“I don’t believe so. Sophie—” He paused as he struggled to phrase himself. “I’m deeply grieved by what happened to Marie. She was a good woman. I suspect you think I hired her because she was mute. That was a perk, but not the deciding factor. She was bright and didn’t ask for much to be happy. I’d hoped she would have been a comfort and companion for you. I never wanted her to be hurt any more than I want to see you hurt.”
He turned back to the fire. It cast sharp shadows over his face as he folded his arms with a sigh.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT: Fate
Sophie lapsed into silence. There was so much to process that she struggled to untangle her feelings. She knew she should be afraid, distressed, and at least a little angry, but she felt none of those emotions. Instead, there was a profound sense of relief, as though a vice had been loosened from her chest.
Even though the answers were impossibly grim, simply knowing what she faced gave her strength. She wasn’t blind anymore. Seeing Northwood for what it really was didn’t make it less frightening, but it at least gave her something to fight.
Joseph had said he would understand if she was angry at him, but she wasn’t. While he’d been talking, she’d imagined what it would have been like if their roles had been reversed. If Thomas, Lucy, or Bella had been suffering as she’d seen Elise suffer… she didn’t like to think about what she would have been prepared to do to save them.
Joseph’s explanation was bittersweet. His actions and words finally made sense, and she felt she could stand with him as an equal. More than that, she could trust him. But the answers were like surfacing to gasp in a lungful of air in shark-filled waters: the relief only lasted a second before she saw the fins turning towards her.
“It took Marie,” she said, thinking the situation through. “Does that mean it no longer needs to eat?”
“I’m afraid not. It will take any body offered to it and will be sated for a day or two, but it still needs a regular death from part of the Argenton family.”
“Because of the bargain?”
“I believe so.”
Something about Joseph’s tone made Sophie lean forward in her seat to get a better look at his expression. He stood close to the fire, and she could see the deep crevices of guilt and fear lining his face.
He thinks I’m angry, she realised with a shock. He’s afraid I’ll hate him if he tries to get closer.
She didn’t feel angry, though. The thought of Joseph spending his life inside Northwood’s walls made her want to cry for him. When she searched her feelings about the tall, dark man, she felt nothing but a deep, aching love and respect. He was fallible but well-intentioned. He had made terrible choices, but only because someone dear to him had been threatened. Without the house’s influence and the constant threat of danger hanging over his head, he would be a truly good man.
“Joseph.”
He turned, and she held a hand towards him. He hesitated, and a flash of surprise crossed his face before he moved closer and took her hand. She gently pulled him to sit beside her in the chair and leaned her head against his neck. Slowly and cautiously, Joseph moved his hand around her shoulder to stroke her hair.
What can I say to make him understand? She wanted to say only one thing, though, and she had to collect all of her courage to lean closer and whisper it into his ear. “I love you.”
Joseph became still. After a moment, he said, “Are you serious?”
“I—yes.” Sophie frowned and pressed her face against his shirt so he couldn’t see how red she was. “Why, is that hard to believe?”
“Tonight’s conversation has been playing over in my head for the last three days. I had hoped you would accept my company and help. During the morning by the lake, I dreamed you might even forgive me. I had never presumed to hope for love.”
There was quiet, stunned wonder in his voice, and Sophie couldn’t stop herself from smiling. She tightened her grip on him, and he responded in turn, threading his arms about her and clinging as though his life depended on it.
“I meant it when I said you didn’t have to be alone any longer.” Sophie’s voice was muffled, but she hoped he could still understand her. “We’ll fight this together.”
He tried to reply then settled on kissing the top of her head. It sent a glowing feeling through her chest, easing away the aches. While she was with him, she felt almost invincible.
“Sophie.” He was speaking carefully again, and she inclined her head to watch his expression. It was anxious and conflicted. “I don’t want to mislead you: I have no idea what to do next. I have no plan, no avenues to explore, or advice to seek now that Crowther is gone. Believe me when I say—I will fight for you with every breath I have left. But I’m frightened that won’t be enough.”
“I know.” The glow faded, but in its place developed a grim determination. There has to be a way out of this. Something we’re overlooking… or someone who’ll know what to do… I feel like, if I could just piece the puzzle together in the right order, I might be able to help… “Tell me more about the Shadow Being.”
Joseph took a deep breath. “I only saw it once, on the day my mother tried to defeat it. Otherwise, it has very little contact with us. We hear its footsteps on occasion—and sometimes even hear its breathing—but otherwise, it’s almost possible to imagine it doesn’t live in this house.”
“How did your mother fight it?”
“With every weapon we had available. I remember guns, knives, and boiling water. None of them made it so much as flinch.”
Sophie chewed her lip. “And the gentleman you tried to visit in town—Crowther—he didn’t say anything in his reply letters?”
“Just one thing, which I can’t understand. When I found him at the inn, he had my most recent letter open on his desk, with a word written below my farewell. But I don’t recognise it.”
Joseph shifted to reach into his pocket then offered the letter to Sophie. She scanned Joseph’s neatly written message quickly. He’d laid out the situation in an abridged version of what he’d told Sophie that night and had implored Crowther to meet with him if nothing else. Below Joseph’s signature, a very different, far messier hand had scrawled Grimlock.
“Grimlock…” Sophie mouthed. The word was familiar, but she couldn’t place it. Then, with a burst of anxious hope, she tugged Marie’s drawing from her dress and unfolded it. “This was in my book,” she said, breathless.
Joseph leaned closer to see the picture. “That doesn’t look like Elise’s drawings.”
“No, Marie made it not long before Rose took her. She’d opened the red door.”
Joseph made a faint noise of shock, and his arm tightened around Sophie. “You said it was in your book?”
“Yes—my father bought me a collection of books when I was a child—one of them was called Cryptids and the Occult. I read it all in one sitting, and it gave me nightmares for weeks. One page was titled Grimlock, but I can’t remember…”
Sophie pressed her palms against her eyes, and Joseph began stroking her hair again. He seemed to understand that she needed silence, and didn’t try to interrupt as Sophie scrambled through the half-lost memories.
“The stories were illustrated… that must be why Elise’s pictures seemed familiar. Grimlock was the name of the creature. ‘It makes bargains with humans…’ that’s exactly what happened to your family. The book called it ‘a deal with the devil.’ What were its weaknesses? I can’t remember. There was a way to get out of the contract, though… you had to kill it… no, not just kill it… destroy its heart.” Sophie looked up, ecstatic.
Joseph’s eyebrows had risen. “Are you certain?”
“N-not completely, but I think that’s right.”
Colour and animation flooded Joseph’s face. He gripped her shoulders, pulled her close, and kissed her hard. His mouth felt too good; Sophie wrapped her arms about his shoulders and surrendered herself to the sensations. Joseph’s hands slipped down to the small of her back and pre
ssed her body against his.
When he pulled back, they were both breathless. Joseph laughed as he peppered kisses across her forehead and cheeks. “How is this possible?” he asked between breaths. “It’s like you were sent to save me. Sophie, my darling, I don’t think I deserve you.”
His laugh was too infectious for Sophie to keep a straight face. His light kisses tickled and sent a hot sensation flowing through her, and she couldn’t stop laughing until Joseph finally relented.
“I just wish I could remember more from the book,” she said.
“Even so—this is more than I’ve been able to find out from any other source. I ordered in hundreds of books and wrote to anyone I thought could help. The priest was convinced it was a demon, and wouldn’t step inside the house. But this—ha, my dear, I think we might actually stand a chance.”
His voice had grown hard again, and although his fingers continued to caress her lower back, his eyes were flickering over the dancing fire as he thought. Sophie kept still. There was something deeply intense—even hungry—about Joseph’s face. Her news had washed away the defeat and anxiety, and in its place, the wolf had woken.
Sophie had heard other women say they found power attractive, but the power they talked about always involved external gifts—dukes and lords born into a privileged position. Sophie had never understood how such a shallow advantage could be attractive.
But this was true power. Joseph was strong, intelligent, and desperate enough to fight his quarter despite the odds. This was the power that turned gladiators into victors in the Colosseum, and kept the wolf from starving during a long winter. And Sophie had never seen anything so electrically, beautifully engrossing.
The distance in Joseph’s eyes faded, and he turned back to Sophie just in time to catch her expression. He smiled, then pulled her close to kiss her again. He was more tender than before, and he brushed his thumb over her cheek as he pulled back. “Can you bear to stay in this house for another few days?”
“I—” Sophie, still focussed on the kiss, had to shake her mind back to their present situation. She looked at the window. The moon had risen above the roof, but she was still very aware that they were surrounded by woods filled with the living dead. As long as Joseph held her, she felt safe from the house and everything it contained. But they couldn’t spend every minute together, and those brief separations terrified her. “I don’t know.”
Joseph’s black eyes transfixed her. “I understand. But the house will be sated for at least a little while after today’s sacrifice, and I feel it would be wise to plan our attack carefully.”
“Yes, of course.” Sophie felt faintly embarrassed that she’d been imagining an offensive that very night. Joseph’s closeness had made her feel invincible. But she knew he was right—they needed to plan and prepare.
The keen, thoughtful look had returned to Joseph’s eyes. “I’m fairly certain I can convince Garrett to join us.”
Sophie remembered how Garrett had callously discussed Marie’s death in front of her after leaving Marie at the red door, and she suppressed a shudder. She wasn’t sure she wanted him as an ally. “Not Rose, though?”
“No. We will need to keep this a secret from Rose.” Joseph sighed and resumed stroking Sophie’s hair. She had the feeling the motion was as much a comfort for him as it was for her. “When my mother tried to attack the Shadow Being—the Grimlock, I should say—she was able to convince almost all of the family to join her. Those who stayed behind had different reasons; Garrett was recently married, and his wife, who feared the Grimlock, begged Garrett not to leave her. I wanted to join the fight, but my mother thought I was too young, and she left me in Garrett’s charge. Rose had a very different motive, though—she was the last of the Argentons who believed the Grimlock’s bargain was a gift to be cherished. She wanted us to continue as we always had, to rebuild our numbers and revel in our position as one of the wealthiest families in the country.”
Sophie frowned. “I can’t believe she’d side with a monster.”
“Rose wanted to believe our family was gifted, rather than cursed. She agreed that the price was steep, but unlike the rest of us, she thought that it was a fair exchange for the privilege we experienced. However, she was very close to my mother, her sister, and grieved heavily after her death. For some time now, I’ve suspected she has had the beginnings of mental instability. Only recently has that become clear.” Joseph kissed Sophie’s forehead again. “I’m deeply sorry I had to leave you with her.”
“But you think Garrett will stand with us?”
“He knows he has very little to lose. Even if the Grimlock took one of our family, it would only be a temporary solution. The Grimlock would be quiet for three or possibly four years, but then the tormenting would begin again. Even if we expanded the Argenton family as the beast hopes, the trials of watching loved ones perish would eventually fall to Elise. Garrett might save her for a few years, but, ultimately, Elise’s life would be as painful and bleak as his own has been.”
And yours, too. Sophie tightened her grip on his shirt.
“I doubt he will hope for much success, but Garrett will almost certainly fight alongside us. He has a good heart and cares for his family above all else.”
“There will be three of us, then,” Sophie said. “We should make a plan. Would you like to wake Garrett and ask him tonight, or would it be better to wait until tomorrow?” She didn’t like the expression on Joseph’s face. She’d seen it before; he was trying to find the words to introduce a subject he knew she wouldn’t like. “What’s wrong?”
Joseph chuckled and gave her a smile. “Truthfully, I’d prefer it if there were just two of us.”
“Oh. But you said Garrett—”
“I mean I would be happier knowing you were somewhere safe. Away from the fight.”
I should have expected this. Sophie frowned at the arm encircling her. She could feel Joseph’s muscles through the shirt. He was lean but strong, and he could fight. She’d seen that herself in the forest. Conversely, Sophie had never lifted a hand in aggression. Every ounce of logic in her body agreed that she would be more of a risk than a help if she joined the fight.
Still, she couldn’t agree with her husband’s request. As soon as her mind travelled near the idea of losing Joseph, blind panic filled her. I can’t lose him. Not now that I love him so dearly. She’d increased her grip on Joseph’s arm without realising, and his free hand moved to stroke her fingers until she loosened her hold.
“I want to be with you,” Sophie said. Her voice was hoarse, and she licked her lips before continuing. “Whatever the outcome.”
Joseph took her hand from his arm and kissed the backs of her fingers one at a time. “I don’t want us to disagree,” he murmured. “Especially not tonight. Let’s revisit this tomorrow.”
Sophie relaxed and nodded. “Tomorrow.”
“We can talk to Garrett then, too. We’ll work better with clear minds.”
He’d pressed her hand to his chest, and Sophie could feel his heartbeat. It was a good, strong tempo. She smiled and nodded. “Is it very late?”
“After midnight. I would stay up until morning talking with you, but I’m afraid we need sleep.”
“That’s sensible.” Sophie’s smile faltered. She thought of her own room, cold and dark, with the damned wardrobe in the corner. What if Marie returns?
Joseph saw her expression, and he strengthened his grip on her hand. “Would you like to stay with me tonight?”
“Yes!” Sophie turned red as she realised, too late, how eager she’d sounded.
Joseph chuckled. “You can have the bed. I’ll sleep in the chair.” When Sophie didn’t answer, Joseph nudged her chin up so that he could see her expression, and a curious smile grew over his lips. He bent towards her, very slowly and carefully, to kiss where her neck curved into her shoulder. “Or we could figure out another arrangement…”
“Yes,” Sophie breathed, arching into his touch. She was re
warded with the sensation of Joseph’s hands wrapping about her back and pressing her closer to him as he kissed her hungrily.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE: Night
Joseph’s fingers traced patterns across Sophie’s back as they lay, limbs tangled, in his bed. He was breathing heavily, and his skin was still damp with sweat. He felt solid and strong, and the way he’d wrapped his arms about her made Sophie feel completely enveloped.
Sophie let her own hands explore his chest in quiet wonder. Joseph was smiling at her. He was tired, but there was so much adoration in his expression that she almost couldn’t stand it. He shifted closer to kiss the top of her head and mumbled, almost too quietly for her to hear, “Love you.”
The words sent a shiver of heat through Sophie, and she smiled to herself as she pressed her fingers over his broad shoulders. The cuts from the previous day still marred his chest, but what had been scabbed wounds the previous morning had healed into faint red scores. They were almost invisible, and it took her a moment to remember the reason for his quick recovery. “Your cuts are much better,” she said, drawing a finger over the red mark. “Is that because of the bargain?”
“Yes.” He was almost asleep but continued to trace patterns over her naked back. “One of the few perks. Your own cuts should be much better by tomorrow, too.”
Tomorrow. The thought risked cutting through her happy glow. Tomorrow we’ll have to face the Grimlock. Do we really have any hope?
“My dear,” Joseph said, bringing his hand up to caress her jaw. “Are you frightened?”
She opened her mouth to say no, but didn’t speak. Their game of secrets and lies had ended, and she didn’t want the start of their new closeness to be filled with any untruths. “Yes. I don’t want you to be hurt.”
He pulled her closer and wrapped the blankets around her a little more tightly. Sophie found it impossible to stay tense when he was so close, and she relaxed against him.
“I understand,” he said. “Put it out of your mind, if you can. We’ll face it in the morning.” He gave her another gentle kiss. “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, my darling. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe.”
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