Black 21: (Golden Hills Legacy of Black 21 Book 1) (10 page)

“What are all
these?" Daisy eyed the multiple notebooks Christian dropped on her bed the
next morning.

“Study time.
Need to learn our town’s ways if you plan on staying,” he said, kissing her
forehead. “Come down for breakfast and we can go over some important rules.”

“Are you
serious? I’m expected to know this stuff?”

“Yep.”

“Hey, I never
gave my decision of staying here, Christian Stone.”

“How can you
not? You love me,” he smiled, walking to the door.

“I’m not letting
that...man...touch me.”

“I’m not
either." He closed the door behind him.

She rushed
around to get dressed and met him in the dining room with a few of the books.
He sat there with his coffee and newspaper.

“You actually
read a real paper?" She sat in the chair next to him.

Lucinda brought
her coffee and a cheese omelet. “Is okay, Miss Daisy?”

“Perfect,
Lucinda. Thank you." She returned her warm smile.

Christian
responded. “I do. I can’t read on a tiny phone. I like to feel paper.”

“Poor trees,”
Daisy teased. “We’ll have to get you a Kindle.”

He chuckled and
sipped his coffee. “I’m sorry again about last night in your room. You didn’t
deserve that." His hand slipped over hers.

“You were only
acting out what I wanted as well. Don’t beat yourself up.”

“Oh,
yeah?" He wiggled his eyebrows and showed his dimple.

Her eyes
lowered and glanced back at him with a deep sadness.

Concern etched
his face. “I’m also so sorry what you witnessed last night, Daze. I know it’s
killing you. I wish I could take it all back.”

She wiped away
a tear and forced a smile, nodding.

Christian
smiled and touched her hand. “Get a chance to look anything over?”

“Not yet, but I
did want to talk to you about something. Do they have a school here?”

His eyes
narrowed, looking confused. “Of course." He sat back, understanding her
question more. “You want to teach here?”

“Well, I
thought why not? I was ready to teach when I got back to Chicago, but since
there might be a change in plans...”

He cradled her
face. “I love that idea. There’s just one thing, honey.”

“What?”

“You don’t
exactly teach them the Common Core. It’s more of...Jack’s Education.”

“They don’t
learn math and English?”

“They’re
groomed to know their place, to either be a sacrifice for the twenty-first
birthday or to be by the birthday boy’s side in the after dark. Stupid, right?
The ones that will be a wife do need education, so that’s where they could need
you. Either way is an honor for them in their family’s eyes.”

She was
stunned. A thought came to her. “Will Eric have a ball?”

He arched his
brows. “Yes, why? I know I had him take care of you last night, but what
exactly happened between you two? I never did ask,” he said, putting his paper
down and leaning closer.

“Don’t be
jealous, Christian. The guy just lost his dear friend, and I was a shoulder to
cry on. I felt bad for him and still do, as so should you.”

“I do, believe
me, but if he touched you or had some thought about you–”

She shook her
head. She didn’t dare tell him about the sweet kiss they shared. “He was a
perfect gentleman. He just has a broken heart.”

“Well, I don’t
want you mending it.”

She furrowed
her brow. “I’m confused. I thought you wanted nothing to do with this whole
birthday thing. Why all of a sudden you seem like you can’t wait?”

“I have my
reasons.”

“Was it that
meeting you had last night with Jack? Did he threaten you?”

“No.”

Her eyes
widened. “Did he threaten me?”

“Can we just
look over this stuff, please?" He opened one of the books and searched for
something.

“He did, didn’t
he? I’m not afraid of him, Christian. Don’t do anything because you think he
might hurt me.”

“I won’t let
anyone hurt you. I sometimes wonder if I’m any good for you. Maybe Eric would
be better for you.”

“What? Don’t
talk like that.”

“You don’t know
the power I’m coming into when I turn twenty-one, Daisy. What if I am this
monster? How can you love a monster?”

“But you’re
not, my love. You’re not." She touched his face.

“How do you
know?” he whispered.

“I just do.
Okay, show me what you want me to know." She pulled the book to her to
begin her studying.

As she studied
the books, he studied her. She glanced at him, twirling her hair. “Stop
staring. I feel funny when you do that,” she ordered, grinning.

“Can’t help it.
You drive me crazy.”

“Well,
help
it." She returned her attention to the book. “It says here I have to throw
tea parties for the women. All the married women?”

“Yep.”

“So, they’ve
been through the ritual of the ball. He...touched them?”

“He did, but
not in his true form...not since Bessie. But he does initiate them.”

“Or Lydia,” she
reminded him.

“Or Lydia.”

“Why does he do
that? Is there a point?”

“Just to
basically say they really belong to him, not the schmuck they’re going to,” he
answered.

“So, if I
decide to do this, would he be...”

“In human
form?”

She nodded.

“We discussed
that last night. He wants to be in his true form so the baby will have more of
a chance of...” he searched for the right word.

“Being like
him?”

The grin
disappeared. “You can say, yes.”

“Oh, my
God." Her hand flew to her mouth.

“Daisy, with
your power, you can close your eyes and not be there...just like the whipping.”

She shook her
head. “That would be much harder, Christian.”

“That’s what we
argued about last night. I tried to tell him I didn’t want that. I don’t even
want him touching you at all. The thought sickens me. I want to be the only
one.”

“But you’re
not.”

“Don’t remind
me. I know Dane died for what he did, but part of me is happy he did. I know
that’s wrong. If Jack didn’t do it, I might’ve myself,” he admitted, pounding
the table.

She wrapped her
hand around his angry fist.

He continued.
“So, in my mind I will be your one and only. I just want to leave and give it
all up. I don’t want his hands or anything else on you, but thanks to my
father’s promise to him,” he said through gritted teeth.

“Is that why
you drank last night?”

“Yes. I thought
it would help, but it made things worse.”

She took both
his hands into hers. “Christian, let’s just leave, get out of this town. We don’t
need to stay here. I trust in my power and yours to get away from...him.”

“God, I wish it
were that easy, honey. I do.”

“It is. We can
do this. Let’s find some small town, maybe another state...another country.
Whatever it takes.”

He sighed and
shook his head. “It’s impossible. He’ll find us.”

“You said I’m
safe if I wear my cross, right? We’ll get one for you, too.”

“I don’t think
I can wear a cross, Daisy. Look what happened to Dane, and he didn’t have the
power I have. I hate even saying power because it’s an insult to your true
power. I have a darkness in me that could snuff out your light.”

“I don’t
believe that. What about your mother? She gave you her light, her love for God.
All you have to do is accept it. Let the other part of you go.”

“Did I ever
tell you what happened to Tara?”

“Your high
school girlfriend? No, you never told me how she died, and I didn’t want to
pry. I’m scared of what you’re going to tell me now.”

“She was a
little like you, had all these dreams and hopes. She also wanted me to run away
with her. My mother loved her and would talk to her. My mother is the one who
told her to run away, even if it was to leave me." His hands shook as he
spoke.

“Go on.”

“Well, I cared
for her but not like that, not like I do for you. I didn’t love her and she
knew it deep down. She decided she deserved better and packed her belongings,”
he said, taking a staggering breath before continuing. “Her parents found out
and told Jack.”

“He killed
her?”

“Yes. So,
that’s what prompted my mother to kill herself. She felt responsible for Tara’s
death.”

“But I’m
different from Tara. We can do this. You can use your degree in Psychology and
I can teach. It would be perfect.”

“There’s
nothing I would want more than to start a new life with you...here or in another
town." He pulled her to his lap and kissed her, softly at first and then
more urgently. She allowed his lips to trail down her neck.

“Christian, I
do love you. I do want to be with you.”

“I want to be
with you, too.”

“No, I mean I
want to be with you.”

He stared at
her and understood, nodding. “Meet me out in the garden tonight around ten
o’clock. We’ll be safe there by the fountain,” he instructed, his voice raspy.

“I wish we
could drag the fountain around with us,” she joked.

“Me, too,” he
smiled and kissed her one more time. “I have some errands to run for my father
and a meeting at Jack’s Den. I don’t know how I’m going to concentrate on
anything they say.”

She giggled.
“Why, what’ll be on your mind?”

“You’re a funny
girl. Anyone ever tell you that?”

“Nope."
She stood and collected all the books to return to her room.

“So the day is
yours. I can bring you something to eat or just have Lucinda make something.
She likes you.”

“Well, I like
her, too." She carried the books up the stairs after watching him go out
the door.

On her way to
her room, one of the paintings whispered to her. It was the one with little
children with terrified looks on their faces, looking at something in the woods
and pointing, a jackal crouching behind them with snarling teeth.

“Help us,
Daisy. Save us from the bad man. Don’t leave us here with him,” they screamed
in small, whispered voices.

She turned to
get a closer look, but it just appeared to be a regular painting.

One of the
books fell out of her arms to the floor, opening to the last page. She bent to
pick it up but something caught her eye.

Upon turning
twenty-one, the new leader will change into his true form as his satanic
father, as will the chosen one. The words jumped out at her, squeezing her
heart. Christian never told her that he would change into some sort of demonic
son of Jack or that she would. Why would he keep that from her? Although, he
did say monster.

It was a subtle
warning from him.

She picked the
book up and ran to her room, away from the whisperings, the pleadings. Should
she call him? Text him? Ask him what the hell this was? Maybe it was an old
ritual and not done anymore. That could be a possibility.

But what if it
wasn’t?

Would he tell
her the truth or make something up? What could she believe?

She picked up
her cell phone and hit his number he had given to her last night. “Eric? Can
you drive me somewhere?”

After he agreed
to pick her up, she met him out in front. She jumped in his Camaro and shut the
door. “Wow that was fast!”

He just cleaned
his glasses and put them back on. “Anything for you. Where do you need to go?”

“Do you know
where the young girls go to learn...”

“…how to die?”

“I’m not
joking.”

“Neither am I,
Daisy." He drove through the gate and toward their destination.

She touched his
shoulder and gave a concerned smile. “You feeling a little better today?”

“How does one
get over something like that?”

“Would she have
been your chosen one?”

He shrugged his
shoulder. “At times I thought maybe she would have been, that it could have
turned into something more one day, but everyone wanted to be Christian’s. I
think she wanted to be his deep down as well.”

She grabbed his
hand. “She would have been lucky to be your chosen one, Eric.”

“Thanks for
that, Daisy. But let’s be real here. Christian has that mysterious, dark, sexy
thing going on. Me? I wear glasses, more slender, just your average nerd.”

“You’re wrong
there, Eric. The first time I saw you I thought you were cute. And brains are
very sexy, sometimes more than looks.”

“But I’m no
Christian." He grinned, the glint of his gold watch catching in the sun
when he turned the steering wheel.

She sighed. “I
do love him.”

“I know.”

“Are you afraid
of him?”

He cleared his throat.
“The Stone legend goes down in history around here. You don’t mess with
them." His jaw clenched.

“I was reading
some of the rules in the books. Are they all current?”

“Pretty much,
unless they forgot to change something, but pretty much. Why?”

“Just
wondering." She chewed on her nails.

“May I ask why
you want to see the girls being taught?”

“I teach and
might become a teacher here,” she half lied. She still hoped they would get out
of this town, but something in those paintings drew her here.

“Well, it’s no
Sunday school teachings, I’ll tell ya that.”

“I understand.
I would have to change my ways, my beliefs to teach them.”

“I’m sure they
would love to train you on their methods. But I’m not so sure your position
would even be allowed to teach, being the high priestess and all.”

“I never
thought of that. I would be too busy throwing tea parties and luncheons,
wouldn’t I?”

“Yep." He
grinned.

“Well, I still
want to go. I should see how they do things.”

“Okay, we’re
here. Do you want me to go in with you?”