Blueisland (Watermagic Series, #4) (23 page)

Sickened with myself, I lifted Emily’s unconscious body over my shoulder and carried her through the
hot jungle back out onto the beach. Dizzy from the heat, I swayed as I looked down at the blood on the ground where Marcel and the kelpie had fought, but no bodies were in sight. My head pounded. Did Marcel make it out alive? He had to, I told myself. He just had to be alive.

I laid Emily’s body at the edge of the shore
. Quickly, I rinsed off in the ocean water to lower my body temperature and rushed back into the rainforest hoping to find Marcel and not the kelpie. I was panting hard from nerves, running and running, breaking down branches that got in my way.

Once I got to the tree house, I climbed up the ladder to the inside. Nobody was there
. I just heard the gentle trickle of water circulating in the pool. My chest constricted. After rinsing in the water, I slipped on over my bikini another dress that Marine gave me after we returned from the get-together with the Ancients. It was calf-length and silky, a flesh tone—very sexy with an understated elegance to it. Tiny diamonds sparkled along the neckline with lovely blue seashells embroidered along the hem. It made me feel confident somehow. I hurried back down and headed north as Marcel had said to do.

I was starting to overheat
again, but in my worry, I pushed myself onward. After about five minutes of running and leaping over fallen trees and other natural debris, I came to a large pool of water with magnificent waterfalls cascading down the rocks of a great big mountain blossoming in flowers and greenery. It was breathtaking.

Feelings of déjà vu
rushed over me. I felt like I had been there before. Then I remembered one of my dreams and heat rose to my cheeks.

I didn’
t see Marcel. My heart started to beat faster and then ache.

I was so dizzy from the heat.
My mind in turmoil, I took a step forward and fell into the waterbed. Once the water hit my skin, my mind started to clear. I rolled on my back and looked up at the rays of light breaking through the water and shining down on my skin. Yes, I remembered this from my dream.

After my body temperature equalized with the
liquid of the pond, I swam around under the surface for a while looking for Marcel. Maybe he was waiting for me underwater. The idea seemed to resonate with me, but I had this deep fear like this wasn’t going to turn out well.

As I swam onward
below the surface, following my intuition regarding his whereabouts, I observed lots of long green plants growing up from the rocky ground. A school of fresh water fish greyish in color swam past me. I followed the sounds of the falling water. And once I got behind all the lit bubbles from the waterfall breaking the surface, I saw some sexy legs in sporty black swim pants standing in the shallow area. Now the blood was pumping hard and hotter in my body.

I swam
closer and rushed to the top, my head and upper body breaking through to the air. Marcel was staring at me with a grin on his gorgeous face. “You made it.” He raised a dark brow causing tingling sensations to rush through me. I remembered this moment.

I swallowed, wanting to throw my arms around him, but
I held back for fear of coming on too strong. “Uh, yeah, I did make it.” A tiny smile tugged at my lips. “What happened to the kelpie?”

Amusement seemed to dance in his sparkling blue eyes. “That bitch is dead.” He chuckled
enigmatically. “I suppose I’ll have to import a new kelpie for Jengu Wata.”

“Yeah, he probably doesn’t appreciate that we took his work horse.”

He nodded, the grin returning to his face. This time the grin was crooked like he was having some naughty thought. I so wanted to know what that thought could be. “Come here.” He held out his hand while hiding the other hand behind his back.

My breathing constricted.
This was so familiar. I trekked through the water until I was standing right before him, the waterfall pounding the surface behind my back. Heat burning my cheeks, I took his long fingers into mine. Electricity danced through my body. Holy cow! His long dark hair glistened wet over his broad shoulders. He was utterly hot!

“I have to tell you something.” My voice hitched in my throat.

His line of eyesight seemed to trail over my face like he was trying to read my mind. I noticed his eyes grow a darker shade of blue. “What did you do, Jewel?” His tone grew colder.

My fingers touched my upper lip as my eyebrows creased. “I converted Emily.”

His face fell. “Oh, Jewel.” His head was shaking side to side as his lips drew together slightly. “You didn’t?” His question was reprimanding as his incredibly beautiful face relaxed and then stilled like the surface of a cold lake as he dropped my hand.

My stomach clenched.
“Jake Stevenson was raping her. I got so angry that I killed him and in the heat of the moment I turned her.” I searched his unreadable eyes, pain rising up in my throat. “I had to anyway. We used to be friends. I couldn’t let the Ancients butcher her to death.”

His eyes looked mean now as his nostrils flared. “The Trident Court will kill you for turning Emily. They don’t allow conversions without permission.”

“I know that,” I sighed, trying to hold back the tears that were welling in my eyes. I didn’t want to look helpless before him.

He took my face into his hands as a tear dropped from my eye. “I’ll set you up somewhere far away from them,” he said. “You won’t be able to be with your school, but you will be okay. I have connections.” He ran one finger down the side of my cheek. “I won’t let anyone hurt you, Jewel.”
I believed him, but his eyes looked stormy.

“I remember this place,” I said, gazing up at his azure eyes framed in thick heavy lashes.

A crease etched between his dark brows as he held up a familiar looking bottle before me.

My hand flew to my mouth as I gasped. It was the same bottle
with the note inside that I threw out into the ocean while up on the mast of the yacht that night after the prom.

His eyes were smoldering.
“Did you throw this in the ocean for me to find?” he asked, his voice slow and serious.

I gulped, embarrassed and shocked that he found it.
“That depends if you are the guy from my dreams.” I felt so hot and dizzy now.

“Do you remember what we did here
behind these waterfalls?” His voice was musical like a lullaby.

I took in
a quick breath of hot moist air and giggled. The pain I was feeling inside was so sweet. “If you read the note in the bottle, you must know I remember everything.” I was spellbound by his eyes staring feverishly into mine. “Maybe you should show me what we did here.”

He ran his fingers through his
wet hair looking away.

Nerves danced in my belly. Did I just make a fool of myself?

But he gazed back at me, a hint of mischief tugging at his perfect lips. “I thought you’d never ask.” He swept me up suddenly into his arms.

Catching me by surprise, I giggled again
, breathless.

He carried me over to the side of the mountain and into a dark cave. My heart rate sped up at the pitch black surroundings. He laid me down on a smooth boulder and pulled a sash out of his shorts pocket. “I bet you remember this.” His tone was low and teasing
as he dangled the strip of black fabric before me.

I was already breathing deeper than normal as he tied the sash over my eyes. My body was
filling with warm tingling sensations. I thought about how bad this was considering that he was married to Brigitte and how the Trident Court would never allow us to be together, but I just couldn’t get myself to say no.

“Listen to the sounds of the water,” he said, his voice naturally beautiful.

I tried to focus on the rush of water at my toes that dangled in the liquid below, but my attention was on him and his delicious scent as he leaned over me, holding my wrists down at my sides. “Don’t move your hands,” he murmured, his lips brushing mine.

I held perfectly still as he slid the straps of my dress over my shoulders slowly
and then slid the rest of the dress off my body. “You are so beautiful,” he breathed. My stomach contracted internally as I struggled to steady myself.

He ran his finger slowly from my chin down my neck. My body shuddered. “Don’t move,” he whispered in my ear causing tickling sensations to erupt within me. Now his finger eased down from my neck to the center of my chest. My back arched slightly.

He bit my shoulder a tad too hard causing a prickling sensation to shoot up my insides. Delicious fear rose up within me. “Keep still,” he reprimanded. Then his finger trailed over the center string of my bikini top and down my stomach.

Oh, shit. It was so hard to not move and wrap my legs around his hard body.
I thought about how he could tear me to shreds at any moment. I knew that irresistible urge when I was around humans. That sweet inviting scent. He must have felt that with me.

He played with the edge of my bikini bottoms, running his finger along it, brushing the lower area of my stomach way below my belly button lightly.
It felt so good.

My body tensed up, especially in my private spot.
“Oh, Jewel Razzen, you are not supposed to move.” He bit my lower lip and moaned. I could tell he liked that part of my body. “You are so hot,” he murmured, his mouth just above mine. My body warmed in utter pleasure. I couldn’t imagine him saying that to any other girl, especially after seeing how he was with Emily and how he treated Brigitte and that supermodel, Kitty Kole. His breath was cool and sensual on my lips. I wanted to drink him in. I wanted all of him.

But then, suddenly there was a rush of noise through the pond. I yanked the sash off my face. Marcel grabbed me and pulled me into his arms tightly.
But before we could do anything to save ourselves, about five mers from the Trident Court rushed in and pulled me out of Marcel’s arms and out of the cave. Harmonious said in his low, unsettling voice, “Jewel Razzen, you have been found guilty for the crime of converting Emily Monroe without permission from the Trident Court. Your punishment is death.”

Now that we were out in the sunlight, I saw that the entire Trident Court was there standing in the pond
, their legs in human form, behind the waterfall and before us. Marcel was struggling to break free from four mermen who were holding him back.

Harmonious pulled out a big machete, the silver edge glistening in the scorching sunlight over my head as another mer
man threw my back down against an overturned log that was wedged firmly in the pond. I looked up at the machete knowing it was about to cut my head off.

But Marcel broke free from the four mers who were holding him back.
In shock, I looked over at him. He pulled out his own knife that he kept in the holster at his hips and held it up above his heart. “Release Jewel Razzen of her crime or I will kill myself. If she dies, so do I.”

My heart was slamming against my chest like a jackhammer as the mer held me down.

“You will have no king,” he yelled. “You will all die.” He looked around at all the mers while holding the knife fiercely over his heart.

The mermaid with the long white hair held up her hand. “We will release Jewel Razzen back to her school on one condition; you are never to interact with her ever again.”

“Agreed,” Marcel called out still holding the knife above his heart.

“Let the girl go,” the white haired mermaid called out.

Harmonious put his machete back in its holder and the other merman released me.

“Go back to the beach, Miss Razzen. You and your school will be exported to your mansion
in Florida. If you ever meet with Marcel Paradis again, you and your entire school will be executed. This is law.” She and Marcel walked to the center and Harmonious cut first her wrist lightly and then Marcel’s with his machete. Marcel and the white haired woman held their bleeding wrists against each other’s.

“This oath is in blood,” Harmonious called out.

I met Marcel’s gaze. His eyes bored into my very soul. I could hear the music of his body in mine. At the same moment, a single tear rolled down each of our cheeks and I knew without a doubt we had dreamed the same dreams. The mers began to sing the most beautiful song that sickened me to the core and I swam away. My heart would be his forever…

*

This fantasy isn’t over yet… Keep a look out for book #5 of the Watermagic Series

Also by Brighton Hill

Bluehour (Watermagic Series, #1)

Bluedawn (Watermagic Series, #2)

Bluewicked (Watermagic Series, #3)

Heavenly Killers (Roseville Vampires, #1)

Heavenly Blood (Roseville Vampires, #2)

Here is a sample of Heavenly Killers (Roseville Vampires, #1)

Copyright© 2013 by Brighton Hill

Heavenly Killers

(Roseville Vampires)

by Brighton Hill

Chapter One

It was dark in Roseville Mountains at Blood Falls as Violet Paris and Radley Aston embraced at the edge of the cliff. His fingers dug a little too strongly into her back as he held her in his lean muscular arms. She felt the pain, but as weird as it was, she liked it.