Forbidden Secrets

by Morgan Kelley

  “She’s angry,” Tori stated. “Very, very, very…” She stopped when she noticed Julian staring at her. “You get the point.”

  “Yes, we do.”

  “She was murdered,” Lennox added.

  “A spell.”

  They all looked over at Nyx.

  “What?” Julian asked.

  “When she was in me, I could feel it. She’s not really this angry.”

  They all started laughing.

  “Were we all watching the same show?” Julian asked. “She sucker punched a soldier and sent him sliding, she crossed a salt line and was going for them, and she wanted my child.”

  Tori heard the tone in his voice.

  It said it all.

  “Oh, babe, it’s okay.”

  “No, it’s not. She’s angry, and we need to set her free.”

  Nyx sat up and the room spun. “She reeked of Satanism. If I had to guess, I’d say someone was doing some rituals.”

  No one wanted to hear that.

  “What do you mean?” Tori asked, also sitting up. She leaned against Julian for support. She was feeling shaky.

  “Someone bound her here. That’s why she’s so upset. When you use that kind of magick, you’re bound to have a residual trail of evilness.”

  Julian felt the freak out coming on.

  Hell!

  Their last case where woo woo shit was involved had some crazy thinking that he was casting spells to keep his true love. The last thing they needed was more insanity.

  “What did she say when I was out?” Tori asked.

  They told her.

  Well, Hart did.

  “All I know is that was pretty damn freaky. All she kept saying was the Easton’s had to pay. They harmed her.”

  Tori thought about it.

  “So we have possible spells, Lennox’s family involved, and an angry spirit.”

  “Yeah, what do we do?” Lennox asked.

  Tori knew the answer and it wasn’t a simple one.

  “We do what she asked. We find her and set her free.”

  * * * L i t t l e m o o n * * *

  After cleaning up the mess, and by cleaning, that meant throwing away every single statue in her home, Lennox was finally ready to sleep.

  Only she didn’t want to be alone.

  It was a big house with lots of rooms, but there was only one she really wanted to be in, and it wasn’t this one.

  It was his.

  Lennox didn’t know how to bring that up. He’d placed her in this room, searched it to make sure it was safe and then left. It was as if the kiss they’d shared never happened.

  How he could forget that was beyond her. It was burned into her mind. That was something she’d think about for the rest of her life.

  It was that damn hot.

  Climbing onto the bed, Lennox pulled the comforter around her, and the room felt chilly.

  She hoped that the spirit wasn’t back.

  No, she prayed it wasn’t.

  As she sat there, her breath became visible and her heart began pounding in her chest.

  “Trey?” she whispered.

  There was no response.

  Picking up her phone, she touched the app hoping he’d speak to her. It was totally weird, but she’d rather have him haunting her room.

  Oddly, she wasn’t afraid of Trey.

  Evangeline?

  Oh, hell yes.

  “Trey, are you here?” she whispered. “Please tell me it’s you. I’m scared.”

  There was no reply.

  As she sat there, the curtains began blowing in an invisible breeze.

  Then a picture fell off the wall.

  That was it!

  Lennox was out of there. She hopped out of the bed, raced out of the room, and never looked back.

  When she was gone, the clock radio on her nightstand came to life.

  “Good. One. Baby.”

  Then there was laughter.

  They had succeeded in their mission. Lennox was running right toward her fate.

  And fast.

  * * * L i t t l e m o o n * * *

  He was resting in bed as he thought about her. It was the smell of her hair, the way she clung to him, and the flashback of that kiss.

  It had been so damn hot.

  He’d never felt like that when he’d kissed a woman. It was so all consuming that he wanted to drown in it. The way Lennox’s mouth felt against his was Heaven.

  Until now.

  Now…it was Hell.

  He was thinking about her, and she was safely tucked away in her bed.

  God!

  He wished he was with her. If he could hold her again, he’d give pretty much anything.

  He didn’t know how it happened, but he wanted Lennox more than anything in the world. She tripped him up and made him feel.

  It was a beautiful thing.

  As he forced himself to stop thinking about it, Hart knew he needed to sleep. Last night had been rough, and tonight was the only way he’d catch up.

  As he started falling into that wonderful feeling of slumber, he heard footsteps, a door opening, and then slamming shut.

  He sat up with a start.

  Pressed to the back of his door was Lennox, and she looked freaked out.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked, getting out of bed.

  “I can’t sleep in there! It got cold, the painting fell off the wall, and something was in there.”

  He wanted to celebrate.

  He’d been thinking about her and here she was.

  “Can I stay in here with you? I’ll sleep in the chair. Please don’t make me go back there,” Lennox pleaded. “After today, I can’t do it. I’ll go insane.”

  He stared at her.

  Was she serious?

  “Uh, it’s your house. You can sleep anywhere you want, including this bed.”

  Yeah, with him in it.

  Hart wanted to celebrate.

  “I promise I’ll stay on the other side. I won’t bother you. Just don’t make me sleep alone. Something will get me.”

  He laughed.

  She stared at him. “I’m sorry. Is this a joke? You find it amusing?”

  Her hand went to the knob so she could leave. He was laughing at her, and that stung.

  “Lennox, wait! I’m not laughing at you. I swear.”

  She gave him a chance to explain. Then she was going to go sit up in her office with some holy water, a crucifix, and a shitload of salt.

  “I spent the last year telling Ivy that there was nothing that could hurt her, and I just realized I’ve lied to her all this time. It’s not about you.”

  She didn’t know what to say.

  “Really. I swear. I’m so exhausted that if you slept on me, I probably wouldn’t know.”

  That was a lie.

  Oh, he’d know.

  In fact…

  “Which side of the bed do you want?”

  “The one where the ghosts can’t get me.”

  He wasn’t sure if he should tell her that side apparently didn’t really exist.

  “Come on,” he said, holding out his hand.

  She didn’t hesitate.

  He helped her into bed, finding a spot a foot away from her. Gently, he tucked her beneath the comforter.

  “You’ll be safe here.”

  “Are you sure?” she asked.

  “Yes.”

  He wasn’t, but he really needed some sleep, and the idea of her that close made his night more memorable. It beat naked fantasies where he serviced himself.

  “Are you comfortable?”

  “Yes, thank you,” she offered.

  Hart slid down into the bed, but first he pulled off his t-shirt.

  Lennox watched him in the dark room. It wasn’t easy to see him, but the moonlight gave her enough glow that she could see his body.

  She tried not to think about it.

  It wasn’t easy.

  “Everhart?” she said after a while.

&nb
sp; “Hmmmm?”

  “Thank you.”

  He should be the one thanking her. He only wished she’d move a little closer. Hart wouldn’t mind some cuddling. He was accustomed to a body against his. Ivy often ended up in his bed.

  This time, he wanted Lennox against him.

  If only he could get that wish.

  Again, sleep started to come, and once more, the room got cold.

  When the painting in his room hit the floor, Lennox yelped and moved across the bed to his side. “I really hate this house,” she whispered into his neck as she hid her face there. “I swear to God I’m selling it or burning it to the ground.”

  She knew it was silly to think that the spirits couldn’t see her if she couldn’t see them, but Hart’s body and cologne helped her stay calm.

  “I have you, Lennox. Close your eyes. You’re safe.”

  “Promise?” she asked.

  “I promise.”

  She trusted him. Everhart Rose had yet to let her down. Slowly, she listened to his heart in his chest. The cathartic thumping helped her relax.

  Before long, she was asleep.

  Only now, Hart was wide-awake. The woman beside him was half on his body, half on the bed. Her leg was over his, and tucked between his thighs. In fact, her knee was over his rock hard erection.

  Well, so much for sleep.

  When his phone chirped to life, he glanced over.

  “You. Are. Welcome.”

  He grinned.

  That explained it all. Her room wasn’t haunted by Evangeline. It had been haunted by two ghosts trying to hook him up.

  Maybe ghosts weren’t that bad after all. Tori’s seemed to have a purpose after all. The dead soldier managed to do what he couldn’t.

  He got Lennox into bed with him.

  And for that, he was grateful.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Friday Morning

  Tori knew he wasn’t happy. While Julian didn’t say anything, there was this air of tension around him. She hoped he was just thinking about the case, but she was pretty sure it had nothing to do with that, and everything to do with the dead.

  He was three days past irritated.

  The lines in the center of his forehead told the tale. While he was trying to stay calm, he was close to losing it. If anything, she’d seen that look before.

  It never ended well.

  “Are you going to ignore me all day?” she asked.

  “No.”

  “Most of the day?”

  “Maybe.”

  Well, at least she had a time frame on this.

  “If it’s any consolation, Jules, I’m sorry. I did what I had to do, and I know you hate me for it.”

  He glanced over at her. “I don’t hate you, Victoria.”

  “Are you sure about that?” she asked, sitting on her side of the bed. “You didn’t touch me all night. In fact, you barely moved toward me once.”

  Yes, he was angry.

  Was he going to argue with her about it?

  No.

  His wife was pregnant, and they’d beat this dead horse too many times to do it again.

  “I’m pissed, Tori. I want to work through it.”

  She got that. “Okay.”

  When she got out of bed, he watched her. “Where are you going?”

  “Since you’re going to freeze me out, having this little tantrum of yours, I’m going to get to work. I still haven’t looked at the searches the team did. I’m going to do it over breakfast. I’d ask you to join me, but you’re being an asshole.”

  He stared at her.

  “In fact, this reminds me of the time you were mean to me. Only this time, you know better than to say it out loud. At least then, you had the balls to be honest.”

  It was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

  He’d had enough.

  “What do you want from me? What I had to watch last night was scary. I was forced to stand there, helplessly—might I add, as someone tried to kill you, and I couldn’t stop it. You took an unnecessary risk and I’m angry about it, okay?”

  She didn’t move.

  With Julian, it was best to let him vent.

  “You let her into you. I don’t know if you’re aware or not, Tori, but you have someone living in you, and she needs to be protected—not risked.”

  He began running his hands through his hair in frustration as the dam broke.

  “You not only risked her, but yourself. How do I get you to see that shit like that frustrates the hell out of me?”

  She pointed at him. “Here’s where you tread lightly, Julian. If you question my mothering instinct or the love of my child, it won’t end well for you. I tolerated this once before.”

  Oh, he was well aware. That was EXACTLY why he didn’t want to say a word, but she pushed and pushed until he cracked. Now what choice did he have?

  “Why did you do it?”

  “Because we need to figure out what the hell is going on here. We need to figure out if this woman is connected to the killings or is it random. We know more now than we did.”

  “You could have….”

  She cut him off.

  Tori was well aware of the risks. As an ex-soldier, she always weighed them before making a decision. Each choice could be her last, or Veronica’s, and she was damn well aware of it.

  The weight of that was insane.

  She wished he’d get that.

  “The first day you met me, we were nearly bitten by a poisonous snake. Day two, I dove blindly into a swamp. I could have died then too. We went up against a few crazies since then. Remember how you saved me from a burning building? I’ve always been in danger, Julian. What’s the difference, other than I’m carrying your child?”

  He erupted.

  Despite how hard he tried to keep it in, the fuse was lit, and he blew.

  “Because I could save you then. I can’t save you now!”

  It hung between them.

  Loving a strong woman was both Heaven and Hell. Here was the proof.

  Julian knew there was nothing more to be said. He simply couldn’t do it. Instead, he headed toward the bathroom and slammed the door behind him, leaving Tori standing there.

  She watched her husband leave.

  Now she got what was eating away at him. It wasn’t the danger.

  It was his frustration.

  Julian, her husband and protector, was feeling threatened. He’d always watched over her, tried to make sure she was safe, and this had rattled his cage. How do you fight the invisible threat? How did you win?

  Tori knew she needed to talk to him.

  Going to the bathroom, she found the door locked. Pulling her pocketknife out of her bag, she popped the lock.

  Inside, she found her husband in the shower.

  He looked miserable.

  Tori headed in, and once there, she wrapped her arms around his waist.

  “I have you, babe,” she said, as her body was pressed to the back of his.

  “She was going to touch our child,” he said softly. “She’d already taken my wife, and I was going to lose Veronica too. I can’t lose her, Tori. She’s the only child I’ll have.”

  She moved around the front of him. “Oh, Jules, she’s safe. You have to believe that she’s going to be safe. All the ‘what if’s’ are making you crazy. It’s dividing us.”

  Tori knew what he needed to hear.

  “I need you to protect us. Being mad at me isn’t going to help. We can make it if we’re a team.”

  He rested his forehead on hers. “I love you, Victoria. I’m so screwed up over all of this.”

  She could tell.

  “Let me help you.”

  “Please help me.”

  Tori pulled his mouth down to hers, and she did just that.

  Twice.

  * * * L i t t l e m o o n * * *

  Everhart Rose’s

  Room

  When she woke, she was pressed to his body. Her hand was on his chest,
her leg was over his, and her face was millimeters from the pulse in his neck.

  It was slow and steady, and she suspected he was still asleep. The whole waking experience filled her with such warmth and joy. She’d slept like a rock.

  Honestly, Lennox couldn’t recall the last time that had happened.

  It was amazing.

  Slowly, she lifted her head so she could check out his profile. In sleep, like when he was awake, he was incredibly handsome. The line of his jaw, the strength of his brow…it called to the artist in her.

  He was absolutely amazing.

  What she wanted to do was run her fingers across his tanned, rugged cheek. She craved touching the different textures of skin and five o’clock shadow.

  He was an artist’s paradise. There was no doubt in her mind that she could get lost in him each and every day, and never get bored.

  He was inspiration.

  Everhart Rose would keep her painting for years to come, and the paintings would never stop.

  He was amazing.

  She studied his face. His eyes were closed, his whole body was lax, and Hart looked calm. She was compelled to do something, and there was no time like the present.

  Lennox placed a soft kiss on his lips. It was light, genuine, and butterfly soft.

  He stirred.

  “What was that for?” he asked, not opening his eyes as his whole body rippled.

  She was surprised.

  He genuinely looked to be asleep.

  “I guess you can say it was for keeping me safe last night. One more day alive is a good thing.”

  His silvery eyes opened. “I really wish you wouldn’t have done that,” he said, staring directly into her eyes.

  Her heart skipped.

  “I’m sorry. I thought…”

  He didn’t wait for her to finish. Instead, he rolled, placing her beneath him. His mouth sought hers, and Hart kissed her until neither of them could breathe.

  He needed this.

  All night, he’d been tortured. Her body resting over his was a constant reminder that he wanted to be buried in her.

  He was hard.

  Throbbing.

  Crazed.