Torrents (DROPLETS Trilogy Book 3) (27 page)

     “Yes,” I said, treading carefully.

     “And I built it?”

     “Yes,” I said again. He pursed his lips, and as he took in the rest of the room I realized where his thoughts had been while I was sleeping. Maybe I wasn’t the only one to dwell over the past.

     “It doesn’t feel right,” he confessed. When he glanced my way there was cautiousness in his eyes. He too was taking this slowly. We were tiptoeing over glass, moving with careful precision.

     “What do you mean?” I asked, wondering what sort of conclusions he had come up with in the past few hours.

    “It’s just,” he raised a hand and ran it through his thick-golden hair, “well, it’s too hard to explain.”

     “Really?” I quirked one eyebrow and folded my arms. “I’m going to have to say I don’t believe that.”

     He huffed, and turned away from me. As he walked toward the fireplace, he placed a hand on the top of it, the motion so similar to Patrick, my breath caught in my throat.

     I would have thought the recollections of his past self would have no effect on me now, but it seemed I was wrong. Each time I saw a glimpse of his former self, whether it was the way he stood or cocked his head to the side to listen to something off in the distance, or the way his hair shined in the dim sun—it was all a reminder of who he used to be. The past blinked back at me through wide eyes, a portal to what had once been.

     Unaware of the memories stirring inside me, he spoke. “This place is proof that I’m who you say I was, but I can’t understand that person.”

     I remained still, though I couldn’t really comprehend what he was saying. How would I ever be able to explain what he had meant to me? And what he meant to me now?

     “You’ve told me about who he was, or I was, I guess.” He shook his head as though his thoughts were a mess. “But the thing is, I don’t remember any of it. All of this should be enough to remind me of who I was, but there’s nothing that looks familiar. You told me I built this place, but all my hands know how to do is kill.” He looked down at his open palms, the nearly-healed wounds from the night before decorated his arms, declaring the truth of his words. “Whatever I was before, I’ll never be again.”

     He said the words with finality and when he raised his head to meet my gaze once more, I saw the question in them. He didn’t know I had accepted all of this long ago. He was mine, whether he was Patrick or Zale. He was my warrior.

As though of one mind, we set off for the waterfall. The sky still hung with the shrouded fog of weighted clouds, and the leaves strained in the wind to hang onto the tree branches, sometimes letting go all together. We walked side by side, our arms brushing one another time and again.

     Even though we had been offered this brief respite from the happenings of Lathmor, we knew it wouldn’t last long. The belt of daggers around Zale’s waist was enough proof of what he thought could happen if the island was discovered. Along with my dagger, I had two other knives strapped tightly around my waist.

     The roar of the waterfall surged up ahead and my heart lightened at the prospect of seeing it once again. Patrick and I had visited it many times, but the moments I had shared with Zale in the depths of the pool would always be at the forefront of my mind. Simply thinking of the moment made the carving on my dagger press into my skin, and my throat went dry.

      Picking up my pace, I began to jog as we got closer. A smile spread across my lips when he caught up to me, and before I knew what was happening, we were running at full speed through the early morning air toward the rushing water ahead.

     A small thrill of laughter escaped my lips and when he looked at me, I pressed my advantage, trying to surpass him. He wasn’t fooled and only picked up his pace, forcing me to chase him.

     He was ten steps in front of me when we pushed past the last of the trees. He came to a stop at the water’s edge, turning around to meet me. I figured he would tease me for his triumph and decided not to give him the chance.

     I didn’t pause for a moment but ran head-on directly for him. The split-second astonishment on his face was enough of a reward to make me laugh, as I slammed into his chest.

     He lost his balance, teetering on the edge for a mere moment until he gave in and wrapped his arms around me. We shattered into the water with a terrific splash and the laughter escaping my mouth was at once embarrassing and helpful. The horrors of the previous night were finally falling behind.

     He continued to hold me to him, the water swirling around us, and I struggled to push away. Somehow I felt weak in the water, as though it was stronger than me. I pushed against him again, and when he finally let go, my head broke the surface, only to meet his gaze.

     It took a second longer for me to realize what was so odd, looking down I saw my legs instead of the lavender scales I had grown accustomed to.

     “What the—?” I said, more to myself than anyone, and he laughed. The velvet sound broke through his lips, echoing around the waterfall. My hair was already drying, floating gently in what little breeze stirred inside the secluded cove.

     “Stop it,” I teased and splashed water his way. Only now was I realizing how foolish I had been. My initial instinct was no longer in place. Now that I was a full-fledged mermaid I would be able to control my fins.

     “You should have seen your face,” he said, treading water with perfect ease. Humor glinted in his eyes and I had to smile, even as my cheeks warmed with color.

     “It didn’t feel right,” I said and splashed water his way again, it caught him full in the face but he didn’t even look away. “I’ve had a lot of changes in the last twenty-four hours.”

     “True,” he pursed his lips and scooted closer to me. I kicked away, the strands of my hair clinging to my dark clad arms and chest. “Come here,” he beckoned.

     “Oh, you’ll have to do better than that,” I said and kicked harder.

     He didn’t need any further encouragement as he came after me with powerful strokes, his large arms slicing into the water and pulling him closer to me with a definite ease.

     His hand brushed against the top of my foot and I cried out, turning onto my stomach to swim away from him. The waterfall loomed before me and I pushed toward it, diving under the foaming white cloud, only to come up on the other side. When my head broke the surface, I could barely hear his approach above the din of the rushing curtain of water.

     His hand encircled the wrist which held my dagger and when he pulled me to him, I pretended to kick away.  A rocky ledge was to my back, and pressed against the dark shirt I wore, prickling my skin. His eyes gleamed in the shrouded gray beneath the waterfall. When he shook out his hair, a few drops landed right in front of me. For a moment, the locks hung loose around his head, and within the next, they were dry and drifting in the water-sprayed air.

     My toes brushed against a submerged stone and I was just able to stand with my head out of the water. He came closer, turning my chin up before he brought our mouths together. I inhaled deeply, smelling him, tasting him and letting him twist his fingers into my hair. He seemed to tower above me as his feet took over the little stone I had been precariously standing on. Part of his chest and shoulders remained out of the water and when I reached up to lace my fingers behind his neck, his arms slid around my back to lift me up out of the water.

     We remained close, my arms locked around him and his around mine. When he pulled away for a moment to trail kisses along my chin, I let out a sigh and felt as though my heart was going to explode out of my chest. He gently pulled back; placing one final brush of his lips to my cheek before meeting my gaze.

     I slid my hands down from around his neck and onto his chest. They rose and fell gently with the heavy breaths he took. Sprays of water spun around us in the stirring breeze and droplets clung to his eyelashes, making the brown depths crackle with a kindled flame.

     “Well that was,” he broke off and brushed his lips against mine once more, “interesting.”

     I was thinking of a different word and pulled back to look at him more fully. “What do you mean?”

     “I mean, we aren’t as close as we’ve been before,” he said and slid one of his hands from my back and down the side of my leg, “but it was still—” He broke off again as he placed a soft kiss on my other cheek.

     “What did you expect?” I asked and shook my head wondering where he got some of his notions. “Did you think I lost my ability to kiss you, now that I’m a mermaid?” I pushed against his chest in mock anger.

     “No,” he shook his head and the ends of his hair tickled my forehead. “I just didn’t expect it to be the same.”

     I knew exactly what he was referring to, even if he wouldn’t say the words. The feeling I had had lingering over me the last few days had grown to an understanding, and I realized the difference I felt around him now.

     It wasn’t the change in his manner toward the Lathmorians, or even the way he had led them into battle; the change was all on my side. I understood him more than I ever had before, maybe it was the siren part of me, or maybe it was the anger which rose when I used the voice. Whatever it happened to be, I now knew him in a way I never would have thought possible.

     “What is it?” he asked, his finger tracing the frown line around my mouth.

     “Nothing,” I shook my head as I tried to clear the thought, unsure of whether or not he would want to know.

     “Tell me.”

     “It’s just I feel closer to you, now.” I said and bit my lip.

      “And?” he prodded, kissing me on the forehead.

     “I used to feel this close to you, before,” I waved my hand as though I could brush away what had happened to him. “When I first met you, we were the same. We both had been partially transformed and we didn’t know what would happen if Morven got a hold of us.”

     I bit my lip again, uncertain if I should say the rest of the words. Until now, I hadn’t realized how much it mattered to me, the difference between us.

     “But now,” I said and felt the lump gather in my throat even as the corners of my mouth lifted, “we’re the same again. You and I.” Somehow the depths of his brown gaze seemed to warm.

     “I love you,” he said. I felt his legs brush against mine.

     I nodded and whispered the words back to him, even as a shiver ran along my spine. This time it had nothing to do with pleasure or fear, but merely instinct. Slipping out of his strong embrace, I dove through the white cloud, returning only a moment later fully transformed.

     In the dark alcove, my fins almost sparkled beneath the gray depths.  My soldier’s pants and shirt drifted to the bottom of the pool beneath the roaring water, weighted down by the two knives looped into the waistband.

     The crooked smile I loved so much tugged at the side of his mouth and before I could say anything, he disappeared. I waited for him to return, but when he didn’t, I ventured out from behind the torrent and into the frothing foam of the pool.

     The lavender in my fins shimmered as the tail flicked back and forth keeping my shoulders above the water with ease. I looked around the pool wondering where he could have gone without letting him see my concern. I tried to deter any worry I had as I maintained a casual façade while looking beneath me.

     The dinge of the water was perfectly colored to hide the shimmering black of his fins. He could easily blend into the depths beneath me and I would never see him.

     Pretending I could care less about what he was doing, I made my way to the flat rock which jutted out over the top of the water. So many times I had sat there before, but only as a human.

     A sly grin lifted the edges of my mouth and with a small kick, I landed on top of the ledge. The movement was about as ungraceful as the first time I had tried to transform in midair. Remembering the way Kryssa had laughed at me was enough to make my cheeks flush. It all seemed so long ago.

     Looking down at my body, my eyes took in what I had seen so many times before, but never out of the water. Part of my mind wondered what my father would say if he could see me now. My torso was bare, my breasts discretely covered by smooth scales stretched across my skin; their color matching the flicking fins drifting on the surface of the water. All around me was lavender and I bit my lip, as I realized what I had really become.

     Beckoning my blades to appear, I took in the fullness of the creature I was, in one glance. It was breathtaking and astounding, all at the same time, and still I felt as though I knew myself.

     “Hello?” a familiar voice cried out.

     “In here!” I called back and watched as Kryssa came into view through the break in the trees. I retracted my blades and watched her take in my appearance, her eyes widened for a moment before she smiled.

     “Having fun?” she asked and stopped at the water’s edge, folding her arms over her chest.

     “Maybe a little,” I agreed and let a little laughter leave me.

     “Good,” she said and looked toward the waterfall and down into the depths of the pool. A small break in the clouds let in a little sunlight and I wondered if the sky would clear before nightfall. “Where’s Zale?”

     I rolled my eyes, “Down there. I don’t know wha—”

     A great whoosh sounded and a dark shape slammed into my side, wrapping me into a vice embrace as I was hurtled into the water.

     The loud slap of fins on the surface resounded before we came to a stop at the bottom of the pool. My breath having been knocked out of me, it took a moment before I could actually try and squirm away from him; all to no avail.

     Looking up, I could see the distorted shape of Kryssa staring down at us from up above. I suddenly became very aware of how tight he was holding me, and the way his black fins twisted around my own. Her face disappeared and before I could reprimand him, there was another splash from up above. 

     A flash of electric blue glided toward the bottom of the pool and when Kryssa came to a halt, her eyebrows were raised and lips pursed. I suddenly felt like a child caught stealing, and again tried to push away from Zale.

     He held me tight for a moment longer before releasing me into the embrace of the water. My cheeks were flushed, and when I looked back to Kryssa her humorous expression only made me blush further.

    
You were saying?
I asked, not sure of how else to make the situation more casual. 

     Her gaze shifted between the two of us as we all floated in the water, the tips of our tails kicking up little puffs of powdered dust on the pool’s floor.

    
There’s going to be another attack.

    
My eyes seemed to widen of their own accord. Zale’s posture straightened, somehow the scar along the back of his shoulder darkened.

    
Let’s go
, the warrior beside me made a move toward the surface, but stopped when Kryssa held out her hand.

     She shook her head,
No, I said it wrong. We’re going to attack.

    
Glancing to the side,  Zale’s hand twitched. When he murmured in the merlanguage we spoke, the sound was ethereal.
When?
he asked.

    
Soon
, she said, without looking at me. They exchanged a glance, and I looked back and forth between the two of them. A sense of dread began to build within me.

    
There’s more, isn’t there?
I asked, and she sighed, an odd wisp of a murmur beneath the water.