The Curse Keepers Collection (111 page)

I stayed silent.

“If your father were here right now, you
know
which one he’d choose.”

I pushed away from the counter and moved to the sink. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

David got off his stool and pressed his chest against my back. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to push you. You don’t have to make any decisions now. In fact, let’s use this weekend to try to distance ourselves from all of this as much as possible.”

“While we go to Chapel Hill to talk to your colleague about a sword that kills demons,” I said dryly as I spun around to face him.

“Point taken.” He kissed my forehead but then drew back. “There’s something I need to tell you.”

My gaze lifted to study his face, my stomach knotting. “Conversations that start with ‘there’s something I need to tell you’ never lead to anything good. Should I be worried?”

A soft smile spread across his face. “Ellie, how can you doubt that I love you? I know I haven’t said it since—”

Since he had told me several times without any reciprocation. “Stop.” I put my fingers on his lips. “You don’t have to say it. It’s just that I’m not the easiest person to live with. If you decided—”

“Ellie, I love you. I promised you that I’m not going anywhere, and I meant it. Please rid yourself of any worry to the contrary.”

“Okay.” I gave him a gentle kiss. “So what did you want to tell me?”

“About some research I’ve dug up. As I mentioned last week, I expanded my search to include possible fringe group interest in recent supernatural activity.”

“You mean the crazy conspiracy theory people?” I asked skeptically.

“Yeah, the people who aren’t afraid to think outside the box.”

“And I take it you found something?”

“Maybe.” He paused. “There’s a group called the Guardians. They say they’ve been around for hundreds of years. They’ve been preparing for a surge of demons to be released upon the earth.”

“You mean the apocalypse.”

“Think about it—the breaking of the curse could be seen as the apocalypse by a lot of people.”

“If you ignore the fact that half the people on the earth didn’t disappear in the rapture.”

“Many fundamentalist Christians estimate that only a quarter of the population would be raptured.”

My eyes narrowed. “The fact that you can spout that without blinking an eye scares me more than a little bit.”

“It’s on their website. And this group doesn’t believe in the rapture anyway. Not all Christians do, you know.”

I’d spent a fair amount of time in church growing up, and we’d never been told anything about the rapture, but demon attacks hadn’t come up either. “You must think there’s something there if you’re mentioning this group.”

“I had to do a lot of digging, but I finally found out where they’re from.” His eyes turned serious. “Ellie, they’re based in Charlotte.” Just like the stash of antiquities that might be the Ricardo Estate.

I felt like I’d been kicked in the gut as I backed into the counter behind me. “That can’t be a coincidence.”

“I agree. There’s been an upsurge in online activity for the group. As well as mention of new interesting developments in the last month or so.” He paused. “I’d like to stay for a couple extra days. I want to go to Charlotte on Monday to look into this some more. Do you think Becky will be okay with taking point at the inn while we’re gone?”

I nodded, my stomach churning. “Yeah.”

“Are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

His words reminded me of Claire, which in turn made me think of my text to Collin. Guilt quickly replaced my shock. “This is good. It’s our first solid lead on who’s in possession of the Ricardo Estate.” I shook my head. “I don’t know why I’m so upset.”

“It’s understandable. After all, we think there’s a tie between the people behind the Ricardo Estate and your mother’s death.” He gripped my shoulders and lowered his gaze to my eyes. “Word of warning, love: the closer we get to the truth, the more difficult this is going to get, emotionally and otherwise.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” I smiled up at him. “I’m fine. I promise.”

“How about you let Becky do the rest of the work today? You could use some time to relax. I’ll be back by three. If you’re ready to go when I get back, we’ll have plenty of time to get to my house before dark so you can mark the doors.”

“Oh.” I hadn’t considered that. Sloppy on my part.

He gently kissed my lips, his tenderness catching me by surprise. “I think I’ll take off for work now and get an early start. Come out to the site if you’d like. Text me first and I’ll meet you at the entrance.”

“Thanks. I’ll think about it.”

“And don’t forget to call Myra. I know her behavior has been upsetting, but she’s probably just distracted by all the changes in her life. I’m sure she’ll be thrilled to see you.” My eyebrows lifted in surprise and he shot me a grin. “Like I told you, I know you by now.
Call her
.”

As I watched him go, I thought about his parting words. He was right about Myra. I decided to give her a call and leave her a message if she didn’t answer. A small part of me hoped she wouldn’t. It would hurt too much if she rejected me.

Myra answered on the third ring. “Ellie, what a surprise.” While she didn’t sound like herself, she didn’t sound as cold as she had recently.

“Hey, Myra. How’s the new job going?”

“Oh, you know . . . keeping me busy.”

I waited for her to ask about my life, but she stayed silent. Trying to keep the disappointment out of my voice, I said, “David and I are coming to Chapel Hill this weekend. He’s meeting with a colleague to discuss some things. I thought maybe we could come see you. I’d love to see your new apartment.”

“Well, I’m fairly busy this weekend.”

Tears burned my eyes. Myra might have been my stepmother, but she’d spent more years with me than my biological mother. Myra had been the one to help me navigate the minefields of middle school and high school. She’d always sworn that while I may not have been born from her body, I was part of her heart. And now she wanted nothing to do with me. “Myra, have I done something to upset you?” My voice broke. I couldn’t help it.

She paused for several seconds before her voice lowered. “No, Ellie. I’m sorry. I’ve been insensitive. I just have a lot going on.” Her words were gentle and soft. “Of course I’ll make time for you. Why don’t you call me when you get to Chapel Hill and we’ll figure out a time.”

“Okay.”

“I have to go. We’ll have a nice chat this weekend. Bye.” She hung up and I stared at the dead phone. Why hadn’t she told me that she loved me? I shook my head. She was probably on her way to a class or something. I was making too much of this.

To get my mind off Myra, I decided to figure out my day. One, I needed to talk to Collin, and two, I needed to reexamine my treasure chest of trinkets—which included Daddy’s pocket watches and the gold engraved ring I wore, which I’d found buried under the oak tree in the yard. It couldn’t be a coincidence that my mother had been murdered a week after being asked to examine the contents of a collection called the Ricardo Estate. Especially when I took into account that a thug in Buxton thought I was part of something he called “the Ricardo deal.” His goon had cornered me after finding my father’s pocket watch collection and showed me a photo of an almost identical watch from the Ricardo Estate. Now David’s colleague had recently seen a watch similar to Daddy’s.

Coincidence?

My mother’s death had happened years ago, so figuring out the circumstances seemed less important than wrestling actual demons, but as David had pointed out soon after agreeing to help me, there weren’t any coincidences in this thing. And while her murder was a long time ago, she was my
mother
, and it was difficult to let go with so many unanswered questions. I needed closure. Nevertheless, I was clueless about how it all wove together. I hoped we’d get more answers this weekend.

My cell phone dinged. I picked up the phone and nearly choked when I read the text message.

I’m always here for you, Ellie. When?

What a fucking lie. He knew so much about the curse and its background, yet he refused to share any of that information with me. Instead, he used it as bargaining material, parceling out little bits at a time. But I had to admit that he seemed to have experienced a change of attitude the last time we saw each other, at Claire’s wedding reception. He’d given me the map and he’d given me his blessing to be with David. Maybe he’d changed.

In person. Anytime today.

His answer came seconds later.

Noon. The foot of the Nags Head Pier.

I stared at my phone for several seconds, wrestling with my conscience. David wasn’t the jealous type, and he’d actually called Collin to ask for his help when we were fighting the demon badgers Ukinim and Ilena. The cold hard truth was that I’d probably be dead if Collin hadn’t helped us. I knew David wouldn’t have a problem with me meeting Collin, so why didn’t I want to tell him?

Okay

Despite David’s suggestion that I take the day off, I spent the rest of the morning helping Becky clean the rooms in the inn and tidy the bathrooms in the main house. I just couldn’t lie around while she was working. It didn’t seem right, even if she was getting paid. Plus, working helped keep my mind partially busy. At eleven thirty, I checked my reflection in the mirror. I was wearing a pale-green sundress that made my hazel eyes greener than usual, and my long dark red hair was arranged in a loose French braid. My makeup was minimal—some mascara, a little bit of eye shadow, and blush. The brightness of my gaze gave me second thoughts. My bond to Collin was strong, and I found it difficult to resist him when he pursued me. I just needed to keep David first and foremost in my mind while the two of us were together.

The traffic wasn’t bad crossing the bridge off Roanoke Island toward Nags Head, so the trip was short. The closer I got to the ocean, the antsier I became. My bond to Collin wasn’t the only pull I had experienced since the curse broke. The ocean called to me, begging me to touch it. As the Dare Curse Keeper, I was the daughter of the sea. I had always been drawn to the ocean, ever since I was a girl, but after the breaking of the curse, the pull was irresistible at times.

I arrived five minutes early and parked in the public lot, where I was surprised to see that Collin’s beat-up old pickup truck was already in a space. After locking my purse in the trunk, I walked toward the pier.

Collin was waiting at the edge of the parking lot at the entrance to the pier restaurant. I stopped in my tracks, the sight of him sending an overwhelming yearning shooting through my body.

I still wanted him.

I’d been drawn to him from the beginning. It had been hard to admit that to myself when we first met; he’d acted so egotistical and arrogant, making no secret of the fact that he couldn’t stand me. But my attraction had taken root the moment we saw each other. He had felt the same undeniable draw, and when we finally slept together, Collin Dailey had been imprinted on my very soul. But our connection was more powerful than that. He was the literal other half of me. I was the daughter of the sea and he was the son of the earth—the yin and yang of the curse—and I couldn’t help but wonder if our strong mutual attraction was a chemistry that went back to the curse itself.

He watched me, his face expressionless. He carried two bags and had a blanket tucked under his arm. His dark hair was shorter than the last time I’d seen him, and he was tanner too. Short stubble covered his face. He wore a pair of khaki shorts and a V-neck white T-shirt, and he looked sexier than I’d ever seen him.

Turn around and go home, Ellie.

That’s what I knew I should do, but my feet disagreed, and I took several steps toward him, stopping several paces away.

“You look beautiful, Ellie.”

I swallowed a burning lump in my throat. This was why I couldn’t be around Collin very often—not because of how drawn to him I was, but because I knew I could never be with him. David wasn’t the reason for that; Collin himself was. “Thank you.” I forced a smile, my eyes tearing up. “You look good too.”

His mouth pinched and I could see an inner battle wage in his eyes before he reached out his right hand—the circle and square burned into his palm clearly visible—and took my left hand, linking our fingers together. “Come sit with me.”

I nodded my consent and we walked fifty feet south of the pier until Collin stopped and released my hand, then set his bags down and spread out the blanket.

“Have a seat, Ellie.”

I kicked off my flip-flops at the edge of the blanket and walked to the center, tucking my legs to the side as I sat down. Collin lowered himself next to me, grabbed one of the bags, and pulled out two foil-wrapped sandwiches.

He handed me one, flashing his cocky Collin grin. “I knew I could get you to eat lunch with me if I held out long enough.”

I took the sandwich and released a soft laugh. “I didn’t know you’d been trying.”

He was reaching into the bag again when he stopped midgesture and looked into my face with a sadness that ripped my soul to shreds.

“And I didn’t say lunch,” I said. “Just that I needed to see you.”

He shrugged. “So I improvised.” He pulled out two bottles of water and set one next to me.

I opened the sandwich and the smell of a bacon cheeseburger filled my nose, making my stomach growl. I took a bite and couldn’t contain my groan of appreciation.

Collin laughed. “They say the way to a woman’s heart is through her stomach.”

I shook my head and chuckled. “That’s a
man
.”

We looked out onto the crashing ocean waves for several seconds in silence, both eating our sandwiches, so much like our last night in Morehead City. The night before everything fell apart. I had expected to be more anxious around him. I’d expected more animosity from him despite the fact that the last time we’d met had been on civil terms. What I hadn’t expected was this sense of peace. My yearning was still there, but this time I had it under control. It just felt good to be with him.