Evermore (20 page)

I ducked as I passed the windows, hearing the TV show Lucy was watching, and headed to the dock. I probably could have watched it with her, considering we’d had at least an hour before sunset, but I didn’t want to chance a fish-out.

“Okay. I’m here,” I whispered. “Have fun.”

“I love you, Ashlyn. Always remember that.”

I swallowed my nerves of staying alone and lying to him. “I love you, too.”

Then, he was gone.

I slid into the lake and headed toward the portal tunnel into our enclosed patio. Once inside, I locked the hatch behind me. White wicker chairs with cushions decorated the edges. I shifted into legs, then walked up to the sliding glass window to peek inside. A sheet hung across the doorway, blocking my view.

“You and your darn sheets,” I mumbled.

I tried to slide the door open, finding it locked. Curiosity bloomed inside me anyway as I pressed my nose against the glass. Saturday just seemed like forever away.

I blew out a breath and flopped into the pool. Within a minute, I was restless and bored. We needed a TV in this room at least, or bar taps like his parents had and a refrigerator. Guilt that I didn’t return to the palace instead with the others washed through me.

I lay on my back, counting the stars beyond the windows when I heard glass breaking. I popped my head up and held my breath.

The sheet shifted as if something hard had blown against it.

“Jack? Maggie?” I asked softly. “Is that you?”

A dark shadow drifted past the sheet, shooting panic into my limbs. I ducked down and pulled in a gulp of water. Someone was in the house.

My heart pounded in terror as I swam to the other side of the pool toward the hatch. My trembling fingers couldn’t unlock it. I pressed my palms on the deck to lift myself out to get a better angle when a black gloved hand pulled back the sheet and clicked the lock open.

I slipped down into the water, and darted to the bottom of the pool, covering myself with the underwater blanket.

My hands shook, and I grabbed onto the vile of ink just in case. The silhouette of someone crossed over top — someone that resembled Mr. White Van.

A siren yelp escaped my lips, and I gripped my hand over my mouth to stop the noise. Bubbles wove their way to the surface instead. Whoever was up there, stopped and stared. Were they watching me?

My teeth started to chatter with fright, then my stomach clenched, sending horrible pain through me.

Whoever was there didn’t do anything, just stood on the side of the pool, watching. I knew I’d be okay as long as I stayed down here, but their ever watchful presence creeped me out all the same. They could never get to me, let alone pull me to the surface. I’d drown them first.

Then some sort of liquid splashed into the pool.

“Here fishy fishy,” a man’s voice said.

Mr. White Van. My heart pounded harder as I waited. Then I smelled it. Chlorine.

The gel covers over my eyes started to burn at first, not bad, but just enough that it felt better to close them, and I wondered why this was the first time I’d had a reaction to chlorine. Was it because my gel eye lenses and gills hadn’t made an appearance in the pool? Even still, I grabbed the blanket, and wove it around my neck, hoping to stop the chemicals from spilling into my lungs.

I sat, unmoving, for what seemed like forever, watching upward as the moon slowly crossed in the sky above. When I couldn’t stand the pain anymore, I closed my eyes and waited, listening for what he had in store next. His footsteps could be heard shuffling about, echoing in the room above me. Did I dare try to make a swim for the hatch? How much chlorine did he bring?

After a few minutes, my gills began to burn. I glared at the shadow up above as visions of me leaping out, digging my claws into my assailant’s neck, and pulling him underwater gripped me.

I’d risk my life for our child. I’d do anything.

I drove Dad’s Yukon up and over the ridge, completely exhausted. The guys crawled out and took the ice chests filled with tuna to the houseboat, spoils for tonight’s feast.

“I’m starved,” Jax said.

“Me, too,” Jacob added.

Though I could use some food, too, I wanted to check in with Ash. She hadn’t yet called this morning, meaning she most likely had taken her time to get back from Natatoria. Then I wanted to take a quick nap before finishing Galadriel’s to-do list for the cottage.

“Hey, Dad.” I waved. “Are the girls here yet?”

He stood on a ladder, painting the trim of the house. “I think they just left to go shopping.”

“With Ash?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know.”

My gaze swung to the cottage. She better not have spoiled her surprise, or else. I ran over, unlocked the door and walked inside to make sure. New furniture and draperies greeted me, making me excited to share it with her. Home. Our home.

Walking across the tiled kitchen floor, I stopped at the sheet and noticed it was stuck in the door jam. Placing a call to Ash on her cell once again, I unlocked the slider. The sound of a phone ringing came from the patio.

I pulled the slider open the entire way. “Ash? Are you in here?”

Walking to the pool, I peered down into the water. A redhead was curled up on the floor in the corner in a fetal position. I dove in and my legs snapped together, the bones crunching into place, and swam down to her. Knowing her body was busy making our baby, I didn’t want to wake her if she was just taking a nap. But she wasn’t sleeping. Her hands were clenched firmly around her fin tightly, her body shaking.

“Ash?” I swam next to her, concerned at first, then alarmed. “Ash! What’s wrong?”

She lifted her hand and flashed the vial of octopus ink.

“Stay back!” she hissed.

I sculled backward. “It’s me, Ash. It’s Fin!”

She blinked as if to clear her eyes, then dashed for me and latched her arms around my neck, holding on tight. “Don’t leave me.”

“What’s wrong?” I wove my arms around her and rubbed her back. Her body shook from her accelerated heartbeat.

“He… he-e-e,” she stuttered.

I caressed her cheek, lifting her head so I could see her eyes. “He what?”

“Wa-a-a-a-s here-e-e-e,” she finished, her voice almost sirening.

“Who?”

“Mr. White Van!”

I pulled my head backward, unbelieving what she was saying. “Who?”

“Th-h-h-h-e guy who-o-o tried to-o-o-o take me.”

The water next to my scales bubbled from the heat radiating off of me. How could that be? I’d mind-wiped his sorry ass just yesterday.

“He was pouring chlorine into the water,” she spluttered out. “Burning me.”

“Chlorine?”

“Up above.” She stabbed a shaky forefinger upward.

I sniffed the salty water. “Ash, there’s no chlorine.”

Had she been hallucinating?

She detached herself from me, eyes wild. “Are you calling me a liar?”

“No.” I reached for her. “Let’s get you out of here.”

“He’s there… up there. Watching.”

I looked upward, only seeing the sun filtering down through the evergreens. “He’s not in the house now. I just checked.”

Her breaths pulled through her gills in rapid succession, somewhat disjointed. She latched onto me again and buried her face in my neck. With a pump of my tail, I surfaced.

“No one is here but us. I promise you.”

With a little coaxing, she finally looked, her frantic gaze darting around the patio room. “He was here. He broke a window when he came inside. He unlocked the slider, and then found me.”

The slider door had the sheet tucked inside, but I didn’t notice any broken glass. Maybe I didn’t look hard enough. I smoothed her wet hair. “Okay. Let’s just get you out of the water.”

Lifting her to sit on the side of the pool, she remained clamped onto my arm.

“Listen to me, Ash,” I said firmly. “I think you just had a bad dream.”

Her eyes grew wide. “What?”

“I didn’t tell you, but I ran into him yesterday, and wiped his memories. He couldn’t have possibly been here yesterday,”
or
so help him.

She shivered none the less. “You did?”

“Yeah.”

She blinked at me, tears streaming down her face. “I imagined it?”

“I think so. Probably all the stress.” I ran my hands down her arms, heating her skin with mine. Why didn’t she stay in Natatoria like planned? The girls had some explaining to do. “But I’ll double check the house if that’ll make you feel better.”

She grabbed onto my wrists. “No. Don’t leave me.”

“Okay.” I pulled her into my arms and rocked her until she stopped shaking. “I promise you. I’m not going to leave you, Ash. Never again.”

“Okay,” she said, whimpering.

“No one is going to hurt you.”

She snuggled her head into my neck, and within moments she was asleep. I pulled her underwater with me and sunk to the bottom, prepared to push everything off our to-do lists and just rest.

The next few days flew by, and before I knew it, Friday had arrived. Tatiana and the girls had outdone themselves. The entire area for the wedding and reception had been encircled with a rod iron fence, decorated with green ribbons, white flowers strewn on wire, and tulle. At the junctions were tall stanchions with hooks on the top for the lanterns.

White chairs lined the beach, facing an arch covered in white and pink flowers and garlands mixed with deep green ferns. Strands of beads, decorated with shells and starfish lined the chairs next to the aisle. The tables for the reception held large glass vases filled with flowers, ferns and willowy branches that dangled starfish ornaments. Even the walkway leading from my parents’ house to the back of the aisle had arches covered in flowers and tulle.

My heart pounded in anticipation of tomorrow, of everyone sitting in those seats watching us commit our lives to one another. In twenty-four hours, I’d be Mrs. Finley Helton.

“What do you think?” Dad asked, eyes shining.

“It’s everything I’ve ever dreamed it would be.”

He squeezed my arm tight. “Good, pumpkin.”

“Cue the music!” Tatiana commanded while clapping. “Let’s get this thing started!”

Nicole toddled around her feet, wearing a deep green tulle skirt. She’d already dumped over her basket of flower petals twice before even having a chance to walk the aisle.

“Cannon in D” by Pachelbel started, but through the wall of flowers, I could barely see anything. Fin was supposed to be seating his mother while Jax seated mine. Tatiana paced behind the wall that blocked my view of the audience, then turned and motioned to us. “Now you come!”

Dad looked at me. “You ready for this?”

I could barely contain the butterflies in my stomach from flying free. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

He batted a tear off his cheek, then squeezed my arm tight with his. “Let’s go, pumpkin.”

We walked together down the tiny walkway, hidden behind a wall of flowers and fabric, spanning between my parents’ porch to the back of the aisle. If the little cobblestones under my feet could talk, they’d tell a story of my life. Of memories of me learning to walk, of learning to run, of bare feet and booted feet. Of snow and rain, of lost and found treasures. Of being a vast world for my dolls to live. Of holding secret hidden spots for hide and seek. Of providing a path to a beach where I got lost in another world with my book in hand. Of fast friendships and secret crushes. Of a place where I discovered the mer for the first time. And when I thought those days were over, today symbolized dreams had become anew, that this would be where our child would play, too.

“Once the ceremony is over, we’ll take that down.” Tatiana pointed to the fabric billowing in the wind, snapping me from my thoughts.

“Girra. Go.”

One by one, the bridesmaids followed behind Girra. Lucy looked back at me, her eyes twinkling. I couldn’t believe after everything, we were getting along. Tatiana walked down with Nicole, and I peeked around the corner to see. Nicole reached for a hanging starfish on the garland.

“Come on, baby,” Tatiana prodded, pulling her from her treasure.

Nicole let out a wail, threw down her basket, and plopped on her butt in the middle of the aisle, kicking and screaming. Then she shifted into a mermaid. Jacob dashed over, scooped up the merling, and darted toward the houseboat.

I bit my lip, hoping Tatiana would just concede and let Pearl keep her during the ceremony instead of forcing a child too young to participate. Lucy reached out and squeezed my hand. “It’ll be okay tomorrow. Just you wait.”

Then she let go and walked down the aisle, a little quicker than she should, but happy nonetheless. She stood next to Oberon and smiled. I couldn’t help the tears from falling. Everything had come into place.

Then a piano rendition of the “Bridal March” began. My heart leaped into my throat just as Dad took charge and started ahead. We cleared the wall and the few sitting in the audience stood.

Fin’s eyes met mine, an azure blue glistening in the sun, and then he smiled, that smile I adored when he drove his Jeep over the ridge. My dreams had come true. And we’d done it. We were finally getting married on land under the evergreens.

Dad continued to walk me down the aisle, and I couldn’t stop my happiness from flowing down my cheeks. Once we arrived at the front, Dad stopped and Mom took up my other side.

“Who gives this woman to this man?” Oberon asked.

“Her mother and I.”

Mom sniffled and squeezed my hand before she took her seat next to my father. I glanced back and spotted Desirée sitting on the groom’s side, close to the wall of white fabric. A pang of regret stabbed my stomach as she smiled at me. I hadn’t expected her to be here, but then again, she was family and her daughters, my sisters, were in the wedding, why wouldn’t she?

Then I thought of the veil I’d wear tomorrow. I needed to mojo mom and Lucy so I could wear Desirée’s crown instead. Maybe that would be enough.

Oberon placed my hand in Fin’s. “This is the part where I greet the audience,” he said with a kind smile. “And then we’ll have a song by the boys’ choir.”

Ten boys filed in, all dressed in kilts. We turned and listened to them sing the Natatorian anthem. At the end, Badger belted the song along with them, until Sandy, his wife, gave him a glare from the audience. He cleared his throat. “My apologies.”

Oberon explained what he’d say, and then he gestured to Fin. “And this is the part where I tell you to kiss your maid… er, I mean, wife.”

Fin gave me a wicked look, then dipped me backward before he kissed me. My cheeks burned red hot, but I accepted the sweetness of his lips anyway.

The “Hallelujah Chorus” started to play, and I gave Tatiana a fiendish look. This wasn’t the song we’d chosen. She shrugged with a coy smile. After everything, though, it seemed apropos.

“By the power bestowed upon me by Chancellor Merric—”

“He’s dead!” someone yelled from the water.

The music stopped abruptly.

“What son?” Oberon asked.

“The Chancellor is dead! Regent, come quickly!”

Desirée stood, marched down the aisle, and waded into the water.

“Dead?” I gripped tightly onto Fin. “How?”

My Dad’s face paled. “Why was that boy swimming? And where did Desirée go? It’s freezing in the lake.”

“You didn’t see that,” Fin sang to Lucy, Georgia and my parents. My dad sat down and joined my bewildered Mom.

Jack crossed over to us. “I’ll see what’s going on. Badger, take care of things here.”

“Aye, Captain,” Badger said. “Let’s be finishing this up. Oberon?” He gestured to the officiant.

“Yes.” Oberon cleared his throat. “By the power bestowed upon me by Chancellor Merr—uh, Regent Desirée, I now pronounce to you, Mr. and Mrs. Finley Samuel Helton.”

My parents stood and clapped exuberantly while the rest of the audience sat somewhat still. Fin and I strolled down the aisle, but I no longer felt like celebrating. Would the mers even come tomorrow? Merric, though technically not the king any longer because of the new laws, was just as loved and adored.

“Who’s Merric?” Lucy asked.

“He’s a friend of the family,” Girra said behind me.

“Yeah.”

“Oh. I’m sorry,” Lucy said.

I eyed her suspiciously. This was not the Lucy that I knew at all. Then it clicked what had changed. My glare landed on Fin. He’d done what I asked him not to do, and he was going to get it.