Current Impressions (35 page)

“Feast?” I asked Ula once we were in the
hallway and walking toward the tower. We agreed to go back to her
room with our treats.

“That’s the news I wanted to share. Ren,
Atiya, and Nico leave in two days’ time. We’re having a celebration
the night before.”

“They’re leaving in two days?” I couldn’t
believe that much time had passed. That meant Evan would be leaving
in less than a week. I needed to get the necklace from Kieran and
try to contact him again. Surely, I would be able to say goodbye. I
hoped that it wouldn’t be for good.

“You’re missing the point, Meara. Another
celebration. Another chance to get dressed up. We had so much fun
last time.” She pouted and sunk into a beanbag chair. “I thought
you’d be excited to go with me again.”

“Of course I’ll go to the party with you.” I
took a cookie off the plate and sat across from her. “But you know
this means that Evan’s going home soon.”

“Maybe it’s for the best.” Her voice was
gentle. “His visit has not done much for your relationship.”

“You mean besides end it?” I laughed
bitterly.

She ate the rest of her cookie and conjured
up two mugs of cocoa, handing one to me. “I think you need this.”
Her eyes grew sympathetic. “Have you spoken to him at all?”

“Not since I gave Kieran the necklace.”

Hot chocolate sloshed dangerously close to
the rim as Ula straightened in surprise. “You did what?”

“He thought the necklace would be too much
of a temptation, so he offered to take it and hold it for me. He
said I could talk to Evan whenever I wanted, but he wanted to be
there to make sure nothing happened.”

“That was generous of him.” Ula sounded
doubtful. “Are you going to try to contact Evan again?”

I nodded. “If nothing else, I want to say
goodbye.”

“You still love him.” It wasn’t a question.
Ula patted my knee.

“Of course I do,” I said. “I don’t know if
he loves me, though.”

“From what you described of your dream, I’d
say he does.” She looked at me thoughtfully. “Something else is
going on. It sounds like Evan is a victim in it.”

“Do you think that doctor did something to
him? Besides knocking him out, I mean? He told me they injected him
with something. Could the drug cause him to hallucinate?”

“Possibly.” She shook her head in confusion.
“And you shared all of this with David?”

“I did.” The three of us also searched
stacks of books in the strategy room library. It took most of the
afternoon, and we found nothing. None of the symptoms Evan
exhibited. Maybe he was experiencing something else. Maybe his
glowing eyes were a trick of the light. I hoped they were. I didn’t
want to think about him becoming one of those monsters. With any
luck, he found answers in the time we’ve been apart.

“When you contact Evan, you’ll have to ask
him what he knows.”

“That’s what I was thinking, too,” I
said.

We drank the rest of our cocoa in silence.
While the mood was peaceful, my mind was not. If I didn’t stop
worrying about Evan, I was going to drive myself crazy. I needed a
distraction.

“Tell me about this party,” I asked. Perking
up, she grinned and began to describe what the clan planned for
Ren, Atiya, and Nico’s departure. I laughed when she told me about
Arren and his friends. After I spoke with them at the last feast,
they sought out and discovered rock music. What they lacked in
wisdom, they made up for in enthusiasm. The group started a band.
Not a very good one according to Ula.

“My ears bled.” She winced. “Literally.”

They insisted on debuting at the party. The
elders wanted to give them something to focus on, since the current
high-alert status meant they couldn’t swim. Realizing the band
would be a nice distraction, they agreed to let them play.

“I can’t wait to see it.” I smiled, a real
smile. Ula never failed to lift my spirits. Then my thoughts
returned to Evan, and my happiness faded.

No matter what, I hoped he was okay.

“I’m dressing myself this time,” I warned
Ula and tried to look stern. I failed when I met her eyes in the
mirror and smiled. She shrugged a slim, naked shoulder.

“Let’s see it then.” She tapped her foot as
if impatient. I knew she was only teasing.

“You look amazing,” I said. Her dress was
simple, yet beautiful. The asymmetrical emerald gown complemented
her shape, and the color flattered her copper ringlets. “Are you
sure everyone is dressing up?”

She moved next to me, smoothing a wrinkle in
her dress. Leaning in for a quick inspection of her flawless
makeup, she asked, “How often do we get to dress up?”

I didn’t bother pointing out that this would
be the third time in my life I dressed this fancy, and two of those
events occurred this summer. The other event was my parents’
wedding. At the time, I was embarrassed watching my parents act so
lovey-dovey. Looking back, I was glad they rediscovered each other
and sealed their love with vows. I blinked and brushed the tears
away. If Ula noticed, she didn’t comment. Before I could get too
melancholy, I closed my eyes and concentrated. When we were dress
shopping for my mom’s wedding gown, I saw the most amazing dress.
It fit snugly from chest to hips. With a plunging, sweetheart
neckline, it gave the wearer an hourglass shape, and then flared
into frothy waves of fabric. It reminded me of the sea.

I imagined that dress, adding a few
adjustments of my own. Midnight blue, flecks of silver woven
throughout like a starry sky or the reflection on a wave. When I
heard Ula gasp, my eyes flew open.

“It’s gorgeous!” she squealed.

Seeing my reflection, I took a step back. It
couldn’t possibly be me. Without realizing it, I’d visualized
makeup to match, deep, smoky eyes and gorgeous, red lips. The
reflection in the mirror was sophisticated and confident. No trace
of a girl, this was a woman.

“You look like a mermaid,” Ula commented and
touched one of the waves. “It’s really sexy.”

A slow smile spread on my face. I couldn’t
wait to see Kieran’s reaction. To complete the look, I twisted my
hair in a complex style, threading pearls throughout.

Ula snapped her compact closed. No longer
needed, it vanished. She offered me her arm. “Ready?”

Unafraid, confident, and full of
anticipation, for the first time in a long time, I was.

****

When we arrived, the hall was full of
laughter and conversation. Not everyone was dressed up, but I was
relieved to see that many were. My dad, Brigid, and Angus sat at
the head table, deep in conversation. Uncle Ren’s family hadn’t
arrived yet.

“Meara!” My dad’s eyes widened in surprise
when he saw me. I watched with amusement as a myriad of emotions
crossed his face. Clearly, he found the dress too revealing for his
daughter. He let it go. Pulling me close, he kissed my cheek and
whispered, “You look beautiful. Your mother would be so proud.”

I blinked rapidly as I hugged him. “Thanks,
Dad.”

I stepped back and into a little person.

“Whee!”

The ruffles on my dress rose and fell as
Nico played with the hem. I spun and picked him up. “What do you
think you’re doing, rascal?” When I kissed his cheek, he laughed
and squirmed in my arms. I was really going to miss the little
cutie.

Horrified that my eyes were once again
filling with tears—why did I bother with makeup?—I placed Nico in
his mother’s outstretched arms. Her gentle smile comforted me.
“You’re always welcome to visit, Meara. This is not a goodbye, but
an ‘until we meet again.’”

We took our seats as the first course was
served. The meal was long, but pleasant. Thankfully, my dad and the
other elders kept the conversation light. They reminisced about
their childhood, which was fun for me to hear. My dad was a
precocious child who apparently loved to play pranks on his
siblings. The vision was so different from the man before me, the
man burdened with the responsibility of leading. He was a good
leader, a good man. He had some things to learn about being a
father, but he was trying. I was proud.

The music started once dessert was served.
It wasn’t Arren’s band, but the adults who played the more
traditional dance music. Standing, I stretched. I reached my limit
after the main course. There was no room for dessert. The tempo
picked up, and the floor filled with dancing Selkies. How could
they move like that after such a large meal? I wasn’t ready to
dance, though walking sounded doable.

“Want me to come with you?” Ula asked when I
passed her chair. Her expression told me she didn’t want to, so I
appreciated her offer all the more. She was trying to make up for
ditching me the last time.

I patted her shoulder and smiled. “I’m good.
Stay and visit with your brother.”

Kieran wasn’t here, I realized with
disappointment. Or if he was, I didn’t see him. I laughed when my
eyes did settle on some familiar faces—Arren and his friends. They
wore rock star costumes. Well, their impression of what rock stars
wore. They apparently couldn’t distinguish decades. They looked
like a mashup of early Beatles, Megadeath, Madonna, Run DMC, and
Lady GaGa. I was almost afraid to hear their songs.

“Hi Arren,” I said. His mouth dropped open
when he eyed my dress. He quickly recovered, giving me an aloof
stare so often seen on celebrities in photographs. Where had they
been getting their information? Did they uncover a stash of
People
and
Rolling Stone
magazines?

“Hey, Meara. What’s up?”

I fought the urge to shake my head or roll
my eyes. “Are you guys playing soon?”

“We’re up next,” Madonna said. I couldn’t
remember any of the other bandmate’s real names. She really looked
like Madonna, so the name fit.

“Are you going to watch?” Like an eager
puppy dog, Arren bounced in front of me.

“Of course,” I said. “Can’t wait.”

Looking past Arren, my heart lept. Kieran
strode across the room. Eyes burning, he locked me in his gaze. I
had been wondering about his reaction. Seeing him, I melted into a
pool of want. No one wore a tuxedo like Kieran did.

A slow, sexy smile spread across his face.
He noticed my reaction. Damn, now he had the advantage. I tried to
cool my thoughts and put on a poker face. I was fairly certain that
I wasn’t successful.

He didn’t stop a respectable distance away.
Toe to toe, he leaned in and whispered in a deep, throaty voice,
“You’re breathtaking.”

The light brush of his lips on my ear sent
shivers down my spine. His hands soon followed, pulling me against
him and onto the dance floor. “Why do you do this to me?” he
murmured into my hair. “You drive me crazy.”

I hid my smile against his chest. His heart
was beating fast, too. A voice cut through my emotional haze.

“It’s not a slow song, you know.”

Arren and his friends laughed. Kieran didn’t
acknowledge them. To me, he said, “I’m not even hearing the music.
You block everything else in the room.”

My eyes sought his. Was he serious? He was
if the shell-shocked expression on his face was any indication. I
never meant to make him fall in love with me. I stepped back,
afraid. I never meant to fall in love with him. Finally admitting
it to myself, I fled.

****

“Meara, wait!”

Kieran caught me at the top of the stairs. I
was mere steps away from the safety of my room, yet his arms
tightened around my waist.

I waited, refusing to turn and see his
face.

He stepped closer to me, the heat from his
body erasing a bone-deep chill. His chin lighted on my head, and he
sighed. “I scared you.”

I collapsed in his arms, the fight gone. “I
scared myself.”

With a gentle touch, he turned me around and
raised my chin until I met his gaze. His eyes searched mine, and
then he smiled. “You have feelings for me, too.”

“Kieran… I… Evan.” Words tumbled as my mouth
tried to speak for my frazzled brain.

“It’s okay, Meara. I know. You love him.”
His voice was soft and understanding.

He puzzled me. “You’re okay with that?” I
asked, searching his eyes.

“It’s enough,” he answered. “For now.
Knowing that you care for me, too.”

He held my gaze as he lowered his head. When
his lips met mine, all the emotions swirling in my head narrowed to
one singular focus. Right then, right there, there was no one else
but Kieran.

Reluctantly, he broke the kiss and stepped
back. “I better go.”

His absence left my body cold. He was
leaving?

He laughed softly. “When we finally get
together, Meara, I don’t want you to wake up with regrets. I’m not
sharing you with another man.”

My face heated as I grew angry. I wasn’t
planning to sleep with him. How dare he think that! I immediately
calmed when I realized he was teasing. He smiled with confidence.
The expression I once thought arrogant was now endearing.