Shades of Atlantis (34 page)

Triona, I had to make sure you would always be safe from them, he began to protest.

How long? I demanded. I needed to know.

He kissed my head tenderly. A year.

I sat up sharply, and my eyes widened in terror. It’s been a year. Caleb pulled me back into his embrace. I resisted at first but gave into him as always.

Triona, please don’t worry. He soothed me. It’s more important now to resolve your riddle and to do it before they find out about you.

I’m not human, I murmured. They can’t hold you to whatever stupid deal you made.

Please don’t worry. He sighed and squeezed me gently.

It could happen any time. The Council expected Caleb to — It was too awful to think, but he continued with our earlier conversation as if our exchange had never happened.

Zeal and Lucien are almost three hundred years old and have been in power most of that time. Caleb’s voice lowered until it was almost a hiss.

It’s gone to their heads. They think nothing of killing anyone who stands in their way. He ruffled my hair, his voice returning to its normal smooth tone. Eila is more reasonable. Each Council member has the right to select his or her replacement, and my father picked her. She tries to balance the Council, be its conscience. It’s a difficult task.

Do they have gifts? I wondered, running my finger over the skin on his arm and watching the tiny hairs rise on contact with my touch.

He took a deep breath. Lucien has some control over the weather.

Like the ones who called the storm?

Yes. Zeal has great physical strength; he’s probably the strongest among us. Eila’s power is less vulgar, but quite useful. No one can lie in her presence.

That’s interesting, I said thoughtfully. What about me, what will I be able to do?

He laughed and stroked my hair. You are eager, aren’t you? I scowled, and he grinned back, his expression softening. My heart stopped for an instant.

I’m not sure, he said, keeping his tone even. We don’t all have obvious gifts, besides charm and our other physical attributes. He chuckled. Some can just cast enchantments, some not even that. You’ll have to wait and see if and when it happens. His pulse quickened, and his temperature rose slightly. He wasn’t being completely honest; he was withholding something.

I looked up at him to read his face better, but before I got a chance, his mouth was down on mine, and he flipped me onto my back. An underhanded attempt to distract me from details he didn’t want to share, but I allowed it.

The ringing of a phone cut in, but he persisted in kissing me passionately while reaching out to recover his cell phone from the table beside the bed.

He only stopped when he put it to his ear, leaving me breathless.

Yes? He sounded astonishingly in control of his breathing. He paused.

Okay, fine — We’ll be right over. He hung up, and his lips came down on mine again, kissing me deeply and pulling away only when my heart was about to explode out of my chest, before he kissed me one more time on my reddened cheek. Joshua and Ben are almost here, and breakfast will be ready in twenty minutes. Time for a shower, he said, leaping up with a smirk and pulling me with him.

Caleb locked his fingers through mine when we walked into the kitchen.

The smell of cooking permeated the air: bacon, eggs, pancakes, and other smells I couldn’t distinguish because my mouth-watering distracted me. I didn’t know I was hungry until I heard the low growl from my stomach.

Caleb squeezed my hand tightly; he looked nervous. His breathing and heart rate seemed normal, but his sparkling eyes betrayed him.

Samuel sat at an island counter surrounded by metal stools, the contents of several brown folders scattered in front of him. The blond woman who caught me when I fell the day before busied herself at the oven ovens, actually. There were four of them. She emptied their contents before turning to beam a smile at me, holding a piled-up plateful of bacon.

Move those folders, Samuel. It’s time for breakfast. Her voice was higher than Caleb’s but no less smooth or commanding. Her shining silver eyes flashed to Samuel, and he complied obediently.

After she put the plate down, she came over to me. Her eyes were mesmerizing. I gripped Caleb’s hand a little tighter, and he kissed my hair, such a quick kiss that I couldn’t tell if she saw.

Well, she sighed light-heartedly, looking me up and down, appraising me. You look much better. I hope my son has been looking after you? My hearted began to speed, and my cheeks flamed. I glanced to Caleb.

Mum! He actually looked embarrassed. This is my mother, Triona.

Annice Wallace.

I lifted my hand to shake hers, but she dismissed that gesture with a wave of her hand, pulling me into her warm embrace. She was about the same height as me, but her limbs had a strength that mine didn’t possess. I returned her hug limply with one arm, since Caleb still had hold of the other.

I’m so happy you’re here, she said exultantly, squeezing me until my lungs became constricted. You really don’t know how happy.

Mum, let her go, Caleb said, respectful yet demanding.

Annice reluctantly released me and smiled joyfully. Sit down, please, and eat something. I didn’t know what you liked, so I made a little too much. She wasn’t kidding. Tray after tray of food pancakes, muffins, all kinds of eggs and cereals appeared on the counter. Caleb smiled sympathetically as she loaded my plate.

Did you sleep? Samuel inquired.

Eh, yeah. I swallowed. A little. My heart thumped when Caleb squeezed my hand under the counter. I took a bite of a pancake. It was really very good, tastier than food usually was. Apparently all my senses were more acute now. Releasing Caleb’s hand, I dug in ravenously. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d eaten.

Just after I was beginning to feel full, I heard the front door opening, then footsteps. I swallowed too hard, almost choking. Ben, I sputtered, putting my hand over my mouth.

He was in front of me in an instant, moving even faster than Caleb. He lifted me from my seat, swinging me in circles.

Hey there, gorgeous! he exclaimed, his face lit up with happiness.

I found my shaky feet on the ground again and reached up to Ben’s face, running my fingers down his cheek, his golden skin. He looked the same, but better. His eyes were the color of emeralds, and his dark auburn hair was a thick and lustrous mop of gossamer threads framing his face. He was taller too, at least two inches. I ruffled his hair, and it was as soft as mine.

Hey there, gorgeous yourself. I grinned. I was aware of the others in the room standing around us. But my focus was on my supernaturally beautiful brother.

I do look good, don’t I? His tone was bordering on conceit.

I thumped him reproachfully on the chest. Ouch, I muttered, rubbing my fist.

New and improved. He smiled, puffing out his chest. His expression was hard to read exactly. He examined me closely, taking in every detail of my face while still watching Caleb and his family, evaluating the situation.

My little brother was gone, replaced by a grown man. I threw my arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. He smelled different familiar, but different. I could feel tears begin to form behind my closed eyes.

Ben held me to him and murmured quietly into my ear, Don’t cry, sis. I recognized immediately a light touch on my shoulder as Caleb’s, but Ben released one hand from our embrace and swiped it away. Ben clearly wasn’t going to be able to forgive Caleb for leaving as readily as I had. When my tears stopped, he let me go, and I stepped back, keeping my hand on his arm, holding onto him. He picked up the bag he had dropped to hug me. Annice rushed to his side to take it from him.

I’ll take care of that, she said lightly. Sit and have some breakfast; you must be starving. Airplane food — Either she was oblivious to his thinly veiled hostility, or she was an extremely good actress.

Ben watched as she placed the bag in the corner of the room near the doorway to the rear garden, then he sat down on a stool next to me and proceeded to devour every morsel placed on the plate in front of him. I watched his eyes take in everything: the room, Caleb’s family, and his bag.

He kept glancing over to the bag.

Are you going to tell me? I asked, growing impatient.

He flashed his eyes around the table, his expression remaining guarded.

Not here.

What? I asked, confused and slightly embarrassed.

I want to talk to you alone, he said, gently pushing his plate away.

I’ve filled him in on what we know, Joshua informed everyone. Annice, who sat beside Ben, patted his arm and smiled.

Yes, thank you. Ben smirked, his tone patronizing.

What was his problem? My face reddened. I glanced around as Caleb lowered his gaze to the counter top, Samuel’s brow furrowed in concentration, and Joshua shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Annice was the only one who sat perfectly still and calm with a mug of coffee cooling in front of her, watching Ben. I jumped down from my stool and jerked him by the arm after me, surprised once again by my own strength.

I need to speak to you too. I glowered at him. He followed me silently and grabbed his bag as we passed it.

I brought him across the garden to the open-plan living room of the annexed building where Caleb and I had stayed. He dropped the bag and sat on the couch; his long legs seemed to take over half the floor area.

What the hell was that? I demanded, my embarrassment boiling over into fury. How could you be so rude?

He looked at me incredulously. How do you expect me to act after what you’ve been through with that lot? Then Joshua Wallace shows up and the airport and tells me you’re with Caleb?

I paced the floor in front of him, my heart still pounding in my chest.

That’s so unfair! Caleb’s family didn’t know what would happen

But he did, he broke in, almost spitting the words. If he had just stayed away from you in the first place —

I took a deep breath and sighed. You don’t understand. Ben stood and placed his hands firmly on my shoulders to stop my pacing. His face wasn’t so arrogant now. I wouldn’t bet on that, he stated coolly. I wouldn’t bet on that at all.

What? I asked, defeated. I couldn’t keep my anger up any longer. I felt too confused and vulnerable.

Ben lowered his hands to his sides. Fine, he didn’t know about us, I’ll give him that, he conceded. But you can’t expect me just to forget about everything you went through overnight. I’ll never get the picture of you in the hospital out of my head when you thought he was dead. I looked down at his feet, suddenly feeling he was the older sibling and I was the kid. How had that happened?

Please, can you try, for me? I pleaded. I listened to him take a deep breath and exhale slowly.

Okay, he agreed, although when I looked up, his struggle to even be-grudgingly agree was evident in his tensed shoulders and the small muscle twitching in his jaw.

I smiled gratefully, and his brow furrowed before he broke into laughter.

Don’t try using your charm on me, I finished.

He shimmered blue lights that radiated all around him. I was caught off guard once again by the appearance of these bizarre flashes of color, and especially in this instance when it was accompanied by such a vivid understanding of its meaning. I knew, without knowing how, that it was a spiritual thing, that Ben felt an entitlement, almost a divine right to lead and protect those he loves. There was clarity within him, a single-mindedness that left no room for dishonestly about this, and an almost intuitive acceptance of his life being on the right course. I staggered slightly because of the flood of emotions that hit me, but he didn’t notice. This, whatever it was, would take a lot of getting used to.

Come on, we’ll try again. I’ll be nice, I promise. He took me by the arm and grabbed a leather folder from his bag. For you. Annice met us as we walked out. Her demeanor was just as calm and reserved as it had been in the kitchen, her silver eyes shimmered in the light from the sun.

Can you spare me a moment, Ben? she asked him.

Ben didn’t hesitate. Of course. His tone was as assured as hers. Where had my baby brother gone?

Ben thrust the leather folder into my chest, winding me. I coughed and then scowled at him, wrapping my arms around it.

Sorry, I don’t know my own strength yet. He grinned. Take it inside and give it to them.

I looked to Annice, and she smiled, but her face gave nothing away. I left them, looking back over my shoulder to see Ben motion politely for Annice to walk first back into the room.

I sat down on a stool beside Caleb and placed the mottled brown leather folder on the counter now cleared of breakfast dishes. A black leather string tied around the folder kept it closed.

What’s that? Joshua asked, leaning forward to get a closer look.

I don’t know. I turned it over. Ben gave it to me. He told me to bring it in and show it to you.

Caleb placed a hand on my back as he moved in closer, and I caught his luscious fragrance. My stomach fluttered. Open it, he urged.