Because you have no other choice; you won’t kill me before you get those souls from me. She mentally laughed again and I could see the glint in her black eyes that had me clenching my fists angrily.
Don’t be so sure of yourself, Jodi said dangerously and I felt the water around us become dense. Not breathing became harder than it had a been moment ago and the swirling cocoon slowed in its rotation and began to shrink in on itself. I realized Jodi was compressing the oxygen molecules around the nymph and the water inside must be as difficult to breathe through as mud; at least for a water elemental, that is.
The nymph struggled inside to maintain her composure, pretending it wasn’t bothering her, but I felt her pulse quicken as the space around her became less and less. It was as sweet as a melting piece of candy on my tongue.
So, shall we try this again? I asked, mentally nudging Jodi to stop, leaving no more room around the nymph than what she needed to be fully extended. She flicked her tail in the water and glared at me through the shifting bubbles and dirt. If looks could kill, I was sure she would have pumped my lungs full of water until they exploded in my chest. She smiled slowly as if she saw the image of my death in her mind’s eye. We will give you your freedom for the two souls you have stolen and your word that you will leave our waters and never come back.
That is your only offer? the nymph asked.
That’s it, I said firmly.
Fine, she spoke calmly. I’ll just keep those two souls and I’ll take yours as well. She pressed her gray hands against the inside of the cocoon and opened her mouth wide, showing the glinting razor teeth within, and let out a long keening wail that had us covering our ears in shock. I had heard tales from my mother about the Banshee in our ancestors’ land and now I knew what sound they must have made. In the distance, I heard the echo of more wails answering her and growing louder with every passing second. She had called to the other creatures I had seen her swimming with when I saved Toby. They were coming for us, and I knew there were too many for the three of us to face.
What the hell was that? Jodi thought at me in blinding tones of bright yellow. I felt Steven’s anxiety mix with hers and his intense desire to swim to shore.
She’s called the others, I replied grimly.
So what are we doing? Jodi pressed and I felt my anger rise, watching as the dirt that joined Jodi’s shield swirled thicker around the nymph, making the watery cage murky. I should have known this was all going too easily. We should have had a backup plan for this, but I had been so consumed with catching the nymph that was seducing the boys that I had completely forgotten about the pod of nymphs just waiting in the depths.
Terra? Steven’s terrified thoughts, a dull rust color in my mind, shook me from my thoughts and I heard the wails of the other nymphs getting louder, closer.
Damnit! I mentally cursed and felt a burst of power erupt from the seafloor, sending shock waves rolling up through the water.
I imagine your soul will taste so very sweet when I rip it out of you, the nymph taunted, letting a snakelike tongue slither out of her mouth and run over her dark, full lips.
Terra, I think we have to go, Jodi said. All her earlier anger had melted into fear now that we could see the dark shapes in the water ahead of us forming as the nymphs swam closer. If I could have screamed in frustration, I would have. As it was, tiny earthquakes were erupting below us and I could feel Steven sputtering above us, trying to stay above the rolling water.
Smile all you want, you ugly thing, I thought at the nymph and watched as the cruel smile on her face faltered at the insult. I will kill you before this is over. I turned away from her and pushed up through the water, swimming to the surface with Jodi, who was already swimming to Steven. I pushed Steven onto his back to float in the water, hooked onto one of his arms, Jodi grabbed the other, and we started swimming towards the shore, dragging Steven like so much dead weight between us.
Steven kept his eyes closed and concentrated on breathing evenly so he wouldn’t panic at the loss of control over his body. I felt the pull of the shield we had created around the nymph, like a string from a sweater caught on a rusty nail, the garment unraveling as you walked away. The connection became tenuous and, with the physical exertion of swimming while dragging Steven, we were quickly being drained. With one reluctant pause, I severed the connection.
The connection snapped and the dirt fell away from the nymph. The air bubbles dispersed immediately, rushing to the surface of the water and popping silently on the crest of the small waves. Once we swam far enough to stand up and only be thigh deep in the water, we let go of Steven and we all ran the rest of the way in. The water splashed up to our faces as we trudged up to shore. My hair was heavy with tangles, salt, and sand and my arms and legs were weary, but my heart continued to race with frustration.
I turned around once we were safe on the dry, soft sand that was still warm from the sun and saw not one, but many figures of shoulders and heads bobbing along with the rolling water, staring out at us, black eyes glinting in the moonlight. And, although it could have been a trick of the light bouncing on the water, I would have bet my last dollar that I saw one of them lift a hand out of the water and wave at me before they slipped back under the water and disappeared.
Chapter Twelve
“Terra,” Jodi said softly. “Are you okay?” she asked, and I could feel her worry prickling over my spine. I didn’t answer her right away, giving myself time to finish drying off and taking a comb that Steven offered me, working through a few tangles at a time.
“No,” I said, not looking at anyone. “No, I am not okay.”
“It’s not your fault she called to the others; we couldn’t stay in the water and fight them,” Jodi said, reason twining in her words that did nothing to comfort me.
“I should have thought of that though!” I snapped, ripping the comb from my hair and not even wincing when it pulled out a tangle of strands with it. “I knew there were others, damnit!” I yelled, stamping my foot in the sand. “I saw them that first day; how could I be so stupid?”
“Terra, the trap you thought of worked,” Jodi argued with me.
“Seriously,” Steven added quickly. “She hasn’t brought the others that close to shore, so you can’t blame yourself for not expecting her to do it this time.”
“But I should have expected it!” I yelled, clenching my fists at my sides.
No one answered me, so I turned towards the water, my arms crossed over my chest and my breathing a little ragged. I realized I wasn’t cold and I really should have been after coming out of the water in the middle of the night. I turned and looked at Steven, questioning him silently.
“No, babe,” he answered automatically. “I’m not doing anything to you; all that heat is you. It’s coming off of you in waves.”
“What the hell?” I asked out loud, holding a hand out in front of me and watching as tendrils of white steam rose into the chilly air.
“You’re heating up your core temperature because you’re so angry,” Steven explained, just as I had done so many times over the years. “It happens to me too.” I hid my steaming hand again and tried to get my temper under control.
“Okay,” I said, once I was able to take a full breath and speak calmly. “We need to figure out what we’re going to do. Those things aren’t going to give those souls back willingly and I don’t think Dale or Mark have much time left.”
“Do you think that one is the leader?” Steven asked and both Jodi and I said yes together. “Then we need to get rid of her first.”
“You run the risk of causing complete chaos if you do that,” Jodi said. “An army needs a leader, right? If you kill the leader and there is no one to take up that rank, then the whole army goes nuts doing whatever each individual wants. So if you kill her, then the others might split up and go anywhere and everywhere and you’ll have people being attacked all over the place.”
“Good point,” I said, nodding slowly. It was hard enough kee
ping them from stealing any more souls and they were right here in our back yard. “I wonder what brought them here in the first place.”
“Well, she said that they only need to consume souls when they’re nearing death and, if the fairy tale got it right, then that’s not for 300 years, so maybe this is just near their home and it’s been too long since anyone last saw them,” Jodi said quickly, her voice growing excited as she spoke.
“You might be right,” I agreed again, glad we were starting work out some theories. “So maybe however long ago they attacked people, no one knew what was going on, and once she caught enough souls for those that needed them, they left.”
“And they haven’t left yet because she needs more,” Steven said and a chill ran up his back, making him shiver.
“We should have found out how many more she planned on getting,” Jodi said.
“I don’t care if all she needs is one, she’s not getting any more,” I said, feeling my anger rising like flames, licking the inside of my stomach.
“Terra,” Jodi said my elemental name again, and I wasn’t altogether sure why she was still invoking it.
“What?” I asked, turning away from the water and looking at her.
“I think we need help this time.”
“Where are we going to get help?” I asked, but before she could answer, I saw the image of Deb floating in her mind and I nodded. “Not a bad idea; we could ask her to talk to her coven. Maybe they know something about these things that we don’t.”
“How would they?” Steven asked.
“Their coven isn’t just from this generation,” I said, turning to look at Steven. “It’s the same coven that was established when our town was; every generation has carried it on.”
“So maybe they have some stories about the last time these things were around?” Steven asked, showing more excitement now than he had all night.
“It’s possible,” I said with a shrug. “But I think for now, it’s time we get out of here. I’m sure the cops are going to be making their rounds soon enough.” They agreed, so we changed into our street clothes again now that our skin was dry. I tied my hair into a loose bun at the base of my head and led the way back up to my car. As soon as we were off of the sand, I felt a wave of relief wash over Steven.
I started the car with a roar of the engine and got the heating vents turned on for Jodi’s benefit since Steven and I were still toasty warm. There was no point trying to go see Deb tonight. The store was already closed and it was just too late to go to her house or call her if it wasn’t an emergency, and right now, with no one dead and no more souls stolen, it didn’t feel like an emergency. I drove us into downtown and led the way to a coffee shop. I ordered a drink that was probably more chocolate and sugar than actual coffee, but after a night like this, I needed the hard stuff. The others ordered drinks as well. A hush fell over us as we breathed in the aromas of the shop and indulged in the sugary confections. It was a small thing, but sometimes a little comfort went a long way in healing emotional wounds.
There was a live band set up on the tiny stage in the back of the shop, and we let our bodies relax in the cliché overstuffed chairs while the deep bass thrummed in time with the beats of our hearts. I felt the pulse of the classic rock music vibrate over my skin and welcomed it, letting it wash away the lingering chill of the water that had nothing to do with body temperature. I closed my eyes and let the world fade away until there was nothing left but the beat of the drums, the twang of the guitar strings, and the hot cup of coffee clutched in my hands.
The next morning I was up with the sun, unable to sleep late because I was so anxious to go see Deb and enlist her help with the water nymph. The store wouldn’t be open for a few more hours, but there was no use trying to go back to sleep; my nerves were just too wound up to let me relax. I got up and walked into the kitchen and poured myself a cup of coffee. Both my parents were already up, my dad off to work and my mom sitting at her computer in the breakfast nook that we used as a makeshift office.
“You’re up early,” she said, speaking to the monitor as I stirred in my three sugars before getting the cream out of the fridge.
“I get up early sometimes,” I said as casually as possible.
“But it’s summer; shouldn’t I have to pound on your door at one in the afternoon telling you to get up?”
“Not always,” I said, before taking the first experimental sip of my coffee.
“Not at all so far,” she said with one last click of her mouse before she turned her chair around to face me. “You’re not going surfing, are you? Your dad told me it’s still red tide.”
“No,” I said with a shake of my head. “I’m not going surfing, mom,” I repeated in a perfect exasperated teenage voice when she continued to stare at me like she expected to see the lie on my face.
“Then why are you up so early?”
“Can’t I get up early during the summer? Geez!” I let my annoyance show freely; it was far too early to be grilled like this. “Jodi and I are going shopping, okay?” I asked, still sounding annoyed and shaking my head at her. “Is that okay with you?”
“You’re going shopping with Jodi?” She rolled the words around in her mouth and I knew it hadn’t been enough. “Fine, that’s a normal summer thing to do, but Jodi sleeps in later than you do.”
“We’re going to breakfast first,” I said with a shrug and started to make my way back towards the hallway with my cup in my hand. “There’s an ‘early bird’ sale, so we have to get there early.” The lie slipped off my tongue easily. I was happy that it had come to me so quickly.
“Oh,” she said, finally sounding satisfied. “Okay, well, why didn’t you just say that?” She shook her head and turned back towards her computer, not waiting for my answer. I continued to walk casually towards the hallway, but once there, I bolted for my room, nearly spilling my coffee in my haste to get my door shut behind me. Even though my mom didn’t work at developing her psychic skills, her intuition was always good. I pushed out a breath as I leaned back against my door and heard my stomach rumble, making me think going out to breakfast wasn’t such a bad idea.
I called Jodi and Steven and woke them up, having to call Jodi back in five minutes to make sure she actually got out of bed, telling them I’d be over in an hour to go to breakfast. After I had showered, blow dried my hair, and gotten dressed, I had ten minutes to get over to Jodi’s house, where I knew Steven would be waiting outside.
It was one of those extremely foggy mornings where you had to turn on your wiper blades, but you knew by lunchtime the sky would be ablaze with sunlight, and blindingly blue. So when Steven crawled into the back of my car, it was under the hood of an oversized sweatshirt, making him look much younger than his eighteen years. Jodi got into the front passenger seat and strapped on her seatbelt without a word, hidden in her own hooded sweatshirt and large black sunglasses. Not that I could say much; I was dressed almost identically with a tank top underneath so when the fog burned off, and I knew it would, I could shed the sweatshirt. Layers, that was the key to living in our part of Southern California.
We let breakfast drag out, enjoying a pot of coffee between the three of us before ordering our food, and it wasn’t until we started eating that we finally started talking.
“I love him, you know? But I think it’s like I love him, but I’m not in love with him anymore,” Jodi was saying about her boyfriend Jay.
“Have you talked to him about it yet?” I asked, munching on a piece of bacon. Jay had been one of my best friends growing up, but now that he was at a different high school, he had gone from being like a brother to me to a distant cousin. I usually only ever saw him anymore if Jodi brought him along somewhere.
“No,” she said with a dramatic sigh. “I’d hate to break his heart.”
“The longer you put it off, the more it’ll hurt him,” Steven added as he mixed his fried eggs with his hash browns and ketchup. I looked away from the mess before I lost my appe
tite.
“And who knows,” I said with a shrug. “He may be open to the idea of being single during senior year.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Jodi asked, firing up immediately.
“Hey, you’re the one talking about breaking up. That means he’ll be single too, not just you,” I said quickly.
“Yeah,” she said a little sadly. “I know. I just don’t like to think of him with anyone else.”
“That’s because you’re still together and you’re really possessive,” Steven said with a smile. Jodi stuck her tongue out at him in response, but he just shoveled a massive amount of dripping hash browns into his mouth with a shrug.
“Anyway, how about you?” Jodi said and she jerked her body and I realized she was nudging Steven with her foot under the table. “How many boyfriends do you have rotating lately?”
“Actually, just the one,” Steven said, lifting his chin at her.
“Who?” I asked.
“Anthony,” he said simply, stabbing a piece of sausage with his fork.
“Wow, still?” I asked, both eyebrows rising. Steven liked to play the field; I had never heard him call anyone his boyfriend, let alone date just one guy for over two months. But apparently Anthony had changed that.
“Yeah, we have a lot in common and he makes me laugh,” he said, blushing a little.
“Girl,” Jodi teased and it was Steven’s turn to stick his tongue out at her.
“Really though, are you actually a couple or is it still casual?” I asked.
“Um, I don’t know, we haven’t really talked about that,” he said. I realized I was feeling something from him that I couldn’t remember ever feeling from him before; Steven was uncomfortable.
“Whoa, you got it bad,” I said with a smile. “Afraid to ask him if he’s dating anyone else, huh?”
“No,” Steven said a little too defensively.
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