“Yes. This is where I spent most of my afternoons perfecting my skills. Your father was a terrific teacher.”
“All that time, I thought he was working at the college or off on a dig.”
“I’m sorry; I hope this isn’t too difficult for you.”
“No, I’m okay. Whoa, look at that!”
A large indoor swimming pool took up the other end of the room and some splashing was coming from it.
Addie took a step toward the pool. “Wait, just a minute.” Cael stopped her, and turned them both away from the water.
Twenty seconds later, they turned and resumed walking to the pool. A young woman with long, wet, blond hair stood with a towel wrapped around her.
“Addison, this is Salacia.”
“Nice to meet you.” Salacia held out a hand to Addie.
“Nice to meet you,” Addie said, taking Salacia’s hand and noticing how warm it felt. “Is the pool heated?”
Cael shook his head and smiled. “No. Salacia, Addison is Ristéard’s daughter and I’ve brought her here to show her the facilities and to meet everyone.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry for your loss, Addison.”
“Thank you.”
“Salacia’s body temperature runs a little warmer than ours. It's sort of like an extra coating of heat just under the first layer of her skin, which helps keep her warm,” Cael explained. “Maybe it would be better if you showed Addison what you can do?”
Salacia nodded. “I’d be happy to. You’ll need to turn around for a moment though.” She twirled her finger in front of Cael’s face. He raised a brow in protest before spinning around and Addie turned with him, feeling a little jealous at Cael’s obvious attraction to the woman. Addie forgot about that pretty quickly when she heard a splash.
When they turned back, Addie had to cover her gaping mouth with her hand.
“Oh my, she is truly beautiful.” A large multicolored fish about five feet in length swam around in the pool.
“Salacia is an amphibious shape shifter. She can become any water-dwelling creature as well as any land creature.”
The fish changed from blue to orange and then transformed into a man-eating great white shark. Addie took a step back when the shark approached the side of the pool before changing into a dolphin. The dolphin spiraled about ten feet in the air and then came back down with a huge splash. Cael grabbed Addie and pulled her back from the pool just in time to avoid being drenched from head to toe. Her mouth, still wide open because she’d been gaping again, got a good taste of the water. It was salty.
Cael looked at Addie, amused. “It’s a saltwater pool.”
After a few minutes, Salacia wiggled her dolphin tail and bobbed her head up and down making dolphin sounds, which Cael quickly deciphered. “Okay, okay, keep your tail on, we’re turning.”
“You can turn around now,” Salacia said, tucking the end of the towel in to help secure it to her body.
“Wow. I’ve never seen anything so spectacular. You’re so beautiful.”
“Thank you. I’m in the process of having a couple of real dolphins transported here so I can do some practical research on their cognitive state. Their cerebral development is similar to humans. There are many similarities between humans and dolphins, which I find very fascinating and if I have them here … well, I’m sure I’m boring you.”
“No, not at all. I find this stuff really interesting,” Addie said.
“Well, I’d love to sit and chat with you, but it will have to be another time. I hate to cut this short, but if you’ll excuse me, I’m late. I’m meeting my husband for dinner and I really need to get ready. It was a pleasure meeting you, Addison. I hope to see you again soon.”
Salacia scurried across the floor and out the door.
“She has a husband?” Addie asked.
“Sure, why not?”
“I don’t know. I guess ... she’s so amazing.”
“Yes, she is.”
Cael took Addie's arm. “Come on, let's go. I don't think anyone else is here.”
“Cael!”
A child shouted and came running across the room. An adorable little girl with long dark hair, fashioned neatly in a braid hanging to her waist, jumped into his arms, almost knocking him over. “I’ve missed you so much.”
Chapter 28
Cael spun the girl around and nuzzled her neck. “Hey, squirt, I’ve missed you, too. How’s my favorite girl?”
“I’m great, now that you’re back. Are you going to stay for a while?” she said, eyeing Addie with a soft smile.
He set her down. “Sorry, sweet thing, I can’t.”
“Aw.” She pouted.
“Listen, there’s someone here I’d like you to meet. Breena, this is Addison.” Then he whispered close to Breena’s ear, “She’s important to me, so be nice.”
“Hello, Breena, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” Addie held out her hand.
“Hello.” Breena swayed, holding her hands behind her back.
“Breena won’t shake your hand without your permission first because when she touches your skin, she can see your future.”
“Only the next twelve hours of it,” Breena corrected.
Cael smiled at Breena. “Right, but in the process, she can also transfer that vision back to you so you can see what she sees.”
“Would you like me to show you?”
“Well, okay, I suppose, but first—how old are you Breena, if you don’t mind me asking?” By the gleam in the girl’s eye when she looked at Cael, Addie noted a great amount of affection for him. Cael seemed to possess the same feeling for the girl and it made Addie wonder exactly who Breena was.
“Nine and three quarters—I’ll be ten in three more months and we're going to have a huge party." Breena spread her arms out as wide as they would go and her eyes brightened with the word “huge.” “Cael, you said you'd be there, you promised!”
“I promise! I wouldn't miss it for the world.”
She smiled and turned toward Addie. “Okay, give me your hand.” She took Addie’s hand in hers and within just a few seconds, both jerked their hands back and Breena flashed a very sheepish grin.
“What is it?” Cael asked.
“Um ...”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to ...” Breena dropped her hands behind her and looked down at the floor, one foot pointed out, swaying her body again.
“Cael, can you give me a moment to have a word with Breena ... in private?”
“Sure, but if there’s something wrong, I need to know.”
“Nothing’s wrong,” Addie assured him.
“Okay, then, I’ll just be over here.” Pointing to a weight machine, he sauntered over to it and fiddled with a few weights.
Remembering Cael’s acute hearing ability, Addie turned to him. “Do you mind?”
“Really? Oh, okay.” Taking the hint, he disappeared.
She placed her hand on Breena’s shoulder and walked her over to a couple of chairs on the other side of the room.
“I’m sorry you had to see that, Breena. What you saw ... what Cael and I were doing ...”
“It’s okay. You were in your underwear and Cael was kissing you, so I know you were going to make sex.”
“You know about sex?”
“Of course, I’m not a baby.”
“Of course not. I didn’t mean to imply you were. How do you know about sex, anyway?”
“My Grammy Siana told me all about it a few years ago when I saw it in someone else’s future.”
Her Grammy Siana? Was this beautiful little girl Cael’s child? Surely he would have mentioned it—wouldn’t he?
Breena sat with her hands folded in her lap, a habit Addie figured the girl had adopted to avoid touching people accidentally and seeing their future.
“He loves you, you know. But ... at the same time, he’s afraid to love you. He’s afraid of what you mean to him. He’s scared for you—and terrified of losing you. Actually, he’s a mess.”
Addie smoothed back a loose strand of hair off Breena’s face. “How do you know all that?”
“I’m empathic. It’s a new ability for me. I haven't had a chance to tell Cael yet, so he didn’t know when I hugged him, I could feel all his emotions. It’s not a very fun ability—I don’t like feeling all that stuff. At least I only have to feel it when I hug someone. If I had to go around feeling everyone’s pain and worries all the time, jeez, I would probably hide in my room all day.”
“I can see how that would be a major problem.” This young girl seemed so wise beyond her nine short years.
“I’m sorry about what happened to your dad. I really liked him.”
“Thank you, Breena, that means a lot to me.”
“And I like you, too. Will you come back soon?”
“I’d like to.”
They stood and Addie started to give the girl a hug, but Breena shook her head, stopping her. “Better not, one love-sick puppy a day is enough for me. Maybe we should keep that little secret to ourselves for a while.”
Addie cringed. “You’re a very wise young lady. Thank you for sharing with me.”
They walked out in the hall where Cael waited. Breena waved goodbye and skipped down the hall.
“Okay, so, what was that all about?” Cael asked, on their way to the elevator.
“Oh, nothing.” Addie smirked.
“Don’t give me that, Addison, tell me.”
“Can’t you figure it out?”
“Somewhat, I know you’re embarrassed.”
“Let’s see, how should I put this ... Breena showed me the two of us in the middle of a, let’s say a very provocative performance, one a young girl her age shouldn’t have witnessed.”
“Oh ... you mean she saw us having sex?”
“Almost, yes, you might say that.” Addie lowered her eyes, trying to hide her embarrassment.
“Hmmm ...” Cael said, bringing his hand to her chin and studying her eyes as her cheeks flushed with heat. “Can you be more specific?”
“No, I said ‘almost.’ You’re horrible. Doesn’t it bother you that a little girl almost saw us ... you know?”
“Of course it bothers me—” He turned and brought his hand to his own chin. “But since I can’t do anything about it and you did say ‘almost,’ there’s just one thing I want to know.”
“What?”
“Was I enjoying it?”
Addie punched his arm just as the elevator doors opened.
“Ouch! I just wanted to know what we’re doing later tonight.”
***
Heads turned when Cael and Addison walked through the door of the Cliff Hanger. Cael had suggested they go there to eat dinner, giving Addison a chance to check in and let everyone know she was okay.
The place was packed with tourists and locals, but then it was Saturday night. They walked to the only two empty seats at the bar—Cael’s arm protectively around Addison. He saw Gerry stiffen as the woman next to him—who Cael instantly recognized as Maia from photos he’d seen—gave him a nudge with her elbow. Gerry frowned and relaxed his shoulders.
“Gerry, I’d like to thank you for sticking up for me, but in the future, please keep your fist out of my affairs and out of Cael’s face.”
Gerry cringed. “Sorry, I guess I over-reacted. No hard feelings?” He extended a hand to Cael.
“No, we’re fine,” Cael assured him as the two men shook hands.
“Nice outfit, Addie. I see your day off was productive—very nice indeed,” Gerry said, admiring the new clothes.
Cael felt a sudden twinge of jealousy come over him and it startled him. He told himself the man was just being nice; after all, Gerry had just decked him in the jaw six hours ago avenging Addison as if she’d been his own daughter.
“Yes, Addie, you look very pretty.” Maia turned her attention to Cael. “Hello, Cael, I’m Maia, Addie’s aunt. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Nice to meet you, Maia.”
“So, what are you two having?”
“I think I’ll have a glass of Cabernet. Where’s Nick? I thought he would have been filling in for me tonight.”
“He had other plans. It seems he’s found another young pretty thing to hang on his arm for the weekend. What’ll you have, Cael?” Gerry said.
Cael glanced around and noticed a man and a woman walking out the door, leaving a table free in the corner. “I’ll have the same. I think we’ll take our wine over to that table in the corner that just became available and order some dinner, if that’s okay.”
“I’ll send Darcy over,” Gerry said.
Cael took Addison by the elbow as they walked to the newly vacant table. No sooner had they sat down when Darcy came over, almost skipping. “Wow, you went shopping ... nice.”
“Thanks. Sorry about earlier. You know, the comment about your ass.”
“It looks mighty fine from where I’m sitting,” Cael assured them.
“Ha! Well, Addie, you’re forgiven on the grounds you’ve been keeping such excellent company lately.” Darcy gathered up the dirty dishes and glasses from the table and placed them on a tray she had brought over, then wiped off the table.
“Did you go for that ride today?” Addison asked, a look of concern on face.
“Yeah, I did and I have to admit you and Jared were right. He is married, the swine.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. I still had fun on the bike. He finally confessed after a phone call from his wife, telling him their little boy was sick and he needed to get home. I decked him square in the jaw, sending him flying off his stupid two-wheeler. You would’ve been proud of me.”
“Good for you.” Cael laughed.
“Oh … and guess who asked me out earlier.”
Addison shrugged her shoulders. “Hard to tell.”
“Lieutenant Whelan. I mean, Duane.”
“Hmmm ... imagine that.”
“Yeah, he’s taking me to dinner Monday night. A real date. I can't wait. But hey, that's enough about me, you’re here to eat. What can I get for you?”
“I’ll have the fish ... oh wait.” Addison winced and gave Cael a weak smile and he knew she was thinking of Salacia. “Change that. I’ll have the skirt steak and a salad.”
“I’ll have the same,” Cael added.
“Okay, two skirts it is.” Darcy jotted it down, heaved up the tray of dirty dishes, and walked away.
“Cael, everything today was so fantastic. It still seems so surreal. I mean Breena, Ben, Mary, Raz were wonderful. Oh, and Salacia was truly amazing. It’s all so mind-blowing ... I don’t mean to sound disrespectful, but their powers don’t seem very lethal—unless you’re in the water with Salacia—and I have to wonder, why am I the only one with a dangerous power?”
“You’re not. And quite frankly, your powers aren't strong enough yet to be dangerous.”
She frowned. “Strong enough to hurt you.”
“That was me, an unmoving target not using any abilities to defend myself or to counteract yours. We have no idea what Eidolon might use against us when we confront him. Let's be honest. You know it. I know it. We have work to do. The abilities the others have may not seem threatening at first, but if you consider the possibilities, the results could be extremely severe. For instance, take Razvan. He can make you imagine anything, and if he made you believe you were choking and you couldn’t get any air, then I think you would surely die. And you know, I haven’t shown you all my powers yet.”
“Really? How would your abilities be so life threatening—scaring someone to death by making them think they ran you over with their truck?” She smirked.
“You joke, but once I show you, you’ll understand.”
“Can’t you just tell me?”
“No, I’d rather show you.”
“Now I’m really curious.”
Darcy appeared with their food, set it down, looked at Addison and grimaced.
“Are you two okay? You’re not fighti
ng again, are you? Because I don’t think Gerry could take it.”
“No, Cael was just about to tell me what his strong points are.” Addison leaned back in her chair, crossed her arms over her chest, and stared at Cael.
Darcy rolled her eyes and smiled. “Strong points, ha, I can only imagine. The steak looks good, don’t let it get cold,” she said and strolled away.
Cael glanced up at the bar and noticed Gerry staring at Addison. “What is it with you and Gerry, anyway?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Gerry, he's always staring at you.”
“Are you jealous?”
“No ... no ... not at all.” At least, he didn’t think he was. “It’s just that he seems a bit over-protective of you, more than he should be. I mean, he’s your boss and your aunt’s boyfriend, not your boyfriend ... or am I wrong there? Has there ever been anything between the two of you?” As much as he hadn’t wanted to, he had to ask.
Addison didn’t answer right away, and he felt foolish, regretting having asked at all. Man, she was difficult to read sometimes. Her mind seemed to be in a state of flux and he always had trouble sensing mixed up emotions.
“I know he can be very protective, and yes, sometimes it bothers me. Gerry is Maia’s boyfriend, not mine, nor has he ever been. He has this big brother thing going on, nothing more.” Cael studied her face, accepting her explanation. She trusted Gerry, so he decided to give the guy a break.
Addison took a bite of her steak then washed it down with a sip of wine. Glancing toward the other side of the room, she smiled. “Oh look, my apartment manager is here tonight and he’s actually sitting with a woman. I wonder where he met her. She doesn’t look familiar. I worry about him, you know, he always seems so lonely. Well, now at least I know he doesn’t just sit at home brooding all the time.”
“That’s one of the many things I like about you. You’re always concerned about other people.”
She clutched the locket that hung around her neck. “Yeah, right now I’m concerned about this. Could Eidolon really steal our abilities?”
“It’s possible, yes.”
“It’d be like Satan himself,” Addison murmured.
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