Undertow (26 page)

“That’s what I thought,” said Raef. “The last trust was continuously funded until fifteen years ago. Right after Eila’s parents died.  After that, the money that was in the account never grew, it just whittled away on house expenses until this spring when the money finally ran out and the house went up for auction. There are no records of a buyer, which is really strange. Oh, and that auctioneer that called you? Ed Talbot? I can’t find him anywhere.”

I narrowed my eyes as I looked at Raef. “So the man who handled the transaction for my house is missing
and
someone stopped funding the care of the home when my parents died? Is that just a coincidence with the timing?” I asked, though I knew it was rhetorical.

Kian gave a half-laugh. “I’m going to go out on a limb and say that it probably wasn’t,” he said. “I also think Mr. Talbot probably met an untimely end thanks to someone who needed him gone.”

This was a nightmare.

A true, living, hellish nightmare.

MJ and Kian had dumped the body of my first attacker heck-knows-where and there was currently a dead kid in my bedroom at home. Poor Mr. Talbot and Ms. Cooper must have also been caught in whatever plot was going down and probably both ended up dead. And last night we almost added Ana to the body count. With the eight swimmers either declared missing or drowned since I accepted the house, the mortality rate around me was sky high.

It had to stop. No one else was going to die for me.

“I agree completely,” Raef was saying “ . . . and I found the name of the company that last held the trust. It’s called North Star Historic Estates and, when I called them, they said that the past manager of 408 is the president of North Star. His name is Christian Raines,” said Raef, handing me the papers. I was still shaken by how many people had died because of me, but I managed to not drop the sheets all over the floor.  “Mr. Raines will be in Newport tomorrow hosting the annual Fire and Ice Ball at The Breakers.”

“Fire and Ice Ball?” I asked, trying to drag myself back into our current situation, as much as it sucked.

“It’s North Star’s premier fundraiser for historic homes, and at five thousand a plate, it must rake in a fortune.”

“I’m sorry – did you say FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS? Per person?” MJ asked, stunned. “Seriously? That’s crazy!”

Ana shifted forward in her seat suddenly, “Hold on a second. Did you say Christian Raines?”

“Yes. Why?” asked Raef, glancing to the tiny blonde wrapped in a thick robe.

Ana looked over at Kian who was sitting across from her, “You got your phone? I need to look something up.”

Kian fished it out of his shirt pocket. “Ana, what’s going on?” he asked, handing the phone to her. She touched the screen of the phone rapidly, typing something.

“HA! I knew it. Christian Raines was Newport’s most eligible bachelor three years running. His Fire and Ice Ball is the hottest ticket on the east coast. Here - Look,” she handed the phone to me. 

The man looking back at me from the small screen was in his late 20’s and defined the word handsome. He had a mop of wavy, somewhat wild mahogany hair with streaks of gold. Combined with his deep auburn eyes, angular nose and strong, dimpled chin, he was the physical embodiment of the athletic aristocrat.  

He was a flipping Kennedy if they bred with Roman gladiators.

Something about his stunning face however, tickled my memory. “He looks familiar,” I said slowly, not taking my eyes off the phone’s screen.

“You probably saw him in People Magazine,” offered Ana.

“No. That’s not it,” I said, finally handing the phone to Raef and picking the photo book off the table. I started flipping through the book.

Raef was studying the picture on the phone as well. “She’s right. He does look familiar,” he said, surprise in his own voice.

Intrigued, Kian got up and took the phone from Raef. MJ, now curious, walked over to look at the picture as well. “I think I know this guy as well,” said Kian.

Flipping through my photo book I finally found the page I was searching for. I carried the book over to them. “Look!” I said, pointing to a picture from the mid 1800’s of Elizabeth dressed in a formal gown, standing by the staircase in my home. Behind her, plain as day, was Christian Raines.

Ana’s mouth dropped open slightly as she gasped, “No way! He’s a Mortis?“

M.J. crossed his arms and shook his head in exaggerated disgust, “I think Christian may be cheating at the Most Eligible Bachelor competition. Mortis have an unfair advantage in the looks department.”

He glanced at Kian, who was smiling proudly. MJ smiled even wider, “Thank goodness such an advantage doesn’t nearly make up for their pea-sized brains, however.”

Kian just shook his head and looked away at the ceiling, clearly biting his tongue at a snappy comeback.

I poked the book hard to get the two males back on target, “GUYS! Pay attention! This guy, Raines, is a Mortis who
knew
Elizabeth and
maintained
the house,” I said. “We absolutely need to talk to him.”

Kian suddenly snapped his fingers. “That’s how I recognize him. From Elizabeth’s parties,” he exclaimed. “And you’re absolutely right. We need to talk to him, but to be on the safe side, we’re going to need to catch him when his guard is down. Let’s not forewarn him of our coming just in case he’s not the friendly sort.”

Raef stepped closer to me, “I guess it’s a good thing I bought these, though at the time I didn’t think Mr. Raines would be immortal.” He pulled five red and white velvet invitations out of an envelope on the table.

MJ picked one up. “These are tickets to the ball! We’re going to crash this guy’s own million-dollar fundraiser?”

Kian put his hands in his pockets. He looked at Raef and smiled, “This is perfect. Among the crowds and all the meet-and-greet, he won’t be paying attention to all the invitees. We can slip in unnoticed.”

Ana shook her head, unconvinced. “Won’t he recognize you and Raef?”

“I haven’t seen this guy in more than 160 years. Somehow I doubt he’ll remember us.  And as for you three, he has no idea who you are.”

I looked at Ana. “Won’t he sense Kian and Raef are Mortis?” I asked, unsure if this plan was the smartest route to take.

“No,” said Ana, clearly confident. “Mortis can’t sense one another, same as humans can’t. I’m sure the boy from the bridge was fairly shocked to find Kian in your house.” The room was quiet and seemed to be looking to me for direction.

“Well, I’m willing to give this a shot,” I said, drawing a deep breath. “We need some tactical advantage, right? This Raines guy may be able to give us some. And if he is more foe than friend, I doubt he will make a scene in front of hundreds of deep-pocketed patrons.”

Ana crossed her arms, “The ball is tomorrow night. Call me a pessimist, but
what
are we supposed to wear? I’m assuming sweats are not up to par at a black tie event at The Breakers.”

“What’s the Breakers?” I whispered to Raef.

“Big mansion in Newport. Owned by the Vanderbilts back in the day,” he quietly responded.

“Um, HELLO? What are we going to do about apparel?” demanded Ana.

Raef looked at Kian, who seemed to know what he was thinking. “No way.  I am not calling her,” said Kian firmly.

“She would have some top notch stuff and she’s right in Chinatown,” encouraged Raef.

Kian’s eyes grew wide, “She is a NUT job!”

“No she’s not.  You just don’t want to be stuck in a room with her!” Raef had a devious smile across his face.

“Who are we talking about?” I asked.

“About a decade ago, Kian
was seeing a couture clothing designer. Gorgeous stuff.  She made him a couple of suits to rival Armani,” said Raef, glancing at the tall, irritated soul thief who appeared ready to throttle him. “According to Kian, she got kind of possessive though, after a while.”

“KIND OF?” demanded Kian. “I told you she was a lunatic!”

“Anyway, like I was saying, according to Kian, she got a bit too possessive and he broke it off. In return she nearly ripped his arms off. All’s fair in love and war among our kind.” Raef was thoroughly enjoying Kian’s silent fuming.

“She’s one of you?” I asked, now worried. “Isn’t she going to want to
“off me” since I’m Lunaterra and all?”

“Kian can
go pick some things up from her. We won’t be taking you anywhere near her,’” said Raef.

Kian
glared at his un-brother.

“Oh, come on,” prodded Raef. “You know that on short notice, she would be ideal. Tell her we’ll bring her a case of her favorite vintage. I have some in the cooler.”

“She drinks wine?” Ana asked.

“O-
negative,” said Raef, referring to a rare human blood type. I stuck out my tongue, disgusted.

“She
is
a bit of a lush,” replied Kian, thinking. Everyone was looking at him. “FINE. I’ll call her,” he muttered angrily as he left the parlor and walked outside onto the deck with his phone. He looked back in at the four of us and Raef gave him a thumbs-up. Kian returned the gesture with a different finger.

“Was she really a stalker?” asked MJ.

“Probably a complete sociopath,” said Raef, laughing. Ana and I joined him. 

MJ looked at the three of us laughing, “Hey, you know what is going to make my day?”

“What?” I asked, finally calming myself.

“The sight of you and Ana finally wearing something other than jeans and t-shirts.”

Ana and I groaned.

18

It took Kian almost twent
y
minutes to convince his personal stalker, Collette, to dress us for the coming ball. Considering that the event was less than 24 hours away, I was surprised to learn she was placated with the owner’s papers to Kian’s Corvette and not one of his appendages. I would have thought being allowed to keep one’s arms would have been a plus, but Kian seemed highly displeased with the loss of his favorite automobile.

Collette, Kian explained, was almost 1
20 years old and originally from Paris.  She studied under great designers like Paul Poiret, Coco Chanel and numerous others, but she currently favored Versace-esque designs. I was sure they had no clue she was an immortal when she was a student, although with THAT haute crowd, one never was sure they were all human to begin with.

“Is this really necessary?” asked Ana as she wrote our sizes on a piece of paper for Kian to take to Collette. Ana was obviously not thrilled with the idea of Kian having to face a former lover. “Can’t we just grab something at a department store?”

Raef shook his head, “At five thousand dollars a ticket, no one there will wear anything less than runway designs. If we want to blend, we need to look like we belong.”

“I am going to look SICK in a custom tux!” said MJ, enthusiastically. He threw his arm around Ana and reached out with his other arm and pulled me over to him. “And you two are going to look devastating in these foreign things called ‘dresses’!” He smiled widely.

“Ha ha,” said Ana dryly as she handed the paper to Kian. “But seriously – does he really need to go and meet up with this chick? I’m not sure it’s safe.”

For a moment, Kian’s face flickered with something tender, but he recovered, clearing his throat. “I, um – I’ll be fine. I’m to meet her around 2 am at her loft.”

“I’ll wait up for you,” said Ana, diverting her eyes to the floor.

The same tenderness lifted to Kian’s face and this time he let it remain as he wa
lked over to us. MJ dropped his arm from her shoulder, moving slightly away. While I knew that MJ wasn’t Kian’s biggest fan, he also seemed to respect the fact that he and Ana were trying to figure out their relationship. And one couldn’t ignore the fact that he saved Ana’s life.

“Don’t wait up. You need your rest. Your body is still recovering,” Kian said softly, mere inches from her.

She finally looked to him. “Wake me then, so I know you are back in one piece.”

He smiled. “I will. I promise.”

I glanced to Raef. The warmth generated by the two of them was infectious and I felt the heat climb up my back. I swallowed, but the motion made my throat ache. The discomfort triggered the memory of what happened in my bedroom and the urge to take a shower was overwhelming.  Raef saw and stepped close to me.

“You okay?” he asked quietly.

I realized my hand was at my throat, rubbing the spot where my attacker had choked me. “I really just want to take a shower . . . and get some sleep,” I replied, but I could tell he knew exactly why I needed to get clean. Darkness caressed his eyes for just a moment.

“You can take my bed. I’m going to stay up and keep watch.”

I shook my head, refusing. “You need sleep as well. I’ll just sleep on the couch.”

He shook his head. “Technically I can go days without sleep and be unaffected. You, however, need a solid night’s sleep. Take my bed – it’s much more comfortable,” he said, ending the conversation.

“Thanks.” I fidgeted, desperately wanting to climb out of my skin. I headed to the stairs and Ana saw me leaving.

“I left you some clothes in the bathroom!” she called.  I waved a thank you to her as I headed down to the lower deck and the lure of a hot shower.

Once in the bathroom, I stripped out of my clothes, happy to be rid of the day that was imprinted on them. I removed my bracelet and put in carefully by the sink.  The large rainhead poured a hot stream of water downward in a thousand little drops inside the shower. I stepped through the glass door and let the liquid massage run all over my body, washing the day away.

My neck stung where Bridge Boy had grabbed me, and the sensation brought back the attack clearly in my mind. I closed my eyes tightly, trying to force the violent encounter from my head, but I only saw his face in more detail. 

I washed my body and hair and was back out of the shower within minutes. I stepped over to the mirror, which was now completely fogged over, and wiped away the steam with my hand. I looked at myself in the blurred reflection, touching my neck where the killer teen’s hand had nearly crushed my throat.  There was no outward mark, but I could feel his fingers digging into my neck.

I dried my body and wrapped the towel around me as I looked to the shelf where Ana had left me something to sleep in.  I was alarmed to see a black, silky concoction nestled inside. I slowly pulled the pile of smooth material free and it unfurled into a dark, daring nightgown with a long slit up one side and thin shoulder straps.

“Yeah . . .  I think not.” There was no way I was wearing the slinky outfit.

I found the black pair of underwear she had promised, price tags still attached. I snapped off the tags and stepped into them. Damn well determined NOT to wear the other thing she left me, I decided to borrow a shirt from Raef. I cracked open the door to the bathroom and looked down the hall to make sure I was alone.

With the coast clear, I darted across the hall and into Raef’s bedroom. I moved past the round bed to his bureau. I pulled one of the dark mahogany drawers open and was rewarded with a neatly folded selection of high-end, button-down shirts.  I selected a simple cream colored one from the top of the stack and shook it open. It reminded me of him and I brought the shirt to my face and breathed deeply.

I could smell his earthy scent on the fabric, a mixture of sand and sea and pine. I slipped into the shirt and it hung down to my mid-thigh, cool and smooth against my skin. I finished buttoning the shirt, leaving the top two undone so they wouldn’t rub on my neck and remind me of the teen with a lust for murder in his eyes.

“I take it you didn’t like Ana’s choice of clothing?” I heard Raef ask from behind me. I spun around, surprised.

“Um . . . no. Not really. Is this okay?” I asked, pulling on the bottom of the shirt, willing it to hang lower.

“Of course,” said Raef, walking into the room. “Are you cold? Silk is not exactly warm to sleep in.”

“Just a little,” I said, wrapping my arms around me. “How long were you standing there?” My face started to flush.

“Not long. I didn’t see anything, I promise.”

I couldn’t tell if he was being 100% honest.  He opened the door to his closet and pulled out a robe that looked just like Ana’s. He brought it over to me and held it open.

“Thanks,” I said as I slid it on, tying it in the front. We stood there, looking at each other for a moment.

Raef cleared his throat. “Try to get some sleep. If you need anything, I’ll be on deck.”  He turned to leave, but I reached out and caught his arm.

“Thank you,” I said.

“It’s just a shirt, Eila,” said Raef, but in his eyes I could tell he knew that’s not what I meant. He reached out and tucked a lock of my hair behind my ear and let his fingers trail down the dark strand. Every time he touched me, heat followed his fingers. Since the night of the bonfire, his touch had intensified, creating an electric flame that scalded . . . but in a good way.

In an addictive, tempting way.

“Will you be okay in here?” he asked, concerned. I said yes, but he hesitated, trying to read the truth in my words. Finally he wished me goodnight and left me alone in his room.

I stood there, the glow of a single lamp throwing soft shadows around the room. I started pulling back the covers, layer after layer of luxuriant blankets and sheets in various tones of red, black and silver. I pulled a few of the pillows from the head of the bed and stacked them on the floor, dropping my robe onto a chair nearby. I flicked off the lamp and crawled into bed. The room was dark, except for the light from a neighboring yacht casting a yellow hue through the porthole window near the bureau.

As exhausted as I was, however, sleep brought with it nightmares. I would drift off, but be jarred awake by various scenes of Bridge Boy chasing me, throwing me into a wall and at one point, crushing my neck.

By midnight, I finally gave up on sleep, pulled on the robe Raef had given me, and headed out into the hallway. The only lights in the lower deck were the small blue ones illuminating the hallway and a few under-cabinet lights in the galley.

The door to Kian’s room was cracked open and I peeked in. Ana was asleep in his bed, tucked in with numerous pillows and blankets. Kian, however, was nowhere to be seen. I wondered if he had left to meet Collette and I prayed he would be okay.

I continued down the hallway and climbed the stairs to the parlor. MJ was stretched out on one of the couches, snoring. He was in just his boxers and a thick burgundy blanket was twisted haphazardly over his body. I smiled. It was exactly how I would expect him to look, even in his sleep.

The parlor, like the lower deck, was dark, with just a few small running lights. Through the windows, the Boston skyline glowed beautifully, but the boats beside us had now gone dark. The warm deck lights of the
Cerberus
were still on and threw a gentle, golden aura onto the outer deck and the large, circular lounge. It looked inviting and I hoped the fresh air would clear my head.

I carefully pulled the glass door open so I wouldn’t wake MJ and stepped out onto the aft deck. I walked around the side of the boat to the bow, my feet icy on the teak decking.

I sat down on the lounge and pulled my toes under me, wrapping the robe around me tightly. The cold October air created a crystal night sky, filled with stars and a spectacular white moon. I let the chilly air wrap around my face and breathed in the salty breeze.

I was wondering where Raef was, when from around the opposite side of the boat he appeared, the old photo book tucked under one arm. He placed the book on a table opposite from me and sat down on my lounge, turning so he could face me.

“Not tired?” he asked.

“Tired yes. Ability to sleep? No.” I pulled the robe tighter against the cold.

Raef reached over the ottoman to a creamy throw and then cast the blanket around my back and pulled the edges closely together in front of me.  I took hold of the velvet softness, holding it tightly to me.

“Thank you. I didn’t realize it was so cold out tonight,” I said, my words drifting into the darkness like little slivers of smoke.

“It’s the air coming down from Canada. They already have snow up north,” said Raef, looking out over the harbor.

The vista was so beautiful. It reminded me of the night on the beach, before it went so terribly wrong. I embraced the memory of sitting on that ratty old red blanket and looking out over Cape Cod Bay.

That night, like now, had a moon that could encompass the sky and threw a path on the water like a bridge of light to heaven. I remembered how he handed me my bracelet. I could still feel his touch on my skin as he slid it onto my wrist and tightened the ball to lock it in place. I knew that moment would stay with me all my life, even if my life turned out to be brief.

I ran my hand over my wrist and realized I had left the bracelet in the bathroom when I had showered. My wrist looked so plain without it, as if I were missing a piece of myself.

“What’s wrong?” asked Raef, quietly.

“Nothing,” I whispered as I looked up from my hand. 

He reached out, carefully, and slowly swept his thumb over my cheek, taking with it a tear I didn’t even realize was there. I reached up to his hand on my cheek and covered it with my own. “I’m just remembering a better night,” I said, trying to smile.

“Tell me. Let me in on what you’re thinking.”

“I was remembering the night on the beach when you gave me my bracelet.”  He nodded, taking his hand away from my face and reaching for my wrist, touching the spot where it normally resided.

“I forgot it in the bathroom,” I confessed, guilt and sadness starting to overtake me, not just about the bracelet, but about my whole existence here.  How thoroughly I had ruined all of their lives, dragged into my nightmare and unable to escape. “I’m sorry,” I said, my mouth trembling.

“It’s okay,” he whispered.

“I’m so sorry, for everything,” I cried, the words choking me. He took my face in his hands and I tried to look away, tears trailing down my cheeks. I tried in vain to pull myself together, but I couldn’t.

“Look at me,” instructed Raef gently and I looked up to his beautiful eyes, now darker in the nightfall.

“This is not your fault. None of this is your fault. You’re a pawn in a war that is centuries old. It’s a pointless hatred that has been passed down for generations. Don’t apologize. This is not your fault,” he said, quietly stroking the side of my face.

I looked at him, wiping the tears from my face. My wet cheeks stung in the cold, night air. “But it
is
ultimately my fault. Had I never returned, you and Kian would have been able to carry on as you always had. And Ana and MJ would have never been diverted into a future that is no longer theirs. It
IS
my fault,” I said drawing a deep breath of icy oxygen. The cold in my lungs helped me regain control of my emotions.