Black 21: (Golden Hills Legacy of Black 21 Book 1) (7 page)

***

Uncle Joe stood
at Dane’s bedroom door. “…so Jack wants to speak with you. He won’t tell me
why, but he doesn’t seem happy. What happened, son?”

Dane shrugged
and shuffled his bare feet, wearing ripped jeans, having a disheveled
appearance.

“You and
Christian have an argument?”

“No, Dad.”

“Then why the
meeting with his father?”

Confusion and
then revelation crossed Dane’s face, continuing his silence.

His father gave
a heavy sigh. “Very well – just be prepared." He closed the door.

Dane walked to
his dresser drawer and pulled out a handgun. Sitting in the chair, he put the
muzzle of the revolver in his mouth, and then dropped it to the desk. He sobbed
into his hands.

***

Christian
knocked on her door before entering, carrying a tray of food in. “Sleep well?”

She sat up,
stretching as if she’d slept for hours. “What time is it?”

“Nine-thirty."
He sat on the bed, rubbing her leg through the blankets.

“I haven’t
slept like that in a long time. I must’ve been nervous at my aunt’s and
uncle’s,” she admitted.

“Of what, Dane
coming in your room,” he teased.

Her eyes popped
open. Did he know something? That reminded her of what Dane had said about
Christian.

“What’s wrong,
honey? You look like you want to say something.”

She chewed her
lip and got it out. “Dane warned me about something...about you." She
sipped the hot tea he handed to her.

“What, that I’m
evil, to watch out for me,” he answered, teasing her again but then got more
serious when she didn’t laugh. “Daisy, do you believe him?" His voice was
traced with hurt.

“He told me to
wear my cross at all times, Christian.”

He clenched his
teeth and looked away. “Take it off,” he ordered, still looking away.

She shook her head.
“What? No, I don’t need to prove anything and you don’t either.”

“You’re afraid
of me." He looked her in the eyes now.

“Don’t be
silly!”

“Then take it
off...for me,” he begged.

After what
seemed like forever, she slid her hands behind her neck and unclasped the
chain, letting the cross slide down into her cleavage, his gaze wandering there
evanescently before returning to her eyes.

“See, I didn’t
turn into a monster. You’re safe here with me, Daisy. I control that part
because I don’t allow it like he does.”

She placed the
chain on the nightstand next to her and smiled. “I know I can trust you. You’re
the only one I do trust, Christian. You must know that by now." She
touched his face, and he briefly closed his eyes.

He grabbed her
hand and kissed her palm, bringing a small moan from her lips. “Daisy,” he
whispered, then a low rumble came from his throat.

Her eyes
widened and her heart quickened...in fear? She allowed him to love her hand and
wrist, trailing his tongue in an agonizing fashion up and down her arm, her
head falling against the pillow, her chest heaving in short breaths.

She opened her
eyes to look into his, and she thought she saw a flicker of...what? His lips
touched hers, pressing harder, sliding his tongue inside, lapping at hers in
such a way that she felt a crescendo in her loins, a tightening.

“Yes, Daisy.
Feel it,” he murmured against her mouth. “Feel what’s in my heart for
you." His hand slipped under the covers, caressing her body.

A moan escaped
and she pushed him away, afraid of what was happening to her. “Stop!”

When he pulled
away, he slowed his breathing down and spoke when he felt calmer. He raked his
hand through his dark hair. “I’m so sorry, Daisy. I know you’re not ready for…”

“Christian...your
eyes. Something changed in them.”

“Yeah, it’s
called desire.”

She shook her
head, still out of breath.

He cradled her
hand in his, looking into her eyes. “Maybe you should be scared of me. Get some
sleep. I’ll be right down the hall if you – well, goodnight." He kissed
her cheek and left the room.

She stared at
the chandelier, biting her quivering lip. Those eyes, the way he looked at her,
imbibed her. Something dark lingered there, daring her to join him, but then it
would dissolve just as fast.

Glancing over
at the nightstand to where her cross lay, she leaned over and grabbed her
chain, clasping it around her neck. It hung to her chest bone, reminding her of
Christian’s eyes there.

He may be
fighting something dark inside him, but what if it won?

Rays of the
morning sun peeped through the significant glass windowpanes, beckoning her to
start the day. She sat up, panicking for a moment. She glanced around her,
realizing she was safe.

Nightmares
besieged her all night of demons seducing young girls. She even dreamed of Jack
Red. He walked into her room with his tantalizing blue stare, sat on her bed,
smiling down at her. He spoke of love and babies, the birth of a new world.

He even bent
and kissed her, sliding his tongue inside to caress hers, chasing hers while
stroking her cheek, letting his hand fall down to her breast, his lips trailing
down her neck.

But then when
he pulled back it wasn’t Jack’s handsome face, but that of one with green
scales, pointed ears, and curling horns.

She had screamed
and pushed herself up on the pillows to get away, but then he turned into
Christian, her sweet Christian...Christian, whose name meant everything good,
everything God. His words still echoed in her ears. “Daisy, I’m no good. You’re
not safe here with me. I’m everything Dane warned you. You must leave!”

Tears streamed
down her face and she shook her head. Her hand reached out to touch him, but
then he turned into Dane, laughing in a raucous roar. He stuck his hand out and
ripped her chain off, throwing it in the fireplace across from the bed, melting
the cross to nothing.

She went to
feel for her cross and panicked. She found it on the nightstand, which she
thought strange, usually never taking it off at bedtime. She replaced it around
her neck and looked at the fireplace. At least it looked like it hadn’t been
used in years. She kissed her cross like she always did and sighed.

After throwing
the blankets off, she walked into the bathroom to wash. She dropped her
toothbrush in the sink when she caught sight of her face. There was a long, red
scratch mark where Jack had touched it in her dream. Maybe she did that
herself? It was possible. Yes, she decided that’s what happened.

She brushed her
teeth and carefully washed her face as the scratch burned to the touch. The
thought of that man touching her...no. She banished it.

The memory of
Christian’s kiss last night still ignited a fire in her, wanting more. Feeling
flushed, she took a drink of water and fanned her face. Before she left the
bathroom, something told her to lift her cross off her chest, and when she did,
her mouth fell open. The silhouette of it was marked deep into her skin.

What was going
on? She wanted to run out and buy more crosses, spread them around her room to
protect her from...what?

Satan?

She laughed out
loud. She heard the story from Christian, but still couldn’t wrap her mind
around the idea. But he wouldn’t have lied about his mother. She had meant
everything to him.

After throwing
on shorts and a top, pulling her hair into a ponytail, and putting makeup on
the scratch to try to cover it a little, she walked back out into her room.
Christian had told her not to worry about cleaning up or making her bed, that
Lucinda, the housekeeper, would do that. She opened the door to the long corridor
and heard giggling.

“Well, good
morning, Daisy. How was your first night sleeping in Stone Manor?" William
Stone asked, standing at his bedroom door in a silk, red robe next to a
beautiful girl…a girl she knew well.

“Very well, Mr.
Stone. Is Christian around?" She tried to ignore Charlotte’s scowl.

“Please, it’s
Bill, and I think he’s downstairs waiting for you. You remember Charlotte?” he
asked, turning to a sulky woman.

“Yes, of
course. Hello, Charlotte." She walked past them, feeling funny knowing
they must have slept together. Did they always share lovers?

“Charlotte was
just stopping by to give me a message from my secretary. Nothing’s going on
here, Daisy,” he claimed, smiling with narrowed eyes.

“Oh, it’s none
of my business. Sorry." She walked faster down the stairs, hearing
Charlotte’s laughter fall behind her with sensual smooching sounds.

One of the
paintings caught her eye. It appeared to come alive, the eyes of some
four-legged creature mocking her, tongues wiggling like snakes.

All the paintings
seemed to come to life, following her down the stairs. She got a little lost
because they didn’t finish the tour last night. As she followed the sounds to
the kitchen, she found Christian in the adjoining dining room.

The room
smelled of roses in the rain. Bending over to smell the rainbow centerpiece
closer, she smiled, sniffing in the garden scent. Turning toward him, she gave
him a wide grin. “Good morning." He looked so handsome in his khakis and a
bright yellow polo shirt, his tanned skin standing out.

“Good morning
to you, beautiful. Sleep well?" He poured her coffee and set it on the
table before her. “Extra sugar,” he added, winking. He plucked one of the
roses, choosing a pink one to give her.

“Thank you,”
she said, smelling it and laying it next to her mug. “Your father just asked me
the same thing, but I guess I did,” she said, shrugging. She sat and picked up
the mug.

He squinted his
eyes to peer closer to her. “What’s on your face?”

Her hand flew
to her wound, almost forgetting about it. “I must’ve in my sleep. I woke up
with it there, but I also had the strangest dream." She allowed him to
inspect it, then he said something in another language to the maid.

“Lucinda will
get some antibiotic ointment. You don’t want that getting infected,” he said,
barely touching it.

Lucinda, an
older Portuguese woman, dabbed a cloth with ointment to her scratch. “There you
go, Miss Daisy. All better?” she asked with a heavy accent, smiling warmly,
looking into Daisy’s eyes.

“Yes. Thank
you, Lucinda.”

When Lucinda
left, Christian turned to her. “So Jack came to visit you last night?" He
sat next to her at the end, cupping his hand over hers on the long polished
table.

She went to
touch her scratch to see how it felt, and it was gone, just smooth skin. She swallowed
hard before answering. “In my dream he did, yes.”

“No, that was
real.”

“What? How do
you even know about it?” she stammered.

“You know who
he is, who I am...you know.”

She whispered so
Lucinda or anyone else wouldn’t hear. “I thought we were going to figure
something out, Christian. I don’t get that from you right now." She pulled
her hand away and cupped her mug with shaking hands.

His low voice
matched hers. “Let’s walk outside to the back garden. We can talk more there,”
he instructed, standing, and leading her to the patio door.

She followed,
placing her mug in the sink, and smiling at Lucinda as she passed her. Could
she trust her? She wondered who she could trust in this town.

Christian
pushed the French doors open and let her go before him. They sat at the black,
wrought-iron bench that matched the railings in the home, near that precious
fountain encasing his beloved mother. She sat next to him, shaded by the Oak
trees from the bright sun peeking through.

He turned to
her and held her hands as he spoke. “I know what I’ve said before, Daisy, about
trying to leave. But I have another proposition for you.”

Her heart began
its slow dance against her chest. She wasn’t sure if it was in fear or
anticipation. “Go on,” she insisted.

“You must know
I love you by now. I think I have since our first meeting. Do you remember?”

She shook her
head. “I don’t. My aunt told me about it, but I just don’t." Her head
still reeled at his words. He loved her. Her skin grew hot.

“Well, I do.
Even when I was with Tara, as much as I cared for her...your face, your hair,
it was always with me, haunting me,” he paused, looking at the statue. “My
mother would speak of a Daisy and how one day I would understand it all. She
would say ‘an angel named Daisy,’ and I just thought she was nuts because she
never met you.

“But then Dane
would speak of you in ways he shouldn’t have, and this part of me would change,
would turn black,” he said, balling his fists and clenching his jaw.

“Then after my
mother died, my father began to tell me of these plans and what was expected of
me to fill this role. I didn’t want to drag you into any of this horror of a
life. I turned myself against you before you came. You were everything I
remembered from when we were kids. I wanted to warn you to get out now and go
back home, but I knew that was useless because your father would send you back.
There was nowhere to go. I loathed my father at that moment.”

“I’m so sorry,
Christian. This must be really hard for you, to know your own father...,” she
paused, then remembered her father was doing the same thing. “I probably
understand more than anyone.”

“Right,” he
concurred, looking her in the eye. “Do you love me, Daisy? I mean, I know we
haven’t really known each other that long, but –,”

Her eyes
fluttered to his, tears burning them. “I do love you, Christian. As much as I
don’t want to, I do,” she said, cupping his face. “I feel I was born to love
you, as silly as that sounds.”

“It’s not silly
at all but very true. Do you love me enough to risk it all? To give your old
life up and come be by my side?”

“Christian,
what you’re asking of me is to give up my...my faith and to believe in
something
else
,” she responded, her voice quivering. “I can’t believe
in...that,” she admitted, shaking her head.

“You don’t have
to in your heart, just pretend." His sad smile touched something deep in
her.

She cleared her
throat. “Won’t he know? What if I’m asked to perform certain rituals I
can’t." Tears stung her eyes, refusing to release. She blinked them and
allowed them to fall. He wiped them away for her.

“You’re right.
I didn’t think this through. Being selfish again. Damn it!" He slapped his
thigh and sat back against the bench, running his hands through his hair.
“There’s got to be a way, Daisy. I don’t want to lose you!" He pulled her
to him, cradling her head to his chest.

She spoke
against his shirt. “It would be for eternity with you?”

“Yes, but to be
honest, I’m scared of how I’ll change after the anointment, how you’d change.
So an eternity with a demon doesn’t sound all that great now, does it.”

“Your love
wouldn’t allow that...I know it.”

“What’re you
saying then?" He pulled her head away and looked into her eyes.

“I don’t know
anymore. I just know I can’t go back home and live without you. It would kill
me, so I might as well be dead.”

“You do
understand what would happen at the ball, right? What Jack would do to you? I
don’t know if I could stand that, seeing him rip you apart!” he stated, shaking
his head. “And if he discovers you’re not a virgin...”

“So, Jack
really can’t hear us out here?” she asked, sitting up.

He glanced at
the fountain spraying water as the wind whipped through. “No. She’s with God now,
and Jack hates that, doesn’t come near this area,” he chuckled, shaking his
head.

She laid her
head back on his chest and chewed her nail, feeling the warm breeze blow her
hair. She fiddled with her cross and wondered if she could ever let God go, all
for love. But isn’t that what God was about, love? Could He forgive her and
understand?

And then she
remembered what her cross had done to her skin. She sat up and lifted it,
revealing perfect skin. “I swear there was a mark from my cross!”

“That happened
when he took it off you,” he said in a dry voice.

“But where is
it now?" She searched his eyes for an answer, still feeling the smooth
area where her cross lay.

“That’s one
little thing I might have left out,” he added, eying her cross.

“What? Tell
me!”

“The reason you
were chosen, Daisy. There’s a power in you probably stronger than any of us
have, and the closer you are to me, the greater it grows. It’s protecting you,
my love,” he said, caressing her face. “Together, you and I can make one
helluva team, so to speak." He gave a crooked smile.

Confusion
filled her face. “Protect me from what...Jack?”

“Yes…and me.”

“You? But I’m
safe with you! I can feel it!”

“What did you
see in my eyes last night, Daisy?” he reminded her.

She shook her
head, denying what he tried to tell her. “I love you, Christian. That’s all I
care about. I’m not afraid of you and never will be." She kissed him then,
proving her love.

“Oh, Daisy...my
Daisy,” he murmured against her lips, letting his tongue slide into her mouth.
He leaned his body against her, her hands sliding down his side and to his
back, up through his hair, tugging at it.

She broke from
his mouth and licked down his neck, over his Adam’s apple and into the crevice
below that.

He groaned and
pulled away. “We can’t here, too early in the day, too many eyes in the house.”

Trying to catch
her breath and come back to reality, she understood, nodding in response.

“Listen, Jack
wants me to bring you to his church tonight, to sort of start teaching you the
ways. Your dress has been ordered and is in your room. I know you don’t know
what you want right now, but this is expected,” he said, standing and pulling
her to her feet.

Fear paralyzed
her. “I don’t know if I can go through with that, Christian! I mean…”

He softly
rubbed her face to calm her. “Just until we figure all this out. He can’t
suspect anything. There’s something I need to take care of today, so go relax.
We have an indoor pool you’ll love.”

“What do you
have to do?”

“Nothing for
you to worry about, but it might help,” he added, kissing her lips once more.
“Oh, and leave your cross at home tonight. I’m sure you understand.”