Perilous Waters (41 page)

A ripple of relief coursed through her. She opened her eyes and smiled at the other girls. “Okay. I’m ready.”

The
three of them landed lightly on Angie’s driveway and Julia unfroze time.

“Do you want me to drive you to Ethan’s house so you can summon him there?” Angie asked.

“Sure,” she said, following Angie to her little white Honda Civic. To her surprise, Kaitlyn trailed after them.

“You’re coming with us?”

Kaitlyn blinked rapidly, then shrugged. “I don’t have to. I mean, I figured I could keep Angie company. You know what? Never mind—”

Angie smiled. “Just come,” she said, putting on a giant pair of sunglasses and looking like a little kid sitting in the driver’s seat pretending to drive.

When they reached Ethan’s block, Julia turned to Angie. “Just drop me off here.”

She pulled up the curb. “Do you want us to wait for you?”

“No thanks. I’ll be okay,” she said. “If Ethan can’t give me a ride, I’ll call my mom from his house.”

“All right,” Angie said, reaching across the center console to give her one more hug.

“Bye,” Kaitlyn said, watching her with an unreadable expression.

Julia looked at the dark-haired girl with the scar across her cheek. She ran her finger over her own scar, the smooth flesh on her hand giving off an icy sensation.

Kaitlyn stroked her scar with a single finger, as if she could feel Julia’s touch.

Before Angie drove off, she saw a trace of vulnerability in Kaitlyn’s eyes.

Julia didn’t have time to wonder about the strange, shared moment. Without another moment’s hesitation, Julia held out her hands. “Find me, Wanderer,” she whispered, feeling the chill in her palms even before the final syllable left her lips.

~ Chapter 37 ~

Daughters

Julia
felt Ethan’s warm, sandy, sun-baked palms against hers.
As he appeared, she breathed deep and smelled the ocean. Their fingers slid alongside each other until their hands were clasped. His intense stare held her for more heartbeats than she remembered to count. She could see the detail of his face, his lashes, the stubble peppering his cheeks and jaw.

His eyes swirled like the mist he had come from. Slowly their hands lowered, both of them withdrawing from each other’s touch.

She had done it right this time, she thought with relief. Her head fell forward to lightly touch Ethan’s chest. Their mission was over and she had brought him to the correct time and place.

He took a small step away from her. Julia blinked. The cool light in his eyes made hers burn hotly. Of course… now that they weren’t in a mission, nothing would be different. He still couldn’t forgive her. He never would.

She bit her lip. “Are you going to Brian now?”

Ethan nodded. “I have to know if Meliah’s magic worked. If not…”

He trailed off and Julia remained quiet, letting him absorb the possibility that Brian might have turned Scylla. She wanted to hug him and tell him she would be there for him. He wouldn’t have to do this alone.

But she wasn’t sure if he even wanted her help.

He focused his gaze on her again. “I imagine you need a ride home.”

“Yeah,” she said softly. “Or I can call my mom, if you’d rather.”

He gave a small shrug. “I can take you, if you don’t mind riding a motorcycle.”

Julia blinked in surprise. A small wave of pleasure stole over her. “I wouldn’t mind. Sounds awesome.”

“Let’s go, then. I need to find out about Brian as fast as I can,” he said. “Today’s our mom’s birthday and fish-boy or not, he’s not missing her party.”

She almost giggled at the idea of him dragging a half-nymph, half-human into a party, but before she could joke about such a thing, her heart slowed. Something large and impossible pushed against the back of her mind. She shook her head a little. No. She was crazy, but just to make sure, she asked, “Ethan? What city was she born in?”

“My mom?”

Julia nodded.

“She’s from Cuba.” His brows slowly came together. “Why?”

Cuba…

“What year,” Julia whispered, her pulse racing.

Ethan’s hands curled into fists. “1962, the year of the missile crisis.”

Julia blinked hard, remembering his mother’s name. “Carmen.”

“That’s right… her name’s Carmen. You met her the night that…” He trailed off, his gaze becoming as hard as granite. She sensed him pushing at the edges of her mind, but she quickly blocked their connection. His eyes immediately narrowed. “Why are you acting so strangely all of a sudden?”

Her name… birthplace… year… this couldn’t be true. It had to be a coincidence.

Ethan took her by the shoulders so fiercely Julia thought he might shake her. She stared into his metallic gaze, seeing a flash of silver as air sped from her lungs.

The baby they had saved… it wasn’t possible.

She shook her head. Her mouth opened but no sound came out. Could it be? Could Julia have held his mother and brought her over from another time?

If she hadn’t saved baby Carmen, then Ethan and Brian, would never have been born.

“You’re starting to scare me,” he said. “Is there something about Brian you haven’t told me?”

Her gaze locked with his. “It’s nothing to do with that. I don’t know what I’m thinking. I need to talk to Angie. I-I might have changed the world timeline.”

“Again?” he whispered. He took her by surprise, stepping forward and folding her in his arms. “You seem incapable of entering a timeline without influencing it. Especially mine.”

A lump formed in her throat. His arms felt so safe and strong. Her lids dropped as she leaned into his embrace.

They stood holding each other. She could feel him against her mind, offering her the softest stroke. She cleared her thoughts of his mother and tentatively reached out, pushing against his consciousness, but apprehension about what she would find caused her to draw back. She had become used to the wall he had put up. Sharing his mind meant opening herself up to emotions she might not be ready to handle. She remembered the seething hatred, the anger that had lashed out at her like a physical force. Was it worth opening herself to their connection if it meant he could hurt her so badly?

Gently, hesitantly his mind unlocked. A rush of warmth surround her. Their thoughts, their feelings, their essences flowed together. It was like entering a soft, private dance, perfectly paced, neither one leading or following. Julia’s heart filled with something more powerful than she could name.

The moment didn’t last. Ethan stiffened and Julia’s heart sank.

She was surprised when his finger slid beneath her chin. He tilted her face upward. Julia blinked at him, mesmerized by the way his dark curls fell into his eyes.

“It’s so hard to see you and know you have no memory of me,” he whispered. “Of us. I think that’s what hurts most of all.”

His hand slid up along her cheek and Julia pressed hers against it. “Then show me?” Her voice was little more than a breath of air as she tilted her face into his hand. “Share your memories with me so I can build some of my own.”

Ethan’s head lowered. “That’s how you’ll know, isn’t it? That’s how you’ll know what to do. To me.”

The sadness in his voice made tears spring to Julia’s eyes. She blinked them rapidly away, even as her brows knit together. “I don’t know what you mean,” she said softly.

“It doesn’t matter,” he said, raising his downcast eyes to reveal a glow that made Julia’s breath catch. “Maybe I’m a masochist, but I want to show you.”

Thin tendrils of white mist flowed from his eyes to hers. Ice formed in her chest as her mind was given a vision. She saw an older, more mature version of herself first. Her hair was tied in a loose side ponytail with a thin red ribbon that trailed down her curls. She wore a pair of denim capris and a white baby doll top trimmed at the very bottom in red scalloped edges, with a tiny red bow on one shoulder. Ethan offered her an ice cream cone and she smiled at him… both she and Ethan looked so happy together, so sweet eating ice cream. Julia watched herself tap Ethan’s nose. He took hold of her hand and brought her fingertip to his lips, giving it a quick, carefree kiss. His easy smile reached dark brown eyes that shone with a soft innocence Julia had never seen in him.

The vision dissolved and Julia released a shaky, pent up breath. That had been her future, but Ethan’s past… her gaze found his and she shook her head a little. If that really was Ethan’s past… if all of the things in his memories were his past, did that mean that Julia had gone to him before he had known about the Daughters? She swallowed dryly. Questions hovered at the edge of her lips, her mind reaching for answers he never gave. “Tell me. When we first met, did I reveal the magic, or did you already know?”

Ethan’s face remained unreadable. After a moment he squeezed her hand lightly. “You know I can’t talk about this. I swore I wouldn’t, and breaking an oath like this isn’t something I could do without risking the wrath of the Fates.”

“But the Fates are on our side,” she said weakly.

“The Fates aren’t on anyone’s side.”

Julia slumped. She kept her eyes lowered to keep from giving him the pouting glance she knew would be in her eyes if she looked at him.

Ethan drew her into a hug. He couldn’t forgive her, and now she was beginning to understand why. It had to do with her own actions, ones she hadn’t even done yet. He already knew what those things were.

Maybe there was a way to
not
do whatever it was she had done to him. Maybe if she could see more of Ethan’s memories of them together, she would finally figure out what she had done in the future that had been so terrible. If so, she would make sure she didn’t do it this time. Somehow.

Without realizing it, she had brought her arms around him. One of his hands rested on her hip, while the other soothed her back in gentle, sweeping motions. It was as though he were comfortable touching her in a way that was much more familiar than she understood.

The thought caused her to glance up and search his eyes.

“I can’t stay away from you, Jules,” he whispered. “The past few months were a nightmare.”

Her heart nearly stopped at the words. Heat sprung to the backs of her eyes as her throat became lodged.

“I want to be with you again,” he continued. “I want to try.”

“I can’t understand it,” she said, her words barely audible even to herself. “But I want to be with you, too. Always.”

His face was suddenly so close to hers that she couldn’t hold his gaze. Blood thundered in her ears as she breathed in his scent, feeling his warmth like a pulse. He drew her into a kiss. Fierce and passionate, his lips pushing against hers until she could taste him.

Her hands took on a life of their own, feeling his broad shoulders and strong arms. When her fingertips brushed against the nape of his neck, he groaned into her mouth and pulled back.

She stared at him, feeling like she might have a fever. Feeling like she wanted him to devour her.

A buzzing sensation interrupted her thoughts, followed quickly by several phone text alerts sounding in succession.

“I guess I didn’t get phone service in the past,” he said, releasing a shaky breath as he pulled away.

What did that kiss mean? Were they… together now? Was it official?

“Brian,” he whispered, his head swinging to face his home.

Thoughts of their possible relationship status took a backseat the moment he said his brother’s name. “He’s here? Is he okay?”

“He is here,” he said, glancing back at her before dashing up his driveway.

She followed instinctively, hoping against hope that they would find Brian with no trace of Scylla transformation left.

At the doorway, Julia hesitated a moment. Should she go inside?

Of course she should. She and the other Daughters needed to know what happened to Brian. Awkwardness had nothing to do with this.

Even so, she couldn’t bring herself to follow completely into Brian’s room, with Ethan’s kiss still fresh on her lips. She hung by the open doorway as Ethan stepped inside.

Brian stood beside his bed holding a large zip-lock baggie in his hand and a puzzled expression on his face. Scattered clothing and books covered his bed, along with several other zip-lock baggies. A half-filled duffle bag sat beside them.

“You’re back,” Brian said, looking first to Ethan, and then to Julia. His blond hair fell in curling locks past his chin. His eyes widened, revealing more gold in them than brown. He drew up his hoodie, hiding most of his face. Julia hadn’t had enough time to really look at him, but she hadn’t seen any sign of Scylla venom.

“Are you all right?” Ethan asked.

Brian laughed humorlessly. “Depends on your definition. But I’m not turning Scylla, if that’s what you’re wondering. Meliah’s magic worked.”

Ethan stepped further into the room. “You’re packing,” he said. “Are you leaving?”

Brian shoved aside a pile of underwear before sitting on the bed. “In the morning. First thing.”

“Why?”

“I can’t stay here anymore. I don’t belong.”

“You do belong,” Ethan said. “With me. I have magic, too. I understand.”

Brian’s fingers curled around the plastic baggie in his hand, crumpling it. “I know you do. That’s why I know you won’t stop me from leaving.” His voice grew husky and he lowered his head. “It hasn’t been that much time for you, but for me, in Atlantis, a lot more time passed. I’ve been learning from the nymphs. Exploring the sea. Atlantis is more than a city. It’s a portal to any ocean, at any time in history. It’s… incredible.”

“What about mom?” Ethan asked. “What about your life here? Can’t you have both, especially if time is so strange there?”

“Maybe. If it were only that.” He looked up, silent, his hands rising slowly to the rim of his hood. He pulled it back and fully faced them, revealing golden skin that shimmered, with rapid tracers of light speeding beneath his skin every few seconds. Hiding beneath his angelic hair, Julia recognized the pointed, leaf-shaped ears she had seen on Meliah and other nymphs.

“Mom will understand. I have been meaning to tell her about my own magic.” Ethan sat on the bed beside him and drew him in a close, side-hug. “We can do it together, little bro.”