by Maira Dawn
After popping the candy into her mouth, she grabbed the wheel tighter as the car shook. A strong wind gust. Sonora looked around, her gaze immediately going to the ever-darkening sky. It seemed the storm which had sat out over the sea sped up, nearly touched land. The massive, angry clouds hung so low in the sky, it seemed she could touch them. Definitely not the kind of clouds she needed to see with everything else going on.
Sonora pulled into her driveway and fought another gust to close her car door. The wind twirled her hair into knots, forcing her to hold it in order to open the house door.
Inside the unlit kitchen, she hollered everyone's name. There was no answer. The kitchen window rattled, reminding her to close the shutters. After plugging in her phone, Sonora pulled out a box of crackers and shoved a couple into her mouth, then pulled her hair back into a ponytail. She stepped out on the porch and shut all the shutters along the front of the porch, the others could be closed from inside the house.
On her way back in, she glanced at her grandfather's. It needed to be protected too. She stepped inside long enough to get his key from the key hook and fought the increasing wind as she rushed across the driveway separating the houses.
After securing her grandfather's home, she looked over at Uncle Devon and Aunt Claire's house. The wind pushed at her as she stared at it, dark except for a small light in Uncle Devon's office. Her heart sank, and she sobbed out a gasp. She couldn't face going in there.
Sonora ran back to her house, a hand covering her mouth. Memories of the day spun through her mind. She needed to stop this! Other things were happening now. Tumbling, through the kitchen door, she plopped down on a chair and shoved a few more crackers in her mouth.
Sonora checked the time. It'd taken her almost an hour to get here and get the houses secured. Where was her family?
She reached onto the counter and picked up her phone. No notifications. In fact, no anything, just a black screen. What? Not now! She shook the phone and pushed buttons, but still nothing. She slammed it onto the counter and heard a small crack. Well, that wasn't good. She felt like crying.
Laying her crossed arms on the table, she lowered her head and took a few deep breaths. After she calmed down, she walked to the living room, looking for any cell phones someone may have left behind.
She could just go to the beach, but Sonora needed to know her family was okay. She wouldn't leave without them. At the window facing her uncle's house, she stopped. Of the three houses, his was the only one with a land phone. She shuddered. She didn't know if she would be able to force herself to go over there. To walk through his house.
She didn't have a choice. She had to.
After taking their key from the hook, she weighed it in her hand. Why did it suddenly feel so heavy? Wrapping her fingers around it, she ignored the frightening whispers floating through her mind. He was gone. Far away—in jail. He couldn't get her.
Her pep talk didn't make the hole in the pit of her stomach feel any better.
Once again, she walked out into the dark day, this time, leaving the kitchen door unlocked as she shut it. She weaved like a drunk person as she navigated the stiff breeze.
At the edge of their yard, Sonora stopped and stared at the dark windows of her uncle's house before she bent her head and continued toward it. Something nagged at her as an icy finger trailed down her spine.
Sonora dragged her feet up the stairs and onto the front porch. Wait.
She stopped, her head jerking up. The light. The light in Uncle Devon's office was off. It had been on before. The lingering chill exploded through her middle, and she ducked.
Someone was in the house.
Fifty-Two
Dark Storm
Chapter Fifty-Three
Sonora clamored back down the porch steps and ducked behind it. She glanced at her house. Could she make it back there without being seen? It was an open yard all the way. Her teeth came down on her lip. Maybe they had already seen her.
She turned to stare at one of Devon’s windows. Maybe it was just the police. But wouldn’t they have turned on more lights? What use was it to skulk around in a dark house?
It was more likely one of Devon's cohorts looking for research.
Her gaze darted between the two houses. She had to get across that yard, back to hers, where it was safe.
Sonora geared herself up twice and failed to move. The third time would be it, no exceptions. A crash sounded from inside Devon’s house. Her eyes flew to the living room window. Someone moved in the unlit room.
Her stomach lurched. Sonora moved on instinct, crouching as she scurried for her house. Reaching her kitchen door, she panted as she yanked it open and quietly shut it. After twisting the lock in place, she leaned back against the door, closing her eyes.
Sonora opened them to see a shadow passing the one window, over the sink, she hadn't shuttered. Heart thundering, she dropped to the floor and skittered across the room, clenching the cabinets below the window. The shadow stepped closer to the opening, peering through it.
Sonora cowered on the floor, her breath coming in gasps. She peeked, only to see the shadow moving, walking toward the kitchen door.
Sonora exploded off the floor, cursing all the lights she’d left on. The doorknob rattled.
In pure panic, she raced up the stairs to her parent's room and deep into their large walk-in closet, back under the rarely used clothes. Dust wavered in the air as she plunged deeper into the neglected corner.
Sonora clapped her hands over her mouth when a faint voice ask, "Is anyone home?"
Ian! Oh, Ian! What she wouldn’t give for him to be here! Would he hear her desperate, puny efforts to call him? Or was he too far away?
The stairs squeaked, and she wiggled herself back until she felt the solid cedar wall behind her. Shuddering as she held back a sneeze, she strained her ears for every small sound.
Footsteps on the carpet were hard for her to keep track of, but it seemed the person went from Sierra’s room to her own before walking into her parents.
She put her hands to her chest, trying to ease the panicked weight that sat there, robbing her of breath.
Every muscle cried out for her to move, escape. But there was nowhere to run. The shadow, which she could now see was a man, cut off any hope of freedom.
A bolt of panic seized her as he walked to the closet door and stopped. Her eyes stretched wide, she tried to identify him. But with the closet light out, he remained little more than a dark form.
There was a long rattle downstairs. Perhaps the wind, maybe someone trying to get in. The made a sudden turn and rushed out of the room. After a minute, the kitchen door banged shut.
Sonora didn't move. What if it was a trick? What if he waited down there in the dark, hoping she would give herself away?
Sonora waited. Without a clock, she wasn't sure for how long. It seemed like forever, but she worried it was only a few minutes.
Then, as quietly as possible, she crept across her parent's room to look out their large window. Staying low and ready to speed back to the closet, she grabbed the casement and clung to it as she stared at her Uncle and Aunt’s home.
Through the heavy rain, she saw a different light now glowed in another window. Was he back there then? Or had he turned that on before coming after her?
Sonora gnawed on her lip. She couldn't just stay here forever—he might come back. She needed to leave.
Sonora crept to her bedroom and retrieved a backpack, careful of every squeaky floorboard. She stopped at the top of the stairs and peered down the staircase, but from here, she couldn't see anything.
With her back to the wall, Sonora slid down the staircase. Her heart hammered so loud she was sure it echoed through the room.
At the bottom, Sonora stopped and gulped in a breath. Her gaze darted from the living room to the kitchen. Still, no one. Okay, that was good. Just a little more and she would be out of here.
But from the door to the car will be no picnic either. O
ne thing at a time, from here to the kitchen door. No, not the kitchen door. Not yet. The car keys were in her purse, which was on the living room couch.
Sonora practically tiptoed through the room, worried he tracked every movement, worried he waited in the shadows for the right moment to grab her. She snatched her purse and pressed her back up against the wall leading to the kitchen. Slowly, she crept into the kitchen.
Her tensed jaw started to ache, and Sonora loosened and wiggled it only to clench it again a moment later. She scanned the kitchen. Still, no one. Maybe it would be okay.
Sonora’s gaze zeroed in on her phone, which still sat on the countertop charging. Glowing like some beacon in the night. Had he seen that? Of course, he had.
A fist of fear squeezed at her heart. But she grabbed her phone and tripped her way over the threshold to the outdoors. She stood there, holding the doorknob, ready to jump back into the house.
The wind caught the door, pushing at it, but she clung to it as she surveyed the yard. Surely, he wouldn’t be waiting out here for her, not in this storm. She stepped further out and was soaked in an instant. But it seemed safe.
Sonora turned to close the kitchen door just as the wind tore it from her hand, slamming it against the wall. She took a step into the kitchen and wrapped her hand around the doorknob.
The window above the sink caught her eye. The one she hadn’t shuttered. The one she’d seen the shadow through.
It was closed.
A chill exploded through Sonora. She jerked the door shut and raced for the car. Every burst of wind felt like his breath against her neck.
She reached the car and pulled the handle. It was locked. She plunged her hand into her purse, feeling for the rough edge of keys. She turned her back to the car so she could see what was coming.
He was taken away in handcuffs, he couldn't be back here. He couldn't.
Her fingers closed around metal. Hands shaking, she managed to fit the key to the lock after a nervous couple tries. She jerked open the door and jumped into the seat, slamming it shut behind her. Sonora jabbed the key into the ignition.
Lightning blazed against the dark sky, and for a moment, it was day again.
He was coming across the yard at her.
Sonora turned the key while locking the doors. The old car sputtered. Come on! When it rumbled to life, Sonora gave thanks.
Slamming the car into reverse, she floored the gas. The vehicle shot backward, throwing gravel until she got to the paved lane. Shoving it into drive, she passed her house, then Devon’s. The man turned and followed, running after her.
She stared at him. Was it Devon? How could it be? But perhaps, someone just as dangerous.
She sped up until she reached the end of the lane and met the two-lane road. Sonora turned right, not for any good reason, simply because she needed to go somewhere. But now, as she finally caught her breath and her heart found its more natural rhythm, she needed to make a decision.
Sonora drove aimlessly. Clearly, her parents had not wanted her to meet at their house, or they would have been there long ago. Her mother had plainly said not to meet at Sierra's. What did that leave?
One place kept drifting into her mind. Coming back, again and again, no matter how unlikely it seemed. The beach. Just go to the beach.
Sonora stared at the angry sky, felt the wind pushing at the car, and could only imagine the mood of the ocean. She wanted to find her family first and stick to the original plan. The beach was the last place she should be until Ian, and his people took her there.
But even as the thought crossed her mind, she felt the pull again.
Maybe it was Ian drawing her there. Sonora did a U-turn on the empty road. The rain had let up, and now only a few fat raindrops splashed onto her windshield.
The ten-minute drive to Spire Beach seemed an hour, and her gaze continually darted to the dark swirling sky. She prayed she wasn’t making a mistake, moving farther away from where she should be.
Relief filled her when she saw her parent's vehicle at the beach parking lot sitting in a spot close to the sand. She sped to it, parked the car, and jumped out.
It was empty. Sonora looked from the vehicle to the churning sea. Had they taken them to Atlantis through those waters? Had they left her?
Sonora put a hand to her stomach. She stepped into the sand, kicking off her sandals when the grains caught between her feet and her shoes. If she went into the ocean, would he hear her then?
Her dress buffeted around her legs, the wind pushing against her in hard gusts. She stumbled on.
"Ian! Ian!" she screamed into the salty wind. She yelled again, her body bending at the effort. "Ian!"
Ian rose from the sea like a majestic king, the water streaming off his tanned skin. Sonora stilled, afraid he was some kind of illusion she’d made up to calm herself, and that this storm would swallow her up after all.
He moved through the violent waves, his body powerful and sure even when they beat against him.
He was here. Her salvation, her love.
Sonora dropped to her knees, the sand softening the blow. Her head bowed, sobbing in relief.
Ian’s bare feet appeared in the sand in front of Sonora. Nothing had ever seemed so beautiful.
His muscled arms lifted her. Nothing had ever felt so safe.
His lips met hers. Nothing had ever tasted so incredible.
"You are safe now, Edinara. We go home to Atlantis."
Nothing had ever sounded so right.
Fifty-Three
The New Way Home
Chapter Fifty-Four
Sonora glanced at the driver of the underwater contraption Ian had put her on and snuggled against him on the bench seat. Only now, under the waves, had she stopped shaking.
Ian ran a hand down the back of her head. “I heard you call for me, my love. You are getting stronger. I was coming for you.”
She smiled, happy to know she was getting the hang of this Atlantian thing. Sonora scanned the vehicle, unsure what to call it and looked up at Ian. "So, an underwater minivan?"
Ian made a show of almost choking. "I am aware that minivans are disdained by most human males. Atlantians do not have minivans. It is a—” Ian spouted some unintelligible Atlantian word.
“Oh, right. Cause you’re uber cool.”
Ian smirked. “If you insist.”
Sonora barked out a laugh. “And I’ll never be able to say that word.”
Ian frowned. "You will need to learn Atlantian."
Sonora chuckled at his concern. "I know, but could we start with something easier?"
"Yes. Let us begin with all the words of love." Ian grinned as he pulled her tighter and ran a finger down her cheek. “So soft.” His eyes lit at the sparkle in her gaze.
Sonora put a hand on Ian's neck. "I want to learn them all, but first, I'd like to know where everyone is."
“As I said, they are safe. However, let me further ease your mind. Your family is on, let us settle on the word—transport—ahead of us. They were distraught you had not arrived at the beach." Ian kissed the top of Sonora's head. "I did not tell them that I felt your fear." He lowered his gaze to hers, a question in his eyes. “Tell me.”
Sonora caught her lip between her teeth as the fear resurfaced, then she explained the terrors at the parking lot and her house.
Ian's troubled face darkened. "I would be pleased if you never stepped foot on land again."
Sonora laid a hand on his forearm. "Love, please don't say that."
"I could order it."
"And please, not that either. It won't go over well." Sonora vigorously shook her head. "Not at all."
Ian sat straighter. "I will be your husband, and one day sit on the council."
"Oh, lord," Sonora mumbled as she laughed. She barely kept his ego in check as it was now.
"Some cultures would argue that term also appropriate."
She rolled her eyes. In his dreams. "Please, stop."
Ian's stern face gav
e way to a plea. "It is my duty to keep you safe, and I will do anything necessary. I wish never to worry over you again."
"I know. That I understand. Danger is bad. But I'm afraid worrying is inevitable at some point. Let's just keep it to a minimum. And discussions instead of orders will be appreciated. Deal?"
"Yes, Jata Ara. An excellent deal." Ian lowered his forehead to hers.
Sonora drank in Ian's intense gaze until his eyes darkened, and he pulled her tighter. She threw a glance at the driver and brought up a new subject. "What about Jorah? Did he get the cure where it needed to go?"
Ian leaned back on his seat, one arm still around Sonora. "Yes. He gave the cure to the leader of the local military base. That man assured Father it will get where it needs to go."
"I was hoping Jorah would oversee that." Sonora made a face.
Ian scoffed. "Have you so little faith in your kind. We have done everything else, surely they are able to dole it out to their people."
Sonora twisted her hands in her lap. "I hope so."
Ian chided her. "It is usually I who disparages the humans, and you telling me I am wrong."
Sonora smiled. "I know. I'm sure they can handle it. All they have to do it get it to the people. How can they mess that up, right?"
"Right."
"And Nick?"
"On his way to our past."
Sonora sighed. "Now what?"
Ian raised a questioning eyebrow. Sonora giggled and asked, "With us? Here, in Atlantis."
"We get married." Ian's tone was firm, but it didn’t irritate her one bit. Married to him is what she wanted to be. "The instant we get home to Atlantis, and I never let you out of my sight again."