by Anna Katmore
The corners of her mouth pointed down, and she still couldn’t ban the prodding tone from her voice. “Oh, that is a shame. You would make such a lovely couple.”
The memory of me lying in his arms last night flashed before me, heating not only my face, but my entire body.
“Who would?” Julian’s innocent question slammed into my back like a high-speed train.
I shot around and met his curious gaze. “No one would,” I snapped. With the rest of the food in my hands, I wiggled past Marie and started to dish it out.
And what kind of silly idea was this anyway? Marie had obviously gone crazy. Me and Julian? Hah. I didn’t need someone to fall in love with, just to be left alone again in the end.
Damn. I grimaced. Did I just think about love?
The dragon was hooked to Julian’s arm and gave me a hard stare as he led her to the table. Yeah, and then there was her. My mother didn’t approve of any of it. She’d made that clear last weekend when I had overheard her in the parlor.
Was she plagued by jealousy or simply the coldest person in the world?
That evening, I ate my meal in silence, my gaze primarily fixed on my plate. I killed off Julian’s attempts to involve me in the conversation with a shrug or by stuffing more food into my mouth.
Marie’s disappointed frown didn’t escape me. Neither did my mother’s stares. I only wished she would keep the painful expression from her face when gazing at me. After all, it wasn’t me who’d hurt her, goddammit.
Ready for a reprieve, I was the first to leave the table. I stumped upstairs to take a relaxing shower. Marie’s words about Julian and me still gnawed at me, and the picture of him nearly kissing me pushed to the front of my mind.
With it rose the question of what we would be now if he had gone through with the kiss. Even that single slight brush of his mouth against mine had left my lips burning for his touch.
Water sprinkled my face. I rubbed my hands over my cheeks then slammed my fist on the faucet to cut off the spray.
Don’t let him get under your skin. He’ll only hurt you.
My crunched face reflected in the stainless steel of the faucet. I moaned, tipping backward, the tiles of the wall behind me cooling my skin.
Never before had I craved anyone’s kiss—and then so badly. Damn him for turning me into a weak sissy. From the hanger next to the shower I snatched a towel and wrapped it around my dripping body. Wet spots on the floor dotted my trail out of the bathroom.
Maybe it was time to leave.
But, for the life of me, I couldn’t get myself to pack. Too long I’d stayed in the land of plenty. The taste of it pulled me under like a vortex. I craved more.
Movement on the balcony set my belly flutter. I only had to step out and I would get what I wanted. But no. I forced myself to stay calm and slipped into a t-shirt and pants. Tonight, I wouldn’t meet him outside. I couldn’t risk running heedlessly into perdition.
Set with a copy of The Lord of the Rings, the first in the line of books on the shelf, I slumped into bed. The slatted frame squealed with the same frustration I felt. My head sank deep into the feathers. I made an effort to puff up the pillow around my ears, so the outside sounds wouldn’t tempt me.
The opening of the novel kept me distracted well enough, but soon I passed out with my thumb between the pages, lost in the high and mystic mountains surrounding the Shire.
Not much happened on Friday and the minutes stretched like hours. Julian spent more time inside with my mother than outside helping us, and Marie drove Valentine to town for some shopping. Apparently, a small celebration would take place on the weekend, and they expected a few guests.
“Nothing special,” Julian told me in the morning after they had left. “They do this every few months or so. A few of their friends get together and have a nice evening of dancing, eating, and sampling the wine they produced the previous year.”
“When will the party take place?” My innocence covered my immediate scheming to escape attending.
“Tomorrow.”
“Oh, so soon.” But there was still time to come down with a headache by Saturday afternoon. I was certainly not attending a party where everyone would gawk at me—the recovered daughter from England. They would have to find some other party gossip.
“Yeah, but as I said, it’s nothing big, so don’t worry.” He gave me a smile that stopped before it reached his eyes. And then he was gone. Without another word, Julian trudged back to the house, staying inside longer than usual.
Okay. Be gone. I don’t care.
And I certainly wouldn’t worry about the party. Didn’t I feel a slight pressure in my forehead already? I sneered at the shrub to my right, caressing its fine leaves with dirty fingers, and said, “After all, I came here to work not celebrate, didn’t I?”
In the evening, Albert startled me after dinner when he planted his big hand on my shoulder to stop me from retreating to my room too early.
“Are you not forgetting something?”
“What? No.” With a peek around him, I checked whether I’d left a plate or a glass behind when I cleared the table. “Everything’s in the dish washer.”
A smirk deepened the laugh lines around his mouth. “Not the dishes, child. It is Friday, or payday for you.”
He held two crisp green one-hundred-euro bills out to me. Heart pounding, I shook with excitement. Very slowly, my hand moved forward.
Suddenly, I felt a pinch on both sides of my waist and jumped with a shriek.
“It’s just money, Jona.” Julian laughed behind me. “It doesn’t bite.”
“But I might, if you do that again!” My scowl was meant to keep him off but it had no effect. The glint in his eyes indicated he was up to no good.
“What? You mean this?” He pinched me again, and I scrambled out of his reach.
“You’re dead, boy!”
He only had a second to dash out of the kitchen and for his life before I started after him.
Bells of his laughter echoed through the entire house as he raced upstairs. “If you want to get me, you’ve to cross the balcony.”
Taking the steps by twos, I darted after him. But he beat me to his room and slammed the door shut. I skittered to a halt, crashing into solid wood. Lips pressed together, I pounded a flat hand to the door. “You’ll have to come out eventually. And then I’ll get you.”
“My balcony doors are always open.” Muffled chuckles sounded from the other side. All right, he didn’t take me serious.
The door rattled under my kick. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction and venture out on the porch again. No, I strode to my room and slumped into bed. Lying there for a quarter of an hour and counting the knotholes on the ceiling calmed me. Until I remembered that Albert still had my money.
“Crap.” Shoving my boots aside, I walked down the stairs barefoot.
Voices drifted from the kitchen, Julian’s among them. The perfect moment to get my revenge. Sneaking closer, I stopped in the shadows of the hallway.
“But don’t you think it is mean to leave her unknowing?” my aunt said. Her concerned voice came from the direction of the table.
“You won’t tell her.” I took a slight jump back when I realized Julian was standing close to the door. Though his command sounded polite, friendly even, there was no mistaking he meant what he said. And if he’d asked this of me, I would have obeyed without further thought.
But what wasn’t Marie supposed to tell? And to whom? The thought of revenge dropped from my mind. Stepping into the kitchen, I spoke in the most inconspicuous tone. “Are you talking about Charlene?”
Julian shot me a sharp glance. His knuckles turned white while he gripped the door handle, and a deep crease formed between his brows.
Shit. Could they have been talking about me?
Marie rose from her seat. Too quickly. “Good you came down. You forgot your money.” She retrieved the bills from a drawer, which she slammed shut with a light bump of her hip. Her thum
b smoothed over my cheek. “Now hurry to put the money away. It is quite a lot, and you better not carry this amount around in your pocket all day.”
I nodded. “Thanks.” But why would she want me out of the kitchen so fast? This was totally not like her. Then again, who cared? I held two hundred euro in my hand! Turning to Julian, I flashed a grin. “See you upstairs?”
“Later. I promised your mother I’d take a walk with her through the vines.” His mouth shifted funnily to one side. “But you could join us.”
Bellowing a laugh, I put a distancing step between Julian and me. “Forget it.”
He could act like her long lost son all he wanted, but he’d never succeed in reuniting the dragon and me. Disappointment stung my insides as I spun on my heel and headed upstairs.
I pulled the euro notes from my pocket. Shit, where could I hide the money? A book didn’t seem the right place, too risky. Maybe somewhere in the bathroom? But there were only shelves and no drawers. Finally, I found the perfect place in my wardrobe underneath the pile of multicolored t-shirts. Content with my slyness, I rubbed my hands together. Not long before the bills would double in there.
Back leaning against the frame of the French door, my gaze traveled out to the vineyard. My mother’s weak voice drifted to me from the garden and sent a shiver of aversion from my neck down to my toes. So they’d started their stroll, and I was left alone in my room. Julian should have asked me to join him and not the dragon.
Standing on tiptoes, I tried to catch a glimpse of them as they ambled out to the field. A scrape on my bedroom door drew my attention, but after a quick glance at the entrance, I peered outside again. The scraping became more insistent, and a dog’s whine drifted through the slit under the door.
“All right, Lou-Lou!” My initial fear of her under control, I threw my hands in the air and crossed the floor to let her in. She’d never been up here in all the time that I’d occupied this room. Strange that she started visiting me now.
I pulled the door open. With the first glimpse of her blood-smeared muzzle and the thing hanging from it, I shrieked like hell itself had opened to swallow me.
The killer gaze from the dog’s beastly eyes started an avalanche of horror-shivers raking over my body. With my hands pressed to my cheeks, I retreated into the room. The earsplitting screams continued to bounce off the walls.
Flap. Flap. A rumbling behind me. And then a pair of strong arms pulled me into a protective hold.
Julian must have come in over the balcony. He held me like he feared for my life. In his embrace, I turned to bury my face in his shoulder. A soothing wave carried me along, while his soft fingers brushed through my hair.
“What happened?” His chin rubbed against the side of my head as he spoke with insistence.
I pointed a hand at Lou-Lou. “She killed someone.”
Julian gripped both my shoulders and shoved me away from him to look at my face. “What?” Shifting his glance past me, he seemed to notice the dog for the first time. “Oh, no.”
He let go of me to kneel down. Lou-Lou sat still in front of him like she was waiting for the turmoil to cease so she could proudly present her catch. A duck. Julian took the slain fowl from her to cradle its lifeless body in his arms. Satisfied smacks drifted into the room as Lou-Lou licked the blood from her muzzle.
Tears of shock and also compassion for the dead duck blurred my vision. Through my misty eyes, I vaguely made out how Julian stroked the duck’s feathers. Head dipped, he regarded the animal in his arm and walked past me toward the balcony. A torn sound came from the bundle he carried hidden from my view.
A quack?
No, couldn’t be. The duck was dead.
The atmosphere in the room suddenly took on a sparkling charge that gently rubbed against my skin. Like a tub filled with cotton, the air bathed me in a feeling most similar to relief.
Frozen, I stood in the middle of the room as the quacking grew louder and fevered. Flapping wings and a clacking beak appeared over Julian’s shoulder when he stepped out on the balcony. One second later, the duck, above Julian’s powerful push, winged skyward.
What in the name of God—He had just resurrected a duck.
Like he’d done with my mother when he didn’t know I was watching.
Disbelief choked me. Mouth dry, I struggled to put this puzzle together. But I was numb from shock, and nothing made sense. On wobbly knees, I stepped forward, gripped the backrest of my chair for support, and put it as a barrier between us as Julian returned.
“What did you do to that duck?” I croaked, passing the initial state of hysteria.
He shrugged. “I set it free.”
“It was dead.” I forced the words out, but they were barely audible.
“No, it wasn’t.” Intending to place a calming hand on my shoulder, he stepped around the chair. The casters on the wheeled chair squeaked on the floor as I retreated.
“Lou-Lou killed the duck before she brought it upstairs. I saw the blood. Your shirt is stained, and just look at her muzzle.” I pointed to the door, and we both switched our gazes to the dog. But her face was clean again, her tongue lolling sideways in a contented way.
“Lou-Lou only shredded the duck…a little. The animal probably passed out from shock.”
I inhaled. Deep and slow. “Okay.” Okay. This might be a plausible explanation for the happy bird gliding into the sky again. Unconscious, all right. And Julian’s stroking woke it.
Raised it from the dead. The thought turned my blood cold.
Now get a hold of yourself, he’s no voodoo priest, common sense reasoned with me. You passed out in the dining hall three years ago when Elisabeth Morgan accidentally slammed a door into your face. That’s what happens when something gets hit. Fine.
“Julian, is Jona all right?” My mother’s anxious words carried to us from the garden. From the garden…where Julian should be right now.
My heart stopped. From three feet away, Julian stared into my eyes, his expression unreadable. My nails dug into the backrest so hard that I feared I’d rip the fabric.
“What are you doing in here?” Speaking deliberately slowly, I emphasized every single word with horror.
His expression did not change. He just stared at me with intense blue eyes, chin low and lips tight. “I came to your rescue when I heard you scream.”
“No. I mean, how in the world did you get here so fast?”
Julian waited a second before he answered. “I…rushed.”
Rrright. He would never have made it upstairs in less than two seconds. So for a change, he thought he’d jump the fifteen feet to the balcony.
He couldn’t be here. And we both knew it.
FRIENDS - NOTHING MORE
THE CHAIR SWIVELED on its casters between the two of us. I tried to stay steady, my shaky hands clutching the backrest. Silence hung in the room like a heavy curtain. Julian’s eyes mellowed, his shoulders relaxed. But he still didn’t speak. And neither did I.
Lou-Lou barked once then retreated from the doorway. Her large paws thumping as she trotted downstairs was the only sound. She’d left me alone with this mysterious man. I had no idea what to do next.
“You came in over the balcony. Not through that door.” I moved my eyes to indicate the door where Lou-Lou was sitting a second ago.
My hands slipped from the backrest as Julian grabbed the chair and rolled it to the side. He approached with palms up, cradled my face, and forced me to meet his gaze. The shock of unexplainable events kept me rooted while I tried to gather my racing thoughts.
“I climbed the twine ladder Marie’s plants grow on. Then I hiked over the railing. You scared me like hell. I guess I wasn’t paying attention to details.”
My breathing softened as I reveled in his touch. His tender hands on my skin swarmed me with ease. Abnormal, euphoric ease. Surreal for this world. Longing succeeded over confusion. I finally gave in as he gently pulled me to his chest.
His sigh brushed the top of my head. �
��I’m glad you’re all right.”
“I only hope Lou-Lou restrains herself from bringing me more dead animals.” I slid my arms around his waist and let his earthy scent comfort me. The shock of the past five minutes shifted into an amazing state of tranquility.
He let out a soft chuckle. “You know, she brought you her prey to show that she likes you. Natural instinct.”
“She scared the shit out of me.” With a disbelieving frown, I glanced up at his warm eyes. “So if I ever find a man to love me, he might be bringing dead ducks to my bedroom?”
Julian’s laugh conquered the eerily calm room. He ruffled my hair. “Somehow, I can’t see that happening.”
A cozy feeling spread through me as he fondled the back of my neck with his tender fingers. I wondered if Julian was the kind of man to give presents to show his affection. Definitely not a dead duck. So what—?
A hoodie.
I closed my eyes for a moment, pressing against him a little tighter, and reveled in his embrace. I allowed myself to daydream of him caring for me just a little more than for all the others. But I dismissed the notion with a snort.
After all, this caring stuff I experienced with Aunt Marie had left me messed up and vulnerable. For twelve-plus years, I’d lived in a loveless world and had adapted to it. I had to clear my head and return to that place, where no one could hurt me.
I jerked out of Julian’s hold. “Charlene is waiting downstairs. You best hurry to her and go on with your walk.” I couldn’t keep the disgust and also a hint of jealousy from my low voice.
Gaze hardening, he nodded once. “Right.” He kept his eyes focused on the floor as he walked out the door to the hallway this time. The door shut silently behind him.
Tracing my hands over my face where he’d touched me, I tried to recall the sensation of his soft fingers there. What was wrong with this man? And more important, what was he doing to me?
A feeling struck then. I should be scared of this guy. Majorly so. Was I the only one to see there was something different about him? And that something different was a far cry from the average kind of strange. Like almost paranormal. But something inside me refused to believe any of that shit. After all, my wits were still intact, so I should be able to separate reality from fantasy.