by Verna Clay
She heard a knock on her door and stepped to open it.
"Good morning, Zoe," said Davide. "Are you ready to go?"
"I am."
"Great. There's only one thing left to do before leaving." He walked to her bed and she looked questioningly at him when he picked up a pillow and tossed her another one. "And that's have a pillow fight." He grinned and rushed to bonk her on the head with his pillow.
She giggled and swished hers into his stomach. "So, you want to play rough, huh?" She ducked and parried.
Davide laughed. "I've been thinking about having a pillow fight ever since we got back. Talking about it in Australia conjured up all kinds of happy memories."
Whoosh. He smacked her shoulder, danced sideways, and then caught her in the face. Laughing, she reached for another pillow and fought double fisted. Going for a direct attack, she pummeled him with both pillows. He laughed and circled his arms around her and her pillows, pushing her backward until her legs hit the mattress and she fell across the bed. He landed on top of her with three pillows separating them.
"Zoe, are you under there?" He chuckled and started peeling away pillows. By the time he'd uncovered her face, they were both laughing so hard neither of them could talk. Davide rolled beside her and leaned on his elbow, gazing into her eyes. His laughter turned into a smile and then she saw blue flames simmer in his eyes. For a second, she allowed her own gaze to reveal her love, and then masked it again.
Suddenly, his smile faded and his lips descended to her ear. "Thank you," he whispered, and kissed her earlobe, before moving to her neck in a string of gentle kisses that made her toes curl. Whether he was thanking her for the pillow fight or for something else, she didn't know. In the next instant, her entire world consisted only of him. His lips returned to her ear and he gently nipped her lobe before trailing the tip of his tongue along her jaw line. She prayed that he would kiss her lips, but he moved to kiss her collar bone. She shifted her head to allow him access to whatever body part he desired. When his mouth dipped to her breast, and his fingers tangled in her hair, she moaned and whispered his name, "Davide." She almost breathed the words, "I love you," but a sudden commotion at her door distracted them.
"Oh, oh, excuse me," said Beth McGovern.
Davide jumped away and blinked. Zoe hastily sat up and covered her mouth with her hand.
"I was just comin' to say goodbye," said Beth, grinning like a Cheshire cat. She motioned toward them, "Carry on. Carry on," and closed the door.
Zoe moved her hand from her mouth to the last place Davide had kissed her, and blinked rapidly.
"Oh, God, Zoe, I'm sorry. I just…just…got carried away."
With a wave of her hand she said, "I'll meet you downstairs in a minute."
"Okay. I'm really sorry."
She closed her eyes and felt Davide lift off the bed and then heard the door shut softly behind him.
Falling backward on the bed, she let her eyes flood with tears. He's sorry he kissed me.
The ride to the marina where the Dolphin was moored was long and mostly quiet. Zoe barely listened to Johnson and Davide's occasional small talk in the front seat. She knew her eyes had been red rimmed when she'd said goodbye to Roth and Rainey and Stella and Hank, but thankfully, they hadn't mentioned it. When she'd sought Beth out in the kitchen to say a final goodbye, the old woman had enfolded her in her arms and said the strangest thing. "This is very good."
* * *
Roth, Rainey, Stella, Hank, and Beth all lounged in the library. Stella poured tea for everyone.
Rainey grinned. "Beth, tell us again about barging in on our star-crossed lovers."
A happy smile creased Beth's face and she snickered. "I've never been one for tact. I honestly had no idea I was walking into a love fest. The door to Zoe's room was slightly ajar, so I just pushed it open." She sipped her tea, savoring the moment of revelation. "So, here's Davide practically on top of Zoe and kissing her like she was the most precious thing in the world, and all the while making his way toward private parts. So, I'm about to make a quiet escape when my old foot bumps a table next to the door and it startles the bejesus out of both of them. Davide looked like he'd just stepped inside the pearly gates while Zoe looked befuddled, like she couldn't believe what was happening."
Rainey clapped her hands and leaned to kiss her husband's cheek. "I think our plan is working."
Stella looked at Hank, "Zoe is the best thing that ever happened to Davide. This is so romantic!"
* * *
Johnson pulled into the parking lot of the exclusive Portland Yacht Association and Davide and Zoe said their goodbyes.
Davide watched Johnson drive away and glanced at Zoe. Her eyes were still red and puffy. He couldn't believe he'd almost made love to his best friend. Had he ruined their friendship? Zoe hadn't looked him directly in the eyes since his lapse in judgment. He felt awful and had to try to make things right. He stepped in front of her.
"Look at me, Zoe," he said softly. Instead of looking at him, she glanced to the side. He reached his index finger and gently brought her face around and tilted it upward. She was gnawing on her bottom lip and he almost groaned when hot desire rushed through him. "What can I say to make things right?" He bent his knees until he was almost eye level with her. "Please look at me."
Slowly, she lifted her puffy eyelids and gave him a smile that made his heart turn somersaults. "You don't have to make anything right, Davide. The incident is over, forgotten. Let's find the Cave of Thirteen so you can speak what's on your mind." Grabbing his hand, she pulled him up the steps of the clubhouse.
Davide should have felt relief, but instead he felt disappointment. Somehow her dismissal of their encounter hurt him deeply.
* * *
While Davide registered with the front desk, Zoe excused herself and located the ladies room. Drying her eyes with a towel after splashing cool water on them, she allowed herself to relive Davide's kisses and caresses. At least now she had the memory of his touch to carry with her for a lifetime.
The door to the bathroom opened and she automatically glanced in the mirror. The reflection of the young woman who had just entered made Zoe's heart stop. Her aura was like Gabriel's; the man who had kidnapped Zoe when she was seven. The woman came to stand beside her and Zoe hastened to leave, but a loud clink on the counter made her pause. She gazed back into the mirror and met the woman's eyes before glancing down. For a moment, she refused to believe what she saw. The woman had dropped a long chain with two items strung onto it. One was a flat, circular pendant about the size of a silver dollar, and the other, resting beside it, was her father's wedding ring, unmistakable because of the diamond encrusted outline of a horse that Fawn had designed for him.
Zoe turned to face the woman and her murky aura of grays and blacks. "What are you doing with my father's ring?" she demanded.
"Giving it to you, of course." The evil woman pushed the chain toward Zoe. "We want you to have it as a reminder that your father's life is in your hands. Oh, and if you think it's a counterfeit, read the inscription inside the ring. It's quite touching: Sweetheart loves Wade."
"What do you want?" Zoe rasped.
"All we want is your cooperation. If we get it, your father remains…intact. Wearing this chain will remind you of that. Oh, and the pendant, it's a tracking device." She lifted a hand to her cheek in mock embarrassment. "But I've forgotten my manners. I'm your cousin, Seraphina." The woman pushed the chain closer to Zoe. "Put it on."
When Zoe just looked at her with incredulity, the woman continued, "Do you actually think you've been free of us all these years?" She snickered. "Gabriel always was one to make a mess of things. Kidnapping you and then getting himself killed by falling off that ledge was a doosey." Seraphina tilted her head and tapped her chin. "But we all figured there was more to it than him being crazy. My aunt and uncle sent several of their nieces and nephews to investigate, and you wanna know what we discovered?" She snickered again. "We discovered people
with weird ass auras. You got the indigo one, your stepmother's got one that's just plain bazaar, and that younger kid you grew up with, who's grown into a stud muffin, has a freakin' golden one. If he wasn't the enemy, I'd have the hots for him. Kinda do anyway. But getting back to Gabriel… The ruins where he fell off the ledge, it's got voices comin' out of that hole. Seems our family has more talent than we gave ourselves credit for. Not only can we see auras, we can hear voices comin' from another realm. And the thing is, we don't have to be on your land to hear them. We can go to any sipapu and hear the same thing." The woman grinned. "Zoe, dear, don't look so surprised. We did our homework, we know all about the third and fourth worlds of Anasazi legends."
A tear slipped down Zoe's cheek and Seraphina laughed. "Oh, Zoe, you're such a dear heart. Too bad that's your shortcoming. You would have made a wonderful addition to our coven with all your gifts."
Zoe choked out the words, "I want proof that my father's okay."
The witch curled her lips. "Don't make demands of me. You'll get nothing until we have your cooperation. We've gleaned enough information from the voices to know your boyfriend is the prophesied prince. We've figured out a lot over the years, such as, the prince's father is a shifter and his mother is some kind of hybrid; his sister is, too. We also know your stepmother is a shifter. This is what we believe: if there's one shifter, and we know of at least four, there's more. We want to know where they're coming from and we think you hold the key to that knowledge. The voices from the ruins have been going berserk these past two weeks. Something's happening. What's going on, Zoe? One of our cousins works for the airlines and found out you and Davide just got back from Australia."
Zoe remained silent.
"See, now that's why we have to track you." The woman lifted the necklace with the tip of a long fingernail painted blood red, and held it out to her. "Remember Daddy?" Seraphina dangled the chain in front of Zoe's face. "Just so you know, the links are inseparable, so don't think you can remove the ring or pendant from it. Put it on." With trembling hands, Zoe finally reached for the chain and slipped it over her head.
Seraphina smirked, "You take it off or try anything…and Daddy's dead." Then she turned to the mirror and perused her reflection. Fluffing her hair and smiling at herself she whispered, "Lovely." With a final warning she said, "Remember Daddy," and left the room.
Zoe lifted shaking hands to her father's wedding ring. Where was Fawn? Was she off on assignment? Had they harmed her? Zoe didn't know how long she stood looking at the ring's reflection in the mirror. A knock startled her and she dropped the chain underneath her T-shirt just as Davide called out.
"Zoe, are you okay? You've been in here a long time."
"I'm…I'm okay. I'll be out in a second."
"Okay sweetie, I'm all checked out with the desk. We can leave any time." He closed the door.
She took a deep breath and splashed her face with cold water again.
* * *
Davide couldn't help noticing the beautiful red head standing on the dock near his yacht. When he and Zoe reached her, the woman said, "Goodness, is this your boat? Wowie. My cousin's gonna take me out on his, but I like yours better. His is teeny compared to yours." She winked. "I like em big."
Repulsed by the woman and her inane babble, Davide ignored her. However, she did not leave. She watched their preparations and then grinned and waved when they loosed the ropes binding the ship to the dock. "Ya'll have a great trip! I'm gonna tell Daddy all about your super-duper boat!" She turned and skipped away.
Davide looked at Zoe. "God, she's weird."
Zoe didn't respond. She slung her backpack over her shoulder and walked past him toward the cabin as if he were invisible. Davide ran his hands through his hair and decided he'd really screwed up with Zoe.
CHAPTER 19:
BOUND FOR HAWAII
By the third day of their voyage, Davide was ready to pull his hair out. Something was definitely wrong with Zoe. He couldn't believe their kissing episode would have had that much of an effect on her. She seemed to be spaced out most of the time and she went out of her way to avoid him. By the sixth day, he'd had enough. She wasn't eating and, from the look of her, wasn't sleeping either.
He knocked on her cabin door and when she didn't answer, he opened it anyway. She stood gazing out her porthole.
"Zoe, we've got to talk. I want to know what's eating at you. You're looking worse every day. Honey, are you ill?"
She didn't answer.
"Zoe, please talk to me. If I'd known you were going to be like this, I wouldn't have left Portland. We should make Honolulu in another six days? Do you need to see a doctor?"
Slowly, she turned to face him. "Davide, I think I'm suffering from seasickness."
"What? It never affected you before."
"But it's been years since I was on this yacht. Anyway, kids aren't as susceptible as adults. I'll be okay. Please don't worry about me."
Davide gave her a calculated look. "I don't believe you, however it's obvious you're not ready to talk about whatever is wrong. And I don't think for one minute that you're making yourself sick over me kissing you."
"Davide, that's over and forgotten. I'm just seasick, okay?"
Davide blew out a long breath. He should have been happy that once again she'd said the incident was over and forgotten, but he felt the same sting by her words. He turned to leave and said over his shoulder, "I'm making dinner and you're going to eat." He closed the cabin door.
* * *
Zoe turned back to stare out the porthole at the tendrils of rosy light glittering across calm water as far as she could see. She lifted a hand to catch a tear that had slipped down her cheek. She didn't know what to do. After reaching Hawaii, Davide had said they'd refuel and dock for a day before leaving for the Isle of Shapelings.
She reached to feel her father's ring resting inside her clothing. Was he still alive? Had he been harmed? Where was Fawn? Should she tell Davide about the evil woman? She stifled a sob.
For the next six days, Zoe became an actress for Davide's sake. She ate and conversed with him and pretended to enjoy the cruise, helping him with the sails. Often, she stood at the railing and searched the sea for dolphins or the sky for birds, hoping against hope, that somehow Fawn would magically show up and assure her that everything was all right; that her father was safe.
She often caught Davide watching her, studying her face and actions. Whenever he did, she smiled and tried to act normal.
After twelve days total travel time they arrived at Honolulu Harbor and weighed anchor. The sun had just set by the time they reached shore in their skiff.
Davide said, "I'm taking you to an exclusive restaurant for dinner. I'm sure you're sick of my cooking; not that you're much better," he teased.
Even in her misery, she laughed. She and Fawn had tried to master the art of cooking for years, and their culinary disasters had become a longstanding joke between the Beowolf and Spencer families. Since childhood, Zoe and her stepmother had cooked and baked just about every imaginable dish, and never reached their goal. Even lessons from Pierre, the French chef who had worked for Dream Catcher Ranch for the past thirty-five years, had not bestowed a culinary skill on either of them. And for the past twenty-five years, Zoe's father had stoically endured his wife and daughter's sorry cooking skills. The thought of her father made Zoe quickly turn her head so Davide couldn't see the alarm on her face.
Again, she became an actress throughout their meal. She conversed with Davide about their previous trips on the Dolphin and visits to Hawaii, and asked about his plans for the future; whether he was considering taking a teaching position. She asked about the songs he'd heard in the cave and if he'd heard any new ones.
"Yes, I hear them all the time. Listening to the ocean brought another aspect to the music." He leaned across the table. "In every song, I hear you playing the violin. When we return home, I want to play some melodies so you can compose the violin section."
&n
bsp; "I'd like that," she said sincerely, and for a moment she stared into his sky blue eyes and forgot her troubles.
Davide glanced down. "That's a pretty chain you're wearing."
Stricken, she attempted to maintain a calm exterior as she reached and pulled up the collar of her blouse, thankful that the contents on the chain were hidden. "It's nothing out of the ordinary." Quickly, she changed the subject. "Hey, what about dessert?"
Davide eyed her speculatively and then motioned the waiter over to ask for menus.
Zoe said, "You choose something yummy for me while I go to the ladies' room." Quickly, she scooted her chair back and left the dining room to escape Davide's keen gaze. Locating the bathroom, she ducked inside and plopped on a divan. Closing her eyes, she practiced deep breathing to calm her nerves and reached to feel her father's ring beneath her blouse. She had to make it through the rest of the evening without breaking down. She heard the door open, but kept her eyes closed. When she heard someone sit in the chair across from her, she opened her eyes to see who was intruding into her space. She gasped and her hand tightened on her father's ring. A woman with the same ugly aura as Seraphina's and Gabriel's sat across from her.
"Hello, Zoe. I'm another cousin. My name is Dina. I've wanted to meet you for many years." She held out her hand. Zoe looked at her hand and then back at her face, ignoring her gesture.
The door opened and a restaurant patron entered. Hardly glancing at them, the elderly woman walked past them and opened the door leading to the stalls and ornate wash basins. Never taking her eyes off Zoe, Dina leaned back in her chair and said sweetly, "When our intruder leaves, I have something I want to show you." As she spoke, her aura darkened and swirled ominously. Zoe bit her bottom lip to keep from crying and endured the evil woman's stare.
The patron finally reentered the sitting room and then exited, leaving Zoe alone with Dina. "Where's my father?" she rasped. "Is he okay?"