Читать книгу Otherworld Challenger - Jane Godman - Страница 14

Chapter 6

As they crested the hilltop, the house came fully into view. Even in its neglected state it was a magnificent sight. Built in a quirky, individual style, the main house was three floors high. Vashti’s eyes scanned the building, taking in such unusual features as the fact that each window was of a different design and the colored roof tiles were laid out in a mosaic pattern. In addition to the central property, with its wraparound porch and the pointed tower they had glimpsed from the road, there was a separate long, low building jutting out at right angles. This looked like an overlarge summerhouse, and it appeared to have escaped the fire damage that had left sections of the main house blackened and charred.

“It looks like—”

“Something out of a fairy tale?” Jethro interrupted her. “And you should know, I suppose?”

She ignored the deliberate gibe. “I can see why mortals might believe it to be a place of evil. I have heard they are a superstitious lot.”

He gave a harsh laugh. “Yes, that’s us mortals. Forever avoiding walking under ladders and staying indoors on Friday the thirteenth.”

“Am I supposed to understand what you are talking about?”

He shook his head. “Never mind.” They made their way along a drive fighting a losing battle with weeds and creepers. “It’s always the same. Whenever I come here, it’s like I’ve ceased to live in the here and now. I get transported back to different points in my life, depending on what my mind decides to dwell on each time. So many memories come back to me.”

“What are you recollecting now?”

He pointed to a broken-down gatepost. “I was running along the drive here, chasing a butterfly.” He raised a brow as Vashti made a suspicious choking sound. “Are you laughing at me?”

She did her best to keep her expression prim but it didn’t quite work. “Maybe a little bit. It’s a new image, one that will take some getting used to. How old were you?”

“I’m not sure. I was very young. Anyway, I tripped and went headfirst into that post. I still have the scar.” He turned his head.

Vashti stood on the tips of her toes so she could see the white mark above his right cheekbone. Some primeval instinct deep within her, a powerful urge she had never experienced before, prompted Vashti to reach out one fingertip and lightly trace the crescent-shaped scar. Jethro jerked beneath her touch, his eyelids fluttering closed. Raw heat arced from her finger to him and back again. It sparked through their bodies in a series of low-level electric currents. Although Vashti wanted to break the contact and stop the storm of sensation coursing through her, the force compelling her was too strong. Helpless to do anything else, she placed her other hand on Jethro’s shoulder, clinging to him as her body shuddered in time with his.