Hearken (Daughters of the Sea Series) (31 page)

             
“No,” she said simply, and I heard Sean gasp. “However, they do not belong in the hands of the Sons. They were not being protected sufficiently.”

             
“What?!” Sean was on his feet in seconds, but I grabbed him and put a hand over his mouth until he calmed down.

             
“If
you
didn’t take the items, who did?”

             
“Anastasia.”

             
“She’s lying!” I yelled. Mom looked at me pointedly and I clenched my fist in an effort to control my anger. Mom thought for a moment and decided on a different line of questioning.

             
“Who are you descended from?”

             
“Luna. She is my mother.”

             
“I knew it!” I belted out without thinking. “Ask her where Luna is.”

             
“What did I tell you about talking?” she reminded me in a calm voice. I forced myself to sit down once more and bit my lip. This was maddening.

             
“Luna is the other moon Goddess. Selene’s descendants are Auras. Where do you fit in?”

             
“I don’t. And you are incorrect.”

             
“Explain.”

             
“Selene has been extremely meticulous in her deceptions,” she continued with a frown. “Go on,” Mom urged her with far more patience than I thought was possible.

“Like everything in nature, the moon has two distinct divisions. Light and Dark. Selene governed over the energies and essence connected to the dark side of the moon. Luna governed the light. Until Selene banished her to the heavens to spend eternity with Atlas.”

“Why Atlas?”

“Selene wanted to make sure she endured the brutal reminder of Atlas’s adultery by sentencing her to remain trapped by his side.”

“What was left of the light energy and essence of the moon?”

“The positive energy of the moon has remained largely dormant. Until now.”

              This seemed to throw Mom for a moment and she sat in silence. I thought about what Fallon had said. Was she lying? If not, she had a good imagination. But I couldn’t accept that Anastasia had stolen the Key and the Book. She would have no reason to do so.

             
“Why now?” Mom asked Fallon.

             
“The tides are changing. I have been Chosen.”

             
“Chosen for what?”

             
“To restore the balance,” she answered cryptically. Instead of asking what the hell that meant - which is what
I
would have done, Mom sat in silence for a few seconds. I was able to sense the restrained panic rolling off of her, and stepped toward her.

             
“Finn,” Mom instructed tightly without moving. “Go get Stasia.”

Chapter 31

Olivia

             
The savory delirium fueled by neon paint, black lights, music and alcohol seeped into every pore of my body; sending my mind into a beautiful tailspin of euphoria. The pulsing music spoke to my heart, and the strong shoulders were attached to a pair of equally strong arms that were more than willing to hold me upright. I clung desperately to them with a seemingly endless well of desire.

             
Dancing and moving against him to the intoxicating cadence of the bass beating in my chest and ears did nothing to soften the mounting need burning within me to be closer to him. With one arm around my waist and the other cradling the back of my neck, he held me captive in a world I never wanted to be rescued from. The pungent smells of alcohol and cheap perfume were kept at bay by the carnal scent of his velvety skin and untamed hair. It wrapped around me and settled into my soul like a warm bubble bath. 

             
With beads of sweat rolling down my back and strands of hair clinging to my back and face, an entirely new temptation presented itself in the heated tension that was growing between us. The fog of alcohol wiped all other thoughts from my mind, leaving it completely open to all things
Sebastian
. The cool, wet sensation of his lips on my collarbone almost undid me right there on the dance floor. Although we were no longer in America, I assumed that stripping someone’s clothes off in the middle of a dance floor was frowned upon here as well. That one reminder was the only thread of control holding me together. I clung to it tightly as Sebastian decided to up the ante.

             
He secured my waist against him while his lips traveled from my collarbone to the crook of my neck. I moaned as his mouth opened and his tongue urgently caressed my skin. My legs almost gave out when his teeth ran across the now-sensitive skin and tugged on it; biting me gently and then letting go just as quickly. I wrapped a hand around his neck and pulled his mouth back down against my neck; commanding his kisses once more.

             
I felt his lips smile against my skin as he fought against my grip; keeping my needs at bay. Instead, his mouth traveled to my ear where the sound of his voice wrapped me in a warm cocoon of desire and arousal. 

             
“So demanding…” he accused with a grin; taunting me with a gentle tug of my ear lobe with his teeth before continuing. “All good things come to those who wait.”

             
Realizing how much he was enjoying denying me what I wanted, I raised my head and looked him in the eye. The rest of the world was a blur of color and sounds, but the intensity of his blue eyes spoke to me in a way I didn’t think was possible. The hunger behind them was almost tangible, but the smirk dancing across his lips told me he saw the same desire shining from my own eyes. 

             
“I don’t wait,” I challenged him teasingly. “I get
what
I want,
when
I want it.”

             
“Not anymore,” he answered with unmistakable confidence. His eyes flashed as his hands cradled either side of my face, and his mouth came down on mine with force. My body exploded as his lips demanded I surrender to him. Unfortunately for my pride, I was helpless to resist. The desire shooting through me quickly changed to the familiar electrical charge I was growing more and more accustomed to. I felt it swirl within my chest before exploding outward and lighting up my world with fire. 

             
I felt the heat of desire mix with the very real heat of my energy when I felt the wetness of his tongue against mine. His mouth moved against me with raw conviction and strength, and I found myself wanting to give him whatever he wanted. If the music was still playing, I didn’t hear it. If people were dancing around us, I didn’t notice them. If the club caught fire and burned down around us, I wouldn’t have cared. 

             
I vaguely remember one of his hands sliding around my waist, his thumb hooking into the elastic band of my skirt as his other hand gripped my backside with urgency. His hand only remained there for a second before squeezing my waist, running up my back, and then sinking back to rest on my butt.  I felt the tension in his hand as it tried to touch all of me at once.

             
I gripped his waist with both hands and ran my thumbs along the low hanging band of his pants; eliciting a response from the array of stomach muscles they came into contact with. Sebastian broke our kiss and appeared to gather himself for a second before pulling me back to him and groaning something inaudible into my mouth.

             
That’s when I felt the itching. The soft feeling of his skin disappeared under my palm as the itching replaced it with a completely different urgency. My hesitation had him once again breaking our kiss, giving me a chance to inspect my palm. There was no denying the glowing blue trace pulsing on my skin. Surprisingly, the normal timeline increased and the burning sensation quickly overcame the light itching feeling. I pushed Sebastian away and tried to clear my thoughts.

             
Several things clicked into place at once. One, I was drunk. Two, It was Sebastian’s fault. And three…Stasia was in trouble. Anger flared in my heart, and I pushed Sebastian away once more with accusing eyes. The heat of electricity fueled by my desire suddenly sparked impossibly hotter by my anger.

             
“You- !” I glared at him accusingly and tried to yell over the still-thumping music in my ears. “How could you do this to me?!”

             
“What are you talking about?” He furrowed his brows at me. I held up my hand for him to see.

             
“I’m drunk!” I screamed at him and pointed to my palm. “Did you know this would happen? Is that why you’re doing this?”

             
“Olivia!” he yelled at me as I turned and began to claw my way through the crowds of people on the dance floor. “Wait!”

             
Mistrust and rage filled my every thought while I scrambled to find the quickest way to the exit. Did Sebastian really do this on purpose? Did he know something would happen to Stasia? Was he ensuring I was in no shape to protect her? A range of possibilities – none shining a positive light on Sebastian – ran through my thoughts, and I sobered up with lightning speed. How could I have been so stupid? I allowed him to let my guard down! I let him distract me! And now Stasia was in trouble!
And
I was in the middle of a city with no way of getting back to her, and alcohol distorting the world I was trying desperately to run through.             

             
I finally found a back door and tumbled out into the cool night air. The busy street I found myself on assaulted my senses and blinded me with lights. I was pushed in several directions as I ran into a group of women; the white of their dresses blurring in my vision and sending me into a bad bout of vertigo. I teetered sideways and landed hard on the cobblestone street. Someone I couldn’t quite see clearly pulled me back upright and asked if I needed help. I ignored him and continued moving my legs in an effort to move forward. 

             
I had to find Stasia. I tried to focus my fuzzy thoughts by ticking off the facts. I was in the city. I had ridden on a train-like system to get here. I didn’t know where I was, or how to even get to the train. Every direction I ran only led to more streets and more crowds of people. I couldn’t tell which way was north, east, west or south. The only direction I knew for sure was down. Unfortunately, I continually found myself on my hands and knees staring at the street below me.

             
I forced myself against a building and willed my eyes to stop seeing double. When that didn’t work, I grabbed the arm of the next person that walked past.

             
“Meara!” I spit out. The woman yanked her arm out from my grasp and continued walking. The next arm I grabbed was a little more helpful. Or maybe it was my advanced ability to form a question. It was hard to tell.

              “Do you know where Meara lives?” I asked in a voice that sounded slurred even to me. The middle aged man looked at me with confusion for a moment, and then pointed into the distance.

             
“Of course I do,” he answered. “She’s the Queen.”

             
“Queen?” I repeated stupidly. Somehow I thought he was talking about a different Meara, but I didn’t have time to ask him before the woman he was with grabbed his hand and pulled him away from the random drunk woman on the side of the street. I fought to focus on the golden castle looming over every other building in front of me. It actually appeared closer than I remembered, which I presumed was a good sign. With my other options being non-existent, I made my legs take me in that direction as quickly as possible. 

             
After what felt like an eternity, I had several new scratches on my legs, along with a nice new rip up the side of my skirt. My elbow was bleeding down my forearm, and I felt my still-sweaty hair clinging to my scalp like a wet dog’s. I traversed the long, wide bridge leading to the circular island that housed the incandescent castle. It sloped upward and gave the gift of railings on either side for me to hang on to. The light of the moon illuminated the sides of the castle as it shifted and blurred in my compromised vision.

             
I felt the bridge vibrate and glanced back briefly. Grand. I was being followed. I tried to pick up the pace, but I couldn’t tell if it was actually working. Finally I made it to the other side, but was stopped cold by a massive stone wall and thick gold door the size of a small building. I looked back at the other body on the bridge and yelled at it uselessly.

             
“Go away!”

             
There was something said back, but I didn’t notice because the door blocking my view had begun to open. Once it was wide enough for me to slide through, I did, and tumbled onto the soft grass beyond. I was going to have to give my legs a piece of my mind in the morning. Walking and running was their only job, and they couldn’t even do
that
right.