Heads or Tails (30 page)

‘They’re doing it wrong!’ Ivyanne screeched, looking back at the fence in time to see Ardhi’s shadow, which was even more sinister when rendered silent, fall over it and into the front yard while Flotsam and Jetsam snapped and snarled, jumping in vain, trying to catch what had already eluded them. ‘The procedure requires three more guards! They need my help! He’s getting away!’ Fear paralysed her as she realized that she hadn’t yet prepared herself to take on Ardhi alone, but only for the briefest of moments. She was the reason why half of the guard were absent-so she’d have to pick up their slack.

Ivyanne staggered back inside and into the surveillance room, sweeping up the small pistol Garridan had left for them, and then made a beeline for the laundry door, being careful not to slip in her own wet footprints from before. She’d never fired a gun in her life-but she felt safer with it in her hand.

When Ivyanne’s flying feet brought her through the door and onto the narrow strip of paving that bordered the house, she saw Ardhi immediately racing along the dock.

‘Ardhi!’ She cried his name into the night as she ran, seeing his step falter then fail as she willed him to stay. ‘Running again? All alone this time?’ She panted as her feet picked up speed down the slight incline and her breath whooshed out of her lungs when she landed hard on the dock-thankfully on two feet though inertia caused her to stumble forward. ‘Where’s Sherri, huh? Did you lose the only woman who ever liked you enough to follow your dark path?! Did she scare off when she realized that you’re even capable of killing those you love the most? Like Lux? And my
father
?!’

The muscles in Ardhi’s back coiled under his luminous skin and he swung around, glaring at her with more menace than even Ivyanne had thought possible. His hands were balled up at his sides as he resisted her call, but his steps carried him forward once-twice-until he dug his feet in and clenched his jaw.

‘That,’ he gasped. ‘Was an
accident
. What I do to you next
won’t
be.’ But his eyes widened, and his gaze seemed to shift from her, to the house behind her, then back to her. ‘Where are your lovers, Ivyanne? You had so many! Could it be that they’ve tired of following
you
down the lonely path you’re forging with your promiscuity?’

Ivyanne’s stomach tightened, and she tried not to let it show how true those words rang. ‘I’d rather they did, then become psychotic like yourself.’

‘You’re the one drawing me to you, even now-yet you wonder why I lost my mind?’ He flexed his fingers and Ivyanne saw the palm of his hand begin to glow purple. He was holding it over the water, trying to slyly charge himself before sending that charge in her direction. Her thighs tensed, and she swept the gun up in an arc until it was aimed at his head.

‘I’m drawing you to point blank range Ardhi, not to
me
.’ She curled her lip, making her repulsion clear. ‘I
never
wanted to draw you to me.’ She squeezed the trigger and winced in expectation of light and sound and violent recall-and yet nothing happened. Her heart sank as she heard Tristan’s words anew in her mind:
‘No safety’s!’

She didn’t even know what the safety
was,
let alone how to operate one-Garridan had never shown her. The gun fell uselessly from her hand and clattered to the dock.

Ardhi laughed cruelly. ‘Human things, human flaws…’ he clucked his tongue-the purple glow was to his wrist now. ‘I can kill you where you stand you know, and I ought to considering you just tried to put a bullet in my head!’ He clapped his hands together and grinned. ‘But I won’t.’

‘What?’ Ivyanne asked, stunned. ‘
Why
?’ But even as she asked the question, she  was scanning the area for something she could use against him. But failing that, she had only one other option- pull him into her grip and fight him hand to hand.

‘Because there’s something else I want to take from you, something worth more than your life.’

That was when Ivyanne spied Tristan ambling over a rock in the darkness behind Ardhi-and when he got to his feet and saw her twenty meters from Ardhi-his face went white.

‘Ivyanne!’ He screamed her name, and seconds later it was echoed from above her as Garridan hollered it out, followed by a curse.

Ardhi spun, his hand flying up like a baseball pitcher. Tristan was a sitting duck, and for a moment, she felt every molecule in her body blink out and die like so many broken Christmas lights.

‘Loveridge!’ Ardhi’s greeting was almost gay. ‘Look at you-back in fighting form and standing on a bunch of jagged rocks! I might not be able to kill you with a hit, but I can sure as shit knock you down! Reckon you’ll survive
that
?!’

Tristan’s eyes darted to her, looking lost, then back to Ardhi as he crouched low. ‘You’ll have to hit me first mother fucker! And we all know how good you are at striking out!’

‘
No
!’ Ivyanne screamed. She couldn’t abide him drawing fire on her behalf-not when she was to blame for it all! She thrust out her arms and willed the air to bend around Ardhi, to enclose him and draw him close enough to strike-but though she felt the power course through her and into the night air as it had so many times before with her willing participants, Ardhi merely turned to look at her-unmoving.

Ivyanne was so distraught to fail a second time that her will broke and for a moment-she welcomed death. She was tired of seeing everyone she loved in danger-tired of fighting when all she wanted to do was smile. She was so focused on her misery, aware only that all that was left to do was run at Ardhi and hope she made it to him before he fired at Tristan-that she didn’t hear the dock groan until the foam on top of the black wall of water was bearing down over all in view-the yacht, the rocks-and Ardhi.

There was a louder groan and the sound of whistling wind as the ocean rose to her call and smashed down upon her with a bone rattling slap that first knocked her over and then thrust her back-towards the grassy embankment as though it wanted to splinter her against the hillside.

She screamed, her mouth filling with water, and instinctively bent at the waist-moving to free herself of the binding swimsuit she still wore so that she could attempt to survive what she’d created in her true and most durable form.

But just as her fingers caught the string at her hip, a hand curled around the fleshy part of her upper arm and yanked her clear. She was on the grass, free of the tidal wave and coughing out the water she rarely swallowed in an instant. But even as she coughed and slapped Garridan’s hands away, she was turning to the water-just in time to see it recede-dragging Ardhi back with it. He was stroking furiously-still alive but retreating fast.

‘Where’s Tristan?!’ Garridan demanded, his voice pitchy and panicked.

Ivyanne looked over and spotted him at once-his muscular upper body was curled around a sharp rock much lower down than the last time she’d seen him.

‘There!’ She screeched, pointing, devastated to see that the wave she’d drawn in by accident had reached high enough to put Tristan in harm’s way or rather-to yank him down into it. A sob escaped her-the ocean was pulling at his lower limbs, calling him home as it retreated. Even in the darkness, she could see blood flowering in various places on his body before the churning water washed it away.

A second, smaller wave, unbidden but just as eager, shoved Tristan forward as she staggered to her feet. She could see that it was breaking his grip-as powerful as he was, he couldn’t fight against the very source of his own strength, not when Ivyanne had riled it so. She moved to run for him, to dive into the furious froth below, but Garridan flew past her and hit the water already in mer form-she hadn’t even noticed him stripping! That gave her pause, and the confidence to halt and keep look-out instead. Garridan’s head resurfaced just as one of Tristan’s hands slipped free but Garridan didn’t need her cry of warning-he shot forward, caught Tristan’s loose hand and pulled him off the rock so fast that Tristan’s body missed the rocks and vaulted into the ocean beyond them.

He was safe. Instead of fighting the waves, Garridan had merely pulled Tristan into them. And Ivyanne knew that he wouldn’t let Tristan go until they were clear of the rip.

Ivyanne sank to her knees on the grass and sobbed, more afraid of herself and what she was capable of, then the murderer she’d washed away.

*

Lincoln could not believe how packed the bar was on Saturday night. He hadn’t seen it like that any night before, aside from New Years. The bar was twice as full as when he’d hired this band the last time, and the girls behind the bar were run off their feet. Lincoln wanted to be in there helping them-but every time he went inside, he got sent off on one errand or another.

Lincoln barged through the crowd and tossed a sack of change onto the bar in front of Adele. ‘Here’s your change. What can I do now?’ he asked her.

Adele looked up quickly and smiled. Lincoln had to admit that she was handling these stressful situations much better now that she was a mermaid. ‘Remi hasn’t seen Michael in a while. Apparently, he had a few shots when he was talking to the band earlier and he’s pretty wasted.’

Lincoln raised an eyebrow. ‘Your husband doesn’t drink!’

‘He rarely drinks,’ Remi corrected him, her dark eyes full of concern as she yanked a bottle of Kahlua out from behind Adele’s arm. ‘Well, he didn’t until recently. Now that he’s got it in his head that my refusal to try for children means I’m going to leave him, he’s started drinking a few nights a week.’

Lincoln winced. ‘He won’t believe it’s just a rough patch or something?’

Remi’s eyes flashed. ‘He probably would if I said as much. But I love him too much to lie to him. And assuring him that I’ll be around forever is a lie isn’t it?’

Lincoln felt a pang in his chest. Of course. Without him being able to turn and Ardhi off the wagon-Remi’s hopes for changing her husband had been dashed. ‘Remi I-’ he began.

‘Just keep an eye out for him, okay?’ She said quickly, looking away.

‘I’ll go find him.’ He assured her. ‘Where was he last?’

‘He went to the bathroom half an hour ago.’ Remi said. ‘I haven’t seen him since.’

‘Okay, chill. I’ll find him and take him back to my room to sleep it off if he’s too far gone.’

‘Thanks Lincoln,’ Remi looked visibly relieved, though no more gladdened.

Lincoln turned and hurried outside, headed for the men’s toilets. He stuck his head inside, trying not to look at the seedy looking guys lined up at the urinal. ‘Michael?’ he called out, embarrassed. ‘Guys is that stall being used?’

One fellow, with a face full of metal, shook his head. ‘Sorry dude. Your boyfriend isn’t in here.’

Lincoln rolled his eyes before backing out, knowing he’d flatten the little punk if he didn’t need the business so badly. He walked around the back of the toilet block and glanced down the hill, next to the function room. There were a few couples making out in the shadows, but no passed-out loners. He turned back, his feet crunching on gravel, until he was back at the pool, deciding to walk the perimeter before searching the crowded bar.

‘Lincoln…’

Lincoln glanced up, his heart somersaulting in his chest when he saw Grace hurrying towards him from the front of the resort. She’d squeezed herself into a skintight, black leather dress with spiked heels, and her long hair was wild and fluffy. She looked... incredible. There was no denying it. He couldn’t help but imagine Ivyanne in a similar dress- all curves and sweat against him on a dance floor.

‘Dammit.’ He said, shoving his hands in his pockets as they approached one another. ‘Don’t you own
anything
baggy?’

Grace’s eyes were sparkling. ‘No. Sorry. And if I did, I’d never wear it around
you
.’ She glanced behind her. ‘Where were you going? Looking for me?’

Lincoln chuckled. ‘Actually, looking for Remi’s husband. He’s AWOL at the moment and the last thing I need right now is a distracted barmaid.’

‘Well, I’ll help you find him.’

Lincoln had known she would say that, so he nodded and allowed her to fall in step beside him. Her arm brushed up against him as she walked, but he kept his hands within his pockets, determined nip the question of ‘them’ in the bud. He’d been weak the day before, but Ivyanne had been texting him all day-proving that absence truly did make the heart grow fonder. He wanted to keep his advantage and get out of Grace’s heart without having to
kiss
his way out. ‘Thanks. What are you doing out with this crowd anyway?’

‘I was thinking of getting drunk,’ Grace said frankly.

Lincoln laughed. ‘Oh yeah-because that’s what
you
need-
less
inhibitions.’

Grace laughed and threaded her arm through his. ‘Hey! This is the first time in my life that I’ve actually been old enough to drink somewhere, remember? I’m still three years shy of the legal age back home.’ She nudged him with her hip. ‘Besides, I figured
you’d
watch over me.’

Grace had him there. Besides, if she let loose enough, maybe she’d find somewhere else to focus her attentions-especially if he managed to make himself scarce. ‘Fine.’ he said. ‘Drink. But just know that moderation is key so you can keep some defenses up.’