Eviana
Hours passed. Or maybe time slowed while I waited for someone to realize what had happened. I could hear the selkies stirring, at least those that were still lying in the boat house with me. No more ratchets appeared to intimidate me, which made me think they were pursuing my rescue team.
A huge wave of relief swept through my bones. They’d found me. Despite what Lucian said, I still had friends and family who cared enough to get me away from him. I didn’t need the Council. I had Kain and Abhainn. And Brendan.
The sudden stab of guilt hit me with an unexpected punch. What did I have to feel guilty about? He’s the one who left me. I was allowed to move on. But then he also came back and risked his life for me. I wanted to be mad at Brendan for all of the pain and torment he put me through. Doubting myself and wondering why I wasn’t enough had wrecked havoc on my mind and soul. To be discarded so easily…that was a tough notion to get over. Brendan didn’t think I was sufficient for him but Kain never stopped loving me.
Kain. Excitement swirled in my stomach at the thought of what we just shared. He’d always accepted me and even though I wasn’t perfect, his belief in me never wavered. I still didn’t know why it had taken me so long to understand all of this. Kain and I should be together. It’s what our families always wanted. It’s what was best for our clans. It’s what was right.
I couldn’t help but cry when I thought about what my mother would be thinking right now. “Finally,” she’d probably say. Then my dad would give me a hug that made me feel safe and loved. He always was the more nurturing one of the two. Perhaps that’s because of my mother’s family. Now that I knew a bit about her history, I suddenly felt sad for her being forced into a life that she didn’t want. Although she did choose my father, much to the dismay of her own.
We were much more alike than I’d ever realized.
Exhausted from crying and fighting, I wished that someone would hurry up and find me. Going back to the house didn’t seem like the right option. I needed Lucian to know that I chose to stay behind. It might help my chances of survival.
A muffled voice snapped me out of my thoughts. “Get up!” it commanded. Almost at once, the selkies on the floor began to move. The smallest one rubbed his head in confusion before focusing on me. His green eyes filled with anger while he curled his lip up into a snarl. I unconsciously slid away from him, not even thinking to reach for my powers.
Pulling himself up to his hands and knees, he crawled toward me like a hunting cat. I looked toward the other two selkies for help, but they were still trying to orient themselves.
“Back up,” I said a little too weakly, so I threw up my hands in front of me to ward him off. Clearing my throat, I tried again. “Stay away from me!” The selkie growled, an odd sound coming from a human.
“Enough!” Lucian demanded the second he stepped through the boat house door. “Leave us and gather the rest.”
It was as though the selkie flipped a switch in his brain. One second he was a snarling, fighting animal ready to kill me, and the next he was a docile servant. The selkie nodded to Lucian and helped lift his buddies off the floor. I stayed crouched in the corner, trapped between the watery cage and my evil father hovering in the doorway.
Focusing on the retreating selkies, I tried not to look at Lucian. My heart thudded in my chest, anticipating the worst response. So when he smiled at me, I should have felt relieved. But the thin line of his lips and the hollow look in his eyes frightened me to no end.
“You’re here,” he said coolly. I could only nod my head. The lump I was trying to swallow held on for dear life. “I am surprised.”
“I decided to stay,” I managed to whisper.
“I see that.” He walked a few steps closer and put his hands on his hips as he looked around the room. “And Master Forrester?”
I forced myself to stand, angry with my legs for being so shaky. “He’s gone.”
“Gone?” he asked in amusement.
“Yes, he’s going back to the Council to tell them everything.”
Lucian laughed. It was dark and evil and it made my skin crawl. “Oh, I am sure that he will.” He reached for me. “This pleases me very much.”
I had just taken a step closer to Lucian when I froze. “What are you talking about? Did you even hear what I said? He’s going to tell them everything. You’re finished with this stupid war.”
Again, he cackled like a witch stirring her magic cauldron. “Far from it, daughter. Come now. We have many preparations to make before the meeting.”
“I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what’s going on.” And like a stubborn two year old, I slammed my foot on the ground and crossed my arms.
Lucian sighed. “You really need to represent yourself better.” He moved to the door. “I will explain inside. I’m starving and I want to eat.”
He left the room without looking back, assuming I would follow. I guess I didn’t really have much of a choice. He didn’t seem to be angry with me, in fact his reaction was rather docile. Maybe I would survive until the Council meeting after all.
Lucian sauntered along the sandy path with a trail of selkies following behind. Many of them were limping or holding a part of their body that had been injured. Selkies had always been dear to me, however, these ones picked the wrong side. Granted, many of them were consistently under Lucian’s control, but he didn’t force them here in the first place. They’d sided with a monster.
The sinister ocean slammed against the shoreline, creating rough surf and enough noise to almost drown out my thoughts. Although when I realized this, I also noticed the sudden lack of heads patrolling the liquid perimeter. The ratchets were missing. I personally saw two of them die and I imagined Abhainn did his fair share in hurting the rest. The evil twin in me smiled.
Upon reaching the house, Lucian dismissed the selkies, telling them to fix their wounds and rest up. He and I passed through the joined living and dining area out to the back patio. It was dark and late, but my adrenaline spiked as I waited for our conversation to begin.
Pulling two wicker lounge chairs together, Lucian gestured for me to sit. “Snacks will arrive soon. Can I get you something to drink?”
I hesitated. Why was he being so nice to me after what just happened? “Water, please.”
He smiled and jerked his chin. The little selkie women stuck her head out of the sliding glass door and focused on Lucian while he gave her our orders. I wonder how she felt about only using her selkie abilities for maid duties. It must be frustrating.
“So, you decided to stay? How intriguing.” He paused for a moment and stared out at the sea. Even though there wasn’t a moon, his blond hair glowed. As much as I hated to admit it, there was something mesmerizing about him. That sentiment creeped me out immediately.
“I wanted to hear more about your plan,” I said.
“My plan? My plan for what?”
“World domination,” I replied and he laughed.
“Well, this little escapade tonight was a part of it. Step two of my evil agenda begins at the Council meeting.” I couldn’t tell if he was being sarcastic or not.
“You do realize Graham escaped and my friends tried to rescue me, right?” I asked, not liking the nonchalant way he was handling this conversation.
“Tried being the opportune word here. Yes, I know this. Graham was supposed to escape, although I am disappointed with the mass exodus of the sprites. I wasn’t anticipating that.”
Ignoring the ratchet comment for a moment, I focused on the important part of his words. “Graham was supposed to escape? What are you talking about, Lucian?”
He looked over at me then. At first his expression was one of annoyance but it quickly shifted into surprise. I watched his eyes twinkle and his jaw drop. “Are you really that naive?”
“Lucian…” I pleaded with him to get on with it.
“My, it seems as if I need to give Master Forrester credit where credit is due. He had you completely fooled.”
A sickening pit opened in the bottom of my stomach. Replaying every beating, conversation, and meeting amongst the two or three of us, I couldn’t help but shake my head. “He was a prisoner too. You beat him!”
“First of all, you are not a prisoner…” He held up his hand when I tried to protest. “And second, Graham agreed to the beatings.”
“What?”
“He said that it needed to look authentic or you would never buy it. I must admire how well he knows your psyche. You really are a good match for each other.”
The selkie returned at that moment to deliver chips and guacamole. My appetite was long gone and the second she went back inside, I started grilling him.
“I don’t believe you. You will say anything to have the upper hand. You’re just mad that we figured out how to get away from you.” I ground my teeth together to hold back some of the anger. And the growing deception I felt toward Graham.
“You didn’t all get away,” he said and raised his eyebrows. “And this was my plan from the beginning.”
“Graham wouldn’t do that to me,” I whispered, suddenly aware of how small I felt.
“No?” Lucian asked.
“No.”
“It always amazes me how much physical attraction can blind natural instincts. Your mother and I were like that. When the bloodline desires a mate, it is hard to see their flaws.”
“He’s been tainted by your schemes,” I said surprised I was defending Graham when he’d done nothing but hurt me.
Lucian laughed again. Biting into a chip, I watched a piece of guacamole fall from his mouth. It reminded me of all of those he hurt; one wrong move and you’ll be consumed. Forever trapped in his world or digested and expelled like the waste. This man could not rule our kind. I needed to figure out how to stop him.
“Why did you say that the drugs were setting me free?” The sudden change in topic seemed to catch him off guard if the stunned look on his face was any indication. Lucian rarely broke his composure.
“Because they are. Your mother’s refusal to teach you anything has left me with little choice. I am running out of time and this is the only way to make up for eighteen years of neglect.” He sipped what I assumed was a margarita with its lime shade and salted rim. Smacking his lips together, he continued. “Can you feel it taking effect yet?”
“No! I told you that it makes me feel weak.”
He looked at me for a long moment. Stared into my soul. “You’re almost there. Just a few more days.”
Days? In a few days I hoped to be back home in California with my family and Kain. Another round of butterflies danced in my stomach and warmed my body with love. I was so ready to get home and start this new life together with him. We already ruled as one, now we could be one.
“Eviana?” Lucian interrupted my daydream.
“Huh?”
“Did you hear what I said?”
“No.” Not that I really cared.
“I told you that you will need to get past your aversion for what Graham has done. I think he really, genuinely cares for you.” Lucian’s tone seemed sincere.
“I don’t care. I want to know what you’re doing to me. Why do you have to ‘set me free’?” I used air quotes to enhance my sarcasm.
He remained silent for a long time and I thought that maybe I blew it. I’d stayed behind so that I could learn more about his plans and personality so that the rest of my kind could defeat him. And now, I may have messed it up.
“Do you recall what I said yesterday? About there being others more powerful than me?” I was surprised that this is the direction he went. “You have that potential, Eviana. As a product of your mother’s and my love, you inherited a tremendous amount of power. There aren’t very many like you out there.”
I chose to ignore the love part. “But I’m not anywhere near where you and Graham are when it comes to water control or compulsion.”
“You will be. Soon.”
“Why?” Not that the idea wasn’t intriguing, but I needed to know why it mattered.
Lucian didn’t answer at first. “It was always your birthright. Not to be just a clan leader, but to be a leader of all kinds. Merfolk, selkies, sprites, humans…there are only a few who can do it.”
I didn’t know what to say. I certainly didn’t want to rule over every living creature in this world. Is this what Lucian had planned all along?
As if answering my question he added, “I can’t do it alone.”
“I won’t follow The Legacy.”
“You will do more than that, Eviana. You will make everyone believe in its effectiveness and necessity. And you will do this very soon.”
“Stop trying to tell me what I will and won’t do. I am not one of your selkies.” I was so irritated with his arrogance and sureness of his master schemes.
“You are much more than a selkie to me. You will understand that shortly.” He stretched back in his chair and yawned. “Well, it’s been an eventful evening and now I shall retire to my room.”
“I’m not finished with this conversation,” I said and stood.
“I am. Goodnight, daughter.” He quickly reached forward and kissed the top of my head before I could pull away.
His ridiculous silk shirt billowed out behind him as he made his way inside. I was left alone to wallow in my thoughts. Lucian’s mind worked within a system that I couldn’t interpret, and that worried me to no end. What was he planning? Why was I the key to his success?
In two days, we would meet with the Council. I’d finally discover what he was up to and then I would leave with Kain. Until then, I needed to play along and learn what I could. I needed to survive.
