Chapter 6 #2
“That’s Old Man Jenkins. I found him passed out on the shore of Lake Harris with an empty vodka bottle yesterday and reported him. I was worried he would roll into the water and drown.”
As we started past, Old Man Jenkins got fed up with the officers and spun away, only to draw up short when he spotted me. A hop in his step, he rushed over with hope glimmering in his bloodshot eyes.
“You were there.” His arm shot out as if to grab me by the wrist. “Come tell them she’s real.”
Unwilling to let him get his hands on me, I couldn’t help wondering. “Who?”
“The mermaid.”
“The only mermaid you saw,” one of the officers sighed, “was in the bottom of a shot glass.”
“You were right there. You must have seen her too.” He staggered closer, his breath sour. “Tell them I’m not crazy. She was there. She’s real.”
“I’m sorry, sir, but I didn’t see anyone at the park other than you.”
“There were two of you.” He cranked up the volume.
“Ask your friend. Maybe she saw.” He aimed a glare at the officers over his shoulder.
“I’m not crazy. I had one drink. Always do on my wife’s birthday.
” More like one bottle, but I wasn’t one to split hairs when I didn’t have a dog in the fight.
“That doesn’t mean I’m a crazy old drunk.
I know what I saw, and I saw a mermaid.”
“Ma’am?” The taller of the two officers called out to me. “Is this man bothering you?”
“No.” I didn’t want to get him in more trouble. “He’s fine.”
“Ask your friend,” Old Man Jenkins urged again. “If she can help, I’m Billy Jenkins. I live on Floribunda Street.”
Not waiting for me to finish the introduction, he stalked off with a slight limp.
The officers watched until he disappeared, climbed in a patrol car parked at the corner, and drove away in the opposite direction.
“This morning is off to a weird start.” I shook my head and resumed our walk to the park. “I don’t suppose you’ve met any mermaids?”
“They exist, but no. I’ve never met one. Most are salties, and I haven’t spent much time at the beach.”
“For one to be in Lendman Park, it would have to be, what? A freshie? Since it’s a freshwater lake?”
“Yes.” He polished off his meal. “You would have heard rumors if there was one.”
“Everyone loves a good lake monster,” I agreed, gulping down the rest of my breakfast too. “I’ve always heard mermaids are vicious when someone enters their territory. There would have been an incident by now if anything larger than a bass was in the water.”
The park was empty when Rían and I arrived, and I couldn’t help the mental picture forming of Fayne rubbing her hands together with glee as her evil plan came together.
“You look like you expect Liam to rise from the water dressed in neoprene with an oxygen tank on his back.”
Until he mentioned it, I hadn’t noticed myself scanning the surface with an eye toward any movement. Honestly? I wouldn’t have been surprised to learn the mermaid in the shot glass had really been a nosy dragon in a scuba suit.
“Are you telling me that’s not a possibility?” I tore my attention from the lake. “I would be shocked if he didn’t at least fly a drone overhead or strap a camera to an RC boat and stalk us from afar.”
“He’s more likely to cut a reed and use it as a snorkel.
Maybe strap a turtle shell on his head to really sell the nothing to see here vibe.
He got his head stuck in a hollowed-out log one time when we were kids.
He was mad I told him he couldn’t go swimming with me and my friends.
He almost drowned when the wood didn’t float like he thought it would. ”
“That sounds about right.” I shook out my arms. “Okay, Teach, let’s get to it.”
“Fayne would have initiated the first time to give you an idea of what to expect.” He held up his palms, facing them out. “This time, you’re in the driver’s seat.”
Warmth spread through me as I linked our fingers. More than heat from his touch, a spark ignited under my skin. This one burned brighter than when I was with Fayne. I traced the sensation down into my core where a tiny ember of magic stirred to wakefulness and gave it a careful prod. “No promises.”
“Whenever you’re ready.”
Matching my choppy breaths to his deep and easy ones was simpler than calming mine.
Inhale, exhale.
Power tingled across my skin as I gathered it then released it into Rían.
Inhale, exhale.
A sharp intake of breath snapped my eyes open as his began glowing a soft white.
“Ana…”
Energy swirled from him into me, and I swear an audible snick like a rib breaking jerked in my chest.
“Did you feel that?” I lost my rhythm, my lungs spasming. “What’s happening?”
“Our magic is syncing, but the draw on me is stronger than it should be. I can’t regulate it. It’s draining me.” He attempted to let go, but power chained us together. “You need to pull back. We have to break the circuit. I can’t do it alone.”
Panic fluttered in my chest, and I tugged against him, but we were stuck. “How do we do that?”
“Slow your breathing.” He shut his eyes. “We need to get you calm before you combust.”
“Combust?!” I forced my knees to quit knocking. “No one mentioned anything about combustion.”
Big difference between summoning a cute little flame into my palm and igniting like tinder.
“It’s the natural next step, but you’re not ready to—”
Searing heat blew my hair away from my face as fire erupted around us, leaving us standing in the eye of a hurricane of explosive potential.
I am so dead.
Poor Rían. At least he would have confirmation I was dead this time. The flesh would cook off my bones right before his eyes. I should have kissed him when I had the chance. Even if me initiating it would have required a stepladder.
I’ll miss you, Sloane.
Ice-cold reality slapped me in the face, and oxygen squeezed from my lungs in a string of bubbles that tickled my nose and stuck to my lashes.
A blur of bright blue and soft orange whizzed past, fanning a current that forced me to close my eyes against the silt rising up from the bottom of the lake.
The lake.
I was underwater.
Not burning to death.
But where was Rían? I flexed my fingers, but our hands had unstuck.
I swept my arms out in front of me, but I met no resistance.
Kicking off the bottom, I shot to the surface, gulped down air then dove in again.
We must have entered the water together.
He couldn’t have gone far. I just had to find him before—
There.
Swimming for all I was worth, I carved a path straight to Rían, who drifted slowly toward the surface. His head tilted back, and I saw his eyes were closed but his lips were parted. He floated like dead weight, and my heart thundered in my ears.
I can’t lose him. Not like this.
I hooked my arm through his and kicked with all my strength.
Exhaustion threatened to drag me down, but I fought against it with everything in me.
I wasn’t sure what had knocked him out. Burnout?
I had been channeling for both of us. Had I depleted his reserves too?
Maybe he hit his head on a rock or limb?
Had the fire scorched him? No. He was impervious to flames.
As soon as our heads breached the water, I sucked down oxygen and paddled for the shore.
Of course, the one time I was alone with Rían for an extended period, I would almost get him killed.
Liam would never forgive me for this. He would never let us out of his sight unsupervised again.
At this rate, he would demand a bedding ceremony for the wedding night to ensure Rían survived it.
Feet sinking into muck, I stood and hauled Rían ashore.
I rolled him on his side and whacked him on the back, frustrated tears blinding me.
Where was the internet when you needed a how-to video on mouth-to-mouth?
No cellphone service meant no way to call for help without leaving him, and I refused to do that.
Sobs lodged in my throat, and I started begging, not caring how pathetic I must sound.
“Come on, Rían. Open your eyes.” I patted his cheek. Hard. Then even harder. “Wake up. Wake up. Wake up.” The pats turned into slaps, hard enough to leave bruises. “You don’t get to be all tall and handsome and nice then ditch me.”
Heaving gasps erupted from Rían, and he curled in on himself as he coughed up water, vomiting on the grass. Stomach empty, he flopped onto his back, his chest heaving.
“Are you okay?” I wedged my hands under him, shoving him into a seated position as I knelt behind him. “Can you breathe?”
Head loose on his neck, he nodded once, the motion causing him to groan. I braced my palms against his spine, trying to hold him upright, but he was boneless. His weight knocked me on my butt as he slumped back until I was flattened underneath him.
Well, I was definitely not running to fetch help now.
“Ana.” His core tightened, but not even his impressive abs could do more than twitch. “Ana...”
Faint tremors shook his limbs, but he didn’t make it far. Or anywhere, at all. So, I did what anyone who found themselves crushed under a handsome man on the verge of unconsciousness did. I threaded my fingers through his hair, angling his face to ensure he could breathe, and lay there.
The warmth of him, the weight of him, was nice. More than nice. I needed a new word to express the way he made me feel, but all the ones that came to mind were too dangerous to toss out there casually.
“Shh.” I rested my chin on top of his head, regretting I had left the house this morning. “Rest for now.”
Smoke rose from scorched earth not too far away, and I was certain someone would have noticed the column of fire our combined powers wrought. All I had to do was wait, and help would come.