The Curse Keepers Collection (143 page)

“I’m tired.”

He cupped my cheek, searching my face. “You just fucking bled out, Ellie. I can’t believe you’re sitting here talking to me. You need sleep. Hell, you probably need a transfusion.” His gaze drifted from my shirt to his. “Do you have anything to wear in David’s car? We’re going to get a shitload of unwanted attention in these blood-soaked clothes.”

I nodded, or at least attempted to.

He shut my door and the truck engine turned over. My awareness faded, and when I came to again, he was back on my side of the vehicle. He stripped my shirt off and leaned me forward to look at my back. His fingers trailed down my spine, sending sensation shooting through me. “I can’t believe it. Not even a scar. Your back was ripped to shreds.” Then he tugged another shirt over my head and gently rested my head on the back of the seat.

“We have to save David,” I said, but my words were slurred like a drunk’s.

“We will,” he whispered next to my ear. “I promise.”

The truck began to move again, and I pried my eyes open. “Where are we going?”

His gaze turned to me, serious and protective. “Chapel Hill.”

Sleep took over before I could ask why. And when I awoke hours later, we were parked in front of David’s house and Collin was watching me with a guarded look.

I was on my left side, my back slumped against the door. At some point Collin had rolled the open window halfway up. “David’s house? Why are we here? How did you know where it was?”

“We need somewhere to clean up before heading to Durham. And I found his address in his bag.”

I pushed myself into a sitting position. “You had his bag?” But I also noticed he was wearing David’s short-sleeved button-down shirt—David’s favorite, a white and blue plaid. Anger raged to life inside me, accompanied by the irrational desire to demand he take it off. But Collin’s shirt had been soaked in
my
blood. It was smart for him to change, and I was sure that Collin hated wearing David’s clothes.

“I got all your personal belongings out of David’s car before we left Charlotte.”

“Why Durham?”

He hesitated. “I want to talk to Myra and especially her boyfriend. David wouldn’t have mentioned him for nothing.”

“Oh.” After my encounter with Myra yesterday morning, I wasn’t sure how well she’d take it if I showed up at her doorstep with Collin in tow. But Collin was right. David’s message had to mean that Steven must know something. Had Myra told Steven anything about the curse? Had he sold me out?

“I called the number on the phone while you were sleeping and arranged the meeting for tomorrow night at eleven. They agreed to give me the spear, but not the sword. But I want to know what these people know about us and how they found out. We need to figure out a way to get the three of us out of this alive and unharmed, so the more we know going in, the better.”

“The three of us?”

He nodded, looking solemn. “I promised to help save him, and I intend to make good on my word. We
will
get him back, Ellie.”

I couldn’t answer without breaking down again. Instead, I looked at the clock on the dashboard. It was close to two o’clock. It was hard to believe that so little time had passed since David and I first arrived in Charlotte. “So what’s your plan?”

“Let’s go shower, change clothes again, and try to set up meetings with the both of them for this afternoon. Then we’ll head back to the Outer Banks. You need the ocean.”

I couldn’t argue with him.

“I considered driving straight to the shore, but we really need to talk to Myra and her boyfriend in person. I’m pretty good at reading people. I think I’ll be able to tell if he’s lying.” His eyes hardened. “And if he is, I’m going to find out the truth.”

I couldn’t stomach the thought of Steven betraying me, but at this point I could count the people I trusted on one hand. “It’s a good plan.”

He wove his fingers through mine. “Do you know where a spare key to the house is? I can pick the lock if you don’t.”

“I don’t think he has one.”

“Wait here while I take care of it and I’ll come back to get you.”

He was out the door before I could answer.

My eyelids felt heavy again and I let them close for a moment before jerking them open. I didn’t have time to sleep. We needed to get this information. Now. I couldn’t leave David with those people. What were they doing to him?

Tears squeezed through the corners of my eyes and Collin’s voice surprised me.

“I’m going to carry you inside.”

I tried to lift my forehead so I could look him in the eye. “I can walk.”

“I know you can, Ellie.” But he scooped me up anyway and carried me into the house, setting me down on the sofa. “You really need to shower. Do you think you can stand for long enough?” He sounded worried.

“Yeah.” I sank back into the cushions, letting my eyes close again. “Just give me a minute.” But when I opened my eyes, it was dark and the air around me was cold.

I was really dead this time.

I bolted upright, screaming Collin’s name as hysteria swamped me. He pulled me into his arms in an instant.

“Ellie. It’s okay. You’re safe.”

“It was dark and cold,” I forced out between sobs. “I thought I was dead again.”

“No. It’s nighttime. You’re safe.” He held me for a long time until I calmed down, and then he unwrapped his arms from me and slid off the bed. Seconds later a light turned on in David’s bathroom and Collin cracked the door before coming back and sitting next to me.

I was in David’s house. On his bed with Collin.

This was so wrong.

“I thought we were going to Durham,” I said, confused.

“Ellie, you passed out. I almost put you back in the truck and drove you to Nags Head, but Tsagasi convinced me to wait. We decided the best thing was to let you sleep.”

“You met Tsagasi.” My mouth cracked with the hint of a grin.

“Stubborn little ass, isn’t he,” Collin grumbled.

“You could say that.” I was already tired again. How was that possible? “What time is it?”

“Two thirty.”

“In the
morning
? So I wasted a full day.”

“No. You died or came damn near close. Your back might be healed, but you need the ocean to fully recover. But Tsagasi thinks it’s too important for us to meet with your stepmother and her boyfriend for us to leave now.”

“I’m surprised you listened to him.”

“Well, I didn’t at first.” He ran a hand through his ruffled hair, a sly grin spreading across his face. “But the little shit got my attention when he jolted me with a bolt of electricity.”

“He has a way of getting his point across.”

Collin’s shoulders tensed. “Ellie, I’ve watched the video a few more times.”

My head jerked up. “Why?”

“To see if I missed anything. We were both pretty spooked the first time we watched it.”

I fought my rising tears as the memory of David’s battered face filled my head. I refused to break down. I was already weak enough. “And did you figure anything out?”

“No, the only thing that stands out is David’s message about Myra’s boyfriend.” He turned to look at me and took my hand in his. “Who
is
her boyfriend? I take it David knows him.”

Of course Collin wouldn’t know. I hadn’t thought to tell him earlier. “Um . . . yeah. Steven was a researcher at the colony. He invited David to Manteo to spend two weeks at the colony. They both stayed at our house because the bed and breakfast was full.”

His face lowered closer to mine. “He invited David? So they’re friends?”

“Yes, but David hasn’t talked to him lately, and I know he hasn’t told Steven about the curse.” I looked into Collin’s eyes. “He’s always very careful.”

“But Steven could have gotten information from Myra.”

“Yeah . . . I guess . . . ”

“Is there anything else tying Steven to this collection?”

“Oh, God.” I nearly passed out as the truth hit me. “Momma. After she saw the Ricardo Estate, she called Steven. She wanted to call the police, but he convinced her to wait.” I couldn’t stop the tears this time. “I don’t understand. When he told me about this a few weeks ago, he seemed genuinely upset.” I shook my head. “He’s been part of this all along.”

Collin sucked in a breath. “Maybe. Maybe not. But we’ll find out. I promise.”

“Okay.”

We sat together for several minutes before he stood. “I’ll be back in a minute. Are you okay?”

I nodded. I knew he was asking if I was okay with him leaving me. There was no way I was
okay
in general, and we both knew it.

He got up and left the room, returning less than a minute later with a plate and a glass. “You need to eat to help regain your strength.” He set the plate on my lap and clicked on the bedside lamp.

“A hamburger? Where did you get this? I know for a fact David didn’t have any.”

He scowled. “Your little friend forced me to get you takeout. I refused to leave you unprotected, but three of his friends showed up to stand guard while I was gone.”

I groaned. “His brother and two Nunnehi warriors?”

“Yeah . . . actually . . . ”

“Oh no.” I leaned my head back against the headboard. “I only had six more times. Now I’ve wasted one.”

Collin shook his head. “You lost me.”

I explained my blood oath and our agreement.

“You didn’t lose anything, Ellie. Tsagasi told you to call on him when you need to use their protection.”

“But you said they showed up and guarded me.”

“Yes, but they volunteered.”

“Why would they do that?” I shook my head in confusion.

“Ellie, they call you the salvation of the world. They think you’re going to save them.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Then they’ll be bitterly disappointed, won’t they?” I asked with an acrid laugh. “Shall we run through the very long list of people I have not only disappointed but gotten killed?”

“Ellie.” Collin’s voice was soft and gentle. “Stop.”

When I looked into his face, I was grateful to see no pity there, only understanding.

“You need to eat. We need you to be strong enough to go to Durham tomorrow.”

I nodded and took a bite of the hamburger. “This is cold,” I mumbled through a mouthful.

“I can’t help it if you slept for hours and hours,” he teased, but it was forced.

“Ever heard of a microwave?”

He laughed and took the plate from me. “Glad to see you’re feeling better. I’ll be right back, Diva Princess.”

“Cold hamburgers are disgusting,” I called after him.

He’d been gone for several seconds when I heard a pounding on the front door.

“
Curse Keeper
.” My title floated through the house with authority, rippling through the air as though it were smoke. This was different from any other time I’d had a house call. I could feel it in the simmering burn in the mark on my hand.

Pure unadulterated panic shot through my body. After my most recent experience, I definitely didn’t feel prepared to face anything supernatural. But I scooted to the edge of the bed and put my bare feet on the floor.

Halfway across the living room, I heard the pounding again.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Collin asked in disbelief, standing in the kitchen doorway.

“Getting this visit over with. It won’t go away until I answer, and they usually last for less than a minute.”

“You need to go back to bed.” He sounded angry. And scared.

I stopped in front of the door, the knob in my hand. I turned to him, wariness washing through me. “You re-marked the doors, didn’t you?”

“Will you stop this madness if I tell you no? You’re in no condition to deal with a supernatural visitor.”

Collin had marked my doors for over a month when he thought I was safe. There’s no way he would have left them unmarked when I was in this state. Before he could stop me, I pulled the door open.

I gasped when I saw who was on the other side.

Okeus.

His eyebrows lifted in a bored expression. “Ellie, you have a penchant for finding trouble.”

“Uh . . . ” I was literally speechless. I’d had plenty of visits at my door since the curse broke, but never from Okeus. He always had me brought to him. His terms, his location. My eyes shot to the door. Had Collin tricked me? No, the familiar symbols covered the door in heavy charcoal, joined by ones I’d never seen before.

“May I come in?” the god asked with a wry grin.

At least I was starting to regain my senses. “No.”

“No?” he asked equally amused and irritated. “I’m surprised the spirit world hasn’t given you another title to add to your growing list.”

“And what’s that?”

“Defier of the gods.”

When I didn’t respond with one of my usual barbed answers, Okeus became more serious.

“I sent Mekewi to warn you about the Raven Mockers.”

“The wind god of the south?” I grabbed the side of the door and leaned into it before I fell over. “Yeah, his warning was pretty vague. You might want to start sending more helpful messages. A copy of
Killing Raven Mockers for Dummies
would have been a nice place to start.”

A smirk lifted his lips. “And if I gave you such a manual, would you let me in?”

“Hell no.”

His grin fell. “You nearly died, witness to creation. You’re no good to me dead.”

I put a hand over my heart. “That is one of the sweetest things anyone has ever said to me. I suppose you want me to say I’m sorry?” When he didn’t respond, I snorted. “A big powerful god like you didn’t send one of his abominations to protect his potential brood mare. Sounds like somebody messed up.”

Okeus’s eyes glowed bright red, and he released a loud roar that shook the house and made my ears ring.

Collin was behind me in seconds. “It was my fault. She was in my care. I tried to stop her from engaging with the Raven Mockers, but she’s persistent. She was attacked before I could stop her or them.”

Okeus turned his evil gaze on Collin. “If a Raven Mocker comes anywhere near her again, you are to get rid of it without hesitation. Is that understood?”

Collin’s body stiffened. “Yes.”

“Good.”