Water's Threshold

by Jillian Jacobs

  A shiver racked his body, cold now from his damp skin. He reached for Maya, but found only empty space and rumpled brown sheets.

  “Maya?” He rose on an elbow and glanced around the room, listening for sounds of movement in the house. He ran a hand over the bristle on his chin. That’s right, she had an appointment with Nodin today.

  What time is it anyway? And what was that strange dream about?

  As he lay back, he turned his head and spotted a single bright yellow water lily in full bloom upon her pillow.

  Proof that some dreams became reality.

  Chapter 23

  Their shadows meshed as they silently slipped around the redbrick building housing Quint’s drug company. Light from the moon failed to filter through the dark sky covered in puffy gray clouds. A light rain left tiny water droplets on her skin.

  Maya ran a hand over her wet arm, remembering the feel of Terran’s hands on her body. The brush of his skin against hers, the wet-glide as—

  “Maya!” Nodin scolded.

  “Ouch. No need to shout. Sorry.”

  Now. Focus on now and emptying her mind in case Quint was listening. One never knew what he was capable of doing. Perhaps their sneak approach had already sounded alarm bells in his sludge-filled brain.

  Nodin gestured to a window above them, and then he dispersed into the air. His energy pattern was apparent to her elemental senses, but she saw nothing.

  This far north and close to the ocean the evening air still held a chill. She shivered as she waited for “invisible” Nodin to return from his floating spy perch.

  Moments passed, when suddenly, he reappeared and wrapped his arms around her. “Mist,” he whispered.

  They spun in a funnel, crossed the street, and traveled down the sidewalk trail alongside Lake Union.

  “So, were you able to get anything through your windy wiles?”

  “Veimhet Schwarz is the name of Quint’s top scientist. I was able to glean his thoughts. Pillar featured in his mind. She’s in Switzerland. I had to weave around all his sexually deviant thoughts to catch something about a girl and radio waves or microwaves. I’m unclear on that. Schwarz wants Pillar and he thinks he could have her if Quint was out of the way. But she hadn’t—” Nodin clammed up.

  A burning sense of failure washed through her mind, which was an emotional echo from Nodin. A strong breeze rustled through the trees along the shore. The chill wind beat against her and created goose bumps on her droplet-covered skin.

  She caressed his arm. “It’s okay. Don’t blame yourself for Pillar’s choices. What else were you able to discern?”

  Nodin peered out over the water, calming his thoughts. “Schwarz phoned someone about picking up a shipment of experimental vaccines for three ranches in Washington and Wyoming. Some humans don’t mind using their cattle for experiments as long as they get paid. Houser, the head of that Prion Institute, is troubling him. They can’t sway his opinion nor stop him from gaining access to their research. Schwarz wants him eliminated.”

  “Was Quint in the building?”

  “Not that I could glean.” Nodin scuffed his foot along a grass tuft sticking out of a crack in the sidewalk. “There’s more.”

  Maya could see the images in Nodin’s mind. The inhumane experiments Schwarz had done. A repulsive memory shivered down her spine.

  “You remember the last time.” Nodin wiped a hand across his mouth.

  “Yes, I remember”

  WWII had been a busy time for the Elementals.

  “Schwarz is part of the problem now. These experiments he’s involved in must be dealt with. I need to speak with Mother and gather Flint.”

  “I’ll wait for you in Wyoming.”

  Nodin nodded, and then a wide smile appeared. A rare sight, but it transformed his already handsome face into a vision she couldn’t describe.

  “I’m happy for you, Maya. Terran will make a worthy addition to our team. We’ve been too long without our grounding force.”

  Maya raked her hair back from her face. How would Nodin take Terran’s refusal to submit to this new life? And after their glorious night together, how would she? “He may not choose this path.”

  “Then hold on while you can. Let love be your anchor, but remember that a strong storm can blow you off course.” Sadness stirred in his sky-blue eyes.

  “And love for you?” The words carried from her mind to his.

  “A wasted breath.”

  A rush of regret filled his mind, before he disappeared and blocked her from his gray thoughts. He softened his abrupt exit by ruffling a light breeze through her hair.

  Job done, she could return to Terran. Relief and anticipation rushed through her along with a strong dose of happiness. She ran along the trail, exulting in the misty drizzle fanning across her face. She breathed it in, enjoying every particle soaking her skin. Two-dinosaur topiary seemed to laugh at her frolics, the glow from their ornamental eyes sparkling as she ran past.

  Ahead was a break in the trees, and she ran for it, ready to plunge into the lake. A short trail led down to the retaining wall, and she leapt off.

  A vice squeezed around her throat and wrenched her out of the air. The force propelled her against the water’s edge lined with blackberry bushes that scratched and tore as she tumbled. Her body remained out of her control when, once again, she was lifted right before she rolled into the water. An unforgiving energy slammed her onto the boulders hidden just beneath the lake’s surface along the shore. The bones in her back crushed on impact. Darkness threatened, pain seared down her spine, and then he stood above her.

  Quint.

  With every ounce of power left, she screamed for Nodin to return. Save me.

  Now that she'd found her true mate, she refused to die. She blinked against the vacuum of emptiness threatening to overtake her.

  Water. Her ravaged body half-rested in the liquid perpetuator of her life force. But was it enough to save her?

  What would Quint do now that she was at his mercy?

  Chapter 24

  “Look at you. Legs dangling in water, your supposed ‘elemental’ gift and yet, you’re slowly circling the drain.”

  A slight moan came from the awkwardly arranged body at his feet.

  Quint nudged Maya’s head with his shoe. “Ah, ahh, no distress calls allowed.”

  A wild scream ripped from Maya’s throat.

  “That’s right, my little water whore, scream. Let me hear you. The melody is music to my ears.”

  Maya’s back was broken. Paralyzed. He’d let the water heal her for a time before he began her torture all over again. “Did you really think you and that air puff could spy and I wouldn’t know? My dear, have you learned nothing after all this time?”

  He gleaned her attempts to mist and escape into the water, but the poor creature was too weak. His hopes for more of a fight from Ms. Conway were dashed—literally. Pity.

  “All you had to do was ask. I would have told you everything. What is it you want to know? The vaccine? It’s not real. It just hides the prion. My dark matter masks it. Those scientists bumble around, but they’ll never see the truth, nor detect it. So weak is the human mind, unable to fathom all that I am. Quite unfortunate, as there is so much I could show them. My company will make millions once the scare begins then I’ll simply disappear.”

  A mumbling came from the body lying prone before him.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t catch that. Did you say something? Interesting, what’s this?”

  Her mind projected a strong vision of Terran above her, staring into her eyes. His face flushed. Apparently, they’d just fucked. Now this vision intrigued as it flashed from her mind through his. Such a beautiful man. Terran’s body, once peri-mortal, would fit his needs perfectly, and soon. Very soon.

  Gravel crunched under his feet as he paced beside her. “Good, was he? I knew Terran had potential, especially with that substantial package hanging between his thighs. Liked that, did you? Perhaps, I’ll ke
ep you alive so I can fill you with it again and again. Wouldn’t that be a crowning glory?”

  The water whore didn’t respond. Too broken, the bottom half of her body lying half-immersed in the lake. Her eyes were closed, so he kicked her hip, jolting her to attention.

  “Have you ever watched a house cat play with a mouse? I find it entertaining. The cat stalks, then pounces, hovering over the mouse’s body. The mouse fights against the claws sunk deep into its flesh. The fun begins once the cat tosses the half-dead mouse in the air and bats it about with its paws. And then the cat bites off the poor creatures head. I thought perhaps we could play cat and mouse today, but your very X-rated picture show has changed my mind.”

  Choices, choices.

  If he used Maya as a host, he might have a bit of fun with her body before receiving his true prize. He could use Maya’s womanly wiles to seduce Terran. Once he discovered Mother Nature had transformed Terran into the peri-mortal Earthman, he would escape his watered-down shell.

  The idea had interesting possibilities.

  Torn from his contemplations due to bubbles boiling up around Maya, he grabbed her arm and hauled her out of the water onto the rocky shore.

  Mounting her, he locked his mouth over hers and drove his tongue down her throat.

  She gagged and coughed water into his mouth. Waves of lake water rose and splashed against him. Her body had become half mist, half human.

  Quint wiped the water from his face. “Your water games have done nothing but irritate me, Maya. I really liked this suit.”

  Mouth to mouth, he again sealed against her, transferring his essence into her body. The force of her power shot a fissure of pleasure through his body—unlike anything he’d ever felt. Never had he gone this deep with an Elemental. Water began seeping from his hands braced on the sides of her head. Incredible.

  Mays’s eyes turned black, and her body began to wrinkle and concave. He released her. Too much, too soon, wasn’t as fun. And his mind whirled with the shocking discovery that a portion of her gift had transferred to him.

  How long will this ability last? Will the affect be the same with the other Elementals?

  He squeezed his hand, but upon reopening his fist, only a small water-bead formed in his palm. A complete connection must be necessary to retain her full gift. This Elemental thing had interesting perks. Fortunately for them, he’d never realized this potential before, he’d only considered the peri-mortal factor.

  A strong gust of wind struck his side, knocking him off balance. A faint twinge of sea salt struck his nostrils.

  No!

  Quint scrambled toward Maya, but a bright purple light burst between him and his prey. The flash burned his eyes, and he tumbled into the water, blinded. He shook his head against the white spots now dancing before his eyes.

  What kind of power was this?

  Chapter 25

  “Thanks for the interview, Mr. Forrester.” The blonde reporter crooked a charming half-smile and shook his hand, maintaining the grip longer than necessary.

  Invitation was apparent by the glimmer in her eyes and the continual brush of her knee against his during the interview conducted in the Conservancy’s conference room.

  Blondes, at this point, are not more fun.

  Terran had answered her questions about the Conservancy’s discovery of BSE at Crowder’s ranch. His beating was also discussed. News vans and reporters were all over town, so escaping his ignominious defeat was no longer possible. Getting his ass kicked was not anything he cared to dwell on or have the reading public privy to. The only thing keeping his chin up was the fact four men were needed to bring him down.

  Unfortunately, the tale had not ended with him and had become especially sordid after all four of his fight club foes were found dead in a vacant barn on Crowder’s land. Reports claimed their bodies looked like hollow emaciated shells, as if their blood, tissue, and organs were drained somehow. Some of the crazier stories had vampires running rampant in Teton National Park.

  Sheriff Cody held him as a person of interest for all of a minute before his alibi checked out. Not to mention the fact that Carlyle Crowder had gone missing. No one had seen or heard from him since the Seattle news conference.

  Dr. Dennis Houser had visited the Conservancy yesterday. Terran welcomed the distraction from his unease over Maya’s whereabouts. Houser came to town to determine the ramifications of this prion strain. As charismatic as he was smart, Houser fascinated him. Together, they hoped to educate people on the dangers inherent in a Mad Cow outbreak and calm fears. Terran expressed his doubts about the vaccine Aether Pharmaceuticals had developed—a belief Houser shared. The doctor related his unease at Aether’s initial lack of cooperation with the Prion Institute. Once Houser’s team was allowed in Aether’s building, his top scientists found nothing. A complete absence of proof was, in essence, proof. Something wasn’t quite right in those laboratory halls.

  Terran drew back from his musings when the reporter stood after gathering all her items in her purse, which was the size of a small suitcase.

  Women and their bags and shoes. Shoes. Where is Maya?

  He paged Clay and asked him to give the reporter a facility tour, and then see her out. Leaving her in capable hands, Terran headed back to his desk. He thumbed through his notes, read e-mails, and checked his calendar for dates to schedule a visit to the Prion Institute in Ohio.

  Rubbing his fingers against his temples, he sighed then downed the dregs of his now-cold coffee. A constant dull ache had set up shop and no amount of massage or medicine erased the unending throb. Eyes closed, he pictured the same vision, over and over. A cold, damp cave. Water lapping against the rocks. A deep pool. He peeked over the edge and saw nothing but filmy water. These thoughts were tied to Maya somehow. His subconscious was shouting danger by inflicting an unending, drilling pain that threatened to bore through his brain. An overwhelming sense of foreboding remained throughout every moment of the day. He couldn’t shake the feeling that Maya was injured and needed him somehow.

  A week had passed since he’d seen her. Sleep eluded and he could barely choke down even coffee. Each day, he visited both her job sites. No one knew where she was or how to contact her.

  Why didn’t I get her cell number?

  Perhaps, her mother was ill again, or she and Nodin had lied about their relationship. No, he wouldn’t believe she’d abandoned him for another. Their night together had been too raw, too real on every level. Her heart and body had opened. Why else would she leave a bloomed flower on his pillow? The bright yellow blossom was a sunny token left in her place. Something bad had happened. Nothing else could explain her disappearance and these visions of water, of danger pitching through his mind. The same nightmare woke him each night, his chest pounding out in fear as he peered over the dream pool’s edge and glimpsed—what? What can’t I see?

  As if conjured by his thoughts, Terran caught a glimpse of Nodin out of the corner of his eye.

  Terran shot out of his chair, which rolled back and slammed against the table behind him. “Where is she? What have you done? I know your ‘interview’ didn’t last a week. Is she hurt?”

  “She said you were full of questions.” Nodin stood at the lab entrance, dressed only in black gym pants.

  “Fuck you.” Terran shoved a finger against Nodin’s chest. “I want to know where the hell you’ve been for the past week. Where. Is. Maya?”

  “No need to persist in these questions when I am willing to show you the answer. Come.” Nodin ordered and stepped out of the lab offices.

  Terran gripped the back of a chair sitting by the door, on the verge of whipping it across the room. This entire situation—Maya missing, all the unanswered questions, a man who walked around wearing only pants, their constant lack of footwear—was all an illogical farce. Still, only one path led to answers, so Terran followed behind the bronzed male as he padded, shoeless, out of the building.

  Stripping off his lab coat, Terran draped it acr
oss a chair in the front lobby. “April, I’m heading out for the rest of the day. I’m not sure if I’ll be in tomorrow. I’ll call in the morning.” He left his smiling receptionist and hoofed after Nodin who was halfway across the parking lot, heading towards his truck.

  Nodin stopped at the passenger door and waited, watching his approach before stating, “We need to drive to a more secluded area.”

  Terran jammed a hand in his pocket, pulled out his keys, and clicked open the locks, but remained standing at the back of his truck. “I’m finding it difficult to accommodate you, but I’ll agree if you take me to Maya.”

  Nodin kicked the stainless steel running board. “Drive to the top of Signal Mountain, and I’ll take you to her.”

  Terran’s head pounded with an overwhelming intensity. He rubbed his temples and swallowed hard as nausea threatened. “How sick is she?”

  Nodin snapped to attention at his question. “How do you know she’s unwell?”

  “I just do.”

  “Then accommodating me should be easy. You understand we have no time to waste.”

  Terran huffed out an aggravated sigh, but jumped in the driver’s seat.

  Nodin guided them along an overgrown track that climbed vertically toward the mountaintop. Terran struggled to believe Maya awaited them there. Nothing about this computed in his rational mind. And yet the relief of finally getting answers solidified his intent. Where would this path truly lead? And why was Nodin, instead of Maya, leading him to the answers needed to relieve this sour tremor in his gut.

  They reached the top without another word between them, until Nodin said, “This will do.”

  Terran pressed on the brake and slid the truck into Park.

  “Follow me.” Nodin stepped out.

  Sparing him a sideways glance, Terran followed as Nodin trudged through the forest for about two miles, and then stopped along the side of a snowy peak. Silence reigned. The only proof of life was their footprint trail in the snow behind them.