“I’ll be back in a couple of hours,” he informs me as he pushes to full height and fills the room with his large frame. “Be a good girl, and I might even reward you tonight.”
“I’m not a submissive,” I throw out quickly, causing his eyes to darken at the thought.
The corner of his mouth quirks. “I beg to differ, but that’s a conversation for another time and place. You’re welcome to explore the house, but don’t go into my office.” The warning is clear. But it only piques my curiosity even more. He must know this. “I’ll know every move you make,” he informs me easily as if reading my mind. I watch as Lycan turns and heads for the door, throwing a look over his suited shoulder before leaving me alone to ponder what I’m going to do today.
One room I will be exploring is the library. After confirming that his father knew my grandmother, I need to uncover more about their tryst, and I’m hoping his father had copies of the same fairy tale. I wonder if there are any more hidden notes or letters which will shed some light on their secret relationship.
Leaning back against the cool porcelain, I replay some of what Lycan told me.
“My father was a year older than your grandmother. At the time, the two names—Shaw and Bardot—were well known in Crimson Falls. They were considered royalty. And even when my dad left, there were still whispers of why and how.”
Lycan’s expression turns dark, and even as I snuggle into his hold, I shiver at the thought of my gran sending a man she loved away. My grandfather was strict in both personality and values, and I wonder briefly if he had forced her into marriage.
“My father loved deeply. I recall coming here when I was about five. My dad brought me here to say goodbye to the house. He told me things didn’t work out but never explained why. He said there were too many ghosts, which didn’t make sense to me at the time, but when I got older, when I learned the truth, I realized the ghosts weren’t dead. They were very much alive.”
“So, he loved my grandmother,” I whisper, wondering if that’s why Lycan chose to save me. “What about my father? Did you know him after your dad sold the house? answers ”
Lycan stiffens under me. “Horatio Bardot was the reason I couldn’t come back to Crimson Falls for a long time. But when he walked into my club in New York, he didn’t recognize me. Only later did he learn the truth, but by then, it was too late. I knew too much about him for him to ever walk away.”
“But my grandmother knows you, and she knows I’m here. Isn’t she angry you’ve taken me? Or want me to marry you?” Confusion settles in my gut like a lead weight.
Lifting my gaze, I catch sight of his nod. “She does. But she knows if she tries to stop me, she’ll only hurt her family, her son. Blood is everything to Grace Bardot.”
“So, she doesn’t care about me.”
The dark, sinister grin that curls Lycan’s lips sends cold dread shooting through me. “Your grandmother knows better than to hurt another Shaw.”
His gaze locks on mine before I ask, “Hurt another Shaw? Did she hurt you in the past?”
He nods slowly, but a glimmer of rage sparkles in his eyes. “Something like that.”
I push to my feet, my legs still wobbly from the orgasm he bestowed on me earlier. “I don’t understand why you’re treating me like a princess in your home when my family hurt yours. What did she do?”
The story seems credible. His dad loved my gran. They then went their separate ways before my dad was born. Lycan knew my father long before I ever came along. But why would he want to keep me happy, safe, if the Bardot family had broken the Shaws?
Unless they didn’t.
Lycan doesn’t respond, but pain etches itself on his face. An expression so agonizing it steals my breath. Realization hits me right in the chest, a confirmation of just what happened between our families.
“My father was the one who did something,” I whisper, awareness creeping into my mind and tumbling from my lips. When I meet Lycan’s green irises, I find agreement swirling around like a tornado about to take out anything in its path.
He promised to finish the story when he got home from his meeting. Fear skitters through my veins at the thought of having to hear the truth about my family. Never did I think my father could be anything but the good person I thought he was. I grew up believing he was a hero.
And now, I’m not so sure.
In my bedroom, I get dressed quickly, wanting to explore before Lycan returns. By the time I reach the library, I’m anxious. Not sure what I’m looking for, I start at one end of the classics shelf, slowly sliding my fingers over each spine. The fairy tales are all first editions, and I pull out every one of them.