Current Impressions (27 page)

“Shall we have another glass of wine with
the main course?” Ken held a bottle out to us. The label was old
and peeling. “I’ve been saving this for a special occasion.”

This was a special occasion? What was so
special about us coming to dinner?

“We’re flattered,” Kieran said. He held the
glass to his nose and breathed in. “Bordeaux?”

“You know wines?” Ken asked, impressed.
“It’s Château Lafleur, 1970.”

Kieran took a small sip, rolling the wine
around in his mouth. Ken waited for his approval. “Delicious,”
Kieran murmured.

It’s laced.
Kieran’s voice rang in my
head
. Don’t drink it. Excuse yourself to the bathroom, and then
go out front. I’ll meet you there.
When I didn’t move, he
yelled in my head,
Meara, go now!

I pushed my chair back and stood, struggling
to appear nonchalant while my heart raced. “Excuse me, Ken, but
where is the bathroom?”

“Second door on the right,” he said. “Would
you like Evan to show you?”

Evan made no move to stand. I shook my
head.

“I can find it. I’ll be right back.”

I stepped in the hall and almost ran into
Stonewall. He and the female server stood by the dinner cart,
waiting for Ken to request their entrance. I couldn’t walk to the
front door now. They’d see me and wonder. I headed to the bathroom,
closed the door, and locked it before turning the water on low.
Then, I transported to the front porch. If anyone came to check on
me, they’d assume I was washing my hands.

I almost yelped when Kieran grabbed my hand.
Before I could say anything, he transported us back to Ronac. He
didn’t speak. I was getting a fuzzy vibe from him. We landed at the
cove, half in the water. Kieran collapsed face forward into the
surf.

“Kieran!” I screamed. I scooped my arms
under his and dragged him to the shore, rolling him over onto his
back. His eyes were closed and his face was pale. He was breathing,
but not responsive. I lifted his eyelids and jumped back. All that
showed were the whites.

I did the only thing I could think of. I
held onto him and transported us to Angus’ room. The amount of
energy required to transport us made my head pound. I rubbed my
temples, and after a moment, observed the details around me. The
television was on and paused. The shower was running. I moved
Kieran to the couch and ran to the bathroom door. Pounding on it, I
shouted for Uncle Angus.

The water stopped. My uncle threw open the
door. Dripping with water, he clutched a towel around his
waist.

“Uncle Angus, something is wrong with
Kieran!” I said before he could say anything.

“Where is he?” he asked.

“In your living room,” I said. “Come
quick.”

“I’ll be right there, child.” He closed the
door, and I ran back by Kieran. His breathing was shallow and fast.
Every few seconds, his body shook with racking coughs. He remained
unresponsive.

Uncle Angus came out in a thick robe. He sat
next to Kieran and took his pulse. His face was grim. “You better
tell me what happened.”

“We went to dinner at Ken’s where Evan—”

“Your boyfriend? You left the island?” His
voice vibrated with fury.

“Uncle Angus, please.” I glanced at Kieran,
and Uncle Angus’ face softened slightly.

“Continue,” he ordered gruffly.

“It was fine, and then Ken served wine
before the main course. He poured for Kieran first. Kieran took a
sip and told me it was poisoned. He had me meet him out front and
transported us back here. When we arrived, he collapsed.”

“Poison.” Angus sounded surprised. “Why
would this human poison you?”

“I don’t know, Uncle Angus, but how can we
help Kieran?”

His brows drew together in thought. “I need
to determine what they gave him.” He went into his kitchen and
grabbed a spoon and a glass. Opening Kieran’s mouth, he ran the
spoon along his cheek and gathered saliva. He placed the spoon in
the glass and straightened. “I’m going to analyze this. You stay
with him. Call me if he gets worse.”

“Call you?”

Uncle Angus tapped his temple in reply. Oh
right, telepathy. I chalked my stupidity up to fear for Kieran. I
sat next to him and held his hand. It was clammy.

“Hurry back,” I called as my uncle closed
the door.

Kieran started to shiver, his teeth
chattering. I took the throw from the back of the couch and covered
us both. I hoped my body heat would warm him up. It worked. He
stopped shivering within minutes. I rubbed his hand nervously,
chanting in my head,
Please wake up. Please don’t die, Kieran.
Please wake up. I’ll never forgive myself
.

Meara, where are you?

Evan’s voice sent a chill down my spine. I’d
forgotten about the necklace.
Oh, now you’re going to talk to
me?
I cried.
What did Ken do to Kieran?

What are you talking about?
Evan
sounded angry.

He poisoned Kieran. The wine was
poisoned.

You’re crazy,
Evan said.
I had two
glasses, and I’m fine. No, the two of you just left, probably to go
make out somewhere. Are you an item now?

Standing, I started to pace. Was Evan
serious?
What? No! How absurd. I love
you
, Evan, although
you’d never know it by the way you’re treating me.

I haven’t changed, Meara.
Evan
sounded sad.
You have. I don’t think we should see each other
anymore.

You’re breaking up with me?
I had
trouble swallowing. Kieran could be dying right now, and Evan was
breaking up with me? I’d done nothing wrong. If I changed, I
couldn’t help it. He used to be understanding. Lately, everything I
did seemed to annoy him.

You know what?
I said angrily.
Fine.

Great,
he said.
Oh, and don’t
worry about Ken. I’ll apologize for you both. You missed some
fabulous swordfish, by the way.

Tears filled my eyes, more out of anger and
disbelief than sadness. For the moment, I was so done with Evan. I
told him Kieran was poisoned, and he didn’t even listen. He cared
more about stupid Ken who he just met a few weeks ago. This was
supposed to be our big summer romance. What a mess! In tears, I
unhooked the necklace and flung it on the coffee table. I didn’t
want to be able to talk to him anymore. I sat on the edge of the
couch next to Kieran just as Uncle Angus came back.

“Tetrodotoxin,” he announced
triumphantly.

“What?” I wiped my eyes, hoping he took the
tears for worry.

“Pufferfish toxin,” he said. “I’m not sure
what it was doing in wine, but that’s what I found. It can be toxic
to humans. Luckily, the effects are temporary on Selkies.”

“He’ll be okay?” My body sagged with relief
as the guilt lifted.

“He’s going to have one hell of a hangover,”
Uncle Angus explained. “But in a day or two, he’ll be fine.” He
opened a wardrobe and pulled out a blanket and pillow. “Help me get
him comfortable. He can sleep on my couch tonight. I’ll keep an eye
on him.”

I untied Kieran’s shoes and tucked them
under the coffee table. Angus removed his suit coat and his tie. I
placed the pillow under Kieran’s head while Angus straightened out
his legs.

“He looks comfortable now,” my uncle
observed. “Why don’t you get some rest? You can take over in the
morning. I’ve got a meeting with your dad and your aunt.”

“They’re back?” My heart jumped in my chest.
My dad was going to be furious.

“They will be tomorrow morning.” He patted
my shoulder. “I won’t say anything, if you promise me not to go
there again.”

“I promise,” I said. “Anyway, Evan broke up
with me.”

“Tonight?”

I heard the concern in my uncle’s voice and
swallowed my tears. I could break down in my own room. “While you
were looking for the toxins,” I said. I picked up the necklace from
the end table and showed him. Recognition lit in his eyes before
they filled with sympathy. My fist clenched, the necklace biting
into my palm. The pain helped me focus, and I blinked rapidly.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

“I’m not.” My wavering voice betrayed me. I
kissed his cheek and gave him a faltering smile. “Thank you for
helping Kieran.”

He pulled me close and hugged me. “It will
be okay, Meara. Everything will work out.”

His kindness broke through the fragile wall
around my heart. As he held me, I cried.

Again. He did it again. He was an idiot the
first time, so there was really no excuse. How could he break up
with her? A month ago, hell, a week ago, she was his world, his
everything. Now he couldn’t look at her without disgust. Was it
that other Selkie, Kieran? Evan didn’t think so. Meara wasn’t lying
when she said that she loved him. She did, and he knew it. The
question was—did he still love her? As he paced in his room and
swore, he knew the answer. He did.

When he was alone, it all came flooding
back. The first time he met her when she introduced herself in his
backyard. The time he taught her how to sand and paint, and he
almost kissed her on her grandfather’s boat. Then there was their
first kiss, slow and sweet, after the carnival in Halifax. She
owned his heart then, she owned it now, and so what was the
matter?

He couldn’t think. When the headaches went
away, so did his ability to reason. Only when he was alone were his
thoughts his own. What were the voices that whispered poison? He
rolled his neck and heard each vertebrae pop. Could he admit to
Meara what he was experiencing? If he wanted to get her back, he’d
have to. There was no excuse for how he treated her, but maybe if
he explained.

Could she love him, even if he were going
crazy? He shook his head and sighed. She did love him, and she
would understand. Meara was a good person. She wouldn’t abandon him
because he was going through a difficult period. She’d remember how
he stuck with her last year, how he helped her figure out what she
was and what to do about it.

The worst was that he lied to her.

She hadn’t changed. At least, not in any way
that was bad or wrong. If she had changed, it was for the better.
She was stronger, more confident. He was the one turning bad, going
insane. She was better off without him, but he knew there was no
way he would last without her.

Meara?
He reached out through their
connection.
Can you hear me?

Silence.

He called her name a few more times with no
reply. She could be ignoring him, or maybe she took the necklace
off. His stomach twisted when he thought of that. Of course that
was what she did. He broke up with her—why would she want to speak
to him? He hoped that she would eventually put it back on.

He strode to the window and threw it open.
The cool ocean air calmed him. Leaning on the windowsill, he
wondered how he was going to win her back if he couldn’t talk to
her. What had she told him? Kieran was poisoned. Evan hadn’t lied
when he told Meara that he had two glasses of that wine, so had
Ken. Only Ted passed on it. Was there any left?

He could check. The house was quiet. Odds
were that everyone retired for the night. He could find the bottle.
He threw on his sweatshirt and headed for his door. That was
exactly what he could do… find the bottle and have it tested.

Yeah, right
, he muttered to himself.
He stopped with his hand on the doorframe.
Where would you take
it?

The voice hissed in a condescending way.
Evan closed his eyes and concentrated. He put every effort into
blocking the voice. He didn’t open his eyes until the room was
silent.

I’ll bring it back to my room
, he
thought.
And when I reach Meara, I’ll tell her that I have
it.

You’ll lure her with a bottle?
A dark
glee echoed through his head when the voice giggled.
Oh yes, do
that. It’s perfect.

Evan ignored the voice as best he could. It
was getting hard to resist. He couldn’t think of another plan. It
would have to work. He climbed down the stairs quickly and quietly
into the darkness of the lower level. The hall was wide and open,
so he saw no need to turn on lights. He stayed toward the center
and used his memory to navigate to the kitchen. Once there, he
turned on the small light above the stove.

He hadn’t used the kitchen before, so he
didn’t know where things were located. Most houses had the
recycling somewhere near the sink. He noticed a narrow cabinet and
pulled the door open. It was a sliding drawer, containing a bin for
recyclables and one for trash. He found several empty bottles, but
the Bordeaux was not there. He closed the cabinet and shut off the
light. Perhaps the bottle was still in the dining room. It was
worth looking at least.

He opened the dining room and stepped
inside. The room glowed, the two outer walls of windows allowing
for ample moonlight. On the buffet in the back corner, he found the
candlesticks used at dinner, as well as the wine bottle and three
empty glasses. The bottle had a little wine left in it. Hoping that
no one would miss them, Evan took the bottle and the three glasses.
What if the poison had only been in Kieran’s cup? He couldn’t rule
it out. If he could talk to Meara, he would give them all to
her.