by K. K. Allen
I wonder if he was worried about me. My insides buzz with warmth as I note that he chose to stay at Summer Estate last night instead of his own home. After years of thinking he never cared because of the choices my parents made, it’s comforting to know he cares for me now. While my relationship with my father can still be awkward and confusing at times, we seem to have figured out a rhythm—and a love—that works for us.
He shifts as if sensing I’m awake and opens his eyes slowly. “Aargh.” He shifts again until he’s sitting straight up in the chair.
“I’m alive,” I whisper, a soft smile playing on my lips.
He rubs his eyes. “I couldn’t find you anywhere last night, but Charlotte had a good idea where you might be. What were you doing in the library so late?” The worry in his voice instills guilt in my heart.
I reach for the stone around my neck and stare down at it. “I was reading up on stones. I wasn’t wearing my emerald last night because I didn’t think I needed it, but apparently, I’m weak without it.”
My dad tilts his head. “What do you mean? You don’t need your emerald to use your powers. It helps, but you’re strong enough on your own. When did you start to feel weak?”
I shrug. “I felt drained the moment I came into contact with Erebus. But at the same time, I couldn’t fight him because I wanted to hear him out. If he wanted to hurt me, he would have.”
His expression cuts me to my core. “I healed a deep gash in your head last night, Katrina, and you had bruises all over your body. I’d say he succeeded in hurting you.”
A flash of an image from my encounter with Erebus spreads chills through my body.
“I have a theory.” He frowns.
“You do?”
“You’re half Equinox, which means you and Erebus share energy at some level. Not enough to overpower your Solstice gifts, but enough to disarm you during a surprise confrontation.”
It’s a good theory, but I’m not entirely convinced. “Well, then explain why my emerald goes completely dry around certain individuals.” I don’t want to give my dad the details of my romantic encounters with Johnny, so I hope the question is enough.
His expression tells me I don’t have to say more. “I suppose you don’t want your emerald to work around certain individuals. It’s really as simple as your own willpower, Katrina.”
With a stretch to disguise an unbecoming blush, I study the parts of my body I can see and notice that I not only look fine, but feel great. Not a bruise or scratch anywhere. I remember the blow to my head as I was smashed into the wall… the dripping blood pouring from the gnarly wound at my crown.
My dad must notice my self-discovery, because he’s smirking when I look back up at him. “I healed you, remember? Maybe we should work on that memory next.” He winks.
I stifle a giggle then meet his eyes with a smile. “Thank you.”
This is a memory I’ll lock up forever, because I never want to forget the first time I was healed by an Enchanter, especially since that Enchanter was my father.
There’s a look between us that says more than I want to feel right now. Have I forgiven my father for being distant all these years? Yes. Do I feel like we can make up for lost time? No. That part still hurts. Do I love him, just as a daughter should? Yes, I think I do.
I’m a ball of nerves the entire morning as I wait for Johnny to visit, even though I know he’s coming to Summer Manor to see Rose and my father, not just me. My thoughts carry a cloud of darkness, and pain twists in my chest as my heartbreak resurfaces. Still, I manage to shower and slip on a pair of black jeans that hug my skin, along with a thin cream sweater. I’ve gotten used to how stubborn my straight hair is with a curling iron, so I use my magic instead. Seconds later, loose waves hang down my back, my lashes are curled, and a small dose of eyeliner rims my silver eyes, making them pop.
With a deep breath, I land on the bottom step of the grand staircase just as the doorbell chimes. It’s fifteen minutes earlier than Johnny was supposed to arrive. I look over to find my dad, Rose, and Charlotte staring at me from the great room couch, watching me expectantly, like they want me to answer the door.
“Go on, dear,” Rose says with a flick of her wrist. “Show him to my den, and we’ll meet him there after we’ve had our tea.”
Trying to calm my erratic heartbeat is useless. The effect Johnny has on me has not changed. And for a long time, I missed that helpless feeling I had with him—when my powers were no match for the way his presence enveloped me. Maybe I still do.
I swing the door open, and Johnny’s scent immediately invades my nostrils. He’s dressed in slacks and a T-shirt, all white like he was that day we spent on his yacht. And I realize this is the first time I’ve seen him in daylight since then.
Time has blessed him well. He has just enough scruff so that I see his masculine jawline and thick, sun-kissed lips. His blue eyes still pierce me with his stare, and he still dwarfs me with his height.
His brows lift a little, and his eyes widen like he wasn’t expecting me to open the door. “Hey, Kat.”
The deep husk of my name slipping past his throat rock my core. “H-hey, Johnny.”
“How do you feel?” A crease forms in his forehead as his gaze scrolls slowly over my body.
“Good. Better. Fine.” I look away, embarrassed by how I stumbled over my words.
“I’m glad.” He starts to open his mouth to say something else, but he turns his head toward the great room and sees we have an audience. “Um…” His eyes fall back on mine. “Is there somewhere we can talk?”
Suddenly, whatever confidence carried me down those grand steps is gone, and I completely lose my nerve. Reality hits for the first time since I’ve seen him, and my insecurities drown me. I’m standing in front of the guy that broke my heart to sail off on a mission of revenge. He doesn’t deserve my forgiveness—not so easily anyway.
Instead of answering his question, I take a step back into Summer Manor and wait for him to follow. “Come this way, please. I’ll show you to Rose’s den. Paul and Rose will meet you there shortly.”
With a flick of my wrist, the door closes, and Johnny meets my gaze with bent brows revealing concern. I turn away swiftly and lead him down the narrow hallway to the corner room. He trails me closely—so closely, I can feel the air swoosh between us and his scent hits me again. That breezy, citrusy fragrance so vivid, I’m brought right back to the day we spent together on his boat.
When we enter Rose’s den, I can feel his eyes begin to wander over me again. I tense then turn to face him, expecting him to close the gap, ready to confront our time apart and his return. To my disappointment, his eyes have moved from me, and I wonder if I imagined that they had ever been focused on me at all. They shift slowly around the room, and his feet follow. His reaction is similar to my own when I first laid eyes on this mini museum. Greek figurines, artifacts, dusty books, and stones are rather unusual sights. This room is like a direct link to our heritage. Even though Johnny descends from Poseidon, I can imagine this room still holds deep value for him.
Lost in his presence, I watch him examine the space. Every little step he takes prompts me to say something, anything, but I don’t. In silence, I think of the year and a half we’ve lost and wonder what his plans for the future are. Will he leave again? Will he stay? I’m not sure if I’m ready to ask that simple question.
Too much silence has passed. “I can go get Rose and my father now if you’d like, or…”
Johnny snaps out of his spell and walks toward me. My heart lunges into my throat as he steps closer.
“Wait,” he says, his frown deepening, “not yet. I hoped we would get a chance to talk.”
“About what?” I don’t mean to snap, and by the look on his face, neither does he.
He opens and hesitates a second before speaking. “Your father is here. That’s a pretty big deal. When did he come back?”
Pondering how to explain such a complicated story, I bite my lip. “He
showed up a week after everything went down at the carnival. He just knocked on the door, and he’s been coming around ever since. It’s been…” I pause and look up at Johnny, who’s listening intently. “Really nice.”
His expression softens. “Good. You’ve forgiven him.”
I nod. “It took me some time, but he did what he had to do.”
There’s a flicker of something in Johnny’s eyes, and I can’t help but imagine it might be hope, like he thinks that since I forgave my father, I could forgive him too. But somehow, the pain with Johnny feels deeper.
“You look great, Kat.” He bats his eyelashes downward, almost shyly. It’s enough to cause my heart rate to spike once more. Johnny isn’t a shy guy, but he’s obviously having a lot of trouble with this conversation.
“I couldn’t believe it when I saw you yesterday.” He shakes his head. “I thought I prepared myself to see you again, but when I did…” He steps closer. “I mean, you’re the same but you’re… different.”
If my heart rate continues to escalate, it just might burst. “I’m older,” I say, desperately trying to calm my raging emotions. “One year, three months, two weeks, and four days older.”
He presses his eyes closed as if my time tracking causes him pain. “Yes, I know. I’ve kept track too.” Johnny’s expression darkens slightly, and his brows draw in like he’s in deep thought. “And you’re with Alec now.”
I stand straighter and push my shoulders back, a defensive reaction to his statement. My throat tightens and all I want to do is scream. Somehow, I manage to keep my tone calm. “Isn’t that what you wanted?”
“That’s why you’re with him? Because you think it’s what I want?”
I shake my head. “No, of course not.”
He takes a step forward, and I take a step back putting me against the wall. “What if I told you that it’s not what I want at all? At just the thought of you with another man makes me so angry, that I start to do this.”
The floor trembles beneath us and I gasp. “Stop it, Johnny.”
The floor calms and he walks forward again, leaving me with nowhere else to go. My insides are squirming, and I can hear my shallow breaths escaping. Desperate to regain control, I wrap a hand around my emerald and squeeze it with all my might.
His gaze dips to where I’m clutching my necklace, and he must hear my struggle to breathe because his expression morphs to reveal concern. “Kat, are you okay?”
I take a long sip of air, but it’s a useless attempt with Johnny so close. My muscles start to weaken, and my mind fogs. I need an energy source as much as I need to get away from a man who is as much my past as he is my present. I need to escape him…but I don’t want to.
With that final thought, my legs give out. Johnny catches me, wraps me tightly in his arms, and then he’s pressing his lips to mine in a kiss that has the power to either kill me or save me. If I didn’t know I could energy source through him, this kiss would have meant death. But now I use his kiss to steal his air, gaining strength with each second that passes.
I don’t want to think about how perfect our lips fit together, or how quickly energy begins to circulate between us. I don’t want to think about the way his fingertips grip my waist like he’s latching on for life, or the way his eager moans fill my mouth. I don’t want to make this kiss anything more than the mere survival technique that it was. Which is why as soon as I regain enough strength, I press my palm against his hard chest and push him away, tearing our lips apart when he stumbles backward.
“Kat,” he breathes.
“No! No more talking.” I hold up a finger in warning. “I only let you do that so I could energy source, but that can’t ever happen again. I’m with Alec now.”
Johnny’s gaze darkens. “Are you sure about that? Because it sure felt like you were with me when we just kissed.”
“That wasn’t a kiss,” I spit out. “It was energy sourcing, which is the equivalent of CPR. Nothing more.”
“Nothing more, huh?” Johnny looks as if I’ve just slapped him in the face. “Does Alec do that for you too?”
I ball my hands up in fists. “No. Alec does something better. He stays. He doesn’t run off on some revenge mission. He doesn’t make me question whether everything we ever shared was a lie. He stays right here. With me.”
“It wasn’t just some revenge mission, Kat. It was more than that, and you of all people should understand. I have a responsibility as a descendant, just as you do.”
Even though I know he’s making a point, I struggle to believe that his reasons for leaving were for anything other than to avenge his parents’ death. Even so, a new emotion begins to creep through my veins, making me question every morsel of resentment I’ve felt toward Johnny. Guilt. Have I been putting myself before his mission all this time?
A knock on the open door interrupts our heated exchange. “Sorry, you two.” My dad pokes his head in. “We only have an hour before we need to head to Summer Island. And, Kat, there’s someone at the door for you.”
My dad enters the room first, with Rose trailing behind. They both give me a curious glance, but I avert my eyes just as quickly.
Johnny reaches out his hand. “Sir, thank you for seeing me. I only hope that all I learned on my trip can help us put a stop to Erebus and his Followers.”
My dad shakes his hand. “For the sake of the people I love and the rest of this community, I certainly hope so, son.”
Johnny nods, his entire demeanor oozing respect. Even after what just happened between us, his awkward formality with my father is somehow endearing.
As I’m walking out, Rose pulls me into a hug. “Be gentle with him, dear. He really does love you.”
At first I think she’s talking about Johnny, then I remember that there’s someone at the door. My heart sinks as I realize it’s Alec. Rose clearly knows what Johnny’s return has done to my heart. It must be obvious to everyone, even Alec.
I close the den door behind me, sneaking one last look at Johnny, who is already deep in conversation with my father. The latch of the den door clicks, and I hurry to the entrance of Summer Manor.
“Kat, I’ve been calling you.” Alec’s expression is a mix of accusing and worried. He also looks as if he hasn’t slept all night. “Wow,” he says, eyeing me up and down. “You look much better than I feel.”
Guilt eats at me. Does he know Johnny’s here? Can he sense I just kissed another man, no matter how innocent I want to believe that it was? I don’t want to hurt Alec. He’s been nothing but good to me, and we’ve only just begun to give our relationship a chance. His expression distracts the direction of my thoughts. His eyes are downcast, and his entire appearance seeps defeat.
In a second, all thoughts of Johnny and the tug-of-war I’m playing with my heart are gone. “What’s wrong?”
“Brett is still at the hospital. He won’t wake up.”
I step outside and close the door behind me before taking Alec’s hand. “Let’s go.”
We take Alec’s truck to the hospital, where Brett lies unconscious. It all feels so eerily familiar to when I met Trisha here after her Enchanting. In his room, Trisha is already standing beside him, her face streaked with tears.
She looks up at us and whispers, “His parents are grabbing coffee downstairs. I couldn’t leave him.”
All my blood feels like it’s draining from my body. Everything aches—every muscle, every organ, every thought. I’m at Trisha’s side instantly, wrapping my arms around her and letting her bury her face in my neck.
We stand like this for a while until her sobs subside and the room grows quiet, except for the beeping of monitors and the dripping of an IV. I release Trisha and stand at Brett’s side, grabbing his hand.
“Why didn’t anyone call me sooner?” I reach for his neck then place a hand on his heart. I’m checking for any sign of life. Not the life conjured by machines, but life that Brett still has control of. Nothing I find relieves me of the fear that one of my best
friends could be near his death.
“I’ve tried everything,” Trisha says in a choked whisper. “I’ve been here all night. Everyone else who got hurt at the dance got healed and left already. Why not Brett? Why can’t I heal him?”
“It’s not your fault,” I say to her with as much conviction as I can muster. “You’re doing everything you can do. He’s still here, isn’t he?”
Trisha’s devastated frown almost breaks me. “Some of the Elders came to help last night, but, Kat… It’s been over twelve hours, and his condition hasn’t changed at all.”
Her words are like a weight pressing down on my chest. Not even the Elders could help. Erebus said he would leave his mark.
Alec is on the other side of the bed, standing above his best friend. I frown and look up at him, hoping he has more answers than Trisha. “What do the doctors say is wrong with him?”
“He had hypothermia from the ice water he fell into. Kaleb got him out, and I warmed him, but we didn’t know about the internal bleeding until he was brought here.” Alec’s response is filled with emotion.
Alec must have been here earlier today, or maybe all night. More guilt wracks my body as I realize he was probably calling me from the hospital last night to give me an update, but I completely ignored him.
“They stopped the bleeding in surgery, but not before he went into cardiac arrest,” Alec says.
“What caused the internal bleeding? You said he fell into ice water.” I’m not sure how the answer will help me, but I have to know how this happened.
Alec’s eyes drop, and he looks like he’s about to cry. “The balloons froze, and the ones that fell shattered everywhere. Brett was hit by a bundle of them—”
I hold up my hands, regretting even asking the question. “I’m sorry. You don’t need to explain.” I shake my head, saddened that such an innocent prank could have ended like this. I look back up at Alec, who’s barely holding it together. “You two,” I say, looking between him and Trisha, “need to stop blaming yourselves. You didn’t cause any of this. You hear me? It’s Erebus. And Brett isn’t dead. We’ll get him through this.”
