Chapter Five

 

Isabel continued to pace the room restlessly and cursed to herself. How could this be happening? Damn Calum to hell. This had never been mentioned. How odd it was to not be a…ghost anymore! Even though she still technically was. At least herself in the twenty-first century. She glanced in the mirror. Nope, no scar. Isabel was definitely in her seventeen twenty-two body with her twenty-first century self’s ghostly knowledge. What a disaster.

But perhaps a good thing. After all, if her twenty-first century ghostly self was still trapped in the house, so wasn’t the beast.

Devin remained standing at the doorway, face wary. “Care to elaborate?”

She’d really rather not. But as she gazed around at Andrea, Devin and the other two men whom had entered the room, she realized she had little choice. How to make them believe though? It was never supposed to happen like this. But then again, nothing really surprised her anymore and frankly, she had nothing to lose by coming somewhat clean.

Her heart swelled when she looked at Devin. He didn’t know anything yet. Oh, but to see him again. To see him knowing all she did. Unlike her 1722 self who knew nothing of him. She and Devin were only starting out there. Isabel plunked down on the settee.

She decided to start at the beginning. At least the one she was willing to talk about right now. If they found it too much unbelievable information…who cared? So she started talking, half convinced they wouldn’t believe her anyway. “I was born in 1698 in the colony of what would a few short years later be founded as Jamestown, Virginia. My mother died in childbirth leaving my father to raise me and my four siblings.” Sharp memories threatened to resurface but she shoved them down and continued. “As you can imagine, it was a busy time in Jamestown then. Immigrants kept filtering into town. It was quite hectic.”

Isabel stopped for a moment. She could almost smell the pungent rotting fish, the sour sweat of men passing on the street. The groping hands on her young flesh.

Devin sat next to her. “Go on.”

She glanced at him and tried to gather her thoughts. “I’m assuming you know Calum.”

“Yeah, we know him,” one of the men offered. “Names’s Seth,” he continued when she stared absently at him.

Yes, she knew Seth. Devin had spoken of them all already, though he didn’t know it yet. Seth was handsome with black hair and piercing blue eyes. American like Andrea. Good. Funny, she felt slightly detached. Was she in some sort of shock? Wouldn’t surprise her.

“Go on,” Devin urged gently.

His nearness suddenly swamped her senses and she shifted away, put some space between them. If she didn’t Isabel was likely to fling her arms around him. Plead with him to remember all they’d shared. “By the time I turned seventeen, I’d had enough. I cut my hair, dressed in men’s clothing and boarded a ship heading up the coast.”

“Had enough of what?” Andrea asked.

If they only knew. “Enough of Southern life. Women were far beneath men. It didn’t suit me at all.”

“The north wasn’t much better,” the third man said, his accent different.

“I’m Leathan, by the way. Sorry we didn’t greet you properly before, Isabel.”

Isabel conjured up a weak smile for the good-looking man with blond-streaked brown hair and a stern countenance. She vaguely recalled meeting him…and Andrea and Seth for that matter. But how? When? Isabel shook off the feeling and continued. “Nice to meet you.” She fiddled with her skirts. “You’re right, Leathan, the north wasn’t much better but little did I know that at the time.”

“Where did you end up?” Devin asked.

“Boston.” Isabel closed her eyes briefly, remembering. “Another busy town. Lots of commerce.”

“Still ruled by the British. Damn, the Boston massacre didn’t happen until sixty or so years later. I can’t imagine what the city was like back then,” Leathan said.

Andrea frowned and shook her head.

Seth walked into the room and plunked down into another chair. Andrea looked at Isabel. “Ignore him, Leathan loves all history. Even American. I know, odd for a Scotsman.”

Ah, that’s right, Scottish. That was the accent. Isabel let her eyes wonder over the group briefly. A Scotsman, two Americans and one Irishman. Odd bunch. Then again, like the colonies and history in this country, the perfect melting pot.

Leathan’s dark brown eyes caught hers and he smiled warmly. “Sorry, we can be distracting. Ignore us and continue. Please.”

Leader. He was typically in charge of this group. Or so Devin had said. Not to mention, her ghostly self had heard everything these four had said when they entered this house. “It’s all right.” Isabel tried to ignore the fact Devin seemed to spread out, legs casually wide, one knee dangerously close to hers.

“I got lucky in Boston. After working for some time as a ‘boy’ I was able to save enough to purchase forged papers saying I was a British nanny.” She glanced at Devin. It was odd telling him all of this again. But for him, it was the first time hearing it. Ooooh, Calum ought to be shot for putting her through such a time-twisting mess. He ought to be shot for a lot of reasons! “Hence the beginning of my new visage. That of a proper English lass.”

“You actually convinced people you were a boy?” Devin’s eyes, though incredulous, ignited with that same devilish twinkle she so adored.

She ignored him and continued. “Believe it or not, I had a special skill that was most welcome in some parts of the higher Bostonian society. Those which wanted to remain as discreet as possible.”

“And that was?” Devin asked.

“I could school the deaf.”

No one said a word. Devin stared at her so intensely she felt a slow burn start to cover her cheeks. So strange, his reaction was nearly the same as when she’d told him in 1722. Isabel responded appropriately, as she had then. “What, do you not think the deaf deserve a higher education, even in my day and age?”

“I’m sure they did,” Devin murmured, his hand on the settee, so close to the edge of her skirt Isabel almost swore she could feel him rubbing his hand against her thigh. It would be a gesture of reassurance. She kept her smile hidden, knew he worked his dark magic on her, a magic that could do some incredibly wondrous things. Isabel worked hard to ignore the tingling between her thighs, the sizzling hot memories provoked by being near him.

“Devin works with the deaf as well,” Andrea volunteered. “In fact he’s raised a great deal of money to fund education for the deaf in Ireland.”

She did well to pretend this caught her off guard and met his eyes. “Really?”

He nodded but said nothing. Always so humble, her Devin. She continued. “I stayed with one family for quite a while and all but raised one of their children before moving on.”

“Your actions strike me very modern for a woman of your day and age,” Devin said.

“They were,” she conceded. “But I had trouble…staying in one spot too long.”

Seth’s eyes lit up and he grinned. “I get that.”

Devin shifted beside her, closer almost.

“Funny thing though,” she murmured. “All I really wanted to do was settle down. Live a normal life.”

“Why didn’t you then?” Devin asked.

Had you lived my life you would’ve kept moving too, she almost voiced but held her tongue. Isabel only shrugged. “Settling down in my time meant marrying and definitely not showing any sort of affiliation to helping the disabled. Women simply did not do that. Most men didn’t either for that matter. In its own way, aiding the deaf was practically considered witchcraft.”

Dear God, it almost felt like Devin’s arms came around her, comforted. She shot a quick glance his way. He hadn’t moved.

“Ah, witchcraft. Tricky thing that,” Seth agreed. His gaze lingered on Devin before returning to her. “So you moved on, where did you go?”

“Portsmouth, New Hampshire.” Isabel bit the corner of her lip. “It was the nicest place of them all.”

And cleanest, she thought. “Though nearly as busy as Boston, the people there seemed to work together more smoothly. The commerce was less rushed. The immigrants less frantic.”

“Fascinating,” Leathan said.

“Mmm. I had no trouble finding work there. After all, my credentials were very good. But mind you, the Puritans had established the community and remnants of their beliefs still overshadowed. I had to be careful to a degree. But in little time, I was nanny to a wonderful deaf girl there.”

“How old were you at this point?” Andrea asked.

“Twenty three. It was here, well, when walking along the shoreline, that I met a man.”

She hated to tell him this…once again. Devin’s hand clenched slightly on the settee beside her. “Calum?”

“No,” she said softly. “If only it had been that simple.”

A song filled the room. The laidback lyrics sang, “One love, let’s get together and feel all right.”

“Sorry, be right back.” Leathan pulled a black device from his pocket and left the room.

Seth chuckled. “Ignore him, Isabel. Newly married. Changed him something fierce.” He looked at Andrea and cocked a brow. “Reggae love…Leathan?”

“It’s a ring tone, Bob Marley’s popular,” she returned, rolling her eyes before looking at Isabel. “Go on.”

She’d do just about anything to cease this line of conversation, no matter how necessary. “Reggae love?”

Devin sniggered. “In case you haven’t figured it out, Leathan’s the most uptight of us all. For him to have a Reggae ring tone when his wife, Dakota calls is…amusing.”

“Oh.” She tried to ignore Devin’s scent. That same masculine, sweet smell. “What’s Reggae?”

“You don’t know what Raggae is?” Seth asked, a wide grin smothering his face.

Andrea raised her hand and shook her head. “Did you not get the memo, Seth? She was born in 1698. Time of slavery. Raggae wasn’t exactly topping the charts back then.”

“Memo?” Isabel repeated.

“Disregard,” Devin said, shooting her a completely charming grin. “Catch you up later.”

Catch her up later? Isabel couldn’t have felt more misplaced had she tried. Yes, she’d haunted this house for many generations but…still. For all she thought she’d kept up, she really hadn’t. Her entire world had consisted of bits and pieces of this Georgian for far too long. And blips in time at that. In fact, being here now felt off. Best to remain calm. Go with the flow. Never say too much.

“In Portsmouth, I met a man. Very handsome,” Isabel continued.

“Oh yeah?” Devin asked, his striking eyes staring at her a little too intensely. As if he had some stake in her opinion of other men. As if he had a stake on her. Isabel almost smiled.

“Yes,” she responded, not shying away from his gaze. She’d kissed him already. Many times. To his mind, once. So, to her mind now, he shouldn’t act as though he had any sort of claim on her. But Devin was Devin and he’d long held her heart. Her eyes drifted down. “Exceptionally handsome and quite taken with me.”

Devin frowned but said nothing.

“It was with this man that I left New Hampshire and traveled into Maine.” She sniffed delicately and said softly, “It was also with this man that I first became engaged.”

A strange sound came from Devin. She glanced at him. His face remained impassive. He lifted an eyebrow. “And, did you marry?”

Leathan returned and sat.

“No,” she murmured. She had to tell them everything, stop playing this game. But honestly, handling it this way seemed the best way to…ease into the situation. She knew they knew Calum, ghost that he was in this day and age—and knew they had a very unusual story. Still, best to take this slowly, let them lead the way. Say next what would seem most logical to them. “But before I tell you the rest, tell me how you know of Calum. I need to know I can trust you.”

She didn’t miss the brief glance they all shot Leathan’s way before Devin spoke. He told her the tale she already knew. That they were warlocks, part of Calum’s curse.

Devin cleared his throat and continued the story. “It was a year ago that the curse started to unravel. A Victorian house in New Hampshire. It trapped the first creature, a vampire.”

This she knew too.

Devin stopped talking, obviously uncomfortable.

Leathan continued. “Apparently Calum had used talismans to lock each creature. You see, when he did so, he ensured if the curse ever started to unravel, three future male descendants would become warlocks to fight these creatures. Each talisman would be connected to a warlock. Each would match the color of their aura when they implemented magic.”

This was her opening. Isabel clenched her fists and closed her eyes. Confirmed what she already knew. “You three are the warlocks.”

Leathan and Seth nodded. Devin stared at floor, frowning.

“And the Victorian.” Eyes opened and locked with Leathan, she said, “Was where your creature was imprisoned. The vampire entrapped by the talisman that matched your aura?”

Leathan nodded gravely.

Isabel placed her hand on her chest. Knew she had to share this with them. Carefully, she reached down and pulled the delicate chain around her neck up until what was on the end of it appeared from beneath her dress.

Everyone gasped.

“It’s a dark red stone,” Andrea said. “Another talisman.”

Isabel wrapped a protective fist around it, her gaze sliding to Devin. His smoky green eyes had turned turbulent. His lips thinned. A throbbing dark red light pulsed around his frame for a split second then vanished. Long enough for her to know that which she’d known all along…which warlock was connected to this house.

Long enough to know—and painfully remember—which warlock would be battling a Lycan. More commonly known as a werewolf.