requested from his lawyer in Paris. He shifted awkwardly, stretching the stiffness from his body after spending the night in a chair. But it had been worth it. He could not touch Clare, but he had watched her sleep into the small hours of the morning and imagined what it would be like to hold her again, to love her as he did in his dreams.

  Without waking her, he stroked a strand of hair from her face, barely touching her skin so he didn't harm her. She was so beautiful, so gentle, so unlike Monique. He leaned down and touched his lips to her temple for the briefest moment.

  It felt wrong to deceive her, but he would because he loved her and he wanted her to be safe and happy.

  He was not willing to risk her being harmed in Taldom. He would rather lose her than see her hurt. If he found out how Monique had enchanted Pablo so they could touch, and if he returned safely from Taldom, then he and Clare might have a future together. But that was a dream he dare not depend on.

  When he reached his office, he poured himself a glass of wine. The documents from Paris were already on his desk. He flipped open the folder and studied the new will he'd had drawn up.

  The arrangement was perfect in its simplicity. Everything he owned would be split equally between Pablo and Clare. It was clear Pablo had feelings for her and he hoped they would get together. After all the years Pablo had cared for him, he deserved a wife and hopefully a family. It was likely Clare would lose her position at Moray, and he wanted her to have a safe and secure future. This way both the people he loved were taken care of.

  Luka checked the wording, then picked up a pen and took the documents to the kitchen. He asked Madame Rousseau and the head gardener, who was there for his early morning bowl of chocolat, to witness his signature. Then he returned the will to his office and placed it in the safe.

  Luka lowered himself into the studded leather chair and stared around the room. The blue morning sky filled the window. The gleaming dot of a transatlantic jet made slow progress against the cerulean backdrop.

  A flood of emotions threatened to overwhelm him. So many years of memories dwelled in this house. He'd known both pain and pleasure within these
walls. He prayed those he left behind would find happiness.

  Now his decision was made, he wanted to leave immediately, but he could only pass through the portal with Clare's help. Leaving her behind would be the most difficult thing he had ever done. He hoped she and Pablo would forgive him. But it was more important they survive and prosper than have a good opinion of him.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Clare stood between Luka and Pablo, facing the stone wall in the dungeon. Her notes and dagger lay on the gleaming surface of the mahogany side table Luka had carried down for her.

  From the hints Monique had given and what Clare had learned from her research, she knew there were two ways of opening the château's portal onto a chosen site in Taldom.

  The first involved giving the Taldomian site its own magical sigil. It was then easy to open that portal again, summoning the place by describing its symbol. As she hadn't allotted a sigil to Monique's bedroom when she was there, that method was out.

  The second way was to bring the room to mind and concentrate on it. This method depended far more on the skill of the practitioner. Clare was not confident she had the skill, but there was only one way to find out.

  Pablo fidgeted on her left, darting worried glances at the walls. He wore leather leggings and a tunic, similar to last time. Luka was dressed in his old Taldomian clothes and armor, minus the helmet. He stood erect, feet set apart like a warrior, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.

  All morning he'd worn an air of cool detachment that she hoped was due to nerves about the visit to Taldom and not due to anything she'd done. He did seem to blow hot and cold. She could never quite work him out.

  Luka cleared his throat. "It's not too late to change your mind and let me go alone. There's bound to be a confrontation with Monique." He addressed his comment to Pablo, but she knew it was meant for her as well. He hoped to change her mind by using Pablo's fear to make him stay behind. Luka would then try to persuade her to stay and keep Pablo company.

  He wanted to protect her, but Monique was her problem as much as his.