Forever Breathing (Just Breathe #3)

by Heather Allen

  He rests his hand on the bunk and looks at me as if trying to see inside my head. I have to look away. I don’t think I like creepy Alex.

  “You know about my parents. They believed in keeping mer-people in the sea, they devoted their entire lives to it. I have to stay here for them.”

  I shake my head angrily and argue, “No you don’t. We’ve had this conversation. It obviously hasn’t sunk in. Look at Jack and Amber, they lost their parents fighting for the same cause and now they are fighting not for that but for what is right. And me, what about me Alex? If Roman gets what he wants, what will happen to me?” I am almost pleading with him at the end of my rant and I really don’t like the way I sound. I have to get myself under control. Whining is unbecoming on my new outlook.

  “Ever, yes, those are all right, but not right for me.”

  This is really exhausting. He won’t listen to a word I say. I must be missing something. Maybe he is trying to tell me something.

  “Alex, is there something else? I know you loved your parents but that was a really long time ago. There must be something else that is keeping you here.”

  He shakes his head and gets up.

  “Get some rest. Roman wants me to bring you to the castle tonight.”

  What? When was he going to tell me this? He leaves and the water behind him stirs as if it knows the turmoil going through me. I pick up an apple and toss it as hard as I can at the closed door. It barely makes it there. I’m such a wimp. Alex infuriates me like no other.

  ***

  I am again completely intimidated by the castle as we approach. I turn to Alex and ask for the hundredth time on our short swim here, “Are you sure we have to do this?”

  “Yes Ever, now quit asking and start pretending.”

  I square my shoulders and try for the confidence I know is way out of my grasp. The good thing though is that Alex and I came to some sort of truce. I took a much needed nap to clear my head and he came and apologized for being a jerk. I accepted and apologized for badgering him. So I guess we’re good, at least for a little while.

  He opens the door for me and I glide in. This immense room never gets old. I look up at the ceiling and see a great white shark swim past the glass. This brings a chuckle. We are the contained ones down here. On land SeaWorld and other marine places contain the fish for people to gawk at. Alex looks down at me, frowning at my internal joke and asks, “Are you ready?”

  I nod, “As ready as I’m going to be.”

  He grabs my hand and leads me through the entryway to a side hall. When we stop I hold m stg ty breath at the sight of the room. The walls in this room are covered with swirls of gold dotted in pale pinks. Sitting in the center is a matching golden table set for twenty. No one is in the room so Alex leads us to a hidden room off to the right. This one is overfilled with furniture and people. We enter and find about eight other people sitting around. I recognize Roman and Metea immediately. I notice Mersa, Metea’s mother, off in the shadows by herself. Guess she is still alive and kicking.

  The others I don’t recognize. I scan their faces and my gaze lands on a blonde sitting closely to another girl chatting animatedly. The thing about the blonde is the death daggers she is glaring at me while the other girl competes for her attention. Alex pulls me in and starts to introduce me to the faces I will surely forget. He saves the blonde until last. The entire time he introduces us, she gives me that look. Her name is Celia and when Alex says her name it’s different. The tone of his voice changes slightly. I look over at him to see anything different in his look but he has moved on to greet Roman.

  I swim along with him, bracing myself for Roman, when the girl grabs my arm lightly and whispers so softly I know only I can hear her, “He’s off limits, keep that in mind.”

  I look back to her and meet her eyes. They are a vibrant turquoise. A color I recognize but can’t place. I nod once to her and follow as Alex’s arm is taut on mine.

  Roman’s deep gravelly voice pulls me out of whatever thoughts I had about the girl.

  “Ever, you made it.” He embraces me just as Jaspen had that first time I met him in the Erebus caves. I pull back uncomfortably.

  “I hope Alex is accommodating you well.”

  I nod not intending to say anything to him.

  He looks around the room and announces, “All of our guests have arrived. Shall we make our way to the dining room for a meal?”

  I look back behind me and find that probably five more faces have joined the rest. Oh my, this is going to be a long night.

  ***

  Halfway through the meal which consists of everything under the ocean that is edible, a man with curly red hair sitting to my right, I think his name is Ramous leans over and asks, “I hear you are from Seamus’ old city.”

  Before I can answer, I hear a small gasp come from across the table. I look up and spot Metea with a scowl. Boy is she good at that look.

  She growls, “Ramous, how dare you…”

  Roman places his hand over hers, “Now, now, darling, you know he didn’t mean anything by it. He is just making conversation.”

  She turns to Roman and bows her head at him. He pats her hand once more and turns his attention to the man to his right.

  I focus back on this Ramous guy and tell him, “Yes, I am from there. I needed a change of scenery in light of the most recent events.”

  A belly laugh breaks from him, “Right you are, right you are, but no worry, it will soon change again and you might want to venture back.”

  I nod and a sudden thought occurs to me. I ask him hesitantly, “Are you from this city?”

  “Oh no dear girl, I am from across the ocean near the Netherlands. I’m here to help take care of that problem that popped up back in your home.”

  “Oh, that’s good to know. Maybe I will be able to go back after all. I mean once the dust settles.”

  He chuckles, “Yes, maybe, it might be a while though.” And he winks.

  He flippin winked at me. I’m suddenly squirming in my seat. I realize now who all these people are and why they are really here. Before I blow it, Alex grabs my hand under the table. I look over to him with worried eyes but his easy smile relaxes me a small bit. I wonder if this whole thing is for show. Maybe Roman knows why I am really here. I look over to him and he is engrossed in a conversation with that same man he’s been talking to the whole time, to his right.

  I lean over to Alex and ask, “Who is that man Roman is talking to?”

  He looks over and tells me after a bite of fish, “That is Bernard.”

  “Which city is he from?”

  The look I get tells me he was hoping I wouldn’t figure it out. How could I not figure it out?

  “The Australian coast.”

  I look back around and focus on how many there are. In addition to Ramous from the Netherlands and Bernard form Australia, I count five more. That is seven other places in addition to Roman’s that are going to go after Jaspen. A shiver runs down my spine. And Jack. I suddenly want nothing more than to go back and get Jack. We could swim away and live somewhere else. Or we could go and live with my parents. This is just impossible. What was I thinking standing up to this? There is no way we can win. No wonder Alex is holding out and staying here. He knows a losing fight when he sees one.

  I look around after trying to get it together and meet the eyes of Celia. She is glaring at me, of course. Her eyes avert to look at Alex. Then I watch as she looks away almost embarrassed. I glance over at Alex and he smiles down at me. I don’t know what went down with these two but obviously there’s something. Maybe she’s an ex. Oh! Oh wow! Speaking of exes. I look back over at her and hope for her to look at me again I want to get a good look at her but she makes sure to avoid me at all costs. I wonder if she’s related to Sara. That would be something. No, she couldn’t possibly.

  Suddenly I have a ton of questions for Alex. This dinner can’t end soon enough.

  Chapter 28

  James


  I have been awake for a total of twenty-four hours plus and it is finally hitting me. I can tell that Alody is in the same boat. She wants to watch over her father so I find a spot against the wall close to his bunk. She situates herself between my legs and leans back against my chest while holding onto his hand. If I didn’t know any better I might mistake this for heaven. I lean back and close my eyes. Garrett would give me so much shit for this but at this moment I could care less. I reach my hand around her waist, hugging her to me and doze off.

  ***

  I am jarred awake by ragged coughing. I lift my head from the wall and remember all the incredible events that happened in the last day. A face moves down into my line of vision and I realize Alody isn’t in my arms anymore. I focus on the face and realize Jenna is talking to me.

  “James, he’s not any better.” Fear in her face. I was afraid of this.

  It might be too late to help him. I stretch my arms and ask her, “Do you still have that knife?”

  “Yes, I’ll be right back.” She rushes out the door.

  I stand up and move to sit by Alody’s side. His coughing stops and she wipes his forehead with a cloth.

  She looks over to me and states without any emotion, “We were too late, weren’t we?”

  I brush the hair out of her face and tell her, “I don’t know. It’s not an exact science. I think it just takes time.”

  She looks back to her father. His face is sheer white and beads of sweat dot his face where she hasn’t wiped. I’m afraid it is too late. I fear what this will do to her.

  Her father opens his eyes and glances over to her. He reaches over searching for her hand. She grabs his and kisses it.

  His voice is so soft, I can barely hear it. He wheezes out, “Jenna… said… you found… your… promised.”

  Alody nods, “Yes dad, it’s James.”

  He reaches over with his other hand barely able to lift it and looks at me. I hurry to grab it. He squeezes just barely and whispers so softy, “Take care…of…my girl.”

  “I will sir, I promise you, I will.”

  He lets go of both of our hands as if it took absolutely everything out of him. He closes his eyes and falls back asleep.

  I wrap my arms around Alody as she cries softly into my shoulder. I glance over as Jenna walks back into the room and nod at her as she holds up the knife. I gently push an inch away from Alody and explain, “I’m going to try again, okay?”

  She nods wiping her tears, backing away from me.

  I take the knife from Jenna and slice my palm again. When I lift his shirt, I notice no change to the gash from yesterday. This is not good. Ever’s injury healed on the outside first before the internal injuries were completely healed. I squeeze everything I can get from my palm, immersing the gash in my blood. I don’t even bother to wipe any excess away.

  When I look back to Alody, I can see that she is bracing herself for the worst and it feels awful. I can’t imagine losing my parents. I want to take away every bit of her pain, I would like nothing more.

  ***

  We sat by his bedside all day. Alody refused to leave so Jenna brought food to us. We both fell asleep in the same position as the night before. But when I woke up this time it wasn’t to coughing, it was quiet sobbing and I knew he had passed during the night. Alody was grasping his hand holding on for dear life as Jenna was sobbing herself, trying to console Alody. I walked over to her. As soon as I was near, she let go and grabbed me. I sunk back to the floor holding her, feeling terrible that she has to bury another parent.

  ***

  With the death of Derek Prince, Alody became the leader of the Erebus. It is a huge responsibility especially considering their current standing with the Lior. The fact that I am her promised spread through the caves and I guess that has a lot of pull around here because they accepted me almost right away. Word spread about my grandparentage and that didn’t sit well with many but in my defense, who gets to choose where they come from? No one. Hence the current impending battle.

  I haven’t shared with anyone the information I harbor about said battle. The death of Derek is still so raw with all of them but I know that I have to tell them soon. You never know when these things will go down as I’ve found out very recently. This also brings to light that I will need to go back home, well not home, back to Jaspen’s city, very soon, to let them know what I’ve found out.

  Today we are burying Derek Prince. I am bracing myself for lots of emotion. I’ve realized through this whole thing that my mom and sister and their emotional unstableness are one thing but Alody is completely different. I haven’t minded one moment of her crying. Actually, I’ve embraced it and made sure I was there each and every time she needed me. Today I know is going to be big in that department.

  I’ve met many of the Erebus here. There are way too many for me to know them by name but I’ve enjoyed getting to know about their way of life. They live back in these caves like we live on land. They have a room devoted completely to gardening. They grow as many kinds of vegetables and fruits as they can that can survive with the luminescent lights they have. I am so thankful for this fact. Additionally, they sleep in close quarters, probably fifteen to a room. I guess it makes sense because they had to give up half of their normal living area when they moved back here. The only thing I don’t get is why they are choosing to exist in air instead of water. I haven’t asked Alody but I suspect it was for her dad. When Ever was hurt we kept her in air too. Alex and Jack said it was better for healing.

  Everyone gets ready to leave the caves. I look around and most of the men are clad in silver battle armor. They don’t look like they are going to a funeral. I guess they need to be ready though, just in case, jand. We walk in a procession through the tunnels. Slowly everyone ends up in the outer caves back in the water with fins. I swim with Alody in the front, constantly on the lookout for any Lior. She assures me they won’t bother us, but I met Roman and I wouldn’t put it past him.

  We swim awhile finally coming to a broad cave. I guess in the sea, when you die, your final resting place is in a cave. Go figure. We make our way into the winding cave. I glance at the walls and notice names and dates written all over them. We finally make it to the back of the cave where it opens to a very large space. The floor has a long, wide hole in it. Right next to it is a rock jutting out of the ground. At first it looks like a natural part of the room but when I look closer I see that it was strategically placed there. Carved into it are the words: Kara Prince, Loving Mother and Wife, Always Free.

  I look over at Alody to see how she is holding up. Not a tear has crossed her cheek. I keep watch to see if she needs me but she is handling it all very well. Her father’s narrow casket is lowered into the open hole.

  A mer-man steps up and speaks about Derek: “Derek Prince, was genuinely that, a prince. He was our prince. The leader and guide to a population struggling with its identity, trying to fit into a smooth world with jagged pieces. He helped guide us to be a family and one in our convictions. We will miss him deeply but we will carry on with his vision that someday all of our people whether born of land or sea, will be one with each other. Peace Derek and be with your promised.”

  At his last word every single person in that cave kissed their right hand and placed it over their heart. I was awed by the whole experience.

  I keep checking on Alody but she stays strong, treading in one spot looking forward the whole time. I almost want her to show some emotion but realize from experience with the women in my family, once it starts, it’s hard to stop. A few more people speak, telling funny stories or inspiring tales about how Derek stood up for what he believed. I got a glimpse into what kind of man he was and I admire him. I grieve that I never got to actually see him in action and meet him when he was this strong leader they speak of.

  We all head back after the funeral. The whole procession is somber. I grasp Alody’s hand the whole way back. When we arrive in the back caves, she surprises me and calls a meeting.
All the adults are to report to the meeting room after putting children to bed.

  She pulls me down a hall and into a small room at the end. I’ve never been down this way before. As we enter, she turns around to face me and looks up into my eyes.

  At that moment I know. I don’t know why it happened at this exact moment to make me realize, but I know without a doubt that I am deeply in love with this girl.

  Before she can say anything to me, I ask her, “Alody, can I kiss you?”

  A smile creeps across her small pink lips, “I was wondering when you wou...”

  I lower my lips to hers before she can finish her snide comment.

  Her lips are soft, electricity flows down through my body and I know that this is the heaven I didn’t know I was looknowspan>

  Her hands wrap around my neck. I know she must be on her tip toes so I fall backwards sitting on the edge of the bunk, not breaking our connection. I wrap my hands around her back and pull her closer. I am lost but also so very found.

  Chapter 29

  Ever

  I, of course, overanalyze the events of the dinner on my way back to Alex’s dwelling. He told me he had to meet with Roman and I should go on ahead. And here is the obvious separation between us. I have to find a way to get more information for Jaspen. Then, I need to get the hell out of here. If there are really that many cities helping Roman take his brother down, I need to get as far away as possible.

  After I’ve been back for an hour, I hear Alex come in.

  He peeks around the doorway to my room, “Hey, are you up for a talk?”

  I sigh, that seems to be all we do lately is talk and it goes around in circles. I nod trying not to show my annoyance with him. It would be so much easier if he would just tell me the things I need to know so I can leave.

  I reluctantly follow him out into the front room. He gestures for me to sit in the only chair. I settle in and ready myself for the crap he isn’t going to tell me. Oh boy, am I in a bad mood.