With that he turned around and walked past the gate again. My mouth was still hanging open as I watched him get in the car and peel away. The only thing I could think was, What the hell just happened? And the only answer I could come up with was River Caliban. He happened.
Chapter Thirteen
When I pulled the door open to Dolly’s bar and walked inside, all heads turned to me. Dee and Martín were sitting at our usual table, but before I headed there, I first walked over to Dolly, who was behind the bar.
“He told me,” she said when I reached her. “I’ll take you up in a minute. I’m sure you want to rest.”
“I’m fine.”
“Okay.” She raised an eyebrow. “I already set your martini on the table over there.”
I walked toward my friends. They were both wide-eyed, watching me as I slid into the booth across from them and took a hefty sip of the martini, coughing when the vodka hit me hard.
“First of all, who are you?” Dee asked.
“What?” I blinked.
“What are you wearing? You’re dressed in . . . light colors?” She looked confused. “You look like you just stepped out of a Ralph Lauren commercial.”
“Oh.” I looked down at myself and laughed. “I kind of like it.”
“It suits you.” Dee folded her hands in front of her. “So, do tell.”
“We didn’t do anything. There was a small party when we got there and then we slept in the same bed, but did nothing, and he let me take pictures of part of the house this morning before driving me over here.” I took another sip. “He also picked me again today.”
“He picked you again?” Dee’s brows rose.
“And all you did was sleep beside each other?” Martín’s brows rose as well.
“Trust me, I don’t understand it either. I feel like this is some kind of revenge scheme, but he’s not . . . I mean, he hasn’t done anything bad to me.”
“Yet.” Dee’s mouth formed into a thin line.
“Yet,” I agreed.
“What can he do?” Martín asked. “He seems perfectly fine.”
“Too perfect,” Dee said. “And he’s from that island.” She pulled a disgusted face.
“Technically, yes, but he’s lived in London, France, Greece. It’s not like the man isn’t well traveled and is only stuck in one place,” Martín said.
“How do you know?” I asked.
“I pay attention.” Martín took a sip of his drink, his face reddening. “And I low-key stalk the Calibans.”
“You have a crush on him or something?” Dee raised a questioning eyebrow.
“No, nothing like that. I just find them fascinating. They’re the reason I started visiting Pan Island, to begin with. All of the legends and folklore.”
“Oh, God.” I groaned. “I hate what that picture did to this island.”
“No offense, but the legends were well established before your photo surfaced or The Haunt became a thing.”
“That actually makes me feel a little better.” I finished off my drink. “So, what’d you learn about the Calibans?”
“Not much. Not much that I believe to be real anyway. I learned that the curse caused a literal rift, when what is now known as Dolos Island broke off from Pan Island.”
“How did that happen?” I sat up straighter.
“What was the curse?” Dee asked.
“There are different accounts. Mostly I think the Guzmans didn’t want the Calibans moving in on their land. The Guzmans were here first. They founded Pan Island. They owned the crops and were proud to have freed their people. When the Calibans moved in with their promises to be nice, they were given a chance, but it is said that they broke that promise.”
“How?” I leaned forward. “What did they do?”
“They enslaved people again. Raped women. Impregnated them.” Martín shot me a look. “Not that your people weren’t doing the same to them, but obviously your people practically own this island to this day so the tours are very one-sided.”
“None of this matters,” Dee said. “You shouldn’t feel bad for kissing a man who had as little to do with this as you did.”
“We didn’t kiss.” I swallowed.
“But if you did, it wouldn’t be terrible,” Martín added.
“He’s still a Caliban.”
“And you’re still a Guzman. I’m sorry to say but in most accounts I found outside of these tours, you’re the bad guy.”
“I’m not a guy.” I raised an eyebrow. “Besides, like Dee said, I can’t be crucified for the sins of those who came before me.”
“But he can?”
“I’m not crucifying him.”
“You may not be, but the town is. Last night, after you left, a slew of riots started.”
“Is that true?” I looked at Dee.
“Let’s just say, you don’t want to go visit your grandmother right now.” She bit her lip. “It died down quickly though.”
“Oh my God.” I buried my face in my hands. “Now they’re going to think the worst of me even if I didn’t do anything at all.”
“I’d say.”
I groaned.
“Penny, I’m ready for you.” That was Dolly, smiling as she walked over.
“I have to go. I’ll see you guys later.”
“Will you be going to the party tonight then?” Dee asked.
“I mean.” I shrugged. “I guess so.”
“See you then.” She smiled. “Don’t worry, we’re on your side.”
I waved at them and followed Dolly to the back of the bar and then up a flight of stairs I’d never seen before. We walked up to the third floor and she gave me a set of keys.
“This is the only one I have, so you best not lose it.”
“I won’t.” I looked at the keys and the only door on the floor before walking over and opening it. “Is this . . . his?”
“Yes, ma’am, it is.” Dolly followed me inside, flipping the switch to the fan as we walked in. “It feels stuffy in here.”
I paused by the door. It was everything the Manor was not. New. Or rather, restored, since I knew how old this building was. Still, the gray-washed hardwood floors and all-white furniture gave the entire place an airy feel to it. The walls were bare, and the ones that weren’t had generic art on them, which I didn’t peg River to have picked out.
“Does he come here often?”
“Often enough.”
“How does he get here?” I turned to Dolly.
“However he wants, love.” She laughed. “Helicopter, yacht, I don’t know. The man has the means to travel, that’s for sure.”
“So why own this apartment on an island that doesn’t even like him?”
“That’s a question you’d have to ask him.” She smiled a small smile that told me she knew the answer to that question but either wasn’t at liberty to say or just didn’t want to. “I’ll let you know when Gustavo is here with your clothes for tonight’s party.”
“Are you going to the party?”
“Do I look crazy to you?” She shot me a pointed look from the door. “I wouldn’t be caught dead on Dolos Island after dark.”
“Why not?”
“I have my own demons to battle. I don’t need to go to war with lost souls.” She shut the door between us before I could ask any more questions.
I went over and locked it. I’d been on Dolos after dark and nothing happened. I shook my head. This was exactly why I didn’t believe in any of the stories my grandmother told. As far as I was concerned, they were campfire stories. I busied myself looking around the apartment, trying to see if I could find anything that could give me a glimpse into River’s life, but I came up short. When I got tired of searching, I went to the bedroom and got underneath the covers. I inhaled. The sheets smelled like him. It was faint, as if he hadn’t been here in a while, but it was there, and I found myself shutting my eyes to see if I could memorize it. I had every intention of watching television, but instead, fell asleep.
It wa
s dark out. I rushed behind Esteban.
“I can go home,” I said.
“No. Just wait for me outside. I’ll be quick.”
I sighed heavily. “You said that last time and you took an hour.”
“Well, P. You can’t rush a woman’s pleasure.” He smiled over at me. I cringed.
“That’s disgusting.”
“You’ll understand it one day.” He wrapped an arm over my shoulder. “I’ll show you.”
“Show me what?” I pulled away from him.
“That it can be good.”
“That’s even more disgusting.” I pulled a face. “You’re my cousin.”
“So is half this island. You think it’s going to stop them?” He walked forward. “When your breasts start to grow more.” He brought a hand up and grazed my breast before I could jump back.
“Stop. I’ll tell on you if you keep talking like this.”
“I’m just joking.” He laughed. “Relax. You think I’d do anything to you?” I kept my distance. He noticed and glared. “Just go home. You’re acting like a baby today.”
I turned around and did as I was told, not because I followed orders, but because I was scared. Scared of him, of what he’d do. It was dumb. I knew Esteban. He was more of a brother than a cousin to me. He wouldn’t hurt me. Besides, my father would kill him if he did. He knew that. As I walked home, arms crossed, eyes on the unpaved road ahead, I heard something snap in the forest beside me. I gasped and stopped walking, looking over into the darkness. I couldn’t see anything at all, but Esteban’s words rang clear in my head. Would a man hurt me? Would they dare? I held myself tighter, willing myself to move, but for some reason I couldn’t. I was near the iron gates, near the Devil’s Chair, which I’d sworn I’d never sit on. The fog grew heavy around me and I began to shiver, still looking out into the forest. Another twig, and another, snapped, but still, there was nothing there. Then I saw two eyes, two golden eyes staring right at me. That was when I ran as fast as I could.
When I reached my house, I slammed the door shut behind me. Wela rushed over.
“I saw something. Yellow eyes. In the forest,” I said, out of breath.
She gasped, doing the sign of the cross. “La Ciguapa.”
“No.” I frowned. “I don’t think so. It didn’t look like a witch. It was just eyes.”
“A woman’s eyes?”
“I don’t know. How can eyes belong to either man or woman?”
“Did she have backward feet?” The question came from my father who’d walked into the room smoking a cigarette while I was speaking to my grandmother.
I frowned, looking up at him. My father didn’t believe in childish tales, and as far as I was concerned, La Ciguapa was a childish tale. A folktale people told to keep their children or straying husbands home at night.
“I don’t think it was a woman at all,” I said finally.
“I’ll make you a tea,” Wela said, rushing into the kitchen.
I followed her and sipped on the tea my grandmother made me, my mind spinning. “They call you a witch, you know.”
“I know.” Wela laughed. “That’s just as well. All I’ve ever done is help people.”
“La Ciguapa is supposed to be a witch.” I set down my tea. “And if she has backward feet, shouldn’t you have backward feet?”
“I’m not a bad witch,” she said. “She is. She steals men from good women.”
“Why would she do that?”
“Because her soul is lost and stuck here. Some say she’s waiting for the right one. The right soul will break the curse and set her free.”
“I don’t understand.” I yawned.
“Go to bed. Don’t you worry. You’re safe.” My grandmother helped me to my room and into bed. As my eyes fluttered shut and I drifted to sleep, I heard her praying over me, for my safety, for my peace. I smiled. That night, I dreamed of a wolf with yellow eyes. A wolf that followed me everywhere, lurking, waiting.
He was undressing me slowly, as if savoring every inch of skin he uncovered. I closed my eyes, relishing his fingers on me, the way his hands seemed to trace every sensitive part of my body, the way he seemed to know where I wanted to be touched. When I felt his mouth on my breasts, I stopped breathing, stopped thinking, stopped existing, my life suspended in a moment of time. He made his way down my body, his tongue finding every crevice, his teeth biting down on every surface, and his mouth following closely behind soothing the pain the bite marks left behind. It wasn’t soft. It wasn’t rushed. It just was and it was perfect. When he bit the insides of my thighs, my heart started beating hard against my chest, so hard I could barely breathe. His mouth found the spot begging for attention and he devoured it, devoured me, until I thought I just might cease to exist. The orgasm rushed over me quickly and when I felt him moving back up my body, I finally opened my eyes to see River staring back at me. River, with glowing yellow eyes that seemed to take in what was left of me with him.
A slamming door startled me awake. I sat up quickly, disoriented, heart beating quickly, liquid pooling between my legs, despite myself. It took me a second to remember where I was. The apartment above Dolly’s bar. Dress shoes tapping against marble floors alerted me that someone was coming this way, but I stayed put, figuring it had to be Gustavo and that he’d knock before barging in. The knock never came, but the footsteps stopped on the other side of the door just before the knob turned and it was opened. I swallowed at the sight of River standing there. He was holding the hook of a garment bag over his shoulder in a way that made him look like he was modeling, not that he needed further help in that department. He looked every bit a model in the tuxedo he had on, with his dark hair perfectly brushed to the side.
“What are you doing here?” I managed.
“In my apartment?” His eyes glimmered.
“I thought you said you were sending Gustavo.”
“I was, but then I thought, what if she backs out? What if she needs some persuasion?” He cocked his head as he looked at me. “I like seeing you in my bed.”
I swallowed. “I wasn’t going to back out.”
“Good.” He pushed away from the doorframe, bringing the garment bag in his hand around and laying it flat on the bed. “I’ll give you some privacy. No need to rush.”
He glanced at the Rolex on his wrist. I only knew what it was because my father had the same exact one, a silver and gold band with a gold face. Not obnoxious or overly expensive, my father had said once. I nodded at River, keeping my eyes on the garment bag. I didn’t trust myself to look at him again right now. When he left the room and shut the door behind him, I took a deep breath, feeling the air come back to my lungs once more. Further relaxation would be impossible, so I grabbed the garment bag and headed to the bathroom.
Chapter Fourteen
I couldn’t wear a bra, and the way the fabric plunged in the front and exposed my cleavage left little to the imagination. It fit beautifully, though, hugging me in all the right places while looking effortless, the way only silk fabric could. I smiled at my reflection. It took me thirty-five minutes to style my hair into loose waves and another thirty to apply my perfectly contoured makeup. The only thing missing was the red lipstick to match the dress I had on. I was afraid it might be too much, that I might look overdone if I applied it, though, so I was putting it off, wishing I knew what everyone else was wearing to the party, wishing I had more information—period. I’d tried texting Dee, but she hadn’t responded. I knew her well enough to know she’d dress to the nines and with that in mind, I applied the lipstick.
The bedroom door opened behind me and I watched as River walked inside and over to the threshold of the bathroom. His eyes met mine in the mirror, and I couldn’t help the way my heart reacted, thumping wildly with each loud tap his dress shoes made against the marble floor as he neared me. He stopped walking behind me and leaned against the doorframe, still staring, all nonchalant, as if he didn’t look like a walking wet dream.
“Y
ou’re not wearing the necklace.” His gaze raked over me slowly, growing darker with every inch of me he took in.
“I . . . I couldn’t put it on and then I didn’t want to break the clasp, so—” My explanation was cut short when he stepped forward and picked up the necklace, bringing it around my neck.
Our eyes met in the mirror once more as his fingertips grazed my skin ever so softly. I shivered visibly, feeling his touch spread through me like wildfire. He attached the clasp of the necklace, securing it on me, and even though I felt the weight of it on my neck, it was nothing in comparison to that of his gaze on mine. I couldn’t bring myself to look away.
“You’re beautiful.” His voice was soft, a mere whisper beside my ear. It wasn’t like it was something I’d never heard, but there was a reverence in his voice that made me shake even as I thanked him for the compliment.
He took a giant step back and it was that breathing room that pulled my gaze from his and made me finally look at myself again. A small gasp left my lips. The necklace glistened as if the sun itself was around my neck.
“It suits you,” he said. “The red, the diamonds.”
“I’m not used to it.” I let out a light laugh, glancing up at him again.
“That doesn’t mean you can’t get used to it.”
“I’m perfectly fine in my jeans. But I can see why some women like this.” I turned to face him. “My mother loved getting all dressed up. Loves.” I frowned, realizing that I didn’t know anymore. I hadn’t known for a while.
“We should head out.” He offered me his hand and I was surprised at how easy it was for me to take it and keep my hand in his.
This was definitely not the way a sworn enemy should behave. No. Surely, I should be a little more resistant toward him, but then, what would the point of that be? He’d already chosen me as his company again today and as much as I didn’t care for the townspeople talking about me or telling my grandmother all about this, I was less enthused to spend the night in jail. Besides, River Caliban was entirely too good-looking and magnetizing for me to not hold hands with. He locked the door behind us and led me downstairs, where Gustavo was waiting by the staircase. In the bar, there seemed to be triple the amount of people that there were last night. Everyone dressed in scandalous attire—bedazzled bras and thongs, the men in speedos and painted torsos, all of them wearing enormous masks that covered their faces and extended up to the ceiling. I let go of River’s hand.
Fables & Other Lies Page 10