Forever (23 page)

Claire
reached out and grabbed her arm roughly. “You think you’re so smart? There’s no
one to save you now.” Claire reached for Mina’s head and began to drain her.

Horrible
pain ran through her gut. This was what it had been like for Nan, although Nan
was unconscious. Mina’s head flopped to the side, and she called and called and
called—weaker each time—in a final, desperate plea for help. Her
eyes fell across the dock to the water, which was bubbling and moving.

Something
large rose up out of the water. Riding the wave, it stepped onto the pier, its
dark green hair braided. The light green skin almost glowed in the moonlight as
the sea witch raised her hands and commanded the wave beneath her to rush over
Claire, Mina, and Grey Tail. Mina had only a moment’s notice. But that was time
enough to prepare for the rush of water that flowed over her. She held her
breath.

The wave
moved like a living, breathing thing. It wrapped around Claire and Grey Tail
and pulled them kicking and screaming back into the water as it receded into
the ocean. Mina saw the green feet walk close to her face as she slowly closed
her eyes for what she hoped wasn’t the last time.

Chapter 30

Mina
woke, surrounded by darkness and a very damp smell. It took a bit for her eyes
to adjust, but she realized she lay on a makeshift bed in a cave. Soft glowing
stones lined the wall, and Mina could make out a dark figure shucking oysters.

The sea
witch. Mina watched her, wary but interested. There could only be one sea witch
in the immediate area.

“Are you
Taz Clara?”

The witch
turned her black eyes on Mina. Her hair was just as dark as Nix’s
mother—the only other sea witch she’d ever run into.

Mina
expected to feel intense hatred and anger roll off of her like it had with Nix’s
mother, but she didn’t. Annoyance certainly, but she didn’t feel in immediate
danger.

“I am Taz
Clara, and I don’t like being compelled by anyone to do their bidding. Even if
it’s you, Mina Grimm.”

“You know
my name?” she said in disbelief.

“Of
course I know your name. Do you not think I would know the person who started
it all? I lost my position as a maidservant because I tried to save the
prince’s soul, and it didn’t turn out the way the Fates wanted it. Still, it
was my best work, and I’m proud of it. And here you are, wanting to undo it.”

“I’m
sorry. I didn’t know.”

“For
great magic to work, there have to be rules set in place. Most everything done
can be undone.”

“Does
that include the poisoned knife?”

Taz
laughed. “Ah, now the real questions start. You could have called for the
sirens to come and help you, but no… you had to raise Taz from her nice warm
bed to be at your beck and call. And now you expect me to help you again? I
think not.”

“Thank
you for coming to my rescue.” Mina briefly wondered if Claire and Grey Tail had
lived through it. But with Taz’s mood, it didn’t seem like the smartest idea to
keep bringing up Teague, so Mina moved on to another line of questioning.

“How come
you’re not evil? I thought nixies become evil after they change, or do you
prefer to be called a sprite?”

“You just
found out you’re Fae, and now you think you know everything.”

“No, I
realize how little I actually know, which is why I’m asking questions—so
I can learn. I’m friends with a nixie, and he was scared of turning.”

Taz’s
eyes took on a faraway look. “Yes, I faced the same dilemma: lose my connection
with water and die or start killing and feeding on others. But I found a way
around it. I don’t have to kill and feed on lives; I can feed on fears. I lived
quite happily for a while. I even grew close to the Fates. But after I couldn’t
save their son, I was banished, and I came through the gate.

“Here on
Alcatraz, there was enough fear, and there were enough deaths to sustain me.
When the prison closed, I almost gave up and died, but I found the fear of the
tourists can sustain me. I don’t go far because of the danger of becoming
hungry and hurting someone. So when people need my help, they come to me.”

“I need
your help.”

“No,” Taz
snapped. She moved away from Mina.

“You
don’t even know what I’m going to ask.”

“Yes I
do. You want me to help you split the prince again, so you can be with the one
called Jared.”

Mina
could feel her cheeks heating up.

“Have you
not been listening? I was banished because of you!”

“I fail
to see how you being banished had anything to do with me.”

Taz
turned her cat-like eyes on Mina, and her face took on a look of fury. “The
Fates came to me for help, since
I
had succeeded in suppressing my dark nature. We hoped I could cast the dark,
poisoned side of him into an object. They brought me his journal. How was I to
know that the journal had once been torn in two, and its twin was on the human
plane? That the one I held would mirror the other?”

“You
never meant to split them,” Mina said aloud, feeling as if her heart was
breaking.

“No, it
was an accident. But a terrible one. The Fates let me take the blame for all of
it. Prince Teague wasn’t as powerful without his other half, but I, still, had
failed in my intent. I don’t plan on failing again, because I won’t try. I
especially will not help
you
. I don’t
want to be on the dark prince’s radar.”

“But
you’ve helped so many other people… like my mother.”

“And I’ve
gained the anger of all the sirens in the world. I’m done with you and your
kin. Be thankful that I helped you on the dock. That is the one and only boon
you will ever get from me.”

Mina’s
hands shook in anger. “Then what am I to do?”

“You
could kill him,” she said, as if it were nothing.

“That’s
what everyone says,” Mina sighed irritably.

“Then why
do you keep doubting yourself?”

“I don’t
want to lose him.”

“If you
don’t, you will lose so much more.” Taz spoke knowingly.

Mina’s
heart broke, and she started to cry. The sea witch came near her and cooed
softly. The emotions she’d been holding back for so long poured out
easily—her grief, anger, frustration. How dare everyone think that
Teague’s life didn’t matter? Killing him now would be like killing off a part
of her soul. She just couldn’t do it.

She
didn’t know how long she’d been crying, but she knew that Taz had sat next to
her and wrapped her arm gently around her. She let Mina cry.

“It’s
okay, my little Grimm Siren. It’s okay,” she said softly.

When Mina
had cried herself out, she looked up and noticed a small tear in Taz Clara’s
eye. The sea witch wiped at it gently and sniffed. “Those were some of the most
powerful emotions I’ve fed on in a long time.”

Mina
gasped, and Taz shook her head, tried to calm her down. “No, I didn’t pull them
from you. I only took what you were willing to give up. With the emotions of a
siren and a Grimm, I will not have to feed for a very, very long time.”

“Well,
I’m sure that was worth something to you then,” Mina said indignantly. She
shouldn’t have fed from her without asking.

The sea
witch stood and waved at Mina in irritation. “Fine, I’ll grant you a small
favor of my choosing. But you must leave and never come back.”

She
beckoned with her hand and led Mina down a tunnel. Mina felt the press of power
as they passed through a veil. They’d stepped out of a wall of rock that hid
the entrance to Taz Clara’s cave along the rocky shoreline.

It was
morning, and fog rolled along the water, making it almost impossible to see
anything beyond twenty feet. Somewhere in the distance, a fog horn sounded. The
boat was coming closer.

“The
morning tours will start soon. You should be able to make your way back on the
ferry when they leave.”

“Okay,
thanks.” Mina answered awkwardly and started up the path.

The sea
witch’s gaze followed her until she turned a corner.
 
She ducked behind the rocks, staying low
when the first ferry arrived. When the passengers disembarked and followed the
tour guide, Mina tagged along for the two-hour tour. She snuck on the ferry
with them at the end.

By the
time she landed back at the pier, it was way past the agreed check-in time with
Nan. Mina ran the whole way, knowing she would probably miss them, but also
that her friends would be looking for her. Even when Mina got a stitch in her
side, she kept on running until she could see the Zoltar machine. A crowd had
gathered in front of it, and Mina slowed to see if she could see what they were
looking at.

Someone
pulled on her arm.

“Hey,”
she cried, as Ever grabbed her and yanked her aside.

“Where
have you been?” Ever yelled.

“Long
story. Have you seen Charlie, Nan, and Brody?” Mina tried to pull away from
Ever, but the pixie wouldn’t let go.

“No, they
didn’t come,” Ever answered. “Ternan and Winona are hysterical looking for you.
Kino says something bad happened, and cops have been crawling all over the pier
by the aquarium. Talk to me, Mina.”

Mina
pulled away from Ever and ran toward the machine. It was just a bunch of
teenagers, putting money in and getting their fortune cards. She was about to
turn away when she saw something that made her blood run cold.

“They
were here.” Mina jogged over to pick up the Superman action figure she’d shoved
into Charlie’s backpack. She flipped it over and saw C.G. written in black
marker on the red boot.

“Charlie!”
Mina rushed into the crowd, searching. “Charlie!”

Ever
joined Mina, and they worked their way out in a circle, shouting. Mina spotted
Nan’s bug by a parking meter and checked out the car, but no one was in it.
Just like she’d seen in her dream, though, Charlie’s jacket and a bunch of
comics covered the back seat.

“Ever,
they have to be around here.”

“I’ll go
this way.” Ever pointed, taking off down the street and looking in boutiques.
Mina ran back toward the gift shop and started to check the stores nearest
their meeting point. Maybe they just got tired of waiting. Maybe they stopped
for food.

Maybe
they were kidnapped by Teague.

Oh, this
was all her fault. If only she hadn’t had snuck out. She caught a glimpse of a
familiar form in the window and stopped. She looked over her shoulder.

No one was
there.

Mina
continued to search for her brother, but this time she didn’t
imagine
seeing Teague. He didn’t bother
to hide his presence in the reflection of the mirror.

But she
pretended she didn’t see him and moved along the shops toward the end of the
pier. When she got to the end, she waited until she felt the prickle of power.
She closed her eyes and turned to face him.

He just
stood there. His dark hair looked wet—it could have been gel—his
jeans were well fitted, and he wore a homespun black shirt. His choice of
clothes felt very Jared to her.

“You
came.” Mina spoke first. She wanted to try and reason with him, maybe find her
friends.

“I did,
because you left.” His eyes lacked emotion.

Her
fear-level rose, and she tried to squelch it. “Against my will.”

“That’s
not what it looks like.” He lifted his hands and gestured to the pier. “You
seem quite frantic looking for your brother and friends. I wonder where they
could have gone.”

“Please,
I would have stayed. It was my grandfather who took me. He thought he was
rescuing me. He didn’t understand, even though I tried to explain you’d blame
me and try to hurt my brother.”

“You’re
right. I do blame you.” He stepped closer to her, his voice tapering off.

“Please,
don’t hurt them. I’ll do anything,” she begged.

Teague
became irritated. “We’ve been here before, Mina. I already made a deal with
you, and you broke it. I can’t trust you.”

“Yes, you
can.”

“You’re a
liar.”

Mina
closed her eyes and released the glamour, letting her siren side out. She
wanted to see his face, his reaction when he saw her. She wasn’t disappointed.
He looked surprised, and she saw a hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth.

But what
that smile meant was a mystery.

“I’m not
lying or hiding anything anymore. You have my mirror. I can’t hide from you, so
why would I run when I know you’ll find me?” This time she stepped toward him,
closing the distance.

“Don’t
think you can use your power on me, because I won’t be lured in by your
tricks.” She took another step closer to him and met his eyes. Finally, she
could read the emotions. He was angry enough that he could hurt her, but the
way he kept looking at her lips told her he still wanted to kiss her.

Mina had
to be careful. She was playing one of the most dangerous games ever. And with the
most dangerous opponent.

“Do you
have them?” Mina asked softly again.

Teague
turned his head and looked across the water, refusing to make eye contact.
“Careful, or I’ll destroy the whole pier. Shall I do what I did to your school
here?”

Mina
didn’t take the bait. “I don’t care about this place. I want to go back with
you.” She took another step forward and was almost face to face with him. His
skin had turned yellowish, his veins dark blue. Annalora had to be right. The
tip was working its way toward his heart. He was getting worse.

Now he
smirked. “Trying to bargain with me again. That’s not going to work. Maybe this
will convince you I’m serious.” The fog still made it hard to see, but she
could hear something. Very loud creaking of metal followed by popping sounds.
Horns honked, and then the creak echoed across the water again.

“What is
that?”

“The
gate. I came through the same one you did.”

“But the
sirens and the timing…how?”