The Curse Keepers (Curse Keepers series) Read online

  When I returned to the living room, Dwight had removed his pants and shoes. He leaned back, wearing his white Fruit of the Looms and his unbuttoned shirt.

  Maybe I needed to make more of an effort. Maybe he needed more foreplay. One part of me said to send him home and call it a night, but another part of me screamed Ellie Lancaster is not a quitter. Well, maybe with piano, yoga, and knitting, but I’m not a quitter in this.

  I dropped my dress to the floor and sat on the sofa with renewed determination. This man was going to have sex with me whether he liked it or not. But as soon as Dwight leaned over to kiss me, I realized I couldn’t go through with it. Call me a quitter, but I was done.

  Rolling away, I stood, reaching for his pants and shoes. “You need to go.”

  His eyes widened. “What? Why?”

  I glanced down to his crotch and then back to his face. “This just isn’t going to work out.”

  He climbed to his feet, and I shoved his pants at him. He stepped into the pants and looked up at me. “Ellie, if you would just be reasonable.”

  I grabbed my dress off the floor. “Reasonable? If I were reasonable, I wouldn’t have gone out with you after our second date, when you suggested that I should reconsider ordering dessert.” I wiggled the dress to my waist, struggling to get the straps up my arms.

  He shook his head in confusion. “But you had just mentioned you wanted to go on a diet! If you want dessert, you can get it—”

  I opened the door and pushed him out while handing him is shoes. “You’re damn right I can get dessert!”

  I stood in the doorway, pulling the door shut behind me as I watched as Dwight clomped down the stairs, irritated that I’d put up with him through five dates. I really sucked at dating. Man after man after man had paraded through my life, each one worse than the last. My judgment was not to be trusted.

  Maybe it was time to find my purpose in life. A purpose that didn’t include men. Maybe I’d even try to move away. No, I could never move away from Daddy, and Myra needed me to help with the inn. But I could try to take a trip in the fall. I’d always wanted to see the Grand Canyon. I’d learn some breathing exercises to deal with my anxiety of getting too far from Roanoke Island.

  Starting tomorrow morning, I was changing. No more flighty Ellie. I was going to be mature and responsible. I was going to figure out who I was. And I was giving up men. At least until I figured out me a little better.

  As I turned to go back inside, I noticed someone in the shadows, six feet away. My hand froze on the doorknob.

  The figure stepped out of the darkness, and my heart jolted.

  It was him.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  “What are you doing here? Are you a stalker?”

  A slow smile covered his face, and he moved toward a chair on the corner of my small porch. “If I were a stalker, would I really admit it?”

  Good point. But stalker or not, finding him on my porch freaked me out. “Why are you here? How did you find me?”

  He leaned back and crossed one leg over his thigh, tilting his head with a self-confidence he didn’t have earlier that afternoon. “Ellie, you know why I’m here.”

  He knows my name. Wait. Of course, he did. He’d read my name tag. But that still didn’t explain how he knew where I lived.

  He grinned, waving toward my chest. “You might want to cover up.” He shrugged with a smirk. “Or not. It’s entirely up to you.”

  I glanced down to see my dress still partially down, exposing my bra. Jerking my dress up, I pressed my back into the door. “What are you doing here?”

  He set his elbows on his thighs and leaned forward. “We have less than a week. We need to make a plan.”

  A plan for what? I nearly groaned when I realized what he meant. I shook my head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  His eyes widened slightly.

  I couldn’t deal with this right now. “You need to go.” I turned my back to him and started to open the door, but he moved behind me, inches away, his mouth close to my ear. A small electrical charge ran up the length of my body, like when you put your hand in front of a TV screen.

  This wasn’t real. It couldn’t be real.

  “You do know what I’m talking about.”

  My breath came in short pants. Was he some crazy lunatic? He had to be. Why else would he be here? Maybe I should scream. “I’m warning you. Leave or I’m calling the police.”

  He backed up, and I whirled around to face him. His hands were upraised in surrender. “I only want to talk, Ellie. Can we talk?”

  My heart was a runaway freight train, and I could hardly catch my breath. “How did you know where I live?”

  “It wasn’t hard to find out.”

  “That didn’t answer my question.”

  He shrugged and leaned his back against the post supporting the roof over my porch. “Does it matter? What matters is what started this afternoon.”

  “I don’t know what you think happened this afternoon, but it’s all in your head. I’m not interested in dating you. I have a boyfriend.”

  He looked over the railing. “That guy?” Turning back to me, he smirked as his eyes roamed my body, then rose to my face. “Well then I guess it’s a good thing that’s not what I’m interested in.”

  My mouth dropped at his insult. Why wasn’t he interested? What the hell is wrong with me? “Then what are you doing here?”

  His voice lowered. “I’m here about the curse, Ellie.”

  I turned around in a panic, my fingers fumbling at the door. “There is no curse.”

  “You’re denying it exists?”

  “Do you not understand English? That’s exactly what I’m doing.”

  “You’re a Curse Keeper, Ellie. You can deny it all you like, but that doesn’t make it any less true. We opened something this afternoon, something dark and ugly. It’s up to us to deal with the aftermath.”

  I whirled around again, my body blazing with anger. “I didn’t do this! You showed up at my restaurant! You grabbed my hand.”

  “I couldn’t help grabbing your hand. It was like I couldn’t control the urge. You felt it too, like you wanted to get away but you couldn’t.”

  How did he know? I forced myself to calm down, especially when I saw the amusement in his eyes. “What kind of sick game is this? What are you up to?”

  He stepped away from the railing and moved in front of me. He’d changed shirts since he’d been in the restaurant. This one was darker and tighter, hugging the muscles of his arms and chest. My body noticed and my body heat rose. But God help me, I was not going to fall for this arrogant son of a bitch.

  “You feel that, don’t you?”

  I narrowed my eyes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  He grinned. “How do you explain this afternoon?”

  “Asthma attack.”

  A sexy as hell look crossed his face. “And now?”

  “I can breathe just fine right now.”

  His gaze dropped to my chest, then up to my eyes again. “Oh, really?”

  The breathing trouble I suffered from now was nothing like that afternoon. I wasn’t sure that fact made the current situation any better.

  “I’m not talking about your lack of breath. I’m talking about what we feel standing next to each other.”

  I bet he wouldn’t have any trouble getting an erection. Dear Lord in heaven, where had that come from? I lifted my chin and shot him a withering glare. “And here I thought you weren’t interested.”

  A slow smile spread across his face. “I’m not. Trust me, Ellie. You’d know if I was.” His statement sounded like a promise.

  I swallowed.

  “I’m talking about the electrical current between us. You can’t deny it’s there. It’s part of the curse. It’s part of the story that’s been passed down. You have to know this.”

  I didn’t. I didn’t remember anything about the other Keeper except that he or she was a descendant of
Manteo. “There is no curse.”

  Exasperation flooded his eyes. “Why are you denying it? This is what you were born to do. Four hundred years of waiting, and it comes down to you and me.”

  “That damn curse can wait another four hundred years because I don’t want any part of it.” I tried to turn around again, but he grabbed my arm and pushed me back against the door, his body pressing against mine. The current between us intensified, and it gave me smug pleasure to see his eyes dilate and widen in surprise. He felt it too. And it wasn’t just an electrical current.

  But the intention of his invasion of my personal space was far from amorous. His voice lowered. “You can’t ignore this. Whether you like it or not, you’re part of what’s happening. The spirits have already been set loose—they’ll flee at a slow trickle to start, but they’re loose all the same. Have you felt them?”

  I didn’t answer. He really believed this.

  “You have, haven’t you? A feeling that you’re being watched? Like something is lurking in the corner, in the dark?”

  I refused to confirm that I had. “You’re right. I have sensed something lurking in the darkness. You.”

  He tensed, his anger pouring off of him in hot waves. “We have a week to take care of the gate. Don’t waste time denying it’s real.”

  I splayed my hands on his chest and shoved him away, my own anger exploding. “You do not get to tell me what I can or cannot do. I don’t even fucking know you. You show up outside my front door, lurking in the shadows. If I have anything to be worried about, it’s you. There is no curse. It’s all a bunch of made-up crap that caused my family nothing but trouble. It’s probably someone’s idea of a sick practical joke. Well, guess what? I’m not listening to another word of this. Now get the hell off my porch before I call the police.”

  He took a step back, shaking his head in disgust. “Manteo’s line held onto our belief. We’ve taken our role seriously, waiting to fulfill our duty. Why am I not surprised the Dare line would be full of cowards and slackers?”

  He was disparaging a four-hundred-plus-year-old man who may or may not have been my ancestor, and yet I felt insulted. I had been wrong. This night could get worse.

  His stepped close to me and lowered his face to mine. If I didn’t know any better, I would have guessed he was about to kiss me. But his body language said that was the furthest thing from his mind. “Humanity is at stake, and you call it a sick practical joke.” Contempt filled his words. “The joke’s going to be on you when all hell breaks loose. Hopefully, you’ll be more willing to play your part then.” He turned toward the steps.

  “Who are you?”

  He stopped and looked over his shoulder. “Collin. Collin Dailey. Manteo’s Keeper.”

  I stayed in front of the door for several seconds, watching him disappear down the stairs. When anyone else used the staircase, I always heard the thuds of their footsteps, even in my apartment. But Collin’s were silent.

  That was a great stalker skill.

  I fumbled with the doorknob and practically fell inside, slamming the door behind me. Collin Fucking Dailey was insane. That was the only reasonable and rational explanation.

  So how does he know about the curse?

  I grabbed the wine bottle and took a chug. How did he know? There was only one way he could: There really was a Manteo line of Curse Keepers. And if there was a Manteo line of Curse Keepers, that meant I was currently the Keeper in the Ananias Dare line.

  Shit.

  I grabbed my cell phone and called Claire.

  “Well?” she asked when she answered. “Did you ever find it?”

  “No,” I waved, even if she couldn’t see me. “I kicked him out.”

  “Good for you.”

  “That’s not why I’m calling. Something else much bigger happened.”

  “Something bigger than Dwight?” She giggled. “It couldn’t get much smaller.”

  “Ha, ha.. Very funny.” I would have laughed too if Collin Dailey hadn’t once again shaken up my world. Twice in one day. “Something happened this afternoon.”

  “What?”

  “I think I met the other Keeper.”

  Claire went silent.

  “Well? You don’t have anything to say?”

  She cleared her throat. “I thought you didn’t believe in the curse.”

  “I don’t. Well, I didn’t… but I don’t know how to explain what happened. Plus he knows about the curse. He knows I’m a Keeper.”

  “Wait, slow down and start from the beginning.”

  I told her what happened at the restaurant, and about how my dad was having a lucid day and told me that he felt the curse open. And that Collin showed up on my porch, announcing we had a week to shut the gate.

  “Is that true? Do you only have a week?”

  “I think it’s until the beginning of the seventh day. I don’t remember much else, Claire. You know I’ve forgotten most of that stuff.”

  “Maybe it would be better to start with what you do remember.”

  I took a long drink from the wine bottle, finishing it off. I sat it on the table, then ran my fingers through my unruly hair. “This is crazy. The Roanoke colony disappeared because they ran out of food and supplies and neighboring Native American tribes took them in. Not—not because a Croatan Indian and the son-in-law of the governor of Virginia created a curse.”

  “I’m coming over.”

  I sighed. “Claire, you don’t have to do that.”

  “Are you kidding me? While you spent your entire life insisting the curse wasn’t real, I spent my life hoping it was. I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

  By the time Claire showed up, I’d changed into pajamas. She pelted me with questions before I had the door shut.

  “So what’s he like?”

  “Who?”

  She flopped on my sofa and crossed her legs. “Who do you think? The other Keeper.”

  I sat across from her and leaned back, putting my feet in her lap. “He’s young.”

  “And?”

  “And nothing. And he’s not a Keeper. He’s just a crazy person.”

  “Ellie, you have to admit that this might be real.”

  “You do realize that you are an unreliable sounding board? You lead a ghost tour every night and believe half the stories you tell.” I sat up, crossing my legs. “Weren’t you leading your tour when I called?”

  She shrugged. “Yeah, but Drew took over.”

  Closing my eyes, I groaned. “Oh, Claire. I’m sorry.”

  “I’m not. This is big.” She leaned forward. “We need to list everything you know about the curse. Maybe the two of us can piece it together.” Hopping off the sofa, she rummaged through a drawer in my kitchen. She pulled out a notebook and pen, waved them in the air in triumph, then sat down.

  I shook my head. “Why are we doing this? There is no curse.”

  “Fine. You’re right.” A smug grin pinched her mouth. “But if you don’t believe in the curse, then you won’t mind if I take what we know about it and use the information in my ghost tour. I’ll tell them all about the pact between Manteo, the man our town is named after, and Ananias Dare, the father of Virginia Dare, the first English child born on American soil. Crap. The tourists eat this shit up.”

  Panicked, I grabbed her arm. “No! You can’t do that! You know the curse is a secret! You’re not even supposed to know. Terrible things happen when the Keepers share the secret.” I didn’t believe that was true, not fully, but it was a lot like the game of Bloody Mary. I didn’t believe in that either, but you sure wouldn’t catch me in front of my bathroom mirror reciting her name three times.

  Claire’s eyebrows shot up, and she jabbed a finger into my chest. “Aha! You do think there might be something to it; otherwise why would you care if anyone knew?”

  She still hadn’t made the connection, the terrible thing that had happened after I told her about the curse. Maybe it was too much for her to accept. Too devastating.

&n
bsp; But her enthusiasm was contagious, although the enthusiasm mutated in me to a growing anxiety. I had to admit that I was starting to believe this might be real. “Claire, this is crazy.”

  Claire began her litany of facts, writing as she spoke. “The curse was laid over four hundred years ago by Manteo, the son of the werowance, the chief of the Croatan tribe, and Ananias Dare, son-in-law of the governor of the colony. They created a curse to bind the spirits of the hostile neighboring tribe.” Claire stopped to take a breath.

  “And it went horribly wrong,” I added, with a groan. I couldn’t believe I was doing this. “They bound Manteo’s spirits instead. Along with the colony. The colonists and spirits were sent to the spirit world, but Manteo knew that the spirits were strong and would eventually break free. The colonists would likely return at the same time, but not alive. No human can go into the spirit realm and return to tell about it.”

  Lightning flashed in the window and a clap of thunder shook the windows. I jumped at the timing. I’d forgotten a storm was rolling in.

  Claire grabbed a pillow and hugged it to her chest. “Go on.”

  “This is stupid. That man is crazy.” Sexy as hell, but crazy as a loon. Even though I’d recently established I was no expert on men, I was pretty sure this was a bad combination.

  “Then try to remember what you can and confront him with it to prove him wrong.”

  “You can’t reason with a crazy person, Claire.”

  “What if he’s right?”

  “This isn’t an episode of The Twilight Zone. He’s crazy.”

  “Will you please just humor me?” She leaned over her crossed legs, her gaze begging me to cooperate. “I’ve waited for this day since you told me about the curse in the third grade.”

  “And if Daddy ever knew I told you, he’d skin me alive.” I tried to ignore the memory of what had happened to my mother only days after I told Claire. What happened to Momma was a coincidence.

  Claire frowned. “He told Myra.”

  “Supposedly spouses are allowed.”

  “I’d marry you, but I’m already engaged to Drew. Besides, you hardly told me anything.”

  Maybe not, but it had been enough.

  My hands shook. This was ridiculous. I’d spent several years thinking it was my fault that Momma died until I matured enough to realize the two events were unrelated. How could my mind jump back there so easily?