Masque (22 page)

“Synn!” Rena ran to him and held him upright.

He looked into her worried gaze and saw his salvation.
Without thought, he cupped her face and kissed her like a dying man. She opened
for him, tangling her tongue with his, grasping his upper arms, pulling him
against her. Then, as if she’d suddenly remembered something distasteful, she
pushed away, putting a wingback chair between them.

He leaned on the one next to him for support at the sudden
loss of her. “Rena.”

She gripped her chair as if it were her only defense against
him. “You looked about to fall. Are you all right?”

“No. I’m not. I need you.” He closed his mouth before more
selfish thoughts escaped. That he needed her for more than completing the
Masque. He gazed at her, careful to shutter his face. He had promised that he
would beg her if he had to. “Rena, I understand now what I did. I’m sorry. All
I ask is that you consider the others who exist here. I know I deserve your
disdain, even hatred perhaps. But I ask you, beg you, to complete the Masque
for their sakes.”

Anger, sympathy and confusion crossed her features before
she shook her head. “I don’t hate you. I do care, about you and about the
ghosts. I just don’t know what to do right now. There is a lot at stake. Even
more than you know.”

He grasped for meaning behind her words. “If you are worried
about not having ghosts, I pledge to you that I will haunt every visitor that
stays here in order to make the Abbey a success. I will do whatever it is that
you need.” Especially since he didn’t have a reason for existing once his
friends were gone, except for Rena.

She pushed away from the chair and straightened her
shoulders. “That’s a generous offer and I promise to think about it. These
people have become my friends too, as have you.” She turned and walked to the
archway before facing him again. “Jamie was asking for you. I believe he is
upstairs near Valerie’s room.”

Her strength, in face of their conundrum, impressed him. It
had always been there, just buried. To see her blossom made him proud. “Of
course. I will find him immediately.” Happy to be able to help and have
something to do, he bowed with a slight quirk to his lips before vanishing and
floating through the ceiling.

* * * * *

“Rena?”

At Valerie’s voice, she lifted her head off her arms. Damn,
she must have fallen asleep on her desk.

“Rena? Were you sleeping?”

She focused on the open marketing book on her desk and
quickly closed it. She’d been trying to figure out a strategy for bringing
people to the Abbey. That she had fallen asleep wasn’t her fault. She hadn’t
slept well the last couple nights. “Just resting my eyes. What’s up?”

Valerie and Jamie walked into the room. As her friend sat in
the wingback chair opposite the desk, Jamie stood behind her. Val didn’t
hesitate. “Jamie and I were talking. He’s lived in this area his whole life,
and we were brainstorming ways to get people to stay at Ashton Abbey even
without it being haunted.”

Rena’s brain woke up. “Really? What did you come up with?
I’ll try anything.”

Jamie put his hand on Valerie’s shoulder. “Valerie says you
are a master at planning events. This town has no special draw. It’s like every
other town on Cape Breton—quaint, near the ocean, with beautiful mountains. We
don’t stand out.”

Okay, that certainly wasn’t going to help the Abbey be a
success. “And what does this have to do with my event-planning abilities?”

Valerie leaned forward. “You are good. In fact, I think you
could create an event that could put this town on the map.”

“Like what?”

“We don’t know.” She fell back against the chair. “Jamie and
I get stuck at that point. Maybe a May Pole celebration or a Jack-O’-Lantern
festival?”

Jamie jumped in. “Or you could use the Abbey as a haunted
house for the Halloween season, a rather large haunted house. The colored rooms
could be turned into the haunting at night. All these servants’ corridors could
be useful too. I could cut into a few to make hidden doors like the one in the
dining room. Of course, I’d need Synn’s help.”

Movement behind them caught Rena’s attention as Synn strode
in. “What do you need?”

Jamie looked back at him. “We were talking about making this
a Halloween town with the Abbey at the center. I would need your help to make
modifications to the structure since Valerie tells me you designed this place.”

Rena stared open-mouthed at her friend.

Valerie shrugged. “What? I had to tell him. His workmen are
going to disappear one day. I thought he should know he would soon only have
Matt to boss around, but that Synn would still be available.” Valerie smiled up
at Jamie and he put a hand on her shoulder before she continued. “Besides,
Jamie’s friend is the chair of the chamber of commerce here, so you would have an
inside track. You could put the whole town on the map!”

Rena’s mind raced. A Halloween town. They might just have
something, something she could work with, build on, especially with a history
of real ghosts. Her gaze locked with Synn’s and her stomach clenched. His face
was unreadable. She returned her attention to Jamie and Valerie. “I think I can
work with this, but as you said, Synn would have to be our consultant.”

Jamie faced Synn. “What do you think? You know the Abbey
best.”

“I could help.” He turned to her. “If that is what you
want?”

What she wanted right now was to cry, but that wouldn’t
solve anything. “Val, I think it’s a great idea, but Synn and I need to figure
out a couple other issues before we tackle that one, okay?”

Valerie jumped up. “No time like the present. We’ll let you
guys mull this over. You know you both have our full support.”

Rena stared at her friend. Valerie fully approved of Synn.
When did that happen?

As the couple exited the room, Synn moved forward and leaned
against a bookcase. “It sounds like you were planning how to make the Abbey a
financial success without ghosts. Does that mean you have made a decision
regarding the completion of the Masque?”

Rena played with the edge of her tank top. Had she made a
decision? It was more that she’d made half of a decision. “You said if we
complete the Masque all the ghosts will cross over.”

“Yes. When the prince held the Masques, the clock struck
midnight, which pushed a lever that changed the rooms. The night I arrived, it
had already started striking and the Masque had begun, but everyone died
without finishing. By the following night, I was the only one left alive and
the clock stopped just before midnight. The pathway will open if the clock
starts again.”

So, that was why he had delayed the clock repair. It was
involved in the imprisonment of the souls. “What will happen to you then?”

He shook his head. “That doesn’t matter. What matters is
that they finally rest in peace.”

His words had her heart pumping hard. She gripped the edge
of the desk. “It does matter. It matters to me.”

Synn stared into her eyes blankly. He really didn’t see any
other reason to exist beyond helping his friends cross over. Where did that
leave her? If he cared for his friends to the point of excluding her, then his
interest in her was no more than temporary. She sighed.

As if sensing her resignation, Synn stepped around the
chair, his movement stiff with tension. “I imagine I will continue on here at
the Abbey for eternity. That is my curse. Why? Do you want me to leave too?”

The look of hurt on his face gave her hope. “No. I want you
to stay. This is your home.”

He frowned. “This is my prison.”

He was right and yet he didn’t rail against it. His
acceptance of his fate grated on her nerves. Of course, she hadn’t had to live
with it for as long as he had.

She stood and moved to the front of her desk, no more than a
foot away from him. She gazed into his eyes where hope and need battled for
supremacy. He needed her and if it was in her power to help, she had to. Why
did giving him his heart’s desire have to break her own? Though her heart told
her she risked too much, her mind demanded she help him so the ghosts could
cross over. She would miss Mrs. McMurray and Eve and Jonathan and everyone she
had met, but they deserved to move on. It was what she must do. Would Synn turn
from her once his need was filled?

Her heart constricted and she had to force the air past her
voice box. “I will complete the Masque with you.”

He grasped both of her shoulders. “Are you sure? Your
financial needs?”

She shrugged. “You heard Jamie and Val, we will turn this
place into Halloween town and generate the income I need to survive.”

Synn picked her up and twirled her around. She wrapped her
arms around his neck and closed her eyes. Vomiting on the man didn’t seem
appropriate at the moment of his joy.

He finally stopped and put her back on her feet. His eyes
shone with a new light, his blue shards sparkling and her heart filled. He had
been handsome before, but now he was downright breathtaking. His whole body
glowed.

“Rena.” His voice was but a whisper, but his eyes shone with
unshed tears. He cupped her face with his hands and kissed her.

His lips were tender, reverent, and her heart cried.

When he released her, she stepped away and held her stomach,
tight with uncertainty.

He took her hand. “Are you all right?”

“Just a little uneasy. Probably indigestion from the
spinning.”

He gave her a crooked smile. “I apologize. I’ll try to
remember, no spinning in the future.”

She nodded in response because his assumption there would be
a future closed her throat to all vocal sound.

“I promise you, Rena. I will do all in my power to make
Ashton Abbey successful.”

His smile brought tears to her eyes. She wanted to yell at
him that the promise she wanted was that he love her back and to hell with the
Abbey, but instead she returned to her seat. She shuffled paper on her desk to
hide her reaction. “I better get started on this new plan of Val’s.”

Synn spun and strode for the door. “And I will let everyone know
the good news.” He stopped at the exit. “Rena, you have saved me.”

She watched him as he slipped around the corner, her vision
blurred by her tears. “But how do I save my heart?”

Synn paced the wall-walk, his thoughts a jumbled knot, his
muscles tensing with every stride. Despite her agreement to complete the
Masque, Rena had been distant, her focus appeared to be taken by the Abbey
renovations. In his gut, he wondered if she was planning to leave when they
were done. There was no reason she couldn’t hire someone to oversee the
boarding house business and move back to Maryland. His chest tightened. Would
she?

Two days had passed and still Rena was hesitant to enter the
Black Room. They hadn’t found Eric, so he couldn’t promise her the lickfinger
wouldn’t watch, but his friends were running out of time. In another couple
days, they would begin to disappear. He had no idea if that would matter, but
they didn’t want to leave half-formed.

Synn rubbed the back of his neck. First, he had to be sure
Rena enjoyed the Bondage Room. When he thought about having her tied and
blindfolded and—

“Blast!” A loose stone almost sent him over the edge and he
caught himself against the battlement. After taking a deep breath at the near
miss, he squatted to examine the area. He’d walked these walls forever and
there had been no erosion, no cracks, not even a chip. So why was he looking at
a piece of stone the size of his fist that had clearly fallen from the inside
section of the outer wall?

This was the same spot where Rena had tripped. He stood and
perused the area. There was no sign of someone chiseling the stone. It was as
if the rock in his hand had simply decided it didn’t like being part of the
crenellation anymore.

“Synn?”

He turned toward the roof access and found Trent standing
just inside. Putting the rock on top of the outer wall, he strode to the door.
“What is it? Did you find Eric?”

Trent stepped back, allowing Synn to enter. “No, not yet,
but we think we may be able to by tonight.”

“You do?” He made the doubt in his voice obvious.

Trent crossed his arms over his chest. “Yes. I do. The fact
is, we found Eric’s clothes.”

That made sense since Eric preferred to meander around naked
no matter what time of day it was, completely flouting the rules the prince had
instituted. “Where are they?”

“They’re in the wine cellar.”

Synn grinned. “Of course. You never see the man without a
glass of wine in his hand. You think he will return for his clothes at some
point.”

Trent nodded and uncrossed his arms. “And we will be there
waiting for him. That is if you will let me use Darby and a few other footmen.”

“Of course. I’ll stay with Rena. I will have her in the
Bondage Room tonight. We can’t wait any longer.”

Trent nodded and turned toward the stairs. Synn was following
when the large man stopped suddenly. Synn’s momentum took him into that broad
back and almost sent Trent down the stairs. “What?”

Trent turned around. “I know we’ve waited for this a long
time, but I think I’m going to miss this place…and you.”

Synn swallowed. Hard. “Yeah, well, I’m sure where you are
going will be a lot better than here.”

“Right.” Trent’s voice was gruff, but he gave a quick nod
and proceeded down the stairs.

As Synn followed, an image rose before him of himself
playing ghost for guests of the Abbey while Rena remained far away at her
parents’ home. The hopelessness of his existence buckled his knees, and he
leaned against the curved wall to steady himself. This is what he had worked
for, to send the people he’d killed to their final resting place. Then his
conscience could rest, which was all he had ever wanted…until Rena.

Slowly, he moved away from the wall and made it down to the
third story. When had he fallen in love with her? Was it her defense of Mrs.
McMurray, her interest in sex, her willingness to complete the Masque?

It was everything. She had a body made for passion and a
soul made for heaven. He finally had what Eve and Jonathan had. Except he
couldn’t keep it.

He slowed. This was the final cruelty, the true curse for the
murders he had committed. The prince had the last laugh, for he had gone to the
other side while Synn would be imprisoned for eternity in the Abbey with no
friends, and a woman he had to let go. His feet stopped of their own accord as
if his heart were unwilling to pump any more blood to make them move. He stared
at nothing as his gut churned.

He had no choice. He had to finish the Masque. Then…then…

He shook his head and focused. He was still in the
third-story hall and he had halted outside Eric’s room. Without hesitation, he
turned the knob and entered. It was empty as he expected. Clothes hung on
chairs and were piled like cairns in various parts of the room. Books lay
scattered across the table, bed and floor, most open, revealing quill ink
writing. As he moved farther into the room, his curiosity spurred him to pick
up one of the books.

“Bloody hell!” He stared at the page in his hand. It was an
incantation to the devil. What the blazes was Eric thinking? The back of Synn’s
neck prickled. Grabbing another book, he skimmed the page. Though numerous
words were in some other language, there was enough he recognized to reveal the
depths Eric had sunk to. The man was attempting to halt his crossing. Synn sat
down and perused the open book on the table. It indicated that the portal to
the other side could be blocked.

He didn’t understand what it all meant, but it was clearly a
threat to his friends. He needed to find the priest and tell the others.
Closing the ancient text, he noticed a familiar book beneath it. What was the
sex journal doing here? Eric must have gone into Rena’s room! Standing quickly,
his leg caught the edge of the journal and it fell to the floor, revealing a
hot-pink thong beneath. “Rena.”

His breath stopped as fear shot through his muscles. One of
the phrases from the texts made sense now. It said “live soul”. Not questioning
his instinct to get to Rena immediately, he dematerialized and floated through
the floors until he reached the library.

“Rena.” He was still materializing as he strode toward her.

Her whole body jumped at his voice, and she lifted her face
to stare at him. “Shit, Synn, I wish you’d stop doing that. I’d rather not have
a heart attack before I open this place.”

For all her bluster, he could see she’d been crying, and not
long ago. Without hesitation he lifted her out of her chair and pulled her into
his arms. She felt so good against him. He stroked her back as her arms
encircled his waist. He rested his chin on her head. “What has you so
melancholy, you would cry?”

She pulled her head away from his shoulder and gazed at him.
In her eyes was hopelessness. A need formed within him to make whatever it was
go away. “Is it Eric?”

Her brows lowered and she shook her head. “No. Why? Did you
find him?”

He looked away. “Almost.”

She pulled back farther to stare at him, but he kept his
arms around her. “How can you almost find someone?”

“We found his clothes.”

She grinned. “That doesn’t help. The man never wears
clothes. Who knows when he’ll come back for them?”

Her smile amidst her reddened eyes had his heart
constricting with love and pride. Why did he understand now what it was to
love? “True, but they were in the wine cellar.”

She nodded slowly. “And of course he will need to refill
that ever-present wine glass of his. Very smart.”

He brought one hand up to move her loose hair away from her
face. She was all softness to him and he would protect her. He owed her that.
“Will you come to the Black Room tonight?”

She blushed.

“What is it, Rena? Eric won’t be there to humiliate you. That
I can promise. Are you afraid to submit to my will completely?”

Her body relaxed before she even spoke. “No, I-I’m curious
about it, I admit.”

He took her hand and walked her around the desk so he could
sit in the wingback chair opposite. Pulling her into his lap, he settled her
comfortably. “What would you like to know? There is no secret to it. I will
simply tie you up and have my way with you.”

“In what way?”

He raised his brow. “Any way I want. I may decide to lick
your pussy or have a woman suck your nipples, or maybe I will make you lick
another woman’s nipples. What would you think about that?”

Her flushed countenance was a much better color on her than
red-rimmed eyes. “I would think that I had to because you told me?”

He studied her, her round eyes curtained by her lashes, her
small nose begging to be tapped. Yes, her current shy countenance foretold she
would make a good submissive. “Very good.”

Rena’s hand played with his shirt, a telltale sign she was
still nervous about it. He loved that he could read her so well now. He trailed
his fingers along her arm until he reached her hand where he entangled her
fingers with his own.

“Or maybe I will bend you over and push my cock into your
ass as I play with your clit while your arms and feet remain securely
restrained.” He squeezed her hand for emphasis.

Rena’s intake of breath confirmed it. She would be a willing
pupil of the Bondage Room. His cock, hard from his thoughts, already begged
entrance beneath her. “Can you feel how much I want to go in there?”

She nodded, her breaths short now.

How he wanted to take her right there. She would be wet and
ready for him, but that would step over the lines of sex for the Masque and he
dared not risk the chance of spoiling it for his friends. With effort, he controlled
himself. “Are you ready to be my sexual slave tonight?”

She took a deep breath before she responded. “I’m willing to
be with you tonight, but what happens after that?”

His blood stopped flowing to his cock at her question. “What
do you mean ‘after’?”

Her fingers played with his shirt again, and he covered her
hand with his. “What is it? Are you afraid you will cross over too? Because you
won’t. You are full of life and will not be affected when everyone leaves.”

She finally met his gaze and the anguish there curled his
gut. “What about you?”

He looked away this time. He didn’t want to think about what
would happen after the Abbey was soulless. He couldn’t meet her eyes. “I will
remain here. Alone. A prisoner in this abbey by my own design, in structure and
in deed.”

Rena’s fingers dug into his chin as she forced him to look
at her. “Not completely alone.”

He cupped her face in his hands. “Ah, Rena. Your optimistic
spirit is a balm to my tainted soul.” He kissed her gently. He didn’t deserve
her, couldn’t keep her. Ending the kiss, he lifted her off his lap and set her
on her feet as he moved away.

He stood at the green glass window, separated from the
outside light by its color and his past actions. He’d always accepted his guilt
and his punishment, but right now he wanted to rail at the heavens and demand
to be set free. To watch Rena leave or fall in love with another would be a
torture far greater than any he had suffered so far.

Soft arms came around his waist as she pressed herself
against his back. Her touch soothed his angst and calmed his heart. As she laid
her head against his shoulder blade, he placed his arms on hers, holding her
there, letting her soft, tangy scent and gentle touch give him solace…for a
moment. He closed his eyes and shut out his prison, focusing on Rena alone.
Despite the agony his future held, he would always be grateful for having
fallen in love with her.

Rena breathed in the familiar spicy scent of Synn. She
finally understood the depths of his anguish. How could she burden him with her
own concerns when he was so overburdened with his own? Despite every instinct
within her that demanded she tell him how she felt, she stayed silent. She
would wait. What happened tonight would change her life forever, in so many
ways. She would be patient. In the meantime, she had an exciting experience to
look forward to. Her spirits rose at the thought and she squeezed Synn.

He pulled her arms apart and faced her. “I will see you this
evening. Wear something sexy for me.”

She gave him a sly smile. “Of course.”

He brought their lips together and she melted into him as he
kissed her. It was over too quickly. He released her and strode out the door,
her body still warm from the contact.

She grasped her chair and slumped into it. Would he turn to
her after the Masque was complete? Could she live the rest of her life only
within these walls to be with him? Better to focus on the evening’s activities.
Where was that sex journal? She glanced over to the space in the bookcase where
it should have been returned, but footsteps approaching the room had her
watching the archway before Valerie walked in. “Yes?”

Valerie came to a stop at the desk. “I heard the ghosts will
leave tonight, forever.”

“Yes.”

“Oh.” Valerie sighed and looked down at her ever-present
notepad. “That means we are going to lose all this manpower.”

Rena nodded.

“Shit. I was really getting used to the crew. That Darby is
a rascal and Gwen is an absolute sweetheart.”

“Really?” She studied her friend. Valerie hadn’t really
wanted to see ghosts. Now she didn’t want them to leave? Rena grinned.

Valerie lifted her hand with the notepad. “What? They have
been working so hard for us, and they are good people.”

“I know. I’m going to miss them.” Rena leaned back in her
chair and crossed her arms.

“Me too. Actually, since you are talking about crossing
over, I wanted to ask you about the chapel.”

Rena tensed, a protective instinct kicking into gear. “What
about the chapel?”

Valerie shook her head. “Hey, don’t give me that look. I
know you, girl. All I need to know is do you want electricity in there? I asked
you once before but we got sidetracked. I thought it would be a nice place to
get married. Maybe some guests could have small weddings here or elope even.”