believe in curses and I don’t know much about it either way. I know everyone here thinks your family worships the Devil. Some say your father made a pact with him and that’s the real reason that island you live on was torn from this one.” I met his gaze. He seemed interested in what I was saying, curious even. “I know people don’t make it out of Dolos. A lot of people have died in that ocean.” I jutted my chin toward the water below us, the waves crashing hard against the rocks as I said it, as if confirming.
“What if I told you that most of that was real?”
“I’d say I still don’t believe in curses.”
“That’s fair.” He chuckled. My heart stopped when he did that. “Tell me about The Haunt.”
“My website?” I blinked. “Have you been on it?”
“I have. I find it fascinating that there are that many people who love decaying things.” He cocked his head, “Though, maybe I shouldn’t find it that interesting. We are all decaying after all.”
“I thought nothing ever dies?”
“It decays though.” He cocked his head. “What I find more fascinating is that a woman from Pan Island, which is filled with fables and legends, would start a website like The Haunt and truly not believe in any of it.”
“It’s not that I don’t believe in it per se.” I pursed my lips, trying to figure out how to explain it. I hadn’t in so long. “I think you can believe in ghosts and not believe in curses and vice versa.”
“In The Haunt, you focus mostly on decaying houses, the ones that need restoration. You don’t think homes with that much history are prone to ghosts?”
“Maybe.” I met his gaze again. “You know, people say Dolos is filled with ghosts, lost souls that never made it back to wherever it was they came from. Do you believe that?”
“I do.”
I raised an eyebrow. “That surprises me.”
“Why?”
“Why would you live there if you truly felt it was haunted?”
“Who says I’m not the one they should be afraid of?”
My heart skipped as I watched his eyes darken. I swallowed, pushing down my trepidation. I needed to change the subject. Talking about haunts and ghosts on the verge of a cliff was definitely not my idea of fun, and that was saying a lot for someone who did what I did for a living.
“Do you have a cell phone?”
“What a question.” The side of his mouth turned up as he pushed off the car and went back to the driver’s seat.
“Do you have friends?” I followed and got in the passenger’s seat, eyeing him as I put on my seatbelt.
“Of course, I do.” He chuckled. “You’ll meet some of them tonight.”
“Did you go to college?”
“Did you?” He raised an eyebrow and I knew he knew the answer to that.
My lips pursed. “I couldn’t afford that specific luxury.”
“I beg to differ.” He turned the car back on and we both reached for the air vent, our fingers crashing. I yanked my hand away quickly, ignoring the palpable electricity he elicited from me.
“How so?” I folded my hands on my lap.
“I think you could afford any luxury. You just choose the ones that give you instant gratification rather than the ones that may not, like a college degree.”
“Well, considering the fact that most people I went to high school with ended up with a college degree and no job security upon graduation, I think I’m doing okay.” I shrugged. “I have no student loans. They do.”
“I can’t argue there.” His gaze flicked to mine briefly and then back to the road.
“Why’d you take me there?”
“To the Devil’s Peak?”
I nodded.
“I don’t get to go there often.”
“Why not?” I watched the side of his face. “You have an apartment in town and everything. You’re obviously over here often enough.”
“I’m in a lot of places.” He smiled, a small, secretive smile. “And yet, I’m not.”
“What does that mean?”
“It’s difficult to explain.” He stopped in front of the black iron gates, and Gustavo was on the other side, unlocking and opening it.
“Why don’t you have a mechanical gate like everyone else?”
“And throw away the—what did you call it—antiquated vibe this whole place has?” River laughed, the sound vibrating my pulse.
“Hilarious.” I rolled my eyes, but couldn’t keep myself from smiling.
I realized as we drove up the winding road and the gravel gave way to cobblestone and greenery, that the house was as well-lit as I’d ever imagined it could be, with torches