He took my hands in his and kissed the tips of my fingers, the touch of his lips and the heated look in his eyes starting a fire in my lower belly. ‘You drove me crazy the moment I met you, and not just because you didn’t want me but because you make me question things…you make me question everything about myself, about Marin. You make me want to be a better man.’ He closed the distance between us. ‘You, Miranda.’
‘Okay,’ I finally whispered, after losing myself in his eyes for what felt like an eternity. ‘I think I believe you.’
Marko let out a long sigh then beamed a grin bright enough to power the city. ‘Progress at last.’
I smiled back. Marko really cared about me, and for now that was all that mattered. The rest of the world had fallen away, leaving only the two of us.
When we arrived at his room and entered through the guarded double doors, the temperature enveloped me like a warm bath. The smell of delicious food hit my nose, and my belly rumbled loudly.
I looked down, embarrassed, willing it to shut up.
‘I only had that one piece of squid for lunch,’ I said in defence.
He smiled, took me by the hand and led me to the table.
‘I have something to show you, but I’d better feed you first.’
My face burned, and as soon as I sat down I reached for the water glass to press it against my skin. I was still getting over the ‘I think you’re beautiful’ comment.
Our eyes met while I sipped my water.
‘What are you thinking?’ he asked.
I set my water glass down. ‘Nothing,’ I mumbled and looked away. I let go of his hand and started fiddling with the edge of my plate. I could feel his eyes on me the entire time.
‘I know you want to jump right into the kissing, Miranda, but let’s eat, first,’ he said, a smile in his voice.
I laughed. ‘You wish.’
We dined on shrimp with wedges of lime, followed by a delicious casserole dish filled with fish, squid, octopus and mussels, all in a richly herbed tomato sauce. I downed two glasses of red wine with the meal, and by the time I set my knife and fork down in the centre of the plate I felt incredibly relaxed.
With the wine warm in my blood I did things I normally wouldn’t do, like reach across to play with Marko’s hand every now and then. He stopped what he was doing whenever I did this, as though he was in shock that I wanted to touch him. I, of course, wondered the opposite: how could he be so affected by me? But then his words in the corridor played in my head like a mantra: You are beautiful, Miranda.
After desert—a pavlova made especially for me—Marko led me away from the table towards his bed. I followed willingly, hoping that he would play something on the piano for me.
He sat me down on his bed and my stomach fluttered when I sank down onto the mattress, my fingers automatically stroking the black satin pillow cases. It was the sort of bed that screamed out, ‘SEX!’
But Marko had other ideas.
He took a piece of paper out of a bedside drawer and sat down beside me.
‘Can I play you something?’ he asked. ‘Today, when we stood at Kraja’s fountain, I thought of this piece.’ His eyes locked with mine and he exhaled. ‘I thought you might like to hear it.’
‘Yes.’ My answer came out in a whisper. I recalled Robbie telling me how Marko had come to him expressing his happiness about our engagement. Now I was starting to believe it.
‘It’s called “Rain”.’
Marko pressed the creased paper flat against the note stand, rested the pads of his fingers lightly over the top of the keys and began to play. I watched him at first, my eyes drinking in the gorgeous sight that was Marko lost inside his head, but then the music—at first soft, like drops of dew, then rippling and rolling like a shower of rain—swept me away.
I closed my eyes and was running home from school with Lauren when we missed the bus in the middle of winter, our clothes soaked and our laughter hysterical. I was watching a storm brew over the Indian Ocean at Bob’s Bay the night Aiden went missing, and then I was five years old and at home with Mum, baking scones in the middle of winter while Lauren was at school and Dad was at work.
A couple of minutes later, when I opened my eyes, I studied Marko’s hunched shoulders, the way his head bent forward, and wondered what he longed for while he played that song, which memories it dredged up in his heart.
After the last note rang, as soft as single tear drop, Marko sighed and folded the sheet of hand written music, without meeting my eyes. I could see patches of red staining his cheeks, and for the first time I caught a glimpse of his vulnerability—something I hadn’t known him to have.
A sudden gush of affection flooded through me, and I shifted closer to take his hand in mine, leaning my face in towards his, brushing his cheeks with the tip of my nose.
‘In all my visits to the mainland, to your world, I’ve only seen the rain once,’ he said. ‘When I stood beneath it and looked up at the sky, it was as though all the stars were falling. I thought it was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.’
‘I like the rain, too,’ I whispered.
With the wine still swirling around in my veins, I brushed my lips against his. Marko slipped a hand around to the small of my back and pressed me in closer, kissing me gently, at first, but then more hungrily.
I pulled back. It was amazing how quickly things got heated between us.
‘You played beautifully,’ I said breathlessly.
He leaned in, his lips grazing mine. ‘You’re welcome.’ The words vibrated against my lips and he tilted me back so that I fell against the satin pillow. He pressed his lips against my neck and sighed.
‘Do you think you could be happy with me, Miranda? No more games. I want a true answer,’ he whispered in my ear. His breath warmed my skin, sending curls of heat right down to my toes. I couldn’t speak; I was frightened by my answer, so I instead turned to meet his lips with mine and we kissed again, deep and long.
* * *
I woke up, hours later, in Marko’s arms, my head resting against his chest, the bed covers pulled over us. To my relief, we were both fully clothed.
I wondered what time it was, my head thumping from the red wine.
Marko’s chest rose and fell with sleep, and with his eyes closed I had the opportunity to study him without his watchful gaze.
His beauty was breathtaking, and I wondered what life would be like being married to him. Back home, there wouldn’t even be a question. There was no way I would get married at the age of seventeen, no matter how gorgeous the guy. It would be ludicrous.
I reached out and touched his hair. It was so thick and shiny. My eyes travelled down to his forehead over the tiny L-shaped scar that rested there. Tracing my finger over it lightly, I tried to block out the horrible images inside my mind—of Marko being beaten as a child by his older brother.
Marko’s eyes popped open and I retrieved my hand, my face heating up.
‘Hello,’ he whispered in a sexy, throaty voice.
‘Hi.’
He tugged on my arm. ‘Come back here.’
I lay my head down against his chest again so that my ear was pressed to his heart. I could hear it pounding.
‘You fell asleep while we were kissing. I was offended.’ Marko said, humour in his voice.
‘Sorry.’ I said, cringing inwardly.
He smiled. ‘No. I’m glad you fell asleep, because I got to spend an entire night with you at my mercy. You talked in your sleep…a lot.’ His eyebrows danced.
‘What did I say?’ I pulled away, horrified.
‘I’m joking, Miranda, just joking!’ he said, laughing, his eyes crinkling up at the corners.
I sighed with relief and fell back against his chest, but he quickly rolled me over so that he lay on top of me, resting his weight on his elbows. His piercing eyes, sought mine.
‘We could marry…for real, Miranda. I mean with no force or…expectations.’
I was frightened by
the intensity of his words, and at the same time a part of me wanted to believe that his feelings ran that deep. Nobody at home had ever fallen in love with me before.
I shuffled my body out from under him, but he moved over me again, trapping me, the hardness of his body against mine making me dizzy.
‘I’d do anything to make you happy, Miranda. Anything.’ He smiled. ‘We can spend our days researching the ancients and solve Kraja’s mystery, if that’s what you want to do. To hell with Sylvia’s plan.’
I swallowed thickly.
‘Will I forget my family? Does that compulsion thing erase everything?’
He eased himself off me and knelt beside me.
‘I don’t think you’ll forget them entirely. No. But your mind will gradually adjust to life in Marin, and it is possible that some of your memories will fade in time. I didn’t experience it, because I was born here. But with Robbie, it was only after a few weeks that he became accepting of his situation. He has never wanted to return to his place of birth.’ He paused for a moment, ‘This will happen to you, and it will make things easier.’
Panic seized me. I wasn’t ready to forget my sister, or my grandparents, or all the memories I had of my parents.
‘Can I go back to my room now, please, Marko?’
He stared at me for a long moment.
‘Yes, of course,’ he sighed, sounding defeated and tired.
He got up from the bed and pulled the bell cord, the loud metallic ring filling my ears, before coming back to help me up from the bed.
‘You want to return to your family,’ he said with a sigh. ‘That’s understandable. I can’t force the want out of you.’
When we arrived at my room, Marko followed me in.
‘What would you like to do later today?’ he asked softly. ‘Anything you like.’
I shrugged.
‘What about the garden?’
He smiled—again, it was a sad smile. ‘Okay, lunch. It’s a bit late for breakfast. Then perhaps later I can play the piano for you?’
‘Okay.’ I turned back to face him but he was looking over in the corner of the room, the direction of the vent. I watched him walk over to it before squatting down and picking up the light-crystal lamp that I’d left there earlier.
‘Miranda,’ he called, sounding puzzled and slightly amused. ‘Have you been planning an escape through the oxygen chute?’
‘No, I…’ but my brain couldn’t think of anything worthwhile to say. I couldn’t believe that I’d forgotten all about the ring.
I heard the clink of the light-crystal lamp against the vent and the sound of Marko moving low on the ground, and I waited, holding my breath, for what I was dreading.
‘What’s this?’ he said all of a sudden, and I cringed at the tone of his voice.
I slowly moved towards him with lead in my stomach. I knelt down and already could see the jewel winking at me from below.
‘It slipped off my finger. I was undressing.’
He stood slowly.
‘I noticed that you weren’t wearing it yesterday, and today, but I believed you when you said you’d put it away for safekeeping,’ he stared down at me through hooded eyes. ‘Don’t ever lie to me, Miranda. The one thing I won’t ever tolerate is lying.’
‘You lied, too. You said you loved me, but I know you possibly can’t.’
He grew silent. ‘I never knew my mother; yet I love her with a passion. I’ve known you for more than a month— much longer than my mother.’
I said nothing. I wanted to wrap my arms around him and squeeze him to me, but I was immobile.
‘Do you hate me?’ he asked suddenly.
When I faltered for words his face paled and he shook his head.
‘Of course you do,’ he said before storming out the room. ‘What was I thinking?’
After several minutes passed, the distant sound of Marko working the piano keys drifted along the winding corridors to haunt me. I recognised the piece he’d played to me last night and threw myself onto the bed, tears streaming down my face. I ended up half-dreaming that I was in the city, slipping through the crowds only to become lost in the underworld. I woke up in a sweat, my chest tight, and at that moment I heard a gentle rapping at the door.
‘It’s only me—Robbie,’ he whispered as he entered the room.
As soon as I saw him, I wanted to run into the safety of his arms. But it was too dangerous to risk being caught.
‘I can’t stay. I just wanted to see if you were okay,’ he said, keeping himself a safe distance away. ‘I passed Marko a while ago and I haven’t seen him this mad,’ he sighed. ‘I wanted to be sure.’
‘I’m fine,’ I whispered, ‘He didn’t hurt me. He just stormed out of the room.’
He sighed deeply and then shook his head. ‘I’m worried about you, Miranda. There’s something in the air. A black energy I can feel.’ He reached out to stroke my cheek. ‘Promise me you’ll tell me if anybody tries to hurt you or threaten you.’
I nodded.
Footsteps approached and paused at the doorway. Robbie’s hand flinched against my cheek.
‘What is going on here?’
‘Marko,’ I whispered, and when I looked up at Robbie, I could already see the dread reflecting in his dark eyes.
‘What are you doing in Miranda’s room?’ Marko asked, looking at Robbie, who by now had removed his hand from my cheek.
Two guards hung in the shadows of the corridor.
Robbie drew away from me in silence. I got off the bed and stood beside him.
‘You and Miranda?’ His eyes widened and he shook his head. ‘So Sylvia was right.’
Marko glared at the two of us with disbelieving eyes, shaking his head, bewildered. In his hand he gripped a single white carnation which, as his rage grew, he snapped in two at the stem. He tossed the remains to the floor.
‘I never expected this of you, Rob.’ His eyes shifted to me. ‘You, I can understand,’ he said, the words soft and low, ‘but not you, Rob.’
‘Marko,’ Robbie said calmly. ‘It’s not what it looks like. I came here to see if Miranda was okay, I’ve been looking out for her just like you asked me to, since the day I brought her here.
‘Sylvia told me she caught you in a compromising position yesterday, and that you were discussing escape. That’s treason. I didn’t believe her…’ Marko paused and swallowed thickly before adding, ‘until now.’
‘Marko,’ I pleaded, finally finding my voice. ‘I asked Robbie to take me home, but he was loyal to you and said he would never do it. It’s true,’ I said, my voice rising to shriek.
Marko glared at me with eyes of steel. ‘Maybe I should just send you back,’ he said, the words hurting me instead of making me happy. He snorted before striding to the door and shoving his head into the corridor.
‘Guards!’ he shouted, the command reverberating along the corridor walls.
I turned to Robbie and seized his hand. ‘What’s happening?’ I whispered hoarsely, as though my throat was lined with jagged glass.
Robbie shook his head and kept his eyes stonily ahead.
Marko burst back into the room, followed by two male and two female guards. I heard Robbie’s intake of breath, but he remained frozen like a statue. The guards advanced towards him.
‘No,’ I pleaded and rushed forward to stand in front of Robbie like a shield. ‘Please don’t hurt him,’ I said to Marko. ‘This is crazy. Let Robbie go.’
Marko stared at me for a long time before he looked away.
The two male guards advanced forward, to take Robbie, and as I leapt to protect him, one of the females gripped hold of my wrists.
‘Release her. She stays here in the room,’ Marko said, his voice like ice. The female reluctantly released me.
Robbie didn’t even put up a fight, and I could tell by the confused expressions on the guards’ faces that they didn’t want to seize him either; but they did, grasping him firmly by the arms.
‘Take him to
the dungeons. Give him food and drink. I want him fit for the sharks. We want a good show,’ Marko said, his voice cold and his eyes dead.
I rushed forward and slipped my hands around Robbie’s arm, gripping him like a vice. I wanted to physically keep him here and never let go. He couldn’t be thrown to the sharks, just like that. Marko couldn’t do this to his best friend.
‘Let me go, Miranda,’ he said, his voice breaking, before yanking his arm away.
‘No.’ I glanced at Marko. ‘This is insane. He’s done nothing wrong!’
‘This has nothing to do with you and everything to do with Marin’s safety. Get him out of here. Everybody out!’ Marko waved his arms at them all until they began moving, leading Robbie out of the room and down the corridor.
Drawing in a deep lungful of breath, my head spinning, I turned back to Marko.
‘I know you don’t want Robbie dead,’ I said slowly, but he looked away. ‘He’s like a brother to you. You don’t want to do this.’ I moved closer, my steps small and hesitant, but he remained still, his head bent in thought. ‘You’re not like this; you’re not like your brother and sister.’
I sighed in despair, not knowing what to do next.
‘I’ve sensed this in my gut all along, but I ignored it,’ Marko said. ‘I should have listened to Sylvia. She was suspicious from the start.’
‘But he didn’t do anything, Marko.’ I was angry now, ‘Robbie’s been a friend to me, and that’s all.’
‘You were pretending last night, when we kissed, and every time you touched my hand at dinner,’ Marko said in a low voice, his eyes dark and full of hurt.
‘That wasn’t fake, I swear!’ I said, shaking my head. ‘Why do you care anyway? You only want me so that I can help you save your stupid throne.’
He gripped me by my shoulders, his eyes boring into me.
‘That is not true. You know this isn’t about me. It’s about Marin, and the rest of the world. I’m not being selfish; I’m being selfless. I’m in the same position as you are, Miranda, and you know it. I have never lied to you. Ever.’ His eyes lingered on mine for a long moment before he stormed out of the room.
I leaned my head against the cool metal door, gasping for air, wishing I could turn back time, wishing that I’d never set foot in the water at Bob’s Bay, wishing that I’d never been born. Then I would never have hurt so many people.
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