Ten minutes later, as he looked at the tins he’d pulled out from the pantry, a cold shiver ran down his neck. He felt as if he was being watched.
He spun around. A black cat sat on the mat by the front door eyeing him suspiciously. Liam huffed with relief.
“You must be the mysterious Shadow.”
Like one of the china cats on the window ledge the cat remained perfectly still. He looked around and spotted two bowls on the floor in the corner.
“I’d better feed you otherwise your mistress will never forgive me.”
He filled one bowl with water and the other with dry food from a box he’d found in the pantry. The cat remained frozen.
“Well, I’ve done my part.”
Liam turned away and went in search of a tin opener. Out the corner of his eye, he saw Shadow creep to his bowls and sniff their contents.
“If you don’t like it, don’t blame me.”
Suddenly Shadow’s ears flattened against his head and he spun around. His fur puffed out and he let out a low growl as he reversed back against the wall.
“What is it, boy?”
Then he heard it. A faint muttering. Liam frowned as he tried to work out where the noise was coming from. His eyes jumped to a clatter from the door. He spotted Shadow’s back legs vanishing through the cat flap. A shrill scream pierced through his eardrums and sent an icy blast racing down his spine.
“Beccy!”
As he raced out of the kitchen a distant howl filled the night air.
Chapter Ten
“Beccy!”
Liam flew to her side. Her head thrashed around, and her hands clawed at the air. Liam kneeled on the discarded blanket by the sofa.
“Beccy, you’re having a nightmare.”
Her forehead shimmered with sweat. He brushed her pink cheek and immediately snatched his hand away. She wasn’t just burning up she was nuclear hot. Liam snatched up her coat and dunked the sleeve in the untouched glass of water. He gently dabbed her face, half expecting to see steam evaporating from her skin. Creases shot across her forehead, and she sat upright.
“Beccy, are you alright?”
Her head whipped around to look at him. Liam’s breath caught in his chest. Bright, amber eyes glared at him. They glowed with a menacing pulse as if powered by a hidden, demonic fury. Her lips pulled back into a vicious snarl. The hairs on his neck sprung up as if he’d been blasted with a fierce artic wind. Icy terror flooded his body. Liam recoiled backwards onto the floor.
“Beccy!” he shouted. “Wake up!”
Her back arched and her head flew back. A deafening, howl burst from her mouth.
“Beccy!” Liam screamed.
Her body juddered, and she collapsed back onto the sofa, limp and still.
Liam scrambled over and tentatively touched her shoulder. Her eyelids fluttered and then opened. She stared at him blankly for a second and then a faint smile appeared.
“Are you alright?” Liam asked quietly.
She frowned. “Yes. Why?”
“You were having a nightmare.”
“Oh.” A peaceful expression settled on her face. “I was dreaming about running through a moonlit forest. It was beautiful. Not a nightmare at all.”
Liam ran a shaking hand through his hair. The fire crackled behind him, and he suddenly realised why her eyes must have looked like they were pulsing with light. The flames from the open fire must have been reflecting in her amber irises. Relief surged through his body. He sat back on his heels and shook his head.
“Fuck, I don’t want to be around when you do have a nightmare. You scared the crap out of me.”
She rolled over to face him and smiled.
“And here I was thinking you were cool and unflappable.”
“You come face to face with a psychotic, possessed banshee and see how you do,” he said, getting to his feet still slightly shaken. He put a hand on her forehead. Her temperature was back to normal, only a faint pink glow in her cheeks remained. “You’d pee your pants.”
“I bet I wouldn’t.” She grinned and sat up. Her head titled and small creases appeared between her eyebrows. “Oh.”
Liam closed his eyes for a second and took a deep breath. “What is it?"
“I’ve just realised why something didn’t feel right in Aunty Di’s kitchen. The dresser.”
“The dresser?”
“Yeah. It normally sits flush with the counter, but it wasn’t. It was pulled forward.”
“And? She could have moved it when she’d been cleaning.”
“Perhaps.” She gazed past Liam into the crackling flames of the fire.
“But?”
Beccy smiled apologetically.
“You want to check it out?”
She nodded.
Liam rolled his eyes. “My girl, you are going to owe me big time for this.”
She stood up and rested her hand gently on his arm. “I know. Just a quick visit, I promise.”
Liam looked into her sparkling, golden eyes and knew he’d visit her aunt’s house ten times a day if it meant spending more time with her.
“You bet you will. But first, I’m getting some food into you, so you don’t pass out on me again. No argument.”
Beccy lowered her head and nodded. “Yes, sir.”
An hour later, after a meal of tomato pasta with tuna and sweetcorn, they pulled up once again in front of Aunty Di’s cottage. He turned off the headlights, but the house was still visible, bathed in the cool light of the full moon. Crisp frost crackled beneath Liam’s feet as he got out the car.
Liam pulled Beccy towards him and fastened up her coat. As she gazed up at him, Liam kissed her forehead.
“Let’s get this done quickly, so I can get you back to your place for your first training lesson in being my submissive.”
“I thought you wanted to take this slowly?”
“Fuck that,” Liam rumbled. “You’re far too tempting to hold back any longer.”
“What are we waiting for?”
Liam took her hand and they hurried around the house and into the kitchen. He turned on the lights and Beccy rushed over to a large wooden dresser. Behind the glass door, the shelves displayed at least two dozen decorated plates. Ornate containers stood in a neat row either side of a large bowl of apples on the counter. Beccy ran her hand along the edge and then pointed to the gap between it and the countertop next to the stove.
“See,” she said slipping her hand in the gap, “they should be flush against each other.” She took out a small torch from her pocket and shone it down the gap. “I can’t see anything.”
Liam stood back and watched as she kneeled and pressed her nose against the gap. His eyes travelled over her crouched body and down her legs. An image of black leather cuffs around her ankles popped into his head. He looked away to wipe the arousing picture and spotted strange marks on the floor.
“What’s that?” he asked and stepped forward for a closer look.
“Huh?” said Beccy as she reversed and ended up kneeling teasingly at his feet.
Liam gulped and pulled his mind back to the task in hand. “There. It looks like the tiles have been worn away in two neat lines.”
She ran her finger along one of the lines.
“It’s quite deep. Must be years’ worth of wear.”