Exhale (22 page)

Zoe stood up, tossed off her hat, and dove into the ocean.

She had no idea why she did it, just seemed the only safe way out of the heat, the panic, the pain. Her instincts proved right. Instant relief penetrated her skin, muscles, and bones. The grating in her head stopped. Her stomach settled. Dread melted away.

She assumed the humpback whale singing position—upside down, hanging vertically in the water column with arms out to the sides. Tension lifted as the tune from a distant whale rang in her ears.

Something slapped the surface above her, a life preserver, she guessed, but she ignored it. She just needed a few moments of peace and quiet.

Gavin had rescued her from a similar situation the first time they met in the Dreaming. Whether the recent events in her life were products of her sanity slipping away or real Elemental creatures fighting over humans didn’t matter anymore. She was entrenched in Gavin’s world either way, like it or not. She closed her eyes.

We stand with Lily,
the distant singers chimed back and forth like a mantra.

I stand with her too,
Zoe sang back.

She righted her body and faced the Zodiac bobbing above. Sunlight cut through the currents dashing across her skin. The splash of a body jumping into the water disrupted the cool and calm. She kicked her way upward to greet Dani and held her thumb up to signal she was okay. The two swam for the boat.

A welcome rush of air filled her lungs as soon as her head broke free of the water. She tagged the bumper of the Zodiac.

“What the hell, Zoe?” Dani panted and pushed wet hair out of her eyes. “Are you okay?”

Zoe waved her off and laughed. “I’m allergic to bees, and one landed on me,” she lied. “Guess I freaked out. Sorry for scaring you, guys.”

Elizabeth leaned over the side of the boat, clutching her chest. “Shit. How about a little warning before you go diving into the drink next time?”

Iri stared down at Zoe like an angry statue, his black eyes speckled with intense gold flecks. He held out a hand. The sun caught his face and revealed airy, filigree swirls of Maori body art—
moko
. Instead of traditional black, the tattoos gleamed yellow.

Those definitely hadn’t been there before. What the mother-loving hell?

His nostrils bowed, and he turned his head into the shadow of the boat’s canopy, the ink once again invisible.

Hackles raised, but calmer now, Zoe refused his hand and climbed up on her own.

Elizabeth tossed her a towel, and she ran it over her body. Something tickled the front of her brain. She scratched her forehead, trying to get at the itch.

Who is the Archelemental candidate, Zoe?
This voice wasn’t that of a whale, but a digitally mastered, high quality reproduction. The hairs on her arms rose.

A series of alarms hit her senses simultaneously—a coppery taste filled her mouth, the harsh tang of salt assaulted her nose. Her skin tightened, blood rushed in her ears. Iri’s eyes shot fluorescent yellow beams into hers.

Elizabeth and Adriene both turned Zoe’s way. Iri waved a hand in a circular motion at each of them, and they sat down, facing away.

“What is going on?” Zoe said.

He pressed his palm to her head. “Forget,” he whispered.

The intense pain returned. She kneaded her eye sockets with both palms.
Never.

She peered through two of her fingers at his tight, angry face. A chill slithered up her spine.

Iri Rangi was
not
what he appeared to be.

Not at all.

* * * *

Following Jack’s directions, Gavin sped on the Harley to a secluded stretch of sand near Point Vernon where the Wæter Council was supposed to meet, but when he arrived thirty minutes late, the beach was empty. It was beyond tacky to show up late for a meeting that he’d arranged, so he couldn’t really fault the Wæters for leaving. But what was he supposed to do now? He turned in a circle, sending his Dreamsense out in search of Water.

The sensation of rain falling on his skin brought his hand up. The blue Water tattoos across his left forearm came to life with CGI clarity. The fish swished their tails back and forth, propelling them across pulsing neon waves etched in his flesh.

“So
you’re
the one everyone’s been talking about.” The female voice had a singsong quality to it.

Gavin turned around. A twenty-something blonde with a short, bobbed haircut, leaned against a boulder, arms folded over her chest, ankles crossed. She hadn’t been there a second ago, but it was easy enough for a Wæter Elemental to appear out of nowhere with the ocean so close.

She kicked out a foot and stepped toward him. Her violet eyes checked him out from top to bottom. When they returned to meet his gaze, a satisfied smile settled onto her pink lips, and she arched a delicate brow.

“Gavin Cassidy is Yileen’s golden boy. Who’d have guessed?” The Wæter Elemental touched his glowing tattoos, and intense fluid energy slammed into his rippling skin. It didn’t hurt, but the show of force was clear.

“I have your band’s album,” she continued. “A little fiery for my tastes, but I hear the new one is much more suited to watery types like me.”

He pulled his arm away, uncomfortable with the way she was sizing him up. “I’m supposed to see the council. Is the meeting over?”

“Never happened.” She tilted her head and started toward the rolling tide.

He caught up and fell in step with her, sloshing through the waves. His combat boots were soaked, but he didn’t care. “Did I piss them off? I know I was late, but—”

She stopped suddenly and faced him. He nearly ran into her.

“They asked me to deliver a message to you.” She smiled and pressed her chest against his. Water danced between them, soothing and cool.

Swallowing, he called up an image of Zoe to ground him. “What’s the message?”

Not breaking contact, the Elemental notched her head to the side, and studied him for a long moment.

“You’re in love.” She caressed his cheek. More Water flooded him, but this time it came from the truth in the words she spoke, and not from her touch. Disappointment shone in her muted purple eyes.

“That’s not exactly the newsflash I was hoping for.” He took her hand in both of his. Water rushed like a tide across his skin. He lowered her arm to her side and let it go.

Her liquid gaze crystallized to ice, and she gave him her back. “There’s division on the council about who should fill the empty Archelemental position. Half of us are in favor of the whale, and the others prefer someone else. I won’t get into the details of why, but none of the four Elemental sects has ever had a non-human Archelemental. It would require a lot of…paradigm shifting.”

Her gaze wandered to the incoming tide and focused on some point in the distance. “The councilors are ancient, and despite our fluid nature, most are unwilling to change. They see an animal coming into power as a threat to their own prospects down the road.”

So, politics were as strong a force in the Elemental world as they were in the human one. Why was he not surprised?

“There are some who would take their prejudice so far as to harm the whale.” She turned to him, her eyes now deep blue. “Or perhaps even support the Fyres, though you didn’t hear that from me. I’m not sure how much you know about the whale, but even though she’s not the traditional candidate, she is by far our best prospect. The Wæters need strong leadership and a solid power base to rebuild what the Fyres destroyed.”

“I understand your concerns, but I’m more worried about the Wyldlings. My focus is getting the Fyres out of the Dreaming so the humans can have peace in their dreams again. Though it would be an easy solution, I can’t break the rules and let Wæters loose in there. I’m facing a bit of a quandary too.”

“Then I suggest we pool our resources. Engage in a little
quid pro quo
, perhaps?” Smiling, she sidled up close again, her breasts grazing his chest.

He stepped back. “You know the Sentinels can’t show favoritism. It’s our job to keep the Balance.”

“You
are
keeping the Balance. By helping us regain our lost footing. Clearly the Fyres have the upper hand.” She gestured to the blaring sun overhead. “Once our Archelemental is in place, we’ll take care of the Fyres ourselves. We just need a little boost in securing that position.”

Gavin sighed. The Dreaming had paired him up with Zoe, a whale expert, for good reason—to ensure the whale ended up as Archelemental. But politics threw a monkey wrench into the situation. Since this was a Wæter Elemental matter and not a Wyldling one, the Sentinels shouldn’t actively support the whale
or
human faction. Any overt involvement would result in one side or the other calling a favoritism foul. That meant he had to remain neutral. Or at least appear so.

He rubbed his twitching eye. He fucking hated politics. “This human candidate. Who is it?”

“Her name is Lana.”

“Where can I find her?”

“You just did.”

Chapter Twenty-one

Zoe had planned to tell Gavin about Iri’s strange behavior on the boat that morning, but when he crawled through her window at ten o’clock, coherent thought packed up and left the country. Dressed in a black, short-sleeved Sex Pistols tee shirt and a pair of faded jeans, his imposing frame sent her hormones on a mad quest for unsuspecting erogenous zones to taunt. Her body hummed at the sight of him. Jesus.

His short, dark hair had a blue cast to it in the low light. The stunning tattoos climbing his arms were more vibrant than ever—the waves and fish on his left arm impossibly aqua, as if broadcasting colors from beyond the visible light spectrum.

Once inside her bedroom, he offered a lopsided grin, the silver lip ring flashing with the glint in his eyes. “Hi, Zed.”

“Zed?” Then it dawned on her. “Oh, you mean like the letter Z?” How totally Aussie of him.
Zed
.

He pulled her close and tucked her arms under his, around his back. “I’ve got some news.”

Resting her head against his hard chest, she closed her eyes and focused on the steady and strong beat of his heart. “Tell me.”

“I met one of the Wæter Council members today. Seems there’s some division among them about who the new Archelemental should be.”

Zoe tilted her head up. “So they don’t want—
her
?” Wouldn’t that be perfect? If Lily was off the hook, Zoe could rest a little easier.

“Most of them do, but the others want the one I spoke to. The dissention has led to some violence between the factions, and the whale supporters are calling foul on the human supporters, claiming they’re closed-minded. It’s a huge mess.”

She pulled away from his chest. Oh, shit. It all made sense now. “That must be what Catherine Marchand was involved with.”

“Who?”

“A researcher from a rival group, the Oceania Whale Trust. She tried to edge my crew away from the whales a couple weeks ago. We had a…confrontation on the water. Adriene’s leg got crushed between our two boats when a monster wave nearly overtook us.

“I saw a man’s face in the water that day. I thought I’d imagined it, but Catherine later told me she saw it too. She said an unknown benefactor donated a million dollars to OWT in exchange for getting rid of me and my crew.”

Gavin’s nostrils flared, and his brows clenched. “A Wæter Elemental must have been behind it. They knew you were there to help
her
secure her position, and they paid Catherine to get rid of you. Shit, Zed, you could have been killed. And Adriene’s lucky she only broke a leg.”

“At least I have a better idea who’s after me now.” Though how she’d managed to incur the wrath of both Fyre
and
Wæter Elementals was beyond her. “The guy you met today—why did he tell you this? Doesn’t he want to be the Archelemental?”

“It was a woman, and I’m not sure. She said your
friend
was better qualified for the job. I guess she gave the heads up to show she’s playing by the rules. Wæters aren’t known for deviousness.

“The point is, you’re part of this political drama because of your affiliation with the whales. I have every reason to believe your girl is meant to rise to the position, and you’re supposed to help her get there. Once you find her, we’ll suss out what to do. Until then, it’s a waiting game.”

Great. More waiting. “This Wæter chick—should I be worried about her?”

He sighed. “All Elementals are a potential threat, so yes, you need to watch your back. We’ve already established someone wants you out of Hervey Bay.” He folded her hands into his. “You have to be strong for both of us when I’m not around. Keep your thoughts calm and fluid, and you should have no problem with the Fyres.”

Right. Like yoga. Deep thoughts. Uh-huh.

She was more interested in this Wæter Elemental he’d met earlier. The one he didn’t seem to want to talk about.

She caught his gaze for a long moment, and the tenseness in his arms loosened. Should she let it go or play the jealous girlfriend? He’d proven he cared about her in the dreams, but in real life, he didn’t belong to her any more than she belonged to him.

When it was just the two of them in the Dreaming, she’d trusted him with her heart. She had nothing to lose because he’d been a figment of her overactive imagination. But she didn’t know where she stood with him now. Was he a stereotypical rock star, gunning for an easy lay? A cowboy with a white knight complex, looking to save the world?

Or did he really care about her?

All the signals pointed to door number three, but this early in the game, she wasn’t sure.

Memories of his kisses flamed her heart. And she couldn’t forget his drunken proposition for sex when she’d picked him up from the party—and the erection that had backed it up. Maybe he was a little of all the things she imagined him to be.

Yes, he cared about her. Wouldn’t be here if he didn’t.

She bit her lip, threw her arms around his broad shoulders, and kissed him. The pent-up passion, uncertainty, frustration, and exhaustion zinging through her settled like a descending flock of birds. He tensed for a split second, then his mouth fell into rhythm with hers. Her doubts washed away.