Cursed Kiss (Paranormal Romance) (20 page)

Yes. Pain fluttered inside him like shadows. And there was…a memory he couldn't pin down. The fair-haired woman flowed before his eyes like a hologram projected onto mist. Daisy—that was her name. She wore a pretty straw hat trimmed with yellow ribbon. Stabbing agony lanced his side. He gasped and pressed his hand to the painful place.

"Edward." Clare was on her feet again, attempting to bend over the desk towards him, but the Spaniard pulled her away. "What's wrong?" she asked.

An image of Monique filled his mind. She held her rosy sword in her hands. Bright red blood coated the blade and dripped on the floor. He had a gaping wound in his side and the fair-haired woman lay broken at his feet.

***

Clare finished cleaning her teeth and rinsed her toothbrush. Pablo appeared at the door of her bathroom. He was dressed in a fluffy white bathrobe, his hair damp from a shower. He'd surprised her today and appeared to have no qualms about protecting her from Edward—although whether he'd have really stood up to Edward if challenged, was another matter.

She pulled her long hair over her shoulder to braid it before she went to bed.

"Would you like me to do that for you?"

"What? Braid my hair?"

He smiled. "I'd like to brush it first."

Her immediate reaction was to say no. Yet when she met his eyes in the mirror, a warm feeling of togetherness settled inside her. She was at ease with Pablo. She would never love him like she did Luka, but she liked him and hoped they would stay friends.

She handed him her brush and watched as he drew her half-completed braid back and unraveled it. He gnawed his lower lip while he ran his fingers through her hair to separate the strands.

"Have you done this before?" she asked.

He looked up with a wry grin. "No. Luka likes to brush his own hair."

With long, even sweeps he drew the brush through her hair. Clare closed her eyes and enjoyed the sensation.

Pablo placed the brush on the counter, divided the skein of hair into three, and braided it carefully. "Will you marry me if Luka doesn't return?" he asked casually.

Shock reverberated through her.

He reached the end of her braid, fastened it off, and met her eyes in the mirror.

Clare's heart did a strange little jolt at the prospect of losing Luka for good. Despite what had happened, she hadn't allowed herself to consider that possibility. "He will come back."

Pablo laid his hands on her shoulders. "I know you love Luka and not me, but if he doesn't come back, we only have each other."

Clare turned and studied the confusion in his eyes. "Don't ask me to marry you just because you're frightened of being alone. That's not fair to either of us."

He dropped his head. "It's hard being without him. I don't want to be alone."

She hugged him tightly. For a moment, her own fear nearly overwhelmed her. What if Luka was gone for good? What if she never saw him again?

And what if he survived and returned?

Luka would never cut Pablo out of their relationship completely. And although she longed for Luka, she didn't want to hurt Pablo either. Clare's guts twisted in frustration at the impossible situation. "Let's find Luka before we worry about the future."

Chapter Fifteen

The following morning at nine thirty, Clare and Pablo checked through security at the main gates of the Moray production complex in Sloterdijk, then walked to the old square building that contained the portal.

They stopped in front of the double entrance doors. "Wait in the hallway outside the office," Clare said. "Once I pass through the portal with Edward, wait in the office until I summon you."

They'd discussed the best way to do this and decided it was best if Pablo let Clare go through first. She had given him a sigil and practiced drawing it in the air so she could summon him once she was in Taldom.

"I don't like waiting here." Pablo yanked nervously at the leather laces on his shirt.

"I will summon you. Just give me time to get the lay of the land without having to worry about Monique getting her claws in you."

They halted in the dark corridor. Pablo hugged her almost desperately. "Be careful of Edward."

"I
will
." Their eyes met and the weight of Pablo's expectations pressed down on her. With Luka gone, Pablo had latched on to her, obviously fearful of being left alone in the world. She knew that fear, but it seemed strange in a man his age. Monique must have really screwed him up when he was younger.

Edward sat in exactly the same place as she had left him the day before. A complex structure made out of paper straws rested on the desk in front of him. He glanced up when she entered but his gaze focused far away. "Clare? What're you doing here?"

Had he really forgotten that she'd been there yesterday? Perhaps this unnerving creation of Monique's had finally reached the end of its life. Although looking at Edward she still couldn't believe he was made of clay.

She moved forward, keeping the desk between them. "I'm coming through the portal with you to see Monique."

"Monique?" Edward looked towards the fireplace that housed the portal. Understanding crossed his face. "Yes, Monique." He glanced at his watch. "You're right on time."

He stood and Clare backed up, wary of him. When he moved, she nearly gagged on his stench. He'd never smelled this bad before. He used to be alert and quick-witted. Now he seemed to be losing his mental faculties. She almost felt sorry for him.

Edward stood in front of the window and stared at his watch. He counted down the last few seconds and then looked at the window. Nothing happened. "She's late again." Tension radiated off him in waves, making every hair on Clare's body stand to attention.

After a few minutes, the window shimmered and cleared. Clare watched carefully, interested to know where Monique had gone for an alternative portal after Luka smashed the one in her bedroom. Her grandmother was still finely dressed in a sparkling green gown, but her surroundings were far from grand. The small dark room where she stood had rough stone walls and looked like a stable or storeroom.

Monique held up the tip of her sword and inscribed Edward's symbol in the air. Clare had practiced outlining symbols and trained her eye to recognize the shapes. She'd swear Edward's looked like a cockroach. The smell was no coincidence then. How were cockroaches included in his makeup? The thought made her feel queasy.

Once Edward was through, Monique turned her startled gaze on Clare, obviously surprised to see her. Clare gave the mental command that she wanted to pass through, and the window distended towards her. For a few seconds she stood in gray oblivion, then stepped onto dirty, straw-covered ground.

The acrid stench of horses' urine filled her nose. She'd been right about the window's location. It took a few seconds to steady her swimming head before she turned to greet her grandmother. She pulled her lips into a smile and prayed it looked genuine. "Monique." She stepped forward and kissed her grandmother on each cheek. "I assume you got the present I sent you?"

Monique frowned. "What do you mean, darling?"

"Luka. I sent him through to you."

Monique's eyes narrowed. Clare had gambled that as Luka had smashed the mirror, there was no way her grandmother could tell if her spell had pulled him through to Taldom or if Clare had sent him.

"Yes," the older woman said, still not sounding convinced.

Clare braced herself for her grandmother's questions.

"Edward is still sulking because you stole the Spaniard out from under his nose. You're proving to be quite a dark horse, taking control and having things your own way. You're far more like me than I thought."

A shiver raced down Clare's spine. God, she hoped not.

"Have you been to New York to start our marketing drive for Bodyglo?"

Clare shook her head and told the story she'd invented. "It took me a few days to persuade Luka that he still wanted to come to Taldom."

Monique chuckled. "Oh, darling, you really are like me."

Clare ached to ask where Luka was, but she had to be careful not to sound too interested in him.

Wanting to keep track of Edward, she looked around and saw him leaning against a wall in the darkest corner of the stable. Her intuition screamed a warning. Something was seriously off with him. He might be more dangerous now.

Monique picked her way across the dirty straw towards the open stable door. "Luka deserves to die for smashing my mirror and putting me to the inconvenience of using this rat hole."

Clare hung back, allowing Edward to follow Monique out. She didn't want him behind her. As soon as her grandmother walked into the sunlit courtyard, she shook out her skirts and turned to Clare. "As you're here, you must come and see my prize. It was hard won, but it'll make us very rich."

She must mean the serpent. Clare feigned ignorance. "The red flowers?"

"No." Monique flapped her hand. "They're the easy ingredient. My new acquisition provides the true essence of Red Death and gives the potion its name."

"That'll be interesting. What is it?"

Monique arched her eyebrows. "I want it to be a surprise. You'll have to be patient until we get there."

"Get where?"

"A short carriage ride south to Stary Fall." Monique pointed at the horse-drawn carriage standing ready in the yard.

Clare glanced back at the stable that held the portal. Somehow, she had to delay and get Pablo through, but first she needed to ask Monique the thing that mattered most to her.

"Where's Luka now?"

Her grandmother had turned to converse with a tall man wearing a long coat and holding a whip. She returned her attention to Clare, a private smile on her lips. "Luka wanted to see Red Death. I granted his wish."

Clare pressed a hand to the stable wall as her legs wobbled. Luka had gone to see the serpent? "You said we're going there."

"I did. If you're lucky, you might get to see Luka again."

What did that mean? Cold sweat broke out on Clare's skin. He might already be dead. She had to hurry, but not seem to be in a rush.

"Can I use the bathroom before we leave?" A weak excuse but it should get her a few moments alone to summon Pablo.

Monique's gaze swept over Clare. She beckoned a young woman wearing an apron and cap. "She'll show you to my room. I'll have a dress sent up. You can change while you're up there."

"I prefer my jeans."

"I don't. You'll change."

Damn. The last thing Clare wanted to do was waste time changing clothes. While her grandmother gave the servant instructions, Clare bounced on her toes, eager to get going. She scanned the yard, counting the people and assessing their function. Her gaze fell on Edward. His unblinking, glassy eyes were fixed on Monique, following her every move. There was something in the intense scrutiny that shot warning along Clare's nerves.

The servant bobbed a curtsy to Clare and led the way inside. Clare hurried along behind her, eager to get changed and return to the stables.

Ten minutes later, Clare hiked the hem of her dress and sneaked down the back stairs. The dress was a darn nuisance, the long skirt catching around her legs. She'd kept her jeans on underneath, ready to tear away her skirt if necessary.

She reached the door in the bottom of the tower and peeped out to check the yard. There was no sign of Monique. The carriage was still parked in the same place, a man bent over, checking one of the horse's hooves. Other men and women were busy in the yard, but there was no reason any of them should stop her.

She strode out of the door, intending to give the impression she knew where she was going and had every right to be there.

When she stepped into the semi-dark stable, her breath rushed out on a sigh of relief. She'd given Pablo a butterfly symbol as his mark. It seemed to suit him. She stood in front of the portal and inscribed the design in the air with the tip of her finger.

After she finished outlining the shape, she visualized it as a shining image floating before her. The stable wall shimmered and cleared to reveal the Amsterdam office. For a second she couldn't see Pablo, then he stepped into view holding a take-out coffee cup in one hand and a bar of chocolate in the other. Trust Pablo to indulge himself while he waited.