“I know,” she said. “But it makes me feel like I’m close to you. Closer than I can usually be with people. Like I have a use. A reason for being here.”
“What?” asked Jack. “Of course you have a reason for being here, Ryoko. You always will, even if it’s only because I care about you.”
“You care about me,” she said. “But it’s not like how you care about Mira, or how you cared about Katherine when she was around. I’m not like them. I can’t always… express myself. I can’t help you like they can.”
“You are your own person,” said Jack. “I like you for who you are.”
Ryoko looked up at him. She tried to smile again, but her expression was more of a wince, as though he’d said something inadvertently hurtful.
“I don’t,” she said.
“You don’t what?”
“I don’t like me,” she said. “I haven’t for a long time. Since before I met you, even. Maybe not ever. I’ve suffered from depression for most of my life.”
Jack ran a hand through his hair, unsure of what to say. He took her hand and let his fingers slide in between hers.
“I… didn’t know that,” he said. “But that’s the sort of thing I should have known. Ryoko, I care about you. The last thing I want is for you to feel like you’re on your own and can’t confide in me.”
“I didn’t want to worry you,” she said. “I’ve gotten so good at hiding it, over the years. I just thought, if I kept acting normal, then maybe…”
She flashed a sad smile, and it went straight to Jack’s heart.
“You’re allowed to worry me, Ryoko,” he said. “You can ask me for help. You can lean on me. Whatever you need.”
“It’s not like that, for me,” she said. “All my life, I’ve always had trouble talking to people and even more trouble standing up for myself. It’s part of the reason I got involved with my uncle and Emanuel’s gang. I didn’t feel like I deserved to have a normal job or a normal life.”
“You do,” said Jack. “You know you do.”
She shrugged. “I thought things would get better once your grandfather saved me. And they did, in some ways, especially after he helped me and let me stay in the mansion as a maid. I didn’t have to talk much as a maid. It suited me.”
Jack let his thumb caress the back of her hand. Ryoko’s black hair was messy from sleep, and a few strands of it fell across sections of her face and across her cheeks.
“Then I met you,” she said. “It was so scary, at first.”
“I scared you?” asked Jack.
She shook her head.
“The emotions scared me,” she said. “I was on medication. I know, I didn’t tell you that either. But when you started feeding on me, the way it felt… It made it seem like I didn’t even need my meds anymore.”
“Why didn’t you tell me any of this?” asked Jack.
“Because if I told you, I thought you might waste time worrying about me,” she whispered. “But now I am telling you, and you are worrying about me, and it’s all falling apart. It’s the last thing I want, sir.”
“I’m allowed to worry!” snapped Jack. “And I’m going to help you. Just like you’ve helped me before.”
“Will you start feeding off me again?” asked Ryoko. “I know you’ve been feeding off Mira.”
“Only because of what it’s done to you, Ryoko!” he said. “You said it yourself. It was me and my need to feed, and the emotions that come from my bite that caused this. I’m not going to keep doing that to you.”
“You don’t understand,” she said, in a quiet voice. “When you’re biting me… I can pretend that you actually love me.”
“Ryoko…” Jack pulled her into a tight hug. “Of course I love you. Don’t you ever think otherwise.”
Her arms wrapped around him, but they felt weak. Jack heard her sniffle as she buried her face against his shoulder.
“I love you, too,” she whispered. “But you really don’t understand. You don’t understand at all.”
“We’ll get through this together, Ryoko,” said Jack. “I’ll do whatever it takes to help you. I promise you that I won’t let you go through this alone.”
“I just…” Ryoko swallowed, shuddering against him. “I just wanted to be able to keep helping you as much as I could. I never wanted to be such a bother, sir.”
“Call me Jack,” he said. “Please, Ryoko.”
She didn’t say anything in response.
“Look, I have to head into town,” said Jack. “There are a lot of loose ends I need to finish tying up. I don’t want to add to your worries with any of it right now. But I promise, when I get back, I’ll do whatever I can to start cheering you up. I don’t care what it takes.”
Ryoko pulled back from the hug. She wasn’t crying, and though her smile still seemed distant, there was something in her expression that hadn’t been there before.
“That’s really sweet of you to say,” she said. “Thank you. Jack.”
He brushed her messy hair back from her forehead, and then gave her a long, tender kiss.
“I love you, Ryoko,” he said. “So much.”
“I love you, too.”
He squeezed her hand again and stood up from the bed. Jack didn’t rush out of the room, instead taking slow steps, and giving her a chance to say more if she wanted to.
“You don’t have to worry about me,” she said, as he reached the door.
“I’m going to,” he said. “But I’ll try not to.”
Ryoko nodded, and then leaned back in her bed, resting her head against her pillow. Jack shut the door and breathed out slowly, wishing that there was something more that he could do.
CHAPTER 24
Jack left the mansion on foot, not trusting the state that the roads would be in for the car. Thunder rumbled far off in the distance, the kind that whispers in the background and arrives before the storm. He used it as an excuse to turn his attention away from Ryoko and his past and toward a problem that he could actually do something about.
He jogged most of the way down to Lesser Town. He could pinpoint the high water mark of the flooding from the previous night; it was obvious from the amount of refuse that the water had shifted into the open Old newspapers, shopping bags, and unidentifiable bits of paper were strewn about. Cars lay abandoned, some of them at odd angles, after the water had carried them off.
He saw people as he made it further into the town. Some of them were salvaging what they could from ruined homes and businesses. Some of them were calling out for lost loved ones in tired, defeated voices. Some of them were crying.
It would take a while for Lesser Town to recover, assuming it ever managed to. Somewhere in the realm of years, rather than months. That was assuming that it didn’t suffer another supernatural storm of the same caliber.
Jack glanced up at the overcast sky, noticing the black, stormy clouds along the edge of the horizon. He didn’t have much time.
The municipal building was still serving as the local emergency shelter. He saw a small crowd of desperate faces sitting on the steps outside of it, including a few children who wouldn’t have gone unsupervised under any other circumstances.
Despite the water damage, the building’s first floor was back in use. A small soup kitchen had been set up in the back, and people sat in chairs or against walls, eating their hot meal. Jack almost did a double take when he saw who was currently wielding the ladle to dole out portions.
Mira had on a white apron and a pink bandana in lieu of a proper hairnet. She wasn’t smiling, but there was a vital, uplifting quality to her body language. She was helping people, and she was enjoying it. Jack felt a sudden surge of unexpected pride for his former broodmother.
“Hey,” he said, as he approached her. “How are you holding up?”
Mira smirked at him.
“As well as possible, with all due consideration,” she said. “I am helping however I can. Just as you asked me to.”
“That’s go
od.” Jack frowned and looked around the room. He felt tired, and the stress of everything he’d been through in the last couple of hours was starting to get to him.
“Linda, can you cover for me?” Mira slipped out of her apron and passed it to a short woman who came over to take her place. She was still wearing one of Jack’s v-necks underneath, and he wasn’t quite so tired to keep from appreciating how tightly it clung to the curves of her chest.
Jack walked alongside her over to one of the tables in the corner. She gestured for him to sit down and wordlessly headed over to the corner of the room. A minute later, she returned with a coffee in each hand.
“Thanks,” he said.
Mira took a seat across from him. Her blue eyes ran over his face with an analytical focus, and after a moment, she frowned and shook her head.
“You look terrible, my sweet Jack,” she said. “Tell me what’s happened. I’ve never seen you like this before.”
Jack sighed.
“Jesus,” he said. “Where do I even begin?”
She took one of his hands into hers and gave it a comforting squeeze. Jack explained his encounter with Mezolak, along with the vision of the memory the demon had forced upon him. Mira looked sufficiently worried by the time he reached the end.
“I wish you had heeded my advice,” said Mira. “But I suppose what’s done is done. Mezolak, this demon you encountered, you’re sure that he was in your father’s body? That it wasn’t just an illusion of some sort?”
“I’m sure,” said Jack. “At least, if it was an illusion, it was a flawless one.”
“Such things do exist,” said Mira. “In the same vein, you should be aware of the possibility that the vision he showed you was a fabrication.”
Jack furrowed his brow, considering what she was suggesting.
“You think Mezolak might have created a false memory to show me?” he asked. “A fake history?”
“He is a demon,” said Mira. “Despite how seriously creatures from the Other Realms treat oaths and contracts, they often go to great lengths to obfuscate and manipulate outside of them.”
“I don’t know,” said Jack. “There’s too much that Mezolak would have had to guess at to make what he showed me fit if it had been fake. Too many details about my parents, and even Katie.”
“My point, dearest Jack, is that the monster intends to get inside your head.” Mira leaned closer across the table, keeping her eyes on his. “Regardless of anything else, you must not allow that to happen. Mezolak did not come to this island by accident. He has a plan and a purpose, and it likely involves you.”
Jack grimaced, but he couldn’t argue with her logic.
“I guess,” he said. “I just wish there was some way to figure this out.”
“Perhaps there is,” said Mira. “You mentioned that a warlock was used for the spell that brought you back to life in the vision. Follow up on that lead. It sounds like the man may have had a criminal record, and that’s the type of thing that might still be accessible.”
“That’s a really good idea,” said Jack. “Yeah. I think that’s what I’m going to do.”
A man carried a crying toddler into the municipal building from outside, and for a couple of seconds, the noise cut through their conversation. Jack noticed the way Mira was looking at him. She was worried, and coming from her, that said something.
“Are you okay?” asked Jack. “It looks like they’ve started to get the situation under control here. You can head back to the mansion if you want.”
Mira smiled at him, but it didn’t reach all the way to her eyes. It reminded him a little of Ryoko’s hollow smile, which was a comparison that instantly dampened his mood.
“I am fine,” said Mira. “Perhaps I’ve spent today doing my own share of self-reflection. Seeing people like this, so desperate, pulling together and clinging to whatever hope they can find… feels strange.”
“How so?” asked Jack.
Mira sighed and shook her head, and strangely, a slight blush came to her cheeks.
“It makes me think of what the future has in store for me,” she said, slowly. “In a personal sense.”
“Are you saying you’re reconsidering having me give you the Embrace?” asked Jack.
Mira chuckled.
“That’s a bit of a reach for you to get to from my words,” she said. “Though, not one that’s completely out of hand. I guess my point is that I hope to stay here on this island for a while longer. In the mansion. With you.”
Jack felt more touched by her words than he would have expected. He reached his hand out and cupped her cheek. Her eyes fluttered slightly, and her cheeks turned even redder. He kissed her and let his lips move in a silent, sensual harmony with hers.
“You should head back to the mansion when it gets dark,” said Jack. “I’d like it if me, you, and Ryoko could have a somewhat normal night together.”
“So would I,” said Mira. “For now, though, we should stay focused on the current threat. You need to do something about this water nymph, Jack. Before she summons another storm.”
“I know,” he said. “Can you talk to people? Ask if anyone has seen her on the beach, or in the water?”
“Of course,” said Mira.
“Thanks.” He caressed her cheek again, and then kissed her hand. “I should head up to check in with the mayor.”
“It’s just the sheriff’s deputy upstairs,” said Mira. “The mayor went back to his mansion. He seems a little… unsettled by all that’s happened.”
Jack nodded and headed for the stairs.
CHAPTER 25
Most of the municipal building’s upper floors had been repurposed as places to rest and sleep for people who’d lost their homes. He kept heading up until he reached the top floor. Bruce stood outside one of the doors leading to the room that Jessie, the sheriff’s deputy, had set up in.
“Hey,” said Jack. “I’m not sure if I ever thanked you for what you did last night. Saving me and helping out during the storm.”
Bruce gave a small nod and moved to step out of Jack’s way.
“She was right, you know,” said Bruce, just as Jack started to pass through the door.
“What?”
“What Katherine said,” he said. “About the people she loves turning into monsters.”
Jack wasn’t sure what to say about that. At another time, and with a different tone of voice, he would have taken it as an accusation.
“What do you mean by that?” asked Jack.
“I had anger issues,” said Bruce. “Still do, but they were… really bad when you first came to the island. Toward you and toward Katherine. It cost me her. It cost me my job. I didn’t really stop to think about it until you told me about what she’d said.”
“Bruce…” Jack winced. That anger hadn’t been entirely without cause.
“Look, I know you and her… had something,” said Bruce. “I wasn’t exactly perfect in staying faithful to Katherine, either. Just know that I’m trying to be better now. I don’t see you as an enemy anymore. Especially in times like this.”
“I appreciate that,” said Jack.
“I hope you keep what she said in mind, too,” said Bruce. “It’s good advice.”
Jack smiled, but it was a humorless thing. Katie still saw him as a monster, and he wasn’t sure that it would be as easy for him to move away from that as it had been for Bruce.
“I will,” he said.
He headed into the makeshift office, closing the door behind him. Jessie was leaning over a desk, studying a map of the island. She looked tired, but in a focused way that almost seemed to transcend the fact that she’d gone so long without sleep. A flicker of a smile crossed her face when she saw Jack, and she folded her arms over her breasts and nodded to him.
“Jack Masterson,” she said. “I’m glad that you came back. Feeling rested?”
“Not really,” said Jack. “You?”
“Not even close,” she said. “But I’m managing.�
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“Still no sign of Sheriff Carter?” asked Jack.
Jessie shook her head. There was a deep sadness in her eyes, but it was tempered by strength and resolve.
“No sign of him,” said Jessie. “We might have to accept the fact that he, and who knows how many people, are lost to us.”
Jack chewed his lower lip. He’d been fond of Sheriff Carter, and it was depressing beyond words to imagine never getting a chance to see the old man again. He knew Jessie probably shared the same sentiment, and for a moment, neither of them said anything, as though they could both honor the sheriff’s legacy with their silence.
“You’re here to help, I assume?” Jessie asked, after a few seconds.
“Yeah,” said Jack. “I’ll help however I can. But I also need a favor.”
Jessie leaned her head to the side. Her short hair made her facial expressions seem more intense than normal, and he could feel her scrutiny as though it were a physical thing.
“It’s not really the time to be asking for favors, all things considered,” said Jessie.
“It’s just a small one,” he said. “I need to know about somebody. A criminal. His name is Zack Koffman.”
Jessie started to shake her head, and then stopped herself.
“I could look into this fellow for you,” she said, in a considering voice. “But it would take my attention away from the problem I’m currently handling.”
“Managing things here at the storm shelter?” asked Jack.
Jessie shook her head. “Most of the responsibilities here have already been parceled out. No, I need to take care of a situation more typical for an enforcer of the law.”
“Is it something you think I could help with?” asked Jack.
Jessie stared at him for a moment, and he almost felt as though he’d given something away with the question.
“Yes,” she said. “If anyone else were offering, I would tell them that the situation is too dangerous. But I’ve noticed something about you. It’s in your eyes, and your posture. The only people I’ve seen with it are former soldiers, ones who saw real combat. And a few other types. Strange types.”
Water Nymph Page 14
