by Kristen Day
“Aren’t you going to introduce Stasia to your friends?” Carmen looked expectantly at Ian.
“Cage, Ricker…Stasia,” he gestured at each of us in the world’s shortest introduction ever.
“Nice to meet you,” Cage smiled genuinely at me and then made a face at Ian who was too busy kissing Phoebe to notice. Cage’s full head of curly dark hair and warm brown eyes matched his laid back style. His plaid swim trunks told me he was ready to get this vacation underway. I instantly liked him. Ricker was a little more reserved with short hair and light blue eyes. He was tall, with a lean build and simply nodded his head at me. I saw Carmen narrow her eyes at him as he twisted on his heel.
“Finn and Liam are already on board,” Ian informed us as the six of us ascended the ramp attached to the back deck.
We entered through the same door we had the night of the ball, but instead of continuing in to the sitting area, we climbed a small staircase. The second level could be best described as the ultimate man cave. On the far side of the room a pool table, foosball table, air hockey game, and a couple old-school arcade games littered the deep red carpet. Directly in front of us were several large black leather couches and fluffy armchairs facing a large flat screen TV on the wall. In the corner a small kitchenette housed a refrigerator, microwave, and sink. Maybe this was where the Sons were while everyone else was hanging out at school. You’d have to drag me off of this boat if I had unrestricted access to it.
Someone was splayed across one of the leather couches watching ESPN, but he jumped up at our entrance. His pale skin and unruly blonde hair that he kept tucking behind his ears made him stick out like a sore thumb amongst Ian, Ricker and Cage. He had warm green eyes that shyly darted toward Willow. He effortlessly hopped over the back of the couch and introduced himself with a cute boyish smile.
“I’m Liam,” he announced before Ian could introduce me. His khaki shorts hung low on his hips, his blue plaid boxer shorts peaking out below a white t-shirt. His height and the impressive muscles of his upper body had me placing him in the Triton category. He was at least 6’4. My assumption was confirmed when I caught sight of a trace in the shape of a trident along his calf as he inched his way closer to Willow.
“I’m Stasia,” I told him.
“Charmed,” he bowed to me and glanced back at Willow; clearly trying to impress her by being funny.
“Nice to meet you,” I held back a chuckle.
“Finn’s upstairs. He told me to send you that way when you got on board,” Liam gestured up another small flight of stairs. It’s no wonder most wealthy people were always in shape. When your boat has five flights of stairs and your house is a million square feet, you either needed roller skates or plenty of stamina. I left the others and headed upstairs in search of Finn.
The next level held a small sitting area with a glass door leading to the control deck, but it appeared to be empty. I continued climbing the stairs to the top level, hoping to find him there. At the top of the stairs, I stepped into a modest bedroom. Old world nautical artifacts decorated the room. An antique telescope sat on a tripod in one corner, a seventeenth century compass and octant sat on the nightstand, and a weathered wooden ship’s wheel hung on the wall above the bed. A low bookshelf full of books and more artifacts ran the length of one wall. A photograph in a simple black frame caught my eye and I strode over to the shelves to get a closer look. It was a younger Finn in the arms of Natasha; him laughing while she looked down at him with unending love. It made me smile, but also sent a wave of sadness through my heart; reminding me of what I never had. As my eyes scanned the rest of the shelf, something else jumped out at me.
A double axe lay on its side, the serrated blade glinting in the sunlight. The handle was encrusted with diamonds and black onyx, giving it a menacing, but captivating appearance. I slowly ran my finger over the jewels and noticed an engraving on the blade. Finn’s full name was written in an elaborate script. It was beautiful and deadly, just like its owner. Engrossed in its splendor, I almost missed the savage presence looming above on the next shelf. As my eyes flitted upward, they were trapped in the chilling eyes of an actual skull and crossbones. This wasn’t bought in a costume store, this was the real deal. Its crooked teeth were slightly yellowed with age and the bones themselves were more of a brownish color. The two long bones were held together with what looked to be an old piece of wood and the skull sat atop them. As my blood turned to ice, I fell backward and tripped over the black braided rug that covered the wooden floor. Unable to tear my eyes away from its haunting eye sockets, I jumped out of my skin at the sound of Finn’s low, ghostly voice.
“I see you’ve met my father.”
Chapter 4
I spun around clumsily and encountered Finn’s stormy blue eyes watching me curiously. Wearing a gray shirt and black swim trunks he looked sexier than ever. The corner of his perfectly shaped mouth lifted ever so slightly into a crooked grin, while I did everything I could to calm my racing heart and stop my feet from running back down the stairs.
“You…your father is…dead?” I knew the look on my face screamed of shock and horror, but I had no control over it at this point.
“Technically, yes,” he clarified for me, breezily. He stepped over to the skull and crossbones and rested his hand on top of the skull, as I tried not to shiver visibly. Apparently keeping your father’s bones in your bedroom wasn’t disturbing to him at all. I was hoping any other skeletons in his closet weren’t actual skeletons.
“Technically?” I shivered again.
“His body is dead, but his soul is very much alive.” He smiled lovingly at the skull, and then took a step toward me.
“So he’s a…ghost?” I guessed, knowing full well I didn’t believe in ghosts. His slight leer turned into a full blown smile as he started laughing.
“Don’t let him hear you say that,” he chuckled again and I did a quick survey of the room for fear his dad was hanging around listening to us. Finn looked at me apologetically and took my hands in his. “Ghosts are fickle souls who will forever be lost and broken. They were awarded no true resting place in the Underworld, so they walk the realm of the living. My father is anything but lost or broken.”
Glancing back at the double axe, the skull and crossbones, and then around his penthouse bedroom on a million dollar yacht, I searched his eyes. Still stormy, they swirled with hues of deep blue and gray, but the tenderness in them was unmistakable. He rubbed my cheek and pulled my rigid body close. All I could do was stare up at him, still in shock.
“Who are you?” I whispered in awe.
“Here ya’ll are!” We both jumped at Cage’s voice bursting with excitement. He stood at the top of the stairs, a little out of breath, and his brown eyes were dancing with mischief.
“Don’t you think it’s about time we headed out into the deep blue yonder?” he asked as he shielded his eyes with his hand, peering out the window and into the distance. We snickered at him and descended down to the third level. As Finn and Cage maneuvered the yacht out of the marina with expert precision, I went back down to the second level to find my roommates. As I might have guessed, Phoebe and Carmen were locked in a battle at the air hockey table, while Willow played referee. At the moment, she was trying to convince Carmen that Phoebe’s last move was indeed legal.
“Hey Stasia!” Phoebe’s eyes darted up for only a second, but long enough for Carmen to strategically send the puck flying in to her goal.
“Hey! No fair!” Phoebe pouted.
“Okay, I disqualify you both for being so annoying,” Willow said as she threw up her hands in defeat and walked over to me.
“Liam told me it should only take about six hours to make it to Cape Lookout from here.” I noticed her face redden as she said his name.
“I think somebody has a crush on Liam,” I teased her.
“Maybe,” she said sheepishly and then leaned closer, “I think he’s kinda cute…”
“I think he thinks you’re kin
da cute too,” I whispered back and her bright green eyes got wider.
“You really think so?”
“What are ya’ll talking about?” Phoebe called out from across the room. She and Carmen had continued their game minus the referee.
“How Willow likes Liam,” Carmen answered for us a little too loudly.
“Carmen!” Both Willow and I scolded her.
“Who likes Liam?” Ricker asked as he bounded down the steps with none other than Liam. Willow gasped and her face turned bright red. She immediately shot a warning look at Carmen who just grinned and shrugged her shoulders. I caught Liam glance hesitantly in Willow’s direction with hope evident in his eyes.
“We were talking about Liam Hemsworth,” Phoebe tried, but Ricker just sneered at her and then Willow, knowing she was making it up.
“Uh huh,” Ricker smirked.
Willow grabbed my hand and yanked me onto the couch, away from Liam and Carmen’s big mouth which was still in full swing.
“Why don’t you find somebody else to annoy, Ricker?” she snarled at him.
“Why don’t you do us a favor and stop talking, Carmen?” he snapped back at her.
For the next five hours we tried to keep the two of them from ripping each other’s eyes out as we exhausted the pool table, Pac-man, foosball, and two mobster movies along with a case of Orange Crush and a couple bags of soft pretzels. Thankfully we had good weather and calm seas, so we were making excellent time. As everyone moved outside to the stern for some fresh air, Finn held me back.
“I want to show you something,” he uttered in a low voice with a dark smile.
“As long as it doesn’t involve more bones,” I shook my head vehemently.
“You have my word. It’s back upstairs in my room.” My stomach clenched at the thought of his empty bed as well as his father’s skull and crossbones. I wasn’t sure which one I was more afraid of.
“So why do you have your own bedroom on a yacht that’s used by all of the Sons?” I questioned him as we climbed the stairs. He ran his hand through his hair before answering.
“Well, I guess you could say I use it more often,” he responded vaguely.
“Why’s that?” I prodded further. He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye before speaking again.
“Because it’s my yacht.”
I almost tripped up the stairs. “You’re telling me that you have your own yacht,” I blurted out, not believing him for a second.
“That’s right.”
“Are you going to tell me the beach house is yours, too?” I challenged.
“No,” he crowed at me, as if owning a beach house at the age of seventeen was ludicrous but owning a yacht wasn’t. “My family’s been around for a very, very long time. Over the years, money just tends to…collect. Your family’s no different, Pasha.”
He grinned, clearly amused. I hadn’t thought about that. Technically, I had a huge mansion on the Fortunate Isle. What else did I have that I didn’t know about?
“Touche,” I snickered. Doing my best to ignore his father’s skull staring us, I followed Finn out onto the deck adjacent to his room. The view was magnificent. Sparkling blue water stretched out in every direction, soothing every cell in my body. The deck beneath our feet also held several comfortable looking lounge chairs and one massive Jacuzzi. I couldn’t imagine how incredible it must be up here at night under the stars.
“I haven’t had a chance to tell you how beautiful your hair is.” Finn gently played with an aqua highlight and I was hopelessly caught in his intense gaze. “It brings out your eyes. It’s incredible.”
“I don’t know how it happened, I went to sleep last night and they just appeared.”
“It’s all a part of the transition. Your body’s slowly transforming as you get closer and closer to your eighteenth birthday. You’ll become stronger as well.” I remembered how easy it had been to push Noah down on to the sand a couple months ago.
“Why now? Why last night?” I wondered, absently fiddling with the hem of my navy shorts.
“Being a direct descendent, you must have been exposed to something from your past or direct bloodline. That’s why most Chosen descendents don’t have to take a journey to the River, their essence is filled through the presence of their family or something that represents their family.” He smiled shyly at me, “That’s another reason why I gave you the aquamarine necklace.”
“Because aquamarine represents my mother,” I connected the dots.
“Right,” he confirmed.
“I had a reverie last night, but I had no idea where I was. There was an old man there.”
“Maybe that’s why your soul was drawn to him,” he suggested as his eyes lit up with excitement, “because he was in your past or a part of your direct bloodline.”
“What about you?” I questioned him, “Are you a direct descendent?” Unfortunately instead of an answer, Finn walked back into his room and returned with an object that he clutched firmly in his hand.
“This is for you,” he said as he dropped it into my open palm. It was heavy and solid as I rolled it back and forth with my fingers. I wasn’t really certain what I was looking at. It was a large black stone, smooth in texture and oval shaped. A smaller red stone was encased by the black stone; peeking out at various points along the exterior.
“It’s a black onyx surrounding a fire agate stone,” he expounded; seeing the question already in my eyes.
“It’s beautiful…” I whispered. It shimmered in the sunlight as it rolled back and forth in my hand. The black and crimson hues playing off of each other created an effect similar to a campfire; the dark coals supporting and feeding the brighter red flames. It was warm in my hand and sent energy up my arm the longer I held it. “What’s it for?”
“It has many uses, but for our purposes this weekend, it will act as a kind of beacon. Once we begin, you’ll understand. Until then, keep it close.” He watched me with reverence as he moved closer and wrapped his arms around my waist.
“I will,” I breathed, slipping my arms around his neck. I rested my head on his solid chest and closed my eyes. I felt so safe with him; so protected. My heart warmed as he sighed happily and squeezed me to him even tighter. The hand that lightly rubbed my back tensed and his fingers trailed down the small of my back, clinching my lavender tank top as if they couldn’t keep themselves from travelling farther south. I looked up into those deep blue eyes; surprised by the passion burning within them. He gripped the fabric tighter, leaned his forehead against mine, and closed his eyes; his breath suddenly measured. Witnessing his restraint, my heart melted and then rapidly lit fire; erupting in a tidal wave of longing that crashed over me, washing away any trace of resistance. I tilted my head upward, bringing my lips dangerously close to his, causing the need swirling within me to become almost unbearable. As his breath caught ever so slightly, he opened his eyes and gave in to the heat pulsing between us.
His velvety lips met mine and I could feel the passion increase as each kiss became more intense; hotter. As my knees went weak, I reached out for the railing behind me to steady myself. He pressed my body against it; my hands holding on for dear life. He wrapped an arm around the small of my back, his hand squeezing my waist, while the other wrapped around my shoulders and pulled me impossibly close. My body went limp as he slowly caressed the tender skin below my ear; his embrace the only thing holding me upright. My legs had become numb with pleasure and my arms were now holding on to him, struggling to keep up with his fervor.
My heart was on the verge of exploding when he stood quickly, lifted me up and carried me inside. Which was good because there was no way my legs would have gotten me there. He gently laid me down on the bed, his lips never leaving mine. Unable to get enough of him, I pulled him down on top of me, eager to feel the length of his body pressed against mine. I ran my fingernails down the taught muscles of his arms and heard him groan as he kissed my earlobe. The tickle of his breath in my ear had my body r
esponding in a way that threatened to cause the thin string of control I still had to unravel completely. Then someone knocked on the door.
“Hey Finn?”
At Ricker’s voice, Finn flew off of me in a flash, almost tumbling off of the bed. I stifled a laugh with my hand; failing miserably when it came out as a snort.
“Yeah?” Finn’s voice came out rushed and hoarse.
“The lighthouse is coming up on our bow. I think we’ve passed the house,” Ricker informed him.
“I’ll be right there!” he called out, sitting on the edge of the bed. I crawled over to the where he sat and wrapped my arms around him, kissing him square on the cheek. The rush of adrenaline still running through my system had made me a little hysterical and I couldn’t stop giggling. Unfortunately for me and my need for oxygen, Finn grabbed me and began to tickle me relentlessly. Laughing so hard that my stomach began to hurt, he finally relinquished his attack; leaving me gasping for air.
“As soon as...I find your…weakness, you’re in…trouble,” I threatened him through shallow breaths, falling short of convincing.
“I’ll be sure to sleep with one eye open,” he laughed at me and kissed me one last time, leaving me gasping for air all over again.
Chapter 5
While Finn hastened down to the control room to right our course, I strolled back out onto the deck. From this viewpoint I could see only water, but as the yacht made a wide left turn, a thin strip of land appeared. A towering lighthouse rose majestically from the sand, silently watching over the Cape and surrounding ocean. The black and white diamond design told me that this was in fact the Cape Lookout Lighthouse. Past the regal lighthouse, long expansive beaches were backed by massive rolling sand dunes and a forest of trees that resembled the live oaks on Bald Head. The lighthouse was the only sign of civilization I had seen thus far. There were no vacation homes, shops, or sunbathing tourists dotting the beaches. I leaned over the rail trying to pinpoint our exact destination, only to find more vacant beach and cresting waves.