It could also change color because of some emotional change in you. Extreme stress might contribute to a color change, as could something like a tragic loss in your life. It may even change color if you were to fall in love, though you would first have to meet a man for that to occur.
I can tell you it isn’t because you’ve gotten pregnant, as the only Medusa to ever give birth was our Mother. (And, again, you’d have to meet a man first.) I highly doubt anything minor could cause such a change, so anything little, like a slight illness or injury is unlikely the cause. I really have to believe that only something momentous would cause such a change.
I could continue to make guesses, darling Andi, but I have to admit to true ignorance. I simply do not know. Please try not to worry too much over it. Take very good care of yourself and stay safe. Please let me know if I can do anything to aid you.
Much love,
Lydia
Andrea’s shoulders slumped a little when she got to the end. “Well, it was worth a try.”
Kallan clenched his jaw to keep from saying the things rushing through his mind right now. Foremost was the voice wondering what color the cup would turn if she ever admitted her growing feelings for him. If she let that last wall tumble down. Because he had an idea that was the cause of the color change, just as her aunt had suggested.
She let out a long breath, rubbing her forehead. “I’m sorry I’ve been such a wreck tonight.” She looked over at him. “I didn’t mean to snap at you earlier, either.” She touched his forearm, sending curls of warmth along his veins.
He forced himself to relax and push thoughts of the chalice out of his head for now. “I think I can take it,” he said lightly.
She studied his face for a few seconds. “You’re tired. So am I.” She skimmed her fingers up his arm, almost absently. “We should get to sleep so we can catch the ferry in the morning.”
He wouldn’t disagree. Being on an island in the north Atlantic with no other Harvesters would make him feel a lot more relaxed. He shut down the laptop. “Did you set the alarm yet?” Best to keep this light now. She was still very disappointed with her aunt’s response.
She turned away to do so, her shirt riding up as she stretched over the bed to the alarm clock. All he could see were the flowers, but he knew the rest of her tattoo was there. Changed.
And he was certain he knew why.
Unfortunately, he didn’t know what to do about it. Or how that change could keep her safe from his family.
When she climbed into bed a few minutes later in nothing but her panties, he gathered her close and shut off the light, his brain too busy processing possibilities for him to sleep.
Andi noticed Kallan’s brooding over breakfast, but didn’t say anything. She’d done enough of her own brooding last night that she thought he was entitled to a little if he wanted. She peered into her teacup, swirling the residual leaves around in the tiny bit of liquid left. Maybe the tea leaves could help her. She smiled to herself as she finished the drink, then flipped the cup upside down on her saucer. She hadn’t read tea leaves since she was a teenager. It had always been more fun than anything else, but she knew some of her aunts took it very seriously.
He shot her a questioning glance.
She lifted one shoulder and picked up her fork to stuff a bit of fluffy scrambled eggs into her mouth while she waited for the cup to fully drain.
“We have forty-five minutes till the ferry goes,” he said after he finished a piece of sausage. “Is there anything you want to do in the meantime?” He held her gaze.
Heat slid into her belly at the intensity in his green eyes. “It’s too bad we checked out of the inn already,” she murmured.
He smiled for the first time all morning, and she relaxed a little. “Who needs a room for that?” He winked and stuck his fork into the fried potatoes on his plate.
She laughed, then flipped her teacup right-side up, peering into the scattered, soggy leaves.
A goblet shape was clear near the opposite rim. She tried to make her suddenly racing heart slow down. The amulet. But what did it mean here?
She frowned, taking a slow breath as she rotated the cup a little. Most of the tiny leaves had settled randomly, not forming any sort of shapes, though she did see a little scythe near the bottom of the cup—obviously a reference to the Harvesters in her life. When she’d turned the cup to the other side, a heart shape was also rather definite.
She shot a glance at Kallan, who was busy stuffing in his breakfast and seeming not to notice her consternation.
She forced herself not to frown, studying the formations. What relation did the cup and her heart have? Or the cup, the scythe and her heart?
She set the cup down and shifted her gaze to the window at her left, staring at the gray waves rolling onto the rocky shore and the matching gray sky. She couldn’t come up with anything that made any sort of sense. She let her mind drift, her focus shifting to the swooping birds over the water and hopping along on the rocks.
Still nothing.
She sighed and propped her chin on her hand.
“What’s wrong with your tea leaves, agaph?” He lifted his glass of orange juice to take a sip.
“Nothing.” Still, heat washed up her throat to her cheeks.
He picked up her cup before she realized his intent, and peered at the wet leaves stuck to the inside. “Mm, the amulet.” He slanted her a somber glance.
Her pulse beat too fast again.
He turned his attention back to her cup, rotating it first one way, then the other. Then his eyebrows shot up, and he lifted his gaze back to her face, which felt as if it were bright red. “Hm.”
She shut her eyes for a second. She knew she was going to regret asking, but the words rushed out before she could stop them. “What ‘hm’?” She looked at his shoulder instead of his face.
“Your heart.”
Reluctantly, she met his gaze again. “What about it?”
He shook his head, but it was clear he had some idea.
Andi hesitated. She didn’t know if she really wanted to hear it. No matter how tangled her own thoughts on the matter were, his were sure to be pointed and likely going in a direction she didn’t want to follow.
Kallan set her cup on the saucer. “Are you ready?”
She lifted one brow, watching him fold his napkin beside his plate and push his chair back. “Really? That’s it?”
He shrugged. “You clearly don’t want to hear it.”
She shoved her own chair back, frowning up at him now. “When has that ever stopped you before?”
A grim smile curved his lips. “Maybe I’ve learned a lesson or two along the way.” He put some money on the table and stuck out his hand.
Andi stared at his fingers for a few seconds, torn. She knew she might not want to hear his thoughts on the tea leaves. But she wasn’t sure she liked this either. Was she a coward for leaving it alone, or smart for not starting the discussion? How badly did she want to know his opinion? Badly enough to hear something unpleasant? Or should she not open that box of arguments? At least, not right now.
She put her hand in his, slowly, feeling only slightly better when his fingers wrapped around hers. His jaw was set when she looked up, and she had the awful feeling she’d just made the wrong choice.
The ferry left on time, and the crossing was rather smooth, considering the choppy waves Andi glimpsed from her seat inside. Kallan sat in silence for much of the trip, reading brochures he’d picked up at the ferry office, his expression calm. But every once in a while, when she snuck a peek at him, a muscle in his jaw jumped in aggravation.
She sighed and let her forehead rest against the cool glass. “Tell me.” She knew she was going to regret this as much as not asking. She shifted her gaze so she could see him from the corner of her eye.
His head shot up, his green eyes focusing on her. “What?”
“Tell me. About the tea leaves.” She swallowed at the intensity in his gaze.
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br /> “Just a theory.” He jerked one shoulder, but his expression was far from casual.
“Let’s hear it.” It shouldn’t be like pulling teeth, getting him to share this. Should it? Maybe he was still pissed she hadn’t wanted to hear it back at the inn’s restaurant.
He considered her for several long moments, as if gauging her sincerity. “I think it meant the future of the amulet is tied to your heart. To your emotions.”
She winced. “You don’t think it just meant if anything happens to stop the beating of my heart, like the little scythe at the bottom, the cup goes bye-bye, on to the next Medusa?” It made the most sense, she mused, as she’d been thinking of little else since they left the restaurant.
He shook his head. “No. I think it means your future is tied to both, but mostly to your heart.”
He was holding something back. She narrowed her eyes as she watched him. “And?”
He sighed. “Isn’t that enough?”
“You’re not done with that thought.”
“How do you know?”
She smiled a little. “We’ve spent how many days together now, twenty-four-seven? I think I might know a little bit about you by now.”
His expression relaxed a little. “What do you think you’ve learned about me?”
She tipped her head to one side, still studying him. “You’re thoughtful. I’m sure you planned every step out before you came to my house. Then when your plans went to hell, you didn’t just rush into something else, but stopped to consider the best course of action in the face of new facts.”
His beginning smile disappeared.
Andi’s smile widened. “I’m sure you’ve never lied to your family before, as you’re uncomfortable doing it now, despite the new situation.”
He remained stubbornly silent.
“You are generous. Funny. Easily annoyed by my smart-ass comments.” She felt her smile slip a little. “And you’re determined to do the right thing, no matter what it’s going to cost you, now that you know things you didn’t know before we met.”
“You forgot the most important thing,” he said hoarsely, setting his handful of brochures down on top of his backpack.
She swallowed.
He caught her free hand and tugged, pulling her toward him. “You forgot that I’m in love with you, Andrea,” he whispered, lacing their fingers so their palms met, and her pulse quickened. “You didn’t mention that because I love you, I’ve entered a whole new, uncharted world.” His grip on her hand tightened a little. “I will die before they get to you.”
She let him pull her around the small table and into his lap. Under her ear, his heart pounded, matching the racing of her own. His arms settled her nearer, and he rested his cheek atop her head.
She’d also neglected to mention she was hurting him, knowing he loved her and being unable to trust him enough to open her own heart.
Her eyes flew open. That was what he’d realized when he looked into her cup earlier.
“It’s all right, agaph.” His warm breath caressed her scalp, ruffling through her hair.
It wasn’t. She knew it. But she didn’t know what to do about it.
She slid her arms around his waist and inhaled shakily.
As if he knew what she was thinking, he rocked her slowly in his seat, one hand stroking over her back, spreading warmth along her spine.
Her eyes burned, but she refused to give in to the tears this time.
She’d forgotten how complicated relationships were. And she’d certainly never had one this complicated.
Kallan didn’t know what to say to lighten the mood in the car after they got off the ferry. Andrea was pale and silent, her eyes haunted as she stared out the window. He steered the car into Kirkwall and found the hotel he’d decided on after studying the brochures on the ferry. It was too early to check in, though, so he drove past it and out of the little town again, along its narrow streets and past ancient buildings.
The island wasn’t that big, so their chances of getting lost were slim. He followed a meandering road until they reached a stone circle. A bus was loading up a tour group when he parked, and Andrea turned her blank gaze from the side window to the hill ahead of them. Her eyes cleared a little.
“Brodgar,” he said gruffly. “I’ve always wanted to see it.”
She shot him a quick smile, pushing open her door.
He met her at the back of the car and caught her hand in his. Her fingers were cold, even before they stepped into the brisk wind.
When they got to the edge of the circle, she stopped, inhaling deeply as her eyes shut. “There’s so much power here,” she said softly.
He could feel it too, even though spotting magic wasn’t his specialty. The site was so old—surely a lot of power had been raised here over the centuries. Looking straight across the circle, he could see a loch in the distance, and a small patch of clear blue sky above it, the sunlight there contrasting sharply with the dark gray clouds over their heads.
Andrea tugged on his hand, and he let her lead the way into the circle. A ripple of energy danced over his skin as they stepped inside it, and she laughed with sheer joy. Kallan relaxed a bit more, enjoying the pleasure in her face. The wind whipped through his hair, tugging at the ends of hers too, making him realize how quickly it was growing. It had nearly gotten back to the length it was when she’d cut it off. Already.
She put her hand flat on one of the stones and closed her eyes, the remaining tension leaving her body. “This is gorgeous.”
She was gorgeous. A lump clogged his throat for a moment, and he didn’t reply, just watched her.
“So much energy, so much old magic. I bet Stavros would hate it here.” Her lips curved in a faint smile. “He’d never be able to undo all this.”
She was right about that. But he didn’t want to think about his cousin right now. Instead, he bent and dropped a kiss onto her forehead.
They walked the entire circle, pausing to touch a stone, or simply to look at the vistas in the distance. And sometimes just to stand in each other’s arms.
It was peaceful, and Kallan decided he could stay there for the rest of the day. Maybe forever.
Until the next bus full of tourists arrived.
Andrea shot him a look of mingled regret and amusement when the first group stepped into the heather, breaking the silence they’d enjoyed. “Guess that’s that,” she whispered.
He agreed and steered her back to the car, and then drove back toward town and the hotel.
Once they checked in, it was after lunchtime, so they walked hand-in-hand among the shops and restaurants in town until they found a place to eat. Andrea hummed her pleasure over her soup and sandwich, and he was happy there was some color in her cheeks again, even if it had just come from the wind whipping their faces as they walked.
His phone vibrated against his leg while they relaxed after their meal.
“You may as well answer it,” she said with a rueful smile. “He’ll just keep calling.”
One look at the screen told him it was indeed his cousin again. He thumbed the phone on. “Yes, Stavros?”
“Have you found her?”
“No.” His mouth tightened, and he made an effort to relax it. Andrea’s fingers brushed over his hair. “My leads out here have dried up.”
Stavros cursed. “I know she was here.”
“Where are you?”
“Still in Maine, Goddess dammit.”
His heart thudded painfully inside his chest. “What about Anatole’s lead in Mexico?”
“It’s a dead-end, of course. I don’t know where she went. I could use your help.”
For his cousin to admit he needed assistance, he must be frustrated beyond all endurance. “You know tracking isn’t my specialty. You should call Vasily.” His mouth was dry, and he used his free hand to pick up his water glass.
“He’s here with me, and even he can’t find her trail. She just vanished, the cursed bitch.”
Kall
an’s mind flashed an image of his cousin as he would look right now, his hard face flushed with anger, his short dark hair sticking up everywhere from him having dragged his fingers through it a thousand times, and determination shining out of his dark eyes. Kallan’s pulse drummed in his ears.
“I’m sorry. If Vasily can’t find her trail, I’m of no use to you, Stavros.” He took a quick sip of water and put the glass back on the table before he spilled it.
Andrea’s blue gaze was sober as she patted his arm before sliding her fingers down, then wrapped both her hands around his.
He smiled at her. “We’ll pick up another lead,” he said to his cousin, trying to sound as if he meant it.
Stavros cursed again. “I want to kill her. This one is mine.”
Wrong, she’s mine! Kallan realized his fingers were clenching into a fist inside Andrea’s hand, and he forced himself to uncurl them. She pressed her lips together, worry lining her forehead.
“I’ll call you in a day or two,” Stavros said after a second, making Kallan realize he hadn’t replied to his cousin’s last statement. “Perhaps one of us will find something in the meantime. Or Uncle Ari may hear something to help us.”
Kallan muttered his agreement, then turned the phone off and stuffed it back into his pocket.
Andrea leaned into him, and he freed his hand from hers and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “You know if you just let me go back in a couple of weeks, I can take care of him myself,” she said against his throat.
He forced a laugh. “Best not even to think about him. He’s across the ocean, and we’re safe here. You’re safe here.” He kissed the top of her head. “Come, let’s go. We haven’t seen all these shops yet, and I saw a distillery up the road.” He released her reluctantly and pushed to his feet.
If he had to handcuff her to himself again, he’d keep her here—safe from his family. As long as he could.
Hunting Medusa Page 18