As she lay trembling beside Vin, Caeli now knew everything that happened during her fight on Tuesday. She understood why she lost her baby. In fact, knowing how near to death she had been, Caeli was surprised, and more grateful than ever, that she had not lost the second child as well.
But after that recollection, Caeli was pulled down into sleep once more, and she dreamed again. This dream portrayed a scene Caeli had not seen before. She stood in the shallow water on the beach outside the hotel, and then she was carried off to the island once again. The man in black was present, at first. Rika's presence hovered nearby. This encounter was different. Caeli attempted to control the situation this time. She stood her ground. She challenged Rika, who mocked her and taunted her with demeaning remarks. Caeli's resolve held firm as she ignored the jabs meant to distract her. That's when things became jumbled and the white light drew near. The sight of Michael drawing a long dagger and stepping toward her was seared into Caeli's mind only moments before she woke in fear for her life.
Caeli lay still in the grip of that terror now. Rika's insidious presence had taken hold within her and Caeli knew that she had fallen victim to Rika's manipulation. She understood not only what Rika had done to Vin in the cave, but also what she had done to Caeli without her knowledge. Enjoying Vin's company last night had truly exhausted her. It left her more vulnerable than ever before because she had completely let her guard down in the security of Vin's embrace. It opened the door wide for Rika. Caeli should have heeded Salma's warning, but she did not want to at the time. All she had wanted was Vin.
While Caeli slept, Rika staked a solid foothold in her mind and now had firm control. Caeli could not send Rika away as she did before. The sensation was horribly disturbing. Caeli realized that she was in trouble and desperately sorted through the details of her dreams, frantically searching for the answer. She did not know how long she laid there before Vin finally stirred. Caeli struggled against Rika to warn Vin.
Vin woke to find Caeli pressed tightly against his side. He could tell that she was awake, lying quietly. For a moment, he thought she might be cold because he felt her trembling. Vin looked down at her, stroked her long hair, and smiled to himself. He remembered their pleasant evening and thought about Caeli's pregnancy. They were going to have a son. She was on the mend. Vin couldn't have been happier at that moment.
Caeli wrapped her arms tightly around Vin as she felt him move. She tried to hold on, to tell him what was wrong. She was afraid of losing him, afraid of losing herself. She could do nothing more. Her fear seemed to solidify Rika's control. Rika would not permit Caeli to speak.
Vin mistakenly thought Caeli was teasing him because of his comment earlier in the week.
"Ok, I get it. You let me sleep in for once. You get bonus points for that. However, I think you are about to squeeze all of the air out of me. Mind easing up a bit?" Vin laughed.
Caeli did not let go. She wasn't laughing. Vin managed to loosen her arms and lift her chin so that he could see her face. Caeli looked frightened and her blue eyes told him something was seriously wrong. Vin noticed something else as he looked at her. He saw a disturbing determination in her eyes along with their new hue. He sat up in the bed, and Caeli sat up beside him.
Caeli, on the other hand, did not hear a word Vin said. Her mind was focused elsewhere by then.
"Caeli, what is it?"
It wasn't Caeli whose voice sounded in Vin's mind.
"I was right. Pulling your strings was great fun. Nearly irresistible, wouldn't you agree? I suppose I should thank you for giving me the opening I needed." A mocking voice let Vin know exactly what happened, and he immediately understood.
Before he acted on them, Vin knew that there was something unusual about his recently overwhelming feelings. Belatedly, Vin understood what Rika did to him in the cave. She had used him, but not in the manner Vin had been expecting. Rika's unsuccessful attempts to manipulate Caeli kept Vin distracted from her real goal.
Rika needed more than a casual hand in a fish pond or a brief soak in the tub to break through Caeli's defenses. Caeli had apparently been giving Rika more of a fight than Vin acknowledged, opposing Rika every step of the way. Rika needed something more substantial in order to gain an advantage. Therefore, Rika used Vin's love for Caeli to get her to drop her defenses and weaken her at the same time. And Vin had allowed himself to be her unwitting pawn. Caeli had completely set aside her vigilance when she surrendered herself to Vin's desire. Her resultant exhaustion wiped away the last bit of Caeli's resistance. Vin was beside himself with guilt, knowing he should have maintained better control over his emotions.
"I won't let you have her. Caeli, you have to fight her!" Vin insisted, trying to reach Caeli.
"Why fight the inevitable? Tomorrow, when the moon is full, this arrangement will become permanent. I'm sure we will have much fun together. After all, that was the proper way to start a family."
Caeli smiled mockingly at Vin for a minute, reaching up to run a finger down his cheek. Vin pulled back from her, knowing it was not his wife's caress and that he was in jeopardy of losing Caeli.
"I already have a family. You are not a part of it, nor will you ever be," Vin insisted. Then bile rose in his throat and it was all he could do not to be sick. Saying those words to Caeli's face, even though it wasn't really her, was extremely difficult. It was as if he was denouncing the one woman who meant everything to him.
She got up suddenly and made a dash for the back porch. Vin caught up with her halfway across the room and carefully held onto her as she struggled to escape. After several minutes, she stopped fighting and stood still. As soon as Vin began to loosen his grip, she darted forward again. Expecting such a ploy, Vin did not let her escape. Instead, he grabbed Caeli more firmly and pulled her into the shower. His only thought was that perhaps the water would help Caeli more than it would help Rika. It was the only solution that came to mind. No matter what, Vin was not going to let her leave. He knew that losing sight of Caeli now would be the worst thing that could happen to her. After last night's poor judgment, Vin was not going to fail Caeli again.
"Splendid! You help me further. I didn't realize you liked me so much already." Rika's words with Caeli's voice laughed and taunted Vin. Vin focused on the small amount of hesitation he thought he heard in those words.
"This is for Caeli. She is stronger than you. You took an underhanded and cowardly approach to sneak in and steal what you could not gain openly. You cannot beat her directly. I know Caeli. She will find a way to put a stop to this. Whoever you really are, you won't be staying long, and I am done talking to you. Caeli, Honey, you have to fight her. You can do this. Please come back to me. Please, Caeli, fight her." Vin kept encouraging her, praying that Caeli could still hear him. All the while, he fought to hold her under the cold water of the shower as Rika repeatedly tried to escape.
Once, she did manage to slip Vin's hold and race out to the beach before he caught up with her, blocking her path to the sea. They stood facing each other in the rain. Vin did not want to tackle Caeli for fear of hurting her or the baby. As he grabbed hold of her again, they both tumbled onto the sand.
"Stop this. You don't want your prize damaged, and I do not want to hurt Caeli."
"Then let me go. I can heal her. You cannot. She is better off with me."
Vin maintained his grip around her waist as she continued to struggle and squirm, trying to break free. When they finally rolled to a stop, wet sand clinging to both of them, Caeli ended up on top of Vin, facing him. This enabled Rika to land a well-placed knee to his groin. Though the pain was intense, Vin refused to relinquish his hold on her.
"That's certainly no way to start a family. Still, you will have to do much better than that to steal my family," Vin retorted.
Vin's mockery of Rika's stated intention instigated another round of struggling. Vin sensed desperation in her efforts. Rika was no longer confident of her success. In fact, she was becoming more frantic in her effor
ts to get away. He simply would not permit it. Eventually, he managed to drag her up from the sand and pull her back inside. Once more, Vin maneuvered Caeli into the shower where he diligently held her beneath the steady stream of water.
The physical exertion took its toll on Caeli's body as Vin knew it eventually must. He counted on her exhaustion this time. He felt terrible for again being the one responsible for placing Caeli in such a vulnerable state, but it was necessary. Before long, Caeli's body gave out. She simply did not have the strength needed to overcome Vin's determination. It was the one good thing that came from this misadventure.
Vin knew all too well that when Caeli was healthy and well, she was fully capable of holding her own when sparring with him. Her stamina and determination were no less than his. After all, it was Vin who encouraged Caeli to learn to defend herself in case a time came when he wasn't around to do it for her. She enjoyed the lessons for the exercise and friendly competition, but Vin knew she retained a portion of the training out of repetitive habit, if nothing else.
Vin was relieved to notice another change as Caeli's body went limp in his grasp. Caeli began to shake her head as if trying to wake from a dream. Instead of pulling away, she now clung firmly to his arm.
"That's it, Caeli! Keep fighting. Rika knows she is losing. She is scared of you."
The struggle continued for another five minutes before the change became permanent. The fight appeared to be over, but Vin was wary against another ploy to mislead him.
"Vin! Vin, I did it! I found the answer." A new wave of energy surged through Caeli as she stood beneath the water. Vin thought this voice sounded like Caeli's personality.
"Caeli?"
"Yes. It's me. She's gone. Oh, thank you, Vin!" She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. When she looked up at him, Vin realized that Caeli's eyes had returned to their normal shade of brown, and he hugged her close.
"Caeli, I'm so sorry. I don't know what I was thinking last night. I sensed the trouble, but I ignored it. I knew you were tired, still weak. I shouldn't have given in," Vin apologized.
"Don't be sorry. I will never be sorry for loving you, Vin. Besides, this was not your fault. I certainly didn't discourage you, did I?" Caeli asked with a smile.
"No, definitely not," Vin returned her grin.
Caeli was trying to make him feel better, attempting to assuage his guilt. He was certain, now, that this was his wife and not Rika trying to fool him. Rika would not have cared about Vin's feelings.
"Honestly, without this misstep, I might never have found the answers I needed. It is exactly what you told me Urim said. I could not win unless I surrendered myself."
"But you didn't surrender. Rika cheated," Vin countered.
"Ah, but Urim did not say to whom I had to surrender, did he? By giving myself over to you, I was forced to go through this bout with Rika. While she was distracted with you, I gained a lot of knowledge I could not have learned any other way. Also, I now remember everything that was hidden from me. I know what's happening with my gift, Vin. I know what it will take to fix it. I finally know what I have to do. But…," Caeli stopped, trying to find a way to explain it to him. She reached up and turned off the water, then reached for a towel.
"But I'm not going to like the solution, am I?" Vin completed her thought.
"No more than I do. I won't lie. It frightens me," she replied quietly.
Vin hugged her tight again. He knew he could not shelter Caeli from what she needed to do. Caeli's gift was an active part of her now, and she had to come to terms with it on her own. Vin could not face this for her, but he could face it with her. Vin could be beside her to support her effort.
"I don't know how to lessen your fear, except to say that I have no doubt that you are capable of doing whatever it takes to see this through. I will help you any way that I can. Tell me what I can do."
"To start with, you can let me get you an ice pack. I am really sorry about that kick. I couldn't stop her." Caeli tried to divert him from the topic long enough to think of some way to dissuade Vin from thoughts of assisting her. If her dream was a true indicator, then she had to find a way to keep him away while she finished this fight.
"I'll be fine. The water in here was cold enough to numb the pain. Stop trying to avoid my question and tell me what's going on. Tell me how I can help." Vin saw right through her well-intended, yet futile, attempt. He would have been surprised if Caeli didn't try to keep him out of it. That was true to her nature, very much like Vin's own desire to keep her safe.
"You can't help me. I have to do this myself." Caeli looked up at Vin and handed him a second towel.
"I understand that, but you don't have to do it alone. I will be nearby in case you do need my help, and to congratulate you after you succeed."
"Vin, please. You know about my dream. I don't want you or Salma to get hurt, and I couldn't possibly choose between you. Please, let me go alone," Caeli pleaded with him.
He had already risked enough on her behalf. Most of this week found Vin rescuing her from one problem after another. It was high time that she acted on her own behalf. Perhaps if Vin wasn't near her for this final confrontation, then not only wouldn't he get hurt, but she might also be able to avoid that dreadful choice. Despite Ben's plausible explanation, Caeli knew that her nightmares were not caused by her grief. The events depicted were not past events. She was going to have to face her dream in the waking world very soon.
"Not a chance, Caeli. I'm going with you. You can't change my mind, but I appreciate that you felt you had to try. If I get hurt, then so be it. I won't sit by and let you walk into a dangerous situation by yourself. If there is anything I can do to help keep you and our baby safe, then I will endure any amount of pain. It's a small price to pay for your safety; and I am more than willing to put the damage on my tab instead of yours. I am, however, reconsidering that ice pack." Vin tried to lighten the mood with that last request.
Caeli smiled to hear Vin mention their baby. No matter what else happened, they could still look forward to this amazing new development; that is, if she survived the encounter, and if she could find an alternative to her impossible choice.
"Thank you, Vin." Caeli knew that he would not change his mind, but she remained steadfast in her determination to find a way to prevent Vin's involvement.
For some reason, the fury of the tropical storm plaguing the island was stalled today. The rain was barely a drizzle and the sea was almost calm. A warm breeze blew gently through Caeli's long hair and swirled the lower half of the lightweight, flowing skirt she was wearing as she waited on the porch for Vin. Caeli's mind was calm and more clear than it had been all week. She was as ready as she was ever going to be to face what lay ahead.
All of a sudden, the sound of a heavy hand pounding loudly on their door disturbed the peace of the moment. The banging was followed by Ben's insistent voice calling for Vin, who had just stepped out onto the porch with Caeli. He asked Caeli to wait there while he hurried to open the door.
Ben was highly agitated as he told Vin that Salma and Pete were both missing and explained how he had mysteriously passed out. About the time that Ben completed filling Vin in on the details, Maku came down the hall with Colonel Franks at his side. Hearing loud voices, Caeli came inside to join Vin at the door. She was curious to know the cause of all the commotion.
After the incident with Rika earlier and knowing she was already concerned about the task ahead of her, Vin motioned for Caeli to wait inside their room and pulled the door closed behind him as he stepped out into the hall. He did not want Caeli to worry about Salma. That would only confirm her fear that her dream was all too quickly becoming reality.
"Vin, is Caeli all right? Is she inside?" Ben asked with concern.
"Yes, she's fine now. What happened, Ben?"
Thankfully, for once, Ben was too distracted with his worry for Salma to pick up on the fact that something had already happened to Caeli. At least, that was what V
in hoped. He did not want to try to explain the recent episode.
"Someone came into our room and took Salma, I think. They must have used some sort of gas to knock me out while I was in the bathroom. Pete is not in his room either. No one has seen him this morning," Ben updated Vin on the developing situation.
"Apela and Max are fine. Max is playing in the lounge now, but he was in his room. Apela is in the shower. I'm going to check the other rooms. Maybe I can find some hint of where they went," Maku added and then walked away to begin his room by room search.
"My team is searching outside. They haven't found any signs of forced entry. There has been no unusual activity in the area. The only person who has come onto the grounds this morning was Apela's sister, Lorrie."
"Lorrie?!" Vin and Ben replied simultaneously.
"What was she doing here?" Ben asked.
Colonel Franks noticed the intensity of their reaction, but replied calmly.
"She was collecting medical supplies for a patient. She was in and out in about twenty five minutes; and she was not carrying Dr. Erickson or Pete when she left. I checked her bag personally to ensure she wasn't lying about her reason for being here. All I saw was medical supplies."
"Then they still have to be around here somewhere," Vin concluded.
"The lab!" Ben took off, followed closely by Vin and the colonel.
The lab door was locked, but Ben quickly picked the locking mechanism. He used a thin piece of metal removed from a concealed compartment on his belt buckle. Once inside, they discovered Pete's body under a blanket in the corner. He looked much healthier than he had the previous evening. Unfortunately, they were too late to help him enjoy his improvement.
"Poor kid. As if his lot in life hadn't been bad enough. He deserved better than this," Vin observed sadly.
Ben noted the burnt remains in the trash can and looked around for any other clues that might tell him what happened and where to look for Salma. Finding Pete's body increased his fear for her tenfold. The search was fruitless. He could not find anything helpful in the lab. As they walked out into the hall, out of frustration, Ben punched the wall. His action left a large hole in the drywall and blood on his knuckles.
Wrath of the Sea Queen Page 65
