“Izzy!” Paige’s tiny voice rang out across the room. “That’s not fair.”
“What’s not fair is that I’ve finally found the answer to what’s been tormenting me for years and none of you believe me. Like every fucking doctor I’ve ever seen.”
“It’s a terrible risk,” said Willow. “We have no idea what we’re walking into.”
“I’ll be okay.” Isobel’s voice rose. “I am one of you. If you’re going, I’m going.”
Willow closed her eyes. Part of her wanted to say no and that they should all refuse to go. That was the careful part, the part that wanted to play it safe, for herself and them. The other part of her wanted to throw caution to the wind and see this other world. For a moment, the two parts of her warred, each vying to win. Then she thought of Eve. How she might be there. Of the years spent searching and hoping.
Staying wasn’t an option.
When she opened her eyes, all she could see was Isobel’s desperate expression. “Let her come with us,” said Willow, turning to Lucas. “We all must choose our own path. Let Isobel choose her own.”
Lucas gave a sharp nod. “As you wish. May she not live to regret it.”
Nor me, thought Willow as Isobel smiled and receive a giant hug from Gabriel.
Jack stood in the corner, still stationary and vacant looking, a silent sentinel to their crossroads.
7
Willow
After a four hour drive through the back roads of Nova Scotia, they arrived at their destination with a crunch of gravel. Looking out the window, Willow saw nothing but darkness. The sun had set hours ago and they hadn't seen another car for the last hour. Isobel and Gabriel talked excitedly as they unbuckled their seat belts and peered out the window.
Paige, exhausted from the day’s events, still slept on Willow’s lap. “Paige?” Willow gently shook the girl’s shoulder. “We’re here.”
The young woman slowly stretched and then as if remembering the day’s events, shot up in her seat. Her anxiety was contagious and tension within the van escalated. Their fear permeated Willow’s skin and mind, making it difficult for her to stay calm herself.
She grabbed Paige’s hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “We’ll be okay.” The statement as much for her as it was for her patients.
The driver’s door slammed shut and the crunch of heavy footsteps sounded outside before the van’s side door opened. Dressed in black pants and black T-shirt, Lucas should have faded into the night. But to Willow, he was front and center. Muscular but not muscle-bound, Lucas would be appealing to any red-blooded woman. A fact she could confirm from the lust vibe she sensed from Isobel. So it wasn’t only Willow that was affected by this mysterious man. A spurt of unreasonable and irrational jealously stabbed at her. Annoyed with herself, she mentally shook herself.
Lucas didn’t smile as he studied each of them and asked if everyone was okay. They all nodded and he opened the door wider. “We’re near the most eastern tip of Nova Scotia.”
He motioned to Granger, who threw him a large duffel bag. Catching it easily, Lucas set it down on the floor of the minivan and pulled out black heavy-duty rain jackets. “I need each of you to put one of these on. Keep the hood drawn down low.” He handed one out to each of them as they climbed out of the van. “We have another long journey ahead of us, this time by sea.”
It wasn’t raining, but judging by the muddy earth, it rained here more often than not. Fir trees crowded the edge of a wide river, the moon offering a slight reflection on the water. A wooden bridge stretched out across the river and at the end lay a large timber boat shed on stilts.
“Granger, move the van to the secure area while I get everyone settled on board the Aquarius.” Lucas put on his own jacket and waited for everyone else to do the same. He then strode along the wooden decking with his flashlight piercing the darkness. “Follow me.”
Silently, they trailed behind him until they came to the end of the bridge and a large set of doors with the words Atlantic Research Limited. Lucas entered a pin into an electronic lock and the doors swung open to reveal steps down to the water and a large vessel. Silently, he motioned for them to walk through and Willow took the lead. Holding onto a rough wooden railing, she slowly descended down the stairs into darkness. Shadows from Lucas’ flashlight danced around them adding to an air of mystery. The others followed her down and the lock clicked behind them. A strong wind made the water choppy below and she could feel the vibrations of the water against the wooden pylons. Finally, a ship—sleek and black, and the size of a fishing trawler—came into focus. Across the bow the name Aquarius was large and bold. A stainless steel gangway joined the timber deck and the ship, and Lucas called out for them to walk across. She hesitated.
“Willow?” Isobel bumped into her back.
“I want to know exactly where you’re taking us.” Shielding her eyes, Willow looked back up the stairs into the bright light of Lucas’ flashlight. “After being shot at and forced to hide in a van for hours, I think we have a right to know.”
He slipped past the others and came down to stand beside her. “I’ve explained as much as I can without breaking protocol.” His voice softened. “It’s for your safety and the safety of thousands of others that we keep the location secret.”
His sincerity made her want to scream in frustration. “Please?” she asked, forcing her voice to be low and steady rather than shrill.
In the shadowy darkness he stared at her for a long moment. “Don’t you want to meet others like you? To be who you are…without fear?” he asked. “And if not that, then maybe think of how we might be able to help find your sister.”
Willow couldn’t stop her sharp intake of breath. “How do you know about my sister?”
He seemed to consider his next words carefully. “I can’t promise anything, but we have a huge research team. We can usually find anyone we want, Starborn or ordinary. Come with us and you’ll be closer to finding her than doing paltry Internet searches on your own.”
He let the words hang in the air for a few moments before turning away and walking over the stainless steel gangway that linked the dock and ship. On the other side, he held out his hand and beckoned her to cross. Everyone waited to see what she would do. Taking a deep breath, she squared her shoulders and strode across the gangway. As she reached the other side and placed her hand in his, she knew there was no turning back.
Two hours later, she was regretting her decision. Unrelenting nausea churned her stomach as the ship tipped and tilted over rough seas. Lucas and Granger had instructed them to try and sleep in the cabin below but it was proving useless—getting tossed around like you were inside a washing machine was hardly conducive to sleep.
“How much longer?” asked Isobel, clutching her stomach as she lay on her side in one of the bunks. It was close to midnight and even though the cabin was lit by a small lamp, Willow could see Isobel’s face was a nasty shade of olive green.
“I don’t know. Hopefully we’ll get there soon.” Willow gripped the table in front of her, trying to ignore her own rolling stomach. “Maybe we should talk about something to take our mind off it.”
For a few moments she and her patients said nothing as each of them were lost to their own thoughts.
“I still can’t grasp that you believe us,” said Paige, her voice full of wonder. “After so many years of head shrinks medicating me and telling me I was sick.”
In the bunk below, Gabriel nodded. “Me too. This all feels so unreal.” He leaned against the wall of his bunk bed, his long legs drawn up to his chest. “I keep thinking that maybe this is part of my illness.”
Isobel dragged herself to a sitting position. “Yeah, on the one hand I want it to be real, but on the other hand I don’t want it to be, you know…because if it’s real, then Mark’s really dead.”
No one said anything for a long time, the rev of the ship’s engine the only sound as it was pushed to its limit. The image of Mark’s body and his vacant
gaze flashed before Willow’s eyes. Raw physical pain tore through her chest. Slowly, she let out her breath. “Let’s honor Mark by taking this chance we’re getting, and grabbing on and not letting go.” The words felt hollow, but she needed the boost as much as they did. Or maybe a distraction, she thought. “Gabriel, tell us more about your ability. The fire extinguisher, was that the first time something like that’s happened?”
“Sort of. Yesterday was the first time it happened when I wanted it to. All the other times it’s been crazy random.”
Isobel sat up and pressed for more details. “Tell us what you’ve done.”
“I’ve moved pens and little things. Once I turned the TV off, which was pretty cool, but I’ve never been able to do it again.” He leaned forward and his tattooed arms were startling in the dark—serpents twisted around his biceps and glowed in the dim light. “What about you, Isobel?”
Willow silently thanked him for not asking Paige. Her burns and the story of her parents dying in a horrific fire held new meaning after what they had witnessed yesterday. Hospital records listed that the fire department had ruled it accidental—a short circuit in an upstairs light. Now, they knew different.
Isobel tugged at the laces of her Doc Marten boots. “At first I thought it was a coincidence, that people I didn’t like fell ill with weird illness. But then I started to keep a diary. Terrible rashes. Boils. Gastro. Hair falling out. You name it, it has happened to my worst enemies.”
“Remind me not to get on your wrong side, Izzy.” Gabriel gave a rueful smile.
“Yeah, yeah. Watch your back.”
“It’s quieting down,” said Willow, noticing that they were being thrown around less.
“Thank God.” Isobel let out a loud yawn.
After a few moments, Willow stood. On unsteady legs, she walked over to a spare bunk and crawled in. “Let’s try and get some sleep while it’s calmer.”
Hours later, Willow woke to morning light threading its way through the cabin’s only porthole. She rubbed her eyes and stretched her legs, her feet hitting the end of the bunk. Despite the thump, the others didn't stir. Slipping quietly out of the cabin she made her way up on deck. Waves crashed around the ship as it ploughed through the Atlantic Ocean. Dawn was breaking and holding tightly to the railing, she scanned the horizon, only to see an endless gray ocean stretching for miles in every direction. Drizzling rain began to fall, adding to the miserable outlook. She shivered with cold and trepidation.
After Lucas’ remark last night about her sister, her sleep had been full of fractured dreams of Eve. This was the closest she had ever been to finding Eve. They were heading to a secret location full of people with metaphysical ability. It was fantastical. Ridiculous. Exhilarating. She prayed that Eve might be there or that someone might know of her—a five foot nine inch redhead was surely memorable. For once Willow was glad of her dramatic appearance. Lucas had been evasive last night but maybe now that they were at sea he might tell her more. Using the ship’s railing to steady herself, she made her way into the ship’s control room. Lucas had his hands on the wheel, obviously comfortable in his role as captain, while Granger stood beside him talking.
Granger stopped mid-sentence when she entered, his almost too pretty face breaking out in a cocksure smile. “Hey there, Doc, how’s your tummy? You were all looking pretty green last time I checked on you.”
“I’m fine. The others are still sleeping.” She glanced at Lucas and felt a flash of disappointment when he kept his eyes trained on the horizon.
She gestured to the horizon. “How much longer is this going to take?”
“Not long.”
Studying his side profile, she tried to think of how best to find out more information. “My sister…do you know her? Will she be there?” she blurted out. Damn. Smooth, Willow, smooth.
Lucas continued to steer the ship through the turbulent seas, as though she hadn’t spoken.
“Please?” Time for begging.
“No.”
“No you don’t know her, or no she’s not there?”
“Both,” he said, his voice clipped.
Granger stepped close to Willow. “Is she as cute as you?” he asked, giving her a wink.
Without thinking, Willow slapped him across the face, his incredulous expression comical.
“Hey! You bit—”
“Get down below,” said Lucas. “Let them know we’ll be arriving soon.”
Granger slunk off, grumbling under his breath.
Lucas turned toward her with a faint smile. “I’ve wanted to do that for ages. How did it feel?”
She found herself smiling back. “It felt good. He’s as annoying as hell.”
“Yes, he is.” His gorgeous green eyes sparkled and she instantly felt flustered.
With a shaky laugh, she turned to look out the cabin window, and willed herself to get a grip. Together, they stood silently surveying the ocean. The swell was so large that every so often she thought she saw land, only to realize it was the white caps of waves breaking across each other. Water spray splashed through the cabin window, tasting salty on her lips.
“You’re not going to tell me anything until we get there, are you?” she asked, pulling her heavy rain jacket more tightly around herself.
“No,” he said, checking the radar in front of him.
“How about you? Are you off limits?”
He turned to her in surprise and Willow blushed to the roots of her red hair.
“I mean, can I ask questions about you?”
“Maybe,” he murmured as his attention quickly reverted to checking the ship’s coordinates.
Trying to collect herself, she focused her eyes on the radar rather than the man who seemed to constantly set her off balance. “How long have you been doing this?”
“Steering a ship?” he asked innocently.
“You know what I mean. How long have you been taking strangers to a secret location in the middle of the ocean for their supposed good?”
“Twelve years.”
“That’s a long time. Do you get paid well?”
That got his attention and a frown. “I don’t do this for money. It’s my duty.”
“Why?” Willow wanted to understand him, to know what drove this man who was full of secrets.
“We can talk about this later.” He ran a hand through his short dark hair.
“But you guys don’t just ‘rescue’ people. You fight Noctem. You’re assassins, right? So it’s your duty to kill people?”
Lucas remained tight-lipped as he focused on navigating the ship through rough seas. Rain began to pelt down and the boat began to again tip and heave through the ocean. Nausea returned and when she groaned with the effort not to vomit, Lucas gave her a sideways glance.
“Maybe you should go back down below,” he said, nodding toward the stairs.
“I want to see where we’re headed.” Clutching her stomach, she took a deep breath and made her way to a built-in seat at the back of the cabin. With her back against the timber wall, she tried to watch the horizon, but her gaze repeatedly returned to Lucas. His muscular frame never lost balance; his body moving easily with each tilt of the boat.
The silence in the cabin was broken by the crackle of the radio. “This is Atlantic Research Station. Identify yourself.” The voice sounded hollow, but clearly female.
Lucas picked up the handset. “This is Oceanic Aquarius. We request permission to dock. Please be advised we have four packages on board.”
“Please proceed…and welcome home, Lucas.”
“Home?” asked Willow and received a slight nod as an answer.
The ship continued to tip and roll and she held on tightly while searching the horizon for sign of land. She saw nothing until a tiny speck on the horizon took the form of an island. As they drew closer, it rose majestically high out of the sea. Imposing mountains with high cliffs and rocky outcrops hinted of a volcanic history. Sheer rock face lined one side, rising a few hundred f
eet. There were no trees, only the occasional wind-beaten shrub.
Heavy footsteps clanged on the metal stairs and Granger climbed up into the cabin. “They’re keen to arrive and so am I.”
“Headquarters is ready for us. Prepare the ship for docking.”
Granger walked out to the bow of the ship, the wind and rain whipping his black rain jacket around. Grabbing onto the front railing with one hand, he grasped a thick blue rope. Through the teeming rain, she tried to see where they would dock, but there wasn’t any structure to moor against. In fact, she couldn’t see any dwelling on the island. This was taking remote location to a whole new level. Lucas reduced the throttle and then cut the engine. He continued to steer the ship forward and her heart pounded as they headed straight toward the sheer cliff face. The sound of the waves crashing over the rocks was deafening.
“Wait! We’ll crash!” she shouted over the wind.
Granger threw the line out. She expected it to fall into the waves, but instead, it stopped mid-air. He ran to the back of the ship and picked up a similar rope and did the same again, this time pulling the rope tight as the loop remained high in thin air. Willow blinked, and blinked again when a petite woman with a long brown ponytail landed in a crouch position on the ship’s front deck. Undeterred by the relentless rain, the woman stood and sauntered over to Granger. They gave each other a high five before heading below deck. In a daze, Willow stared at the ropes hanging in mid-air, trying to get her scattered mind functioning again.
Lucas moved to stand close beside her. “Welcome to the Starborn Atlantic headquarters.”
“Starborn Atlantic headquarters?” she repeated like a parrot.
“Yes.”
He led her out of the cabin to join her patients on deck. Oblivious to the rain, they were all talking at once. The boat continued to rock with the incoming waves, but their misery of sea sickness had been replaced with nervous excitement. The brunette gave Willow a considered look before walking over to Lucas. In her early thirties like Lucas, she spoke and behaved as though they were on familiar terms. The rain eased and then stopped as Granger pushed the ship’s gangplank so it jutted out over the sea.
Starborn (The Order of Orion Book 1) Page 5