Waves of Change (World Above Water, Book 1) (15 page)

He could hear other voices in the background, and he was on alert in an instant. “Yeah, Chris? What’s up?”

“Something big is happening. We’re calling everyone to this location.” Chris showed Daniel through the water in the glass on his nightstand.

The image in the liquid was of a warehouse, and it looked abandoned. “Everyone? What’s going on?”

“We think this is where they are making the poison, and there is a group of Ver-Rist Tokos patrolling the perimeter.”

“I’m on my way.” He hadn’t expected the change in plans, so he reached out to update Alicia. He had only intended to make a quick stop at his house before he headed back to the hospital, only now he wasn’t sure when he’d be back.
“Beautiful, I’m going on a quick mission. If you need me for any reason, just let me know. I won’t be long.”

“All right. I’m trying to get out of a meeting, but if I can’t, that’s where I’ll be for the next couple of hours. Please be safe, Danny.”

“I will.
Elan-ak-hanaeyl
, beautiful.”

“I love you too.”

* * * *

Gladys placed her phone’s receiver into the cradle with a small frown. “Sorry, Dr. Lewis, I can’t get Grant Sullivan on the line.”

“It figures. Thanks, Gladys; I’ll be back in a little while then.” Alicia made her way to the parking garage and got into her car. She released a sigh as she pulled out of her spot and exited the facility.
Well, let’s get this over with.
As she turned onto the street, her phone rang, and she answered it on speaker. “Dr. Lewis.”

“Dr. Lewis, I was able to get in touch with Mr. Sullivan. I’m working with Marjorie to reschedule. Did I catch you before you got too far?”

“You did; I’ll head back to the office now. Thanks, Gladys.” Alicia approached a stoplight and prepared to make a U-turn. She sat at a red light and waited for the turn signal. When the green arrow flashed, she pulled into the intersection. Out of nowhere, a small sedan barreled into the intersection, and she slammed her foot onto the brake.
He’s going to hit me!

When she realized stopping wasn’t going to prevent an impact, she pushed her foot on the gas to dodge the car. To her surprise, an SUV slammed into the sedan and stopped it from hitting her. As soon as she put her car in park, she jumped out to offer assistance, making her way first to the driver who was struck by the SUV. She peered into the window and tried to gauge the status of the occupant.

Before she could get a good look at him, she felt a strange but familiar sensation. She tried to make herself move, but her body wasn’t under her control. She stood up, and began to walk away from the accident and up the street.
What’s happening? Who’s doing this?

She struggled to fight the control over her movements, and in the blink of an eye, she couldn’t breathe. The sensation of drowning took over her thoughts, and she began to panic and tried to gasp.
Oh my God! I can’t… Oh God!
Her efforts to take a breath only seemed to make things worse, and when she regained control of herself, she collapsed onto the asphalt with her hands at her throat. She still couldn’t breathe, and she tried to cough to get any air into her lungs.

Nothing worked, and as she lay on the ground, her eyes filled with tears and her head throbbed in painful reverberations. The urge to cough to clear her lungs was strong, but each time she tried, water would come into the back of her throat.
I’m going to die! They’re going to kill me!
Her world grew dim, and the throbbing in her head transformed into an intense and painful pounding. There was nothing she could do to save herself, and as she watched her world swirl around her, her ears registered the sound of footsteps and two male voices.
“Daniel!”

“Did you get the reading?”

“No.”

“Quick, get her into the car. We only have a small window of time.”

It was the last thing she heard before everything went dark.

* * * *

“Okay, team one, you move to cover the rear, team two, the front entrance, teams three and eight, the roof, teams four and five sewers, teams six, seven, and nine fan out and search for patrols and runners.” Chris gave the orders and waited as everyone got into position. Daniel and Chris were in team one, and took up their spots and remained hidden.

“Wait for the signal and then proceed.” Daniel spoke to the teams through their water. Everyone was ready, and they held their positions while they masked their presence.

Just as Chris was about to give the signal, Daniel stiffened. A rush of panic and fear coursed through his water, and he sucked in a breath.

“You okay? What’s going on?” Chris kept his voice down and placed a hand on Daniel’s shoulder.

“She’s drowning!” Daniel nearly stood up and ran from his hidden position. He wanted to get back to the car they’d arrived in, but he still had enough control to remember he was on a mission.

“Where is she?”

“Beautiful? Can you hear me? Beautiful? Alicia?”

“
Enki
, she’s not answering. I need to get to her.”

“Show me where she is.” Chris’ voice dripped with agitation. He was crouched next to Daniel behind a half wall, and he bounced his knee in his anxiety.

“Hold on.” Daniel followed her water in his mind, and he could barely make out her thoughts.”

“Accident … have to help, can’t breathe. Blurry. Someone’s … touching me…”

“
Tai ikamu
! Chris, they have her.” The only thing that kept him from running as fast as he could was Chris’ pull on his water.

“Of all the times. Okay, let’s go. Williams, give the signal. All teams get ready to move in.”

Daniel and Chris remained hidden as they backtracked to their vehicle. Daniel closed his eyes and gave directions while Chris drove.

“Talk to me, Daniel. Is she okay?”

“I don’t know. She’s not awake.” The water of his body churned under the influence of his anxiety, and he balled his hands into fists. Water from the bottles in the cup holder floated near his face. It was then he realized he was manipulating without focus.

“
Tai ikamu
, Daniel, keep it together!”

“Chris, if they’ve hurt her…”

“I know, and they’ll have me to deal with as well if they did.” Chris continued to follow Daniel’s instructions, and he held the steering wheel with a white-knuckled grip.

“We’re close, Chris.”

“Are they moving or stationary?”

“Moving. Where are they taking her?” Daniel could sense they were close, and he scanned the street ahead . “There. Chris, it’s that blue car.”

“On it.” Chris increased his speed to close the distance, and Daniel concentrated on counting the number of people in the vehicle. Sensing two and Alicia, he killed the man in the backseat and took control of the driver, forcing him to stop the car while he and Chris got out.

“Who sent you?” Chris began questioning the driver and scanned his memories.

Daniel was frantic as he opened the rear passenger door. When he saw the unknown man slumped over Alicia’s unconscious body, his blood began to boil with rage. After dumping the man onto the floor of the SUV, he moved in closer to check on her.

“Daniel?” Chris stopped his questioning and peered into the backseat.

“She’s barely breathing.”

“It’s your lucky day. Now you’ll get to die.” Chris’ words were full of venom as he continued to probe the man for information.

“Beautiful, open your eyes for me, please.”
Daniel cradled Alicia in his arms and tried to clear his thoughts. He wanted her to wake up, and he had to focus so his emotions wouldn’t scare her. He had never been so terrified, and he could feel his hands tremble as he held onto her. Concentrating on her water, he forced the remaining fluid out of her lungs before searching her mind for anything he could use to bring her back to consciousness.
“Just give me one little thing, beautiful. One little thing so I can bring you back.”

Daniel sent thoughts and images to her, hoping to trigger a response. When he sensed a twinge of recognition, he latched onto it and used it to drag her mind through the fog and into clarity.

“Can’t breathe!” Alicia coughed, and as her last memories flooded her thoughts, she was instantly frantic and shaking.

“Beautiful, I’m here. Thank
Enki
you’re all right!”

“Daniel!”
The recognition of his thoughts broke the dam on her emotions, and she wrapped her arms around him and began to sob.
“I couldn’t breathe. I felt like I was drowning. I thought I was going to die!”

“It’s okay, beautiful. You’re safe. I won’t leave you again.”

“Is this what’s at stake? Just how many people can do this?”

“Not many.”

“You don’t need many! Daniel, this has to end.”

“Just try to breathe. Let’s get out of this car, and I’ll take you home.
Daniel carried Alicia into Chris’ car and sat next to her. As he held her in his arms, the memories of what happened poured out of her, causing him to lose control of his powers for a time. Water hung in the air and began to evaporate.
This is my fault. I should have stayed with her.
Somewhere in the back of his mind a question kept repeating.
What do they want with her?

* * * *

After the incident, Daniel never left Alicia again. Things returned to normal, but he still felt uneasy about the Ver-Rist Tokos and the potential threat to his
Dau-Hael
. He could sense Alicia’s paranoia whenever they were in public, and it wore on him.

As their wedding date drew closer, they had to move forward despite the circumstances. Both sets of parents were coming to stay with them for the week before the wedding. The thought of his mother and father relaxed him, and he looked forward to seeing them as well as meeting Alicia’s folks.

When the doorbell rang, Daniel hurried from the kitchen to answer it. He smiled as soon as he opened the door.

“Where is she? Let me see her!” Daniel’s mother barged into the house the moment he answered the door, passing her son without even a word of hello.

Conversely, his father greeted him with a hug and a clap on the back. “I’m proud of you, son.”

“Thanks, Dad. You say that and you haven’t even met her.”

“I don’t need to meet her; the look on your face says it all. It’s clear for anyone to see she makes you happy, and that’s all a father can want for his son. And she’s your
Dau-Hael
; who could ask for anything more?”

Daniel and his father smiled as a realization dawned on him. His mother was now running unattended through the house. “Mom. Just wait here in the living room, please.”

“Where is she? I want to see her. I want to visualize my grandchildren’s faces.”

“Mom…”

“Helen…” His father’s voice held the slightest bit of warning, but the smile on his face said it all. He was just as excited as his wife.

“What?”

Both men stood, shaking their heads as the sound of another car was heard in the driveway. Alicia’s parents and brothers exited the vehicle and made their way to the door.

“Mr. and Mrs. Lewis, Maurice, Joseph, come in.”

Alicia’s mother looked Daniel up and down for several seconds, leaving him unsure what to make of her gaze. After a few more seconds of perusal, she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tight.

“
Tu es trés beau et sympathique! Enchantée! Comment-vas tu
?” In her excitement, she looked around the door and into the living room toward Daniel’s parents. “
Ah, tes parents! Comment vous appelez vous
?”

“Garcelle, in English.” Alicia’s father pulled her to his side and squeezed her hand.

Alicia had told Daniel the story of how her parents met. Her mother, Garcelle, was born in France and lived there until she decided to study abroad in America for college. She met Alicia’s father, John, and never looked back.

“I am very sorry. It is just that I speak in my first language when I am very excited.” Her words came out with a heavy French accent, sounding more like: I yam veree sawree; eet tees zhus tha tie spee keen my firs long gweege when neye yam veree exciteh.

Daniel smiled and took her hand. “It’s not a problem. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Lewis.”

Alicia’s father and brothers shook Daniel’s hand and entered the house to find Daniel’s mother on the couch. Daniel’s mother looked over the new arrivals before she introduced herself.

“My name is Helen Winters and this is my husband, Samuel. May I just say how excited we are, and when I saw you come in, I was thrilled. There are good genes in this family. My grandchildren will be gorgeous!”

“Helen!”

“What?”

Daniel felt the heat in the skin on the back of his neck, and he excused himself to retrieve Alicia from upstairs.

As soon as he entered their bedroom, he released a breath. “Beautiful … my mother is on a grandchild rampage!” He ran his hand through his hair as he kept chanting to himself.
Please don’t embarrass me, Mom.

Alicia pulled him down to her until their foreheads touched and sent him reassuring thoughts. “Then maybe we’ll have to indulge her soon.” She kissed his lips and smiled.

“Beautiful, you are about to make me forget we have guests.”

“They’ll be with us for the next week. You’ll just have to learn to be quiet.”

“One week; I can do this. That means you’ll have to be quiet too, you know.”

“I don’t plan to be quiet at all.” There was a mischievous smirk on Alicia’s face as she spoke, and he could sense there was something going on with her.

“What?”

“Nope.” She shook her head.

“But your parents…”

“Won’t hear a thing.”

“How?” Daniel was beyond confused as he watched and waited for an explanation.

Alicia flashed a wicked grin and closed her eyes before taking a deep breath and releasing it.
“Mmmmm. Je veux jouir.”

“What does that mean?” The words weren’t as important as the feelings he sensed when she said them. Desire laced her thoughts, and he wanted nothing more than to indulge her.