Forsaken

by Kristen Day

  “Your guess is as good as mine. So, are you having fun? Ian looks pretty good tonight – he cleans up nice.”

  A Texas sized grin spread across her face. “This is the best dance I’ve ever been to! I found some of these little guys…” She held up an airplane bottle of vodka with one hand and lifted her glass carelessly with the other. The pink concoction inside sloshed out and on to the table. “Whoops!” she giggled and continued, “And…I have the hottest date here. Besides Finn, of course,” She winked at me and I couldn’t help but laugh. Somebody was going to have a hangover in the morning.

  “Speak of the devil!” She bolted out of her chair and threw her arms up with excitement, “Hey Finn!” She hugged him and stumbled away to find Ian. Finn chuckled and handed me another pina colada. I immediately took a sip. I could drink these all night.

  “You are truly a gentleman,” I told Finn in a horrible British accent, “These mocktails are bloody delicious.”

  “This gentleman would like to ask his lady to dance,” he answered in an equally terrible accent. He stood and extended his hand formally. I took it and raised my eyebrows in feigned surprise.

  “His lady?”

  He raised my hand to his mouth, holding my gaze the entire time and gently pressed his lips to it. “His lady,” he confirmed with obvious devotion and pulled me out to the dance floor as a slow song began. I watched the lights above play across his handsome face and I wished I could hear his thoughts.

  “Who was that man you were talking to earlier?”

  “A friend,” he answered vaguely, and then searching my eyes, he whispered, “I need to ask you a question.”

  “Okay, shoot,” I smiled up at him.

  “Do you trust me?”

  I took a moment to think about what his question. On one hand, he wouldn’t tell me certain things about himself; he only gave me cryptic answers and seemed to know way too much about me. On the other hand, I felt completely safe with him, even though I had every reason to believe he was capable of murder. I knew he wouldn’t intentionally do anything to hurt me and my intuition told me he was actually guarding me from something. Keeping me safe. I just didn’t know what that ‘something’ was yet. I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.

  “Yes,” I answered with certainty.

  “Good.” His features relaxed and he let out a breath, “I need you to trust me, Stasia. No matter what.”

  “I’m much stronger than you give me credit for. I want you to know you can tell me anything. I can handle it.”

  “Be careful what you ask for,” he warned, more to himself than me. Desperation flashed in his eyes as he looked over my shoulder at the ocean. Eventually, he met my gaze again. His was so unguarded and pure, it left me breathless. I looked down at my feet, momentarily overwhelmed by my own emotions. Every time he looked at me, my resolve wavered and I knew it was only a matter of time before I fell hard for him. Which terrified me.

  “Do I still make you nervous?” He cocked his head to the side with a devilish grin.

  “Nope. Not at all,” I tried to lie convincingly.

  “You’re not a good liar, Stasia.” He hid a smirk, repeating a similar conversation of ours. Suddenly, he cloaked us and we were covered with sparkles from head to toe. Finn stopped dancing abruptly and pulled me close; his intentions clear in his hooded eyes. An emotional frenzy sparked inside me and my breath came faster as he leaned in ever so slowly. His mouth brushed mine lightly, enticing me. I grinned and took the bait, kissing his bottom lip, and then biting it gently before pulling back. Taking my challenge, he delicately kissed the skin beneath my ear down to my collarbone. Goose bumps raised on my skin as every sensation became heightened. Couples danced around us, completely oblivious that we were making out right in front of them. The thought sent a thrill through me. He touched my necklace, looking at me with warmth.

  “It looks magnificent on you,” he said in a low voice and a thought occurred to me.

  “How did you know it would match my dress?” A forced whisper was all I could manage.

  He paused, his eyes filled with desire, “You aren’t the only one with foresight, Pasha.” My eyes widened, but before I could respond, he kissed me with a searing urgency that made my entire body ache with longing. He broke our kiss, grabbed my hand and led me towards the same door we had entered through earlier. He pulled me down a different hallway and we fell against a wall. I was trapped against it from the pressure of his body on mine. The flame burning inside me threatened to explode into a raging inferno, as his hands seemed to be everywhere at once. He moved backwards, taking me with him and we crashed through a door, landing clumsily onto a well-placed chaise lounge chair.

  I fell on top of him, but he flipped us over effortlessly so that I was lying on my back instead. His lips grazed mine, sending tingles down to my toes, then moved downward as he kissed my neck. I tilted my head back, giving him full access. His cool lips offset the heat of his tongue as waves of passion took hold of my body. He continued kissing the other side of my neck as his right hand gripped my waist with hunger, pulling me against him. I tucked my hands inside his jacket and ran them along his strong shoulders, urging him to continue.

  His lips met mine again and suddenly there were way too many layers of clothing between us. I wanted to touch him, feel the heat coming off of his skin as it caressed mine. His strong hold on my waist released and his hand moved up my rib cage, inching ever higher. My chest suddenly felt fuller, anticipating his touch. His hand lingered just below, as if he was trying to decide if he should continue. His palm moved to my side so that only his thumb grazed the bodice of my dress, causing the skin beneath to tingle and ache. Suddenly, he grasped my waist again with what seemed like a lot of effort.

  “Don’t stop…” I whispered and put my hand over his, trying to guide it higher again. He easily threaded his fingers through mine, preventing it. He leaned back to look at me.

  “I have to stop myself before I lose all control and rip that beautiful dress to shreds.” The fate of my dress was the last thing on my mind, but he grinned and crouched on his knees in front of me, pulling me into a sitting position. He smoothed down a couple of hairs that had broken free of the iron clad hair spray and watched me with pure adoration. Feeling slightly ashamed at my own lack of inhibitions, I felt myself blush as he took my hands in his. Then the lights went out.

  I instantly latched onto him and heard him snicker. “It’s just midnight, love. It’s time for the meteor shower.” I could actually hear him smirking at me.

  “I knew that…” I stood quickly, feeling foolish. He took my hand again and led me back outside. Everyone else had gathered on the dance floor, faces lifted to the sky. All artificial light had been shut off, so we could see the true beauty of the moon and stars. They were exquisite. No longer cloaked, I felt oddly exposed. Finn wrapped his arm around me and my heart swelled. I held on to him, reveling in our most recent cloaked make-out session. I glanced down at my dress to make sure it didn’t look too rumpled. The last thing Finn said before sweeping me off my feet popped into my mind.

  He had foresight, too! A refreshing wave of relief washed over me, knowing I wasn’t alone in my random blackouts and visions. Is that how he knew I had the same ability? Suddenly, I had a million questions. Did he have blackouts too? What else had he seen? How long had he been having visions?

  Unfortunately, my questions would have to wait. Oohs and aahs came from the crowd as the meteor shower began. Out here surrounded by only darkness and water, each burning meteor took your breath away. It was beautiful to behold.

  “Do you see those two bright stars?” Finn asked me and I followed his finger. “They’re part of the constellation Aquarius. He’s the water-bearer of the sky. Right below him is the constellation Pisces. He’s pouring water down to Pisces, which we all know is a fish. The reason this meteor shower is important to us is because it originates out of Aquarius. It comes once a year, and symbolizes the water bearer showering the w
orld with new life and spiritual awakening. It represents the washing away of the past, leaving room for a fresh start.” He peered down at me, somehow understanding the magnitude of his explanation.

  Since arriving at Lorelei, I’d felt the past washing away, replaced by a new freedom to reinvent not only myself, but my future. A fresh start was exactly what I had been wanting, and I felt like Aquarius had been showering me lately with new life and spiritual awakening. I smiled up at the water-bearer and silently thanked him as he spun above us in the night sky.

  ~Ӂ~

  Thirty minutes and two cramps in my neck later, the lights came back on. Beach music blasted from the speakers and Finn turned to me, eyes sparkling.

  “It’s time for that dance,” he said as he extended his hand. I looked at the dance floor and noticed no one else had taken the opportunity to embarrass themselves, so why should we?

  “There’s no one else dancing yet.”

  “That’s because they’re waiting for us.”

  He was right; all the other couples were watching us curiously. The guys seemed to know what was going on, but the girls all looked confused. My eyes met Olivia’s and she gave me a look that could wither every flower in a twenty mile radius.

  “And exactly why are all of these people waiting on us?” I felt a massive attack of stage fright coming on.

  “Tradition.”

  “Is there a book somewhere that says no other Sons can dance until Finn Morrison does? ‘Cause if there is, I’d like to find it and burn it.” He just laughed at me and pulled me out on to the dance floor with our audience looking on.

  “Just follow my lead,” he whispered to me. This couldn’t go well. I expected some sort of cha-cha or rumba or something else equally mortifying, but instead he took my hand and began moving his feet. I immediately understood which dance we were doing. Shagging is actually something I’d done before, but that didn’t calm my stage fright by any means. I started to relax a little bit, and got in step with Finn. Under the firefly lights with an empty dance floor, my adrenaline started pumping and I couldn’t believe how much fun I was having. Finally after ten anxiety filled minutes, other couples came out to the dance floor.

  To our left, Ian was trying to teach Phoebe the steps, as she continually ran into him due to watching her feet the whole time. To our right, I saw something I never thought I would witness; Olivia smiling and laughing. She was dancing with a tall good-looking guy who was gazing at her as if the sun rose and set in her eyes. Smiling at my own dance partner, I couldn’t remember the last time I was this happy.

  Chapter 28

  Too soon, the lights flickered, announcing the end of the Ball. I found my shoes, which I had kicked off at some point between The Temptations and The Embers, and started to follow the other couple filing back downstairs to the catwalk, but Finn held back. He took my hand and guided me to the now empty dance floor.

  “For my lady.” He bowed before me and presented me with a single rose he seemingly manifested out of thin air. Instead of the customary red or yellow, this particular rose was dark as midnight; a rich, soft ebony that reminded me of a raven’s feather. The embodiment of darkness was captured beautifully in its black petals, but the symbolism of the rose itself lit a startling contradiction between life and death; both intertwined within one fragile flower. A flower I currently held gently in my hand. Its sweet aroma drifted up to my nose.

  “It’s beautiful, Finn,” I breathed, unable to take my eyes off it.

  “Just like its new owner.” He flashed a dazzling smile down at me and took my hand.

  He escorted me back downstairs, through the small hallway, and when we rounded the corner, it took me a second to realize what I was seeing. The other girls had been lowered via the basket of death to the yacht below. The catwalk stretched out before me with eleven Sons lining the left side. Each held a single black rose just like Finn’s. One by one, they offered me their flower and nodded their head respectfully. I wasn’t sure if they were nodding at me or Finn, but it didn’t really matter. I’d never had anyone show me that kind of recognition. I was used to hiding in the shadows. By the time we arrived at the basket, I cradled a dozen black roses in my arms. I knew my face had to be a bright shade of red from the heat I could feel coming off of it, but I didn’t care. At that moment, I felt like royalty; a princess swept off her feet by a dark, sexy angel of mystery. Finn produced a strip of black lace and wrapped it around the flowers, securing them together.

  “You are too much,” I smiled widely at him. He narrowed his eyes and stepped closer.

  “And I’ve only just begun seducing you with my unwavering charm, mademoiselle,” he purred in his horrible British/French accent, his mouth lifting up in a crooked grin I couldn’t resist. Standing on my tip-toes, I gave him a light kiss. His arm went around my waist and his other cradled the back of my head as he pulled me to him for a much deeper kiss. The eleven Sons watching on the catwalk and the hundreds of girls waiting below faded from my consciousness as I willingly drowned in him. The dark magical quality of the roses in my arms and the night surrounding us folded around me, embracing and warming my heart. His kisses stopped abruptly as he cupped my chin, forcing me to gaze into his stormy eyes. My legs suddenly trembled.

  “I will stop at nothing to protect you, Anastasia. I want you to remember that.” The desperation in his eyes and the urgency in his voice tightened my chest with trepidation. I nodded in agreement, not knowing how to respond to his sudden pledge of protection. What did he think I needed safeguarding from? Fear quivered in the pit of my stomach, but I tried to push it down. His shoulders relaxed and his crooked grin returned.

  “Sweet Dreams, Stasia.” Finn kissed my hand, looking up at me through his long lashes.

  “Sweet Dreams, Finn.” I didn’t want to leave his side. I knew I would feel his absence like a cold wind blowing around my heart. Reluctantly, I stepped into the basket, steadied myself and met his smiling eyes again. The winch came to life and I was being lowered. He became smaller and smaller until I could no longer see him.

  “Stasia!” Phoebe broke my trance. She ran to the basket, but was held back by the Son opening the bar for me. The deck was pitching back and forth violently, making it difficult to find my balance. I carefully took several steps before she had her arms around me. She handed me my clutch, and then looked down at my roses with awe.

  “Ohhh, how beauthiful! I’ve nefer theen black roshes before!” She bent down to smell them and I felt a buzzing in my clutch. She looked at me with a lopsided smile and poked my shoulder with her finger. On the sobriety scale, Phoebe would be at the too-drunk-to-be-in-public level. “Youuu are one luckyyy girl, Stasthia. You bether hold on to him” She slurred at me and I laughed, taking her arm and leading her inside. My phone buzzed again.

  “Come on, let’s sit down and have some water,” I cocked an eyebrow at her. I could tell she was seeing at least four ‘Stathias’ at the moment. I motioned for a waiter and asked for a very big glass of water and something to eat. I checked my phone and saw I had a voicemail.

  At first, I only heard rapid breathing. I pressed the phone to my ear. “Stasia!” More panting followed by a soft whimper. “You were…right…You were right. I don’t know what she’ll do… ” My blood turned to ice as I heard a rustling sound and a hushed whisper, “The….Fortunate Isle…hurry...ple-.” A loud smack sounded and she whimpered again before the line went dead.

  I stared at my phone for a moment in shock. It was coming true. My vision. It was actually happening. I yanked Phoebe to her feet and dragged her back outside.

  “Hey, wherrrre we goin Stasthia?” She looked at me with confusion. I held both her cheeks, forcing her to focus.

  “Phoebe, listen. My vision’s coming true. We have to help Kira.” As my words sunk in, her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. She seemed to sober up with lightening speed.

  “Call Willow.” She was right. I found Willow’s number and pressed call. I prayed she wo
uld answer. It was a little after two in the morning.

  “Stasia?” I could tell by her hoarse voice that I had woke her up.

  “Willow!”

  “Hey-“

  “My vision’s coming true.” There was no time for small talk, “Kira’s been taken. We have to do something!” I could hear her sitting up in bed.

  “Wait, calm down, calm down. Tell me what happened.” I told her about Kira’s message. She was silent for a moment which made me highly aware of the unending terror beginning to strangle me.

  “Are you sure she said The Fortunate Isle?” she asked.

  “Yes. That’s exactly what she said.” I confirmed quickly. “Do you know where that is?”

  “No, but Nicolet’s poem might.”

  “What do you mean?” Phoebe was trying to talk into the phone at the same time, so I put Willow on speaker so she’d stop climbing on me.

  “I figured it out. What it says. Hold on.” I could hear her moving papers around, “Okay, listen to this:

  most fortunate of isles

  belongs to the blessed and true

  which of itself and without favour,

  slumbers beneath the blue.

  anchor off her shore

  whilst shifting currents slew

  cease the tidal surge

  and arrive her sprites to woo

  hidden amongst the mangroves

  beyond the blue lagoon

  stands the house of thetis

  seen only by those deemed true

  she whispers to the creatures

  and answers to the blue

  the heart of the Isle rejoices

  its soul to be renewed.

  “Oh my God.” I stared out at the water, almost incoherent. “That’s where we have to go.” Panic broke my trance and I shook my head to clear it. “We have to go find her! I don’t know how but-“

  “Hold on, there’s numbers written on the back,” she stopped me. I could almost hear the wheels turning in her head. “I didn’t understand what they could mean because they looked so recent. But now it makes sense.”