Eighth Note (Fire Ballad Book 1) Read online

  “Stay back,” he warned, and I pushed my sunglasses into my hair, letting him see my eyes change from green to amber.

  “I don’t have to touch you. You know that.”

  “Here,” he shoved a check my way. “I made it for $300,000. If you need more, my number is on my card-…,”

  I flattened my palms at my side, rising to my tip-toes. “Shh. That’s more than enough. But I have something for you, too.”

  My hands shot to his ears before he could move, and I held him immobile, my eyes boring into his.

  “I wrote you a song. Just for you. It’s very personal, an original, one of a kind,” I went on, humming softly. “I put my whole soul into this, so I really hope that you enjoy it.”

  “No,” he begged, fear wafting off of him like gutter stink. “Please.”

  “Just for you,” I repeated, pressing my palms against his ears.

  His eyes darted over my head, and I felt strong arms sliding around my waist.

  “You will not do this, Eva.”

  Will’s voice made me cringe, and my jaw shook in fury.

  “Will, go back to the car.”

  “Don’t let her do it,” Fayette whined, and I tightened my hold on his head.

  “Why don’t you piss your fucking pants again, you fucking pussy,” I snarled, and he moaned, completely locked in my superhuman hold.

  Will’s voice remained even. Controlled. “You will become what you have just conquered if you do this, Eva. I will not let this destroy you. You have dealt with enough revenge in your life, and you fully understand the consequences of merciless, unforgiving torture.”

  Tears burned my eyes, and I beat them away. “He sold his own daughter to a demon, and handed me over on a silver fucking platter, Will! He deserves this! Let the fucking demon have his way with him,” I growled, nearly crushing Fayette’s temples with my furious strength.

  “He is merely mortal. He will spend his brief existence suffering his choices, agonized by the sacrifices that he made. That is what he deserves, my love. You cannot enact wrath in the name of God. You are not God, Eva, and your soul depends on your acknowledgement of that fact.”

  The tree shrouded us from the funeral, and it was only a matter of minutes before someone came over to find out what was going on.

  I closed my eyes, trying to focus.

  “When you killed my father, no matter how just you felt in his death, you opened yourself up to a vulnerability that you could never have imagined. Please, love. Let it end here. Let this demon remain a prisoner. Leave this human’s fate to the higher powers.”

  “Fuck, Will,” I cried, dropping my hold on Fayette. He moaned, scrambling away from me. The check for $300,000 floated to the grass at my feet.

  “Yes, love. You did the right thing. You did. Please,” he urged, turning me into his arms. “Please Eva.”

  I bent and snagged the check from the grass, trying like hell not to cry. “Come on,” I snapped, stalking to the car. He caught my hand, and I spun to glare at him. “He deserved to die, Will. He deserved to be fucking stabbed, and tortured, and drowned, and all of the things that I just went through!”

  “This is not about Fayette, Eva. This is about your soul. Yours,” he urged, pulling me to his chest. “You have only one in this immortal lifetime.”

  Gasping, I dug my forehead into his chest, trying desperately not to sob. “I’m evil. I would have done it if you hadn’t stopped me. I still want to,” I admitted, brushing at one stubborn, wayward tear. “I do.”

  “And therein lies the human part of you. The part that I am so very much in love with. Your fire, Eva. Your passion,” he kissed me, so tender, his warm fingers tracing my jaw. “You and I have many, many years ahead of us. We have a responsibility to each other. There is no one else’s heart that I would rather rule.”

  “God, Will,” I cried, finally letting the tears slip down my cheeks. “Why do you have to be so good?”

  He smiled, leading me toward the car. “I am not good, Eva. I am yours. I only wish to be the love that you deserve.”

  I sighed, leaning into his kiss.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Our little ocean bungalow felt like paradise.

  It took a solid week for me to finally relax and believe that I was safe. I tried to focus on getting my blog up and running again, weeding through emails and Facebook notifications while apologizing profusely for being gone for so long. When I started to feel so overwhelmed and pissed off that I began firing off messages like “excuse the fuck out of me for having a life, I suggest you get one yourself,” Will suggested I take a day off and a breather before I lost all of my followers.

  “Tonight, I am taking you out of this house,” he said, kneeling beside me at my desk and brushing his hand over my curls.

  “Will, I have too much work to do. And I don’t want to leave Perry. I feel like I haven’t seen her in forever.”

  “A few hours away while Perry sleeps will do her no harm.”

  Curiosity got the best of me, and finally I swiveled the office chair toward him, grinning as I wrapped my arms around his neck and my legs around his torso. “Where are you taking me, King William?”

  He stood, lifting me with him as I giggled and clung to his shoulders.

  “This evening? That is a surprise. Right now? To our bed.”

  Perry napped while we made love for almost three hours, and her monitor lit with sounds of her happy babbling as I lay curled in Will’s arms.

  “Will?”

  “Yes, love.”

  “I’m sorry. I just want you to know that. For the way that I acted around Cole, and the things that I said.”

  He gripped me tighter to his chest, lacing his fingers through mine before bringing them to his lips. “I spoke with Cole when you were ill, Eva.”

  “By ill do you mean possessed by a demon?”

  “Yes,” he continued with a half-hearted sigh. “He apologized for asking you to help, and for putting you in danger. He also confessed to kissing you,” his voice dropped into the low, icy tone that instantly made my heartbeat double. “However, after seeing the influence that the demon had over you, I trust that Cole’s intentions were honorable.”

  “Do you trust that my intentions were honorable?” I edged, turning my lips to his neck. In one movement, he picked me up and dropped me over his chest, and I smirked.

  “I do. I am confident in our love. I am also aware that possessing an exquisite wife with so very many… charms,” he moved his mouth over my jaw, punctuating each word with a kiss, “…is a harrowing feat.”

  I moaned at his mouth on my skin. “I think you’re saying that I’m hot, and that you want to fuck me again before Perry starts crying.”

  “Ah, Eva, your language,” he groaned, turning swiftly so that I lay beneath him. He hovered over me, a wicked grin playing over his lips as he nudged my thighs apart with his knee. “Yes, love, that is exactly what I am saying.”

  That evening, Will refused to tell me where we were going, which irritated the hell out of me. “How can I know what to wear if I don’t know where we’re going?”

  “A simple sundress will suffice.”

  “Charming. But come on, seriously, Will, I need to know,” I argued.

  “Hush, little one.”

  “Ugh,” I slammed the bedroom door, finally settling on a clover green, strapless sundress that matched my eyes and accentuated my chest in all the best ways. When I opened the door, Will met me at the top of the stairs, his eyes falling to my bare neck.

  I waggled my eyebrows, doing a quick, dramatic pose. “Nice rack, right?”

  “Hmn.” He pretended to contemplate my crude comment, and I scowled at him.

  “Will!”

  “Wait.” He reached into his pocket, producing a long, thin jewelry box. “You are a queen, my love, and deserve the jewels of that title.”

  He opened the box, and I covered my mouth with my palm.

  The small charm, a single eighth
note like my tattoo, was exquisitely set in a series of diamonds. He let the box fall to the floor as he slipped behind me, gathering my thick curls into his hand.

  His mouth lowered to my ear as his body pressed against my back, and my knees nearly gave out in the middle of the hallway.

  “All of your music… all of your charms. They are mine, Eva. Forever. I shall always remind you, lest you ever forget.”

  I could only nod, my breath catching as the span of his palm began at my hip, sliding over my thigh and up my skirt. When his fingers touched the exact place my tattoo was, I cried out softly.

  “Who are you, Eva?” He prompted, his mouth tracing the chain at my neck, sending shivers from my hairline to my spine.

  “I’m yours,” I whispered, arching my back into his kiss.

  “Yes, love,” he coaxed, smiling as he turned me into his arms. “Come, we musn’t be late for this.”

  The only local person that I trusted to watch Perry for a few hours was our sweet neighbor, Mrs. Brunswick, who had graciously offered to keep Perry for the evening.

  “She reminds me so much of my daughter at this age. Those freckles just melt my heart,” she crooned, and my daughter giggled as Mrs. Brunswick gave her a playful hug. “I’m glad to see you two getting out, enjoying each other,” she added to me and Will with a knowing smile.

  “Thank you for agreeing to sit with Perry,” he added, charming the slacks off of Mrs. Brunswick. “My princess,” Will said adoringly, whispering something to our daughter. I gathered Perry from her space on the play mat, and she dropped her plastic dinosaur as I squeezed her against my chest.

  “Mommy loves you,” I soothed, kissing her ear repeatedly until she giggled and bowed away.

  “Go on, enjoy yourselves,” Mrs. Brunswick waved us out the door, already engaging Perry in a dinosaur-meets-Barbie showdown.

  “You are feeling well?” Will asked, and I thanked him softly as he held the car door open for me.

  “I feel fine, Will,” I assured him. The truth was, I felt more than fine. My curvy, pre-pregnancy shape had returned, and my skin glowed more than it ever had. I was filled with energy, and my magic was on full power.

  Because of the demon’s deal. I tried not to frown as I thought about the demon’s promise to make me beautiful. I’m just feeling healthy again. This isn’t his work.

  I glanced down at my new Gucci shoes, thinking about the balance in our bank account, thanks to Gerald Fayette. If you need any more, my number is on my card… I had that man by the balls for the rest of his life.

  And my sex life was incredible.

  It always had been with Will, but now, he would barely touch me and I would come apart. Is it because of our renewed faith in each other… or the demon’s deal?

  I tried not to think about the way my life had changed since Murmur.

  I’d made a bargain with him, and he’d fulfilled his end. I’d betrayed him. Immortality was a very long time, and I wondered if I’d ever have to face what I’d agreed to again.

  “What is it, love?” Will asked, his hand covering mine as he pulled onto the main road.

  “I’m afraid of what I did,” I admitted, turning to him as I gripped his fingers. “I never talked about what happened in those woods. I made a deal with him, Will. The demon. I agreed to play the song for the world, opening minds and making them vulnerable to him. In exchange, he promised me beauty, and wealth, and… really great sex,” I stumbled over the last words, an unusual blush creeping over my cheeks.

  He looked back at the road, silent for a long minute. Finally, he lifted my hand to his mouth, pressing a doting kiss to the backs of my fingers.

  “You have always been beautiful, Eva. Unsurpassed. Perhaps you are only seeing yourself as I have always seen you,” he suggested, sighing. “The wealth that we have will surely be short-lived, given your insatiable love of shoes,” he teased, and I grinned, curling against his shoulder. “And as for the sex, I cannot help but wonder if your renewed confidence in your body has made our lovemaking more pleasurable for you.”

  I lifted my eyes to him, processing his words. “You think I’m just worrying for no reason?”

  “Indeed. I also think that you believe that all things must be given to you. However, Eva, perhaps you are learning that the very best things in life are earned.”

  I bit my lip. “Are you saying I’ve been spoiled, but I’m starting to be a little more grateful?”

  “I am saying that you will feel deserving of what you’ve earned. You will feel guilt for those things that you are handed. That is human nature.”

  “I didn’t earn a hot body.”

  He chuckled. “You most certainly have. You dance. You work out to those exhausting videos religiously, Eva. You have earned every inch of your hot body.”

  I grinned, wrapping my arms around his taut bicep. “And I earned that money from Fayette. And more,” I added, indignant, and he nodded once.

  “I must agree.”

  “And… what you do to me?”

  He looked down into my eyes, tilting my face into a soft kiss. “I feel closer to you than I ever have. Perhaps you also feel that intimacy.”

  I stayed locked in his arms as he drove toward the Bogue Pier. I arched my eyebrow at him as he moved around the Range Rover to open my door. “Will, we could have walked here, you know.”

  He bowed, so chivalrous, and held his hand out to me. “Yes, I know.”

  I accepted his hand, following him toward the entrance. The pier was brightly lit with lanterns, the summer season in full swing, and I glanced at the sign near the parking lot. “Summers Past at the Bogue. What’s going on? Did I miss some kind of event?”

  “Hush,” he answered.

  “Are there artists performing here? I need to grab my phone, and see if I can get an interview!”

  “No,” he shook his head. “No, Eva, not tonight. Tonight, it is you, and me, the ocean and the stars. And it is my turn to play a song for you.”

  I smiled, melting into his blue gaze. God, I love this man.

  “But…,”

  He shot me an admonishing look, and I snapped my lips together, checking myself.

  “Yes, my lord,” I whispered, and he groaned, tugging me into his arms.

  “You are my undoing, Eva,” he replied, lifting me to meet his adoring kiss. I lost sense of time and place until Will released me.

  I could hear the music before I could see the band.

  The pier was by admission only, and Will produced two tickets as we made our way up the stairs.

  “I shall share you with only one other man. One other king. But you must promise me that you will simply listen and enjoy, and forget about Fire Ballad. Just for this one night.”

  I recognized Spanish Harlem and froze, nearly breaking into a sweat. “Oh, my God, Will, is he here? He’s performing here? How did I not know this? I follow all of his appearances, I know exactly where he’s going to be-…,”

  “You have been busy, love,” he teased, and I flattened my palms over my cheeks, trying to stop the heated flush.

  “I can’t. I can’t meet him. I can’t- I didn’t prepare any questions, I- I have to-….,”

  “Eva.” He pulled me nearer the band, and into his arms. “Just listen.”

  I let Will pull me close, falling into our natural rhythm. He could dance better than any man I’d ever met, his flawless grace smoothly reminiscent of Gene Kelly. He moved in his own regal way, keeping me at an appropriate distance but entrancing me with every step.

  Spinning in his arms, I sent a sideways glance toward the source of the music. Ben E. King sang only a few feet from where I was dancing.

  “Did you do this?” I asked, lifting my face to Will’s.

  Stand By Me began, and that moment when you’ve realized a dream that you’ve had for as long as you could remember hit me with such precision that I almost fainted in Will’s arms.

  “I may have donated a large amount of Fayette’s money to the St
and By Me Foundation.”

  My lips curved into a wide smile. The foundation helped deserving youths in furthering their education. I’d set up a donation area on my blog after Will’s encouragement.

  Our song filled the summer night air, and this time he pulled me close, all fancy moves out the window as he gripped me to his chest. The ocean sounds mingled with the music, and his palm flattened over my lower back as his mouth dropped to press a kiss to my curls.

  “Will,” I murmured, listening to his heart beat through his chest.

  “Yes, love.”

  “I just want you to know… that I am thankful for you. I thank God for you.”

  He pulled me away gently, gathering my chin in his palm. “And I, you, Eva. Every moment of every day.”

  I closed my eyes, pressing my cheek against his heart once more.

  Five Months Later

  “For sale?”

  I turned. Cole threw Mack into park, and I watched as he stepped into my driveway. Shifting Perry on my hip, I felt my daughter tighten her hold on my neck as the stranger approached.

  “It’s okay, Pea, remember Mommy’s friend?” I reassured her, smiling at Cole. “Can you say ‘hi’ to Cole?”

  She replied by shoving her thumb into her mouth, smooshing her face into my shoulder.

  “Smart girl,” he grinned, gesturing to the realtor’s sign in the front yard. “Moving?”

  I nodded, pressing a kiss to Perry’s red hair. “That’s the plan.”

  “Back to Ohio?” He suggested, and I shook my head.

  “Maybe. We haven’t decided yet.” I tried to lower Perry to the ground, but she whined, continuing to dig her fingers into my biceps. “Will would like to finish out the school year here. But we’re keeping our options open.”

  He nodded, his brown leather jacket crunching as he squatted to the Little Tikes Cozy Coupe between us. “Nice ride, sweets.”

  Perry tilted her face to eye him warily.