He smiled, kissed my forehead, and handed me a mug of steaming tea.
“Thanks,” I said and craned my neck, reaching for another kiss. On the lips this time. He laughed and touched his warm mouth to mine. “Catch anything today?”
“Yes,” Henry replied and raked his fingers through his blonde hair. He kept it shorter now, wanting to fit in with the new world. But it still flopped down around his ears and I adored it to no end. “Five. They’re in the sink.” He took a sip of tea. “Where’s the kids?”
Just then, as if hearing their father from across the meadow, two blonde heads of curls came running through the tall grass toward us.
“Daddy!” they called out in unison and then clobbered on top of Henry after they scampered up the stairs. Henry took them in both arms and kissed their little heads. “You stink like fish!”
They both jumped up and ran as Henry playfully chased them with his fishy fingers, their little screams of joy warming my heart. Arthur and Audrey. My whole world on one porch. I sometimes wondered if we made the right decision by coming back to the future, back to Rocky Harbour. But at times like this, I knew it with the deepest certainty. We were safe. We were loved. We were happy.
A car came rolling down the long gravel driveway and stopped just a few feet from the porch. I stood and smiled as the driver’s side door creaked open and a woman stepped out. She strolled toward the house, cane in hand. The kids spotted the visitor and turned their wildness on her.
“Grandma!”
They ran for Mom and wrapped their tiny arms around both her legs.
“Hi, babies,” she greeted them and then bent down to get a better hug from each.
I laughed as she pulled out a small container of cookies from her jacket. They grabbed it like a couple of vultures and ran off inside the house.
“Oops, hope I’m not ruining their supper,” she said in a very grandma-like way. Knowing very well she was. “Am I late?”
“No, Mom,” I replied and took her hand as she climbed the few stairs to the porch. The stab wound forever impairing the use of her right side. A constant reminder of that horrible night. “Henry just brought the fish in. I’m tossing them on the grill in a second.”
She looked at me with pride and heaved a happy sigh. “God, I love you.”
I smiled and took her by the hand. “I know. I love you, too, Mom.”
***
Later that night, after Henry got the kids to bed and Mom had gone home to the house Aunt Mary had left her, I took a stroll down by the water, as I often did. It was my way of being close to them. Our crew and friends that we’d left behind. The siren had once told me that the ocean was somehow connected throughout time, always existing. Like a constant. I bent down and touched my fingers to the water. The same water that Lottie, Finn, Gus, and Benjamin sailed on, and I felt them.
“I miss you guys,” I whispered to the night sky. “Please know that we’re safe. We’re happy. And I hope you are, too.”
Ripples formed on the calm surface and vibrated toward me, growing more rapid as something bobbed in its center. I backed away, knowing very well what it was.
“Show yourself,” I said to the sea creature.
The center of the ripples raised higher until the shape of a head, formed of water, appeared. Clear eyes blinking up at me.
“Hello, Dianna Cobham,” spoke the music box voice.
“I’m Dianna White, now,” I corrected.
“Regardless of your name, who you are remains the same,” the siren replied.
“What do you want?”
She raised from the water completely and shimmered as her clear body took shape, scales of shells and hair of kelp taking on the vibrant colors of the sea. Her toothy mouth turned up in a grin. “Don’t you know by now?” she said. “You made a deal. To go back in time in exchange for a favor.”
My throat tightened, and I swallowed hard against it. The siren advanced slowly, grinning wide.
“And I’ve come to collect.”
The End
Did you enjoy the Dark Tides Series? Be sure to leave a review and check out all of Author Candace Osmond’s other available titles at authorcandaceosmond.com or wherever books are sold!
Want more from Dark Tides?
The Special Edition box set includes all four books PLUS an exclusive short story told from Benjamin’s POV that bridges the gap between book four and five! And be sure to get your copy of Dark Tides book five, The Gilded Stone wherever books are sold!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Published author and freelance writer/editor, Candace Osmond was born in North York, ON.
She published her first book by the age of 25, the first installment in a Paranormal Romance Trilogy to which two others were published with it. The Iron World Series.
Candace is also one of the creative writers for sssh.com, an acclaimed Erotic Romance website for women which has been featured on NBC Nightline and a number of other large platforms like Cosmo. Her most recent project is a screenplay that received a nomination for an AVN Award.
Now residing in a small town in Newfoundland with her husband and two kids, Candace writes full time developing articles for just about every niche, more novels, and a hoard of short stories.
Connect with Candace online! She LOVES to hear from readers!
Website
Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads
Wattpad
WANT MORE FROM AUTHOR CANDACE OSMOND? CHECK OUT ALL HER AVAILABLE TITLES WHEREVER BOOKS ARE SOLD!
The Siren's Call Page 19