A whispered breath against Sara’s face let her know that someone was very close.
“Sara. You’re safe now.” Xanthus’s voice, so terrifying just a moment ago, was now feathery soft.
Against her better judgment, Sara’s fear turned to relief. A sob shook her chest as Xanthus’s arms surrounded her. Her hands clawed their way around his neck as she clung to him and cried.
“Shh. It’s all right. You’re safe.” He stroked her hair.
What was she thinking? This man was dangerous, a murderer. Still, she couldn’t seem to help herself. Even though he’d just killed three men, in his arms she felt safe, protected.
Sara was obviously just as crazy as he was.
“Come on. Let’s get you out of here.” Xanthus slipped his hand underneath her and lifted her off the rocky ground. She kept her arms tight around his neck and tucked her head in the crook of his shoulder.
“I’m so sorry I wasn’t here to protect you,” he said. “I never should have left you. I won’t make that mistake again. Tonight you’ll stay at my place and rest. Then I’ll decide what’s to be done.”
“Your place?” Sara’s head shot up. “Please, Xanthus, I want to go home. I’d just like to climb under my blankets and try to forget what happened here.”
“Sara.” Xanthus frowned. “Since I found you, I’ve spent day and night watching you, worried about you. And if you think I’d take you home and leave you unprotected after you were nearly murdered… Great gods of Olympus. I leave you for a short assignment and look what happened.”
“I’m sorry,” she said, “but you have to see this from… wait a minute. You went on an assignment? Why didn’t you tell me? I thought you were angry with me, that you weren’t talking to me.”
“You thought I was angry with you?”
“Yes. Well, if you weren’t angry, why didn’t you call me? Or tell me where you were going?”
“I… I didn’t think of it. I’m sorry if you were upset.”
“I didn’t say I was upset. If you want to leave without a word, it doesn’t mean a thing to me. I mean, it’s not like we’re in a relationship.” Sara felt as if she might start crying again.
“Oh Sara, I wasn’t angry with you, I was angry with myself. And I’m sorry I didn’t call you.”
“Wait a minute.” She whipped her head around. “We passed my wheelchair.”
“I’ll come back for it later.” He shrugged, heading in the direction of the parking lot.
“Oh, no you won’t. I can’t leave it out here. Someone will steal it.”
Xanthus sighed, turned back, and stepped toward the chair. Blue lights flashed through the trees.
“Is that the police?” Sara asked.
“Looks like it.”
“Of all the times for them to show up in this neighborhood. They never have before. Oh no, they’re going to arrest you for murder, aren’t they? I mean when they find the bodies.”
“There are no bodies.” Xanthus said.
“Then you didn’t kill them?”
“No, I didn’t.” He sighed.
Sara was elated. “Then where are they? Maybe Slink called the police. But that’d be stupid. They were the ones trying to kidnap me.”
“Sara, as much as I’d love to continue this conversation, I think we’d better get out of here. I’m supposed to keep a low profile.”
Xanthus sat her down in the wheelchair, lifted both her and her chair off the ground, and headed back toward the beach. “Hey, where are we going?”
“We need to get out of here.”
“But this path leads to the ocean.” Sara’s heart started pounding.
“Exactly.” Xanthus’s eyes focused on her, his voice firm. “I’m a very strong swimmer. And I’m sure you’ll find you are too.”
“Oh no, I am not. Listen, I don’t know what you think I am, but I definitely don’t swim.” Sara looked down at her fin in shock. She curled it under the chair, trying to hide it.
“I know exactly what you are and you are built to swim.”
“No, I am not. I have a deformity…”
Xanthus’s growl stopped Sara mid-sentence. “Don’t ever say that again. You are perfectly formed.”
The man was insane. He really was.
Xanthus and Sara reached the shore. Sara’s eyes were wide as she gulped in gasps of air. The surf looked like a great beast that threatened to devour her. Xanthus strode toward it, fearless.