by Lia Davis
The Skeleton Key series
By
Royal Enchantment
Skeleton Key Series
By: Lia Davis
Published by After Glows
© 2016 Lia Davis
ISBN: 978-1-944060-10-7
Cover Art by JM Rising Horse Designs
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person or use proper retail channels to lend a copy. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
All characters in this book are fiction and figments of the author’s imagination.
www.AuthorLiaDavis.com
Dedication
To my own King, who after 16 years still enchantments me.
Love you with all my heart.
Chapter One
There it is.
A thrill skittered up Ava’s spine as she parked her Audi in the gravel driveway of a Victorian tucked in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Beautiful didn’t seem like the right word to even begin to describe it. Three stories of grey stone with green moss growing up one side loomed over her.
Emerging from her car, she gathered her purse and pulled out the keys to the home. While the outside looked decent enough, she feared the inside needed a lot of work. After all, it’d been empty for almost a decade. But it was the gamble she took when buying the place without doing a walk-through, which her business partner had said she was crazy for doing.
She did, however, ask the seller why it’d been empty for so long. All they said was that the family simply didn’t want to deal with it.
Ava didn’t know what it was, nor did she care. She’d bought the house to flip. And that was what she was going to do. She just hoped she hadn’t bitten off more than she could chew.
She tested each porch step before putting her weight on them. Hmm, pretty sturdy. Once inside, she scanned the foyer that was bigger than her one-bedroom apartment. Dark, hardwood floors stretched on to a staircase wide enough for four people to walk up side by side. About halfway to the second level, the stairs split into two different sets of steps, each leading to opposite sides of the house.
Glancing up, she gasped at the elegant and very large crystal chandelier. Man, she wished the electricity was already on. She could only imagine how beautiful it was illuminating the entryway.
Jeff, her business partner, had said she was crazy for wasting money on the place. But she couldn’t pass it by. It was weird, but she got the feeling that she needed to buy the house, almost like it called out to her. So she’d purchased it with her own money. Sight unseen. Thanks to the inheritance from her parents.
She climbed the stairs and admired the hand-carved rose vine wrapping around the wood rails. Beautiful and detailed. Quickening her steps, she made it to the top of the north wing in record time. Excitement stirred up the butterflies in her belly at what secrets the house might hold. And there were secrets. All old houses had them.
Each room she passed had the same layout, but they were each unique in their design. Color-coded from the walls, to the carpet, drapes, and bedding. Wow. Had it been a B&B?
She came to a closed door at the end of the hallway. It was smaller than the other doors, and oddly placed, like it could be a closet. When she tried to open it, she found it was locked. Studying the handle, she noticed that it was the type that took a skeleton key. There weren’t many of those locks these days, and she hadn’t met one she couldn’t break in to.
Ava pulled a hairpin from her bun. She’d picked locks like this one in her grandmother’s old house all the time when her cousins had tried to keep her out of their rooms.
It was all in the wrist… The lock didn’t release. Hmm. She tried again with no luck.
Damn. She stepped back and scanned the door. The hinges were on the inside. Odd.
Just then, her cell rang. Turning from the door, she pulled the smartphone out and answered. “Ava Green speaking.”
Kathy, her office assistant, hesitated for a moment before speaking. “Jeff fired me.”
“What! He can’t do that.”
“That’s what I said when he called me to tell me not to bother coming in.” Kathy released a heavy sigh. “I thought he was joking or mad at you for buying that house. So I went into the office.”
Dread slammed into Ava’s gut, burning a trail of cold fear through her. “What happened?”
“The place was cleaned out. Furniture, computers, clients’ files…”
Ava leaned against the wall and slid to the floor. She and Jeff had been friends for as long as she could remember, and business partners for five years. Sure, he had been having issues with his marriage. But the separation had gone pretty smoothly. Well, as far as Ava knew, anyway. It didn’t make sense for him to screw her over. She wasn’t divorcing him!
“Maybe he found a new office and wanted to surprise me.”
A grunt from Kathy soured Ava’s mood further. “You are a very smart woman. I know you don’t believe that.”
“I don’t understand why he’d do something like this.” Ava searched her memories for signs she may have missed that would have told her this was coming. She’d dismissed his behavior change, blaming it on his separation and pending divorce. Not once had he come into the office smelling of alcohol. Could he have been using drugs? Wouldn’t she have known?
Then she remembered the argument they’d had over buying the Victorian she currently sat in. He’d told her they didn’t have the funds in the Line of Credit for it. At the time, she thought he was just being difficult because he wasn’t getting what he wanted.
“Ava?”
“I’m here.” Ava stood and moved to the stairs. She’d left her computer in the car in all the excitement of seeing the inside of the house. “I hope Jeff didn’t screw me royally, because I don’t have the money to start up another company.”
Fucking jerk was going to pay. She’d have to go back to working for a larger realty company until she saved up enough funds to start over.
“I know. I’m just lucky that Frank has a secure job and is able to support both of us.” Kathy sighed again. Or was it a sob? Ava’s chest tightened.
“I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be. None of this is your fault. I’ll be in touch.” Kathy hung up.
Ava descended the stairs with a heavy heart. She punched in Jeff’s number and waited. A recording came on saying the number was no longer in service. Figures. Deep down, she knew Jeff had screwed her and skipped town. She couldn’t explain it. Her intuition had always been spot on. This time, the knowing was too strong. It also told her that there was something much larger going on.
Her phone rang again. Well, wasn’t she the popular one? “Hello.”
“Ava?” A female voice on the edge of tears stilled her as she stepped off the last stair.
“Alice, are you okay?”
Alice was Jeff’s soon-to-be ex-wife. Even though they weren’t close friends, they still talked on occasion, mostly about Jeff being a jerk. Alice sniffed once before answering Ava’s question. “Jeff…had an accident.”
Oh, dear God. Ava sank down to sit on the bottom step. “Is he…?”
“He’s dead.” Alice broke into sobs.
Ava squeezed the phone to her ear, not believing that her friend was dead. “What happened?”
After several long moments, the other woman answered. “He was shot.”
“Wai
t. You said he had an accident.”
Another sniff, then her soft reply. “Yes. I mean… He was shot which caused the wreck.”
Apparently, Alice was confused and in shock. As was Ava. But there were too many questions whirling in her mind, and they kept the grief at bay. Then again, she hadn’t been married to the man for fifteen plus years. “Are you alone? You should be with family.”
“I’m with my mom and sisters.”
“Good.” Another ache shot through Ava’s chest. The one thing she both loved and hated about her life was that she didn’t have any living family. No one to mourn her if she disappeared or died. No one to fight with or to love. In fact, she’d made it her mission to not get attached to people. She could pick up everything and move on at a moment’s notice.
Something her parents had done every couple of years. It just seemed natural to her to move. That was another reason she’d bought the house for no good reason.
However, her life was lonely and sad at times.
“Alice, if you need anything, just call me.”
There was a softer whisper of a “Thank you” before the line went silent. Tears filled Ava’s eyes. Her earlier anger was whisked away, replaced with a sadness she knew too well. Jeff was gone. How? Why?
Opening the local news app on her phone, Eva scrolled to see if there was anything on Jeff’s shooting. After about five minutes of scrolling and searching, she found it. The police said it was a possible drive-by.
Man, of all the dumb luck. She logged into her bank app and her password didn’t work. After trying two more times, she gave up and called the branch. When the rep answered, Ava gave him all her information. The rep said, “I’m sorry, ma’am, but that account has been closed.”
“Closed? When?”
“A few minutes ago.”
Ava frowned. How does a dead guy close an account? Or did he? “Who closed it?”
“Alice Moore.”
“Thank you.” Ava hung up the phone and squeezed it. The business was in Jeff’s name, and there was no official agreement between him and Ava. A mistake she was currently paying for. All Alice had to do was show the death certificate to close the account. But even that thought didn’t hold much water with Ava. Something weird was going on.
Ava let out a frustrated growl. Damnit. Why was she so naive and stupid?
“Why can’t I just be swallowed by the earth or something?” Rising to her feet, she climbed back up the stairs, and before she realized it, she was standing outside the locked door again. It bothered her that she couldn’t get in. But it was just like her to obsess over something like that. Besides, it didn’t make any sense why the door was locked.
She turned and sighed. She really had other things to worry about. One of them was moving her things to the house. It seemed she was out of a job, and had depleated a large chunk of her savings buying the house outright instead of taking a mortgage on it.
You’re in deep now. Might as well push ahead and make the best out of the crap situation. Damn Jeff. She’d trusted him.
When she reached the stairs, she spotted something on the floor, a reflection of light like a prism. She bent down to take a closer look and discovered a glass skeleton key sticking out from behind the railing post. It was about four inches long and made of thick glass with a skull on the top. The bottom key portion looked like…well, human teeth.
She picked it up and tested the weight. A couple of ounces, she guessed. Studying it for several moments, she wondered where it had come from. Her thoughts turned to the locked door. No. That would be too easy. However, it was a skeleton key. Literally in this case.
What did she have to lose? Pivoting on her heels, she walked to the door, glad no one was around to witness her state of crazy.
She took a deep breath and stuck the key into the lock. Turned. A click sounded a moment before the door swung open. A smile lifted her lips, but it was short-lived as she stared out into a forest. What-the-ever-loving-freaking-hell?
Instantly, she closed the door. Surely she was seeing things and needed to call a shrink. Hell, maybe just go to the nearest liquor store.
Okay, Ava. You’re not crazy. You may be a little weird at times, but you are not crazy.
She opened the door again and let it swing wide. Holy crap. There really was a forest in one of her upstairs rooms. Well, she had asked for the earth to swallow her. She laughed at her attempt at a joke and stepped through the door.
Once she crossed the threshold, the door vanished behind her. Whirling around, she scanned her surroundings. Nothing but trees, bushes, and a whole lot of nature. The house was gone. Everything was so green and full of life, almost magickal.
I’m definitely not in Georgia anymore.
A howl like she’d never heard before cut through the trees in the distance, followed by shouts. Then the sound of horses’ hooves pounding the earth grew closer. Her heart jerked to life, beating rapidly as the howls and gallops got louder, nearer, moving in on her too fast.
Desperate to find a hiding spot or at least get out of whatever it was’s path, she darted to her right. She hurtled over fallen trees and barreled through the brush. But the howls and shouts still closed in. She cut left, only to realize she’d made a mistake. Thick, thorned bushes stood about six feet tall between two large oaks. Damn.
She turned to dart back the way she’d come, only to come nose to nose with a large, snarling animal that appeared half-sabretooth tiger and half-dragon. Large, purple wings stuck out of the beast’s back. Its snout was long and dragon-like, with fangs about as big as her hand from tip of middle finger to wrist.
She was trapped like a rabbit on a fox hunt. She just had to know what was behind that damn door.
“Charles. Heel.” The deep boom of a command came from behind the animal and sent a chill up Ava’s spine.
Charles backed off but only enough for the man to step into her line of sight. Ava’s heart skipped a few beats as she stared at him. Long, black hair that appeared green in the sunlight cascaded over his shoulders, framing a beautiful yet masculine face. Heat rolled within her abdomen, spreading to the rest of her body. Desire filled her mind, dizzying. The urge to touch him was strong, almost too strong for her to ignore.
What the fuck was wrong with her?
“Who are you?” The man loomed over her, arms folded, revealing the most unusual markings tattooed on his forearms. His words shocked her out of the haze.
Glaring at him, she mimicked his crossed-arm stance and asked her own question. “Where am I?”
He narrowed his gaze on her, but she swore there was a hint of a smile on his lips. Like he approved of her attempt to be brave. “Answer my question first.”
Even though it was a command, he spoke the words softer than his previous ones. Still, it wouldn’t hurt him to say ‘please.’ She released a sigh and figured she’d play nice. After all, she had a feeling she was in his world now. “Ava Green. I unlocked a door with a glass skeleton key and ended up here.”
He raised a brow and studied her for a moment. “You are from the human realm?”
Umm, yeah, the last time she checked… “And you’re not?”
One corner of his mouth twitched. He relaxed his stance and gripped her wrist. “Come with me.”
“Where?” Her heart pounded while her mind screamed that she was going to die.
“My home, where I can keep you safe from my enemies.”
What the hell did that mean? She planted her feet in place and jerked her arm free, which was easier than she’d expected. “I don’t know who you are, and I’m not going anywhere with you.”
He stared at her as if he weren’t used to being told no. A mix of shock and annoyance became etched onto his face. After a few moments, he reached for her again, but she darted out of the way. He muttered something that wasn’t English before saying, “I am Finn, King of the Morna, the Dark Elves.”
King? Dark Elves? Okay, she must have hit her head and this was all a dream. A
ny moment, she’d wake up. Or it could be that Finn was the delusional one. “You do know that elves aren’t real, right?”
His brows dipped as he stepped closer to her and waved a hand in front of her face. “Forgive me.”
Before she had a chance to question him, everything around her grew dim. Her body went limp in Finn’s arms. “What…?”
“Shh. Just sleep.”
Sleep sounded wonderful. She closed her eyes and snuggled into his chest as he scooped her up.
Chapter Two
“This is a mistake.”
Finn glared at his head of security as the male went on about how he was endangering his life. Blah, blah, blah. If Finn went to the bathroom alone, he was endangering his life. “What would you have me do with her?”
A low growl rumbled from the male. “You could have put her in one of the holding cells until I verify who she is.”
Fury rushed through him. With his inhuman speed, he was in Kellam’s face with his hand around the male’s throat. “She will not be locked up like an animal.”
Kellam narrowed his crimson eyes and worked his jaw before asking, “What are you not saying?”
“You saw her. She’s the one. She’s the daughter of Jander and Faylan.” Finn backed off and turned toward the bed where he’d placed the female after arriving moments ago. She wasn’t just the prophesied female that would set things right again, she was also his mate.
A half-grunt, half-growl escaped Kellam. “So you endanger everyone in the palace by bringing her here?”
“She is under my protection, as much as all my people.” Finn didn’t want to discuss it anymore. “Your job is to tighten security around the palace and keep her identity a secret. And to find out where my uncle is hiding.”
Another complication in his life. Quinn, his uncle, had been responsible for starting the plague that had wiped out sixty percent of the population of Edra. Finn suspected he also had something to do with the depleted magick.