“Dude. You’re really new around here.” Declan laughed.
Saxon pricked the corner of his mouth upward. “Can
I
take you to prom?”
When my father cleared his throat, it made me jump in my seat. “We’ll have to talk about that.”
My mouth dropped open. “Wait. How come Evey gets encouraged to go to the prom with her boyfriend—”
“He’s
not
my boyfriend.” My sister put her fork down on the table with a crack.
“But
I’m
subject to parental approval?”
Mom rubbed her eyes. “We can talk about this later. Saxon, would you like some more pasta?”
“This is totally unfair,” I muttered. “And yes, Sax. You can take me to prom. I’d love to go with you.”
My father’s neck vein bulged. “We’ll discuss it later.”
My palm came down on the table with a loud smack. “You’ve got to be kidding me. If she is going with her boyfriend—”
“I’m not going with my boyfriend!” Evey snapped.
“Oh, stop it with the demure crap, Ev.” I pushed myself back from the table a few inches. It wasn’t that I was mad at her, but my parents were acting blatantly unfair. They were always letting Evey do things I wasn’t allowed to do, and this time they were doing it right in front of the one person in the world I wanted to impress. “Come on. He likes you, you’re gaga over him. You can’t keep your eyes off of each other, and you hang out all the time. You’ll be making out with each other in no time. You’re practically
engaged
by high school standards.”
“Excuse me?” Dad thundered.
When Evey stood up, her chair smacked into the wall next to the window. Her cheeks were so flushed, they were a perfect contrast next to her bright blonde hair, and I could see tears catching the light behind her glasses. Regret filled the air around me like smog, and I felt my mouth go chalky. I hated hurting my sister. Almost as much as I hated being treated like an invalid.
“Crap. Ev, wait.” I tried to block her way, but she shoved past me and went through the back door.
As soon as it slammed behind her, a hush fell over the kitchen, and everyone’s eyes dropped to their plates. My father released a low, aggravated growl, which prompted my mother to stand up and start gathering dishes with nary an ounce of caution. Plates clinked together, and I could feel the discomfort oozing off of Saxon as he silently folded and re-folded his napkin.
“I’m really sorry,” I whispered to him with my head pointed down.
“Family drama,” he whispered back. “What are you gonna do?”
My mom plopped the plates down in the sink, sending a spray of bubbly water against the kitchen window. They looked like white polka dots against the black sky beyond the glass. “Saxon, would you like some dessert? We have some cookies, or—”
“Actually, I’m full, Mrs. Prosser. But thanks.” He stood up and then plucked up my plate and his. “Can I help clear the table?”
“No, thanks.” My mother’s voice was tight, like a piece of wire. She was only a few minutes away from snapping, which would likely result in some cussing followed by a late-night workout that would make that Tae Bo guy cry. “Why don’t you two go find Evey? Jeremy can help me with the cleanup.”
My dad’s chair scraped across the floor, setting my teeth on edge. “I’ve got to pay some bills.” My mother’s shoulders drooped as he stalked out of the kitchen without another word.
“Come on, Sax.” I rolled away from the table and turned toward the door. “You can watch me kiss up to my sister.”
He stood behind me. “Right. Thanks for dinner.”
“Mmm hmm.” My mother’s focus wasn’t on Saxon, or me, or Declan—who was now making a teepee out of bread crusts. It was on the dirty dishes. And my father.
“So, um, aren’t you going to say goodbye to our guest?” I looked over my shoulder at my mother, just in time to see a silverish white streak of skin pass the window behind my little brother’s head.
Fear pricked underneath my skin like thousands of tiny needles, and my stomach curdled. A chill ran through my body so intense, it made me shudder. “Sax?” I hissed, reaching for his hand and squeezing it as hard as I could.
“What’s wrong with you, Luna?” My mother turned to look at me, and a face appeared in the kitchen window.
Pale. Thin. Sinister. A full mouth turned upward in a grin so menacing, it reminded me of the Joker. I jolted in my seat, my breath hitching in the back of my throat.
Isolde.
Chapter Twelve
When I called my sister’s name into the darkness, my mother didn’t even peer through the kitchen window. She was too focused on being mad at my dad to concentrate on anything else. Besides, in her mind I was a thoughtless brat—which I
was
—and how would she know that there was a mermaid with a vendetta running around outside.
Except for the moonlight flickering on the choppy waves of the bay, the night was pitch black. I scanned the darkness, trying desperately to see something. Anything. The swish of Evey’s ponytail. The bright white of her softball practice shirt. The silvery glimmer of Isolde’s skin as she bolted through the trees. Surely I’d spot some of that…she had to be naked if she was in human form. Oh,
great
. This night just got better and better.
“Stay here,” Saxon said when we hit the bottom of the ramp.
“As if.” I yanked my gloves out of my pocket and jerked them on. “Is she going to hurt my sister? Be honest with me.”
He pulled his face into a grim scowl, and a small vertical line appeared between his eyebrows. He shook his head and lowered his voice. “I don’t know.”
“Then don’t tell me to wait here.” I rolled toward the tree line at the head of the trail. “Evey! If you’re out there, answer me!”
The sound of a twig breaking up the path halted my breath. Saxon was behind my chair in an instant. We sat motionless and perfectly quiet for one second, then two, then three, then…
A streak of silvery nakedness—all arms, legs, and a cape of long wavy hair—leapt from the brush and took off down the trail. Isolde’s voice filled my head, and by the way Saxon grit his teeth, he heard it too.
You’d better find her before I do.
Gasping, I shoved my wheels with every ounce of strength I had. I must have been running on adrenaline, because I hit the root in the ground with a slam and bounced right over it as if it were little more than a toothpick in the dirt. My wheels caught momentum quickly, thanks to the downward slope of the trail, and I was able to keep sight of Isolde’s hair flying out behind her running body.
Saxon’s voice screamed through my head.
Luna, no! Wait!
“Evey, where are you!?” I shrieked, grunting as I pushed my wheels. I was about ten feet behind Isolde, and could see her silvery skin through the trees. My heart throbbed in my chest so hard, I was pretty sure my clavicle would splinter, but I didn’t stop to catch my breath. I just assaulted my wheels again and again, pushing myself further down the trail.
Evey. My sister was out in the woods because I’d run my mouth and embarrassed her, and now she had a lot more to worry about than a bruised ego. Letting my guilt propel me, I bound around a massive pine tree and made a grab for the end of Isolde’s hair.
“Dammit!” I hissed to myself when I missed, terrified tears stinging the insides of my eyelids. It was one thing to mess with me, to try to drown me, but threatening to hurt my sister? Now Isolde and I had a real problem. I was going to throttle her myself.
With a crunch and a rustle, Isolde jumped off of the trail and into the brush.
“Come back here and face me!” My voice came out rough and jagged. My lungs burned as I pushed forward, but I didn’t slow down. “Evey! This isn’t funny anymore! Where are you?”
“Geez, what?” Evey stepped out from behind a thick-trunked cedar tree. She was wiping tears off her face, and my already strained heart gave a squeeze. She turned in the direction of Isolde tearing through the bushes. “Who’s that?”
I’ll get her! Stay with your sister!
Saxon jetted past me and sprinted into the dark thicket.
“OK!” I rolled to a stop at Evey’s feet and hunched over in my chair. My arms burned, and my fingers were stuck in their clenched position.
“What’s OK? What’s wrong? Where’s Saxon going? Was that Declan in the woods? Are you OK?” Evey’s questions were coming out like bullets, and I had to hold up one of my cramped hands to stop her.
“Mom…and Dad…are at…home.” I wheezed in between gulps of air. “I’m…so glad…I…found you.”
“Of course you found me. I wasn’t hiding from you.” She wrapped her arms around herself. “Well, maybe I was.”
“You need to go home.” I swallowed another pull of air and pushed my sweaty bangs back from my face. “It’s dangerous out here.”
She ignored me and peered into the trees. “Seriously, who was it? They weren’t wearing a shirt.” I saw slivers of Evey’s scandalized frown in the moonlight that cut through the trees. “Apparently people get naked a lot in Pend Oreille. Who knew?”
I widened my eyes at her. She had no concept of what was happening in Pend Oreille these days. “That was
not
Declan.”
“Why are you acting all cryptic? What’s your problem?” She tried to step around my chair. “Wait. Never mind. I’m mad at you—”
There was a thunderous crack of wood, followed by the crunching of branches falling to the ground. “What the heck was that?” Apparently Evey forgot that she was angry, because she knelt down next to me. “What’s going on?”
“There’s someone in the woods.” My voice shook. “She was going to hurt you.”
“Who’s going to hurt me?” There was a hysterical edge to Evey’s voice, so I put my hand over hers and squeezed.
I swallowed, and my throat stung. “Her name is Isolde. And she knows Saxon.”
“Saxon knows her? She’s friggin’ naked!” She pushed up her glasses with a trembling hand. “You’re OK with this?”
There was another crash, and the sound of rocks rolling into the water filled the air. “Seems pretty clear Saxon’s not OK with it either.” My stomach twisted around itself, and I winced. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if he got hurt trying to defend us. “Sax! You all right?”
“Holy crap, he isn’t hurting her, is he?” Evey raised her voice.
“It isn’t like that.” I bit my thumbnail. “You don’t understand.”
“Then why don’t you enlighten me?” Evey sat down on the leaves and pine needles. Wrapping her arms around her knees, she stared up at me and drew a shaky breath. “I want to know what’s going on. Right now.”
A million emotions bounced around in my head. Anger at my parents. Embarrassment that Saxon witnessed my family at its finest. Guilt for making my sister mad. And let us not forget the unadulterated
fear
that came with having Isolde running around in the woods outside my house. But despite all of that, and despite the fact that my heart was still hammering in my chest, guilt climbed to the top of the pile to rear its ugly head.
“Ev, I’m sorry.” My voice cracked, and I cleared my throat. “I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”
“You were a total witch. You know that, right?”
“I know.” I pet her tousled blonde hair. “I was just mad at Mom and Dad, and I—”
“It’s not my fault they act like that!” She pressed a hand to her chest. “You forget sometimes. I’m on your side!”
I looked down at my fists, just as a splash sounded at the bottom of the hill. “I’m sorry. I just… Everything spun out of control, and I lost my cool.”
Evey nodded. “I know. Was Saxon uncomfortable?”
I listened for a beat. Waiting to hear his voice in my mind, telling me that Isolde was gone and everything was OK. But maybe he was gone too. Maybe he’d had to shift to chase Isolde away. My skin suddenly felt too tight for my body, and I wanted to scream. I loathed being bound to this chair. If they ever found a way to correct spinal cord injuries and I walked again, I was going to smash it with a sledgehammer and burn it to ashes. I wanted to go after Saxon. I wanted to help so badly. Helplessness was hell.
“I’ll take that enraged expression as a yes.”
Shaking my head, I forced myself to calm down, breathing in and out slowly. “No. Saxon was fine. He’s very…
understanding
like that. Besides, we didn’t have much time to talk about it.”
“You’re lucky.” She rubbed her hands up and down her arms. “He seems really nice.”
That made me smile. “Hayden’s not too shabby either.”
My sister was the only person in the world who could blush in the woods at night and turn pink enough to be visible. “He’s not my boyfriend.”
“Not yet. But will be.”
She giggled. “Maybe.”
There was another splash below, and I squeezed my eyes shut. “If he drove you home, why didn’t you make him stay for dinner too? Then I wouldn’t have had to suffer alone.”
“He went hiking with his brother.” She shifted on the ground. “Ian wanted to take him to Gold Hill.” Her voice trailed off, and she tugged on the end of her ponytail.
“It’s too bad Ian’s such a tool.” I couldn’t help myself. It rotted my stomach the way that Ian’s thick-necked friends all treated Hayden like garbage at school. He considered it a hazing of sorts, as if being a colossal dick to your brother at school was some kind of rite of passage.
“OK, enough McClendon bashing for one night. My negativity meter is on high.” She dropped her voice low. “Tell me what’s going on. Why did Saxon just chase someone into the woods? Someone who was, um, naked?”
I rested my elbows on my knees and leaned forward. “There are things in this lake that you have only ever dreamed about.”
She blinked. “You sound like a Disney movie.”
I rubbed my eyes, exasperated. “I need you to promise me you’ll stay away from the water and out of the woods for a while.”
“Why?”
“Just promise.” I didn’t hear any more noise coming from the woods, and I didn’t hear Saxon’s—or Isolde’s—voice anywhere.
She nodded. “Fine. I promise.”
“Isolde was going to hurt you.”
Her back straightened. “Me? Why me?”
“Because you’re my sister…and…” I bit my thumbnail again. “Because you’re human.”
“Because I’m human? What?” She pushed herself up so that she was kneeling next to my chair.
I had a sudden urge to throw up. Telling my sister Saxon’s secret was forbidden, but how else would I explain the naked chick trying to kill me? Er,
us
. I silently begged Saxon to come back. I needed him to help me figure out what to tell Evey, and I needed him to show me he was…you know, still alive.
“There are things in the lake.” My teeth chattered as the words came out my mouth, and I had the urge to drag her back to the house. I wanted to crawl in my bed with her and pull the quilt over our heads like we used to do when we were little. “And these things don’t exactly coincide with humans very well.”
She stared at me. “You aren’t making sense.”
“Saxon isn’t like us. Saxon…is a…” How exactly did one tell one’s sister that mermaids exist?
I didn’t even get the chance to finish my sentence because the bushes behind Evey stirred, making us both jump.
I leaned forward and whispered. “Sax?”
No answer.
Grabbing Evey’s hands, I tugged her into a standing position. “Get up!” I hissed. She obeyed, stumbling when I jerked my chair around on the trail. “We need to get home.
Now
.”
Evey’s voice came out in a squeak. “L-luna?”
Another shuffling of leaves was followed the popping of a broken stick, and Saxon emerged through the brush. The tiny shafts of moonlight that filtered through the trees illuminated his body enough that I was able to see that his shirt and boots were gone, and there were droplets of water glistening all over his chest and arms. He’d thrown on his jeans, but they were still unbuttoned. His shoulders rose and fell as he bent over at the waist and panted.
A deep breath of relief whooshed from my lungs. “Oh, thank God.”
Dropping to his knees, Saxon wrapped his arms around me and buried his wet head in my hair. I grasped him with everything I had, feeling the frigid lake water soaking the ends of my shirtsleeves. My heart shuddered at his closeness.
Are you all right?
My heart warmed knowing that his first words were saved just for me.
Is Evey all right?
“I’m OK. We’re OK.” When he pulled back, I pressed a kiss to his cold lips. Evey cleared her throat, but I didn’t care that she was watching. “Are you OK?”
Isolde’s gotten stronger since we were kids. She’s always been spry, but now she’s downright violent.
“Why does he sound funny?” Evey whispered behind me.
I searched Saxon’s face for bruises or scrapes. “Did she hurt you?”
Saxon shook his head.
I’m fine. I chased her all the way to the Pend Oreille River. She won’t be back for a while.
“Dude.” Evey leaned down close to our heads. “His mouth—”
“How do you know she’s gone?” I didn’t loosen my grip on his neck. “How can you be sure?”
Something changed in Saxon’s face. His jawline became more defined, casting a shadow down his bare neck. He paused before replying.
Isolde has something else to focus on now.
Evey shook her head. “Did you hear that, too, because—”
I tilted my head to the side and narrowed my eyes. Something about this didn’t sit right with me. “What does she have to focus on?”
Evey slammed her hands down on the armrests and gave my chair a shake. “Why are you ignoring me? Saxon’s talking…but his mouth… Isn’t. Moving. At. All.”
Saxon started to stand up, but I grabbed his arms to keep him stooped at my level. “Saxon, tell me.”
His eyes caught the moonlight and reflected silvery beams back at my face. Guilt hardened his gaze.
Isolde just told me…she took her mate today.