“When she was able to, she identified all of them, but there wasn’t enough physical proof. It was her word against theirs.” I closed my eyes, feeling again the anger, the injustice of it. “She had this golden hair literally the color of the sun. They made bracelets out of it. And Monday morning half of the guys in school had her hair on their wrists in a show of solidarity. In effect telling us she meant nothing. So when Jax says he wants your hair, he’s saying you’re nothing.” I looked at her then, taking in the curve of her cheek, the way her hair fell over her shoulder and lifted on the breeze.
“Don’t make me say I’m sorry for wanting to protect you from people like Jax. I wouldn’t be able to live with that. Him wearing your hair on his wrist. And he would do it, and he would make sure I saw it. Maybe my plan sucked. Next time I’ll let you make the plan, but don’t ask me to apologize for caring about what happens to you. I can’t do that.” My eyes begged over hers and my heart sank as I realized I couldn’t give her what she wanted. I didn’t know how to make this right.
She stared at me with round haunted eyes, not saying anything for the longest time. I don’t know, maybe I had expected her to throw her arms around me and tell me she understood. Tell me she wasn’t horrified by the fact that I made it so clear that I would do anything for her. I had threatened two people on her behalf tonight, and I had been serious. I was pretty sure she knew that. When she finally moved it wasn’t toward me. She faced the Deep, holding herself rigid as if she’d been on trial and been found lacking.
“I thought if I could just swim I’d naturally know how to be this person I am now. But that hasn’t happened. I got past my dad’s lies. But I love my dad. I had no choice but to forgive him. I had no choice when I was little to have short hair because it wouldn’t grow. I had no choice to not swim even though I wanted to, because I couldn’t, and now I have no choice because I can because I have to, to the point where I can’t even leave here. All my choices were taken from me when my parents put that charm on me.”
A flat plop of water fell from the sky and landed on my cheek. More drops stained the sand around our feet. She looked up and laughed, but there was nothing happy in the sound.
“I don’t have a choice in that either. I don’t want to be able to do that. I mean, what is that even about? And even you, as much as I…” She cut herself off, swallowed whatever she was about to say, then looked at me with a pair of eyes that shredded my insides. She immobilized me with those eyes. I knew exactly where she was going with this and it was like watching the tip of a spear coming straight at me with no way to stop it.
“You weren’t even a choice, Noah. Not really.”
Yep. Spear right dead center through my heart.
“Ahh, shit, Caris.” I ran my hand over my head. How the hell had we gotten to this? I couldn’t say I was sorry because I wasn’t a bit sorry for wanting to protect her. I wasn’t sorry she was here and couldn’t leave. I wasn’t sorry it was me who heard her.
She was so totally closed off to me. Her mind, her body, the way she wrapped herself in her own arms as though she needed to shield herself from me. And I thought in so many ways I didn’t have a choice either. The only difference was I didn’t care. But she’d made it obvious she did. And that stung more than I’d imagined it would. I couldn’t change who I was or how I felt. And I was pretty sure it had nothing to do with her Song. Hell, I wasn’t pretty sure. I was sure. I could try to convince her of that, but I knew she wouldn’t believe it.
She looked so strong and proud in that moment, with dry wisps of her hair flying around her head. The heat of emotion flashing in her eyes. She looked like her father. The very air responded to her and I did too. It was enough to bring to me to my knees.
I reached out and ran my finger down the slope of one cheek, scooping up a tear on my knuckle.
“I’m your friend, Caris. That was my choice. Doesn’t matter about all this other stuff between us.”
I did the only thing I could do. I left her.
I dove in the surf. If she wanted me all she had to do was sing and I would answer. I would always answer. Not because I had to, but because I wanted to.
Twenty-Five
Caris
I’d had this dream so many times before. Since before I could remember dreaming. Nothing but clear emerald water surrounded me. It held me up and penetrated my pores, infusing me with life. The sunlight, shooting from above, chased me farther and farther where nothing could catch me. I moved with perfect grace, in perfect symmetry and in harmony with the Deep. Only one thing could make this dream perfect.
Noah.
I searched for his green eyes, wishing so badly to see them, but he wasn’t here. And this wasn’t a dream. All of it so real. My life. For a few crazy minutes last night I’d thrown this dream in Noah’s face as though I hadn’t wanted it. Then I’d sent him away as though I didn’t want him either, and that was the craziest thing of all.
I’d wanted to call him back. I’d lain in my bed for hours, wanting nothing more than to sing him back to me. But how could I have done that? Given him no choice when I’d whined about not having any for myself.
He was my choice. He was my only choice.
A handful of dolphins came, floating around me like bubbles. Nervous at first, my heart rate doubled. These were mostly females and their young, so after a few minutes of introductions made with whistles and playful bumps of rostrums, I relaxed. I searched, hoping maybe this was the same pod we’d handed Ellie over to, but I didn’t hear her or see her in the midst of floating gray bodies.
We made a lazy procession, going nowhere and in no hurry. We passed under a boat, the drone of the motor a quiet unwanted reminder of life above the surface. This moment was too sweet for such an intrusion, a culmination of so many hidden longings. I sank deeper, using the depth to hide me from eyes I would just as soon avoid.
The mood of the pod changed. Friendly whistles became rasps of warning, an agitation that spread through the pod at the speed of sound. We picked up our pace. I didn’t even think of separating myself from the pod. I was one of them. The boat still followed, even as the pod cut for deeper waters. Not surprising really. Everyone wanted to see the dolphins.
Pop. A gurgle of water. The hiss of bubbles. I heard it again, followed by more pops. Calves shadowed their mothers as the movements of the pod grew frantic, weaving and darting in a frenzy. Bullets. They were dodging bullets.
Was someone shooting at us? I turned on my back for a better view, the boat’s hull an elongated triangle trailed by a foamy wake. A staccato of bullets hit the water, chasing the dolphins away.
Something silver flashed out of the corner of my eye. It torpedoed past me, hitting one of the dolphins swimming a few yards away from me. It nicked off the side of her dorsal fin before she scurried away, a swirl of pink in her wake.
A spear. Like so many of my dreams of the Deep, this one turned to nightmare, an unthinkable nightmare.
I spun around, intent on a flight into the Deep.
It hit me from behind—a sharp sting, followed by a jolt snagging me backward. Searing pain blazed through my shoulder and down my arm. My mind screamed, Get away, but forward motion only brought white heat pulsing down the whole right side of my body. Whatever had impaled me was attached to something at the other end. Limp as a doll, I floated and watched the tribe swim away to safety, thankful none of them had been hit.
I tucked my chin, needing to look but not wanting to look. My fingers traced the skin on the right side of my chest underneath my collarbone. The spear hadn’t pierced all the way through. It just felt like it. The pencil-thin shaft protruded from my back right above the shoulder blade. I felt numb, surreal, like I was having an out-of-body experience. Maybe this wasn’t real. Maybe it was a dream after all.
Wake up. Please wake up.
A tug came from the other end of the line. White spots flared in front of my eyes. Fireworks shot through my chest and up my neck as I was reeled backward.
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I reached over my shoulder. I could get my hand on it, but that was about it. No way I could pull it out. Not at this angle. I had no choice but to endure as with each tug the spear tore at my flesh.
Up and up I drifted at the mercy of each pull until finally my head broke the surface. I gasped, biting my lip to keep from crying out.
“What the hell?” a voice said from above me.
“Looks like someone caught themselves a native.”
Twenty-Six
Noah
Something was pounding in my head. I slept in my bed so little these days, I didn’t at first recognize my own room when I opened my eyes. My head ached, my heart ached. I wished I could get a do over of last night.
I heard it again. Not my head. Someone was knocking on the front door.
I heard my mom answer, the muffled conversation that followed. What the hell was Marshall doing here? My hands cradled my head, feeling like I had a hangover.
My mom said something about breakfast, then the front door shut.
“Noah around?” Marshall asked, using his official tone that had me snapping my eyes open.
“I think he’s still asleep. Take these out back and I’ll get him. I was just about to go for a swim.”
I swung my feet over the bed to the sound of her footsteps coming down the hall. She tapped on my door before pushing it all the way open. “Yeah, Mom. I heard. I’ll be there in a minute.”
Marshall waited for me out on the patio, sipping a cup of coffee. A box of donuts and muffins sat open on the table. I grabbed a blueberry muffin and sat down across from him. He wore shades and a cap, and his jaw was covered in a thick patch of grayish stubble, mouth pursed in a tired line. He looked like he’d been up a while.
I leaned back and put my feet up in the empty chair in front of me. My mom was halfway to the beach with a towel draped over her shoulder. She usually wore her hair tied up, but today it flowed down her back and hung right to the top of her red bathing suit bottoms. Granted, she was my mom, but she had the body of a twenty-five year old. A twenty-five year old that took really good care of herself. Marshall watched her until she disappeared into the surf.
“You wanted to see me,” I said around a mouth full of muffin.
In answer he dug his phone out of his pocket, opened a screen, then placed it on the table and slid it toward me. I picked it up and eyed him before looking at it.
It took me a second to figure out what I was looking at. “Is that Jax?”
“Go on, scroll through them.”
I flicked my finger over the images, each one more gruesome than the last. Someone had beaten the shit out of him. I shuddered then handed him back his phone.
“Did you see Jax last night?” He looked at me for the first time since I’d sat down.
“I didn’t do that.” Oh, I’d fantasized about it. Couldn’t say I was sorry someone had.
“No. Sol Kelley did.” He put his phone back in his pocket. “At least that’s what Jax said.”
So, he wasn’t dead. I hadn’t been sure by the looks of a couple of those pictures.
“Is he going to be all right?” I kept my gaze on the horizon. The sun shone bright here, but far off in the distance a storm brewed, clouds dark and billowing.
“He’ll live.” He took a sip of coffee. “You know where he is?”
“Sol? I don’t keep tabs on Sol.”
“But you did see him last night? With Jax?”
“I don’t know, Marshall. Do I need to call my lawyer?” He didn’t even crack a smile, which made me nervous.
“Mr. Harrison wants to press charges. Aggravated assault.”
“What?”
“Destruction of private property, theft. Someone gutted and skinned one of the alligators. Mr. Harrison claims there’s a dolphin missing.”
I leaned over, elbows on my knees. “Shit.” Don’t do anything stupid. Wasted words.
“I’m not that concerned about the latter. But the assault charge is serious, Noah.”
“I know.” What I didn’t know was what Marshall wanted from me. Even if I knew where Sol was, I wasn’t about to tell him. Hell, I told Caris last night I would have killed the guy myself if he’d touched her. It could just as easily have been me they were looking for. “So is there a warrant issued?”
“Not yet. But it might be just a matter of time. He is wanted for questioning.”
I looked back at him. “You do realize he could be anywhere.” Mexico, the Caribbean. He could be in Cuba smoking cigars by now. And if I had to, that would be my guess. Not to mention his style. Pick a damn fight, then leave the rest of us to deal with the fallout.
“I’m well aware of the complications of this situation, as are all involved.”
Was that a warning in his tone? What the hell did that mean?
“What exactly do you want from me?”
“Nothing. But you should talk to Caris. I’m with you. Sol’s probably long gone, but if he’s not, she is his sister. She’s also the daughter of an old friend of mine and I’d hate to see her get mixed up in any of this.”
I started to get up when he did, but he held up his hand. “I know the way out. Tell your mom bye. And if I hear anything else I’ll let you know.”
“Thanks, Marshall.” I sat staring at the beach until I was sure he was gone. I had to scour the house to even find my phone. I ended up finding it right where I had left it on the kitchen counter last night with an unsent message to Caris still in the text box. I deleted it and called her number. She didn’t pick up, which was not that unusual. She was like me in that she didn’t keep her phone with her all the time anymore. Erin responded with a negative to my question of whether she had heard from her.
I met my mom coming out of the water and filled her in on what had happened, an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. The pounding in my head was back. Then I went to find Caris, taking comfort in the fact that if she were in trouble, I would know about it.
Twenty-Seven
Caris
Rough hands grabbed me under the arms and pulled me from the water. I clenched my jaw around the scream that wanted to escape. They lifted me over the side of the boat, one of them cursing under his breath. I collapsed on my hands and knees when they released me. I thought there were three of them, but I couldn’t be sure, not with my hair hanging over my face. Whoever they were, they’d been drinking, so much even their sweat smelled of alcohol.
“It’s a girl,” one of them said, voice cracking in disbelief. He appeared to be the youngest of the three.
“No shit, Xander.”
Another voice. I turned my head to find its source. My blood froze, heart stuttering when I caught sight of the dolphin—a young, male, maybe four feet in length. It lay on the other side of the deck, eyes glazed and staring. A gaping hole in the middle of its head, a lurid streak of red running from the hole, dripping onto the deck. Dead. Bile rose and I wasn’t sure I could hold it down.
“What the hell were you thinking?” The same voice floated over my head and I looked past the dolphin to see a shirtless guy grabbing Xander by the scruff of his shirt.
“Get off me, man. I was just messing around. I didn’t mean to hit anything, except for one of those vultures that keep stealing my catch.”
“Well, you did.” Shirtless shoved Xander away. “Now what are we gonna do?”
“I say we pull it out and throw her back in.” This one squatted in front of me, reaching out to peel the hair off my face.
I shied away and slapped at his hand. My shoulder throbbed. Blood pounded in my head. I wanted to say something, but my voice was gone. It was lost in my struggle to breathe. I tried. God, I tried, but my Song wouldn’t come either.
“Easy there, now. You don’t want to hurt yourself more.” He sounded as though it was my fault I’d been shot. I couldn’t tell much about his face behind the beard and sunglasses.
“You can’t do that, Sean. She needs help,” Xander said.
My
gaze dropped to his hand where it clutched the line linked to the spear. It snaked on the deck between us.
“She’s a fish.” Sean’s fingers plunged into my hair, lifting it off the back of my neck.
The warmth of the sun on my back faded as gray clouds bloomed overhead, eating up what was seconds ago a clear sky. The whole world turned ashen.
I wanted off this boat. I wanted Noah.
“She’s still a girl. We need to get help.” Xander, the one voice of reason.
“And what are you going to say? How are you going to explain this? You think she’s going to go along with it? I can think of about three laws we’ve broken.”
“Just pull it out,” I said.
All three looked at me, but I settled my eyes on Sean. “Pull it out and let me go.”
Sean came toward me, his boat shoes slapping over the deck. He crouched down, pulling his sunglasses off, revealing a pair of oddly golden eyes. I tensed under his probing fingers. He looked over his shoulder at Xander. “Xander, this is your mess, you hold her still.”
Xander knelt down on the other side of me, one hand braced on my thigh, the other on my shoulder. Our eyes met. He was probably my age. He looked sorry. He looked scared.
“This is going to hurt,” he said as his hand pressed on my shoulder.
“Do it,” I said, clenching my jaw. Rain started to fall. I held my breath. Fat, wet drops plopped on my back and pinged on the deck.
My eyes traveled back to the dolphin. I didn’t care how sorry or scared Xander was. He should have been both.
I felt Sean’s hand grip the shaft of the spear while his other hand lay flat on my back for leverage. My whole body tensed, from the top of my head to my curled toes.
Waterborn (The Emerald Series Book 1) Page 29