Beware The Kiss Part 15

"You have a copy of the curse?" Luis asked Erica.

"Si," she replied pulling her copy from a canvas bag. She looked from Luis to Tayler and smiled.

The look in Erica's eyes made Tayler melt. In the sunlight, Erica's white jeans and peach-colored polo s.h.i.+rt emphasized her tan. Her jewelry sparkled in the bright light. Tayler looked down at her own clothes, feeling overdressed. She s.h.i.+fted in her chair and quietly removed her gold bracelet and ring.

"Is something wrong?" Erica moved closer and placed her hand on Tayler's arm.

In the gentle breeze Tayler caught a whiff of Erica's perfume. It was light and sensual.

"No," Tayler pulled out her sungla.s.ses, "I'm just not accustomed to this air." Or your presence, she thought.

One of Luis's children appeared. "This is my oldest daughter, Vania." Luis smiled proudly.

Vania hugged Erica and said in broken English, "Your senorita she es mucho hermoso."

"Si," Erica replied and glanced over at Tayler. Vania approached the table staring at Tayler's blond hair. Tayler removed her sungla.s.ses and smiled. The girl blushed.

"Quisieramos tomar algo," Luis's voice cut through the air in crisp Spanish. "Sangria." The girl looked at her father for a brief moment and then turned her gaze back to Tayler.

"p.r.o.nto," Luis snapped. The girl jumped and quickly disappeared. "Now, for this curse." He put on thick gla.s.ses. His lips moved as he pa.s.sed his eyes over the words. "We know that the first lines deal directly with the beginning of the curse and Senorita Locksley's death."

Tayler's gaze flew to Erica's face. She saw Erica recoil. She wanted to ask who Senorita Locksley was, but Luis continued.

"These lines describe Senorita Windquest," he looked up and ran his eyes over the scar on Tayler's neck. "Si, the mark of lightning. The following lines describe the beginning of the final years."

"The next stanza talks about the fire and the snake," Erica added. "But we're unsure of the meaning of the next one."

"The Cave is dark, the Air is thin, the Night is long, your life will dim." Luis sat back in his chair and hooked his thumbs on his belt loops. "You found Senorita Windquest in a cave yesterday, no?" Erica nodded.

"Raven threw a knife." He saw Erica nod again. "And Raven appeared in a dream?"

"Si," Erica replied. "It made for a very long night," she added referring back to the stanza. Tayler reached out and grasped Erica's hand. For a long moment she searched Erica's eyes for answers. A cauldron of emotions bubbled to the surface, but she held back the swell of fear she felt inside.

"Your life will dim," Luis murmured to himself. "I am not sure I understand this. The act of dimming something often implies - " he sat rigid in his chair.

"Luis?" Erica shook his arm. "Luis, what is it?"

He shook his head. "I'm sorry to have to tell you this." He cleared his throat. "Dimming a life, in this curse, could mean Raven is planning a slow death for one of you."

Tayler gasped.

Erica pulled Tayler toward her. "Are you sure, Luis?"

"It is a guess," Luis shrugged his shoulders, "only a guess." He stammered. "Lo siento mucho, Erica, Senorita Windquest," He apologized again to the two women, wringing his hands. Tayler stood and walked to the edge of the patio wanting to scream from the tension. The thought of a slow death for Erica, or herself, was too dark for her to imagine. Erica gathered up the papers, shattering the paralysis that held them in their places. "We'd better leave."

Tayler nodded, unable to speak.

Luis held up his hands in an excited gesture. "Senorita Windquest, the curse describes you - "

"Luis, we've been through this," Erica interrupted.

"Si, Erica," Luis said gently, "but if she's mentioned in the curse it is because she possesses special powers - powers that threaten Raven." He continued before Erica could interrupt again. "The curse has revealed things line by line. Therefore, the Senorita's powers will be revealed event by event."

Sixteen.

The morning mist clung to the base of the mountains overlooking the ocean. On the pale pink horizon, the ocean flowed with waves of silver. Just beyond the breakers, four dolphins surfaced, searching for an early meal. Ana and Tayler cantered along the beach on two black Arabian horses, absorbed in the morning calm.

"You ride very well," Ana brought her horse next to Tayler's. "Who taught you?"

"My father," Tayler smiled as she recalled the man who had filled her life with wonder. "He felt that learning to ride a horse was as important as learning to read."

"A smart man." Ana looked at the sky and then returned her gaze to Tayler. "You miss him."

Tayler bit her bottom lip. "He was such a big part of my life."

"What was he like?"

Memories began to seep into Tayler's consciousness. She cleared her throat. "He was a very complex man. He was kind and gentle with me, but to his business a.s.sociates, he was ruthless. He made a lot of money -and a lot of enemies." Tayler rolled her eyes. "Including my mother."

Ana's lips curved into a wicked smile. "Ah, Christina Windquest. I recall her sizzling reputation."

"You know my mother?" Tayler looked at Ana in surprise.

"I only know of her. Ricah and I met several years after their relations.h.i.+p ended. Ricah was still mending from that wound."

"That's my mother," Tayler added.

"Or to be more correct, that's human nature." Ana sat upright in her saddle. Her white blouse accented her dark skin and her riding boots emphasized the long, slender legs that flowed seamlessly into them. Her eyes, at times, were hidden in the shadow of her straw sombrero.

On the horizon, the sun rose over the silver surface spilling rich reds and oranges across the fluid expanse.

"The one thing I can say about my father is that he met some fascinating people. It didn't usually bother me, but I remember one night I needed to talk to him." Tayler removed her feet from the stirrups. "We met at a restaurant in downtown St. Paul. I thought we'd be able to talk without the usual interruptions. I can't even remember now what had been so important."

"How long ago was this?" Ana asked.

"I was twenty-three. I had just finished college and was working on my master's degree. I guess that would make it a little under ten years ago. Anyway, we were sitting at the bar waiting for our table when a woman approached us. I was completely enthralled." Tayler smiled.

"Why?"

"It seems they knew each other through the mutual love of book collecting. She was so fascinating, I was surprised that Dad had never mentioned her before. He invited her to join us." The sun felt warm on Tayler's face. "Gabrielle seemed to know something about everything." Tayler added quietly patting her horse's neck. "Looking back over the months she and I spent together, I've come to the realization that I had a real crush on her."

"What did your father think of her?" Ana sat with her hands placed comfortably on the saddle horn.

"I know he enjoyed her, but he seemed so s.p.a.ced out that night. I blew it off. By then Gabrielle and I had scheduled dates to go to the science museum, lunch at the arboretum, concerts, plays, you name it." Tayler dropped the reins. She pinched the bridge of her nose. "I eventually found out that Dad had received his first death threat that day."

"What happened?"

Tayler sighed heavily. "The detective on the case told me that Dad had received a total of five threats. On the morning Dad was killed, he had received the final note, but he was meeting my mother for lunch and had to hurry." Tayler took a deep breath. "He got in his car and it blew - "

"I'm sorry, Tayler," Ana said. "So, what became of Gabrielle?"

"She just vanished. I think there's still a warrant out for her arrest."

"You don't believe she did it?" Ana watched Tayler closely. Ana slid down from her horse and walked along the sand with her horse trailing.

"She was more interested in me than my father. No, she didn't do it."

They walked their horses to a flat outcropping of rocks. While they rested, their horses stood in the shade of a large boulder.

"What happened between you and Erica?" Tayler asked.

Ana twirled the crystal pyramid she wore around her neck. It was similar to the one she had given Tayler, except it did not have a midnight blue dagger in its center. The image of Raven's dagger wedged in a rock suddenly pierced her thoughts. The coincidence was unsettling. Ana removed her sombrero and placed it on the ground next to her. "When Ricah and I met, I thought our relations.h.i.+p would last forever, even though our backgrounds were so diverse and our interests so varied. I had my place here." She gestured to the land with her right hand. "This land has been in my family for hundreds of years. I knew I couldn't leave. And Ricah couldn't leave the place she loved."

"Why is Erica so rooted to Minnesota?"

"Her house stands on the site where she was born. It's her only connection to her parents. The house you rented, in fact, was the house Erica built for her aging grandparents."

"That explains their close proximity," Tayler interjected.

"Exactly. Ricah is very proud of her heritage." Ana squinted her eyes. "As I am."

"Erica is so private about her personal life. I know of at least fifty editors around the country who'd love to publish her story."

Ana sighed heavily. "She's private because she's been badly hurt. I'm sure your editors would love to get their hands on some of the things in her background. They would destroy her."

Ana's vehemence registered in Tayler's conscience like a streak of lightning. She chose to ignore it and instead said, "So the two of you decided on a long distance relations.h.i.+p."

"Si."

"Did it last very long?"

"No. Unfortunately, Raven brought our relations.h.i.+p to an abrupt end."

Tayler's memory recalled the green-eyed woman. "What did she do?"

Ana removed a bandanna from around her neck and wiped her forehead. The sun was growing hotter. "She placed a curse on us."

"The one you spoke of the other night?"

"Si. It is a very ancient curse. Not many people have heard of it. We're not sure where she found it, but Raven possessed a book of black magic."

"You mean a book of curses and spells?"

Ana nodded. "She did her research very thoroughly. It took many of us to gather information on the curse. There are still areas of the curse we are not sure we comprehend. As we near Hallow's Eve, I can only hope that Raven will shed some insight as to what she has planned -for all of us."

"That's cutting it close," Tayler shook her head again. "Okay, so we have this curse, but I'm confused why Raven chose to use it on you and Erica. I mean, what was her reason?"

"Love," came Ana's reply.

Tayler c.o.c.ked her head to the side, but said nothing.

"Unrequited love to be exact." Ana threw a pebble into the sea.

"I don't understand," Tayler blinked.

Ana took a deep breath before speaking. She let the air out other lungs very slowly. "I had not seen Ricah for two months and I was lonely. It was a beautiful Mexican evening, the type of evening artists try vainly to capture with their paintbrushes. The sun was descending into the ocean in a rainbow of vivid shades of reds, purples, blues and golds. Ricah was in Minnesota. I craved her presence. The emptiness I felt tormented my soul. I needed to feel her in my arms, smell her hair and hear the sound of her laughter."

Tayler watched Ana turn pale.

"I called her, hoping that the sound of her voice would lessen my loneliness and desire, but all I got was her answering service." Ana twisted the bandanna with her fingers. "My body was so thirsty for her I thought I was going insane."

Tayler nodded. "I think I can understand. I've had a few of those moments in the past two months myself."

Ana wiped her forehead. "My emptiness fueled my fears. As the hours pa.s.sed I had convinced myself that Ricah no longer loved me. The thought drove me crazy. I longed for her touch, her voice, for anything. I got in my Jeep and drove to the beach and went into a cave." Ana's gaze took in the rocky landscape in the distance. She looked down at her clenched hands. Her voice lost its strength. "I sat in the darkness for hours. I was tired and cold. I wanted someone to fill my emptiness and take away my need."

Tayler sat in silence, never having seen someone in such despair.

Ana s.h.i.+vered in the heat. "Raven found me in the cave and built a fire. She had a flask of something and offered it to me. All I remember is that it was warm and soothing. In the firelight, she began to look so alluring. I could not look away."

Tayler's nerves strained against the visual picture Ana created.

"It grew very warm in the cave, so Raven took off her coat. Her body was covered with scarves. She started to dance, tormenting me with her seductive, deliberate movements. I took another drink from the flask. She removed layer after layer until I could see the outline of her naked body through the last remaining scarf. I tried to get up but couldn't. Much too late, I realized I had been drugged. The vibrations and cadence of her dance made my body ache. I wanted her so badly."

Tayler saw Ana pick up her sombrero and run her fingers around the brim. Tears ran down her cheeks. "Ana?"

"I don't know what poison Raven gave me. What I do know is that it made me face the hidden side of my personality, and I enjoyed it."

"I don't understand," Tayler said. "What do you mean?"

"Through the drug, Raven unleashed the behavior I would have never shown to anyone. It's a powerful side, very animalistic-seduce and conquer. I thought I could do anything, be everything. I wanted it all, including Raven. I felt I was invincible. I demanded that she take away my hunger, but she continued to taunt me with her body. Finally, I asked her what she wanted from me."

"Give yourself to me," Raven had said.

Ana hung her head. "And I did."

Tayler watched Ana's tears blot her white s.h.i.+rt. She wanted to say something, but Ana was not finished.

"In the light of morning, when the drug had worn off, I knew I had made a terrible mistake. My hands and feet were bound to the floor. Raven stood over me, gloating in her pleasure at my surrender. I told her to release me, but she only laughed. I asked her why she was doing this. I can still recall her answer."

"I have loved you, Ana, since we were children, but you never cared for me. I was too poor, too homely for you, but I needed and wanted your love. I thought you, Sterling and Devin were my friends, but it was all an illusion -you just kept me around for laughs. I was nothing to any of you. Only when I tricked you, you allowed me to touch you -love you."

Ana placed her head in her hands.