She glanced around the house, suddenly not as happy to be spending the summer at home. Just a few days ago, Isobel had reveled in the independence of living alone for a while. Now, a sense of unease stole her happiness.
Sorsha gave a trilling meow as she strolled up and wound herself between Isobel’s ankles. She scooped up the cat and carried it with her to the kitchen. Elizabeth smiled at her when she entered the room. “Good morning, sleepyhead.”
“What time is it?” Isobel asked, turning to look at the clock on the microwave that read 10:30 a.m. “No wonder I woke up with a headache. I hate when I sleep that long.”
“I figured you were tired so I didn’t wake you.”
Isobel pulled a bagel and a handful of strawberries from the fridge. “Where’s Dad?”
“He had to go into the office today to work out some final things before the trip. I have to run some last minute errands today. Do you want to come?”
“Sure.” It would be great to spend time with her mom. Getting away from the house for the day didn’t sound too bad either.
After breakfast she grabbed her purse, ran a brush through her hair one more time, and then walked out onto the front porch to wait for her mother. It was good to be outside, like it was easier to breathe. She glanced toward the neighbors but saw no one.
“Ready?” her mom asked, joining her on the porch.
Isobel nodded. As her mom locked the front door, Isobel walked toward her mother’s car trying to ignore the window that stared down from the second story. She climbed quickly into the passenger seat, anxious to get away. Far enough away so it couldn’t watch her.
They spent most of the day tying up last minute details and taking time for some shopping. As they came back down the driveway, Isobel watched the house. It looked like a thin shadow lay over it—like something dark had descended upon it. Her mother didn’t seem to notice. She was singing along with the radio. Elizabeth looked up at the house and smiled. “I just love that window. Such a pretty thing.”
Isobel nodded but didn’t say anything. Instead, she suppressed a shiver and wiped her sweaty palms on her shorts. Elizabeth grabbed several of the bags out of the backseat and headed inside, leaving Isobel to get the rest. The weight of the watching window fell upon her and for a moment its darkness enveloped her. Her chest tightened. The air felt thick and oppressive. Behind her mental block, her power strained to be set free. She struggled to pull air into her lungs. Putting her hand to her chest she sagged against the car, staring at the concrete of the driveway. Her heart raced with panic, and a strangled sound escaped her as little black spots swam across her vision.
“Are you okay?” a deep, husky male voice asked as the shadow of wings fell across the ground.
Her eyes closed a moment, and Isobel was sure she saw a flash of bright light through them. The darkness fled as fast as it had arrived. Isobel dragged air into her lungs.
After a few more deep draws of air, she opened her eyes and looked up. Ice blue eyes, darker around the edges and framed by black lashes, regarded her. Concern flickered in them. The man ran a hand through his thick, black hair. A blue T-shirt stretched across his broad shoulders and displayed the well-defined, hard muscles of his body and arms. He was more than a foot taller than her five feet two inches. He had to be at least six-four. She tore her eyes away.
“I apologize. I didn’t mean to startle you,” he said, his voice gentle. To see her eyes again, so close, it was almost too much to bear. “I was coming out to work in the garage and saw you.” It was a lie, but he couldn’t tell her the truth. “It looked like you were having trouble breathing, and you’re as white as a ghost.”
Isobel swallowed. What the hell had that been? She looked up at him again. “Um…” What could she say that wouldn’t sound like she belonged on a psych ward? “I think the heat just got to me for a moment.” Her eyes fell on the strange charm bracelet on his wrist. Except they didn’t look like ordinary charms. They were religious symbols—many she knew and others a complete mystery. Maybe he couldn’t decide what he believed.
Her gaze returned to his face.”I’m okay.” She hoped she sounded convincing.
He nodded, a slight furrow between his brows. She wasn’t okay and wouldn’t be for a while. “If you’re sure. Do you want me to carry something for you?”
There was that concern again flickering in his eyes. Eyes no man should be allowed to have. “No.” Her mother would have a heart attack if the guy they had asked her to stay away from walked into the house. “I think I can get it now.”
“If you’re sure... And try to drink more water. You’re probably dehydrated.” He turned and started walking back toward his house.
“I didn’t catch your name.”
He paused and turned to look back at her, the familiar ache settling in his chest. She didn’t remember him. Not yet. “Damien. Damien DeLuca.” A smile played upon his lips. “I didn’t catch your name either,” he said though he already knew the answer.
“Isobel Moore.” She offered him a smile back. “Thanks for offering to help me.”
Damien’s eyes took on an intense, serious look. “Anytime you need help, I’ll be right there.”
As he walked away, Isobel sensed there was more to his words than what he’d said. She grabbed the remaining bags out of the car and shut the door with her foot. Glancing up, she noticed the shadow on the house had lifted, though some still remained centered around the window.
She looked over at the neighboring house. How had he arrived in her driveway so fast? Between the two lots, nearly an acre separated the houses. Isobel looked up at the sky, hoping to catch sight of the bird. She had seen a shadow of wings, big wings. Whatever it was it had a large wingspan. She wished she could have seen it. She loved watching birds. They were so graceful.
Giving herself a slight shake, she crossed the driveway and climbed the front steps. Once inside, she set her two bags at the bottom of the stairs and carried the rest down the hall to her parents’ room where her mom was already sorting through things.
“Do you need any help?”
Elizabeth shook her head. “No, I have my little system here. Any help will only confuse me.”
Isobel expected the answer. “Do you want me to order something in for dinner?”
“That would be lovely. Order whatever you want, sweetie.” Elizabeth didn’t bother to look up and absent-mindedly grabbed a fifty out of her purse and gave it to her.
Isobel wandered into the kitchen and looked through the menus hanging on the board trying to decide what to order for dinner. She settled on Chinese and called it in. While she waited for it to arrive, she dashed up to her room to grab her laptop and her phone. Her skin tightened as she ran past the window though she tried not to give it too much thought. The more one acknowledged spirits, the more power they had. Still, she didn’t linger upstairs. She didn’t want to miss the food delivery or at least that’s what she told herself.
Settling down on the sofa in the living room, Isobel opened the laptop. Her fingers hovered over the keys as she pondered how to spell Eusebia. Google came to her rescue by making suggestions. She scrolled through the possibilities. There was a Catholic saint by that name, a Roman empress, a goddess. She snapped the laptop shut in irritation. None of that sounded right to her. Maybe despite Google’s help, she still hadn’t gotten it right.
The doorbell rang announcing the arrival of food. Isobel set the laptop on the coffee table. It probably wasn’t a real word. Just something her mind made up while ruled by its subconscious. After collecting the food, she hollered down the hallway letting her mom know it was there.
Elizabeth entered the kitchen with a smile on her face. “I got everything sorted and packed.”
“When is Dad getting home?”
Her mom frowned. “Not until late I’m afraid. It’s just us girls for the evening.” She brightened. “How about we take this to the family room and watch a movie?”
“Sounds great to me.”
It had been forever since they had a girl’s night. They carried the containers and chopsticks to the large family room. Elizabeth set out the food on the coffee table while Isobel loaded one of their favorite movies in. Snuggling up together on the couch, they settled in for a relaxing evening.
Isobel woke slow and groggy on the couch in the family room, though she didn’t remember falling asleep. One of her mom’s quilts was bunched around her. She ran a finger over the pattern, sensing Elizabeth’s love in the gesture of the quilt.
Her parents’ voices drifted into the family room as Isobel swung her legs over the edge of the couch and crawled out of the warm, comfortable nest. At least she hadn’t had any weird dreams last night. In fact, Isobel didn’t remember any dreams.
She climbed the stairs, expecting to feel the dread that going upstairs always seemed to bring now. It didn’t come. When she reached the landing, Isobel purposely looked at the window, hesitant and irritated at the same time. It sat silent and beautiful, the ambient light from the morning highlighting its colors. Except for the crimson circle in the middle. It felt like an eye watching her. Waiting. Isobel crossed the landing to her room, feeling like a mouse under the eye of a dark and dangerous predator. The window silently watched her pass.
She took a quick shower, and attended to her morning routine. A light application of makeup, enough to highlight the green of her eyes and her thick lashes, was all she needed. She let her mahogany hair hang loose.
Her parents were leaving on a flight that afternoon. Other than driving them to the airport, she didn’t have any plans. Casual was definitely the order of the day. A pair of knit shorts and a T-shirt would be good enough.
Isobel glanced toward the bedroom door as she finished dressing. It was open. The light from the window filled the wide landing right outside her door with muted color. Lifting her chin, she left her room and walked at a normal pace past it. Screw the window. The crimson eye glared at her; Isobel pretended to ignore it. God, she was going crazy.
In the process of helping her parents pack everything in her car, she managed to put the window out of her mind. The drive through the traffic to the airport was hectic as usual. It didn’t help that her parents kept asking if she would be okay alone. She was tempted to vent her frustration about the window and tell them that it was haunted, but she knew that wouldn’t accomplish anything.
Isobel wouldn’t dream of ruining the opportunity Dubai presented for her father. Nor would she ruin the joy the window gave her mother. If it wasn’t for Elizabeth and her unwavering love and support, she knew she wouldn’t be the person she was today. She had been her rock during her early, tumultuous teenage years. It was the least she could do.
The closer they got to the airport, the less comfortable they became with her being alone in the house until Isobel finally looked at them and said, “Mom, Dad, I’ll be nineteen in a week. There are girls my age who are married and have babies. If they can handle that, I think I can handle one summer alone.”
Amelia was right; parents had trouble admitting when their kids were adults.
Her dad ran a hand over his face. “You’re right. I’m sorry.” He gave her a stern look and said with a mocking tone, “But no parties. I don’t care how old you are.”
Isobel smiled. “I promise if I throw a party, I’ll make sure all of the books help me clean up before they leave.”
Elizabeth sighed. “While I agree with your father about no parties, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t socialize more. You should try to make some new friends.”
Like the guy next door with the devastating eyes? Isobel shook her head to rid herself of the thought. “I like my books. Besides, I have Amelia for a friend. And Sorsha will be with me.”
“Isa,” her dad said, “Amelia is over six hundred miles away. And Sorsha’s a cat; she doesn’t count.”
Isobel shot him an offended look. “Sorsha counts.”
“You know what I mean. Just try to stay away from the new neighbor.” He father fumbled with the plane tickets in his hand as if uncomfortable with the subject.
Isobel rolled her eyes as she pulled the car up to the curb in front of the airport. “You don’t have anything to worry about.”
He nodded. “Good.”
She helped unload the bags onto the luggage cart, happy for something to do that would hopefully shift the subject away from Damien.
Her father squeezed her tight. “Have a good summer, Isa. I’m sorry we couldn’t spend more of it with you.”
Isobel hugged him back. “Don’t worry about it, Dad. There’s no way you could miss this.”
Elizabeth hugged her tight. “I’m so glad we had a full day together and a chance to do a girl’s movie night. It was just like when you were younger.”
Isobel clung to her for a long moment, taking in the familiar perfume, almost afraid to let go. Something deep inside her was waking up and shimmered on the surface. Intuition told her nothing would be the same after this summer. What if she never saw them again? “I love you, Mom,” she mumbled into Elizabeth’s blonde hair.
“You sure you’re okay?” Elizabeth’s concern cut through Isobel’s morbid thoughts, and she pulled away. Although she had never given birth to any babies of her own, she had the intuition of any mother.
Isobel smiled. “Of course. I’ll just miss you guys.”
Elizabeth ran her hand down Isobel’s waist-length hair. “We’ll miss you too, sweetie.”
And then they were gone, wheeling their luggage cart through the automatic doors. A horn blared. Isobel waved at the irritated driver, climbed into her car, and eased into the heavy traffic. She hadn’t brought her phone, so the ride home was an exercise in frustration. Though she loved music, too often the radio stations played the same obnoxious songs over and over again. At one point, two different stations were playing the same song at the same time. As she turned into the driveway, the singer on the radio chanted over and over about how she was never getting back with her boyfriend.
Isobel turned the radio off, glaring at it. “We get it already. Shut up. Nobody cares.”
The house seemed to crouch there, waiting for her when she pulled up in front of it. The late afternoon sun shined on the window. It watched her leave the car and walk up the steps. Under the cover of the front porch, Isobel turned the key in the lock. A blast of icy air hit her as the door swung open. Sorsha shot past her with a hiss, disappearing under a flowering shrub.
Isobel stood on the porch staring into the house. A sense of waiting filled the air. When she finally stepped across the threshold, quiet laughter whispered throughout the house. Whatever was there, its presence was getting stronger. The more it manifested, the more her power tried to escape past her blocks. She wasn’t sure which was worse.
Ignoring the multicolored light at the top of the stairs, Isobel ran into the family room. Once there, she grabbed her phone off the coffee table, plugged it into the stereo, and hit play. She turned the volume up full blast and hoped it would rattle all the windows—especially the new one.
After throwing together a quick sandwich, she carried it out to the table on the expansive deck that ran the whole length of the back of the house. The ground made a sharp drop as it sloped down to the water. The far side of the deck was built in a stilt-like fashion, and a narrow bridge led off from the middle of it down to the empty floating dock.
From the vantage of where she sat, Isobel could see the back of the house next door. Their boat dock was empty too.
Several tall trees clung to the steep strip of yard, their moss-covered limbs shading the water of the creek as it rose with the tide. A light breeze carried the scent of the ocean and a myriad of flowers. Water fowl called to each other through the humid air.
The music pounded through the closed doors. Maybe if she kept it loud enough whatever it was would go deaf, or get annoyed and leave. Somehow, Isobel knew it wouldn’t be that easy.
She stayed until dusk and the mosquitos forced her inside. Isob
el shut off the stereo, plunging the house into absolute silence. She waited, straining to catch any unusual sounds. Nothing. Just the quiet thwack of the cat door as Sorsha came back inside. A chill ran over her skin, and she exhaled unsteadily.
Damien stood in the shadows and watched her as she went inside. He had watched her all afternoon, sensing the activity growing in the house and wished he could do more. He wasn’t allowed to intervene until she accepted her past and her powers. Not unless she was in mortal danger. She was safe enough—for now.
Isobel curled up on the couch and pulled the quilt around her, then turned on the TV and flicked through the channels. She finally settled on a movie that looked interesting. Sorsha climbed in her lap. Isobel absently stroked the long, silky fur, determined to focus entirely on the movie and think of nothing else.
The next week rushed by with the same routine. Isobel spent most of her time outside during the day to avoid being near the window. And every night the dream of the man being beheaded disrupted her sleep.
Occasionally, she glimpsed Damien moving around next door and, once or twice, an older man that had to be his uncle. There were a few times when she was certain she saw Damien staring at the house, partially hidden in the shadows under the trees. She found herself looking for him every time she stepped out the door. Something about Damien felt familiar, like she had seen him somewhere before.
The relative peace didn’t last. The atmosphere in the house darkened with each passing day, and Isobel found herself walking around in a constant state of tension. She didn’t sleep well, even when she didn’t dream. The sense of waiting grew and hung thick and oppressive in the air.
Several times she thought of just throwing a bag in the car and leaving except where would she go? This was her home. She couldn’t go back to college until fall. There were no relatives to stay with, and all her friends on the island were gone. She really couldn’t go spend an entire summer with Amelia. They had plans to visit family, and Isobel doubted Amelia’s parents would want some strange girl they had met only once at the beginning of college hanging around all summer. And if they agreed, what would she do with Sorsha? The cat could be left alone with food and water for a few weeks but not an entire summer. Her parents had left her more than enough money for food and entertainment over the summer but certainly not enough for her to leave and stay at a hotel. And not enough to board a cat for a couple of months. She was trapped.
Bound by Time: A Bound Novel Page 3
