by Girard, Dara
“What are you doing?” he asked as Iona slid her arm around his neck.
She brushed her lips against his. “You have ignored me all day.”
He anxiously looked around. “I have to be careful.”
“How long will she stay?”
“Only a couple weeks, but I’ll work on it. She’s good for him.”
“Yes,” Iona said, kissing him again. “Your brother needs something to keep him occupied so he’ll leave you alone.”
“He already does.”
“Not often enough. He babies you and tells you what to do.”
“Big brothers are like that sometimes,” Basilio said, feeling the need to defend Lucian. He had been there after the death of their mother and had paid for his schooling. At first he’d meant only to visit Lucian on the island to relax and figure out his life. Then he decided to stay and help manage the rental of several villas Lucian had constructed throughout the island and the exclusive guests allowed to visit or rent them. He wasn’t ambitious. He liked the easy life. Iona had been a surprise. He’d never met a woman like her before.
Like any man, he’d noticed her immediately, but never thought to pursue anything. It was the tragedy of the fire that had brought them close. She’d bolstered him up when he feared his brother wouldn’t make it through all his surgeries. But most of all she’d assuaged his guilt about losing track of Callia. He’d been careless, and though his brother didn’t blame him, he could feel his brother’s disappointment. But Iona didn’t judge him. She understood that he’d just made a mistake that night. He’d gone drinking and thought Callia was safe.
Iona had helped him to get over that awful night. There were so many things he didn’t remember that she helped him to accept or that she convinced him to forget. She was an older woman who made him feel like a man. He knew his relationship with her was risky, but he couldn’t help himself. She was his salvation. Plus, he liked how she pressed her full body against him.
She nibbled his earlobe. “I want you to follow my orders.”
“Don’t I most times?” he responded, his breathing becoming more rapid with her body pressed close to his.
Iona suddenly drew away, leaving him aching for more. She did that to him a lot. “Shh, I hear footsteps.” She fixed her hair and he adjusted his shirt.
Lucian entered moments later and found Basilio standing near the window, while Iona pretended to polish a vase. “Iona, you’re wanted in the kitchen,” he said.
She nodded, then left.
“I’d better get going, too,” Basilio said.
Lucian blocked his path. “Stay away from that trouble.”
“What?”
“You heard me clearly.”
Basilio folded his arms and leaned against the wall. “She’s not a thing. She’s a woman.”
“And you’re a man and she’s using that fact to her advantage. She’s no good for you. As I said, she’s trouble.”
“Because she’s part of your house staff?”
“That’s only one reason. She’s here because she’s a good long-term worker and isn’t superstitious about this place. If you want to mess with staff, find someone else’s.”
“But you choose the best,” he teased.
Lucian found no humor in his brother’s remark. He lifted his shirt sleeve, baring his scars. “Let me be a lesson to you. Don’t be fooled by a pretty face and a soft body. She doesn’t see you. She sees a ticket out. A target. She’ll use your heart against you and come between us. Don’t let that happen. Stay away, little brother.”
“Not every woman is like Alana.”
Lucian rolled down his sleeve. “I know.” He met his brother’s gaze. “Some are worse.”
Kay hated having to take the mysterious phone calls by the cove at night, but her contact gave her no choice. She stood and heard a motorboat that went back and forth between the mainland and the island, and then she heard the call of a night bird. When her phone rang, she jumped, then answered and heard the disguised voice on the other end.
“The designer’s staying ten days,” the voice said.
“I know. I heard.”
“But she may not last that long.”
“She’s not like the rest.”
“That’s good. She may be useful to us. Did you do as I asked you?”
“Yes, but don’t you think it’s risky with another person here?”
“No, it’s even better.”
“But if she sees me—”
“Make sure she doesn’t.”
“I’m always careful, but with another person around, it could make things complicated.”
“Not if you do what you’re told. Having her here will make things harder for Kontos. He can’t keep track of everything and this designer is perfect. Have you looked at her?”
“Yes. I just don’t think—”
“I’m the one who thinks, not you. Don’t back out on me and don’t disappoint me.”
Chapter 7
A piercing scream shot through Nikki’s pleasant dream that night and startled her awake. She blinked in the darkness, then reached for her lamp. Bright light flooded the room, eradicating the darkness, but the screams continued. She grabbed a robe and rushed into the hallway, nearly knocking over Kay.
“What’s happening?” she asked as the other woman rushed down the hall.
“It’s just Callia.”
Nikki followed Kay into Callia’s bedroom and saw the young woman twisting and turning in a bed so large, she appeared as small as a six-year-old child. She moved as if her bedsheets were trying to strangle her. Her face was wet with sweat; her eyes squeezed shut as though she were in mental anguish. Kay stood next to the bed and raised her hand to slap her.
Nikki grabbed her arm. “Don’t you dare do that.”
Kay looked at Nikki, anxious and confused. “I always do it this way. It will help her get out of her nightmare.”
Nikki looked at her with disgust. “There’s another way to do it. A kinder, less violent way.”
Kay yanked her arm away. “Let me do my job! I know her better than you do.”
Nikki shoved her aside. “I will not let you slap this child.”
“He’s dead!” Callia screamed. “She killed him.”
“You’re letting her suffer,” Kay said, waving her hands.
Nikki took one of Callia’s shoulders. “He’s all right, Callia. He’s right here.”
“She’s come to kill him,” she said, tears escaping from under her eyelids. “Now he’s dead and I saw her!”
“No, he’s safe in bed. Just like you. You’re safe.” Nikki shook Callia awake. “Open your eyes. It’s all a dream.”
Callia’s eyes slowly fluttered open, but Nikki knew she wasn’t with them. She kept her voice calm. “He’s safe.”
“He’s safe? But I saw her here. She was standing in the main room with me, wearing the—” Callia shook her head. “She’s come back and the fire—”
“She’s still in a dream state,” Kay interrupted, clearly annoyed and angry. “You’re not helping.”
“Leave her to me,” Nikki snapped.
“Mr. Kontos won’t like this.”
“Well, he’s not here to complain right now, so be quiet.”
“The child is mad. She lost her mind that night.”
Nikki glared at her. “And I’ll lose my temper if you don’t stop talking.”
Kay folded her arms.
“She’s still here in the house,” Callia said. “I see her roaming the halls. I smell her when I sleep and the music plays.”
“There’s no music playing. It’s just us.” Nikki stroked Callia’s forehead. “Everyone is safe. Callia, wake up.”
Slowly realization descended and Callia became awake. She stared at Nikki for a long moment, then said, “Did I cry out?”
“Yes.”
“What did I say?”
“Nothing,” Kay said.
“You were talking about Alana,” Nikki told her.
“Oh, yes…she’s here. I can feel that she’s here and I think I see her.”
“But you know that’s impossible,” Kay said.
Nikki patted Callia’s leg. “No one is here but us.”
“I’m so afraid,” Callia said in a small voice.
“Then I’ll be strong for you. I won’t leave until you fall back asleep,” Nikki promised.
Callia’s eyes filled with tears. Then she collapsed in Nikki’s arms. “People think I’m crazy, but I’m not.”
“I know you’re not,” Nikki said in a soothing voice. “You just sense things people don’t see.”
Callia raised her head and nodded. “Yes, that’s right. That night, when we flew to the mainland, I knew something was wrong and I told Basilio, but he just ignored me, as always. I’d wished I could be with Uncle Lucian and then suddenly I was. I don’t know how I got back here. I don’t remember much else about that night, just that she was there and she was evil. And people think she’s gone because she died in the fire. But she’s still here.”
Nikki didn’t quite know what to say. Was the child crazy? What could account for the blank parts of her memory and her colorful imagination? She gently touched the girl’s cheek. “You will keep him safe. Don’t be fearful. Your gift will come in handy one day.”
“You think it’s a gift, not a curse?”
Nikki wasn’t sure what it was. “No, you’re not cursed.”
“How do you know?”
Nikki hesitated, wondering how much to reveal. Should she tell her about the women in her family? About the one who used herbs to both kill and heal and another who could see spirits in the wind and read stones? “Let’s just say that the women in my family have special gifts.”
“What’s your gift?”
“Helping young girls go back to sleep.”
“The dark doesn’t frighten you?”
“No.” Nikki bit her lip. “Sometimes darkness can be beautiful.”
Callia hugged her. “I’m so glad you’re here. You understand me. No one else does.”
“Yes,” Nikki said in a low voice and looked over at Kay. “We’re fine now. You can go get some rest.”
Kay gave a terse nod, then left the room.
Sensing the mood shift, Pauline crept out from under the bed and brushed up against Nikki’s leg. Nikki picked the kitten up and placed her on Callia’s lap.
“See, nothing to fear,” she said as Pauline began to purr.
“You’ll stay longer than ten days,” Callia said with certainty.
“I haven’t even begun yet.”
“But you will stay longer. I know you will. This house needs you.” Callia leaned against the headboard. “For the first time I feel okay. Almost happy.”
“Good. That’s because we’re going on the yacht tomorrow. Now, get under the covers. You have to sleep so that you’ll be rested for our journey.” Nikki stood and straightened the bedclothes as Callia slipped down into them.
Callia looked up at her. “I’m really glad you’re here.”
“Me too.” She tucked in the sheets, then sat in a soft armchair over by the window. “Sleep tight,” she said, then waited for Callia’s even breathing before she tiptoed out of the room and gently closed the door.
In the hallway the sleek, dark figure of the cat, Lethe, strolled past her, giving her goose bumps as his golden eyes briefly regarded her. He brushed up against her leg. She remained still, not bending to pet him. She wasn’t suspicious about black cats, but this one made her uneasy.
“I’m just going to my room,” she told the cat.
“Ah, I see Artemis is at work again,” Lucian said, referring to the goddess he’d compared Nikki to at their first meeting. He’d appeared as if out of nowhere, but surprisingly his presence did not startle or frighten her.
Nikki rushed to explain. “I was just—”
“Come. Let’s have a drink.” Lucian turned, not giving her a chance to refuse him, not that she would have.
Nikki followed him outside to the terrace, where a collection of colorful candles sat on the table, providing small flickers of light against the still dark night. The stars hung high in the sky—bright, but distant, like the cold smile of a beautiful woman.
The heady scent of blossoms enveloped her in their fragrance, as if they’d been waiting for the day to end before revealing themselves. Nikki sat back on the wrought-iron chair and accepted the cool dry wine Lucian poured and sliced cheese. He’d been expecting her. For what she wasn’t sure. She took a sip of the wine, then stared at him, unsure of his silence.
“About this afternoon—”
“It’s the past,” Lucian said with a dismissive wave of his hand. He rested his chin in his hand and studied her, the flame of one of the candles dancing in his emerald eyes. “I wanted to thank you for what you did tonight. I’ve never seen anyone handle Callia the way you did. How did you know what to do?”
Nikki hesitated at first, not sure how to accept his praise. She hadn’t been aware that he had been there, watching her. “I know a little something about nightmares.”
He paused. “Really?”
“Yes,” she said in a curt tone, not wanting to elaborate. He knew too much about her already.
He sighed. “Me, too.”
“Do you have nightmares about the fire?”
He lowered his gaze. “About a lot of things,” he said in a bleak tone, “but I’m worried about Callia.”
“My sister told me that she’s not your daughter. She’s your ward, someone you take care of.”
“Yes, she was the daughter of my best friend. We were friends and business partners. I had a major business deal I had to take care of in Spain, but then something else came up and he took my place. The plane he was traveling on crashed into the ocean. A plane that I should have been on. I blamed myself, as did his widow, Wanda, who thought that I was the reason, she felt, he loved our business more than his family. I offered to look after her and the child. She just handed Callia over to me. She was only two at the time. Wanda told me she wanted me to always remember and feel guilty about what I’d stolen from her. The guilt aspect didn’t work. Callia has made me feel as if a part of my friend is still alive. And I’m grateful for that.
“His widow became a bitter woman who drinks. One night she ran her car off the road and right into a tree. She survived the accident with a broken back. She regained the use of her upper body but can’t walk. She still lives in the family home with round-the-clock care. She won’t let me adopt Callia and has Callia visit her four times a year. When she does, Wanda tries to poison her against me. When she was old enough, I told Callia how her father died and why she ended up living with me. She doesn’t seem to care about what happened. Instead, every year our bond appears to grow stronger.”
“Why would she care? Her father’s death wasn’t your fault.”
“I’m a lucky man when it comes to making money, but that’s about it.” Lucian looked out at the dark expanse of the sea.
Nikki sipped her wine, then stared at it. “I know what you mean.”
Lucian raised his brows, surprised. “Do you?”
“Yes. My life hasn’t been as charmed as my sister’s, although she has had her share of tragedy and heartbreak. Nothing has ever come easily to me. Everything has been work. Some are born with luck and the rest of us have to create it. But I don’t think we’re just victims of fate.”
“Hmm,” Lucian said, then fell silent again.
“I’m going on the yacht tomorrow with Basilio and Callia. Would you like to join us?” Nikki said, trying to lighten the mood.
Lucian lifted his glass, his steady laughing gaze meeting hers across the rim. “And spoil my brother’s fun? No.”
“Your brother is too young for me.”
He set his glass down. “And I’m too old.”
“I don’t think so.”
Lucian stood and took a bloom from the garden and bent it toward Nikki, allowing its s
weet scent to reach her. “How many men worship at your altar?” he asked in a deep tone.
“Not many.”
He let the petals of the flower brush her cheek. “I don’t believe you.”
“They don’t.”
“Are you telling me that no man has ever told you that he would gather all the stars in the heavens to wrap around your neck?” Lucian said in a smooth, velvet voice. “Or sweep the depths of the sea to uncover all its treasures to lay at your feet, and collect the rarest silkworms to adorn you in the finest garments ever created if you granted him your devotion?”
Nikki swallowed, her entire body filled with wanting. “No,” she said, breathless. “No man has ever said that.”
The flower in his hand brushed her neck. “Just Benjamin.”
Her skin tingled at the touch. “He doesn’t worship me.”
Lucian touched the flower against her mouth. “I bet you just don’t notice, because you think that kind of interest belongs only to your sister. But, Nikki, there are men who prefer the moonlight to the sun.”
She searched his face. “Why are you saying these things?”
“I thought you knew what I wanted.”
Nikki licked her lips. Yes, she did, but she didn’t expect this. “I do.”
“You’ve bewitched me. You sit there, quietly watching me with those eyes of yours, unafraid, but also unsure. I can see a cascade of emotions crossing your face, but I can’t read them. You intrigue me, even when I don’t want you to. I can’t afford to. But it feels good because you make me forget....” He gripped his hand into a fist. “You make me forget things I have no right to.” He brushed the flower against the hollow of her neck, his gaze trailing behind it like a slow, sensual caress. “Perhaps I’m wrong. You’re not a goddess. You’re a sorceress.”
“No,” Nikki said, breathless and tense lest she do or say anything to break the invisible bond between them. “I have no magic in me.”
“That I find hard to believe.”
Lucian lifted Nikki to her feet and his mouth covered hers. The touch and taste of his lips were even better than she remembered. Her entire body came alive at his touch. The air felt more fragrant, the breeze cooler and his body solid and as hot as volcanic fire. She surrendered to the demanding mastery of his hands and the practiced persuasion of his mouth. Every fiber of her body went weak at his touch.