The Curse: Touch of Eternity (The Curse series) (20 page)

We were both trembling. His lips were soft and tender. Very slowly, I opened my mouth, and my tongue stroked his lip. He sighed in pain, but then he kissed me back. His hands caressed my neck and my back. He wouldn’t let me go. Our kiss, which at first had been very careful, became more and more passionate.

Then he pushed me away, smiled happily—and stepped back a good ten feet.

“God, Sam, you are killing me!”

I couldn’t say a thing. I could barely hear. My lips felt swollen, and my blood was racing around in my ears.

“How long will you need until we can repeat that?” I asked breathlessly.

“Well, I guess I should be ready in… about a hundred years!”

While we were still laughing at his answer, there was a roll of thunder in the distance. Dark clouds had gathered, and it was obvious we were in for a storm.

“We have to hurry down,” I called through the rising wind. “Or can we find shelter somewhere up here?”

“No, we have to go back. Now!”

I couldn’t imagine that we could make it the whole way before the storm hit.

“Come on!” he said. “When everything gets wet, it’ll be much more difficult.”

We were almost back to our starting place when the first raindrops started to blot the ground. I’d been hiking down so fast I figured I probably wouldn’t be able to walk a single step the next day. My legs were aching already. Payton seemed to be having less trouble. Naturally, I thought. Again and again he kissed my hand, while keeping a close eye on the sky.

We had made it. I could finally see Payton’s SUV, when he suddenly grabbed my arm. He had stopped walking and was staring warily at the almost-empty parking lot. He growled something in Gaelic and then pushed himself in front of me, as if shielding me.

I was seriously freaked out. Over his shoulder, I could see a man, casually walking toward us. He didn’t seem to even notice the pouring rain.

“Payton, what a coincidence. And here I thought you weren’t supposed to leave the castle?”

“Alasdair, my friend, you are mistaken. I’m doing business for Nathaira.”

Alasdair was standing just an arm’s length away. And although Payton was tall, the other man was several inches taller.

“What a surprise,” Alasdair said. “I’m also doing some business for Nathaira.”

Payton stiffened. He reached behind his back and pressed something into my hand. His car keys.

“Still chasing after her?” Payton said. “You still haven’t got the message, after all this time, that Nathaira belongs to someone else.”

Alasdair snorted angrily. “Shut your mouth! Do you think I am her dog? No, you all only see the tip of the iceberg. I, on the other hand, know that under the surface of the water, there’s massive trouble. More iceberg. You never know what kind of trouble is lurking under the surface. Trouble that will be your undoing.”

“Fascinating. Have you become a sailor?”

“Don’t worry, I just want the girl to reveal to me what else is lurking under the surface.”

“What do you mean?”

“She didn’t come out of nowhere, now did she? She has a family—Camerons, to be precise. I want to know who, where, and especially, how many!”

Payton stayed in front of Sam, blocking Alasdair from seeing her.

“Alasdair, I am warning you, leave us in peace!”

“Us? Are you already so beholden to this Cameron bitch?”

“
A dhiobhail
,” Payton growled, and then he attacked. Both men crashed to the ground, rolling around and throwing punches.

“Run, Sam,” Payton gasped.

I didn’t want to leave him. I didn’t have the slightest idea what they had been fighting about, since they’d been speaking in Gaelic, but the hate-filled look in Alasdair’s eyes said it all.

“Sam, now! Get away!”

Payton was struggling to keep his opponent under control. Unlike the silly boys who fought in the halls of our high school, this was not for show. Both men were hitting each other with all their might, and for Payton, it wasn’t looking good. A strong hit to his temple made him lose his focus, and Alasdair took his opportunity. He ignored the man lying on the ground and pounced at me, as powerfully as a wildcat.

Images flashed before my eyes, pictures from my dream:

I was running. I was running as fast as I could, on stony, wet ground. I could see waves pounding against the cliffs in front of me, the churning gray waters swirling around the rocks below. A menacing curtain of clouds had pushed itself in front of the sun and I shivered, despite the sweat running down my back. On the mountaintop behind me was an old lady with white hair. It rose up off her like smoke, billowing around her wrinkled face. Only her eyes
were young. And although she was speaking to me in a language I didn’t know, I could somehow understand every word she said:

“You must face your destiny! You can’t run away!”

Goose bumps spread over my whole body. I looked for a way out. In front of me, there was only the icy water, and behind me the terrifying apparition. But when I turned around again, she had disappeared. Where had she gone? I scanned the rocky, bare landscape. She had vanished. Relieved, I breathed deeply and sank wearily to my knees as a cold blast of air came down from the mountains.

“Run!” Payton’s shout brought me back to reality, and I finally took off. I barely had a head start and knew the giant behind me would easily catch up. Thankfully, Payton was back on his feet. He was trying to get between me and Alasdair. Against all odds, I managed to gain some ground. I had almost reached the car when the keys slipped out of my hand. I ducked behind another parked car and felt around on the muddy ground.

The men were fighting again. Their muffled cries weren’t far away. Then it was quiet.

I could hear my own jagged breathing, which was bound to betray me. I tried to hold my breath, but that made me dizzy. I took a deep breath.

“Lose something?”

Grinning nastily, Alasdair held up the keys.

My mind was racing. What was I supposed to do now? I couldn’t outrun this guy, and Payton was nowhere in sight. My legs were trembling with fear and exhaustion, but I refused to give up without a fight. I knew I had to buy some time.

“Who are you? What do you want?” I said. I pushed myself farther back and brushed my wet hair out of my face.

“It’s far more interesting who you are, isn’t it? Maybe I will spare you, if you tell me all I want to know.”

“What? There must be a misunderstanding. I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Liar! You must think I’m blind! You can’t deny your descent.”

In one swift motion, he pulled me up by my arms and raised me off the ground.

Suddenly, his eyes rolled back in his head, and he fell to the ground, pulling me down with him. Payton was standing there with an iron bar, breathing heavily. He heaved the unconscious body off me and helped me up.

“Quick, get to the car!”

But the giant was still clutching the car keys in his hand.

“Payton, the keys!” I motioned toward the huge hand.

Even though he didn’t look too dangerous just then, I was definitely not going anywhere near that man. And sure enough, when Payton grabbed the keys, Alasdair came to and punched him in the gut. Payton threw the keys at me before attacking his opponent again. This time, I didn’t wait to see how the fight would end.

I jumped behind the steering wheel, revved the engine, and locked the doors. I careened through the parking lot, wheels screeching. I couldn’t see a thing. Frantically, I pushed and pulled at the controls on the steering wheel until I finally found the windshield wipers. Then something hit the passenger side, and I screamed. It was Payton. He was clinging to the car, hanging from the roof rack and trying
to open the door. I quickly pressed the “unlock” button and hit the brakes.

“Go that way!” Payton pointed. “We’ll turn off this road in about three miles.”

“Who was that, and what did he want?” I was just about to have a panic attack, and my voice cracked.

“Later! We have to see whether he’s following us first.”

We raced along the country road, rain pounding on the windshield. It was hard to see, with the headlights of oncoming traffic, and I had to focus extrahard to stay on the left side of the road. All the while, I obsessively checked the rearview mirror. But apart from a red truck that had turned off at the last intersection, the road remained empty behind us.

Slowly, I started to relax, and my thoughts cleared. “We’ve lost him, haven’t we?”

Payton’s brow wrinkled, and then he nodded. “I think so. Keep going. It isn’t far now.” His face was cut all over the place, and he was holding his right side.

“Are you all right?” I asked hesitantly.

“Mmm, I think so. But I must admit that it would be nice if my self-healing capabilities weren’t weakened now.” Abruptly, he sat up straight. “Wait, right up there.”

The entrance to the dirt road would have passed unnoticed if Payton hadn’t told me to turn. An old oak hid the narrow lane from passing drivers. And it was good that we were driving an SUV as we bounced along the hardly visible track. I slowed down steadily to a stop.

To be safe, I left the engine on, but by now, I desperately needed some answers, and I was nearly hysterical.

“You have to tell me what’s going on! Tell me the truth, now, or I’m going to the police.”

Payton pressed his lips together and didn’t say anything.

“Payton, I’m warning you. I have a right to know!”

He nodded. “You’re right. You’re going to find out anyway, so you may as well hear it from me. That was Alasdair Buchanan, one of the other men who is cursed, just like me.”

“I gathered that, but what does he want from me?”

“I should have told you long ago, but I didn’t know how.”

“Told me what?”

“I told you about the night we were cursed. And I told you that we attacked our enemy’s castle.”

“Payton, please. What are you talking about? That was hundreds of years ago. What does it have to do with me?”

“It’s simple. You shouldn’t exist.”

“What?”

“The enemy was the Cameron clan. You are obviously one of them.”

“Me? As far as I know, I’m not even Scottish. My last name is Watts! There aren’t any Camerons in my family.”

“Sam, you are definitely a Cameron. I could tell the first moment I saw you. And then again at the Glenfinnan Monument. You look so much like the Camerons I knew, it took my breath away, and I knew I had to find out who you are.”

“Are you insane? You followed me just because I just happen to look like someone who lived centuries ago?”

“Sam, listen. Try to understand. It wasn’t just that you look like a Cameron. The pain I feel when I’m near you, the way you look, the pendant… I had to find out what that meant for me, and for all of us. You are the reason the curse is changing. Not only for me, but for all of us.”

“The curse, the curse… I still don’t get it. Can’t you make your people leave me in peace!”

“I can’t promise you that. They’re convinced that we’re all going to die because of you.”

“Well, that’s just great,” I grumbled. “So let’s say I really am a Cameron. What did the Camerons ever do to you?”

“You’re asking the wrong question. What you should ask is what we did to the Camerons.”

“What you did? You had a fight. You said that it was normal at the time for the clans to fight.”

“No, Sam. It wasn’t just a fight.” A tone of melancholy had entered his voice. “It was a massacre. We attacked the castle, and the Camerons were taken completely by surprise. Most of the inhabitants were murdered while they were sleeping in their beds. Cathal ordered us not to spare anybody—and we didn’t. After that night, there were no more Camerons in the Highlands. None.”

Everything started to spin inside my head. I felt like I was the one fighting now, my conflicting feelings rolling around and duking it out. My heart was breaking into a thousand pieces. I had fallen in love with a monster!

“You’re saying that you killed my ancestors—all of them. That you killed sleeping people—young and old. Then you were cursed. And now you find one you apparently missed, and you have to get near me?” I was shouting, full of anger and hatred. “Well, what were you planning to do with me? Did you want to kill me? Why didn’t you just do that? Why all these lies?”

“I didn’t want to kill you! And I didn’t want to lie to you. I didn’t tell you about the massacre because I was scared that you’d never be able to forgive me!”

“Forgive you? You’re a murderer, you killed innocent women and children, you wanted to destroy all of my ancestors, and
you abused my feelings to satisfy your own curiosity. I don’t know where to start, Payton, but I will never forgive you!”

“Sam, please, I didn’t mean to hurt you. You look so much like Isobel Cameron, and I’ll admit that was what attracted me to you at first. But not anymore.”

“Who?”

“Isobel. I was trying to help her, to hide her. But she was so scared that she ran, and she stumbled backward off the parapet. I wanted to save her—I grabbed her arm—but instead of letting me help her, she fought against me and fell. You’re right—she was innocent. And I am guilty of her death.” He looked away and took a deep breath. “And while I was trying to save Isobel, I left a friend without protection. He paid for that with his life. I have more guilt than you can imagine, and I have to bear it for all time. But I tried to protect your family. And I still want to!”

“Liar!” I screamed. “I wasn’t in danger until I met you. I have no idea how you can even look me in the eye. You should be ashamed of yourself! I hate you! Get out!”

“This is my car and I—”

“Get out! Get the hell out of the car! And get the hell out of my life!”

Tears streamed down my cheeks, my heart felt flattened, and everything hurt. Without taking his eyes off me, Payton slowly loosened his seat belt and got out of the car.

Without a backward glance, I revved the engine and sped off.

I imagined Payton standing there like a statue in the rain, looking after me.

I was sobbing uncontrollably, but I just went with it, crying myself hoarse. One thing was clear: I had to leave
Scotland. I couldn’t stay here a moment longer. Alison and Roy were bound to understand.