by M. Leighton
I waited for him to continue, whether with a question or a statement. Instead, I saw his face light with something that looked dangerously close to pride.
He cleared his throat. “And Sentinel Hamilton? What was his plan?”
“I don’t know. The plan that we began with got…interrupted somehow. He sent me off so quickly I didn’t get to ask any questions and he didn’t seem to have time to explain. He just told me to swim and not look back, that he would find me.”
My voice trembled on the last words, the lump in my throat nearly painful in its size and intensity. I felt like my heart was lodged there, ready to burst at any moment and spray my life’s blood all over the walls around me.
“Princess,” Jessup began, his voice a smidgeon less gruff. “You know he is the very best to ever grace the Sentinel ranks of Atlas. If he said he’d find you, then he will. Trust in that.”
I had the sudden urge to fling myself into Jessup’s stiff arms and bawl my eyes out on his shoulder. But behavior such as that was not befitting of a royal in my position, so, resolutely, I swallowed as much of my emotion as I could and straightened my spine.
“I trust you’ll begin making arrangements to subvert the mechanisms put in place by the traitor and formulate some sort of rescue attempt.”
“Of course, Princess. Immediately. And you’ll begin the search for the next prison escapees I assume?”
I faltered. For just a moment. “Of course. There are a couple of things I must attend to and then I’ll give them my full attention.”
“As you wish, Princess. Take your time. I’m merely pleased to know you would never consider something as foolish as making an attempt of your own.”
I snorted nervously. “Never.” Commander Jessup’s lips curved the tiniest bit, turning up at the corners into a knowing grin. I wasn’t fooling anybody. “Speaking of the Lore, which spirit has arrived?”
“There were two, Princess.”
“Two? At the same time?”
“Yes, they were contained as one since they were captured as one.”
My mind raced through names until I came across the only two I knew of that were seen as one entity rather than two. “The Jackal and Hyde.”
“The very ones.”
“Well, I’ll, uh, I’ll get right on that. Very soon,” I said uncomfortably. I hated to lie, but I couldn’t afford for anyone to try and stop me. It was Jackson. To me that meant no other explanation was needed.
“I know you are exhausted. I’ll have someone escort you to your room. You need rest first and foremost.”
“Thank you, Commander, but that’s really not necessary. I—”
“I insist, Princess. More than ever, it is imperative that we ensure your safety. Besides, it is a great honor for any Sentinel to be assigned protective duties to someone such as yourself. You must realize that.”
Put that way, it would make me sound ungrateful and snobbish to refuse. So, smiling coolly, I nodded once in submission. “Thank you. That would be much appreciated.”
Jessup attempted some banalities to tie up our meeting and then he escorted me back out to the elevator. Along the way, I saw him discreetly signal a Sentinel I’d never seen before, but one who looked all too eager to be called upon. He was tallish with raven hair and smiling cornflower eyes. He snapped to attention the instant he was chosen.
“Sentinel Holmes, you will escort the Princess back to her rooms. Once you have safely deposited her inside, you will be her primary guardian until morning when more permanent arrangements can be made.”
“Excuse me, but that’s not necessary. I have a permanent guardian. Sentinel Hamilton. If you’d like to assign someone to me in his absence, that would be fine, but he will be returning to his post.” As much as I could, I let the frosty edge to my words numb the aching hole in my chest. I wanted desperately to believe them.
Commander Jessup looked duly chastised, not to mention genuinely contrite for being so callous about the Mer to whom I was tied. We both knew he was simply doing his job, but my heart didn’t get the memo. I couldn’t dull the pain that radiated through my chest at the thought of Jackson being replaced. It was an impossibility, one that I refused to consider even on such a small scale.
“My apologies, Princess. I only meant until Sentinel Hamilton’s return.”
I shook my head, a little embarrassed by my very telling outburst. “I know. I’m sorry. I’m just tired. Please excuse me. I suppose I really do need that rest.”
With a polite smile, I nodded to Jessup and Holmes and turned to punch the elevator button. My world was falling apart and I felt at a loss as to how to fix it, how to stop it.
“Oh, Commander, I’ll need a key to Sentinel Hamilton’s room so that I can make use of his books.”
“Of course,” Jessup said without hesitation. “I’ll have a copy sent right over.”
“Thank you.”
The ding of the elevator signaled my means of escape, at least for the moment. Hurriedly, I hopped into the car. Impatiently, I waited for Holmes to join me before I selected the button for the ground floor. I felt like I was suffocating. I had to get out of there.
When the doors opened, I ran from the elevator and bolted out the front doors into the night. I had planned to stop just outside, but running felt so good, I kept going. And going. And going.
I knew that a voice called my name. Over and over again. Princess! Princess! Wait, Princess! it called, but I ignored it. Pushed it to the very back of my mind and kept running.
I knew neither what I was running from nor what I was running toward; I just knew I had to run. It grew quickly into a compulsion, as though something deep inside me drove me to it. And I let it have its way. It was a relief to just let go, even for a few minutes.
By the time my feet slowed, my toes were buried in the cool sands of the shoreline. I heard someone crying and I felt moisture all over my face, but I thought little of it. I couldn’t think, only feel. Then I felt something that eclipsed everything else.
I felt Jackson.
At first, it was barely perceptible. I might’ve thought I’d imagined it but for the steady warmth that grew in the pit of my stomach. A fire burned there, a fire that burned for no one else on earth, a fire that I welcomed like consuming flames. I willingly gave myself up to them.
“Jackson!” I screamed from the top of my lungs. “Jackson!”
I scanned the horizon, but saw nothing. I turned my nose to the wind, but smelled nothing. I reached out with my every sense, but could not identify his presence.
I called again. And again. But no Jackson.
When hands gently touched my arms, I whirled around, prepared to throw myself against the chest I dreamed about. But it was Holmes. He looked worried and a little uncertain of himself.
“Princess, there’s no one here. There’s no one out there. We’re alone.”
“No, he’s here. Somewhere. I know it. I can feel him.”
Holmes looked around, but I could tell it was strictly for my benefit. He didn’t believe he’d see anything. And that’s what he reported. “Princess, we are alone. I assure you.”
My throat and my chest ached with the sob I withheld. My eyes and nose stung with more tears. And my soul—it cried out with an anguish I’d never before experienced.
Why did you leave him? Why did you leave him? The sand ground against the skin of my knees when I landed on them, the question circling through my head over and over again.
A voice not much louder than a whisper interrupted the loop. Not fully trusting my senses by that point, I looked at Holmes. His expression told me he’d heard it, too. Only he didn’t recognize the voice. But I did. I could never forget it.
“Jackson?”
I sprang to my feet and ran to the water’s edge. I let the power of the ocean, of my people hum through my veins. Reaching out with my enhanced senses, I searched.
The sounds of weak splashing touched my ears first. Turning my head to triangulate the sou
nd, I let my eyes scan the moonlit waves. And then I saw him.
A shape was moving sluggishly toward shore. I could make out arms slicing rhythmically through the water as a dark head bobbed just above the surface. Without hesitation, I struck out, running through the shallows and diving into the first big wave that reached me.
Surrounded by the water that was my home, I felt like a tuning fork for the energies around me. I had no trouble locating Jackson. The tie we shared was stronger than ever since we’d been in the Pool of Neptune together. It sang in my heart, in my blood like a song I’d known all my life, like music I’d been created to make. For Jackson. With Jackson. Only Jackson.
I surfaced just ahead of him. The instant my head broke the water, he stopped and our eyes met. Neither of us said a word, he simply reached forward and drew me into his arms, crushing me to his bare chest.
A salty tang teased my tongue. It wasn’t the taste of the sea. It was the taste of my tears, tears of pure joy and intense relief that Jackson was all right, that we were back in each other’s arms where we belonged.
Love exploded within me. Our legs tangled together in an intimate twist and the water began to churn around them. Power flowed through us, between us and excited the ocean. It was as though it mirrored my emotion. It swelled beneath us, picking us up on an enormous wave and carrying us toward shore. When our feet touched the sandy floor of the shallows, Jackson still didn’t let me go; he simply swept me into his arms and carried me onto the beach where he stood holding me.
“Thank God you’re all right,” he breathed against my neck finally.
I leaned back and cupped his face. “Me? I was worried sick about you. I was coming to find you.”
He sighed. “Madly, I told you—”
“I know what you told me, but I’d rather die trying to find you than live without you.”
“But you—”
“Surely you can understand that,” I interrupted.
Jackson started to speak, but as he looked into my eyes, I knew he understood what I meant. He felt the same way about me. We were bound to one another. Death would be infinitely preferable to life without one’s mate. It was that simple.
“Yes, I can. Lucky for you, I’m not going anywhere, so let’s agree to no more stunts on your part. Deal?”
I loved the sound of that, of Jackson not going anywhere. I smiled broadly. “Deal.”
He brushed his lips against mine, instantly kindling a fire in my belly. The sound of someone clearing their throat reminded us that we were not alone.
I looked over my shoulder at Holmes, who was trying not to look at us as he took a few steps forward. “Sorry to interrupt, but will you still be needing an escort to your room, Princess?”
I laughed, feeling more lighthearted than I had in days it seemed. Funny how the threat of losing Jackson had altered my perspective. “Holmes, meet Jackson. Sentinel Jackson Hamilton. Jackson, this is Holmes. He was assigned to me in your absence.” The two Sentinels nodded at one another, but said nothing. “No, I won’t be needing that escort after all, Sentinel Holmes, but thank you.”
With a curt nod, he spun around and walked away, leaving us alone. I turned my gaze back to Jackson. Although I could see the spark of desire lighting his eyes, I saw fatigue more than anything else.
“We need to get you home,” I said, pressing my lips to his jawline then wiggling my legs so he’d set me down. I dialed back my emotions to a more manageable level so I could focus on Jackson’s health rather than the heat of his body so close to mine.
He didn’t argue, so I took his hand and we began the walk back to the dorm. I prayed Jersey wouldn’t be awake, that we could sneak in and have some time to ourselves to talk in Jackson’s room. Once she saw us, it would be utter chaos.
We walked in silence for a ways before Jackson finally spoke. “How’d it go at Transport?”
“Just fine,” I replied casually. I summarized the conversation I had with Commander Jessup.
“Did he ask how we got away?”
“He did.”
“And?”
“I told him.”
Jackson tensed. “And?”
I stopped and turned to face him. “He knows. And he doesn’t care.” Jackson all but sighed in relief. “I don’t think you’ll be in any trouble.”
“Trouble? I wasn’t worried about getting in trouble. I’d just rather we’re able to focus on getting Lore captured and returned to Atlas, and freeing your family than fighting the Powers That Be over whether or not our relationship is appropriate.”
His words warmed me. “Well, until my father is free, I am the ‘Powers That Be’ and I’m very happy with this turn of events.”
I smiled up at Jackson. He smiled down at me. Sparks flew. We stared at each other for several seconds longer before he cleared his throat, grabbed my hand and pulled me back into a walk beside him. My stomach fluttered at the sexual tension between us.
“I guess I need to pay the Commander a visit then.”
“He can wait. You need to rest. I know you have to be exhausted. Besides, I want to know what happened. We need to talk.”
Whether I imagined it I couldn’t be sure, but I thought I felt Jackson tense again.
“Can we get cleaned up first? I feel like I haven’t had a shower in days.”
Even though I suspected it was a stall tactic, I could relate to what Jackson was saying. The atmosphere in Atlas was more humid than any steam bath, keeping Mer skin and scales moist. But living on dry land was different. Taking a shower with soap and then being dry for hours at a time made it hard to get used to the salty sea film again. At just the mention of it, my skin felt grimy and my hair felt heavy with ocean debris.
“I think that sounds like a great idea. Could—” I stopped myself, but not before Jackson heard me begin to ask the question. He turned his head toward me and, in my peripheral vision, I saw him looking questioningly at me. I hoped he couldn’t see the blush that stole into my cheeks.
“Could what?” he prompted when I didn’t continue.
“Um, well, I was just thinking about Jersey. You know once she knows we’re back, we won’t have a moment’s peace for days, right?”
Jackson humphed, but said nothing for a few seconds. He cleared his throat before he finally spoke. “Maybe you should stay with me tonight. You know, just until we can get all this sorted out. Get a plan worked out. I have my own shower after all. And you can wear something of mine to sleep in if you wouldn’t mind.”
Wouldn’t mind? I thought. I felt warm and flushed all over just thinking about it. A mixture of anxiety and anticipation coiled in my stomach like a tightly wound spring. Keeping my eyes trained on the path in front of us, I responded as casually as I could. “That should be fine.”
Neither of us said anything for the last few minutes of our walk. I was glad Slumber lay on the coast and the school not far from the shore. That meant the dorm was only a short walk from the sea.
Jackson pulled to a stop just beyond the cone of light in front of our dorm. “What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Just thinking how best to do this.”
“Do what?”
“Get in there. Not only do we want to avoid Jersey, but I don’t have my key.”
“Oh.”
Jackson chewed his lip as he pondered. It was a habit I found sexier by the day. It drew attention to his full bottom lip and made me want to nibble it.
“Okay, here’s what we’ll do. The window at my desk has a loose spot in the screen. I can lift you up so you can pop it loose and crawl through to let me in from the inside. Can you do that?”
I shrugged. “Doesn’t sound too difficult.”
We stayed out of the light and crept around to the side of the dorm. Luckily, our rooms were on the ground floor.
Jackson was right about the screen. In fact, he was able to reach it, push it open and then raise the window a bit. All I’d have to do is crawl through.
I was surprised he ha
dn’t bothered to repair such a vulnerability. On the other hand, knowing Jackson, he probably used it as a training exercise, daring anyone to climb through and try to attack him. I’d seen his lightning-fast reflexes before. I doubted it was possible to get the upper hand on him.
With admirable ease, Jackson took me by the waist and lifted me up to the opening. I tried to ignore the feel of his hands on my body and his face pressed to the outside of my thigh, but it took effort. Lots of effort.
When I had my upper body through the window, draped across the sill, I felt Jackson’s big hand cup my butt. There seemed to be a protracted pause before he gave me a push to help me through. Chills poured down my legs.
Once I had wiggled onto his desk, trying my best not to disturb the few things scattered across the surface, I swung my legs around and hurried to the door, unlocking it as quietly as I could. Little more than a minute later, Jackson opened the door and hurried through, silently closing and locking it behind him.
“We’ll have to be pretty quiet so Jersey doesn’t hear us,” he said in a hushed voice. “And we’ll have to use candles rather than the lights. She’d see them under the adjoining door.”
As Jackson spoke, he set about opening desk drawers until he came across what he was looking for—electric candles. I should’ve known he didn’t mean actual candles. What would someone like Jackson need candles for? An answer popped unbidden into my mind and I pushed it ruthlessly away, unwilling to think of him with any other girls.
No, Jackson’s “candles” were like long thin tubes of light with one fat end that served as a stand. He turned one on and set it on the nightstand. The other he carried into the bathroom. I saw the soft light shine through the doorway when he switched it on.
Jackson came back out and rifled through his closet until he came away with something in his hand. He walked to me and extended his hand.
“Here. It’s the only thing I have that won’t swallow you.”
I took the small square of material from his hand. It was a soft cotton t-shirt, no doubt in black even though I couldn’t see the color clearly enough to confirm it.
“Thank you.”