“He’s a god, Ellie.”
I couldn’t let my head go there, thinking the gods were actually watching my every move. “No. I think the messenger showed up to ask for my decision. It was pure coincidence that he arrived when he did.”
Collin turned down the street toward my apartment. Manteo was locked up for the night, all the good citizens asleep in their beds. Clueless to the terror outside their bedroom windows.
“He’s angry, Ellie. But tradition says that he’s a reasonable god.”
I tried to jerk my hand from Collin’s, but he refused to let go. “How can you say that?”
We had already reached my apartment and Collin parked in the empty space next to my car. He turned off the engine and turned to me, still holding my hand. He used his free hand to stroke the side of my face, his eyes imploring me to listen.
“Do you remember when I told you that they weren’t meant to be locked away? That locking them up had thrown the world off balance?”
I nodded.
“Have you ever once considered that maybe we shouldn’t close the gate?”
My mouth dropped open. Who was this man and what was he saying?
“Hear me out.” He released my hand and cradled my face. “If we fail this, Ellie, Okeus will come after you. Maybe you should make a deal with him. To save you.”
“What?” I looped my hands over his wrists. “At what price, Collin? At what cost? I save myself to doom countless others? How could I live with myself?”
“How can I live with myself if anything happens to you?”
“I am not your responsibility.”
Tears filled his eyes and he started to say something before he cleared his throat and looked away. When he turned back, the raw emotion on his face stunned me. “You’re my responsibility more than you know. More than I knew when I walked into the New Moon less than a week ago. One day, when you hate me for coming into your life, let alone letting you seal your soul to mine, when hearing my name fills your heart with pain, and you never want to see my face again… even then, you will be my responsibility.”
My breath caught in my throat. “You’re scaring me, Collin.”
“It’s okay.” His lips were soft on mine. “I don’t mean to scare you. I’m trying to let you know what you mean to me. I’m the reason for all of the chaos in your life. I walked into your restaurant and broke the curse. I took you to Marino. I’m the sole cause of the danger you’re facing, but God help me, I’m not sorry.” His eyes burned bright. “If it all goes away tomorrow…” His voice broke and he swallowed. “I will never be sorry that I had this chance with you. And for that alone, you will hate me someday.”
“Collin.” Tears blurred my vision.
His mouth crushed mine, his hands tilting my head.
I pulled back, still holding his wrists. “Why do you think I’ll hate you? Because of your past? I know about your past. I don’t know it all, but I’ve seen an ugly glimpse, and I’m still here.” I squeezed his wrists. “I’m still here.”
He shook his head. “You don’t even know everything.”
“I don’t need to. I don’t want to. This is a chance for both of us to start over. Together. After tomorrow night, we’ll put all the ugliness in our past behind us and start over.”
He nodded, still upset. Then his face hardened. “We need to get you inside.” He opened his door and grabbed my hand, tugging me out the driver’s door.
The night was silent. The only sound was the water lapping at the dock to the lighthouse. No birds. No insects. No dogs barking in the night.
My front porch was littered with dead birds. A calling card from Okeus. I squeezed my eyes shut, then opened them again. This was real. I couldn’t close my eyes and pretend it wasn’t. It was time for Elinor Dare Lancaster to grow up.
Collin kicked the lifeless bodies to the side, making a path to the door. The symbols drawn there were faded and he paused. “I need to redo this. I’m not sure it will hold.”
“We need to redo it. Together. Teach me how.”
He nodded and pulled a piece of charcoal from his bag as I unlocked the door. He drew the same symbols he’d made in the motel room, explaining them again, questioning to make sure I understood. When it came time to put his mark on the door, he looked down at me and kissed me. “This part will be different.”
He drew a square intersecting a circle, the marks on our hands. Earth containing spirit. He placed his land symbol in the center of the square, diagonally, then handed me the charcoal. “Now draw your wave on the opposite angle and call upon the water force to add its protection.”
I took Collin’s position, stretching my arm to reach the top of the door, but I wasn’t tall enough. Collin wrapped his arms around my waist and lifted me. I drew my water symbol, asking the ancient force of the sea to lend its protection to its daughter as well as the son of land. When I was done, Collin eased his grip, allowing me to slide down the front of his body. Such a simple movement, yet so highly charged with desire and need.
“Now the other three.” Collin’s voice was husky in my ear, and my body tingled.
I tried not to hurry the remaining symbols, giving them the same reverence as the first one. When I finished the last symbol, I moved to hand the charcoal back to Collin but his arms were around my waist, pulling my body to his, his mouth finding mine. The door opened behind me and he dragged us inside and shut us in, his mouth still on mine, claiming.
I stood on my tiptoes, my hands buried in his hair. Collin looped his hands around my thighs and lifted me to straddle his waist. His hands skimmed the backs of my legs, finding my ass and snugging me close. My legs wrapped tight around his back, and he lifted the hem of my tank top with impatient hands. I unfisted his hair to let him pull the shirt over my head, my impatient mouth finding his again.
He turned and pressed my back against the door. “Ellie Lancaster, my enchantress. You’ll be the death of me.”
Before I could ask what he meant, his mouth was on mine, his tongue demanding attention. I ground my pelvis into his, aching for him.
He moved us to my bedroom, laying me down on the bed. He stripped off his clothes while I watched, the perfection of his body highlighted by the streetlight that glowed through the gauzy curtain over my repaired window. Claire must have gotten it fixed while I was gone.
I got to my knees on the mattress in front of him, wanting to touch him, to seal this memory of him into my consciousness. My hands landed on his chest, the hair rough on my fingertips, his hard muscles sending waves of desire through my body.
He reached around me and unhooked my bra, then slid the straps over my shoulders, his mouth following on my right arm. He lifted my right palm to his mouth, kissing and licking the mark in the center.
I leaned back my head and moaned.
“You are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.” His silken words washed through my body, making me hungry for him. His hand combed through my hair. “I like your hair long and loose.” He bent down and his mouth found my breast and I gasped. His hand fisted the hair at the nape of my neck, arching my back to give him better access.
Molten desire shot to my core. “Collin.”
His free hand found the button on my shorts and then my zipper. Bringing his face to mine, he released my hair. Both of his thumbs hooked the sides of my waistband and slowly tugged. His palms circled my hips, sliding my shorts down the rest of the way to my knees, my panties following behind. His hand reached between my legs as he kissed me, his other hand in my hair again.
I reached for the evidence of his own desire, and he groaned, then pushed me down on the bed, pulling my shorts and panties off the rest of the way. He lay beside me, his hands and mouth everywhere, driving me into a frenzy.
“I want you to remember this. What you feel with me.” He kissed my mouth again, then met my gaze, his eyes bright with lust and need. “Remember that I am yours for now and forever. And no man will ever give you what I can.”
&
nbsp; I grabbed the sides of his head. “No man has ever made me feel a fraction of what I feel with you. I’m not going anywhere.”
His knee nudged my legs apart, and he positioned himself between them, balancing himself on his forearms. “Tell me what you want, Ellie.”
Was he wanting me to talk dirty to him? I didn’t think so. This was deeper than that. I gazed into his searching eyes. I lifted my right hand to his cheek, and as I said the words, I realized how true they were. “I want you, Collin Dailey. I’ve always wanted you.”
His right hand grabbed mine, pressing our palms together and bringing them over my head as he entered me.
Bombarded with two extraordinary sensations at the same time, my mind scrambled to make sense of the rush, but my body followed instinct, matching Collin’s every move. I was the swirling dust in the beginning of the universe. I was the explosion of a supernova. I was the energy of the sun.
He started slowly, driving me crazy with need, the strain on his face betraying his own struggle to not quicken the pace.
I was the bee drinking nectar from flower. I was the blade of grass on a sunny meadow. I was the deer in the field.
I wrapped my legs around his waist, offering myself up to him, an ache so deep I knew he was the only one to fill it. To ever fill it. “Collin,” I begged. “Please.”
His pace quickened, his free hand reaching underneath me so he could get deeper.
I was the rain droplets in a storm cloud. I was the rushing water in a mountain stream. I was the vast, deep ocean.
I was climbing, climbing, climbing past the tallest mountaintop. Past the edge of the solar system. To the very edge of the universe.
I released a loud cry. My left hand circled his back and urged him deeper.
I was the first drop of water in the meteorite that hit the hot liquefied earth. The union of land and water.
And for one brief moment, I was whole.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Collin was gone when I woke up. I had a moment of panic when I realized he wasn’t in bed next to me, but I found a note on his pillow.
I have to prepare for tonight. You were too beautiful to wake up. No matter what happens tonight, know that I am always yours.
Collin
I hadn’t seen Myra since the morning I’d stolen the candlesticks. And I hadn’t checked on Daddy either, other than through Claire. I was eager to make sure they were okay.
Okeus had promised a sacrifice.
With trembling fingers, I called Claire, who whispered into the phone that she and Drew were fine, but she was going to lose her job if she didn’t get off the phone. Next I called Myra, who was cheerful when she answered.
“I overslept but wanted you to know I’m coming in this morning. Is Daddy okay?” I asked, already knowing the answer from her tone but needing to hear her say the words.
“He’s fine. Becky’s here helping, but I’d love to see you before I leave for the visitor center.”
If the people I cared about had been spared, then what did that mean about the sacrifice?
It was already after nine, but I was scheduled to work at the New Moon at four if Marlena let me come back. That meant I had the day to fill. My apartment didn’t have a washer and dryer, so I’d even have time to do some of my own laundry.
I took a shower and dressed in a pair of capri pants and my last clean T-shirt. I packed all my laundry and found my car keys since I had too much to carry four blocks. When I opened the front door, I prepared myself for the birds, expecting to see the macabre countdown, but the bodies were gone.
Collin.
I smiled to myself on my way to load the laundry into the back of the car when I noticed the crowd on the sidewalk in front of the New Moon.
Oh, God.
Dropping the over-piled basket onto the parking lot next to my car, I ran through the opening between the buildings, toward the street. Pushing my way through the dense crowd, I tried to keep my fear from spilling out into hysteria. I needed to see what was going on before I panicked.
I spotted Bob, the manager of Kitty Hawk Kites, standing in the middle of the throng. “Bob! What’s going on?”
He turned his pale face toward me. “Ellie, I’m so sorry.”
My terror broke loose. “What? What happened?”
“Marlena.”
I sucked in breath, fighting the blackness hovering at the edges of my vision. I was not going to pass out. “What happened?”
“They found her here. Outside the restaurant. Like Lila.” Bob grabbed my hands. “The sick person doing this is targeting this restaurant, Ellie. You’re not safe.”
I choked on a sob. No, the people around me weren’t safe. I stumbled to the curb and sat down, cradling my head between my hands and crying.
Bob sat next to me. “I think the police want to talk to you.”
Of course they would, and I’d have to lie. Would they be able to see that? Tilting my head back, I drew in a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down. Sitting here crying on the curb wouldn’t help Marlena, and it wouldn’t help anyone else I loved or cared about. “I’m going to the Dare Inn to help Myra. If they ask about me, tell them they can find me there.”
“Okay, but be careful Ellie.”
Marlena. She was married with three kids. The most loving, giving person I’d ever met. Sure she could be pushy with my love life, but she loved me and now she was dead. Because of me.
I drove the few blocks to the bed and breakfast in a daze. What the hell was I doing? I was about to go inside and do my laundry and change linens and pretend that everything was okay.
Everything was so not okay.
The messenger had promised a friend and my family would be sacrificed. He’d stolen Marlena—who was next? Should I cave to Okeus’s demands? It would keep the people I loved safe.
But would it really? Ahone had warned that the gate needed to be closed, and he was a god. But I couldn’t ignore the fact that he alone had escaped the curse. Still, I knew deep in my gut that this was nothing compared to what would happen if the gate was opened all the way. I only had to make sure that Daddy and Myra were protected and get through tonight, and then this nightmare would be over.
I hauled my laundry to the back door of the residential house. Claire was right. Daddy had marked the doors. His symbols were a little different than Collin’s but for the most part, looked to be the same. That gave me some comfort. After I started a load of my darks, I went to the guesthouse and found Myra on the phone in the office. She smiled and waved when I walked in and made my way to the small kitchen.
Three couples sat at the tables in the dining room.
“Ellie.” Myra’s worried voice greeted me. “I’ve been worried about you. I heard about Lila and Dwight.”
My eyes welled with tears. “And now Marlena. They found her dead outside the restaurant. Just like Lila.”
Myra’s hand covered her mouth as her eyes widened. “Who’s doing this?”
I didn’t want to lie to Myra, but I knew she didn’t want the truth. “I don’t know.”
“Are you safe? Three people you know have been killed. Maybe you should stay with us.”
That was the last thing I should do. “That’s not saying much, Myra. We know half the people in town.” She started to protest, but I interrupted. “How’s Daddy?”
She shook her head, trying to jump conversation streams. “He was better yesterday and still is today. I’m glad you’re here. You should go see him.”
“Thanks, Myra.” I picked up a blueberry muffin to take with me and headed for the back door. I wasn’t very hungry but I needed all the strength I could get.
“Ellie?”
I turned back to her.
“I hope you know that this house and everything in it is yours too.”
I was confused for a moment until I remembered. The candlesticks. They seemed so long ago now, but it had only been a few days. I dropped my gaze. “I’m sorry.”
She grabbed
both of my arms and stared into my face. “No, Ellie. There’s nothing to be sorry about. I’m sure you had a reason, even if you don’t want to share it.”
“I love you, Myra.”
“I love you too. Go see your dad.”
I found Daddy sitting in the living room watching television. His caregiver sat in a chair in the corner, knitting.
Daddy looked up. Confusion flickered in his eyes before he smiled. “Elliphant.”
A soft smile warmed my cheeks. “Hey Daddy.” I turned to the woman. “You can take a break while I sit with Daddy for a bit.”
She nodded and left her knitting in the chair before she left the room.
Daddy watched her go, then turned back to me. “The curse…” Worry knotted his brow.
I sat next to him and held my palm toward him. “I have a surprise for you.” Why had I been so stubborn and not showed it to him the day I’d gotten it?
He picked up my hand, and his mouth dropped. “It’s real.”
“It’s very real.”
Tears filled his eyes. “After so long… so many years of waiting…”
I felt so unworthy and so unwilling all at the same time. “I have a title. The gods call me Curse Keeper, daughter of the sea, witness to creation.”
His brow furrowed with confusion. “I knew about daughter of the sea, but witness to creation?”
“I have a pure soul. My Manitou was part of creation. When Collin and I touch our marks together, I can feel it. I feel the essence of every living creature. It’s so beautiful, Daddy. I wish it had been you. I don’t deserve this.”
“Shh.…” He pulled me into a hug, resting my cheek on his shoulder as he stroked my hair. “Don’t say such things. I confess, I would have given anything to be the Curse Keeper, but I’m proud of you. I’m glad it’s you.”
I blinked away my tears. “One of the times we touched, when I was in the ocean, I saw the birth of creation.”
He pulled back, looking into my face with wide eyes.
“My Manitou was a witness to the creation of the universe. In a vision, I relived my ancient memories. I saw the birth of the world, and Ahone arise from earth and create man. I saw him split himself and create his twin, Okeus. Collin says pure souls are very rare, but the gods and spirits will want my Manitou even more.”
The Curse Keepers (Curse Keepers series) Page 29
