Breath of Air (24 page)

Capri sat across from him, little brown birds fluttering all around her, chirping cheerfully as they fed on grain from her open palm. She was laughing, her smile lovely and bright, and the sound of it was like soft, chiming bells. Thea watched as Capri encouraged one of the birds to land in Rian’s hand, and she smiled at the startled look on his face as the bird began to dance in his open palm.

Yes, they gave something to each other that would never have been found elsewhere, Thea concluded, feeling content. Capri needed his stability, his cool, clear mind and unshakable strength. And Rian needed her innocence, her easy humor and her open heart.

As she approached them, Rian turned and watched her warily, his eyes guarded. Capri looked startled and unsure, and in her confusion the birds scattered, making their hasty escape into the trees.

“Rian, Capri.” Thea nodded at the two of them, her smile warm. Rian nodded in return, his face carefully blank, but Capri smiled sweetly, glowing with happiness.

“Good afternoon, Thea.” Capri brushed the seeds from her palm into the grass, then made to stand up before Thea stopped her.

“No need to get up. In fact, I think I’ll just have a seat myself. It’s been too long since I’ve sat in the courtyard.” Thea told them as she sat gracefully on the grass, tucking the long skirt of her jade colored dress underneath her and shaking back her long dark hair. When she was seated comfortably, she turned to both of them, smiling. “I suppose I should just cut to the chase and bring up what it is I have to say.” She sighed, and her warm smile faded as the seriousness of the situation returned to her mind. For a moment, she had let herself forget just how bad things were, and now she could only hope that these two were as strong as she thought, and that they could survive what was sure to befall both of them very soon. “Alastor came to me this morning and told me about Roarke being possessed. Naturally, he also told me that he had told you two about it before he came to me.” Amusement flickered briefly across her face as she turned to Capri. “As you now know, you and Roarke were both possessed by the same demon. I feel it is necessary that we keep this information to ourselves for the time being. I have my own suspicions, which I will not share with you at this time, but I do want to ask both of you to put this to rest for now. This is a very dangerous situation, and we must be careful who we trust with this information. Someone, most likely one of those amongst us, is responsible for this, and therefore it is of the utmost importance that we not speak of it just yet.”

Rian looked irritated, but Capri nodded. “We wouldn’t have said anything anyways.”

Thea’s lips curved slightly. “Good. But please promise me that you both will discontinue your efforts in investigating this.” Her gaze flicked to Rian and she watched him very closely, aiming her words at him. “I’m warning you now that this is quite possibly the most dangerous threat Euphora has ever faced, and I am ashamed to say that I, for once, didn’t see this coming.”

“So you expect us to just sit by and twiddle our thumbs?” Rian said, barely controlled anger in his voice. He wanted to show respect to Thea, but her request was taking things a bit too far. “My father is dead and you expect me to do nothing?”

“Yes, because I can’t afford to lose another Fury.” Thea responded, her eyes sharpening. “And I certainly do not want to lose my Air Dryad now that she has so recently returned to me.”

“Thea…if I may, there is a lot at stake here for both Rian and myself, and I promise we won’t do anything brash or dangerous…but please, don’t ask us to stop trying to figure this all out.”

Thea looked at Capri, her gaze softening. “Trust me, this goes beyond what either of you can even imagine. I’m ordering the two of you to drop the subject completely. I will take over the investigation from here, utilizing outside sources, and we will get to the bottom of this. I need you both to stay alert and focused, but do not go looking for trouble. The last thing I need is to bury another member of my family because of this asshole, whoever he is.”

Tears threatened behind her eyes as she thought of Roarke, but she willed them away. Crying never solved anything, even when emotions were running high. She stood up swiftly and carefully brushed at the grass on her skirt before facing them again.

“I’m in the mood for a good rainstorm today.” She mused with a smile as she turned away, her head tilting up to look at the sunny sky. Suddenly, clouds appeared out of nowhere and steady rain began to shimmer to the ground.

Capri stared after Thea’s retreating figure as she got to her feet, grateful the tree protected them momentarily from the rain. When she turned to Rian, she saw him stand and shrug out of his t-shirt.

He held up the shirt, holding it over her head like a makeshift umbrella. “Let’s get inside before you get too wet.”

She tried to hide the embarrassment she felt at unexpectedly seeing him shirtless, and raced beside him as they headed back towards the castle. Once inside the atrium, he pulled the now soaking wet shirt back over himself, and she couldn’t help but grin, humor in her eyes.

He looked at her as he ran a hand through his damp hair, arching an eyebrow and smirking. “What?”

“It’s just that no one’s ever gone shirtless just so my hair wouldn’t get wet before.” She bit her lip, trying not to laugh. “It was very…chivalrous of you.”

He dug his hands into the pockets of his jeans, trying not to be amused. “Would you prefer it if I let you catch a cold?”

“Of course not!” Her eyes lit up as she smiled again, enjoying herself. “It’s just that you made me feel like I was a princess or something…it was nice.”

“I see…” He murmured, watching her carefully. “I’m certainly no prince charming.”

She shook her head, her smile softening as she stepped closer to him, amazed at her own daring. “To me you are.”

She tilted her head up just slightly, her eyes focused on his. So serious, so steady. Unshakable.

Perhaps it was simply because the moment presented itself, because under normal circumstances she knew she would never have the courage to do what she was about to do.

But seeing him, wet from the rain, his serious blue eyes intent on hers, knowing everything they had gone through together in such a short amount of time, she found no other suitable course of action but to kiss him.

And kiss him she did. Shyly, at first, her lips barely teasing his, her eyes open and gauging his reaction. But when he grabbed her waist and pulled her closer to him, deepening the kiss, she felt herself let go.

Joy burst through her stomach, rioting with the nerves and anticipation. Shimmering waves ran through her as her arms wound around his neck, her hands diving into his wet hair. It was, quite simply, the most amazing kiss she had ever been a part of.

She pulled away slowly, biting her lip in an attempt to curb the smile she knew had come across her face. His hands were still around her waist, and somehow she felt protected feeling them there.

They were only a few inches apart, and when his hand came up to cup her cheek, sliding gently down to her neck, she shivered despite not feeling even remotely cold.

“Again.” He murmured, his mouth seeking hers. His hand wound its way into her hair as his other hand trailed to her lower back, holding her closer against him.

The kiss was gentle, but eager, and the warmth she felt from him surprised and comforted her. She hadn’t known it could be like this…especially from someone like him. He, who always projected so much strength and strict discipline. Who, at first glance, appeared so hard, so callous and cold. But he wasn’t…there was so much more to him than she had ever imagined.

This time he pulled away, his eyes searching hers, his hand still cupped behind her neck. He didn’t say anything, but just watched her, until she felt compelled to speak.

“That was…nice.” She blushed at the look he gave her.

“Nice?” He teased, smirking as he let go of her, distancing himself. “I suppose I should be flattered?”

She crossed her arms over herself protectively, feeling foolish. “What I meant was, it was nice to finally do what I’ve wanted to do ever since you saved me from that demon. I never did properly thank you.” She looked up at him, smiling again. “Consider yourself thanked.”

“Well.” There was humor in his eyes now as he continued to watch her. “I can’t think of a better way to say thank you than that.”

“Good.” She let her arms fall to her sides as her grin faded, the memory of what Thea had told them returning to her. “I suppose we have to do what Thea said to do, huh?”

His face hardened, the bitterness evident in his eyes. “I don’t see a way around it. It’s too hard to hide anything from her.”

“Well, maybe this is a good thing.” Capri suggested, gauging his reaction. “We were at a dead end anyway, and Thea was right, it would be foolish for us to put ourselves in harm’s way.” She reached for his hands, holding them in her own. “Your father wouldn’t have wanted you to hurt yourself over this. He would have wanted you to continue your work, to make him proud.”

“When I find out who did this, I might just have to kill them. I think he’d respect that.”

“Oh, no, don’t say that.” Capri looked startled, her eyes wide. “You have to let Thea deal with it.”

“You don’t understand.” Anger flashed in his eyes, but his voice remained steady as he continued. “Actually, I would think you would, because this bastard is responsible for your mother’s death as well. We both lost parents because of him, and you don’t feel any anger?”

“Of course I do!” Capri managed, unnerved by his words. “But I believe in justice, and I believe that once he is uncovered, Thea will punish him justly.”

“Sometimes justice takes too long.” He murmured, and she could tell there was misery behind his anger.

“Rian…” She reached up to touch his face, hoping to comfort him. “I know this is hard, but-“

A sudden noise behind them had her turning just in time to see her father, Liam, and Lucian turn the corner and walk down the corridor, heading right towards them. The men were talking and laughing, but the moment they saw Capri and Rian, they quieted, concern clear on their faces.

Capri’s hand dropped from Rian’s face as she stepped back just slightly, shifting to face her father and the others as they stopped a few feet away. She tried to smile, but it scarcely hid her embarrassment.

“Did you guys come down to see the rain?” She asked, motioning towards the entrance doors. The sound of the pattering rain could be heard softly beyond the castle walls.

“Looks like you’ve already seen it.” Liam commented, eyeing Rian’s wet shirt and hair, eyebrows raised. He smiled just slightly, but it barely concealed his suspicion and disapproval.

“Capri, you shouldn’t stand out in the rain without an umbrella, you’ll catch a cold.” Clynn scolded, though he could see very well that her hair was not wet at all. He looked at Rian, who was standing so still he could have been a statue.

“I wasn’t standing in the rain…I ran into Rian in the courtyard, and he used his shirt to cover me so I wouldn’t get wet.”

The alarmed look in her father’s eyes and Liam’s snort of disapproval had Capri wincing at her choice of words. She saw Rian shift uncomfortably out of the corner of her eye, and she wished desperately for an amicable way out of the situation.

“Well, perhaps we should head outside for a stroll before Thea decides rain is no longer in style.” Lucian said suddenly with a bright smile, lifting up his large blue and white striped umbrella. Clynn nodded, still looking apprehensive.

“Capri, would you like to join us?” He asked. “There’s room enough for one more under the umbrella.”

“Um…” She hesitated, her eyes shifting to Rian. He nodded just slightly. “Okay.”

“Excellent!” Lucian beamed, obviously trying to smooth out the awkwardness of the situation as he stepped forward to open the entrance doors. He popped open the large umbrella, then stood beneath it as he stepped outside, looking cheerful as the rain showered around him.

Clynn pulled Capri along with him, nodding politely to Rian as they passed. Liam was the last to leave, and as he walked past Rian he sent him a warning look, as if to say I saw that, and I don’t like it. Back off.

♦ ♦ ♦

Before she knew it, three weeks had flown by as if time was on fast forward. Capri had been working nearly every day, longer hours than ever before, due to what her father termed as ‘end of spring, early summer storm season.’ Because of this, she was waking earlier and finishing later, exhausted from hours of creating and managing storm systems.

On top of having her work, her father had also taken to schooling her on the different types of clouds, how they are formed, how smog and pollution affects the atmosphere, etc. He had given her stacks of books on the subject, and insisted she read up and take a quiz on it nearly every day. She understood his insistence that she learn as much as she could, but it was like he was literally cramming fifteen years worth of lessons into several weeks. As if that wasn’t enough, she had the sneaking suspicion that his ulterior motive behind his sudden and strict work and study schedule was that he wanted her to see as little of Rian as possible. The reason, as of yet, was completely unbeknownst to her.

And despite him not once mentioning the incident in the Atrium just weeks earlier, she could tell it was constantly on his mind. Whenever they would go down to lunch, he would make sure it was always after Rian normally ate. Even at dinner, he would engage her in conversation with the Dryads so she wouldn’t have time to speak with the Furies.

She figured he thought he was being oh so sneaky with all of his careful planning and precautions, but she was on to him.

And she didn’t appreciate any of it, not one bit.

She was never one to question the authority of adults, much less her own parent now that she had one. But there was something about the fact that she was eighteen, a full grown adult capable of making her own choices that fueled her desire to want to break the rules for once.

Not to mention the fact that she was sure that Rian thought she was avoiding him on purpose. The very thought of it bothered her so greatly that she kept trying to think of ways to get past her father’s protective grasp and talk to Rian alone. But, in the span of three whole weeks, she had yet to be successful in any of her attempts.