Watermark (The Emerald Series Book 3)

by James, Kimberly

  "I know. It's just…" He ran his hands over his head, and his expression was pinched, as if he were in pain. "I wish you would have warned me." Something wild was going on in his eyes, something I couldn’t define. "Are you with him?"

  "Not with with him. This is our first date," I said. "But I like him.”

  "Shit," he muttered, squeezing the back of his neck.

  "Do you want us to leave?" I asked, holding my breath as I waited for his answer because he hadn’t come right out and said, "Of course not." No, he continued to stare at me with that helpless expression I hadn't witnessed for months. I'd hoped never to see that desperate look again.

  "No," he said after a long pause. "Don't leave."

  "This is hard enough without you acting apeshit crazy seeing me with someone else."

  "I'm sorry. You're right." He wiped his hands over his face.

  "What is it, Noah? This is more than me showing up with a boy."

  "It's fine. Really. It's me. I didn't…" He dropped his arms and released a breath. "I'm good. Introduce me."

  I wasn't sure I wanted to.

  "Hey, man. I'm sorry," Noah said after we'd walked back to where everyone was waiting. He held out his hand, and I would have sworn it shook a little.

  "Nah, it's cool," Michael said, his easy-going attitude putting me at ease.

  I could smell him even surrounded by the scents of the ocean, his woodsiness easy to distinguish, making me think of pine and pumpkin spice and cooler climates.

  "Hey," Daniel said, nodding his head. "I know who you are now. Florida, huh?"

  Michael shrugged, and being the local basketball hero, I imagined he dealt with similar questions often. "I haven't made up my mind yet."

  "That's cool," Daniel tossed him a Frisbee and Michael caught it on reflex. "I get lander boy," he said, and if Michael noticed the subtle slur, he didn't seem offended.

  "Here.” Noah held a beer out to Michael. Sensing Michael was about to decline Noah said, "You don't have to drink it. It's more fun if you do, but all you have to do is hold it so me and Erin can kick your ass in beersbie."

  Jeb tossed me a beer and said, "Me and Caris take the winner."

  “Isn’t it a little dark for beersbie?” I asked.

  “The moon’s full and we have this.” With one flick of Cree’s wrist the Frisbee flew straight for me, its bright yellow glow reflecting off the sand. I caught it easily. I wasn't driving, so I popped the top on my can and took a few sips of my beer while the guys set up the poles and cans for the game. The point of the game was simple—knock the beer can sitting on top of the pole off with the Frisbee. Scoring was more complicated.

  "Fine, don't pick me," Quinn said as she took a seat on one of the bean bag chairs circled around the fire. Two people could easily fit on one of the oversized chairs. She scrolled through her phone, and the song on the player changed to My Morning Jacket's I'm Amazed.

  "Baby, you do a lot of things well, but catching ain't one of them," Daniel said and blew her a kiss.

  "Thanks, Danny. Appreciate the vote of confidence." Quinn fumbled for the kiss he blew her and pretended to drop it, her lips overly pouty.

  "I've never heard of beersbie," Michael said as he followed Daniel's lead and lined up behind the paddle fixed in the sand with a beer can balanced on the top.

  "Watch and learn," Noah said and let the Frisbee fly. The Frisbee hit the pole, which was the point of the game, and the can toppled over. As I suspected, Michael had quick reflexes, and he caught the can and the Frisbee before either hit the ground, robbing Noah and of the points we’d earned by knocking the can off. Daniel and Michael exchanged a high-five.

  "You're so going down, Jacobs," he said, handing Michael the Frisbee.

  We did go down, embarrassingly fast. Then Noah and I watched as Jeb and Caris went down, though they exhibited more staying power. Clearly, it irked Noah that Michael had proven himself superior in beersbie. Noah strived to be the best at everything, and he tended to sulk when he wasn’t, even at a meaningless drinking game. Foreboding stirred behind his eyes—a warning I didn’t understand.

  While Daniel and Michael were finishing Caris and Jeb off, Noah leaned over, placing one hand on each of my shoulders, his face close to mine.

  "I like him," he said. "But we need to talk."

  "Okay," I said slowly, his intense, bordering on sad expression caused me to shiver. “Right now?"

  "Not tonight. Tomorrow. I'll come over in the morning."

  "Now I'm worried," I said. "Is everything okay?"

  He laced his hand around my neck and pulled me toward him, kissing me on the forehead. "Yeah, everything is going to be fine."

  8

  Home.

  The thought caused an unaccustomed ache in his chest as he gazed upon the house nestled in the dry landscape of sand and blowing grass. Blood thrummed through his veins. Images flashed through his mind’s eye so fast it made his head pound. The dull lights from the windows of the house begged him—a call he couldn’t answer.

  Not yet.

  He’d been indoors. Indoors was nothing but a crushing, suffocating weight on his body. He needed the open water. It was the only place that felt big enough. The only place quiet enough. The air held too many sounds and they would swirl around his head in tornadic frenzy until he was forced back into the Deep. Sound in the Deep was felt more than heard, vibrations he sensed over every inch of his skin.

  He watched from the water, careful to remain unseen. He was good at hiding in the shadows, camouflaged in the green murkiness. The air was cool on his face, the sensation a surprise every time he surfaced. He’d been coming to the surface with more frequency. Breathing air. Watching this beach. Watching a house that had once been his. And if he weren't watching this house he was watching her. Erin.

  Tonight a fire burned on the beach, the orange flicker of the flames drawing his eye. It would be hot. He remembered that too. He smelled fish, the searing of salty flesh. His mouth watered in response. It had been so long since he’d tasted anything but raw fish and slimy seaweed and salt.

  He recognized the people on the beach. They were like him. Or they had been before he'd become something else. Something more. And if his mind couldn’t yet conjure a name for every face, he knew they were his people. His tribe.

  He’d lived here once. He had a tribe. A family. He had a brother.

  He had almost forgotten until Jamie had shown himself to his brother and Noah had called his name. The sound of it had been like a sharp stab in his head, his very soul. He’d run, desperate to get away from the reminders of all he’d lost. Of things he couldn’t quite remember, things that still didn't make sense. He was getting better at that too, making sense of the things his mind showed him. The people. The places. Like this place. He was always drawn back here. No matter how much she tried to lure him away, he came back.

  Longing gripped him followed by a deep sense of loneliness. At one time he would have belonged on this beach with his tribe. Now, he doubted his place. Even as he watched, his mind clouded over in a watery fog of green. Knowing slipped away as confusion took its place.

  Panic ripped through him. His name? He couldn’t recall it. What had been in his mind minutes before was gone.

  What was his name?

  And then he caught her scent. Erin. She was here. She smelled slightly sweet and fully comforting. He could almost taste her on the air. He searched the beach until he found her.

  She could tell him. She could tell him his name.

  A strand of hair blew across her face and she whisked it away with the graceful sweep of her hand. Her every movement mesmerized him. Firelight danced over her features. Her smile stole his strength.

  He wanted to go to her, but he was afraid.

  The Deep whispered in his mind. She won’t know you. She won’t accept you. She’ll be afraid. You don’t belong here. You belong to me.

  He didn’t want to believe it. Erin had never been afraid of him. But doubt niggled
at him. He knew he was different.

  It was enough that she was here. It was enough to watch her. His eyes followed her as she sat, sinking onto a chair. Her face lifted and she smiled. He stopped breathing. His heart seized. Her smile was for someone else.

  She wasn’t alone.

  9

  “You have very interesting friends,” Michael said as I sat next to him on one of the bean bag chairs circling the bonfire.

  "You beat them at beersbie," I reminded him smugly. Not that I was surprised. He was an athlete, and I imagined he could play anything that relied on quick reflexes and eye-hand coordination. I'd been oddly proud of Michael, and while he'd been nothing but gracious in his victory, I'd gloated for him and teased Noah mercilessly over Michael ending his winning streak. Noah was still seething in his defeat, just punishment for his bad behavior earlier.

  "Well, it's a drinking game, and I am the only one not drinking, so I'm not sure if it really counts," Michael said modestly.

  "I don't think that would have mattered. And it's not like they're drunk," I said. Glowing sparks from the fire floated toward the heavens.

  Michael's brown hair feathered across his forehead when he tilted his mouth to my ear, his voice pitched low. “So, what am I missing?”

  “What do you mean?” I asked innocently, and the urge was so unexpected it took me a few beats of time to realize that my body, my mind, wanted me to snuggle deeper into his side.

  “I don’t know. This is going to sound weird, but they sort of have a smell.”

  I smiled through the small ache that built in my chest. It was one of the things I’d loved about Jamie, the way he carried the scent of the ocean. They all possessed a natural perfume and when grouped together, like they were tonight, it could be intoxicating.

  “It’s a good smell,” he quickly amended. “But they’re different. It’s like they’re…” He fumbled for the right word.

  “What?” I prompted, curious what it was he saw.

  “Elves.”

  “Elves?” I angled my face to his.

  “Yeah, or maybe aliens.”

  “You’re calling my friends aliens?” I shoulder bumped him.

  “I don’t know.” He shook his head still trying to puzzle it out. “What would you call them?”

  Having tossed the Frisbee aside, the mood on the beach had turned mellow. Everyone was either sprawled on the sand or across a chair, reminding me of a pride of sea lions languishing under a warm sun, or in this case, a full moon. Caris straddled Noah’s lap and he fed her an oyster.

  “They’re human enough, only different.” I didn't see the sense in lying. Like he'd said, seeing them all together it was obvious there was something different about them.

  “So the whole subspecies thing is true?” he mused, eyes narrowing slightly with clinical interest.

  “You’ve heard?”

  “Yeah, but I didn’t really believe it. I thought the guys were messing with me, being new and all.”

  Orange flames danced in his eyes along with the gold flecks as he studied my friends, the music drowning out the murmured conversations.

  “You don’t have a problem with it do you?” My fingers dug into the meaty part of his forearm.

  “No," he said simply. "Now if you’d told me they were aliens, I’d have a problem. I’d be running screaming right now.”

  We laughed and I couldn’t credit the relief I felt. I settled back against his shoulder and took a sip of my beer.

  “And Jamie was like them?” he asked, his tone cautious and extraordinarily gentle.

  “Yeah, he was," I said, oddly fascinated by the slight stubble on his jaw. "How did you know his name?”

  “I saw the picture of you two in the kitchen. Your dad told me a little about him.”

  I’d never talked about Jamie with another boy before. I thought I didn’t want to start now. What would have been the point? “I’m sorry. I should have told you all this before we got here. I don’t think of them as different anymore.”

  “Well, they’re really not. Except for the hair. And the muscles. That guy,” he said, pointing to Cree, “is scary as shit and Jeb looks like a throwback to an eighties rock band.”

  A laugh barked out of me before I could stop it. Noah heard and regarded me intently for about the hundredth time since Michael and I sat down. Caris jumped to her feet, tugging on his hand. His gaze lingered on me before he let her lead him away from the fire.

  “He wanted to kick my ass, you know. You sure he's not an ex-boyfriend?"

  "Nope. Just friends," I said. "I kissed him once. Neither of us liked it."

  Michael snorted. "I don't believe that. I've kissed you. I can't imagine anyone not liking it."

  "Well, believe it. And I'm sorry about the way he acted. I wouldn't take it personal. Noah wants to kick everyone's ass at some point or another."

  "I can understand, I guess. Jamie was his brother, right?"

  “Yes," I said, uncomfortable with the serious turn this conversation had taken.

  "You must have loved him to marry him, even considering the baby.”

  So he knew about that too. Of course he did, which was another reason I wanted out of this town. Everybody knew everything. It was hard to forget, to move on, when no one else had.

  “I did.” I looked into my lap, thinking carefully on my next words, realizing I didn’t mind talking to Michael about Jamie. Part of me needed to talk to Michael. “Jamie was older. Overwhelming. Maybe too much at times, and I was young." My gaze wandered upward where the moon glowed brightly, muting the sky to a dark indigo. “Sometimes it feels like all that happened to someone else. A different girl.”

  His hand slid over my thigh. He had the long fingers of a basketball player, strong wrists, and his hand swallowed mine in warmth. I’d never dreamed I could tolerate the touch of another boy.

  “I don’t want anything uncomfortable between us.” The stroke of his thumb over the pad of my hand sent a shiver up my arm. “I meant what I said in the car. I do really like you.”

  I lifted my chin. His face was closer than I’d expected, eyes shadowed. It would be the easiest thing in the world to lean forward and press my mouth to his. He was waiting, his heart pounding where my shoulder rested against his chest. He knew I was thinking about it, and I thought he was giving me the chance to make the first move. Did I want to? If my accelerated pulse was any indication, then yes, I did. I couldn’t help thinking I was moving too fast, but his mouth was scant inches from mine and so tempting. And this would mean I was really over Jamie if I could enjoy the touch of another boy. And I did. When my tongue flicked out, his mouth opened and his hold on my hand tightened. I sighed inwardly and sank back against the chair. He followed me, deepening the kiss I’d initiated.

  I could do this. I could move on.

  Minutes later, we noticed the music had stopped. I was the first to pull away. Michael sighed, and his eyes lingered on my face, thumb stroking over my bottom lip. He opened his mouth to speak, but the air shifted as though all the oxygen had been sucked away. It was too quiet. Conversations had stopped. Michael and I sat up, and I craned my head around the top of the chair, fingers pressed into the fabric.

  Jeb and Cree stood at attention, staring out at the Gulf. Daniel had scooted in front of Quinn, positioning himself protectively in front of her. Their eyes were also focused over the water, and I sensed they heard something Michael and I didn’t. Whatever it was, it sent a current over the beach and put a sizzle in the air, like after a lightning strike. Helpless to stop ourselves, Michael and I rose to our feet. He linked his hand with mine and angled his body in front of me.

  “Erin!”

  I shifted toward the sound of my name. Noah and Caris were running toward us. Even at this distance, I could see the frantic look in Noah’s eyes.

  It happened so fast. One second I was staring after them then something collided with Michael, mowing him over. His hand wrenched from my grasp. He fell to the ground cove
red by… I didn’t know what. Something huge, some type of animal. But it had arms and legs and I heard it—a low guttural sound that sent a shiver over my body, lifting the hairs on my arms and the back of my neck.

  Noah yelled as Daniel and Jeb threw themselves on top of this thing that had Michael pinned. It continued to pummel Michael, oblivious to Daniel and Jeb’s attempts to drag it away, every thud of its fists into Michael’s flesh making me flinch, pounding the breath right out of me.

  They finally succeeded in restraining its arms with a tenuous hold. Noah crashed into the monster’s chest, flinging it backward, and Cree jumped in to help. It took all of them to hold it down. Four males of near superhuman strength to hold down this one beast.

  Michael was clearly hurt. He was curled into a fetal position, not moving. Caris crouched beside him, Quinn on his other side. His face, what I could see of it, was shiny with blood.

  My feet were frozen in place. My heart shocked at the sight of the beast. This had to be a nightmare. This couldn’t be happening. It couldn’t be. What I saw was impossible. What I saw threatened to shatter my very existence. My head moved back and forth in silent denial.

  Noah wouldn’t stop. Noah wouldn’t stop calling this beast Jamie.

  Then as easily as tossing a shirt, one by one, the beast hurled his captors through the air. First Jeb, then Noah, then Daniel. I wanted to laugh at how absurd it looked. Surreal, like a scene from a superhero movie. Or a horror flick. The beast sprang to its feet, massive frame looming eerily in the moonlight. Its eyes shifted, roaming over every face, searching for something. Or someone.

  When its eyes reached me they stopped, so dark and fathomless, as though they could swallow me whole. I stumbled back unable to hide my fear. Its nostrils flared as if it could smell it. Something flashed over its pronounced features. Heavy brow, angled cheekbones lined with something that would look like frustration if this were a human face. A sudden gust of wind caught my hair. It whirled around my head. I wished I was the wind. I wished I could blow away.