Brendan was really gone. After collapsing on the deck and watching Julian disappear inside the house, I sat there and cried. The note burned a hole in my hands but I couldn’t bring myself to read it. Not yet.
At some point, I gathered myself enough to leave the deck and hide out in the garage. The guest house was up above, but the entrance was on the outside so no one should bother me in here. I sat inside my dad’s old classic MGB and cried until I didn’t have any tears left.
My heart broke into a thousand shards; slicing every nerve with their sharp edges. If Brendan really felt the call to mate with a human, then he was lost to me forever. Last night had been so wonderful - I simply couldn’t understand how my world could implode in such a short amount of time.
A part of me was so angry with him. If he knew I wasn’t going to be enough, then why did he come to my bed last night? Why would he say all of those things to me? Why did he love me?
But that was it. He loved me and wanted that to be enough just like I’d always dreamed. I suppose if I was really honest with myself, I’d admit that somewhere deep down I knew this would happen to us. As much as it hurt right now, perhaps this was for the best. I wouldn’t have to worry about accidentally controlling him and he wouldn’t have to fear his instinctual fate.
I looked down at the crumpled note in my hands and took a deep breath. He didn’t even give this to me himself. That was something I may never forgive him for. Then I thought about the note I’d left on my bed for Kain the night Brendan and I ran away and realized how hypocritical I was being. Neither of us deserved happiness with the way that we treated those we loved. With shaky hands, I opened the note.
Evs-
I will probably never be able to convince you of how much I wanted this to be enough. I missed you with every fiber of my being and I will always cherish our time together. My father warned me, as did Julian. I refused to accept my fate.
I wish I could tell you what I’m feeling but it is so overwhelming that I can’t find the words. Please know that I have not succumbed completely to the call, but it also won’t allow me to love you the way you deserve to be loved.
You are special. You are sexy. And you are a leader. I am so proud of you and what you’ve become. It saddens me that we won’t be able to share our lives together, but know I’ll always have a place for you in my heart.
I am sorry-
Brendan
I must have read it ten times. Getting a “Dear John” note was not the best way to breakup, although there was a part of me thankful he said at least something.
The thought of him running off to start a family was just devastating. Maybe he’d be able to fight it. Maybe he wouldn’t find anyone. Maybe he’d come back to me. But the odds were stacked against us. Maybe I should just stick to my own kind.
At some point I saw light slip inside when someone opened the door to the garage. “Eviana? Are you in here?”
Great. It was Kain. Literally the last person that I wanted to see right now. Maybe if I didn’t say anything, he’d leave. “I know you’re in here.” Maybe not.
“I’m over here,” I yelled while wiping my puffy eyes and snotty nose. There was no mistaking that I’d been crying for the last hour.
Kain mumbled a curse when he bumped into something but then emerged and looked at me. “Why are you sitting in the dark?”
“Why not?”
He snorted. “Mature, Eviana.” I watched him come closer to the car and I could tell the moment he saw my face. “What happened?”
I waved my hand with the note. “Brendan happened.”
Kain took a deep breath and pointed to the empty driver’s seat. “May I?” I nodded and he climbed inside. After admiring the car for a moment he shifted in his seat to face me better. “I’m really sorry, Eviana.”
I slammed my head back against the seat and closed my eyes. “You shouldn’t be. I deserve this.”
“Why would you think that?” he asked sincerely.
“I’ve done nothing but treat you badly and now karma has slapped me in the face.”
“Is he really gone this time?” His voice sounded light but there was something else hidden underneath.
“Yes. He felt the call. There’s no coming back now.” I hurriedly wiped at the tears on my cheeks.
“Well then, I really am sorry. I know how much you cared for him.”
“I love him.”
“I know.” Kain sighed and I remained silent. This would normally be incredibly awkward but my nerves were so frazzled I barely felt anything. “I never told you, but I saw you leave that night.”
“What? When?”
“The night you and Brendan left California.”
I cringed and rolled my head to look the other way. After spending the day as Kain’s fiancée and sharing our first and only kiss, I left him just hours before we were to be married. “I’m sorry,” I grumbled.
“I’m not telling you this to make you feel bad. I’m telling you because I want you to know that I get it. When I saw the look on your face when he picked you up, I knew our marriage would never be what I wanted it to be.”
“Kain…”
He held up his hand to stop me. “I knew you cared about me, but it was obvious how much you loved Brendan. I can only wish that someday I can experience a love like that.”
“Is this supposed to make me feel better?”
He smiled slightly and shook his head. “No. I just want you to know I really am sorry it didn’t work out with you two.” There was really nothing for me to say to that.
“You were so mad at me,” I whispered.
“Yes, I was. Sure I was mad that I’d lost you, but what hurt worse was the way you did it.”
I lifted my hand. “You mean like in a note?”
“Yes. And without any warning. You left me in a tough position. Everyone wanted me to join your mother in support of your shunning and everyone expected me to be angry.” He leaned back in his seat. “And I was angry. I probably still am. But we’re in a position where we don’t have the luxury of holding petty grudges or mourning the loss of something we never really had. We’re in a position of power and those duties and responsibilities to our people have to come first.”
I looked at him with amazement, and not for the first time. “What happened to you?”
He chuckled. “What do you mean?”
“You’re so…mature and stuff.” I reached across the seat to grab his hand. “Your clan is lucky to have you.”
He squeezed back. “So is yours.”
“Yeah, right,” I grunted. “Especially when I’m covered in snot.” He laughed and wrapped his arm over my shoulder. I nestled in against him.
“Well, maybe not looking like you do right now. But you’re powerful, Eviana. They know that, even if they give you a hard time.”
“They don’t do it to you.”
“I’ve had a few more weeks at this. They’re coming around. Don’t worry.” I pulled away from him and sighed.
“We need to find Abhainn.” It was the last thing I felt like doing right now, but getting out of this house was probably for the best.
“Yes, that’s actually why I was looking for you. Adele called.” I jumped in my seat. “Lucian’s agreed to a meeting tomorrow night.”
“Where?”
“Red Lodge, Montana.”
“What?”
“It was the only place they could all agree upon. Neutral territory so to speak.” Why Montana was considered neutral, I had no idea. Maybe because it wasn’t near an ocean?
“So when do we leave?”
“They’re sending a jet for us in the morning.” He climbed out of the car. “So we need to get Abhainn on our side today.”
I opened my door and decided not to leave Brendan’s note behind. “Okay, let me change and I’ll meet you downstairs.” Kain nodded and left me alone. Although I had to laugh when he ran into something again and I heard him swear for the second time today.
****
Kain and I rode in the back of the car taking us to Bennett’s Park where we last saw Abhainn. Daniel wanted to come, but somehow Kain convinced him that his time would be better spent practicing his fighting techniques with Aleksey. Daniel couldn’t argue with that.
“Is Carissa coming again for a visit?” It probably wasn’t the best topic, but I needed to fill the silence.
“I’m not sure.”
“Oh.” I wanted to know more, but figured he’d tell me if he wanted. “You know, I think she can sense when people are lying?”
He glanced in my direction. “Really?”
“Yeah. I didn’t even know that was possible until I met Graham. He can do it and he said there are probably others like that too, although it’s not very common.”
We pulled into the parking lot. “Huh. That might explain some things.” He didn’t elaborate and I didn’t press.
Still early enough in the morning, the park wasn’t too crowded. Two protectors followed us somewhere in the distance, since no one would allow us to do anything by ourselves. Especially after Lucian’s attacks the other night.
We trudged up the path and then through the forest to the pond where Abhainn had been hanging out. The morning sun hid behind the trees to the east and steam rose off the interior of the pond as the air warmed up. I stood there for a second admiring the beauty of this place. With so much death and destruction and heartbreak in my life recently, I needed this moment of serenity.
Unfortunately, it didn’t last very long. Two figures burst through the trees not more than fifty feet from us. There was a male and a female and neither of them wore any clothes. We watched as the man caught up to the woman and grabbed her from behind, eliciting a squeal from her perfect lips. Her long auburn hair flowed effortlessly down to her waist, covering an ample bosom and a flat stomach. The man pulled her tight and kissed her so fiercely and deeply that I felt like we should avert our eyes.
She complied for a moment and then slapped him hard across the cheek, laughing as she did it. He growled at her but then smiled. This was a game for them. She leapt away and began to run along the water’s edge straight toward us.
Kain and I froze as the female got within a few feet before noticing our presence. With a hiss she jerked back and dropped to the ground on all fours. In an instant her human body shuddered and disappeared as she became a large dog with massive jaws and sharp teeth.
A ratchet.
I stumbled backward in fear, not wanting to face one of these creatures ever again. The ratchet snarled at us, drool falling from her mouth and her gaze locked on Kain. The man running up behind her suddenly stopped and waved his hands in relief.
“Oh. It’s just ye syrenkas.” The ratchet snapped her head around to look at the man, sending droplets of drool and water flying to the side. She backed up toward him, not once dropping her predatory eyes from us.
“Abhainn?” I asked.
He chuckled and had the decency to look ashamed. “Aye. Wasn’t expecting company this mornin’.” He reached forward to pet the ratchet on the head. “’Tis all right, Isabel. They are ma friends.” She growled and he laughed again. “Isabel is quite protective of me these days.” He bent forward so he was at eye level with her. “Really, ‘tis okay. Let’s change.”
Abhainn’s fleshy body shimmered and clothes suddenly, and thankfully, appeared on his form. Isabel wasn’t quite so quick, but once Abhainn reassured her another dozen times, she stood up on her hind legs and transformed into the beautiful women. This time, she created a very small robe to cover her most intimate parts. It was better than nothing.
“Mistress Dumahl and Master Matthew, what a surprise to see ye again so soon,” Abhainn continued. “Please, let’s ‘ave a seat.” He pointed to a few boulders that had been arranged in a circle and provided the perfect spot for a camp fire. “Tell me, what brings ye up to these parts?”
Isabel sat on the ground in front of his legs, barely blocking the view of her parts just underneath the robe. I elbowed Kain when I caught him staring. “Have you heard about the attacks on the east coast?”
“Aye, you mean the cruise ship ‘n that wretched merman?” I winced at the thought of all of those dead people, but nodded my head.
“Yes. Lucian’s now using water sprites of all types to do his dirty work.” I looked at Isabel. “You’re a ratchet?”
“Oui,” she replied in a thick French accent.
“And you’re French?”
“Oui.”
“Do you speak English?”
“Oui,” she said but didn’t elaborate so I looked at Abhainn. He was smiling down at Isabel with so much love that I felt another pang of sadness flood through me. “Ratchets can change forms?”
“Oui,” Isabel snapped. “All of zee water fairies can.” Her accent was so thick it made it hard to understand. It sounded like she was choking on phlegm.
“Why are ye asking, lassie?”
“I’m just learning so much.” I faced Isabel. “I saw what your kind is capable of. They killed many humans and mermaids at Jeremiah’s. They drowned an entire clan on that cruise ship.”
“It iz my understanding zhat a mermaid created zhat wave to topple zee ship, non?” She saw my reaction and smiled. “Oui, it iz true zen. We are not zee only evil ones.” This time when she smiled, her mouth was full of hundreds of sharp pointy teeth.
“Isabel is a little sensitive,” Abhainn said while resting a hand on her shoulder. “So what is it that ye seek today?”
This time Kain answered. “We’ve promised our clans that we could secure the support of our own water sprites and we hoped you’d be able to help us with that.”
“Non,” Isabel snapped before Abhainn could reply. “I do not like her.”
“Excuse me?” I blurted.
“Ladies, ladies, relax. There is enough of me to go around,” Abhainn said with a wry smile.
“Abhainn,” I sighed but he waved his hand at me.
“You ‘ave been good to me, ‘n I will see what I can do to aid yer war.” Isabel growled at him. “My acquaintance can be quite feisty.”
“Your acquaintance?” A memory rose to the surface. “Isabel is the one who helped you find the selkies, isn’t she?”
“Aye, I told you she could smell them a mile away.” I suddenly had a new respect for her.
“Thank you,” I said. “You were very helpful.” She turned her nose up to me, but I saw a hint of pride on her face.
“How many do you think you can get?” Kain interrupted.
“I don’t know, but I will ask the kelpies ‘n the nereids. Isabel can work with the ratchets.” She snorted again but didn’t argue. “When do ye need us?”
We spent another hour scheming and planning. We told him about our trip to Montana and he agreed this might be a trap by Lucian. But he was also familiar with the area and thought Lucian picked it because there weren’t very many lakes nearby. And those that were, would most likely be frozen. So we couldn’t bring any sprites but neither could he.
“Adele really thinks he just wants a meeting.” Kain explained.
“What do you think?” I asked.
“I wouldn’t trust him.”
“Oui, Aye,” Isabel and Abhainn said at the same time.
“Well, we don’t have much of a choice.” I said with a sigh. With that, we agreed to meet Abhainn at the house later that evening. He promised there would be a way for him to find us and I had to trust him to do it. It was almost lunch and Kain thought someone would be looking for us. Reluctantly, we left Abhainn and Isabel and returned the house where Brendan no longer waited for me.
