wrath of the Sea Queen (165 page)

Vin was so stunned
by what both
women
said
that
he
could not offer an
immediate
response
. 
Rika
was
twist
ing
his words, confusing C
a
eli, and taking advantage of her grief and guilt. 
Therefore, everything Vin said caused C
a
eli more distress. 
Rika
was making the entire situation worse. 
How long had she been doing this to C
a
eli
?
  He suspected it had been going on since the crash; but decided the origin didn't matter.
 
He
intended
to put a stop to it
right
now
.  C
a
eli needed to grieve without Rika's interference.  Vin
did not know
exactly
how
to silence Rika
. 
He needed
to find
something that Rika could
n
o
t use
against
C
a
eli
.

"
C
a
eli,
I know you. 
You are my wife
and
my love
. 
No one could ever replace you.  I know you
a
re hurting
and
confused
, but
please
d
o
n
o
t listen to Rika.
She is misleading you. 
I am
here with
you
now
, and I'm not going to leave
.  You are safe. 
C
a
eli, you know I
woul
d never lie to you.
"

"
Wouldn't he? 
You saw the pictures. 
Why didn't he tell you about the woman he was kissing? 
And h
ow many times has he deceived you already
on this trip by using
drugs to keep you from hearing the truth?
"  Rika persisted.

"
Trust me, C
a
eli. 
I love you
.  Please l
isten to me. 
T
his is not your fault
, and
I don't blame you.  I know you did everything that you could.  You do not have to face any of this alone, especially not this.  I will help you. 
I won't leave you. 
I know you.  I know your heart
,
"
Vin offered
C
a
eli
the reassurance she needed
and meant every word of it
.
  He hoped they were words that Rika could not
twist
.

"
He doesn't know you
; not like I do
. 
I
ha
ve always known about your gift.  I told you about it when you were young.  Nobody else did that for you.  When
Eyvindr
learned of your bloodline
months ago
, he did not encourage you to discover your true self because he did not want to share his
spotlight
with you.
"

"
That's not true, and
C
a
eli
knows it.
"

"
Then perhaps you can
explain
why you neglected to tell her about her grandfather
and
Deacon Antonius.
"

"
Stop this!  That was not a lie. 
S
ome
fact
s are better left
buried
,
" Vin countered.

"
Ah, you see.  He does keep secrets from you.  And m
ore than that, h
e doesn't know about your trip to the beach when you were young. 
Eyvindr
d
oes not
know
how closely
and inseparably
our destinies are
bound
. 
He has no idea what we
ha
ve been through together.
"

"
I don't believe you share a past or a future with
C
a
eli.
"

"
Then perhaps
you
should hear
her
secrets. 
He does
not know
how
you killed his son.  Shall I tell him?
"

"
Leave her alone, Rika!
" 
That was the final straw. 
Vin's grief
found a new outlet in his sudden
anger.
  What was it going to take to get rid of this woman?

"
I cannot do that, Eyvindr.  She needs to remember
the truth.  She needs to know her place
.
"

"
C
a
eli has no need of
your twisted version of the truth,
" Vin countered.

"
You try my patience, boy. 
I like
what you
bring to this relationship, Eyvindr
,
but
make no mistake
of your value
.
  I
only need her.  I do not
necessarily
have to entertain
you.
"  Rika
threatened
Vin.

As Rika became irritated, Vin heard the
fury of the
storm outside increase.  Vin gained a fleeting insight
into
Rika's true nature.  Could she be
the
caus
e of the original
storm?

"
I don't care what you like or need.  You are going to leave C
a
eli alone or I am going to make you regret the pain you are causing her.
"

"
Oh, this is not pain.  You have not seen real pain.
"

"
Why don't you s
how yourself instead of hiding like a coward
.
I will introduce you to real pain,
" Vin replied with heated ire.

"
You offer such b
old word
s
!  Let's see you back them up.  Let's see if you can prevent me from doing anything
at all
.
"

C
a
eli
unexpectedly doubled over with a
sharp pain in her stomach
as bad as
any
pain
she had
felt before
, and Vin could feel the backlash through his connection to
her.
  Rika was hurting her.  This is what C
a
eli had been trying to explain previously.  It was more than just the poison that she had been suffering.  Now Vin understood.  He held onto C
a
eli and attempted to sooth
e
her with his own gift; but his effort did nothing to diminish the amount of pain C
a
eli fel
t
.

"
Release her!
"

"
Or what?  What will you do, boy?
"  Rika's mocking laughter only made Vin that much angrier.