“Oh, Michael. I didn't hear you. Sorry.”
“You doing okay?”
She gazed over the vast ocean. “I want to go out there, Michael. I can hear all of them. My sisters... there's so many. I never knew there were so many.”
“Yeah, that's not a good idea, Em. You need to stay on dry land.”
“I know. Sorry. I don't want to be a mermaid. I know I don't...” her voice trailed off as if uncertain.
“God, I'm so sorry. If I hadn't talked you into coming with me today...”
“It's not your fault Michael. It’s just, the call of the ocean is like nothing I have ever experienced before. It's like... it's like I can feel the water, without being in it. Like it's my home. Where I am supposed to be. It’s wrong here. This sand is dry. Scratchy. Hot.”
“You're going to have to fight it,” Michael told her firmly, grasping her shoulders. “I will find a way to fix this.” He did not like hearing her speech sound like that of a mermaid.
“Couldn't I just go, for a few hours?” she begged, taking a step toward the water.
“No!” he spoke harshly.
Her face turned sad as if she had been reprimanded. “You're mad,” she pouted.
“Oh, no. No. I'm not mad. I just want my Emily back. If you go into the water, I'm afraid you'll never come back to me. Need I remind you of the dangers lurking out there right now? We still have no idea how many bloodsuckers there are.”
“But they need me, Michael. I feel my sisters, right now. They are in pain. They are in pain over the sister they lost, and sad, for me. Because they can hear my true voice. I don't want to be one of them.” Emily closed her eyes for a moment. “I don't want to be one of them,” she repeated as if reminding herself of who she really was. Her frightened eyes found Michael's. “It's happening so fast! I don't have much time, do I?”
It was like the two sides of Emily were fighting to see which would win.
There was nothing Michael could say to make it better. He just needed to find a way to fix it.
He watched her expression turn from sad concern, to curious, and then angry.
“Emily, what's wrong?”
She said nothing for a moment, but looked as though she was listening to something. “Charlie?” she questioned softly. “Why are you trying to hurt Charlie?” She spoke as if someone could hear her.
“What about Charlie?” asked Michael. He still had not successfully reached his brother.
Emily gasped. “Oh no!” Her head snapped to the ocean and before Michael could stop her, she ran straight into the water, diving. Clothing shattered, floating on the water’s surface.
He shouted after her, but to no avail. He stood just inches into the crashing waves, searching for any sign of her. For a moment, he thought his heart had stopped beating. She was gone. Just like that. Gone.
Emily's head popped out of the water, about fifty feet off the shore.
“Please come back,” Michael shouted after her.
“You have to trust me, Michael,” she yelled over the crashing waves. “I know what I'm doing. I'll be back, I promise. Charlie needs my help.” She sank down below the waves, her flippers popping into the air with a splash as she dove, swimming away from him.
“Fucking motherfucker!” Michael shouted across the shore. He ran his hands over his head, telling himself to breathe. His heart thudded hard against his chest. Panic rising to levels he had never experienced before. For once, all his own. No one was close enough for him to use his empathy on.
He’d wanted Emily to stay close to him today. Thought she’d be safer by his side, over being alone. “What the hell is going on? And why is it suddenly impossible for my girlfriend to stay out of trouble?”
Not only was Emily a mermaid, swimming in bloodsucker-infested waters, but apparently, his brother was also in some sort of trouble that only a mermaid would know about.
“Michael,” a voice called out.
He flicked his head. It was Mr. Jordan. He was standing on the pier, motioning for Michael to join him. When he got back onto the pier, Mr. Jordan ordered Michael to follow him into the house.
He did, stepping into the living room, which was stacked with boxes and trunks filled with papers and books.
“Did you find something?” he aimed at Mr. Jordan desperately.
“Yes, I think I did,” he returned eagerly. “But I should warn you, it's not pretty.”
“Just tell me, please.”
“Emily must die!” Mr. Jordan spoke bluntly. “It is the only way to force the mermaid essence out of her body.”
“Um, okay. Not liking the sound of this so far...”
“And that's the good news I'm afraid,” said Mr. Jordan, his voice lower.
“Killing my girlfriend is the good news?”
“Right before her death, is the only time the essence can be removed. But here's the real kicker. We have to find someone to transfer the essence to.”
“That's...” Michael had no reply. His face contorted as if trying to speak, but nothing came out.
“Potentially a much larger problem,” Anthony Jordan finished for him. His voice held an edge of dismay, which Michael easily noticed. “Don't lose hope my young man. Don't lose hope. I have just the concoction to kill dear Emily. First problem solved.”
Michael just looked at Mr. Jordan as if he were completely insane.
“Trust me, Michael Howard. I am an expert with plants. We can make it so for all intents and purposes, Emily will be dead, but she'll be perfectly alive. More, in a very deep sleep.”
Michael bowed his head for a moment, holding his breath. When he looked back up, he spoke with heavy skepticism. “Even if I go along with this plan, we're never going to find another person to take on the essence. I can't exactly run an ad that says, any gals out there want to become a mermaid for the rest of your life?”
“No, and I'm afraid I haven’t found anything helpful about transferring the essence. But never fret. We still have time.”
Michael wanted to call William and ask him to research on his own, but realized he would be busy helping Melinda, and with Charlie still missing, he did not relish the idea of Melinda trying to help Mack on her own. Not that she couldn't. He would never forgive himself if he pulled William away, and Melinda got hurt.
“Well, give me a book or something,” Michael muttered, disbelieving what he was about to do. “There's got to be some way to store the essence without transferring it to another woman… and then, I just have to kill my girlfriend.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
Melinda and Mack arrived at the pier where the fisherman had been attacked. They did not see William, but assumed he was somewhere nearby. Mack walked across the wooden pier to question the fisherman, while Melinda ducked underneath it, looking for any sign of the bloodsuckers.
She did find one, but not the kind she was looking for.
William heard her arrive and glanced upward.
She joined him at the edge of the rocky shore, underneath the pier. She hated the tension between them and tugged at her bottom lip.
“I do not believe the leeches are still here,” he informed her. “I have seen no sign of them.”
Keeping it all business. Okay… “So it looks like we're playing chase?”
“It does appear so.”
“I'm gonna try Charlie again,” Melinda told him, yanking her phone out of her pocket. She shook her head. “Voicemail. What the hell is he doing? This morning he's all about being in the lead and on the front lines, and now, none of us can even reach him!”
William noted equal amounts of frustration and distress in her tone. “I'm sure he's fine. Most likely he is busy and cannot answer.”
“I hope he didn't go and do something rash.”
“I presume you’re speaking of the Deanes?” guessed William.
Melinda nodded yes.
“Charlie is smarter than that. He wouldn't do anything without passing it by the rest of us first.”
&nb
sp; “Even with his new ring?”
William took too long to reply.
“Uh huh. Exactly. Not even your logical brain can answer that with certainty.”
“I don’t believe your frustration is entirely just about Charlie, is it, Melinda?”
Her breath caught in her throat.
“I am going to assume this is regarding the young man who dropped you off at the sheriff's house earlier?”
She knew this was coming. They might as well get it over with.
“I met him the day we found out Emily was a spirit vessel. I was going to tell you about him this morning but I just... chickened out I guess.” She shrugged, feeling stupid. “Sorry.” The word hardly seemed strong enough for how sorry she truly was.
The corner of his mouth lifted in the faintest of smiles. “I think this is a good thing, Melinda.”
“You do?” She hadn’t expected him to say that.
“Yes.”
She didn’t believe him. He sounded confident as he spoke, but she’d seen his face when he’d opened Mack’s door.
Crushed.
She had completely crushed him.
“Melinda, I cannot express how important it is to me that you find happiness in this life. I meant everything I said to you this morning. Nothing has changed.”
“But there were things you…” she stopped herself. Her nerves caught in her chest. She could not ask him about the things he didn’t say. Why force him to admit he had feelings for her. Open a wound that had no potential of healing.
“Go on,” he urged her.
“I… I don’t really know what I was going to say,” she lied. “I’m just sorry I didn’t tell you.”
“There is no need. You are building a life for yourself, as you should.”
“I did promise to try. But I did not expect to meet a guy. Not so fast anyway.”
“One who has obviously swept you off your feet?”
“Yes,” she admitted. She couldn’t look him in the eye when she said it.
“Will you tell your brothers?”
She let out a puff of air. “Not yet.”
He tossed her a questioning look.
“I don’t want to scare this guy off. My last few dates, all my dates really, did not go that well. And…” she trailed off with a timid shrug.
William had recalled each time she’d come home from her previous dates. In tears, every time. He had loathed seeing her like that. Never understood it. Why any man would turn her down. It made him want to track each of them down and threaten them. But he hadn’t, in case one of them came to their senses and asked her out again.
“The truth is, William. I like this guy. But I’d like a little more time before he finds out who I am, or has to endure rounds of approval from Charlie and Michael. I've already had to run out on him twice and he probably thinks I'm a total wacko.”
“No man that truly cares for you would ever think this, Melinda,” William replied in all seriousness.
“I’d just like to do it on my own terms, in my own time.”
He nodded that he understood.
“William?” she started, a moment of boldness.
“Yes.”
“Have you ever been in love?” She wasn’t even sure why she asked him this.
William did not answer right away. For a moment, he looked flustered.
“Yes. I have. You don’t live over four hundred years without falling in love a few times.”
“The last time… was she a human?”
His eyes narrowed. Darkened.
The topic made him uncomfortable. “I’m sorry, William. I didn’t mean to pry. It’s just sometimes, it feels like you know everything about us. The good. The bad. The awkward. But I realized today that even though I consider you my best friend, there’s so many things I don’t know about you.”
William sighed. “That is more my doing than yours, Melinda. I do not often talk about my past. To do so makes it difficult for me to do my job. I have to keep a certain distance between myself and my charges, for lack of a better term. You’re much more to me than that, of course. But to share intimate details of my life makes things… difficult.”
“Why is that?”
“Because you all leave. And the cycle begins again. Birth. Life. Death…”
“Oh,” she swallowed the impact of his words.
“And to answer your question, Melinda. Yes. She was a human. And she died, much sooner than she should have. After that…”
“I understand, William. You don’t have to explain.”
He nodded.
Melinda took a cleansing breath. She did understand now. Better at least. He had loved a human, she had died, he’d never put himself through that again. So no matter if he really did have feelings for her, or not, it didn’t matter. But she could try to keep it light around him. Try not to hurt his feelings. Or crush him… again.
“So. This young man of yours drives a motorcycle?”
“Oh. Um. Yes, he does.”
“Please tell me you’re wearing a helmet while he’s riding you around the Isle.”
“Oh. Yeah. Definitely. He’s a safe driver.” Wait a minute… Melinda cleared her throat. Was William really asking about helmets or… a sudden realization hit her. Hard. She and Riley were so wrapped up in the moment yesterday at the quarry that he hadn’t wrapped it up!
Oh my God. How much more stupid can I get? She’d have to have another awkward conversation, this time with Riley. Did they ever end?
And was William asking this because he smelled Riley on her? God, this was all just too much. This was ten times worse than her brother’s empathy picking up on her most personal emotions.
“Is everything okay?” William asked her. He hadn’t meant to upset her, only clear the air and move forward. He supposed he probably could have approached the conversation differently, and realized that perhaps he’d allowed himself a little bitterness toward the situation.
He’d given himself away earlier. He knew this. And realized that Melinda had seen it written all over him. There was no taking it back or hiding it. But his reaction to her was not one he had expected. It had shattered all his normal defenses. And right after he’d just sworn he’d never love another human again.
If he’d known she had met someone he would have prepared for it. But he hadn’t expected his reaction to be so unhinging. He didn’t wear his emotions, and this displeased him immensely. But if he hadn’t in that moment, he might not have controlled his actions.
And they were of the deadly kind. To end whatever excuse for a male had dropped her off and so obviously had his hands in places only meant for him… he’d smelled it all over her.
This witch was going to be his undoing.
“Are you okay, William?” he heard Melinda’s small voice ask. He caught her gaze, a moist swirling of concern, shame and regret. It took every ounce of strength to keep his hands from caressing her cheek and wiping away the tears forming in her eyes.
Instead, he nodded uneasily.
She bit her lip and tore her gaze away. William steeled himself, prepared for the heart flutter that had become his personal calling card, but instead her heart stuttered, skipping a few beats. In the manner it always did when she was disappointed and angry with herself. She felt responsible for this.
He needed to fix that. It was his problem, not hers.
“Melinda.” Her baby blues found his gaze, sinking into his emerald greens. “I think it would be best if we put these last few days behind us. Let us forget, and move on. It never happened.”
“Um. Yeah… okay.” She wasn’t sure it would be as easy as boom, forget. “I can do that, William,” she said anyway.
You’re totally lying by the way.
One thing I’m getting better and better at.
Yes, until your web of lies comes back to haunt you!
William inhaled and exhaled with determined strength. “Well then. Today is like any other day, which means we have a job to do.�
�� His tone was normal, controlled.
How does he do that? It killed her, his ability to turn off his emotions. As controlled as she could try to be, she could never act like nothing had happened. She could pretend though, if that’s what he wanted. What he needed her to do. Pretending is just lying… something you just told yourself you can do well.
“Any other day,” she agreed, putting on the most honest smile she could muster.
“You two find anything useful down here?” Mack’s voice rang out.
Melinda had almost forgotten where they were, or that Mack was there. She shook off her apprehensions and watched Mack work her way across the rocks to join them.
“Actually, sheriff,” said William, on task once again. “I have a theory.”
“Let’s hear it.”
“The first attack, at least that we are aware of, happened near the Jordan's home. Just a short while later they attacked here at this pier. It seems there is a pattern forming. I do believe they are following the coastline, heading north around the Isle.”
“Sounds solid to me. So north then,” Mack decided.
“Anything helpful from the fisherman?” Melinda asked.
“Helpful, no. Just had to talk him into believing it was a crazed, weird lookin' sea lion. He seemed to agree.” She shrugged, not really caring one way or the other.
Her phone buzzed again. “Hello.” She listened to the deputy on the other line. “Another sighting of the psycho lions, eh. Where this time?” As she spoke, she motioned for them to follow her. When they got to her car she hung up, lifting an eyebrow in William’s direction. “Looks like your theory was right. Just a few beaches away, headin’ north. A couple of 'em slithered onto the beach and frightened some youngins'.”
They piled into the sheriff’s car, this time, William rode along with them, an inquisitive look on his face. He slid into the backseat next to Melinda. And although they’d cleared the air, the tension still sliced thick between them.
“What are you thinking?” asked Melinda, hoping his thoughts were on the bloodsuckers.
He glanced her direction, a wave of emotion in his eyes. It disappeared just as quickly. “Nothing of consequence.”
Bye Bye Bloodsucker (Wicked Good Witches Book 3) Page 8
