Timeless (35 page)

Relief poured through me. So Lamia hadn’t
gotten to Damien, after all. I reached out my hand, and he took
it.

“She’s waking up,” I heard Aunt Jo say.

“What happened?” I asked them both at
once.

I felt drugged and knew they’d likely given
me some sort of sedative. Either that or I was really, really out
of it.

“You almost drowned, Emmeline,” Damien told
me quietly. His eyes said what we were both thinking: again.

I remembered then why I was there and what
had happened.

“Lamia?” I asked Damien, worried.

“She’s gone. You don’t have to worry about
her anymore,” he assured me.

“But what happened? How did I get here?” I
asked.

Damien sat down on the bed, looking from me
to Aunt Jo. Of course, he couldn’t tell me the whole story in front
of her.

“Emily, dear, you drove off the bridge. If
Damien hadn’t seen your car, you’d have drowned. He pulled you out,
saving your life,” Aunt Jo explained. “Who’s Lamia?” she asked.

Damien and I looked at each other.

“Oh, nobody, really,” I said quickly, “just
somebody I used to know in the past. Aunt Jo, will you go get the
nurse? I’m really thirsty,” I said, trying to change the
subject.

“Sure, but I think there’s a call button
somewhere on this bed,” Aunt Jo said, searching around me. She
stopped when she caught the look on my face.

“Why don’t I just go look for the nurse in
the hall?” she finally said, leaving me alone with Damien.

Aunt Jo always knew when to make an exit.

Damien’s shoulders visibly slumped.

“How long have I been here?” I asked him.

“Just a day. But it’s been the longest
twenty-four hours of my life,” he said. He was right. Dark circles
appeared under his eyes.

“How did you know how to find me?”

“You didn’t come by after work, and when I
didn’t hear from you, I called Ramona. She filled me in, and I
thought you might be headed to Ben’s. When I got there, I saw the
convertible and went inside. That’s when I saw Ben and called
911.”

“Damien, Ben’s dead,” I said, tears welling
up in his eyes.

“No, actually, he isn’t. He’s down the
hall.”

“What?”

“When I saw him lying there, I thought that
he’d been killed, but he had a faint heartbeat. I confess, though,
I didn’t wait for the paramedics. There wasn’t much I could do for
him, and I was more concerned about where you were. I thought Lamia
might be headed to Sugar Hill, so I raced home. When I saw the
Saratoga on the way, I knew I was right. There are definite
advantages, I guess, to driving that old thing.

I eventually gained on you, but I wasn’t sure
what to do. What confused me was that I saw two red heads
struggling at the wheel before the car crashed over the bridge. I
immediately got out, afraid I wouldn’t be in time. I thought at
first that you’d escaped, but I knew you couldn’t swim. The girl I
saw swimming upriver moved like a fish. I concentrated on pulling
out whoever was trapped in the car. I dove in, and when I saw you
trapped, unconscious, I nearly lost my mind. I reached through the
smashed window and pulled you out. Fortunately, I just learned CPR.
The rest you can imagine.”

“Wait, they don’t teach CPR in school,” I
protested.

“I know. I taught myself by getting a book on
it in the library,” he said, proudly.

“But why?” I wondered.

Damien smiled.

“Let’s just say I had a premonition that it
could come in handy one day. I lost you once; I never want to lose
you again,” he finished quietly.

I couldn’t argue with that.

“But Lamia? Where is she?” I wondered.

“That’s a very good question. It started to
rain and thunder as I pulled you out of the river. I saw her head
break the surface a few times and then not again. But I couldn’t
imagine anyone actually swimming the river and surviving; the
current was strong, and the storm was only growing.”

I couldn’t imagine it, either. I looked down
at my hands, noticing for the first time that the emerald ring Ben
had given to me was on my right hand, the diamond still,
thankfully, on my left. I had no idea how Ben’s ring had gotten
there, but I didn’t care. I was so grateful to be alive and to find
out that Ben hadn’t actually died, that I didn’t worry about the
details.

I hadn’t realized I’d been crying until
Damien folded me up into his arms.

“Is it over?” I asked through the tears.

“I think so, Emmeline. If she did survive,
which I doubt, she has to think that you died again in the river. I
think that’s why she didn’t swim back. She wasn’t counting on me
coming for you.”

“Wait a minute. We were headed to Sugar Hill
to find you. That’s why I jerked the steering wheel.”

He pulled back from me.

“You crashed into the river on purpose?” he
asked incredulously.

I looked a little sheepish and stared at my
lap.

“Yes, but it was the only way,” I explained.
“She was going to kill you too, Damien.”

“Emmeline,” he said in an exasperated voice,
“what am I going to do with you? You just can’t stay out of
trouble. I mean, of all things, water? And after what happened to
you before?”

He pulled me to him, kissing the top of my
head. I could hear the relief through the frustration.

“I know, I know,” I said, “but it really was
the only way…I wonder,” I said, sitting up, alarmed “could she be
at Sugar Hill right now waiting for you?”

“Emmeline, she’s dead.”

“But what if she isn’t? She’s incredibly
strong, and if history is repeating itself, then you’re the next
victim on her list.”

“I don’t know, Emmeline, but I’m not going to
let anything happen to you or me. In fact, I’m not letting you out
of my sight. You and your Aunt are moving up to Sugar Hill as soon
as they let you out of here. I don’t care what anyone thinks—and
marry me, don’t marry me—but I’m not listening to this nonsense
that you’re safe on your own.”

I hid my smile. It was nice to be loved by
someone so much.

“I’m not actually worried about me, Damien.
You’ve just said that she thought she’d killed me—again. I’m more
concerned about you and what she has planned.”

That made him thoughtful.

“I’m not afraid of her. I can handle it,” he
said finally.

“No, you can’t. It takes a witch to fight a
witch.”

He looked meaningfully at me.

“You didn’t seem to do such a good job on
your own,” he said.

“Okay, point taken. But I have the ring back
now, and I can use my power…”

It was the wrong thing to say. He stared down
at my hand, a scowl on his face.

“Emmeline,” he began in that quiet voice that
always made me quake a little, “why do you have that boy’s ring on
your finger?”

“I honestly don’t know,” I said quickly.And I
didn’t. It had just appeared on the third finger of my right
hand.

“Lamia got it from Ben,” I continued, “and
she was able to use it to take away my power.”

“And how would she be able to do that?”

“Because the ring means something to me. She
can manipulate others through their emotions. It must be her power.
Or powers, I should say.”

“What is it, Emmeline? What does it mean to
you?” he asked, a quizzical look on his face.

I faltered. What did the ring mean to me?
That I still loved Ben? I knew the answer to that question. I’d
always love Ben. But Damien was part of me, was more than just part
of me. He was my other half. I couldn’t imagine living my life
without him. I didn’t want to.

“Ben is someone I still care for. Not like I
love you. Nobody will ever take first place in my heart but you.
But he was a huge part of my life for years. I left him when I
first saw your face in my dreams and discovered who you were, but I
can’t erase our memories together. And I guess his ring symbolizes
the love that we shared once. It has nothing to do with you and
me,” I said, hoping he could understand.

I could tell Damien wasn’t happy with my
explanation, but that was how I felt. Ben could never alter my love
for him. Damien nodded his head once in understanding, and the
doctor came in to tell me I could go home if I felt up to it.

After they’d taken the IV out and I’d gotten
dressed in the clothes Aunt Jo had brought from home, I told Damien
I had one more stop to make.

“You’re seeing Ben, aren’t you?” he asked, a
little resigned.

“Yes,” I said simply, kissing him and walking
slowly down the hall. Damien might not be happy with my feelings
for Ben, but I knew he’d accept that part of me because he loved
me. He’d even once told me that he was glad Ben had been there to
take care of me before him. For that, he said, he’d always be
grateful.

“I’ll see you in a few minutes,” I promised,
kissing him lightly.

I pushed open the door to Ben’s hospital
room. His parents were just leaving when I entered. They smiled at
me, looking tired. Ben was still hooked up to the machines, and his
head was wrapped in bandages.

“Hey,” I began tentatively, not wanting to
disturb him if he didn’t want to see me.

He looked at me but without the hatred I’d
seen in his eyes the last time we’d spoken.

“Hey,” he said weakly, moving his hand as far
as he could to indicate that I should sit in the space beside him
on the bed. I went over and sat down, taking his hand in mine.

“You were right. She was crazy,” he said.

“No kidding,” I replied.

“I’m glad you’re okay. I heard that you guys
had driven off the bridge going up to Sugar Hill. Why did you get
into the car with her?”

“It’s a long story. I’ll tell you about it
later.”

“More secrets?” he asked. He sounded a little
bitter, and I couldn’t blame him.

“No. It’s just difficult to explain.”

“Is it related to your being a witch?”

“I thought you didn’t believe me.”

“I honestly don’t know what to believe.”

“Neither do I some days. I’m just glad you’re
okay. When I saw you lying there on the deck, my heart stopped.
Ben, I’m so, so sorry.”

“What are you apologizing for? You tried to
warn me. I just didn’t listen.”

I felt guilty. I couldn’t tell Ben that I was
to blame, even indirectly. I’d been the one to pull Lamia through
with Damien. If it hadn’t been for me, he’d never have gone through
any of this.

“So what do the doctors say?” I asked
him.

“Nothing too serious. I was really
lucky.”

As usual, Ben downplayed his injuries, not
wanting me to worry. From what I could see, though, they looked
severe. His obviously had some kind of head injury, both of his
arms were in casts, and they were monitoring his heart rate.

“What happened?” I asked softly.

“I’m not exactly sure. She picked me up after
work, and we went to my house. We were just going to hang out,
watch movies, maybe order pizza. She asked to see the deck, and
when I turned around, she must have clubbed me with something heavy
from behind. I’m not sure how I got all of the other injuries. The
next memory I have is waking up here in the hospital.”

“I’m so glad that Damien found you.”

“Yeah. Tell him I said thanks. I owe him for
my life… and for yours.”

“I will,” I said, hoping that Ben and Damien
could be friends, or, if not friends, then at least not
enemies.

He looked tired, so I rose to leave. He
happened to glance down at my right hand.

“How did you…?”

“Lam—I mean, Kirsten threw it at me before we
drove off the bridge,” I made up. I couldn’t explain to Ben any
better than to Damien how the ring had gotten on my finger. But I
felt strongly that it belonged there, just as the diamond that
Damien gave me belonged on my left hand.

“How did Kirsten get it?” I asked, hoping the
answer wasn’t what I thought.

“I honestly don’t know,” he said. “I
mentioned once to her that I’d given you a ring, but I kept it in
Mom’s jewelry box. I didn’t even describe it to her. I don’t know
how she could have stolen it or when.”

But I knew. She’d likely broken in and made a
search of the house when everyone was gone or asleep. The ring
itself was distinctive, and it wouldn’t have taken much for her to
guess which one was the right one.

“I hope you’ll let me keep it,” I said,
knowing it was probably the wrong decision. But I wasn’t able to
give it back.

He looked at me long and hard.

“Sure,” he said and closed his eyes.

I bent to kiss him, tears forming in my eyes,
and turned to leave. Before I could get to the door, his voice
stopped me.

“Emily, please take care of yourself. You’re
still precious to me.”

I looked back and nodded, not wanting him to
hear my voice shake or see my tears.

Damien waited for me in the lobby, and we
left the hospital, driving in silence. I felt exhausted, and as we
made our way up the long drive to Sugar Hill, I took in the serene
beauty of the gardens. Despite their calming beauty, I felt
nervous, wondering if Lamia waited for us.

“What are we going to do about her? What if
she didn’t die in the river?” I asked.

“Emmeline, you worry too much.”

“That still doesn’t answer my question.”

Damien reached over and took my hand into
his.

“Whatever happens, we’ll face it together,”
he assured me, kissing my hand.

He sounded so confident that I didn’t
question him further. Maybe he was right. Lamia had always
separated us before, so perhaps now that we were together we could
overcome her.

Damien stopped the car in front of the house.
I somehow expected to see Lamia there when we drove up, but there
was no sign of her outside.

We got out and made our way inside. I was the
first to see her, sitting in the library opposite to the front
entrance. She was facing away from the door. I stopped in my
tracks. Though I hadn’t been surprised that she was here, I still
couldn’t believe my eyes. She looked exactly like me.