For One Last Kiss (7 page)

“
Do you think I don’t know that?” She sat up and lit the candle by her bed, her heart still thudding against her ribs. “What the hell happened, Jack? That poor woman. I’ve never seen anything so horrible.” She squeezed her eyes shut as the images invaded her mind. “Tell me you had nothing to do with her death.”

“
That bastard. Archer took you to witness such horrors? The man has no tact or consideration.” He shook his head.

“
This has nothing to do with Mason.” Her gut clenched tighter with each moment her question was left unanswered. “Answer me, damn it. Did you have anything to do with that woman’s death?”

“
How could you think such a thing of me, Lilly?” Jack got up and moved across the room, his body stiff. But she cared not if he was upset—she still wanted answers to her questions.

She grabbed her dressing gown from the foot of the bed and threw it on, feeling naked in Jack’s presence when wearing nothing but her shift.

“
Then how do you explain it? Please tell me how that woman could be dead without being reaped if you had nothing to do with it. For you
were
there, Jack. Don’t try to deny it.”

He crossed to her side and took her hands in his. “I won’t deny I was there, but things are complicated. Just know that I did not harm that woman. I wish I could tell you more, but I’m afraid I cannot.”

“
Was it another reaper?” It was the only other logical explanation, though she could not imagine Jack protecting anyone from something of this magnitude.

“
Lilly… I have no answers for you.” She saw his shoulders slump as he hung his head.

“
So that’s it? You’re not going to explain any of it?” When he said nothing, frustration choked her. “Then why come here? What’s the point?”

He let out a ragged sigh. “I don’t know. I suppose I did not want you to think me capable of such horrors.” He brushed a curl from her face, his fingers lingering on her skin. “Lilly… I need you to believe me.”

“
How can I? If you are innocent of that woman’s murder, then go and speak to the Elders. You’ll do nothing but make things worse for yourself by staying away. As is, Mason’s looking for you, and I know not how I’ll explain your presence here.”

“
My presence? Here in your sleeping chambers?” He shook his head and laughed, but it was not a sound of humor. “Are we bored again, Lilly?”

“
How dare you.” She resisted the urge to slap him. “My relations are none of your concern—especially when you did everything in your power to guarantee the failure of our own affair.”

“
I’ll take most of the blame, but to turn to Mason—for
comfort
of all things—is beyond my comprehension.” Jack shook his head, the strong angular planes of his face cast in shadow from the glowing embers of her fire. “You know he cares for no one but himself. Do you not find it an odd coincidence that he’s suddenly sharing his bed, just as he needs your help to catch me?”

“
Don’t you dare judge me or try to make me question my life. We all do whatever it takes to get by, and I’m no different than anyone else.”

“
That’s where you’d be mistaken, love.” He ran a hand down her cheek. “I’m sorry to cause you problems. Send the bastard my regards.”

***

Upset as Lilly was, she could not get back to sleep. All for the best, since there was a pounding on her front door barely half an hour later. She managed to get a light lit and her dressing gown on when Daniel knocked on her door.

“
I’m sorry to wake you, Mum, but I’m afraid you’ll need to come. ‘Tis urgent.” There was another voice in the hall and a commotion. Her bedroom door was yanked open, and Mason entered.

He closed the door behind him, and without a word walked around her room, eventually stopping before the window Jack used to enter. “I knew it’d not be long before Jack came to you. Were you going to tell me he was here, Lilly?”

Lilly looked at him dumbfounded. “Were you going to give me the chance? It’s the middle of the night.” He wandered around the room, further annoying her. “Why are you here? Were you having my home watched or was it one of your charms?” The thought incensed her.

“
A charm, though you cannot blame me.” His voice held a tension she had not expected. He ran a hand over the window frame where Jack had entered. “Did you let him in or did he skulk in like a thief in the night?”

“
Mason, you try my patience.” Lilly let out a deep breath in a futile attempt to calm her nerves.

“
And you try mine. I’m here as chancellor to the Elders, and given their current mood, you should be thankful they sent me and not someone else. You have no idea how much is at risk—holes torn in the fabric of fate, futures rewritten. Now answer my question, Lilly.”

“
I’ll still not have you charming my home and watching my every move.” It made her wonder if Jack was right. Would Mason ever put anyone before his job as chancellor? Doubtful.

“
Lilly…” He stepped towards her and ran a hand down her arm, his touch too tender for her to remain angry for long. “The man’s brutally murdered a woman and the Elders have little patience at the moment. I’m trying to keep you from coming to harm, and must do all I can to bring this mess to an end.”

She knew the situation was dire and the Elders would stop at nothing, putting all of them at risk. With a final hard look, she gave in with a sigh, knowing the Elders could easily bring her in for a more formal interrogation—not an experience she wanted to repeat.

“
I left the window ajar, given the warm summer night. It would not be a difficult climb, what with the trellis by the window and the rough stone exterior of my home.”

“
What did he say about the woman who was murdered? Why was his essence at the scene?”

She shook her head, knowing he’d not be happy. “I have no answers for you, Mason. None of it makes any sense. He says he did not harm her, and I believe him, even if he would not say why he was there in the first place and had no explanation for the woman’s death.”

“
Yet he wants you to believe he had nothing to do with the matter.” His voice held that sarcastic edge, leaving Lilly to wonder why she had a hard time resisting him when he could be so trying.

*End of Sample for
Jack – A Grim Reaper Romance
by Calista Taylor, now available for purchase.*