Black 21: (Golden Hills Legacy of Black 21 Book 1) (19 page)

She stumbled in
the dark toward the pull-out and could hear his breathing.

The light next
to the bed clicked on, Christian’s bare arm reaching out to it. “Daisy?”

“Sorry, did I
wake you?" She drank his dark beauty in, the top of the sheet resting at
his waist. His bare chest glistened with a sheen.

“No. How could
I sleep with you down the hall from me?" His eyes lowered down her body
and returned to her gaze. “You do love me.”

She nodded.

“Come here. I
need to touch you, Daisy,” he breathed, his chest rising and falling more
rapidly.

Her body
responded to his words.

Kneeling on the
bed, she crawled up his long body and crushed her lips to his. He cradled her
head and probed her mouth, stroking her tongue in a heated dance.

He pulled her
nightgown up and over her head, taking in every inch of her through hooded eyes
before him.

Rolling her to her
side, level to him, he ran his hand down her leg, pulling her underwear down
with his hooked thumb. “God, you’re beautiful. I’ve wanted you for so long.”

She pulled his
hand over her breasts and offered her neck to kiss. “I feel the same,
Christian,” she said. Her insides melted into liquid. Her body betrayed her.
Her hand slid down his chest and under the sheet.

“Daisy,” he
growled, his head falling back and then crushing her mouth once again.

“I love you so
much, Christian,” she whispered.

“I love you
more.”

She heard the
lock click in the door.

It flew open
and Eric walked in. “Daisy, no!”

She tugged the
blanket up to shield them from Eric’s view. “Eric, turn around!”

“Or better yet,
get the hell out!” Christian demanded.

Eric stood
there in shock, glaring at Christian.

“Please, Eric.
Give us a moment, okay?” she pleaded.

He turned away.
“Tell him, Daisy. Or I will,” he said through gritted teeth.

“Tell me what?”
Christian stared at her, waiting.

Eric spoke when
Daisy didn’t. “She’s not supposed to even touch, much less have sex, with
someone she’s in love with. It could mean her life, Christian,” he said in a
determined low tone.

Christian
looked to her for answers. “Please tell me what he’s talking about, honey.”

“Eric, why are
you even here? What happened with Jessica?”

“Jessica?”
Christian asked.

“Nothing. Or I
mean something did happen, but I just didn’t want to sleep there. I felt bad
about leaving you alone and now I’m glad I did. Can I turn around now?”

She slipped her
nightgown back on, pulling on her underwear underneath. “Yes.”

“Tell him,
Daze. Tell him why you can’t touch him." Eric sat in the chair and crossed
his ankle over his left leg, shaking it in anger.

She knew it
also had to be hard for Eric to see this scene, knowing he would never be the
one. There had to be some jealousy involved. She could see it in his eyes.
Finally, Daisy repeated everything she had just learned, to Christian’s horror.
When she finished, she exhaled.

“You tried
keeping me away when I first got here, and now I’ve put you in danger." He
put his head in his hands.

“No, I did
that, Christian. Not you. You’re my weakness,” she said, glancing at Eric
before returning to him.

“She loves you,
man,” Eric agreed. “Lord knows I’ve tried and almost captured her heart once or
twice, but–”

“What’d you do
to her?” Christian blazed in fury.

“There were
times I questioned myself,” Daisy admitted. “Did I love you or Eric or both? He
was and is so good to me. Part of me did fall in love with him, but not like I
feel for you. Now I’ll be weaker,” she croaked, her chin trembling.

Christian stood
and reached out to hold her but then remembered and pulled back. “Daisy, you
are so strong and can fight this. And we didn’t have sex. Yes, we kissed and
got excited, but nothing too bad. But you might need to leave your cross off,”
his eyes swept down to her throat. “Jack will not like that.”

“She needs it,
Chris. We had it blessed for this reason.”

Christian
turned to Eric. “Then you hold it for her. Jack won’t take her seriously if he sees
that shining in his face. He’ll kill you on the spot as Father Paul
warned." He returned to Daisy’s wide eyes. “You can do it, honey. I know
the strength in you. I’m sure Eric has seen it, too. I wish I could hold your
hands.”

She nodded and
stood straighter. “I have no choice but to find the strength. I know there are
certain things I’m capable of as I’m sure you know as well.”

Christian
nodded. “I wanted to tell you. I was ordered not to.”

Eric spoke,
touching Christian’s shoulder. “I’ll take care of her if we get out of there at
all. I’ll always make sure Daisy is happy.”

He shook his
head. “No. I want you with me, Daisy. I can’t imagine my life without you,”
Christian said hoarsely. “I’m as selfish as my dad was with my mom. I
understand how he felt now.”

Tears coursed
down her cheeks. “If I can destroy Jack, I will be yours forever. We can go
anywhere. But if I don’t, I’m Jack’s, losing both of you for good. I can’t lose
this one.”

Christian sat
on the couch bed and shook his head. “If you destroy him, you destroy the whole
town, including me,” he looked straight into her eyes. “How would we be
together?”

Her eyes
widened in realization. “Oh, my God." She sat on the chair to steady
herself.

“Wait, that’s
only if she does it after your birthday hour. If she destroys Jack before the
hour, you’re still mortal. The rest of the immortal town won’t be so lucky,”
Eric stated. “What time were you born?”

“10:12 p.m.”

“Okay, so it
must be done before then. If she doesn’t and he gets to her first, she lives
the rest of eternity with him,” Eric added.

Christian gazed
at her with awakening. “We won’t let that happen to our girl, will we, Eric.”

“Hell no.”

“And you just
have to kiss him?” Christian asked.

“Yes, and press
the cross against his chest at the same time. So I need my cross,” Daisy said.

Christian
nodded. “He just can’t see it.”

“Right,” she
agreed.

Eric placed his
hand in the middle of them, suspending it in the air. Christian followed,
hovering his hand over Eric’s and waited for Daisy to add hers. She swallowed
and placed her hand over both men’s hands.

***

“I hate leaving
you like this, Daisy. I know how worried you’ll be until that day,” Christian
said at the door.

She ached to
hold him, feel his skin against hers. Instead, she wrapped her arms around
herself to restrain them. “I hate seeing you go again. I’ll be fine. I’ve been
in his home. He’s been in my bed. There’s nothing more that could possibly
scare me.”

“I really
despise him for touching you. It’ll take everything in me not to kill him myself
or at least try,” he said through clenched teeth.

She smiled
through her tears. “If it’s any consolation, I wasn’t really with him. I would
leave my body, or my soul would, so think of it that way.”

He gave a sad
smile.

“I also loved our
talk last night after Eric went to bed. Sometimes that’s better than making
love.”

His eyes popped
open and gave a wolfish grin. “I’d prefer to make love to you, honey. But
you’re right, just being with you is enough. For now. When this is all over, you
are mine, so get ready for me.”

She smiled but
then concern set in. “That would be nice. If I can do this.”

“You will, my
love. Have no fear. Remember what your father said about fear. It’s not
allowed.”

She gave a
subtle nod. Her eyes snapped open. “Oh, I forgot! Charlotte wrote a message to
me. You need to be careful, Christian.”

He gave a
confused look. “How?”

Daisy told him
everything about the mirror and the lipstick, and how she thought it was him at
first.

“So, she’s
using black magic on you now. How can I go back to my house with her there and
knowing that?”

“Have pity on
her, Christian. She loves you. She’ll do anything to be with you. Be kind but
cautious.”

“She doesn’t
know what love is, never did. But I’ll do it for you, Daisy. Only for
you." He stared at her with such intense love in his eyes it almost
brought her to her knees.

“I love you,
Christian. Forever. Remember that. No matter what happens.”

“Don’t talk
like that. I just wish I could protect my dad. I’m not quite sure what’ll
happen to him when Jack is destroyed. All I know is I love you with all my
heart, what there is of it.”

“Christian, you
have the biggest heart I know. There’s nothing black in there.”

“Just be safe,
Daze.”

She blew him a
kiss, and he caught it and tucked it in his jeans pocket. “For later,” he
smiled.

“I will lavish
them all over you as soon as I’m able,” she promised.

“I’m counting
on it.”

Before he
walked away, she stopped him. “Christian, I want you to know that I will love
you anywhere...here, the moon, or even hell, because I know that light will
always shine in me and in you. Love can’t live without light." She brushed
away the escaped tears.

He stared into
her eyes and smiled. “Thank you for that." He blew her a kiss and walked
down the hall to the elevator. He gazed at her long and hard, memorizing every
detail of her, before stepping inside and the doors closing.

***

Eric sat at the
kitchen table, reading the paper on his reader. He looked up as she entered.
“I’m still baffled you would forget everything,” he scolded.

She sat across
from him and looked down at her hands.

His voice
softened. “But I get it, Daze. I know what he means to you. I just don’t want
anything happening to you. You kissed him, so now I’m scared of what that did
to your immune system,” his voice cracked.

“I’ll go to
church. I’ll pray. I don’t know. Can I just hide?” she smiled, trying to ease
his concern.

“I wish it were
that easy. I’m not an expert on how these things work, but I do remember Mark’s
words.”

She chewed on her
nail and stared off.

“It’ll be fine.
I’m being an ass. Don’t listen to me, Daisy. Okay?" He waved his hand in
front of her.

“I was just
thinking about Bessie. I need to help her find Leon.”

“Daisy, you can
worry about that later!”

“What if there
is no later? What if I’m Jack’s forever? I’ll be no good to her then!” she
hissed.

He pounded the
table, rattling it and making her jump. “That won’t happen. Stop talking like
that,” he said in a hushed tone laced in fear.

She continued
to chew more nails.

He resigned.
“Fine, I’ll bring you to find her. You know where she is?”

She sat up
straighter. “Yes.”

“Fine, let’s
get ready to go.”

She gave a big
grin.

“You’re
welcome. It’s only because you’re so damn cute,” he grinned back.

***

It felt strange
being back in this little town that held so much evil and yet so much love at
the same time. The church was not too far from where she stood, which gave her
chills. How could anything so vile be nestled in a grove of such green
splendor?

A splendor that
converted into something more sinister at night, concealing what truly lived
here, was worshipped beyond the sad willow trees.

The smell of
burning leaves reminded her it was the last place she saw her cousin alive,
Lydia alive, and where her soul had begun to consider another possibility of
life.

A life with the
man she loved.

It also was the
home of a lost soul looking for her true love. Daisy’s soul intertwined with
Bessie’s, understanding her need. They were connected.

Eric
interrupted her thoughts. “Do you just want to walk and see if she comes out?”
he asked. “I don’t get how ghosts work, so...” he grinned.

She elbowed
him. “Maybe if I’m alone? That’s how I saw her last time.”

“Want me to go
back to the car? I will if you feel safe enough out here.”

“Go sit on that
bench over there and I’ll walk around. If I need you, I’ll yell out. Okay?”

“You got it,
boss." He found the bench and sat, looking around as if a ghost would pop
out at him.

Twigs snapped
under her light feet as she searched for a direction. The foliage crushed her
in a shrubbery hug, every so often reaching down and scratching her.

Insects buzzed
around her, as if guiding her, beckoning her to follow. Birds chirped and flew
from tree to tree, observing her once again.

Her arms felt cool
and damp from the dewy atmosphere. A crow perched on a thick branch in front of
her, cawing as if to warn her away. Every step she took, the crow hopped with
her.

The sun that
was just blazing, now hid behind dark clouds, casting a gray blanket over the
shadowed grounds.

Daisy brushed
away any fear and continued on. She walked deeper and reached out to an Oak
tree. The cold bark cut into her palms. She closed her eyes and a vision of a
girl running from someone or something, enfolded before her.

The girl
stopped and called out to her. “Daisy, he’s behind you!”

Daisy opened
her eyes and spun around to only more trees and the cawing crow. Her heart
thudded against her chest. The bench seemed to disappear.

“Eric?”

She ran to
where the bench should have been. “Eric!”

A deep demonic
laughter drenched the forest.

Bessie appeared
in her torn white dress and dirt-smeared face. “Daisy! Help me before he
comes!”