by Russo, Jessa
My cheeks heated in response to his comment, but instead of pulling his mouth back to mine again—we couldn’t just hole up all day and make-out—I spoke up. “I don’t trust Donovan.”
He drew back to meet my gaze. “You don’t say? I can’t imagine why.”
“I’m serious, Mick. I really don’t trust him.”
“I know.” He leaned forward to kiss my nose. “I don’t trust him, either. He knows way too much, and I know he’s hiding more. That’s our plan for the day.”
“What is?”
“We’ll go hunting, all right, but we won’t be hunting wabbits. We’ll be hunting for answers,” he said with an exaggerated wink.
“That was cheesy.”
“Yep. Just about as cheesy as you bringing up the hunting wabbits idea in the first place.”
“What—?”
He kissed me to silence my retort.
I placed my hands between us and pushed back on his chest. “Mick! Rosemarie has already come up here once. If we take too long…”
He slid a finger across my bottom lip, sending a jolt through the nerve endings there.
“Stop, Mick! Seriously! I can’t even focus. We have to do whatever it takes to get to know Donovan.”
“I’d rather stay in bed all day and get to know you.”
Mmmm, I’d had the exact same tempting idea. His dedication was enough to sweep most girls right off their feet, but combine that with the masterful way he knew how to use his mouth, not to mention his hands, and any girl would be a goner.
But for me, even more precious than those things, was the way he looked past my gray skin. Like he saw me.
I sighed. “I like the latter idea.”
“I thought you would.” He brought his lips back to mine.
I wrapped my arms around Mick’s neck and held tightly to him. In that moment, I recognized that I trusted him completely. I’d known him for such a brief time—two short weeks?—but I trusted him with every ounce of me.
I trusted Mick Stevenson with my safety. With my curse. With my future.
And for a fleeting second, as I stood there in his arms, with his lips on mine, I had the ridiculously absurd thought that I trusted him with my heart.
Another knock on the door made us laugh, breaking the kiss. We jumped away from each other as if we’d been caught with our pants down. Well, mine were still off, but who was counting?
Mick ran a hand over his scruffy chin. “I’m going to go talk to Ro.”
“Okay,” I said with a content sigh. “I’m going to shower.”
His eyebrows rose, and his smile grew wicked, as if I’d invited him to join me, but I didn’t justify his reaction with one of my own. I turned away and headed for the bathroom, shaking my head. As I closed the bathroom door, I heard a similar click from the bedroom door, signaling that I was now alone in the master suite.
Rosemarie and Cam had brought clothes from my house—an absolute Godsend on day three of the same outfit—and a clean pair of jeans sat folded up on the bathroom counter. I ran my hand over them, then picked up the hoodie and ribbed tank-top lying beside them, inhaling the familiar smell of home. When would I get to go back?
The four of us had to figure out what to do with Donovan, with my dreams, with the fact that three of us needed to be back at school in just two days—thanks to tomorrow’s Holiday—so I couldn’t hide out in this cabin for the rest of my life. However long that was. I had to go home sometime soon. I just hoped we’d be able to figure out a way.
When I stumbled across my reflection in the mirror, I was reminded of how impossible going home would be. Knowing my skin was gray, even seeing it on my hands and arms or talking about it, had nothing on actually catching my ruined face in the mirror. As if mocking me, my likeness flashed in and out of existence, revealing the stone statue I was destined to become. This time, however, I wasn’t nearly as shocked.
I didn’t have horns, or a funny monster face, so I wondered if gargoyle was really the correct term. As far as I could tell, I’d just be a statue of a girl, like any other statue. Cold. Cement. Gray.
Maybe I could get Mick to put me in the middle of a pretty fountain or something. I wondered—not for the first time—where all of the other statues were. If I lived to see the spell broken, I’d visit them all. One by one, I’d travel the world with Mick by my side, and visit each vestige of my former lives.
I shook my head and rotated away from the mirror. How easily I’d imagined myself with Mick after all of this was over. The hot water called to me, promising to cleanse me of the thoughts tearing through my head, and the curse destroying my body, though I knew that thoughts of Mick could never be washed away. I didn’t want them to be.
Call it destiny, call it fate…call it whatever. I wanted to be with Mick.
Holland
Making my way downstairs, the scent of freshly brewed coffee greeted me, accompanied by the hushed voices of everyone already gathered in the kitchen. I paused before reaching the doorway. “Look,” Mick said, “I don’t know what your game is here, but you’re not getting near her.”
“I get it. You’ve already fallen for your little beasty and—”
“Don’t call her that.”
“Got it. As I was saying, mate. You’ve fallen for the girl, and I’m a threat.”
“You are no such thing. But you will not touch her.”
I cleared my throat and entered the kitchen. “Good morning, everyone.”
Cam and Rosemarie looked up from the table and smiled at me sheepishly. I imagined they wished they were anywhere but sitting there between Mick and Donovan.
“Hey, sis. How are you feeling today?”
“I’m fine.”
I walked over to where Mick stood by the coffee maker and reached to pour myself a cup. He handed me the one in his hand, the perfect mix of creamer and coffee judging by the beige color.
He smiled, and whispered, “Good morning, beautiful.” Then he kissed the side of my forehead, making my heart flutter in my chest and my cheeks heat up.
“All I’m saying,” Donovan continued, as if I hadn’t just joined them in the kitchen. “All I’m saying is that if you and the girl here want the curse to be broken, you may want to consider that you’re not the bloke to do it. What’s your Plan B?”
I turned around, my eyes narrowed at Donovan, but Mick spoke before I could retort.
“See, that’s where I have trouble believing all this. Your timing is impeccable, I’ll give you that. And you know more than you should. But you didn’t know my dad. He didn’t have a reckless bone in his body. I wouldn’t have known the torrid details of any love affairs he’d had, but he would have told me if there’d been someone significant enough to produce a child. He’d have told me if there was a chance—even a small one—that I had an older brother. He spent years researching this curse, our family tree, our roles in breaking the spell…if there was even the slightest possibility that all of that would be for naught, I would have known.”
“But you didn’t know, did you? And, yet, here I am.” Donovan waved his arms out to his sides, then turned his attention to me. “I see you’ve had a change of clothes and a shower, eh love?”
“Yes, Donovan, thank you so much for noticing.”
“I’d notice anything you do.”
“Fantastic.” I turned to Mick. “So, um, remember the plan? How are we doing there?”
“I thought we nixed the plan so we could stay upstairs all day.”
Behind me, Cam choked on something—or nothing really—so I shook my head at Mick and turned back around.
“Hey, Cam, Rosemarie, can I talk to you guys for a minute?”
“Sure,” they answered in unison, too quickly to pretend they weren’t completely uncomfortable. They stood and pushed in their chairs, eager to leave the tense air between Mick and Donovan.
“Donovan, Mick, if you’ll excuse us.” I smiled at Mick before turning to follow Cam and Rosemarie out to the living roo
m.
“Of course,” Donovan said.
I led Cam and Rosemarie to the office, trusting that Mick would keep Donovan occupied long enough for the three of us to have an uninterrupted chat. Once inside, I closed the door behind me and turned to face them.
“Dude. I don’t trust that guy.” Cam stole the words right out of my mouth.
“I don’t, either. Not one bit.”
“Oh my gosh,” Rosemarie agreed, “Right? He gives me the creeps, and I don’t think he’s my brother. I really don’t.”
“I know!” I yelped. Catching myself, I brought my voice back down to a near-whisper. “I mean, the resemblance is there, and, I thought I saw it, but…it’s just something I can’t put my finger on. He doesn’t feel right. Does that make sense?”
“Yes!” Rosemarie shrieked, then she lowered her voice back to a whisper as I had done. “That’s exactly what I was thinking, too. I feel like I’d know if he was my brother. Even if I’d never heard of him before, or met him, or anything, I feel like I would know. I mean, Mick and I are connected—not like in a weird psychic way—but, I don’t know. I really don’t know how to describe it. Is it like that with you guys? I mean, can you, like, feel each other?”
I answered “yes” at the same time Cam answered “no.” Figures.
Rosemarie laughed, and Cam had the decency to look embarrassed, but our feelings regarding one another, connected or otherwise, weren’t the issue. Donovan was the issue, and his sudden presence in our lives was stranger than my skin turning gray.
Well. Not really, but still.
“Oh! And guess what else?” I asked. “Yesterday, when he was describing how we’ve been destined for each other and what not, he said nothing about the huge fact that I’m some woman from God knows when, who’s been reincarnated over and over again. You’d think he’d know that, right? I mean, if he knows so much about my story, why wouldn’t he know such an important part?”
“Dude. That’s totally true, Holl.”
“Okay, so Mick’s feeling the same way, and we decided today is going to be all about figuring this guy out. Let’s agree to do what we can and ask as many questions as possible without raising suspicion. Sound good?”
“Why don’t I just go flip him?”
“Without raising suspicion, Cam. We don’t want him to think we’re investigating him, and I’m pretty sure if you went out there and threw Donovan over your shoulder, he’d know something was up.”
“Fine. But if you change your mind…” Cam shrugged, then winked.
“I’ll keep you posted. Now, let’s get to the bottom of this, okay?”
Rosemarie led the way and, as she exited the office, Cam placed his hand on my arm.
“Holl?” he whispered.
I turned to face him. “What’s up?”
“Are you…I mean, do you feel okay?”
He was worried about me. Reason number seven-hundred twenty-two of why I loved my little brother. As big and tough as he was on the outside, I was his weakness. I threw my arms around his neck and stretched up to my tiptoes so I could hug him.
“I’m okay. I’m scared, but I’m okay.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. I don’t know why, but I trust Mick. I think he’ll protect me.”
“Huh. I trust him, too.”
My eyebrows shot up into my scalp. “Seriously?”
“Yeah. I do. There’s just something about him that I trust. Something I can sense is good. And I can see the way he watches you, and the way he talks about you—that guy would die before he let someone hurt you.”
I smiled. I couldn’t even help myself. I felt that, too, but I’d been scared of those feelings, scared of letting someone else into my heart after Rod had destroyed it so sufficiently.
Obviously recognizing the expression on my face, Cam mock-sneered.
“Oh geez, Holl, don’t tell me you’re already in love.” Cam pretended to strangle himself, reminding me of when he was a little boy. He ruffled my hair with his hand and pulled me out to the hallway. “Now let’s go kick some British ass.”
“Cam,” I whispered. “Remember what I said…without suspicion.”
“Sure thing, sis. I’ve got this.”
“Got what?” Donovan asked as my brother and I reentered the kitchen.
“Wasn’t talking to you, bro.”
“Right then. So, what’s on the agenda for today, hmm? A little excursion into town? Maybe some sledding? Oh, wait. That’s right, our friend here can’t be seen. Because of the curse. The curse that only I can break.”
My chest tightened at his words. He wasn’t going to get near me—thanks to Mick and Cam—and I wasn’t about to fall in love with some arrogant stranger whose creep factor rested at about a twelve on the scale of one to ten. Sure, he was hot, but his attitude was ridiculous, and I was already way too into Mick to even justify thinking about falling for someone else.
Damn. That happened fast.
I looked over at Mick, who watched me. When our eyes connected, the ghost of a smile played at his lips. Based on appearances alone, I could see how I could have fallen for him so quickly. But then, taking into account how sweet he was, how attentive…and the kissing, holy hell, the kissing.
Yeah. I was falling for him quickly all right.
Half of me wondered if fate had something to do with it, if our interlocked destiny made me feel something I may not have felt otherwise.
Then he winked at me, and on top of comprehending that I was still staring at him, I acknowledged something else. I didn’t actually care why I had such strong feelings for Mick. Just that I did.
“You two need a room, then? You look like you’ve already undressed each other with your eyes right here in a kitchen full of people.”
Cam groaned.
“That’s enough, Donovan,” Mick snapped. “Why don’t you tell us a bit more about yourself?”
“This again? Okay, mate, I’ve told you everything I know. Your dad, my mum, me. It’s as simple as the birds and the bees. I find out about Dad, come looking for him, only to find you instead. Boom, bam, I discover our family curse, gather that you are in fact not the first born son, and surprise, surprise, I get to fall in love with the girl and break the spell, all of us living happily ever after. Though, in case you couldn’t tell, I have no desire to be anyone’s knight in shining armor, so let’s just get to it then, shall we?”
“Get to what?” I asked.
He turned his dark gaze to me and I shrank back reflexively. “The fact that you’re just as pathetic as ever and, if I’m correct, you’re going to sit back and wait for someone else to fix things for you.”
What the hell? “Excuse me?” Pathetic as ever? What was he talking about?
“That’s enough, Donovan,” Mick said, his jaw clenched. “I won’t continue correcting you.”
“Then, enough of that.” Donovan swiveled in his seat to more fully face me. “I think we should shag, Princess. Have a quick go at breaking this old spell.”
Mick lunged for Donovan, but I grabbed his arm, halting him.
“I don’t see that happening,” I said through gritted teeth, my hand tightly wrapped around Mick’s forearm.
“Why not?” Donovan asked, his smile wide and his eyes sparkling as he clearly enjoyed Mick’s discomfort.
“You’re a bit old for me.”
“Rubbish. You didn’t seem to think so last night. Change your mind, love? Fancy something a little more American, do you?” He said American as if it were the most repulsive word in the English language.
My eyes bulged, and if I’d had the ability to show color in my cheeks, they would have been crimson.
“Last night?”
I closed my eyes, unable to look at Mick. I’d done nothing wrong, just come downstairs to try to find some answers on my own, but since I hadn’t told him, the situation seemed worse than it should. Much worse. I took a few deep breaths through my nose, trying to calm the slowly-building tigh
tness in my chest. I recognized it for what it was, but was determined to ignore the symptoms. Maybe I could just talk myself through these episodes. One more deep breath, then I opened my eyes and looked at Donovan.
Bad idea. His smug smirk made my pulse accelerate.
He dragged his gaze away, honing in on Mick beside me. “Didn’t she tell you, mate? I caught her watching me in the middle of the night. Imagine my surpr–”
“Enough!” I shouted. My hands clenched into fists at my sides. “I was not watching you, Donovan. I came downstairs to find some answers. That’s all! Stop lying!”
“Wait, Holland, where was I? Sleeping?”
“Yes, Mick!” I snapped, turning to face him. Whoa. Another deep breath. I fought to calm my voice. “I’m sorry. And I’m sorry I didn’t say anything, but I didn’t think it was a big deal. I couldn’t sleep, and I couldn’t stop thinking about this guy and his oh-so-coincidental appearance in our lives, so I came downstairs to look through your stuff in the office, and when I saw him there, I figured I’d ask him some questions.”
“So much for without suspicion,” Cam whispered.
I shot him a glare.
“Anyway,” I said, unable to keep the irritation from my voice. “I stopped for all of two fucking seconds at the bottom of the stairs because I couldn’t tell if he was sleeping or not. That’s when he thinks he caught me watching him.”
Mick cringed at my harsh tone, but I couldn’t dwell on his response.
“Ah well. You say potato, I say potahto, love.”
“Seriously? I’ve had enough!” Rage burned within me, the familiar sensation slowly spreading through my chest. My fingers flexed, curling in and out of my palm.
“Have you? Have you had enough?” Donovan stood, took two steps forward, closing the distance between us.
Mick moved, positioning himself in front of me, but it was too late. I’d already begun the change.
“Oh God.” My chest tightened and breathing became difficult. I tried to focus on my feet.
