“And then he asked you to marry him,” Chloe added softly.
I nodded, dropping my gaze to my hands. “It happened so fast. I’d thought I’d got it all wrong, that he did care for me. But it was all a lie. He didn’t care for me—he just needed me. I was going to be the perfect wife, obedient, quiet, supportive of his business. If I hadn’t found him with that woman, then I’d still be caught in the lie, and we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”
I also knew I’d been attracted to the security of a relationship, someone to come home to, someone to call my own. Going by Chloe’s expression, it was clear she wasn’t surprised at my revelation. She’d probably always known.
There was real emotion in Chloe’s voice when she said, “Oh honey, there’s someone else out there for you—I’m sure of it. By flicking James off, you’ve opened yourself up to that possibility. The best is yet to come, I just know it.”
I swallowed past the lump in my throat. She alone understood the depth of my loneliness, the pain of my losses. Now that Nora was dead, I was officially all alone with no one to call family. Then I realized that was untrue—an important part of my life sat opposite me. She wasn’t a blood relative, but she was my sister in every other way. And that was evidenced by her next words.
“You don’t have to be this strong, independent person all the time. I’m there for you, Bry, and I always will be. You mean the world to me, and I’m going to make sure you get that happily ever after you deserve.”
I gave her a timid smile, failing to hide the emotions welling inside. “You mean the world to me, too, Chloe, more than you know.”
My voice sounded choked to my ears, but I didn’t care. I loved this girl, and I was going to miss her like crazy when she left. Speaking of which, I lifted my wrist and glanced at my watch.
I gasped. “Oh my god—it’s two o’clock! I should get you home. You’re about to start a new adventure in approximately four hours.” I gave myself a shake, determinedly dispelling the melancholy, and stood up. “Wait here while I pay for lunch—my treat, remember?”
But Chloe reached out and restrained me with a hand on my arm. “On one condition.”
“Name it.”
“Can you come with me to the airport? I need some girl power there. Patrick and Margaret are so emotional; it’s like I’m their biological child.”
She rolled her eyes, but I knew it was all show. She was well-loved by her adoptive parents and knew it.
“I’d love to,” I responded instantly. Besides, I had a feeling they’d need me for the return trip home.
9
Gage
I took a swig of my beer, not taking my eyes off the two women at the table. I was hidden in a corner behind the fronds of a palm tree in the outdoor garden bar. It was of a suitable distance to remain inconspicuous. I couldn’t hear what they were saying from my location, but it didn’t matter; I had sent out a small tendril of my power, and the faint breeze wafting through the restaurant carried their words to my ears.
After last night, I’d spent the morning investigating who Brydie was; who played a part in her life. There weren’t many. Apart from her employer and a man who’d recently been her fiancé, it appeared she had only one other friend, Chloe Hay—the woman in the voluptuous dress from last night. And Brydie sat with her now.
I narrowed my eyes as I examined Chloe closely. There was no doubt she was gorgeous, and it was clear she was aware of it, sneaking teasing glances under her eyelids, a pout here, a smile there. I knew the type well.
But there was something else about Chloe that teased at my consciousness. She had an air about her and radiated a confidence that was more than innate. At first, I hadn’t been sure if she was friend or foe; but when I watched them interacting together from the shadows outside Chloe’s house, I’d witnessed a change in Chloe’s persona. The change had relaxed my guard, for it was clear that the real Chloe Hay hid herself from the world, behind a facade of her own making. I knew that there were only a few people she would let in, and Brydie was obviously one of them.
Compared to the voluptuous curves of her best friend, Brydie was petite and slender. Her white-blond hair framed a small heart-shaped face, touched by a smattering of freckles. But it was her eyes that had caught my attention. A sparkling silver that lit from within. I’d known when I first gazed upon her that she was a Daughter of Winter. The eyes were an omen of her heritage. A trait that every descendant had. I could still remember Nora’s until that final moment. The light hadn’t dimmed until she’d drawn her last breath.
So far, Brydie was an enigma. She looked fragile in appearance, almost waif-like. What I’d witnessed at the jewelers was someone who’d been touched by hurt, the loss of her parents and Nora cutting deep. But then at the club last night, she’d been wanton and free, in complete contrast to who I’d met during the day.
As I stared at her, the memory of how she’d last looked seared across my mind’s eye. I’d laid her on the bed and stripped off her black dress, only to freeze when I found she had no bra on. Her breasts were pert and full, and my body stiffened immediately.
The response was unwanted.
I tried to avert my gaze, but it roved of its own accord, trailing down the rest of her body. Her skin was luminously pale in the crack of moonlight streaming between the curtains. So soft and smooth that I reached out a hand to run my fingers along her inner thigh. The movement dislodged the spell she held over me, and I jerked my hand back, clenching it into a tight fist.
I blinked, the memory evaporating as I stared at her side profile. Not this woman—not ever, I reminded myself firmly. She’s an assignment. That’s all. Whatever this attraction was—whether it was a knee-jerk reaction or prophecy—it would never be fulfilled.
I grunted, dismissing the memory with a determined focus. If I was to shape her successfully into what she had to become, my first task was to understand who Brydie MacKay was, what she did well, and what she was lacking. For if we were going to survive what was coming, we both needed to be at the top of our game. Failure wasn’t an option—I had too much riding on it.
I took a swig of my beer, watching them eat lunch as I contemplated what I knew about Brydie.
I knew she had lost her parents at seventeen and understood now that this was where Nora had come three years back when she’d gone off the radar for two months. Rueben had accompanied her, and clearly, for better or worse, my grandfather had also kept her secret safe.
I wasn’t certain Nora knew of Brydie’s existence until her son died. We all knew how Andrew had felt about the legacy he’d been born into. What didn’t make sense is why he didn’t share any of that with his daughter. Nor why Nora had also kept Brydie’s existence a secret these last three years.
For as soon as a Daughter of Winter passed, the legacy was inherited by the next female in line. This meant that Brydie was always going to inherit the legacy; she would never have escaped it as the curse couldn’t be transferred or outrun. And as a descendant, she only ever had two choices—to embrace her destiny or deny it; and denying it only led to an early grave.
Had Nora found something she hadn’t shared? Had there been a different course available? I drew my brows together as I watched the women closely, for those answers were lost, buried with Nora.