“The Reaper?”
“Hell, you think it was the Reaper?”
“Maybe it was Raphael. I saw him in the maze, and he must be powerful if he can come back from the dead.”
“I hope he’s not here. Marco said he was looking for you. He wants his cross.”
“That’s why you’re sticking so close?”
“It’s my job.”
“Let’s go see Nathan and find out if the fountain worked.”
Kendall quickly dressed in one of the outfits Nathan had sent, and they went to his room. He wasn’t in.
“Should we wait for him?” Kendall asked.
“No. He said for us to go on and he’ll meet us later.”
“Did he seem OK?”
“I think he wants to be alone. He doesn’t trust himself around you. He’s afraid he’ll get pissed at me and hit you again.”
“We can’t waste any more time. We have to get back.” Kendall told him about the Blue Chalice. “I want to see it, but it’ll be hard to get inside. The house is used for private guests who are supporters of the Chalice Well Gardens.”
“Then we’ll have to break in. You think it’s one of the Protettori’s relics?”
“Who’s to say the Fountain of Youth is a well or a fountain? Maybe it’s a chalice.”
Nathan felt a tingling in his neck as he walked through the lobby. He looked back, expecting to see Kendall or Jake, but he didn’t see anyone watching. He had sent a few items of clothing and money to their room so they could get by until their things arrived. He didn’t like that her room was so close to Jake’s, but he was worried about her safety. There had been attempts to kidnap her in Italy. It may have been Edward’s plot, but if the Reaper was so desperate for these relics, he must realize how valuable she could be to him. Nathan had. And though he had some issues with Jake, he trusted him to protect her. He trusted Jake more than he trusted himself right now.
The change was happening more often, especially when Kendall was nearby. He was afraid if he didn’t get rid of the curse soon, he’d end up killing someone. He had shoved her. What if he’d killed her? If he had gotten angrier and attacked Jake, he could have killed both of them.
He went into his suite and locked the door. His prison for the next day. If he didn’t change in the next twenty-four hours, that should mean the fountain worked. He didn’t know where it had come from—something from his past, the years he couldn’t remember? Fergus said he’d been in an accident, the same accident that killed his family. His father had witnessed a crime, Fergus said, and the family had been put into a witness protection program. But they had been killed anyway, except for Nathan. He couldn’t remember them. Not a trace of a father or mother. Because of the witness protection program, there weren’t any pictures, any clue of what his life had been like before. Only one face was familiar to him, but it made no sense.
He pulled back the covers and stripped. He dropped his clothes on a chair and lay down on the silky sheets. He closed his eyes and remembered lying with Kendall in his arms. He blocked out the intruding image of Jake snuggled up to her back two feet away and remembered the feel of her, her scent. He would rather be sleeping next to her in a cave than without her in a luxurious bed. As sleep took its hold, he prayed that the curse would be gone when he woke.
The fire was hot. He could feel the flames, but he couldn’t see them. He couldn’t see anything. He held tight to the hand pulling him away from the heat. He tripped and fell, but the man helped him up.
“Hurry,” the man said. “Hurry or we’ll both die.”
Nathan’s eyes flew open. Someone was in the room. His muscles tensed and his eyes started to burn. He threw back the covers and leapt to his feet with a growl. He heard a gasp and someone ran for the door. A woman. Not Kendall. He got there first, planting his hand against the door so hard he heard the metal creak.
“Don’t hurt me!” The woman held up her arm to protect her face. Nathan flipped on the light. It was Brandi. The redhead lowered her arm and scrambled away from him, eyes wide. Her gaze moved from his eyes to his crotch, and he remembered he was naked. He felt the adrenaline rush calming. He grabbed his pants and slipped them on.
“What the hell are you doing here?” he asked her.
“Following you. What’s wrong with your eyes?”
His eyes. Damn. “It didn’t work.” He dropped onto the bed, his body heavy with disappointment.
Brandi stared at him. “What didn’t work?”
Despair was sometimes like a living thing. Right now, it was clawing at his chest as if trying to remove his heart. He’d hoped, even knowing it was probably a false lead, still he’d hoped the fountain would work. He couldn’t keep living like this. Now he was back to square one, searching for damned relics that might not even exist, and might not be his cure even if they did. He would never have a chance with Kendall. “Nothing. Why are you following me?” he asked, too disappointed to be angry.
“I want the Spear of Destiny.”
“No.” He rubbed his eyes, still hot, which he hoped was from the bloody curse and not unshed tears.
“It has to be destroyed,” Brandi said.
“It’s safe.”
“Nothing’s safe from him,” Brandi said. “The only way to make sure he doesn’t get it is to destroy it.”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t destroy it.” Obviously the fountain hadn’t worked, not that he’d really expected the Protettori to hide the Fountain of Youth where anyone could drink from it. His only hope was to collect all four relics. And there was no guarantee that would work. All his hopes were based on some damned dream that he didn’t understand. “How did you get here?”
“I flew in this morning.”
“How did you find me here?”
“I was at the Chalice Well when I saw you. How was the fountain?”
So she’d seen that. “Wet. Cold.”
“What were you doing? Taking a bath?”
“I was thirsty. How do you keep turning up where we are?”
“I think we’re following the same clues.”
“Clues?” Nathan asked.
“For the relics. I know you must have some idea what you’re searching for.”
“How do you know what the relics are? What did Thomas tell you?” Thomas was the closest connection Nathan had to the Reaper. Nathan wondered if he should have been grilling Brandi along with Raphael.
“He knew the Reaper was looking for the Fountain of Youth, and he kept talking about England. I put two and two together. I’m not the only one who saw you at the well. There was a man watching all three of you.”
“A man? What did he look like?”
“I couldn’t see him well,” Brandi said. “He was standing in the trees. When I saw him, he took off. He was tall. I know that much.”
Raphael. What the hell had he done? Jake wasn’t strong enough to protect her against Raphael. He had to find them before Raphael did.
Brandi moved a step closer. “Are you OK?” Her tone softened.
“No. I’m bloody cursed.”
She shrugged. “Aren’t we all?”
“I suppose. I would offer you something to drink, but I didn’t invite you.” And he was in a hurry to leave.
“I don’t want a drink. I want the spear. I will find it. Where are Kendall and Jake?”
“Around.”
“You’re just like your image.”
“What do you know about my image?”
“Dark, mysterious. Loves relics, hates people.”
“I don’t hate people.”
“You don’t like them.”
Nathan stared at Brandi.
“I know because I’ve spent my whole life avoiding people too.”
“I thought you were a nurse.”
“I am. I was. Now I’m hunting the Reaper.”
“That probably won’t end well.”