With a frustrated grunt, Theo dropped his arms to his side and looked at James. “That makes no sense. At all.”
“Most of the time it doesn’t, and there is a reason for that. However, think about some of the words. There is a message in there that you need to know it.” James hadn’t moved though the tension in his body was so tight Theo felt uncomfortable.
Groaning and rubbing his palm down his face, Theo tried to think of the words. Tried to pick them apart to make something stand out. “The choice is mine. Hardened heart. Light touches. Share your pain.” His eyes snapped open, his body flooding with fear. “No.”
“Now do you understand?” James sighed; his frustration no less evident.
“What a jerk,” he spat out, not caring if Poseidon heard him or not. “Why would he do such a thing?”
“I wouldn’t ask a question you don’t want to answer too,” James muttered.
“I have to go,” he said in a rush and would have disappeared had a hand not clamped down on his shoulder. Darting a look at James, he jerked his friends’ body away from his own and balled up his fists. He hadn’t been in a fight since he had died and had no idea if it was even possible to inflict pain on another. He was willing to find out.
“You’ll kill her, if you haven’t already,” his friend warned.
“I can fix this,” he lied, the words bitter in his mouth.
“I hope that you can,” James said and let himself drift away with the oceans current. Without another thought, Theo swam back to the ship, finding himself alone on an empty deck. The morning’s sun was beginning to make its way into the horizon, casting an eerier glow over the boat. Its colors shadowing a warning of things to come, things he wanted to ignore.
The ship began to slow, the approach of land and with it a sinking feeling in his body. He couldn’t leave the ocean and as desperate as he was to spend time with Isabelle, he knew there was no getting around that rule. He’d tried, for so many years, and failed for just as long.
The pull in his stomach, the knots that kept getting tighter, flooded him with emotions he hadn’t ever had. He wanted to be near her, to hold her again, but knew that to do so could be disastrous. The warning of Poseidon was clearly a bug now planted within his thoughts. He was going to try to ignore it for as long as he could, but at what cost to both him and her.
Walking the ship, not really knowing where he should be, he watched as people began to appear in small groups. Smells of food began to circle him; a pain of hunger clenched his stomach. He hadn’t eaten since he died and was suddenly starved.
Following the smell of pork, something he could recognize, he stood in the doorframe to a room, baffled. Laid before his eyes was a buffet of color and smells that overwhelmed his senses. It was so much that he thought about turning around and leaving, that being the less embarrassing option than to not know what all the things in front of him were.
“Hey,” a soft voice called out, instantly pulling him out of his momentary panic. Turning, he saw Isabelle as she walked towards him, her smile so genuine he couldn’t stop his own smile. She looked adorable with her fiery red hair pulled loosely back, her clothes three sizes too big and her feet dainty and bare as she crossed the floor.
She was every bit the angel he had seen the first day except today her gaze was different. Today it was haunted, which dropped a led ball into his stomach. What had scared her? “What’s wrong?” he asked and without thinking, reached out and took her hand. Instantly the contact with her made his body calm, though the concern for her doubled. He could feel the tension in her body and didn’t like it at all.
“I had a bad dream. Well, it’s day two of it,” she whispered while looking around. She was afraid of something.
“Would you tell me about it? Please?” he asked, though he knew what she’d tell him. He hoped he wasn’t right but knew in his heart he would be. The warnings were there. Fate had been set in motion. Crap.
“Yeah, but I’m hungry. Let’s find something to eat,” she commented. Theo smiled as she didn’t let go of his hand and guided him towards the food. “Can you eat?”
“I have no idea but I’m starving,” he responded honestly. He sure hoped he could eat, everything looked amazing, even if it all looked strange.
Isabelle smiled at him, grabbed a plate, and began to put various items on it. The only foods he could recognize were the meats and breads, although they were made in ways he hadn’t experienced. It didn’t take long to get the food they wanted and find an outside seat, facing east, where the sun’s rays could dance over her soft skin, layering in a glow that was breathtaking.
He’d be content to spend the rest of his days waking up to see her in the early morning light, the innocence of her features glowing in the rays of a new day. “You’re truly the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.”
She blushed a deep crimson, a color that not only dusted her cheeks but made a path to her ears and down her neck. She smiled and shook her head softly. He thought she was going to deny his comment, but didn’t. “Thank you.”
“Tell me about your bad dream. Please.”
He hated to watch as her face fell, the haunting in her eyes growing as she looked off towards the water for a brief moment. “I’m drowning. It starts off with me on a ship I don’t know, but it’s made of wood and old, I can feel its age under my bare feet. I can see the stars and hear shouts before I’m suddenly surrounded by a fishing net, being dragged under the water. I have no use of my hands and I can feel my breaths as they are taken from my lungs,” she took a shuddering breath, one that mimicked his own, and shook her head. She looked at him and whatever she saw in his face, caused her to frown further.
A piece of food got stuck in his throat as he tried to think of something to say to make things better. If he could brush it off as a bad dream or that she was imaging things that hadn’t happened, he would. But that wasn’t possible. She was being drawn into his life, and he into hers.
“You know, don’t you? You know what I saw. What I felt?”
Theo couldn’t keep a neutral look on his face. “That’s how I died. Thousands of years ago.” He watched as several emotions crossed her face before it finally settled on something he didn’t understand or deserve. She should be horrified and scared. Hell, she should be mad at him, cursing his already cursed name.
Yet, the sadness and sorrow she carried contradicted everything he deserved. “Don’t look at me like that. I deserved what I got for the actions I had done.”
“No one deserves to be punished like that. I don’t care how crappy you were/are as a person, you didn’t deserve that.”
In that single moment, Theo knew he was in trouble. He was in love with the woman in front of him and that would be her downfall, and his. He finally understood the meaning of a changed heart and it would only kill the person who made him want to be better.
Isabelle
At some point I’m going to wake up and this was going to be the craziest dream in the history of dreams, she thought as she took another bite of her pastry, not tasting it as it sandpapered its way down her throat.
She debated on telling Theo that there was more to dream than she was letting on, but the guilt on his face stopped her. No one had ever died from a dream, and though she felt like what she was experiencing was so much more than normal, she had faith she would be fine. It was all just a weird combination of the ocean, her imagination, Theo, and whatever other powers to be that were playing around in her reality.
Isabelle looked out over the water, watching the sun rise over the crystal blue of the ocean and grinned. She needed to change the subject. They were going onto one of the islands today and hoped that Theo would join them. “So, what are you doing today?”
“I was hoping to spend the day with you,” he said with a nervous smile.
“Good. We’re going onto the island to do some snorkeling and kayaking. You should come,” she suggested with a causal shrug of her shoulders.
�
�I can’t go on land,” he said with a frown. “But, I’m very good at finding loopholes, so let me see what I can do.”
Just when she tried to forget that he was anything but human he reminded her that things were far more complicated than normal. At least he was going to try to find a way to join them, even if it wasn’t exactly what she wanted.
“Oh no,” Theo muttered, turning her attention towards him.
In a panic, she looked around, expecting something horrible to be reaching from the ocean but saw nothing out of place. “What’s wrong?”
“Your friends are coming.”
A bubble of laughter escaped as she looked at him. He was clearly looking for a quick exit, one she wasn’t going to give him. “Oh no you don’t, you can’t leave ship now that they can see you.”
He groaned, rubbing the back of his neck.
Being that it was early morning, her friends were in good spirits and didn’t poke fun at her and Theo as much as they could have. Which, was shocking but welcomed. Maybe they could sense his uneasy and with that, decided to take it easy on him. It helped that they were almost instantly distracted by the announcements that the ferry was starting to take passengers to shore.
After promising the girls she would join them in a few minutes, and Theo telling them he’d seem them all later, she took his hand and led him away from all the passenger’s. She could tell that he’d been on edge the entire meal and wanted to give him a moment to decompress before throwing him into the group again.
Plus, she wanted to spend a moment alone with him.
“Where are we going?” he asked as they continued to push past everyone.
She smiled and kept ahold of his hand, determined to find somewhere they could be alone. Taking a few turns and ducking into a few hallways, they found themselves at the front of the ship, tucked into a corner with a view of the water and land in the distance.
“I thought you could use a moment to yourself,” she said with a grin. “You looked uncomfortable.”
Theo looked momentarily speechless before giving her the sexiest lopsided grin. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” she said with a blush. Before she could think of anything else to say, he stepped into her personal space, wrapped his arms around her, and only left room for her to lay her head on his shoulder. She waited to feel that her space had been invaded, but instead felt more relaxed. She felt like she was exactly where she was supposed to be and had always been.
If she was going to question anything about this relationship, it wasn’t going to be why it felt right. It was going to be why now and why with someone she wasn’t likely to have a future with. Those questions would wait, though, because for the moment all she wanted to do was just be right in the moment with him.
They stood for a minute longer before she reluctantly pulled away. “The boats are headed out, so I should go. I’ll see you today.” It was not a question, just a statement of fact she hoped to be true.
Theo smiled down, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. “Yes.” With a wink, he faded away, leaving her standing alone on deck with nothing more than a goofy grin.
As quick as she could, she made her way back to the room where she found her friends packing a bag for the day. It took no time for them to change, grab their snorkel gear and head for the ferry. She had to admit it was cool to have an island to play on that the ships couldn’t dock up too.
Once they made it to land, they picked a spot away from the crowds and took to the water. Isabelle was sure Theo would join them, she just wasn’t going to wait all day for him. With phones and cameras in hand they set out on their own quests to find the most unique creatures, swim until they couldn’t anymore, and work on a tan line that rival what they received during outside sport seasons.
Isabelle pulled her mask on her face, checked her snorkel, and pushed off the sand, gliding atop the water with ease. Her eyes darted in every direction, her mind taking in the colorful coral, plants, and sea life. She could hear the muffled giggles of her friends as they dove beneath the surface to a get a closer look at the things below them.
It wasn’t until they were floating above a sunken ship, one that had been placed there for the commercialism of it, that Isabelle realized they had a special visitor. Gliding through the water, a beautiful turtle took its turn before them, slowing as they gasped and took pictures. Each one of them took turns diving and getting close to the beautiful sea creature, while also staying far enough away to not spook the animal.
When the turtle began to swim away, a dolphin came darting in. It playfully bumped its nose against them and encouraged them to keep swimming around. Isabelle was so focused on the animal visitors that when someone took her hand, she yelped, instantly taking water into her mouth.
Rising to the surface while coughing and blowing out the water that filled her snorkel, she looked over with a relieved grin. Theo was floating in the water beside her, his body only moving with the current of the ocean and not the struggles of a human trying to tread water.
“Come on,” he said as he took her hand. He waited patiently as she adjusted her gear one more time and took to the surface.
They floated along the top of the water, swimming down every few minutes when Theo got excited about something at the bottom of the ocean. He’d bring her down to see rays that had nestled into the sands and starfish that clung to the coral. His excitement brought a new level of exploration to the ocean, one she’d never had before.
Signaling her need to surface, she lifted her head and began to tread water, taking a moment to see where they had swum off too. She trusted Theo, deep within her gut she knew she trusted him with her life, but did not trust the ocean itself. Its beauty hid a very dark secret and it wouldn’t do her any good to forget that.
Thankfully she could still see the ship and all the passengers floating and swimming around, though they were far enough away that no one would be nosy. Looking to her left, she noticed some rocks that were jetting out of the water and took the opportunity to swim over, climb out, and sit and rest.
“Can I be honest for a moment?” Theo asked as he swam up to her and rested his arms on her legs, keeping most of his body in the water.
“Sure.”
“I’ve never seen a bathing suit, I think it’s called, quit like what you’re wearing,” he said, his voice dropping an octave. She blushed, again, and would have reached for a towel, had she had one near. “It’s breathtaking on you.”
She laughed and shook her head, realizing that the amount of newness between them was nothing on the amount of newness he must discover on a daily basis. And truth be told, she only had one pieces until this vacation and was now glad for the last minute bathing suit shopping they had done before leaving.
“I don’t think I have ever had that much fun,” he said, breaking the quiet that had settled over them.
“Really?”
“Really. When I died I was a bit of a temperamental young man and spent the better part of my entire life finding ways to irritate a certain sea God,” he explained, acting as if it was no big deal that he was talking about an actual God, one that she still didn’t want to believe existed.
She had no issues with him being a ghost, but talking about the Gods as if they were common knowledge, that was the real stretch. Isabelle just couldn’t wrap her mind around the idea. “Did you succeed?
“In what?”
“In irritating Poseidon?”
“I did. Probably more than I should have, but in my defense, it’s really boring just floating in the Atlantic with nothing else to do.”
“Do you have any friends?”
“A few. James is around. He’s the one who sent over the turtle and the dolphin to distract your friends so I could get you alone. He’s a good guy.” Theo looked up at her, a smile softening his features.
“I’m sorry you’ve had such a hard life,” she said quietly.
“Why?” Theo looked at her, his face a series of unspo
ken questions.
“You can’t be much older than me and yet you’ve had to live the life of a man who should have known the consequences of his actions. You’re not old enough for that burden.”
“It was a different time, back when I was alive. I should have known. But I choose to react to my surrounds with an ill-mannered temper that should have gotten me killed, and it did. I don’t regret it, not anymore.”
She was confused. “I don’t understand.”
“All the hell I may have gone through, when I was alive and then not, led me to be right here, in this moment with you. I’d do it again a thousand times more, just to be able to spend time with you.” She watched as Theo kicked himself up and out of the water, putting his hands on the rock behind her, framing her body with his. The width of his shoulders strained as he held himself over her. Her breathing hitched as he lowered his head closer, his mouth only moments away from connecting with hers.
“I think,” he breathed out, his voice a whisper that surrounded her body. “That I love you, even if it goes against all the laws of nature.”
She’d didn’t hesitate with her answer. “I love you too.”
Theo
The moment Isabelle spoke the words, Theo knew they both were in trouble. The ocean began to pull at his body, as if it was angered by the words that were exchanged. The force was so great his arms began to shake as he held himself in place.
“No,” he moaned, closing his eyes and putting his forehead against Isabelle’s.
“No, what?” she asked, her voice quaking with concern.
“I have to go,” he ground out as his body began to quake, the force of the ocean calling him back so great he knew he had only moments left before he’d be gone.
“No you don’t,” she said, her arms coming around his shoulders and with a strength he hadn’t expected, she pulled his body to hers. The feel of her pressed so closely against his body caused his mind to blank as his basic instincts of need and to protect threatened to take over.
Rising Tides Page 4