I was just about to help Everett flip the steak when Mason pulled me so fast, I didn’t have a chance to get ahold of the tongs. I guessed when he said “I” he meant we.
“Mason,” I giggled. Having no choice, I ran beside him, down to the lake. His hold was too strong. “What are you doing?”
Mason stopped when we reached a small rowboat next to the dock, which he gently pushed into the water. “Get in.”
After Mason helped me get in, he shoved it away from the dock, giving it momentum and jumped in. Picking up the oar, he stared to push through the water.
“I wanted some alone time with you. I didn’t think you would mind.”
“Nope, not a bit.” I moved next to him. Watching him use his forearm to shift the oar made me want to touch where it flexed. It was hard not to admire that god-like body, perfectly toned with all of the right curves.
Mason grinned. “What are you staring at?”
“You know I’m staring at you, so don’t give me that sexy smile…or I’ll just have to do something about it.”
“You can take me to the naughty corner.” His lips curled into a crooked smirk.
“Now you’ve done it.” I couldn’t help myself; I dove in for a kiss. Mason dropped the oar inside the boat and placed his hand on my face. His tender lips were hard, devouring me with hungry passion, and I was returning it with the same desire. My body started to tingle and become warm; I felt it from the tips of my fingers down to the tips of my toes.
When Mason reached lower and his hand skimmed down to my waist, I lost control. I knew we were lighting up like a light bulb when I had to squeeze my eyes shut to block the brightness. When I opened them out of curiosity, electric lights glowed between us. Not only that, they wrapped around the boat, lighting it up, too. Mason pulled back with laughter, looking at what we had done, and I couldn’t help but laugh, too.
“Well, at least we didn’t shock the hell out of each other.” Mason chuckled, stroking my cheek. Then he became serious, gazing deeply into my eyes. “Always be safe, Sky. I would die if something were to happen to you.”
I snuggled against the palm of his hand. “How do you think I would feel if something were to happen to you? Just keep that in mind before you do something crazy.”
Mason gave me a quick peck on my forehead. “That’s the reason we are all staying close to home.”
Mason put a picnic blanket down and gently lay me next to him. I snuggled against him, stretching our bodies the length of the boat. While we cuddled, Mason stole a few kisses here and there as we stared up at the blue sky. The extra blanket on top of us kept us warm from the winter’s breeze.
“I should probably wait till Christmas to give you your gift, but since I have you all to myself….” The blanket ruffled when Mason reached into his pocket. He lifted my arm and sat up. “I like to think that you’re always mine, Echo, but the truth is…I’m forever yours.” He placed a bracelet in front of me. It was engraved Forever Yours.
“Mason,” I murmured, sitting up, admiring it. “And I’m forever yours. It’s beautiful. I love it.” I gave him a long kiss. “You’ll have to wait till Christmas to get yours.” Little did he know that I had planned ahead. I had asked Nick to place a package in his room for when we got back from our lake trip.
Mason slipped his hand on my waist while the other one pulled me in. “I don’t need anything. I just need you.” Then our lips collided; it was long and sweet. Mason pulled back and rested his head on mine. “We should go back before I kidnap you and never let you go home.”
“Maybe I’ll let you.”
Mason chuckled at my words and settled back into a rowing position. Once we got back to land, he lifted me out of the boat, swung me around, and placed me on dry land. While holding hands, we walked back to the gang.
After we’d had our fill of dinner, we kicked back on the patio sofas and stared out at the lake, except for Nick and Kayla; they went back inside the cabin. The body of water became black and murkier when the sun started to set. I could see the small boat that Mason had tied next to the dock, which seemed endless from here. What gave that area a romantic feel were the dimly lit lights along the dock. It surely stood out from the darkness.
I shivered from the soft cold breeze that brushed against my face, but the blanket kept me warm, and so did Mason’s body next to mine. Feeling me shudder, he pulled me closer and tightened the blanket around us.
“Have we made our decision, yet?” Amanda asked, crossing her legs and leaning back on the reclining lounge chair.
Everett pressed his back against a tree, twirling a stick in his hand. “If we’re voting, I agree with Mason. We stay behind. Something could happen to one of us and I won’t take that chance. We’ve been safe for this long. We’ll be fine.”
Mason kissed my forehead and idly rubbed his thumb on the top of my hand. “What do you think, Sky? I have my own opinion, but I want to know how you feel about this.”
I nestled closer to Mason’s body. We were already aligned together, but I needed more of him. “I don’t know what to do, but I’m concerned about what she said at the end. It’s like she knows it’s going to happen whether we agree to it or not.”
“I hate this,” Amanda added. “Being in constant danger sucks. We can’t catch a break.”
Everett picked up a pebble off the ground and flung it to the lake, but it was difficult to see how far he had thrown it due to the darkness. “It’s better to be safe than sorry.” Everett started walking. Our conversation stopped as we watched him walk across the dock in silence. When he was far enough that he couldn’t hear our conversation, Mason spoke.
“He’s had the worst among us,” Mason explained, keeping his eyes on Everett. “His whole family was wiped out from the vultures…his younger brother, sister, and his mother. Honestly, I don’t know how he survived. He was a mess at the beginning, but now he seems at peace with all of it. I’m sure he has rough days, but he has never complained. He never felt sorry for himself. In turn, he became like a big brother to us. He was the one that kept us safe all these years.”
“He’s a big guy, with tough skin and a big heart,” Amanda said, her eyes locked on Everett.
It was funny that Amanda would say that, because it was exactly how I would have described him.
Mason lifted the blanket halfway. “We should get to bed. It’s getting late and we have a full day of fishing tomorrow.”
Amanda uncrossed her legs and sat up straight. “Yeah, let’s go.”
I swung around to plant my feet on the dirt and looked down when I felt water underneath my shoe. At first I thought I had spilled a drink, but there were no cups around. When I saw more water flowing, I panicked and jolted up so fast that I bumped into Mason. My eyes flew to Everett, who was the closest to the water. I released a sigh of relief, but when I saw yellow specks of light glistening across the body of the lake, my heart took a dive and I lost my voice to call out to Everett.
My wide, frightened eyes and me pointing at the water got Mason and Amanda’s attention. They both shot their eyes to my line of vision. Mason shouted for Everett while he ran toward him, but he stopped suddenly. The calm, steady lake started rocking back and forth, creating waves like the ocean.
What I saw next didn’t seem possible, but it happened. Tiny, ball-shaped water drops started rolling out of the lake, heading toward us. It looked like thousands of small, florescent, glow-in-the-dark marbles. Before they reached us, they gathered into several groups. Then the water balls rapidly started to build and stack on top of each other. It was creating something…lots of things. The only good thing about them was, they were lighting up the darkness. We could clearly see what was around us.
“Everett!” Mason yelled, unable to reach him.
Everett ran toward us, but he had to stop. A wave of water jetted out from the lake and froze in place. It was the same colors as the glowing balls—yellow, orange, and red, overlapping. It completely surrounded Everett, imprisoni
ng him. “Mason, run,” he bellowed. “Take the family and run! Now!”
Mason didn’t respond; I knew he wouldn’t. Our focus was now on what was coming toward us. It was the most amazing, overwhelming sight. The water balls were taking on the shapes of human beings, yet they were as clear as water and they glowed. As I watched them move, they became more solid in appearance, but continued to remain translucent.
At first, I thought they were the water creatures that had tried to drown me, but then I recalled Noah talking about water vultures. Either way, my legs were planted firmly, unable to move from fright. Mason used god-like speed to come stand beside me. I knew he was torn between saving his brother and protecting me.
“Amanda, go get Nick,” Mason ordered.
Amanda snapped out of her shock and took off as fast as possible.
I panicked. “What about Everett?”
“I’ll go after him as soon as Nick is by your side. Ready, Sky? Can you light up?”
My fingers were already twitching. “I’m ready.”
“Whatever you do, stay away from the lake and stay close to Nick.”
“I’ll try.” I nodded.
“That’s not good enough, Sky.” Mason’s tone was stern and urgent. “Do you understand? Nothing can happen to you. Stay. Close. To. Nick.”
Mason twitched when Nick appeared. I’d seen him in action before, cool and collected, but he wasn’t right now. Was he sensing the same feeling as me? That something bad was about to happen?
“What the hell?” Nick had to take a moment to calm down.
“Where’s Kayla?” I asked.
“She fell asleep. I was asleep, too, until Amanda woke me up.”
“Stay beside Sky, I’m going after Everett. Don’t lose sight of Sky.” Mason took off, flashing his bolts. One went through the core of the water creature. It exploded into tiny little water drops, only to fall right back to the shape of its entity as if nothing had happened.
Nick and I followed behind Mason, shooting bolts to help Mason get a clear path to Everett, but when icicle-like spears started coming toward us, it was getting difficult to do our part. Even Amanda’s sword went straight through without harming them.
“We can’t hold them!” Nick shouted, warning Mason to come back, but he was determined. Flashes of bright lights from Mason shot out even faster.
I came to realize that we might not survive this. The water creatures engulfed the three of us, while Mason was surrounded near the dock. My heart was pumping in overdrive from the fear of what was to come next. The icicle spears came at us all at once, too many for us to handle, but we did the best we could. Just before the impact, they dropped to the floor.
A barrier made of water protected us. At that moment, I knew Poseidon’s descendants were there. It was confirmed when I saw icicles colliding against each other. Thank God for the extra help! Unfortunately, something wasn’t right with me. Suddenly, my body felt frigid, like I had a blanket of ice covering me. I looked down at my stomach, right in the middle of the chaos, and saw a spear that had passed through the barrier.
My body went into shock from the drastic temperature change. Then the spear started to move deeper, melting into my body. I tried to stop it, but I couldn’t. My hands couldn’t get a grip on it. It was slippery, not to mention, it was so cold that my hands felt numb. The icicle moved on its own, until I couldn’t see it anymore. The dark sky started to spin and my joints became stiff. Just before I dropped to the ground, I saw Mason’s worried face. He was coming for me.
I don’t know how long I was out. When I came to, my vision had cleared. Seeing everyone around me in one piece, even my dad, confirmed my suspicions that I had blacked out for some time.
“Sky, can you get up?” Mason had brought me closer to the house. “Are you hurt? I don’t see any blood.”
Without answering, I jolted up. “Mason, I feel fine. In fact, I feel…different. I....” I didn’t know what moved me or how I knew what to do. Something changed in me that I couldn’t explain, but my body was my guide. I extended both of my arms as I headed toward the lake, and out of the water formed a sphere the size of a cannon ball. Was this how Poseidon’s descendants felt?
I was not only manipulating the water but at the same time, shafts of electricity were darting out from me. My whole body glowed, almost blinding me from what I needed to see. I couldn’t believe what was happening to me and what I was able to do. A part of me felt out of control, and that part had no power over what I was doing because water started rising from the lake. It shot out toward the sky. I was creating a very massive water show.
“Sky, why are you doing that again?” Mason murmured, standing next to me. “It’s over. The water creatures are all gone. You killed them all. I need you to relax so I can get to Everett. He’s still stuck on the dock. Let the water down.”
“Again? I…I killed them? How? I don’t remember.” I started panicking, losing my breath. I tried to remember, but nothing came to my mind.
“The ones that were close to the lake were pushed back and drowned by the force of the water you created. We took care of the others,” Mason said carefully.
“It’s okay, Sky. Don’t be afraid.” Mason’s hands on my face and his calming tone soothed me. I could feel my adrenaline slowing down. Breathing somewhat normally when my heart found its steadier beat, I became embarrassed by everyone staring at me. When my hands dropped, so did the body of water. And I still couldn’t believe the power I possessed and what I was able to do.
Mason had already sprinted to the dock, but instead of coming back to us with Everett, he was pacing back and forth, gripping his hair in frustration. Unexpectedly, he dropped to his knees. My heart ripped into shreds. It was already broken, but seeing Mason grieve made it a thousand times worse. Even harder was seeing Amanda sobbing in Noah’s arms; she was trying to break from his hold. Noah knew she was going to run to the dock and it was still dangerous at this point. We had no idea what could happen next.
As for me, I couldn’t believe my eyes. I stood frozen, unable to move. I didn’t realize I was holding my breath until I felt the need to exhale. Everett was gone! Where did he go? Had I done this?
“I’m sorry about Everett,” Dad said.
Now we had no choice. We would have to go on the mission. We had to find Everett. Zara had predicted we would be going. Did she cause this? Surely, she was on our side.
We went back inside the cabin to discuss our plan, but it was difficult to speak when I felt so many emotions inside of me. I wanted to strangle Zara for being right, and I wanted to punch Poseidon’s descendants for knowing Zara. It was wrong for me to think like that, but I couldn’t help the way I felt. Everett had simply vanished and I didn’t know what to do.
Looking at Nick and Amanda, I could see the confusion and hurt in their eyes. A member of our family was taken and we had no clue as to who had done this or if he was still alive. I tried not to think so much so that I could have a clear mind to figure out how to help find Everett, but the more we talked about it, the angrier I became. Unable to sit still, I walked to the window. I could see the dock from there, and still saw the image of Everett scared out of his mind. Maybe it was a mistake to stand there.
“I’m sorry,” Sky said tenderly, standing beside me. Her eyes were glassy and her face was long and pale. Reaching for her, I held her tightly. She must be feeling all sorts of crazy emotions, too. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined her being able to manipulate water the way she had. It was strange enough for her to have electricity flowing through her, but this…this came from nowhere.
Seeing her survive whatever had been inserted into her stomach was a miracle. I thought I had lost her for sure. This only confirmed that she had been one with the water already and that’s why it had done nothing to her. Somehow, it gave her the power to move water the way she had, but it worried me that she couldn’t remember. Hopefully, it was a temporary thing. To have that much power at once could drain a pe
rson.
“It’s not your fault,” I said carefully, stroking her back and moving my hand over her shoulder. Touching her helped me to calm down. “We’ll find him and bring him home. I have to.” Sky’s cheek muscles became tight and her eyes were filled with concern. My hand on her face dropped lower as I idly traced her lips with my thumb. I wanted to kiss those supple lips, but now wasn’t the time.
“I’ll do whatever it takes, Mason. Use me as bait. Do whatever you think you need to do to get Everett.”
“Sky, you know I won’t do that, but thank you for your offer.” My Sky was so brave and caring. It was one of the qualities I loved about her. Knowing she would do anything for me…I was grateful for that.
Our focus changed when Victor cleared his throat. “There is no other way. We’ll have to get to Mt. Hem.”
Nick finally plopped himself onto the sofa. He had been pacing back and forth so fast that he caused a breeze, and I thought he was going to bolt out the door or blow the roof off. “How do we even know Everett is there? What if Zara set this whole thing up.”
“That’s nonsense,” Noah spat. “She’s an Oracle. Give her some respect.”
Amanda placed her hand on Nick’s shoulder. She didn’t need to say a word; that seemed to tone down his anger.
“I don’t care who she is,” Nick seethed through his teeth. “Some asshole has my brother and I’m going to fry him extra crispy. I’ll electrocute him till every cell, bone, and muscle has seared so badly you won’t be able to recognize him.”
“You need to calm down, Nick,” Victor said, leaning forward on the sofa as if he could get to him. “Listen, I have a feeling whomever took Tara also has Everett. I believe they are both alive. They want something from….” He stopped.
Everybody waited for him to finish his sentence, but I knew he wouldn’t. He wouldn’t dare put his daughter out there like that. When his words were lacking, I knew the others knew too, because their eyes went straight to Sky.
I wasn’t going to stand there and let her take this crap, even though I knew they didn’t mean to make her feel uncomfortable. It was natural to look at the person whose name you knew would have been mentioned.