Black Sea Bright Song

by Shelly Jarvis

  She headed down the path towards the beach, careful to avoid Malcolm’s guards. Her desire to see the ocean felt intimate, and she didn’t want to explain it.

  The waves churned golden foam in the last of the sun’s rays. She had to feel the water; she felt the call deep in her bones and with each passing second she grew more certain that nothing and no one could keep her from the sea’s call.

  She dashed towards the surf, delighted when it rushed to meet her. A joyous giggle erupted from her as the warm spray soaked her feet. Her worries were eased away by the ocean.

  She walked down the shore, relishing the feel of the water on her skin. The sun settled down behind the spattering of trees that marked the edge of the beach, and Evan noticed the darkness settling around her. She turned back the way she’d come, suddenly eager to return to the safety of Malcolm’s house.

  After a few steps, the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. She turned, certain someone’s eyes were on her. She turned towards the tree line, searching for the source, but she couldn’t make anything out in the fading light. She couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched.

  Her heartbeat quickened. She strained her eyes, searching out shadows in the gathering darkness. She couldn’t see anything, couldn’t hear anything above the crash of waves and her own blood pulsing in her ears.

  I’m being foolish, she chided. But why did every nerve in her body pulsate like a live wire? Why had her chest tightened, squeezing out every bit of air in her body.

  Because someone is there.

  She broke into a run. Her feet pounded against the wet sand as she tried to close the distance between herself and the house. She was so concerned with escaping whoever was watching her, turning to watch the tree line as she ran over the wet sand, that she almost ran into a jogger.

  The echo of her blood pounding in her ears was so loud, it took her a minute to realize he was speaking to her. She looked at his face, watching his smile falter and change to a look of worry.

  “Gideon,” she breathed.

  “Evannia,” he said, putting a hand on her shoulder, “are you okay?”

  Evan sucked in air, trying to calm down. She already felt safer standing next to him. The warmth flowing from his hand was like a blanket on a cold day. As the waves splashed against her feet she felt his worry, sharp and clear as it rolled off him. It was an exhilarating feeling, regaining the sense that she’d been without these last few days.

  Though Gideon’s brow was still furrowed, there was a smile turning up the corners of his lips. He asked, “Why are you smiling?”

  She hadn’t realized she was. A laugh crept from her throat, but died as soon as it hit the air. She struggled to find the words to tell him all the things flowing through her mind, but instead focused on the one thing that seemed to matter now that he was in front of her.

  “You didn’t come back today.”

  He scrubbed his hand over his hair as a splotch of red crept up his neck. “I thought it might be easier if you had some time before seeing me again.”

  “Why?”

  “Maybe you would change your mind.”

  She pursed her lips. “About what?”

  “Emotions were high last night. I was afraid you’d think I’d taken advantage of you.”

  “How did you take advantage of me?” she asked, unable to keep the smile from her voice.

  “The kiss.”

  “But we didn’t,” Evan said.

  “But we almost did.”

  Evan pressed her lips together, trying not to laugh. “That hardly constitutes you taking advantage of me. Maybe I wanted to take advantage of you.”

  Gideon laughed and shook his head. “Do you always just say whatever comes into your head?”

  “Not usually,” Evan said. “I’m normally the picture of decorum.”

  “So this isn’t the real you?” he asked, his voice teasing.

  “Or perhaps it’s the real me for the first time.”

  She looked up at him, watching the expression on his face change from amusement to curiosity. Before either of them could speak, Evan was again awash in the feeling that someone watched them.

  “What’s wrong?” Gideon asked, his body stiffening as he took a step closer to her.

  “I don’t know exactly,” Evan said. “It’s just a feeling.”

  “Like someone is watching us?”

  She met his eyes. “How did you know?”

  “I feel it, too.”

  Evan shuddered. The confirmation that it wasn’t just her paranoia made her stomach churn.

  “Is that why you were running up the beach?”

  Evan nodded.

  “Come on,” he said. “Let’s get you back to Malcolm’s house.”

  He took her by the elbow, placing himself between her and the trees. Like the night before, the gesture was as familiar as the actions of her guards. They kept a quick pace as they walked back to the house. Gideon seemed to force himself to walk instead of run, and the thought gave her no comfort.

  When they reached the path leading to Malcolm’s house, Gideon stopped at the tree line. She reached out her senses to him, pained to realize her gift was gone again. It returned with the sea. The realization shocked her, but she didn’t have time to dwell on it.

  Gideon asked, “Are you okay to go the rest of the way on your own?”

  Even without her sixth sense, she knew what he was planning: Gideon was going after whoever had been following them. Hoping to persuade him from such a foolish idea she said, “Come with me. The others will be happy to see you again.”

  Gideon raised his fingers to Evan’s cheek and pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. “Are you happy to see me?”

  She nodded, a smile spreading across her face.

  “That’s good enough for me.”

  A bright light was abruptly cast on them, and Evan gasped as several armed guards surrounded them. One barked, “State your business.”

  Another shifted his flashlight to Evan’s face before shutting it off. He said, “False alarm. She’s a guest.”

  “What about him?” the first man asked.

  “He’s with me,” Evan said, her voice shaky.

  The second man shrugged and said, “Good enough for me.”

  They started to walk away, but Gideon called out to them. “Could you please escort the lady into the house?”

  One of the guards turned back and offered his arm to Evan. She took it while her eyes searched Gideon’s face. She said, “I’d feel better if you escorted me.”

  The corners of his lips turned up slightly, but he didn’t smile. “I’m going to finish jogging, my lady.”

  The guard took a step forward as if to lead her into the house, but Evan planted her feet and said to the guards, “Someone was following us on the beach.”

  The guards looked from her to Gideon. A smile blossomed on his face. Evan watched the way his posture dipped as he made himself appear smaller, weaker. “I think we were being paranoid. What would anyone want with us?”

  Evan was shocked at how easily his manipulation worked. Most of the guards chuckled in agreement, though one was unconvinced. She stepped forward and said, “The estate is on alert, sir. Perhaps we’d better head back out with you and check things out.”

  “If it would make you feel better. But if I were you, I’d escort the lady inside, inform your employer of the issue, and inspect the grounds. In pairs, just to be safe.” Gideon took a few steps back towards the beach, his eyes still resting on Evan. “If I see anything out of the ordinary, I’ll contact Malcolm.”

  Evan realized there was no changing his mind, but she was afraid to let him out of her sight again. If she hadn’t stumbled into him tonight, would he have spared her another thought?

  As if reading her mind he said, “I’m hosting a party this weekend. I would be honored if you would accompany me.”

  “I’d like that.”

  “I’ll send a messenger tomorrow with the information
.” He turned, jogging back down the path and into the night.

  The guards led Evan inside Malcolm’s house. Everyone was gathered in the kitchen preparing dinner. When they caught sight of her with Malcolm’s security, Evan felt nervous energy crackle through the room.

  Celia said, “I thought you were napping.”

  “I went for a walk.”

  “You did what? Alone? Do you know how dangerous that is?” Celia asked, her knuckles going white as she squeezed the edge of the counter.

  “There was a man with her,” one of the guards said.

  Evan shot him an annoyed look. “I can handle it from here, guys.”

  “It’s probably best if we brief you, sir,” one of the guards said to Malcolm. “In case the lady is forgetful.”

  Evan huffed and turned back to the others. “I’m not forgetful. I went out onto the beach and I ran into Gideon when I was coming back.”

  Celia’s grip seemed to relax, but Gideon’s name sent Malcolm pacing around the counter. “You don’t know anything about the man, who he is, or what he wants from you.”

  “I don’t think she cares what he wants, as long as he wants it,” Kedra mumbled. “Can’t say I blame her.”

  Judas looked between Malcolm and Kedra. “What am I missing?”

  “A whole lot of man,” Kedra said with a smirk.

  Malcolm said, “I told you about him, from last night.”

  “The one who saved Lucy?”

  Celia nodded. “I don’t know what you have against him, Malcolm. He seems nice.”

  “Anyone can be nice for an evening,” Malcolm said.

  “You were fine letting him stay here last night,” Evan reminded him.

  “Yes, when I had my entire security team to watch him while I did some digging to find out who he really is.”

  “You investigated him?” Celia asked in shock.

  “I tried,” Malcolm admitted. “But I couldn’t find anything.”

  Will raised his brows and asked, “Nothing?”

  Malcolm shook his head.

  “How could that be?” Celia asked.

  “If I were to guess, I’d say Gideon isn’t who he says. There’s no record of him on this island.”

  “Maybe he’s staying with someone,” Evan said.

  Malcolm shrugged. “Either way, I don’t think you should see him until we know more.”

  A guard cleared his throat and said, “He spoke like he’s trained in security. He advised us to brief you and secure the grounds, working in pairs. It wasn’t something most civilians would think to say.”

  “Secure the grounds?” Malcolm asked.

  “We thought someone was following us,” Evan said.

  Malcolm’s eyes bulged and he said, “And you’re just now telling us?”

  He rushed the guards out of the kitchen, shouting commands to them as he went. Ten minutes passed in tense silence while everyone pointedly dodged one another’s gaze. They finished preparing dinner, every attempt at conversation dying quickly in the awkward silence.

  After dinner, Judas pushed his plate away and said, “I’m going to find Malcolm and see if he needs help with anything.”

  Will stood as if he might offer to help, but Celia grabbed his arm and shook her head. Will looked at her, confused, then blinked fast and sat back down. Once Judas was out of the room, he smiled sheepishly at Celia.

  “I didn’t realize—”

  “Of course you didn’t,” Celia said with a smirk.

  “I’ve been dying to ask all night,” Kedra said.

  Celia smiled. “I don’t know what’s going to happen, but it’s clear they still love each other. There’s a lot for them to work through.”

  Evan chuckled. “Judas seemed so flirtatious when we met, I thought he would be the talk of the noblewomen for the next few months. I didn’t realize he was interested in noblemen.”

  “Could go either way, really,” Kedra said.

  “Oh. Ooooohhhhh,” Evan said, realization hitting her.

  Celia and Kedra both laughed, and the room immediately felt brighter. They gossiped a little while longer about the love affair between Malcolm and Judas, but it wasn’t long before they began to lose interest in the subject and they again fell into silence. Kedra excused herself shortly after, saying that she needed to get back into the city before it got too late. Will tugged at Celia to drag her to bed as well, but before they went, Celia wrapped her arms around Evan.

  Putting her forehead against her sister’s, Celia said, “I know you didn’t mean any harm tonight, but you need to be more careful. After everything Judas said today, I thought you would’ve known better.”

  “I know,” Evan whispered. She felt tears rising to her eyes, but she was unable to stop them. “I just feel so trapped here. I want to go home.”

  Celia hugged her tighter and said, “I know how that feels. I know what it’s like when the water calls to you. But we need to focus on your safety. And we can’t do that if you’re always wandering off.”

  “I’m sorry. I’ll be more careful.”

  Celia nodded and released her hold. She smiled briefly and said, “I love you, Ev.”

  “Love you, Cel.”

  Will wrapped his arms around both of them. “I love both of you. Now can we wrap this up? I’m sleepy.”

  Celia laughed and pushed him away, following behind him. Evan lingered in the kitchen for a few minutes more, picking at the pieces of fruit on her plate. Eventually she pushed it away and made her way upstairs. She threw herself into bed, and fell into a fitful, dreamless sleep.

  Eighteen

  Poppy was standing by the bed when Evan woke. She bolted up in the bed, heart racing as her mind tried to make sense of the maid’s presence. Poppy had been whispering Evan’s name to wake her gently, but instead she startled her.

  Poppy jumped back from the bed, grimacing. “I’m sorry. It’s just, well, there’s a man downstairs to see you. Security has him.”

  Evan was out of bed and walking towards the door before Poppy had finished speaking. The maid led her to a room Evan hadn’t yet seen. Dark wood lined the walls, echoed throughout the room in the sparse furniture. Gauzy white curtains billowed from the open windows, offsetting the darkness of it all.

  “What are you doing here?” Malcolm asked.

  Evan jumped at the harshness of his voice. He stood with arms folded, surrounded by six guards all dressed in black fatigues. Behind them was a portly, well-dressed man seated in a chair. His cheeks were flushed and his hair disheveled, but he still managed a smile when Evan entered the room.

  She pulled herself up to her full height and said, “That man is here to see me.”

  “And how would you know that?” Malcolm asked, his eyes shifting to Poppy.

  “Because Gideon told me he would be visiting today.”

  Malcolm cursed. “And you couldn’t be bothered to tell us? We’ve been questioning this poor man for the last half hour.”

  “You would’ve discovered the truth immediately if you’d come to get me. I demand you release him at once.”

  Malcolm closed in on her, putting his finger in her face. His voice was a dangerous whisper as he said, “Don’t pull the haughty princess card on me. The only reason I’m working so hard to protect you is that your sister is like family to me. I’m not here to facilitate your little romance.”

  Evan drew in a breath, readying a harsh response, but the words withered in her mouth before she could say them. She was not a princess here, and this was not her home. Instead she said, “You’re right. You’ve been nothing but kind to me since I arrived. I should’ve been more mindful of that.”

  Malcolm stepped back. A curious expression crossed his face, quickly replaced by an irritated scowl. He called over his shoulder, “Dave, you’re babysitting our guest today. Everyone else can get back to their posts.”

  The security guards filed from the room, except for one boulder of a man with a buzz-cut. Malcolm turned to the seated man an
d said, “Sir, I apologize for the manner in which you’ve been treated. We’ve had several safety issues as of late and, as you heard, we weren’t expecting you.”

  The man smiled, though sweat beaded his forehead. “I understand. Think nothing of it.”

  Malcolm nodded and turned to leave. He motioned to Poppy as he left, saying, “Come with me. We have something to discuss.”

  Evan grimaced, worried about what kind of trouble Poppy might be in. As they left the room, she turned back to Gideon’s man. “I’m sorry for what they put you through.”

  He shook his head. “It isn’t the first time, and it won’t be the last. Sometimes working for a man such as Master Gideon can lead to precarious situations.”

  Evan raised her eyebrows at this, but said nothing. The man continued and said, “I am here to give you this.”

  He smiled and reached into his pocket. In a flash, Dave was on top of the man, pinning him to the ground. Dave wrestled the man’s hand from his jacket and pushed it above his head, smacking his wrists against the hardwood. A metallic gold envelope fell from the man’s hand, making a faint tinkling sound as it hit the floor.

  “What are you doing?” Evan asked.

  Dave looked at the envelope. “Sorry. I thought he had a weapon.”

  “You checked me for weapons already. You knew the only thing I had was the envelope,” the man said, annoyance bleeding through his tone.

  With a shrug Dave said, “Better safe though, am I right?”

  The man shook his head nonplussed as he bent to pick up the envelope. He turned back to Evan and placed it in her hands. As she opened it, he straightened his jacket and combed fingers through his disheveled hair.

  “Normally I would wait for your reply, but I’m afraid staying here any longer could be hazardous to my health. I assume you will be in attendance tomorrow night and will tell Master Gideon as much.” After a pause, he gritted his teeth and said, “Please forgive my intrusion on your hospitality.”

  Evan couldn’t help but smile at the man’s words as she watched him walk towards the door. She bit her lip, hoping he wouldn’t relay to Gideon the way he was treated by Malcolm’s team. Even as she thought it, she knew he wouldn’t; everything about the man’s bearing made it clear he was a professional, through and through.