SilverMoonLight (SilverMoonSaga Book 1) (21 page)

»I’ve
been living amongst humans for nearly ten years now, and I’ve seen a great deal
and gotten to know many people. But something like this, what I have with you,
has never happened to me before.« He stroked my hair thoughtfully. »We always
spend the last two years of our journey with Dr. Erickson.«

I
was confused. »Ten years? But...you’re only eighteen. I don’t understand.«

He
looked down at the ground and tugged at a blade of grass, seeming more guarded
than before.

»Emma,
the thing is, we age differently from humans.« He glanced up at me. »Our time
passes more slowly than yours. That’s why our lifespan is longer, I’m only
eighteen in human years.«

I
tried not to let my confusion show.

»And
what happens after the two years with Ericksons?«

»I
go back to my people and lose the ability to live on land.«

»When
is your time up?« I asked, fear constricting my throat.

»I
have one year left,« he said quickly. »There used to be a time when we lived in
peace alongside humans, when we could decide whether we wanted to live on land
or in water. But that time is long gone. No one even remembers it personally,
so now our stories are about how it was back then.«

»What
did you mean when you said you invented the legend of Nessie?«

»The
beast was created by our magic. She never really existed.«

We
sat there in silence for a while. »You have to go now,« he whispered. »It’s
late, they’ll wonder where you are.«

»I’ll
say I was in the library,« I said, pulling my book out like a defensive weapon
and standing up.

He
gave me a loving look and plucked a few leaves from my hair. »They’ll wonder
what book messed your hair up like that.« He took the book from my hands and
looked at the title. » Shakespeare and unrequited love. Did Sophie give it to
you?«

I
nodded, trying to smooth my hair down.

»Leave
it, it suits you like that.« Calum slung an arm around my waist and, closely
intertwined, we walked off to the edge of the woods.

I
didn’t want to let him go, not now that I finally had him again. Not after all
those weeks of loneliness. And above all, not now that I knew he loved me.

»Let’s
be sensible,« he said. »It’s better that no one finds out about us. If Ethan
sends you back to the States, I won’t be able to follow you there. We’ll have
to think of something else. Trust me.«

He
took me in his arms again and kissed me. For the first time ever, I was glad it
was foggy; it was so thick that no one would be able to see us from the house.
Then he turned around and disappeared into the woods. Feeling dazed, I walked
down the path towards home.

Luckily,
Bree was still preparing dinner. I went straight to the bathroom, relieved not
to run into anyone on my way. To say I was disheveled would be an
understatement, and my red cheeks spoke volumes. If Ethan had seen me...just
the thought made me feel ill. I splashed some ice-cold water on my face and
brushed my hair. Once I had composed myself enough, I put a smile on my face
and went into the kitchen.

Smiling
wasn’t difficult in the slightest; I was unbelievably happy.

»How’s
your headache?« asked Bree, stirring the pot.

»Oh,
it’s gone; the fresh air did me good. What’s for dinner? I’m really hungry.«

Bree
looked at me with delight. »It’s a surprise. But you can set the table for me.«

I
couldn’t get enough of the delicious seafood spaghetti and ate more than I had
in a long time. In bed that night, I pulled out
A
Midsummer Night’s
Dream
and read it through to the end. I could do with a happy ending too, I
thought, falling asleep with a contented sigh.

Chapter Fourteen

»Tell
me more,« I pleaded. Calum and I were lying on his bed. My head was resting on
the crook of his shoulder, my arm slung around him. As often as I was able to
now, I stole away from the house to see him. Ethan would be furious if he found
out. Dr. Erickson was usually out somewhere, and Calum had persuaded Sophie to
turn a blind eye to our meetings. How, I had no idea. I had let Amelie in on
the secret. She had been overjoyed, promising to help us. Almost every day, with
just a few exceptions, Amelie and I slunk out of the house in the afternoons.
She had a seemingly inexhaustible supply of excuses. Most of the time we
claimed we were going to the library, to the swimming pool, or to Jamie’s. In
reality, though, she was meeting up with Aidan while I was with Calum. We made
sure that we always got home at the same time, and always before dinner.

»I
thought my mother’s stories were just fairytales.«

»People
have been telling stories about us for thousands of years. About mermaids,
watermen, elves, trolls, dragons...and you think all of that came from the
human imagination? There’s only one thing mankind is imaginative about—their
efforts to destroy nature and everything foreign to them.« His voice trembled
at these words.

Feeling
uneasy, I looked up at him.

»Sorry.«
He pulled me towards him and kissed my forehead.

»They
all exist, or rather, they have at one time or another. To you, we are just
creatures from legends, possessing varying degrees of good or evil. You think
you’re the only emotional beings to occupy the world.«

»Do
you really get a fish tail when you’re in water?« I interrupted him, trying to
change the subject.

He
tousled my hair and laughed.

»No,
of course not, silly. Those are just your strange stories. When I think about
what you say about us! Mermaids have fishtails, but unlike us they can’t
survive on land.« He shook his head, still amused.

I
turned away, a little hurt by his mocking tone.

»Don’t
be mad.« Slowly—and irresistibly—he brushed his lips along my cheek. I turned
back towards him, pressed my face against his chest, and sighed.

»Tell
me more,« I said, my hands wandering under his T-shirt.

»There
was a time when all of us lived peacefully together on Earth. Humans, fauns,
werewolves, mermaids, fairies, vampires, dwarves, watermen, and many more. Then
the humans began to feud with us. We became foreign to you, and you forgot how
to live in harmony with nature. You turned your backs on the old gods. And you
reproduced more and more as time passed, so you needed more space. Nothing was
sacred to mankind. You invented stories about us, depicting us as evil and
cruel. And yet we had never done anything to you. Not by that point, anyway.«
His voice sounded sad. »And so we retreated back into the depths of the forests
and the seas and the lakes...I’d so love to show you my world, Emma. There’s
nothing more wonderful than swimming through glittering streams, rushing rivers
and deep lakes.« Dreamily, he stared off into a world unknown to me. His voice
sounded wistful.

»So
that’s how you were able to speak to the whales.«

He
nodded. »Your noise confuses them; that’s why more and more whales get stranded
on the coasts. It’s terrible for them.«

»You
miss the water, don’t you?«

He
nodded.

»While
I’m living amongst your people, I can only go back on the nights of the full
moon—I have to, in fact; otherwise I’ll lose the ability to live as a human.«

»Couldn’t
you take me with you one time? I wouldn’t need to be afraid if I was with you.«

He
sat up abruptly.

»You
can’t even contemplate that, do you hear me? You can never follow me into the
lake on one of those nights. You would be in mortal danger if someone from my
clan spotted you—any human who finds out about our existence has to die.«

I
looked at him in shock. »That’s  not human.«

Now
it was his turn to look at me in bewilderment.

»But
we’re not humans,« he whispered after a while. »You can never forget that.«

»Why
do you do it?«

»To
protect ourselves. These rules were established in the time of the great
battles with mankind, and never changed. And they’re not just our rules; they
apply to all legendary creatures. The Great Council, in which all the clans are
represented, watches over to make sure the rules are kept. What mankind did to
us was so terrible that we decided to retreat from the world. So certain rules
had to be applied.«

I
nodded slowly.

»Don’t
you think that humans might have changed, that we might be less cruel now?«

He
looked at me sadly.

»Do
you really believe that?«

I
didn’t know what to say.

»What
did you mean before when you said ‘not by that point’?« I asked hesitantly.

He
sighed.

»We
used to be a large clan. Now there aren’t very many of us left, and the
majority blame humans for that. They think we should wage war against you and
drive you back, away from the seas, rivers and lakes. You’re destroying our
homes.«

»How
would you do that?«

»With
our magic,« he said, in such a way as if it didn’t need explanation. »But we’re
not in agreement. In essence, we’re a peaceful folk. And our current King would
never allow a battle to be waged against mankind. He loves humans. He spent his
younger years here too, and grew very fond of many people. Dr. Erickson showed
him the beauty of the world—your books, your music. But even he can’t go
against the regulations,« he added.

»And
the Ericksons know about this?«

»The
Erickson family has offered a home to the young men from our clan for
generations, enabling us to get to know humanity. The secret is passed down
through their family, and it’s been a tradition for centuries. Every twenty
human years, our clan chooses one of us to live here with you. This time, I was
chosen.«

He
fell silent.

»But
Dr. Erickson doesn’t have any sons. What will happen when he’s no longer
around?«

»I
don’t know,« Calum sighed, looking thoughtful. »The Great Council will have to
decide who could be his successor. But it won’t be an easy task.«

»And
why can’t we be together? Why can’t you stay here as a human?«

»It’s
one of the rules. It’s strictly forbidden to get physically close to a human
woman and reveal the secret of our existence. If my people found out about it,
I would have to go back, and they would punish you.« As he closed his eyes, I
could see the pain etched on his face. I stroked my hand gently across his
cheek.

»I
can’t believe I’m putting you in such danger,« he whispered.

»And
there aren’t any exceptions to the rules?« I asked anxiously.

He
shook his head.

»But
no one knows about us, apart from Amelie and Sophie. They won’t betray us.«

»I
hope you’re right.« He pulled me into his arms and covered my face with tender
kisses. I sighed.

»I
think I have to go. Amelie will be waiting for me.«

He
kissed me lovingly on the mouth.

»I
wish you could stay the whole night,« he whispered into my ear.

My
entire body tingled; there was nothing I longed for more. Reluctantly, I stood
up and pulled on my coat. He accompanied me to the door and kissed me goodbye
so passionately that I almost tripped, feeling light-headed. He laughed softly
as I left.

It
was all so unreal, I thought to myself as I walked home through the cold. Could
it really be possible that in ancient times, all these beings had lived
peacefully alongside mankind? How much more colorful the world must have been.

He
hadn’t answered one of my questions. Was it possible for him to live as a human
forever? Would he want that? Could I ask that of him?

When
I got back to our meeting point, Amelie was hopping around with cold and
frustration. »Where were you?« she hissed. »Peter phoned me. Dad got home early
today. We have to hurry.«

I
took a deep breath of ice cold air. »Shit!« I blurted out. We ran home as
quickly as we could.

We
shut the door quietly and crept in. Ethan stood in the kitchen, looking angry.

»Where
were you?« His voice was so loud that we both jumped.

»In
the library,« replied Amelie, her voice steady. »Mom knew where we were.«

»Do
you know what time it is, my dears? The library closed over an hour ago, so
don’t think I was born yesterday.« His voice was full of anger. I stared down
at the floor, but Amelie refused to be intimidated.

»We
went to Jamie’s afterwards, which I believe is allowed, and we’re back in time
for dinner.« She pulled a chair out with demonstrative boldness and sat down.

Ethan
gave in for the time being, but gave me a suspicious look. We would have to be
more careful, I resolved.