SilverMoonLight (SilverMoonSaga Book 1) (26 page)

»You’re
right, but I’ve given this a lot of thought. I’m sure it will be safe here.
Please, Emma, I really want to swim with you just once, and I can only do it on
the night of a full moon.«

He
gave me an imploring look. Maybe he’d lost his mind.

»Why
is it so important to you?«

 »I’m
a waterman; swimming is my life. Do this for me and I think you’ll understand
why it means so much to me.«

It
was impossible not to give in, but I was scared.

»You
don’t need to be afraid, I won’t let go of you for a second.«

He
seemed so agitated that I nodded. I clearly wasn’t in my right mind, but there
was no turning back now.

He
walked down the slope with me. By the banks of the lake, I undressed down to my
knickers and T-shirt, laying my things on the grass. Calum was waiting for me
by the shore. His flawless, smooth skin glistened enticingly in the moonlight,
and I had to struggle to suppress a gasp. He was too beautiful, too perfect.
Almost without realizing I was doing it, I stretched out my hand to touch his
chest. But he grasped it, suddenly looking at me with concern.

»I’ll
bring you back, Emma. You don’t need to be afraid, okay? I swear that nothing
will happen to you.« His voice sounded raw with emotion.

I
nodded silently. Luckily, he had misunderstood my gaze. It wasn’t fear, but
pure desire. My whole body was vibrating with the effort of trying to suppress
it.

Carefully,
step by step, we walked down into the cold, wet darkness together. My heart
began to beat more quickly, and I longed to turn around and run away. But he
held onto me tightly— too tightly. Once the water was up to my neck, he turned
around, put his arms around me, and pulled me towards him. Now my heart was
beating frantically against my chest.

»Don’t
be afraid,« he murmured in my ear. »Try to keep breathing.«

What
did he mean by that? Panic rose within me. I tried to free myself, but he
wouldn’t let me go. He looked me in the eyes and pulled me underwater. It was
completely dark. I couldn’t see him; I could only feel him. I held my breath,
kicked my feet, tried to get free. He wouldn’t let go, I couldn’t get back to
the surface. Why was he doing this? If he didn’t let go, I was going to drown.
My lungs were threatening to burst. Brightly colored circles danced in front of
my eyes as the panic intensified. Then, all of a sudden, the water around us
began to shine. It became so bright that I could see his face, his eyes.

»Breathe,«
he said insistently. »You have to breathe, Emma. Please, trust me.«

I
had no other choice; I couldn’t hold my breath any longer. So I breathed in and
waited for the water to stream into my lungs. But it didn’t happen; I was able
to breathe completely normally. It was unbelievable. Calum beamed at me.

»I
knew it,« I heard him say triumphantly. Every word was so clear, it was as if
he was talking to me above water. Was this really happening?

It
was astonishing. The water shimmered in hundreds of different shades of blue.
As my fingers glided through it, I realized that the light was exactly the same
color as Calum’s eyes.

Before
I could think anymore, he grabbed my hand and swam through the water with me.
Deeper and deeper he pulled me down, showing me a world I couldn’t have
imagined even in my wildest dreams. Everything was full of light, and the
ground of the lake was shimmering in colors that I had never seen before. Fish
darted through forests of algae swaying back and forth, glistening in thousands
of shades of green. Calum never seemed to tire of showing me new wonders. Stone
formations formed huge labyrinths that we swum through at ever-increasing
speeds. They looked like submerged cities.

The
most fascinating thing, however, was Calum himself. His movements were so
graceful that I couldn’t tear my gaze away from him. In spite of the speed at
which he was darting through the water, it seemed as though he was hardly
moving. His body shimmered like silver and his eyes gleamed with the deepest
azure blue. I longed to touch him, to kiss him, and the desire was beginning to
overwhelm me.

As
he stopped to show me something, I put my arms around the nape of his neck and
pulled him towards me. I felt his body stiffen, but paid no attention. Being close
to him underwater felt even better than on land, if that was possible. I pushed
my body against his, kissing his chest, his throat, pulling his head down
towards mine. Finally he gave in and wrapped his arms around me. His touch
burnt my skin, and sensations I had never felt before streamed through me. It
was as though something was exploding in my head; colorful lights were flashing
behind my eyes. The rushing in my head became a tempest. I held him tighter,
wrapping my legs around his waist, and knowing that I only wanted him. It was
like some external force had overpowered me, I couldn’t stop my desire. We
raced through the water, entwined with one another, the speed only intensifying
the rush.

Then
it was over. He pushed me from him and swam away so quickly that I couldn’t
even see him out in the bubbling water. Confused and panicked, I looked around.
Unable to move, I sank deeper, like a stone. Then he was back at my side.

»We
can’t ever go that far again, Emma,« I heard his voice say in my mind. He was
breathing in gasps. Looking at him, I saw my desire reflected in his eyes.

I
was completely confused, and my heart was pounding so hard I feared it would
never calm down again. All at once, I felt empty. He didn’t want me
—
the
thought filled my mind.

Calum
took my hand and pulled me upwards through the water. The depths of the lake
darkened behind us.

We
climbed out and stumbled across the stony shore, Calum holding me so I wouldn’t
fall. My legs were like jelly. Wet through, I began to shiver in the cold night
air. I quickly pulled off my wet things and slipped into my jeans and pullover.
Neither of us said a word at first.

 »I’m
sorry, Emma, I didn’t mean to hurt you.«

»So
why did you?« My voice was trembling.

»I
didn’t want you to share the same fate as your mother. We can’t go that far. Do
you understand?«

I
nodded, not understanding a single thing. I couldn’t bring myself to look at
him.

He
laid an arm around my waist and was just about to lead me away when a figure
emerged from the darkness.

I
was so startled that I screamed. Calum quickly shoved me behind his back, but I
wanted to see who had spotted us.

A
slim man with long blond hair stepped closer to us, and I knew at once that he
was a shellycoat. He looked similar to Calum, but his eyes glistened a pale
ice-blue, filled with intense hatred. Although he was clearly quite beautiful,
something evil was distorting his face into a grotesque grimace.

An
unidentifiable fear spread within me. He had discovered us, had been watching
us. It was the worst possible thing that could have happened.

»What
are you doing here, Elin?« asked Calum in a bitter tone, but without a trace of
fear.

»I
should be asking you that, don’t you think? I always knew you were betraying
our people. Amia sensed that you didn’t want her anymore, and she was stupid
enough to tell me.« He flung back his head and laughed mockingly.

The
blood froze in my veins.

»You
know our laws and the punishment for breaking them. And it’s ironic that you of
all people should do this, after being so conceited about following our rules
to the letter. You dared to swim with a human woman on a full moon night, so
you’ll have to take responsibility for it.« He spat his hate-filled words into
Calum’s face. His expression and voice were full of malice.

»Shall
I kill her right now, or would you like to do it yourself? You know it’s
unavoidable.«

He
lunged so swiftly for my throat that neither of us had time to react. Even
though he wasn’t pressing that hard, it became harder and harder to breathe.

»Let
her go.«

Calum’s
words, although only whispered, echoed through the night like a scream.

Elin’s
eyes narrowed. Taking a chance, I bit him hard on the arm and tried to tear
myself free. He let me go with a scream, leaving me to tumble into Calum’s
arms.

»Emma,
go to the car right now,« he ordered me. His hand, which a second ago had been
holding me tightly, let go. I didn’t move. My ears were pounding.

»Emma,
go now and drive home,« he said. His face had hardened and his eyes were
glittering dangerously.

I
turned to go without any protest.

»Run!«
he ordered, even though my legs were barely carrying me.

Behind
me, I heard a hissing sound that couldn’t possibly have come from a human
throat, then the sound of two bodies crashing together. I didn’t look back.

Once
I was in the car, I realized it wasn’t just my hands that were shaking. My
whole body was vibrating from fear and suppressed desire. My teeth were
chattering loudly. I pulled my jacket more tightly around me, took a deep
breath, and tried to calm down, letting my head sink down onto my knees. Time
stood still.

What
if he injured Calum, or even killed him? Should I fetch help? Could I bring
myself to leave him alone? He had ordered me to drive back home.

I
started the car.

I
drove back to the parsonage quickly, my fear for Calum growing by the second.
Dawn was breaking, but I was oblivious to the glowing red light appearing
between the mountains.

Despite
the early hour, Dr. Erickson was awake, and he realized from the look on my
face that something terrible had happened. I stammered, wanting to explain, but
he held a finger to his lips and guided me into the library. Sitting me down in
a chair, he wrapped me in a warm blanket and handed me a cup of hot tea. I
burnt my tongue, but the rum he had mixed in had the desired effect. It wasn’t
very long before I felt warmer again.

»What
happened?« he asked, pouring a tea for himself.

I
took a deep breath.

»Calum
took me swimming with him.«

Quicker
than I would have thought possible, Dr. Erickson whipped around to face me. The
hot tea lapped over the cup and ran down his hand, but he didn’t seem to feel
it. He looked at me in disbelief.

»Please
tell me I misheard you. So he wanted to find out, regardless of the price?«

I
didn’t know what he meant.

»Where
is Calum now?« he asked.

»He
sent me away. There was another shellycoat, he must have followed us. Calum
called him Elin. I think they were fighting. We have to drive back and check on
Calum, he could be injured.«

»Quickly,
Emma. You have to show me the way.«

Still
wrapped in the blanket, I went back out to the car with him. We drove back to
the lake at top speed. But when we got out, everything was peaceful. Dawn was
breaking over the mountains.

»Stay
here,« ordered Dr. Erickson.

I
wanted to protest, but the expression on his face stifled my words.

I
groaned, shutting my eyes and leaning back.

When
the car door opened again, I looked up quickly. It was Calum. A sob of relief
fought its way out of me and I pressed my hand to my mouth. He sat down next to
me and started the engine. Dr. Erickson slid onto the back seat without a word.

At
that moment, I saw Elin standing on the hilltop in front of us. In the breaking
light, I could see he was injured. A bloody wound stretched across his cheek.

»Wherever
you go, I’ll find you all.« He shrieked it loudly into the early light of the
day.

»Do
you hear me, Calum? I’ll kill you, all of you. I won’t rest until I’ve gotten
rid of you, one after the other. You can’t get away from me, wherever you hide.«

He
laughed once more. Then he turned around and disappeared.

Calum
held my hand, clearly trying to reassure me. None of us said a word. I
struggled to calm the wild pounding of my heart.

It
was only once we were back at the parsonage that Dr. Erickson spoke.

He
was angry, angrier than I had ever seen him before.

»Why
couldn’t you control yourself, Calum? Did you have to put her in danger like
that?« he roared at him. »Is it not enough that her mother is dead, do you want
to be responsible for Emma’s death too?«

Calum
remained silent, letting the accusations hail down on him.

Dr.
Erickson fell down into his chair with a groan.

»Oh
God, of everything that could have happened, this is the absolute worst. Of all
the shellycoats who could have seen you, Elin is the worst. You can expect no
mercy from him. Did you see his eyes? It seems as if he’s gone completely
insane; hate has eaten away at him from the inside.«

He
paused.

»Was
Emma at least able to resist you?«

Calum
nodded slowly.

»And
do you now know what you wanted to know?«

»Yes.
She can breathe underwater.«

Frozen
in astonishment, Dr. Erickson stared at me.

»I’ve
heard of that happening,« he said after a while. »but the fact that it’s really
possible…still, you should never have exposed her to such a risk.«

I
barely understood a word they were saying; tiredness was overcoming me and I
couldn’t keep my eyes open. Their voices started to blur and it became
impossible to follow them.

»Take
her to bed. We’ll talk later. I’ll call Ethan and tell him Emma is with us.«

Calum
lifted me into his arms and carried me up the stairs. Then he laid me down on
his bed and covered me with a blanket.

»What
did he mean when he asked whether I was able to resist you?«

I
was so tired that I could barely get the words out.

»Sleep
now, I’ll explain later.«

He
lay down next to me under the blanket. I snuggled up against him, swiftly
falling asleep.

Chapter Seventeen

When
I woke up, Calum was still sleeping. I lay there watching him for a long time.
He was beautiful. I had never seen such a perfect-looking man before. But,
technically speaking, he wasn’t one. I gently caressed his lips and he opened
his eyes.

»I
didn’t mean to wake you,« I said softly.

Without
saying a word, he pulled me to him and kissed me with a helplessness I had
never witnessed in him before. My body reacted instinctively and I pressed
myself against him.

There
was a knock at the door. Calum reluctantly let me go and stood up. When he
opened the door, I heard him speaking quietly with Sophie.

He
turned around to face me again. I hoped he was coming back, but I wasn’t in
luck.

»Come
on,« he said. »Let’s get up and have breakfast.«

As
we went down to the kitchen, the fear of what was awaiting us rose steadily
within me.

Dr.
Erickson was seated at the kitchen table, sipping at his tea with a dark
expression on his face. Sophie gave me an encouraging nod, but there were worry
lines etched on her forehead. Almost as soon as we had sat down, Dr. Erickson
started to speak about the events of the previous night. Without even looking
at me, he turned to Calum.

»What
you did was utterly irresponsible. But nothing can be done to change it now.
Elin won’t hesitate in telling the Great Council, and it won’t be long now
before you have to explain your behavior. You don’t have much time; there’s
only a few weeks until summer solstice. There’s nothing more I can do to help
the two of you, so you have to make a decision. You can still go back. You
haven’t joined in union with Emma, so there’s a chance that they’ll forgive
you. And besides, Ares needs you. He’s been a broken man since the death of
Emma’s mother. Elin desperately wants to be his successor; I know it and you
know it. Unite with Amia, as the elders have ordained, and take the place that
has been prepared for you.«

I
thought I must be hearing things. What was he talking about? I wanted to say
something, but Calum put his hand on my knee and silenced me.

»What
he’s saying is true, Emma. I put you in great danger, and it’s unforgivable. I
should have known that Elin wouldn’t trust me. But I would never have suspected
he would follow me. He’s never left our habitat before; he despises those of us
who are interested in mankind.«

»He
wants to take your place, Calum. And to achieve that, any means will justify
the end.« Dr. Erickson’s voice took on an almost pleading tone. »You can’t let
that happen.«

»I
know.« Calum ran his hands though his hair, then covered his face. »I would
gladly let anyone have my place, anyone but Elin.«

His
words were followed by a seemingly endless silence. I was struggling to contain
my rising panic.

»I
can’t force you to make a decision,« said Dr. Erickson, »but I beg of you to
make the right one.«

Calum
shook his head.

»I
can’t. I can’t leave Emma.«

My
heart skipped a beat.

»I
think it’s best if you take Emma home now. We should talk about the rest alone,«
said Dr. Erickson in a frosty tone.

Calum
and I went back out to the car together. My head was spinning, but I had to
know a few things before he dropped me home. I just didn’t know where to begin.

»Calum?«
I said cautiously. »You have to explain some of this to me.«

»Yes,
I know.« He smiled, but it wasn’t a smile of happiness. »But let’s do it later.«
He looked at me pleadingly. »I don’t have the strength right now.«

»You
won’t do anything impulsive, will you?«

Would
he disappear, like my father had back then? Pain coursed through me. I looked
at him and grabbed his hand.

»Calum,
you can’t go back without saying goodbye.«

He
looked at me, and I could see in his eyes that he was contemplating it.

»You
can’t do that to me. Promise me,« I demanded.

It
was selfish of me to ask, but I didn’t care. All I could think about right then
was myself.

He
gave me an indignant look.

»I
can’t leave you at all, you must have realized that by now.«

»Good.«

I
leaned back in relief, ignoring his anger.

He
didn’t get out to walk me to the door when we arrived back at the house. I
wanted to give him a kiss on the cheek, but he wouldn’t even look at me. Maybe
he just needed some time to calm down. Too much had happened the previous
night, and I needed some time to think about everything too.

I
walked into the house, bolstering myself against the accusations I was sure
were about to come. But to my surprise, they weren’t from Bree or Ethan, but
Peter.

»How
could you two be so stupid?« He marched into my room almost as soon as I had
sat down on my bed.

»How
do you know about it?«

»Dr.
Erickson called.«

»Hmm.«

I
wanted to be alone and wasn’t in the mood for a long conversation. I hoped my
monosyllabic answers would make him give up and go, but Peter sat down on my
bed and stared at me.

»Emma,
has Calum or Dr. Erickson ever explained the clan’s laws to you?«

I
thought about his question for a moment, biting my lip. What did I really know?
Only fragments. But what I knew was enough. So far, not knowing everything had
made it easier for me to convince myself that Calum was like me. It was only
last night that it had become clear just how different he was.

»Peter,
please, I can’t right now. Let’s talk another time. Okay?«

Without
a word, he stood up and left the room.

I
fell down onto my bed with a sigh and pulled my legs up to my chest. Closing my
eyes, I tried to remember every detail of swimming in the lake. It had been so
overwhelming. As I fell asleep, I sank down into the water in my dreams.

It
was already dark by the time Calum came back and my relief knew no bounds. I
jumped up and was about to hug him, but something in his face stopped me.

He
sat down next to me, looking exhausted.

»I’m
ready for your questions now, if you still want to ask me.« He smiled, and my
heart swelled.

»I
don’t know where to start,« I said shyly. »It’s all so confusing.«

»It
certainly is. I want to apologize to you. Emma. It was selfish of me to take
you to the lake.«

He
reached for my hand. He thought he was selfish. I shook my head in disbelief.

»You
don’t need to apologize for that,« I said, looking him in the eyes. »It was the
most wonderful thing I’ve ever experienced.«

»But
it could have killed you. I could have been wrong. There was no way I could
have been sure that you would be able to breathe underwater.« He fell silent,
stroking my cheek softly. »But I really hoped I would be right.«

»Why?«

It
was a while before he answered: »I know a great deal about your world, and I
wanted you to get to know a tiny part of mine. So you can understand…«

He
fell silent.

»So
I can understand why you can’t stay with me?« I said, hesitantly finishing his
sentence for him.

He
nodded and ran both hands through his hair.

»I’m
undecided; please don’t think I’ve already made a decision. I’m still hoping…«

But
I didn’t find out what he was hoping, for he pulled me close to him instead,
caressing my face as though he wanted to imprint every detail in his memory.
His lips were so close to mine that my desire became unbearable. He held me
back, held himself back, as though every kiss he gave me would only tie us more
closely together.

»Who
is Amia?« I asked, wanting to break the silence and get my most burning
question out.

He
shook his head reluctantly, but I wasn’t willing to give in.

»You
said you were ready to answer my questions. This is one of them.«

He
sighed reluctantly. »If you really want to know, Amia is the woman I’m
betrothed to. We’ve known each other since we were children and I’m very fond
of her.«

My
eyebrows shot up.

»Not
like I am of you, silly.« He smiled at me lovingly. »More like a sister. But
I’m happy nonetheless that she was chosen for me. It could have been worse.
She’s pretty and nice, and we would work well together.«

My
resentment intensified and must have been clearly written on my face, for Calum
laughed.

»Well,
you said you wanted to know,« he said with a grin.

»Not
every detail.«

I
felt distraught at the thought of him with someone else.

»I
don’t want to keep anything from you.«

He
pulled me closer to him.

»There’s
so much that makes you a thousand times more attractive to me,« he whispered
into my ear.

»Such
as?« I asked indignantly.

»The
fact that you get angry so easily. The fact that you blush when you’re
embarrassed. The fact that you’re so passionate.«

I
promptly went bright red.

»That
brings me to my other question,« I said tentatively.

I
didn’t know how to formulate it. But I had to find out why he hadn’t wanted me.

»I
think I can guess what it is.«

As
he looked at me, I saw my desire mirrored again.

»Bodily
union is much more important to us than amongst humans. After we mate, we are
bound with that partner forever. Until death, in other words.«

I
looked at him skeptically.

»Your
mother and Ares became one, and it destroyed her. Think back, was she ever
happy again? Was there ever another man whom she loved?«

I
shook my head.

»As
much as I want to,« he hesitated, »it would only make everything much worse. I
don’t want to hurt you even more than I already have.«

»Was
that the line Dr. Erickson mentioned, the one we aren’t supposed to cross?«