Waves of Change (World Above Water, Book 1) (6 page)

Daniel laughed as he tried to imagine the look on Chris’ face during his tantrum.

“I’m glad you’re enjoying this. I can’t wait until the shoe is on the other foot.”

“Fine, Chris. I’ll show you. By the way, ‘rat bastard’?”

“I’ve been watching too much television; now get on with it.”

Daniel got his laughter under control and recalled some of the events of the previous evening. He broadcasted the scenes through the water with a smile on his face.

“
Tai ikamu
, Daniel!”

“Yeah, I know. It was the best night of my life, and I can’t wait to see her again.”

“Your mother is going to flip.” Chris shared images of Daniel’s mother crushing Alicia in a vise-like hug as he recalled the times he’d shared with his friend’s family. “So when are you going to complete the
Ber-yh-ahnaal
?”

“
Enki
, Chris, I just met her yesterday.”

“So?”

“So, you don’t just explain to a normal human you are Leuk-Ahnal and she is your
Dau-Hael,
and you want to bond her to you forever by making love to her in water.” Daniel’s breathing increased, and his manhood came to life at the thought of intimate contact with Alicia. It took all of his focus to move his thoughts elsewhere.

“If you say so.”

“This part of the conversation is over, Chris.”

“Fine, so what did you want?”

“When we talked last night, Alicia told me about something from her childhood, how she was drawn out into the water. She mentioned she still feels the pull even now. I saved the memory and her feelings because I think someone tried to take her. I need you to take a look and tell me what you think.” Daniel replayed the memory for Chris and waited for his response. He didn’t have to wait long. The water surrounding his fingers vibrated violently with the force of Chris’ anger.

“Ver-Rist Tokos bastards!”

“Are you absolutely sure?” It was the last thing Daniel wanted to hear, and yet it was what he secretly feared when she told the story.

“It has to be. No one else would do anything like that. I’m going to send this to one of the advisors. He’ll confer with the elders. This is dangerous, Daniel. We may have to get her to safety, so be ready for that.”

Daniel’s mind began to race. He’d never experienced this kind of anger or fear from Chris before, and the thought of Alicia in danger made him crazy. “Why are they trying to take her? What do they want?”

“I don’t know, but I will tell you this—I will find out. I haven’t met her yet, but there is no way in hell I’d let them touch her.” Chris’ anger continued to build, and Daniel could feel and see the thoughts racing through his friend’s head. He knew Chris would do anything to help him, and he appreciated the extension of his loyalty to Alicia.

“Whatever it is they want to do, I will stop them. They will not take my
Dau-Hael
, Chris.”

Chapter 7

A few weeks later

Alicia knocked on the door to her boss’ office with a smile. “Hello, Dr. Bergen.”

“Dr. Lewis. Come in, come in. I have some exciting news.” With a twinkle in his brown eyes, the more seasoned doctor watched her sit down in the burgundy leather wingback chair in front of his large mahogany desk. After she took her seat, he laced his fingers while he sat in silence for several moments. All the while a smile played across his lips. Something was up, but his expression hinted at something positive.

“Dr. Bergen?” Alicia wrinkled her brow at his expression. She glanced down at his desk to see if there was any paperwork to help her figure out why he wanted to see her, but she found no clues.

“Dr. Lewis, you have been a most impressive addition to the hospital. I know you don’t want to add professor duties to your plate just yet, but I want to talk to you about an exciting opportunity.”

He’s about to find a way to triple my workload.
She couldn’t help but think whatever had the hospital director so excited was a mixed bag of good news and long, sleepless nights.

“The biotech arm of Rockland Pharmaceuticals is interested in funding a research project, and they want you to lead it. There is virtually an unlimited budget for you to accomplish this.” Dr. Bergen smiled and clapped his hands together in front of his chest.

“That sounds almost too good to be true. What are the parameters? Am I allowed to pursue my own research, or are they looking for something specific?”
I wasn’t expecting this. This could be good.
Her scientific curiosity was piqued, and she thought about a few projects she had on the back burner.

“Everything you need to know is in this file. Take some time to look it over, but don’t take too long. You don’t want this opportunity to slip away.”

When he handed her the navy blue folder, she opened it and glanced at the cover letter. “Dr. Bergen, have you looked this over?”

“I haven’t. They wanted you specifically. So I am presenting it to you now.”

“All right, I’ll get to it this weekend. Can you set aside some time for me on Monday so we can chat about it?” Excitement bubbled up inside her, making her skin tingle in random places, but she tamped it down.
Read it first, and then we’ll know what steps to take.

“Certainly. I’m as interested as you are to see what this entails.”

Alicia stood and held the file close to her chest. She turned to make her way to the door and was about to take a step when Dr. Bergen spoke again.

“Oh, Dr. Lewis?”

“Yes?” She turned to face him and saw his wide grin.

“Congratulations. Not every researcher is sought out in this way. It speaks well of your accomplishments.”

Dr. Bergen’s praise brought a smile to her lips, and she stood just a little bit taller. “Thank you, but let’s celebrate after I find out how tight the collar they plan to put around my neck is.”

After exchanging nods, Dr. Bergen stood and walked her to the door. They shook hands, and she headed for the elevator.

As soon as she got back to her office, she placed the file in her briefcase. She sat down at her desk and went over her cases and rounds for the day. Her perusal was interrupted by the vibration of her mobile phone in her lab coat pocket. She didn’t look at the screen but simply answered as usual. “Dr. Lewis.”

“Good morning, beautiful.”

The sound of Daniel’s voice brought an instant smile to her lips, and she felt a tiny wave of euphoria pass through her as she leaned back in her chair and released a small breath. “Hi, Daniel.”

“Will you have any time for lunch today?”

“Hmm… I was just going over my cases when you called. It looks like I have three back-to-back.” She couldn’t help frowning a little as she looked at the schedule, but she also felt the familiar rush of excitement when she thought about how she’d be able to help her patients.

“Is it normal to have three surgeries in a row like that?”

“It isn’t supposed to happen, but today they put three procedures together.” When Daniel sighed, Alicia felt compelled to soothe him. “It’s fine, Daniel, really. This isn’t nearly as bad as it was when I was on call once. I had to stay awake for over one hundred hours straight.” She laughed at the memory. Daniel, on the other hand…

“One hundred hours straight? Why would they make you do that? That’s insanity. Who can function like that?”

“I’m sorry. I was trying to get you to see this morning isn’t as bad as some of the weeks I’ve had in the past. How about we have dinner tonight? I’ll try to leave earlier so we can eat at a reasonable hour for a change.” During the weeks they had been dating, Alicia’s schedule often proved challenging, but they worked around it.

“Where do you want to go?”

“Nowhere actually; you know I’m not really a huge fan of restaurants. I can come to your place and cook, or you can come to my place and I can cook there.” She scribbled notes onto a patient’s chart and made a mental note to add that individual to her rounds.

“I’ll come to your place, and I’ll cook. You are not going to spend hours on your feet in the operating room just to come home and spend time on your feet cooking.”

Alicia chuckled as she placed the phone between her shoulder and ear. “It’s what I normally do.”

“Well, normally was before me. You should be able to relax when you get home from a day like this.” There was a hint of pleading in his voice, and she couldn’t refuse.

“Very well; my place it is, along with your menu.”

“Excellent. Call me when you’re leaving so I can meet you there.”

“Will do. Oh, wait.” Everything was fine until a thought came to mind, reminding her of an important obligation.

“What’s wrong?”

“Two things. I need to leave time for my run. I have to get at least five miles in. The second thing is, I need a date for the hospital’s Have a Heart Ball. Know anyone who’d be up for it?”

“Hmm, I don’t know. Let me see if I have any friends who’d want to hang out with a gorgeous heart surgeon.” After a quick laugh, he spoke in a calm voice. “I will absolutely be your date for the ball. Call me when you’re heading back to your car. Are you running by the lake or the park?”

“The park. Why?”

“I just need to estimate how far you’ll be from your house so I can judge my commute.”

“Sounds completely logical. No wonder I like you.” She transferred another file to her rounds pile and smiled as she anticipated the end of her work day.

“I’ll be sure to wear my Vulcan ears from now on then.”

Alicia laughed into the phone, and she could hear Daniel laughing as well. “Peace and long life, Daniel.”

“Live long and prosper, Alicia.” She pictured him making the Vulcan V with his fingers and resisted the urge to do the same.

“Did you know Vulcan is actually a Roman god? His Greek counterpart is—”

“Hephaestus, god of fire and smithing. I did know that, and knowing this info is floating around in your head pleases me more than you’ll ever know. I’ll talk to you later, beautiful.”

“Okay, be safe, Daniel.”

“Always.”

“Bye.” When she ended the call, she drew in a deep breath.
I have fallen so hard for that man.
The weeks spent with Daniel had quickly become the standard for her life, and she found herself thinking of him all the time.
Well, the only way to get this day over with is to get it started.
After she changed into her scrubs, she left her office to see her patients before surgery.

* * * *

“That’s him.” Chris used only his eyes to indicate their target as he walked casually next to Daniel.

Daniel nodded at the confirmation and moved along like an unassuming pedestrian. They walked down the sidewalk following the man in question. With a nod, Chris sped up and walked ahead of him while Daniel focused on the man’s movements.

Pretending to trip over something in front of him, Chris stopped abruptly, giving Daniel time to approach the mark from behind and take control of the water in his body. Without words, the Ver-Rist Tokos in question began to walk next to Chris with eyes clouded by fear. Daniel could sense he wanted to cry out, but he wouldn’t allow it. A quick manipulation and his vocal cords were paralyzed.

The man walked to his car against his will and opened the door. Daniel manipulated his water so he held the door open for Chris and handed him the keys. Daniel and the car’s owner got in the backseat.

Chris smiled at their new prisoner via the rearview mirror and spoke in a firm voice. “So, this is going to be very simple. I will ask you questions, and you will answer them truthfully. If you try to lie, we will know instantly. I’m sure your king doesn’t value your life at this point, so make it easy on yourself.”

Daniel allowed him to nod, and he listened in as his captive cursed himself internally for not sensing members of the Pa lel nation. The captured agent realized the two men had power greater than he did, and there wasn’t much he could do about the situation he was in. One of the two men had complete control of his body’s movements, and he was stuck inside his own car at their mercy.

Daniel searched the man’s memories for information while Chris asked him various questions about the Ver-Rist Tokos nation. Chris’ questions were meant to lead him in another direction, making it easier for Daniel to probe his mind.

The man answered Chris while Daniel continued peeling back the layers of memories and orders inside the man, relaying his findings to Chris as he uncovered them. When they found what they needed, they knew exactly how to proceed. They would be able to stop a car bombing in one of their small towns.
So they were going to make it look like an accident. Bastards.

When Chris was satisfied, he gave Daniel the signal. In the space of a breath, Daniel created a blockage of water in the man’s aorta.

“That was … new…” Chris eyed the reflection of the man’s body in the backseat with raised eyebrows before he turned around in the driver’s seat to look Daniel in the eye.

“Yeah, well, Alicia talks a lot about her cases. I figured I’d apply some of what I learned.”

“I like this woman more and more.”

Despite their workload, Daniel hadn’t forgotten about Alicia’s childhood story. “Any news from the elders about Alicia’s experience?”

“Not yet. They sent in special operatives to find out as much as they can. We’ll be the first to know when they uncover anything.”

Daniel wanted to feel relief in Chris’ words, but he couldn’t. A threat to his
Dau-Hael
was still out there somewhere, and he had no leads.

“We’ll find out, Daniel. You know I won’t give up on this.”

“I just don’t want it to come too late.” After removing the cap from a small bottled water in his blazer pocket, Daniel transferred their findings and mission briefing to his king’s advisor. “Let’s get this cleaned up.” He pulled out his cell phone and quickly dialed Alicia’s number. “Hey, beautiful. Have a nice run?”

“I did, and I am getting in the car now.”

“I’ll see you there.” She sounded a little winded, and he pictured her with the slight blush she got on cheeks after she went for a run.