“You need to leave,” I repeated, fully aware I was prodding the beast.
He stared at me for a moment longer, his gaze piercing. Then, just as I felt my control slipping, he surged abruptly to his feet. Hope rose as I followed his movement.
“I’ll give you the space you need,” he said softly, a steel undertone to his words. “But on one condition.”
That fragile bloom of hope was immediately crushed. “What is it?”
He picked up the pendant again. “You must wear this. You must accept it.”
I looked at it as it swung from the chain. He wanted me to wear the pendant? That was all?
I hesitated, flicking my gaze between the pendant and Gage. “I thought you said Nora’s killer coveted it—that it was the reason for her death. Won’t having it put me in danger?”
He curtly shook his head. “Talorgan’s coming for you whether you have it or not. But around your neck, it will provide a measure of protection.”
My mouth dropped. He now thought the pendant could protect me from my grandmother’s killer? There was no mistaking it—he was crazy! How could he claim the pendant was the reason Nora had died, then in the next breath state that I’d be safe if I wore it?
At that moment, it was never clearer to me that the only danger here was the man before me. And I understood the only way to get him to leave was to play his game.
Without hesitating further, I reached for it, carefully avoiding his touch. My fingers tingled at the contact with the metal, which was surprisingly warm. I lifted it over my head, and the stone settled just below my breasts.
I lifted my eyes back to his, conscious of his scrutiny. I couldn’t help the small taunt that escaped from my lips. “Satisfied?”
“Not quite.” He moved quickly, bending down to lean his mouth against my ear. I felt his breath caress my earlobe, and I contained the shiver that threatened to pass over my skin. “Do you accept this pendant, Brydie? Do you accept your legacy?”
I felt my palms slip around the gemstone as I questioned the formality of his question. But this close—I was trapped, at his mercy. “Yes,” I whispered.
“Good. You are now bound.”
At his strange, purred reply, the gemstone gave off a burst of heat in my hand. Had I imagined that?
But then his voice was in my ear again, the tone soft but no less threatening. “You can’t run away from this, Brydie. There is no escape. We are inexplicably tied together, you and I, and if you run, I will only follow. Do. You. Understand. Me?”
A trickle of sweat traveled down my back. I understood completely: my pretense of control was again gone. Barely breathing, I nodded.
Gage’s eyes flashed at my surrender before he became a shadow in the dark.
“Hamilton Police. What is your reason for calling, ma’am?”
“Hello! I’m calling to report that a man broke into my home this evening.”
“Is he still there now, ma’am?” The voice was urgent.
“He left.”
“Are you hurt then, ma’am? Please state your injuries so we can assist as required.”
Shit! This was a stupid idea. “He didn’t touch me. I’m not hurt.” Well, unless you counted bruised forearms.
The woman on the other end exhaled in a loud rush. “What is the urgency of your call, then, ma’am?”
“Ah, I wanted to know what you can do if someone broke in?”
“Ma’am, this number is for emergencies. This doesn’t qualify as an emergency. I can ask an officer to attend the scene as soon as possible. They can assist you with an appropriate response. However, I must warn you that we are currently dealing with a few incidents tonight, so there may be a long wait. If you give me your name and number, I’ll send an officer out to see you as soon as they’re available.”
I hesitated. The rebuff was obvious. I knew what she was saying—an officer may never come by, and if they did, it could be days from now.
What had I been thinking? And what would I tell the officer anyway? That a man had approached me at my place of work and told me that my grandmother—who’d disowned me from the family—had been murdered in Scotland? Was I also meant to explain that there was no record of my relationship with my grandmother at all because she’d gone to pains to wipe it? And that this same man then broke into my home? I would sound crazy.
Stupid, stupid, stupid!
I hung up the phone and stared at the blank television screen. I felt numb, but my brain was reeling at what the last twenty-four hours had entailed.
I missed Chloe. I would have done anything to talk with her about what had happened, but she had gone on an adventure of a lifetime. She didn’t need the burden I carried. My hands crept up to my chest of their own accord. My fingers closed around the pendant, clenching the smooth stone. It was again warm to the touch, and I was beginning to understand that this was its innate temperature.
If what Gage had said was true, and this was a family heirloom, then this was more than just Nora’s pendant. It was a link to my father and all my previous ancestors—a reminder of my roots.
Thoughts of my father led to thinking of my parents and their loss. I’d lost them on the same day, at the same time, in the same moment, with no warning at all.
I’d been living without them for three years now. The shock of their loss had never left me; it was always a constant reminder. Dad’s voice would speak to me at times, telling me to stay strong, never to stop moving forward. He’d had an internal strength that carried him through any crisis. I knew he’d want me to address Gage head-on. Deal with the problem, so it was forever put to rest.
Sighing, I got to my feet. As I left the lounge, I couldn’t help glancing through the window. A prickle of awareness ran down my back as I stared into the darkness.
Was he out there in the dark? Watching me?
I shivered, reminding myself that he hadn’t hurt me, but I quickly moved to draw the curtains, shutting out the night. I then switched on the television. It was a poor substitute for company, but it gave me the illusion that I wasn’t alone.
That prickle between my shoulder blades stayed with me as I moved from room to room, drawing every curtain and checking every window in the house. My body and mind felt exhausted, and I craved the soft oblivion of sleep, but I knew I would be unable to find comfort if I didn’t sufficiently wind down after Gage’s visit. I headed for the kitchen even though I wasn’t hungry, hoping the monotony of normal routine would help.
Rascal was still lying on the kitchen floor, stretched out as only cats can. I sent him a small smile as I stepped over him, reaching into the cupboard for a wine glass. As my fingers curled around the stem, I felt a warm tingling on my chest. My other hand crept up to the spot. It was the pendant, which was now hot to the touch. As my fingers clenched around it, I felt it vibrate.
I froze, questioning what I had just felt. It came again.
I jerked back, releasing the stone, my chest pounding. Was I going crazy? Or was I more exhausted than I’d imagined?
Shaking my head, I reached out for the bottle of wine on the countertop, studiously ignoring my trembling hand. A black shadow flew past my reaching fingertips, and I jumped, the glass slipping from my other hand. It fell, hitting the floor with a tinkling smash. Tiny pieces of glass splintered all over the wooden floorboards.