by J. C. Hart
Copyright © 2017 by J.C. Hart
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental
Table of Contents
Copyright Page
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER ONE
The waves pounded against the beach, almost as loud as the wind that tore around them. A crack sounded and then lightning hit the ground in front of his feet. "Whoa!" He jumped back and shook his head.
"How's that for impressive?" His sister Melody grinned and wiggled her fingers at him. She'd been spending most of her free time since getting back to the Bay learning how to control her powers. Well, that, and making loved up faces at Noah.
The two of them were nearly inseparable, and while Jake didn't want to begrudge them their happiness, it was getting a little old. He missed hanging out with Noah as friends, and he still hadn't really had a chance to reconnect with Melody. As far as she seemed concerned things were totally fine and he'd forgiven her. And he had. Mostly. For leaving them, if not for accidentally killing their dick of a father.
"I'm going to pretend like you meant to scare the crap out of me, not that you very nearly accidentally fried me."
"Oh come on! It wasn't that close, and my control is getting so much better."
"With me around. I can't be here all the time." Jake raised an eyebrow and watched as Melody's face fell.
"I know. Okay? I know." She ran her tongue over her teeth and then grinned again. "Go down the beach, right to the water. It'll give me some distance and your whole amplifying thing might not have so much effect."
Jake shrugged and kicked off his shoes, digging his toes into the black sand as he strode toward the water. The lap of the waves over his feet and around his ankles lulled him somewhat.
Occasionally his skills came in handy, but Melody really needed to learn how to use her powers on her own. He shook his head, frustrated that his only use was as a passive thing. Not like his sister who could throw the wind around or make it rain, or call lightning from the sky. Nope. He was just a turbo booster, an assist to others, and sometimes he thought that was all he'd ever be.
The little brother, the helper. To Melody, and Noah too, who still wouldn't let him tattoo solo, always hovering over Jake, lips pursed as though to lock in the advice he so desperately wanted to give.
Thank the gods he kept his mouth shut most of the time. Jake wasn't sure he could take much more lecturing, of doing the grunt work but not getting any of the glory. When was it going to be his time to shine?
"Oi! Jake!"
He turned to see Melody standing at the top of the dunes, lightning sporadically shooting from her fingers into the sky. She had the cheesiest grin on her face and he couldn't help but return it.
"Good job, sis!" he called back, giving her an over enthusiastic thumbs up before turning back to the sea. He glanced across the waves and saw something bobbing in the water. No, not something. Someone. A cry drifted to him on the wind and he tore his jacket off before rushing into the waves.
"Jake!" He heard Melody scream from behind him, but there was no time to explain. He ducked under a wave and bobbed up in time to see the form slipping beneath the waves. Thick dark hair floated on the surface for a moment before sinking below. Jake pushed off the sand and dove under the waves again, his lungs burning as he swam.
Salt stung his eyes, but he could see her now. A woman, dark dress floating around her, pale legs gleaming in the water. Her arms moved in slow motion as she turned and looked at him, eyes wide, mouth wider. She clawed at the ocean, forced herself up above the surface. Jake burst through after her, still out of arms reach, he could see her flounder again before being dragged back under by the current.
Jake didn't waste time calling to her. He drew in another big breath and dove again, though now they were too deep to push off from the bottom. He opened his eyes, but he couldn't see her. He spun, confusing himself. But there, he caught a flash of her dress, drifting toward him. He swam down, the muscles of his arms protesting, his lungs protesting louder. She was so close now, so close.
Her arm flung out and he caught it, pulling her towards him, water like mud around their bodies. He began to float back to the surface, but she was a dead weight at the end of his arm. He needed air, needed it now. Feeling helpless he let her go but she grabbed his ankle and dragged him back down until he was pressed against her, chest to chest.
She smiled at him, a glint in her eyes, all fear gone. And then she kissed him, hungrily, deeply.
Jake didn't know what to do, but somehow, she was breathing into him and he wasn't dead yet. Her lips were damp, cold from the sea, but there was such passion there that he couldn't help but respond. His fingers latched into her hair and he didn't care that she was dragging him deeper, further into the ocean. Didn't care that somewhere above the surface his sister was no doubt calling for him, screaming out her fear.
And then the woman pulled back, her eyes wide again, confusion flooding them. She pushed him, drove him through the water so hard that the pressure might make his head explode. The next minute his back dragged against the sand and he was coughing up a lung full of water, curling in on himself, the pain in his chest as intense as the strange feeling of loss.
"Jake, oh my god. You're okay." Melody was beside him in an instant, cradling him in her arms. "What the hell were you thinking?"
"There was a woman, she needed help." Jake coughed again, his throat and eyes stinging from the salt. When he closed them he could see her face flashing between scared and delighted. What the hell had just happened?
"There was no one out there Jake, not a ripple or flutter other than the waves." Melody shook her head, frowning. She pressed her wrist against his forehead but he pushed it away.
"I'm not sick Melody, and I'm not seeing things either. She was there. I saw her. I..."
"You what?" She shook her head again, scraped her tongue against her teeth like she always did when she was stressed.
"Don't worry about it." He shrugged and glanced out toward the ocean. She was right. Now, at least, there was not a ripple on the surface. Nothing to indicate a woman had been struggling, or not. He had no idea what had really happened but her dark hair and her pale skin, her chilled lips had certainly left an impression. Whatever had just happened, one thing was for sure – that woman hadn't really been in trouble, and in fact, she might have been trying to
kill him.
"Come on," Melody said, reaching a hand out to him. "Let's go home. You need to get warm and dry."
Jake licked the salt off his lips and glanced once more at the sea. "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea."
CHAPTER TWO
Moana watched from the sea. She'd let her awareness drift away from her, becoming the waves, the rocks, the sand on the floor of the ocean. Through it all she could see him there, lying on the shore, water lapping at his toes. She hadn't wanted to let him go—his kiss had been divine, his body firm beneath her hands—but the shock she'd felt at his magic coursing through her had meant that she couldn't let him die.
We need a sacrifice and he was powerful. It might have made a difference. Tangaroa's words washed over her, but she ignored them. She knew she couldn't use this man for short term benefits when his power meant he could potentially be used for long term gain.
And then there was the other thing, the thing she couldn't admit to her father. The fact that this man had made her feel alive again...
The man on the beach was watching her, well, watching for her. She licked her lips as he did, still tasting him there. She wished she could draw him back, but now wasn't the right time. Not until she'd learned more about who he was, not until she knew what he was capable of, and how she could harness that to cure the poison in her waters.
Someone had evil intent, someone was trying to kill her father, Tangaroa, and she would do anything to stop that from happening.
And this man, he might be the key to that. If she could just get him onside.
Moana watched him leave, another woman's arm around his waist, and not for the first time she felt a pang of sorrow at this half-life she lived. Demi-goddess of the sea was a lonely position at the best of times. She yearned for a real life, one not tied to the ebb and flow of the ocean, one not tied to the ever-changing needs of the sea.
A crab scuttled over the rocks by her feet and nipped at her toes.
"I've told you not to do that," she muttered, flicking it away. She sighed, inhaling the sea, and turned away from the shoreline, morphing into a dolphin as she headed back into deeper waters.
CHAPTER THREE
"Are you sure you're okay?" Melody asked for the millionth time. She was unstacking the dishwasher in their kitchen with all the care she'd shown as a teen. So, none. Noah was there too, slouched in a chair, frowning at Jake.
"I'm fine. Honest." Jake shook his head and shrugged. "I thought someone needed help, so I went in. It's no big deal really. Trick of the water."
"You know, if you're so desperate to help out around the place I could find some jobs for you," Noah offered, raising an eyebrow.
The only issue was that Jake knew it would just be busy work. Noah never really trusted him with the important stuff.
He could tell that neither of them believed his story either. Not the one he'd told on the beach, and not the line he was feeding them now. Even he was beginning to wonder what had really happened, and he didn't need Noah giving him that 'are you crazy' look his sister had patented.
"But what if he did see someone?" Melody asked. "I mean, that would be a thing to be worried about."
"You two need to chill. It was nothing and I'm fine. Need I remind you that neither of you are my mother? I have one, and she does a pretty good job. You don't see her here fussing over me." Jake gave Melody a pointed glare and she turned away.
The rift between them were still healing, but hell, he was going to use her guilt to his advantage whenever he could. Especially today.
Noah's cell rang and he glanced at the screen before ducking out of the room.
Melody turned to Jake, she inhaled, about to launch into another tirade but Jake spoke before she could.
"Really, I'm fine. Come on, sis. Just...stop over thinking everything. Whatever happened on the beach isn't a big deal, and I don't need a protector. I'm capable of taking care of myself."
She winced, her shoulders slumping.
Asshole, he told himself as he stood and crossed the linoleum floor. "You know I didn't mean it like that." He pulled her into a hug, still astounded by how she fit under his chin now. Back before she ran away he'd still been shorter. It was the least of the changes he'd noticed though.
"Melody," Noah said, walking back into the room. "We've got a situation. I'm going to need a hand."
"I could help?" Jake offered. Maybe this was his way in.
"You've got that client later on. I'll be back by then." Noah nodded, not giving away the slightest clue about what the situation might be.
Jake could read the subtext. 'Don't start without me.' He restrained himself from rolling his eyes, though it was bloody hard. "Right. I'll see you a bit later then."
"Why don't you have a rest, Jake? You must be tired after this morning." Melody kissed him on the cheek, her gaze apologetic as she headed towards the door with Noah, their fingers tangling together effortlessly.
The two of them grossed him out. But probably only because he wasn't getting laid. That kiss from the girl in the water had been the most action he'd seen in months, and it wasn't exactly...well, there were really no words to accurately describe it.
At least he wasn't dead. That was something, right? Though, if there was a good way to die, that was going to be it.
He moved into the lounge and lay down on the couch, closing his eyes and picturing her in his mind. She'd been at home beneath the waves, but what did that mean? Was she a mermaid, something else?
And had she really been trying to kill him – because if that was the case, something had stopped her. Or maybe that wasn't her intention at all. He really had no idea.
"Enough," he muttered, rolling off the couch and heading for the bathroom. He turned the shower on as hot as it could go and stepped under the spray, searing away the touch of the sea, the kiss of the woman, the salt that seemed to have seeped into his very blood.
JAKE PUSHED DOWN THE handle of the tattoo parlour, but the door didn't move. He pressed his face against the window and sure enough, there wasn't any movement inside, no lights on. He wrangled with his keys and inserted the right one into the lock, letting himself in and flicking the sign to 'open'.
"Where the hell are you, Noah?" Jake muttered as he flicked on the lights and cracked a window. He glanced at the papers on the counter, but there was no message from his boss, nothing on his phone either. He put a call through, but Noah didn't even pick up that. Jake shook his head and chuckled, unsure whether to be pleased or worried. He decided to go for the former and turned on the sounds while he set up his gear for the client.
Kyle Mulholland, black panther, left shoulder. It was the first time someone had requested Jake specifically, maybe because Kyle was an outsider and didn't know any better. Whatever, it had felt good.
He was set up, music flowing through the shop and pencil scratching over his pad when the door opened. Jake looked up, expecting it to be Noah, but a stranger stood in the doorway. He was tall, and certainly didn't look like he fit in the Bay with his city slicker suit.
"Can I help?" Jake said, standing and approaching the counter.
"Yeah, name's Kyle. I'm booked in for a tattoo." Kyle finally closed the door behind him and entered the shop properly. "You're Jake, right?"
"That's me." Jake grinned. "Come on, I'll get you prepped." He nodded to the back of the shop and Kyle came around, leaving his bag on the floor by the counter. The other man slipped his jacket off and hung it on the coat-rack. He began to unbutton his shirt.
"Hang on, mate. I just have to wait for my boss to get back. He likes to be here."
Kyle shrugged, and kept at it, shucking his shirt off and hanging it next to his jacket. "I don't have all day, and your boss knew when this was happening. If he really wanted to be here, he would have been." Kyle eyed Jake up. "You know what you're doing right?"
He could feel a low buzz of energy in the room, like magic was at work. Jake didn't respond for a moment, trying to gauge the expression on K
yle’s face. There was a challenge there and he couldn't help but take it. "Course I do."
"Right, so let's get on with it shall we?" Kyle lay down on the table and got comfortable. "You got the image I sent through?"
"Yup, looks good." Jake took a seat, pulling on his gloves.
He started the gun up, making the first marks. Kyle didn't flinch. "You're not a first timer, are you," Jake commented.
"Actually, I am. Been waiting for the right thing, but it wasn't until I got into town that it really resolved itself. I drew it up last week."
"You did the design yourself? That's awesome. Are you an artist or something?"
"Something like that." Kyle chuckled. "At the moment I'm in town trying to secure some property for a client. Know anyone who might be looking to sell?"
"Not sure, man. I'll have a think." The question made him feel uncomfortable, but he wasn't really sure why. People came and went from the Bay, it was the nature of the place. The vast majority of the residents had some kind of magic and the Bay was a refuge from the rest of the world, a place to recover, recoup, before they went back to reality.
Not him, this was the only reality he'd known and he wasn't going anywhere. As the only amplifier in town he had a certain kind of value, though the likes of Noah were still unwilling to make use of that. One day he hoped that would change. He'd make it change.
"What about you?" Kyle asked. "I mean, I can see you've got some talent, but the client pool here has gotta be pretty small. This going to be a long term gig for you, or have you got something lined up that might make better use of your abilities?"
"Abilities?" Jake asked carefully. He wiped the blood from the panther that was beginning to emerge from Kyle's shoulder, not trusting himself with the gun right that second.
"Yeah, your magic."
"Look, I don't know what you've heard, or where you heard it from man, but-"
"Chill out."
As Kyle spoke, Jake felt the tension leave the room, though it didn't make him feel any better about the situation.