Chapter 40
Chapter Forty
It was a brilliant, cool morning when Jabir emerged from Jack and Cory’s cottage the next day. He paused outside and stretched, lifting his arms over his head before dropping them with a thump against his sides. Early morning clouds drifted like lazy sails overhead.
His gaze turned to the lake. The water glistened in the shifting light, calm and glassy—like it had paused its breath, waiting for something to happen. A slow, eager smile curved his lips.
This place is amazing, he thought.
He walked through the village before veering off toward the shoreline.
His boots crunched softly over stone and sand, while his gaze remained fixed on the water.
He should’ve been thinking about finding Zohar, Bálint, and the others, but…
his thoughts kept drifting back to the girl from the night before.
The one with the shimmering hair and eyes like sea glass.
The one who vanished like mist when he touched her.
The girl who still made his fingertips tingle and his heart race with excitement.
His dragon stirred, restless and watchful.
She out there.
Jabir wasn’t sure if that was hope or instinct whispering to him. Maybe both.
He wandered farther, to a quiet stretch of rocky shoreline framed by tall water trees and wind-tossed reeds. Here, the lake curved around a bend, broken only by boulders smoothed by water, weather, and time. The boulders jutted into the shallows like forgotten pieces of an ancient wall.
He climbed them with easy, practiced balance—hopping from one to the next—until he reached the one farthest out, surrounded by water that glowed a mysterious blue-green beneath the sunlight.
It might have been waist-deep, but it was probably a lot deeper.
It was hard to tell with the water being so clear.
He had a perfect view of the lake from here.
He dropped his tote with a soft thud and sat cross-legged on the rock before he dug into the pocket of his jacket, pulling out a handful of smooth pebbles he’d collected. He selected a small, round green one that reminded him of her eyes.
He rolled it between his fingers, then flicked his wrist and sent the stone skipping across the surface.
One… two… three… four… plop.
Not bad.
He did it again… and again—letting his mind wander.
Was she real?
Had he imagined the way she looked at him, the way her fingers brushed his, the way her touch lit up his body like he’d been waiting for her his whole life?
“I wonder what their houses look like,” he murmured aloud, tossing another stone.
Were they carved into the limestone? Built from shells? Did they sleep in beds of woven kelp? Did they laugh like land people? Cry? Dream? Fall in love?
He was about to throw another stone when something shimmered in the water.
He stiffened, his body alert and his eyes narrowed.
The movement was just a flicker. A glint of silver. It could have been a fish. Heck, it could have been sunlight on a ripple.
His dragon stirred again, more insistent.
It her. Look. It her.
Jabir leaned forward, squinting into the water. Another glint. And then… mesmerizing eyes.
Beautiful, luminous, jade-colored eyes… watching him.
His breath caught.
She was there. Just beneath the surface. Half-hidden, half-glowing, like a dream refusing to fade.
He lowered the stone in his hand and hummed—softly—just a few bars from a lullaby he used to sing to the injured animals in the sanctuary. A tune of calm and welcome, wrapped in wonder.
The water rippled.
The girl rose.
Not all the way. Just far enough that her arm emerged from the water, slender and dripping. Her hand opened.
In her palm… were the pebbles he had skipped.
His mouth fell open, a soft laugh escaping before he could stop it. “You found them?” he murmured, his voice thick with disbelief and delight.
She didn’t speak. Just watched him with wide, curious eyes.
Jabir looked around quickly. There—a flat rock near the edge of his boulder. Big enough to sit on. He held up one finger, gesturing for her to wait. He quickly removed his boots and socks before rolling up his pant legs.
His heart pounded as he kept flicking glances to make sure she hadn’t disappeared again. He placed his socks into his boots before he slid onto the smaller rock. This rock was barely above the surface of the water. The girl swam closer, cautious but not afraid.
He swallowed nervously when she was just a few feet away. Her hands were cradled in front of her like she was offering treasure.
“Hey there,” Jabir said gently, his voice soft as the ripples between them. “I’m Jabir.”
He wasn’t sure she understood what he was saying. Wasn’t sure she could speak. He nervously rubbed his hands against his thighs. He felt tongue-tied, unsure what to say or do.
Her upper body surfaced as she floated onto a smooth, moss-covered stone a short distance away. Water cascaded down her shoulders. Her silvery hair clung in long strands, like moonlight spun into silk. She was breathtaking—otherworldly, and he couldn’t believe that she was real.
They stared at each other, caught in that quiet space where nothing needed to be said.
Then she smiled.
Just the smallest tilt of her lips.
She reached forward… and let the pebbles tumble into his palm.
“…Jewel.”
Her voice was barely above a whisper. It reminded him of the soft sound of song caught on the wind.
Jabir blinked, trying to process what she was saying over the thunder of his heartbeat.
Jewel. Her name is Jewel.
He stared at her with wide eyes. “I—I’m Jabir,” he managed, awkward now, flushed and a little dizzy from holding his breath.
He sank down onto the rock, clutching the pebbles. He almost slipped trying to sit and caught himself at the last second, which only made her lips twitch with amusement. He chuckled nervously and cleared his throat. “So, uh… I’m not from around here. What’s it like?”
Jewel tilted her head, her eyes glimmering like polished jade. “You are not afraid of me?” she asked with a hint of wonder in her voice.
Jabir frowned, genuinely confused. “No. Why should I be afraid of you?”
She twisted, her silver hair flowing over her shoulders like liquid moonlight.
Without warning, she rose on a wave of water, gliding onto the rock beside him.
His breath caught. The tail he expected wasn’t there.
She had legs now—long, slender, impossibly graceful legs.
Water glistened on her skin like stars caught in dew.
His throat went dry. A strange heat crept up his neck.
“You don’t know what I am,” she said softly, almost to herself. “Most creatures fear my kind. They should. Sirens lure them to their deaths.”
Jabir blinked, startled, then looked down at her hand resting on her knee—delicate, webbed between the fingers. He reached out slowly and cupped it, feeling that electric jolt flash up his arm again. Her pupils dilated; he knew she’d felt it too, but she didn’t pull away.
His thumb brushed along the soft webbing, marveling at it. “You’re… beautiful,” he murmured, then added, “So… are you going to lure me to my death?”
That broke the spell. She tried to pull her hand free, a flicker of hurt—or was it shame?—passing across her face.
He felt a pang and tightened his hold gently, lifting her hand instead and brushing a tentative kiss across the back of it. “It’s okay,” he said, shrugging like it was nothing even though his heart hammered. “I’m not going to run screaming in terror.”
She stiffened, glaring at him with those striking green eyes. “You’re a strange little boy,” she said, her voice sharp.
The words stung more than he expected. His fingers loosened. He dropped her hand and started to rise, heat flooding his cheeks. “I’ll leave you be.”
Her fingers slid down his arm as he moved, catching his wrist. “Wait.” The word was soft, almost breaking. “Stay.” Her grip tightened on his hand. “I… am sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
He stood there frozen, his muscles tight. His dragon murmured in his mind: Stay. She special. But the familiar ache of not-enough gnawed at him—too small, too soft, too nice—he would never be who people wanted.
It was only when Jewel squeezed his hand again—this time gently—and he looked down into her pleading eyes that something inside him cracked. The self-doubt eased, just a little. She looked frightened… but also hopeful.
He released a long sigh, gave a stiff nod, and lowered himself back onto the rock beside her. Their knees brushed. The lake whispered against the stones. She didn’t pull her hand away this time.
Jabir stared at their intertwined fingers, then at the shimmer of sunlight on her damp hair. His heart felt like it was beating in the wrong place—high in his throat, in his fingertips, in the space between them.
“What’s it like,” he asked quietly, “living under the water?”
Jewel tilted her head, a slow smile curving her lips now, softer, truer. “Beautiful,” she said. “Lonely sometimes. Cold. But… beautiful.”
Jabir smiled back, shy but brighter this time. “I would love to see it.”
She shook her head, a sad look reflected in her eyes. “It would be too dangerous. If my mother or sisters discovered you—”
“It would be worth it—to spend more time with you,” he said.
She turned to look at him. “I like that you aren’t afraid of me.”
“Would you… would you be afraid of me if you knew I was a dragon-shifter?”
Her eyes widened, and she looked from him to the sky and back again. “You can fly? In the air like a bird?”
“Yes. Would you like to fly with me?” he asked.
Her lips parted in wonder, and she looked at the sky again. Jabir wanted to reach out and brush her hair back when the breeze caught the silky strands. His dragon waited anxiously for her response.
“To fly… To have such freedom,” she murmured, her voice filled with longing.
“Come on,” he encouraged, rising to his feet and pulling her with him.