Poseidia (14 page)

“You forgot. Sure,” he
teased. Roman retreated to the doorway, grinning.

“I want to
find my locket, if possible. You promised,” I mewed, regaining my composure. “But…”

“
But what? I thought you would change your mind.”

“I didn’t.
But the High Council and Lily. I shouldn’t go—I could be thrown out and I promised I wouldn’t try to escape again.”

“You’re not escaping. Let me deal with them.”

“O… kay. I also wanted to see someone. But… I know… with all the changes. I thought I could see him from afar. I don’t know, I wasn’t thinking it through.” Roman’s presence made me nervous. I tried to block the dark fantasies I’d had of running David through with a knife.

“Y
ou want to see the lousy lover? You can’t.”

“
I know. And I didn’t say he was a lousy lover,” I flushed, my face heating to at least ten shades of red.

“Do you want to kill him?” h
e quipped, regaining his serious demeanor.

I shook my head. “I couldn’t kill anyone.”
Could I?

“Then be clear on what you want. The universe has ways of giving you what you ask for…
but it may not be what you truly want. Killing someone changes you forever. Now—you’re pure. If you kill him—you’ll be forever broken. Never give anyone that kind of power. Think and be clear on what you… truly desire.”

R
evenge may sound sweet in your head. But actually going through with the act is a whole ‘nuther story.
“I want to go and see if he’s home and then—I don’t know—go in and find my locket. Without being seen, of course.”

“Then that’s what we’ll do,” he
affirmed.

“How will we get there? How
do we get out? Do we swim?” I asked, afraid it was all too simple.

“We’ll use this.” He pointed to his ear. A small grey clip
about the width of a wedding ring was cuffed to the upper part. “We have to be back before dawn.”

“What? We’ll use your
ear? Is that some kind of magic hearing?” I gawked at the tiny clip, confused—I’d never noticed it before.

“You
have much to learn. This,” he explained, pointing to the clip, “is a key to activate the portals. They connect the city to houses we have all over the world.”

Portal? Key?
“What?”
Houses all over the world?
My heart raced in excitement. Did this mean I could leave and not have to swim?
Why hasn’t Lily ever told me?
I knew the answer before I finished asking myself. She knew I would have used it to leave. “Tell me more.” My mind raced with ideas.
Freedom
. If I could get my hands on my own key, the possibilities were endless.

“It’s easier to show you.”

“How often can I use it?” I implored, feeling an onslaught of hope.

“No one said you. But—I leave all the time. What part of
the world do we need to go to?”

“Have you ever been to San Francisco?”

“I’ve heard of it. I haven’t been there, though. In order for the portal to work I’ll have to retrieve the location of the city out of your head.” Roman advanced on me, his eyes smoldering with a hint of mischief.

“What? What do you mean?”

“I haven’t been there, but you have. I can pick it out of your brain.” He walked over to me, and placed both of his hands on either side of my head. He gazed into my eyes while holding me steady. “May I?”

I nodded
, still unsure of what exactly he intended.

He then leaned in, closed his eyes…

Oh no, is he going to…

A
nd brushed his lips against mine. My heart slammed against my chest, the short stubble of his beard tickling my face, as I raised my hands to cover his, the robe only loosely hanging on my fingers. The towel around me came loose, and worked its way to the floor, piling around my feet in a crumpled heap while seconds ticked on.

Roman
pulled back and gazed longingly into my eyes. “Got it, we can go now. You’ll need to put something on though. You can’t go naked,” he murmured, glancing, for the briefest second, down at my body. Releasing his hands, he took a step back.

“That’s… all it took?” I quickly picked the towel back up and covered myself. My hands shook and butterflies fluttered in my belly.
Actually a bit lower than my belly.

“No. I’ve been there. I’ve been everywhere. I lied because I wanted to
kiss you. Come on, get dressed.” He walked backward to the doorframe, crossing his arms over his chest, and leaned back against the wall.

My mouth hung open in shock
. “Jerk.”

“Time is ticking. We have to be back before dawn,
” he said, snapping his fingers.

“So you’ve said
. Are you sure it’s okay to leave?” Turning to the closet, I opened the door, but stared at the dresses without seeing anything, as if I was in a daze. I shook my head to clear the emotions he’d stirred.
Focus.
“You can’t go around shirtless,” I retorted, looking at him.

Roman simply nodded in response to my question.
“You don’t appreciate the way I dress?” He indicated his bare chest.

“That’s not what I meant.” I
returned the robe to the closet and picked out a simple blue dress, wishing I had jeans or sweats to wear.

“We’ll stop in a
t the house and change clothes.” He gestured for me to hurry.

“You have a house in San Francisco?” I slipped the dress over my head. As it fell to my
knees, I dropped the towel from underneath and kicked it to the side.

“Yes, a
small house.”

“You’re kidding? Where in San Fran?”
Hyperaware of him watching me intently, I squirmed under his stare. “I’m still mad at you.”

“It’s right on the coast, of course. Easy access.” He chuckled
, the same sly smile blooming across his face. The one made my heart go wild. A smile that said he wanted to do things to me which may involve more than that tease of a kiss. “Let’s go, we’re wasting time.” Roman turned and walked into the front room.

Feeling an unfamiliar rush of feminine power,
I fluffed my hair and then followed.

He grabbed my hand, walked over to a blank portion of the front wall
, and touched the clip on his ear. A doorway appeared within the wall, filled with a swirling, black pool of velvet tar. Ripples ran through it.

“Has that been here the whole time?” My mouth hung open in surprise.

“Yes.”

“Would have been good to know,” I
marveled.

“That’s why you didn’t know.”
Roman tugged on my hand to lead me through, but I hesitated. “Come.”

“Am I going to get dirty
walking through that stuff?”

“One can only hope.” He pulled me through before I could utter another protest.

W
e walked out of a closet door in a long, darkened hallway. “That was so cool,” I exclaimed, looking at where we’d come through. It was a solid door now and my body didn’t have a speck of molten tar on it.

“Let’s change clothes. In the bedroom down the
hall, you’ll find women’s clothes. And put makeup on your face or people will see your iridescent skin. Long pants, long-sleeved shirt, gloves… got it?”

“
Yeah, yeah, okay, okay.” I hurried to the room and found jeans, a bra, and some underwear. They felt good as I slid into them.
Yes. Real clothes.

I glanced around the room.
This isn’t a small house—this bedroom is enormous
.
Why did he say it was a small house?

A mahogany dresser sat against the wall opposite the bed, matching the bed frame. In it, I found a large assortment of cosmetics, perfumes, and lotions. I applied a thick layer of foundation,
some blush, and mascara.

My eyelashes were long and thick
—at least I’d had one asset when I was human. Familiarity with my old way of life boosted my confidence. As I explored the bedroom, I found a scarf and gloves in the closet, and covered up any skin I hadn’t camouflaged with makeup.

T
he bathroom connected to this bedroom was different from the ones in Poseidia—lovely, and familiar. It had beige tile on the walls and in the shower, and a fancy, darker brown ceramic tile on the floor.

I twirled in front of the mirror, checking out my disguise. The jeans fit well, but were too short.
Who cares, it’ll do.
While dressing, in the back of my mind I was taking inventory. They had an enormous assortment of clothing and human supplies—things I wished I could take back to Poseidia with me.
Why can’t I?
A few items in the back of my closet—no one would know.
It’s not like it’s forbidden. Besides Roman doesn’t exactly subscribe to a Poseidian wardrobe.

Hesitant, I went back to the closet and rummaged until I found
several large oversized purses, ultimately picking a white one covered with large silver buckles. Digging through the drawers, I found a few bikinis, panties, and a bra close-enough to my size. Rolling my loot up tight, I stuffed it all in the bag. With the remaining square inches of space, I added some of the extra makeup: lipstick, lip-gloss, eyeliner, and mascara.
There, that will be awesome to have back home.
Jubilant, I zipped the purse shut and set it on the bed, ready to take home.
It’s not like I’m stealing—Lily said I could have whatever I needed, right?

Emerging from the room, I found my way down the hallway and an enormous set of stairs. Roman was sprawled across the couch in the living area. He
wore a black turtleneck shirt, which hugged his muscles tightly, and ripped jeans with cowboy boots.

A
pprovingly, I flushed. “So what, fancy weapons trainer now goes cowboy?” The first genuine smile I’d had in a long time escaped and spread across my face. It felt good to be back in human civilization and have some freedom. Of course, it didn’t hurt I had the company of a drop-dead gorgeous sword expert.
I think he’s gorgeous? I do, don’t I.

Temptation clawed at me to forget why I came here
—to simply have a romantic dinner for two, a walk along the beach, or even try out the bed upstairs. But I knew I would have no other chance to find my locket.

“Here
, you will need these.” Roman stood and handed me a pair of sunglasses.

“I guess you don’t.” I
slid them on.

“Nope.”
He walked into the kitchen and I followed.

Roman
searched the cabinets and slammed the doors when he didn’t find what he was looking for.

Temper, temper.

Finally, he pulled out a long, locked metal box from a bottom drawer and placed it on the countertop.

“
What now?” I quizzed.

Searching
yet another drawer, he retrieved a set of keys, and opened the box. “We’ll drive. You can tell me how to get there.” He hauled out a huge stash of cash and several car keys from the box. There must have been tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars.

“Where did all
that come from? I didn’t think Poseidians used money?” They were crisp new hundred dollar bills.

“Not in
Poseidia, but we do on land. Take whatever you think we’ll need.” He handed me a wad of currency.

I’d never held so
much cash in my hands in my life. It felt uncomfortable, as if I’d robbed a bank. “Why would we need this much money?”

“You never know who we might need to bribe.”

“Bribe for what reason?” I handed him back the stack of hundreds.

Roman
looked at me as if he was confused. “I head the security teams who go on missions.” He carefully laid everything back in the box.

“Missions? What missions?”

“You don’t listen very well. They do a lot to protect humans, but now there are more complications.” He held up a set of car keys, jingling them.

“What do they do to help humans?
I’m confused.”

Roman
ground his jaw together, indecision weighing on his face. Obviously editing what he wanted to tell me, he leaned against the counter. “We intervene, during major global crises—the ones which may impact us.” He placed his hand over mine. “And with the humans who caused it,” he whispered, coming closer to my ear, “I’ve been known… to slit their throats.”

He slits
throats?
I gasped and pulled my hand away.

Roman
leaned back and became quiet, observing me out of the corner
s
of his eyes. Then, purposefully, he winked.

Guess he got the reaction he wanted.
My hands went to my own throat, touching the delicate skin there. He chuckled, replaced the box in the drawer, and then slammed it closed.

I cleared my throat, unsure of what I’d gotten myself
into.
Who am I here with, really? Is he only joking? Would he slit my throat?

Roman
laughed again, louder. Then he tossed me a set of car keys.

“So…
they give out driver’s licenses back in Poseidia?” My hands slightly trembled as I caught them.

“I don’t have
a license for anything.”

“What if we get pulled over and thrown in jail?”

“Then I’ll charm my way out.”

“
Pfft… you have no charm,” I laughed, nervously.

“Then let’s not get pulled over. Or we can use this.” He showed me
the wad of cash as he put it into his back pocket, then gestured for me to follow him as he walked down the hallway connected to the kitchen.

The neutra
l-toned walls were bare here. I’d noticed as I walked through the rest of the house, only the most basic of furnishings filled the place.

At the end of the hallway was a door Roman unlocked and opened.
As he held it ajar for me, I walked through, keeping my distance. We stepped out into a cold four-car garage. The scent of oil and gas reached my nose and I sneezed.

“Where did you learn how to drive?” I asked as I looked around.
They didn’t have cars centuries ago. That I do know.

“I taught myself. It’s not
hard. And I can pilot a few of the ships and flying machines they have,” he said.

“The
Mers have that kind of stuff?” I asked, surprised. Despite their obvious intelligence and advanced medicine, I had envisioned them as water-locked, avoiding all of man’s technology. Or at least, completely covert and off the human radar.

Roman
took my hand in his and pressed the unlock button on the keys. A black Prius beeped and the lights flickered. “Of course, we’re not animals.”

I rolled my eyes
and we both laughed. Maybe he was joking before.

The tension eased
as I shook off my paranoia. It was comfortable being with him. Maybe because we shared the former human thing or perhaps it was something else.

“I can drive. It would be easier than giv
ing you directions,” I deduced.

“Have it your way,” he
conceded as he led me to the Prius.

“What else do I not know?” I
glanced around at the four cars in here. All black. All fancy. New car scent heavy in the air.
When did they have time to buy cars and take care of houses?

“A lot,” he
alluded, while walking to the passenger side. “I don’t think you can handle the big and fast stuff.”

“I think you would be surprised by what I can handle, but fine
—I had one of these.”

It felt good to be behind the wheel of a car. I
was in control again. Roman pushed the button, which opened the garage door, and I pulled out onto the driveway.

The moonlight lit up the front yard. I stopped and my mouth hung open at the sight of the
home’s exterior. “Who lives here?”

“We all use it. It’s a
Mer house,” he noted. Impatient, he motioned for me to move on.

“Can you come here anytime?” I let my foot off the brake and eased out onto the street
, while peeking back at the house. It wasn’t just a house—it was a mansion.

“If I wanted to.”

“Why wouldn’t you?”

“Why would I?”

“It’s beautiful. I could get lost there.” The house faded from the rear view mirror.

“You’ll get over that in time. It all looks the same after a while.” He turned his head to
gaze out over the ocean.

“I couldn’t live long enough to get numb to that kind of beauty.”
The Pacific Ocean came into view on the right. Beautiful waves of surf rolled in, the moonlight reflecting off the surface. I rolled the windows down to listen to the soothing sound.
Home. The ocean was now my home.

“You will. You’ll learn to find beauty in other things
—things less tangible.” He stared out the window as if he was lost in some distant memory, and then closed his eyes, his face wincing in pain.

I shut up.

As we drove down Highway 1, I reminisced. All the familiar sites caused a wave of nostalgia to wash over me. But now, I could finally breathe.

Roman
grabbed my hand and intertwined his fingers around mine. His warmth gave me comfort
.
“It’ll get easier,” he consoled.

“Lily and Lucas keep saying that, but I’m not sure I believe them.”

For me, the long drive was cathartic. The streetlights twinkled in the night skies, lighting the way into the old neighborhood where I had lived and struggled for so long with David.

I drove onto my street,
slowed, and came to a stop in front of my old rental house—a duplex with faded yellow siding. “This is it—where I used to live.” The grey roof needed replacing. Maroon shutters sat adjacent to windows whose paint was chipping. Sinking into the ground, the wooden front porch slanted to the right.

Unprepared for the feeling of being shattered,
I stared at the graveyard of my past.

My car was gone.
I paid a lot for that car, where is it?
David’s car, a new silver BMW he purchased before we went on vacation, was parked on the street in front of the house. Another thing he’d said he needed for his image.

A wave of rage rushed through me. I trembled, knowing he was so close. “He’s home. I
can’t, I know… besides I don’t want a confrontation.”
Or do I?

“I thought you did.”

“You said before that I can’t. Besides… what you imagine in your head and what you would actually do are two completely different things.” I pulled the car down the street unsure of what to do now that I was here. Reality and fantasy weren’t meshing. What I naïvely thought would be a simple retrieval of my locket, was turning out to be an uncomfortable confrontation of my past. Some things were probably better left there. I definitely hadn’t expected the raw surging emotions I now grappled with.

“Are they?”

“Yes, they are,” I reaffirmed, now regretting my foolish insistence on returning. But I couldn’t back down and change my mind—my inner stubborn demon wouldn’t let me. I could barely admit this moral weakness to myself, let alone Roman.

“Perhaps you should put more of your fantasies to action. It would make life more interesting.”

Ignoring his remark, I continued, “The lights are on in the bedroom. He’s awake. He’s… a doctor, a cardiac surgeon. They don’t keep regular hours. Let’s wait and see if he leaves.”

A few houses down
, I found a spot out of sight, but still providing a view of the sidewalk. I turned the car and the lights off. It was dark out and I slouched down in the seat.