Oculus

by S. E. Akers

  Tanner lowered me to the ground, where my feet landed on a cushion of thick grass. I straightened my back eagerly. But I didn’t cave to asking, wanting to abide by his request. Though admittedly, living up to being patient with someone whom I could tell was purposefully torturing me with his “silent treatment” proved downright grueling.

  His mouth hovered beside my ear, his lips lighting dusting my lobes. “You can look now.”

  Sunlight warmed my fluttering lids as they opened. A dense canvas of green bathed my eyes. I wasn’t sure if the fresh water I’d sensed was from a river or not, but the tropical vegetation circling the lagoon completely scratched it from my thoughts.

  A breathtaking waterfall plunged from a modest cliff hanging over a rocky grotto. “Where are we?” I asked, rapt in amazement.

  “On a private island off the western coast of Africa . . . My island,” he clarified. Tanner swept the panorama, looking as enthralled as if it was his first time here as well. Then he took my hand and began leading me through the palms. “This is a place where you can truly feel like you’re the only person on earth.”

  “Do you come here a lot?”

  “I used to,” he replied. “Whenever I needed some time to myself.” He magically extracted the water out of the duffle he’d brought and gave it a quick shake. “Though I’ll admit, I haven’t roughed it here for a while.”

  “We’re roughing it?” I asked, my smile now feeling a bit frozen.

  “Yeah,” he admitted.

  “How much ‘roughing it’ are we talking about?” I posed. Yeah, I may have very well grown up in the mountains of West Virginia and had camped out more than any girl I knew, but there were a few things that I would willingly admit I was spoiled over…the first and foremost was a cottony-soft, little rolled wonder by the name of Charmin.

  Tanner pointed to small shack we were approaching. “Well, you’ll find blankets and some gear in there, but not much.” He nodded towards a pair of palm trees standing roughly ten feet to its right. “There’s a hammock for sleeping, unless you want to pile up on the sand . . . Our meals have to be caught or picked . . . We can drink the water from the lagoon . . . And as far as the bathroom goes, girls to the left and boys to the right.”

  It was hard to keep my grimace from crinkling my nose after thinking about all those scratchy leaves. I didn’t care if I did have a diamond-coated butt. “You know, even Silas poofed me up a roll when he locked me in the totem room.”

  Tanner stopped to unzip the duffle bag and then pulled out the softest-looking round roll of toilet paper my eyes had ever seen. “I told you I put extra-thought in things I care about,” he grinned and shot a glance directed around to my ass.

  “And it thanks you,” I teased. Actually, I really should have issued him two thank yous.

  A break stretching between the palm trees couldn’t have framed the picturesque ocean scene any better if it were printed on a postcard. “I’ve never seen water so blue,” I remarked, blown away by the intense seascape of cerulean glistening before me. My eyes inescapably led my steps towards the white sandy shore, dying to go for a dip. However I didn’t think twice about it after yesterday’s brush with Lorelei. That sea-bitch probably had Shiloh-buoys with diamond-sensors bobbing all over the ocean in hopes of picking up a clear signal. I certainly wasn’t going to make it easy for her, not by hopping in her backyard and especially not after seeing her buzz-cut. I could only hope to emerge from the sparkling waters minus just a ponytail.

  I turned back around to Tanner, only for my eyes fall upon the massive rocks lining the shore like a backdrop of chunky columns. My gaze deepened. Something about them had sent my thoughts spinning curiously for some reason.

  Tanner noticed me staring at them. “In a few months all those rocks will be covered in white orchids.”

  I whirled back around towards the beach, my eyes flaring, knowing in about two seconds he was going to ask me what was wrong. A sour feeling gutted my stomach. This was the beach from my crazy dream, the one where I was kissing Damiec.

  “Shiloh, Why are you—”

  “Do any other Talismans know about this place?” I asked.

  Tanner glanced at the ocean and then returned his stare to me. “You’re worried about Lorelei, aren’t you?”

  Granted, the sea-bitch was a lingering concern, being surrounded by water and all. However, the evading “Yes” that blurted out of my mouth didn’t have a thing to do with my panic.

  “No other Talisman can access this island,” Tanner assured. “The portal and the waters around it have been warded that way since I claimed it.” He looked thoughtful for a moment. “And I’ve never allowed, nor brought anyone else here.”

  I shied my head towards the sand. Hearing that last part relieved me for another reason, the green-natured kind that I honestly hadn’t given the first thought to until hearing his last remark, but the dream still left me battered with confusion. I’d wished for something that could zap my brain before, but this time I was serious. I would give anything to scrub the memory of that one dream out of my head. Correction — both dreams. Though I still had a few suspicions about that last one, and they all stemmed from Katie’s open window.

  Ugh… My “Visions of Shame”, I grumbled quietly. Though my virgin-hide had never experienced the taboo morning-after walk, there wasn’t a doubt in my mind that I felt just as deplorably queasy as what all those party-girls looked like shuffling their shabby butts home on TV.

  Then without the slightest warning, Tanner pulled me into his arms and lowered me down to the warm sand with a hot-blooded kiss that sent my heart rocketing through the clouds and left me mind-blowingly weak in the knees.

  My eyes sought out his gaze as soon as our lips parted. “What was that for?” I said, breathlessly panting and feeling like my soul was a treasure chest he’d just plundered.

  “A promise,” he affirmed, his eyes unyielding. “I sensed your alarm. You needed something to remind you that I won’t allow anything to ever cause you any harm.”

  “Nothing?” I posed, still feeling the swell of my bottom lip and the sweet ache writhing in my chest.

  “Absolutely nothing,” he vowed. The next thing I knew, he’d plucked me out of the sand and hurled me a good twenty feet into the ocean, clothes on to boot. Though despite his sneaky move, he was bobbing beside me within the pristine blue current in an instant, his hold as passionate and unwavering as his vow.

  Just a couple of hours of frolicking in the surf managed to scrub that dream and all its funky taint right out of my head. And yeah, I may have worked in a quick meditation session when I was floating in the current for a spell, just for good measure. Silas would have been proud, even though I did nod off for about a minute. A friendly swimming competition had lent a hand as well. Tanner beat me every time we raced around the island, even with me wearing my moonstone. But what else should I have expected from a water elemental? Though I was a bit floored when he fessed up that by the time he had made it to our set finish line, he’d already lapped me around the island three times. I swallowed my pride and gave up on trying to beat him after that. Though all things considered, if I really had to put a finger on what had helped shut out the very thing I wanted to forget most, it was the sultry Amethyst Talisman himself. Nothing could make my worries fade like the wrap of his warm arms. Absolutely nothing…

  A little while later, Tanner and I were diving for oysters, searching for ones with pearls, when I lost sight of him. Wondering where he’d disappeared to, I quickly rose to the surface for a peek. I found him as soon as my eyes fell upon our blanketed spot on the beach. He was sitting there with his shades back on, stretched out and propped on his elbows.

  “Are you taking a break?” I yelled.

  “Something like that,” he grinned.

  The next thing I knew, I felt something tugging at the strings of my bikini top, both neck and back. I ducked under the water to see what it was, though there wasn’t a sea-creature or anything i
n sight. Then suddenly the damn thing came off, and I knew immediately who was responsible. I poked my head above the surface, arms crossed under the water, only to spy my white bikini top racing for the shore.

  Tanner scooped it up just as soon as the wave carrying it was close enough to his feet. He gave it a couple of triumphant swings. “You’re not the only one who can tie and untie things with an element.”

  My mouth fell open. You Son-of-a-Bitch… “Send it back,” I hollered, trying my damnedest to keep a straight face. “You already got me back for looking.” I tightened the hold of my crossed arms. “There’s nothing to see here.”

  “Not from where I’m sitting,” he smirked. “And this is for tying me to your bed,” he assured.

  I shook my head. “We were fighting!”

  “I told you ‘no wind’,” he chided, rocking his head shamefully. “You cheated.”

  My bottom lip was almost hugging the surface of the water my mouth was so gaped.

  “Do you want me to send back the top and take the bottoms instead?” he suggested.

  “NO!” I roared, my eyes exploding. “I’m not ready to come in yet anyway,” I huffed dramatically and then turned my back to him straightaway.

  “That’s fine,” he said. “I just hope a rip current doesn’t get hold of you. It might end up dragging you out past my wards. They only stretch about a hundred yards.”

  I glanced over my shoulder. “Is that a warning or a threat?”

  “Both,” he smiled, unabashed.

  He crumpled up my top and then angled his hand towards the fire he’d made earlier that was still going strong. “The clock’s ticking,” he urged, rocking his arm back and forth with several taunts.

  “Do it!” I countered. “We are roughing it after all. I’ll make do with something else.”

  His head fell into a doubtful tilt. “Good luck finding a couple of sea shells big enough.” He glanced over to one of the palm trees. “Or a pair of coconuts.”

  I tightened my lock on the girls. Ass, I glared with a grin.

  I stared out at the open blue waters while my mind cranked out a few grumbly scenarios, all of them fueled by his rip tide remark. I just wished that my ponytail was the only thing the sea-bitch would whack off. Two other things came more to mind right now. I shook my head, glaring at him. For someone so “not until you’re truly ready”, he was playing some awfully inciting games. But then again, what was I worried about? My invisibility guaranteed a peek-free show.

  Tanner dangled the skimpy piece of cloth from the tips of his fingers like a prized carrot. “One minute,” he egged and gave it a few shakes.

  I didn’t need to see what telling color his eyes were rocking behind those mirrored sunglasses. Yep. That thing was going into the fire. I could feel it.

  Screw it, I affirmed as I dropped down under the surface. I swam a steady path to shore while the whirl of the water’s cool current reconfirmed my bareness with every stroke that drew me closer. Soon the slope of the ocean floor urged me to summon my golden veil. Thoughts of rising to my feet had me feeling a little nervous, even in spite of the fact that I knew he couldn’t see me and with my arms crisscrossing my chest as an overkill precaution. Yeah, he’d seen me in the buff before. Though I wasn’t sure exactly how much he’d been privy to since I was passed out from injury those times. Plus, asking him to elaborate would have only proved embarrassing. But that was kind of different in a way, like a doctor seeing something out of sworn duty. Though even with that considered, the thought of me being this nude, this close to him, sent flutters all through my chest. Some thrilling, some nervous. But regardless of which emotion was provoking their stir the most, my heart was undeniably pounding right along with them.

  With my golden veil commanded and fixed to my frame with the staunch hold of Superglue, I tightened the cross of my arms against my chest and slowly rose from the waters. I jumped a little when I noticed Tanner’s stare tracking me to the spot I was standing in. Then it dawned on me that he could see the water breaking against my backside just as easily as he could sense my energy. Even standing here invisible, I felt a nagging touch of “little girl” with my arms so fiercely locked. And that wasn’t the way I wanted him to see me ever again. I may not be ready to dive into the deep-end yet, but I could ease myself down the ladder and try hanging from the side for a while.

  With a courage-fueled breath, I loosed my muscles and lowered my arms to my sides. I stood there for a moment, letting the water swirl around my legs and wondering what he was thinking right now. I kept my eyes locked directly on his shades as I approached him while visions of him taking me in the heat of his arms rippled straight though me. And if that didn’t have my desires scorching enough, the thoughts filling my head every time a breeze caressed my bare skin sent them roaring with the blaze of an inferno. His stare fell to my sandy footsteps as they forged a telling path towards him. I stopped right beside his hand and looked at him for a moment. His casual lean was noticeably still and possibly a little more rigid, but he kept the angle of his stare solely directed at my feet. I reached to collect the bikini top from his hands, letting my touch slide along the length of his fingers slowly. With him knowing my exact location, his stare inevitably lifted like the draw of a magnet and came to a stop perfectly in line with where my eyes would be. His lips pressed out a smile that was just as innocent as it was naughty.

  I lowered my golden veil once I’d secured my top around the girls and had triple-knotted their strings. “It looks like you’ve been cheated again,” I remarked, my brow arched and kicking a good bit of sand his way.

  Tanner met my eyes as soon as he snapped out of his shirk. “So it seems,” he said, grinning humbly.

  With the hours dwindling away and night not too far from falling, I insisted that I would be staying on shore while he fished for dinner — as punishment for his earlier misdeed. So I found out real quick what his idea of fishing was with respect to “roughing it”. Instead of diving out into the ocean and actually catching our meal, his butt walked to the edge of the water, just enough to wet his toes, and then threw out a mental-line to hook them. I was wondering how he was going to serve up the swordfish he insisted we would be having within the range of his wards. He sure fooled me with that one. And as quickly as what the unsuspecting fish had raced to the shore, I was surprised he didn’t command it to hop on into fire and save him the trouble of bending over.

  We sat around the fire after dinner for several hours, spellbound by the sunset, talking about everything and nothing, laughing a lot, and gazing at the stars in-between the countless rounds of our lips melding together like the sun was still up there driving their melt with its heat. He even told me a few colorful stories about some of Silas’ antics over the years. All I could say was that Tanner must really think the world of him after hearing some of them. I don’t know if even I would have the restraint not to send his butt back. In hindsight, he really had gone easy on me, and that was even factoring in his attempt to trick me into eating a steamy plate of cow shit.

  Considering how adamant Tanner had been about our sleeping arrangements in his apartment last night, our accommodations this evening threw me for a bit of a loop.

  I pointed to the hammock where Tanner was already lying, his arms stretched back and behind his head. “So you’re comfortable with me sleeping in there, practically on top of you, but not in a bed?” I posed.

  “There’s no risk involved,” he assured with a wise grin. “If either of us moves too much, we’ll fall out.”

  That was all the white-winged savior who was presently camped out on my shoulder like a sniper needed to hear. Though truth be told, he’d already sweet-talked the red-suited devil parked on the other side fifteen seconds ago when he’d told me to “climb in”.

  Maneuvering ever so cautiously, I backed my rear into the hammock and lifted my legs inside — without tipping either of us, thankfully. I looked into his eyes, engrossed in the way the light from the dwindling fire
livened their flicker. “Thank you for bringing me here,” I whispered. “We used to go to Myrtle Beach every summer, but this is my first time being in an actual paradise.”

  “If I’m being honest, it’s my first time too,” Tanner replied, linking his fingers with mine. Then he pulled my hand up to his mouth and kissed it gently. “I always felt like it was missing something and now I finally know what that is.”

  Then his mouth captured my lips, heated and tender. It wasn’t long before our pounding hearts had worked their magic and sent our hands rounding around each other’s backs feverishly. Every lusty dip of his tongue swirled in my head. Despite how many of his muscles were smoothing against my body, it still wasn’t enough. I was craving more of him.

  With my head clouded and my body feeling blissfully carried away, I raised up a little to scoot more on top of him. Unfortunately, the hammock shot into a speedy twist just before my hands could come close to laying their full claim and then flipped us both out not a jarring second later.

  I lay there with Tanner on top of me, my gut throbbing from his plop, and my ass driven firmly down into the sand. Then to add insult to injury, Tanner tapped the tip of my nose, sporting a smug grin. “Told you so.”

  CHAPTER 28

  I nuzzled my head against Tanner’s chest, still euphorically rapt in him and the paradise lying all around us. Today was one of those flawless, relaxing days when you could feel summer in the air, which sadly served as a reminder that I was at the tail end of mine. By this time tomorrow, I would be getting settled into my dormitory at Yardley. Considering what my destiny held, I had a few mixed feelings about the next chapter I was starting. Of course the newness of it all was exciting, but then there was a small part of me that felt I should be focusing on banishing creatures and locating Guardian stones in lieu of eighteen hours of college classes. My impromptu Guardian meet-’n-greet the other day just strengthened my opinions that much more, and my impending date with a creature-version of the Boogie-Man on steroids had a lot to do with those lingering doubts. Being left in the dark a little while longer with respect to that crap-tastrophy-in-the-making would have been A-Okay with me for a change. Then there was an even bigger part that knew I would miss seeing Tanner every day. And as much as I loved a picturesque sunset, this was one time I never wanted to see one heralding the end of a day. The cosmos could paint the skies with the most breathtaking and beautiful array of swirly pastel hues I’d ever seen, but sadly, the only thing my eyes would see staring back at me right now was a dreary field of grays.