Sea Storm: Children of the Waves (10 page)

She released the rope and pushed it away
from the dock. As it moved off, she hopped aboard and headed for the controls.
It seemed simple enough as she pushed the starter on. It might be larger than
anything she’d ever driven before but she had no choice. She kept her eye on the
spot where she thought the men had gone down and raced for it. Praying and
hoping they’d resurface, so she’d know she headed to the right area.

Des kept going until she thought she
reached the spot and searched around. Looking back at the shoreline, she doubted
herself and what she’d seen. It all seemed so incredible. Why? Why would Zek
come all the way out here? They’d just found each other. They were supposed to
be together. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she immediately brushed them away
and shook her head.
No! He couldn’t be dead.
She wouldn’t accept that and screamed his name.

A sound had her spinning around and
moving to the other side of the boat. She saw not the three men she expected
but Zek, a stranger who seemed familiar and looked remarkably like Zek
and—Cori…swimming toward the boat.

Before she could say anything, Zek paused
and appeared to just shoot right out of the water, landing on the boat deck in
front of her. A naked Zek. “What the fuck?”

She took a step back and then both Cori
and the stranger did the same thing, Landing smack on the deck. Her mouth
dropped open at the sight of her friend and at last, she recognized the man
with her, Xavior. She looked at Zek and Xav, recognizing the resemblance. For
the first time in her life, darkness invaded her waking mind and her body
crumpled. Muscular arms enfolded her and then nothing.

Voices. The sound of people talking had
her mind returning to her. Her head rested on something hard and a hand
caressed her hair. She inhaled.
Zek
.
She rested on Zek. Already, she knew the feel of him, his scent. She took a
deep breath and opened her eyes.

Cori held her hand and sat on the floor
near her.

Des’ gaze moved behind Cori to glance at
Xav who sat in the chair across from them.

“Good, you’re awake,” Cori exclaimed,
giving her hand a squeeze. “You okay?”

She pushed away from Zek and sat up but
he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and she nestled at his side. Pleased to
see he had some clothes on. “Yes. I think so. What—what happened?
How—how did you get here?” She let go of Cori’s hand.

Cori sighed and glanced up at Zek. “Zek
told us he tried to explain about the Children of the Waves to you.”

This time, she pulled out of Zek’s
embrace and moved slightly away from him, so they no longer touched. She could
see now that they’d returned to the house and sat in the main room.

Zek kept his arm along the back of the
couch. Still within easy touching range.

Slowly, she shook her head. “He told me
some fanciful story about being the son of a mythical sea god. But what does
that have to do with anything?”

Cori smiled and glanced back at Xavior
before turning to her again. “Yes, he is. So is Xavior. It’s all true.”

Des moved her head from side to side.
“Cori, hon, what happened to you?” She glared across the room at Xavior who
hadn’t said a word, just stared at her, then she glared at Zek but her words
were directed at Cori, “Did they do something to you, hon? Drug you, give you
anything?”

Her friend smiled. “Nope. It’s all true.”

Des stood up and backed away from all of
them. “I don’t know what the hell is going on here but whatever it
is—Cori, come with me. Let’s get out of here.” She’d taken a hold of
Cori’s hand and tried to tug her along.

“She’s not going anywhere.” At last,
Xavior spoke. It seemed like one minute he sat in the chair, the next he’d
gotten up and yanked Cori out of her grasp.

“Des, sweetie, everything is going to be
fine. Xavior has asked me to marry him and I’ve said yes.”

“I know and I think it’s insane.”

Cori turned and gazed at the man as though
in a trance or on something.

This
is all wrong.
Des took a
deep breath and kept backing toward the French doors. She glanced over her
shoulder. The boat must still be at the dock. Maybe if she were quick enough,
she could get to it and get the hell outta there. Go and get help. No, she’d
never out run them.
Think
…she needed
time. Something was seriously off with these people. They even had Cori on some
kind of drugs. What had these men done to them? She’d begun to—no.
Thoughts of Ezekiel and the feelings developing for him had no place here. She
couldn’t let herself dwell on her emotions, when she feared he’d drown
.

Zek got off the couch and approached her.
“Come agapetos, sit down let me explain. Let Cori tell you everything.”

She didn’t want Zek touching her or
trying to convince her of any of this bullshit. She couldn’t trust herself with
him. But she had to play it smart. “Please, I—I need a minute. Let me
just—let me just get a little air.”

Cori stared at her. “I promise it will
all be all right.”

She nodded. “Okay. I’ll be right back.”

“Do you want me to come with you?” Cori
asked, concern laced her tone.

Des almost said hell yes, but thought
she’d have a better chance of getting away from this crazy island, if she were
on her own. She’d come back with the authorities. She shook her head, then spun
on her heels and headed outside. She tried not to sprint across the sand.
Instead, she took her time in case anyone paid attention to her. Holding her
arms around her waist, she walked with her head down. Trying to appear deep in
thought, she headed in the direction of the boat she saw returned to the dock.
Once she got far enough from the house so no one could stop her, she raced for
it.

Acting quickly, she untied the boat and
had it out on the water, away from shore, before she glanced back. Her heart
raced when she spied the three of them, standing near the water watching her.
She didn’t care. Breathing a sigh of relief, confident they’d not be able to
easily catch her in the fastest boat there. Turning away from them, she gunned
the engine and headed away from the tiny island. Only then, did she realize the
moisture on her face didn’t come from the sea. Tears fell from her eyes the
farther she took the boat away from
Zek, and
the harder she cried.

A thump behind her had her swinging
around and she screamed.

Chapter Ten

“Well, aren’t you going to do something?”
Cori asked her mate.

Xav merely stared at Zek.

He grinned at them both.

Cori waved her hand in the direction of
the beach. “You can’t let her go into the water. Who the hell knows if any of
those…
thing
s are still around. What
the hell are they?”

This time, the smile left both his and
his brother’s faces. “I don’t know. Xav, your trident had no dominion over
them,” Zek prompted.

“No, they didn’t respond to my powers.
Which tells me this is the white witch’s doing. She’s conjured true demons this
time from the belly of Hades.”

“So, you said, are you sure?” Zek asked.

“It’s the only explanation.”

“Fuck. I’ll be right back. And then we
need to talk.” Zek didn’t wait for his brother’s reply; he merely raced for the
water and jumped in. Swimming full out to his heart, even though she tried to
evade him. He would not let her get away from him. No running from their
destiny. No turning back. Des belonged to him. By now, the sun fully crested
the horizon and he could see the figure piloting the boat quite well. Gods, he
loved her. And he was not letting her go. He’d just have to prove to her once
and for all the truth behind everything he’d told her. All of it, including the
fact they truly belonged together. Lightning crackled overhead mimicking the
power of his emotions.

He easily caught up to the boat and
jumped on it. When Des turned around and screamed, he realized he’d truly
scared her.

She still did not believe. “How—how
did you do that?”

“I told you. I am a son of Poseidon.
Water is to me as the earth is to you.”

She turned around to fully face him but
her hands behind her still gripped the wheel. “That’s impossible.”

“Nothing is impossible for a Child of the
Waves. Come. Let me prove this to you once and for all.” Before she could
protest, he took a couple of strides forward and shut the motor down on the
boat. Then grabbing her around the waist, he carried them both over the side
and into the depths. At first, she fought him but then he pulled her into his
arms and kissed her.

Be
calm, beloved. You are safe with me
.
No danger lurked in the water at the moment. The dolphins nearby were calm. If
more of those demon creatures appeared, they would give warning cries and he
kept them near the boat. He sent his thoughts to her telepathically. They’d
made love, which bound them, mated them. Whether she knew it or not, him
spilling his seed in her made her his bride. Under the laws of his people, they
were mated. Perhaps not under her own traditions and he understood now, why his
brother wanted to go through with a human wedding. Zek watched her, so he knew
when she heard him, because her eyes had been closed before but popped open
wide to stare at him. He pulled away from her lips, and relaxed his hold on her
a little.

The shock, perhaps, stopped her from
fighting him. Or maybe his kiss. “What!”

She didn’t speak with her mouth yet he
heard her clearly and he smiled.
This is
how the Children communicate in the water. We can’t obviously open our mouths
to talk
.

Are
you reading my mind? How can I know your thoughts?

He smiled.
You can’t read my private thoughts, nor can I read yours. Only sense
your surface emotions. And I hear what you want me to. It’s like talking when
you speak to someone in a crowded room. You focus your attention on them. When
we are in the water, we focus our thoughts toward a particular person or
persons, so they can hear us ‘speak’ if you will.

But
this is all crazy. Impossible.

And
yet. Here we are.

But
I’m not—not like you. How can I speak with my thoughts like this? How is
it I’m even down here so long and I don’t even feel the need for air? What have
you done to me?

I’ve
made you mine. Our joining is how we can communicate. It established a bond
between us. As long as you’re touching me or we’re in touching distance of each
other, you can remain underwater for as long as I do.

You
know this is crazy right? Did you all give me the same funny juice you gave
Cori?

He shook his head.
No. No funny juice. I promise.

She glanced around at their surroundings.
They were only about fifteen feet from the surface and not much to see. The
creatures had scared any fish in the area away. They were slow returning but
the dolphins kept patrolling the area and would warn them in time if any more
appeared.

Nonetheless, Zek didn’t want to stay out
longer than necessary.

When
we took that dive earlier, I held your hand. Did you do something then? I know
you did, I was able to stay down longer than I normally would have been able
to.

Yes.
I did.

Can
we do that again some time?

We
can do that anytime you wish. So, does this mean you believe me now?

Des looked around, then up at the surface
and back at him.

When she grimaced, he couldn’t help but
smile at her.

Do
I really have a choice?
She
crossed her arms around his neck.

He drew her flush against him. Placing
his mouth on hers, he flexed his powerful legs and took them to the top. They
weren’t far from the boat. They swam to it and drove it back to the dock.

Des waved at Cori who waited there for
them, holding Xav’s hand. “Your brother he’s a merm—a son of Poseidon,
too?”

“Yes. He’s also king of our people.”

She swung around to stare at him in
shock. “King!” She turned back to gape at her friend. “Does Cori know this?”

“Yes, she knows.”

“And she still agreed to marry him?”

“She loves him and he her.”

Des stopped asking questions since they’d
arrived at the dock and he maneuvered the boat into its space. She tossed Xav
the rope and he tied it off. Zek helped her onto the dock and jumped on after
her.

Cori launched herself at Des and wrapped
her arms around Des’ neck. “Silly girl. What did you think you were doing?”

She returned her hug. “I don’t
know—I’m fine.” She glanced back at Zek. “Zek explained everything.”

“So, you believe us now?”

“After being kept underwater for the
last, I don’t know—twenty minutes, and having a conversation where no
words were actually spoken, ah yeah…I’d say, I believe.”