by AR Colbert
“What a coincidence bumping into you here.”
“I’m sorry. Do I know you?” Rossel responded flatly.
“Yes. I’m Tilly Gordon’s daughter.” There. That should get his wheels turning. Only, it didn’t. He remained completely expressionless.
I swallowed down the panic notching its way up into my throat and glanced over at Dom. She was completely zeroed in on the man—her stare so intense that she didn’t seem to notice me at all. And he ignored her completely.
Rossel glanced impatiently at his watch.
“You’re Rossel, right? The seer?”
He blinked in my direction but said nothing. I continued anyway. I knew it was him. I’d recognize that vacant stare anywhere.
“Seems like it might be hard for you to forget a face like mine, seeing as how you painted it on a four foot canvas.”
He blinked again, then looked over my shoulder. “Is there any security on this boat?” he muttered to himself.
“Rossel and Jude. Your little gallery in the city. My portrait is there. You painted it, and then you disappeared with my mother. And I will not leave you alone until I have some answers. Where is she?”
His face continued to show zero emotion. I wasn’t sure if he was even capable of feeling anything at all. My panic was nearly choking me now as I looked desperately to Dom.
“Help me out here. Can you see it? In his mind?”
Dom shook her head, looking a little panicked herself. “No, I—”
“I think we’re done here.” Rossel rolled his eyes and pushed through us back toward the crowd. By the time I turned around he was completely out of sight again.
“What was that?” I asked Dom.
“I don’t know. His mind was blank, or blocked off from me, anyway. I couldn’t see a single thing.”
“That was Rossel though, right?” I was beginning to doubt myself.
“It definitely was.” Dom shook her head with disbelief. “That’s never happened to me before.”
“Well it seems he’s pretty good at introducing new and completely bewildering events into people’s lives.”
Gayla and Sean approached us then. “Any luck?” Sean asked. But with one look at her friend, Gayla knew.
“You found him, didn’t you? What happened?”
Dom looked at me to explain. “You can tell them,” I said with a wave of my hand. “I think I need some air.”
Sean eyed me but didn’t follow, thank goodness. I just needed to think this through for a second. I darted through the people across the deck, keeping my eyes peeled for Rossel again, just in case. It was useless. He was long gone.
I paused in front of the doors, wondering if I should sneak back up to Gayla’s room for some quiet, or try to search for somewhere to sit out here. I stepped toward the elevator when I felt a familiar tingle crawl its way up my spine. I looked around for the golden eyes that usually came with that feeling, and spotted two of the Miles brothers just inside near the bar area. Clayton looked up with a wink.
I hadn’t noticed the tingle earlier with him, but there was no denying it now. It must have been a siren thing, and I wasn’t about to get myself tangled up in one of those traps again. I turned instead, moving toward the edge of the boat. There was a clear area curving away from the cabin up ahead, but the walkway between the walls and the edge of the boat was narrow.
There’s a rail. I tried to calm myself. It’ll be fine.
I scampered over to open air, keeping my eyes on the wooden floor instead of peeking over the edge of the rails into the dark water below. Not only was I afraid of heights, but the water… nope, not letting my mind go there right now.
I crept along the walkway, keeping my body as close to the wall as possible, desperate to get the tingle off my skin. The Miles brothers were completely out of sight. Everyone was now, but the feeling just wouldn’t go away.
Finally satisfied with my distance from the crowd, I slunk to the ground, careful to keep my dress in place. And I’d just barely gotten comfortable when I realized I wasn’t alone.
CHAPTER 10
A snowy white owl sat perched on the rail across from me. It looked identical to the one I saw with my mother outside of the gallery in the city.
“Hey little fella, did you come here with Rossel?”
The owl blinked, but otherwise, didn’t move a muscle.
“Yeah, that’s how he responded to me, too.” I groaned and pulled my clutch into my lap. The tablet still rested safely inside. I pulled it out and examined it again, tracing over the worn symbols etched into its smooth surface.
Did I dare to show it to Rossel? I could march right up to him and wave it proudly in his face—see how he liked that. There was no doubt it was valuable, and according to Gayla, a powerful piece. He wouldn’t be able to brush me off so quickly then.
He could have me arrested for theft, though…
“What are you?” I whispered to it. Of course it didn’t answer. It sat cold and still in my hands. Strange as it sounded, I almost wished it would come alive again. I wished its pulse would beat with my own. It was more than a clay tablet. It had to be. And I felt lonely knowing what it could be and seeing it without the life I knew it contained inside.
The owl shuffled on the railing, and the buzzy tingle across my skin became more prominent. I put the tablet back into my bag and ran my hands up and down my arms, trying to bring a normal feeling back into them. A quick look around at my surroundings confirmed I was still alone.
Well, alone except for the owl, anyway.
I inched toward it. “You’re not the one making me feel like this, are you?”
The owl turned its head at an unnatural angle in response. The tingle spread further, up my shoulders and across the back of my neck. It was electric, very noticeable, but not uncomfortable. It was almost pleasant, actually.
“Well? Did it answer you?” The baritone voice caught me off guard. I might have jumped at the sound, but it was so soothing I couldn’t move. I froze, looking into the owl’s eyes for the reflection of the man I knew stood behind me.
Finally, I got my wits about me enough to turn around and face him. I knew what I would find, but seeing Tate in person again sent my heart bouncing wildly in my chest. My body was screaming at me to run, but my legs wouldn’t cooperate. They couldn’t. Because somehow Tate managed to send a feeling of exhilaration through me as well, and my limbs were too confused to do anything but stay right where they were.
He was the deadliest kind of predator. A man who made his prey feel excited about the hunt, even knowing how it all would end. But I wouldn’t let it end tonight.
“No.” I finally willed myself to take a step backwards. “Owls can’t talk.”
“Not even to you?” He raised one perfect, dark brow. The lights from the marina glittered off of his golden irises, creating an even more ethereal quality about him. I wondered how much of it he was generating through his glamour and how much of it was just naturally Tate. My goodness, he was beautiful.
“Especially not to me. Or did you forget how utterly powerless I am as a mortal?”
A smirk played at the corner of his perfect mouth as he considered that. “Mortal for now. But I expect that to change any day now. Perhaps you just need some kind of an emotional charge to get that fractured soul of yours ignited.”
He stepped toward me, his movements lithe and effortless. He almost seemed to glide across the deck. His grace was made even more apparent by my stumbling awkwardly away from him. I wouldn’t let him touch me again. I seemed to lose all control over myself when he touched me.
“Get back,” I said. The shakiness in my voice revealed just how afraid I really was. But of course, he didn’t listen. My back hit the cool metal bar of the railing, and my chest tightened. I was less than a foot away from the edge of the boat. “In case you didn’t notice, I was hoping to be alone here.”
“Oh, I noticed. I’ve been waiting to get you alone all night.”
; “Where did you come from, anyway?”
“Up there.” He lifted his eyes to a deck on the floor above us. There was only one way he could’ve gotten down from that high, and I knew for certain a mortal wouldn’t have survived the jump.
“How long were you watching me?”
“Long enough to get bored. That tablet obviously isn’t doing anything for you. So like I said, I think it’s time to take matters into my own hands and see if we can’t get these powers started up for you.”
He was practically touching me now, and my body buzzed all over. This glamour of his was unlike any other power I’d encountered among the Keepers so far—even greater than the Miles brothers. The way my body reacted to him was… unnerving at best.
I couldn’t back up any farther, so I stepped sideways instead, moving along the edge of the boat. I kept one hand on the rail at all times. I knew what lay on the other side, and I wasn’t feeling up to a cold bath in the bay tonight.
Tate stepped with me, never allowing more than a foot of space between us. With every step, my fear twisted closer to frustration. Tate admitted he couldn’t do anything to me without proof of a fractured soul. And there was no proof. I might not even be fractured. This was getting ridiculous.
“That’s kind of you to offer, but you can keep your hands off of me, thank you very much.” My frustration won out.
To my complete surprise, he stopped. He lifted both hands in the air. “Okay.”
“Okay?” There was something fishy about this. Predators didn’t just stop mid-hunt without a good reason. He was up to something, and I wasn’t going to let him get away with it.
“Yep. If you say you want me to leave you alone, I will. Even if that’s not the impression I get from the way your heart races when I’m near.”
“Maybe that’s my body’s way of telling me to run.”
“And the flush in your cheeks?” He lifted a hand but left his fingers hovering in the air an inch from my face, never actually bringing them to touch me.
“Anger.”
“Okay. But how do you explain the way your breath hitches when I lean in close?” He leaned down so near I could feel his breath fluttering the hair on top of my head as he whispered. And dangit. He was right. I released the breath caught in my throat as the realization dawned on me.
He laughed softly, but it sounded more like a purr. I stood another step back. “You think you’re clever, huh?”
“I do.” There was amusement in his voice. He was getting way too much enjoyment out of this ordeal.
“Well, unfortunately you’ve missed the main point. I have no powers. None. You’re wasting your time. But I’m sure there are hundreds of fractured souls waiting for you back in the city.”
“Ahh, but it’s so noisy there. I much prefer the good company I have here on the water.” He winked and my stomach did a little flip.
Shake it off. Dom’s words from earlier echoed in my ears. I had to stay focused. “How’d you know I was here, anyway?”
“I have eyes everywhere.”
“It was those Miles brothers, wasn’t it?” I cursed under my breath. “I knew they were too pretty to be trusted.”
“There are lots of Keepers who can’t be trusted.” He stepped forward again.
“Yeah, no kidding. I’m looking at the worst one of all.”
“I don’t think you understand.” Tate smiled and I had to bite the inside of my lip to keep from returning it. This thrill he gave me was such an unfair advantage. “I won’t let anything hurt you.”
“Nothing except you?”
“Oh, darling. It’s quite the opposite. My job is made easier when I make the process… enjoyable.”
“You’re sick, you know that?”
I stepped back again and my hand slipped off the railing. Tate thrust his arms out toward me and instinctively I moved away again. That was a mistake.
My heel rocked off the edge of the boat, and I saw the darkness of night dotted with stars like a life sized canvas of the sky as I fell backward. The air rushed past and all I could think about was how lucky I was to have such a glorious sight as my last.
The irony of it all wasn’t lost on me. A descendant of Atlantis. Drowning. It looked like Tate was going to end up with my soul afterall.
Finally I hit the water with more force than was expected. The wind was knocked out of my lungs from the impact, and pain shot through my limbs as they slapped against the water. There was probably a splash, but I never saw it. I don’t know which chilled me more—the coldness of the ocean or the complete void of light as I was engulfed on my way down.
As my final act in this world, I tucked my clutch with the tablet inside the top of my dress, under the front of a strap. At least it would be found with my body when they searched the bay the next morning. And maybe Sean and Millie could help save my mother. Maybe it would even be easier with me gone.
CHAPTER 11
Dying was nothing like I’d expected it to be. I never saw my life flash before my eyes. I didn’t watch myself drown through an out of body experience. There was no bright light. It was nothing like in the movies. It’s not that I thought dying would be an enjoyable experience necessarily, I just didn’t expect it to be so hard.
My arms and legs kicked and flailed wildly. But it was so dark, I didn’t know which way was up. Even if I had been able to swim, I don’t think I would have known which way to go. But I fought, nonetheless. My lungs began to burn, the need to inhale a gulp of fresh air all-consuming.
Something slippery fluttered against my bare leg, and then I felt the warmth. It started in my chest, replacing the fire under my sternum with a sense of calm. It spread through my torso and down into my legs. It danced across my shoulder blades and into my arms until even the tips of my fingers felt alive and sparking with energy. Then I was jerked upward.
I opened my eyes, ignoring the sting of salt and the murkiness clouding my vision. All I could see was the glow. He looked like an angel, strong and powerful. He swam through the water with ease, pulling me ever upward toward the sky. Was this the end? Was I finally crossing over to be with my Maker?
The air was warm when my head finally emerged from the dark depths of the bay. I gasped, spitting water as my lungs greedily gorged themselves on oxygen. My arms and legs hung limp by my sides, yet I didn’t sink. Someone held me from behind, one strong arm wrapped around my waist, while his legs tread water as easily as he might hum a song. My angel.
I turned to look over my shoulder—to thank him. My nose brushed against a scruffy cheek and I pulled back enough to make out the shadowy silhouette of strong, high cheekbones and a well-defined jawline.
“Tate.” My voice was gravelly from seawater still clinging to the edges of my throat.
“At your service.”
I tried to get away, but he pulled me tighter, closer to the hard plane of his abs, and I hated how aware of his body I suddenly became.
“Calm down,” he whispered, the air from his words tickling the air against my ear. “Are you trying to die?”
“No. I’m trying to survive. Which is exactly why I need to get away from you.” I placed a foot on the front of his thigh and kicked off hard, trying to propel myself forward. It didn’t work. Tate spun me around and scooped me into his arms like a toddler, wrapping my legs around his waist and holding onto to me with both arms wrapped securely behind my back. He kept us above water with his legs alone treading water, and the gentle movement was calming. Or was it the movement?
I was unnaturally at ease, given the circumstances. “Are you glamouring me?”
He laughed, the sound warm from deep in his chest. “I’ve got to keep you calm somehow. If you keep flailing around like that you’ll drag us both under.”
“Why did you jump in after me, anyway? I thought you wanted me dead so you could steal my soul.”
“I don’t want you dead. In fact, I need you alive to extract your soul. If you die it disappears.”
“And
after you extract it?”
“Well,” he tilted his to the side, “then you die. But it won’t hurt—I promise.”
I placed both hands on his chest and shoved myself backward, but he only held on tighter.
“You seriously need to stop that. You’re drawing attention.”
I looked over his shoulder at the crowd gathering along the edge of the boat. They looked concerned and… perplexed. So much for pretending I was like them. My mortality was on full display, like a neon light with a bright flashing arrow pointing down that read Not Atlantean. The idea that a descendant of Atlantis would need to be rescued from drowning was preposterous. And by Tate of all people. Then again, this wasn’t the first time Tate had appeared after a near-death experience.
“You know,” I said, “it’s funny how disaster always seems to strike when you’re around. First the bomb at the gallery, then I almost drowned. How are you going to make an attempt on my life next time, golden eyes?”
He smirked. “I told you. I’m not trying to kill you.”
“So you had nothing to do with the bomb?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“Well, you’re going to have to explain how blowing up the gallery I was in and pushing me over the edge of a three-story yacht is your way of ‘not trying to kill’ me.”
“First of all, I didn’t push you. That was all you and your natural grace. I tried to grab you before you fell, but I’ll be honest. I don’t care much for your life. All I care about is getting your soul in one piece.”
A growl started deep in my chest, and my mouth parted to yell at him. Tate held up a finger, and I felt compelled to remain silent, at least until he was finished.
“But,” he said, continuing with a smirk, “I need to coax your powers out first, however fractured they may be. I just need proof. A few more shocking incidents, or ‘attempts on your life’ as you say, should do the trick.”