Ordinary World (Cursed Kin Series Book 2) Read online

  Nothing made sense and she enjoyed a mystery.

  5

  Sitting there in the darkness of his nearly empty apartment, Conn was lost in thought and struggling with the inner turmoil swirling in him. He shouldn’t have kissed her or taken her blood… and he shouldn’t have left either. Shaken to the core, he couldn’t grasp that someone so beautiful and pure could believe that he wasn’t the killer. That surprised him, but what really knocked his socks off was just simply her.

  Daphne.

  She was everything that was good in this world wrapped up in one incredible, delicate body. The feel of her in his arms and against him was… unexpected. There was no other way to describe it. When his lips touched hers and her arms wrapped around him, it was like a half-frozen man being scalded by an unexpected blaze. At first it feels good yet intense…and when you step away from the heat, that is when you finally realize how truly cold you’ve actually been. Everything in you craves to return to the source. He’d been so detached, so distant from anyone or anything around him, and now craved a second glimpse of the dark-haired woman.

  Glancing down at his phone, he saw his brother was texting. Niall was really impatient when it came down to this woman named Holly that he was interested in. He’d agreed to meet the woman and sweet talk her into giving Niall a chance but hadn’t done so yet. He was not looking forward to a long drive nor being stuck in an airport… but for Niall, he’d do it. He’d been distracted by his own unexpected find, his own treasure.

  Jeez, will you calm down mutt…

  Just go – now.

  I will have to make an appointment. I guarantee that she’s not going to see me without one. Offices do that yanno – they schedule things like normal people.

  We aren’t normal. What else have you got to do?

  Obviously finding you a littermate should be my top priority…?

  Har-de-har-har. Seriously- go.

  Bob Barker says to spay and neuter your pets… just sayin’

  Maybe I should have called Ghostbusters instead of MY BROTHER

  Sighing heavily, he smiled at the phone. Communication of some sort made him feel not quite so alone and Niall had good timing. Sitting here in the dark was only going to put him further down into a funk. What he needed to do was go see Daphne again or ask her out… instead he was planning on avoiding her or forgetting her altogether. He couldn’t endanger another woman he wanted to talk to once again. Mary Ann’s death had nearly destroyed him mentally and he couldn’t cross that line again.

  Ghostbusters indeed… his brother was quick on the uptake. It had been a few weeks and he was due soon. His family teased him about cycling like a woman, but it was far from it. There was no pattern, rhyme or reason other than it was generally a few days to a few weeks. He would phase out for a day or a week- the longest being two weeks and that is when he ‘awoke’ and found Mary Ann dead in his arms.

  I’ll see if they take walk-in’s… just for you, Puppykins.

  Thank you.

  Of course- I can’t wait to meet the allergic woman of your dreams.

  She’s amazing.

  Neutering… seriously, dude.

  Go!

  The next afternoon had Conn sitting in a small waiting room being fawned over by four insipid women. Normally, any man worth his salt would have loved to have beautiful women flirting with him, but all of them seemed to have a flaw. One didn’t have dark hair, another was lacking Daphne’s clear blue eyes and another… well, the other two just weren’t her. He only craved Daphne’s smile and her scent around him. These four women were almost cloyingly sweet with their heavy perfumes.

  Conn was trying to keep from thinking of Daphne but failing miserably. He knew he had it bad for the lovely historian. It showed in everything he did or thought about. He’d gone shopping and actually purchased things for his apartment. Clean sheets, a vase and flowers, an area rug – all in an effort to make it look inviting. As to why, he didn’t want to identify that. Having a woman, any woman, come over was a bad, BAD idea.

  Sitting there, he rolled his eyes as he saw that he’d actually put on some dressy clothing complete with argyle socks. He had dressed up for this woman – who wasn’t actually his. Glancing up, he saw a blond woman open up the door and peek inside the folder… frowning. Oh, this should be fun, Niall will owe me for this one, Conn thought and waved his fingers playfully in a silent greeting. Only to see the blond roll her eyes at him.

  Laughing aloud, he noticed that she had the good graces to look embarrassed at being caught making a face at her new client. It wasn’t professional and she quickly recovered.

  “Mr. Cael?” Holly said flatly, opening the door once again. “What can I help you with today?”

  “Dentist, huh?” Conn chuckled, muttering in a low voice and ignoring the wistful sigh of her receptionist. The sooner he got out of here, the better.

  “Yes, I’m a dentist. Isn’t that why you scheduled an appointment, Mr. Cael?” she countered politely. There was an air of tension in the small room as she walked in first and indicated he should have a seat. Instead Conn stood there for several moments watching her, trying to judge what kind of person she was and how exactly Niall wanted him to proceed. Was he supposed to beg her to go out with his brother or hit on her to make sure she was worth the effort? He’d go with the latter of the two and perhaps wipe Daphne from his mind in the process. Being solely focused on a woman he couldn’t have was detrimental to his mental health.

  “It says here you need a cleaning?” Dr. Holly Baines asked, flipping through the chart. “How long has it been? Any issues?”

  “It’s been a while and yeah… I could use a good cleaning. I’m a dirty, dirty boy. Call me Conn, please.” He took a seat and smiled at her, patting the roll around stool beside the chair. Holly backed away from him and stared at him hard.

  “Do I need to ask you to leave?” She said bluntly, arching an eyebrow at the stupid pickup line he was tossing out. Conn’s face split with a smile as he relaxed, sitting back in the chair. He went from stalker-mode to church-boy in two seconds flat.

  “Good,” Conn said plainly, lacing his fingers on his chest. “I’m Niall’s brother and you must be the lovely Miss Holly that he’s so hung up on. It’s nice to meet you and sorry about the intro.” He saw the expression on her face change and knew that she was aware of what he and Niall were.

  “How do you… are you…? Are you a threat to me? Am I in danger?” Holly asked, her hand fluttering to the scarf around her throat. She’d been bitten by his brother and was hiding it. Obviously there was more to the story than what Niall had told him. Conn shook his head in denial at her alarmed expression.

  “No, if anything you are the safest creature in the world. My brother would do anything to protect you, trust me,” Conn admitted, taking a seat once again. “It has been a long time though between cleanings and he recommended I see you.”

  Holly slowly walked to the chair and put it backwards quickly. She draped a cloth around his neck and instructed him to relax in a flat voice.

  “Aren’t you curious at why my brother recommended I come in?”

  “No,” she snapped and quickly apologized to Conn. “Right now, I feel like a buffet table for you people.” Conn laughed in shock and surprise at her words.

  “You’re a quick one, aren’t you? Good, you’ll keep him on his toes,” he admitted and opened his mouth dutifully at her wry, deadpan look. Holly inspected his teeth, hovering over his canines and frowning as she stared, poked and prodded more than she had on any other teeth of his. Fighting back a grin, Conn focused on letting one canine elongate ever so slightly, causing her to gasp and jerk back her hands in alarm.

  “Watch it, buddy!” Holly whispered hotly, slapping him on the shoulder. “You bite me, don’t think I won’t stab you with something!”

  “I thought you’d think it was cool or something,” Conn said sheepishly. “You mean Niall hasn’t shown you how they work?”

  “We
haven’t really talked about that,” she admitted. “I just found out and well… it’s personal. Do it again, please and don’t move.” He did as she requested, letting his sharp teeth down again, and the look on her face was priceless. Holly looked like she was analyzing a slide under a microscope. Just as she was running a mirror along the underside, it began to retract.

  “Wait! I’m not done yet,” Holly blurted out and he saw her face flush with embarrassment at her enthusiasm.

  “Someone’s coming,” Conn admitted. “I can hear them just around the corner.” Looking up, Holly saw that indeed the receptionist who kept sighing and eyeing him had brought her some hot tea and was standing at the door with an endearing smile on her face. Conn was not interested in the slightest and knew it hurt the woman’s feelings. She just wasn’t Daphne and the simple, brief tryst between the two of them had ruined it for any other possible woman. He couldn’t get her out of his mind. Bridget turned and left quickly, hanging her head.

  “You didn’t need a cleaning, did you?” Holly asked softly, her intelligent eyes meeting his. She was trying to get a good read on him. Conn smiled smugly and looked a bit sheepish at being caught in the obvious deception.

  “No, but Niall really wants to talk to you again- to answer any questions you have and explain things to you.”

  “What if I don’t want to know?”

  “That’s up to you,” Conn said with a shrug.

  “Is Niall okay?”

  “Yes, he is but I just know what it’s like to lose someone or have them be afraid of what could be. I don’t want to see my brother have to go through what I am dealing with now. It hurts and bothers you in a way I’d never imagined,” Conn admitted.

  He felt lost right now and struggled between his violent past and lack of a future. If he harmed Daphne… well… he couldn’t think about that right now. He needed time to process and come to terms with whether or not it was the right thing to do. He’d told Daphne that he was a vampire, but not everything it entailed had been revealed. There would always be a chance he could hurt or kill her by mistake. Was loving someone worth the risk to them both? Was being alone for another thousand years something he could cope with? Would she even speak with him after he’d taken her blood?

  “Did you lose someone? Can you talk to her about it?” Holly asked, suddenly sympathetic.

  “Give Niall a chance,” Conn said softly, glancing up at her. “He’s a good man that has gotten a raw deal. Ask him your questions, talk to him. I’m pretty sure he would tell you anything you wanted to know – I know I would tell Daphne… if I could get close to her again but she’s gone and I am lost without her.”

  “I’m so sorry Conn,” she breathed softly as if she could understand what was in his mind, in his heart. She had no idea – no one did. No one understood the trauma in his mind and loneliness in his heart. If he told Daphne, would she understand and give them a chance…even if it could cost her very life?

  “Don’t be, just take happiness where you can and the rest will fall into place,” Conn said softly, praying that his words were correct. Maybe he would find a way to get his sweet little historian to see him again and tempt her into another conversation between them. Just anything to see her animated, expressive face looking at him.

  * * *

  Returning home, he called Niall and kept it short and simple. He didn’t need to know that Conn was thinking about trying to develop a relationship with someone again. Frankly, he was afraid that Niall would talk him out of it since he’d been the one to find him with Mary Ann’s body. No, he didn’t want that for his sweet Daphne – he just wanted to talk to her, be with her and have a friend he could call his own.

  Entering his house, Conn headed back to his bedroom and dragged out a small wooden chest that he’d kept with him for almost three hundred years. His memories, trinkets and tokens were hidden inside. It seemed to be the only way he could really focus and bring himself back after he disappeared and the hunger took him.

  Conn seemed to know instinctively what to do and where to hide, but it was bringing back his soul, his very essence that was harder. Opening the lid, he stared down as a rush of thoughts hit him. A bit of shrapnel and a patch of fabric from the battle of Shiloh, a buckle from a shoe that he’d ruined with saltwater when he’d disembarked from the Mayflower… a beaded feather from his time with the Iroquois Indians. They seemed to understand that he was more than of this world and didn’t judge him like others did. Conn was just there in the flesh until the spirit world took over, according to the chieftain. He stayed the longest with them, existing on the fringes of their encampment for fear of slaughter again.

  Glancing back into the box, he discovered a perfect peace offering for Daphne. He wanted to send her something as an apology for the kiss, the bite and the public confrontation during her speech…but he also wanted to talk with her again. Conn knew something like this would draw her out, opening the door for him to say hello again – as long as he didn’t blow it again.

  A peace offering between them.

  6

  “Ms. Gentry, I thought I’d bring your mail,” Daphne heard a man’s voice and looked up from her laptop. She’d been pouring over articles and photographs for hours on end and it was giving her a headache. Looking over her glasses, she blinked several times to refocus and squinted. Man, I need to get a bigger screen or stronger specs, she thought idly as she squinted again.

  “Martin, you can set them down. I’m sorry if they were in… what’s that?” she asked suddenly as everything came into focus. He was holding a brown package and a vase with bright red roses.

  “Are you in the right room? Daphne Gentry?” she asked bluntly and heard the administrative assistant chuckle as he set the vase down on the corner of her desk before he set down the package.

  “Ms. Gentry, it’s for you.”

  “Weird. Thank you, Martin for bringing it.”

  “No problem, I saw it sitting there in the office and didn’t want them to wilt before you picked them up.” Wincing, Daphne smiled apologetically. She didn’t check her mailbox often at all. In fact, the last time someone had sent her something it was a disaster. Her mother sent her a fruitcake as a surprise and it apparently sat in her mailbox for two weeks. When she picked it up, it was covered with mold, fruit flies and ants. Strict rules were put into place after that and Daphne asked that everyone send it to her home, no exceptions.

  “I need to check it more often, don’t I?”

  “I’d say at least once or twice a week,” he agreed with a warm, knowing smile. “You enjoy those flowers and tell your man that we all approve in the office. He got himself a nice girl.” Martin walked out and shut the door behind him before she could tell him differently. She didn’t have a man to call her own.

  Staring at the flowers, she smelled one and inhaled the sweet perfume. Whoever had sent them had excellent taste. They were spectacular and she never saw roses this big or fragrant at the local grocery. Those were teeny flowers and these robust, tightly-closed blooms were almost the size of her fist.

  Plucking the card from the vase, her eyes landed on the package. Curiosity got the better of her and she set down the card, tearing into the box. It was tied with twine and wrapped in brown paper. There were no markings other than her name written in bold script. It almost looked like calligraphy; it was so elegant with swirls- that she hated to tear the paper. Once she got inside the paper, there was a small box within a box.

  Opening the tiny lid, she looked around to see if this was being filmed by some sicko. The small velvet box looked almost like a jewelry box and now she was really curious and felt a bit of dread. Could there be another Daphne Gentry that worked here? Prying the lid up, she heard the hinge on the box give a little creak and glanced inside, quickly slamming it shut.

  W. T. F?

  Grabbing the brown paper that she’d ripped off, she checked the name again. Oh my gosh, it did say her name! This had to be a freakin’ mistake, she thought an
d felt her face. Was she hallucinating or running a fever? Opening the box again slowly, she gasped as her eyes confirmed her initial surprise.

  Sure enough, the doubloon sat there staring at her. Getting to her feet, she locked her office door quickly and jerked gloves out of the top drawer of her desk. There was no way she was leaving fingerprints or handling that thing! It was a 1787 Brasher Doubloon that glowed against the black velvet of the box.

  The extremely rare coin was minted against New York state legislature by a goldsmith who’d asked to make them in copper or bronze. The coin that she stared at looked to be gold. It was extremely dark in color, worn along the edges, but the eagle imprinted on it just above the date with Ephraim Brasher’s initials pressed into the soft metal where it shone in the sunlight. Surely this has to be a prank, right? This doubloon was extraordinarily rare and worth millions!

  Perhaps it was stolen and this was a set up? That would explain the roses and the mysterious box. She was being set up to lose everything and this was a sick, sick joke. Maybe it was a fake? Taking off a glove, she pressed her fingernail onto the coin, she gasped painfully as it sank into the soft gold, leaving a mark.

  “Oh nooooo,” she gasped aloud. “I’m sorry…sorry…sorry… don’t be ruined…please…” she whispered and fanned herself quickly, feeling faint. If historians could get off on looking at ancient stuff, she just had the biggest geek-asm of her life.

  “Oh my God, it’s real!”

  Gently setting down the box with shaking hands, Daphne placed the coin back in it and grabbed the card that was on the table next to the roses. She might have hesitated tearing open the brown box, but she annihilated the paper envelope. Inside was a single card in the same script-like handwriting.

  I request your presence for dinner – Conn