Derrolyn Anderson - [Marinas Tales #1] - Between The Land And The Sea (32 page)

Shayla looked skeptical and Long hung back, his suspicions having just been confirmed. I looked down, wishing I hadn’t let Ethan talk me into coming. My feet throbbed with pain, and now they were soaking wet. The girls started back in with their snickering, but the rest of the surfers were quiet. They knew enough about the animals to realize that something truly weird had just occurred.

Ethan changed and packed up his gear, stony faced. He lifted me up without a word and carried me in silence to his truck, putting me down on the seat. He must be really tired of this, I thought.

“Don’t be angry,” I said, afraid of the look on his face, “I stayed on the beach...”

“Why didn’t you just stay with everyone else?” he asked, his eyes pained.

“I only walked down a little ways… I could still see you.” I looked down, “I didn’t want to get into it with those girls.” I started to feel stupid, “They just wouldn’t shut up.”

“Why didn’t you back off when the sea lions came at you?” he asked.

“They used bait,” I said, shaking my head at the thought. “There was a tiny little pup all alone, crying on the beach. I was trying to help it get back to the water and they circled around behind me. The little one took off, and the big ones started pushing me...”

“You should have left it alone,” he said sternly.

“Have you never
seen
a seal pup?” I asked him sarcastically. Our eyes met and he burst into relieved laughter.

“Can you and your bleeding heart manage to stay here while I go get my stuff?” he asked.

“Don’t worry, that trick won’t work on me twice,” I said.

When he left, I rolled up my jeans and took my soaked boots off. The dressings on my feet were wet, and some blood was starting to seep through in a few spots. I remembered how hard I was kicking and noticed fresh bruises starting to bloom on my shins and calves. My thighs were sore too, I was pretty sure their big bony heads had done a number on them as well.

Ethan got back, and I hustled to pull down my pant legs. He got in and looked at me.

“Let’s see the feet.” He motioned for me to put my feet up on his lap. The damage was done; there was no point trying to hide it. His lips tightened when he saw the blood.

“It looks worse ’cause it’s wet,” I said in a vain attempt to soothe.

He cast me a skeptical look, and peeled up my pant legs. “You’re gonna be one big bruise,” he moaned, “I was
right there,
and it still happened.”

“There’s no way to have seen that coming,” my voice shook a little, “I just can’t believe Lorelei would do that to me.” Now that my anger had faded I was left with only hurt feelings. I guess I was starting to think of her as a sister, albeit an annoying little one.

I pulled my legs back and asked him to take me home to change. When we pulled up, I was relieved to see that no one was there. Ethan helped me to my room and sat me on the bed. His face was hard and serious, and he wasn’t talking much.

I was nervous, thinking he was probably regretting getting involved in this whole mess. He went in the yard to wash out his wetsuit, and I peeked out to see him rinsing himself off with the hose. Once again, I found myself unable to look away. He was so beautiful my breath caught in my throat, and I blushed in spite of the fact there was no one around.

I changed into some dry pants. When he came back he had his duffel with him, and he pulled out a bag full of first aid supplies.

“I thought I was thinking ahead,” he said ruefully. He sat on the bed and started to unwrap the bandages on my feet. He looked relieved. “The stitches are still in,” he said, “Just ripped a little.”

“I can do that,” I said.

He ignored me, and continued to wrap up my feet. When he finished, I slipped on a pair of socks and slippers. I felt terrible for ruining his day of surfing, wondering how much longer he would put up with me.

“They feel much better,” I lied. “Thanks.” He still seemed quiet and reserved, worrying me.

I looked over at him, “I’m really sorry, I didn’t think anything like that would happen.”

“I didn’t either,” he said, “I was wrong.”

I put my hand on his arm, “Don’t worry about it,” I wanted him to lighten up, “It’ll be okay... I’m lucky, remember?”

He took me by surprise, lunging over to hug me tightly, burying his face on my neck. His voice was muffled, “I could never forgive myself if I let anything happen to you.” I stroked his back and felt him shiver a little. We sat there in a close embrace for a while, until our hands started roaming over each other on their own accord. He clenched his jaw, stood up with determination and pulled me to my feet.

“We better get out of here,” he said, “Let’s go get something to eat.” He took me to a little Mexican restaurant in town with small private booths. We snuggled together, hungry for the comfort of each other’s touch. We were having a hard time keeping our lips apart when a group of girls from high school came in and sat across from us. I straightened up a bit, embarrassed by their curious stares.

“How are your legs feeling?” he asked me after we ate.

“A little stiff,” I said, rubbing my thigh, “but I’ll be alright.”

“Those sea lions– they were huge! You were fighting them like crazy,” he said with admiration, “Weren’t you afraid they were gonna bite?”

I thought about it a second, “I was too angry to be afraid. They can’t force me into going with them. I’d rather get bit than be dragged away without my permission– asleep or awake. Lue told me that for a sacrifice to work it must be given freely. Once I know what they want,
I’m
going to decide what I have to do.” I silently hoped that Lue was right about that whole sacrifice thing.

“Marina...” his voice cracked and he looked like he wanted to say something but he just kissed me. There was an eruption of giggles from the nearby table and we pulled apart.

“You’re a really great surfer,” I said, asking him about the surfing competitions he’d been in. We sat and talked until it got late, and reluctantly left. I had another long night ahead of me, and though I didn’t want to admit it, I was afraid.

When we got home Abby’s car was sitting in the driveway along with the Jag. I looked at Ethan, “I’ll be okay tonight. You work early tomorrow, you need to go home and get some sleep.”

He leaned over to me, “No way.” He kissed my ear, moving his lips to brush my cheek, “I’m not leaving. I’ll park around the corner and you can come and get me when Abby’s in bed.” I hesitated, “Won’t your dad miss you?”

“He thinks I’m at Long’s tonight. Are you going to make me sleep on the porch?” he asked, and kissed me again, leaving my head spinning.

“I don’t know if this is such a good idea...”

He whispered in my ear, “I’m not leaving, and I promise not to take advantage of the situation.”

He was missing the point; I knew I could trust him, it was me I wasn’t so sure about.

I sighed and went in the house. No one was around, so I went down the hall to Cruz’s room and knocked. He called me in and I asked about Abby. He told me she decided to turn in early.

“So… Marina,” he asked with a smirk, “Where’s your bodyguard?” I had to admit he was waiting outside.

“I hope you kids are being careful,” Cruz said, mocking me.

“Nothing’s going on!” I protested, turning bright red, “He’s just afraid I’m going to get hurt again.”

“Whatever you say...” he said mockingly, laughing as I closed the door on him.

I opened the front door and stepped out to find Ethan on the porch.

“She’s in bed,” I whispered. He wrapped his warm arms around me, and I melted into him.

“Promise me, no more kissing once we go in,” he said, teasing me.

“Deal,” I said, and made the last one count.

I made it through the entire night without any dreams. I woke with a start in the pink light of early dawn and looked up to see Ethan’s deep blue eyes studying me closely.

“I slept!” I whispered, surprised.

“You talked a little,” he said, “and you sat up a few times, but you didn’t try to get out.”

“What did I say?”

“I couldn’t understand,” he said with a sympathetic look. He brushed the hair back from my forehead.

“Oh,” I paused, disappointed. “Maybe it’s going to stop,” I said hopefully.

“Maybe. Why don’t you come with me to the farmer’s market today?”

“Aren’t you getting sick of me?” I asked.

“Do you know how perfect your eyes are?” he asked.

I sat up, feeling self-conscious, “I think you’d better unleash me.” Last night Ethan had barricaded the door and attached a surfboard leash from my ankle to his. He was certain that I’d wake him if I tried to detach it, saying he’d be the surfer and I’d be the board. There was something about that analogy that made me nervous.

Ethan moved the furniture away quietly while I gathered my things to go wash up and get dressed. We took turns getting ready and tiptoed out to the front door. I left a note for Abby on the kitchen table, explaining that I’d left early to run some errands.

“What in the...” Ethan looked out the window to see his dad’s car pull up out front. The passenger door opened and out jumped Abby, running towards us. We exchanged a wide-eyed glance and ran back to my room, leaning behind the door in spasms of laughter. We had to wait a few minutes, listening to her rattle around in the bathroom before she finally made her way into her room. Every time we made eye contact we started to burst into laughter; it was difficult to keep quiet.

Finally, I peeked into the hallway to see the path was clear. We tumbled out the front door.

“Can we take the Jag?” I asked, “Otherwise, she’s gonna worry.” As we drove out he turned to me, “So, she turned in early, huh?”

“According to Cruz,” I said, squelching a smile, “We should probably keep this to ourselves.”

“Good idea,” he said. We pulled into the market lot, “Marina?”

“Yes?” I asked.

He reached over to pull me towards him, “Good morning,” he said, kissing me.

“Good morning,” I replied, and it was.

Ethan left to go set up and I walked carefully over to the coffee cart. I felt eyes on me and turned to see Long watching me from a distance. He looked away quickly. It was a little disconcerting, but I wasn’t going to let his superstitions ruin my day. I picked up two lattes and a bag of chocolate croissants and went to go join Ethan. We sat down in chairs at the back of his stand for a few minutes before he had to get back to work.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” I asked.

He gave me a chocolaty kiss, “Just stay off your feet,” he said, “and don’t go anywhere.” I pulled a book out of my bag and started to read with my feet up on a chair.

“Hello water girl.” I looked up to see Lue Khang pushing a wheelbarrow past the back of the stand. I waved at him, smiling. He set it down and approached me.

“How are you today?” I asked politely.

He studied me, looking at my feet. I had the strange notion that he knew they were hurt, even though they were covered in another pair of fur trimmed boots. I swung them down selfconsciously.

“How did you know I made soup today?” he asked with a twinkle in his eye.

I laughed, and he invited me to come and have lunch with him later.

“Um, thanks. I’d love to,” I said with sincerity. Lue’s soup was delicious.

He nodded with satisfaction, “You should keep your feet up,” he said as he rolled away.

The day wore on, and as the crowd picked up I watched Ethan work, dealing with customers, giving gardening advice and stocking fresh plants. He moved with such natural grace, I kept having to fight back the impulse to run up and throw my arms around him, smothering him with kisses.

He asked me if I was getting hungry and I told him that Lue had invited me to have lunch with him.

“Naturally,” he said, smiling in amusement.

Long came over and took charge of the stand for Ethan, avoiding me as much as possible.

“He
really
doesn’t like me,” I muttered to Ethan, feeling rejected, “What did I do?” He laughed, and whispered in my ear, “He thinks you put a spell on me.” He took me by the hand and led me to a secluded spot behind one of the tents. “I think he might be onto something,” he murmured in my ear and kissed me, his hands kneading the small of my back. I wrapped my arms around his neck, sighing with happiness. We walked out holding hands.

“Marina, Ethan,” Lue called out, gesturing us over to his makeshift kitchen. He ladled us a couple of bowls and sat down with us, urging us to eat. The soup was as delicious as I remembered, and even better, because this time I sat close by Ethan, our legs pressed together shin to shin.

“Mmm, thanks Lue,” I said happily, “You ought to open a restaurant.” He found my observation very amusing, and laughed his funny little chuckle. Ethan thanked Lue, squeezed my knee under the table and got up to go.

“Take your time,” Ethan said, “But come back to me. Don’t wander off.” I watched Ethan walk away and looked up to see Lue gazing at me with a speculative look on his weathered face.

“Long says animals attack you. Water spirits are still angry.” I nodded, wondering how much he knew.

“Uhm, Lue... what exactly do you mean by ‘water spirits’?” He smiled indulgently, like I’d just asked a silly question, “Spirits that live in the water.”

“They’re trying to get me in the water,” I said, searching his hooded eyes, “Lue, do you think
I’m
the sacrifice they want?” I finally said it out loud, what I had been thinking for a while.

My father had taken my mother from them, and maybe they wanted revenge. A life for a life.

Lue contemplated the problem, showing no emotion, “Water doesn’t destroy water.”

“I don’t get it. What do I have they could possibly want?” I asked.

He looked surprised, “You have many gifts,” he said.

There was a flurry of feathers and a screech, as a seagull landed on the chair Ethan had just vacated. It advanced on me, turning its head and eyeballing me like the other one had done before. Overhead, a dozen more circled. I backed away but Lue went after it, waving it off with disdain.