Shivers Box Set: Darkening Around Me\Legacy of Darkness\The Devil's Eye\Black Rose (32 page)

“Why?”

“Because he wasn’t her first victim, not after poor Meris.”

A chill blew through Brynn. “Eleri killed my mother?”

“I believe she did—pushed her down the stairs. Your father maintained Meris died accidentally, but she’d been terrified of the girl. That’s why she sent you away, to protect you.

“When your sister returned from school, another man vanished.” Dylis’s voice thickened and she blinked quickly. Her son, was he the next man to disappear by Eleri’s hand? Brynn’s stomach churned, and Dylis went on. “Two years later they had another hired man vanish. I thought for certain the police would arrest her, but she slipped through again. Not enough evidence that a crime had been committed. Eleri left Cragera Bay after that, and everyone in the village breathed a sigh of relief. We should have known better. Matthew Langley vanished nearly two months ago and was found about a week later by some boys in the woods near Stonecliff. He’d been stabbed to death.”

“But if Eleri had left the island—”

Dylis folded her arms over her chest and leaned back. “Oh, she’s been back. My own husband saw her the same night Langley vanished.”

“Between her history and with a witness, why haven’t the police arrested her?”

“Our word against hers. It’s no secret how Stephen and I feel about her.”

Bad blood, Grady had said, because of their son. Brynn couldn’t work up the nerve to ask about him.

“Langley had also been involved in a scheme cheating some of the elderly residents in the village out of their savings. When he first disappeared, there was talk that maybe someone had put a stop to him on their own.”

“Dyl.” Both women looked up at the sound of Stephen’s sharp voice. He nodded to a table of four women who had just sat down.

“I need to get back to work and leave you to finish your dinner.”

Brynn looked down at her half-eaten meal. Her appetite had pretty much vanished, but the two drinks had left her bleary-headed. She needed to eat more.

As she ate, the pub filled with people, the clanking of glasses, boisterous conversation and laughter created a low din, which was oddly comfortable.

After she’d emptied her plate, she leaned back against the bench, stomach pleasantly stretched, and closed her heavy eyes. Despite everything she’d learned today, for the first time in weeks she was warm and relaxed. She could sleep the clock around, but she’d have to speak to Dylis or Stephen about calling a cab first.

“Good God, you’re not bloody passed out, are you?” Reece’s disdain-filled voice broke into her thoughts, chilling her mellow mood like a cold draft in a warm room. A thud, followed by the whisper of fabric against fabric filled her ears.

She forced her heavy eyes open and scowled at the man sitting opposite her. “What are you doing here?”

“Looking for you.” His greenish-blue eyes narrowed, straight brows drawing together in a frown. “Are you drunk?”

“Almost. And don’t get all judgey. I’ve had a lousy day.”

He had lovely eyes, like a sunlit ocean. She blinked and looked away. God, she must be drunker than she thought.

“Reunion not go well?”

She snorted. “No, it didn’t. Apparently my long-lost father didn’t want me then, and he sure as hell doesn’t want me here now. Oh, and did you know that my sister might be a serial killer
and
that the police found some poor man stabbed to death on the property recently?”

Reece nodded slowly, expression impassive. “I’d heard talk.”

“How nice for you. I was filled in when the cops showed up to question Eleri. The detective could hardly wait to tell me that Eleri was the one to push my mother down the stairs. I was also informed that my parents shipped me off because—and this is a direct quote—
I
served no purpose
. And lastly, I just met the man who saved me from drowning when I was a kid—who, incidentally, looks a lot more like a groundskeeper than you do—and he happily informed me that my mother was and my sister is possessed by some kind of darkness that’s probably going to get me, too. So if I decide to have a drink—or two—I don’t think you’re in any position to give me
crap
about it.”

Some small part of Brynn couldn’t believe she’d told him all that, but the filter between her brain and her mouth had dissolved.

Reece’s mouth twitched. “Would you like me to order you another?”

“Wow, is that a glimmer of a sense of humor?”

A reluctant smile pulled at his mouth, softening his features, and something low inside her flip-flopped. “No drink, then?”

“I don’t think that would be a good idea.”

“Can I ask you something?”

She shrugged. “Shoot.”

“What are you doing here, Brynn?”

“I was lost…again.”

He shook his head. “Not here in the pub, but at Stonecliff? I overheard Warlow and Iola Voyle. There’s no inheritance for you.”

Despite her pleasant, bleary state, irritation prickled the back of her neck. She sighed, propped her elbow on the table and rested her chin in her hand. “You still believe I’m after his money? Or is it his ugly house beside a sea I can’t stand looking at that you think I want? My grandparents told me he was dead. If you thought your father was dead, then found out he wasn’t, wouldn’t you want to meet him?”

“I don’t think I would, unless I needed a kidney, maybe.” He frowned and shook his head. “Arthur sent you away as a child, let you believe he was dead. Did you honestly expect more from the man than the reaction you got?”

She sighed. “My grandfather’s gone, my grandmother died two years ago. I have no other family. I thought…I don’t know what I thought.”

Heat stung her cheeks. She must look pathetic, sloppy drunk and feeling sorry for herself.

Reece’s expression softened, and something tensed inside her. If he was kind or, worse, sorry for her, the precarious grip she had on her emotions would rip away, and she’d crumble.

She forced a smile and tried to sound nonchalant. “Apparently, Arthur’s on the verge of throwing me out so the whole thing will be a moot point, anyway.”

“Not to worry,” Stephen broke in, arriving to clear her dishes. “You’re more than welcome to sleep here, love.”

He winked at her before moving on to the next table. She wanted either another drink or to get the hell out of there. She went with the latter.

“Can you give me a lift back?” she asked Reece.

“Whenever you’re ready.”

She slid from the booth and stood. The pub tilted, dizzying vertigo wrapping around her. She gripped the edge of the table to steady herself, stopping herself before she could tip forward and land face-first on the plank floor.

Wow, she
was
drunker than she realized.

Slowly, so as not to send her head spinning, she turned her gaze to Reece. He was grinning that reluctant smile of his, as if his features were trying to fight the expression. “Are you all right?”

“I shouldn’t have had that second drink on an empty stomach. I’m not usually such a lightweight.” She tightened her grip on the table and looked up at the door, measuring the distance. What were her odds of making it across the room without doing a face-plant?

“Good night,” Dylis called out.

Brynn turned toward the woman and nearly tipped sideways. Reece’s arm shot around her waist and pulled her tight against his side, keeping her from toppling over. A thin jolt fissured through her middle.

“Careful,” he murmured, breath tickling the skin behind her ear. Liquid heat welled at her core, spilling into her limbs, filling her with warmth that had nothing to do with alcohol consumption.

Oh, yes it did. There was no way Reece Conway could evoke the warm tinglies if she weren’t already half in the bag. He was dangerous-looking, usually bad tempered…and sexy as hell.

She needed to get outside, into the cold air to clear her head.

“Let’s go,” she urged.

Without a word, he pulled her through the pub and outside. Fat drops of icy rain pelted her skin. Cold wind penetrated her layers of clothing as though she wore nothing at all. Her teeth started to chatter and she pressed closer to Reece’s solid frame.

Despite the frigid air and rain, her head remained sleepy and muddled, her limbs rubbery. She just wanted to get back to her room and crawl into bed, and maybe pull Reece in beside her, wrap herself in him. Yeah, that sounded good. She’d worry about everything else in the morning.

Reece led her to an ancient Land Rover, propped her up against the side of the SUV while he unlocked the passenger door. She was lucky he’d shown up when he had. Otherwise, she had no idea how she would have returned to the house.

“Why did you come looking for me?” she asked, as Reece pulled the door open.

“Eleri was worried about you.” He gripped her elbow and tugged her toward the opening.

“I bet.” Brynn didn’t bother to hide her bitterness as she flopped into the passenger seat.

Reece pulled the seatbelt over her shoulder, snapping the buckle into place. “When I heard you’d left without even taking a coat, I thought she might be right to worry.”

“Aw, Reece were
you
worried about me?” The idea pleased her, warmed her all over again.

He turned his head as if ready to tell her exactly what he thought of the idea, but froze, his mouth inches from hers. His gaze fixed on her lips. Warm, minty breath brushed her skin. Something tensed low in her belly.

She wanted to wrap her arms around his neck, pull him close and press her mouth to his. To see if he tasted as good as he looked. Her breasts tingled at the thought, and a dull ache throbbed between her legs.

“Kiss me,” she whispered.

Brynn’s soft voice shivered over Reece’s skin and his cock thickened against his jeans. He stared into her dark, hooded eyes, frozen and hyperaware of her every detail—silky hair tickling the back of his hand, soft swell of her breast crushed against his forearm and the faint scent of whiskey on her breath fanning his skin.

“Kiss me,” she whispered, again. With every fiber of his being he wanted to claim her mouth with his own while his hands sank into her soft hair.

He jerked back so quickly his feet slid on the gravel and he nearly fell on his ass. He grabbed the open door to catch himself.

What in the hell was wrong with him? He’d almost kissed her. She was pissed out of her head, and all he wanted was to feel her soft mouth moving on his.

Shaking his head, he slammed the passenger door, marched around to the driver’s side and climbed in behind the wheel. Brynn slumped against the window, watching him with heavy eyes. Hopefully, she’d pass out once he got the car moving.

A dull throb behind his forehead kept a steady pace with his pulse, gaining momentum like an avalanche sliding down a mountainside. He’d been careful to keep his guards in place while he’d been inside the pub, and as usual a steady pressure beat at his skull. It happened whenever faced with busy public places, large crowds or strong emotions.

Reece fished out the pill bottle from his jacket pocket, popped the lid and shook two capsules into his hand before dry swallowing them.

“Another headache?” Brynn murmured, her voice thick, a slight frown marring her forehead.

He smirked. “Probably not as bad as the one you’ll have tomorrow.”

He started the engine, put the SUV into gear and pulled out of the car park. Once on the road, he risked a glance at Brynn. She sagged against the door, eyes closed.

Thank God
. He really could do without any more of those sexy whispered requests.

She was attractive, sexy as hell, really. But he liked more than the way she looked. She was smart, with a dry sense of humor and an artlessness he rarely saw in people. She wasn’t who he thought she was, and he was so rarely wrong about people.

When she’d talked about her grandparents’ dying and having no other family, he couldn’t help the odd sense of connection that stirred inside him. His mother died when he was a boy, and he knew firsthand what it was to be alone, to belong to no one, and the desperation to carve out a place wherever he could.

So what? She was as far from his type as he could get. Once she sobered up, she wouldn’t be asking him to kiss her for damn sure.

Reece steered between the gateposts, headlights illuminating the dark woods rising up around them. When the trees fell away, the lights from the house shone in the distance.

Brynn tensed beside him, but didn’t open her eyes. A thin line marred the flesh between her brows. She wasn’t asleep like he’d hoped, and she seemed to sense the sea stretched out below them like black ink.

He pressed harder on the accelerator. The last thing he needed was for her to come apart like she had the night before.

As he pulled up to the front door, Brynn opened her eyes and sat up straight. “Eleri sent you to find me?”

“That’s right.” Reece hesitated before cutting the engine. Brynn’s voice had taken on a high edge that left him uneasy.

“I can’t see her now. Not like this. I don’t know what’s real anymore. Everything she says is a lie.” The words tumbled too fast from her lips. She pressed her fingers to her temple. “I can’t think.”

“Settle down,” he said, gently. “We’ll go in the back.”

She nodded, blowing out a soft sigh. “Okay. Good.”

Crisis temporarily averted, Reece steered to the rear of the house. For all the good it would do them. Eleri was no doubt waiting, and when they didn’t come in through the front, it wouldn’t take her long to figure out where they’d gone.

He cut the motor and opened his door so the light overhead shone. Brynn leaned back against her seat, eyes closed, her chest rising and falling with each even breath. Had she finally passed out?

“Hey.” He leaned over and squeezed her shoulder. The ends of her hair tickled his knuckles. “Are you still with me?”

“Hmm,” she murmured, sleepily. “But not for long.”

“Come on, out of the car.” He unsnapped her seatbelt, leaned across her lap and pulled the handle on her door. She didn’t move.

Bloody hell, he was going to have to carry her in at this rate, and the less he touched her, the better. He climbed down and slammed his door closed behind him. As he rounded the back of the car to the passenger side, Brynn slid slowly from her seat. The moment her shoes hit the ground, she stumbled forward. He snagged her arm and hauled her against him just before she wound up sprawled face-first on the gravel.

“Wow,” she said, breathless, slender fingers curling into his jacket. “I kind of misjudged the distance.”

“Kind of,” he muttered, gripping her elbows to steady her.

She blinked and shook her head as if trying to clear her muddled thoughts. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I shouldn’t be this drunk. Not from two drinks. Even on an empty stomach.”

“Well, you are. So let’s get you inside before you break your bloody neck.”

She didn’t argue as he wrapped an arm around her slender waist, soft frame pressing tight against him, fitting perfectly to his side. Something stirred low in his stomach, but he squashed the sensation before it took root.

He tugged her into the house, through the kitchen and down the back hallway. She shuffled along beside him, tripping over her own feet twice. If he hadn’t had such a tight grip on her, she would have fallen.

“Where are you taking me?” she asked, leaning back to look into his face and nearly pitching to one side.

“The servants’ stairs. They’re closer to your room.” And he might be able to avoid her sister longer.

Brynn smiled sleepily. “That’s very considerate of you.”

Oh yes, considerate, that was him. If she knew just how much he enjoyed the feeling of her body moving against his, she might not think so.

The stairway was too narrow to let them go up side by side, so Reece maneuvered Brynn in front of him, and wrapped his arm around her waist to guide her up. Her foot slipped on the edge of a step and she fell forward, the sudden shift in momentum nearly yanking him off balance. He grabbed the railing to keep from landing on top of her, then jerked her toward him before she hit the ground. Her back slammed into his chest. The top of her head cracked off his chin. His teeth clicked together and he winced.

“Ow,” she moaned, reaching up to rub her head.

“This is going to take all bloody night at this rate.” At least the sharp zing in his teeth distracted from the feeling of her backside pressed against his…

Enough was enough. He turned her sideways and hoisted her into his arms.

“Wait,” she gasped. Her hand fisted in his shirt and she squeezed her eyes shut. “Don’t spin me like that.”

Reece froze. “Are you going to throw up?”

With his luck, he’d wind up with her dinner down the front of him.

“No,” she mumbled, without opening her eyes. “Everything’s moving so fast and…” She dropped her head to his shoulder. “I’m so tired.”

Silky strands of her hair tickled his jaw and her warm breath whispered over his collarbone. Everything inside him tensed. He adjusted his grip on her and started up the stairs. Outside her bedroom door, he shifted her weight and awkwardly managed to turn the knob. The door swung open, and he carried her into the dark room before depositing her clumsily onto the bed.

With her body heat gone, the chill in the room wrapped around him like an icy hand. Goose bumps studded his skin.

He looked down at her sprawled across the bed, still dressed and on top of the covers. Since changing her into something to sleep in was obviously out of the question, and he doubted he could wake her without a cannon, he’d get a fire going, then he was done. No more Good Samaritan.

He knelt next to the cold hearth. The flue was still open from last night, a frigid draft gusting from the opening as he arranged the kindling and set about starting the fire. Once he had a decent blaze crackling, he sat back on his haunches and glanced toward the bed.

Brynn hadn’t moved.

Right, he’d take off her shoes, pull the covers over her,
then
he was done. He marched to the end of the bed, tugged off one canvas trainer, then the other and peeled back her damp socks. Her feet were freezing. Absently, he rubbed her cold flesh between his hands to warm her.

“Hmm,” she murmured, without opening her eyes. “That feels nice.”

He dropped her foot. “I thought you were asleep.”

“I was until you took off my shoes,” she mumbled, rubbing her face against the pillow as though she were trying to burrow inside.

“Can you sit up, and I’ll help get you under the covers?”

“Yup.” Her eyes fluttered open, but remained at half-mast. He gripped her elbow and helped her sit. Her body swayed as if simply holding herself upright was more than she could manage.

Unease pricked inside him. Two drinks had done this? Rather than sobering up, she seemed drunker since he found her.

“Hey.” He cupped the side of her face with his hand, her skin smooth and warm against his palm, and forced her to look at him. “Are you all right?”

She blinked, unable to focus, and gripped his hand with her own. A bleary smile lit her face. “You don’t have to worry about me.”

No, he didn’t. He shouldn’t. And God knew, he didn’t want to. Yet he couldn’t seem to stop himself, no matter how irritated the realization left him.

“Do you feel like you might be sick?” While he’d been hoping she wouldn’t puke, maybe she’d be better off to get whatever she’d ingested out of her system.

“I’m fine.” She slid her hand up his arm and threaded her fingers through his hair. He frowned. “Just sleepy.”

“Are you sure? You seem out of—” Before he could finish, Brynn pulled his head closer and caught his mouth with her own.

For a moment, Reece was too stunned to move. Brynn’s lips, soft, malleable, drew on his like a gentle caress.

He should stop this. In her right mind there was no way in hell Brynn would be sitting in the middle of her bed kissing
him
of all people. But he was loath to push her away.

Her tongue traced the outline of his lower lip, and a bolt of pure lust surged to his cock. He jerked and shot to his feet.

Brynn tilted her head and smiled sweetly up at him. “Night, Zack.”

She flopped down onto the pillows.

Zack?
Who the fuck was Zack? Reece rubbed his lips with the back of his hand.

Of course she would have someone waiting for her. She was an attractive woman. Reece was no doubt the last man Brynn would want—especially if she knew the truth about him. Still, irritation gnawed at his insides.

Brynn’s chest rose and fell in slow, even breaths. His mouth hummed with the imprint of her kiss.
Shit,
he needed to get out of there.

A light tap on the door made him jump and a sensation entirely too close to guilt washed over him. What the hell did he have to feel guilty about? She’d grabbed
him
. Kissed
him
.

A faint frown pulled at Brynn’s brow. Her eyes cracked.

“Go to sleep,” he muttered, reaching for the lamp. “I’ll deal with whoever’s at the door.”

“Leave it on.” Her eyes drifted closed again. “There’s a ghost in my room.”

He snorted and shook his head. “Believe me, there are no ghosts here.”

Brynn’s arched brows lifted a little, but she didn’t open her eyes. Another knock at the door, this one firmer than the last.

Reece turned away from Brynn and opened the door. Eleri stood on the other side, hard eyes accusing.

“What are you doing in here?”

“She’s bloody sloshed. I was just getting her settled and a fire going.” He glanced back at Brynn’s prone from stretched over the bed.

“I need to speak her,” Eleri said, and tried to push past him into the room.

Panicky fear clawed his insides. He didn’t want Eleri near Brynn, especially now when she could barely open her eyes let alone protect herself.

“There’s no point,” he said, quickly, and blocked her path. “She’s passed out. She won’t hear a thing you say.”

Eleri’s eyes glittered like black glass, her mouth pressing into a tight line. “I’ll wake her.”

“You’re not hearing me,” he spoke, slowly enunciating each word. “She’s not coherent. Besides, even if you did manage to rouse her, she’s not happy with you just now. She insisted I bring her in through the back so she wouldn’t have to speak to you.”

Eleri’s fingers fiddled with her silver pendant dangling from her neck. “Did she say why?”

He shook his head and stepped out into the hall, closing the door behind him. “No, but she was agitated.”

“Will she be all right?”

“Of course.” Though, he wasn’t entirely convinced. “She just needs to sleep it off. Probably won’t feel great in the morning, mind you, but I guess we’ve all been there at one time or another.”

Her lips pursed. “Speak for yourself. Thank you for bringing her back. You have my permission to start late tomorrow.”

He nodded, wishing she’d go back to whatever she’d been doing. Instead, she stared at him for a long moment, uncomfortable silence building between them.

“Good night, Mr. Conway,” she said, finally. “Lock up on your way out please.”

He’d been dismissed. Now what? He didn’t want to leave Brynn unprotected with her sister hovering outside her room, but Eleri could just as easily sack him and have him tossed out.

He forced his feet to move down the hall and rounded the corner that would take him to the back stairs. Instead of following the passage, he stopped and peeked at Eleri.

She stared at Brynn’s closed door then reached for the knob. Reece tensed, but her hand hovered a few inches above it before dropping back to her side. She turned away and walked quickly in the opposite direction toward the family’s rooms.

Reece released the breath he’d been holding. He hurried downstairs, turned off whatever lights remained on and locked the doors, then crept back to Brynn’s room and slipped inside.