Always Remembered (6 page)

Laughing, Evan and
Deanna headed back to his room. The evening had been fun. The
laughter died on their lips when they opened the door and saw the
leader of the Blue Men perched on Evan’s bed.

“Did you have a nice time this evening?” Ken
smiled, addressing them both. While he seemed nice enough, Evan
knew from experience not to trust him. Ken’s real mood could be
pleasant or foul. Only time would tell.

Deanna remained in the doorway, a slight
frown on her face. Her eyes flicked between the two men. It was
clear she wanted to escape.

“Deanna, darling, you were due at the club an
hour ago,” Ken said. “You’re quite late, and you know how I feel
about lateness.”

Her beautiful skin turned a sickly shade of
gray as she shook her head vehemently. “I wasn’t scheduled to work
this evening.”

“The schedule changed and now you are.” Ken’s
expression turned dark. When she hesitated, he snapped, “Go!”

She turned and left without another word. Ken
watched her leave, a trace of a smile on his face. “Beautiful girl,
but flighty. I wouldn’t get too serious with her if I were you.” He
patted the space next to him on the bed. “Sit, son. I want to talk
to you.”

“I gathered as much,” Evan muttered. There
was no other reason why Ken would be in his room, unless he was
planning to drug him again or lock him up somewhere. It irritated
him that Ken had the gall to call Evan ‘son’ while treating him
like a criminal. And yet, Evan dutifully sat next to the man who
was a father to him in only one way
—
genetics.

“How do you like it here?”

“Really?” Evan asked. “That’s what you want
to talk to me about?”

“It’s a valid question.” Ken cocked his head
and frowned. “Unless you prefer we skip the niceties.”

“I’d prefer it.” He knew Ken didn’t care if
Evan loved it here or not.

“Excellent.” Ken bared his sharp and pointy
teeth. “As you know, you cannot leave. You’re trapped in this
form.”

“I figured as much when Deanna grew legs in
the dry dome, and I stayed the same.”

“Yes, well,” Ken continued, businesslike. “I
can’t have you alerting your dear girlfriend, Meara.”

The way Meara’s name slid off Ken’s evil lips
made Evan tremble with rage. He saw no reason to correct Ken or
encourage him to continue talking about her. They weren’t dating,
but he still felt protective of her. He had been a complete jerk to
her this past summer. She knew it, and so did he. Then he made it
final by breaking up with her. When they were apart, he loved her.
When they were together, hatred overrode his love. He didn’t
understand it, but he guessed it had something to do with Ken. If
Evan managed to escape, maybe they could get back together. Unless
that Kieran guy had stepped in and manned up where Evan failed.

Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair. He
couldn
’
t do anything about it now. He was
trapped under the sea. Ariel had it right. Life was definitely not
better where it was wetter. He wanted Ken to leave him alone, but
the infuriating man was waiting for Evan’s response.

“What do you want with me anyway?” Evan hated
the defeat in his voice.

“You’re my son,” Ken said. “Do I have to want
something?”

The son that you trapped here
, Evan
thought. He didn’t say that. Or anything. His eyes were growing
heavy.
Make your point and leave
, he silently willed his
father.

A sharp laugh burst from Ken, making Evan
jump. The man was insane, no question about it. His moods changed
with the tides. “It turns out I do want something.” He made it
sound like the two of them were in on a big joke. Evan wasn’t
laughing. “Starting tomorrow, we return to the fault and work on
finishing what we started.”

The mantle plume research
—
Evan thought their work was done. He didn’t
understand Ken’s fascination with the fault line. Did it have
something to do with being Blue Men of the Minch? Professor Nolan
probably knew what made the project significant, but he never told
Evan. At least Ken didn’t know that Ted spoke to Evan in the
basement. Remembering how broken his professor was, there was a
good chance that Ted Nolan was dead. Evan wanted to hear what Ken
would say about it. “Will Professor Nolan be joining us?”

Shrugging, Ken seemed unconcerned. “Ted’s
services are no longer needed. I paid him handsomely. He’s probably
back at that stuffy university, caring for his aquariums.”

Ken’s blasé response confirmed Evan’s
suspicions. Ted was either dead or dying. There was no way he was
back at King’s College. In the beaten condition Evan last saw Ted
Nolan, he wouldn’t have survived the flight. Ken knew that damn
well. Evan had no use for lies. He wanted the man out of his room
so he could get some sleep. One last question lingered on Evan’s
mind. “What exactly is the work we’re finishing?”

“Why, we’re going to wipe out the Selkies, of
course.” Ken stood and crossed the room. His eyes glowed with
malice, belying the sweetness in his voice. “Pleasant dreams.”

Ken left, but Evan couldn’t break his eyes
away from the door for several minutes afterwards. Ken’s plan was
to destroy the Selkies. Why? For his age-old grudge? He was truly
mad. Evan laid back and stared at the ceiling. How did one deal
with a raging lunatic? How was he going to get out of this and
protect Meara at the same time?

The lessons
were getting easier. The Selkies advanced from blocks to punches,
then to kicks. We had yet to introduce weapons or magic into their
training, but progress was being made. They might never be a
formidable army, but at this rate, they eventually would and could
defend their home.

I arrived in the cavern an hour early to set
up. Uncle Angus was already there practicing his punches. He was
temporarily leading the clan while my dad was gone, just as he had
managed the island while my dad was in Canada last year trying to
connect with my mom and me. It was important to my great uncle to
lead by example. Although he was the oldest Selkie in the clan, he
never let his age get in his way.

“Have you heard from my dad or Aunt Brigid?”
I asked him when he stopped to take a drink of water. I didn’t want
to interrupt his flow.

He wasn’t surprised to see me and if he was
tired of me asking the same question, he didn’t let it show. He
came over and pulled me into a hug. “No, child. Not yet.”

“What’s on the schedule for today?” Kieran
asked as he came up behind me. “Are we introducing magic?”

I didn’t even hear him enter the cavern,
which was proof that my mind was elsewhere. It was almost a week
since I last heard from Evan. I was worried. I didn’t think Ken
would kill him, but I really wasn’t sure what he would do.

“I’m not feeling up to this today,” I
admitted. We talked about starting some basic magic work to assess
skill levels. It would never work if I couldn’t concentrate. “What
if we introduce weapons instead? Then you and Uncle Angus can lead
the session.”

Kieran’s eyes sought mine. “Are you
okay?”

At the same time, my uncle mused, “Where will
we get so many weapons?”

“I’m fine,” I said, answering Kieran first.
It was a white lie, and he knew it. We could discuss it later. To
Uncle Angus, I said, “Leave the weapons to me. I’ll get them.”

“So many?” His bushy eyebrows rose in
surprise.

“Have you no faith in me, Uncle?” My tone was
haughty as I teased. I’d done some research in the library and
learned about numerous abandoned fortresses in Scotland and
England. I couldn’t leave the island, but with my mind, I sought
and found the treasure. Even the fortresses that were now tourist
attractions had hidden rooms with weapon reserves—secret spaces
that were lost to human knowledge decades ago. I didn’t need to
conjure the weapons from nothing; I just had to transport the
supplies that already existed. Time would tell what kind of shape
they would be in after being sealed up for a hundred years or
longer. Luckily, they didn’t need to be beautiful, just functional.
A blade, after all, could be sharpened.

“You have that look on your face,” Kieran
said. He mouth quirked as he tried not to smile. “What are you
planning, Meara?”

“I found weapons,” I admitted. “A lot of
them. I need to transport them here.”

“Where are they? Can we help you?” Uncle
Angus looked concerned. “You’re not thinking of leaving the island
again, are you?”

“No, Uncle.” Just because I left a few times
when I was told not to, were they always going to doubt me? “I have
it figured out. I can get them here without leaving this room, but
I’ll probably be wiped afterwards. That’s why I need you to lead
the training today.”

“Wiped?” Uncle Angus looked between Kieran
and me.

“Wiped out. It means tired,” Kieran answered
him absentmindedly while he scowled at me. “I don’t like it. Using
too much magic can be harmful.”

“I’ll be right here when I do it, so you can
intervene if you’re worried. Just watch.” I closed my eyes and
envisioned the first castle. Abandoned in a beautiful glen, there
was little left to the structure besides crumbling stone. My mind
honed in on the weapon reserve, and I transported the supply
easily. A small pile of swords, axes, and daggers rested at my
feet.

“Well done!” my uncle bellowed. He began to
sort and count. Tuning him out, I closed my eyes again. The next
structure was in slightly better condition, but still abandoned.
The reserve here felt lighter. I transported it and moved onto the
next one without opening my eyes. I repeated this four more times,
ending with the largest, most-intact fortress. This one was a
popular tourist spot. My heart leapt with excitement. The reserve
here was huge—at least three times the size of any other. It took
some effort, but I transported it.

I opened my eyes and marveled at the pile of
weapons in front of me. My uncle and Kieran wore matching shocked
expressions. My chest heaved like I ran a marathon. There were
enough weapons to outfit the entire clan and then some. “See?” I
said. “I told you I could do it.”

Then I collapsed.

*****

“She’s coming to.” Ula’s voice spoke near my
head. My lashes fluttered before my eyes fully cooperated and
opened. I found myself staring into her green eyes. She twisted her
mouth into a rueful expression. “You’re crazy. You know that,
right?”

“What happened?” I tried to sit up, but I
collapsed back when the room spun. We were in my room, although I
had no memory of getting there. They must
’
ve moved me while I was unconscious.

“After you transported enough weapons to
outfit the Roman Empire, you passed out.” Kieran’s voice held
reprieve. “I told you too much magic can hurt you.”

“I’m fine,” I said. “I just needed a little
rest.”

“Really?” His eyebrows rose, and he crossed
his arms.

“Yes.”

“Stand up then,” Kieran challenged. Ula
gasped, but he held out his hand for her to wait.

Sitting up again, the spinning milder this
time, I stood slowly. I lasted two seconds before I pitched
sideways and Kieran caught me.

As he lowered me back to the bed, his voice
was rough with emotion. “You are not fine. You drained your
strength and are lucky you didn’t end up in a coma.”

He kissed me lightly. I was embarrassed. This
was the first time we kissed in front of Ula. I stole a glance her
way, relieved to find that her face was only filled with concern
for me.

Kieran stood. “Ula, watch her. Do not let her
leave.”

Ula bristled under his command, her cheeks
blossoming pink with anger. She hated being told what to do,
especially by Kieran. Over the summer, she finally got over their
broken engagement and her bitter feelings toward him, but that
didn’t mean she liked him. Reluctantly, she promised to stay. I
knew the reluctance was for Kieran’s order, not because of me. I
remained silent. Where would I go? I couldn’t even walk. And, if
the dark expression on Kieran’s face was any indication, I knew a
lecture would be coming later.

****

“You scared me,” Kieran admitted. He sat at
the end of my bed, my foot resting on his thigh as he worked magic
on it. I’d never had a foot massage before. My webbed toes always
made me feel self-conscious, that was, until I learned that all
Selkies had webbed toes, and many had webbed fingers as well.
Kieran didn’t. His fingers were long and elegant, and in their
current state of massaging my foot, made me want to swoon.

“You turned white as a ghost before you
fainted,” he continued. “For almost an hour, you were unresponsive.
Don’t do that again.”

“I don’t need to,” I reasoned. “You said we
have more than enough weapons.”

“That’s not what I mean, Meara, and you know
it.” He gently placed my foot on the bed, shifted position, and
picked up my other one.