Current Impressions (23 page)

“Of course,” Evan said. “It won’t happen
again.”

Once the professor left, Evan stood and
threw on a T-shirt. He placed his hand on the small of my back and
guided me forward.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“Isn’t it obvious?” he asked. “I’m seeing
you out.”

He led me down the hall and a flight of
stairs until we stood in the entryway where I’d first met him in
this house.

“Evan, who is your visitor?”

The voice came from the formal living room.
A man sat in a chair near the fireplace, a book open in his lap and
reading glasses on his nose. In his red velvet smoking jacket, he
looked a bit like Santa Claus in that his hair was white and he had
a beard, although his was more trimmed and elegant that Santa’s
was. He watched us over the top of his glasses, which also added to
the jolly elf look.

“Ken,” Evan said. Was that reluctance in his
voice? “This is Meara.”

“Meara!” Ken set the book on the table and
crossed the room. “What a delight to finally meet you.”

“Uh…nice to meet you, too.” I shook his
outstretched hand.

“I assume Evan extended the invitation to
dinner this Saturday night? I do hope you’ll join us.”

Behind Ken, Evan shook his head furiously.
“I-I don’t think we can make it,” I stammered. “We already have a
commitment.”

“Are you sure?” he asked. “You’re welcome to
bring your friend as well. I believe Evan said his name is
Kieran?”

“That’s right.” My eyes flickered to Evan’s,
and I was surprised to see how furious he looked. Was I doing
something wrong? Did he want me to decline or not?

“Truly, I insist. If not Saturday, what
about Sunday evening? Surely you can’t have plans two days in a
row.”

“Sunday…” I considered. What could I tell
him? Before I could speak up, Evan spoke for me.

“She’d love to come. I’m sure Kieran will be
here, too.”

Ken’s expression relaxed into a smile.
“Wonderful. I look forward to getting to know you.”

“Thanks,” I managed before Evan grabbed my
elbow and steered me toward the door. Once we were outside, I spun
around to face him. “What the hell was that about? One minute
you’re telling me to decline, the next you’re accepting the
invitation for Kieran and me. What’s gotten into you?”

“If you hadn’t come back here, you wouldn’t
have been in this situation. You should’ve listened to me. You
couldn’t decline right to Ken’s face. That would be incredibly
rude. Ken’s been nothing but a gracious host to me. He’s offering
to make you dinner, not serve you as dinner. What’s the problem?”
Evan’s voice grew colder with each word, and his eyes began to
glow. “As for Kieran, he’s your personal bodyguard, isn’t he? You
two are a packaged deal, aren’t you? That’s the only way your daddy
will let you come.”

“Your eyes.” I stepped back and tried to
keep my voice from trembling. “What’s happening to you, Evan?”

“What are you talking about?” he snapped. “I
feel better than I have in weeks. You’re the one who told me to see
a doctor. I did, and now you’re on my case about it? Go home,
Meara.”

“Evan—” I took a step toward him.

“I’ll see you Sunday,” he said and slammed
the door in my face.

What’s wrong with me?

Evan paced in his bedroom. He sent the girl
he loved out the door as if she were a vacuum salesman. He worried
about her safety, but that was no reason to treat her so
rudely.

Then there was the dinner on Sunday. He
couldn’t remember why he felt it was important that she come and
bring Kieran with her. Kieran, of all people. Evan hated that guy
for flirting with Meara. Yet, he heard himself asking Meara to
bring him. It was like he was talking but someone else was pulling
the strings. It creeped him out.

He wanted to reach out to her and tell her
he was sorry, but he didn’t think she’d believe him. What if he
tried to apologize, only to say something horrible? He didn’t trust
himself. What did it mean when you couldn’t predict your own
behavior? It sounded like a sign of madness.

Someone knocked once, a loud rap, on his
door.

“Come in.”

Ken stepped in the room, looking concerned.
“Everything okay, Evan? You seemed a little upset downstairs.”

“I’m fine.” Evan sat down on his bed. “We
just had a fight. That’s all.”

Ken’s face fell in sympathy. “Too bad I
didn’t know. I wouldn’t have pushed her to come to dinner. Should
we cancel?”

Yes
, Evan wanted to say, but
something told him not to. Meara would be safer if he went along
with this. He didn’t know why he knew that, but he did. “No need to
cancel. It was nothing major.”

“Good to hear.” Ken clamped him on the
shoulder with his strong grip. “I’m looking forward to it. I
haven’t entertained in ages.”

“We’re looking forward to it, too, sir.”

“Ken, son. Call me Ken. Remember?” Ken
slapped him on the back, and Evan tried not to wince. Walking out
the door, Ken called over his shoulder. “We’re like family here. No
need for those formalities.”

“Goodnight, Ken. Sorry for the interruption
earlier.”

“No need to apologize. It gave me a chance
to meet your girl. She’s a lovely thing.” He grinned at Evan, who
smiled weakly in return. “Why don’t we take the day off tomorrow?
Head into town, have lunch, and pick up some new clothes for the
dinner.”

“Um… okay.” This was turning into a bigger
event than Evan originally anticipated. He really wished that Meara
had obeyed him and her father and stayed away. It was too late for
that now.

“Great! See you in the morning.” Ken closed
the door, his footsteps echoing down the hall. Evan rubbed his sore
shoulder and cursed. What had he gotten Meara into?

Kieran charged and I stood my ground,
judging the angle of his attack. At the last minute, I repositioned
and threw him over my shoulder. His breath whooshed out when I
dropped and pinned him in place.

“You’re getting strong,” he said. “And
fast.” I let up slightly, and he used the move to his advantage,
flipping me onto my back. “You still show too much mercy.”

“Would you rather I knock you out?” I pushed
his arm off and sat up.

“I’d like to see you try.” His grin was full
of conceit.

“Don’t tempt me,” I muttered while
scratching at my skin. It had been a week since I last Changed. I
missed it. “Can we go for a swim?”

Kieran’s expression sobered. “You know your
dad forbade it.”

“He’s not here, is he?” I swept my arm to
take in the island. It was beautiful, but it was starting to feel
like a prison. “Besides, you can protect me.”

“As if you need me to protect you.” He stood
and moved beside me to look out at the ocean. “You can protect
yourself.”

I wasn’t above begging. “Kieran,
please?”

I took his hands in mine and tried to ignore
the wave of warmth that tingled up my arm. If I didn’t Change soon,
I’d go mad. My dad had to know how terrible of a sentence he gave
us. I wanted to chew him out, but he wasn’t around.

I felt the moment when Kieran’s resolve
broke. “Okay, we’ll go for a quick swim. Any sign of trouble, we
transport back here instantly. Agreed?”

“Of course.”

With our hands still joined, Kieran
transported us to the cove. He eyed me warily before the air
shimmered and he took his seal form. Tossing his head, he gave an
impatient bark. I laughed and Changed, gliding into the water with
a sigh of relief. Only once I was swimming through the waves, lost
in the current, did I realize what this meant. How could I give
this up? How could I choose to live as a human when a mere week of
being forbidden to swim was pure torture?

You okay?
Kieran’s voice filtered
through my head.
You seem sad. I thought you wanted to
swim.

I’m fine. Just thinking.

Well, stop,
Kieran ordered
. I
don’t know when we’ll get to do this again, so let’s take
advantage. Race you!

He took off, and I struggled to catch up. He
was faster underwater, more powerful, more experienced. I kept him
in my sight and raced after him. I lost track of how far we’d gone.
I almost ran into his tail when he stopped short.

What’s this?

His voice sounded worried. I peered over his
shoulder and jerked back in shock. In front of us, death and decay
stretched as far as I could see.

Was there an oil spill?
I asked.

I’ve seen oil spills and their
destruction.
Kieran’s voice was soft.
This is not the
same.
He lowered himself to the ground and nosed at the
sediment.
There’s something else going on here. Something I’ve
never seen before. We’ll have to alert the elders.

Is everything okay?
I watched him
move slowly along the perimeter, nudging at random plants and
animals that were either dead or dying.
Kieran?

I… I don’t know.
He sounded insecure,
afraid even.
Let’s head back.

We didn’t talk on the swim back. I paid
closer attention and determined that we must have been about twenty
miles away from the island when we ran into the rotting mess. There
seemed to be more schools of fish as we neared home. I hoped that
meant these were the survivors. The only things that died were the
plants and animals that could not move or move fast enough. Would
the destruction keep spreading? Which way was it moving, away from
or toward Ronac? And if it was moving toward us, how long would we
be safe?

Kieran changed back first. His jeans clung
to his wet skin, and he didn’t bother with a shirt. This time, I
knew it was from distraction. He wasn’t trying to seduce me. As I
changed, I consciously dried off. Wet denim was so uncomfortable. I
visualized jeans and a T-shirt, with tennis shoes on my feet.

Ready?
Kieran grasped my hand and
transported us back to the entrance. He was poised to run, and I
wanted to keep up. Running on land was a close second to racing
under the waves. I thrilled with the power and matched his stride.
How did he know where to go? Was he heading to the strategy
room?

Do you think Brigid and my dad are
back?
Although I could speak aloud, running up the stairs, it
was easier to speak to him telepathically.

We’ll find out. If not, we’ll tell
Angus.

Are you going to tell them we were
swimming?
I asked, already guessing the answer.

I have to, Meara.
I could practically
hear the eye roll in Kieran’s voice.
How else would we know
what’s happening at the bottom of the ocean?

I swallowed my fear. Dad was going to be
pissed. I ran down the hall silently, trying to be brave.

Kieran sensed my worry.
Don’t worry
,
he said.
They’ll be more concerned about our report than what we
were doing at the time.

Don’t be too sure about that
, I
said.

My dad and aunt weren’t back. We tried both
of their doors with no success. We checked the strategy room, too,
but it was dark. I was disappointed and relieved at the same time.
I wanted to see my dad, but maybe it would be easier to break this
news to my great uncle.

Kieran knocked at Angus’ door while I
shifted on my feet. I hoped he wouldn’t be too disappointed in me.
He understood how hard it was to stay out of the water.

Angus opened the door and was clearly
surprised to see us. “Kieran! Meara! What brings you two to my
door?”

His broad shoulders filled the entrance. He
looked from Kieran to me, pulling on his beard in speculation.

“We’d like to talk to you, sir.” Kieran’s
voice filled with deference. His head bowed slightly toward my
uncle, although they were the same height.

“Of course.” Angus stepped back to give us
room. “Come in, come in.”