Of Water and Madness (10 page)

He knew that Jax, Brogan and Rian had all been diligently working with the Enforcers to hunt him down, but little had been discovered. Clearly, he had dropped off the radar for the time being, either because he was plotting something or because he had decided to go into hiding.

He sincerely hoped it was the latter.

They’d eventually find him. That much he could believe in. But whether or not the shit would hit the fan before they did was what worried him most.

Thea was working with the Muses on how to decorate the courtyard and the castle for the wedding, and was focusing nearly all of her attention on it. He worried about that, thinking her being distracted was foolish, but he figured that she had been around long enough to know best. And Sebastian was still keeping an eye on the Dante situation, so if anything came up it would likely be snuffed out before it could cause real damage. At least he hoped that would be the case.

And so he started his day just like any other day, only to notice his father wasn’t present during breakfast. Curious, but not overly concerned, he made his way to Water Tower, an extra cup of coffee in his hand to stem off his restlessness from the night before. Worrying over Dante had him losing sleep, and this impending doom that had come over him the last few days was weighing on his mind. Why did he have this sickening feeling that something bad was going to happen…and soon?

Attempting to shrug it off, he jogged up the steps to the tower and opened the door, relieved when he spotted his father inside, working with the globe.

“Hey,” he greeted, sipping his coffee as he crossed the little wooden bridge.

Lucian let out a huff of breath and looked extraordinarily stressed, his long white hair sticking up in places and his eyes hard as steel as he focused on the globe, his hands working to enhance the view of what looked like the Gulf.

“Mini crisis this morning, boyo,” Lucian said, meeting his son’s eyes solemnly. “An oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico sprung a leak. We’ve got oil everywhere.”

Liam cursed under his breath and set his coffee aside on the workbench, approaching the globe to see what his father was looking at. “How bad is it?”

“Not too bad so far, as they appear to have capped it off already. But I have to go down there to evaluate the damage and repair what I can onsite.”

“Don’t worry about it, I’ll go.” Liam placed a hand on his weary father’s shoulder, concern in his eyes. “You don’t look so hot, old man.”

Lucian sighed, wiping at the sweat that had begun to bead on his forehead. “I didn’t sleep very well, but I’ll be alright.”

“Stress?”

“A feeling of dread.” Lucian shook his head, feeling foolish for even saying it. He looked at his son and tried to smile. “Tell you what, you go on down to the Gulf and I’ll let you play hooky for the rest of the afternoon. Maybe you can take that girl of yours out to a late lunch.”

Liam grinned. “Deal. Now you go lie down, take a break, whatever. When I get back I don’t want to hear that you’ve been working.”

“Mmm.” Lucian smiled and turned around, preparing to close out his work for a couple of hours, thinking that perhaps a nap would indeed rest his nerves. “Be careful down there, Liam,” he said with his back turned as Liam started to leave.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be back before you know it,” Liam assured him as he swept from the tower and shut the door.

Though neither knew it, both father and son felt an abrupt, unnerving shiver run over them the minute the door shut, as if the hollow echoing sound of it foreboded what both of them had been sensing for days.

When he arrived in New Orleans, the sun had barely begun to rise in the east. He walked along the coastline, enjoying the sultry southern air and the sound of the salty waves coasting to the shore. In the distance he could see the oil rig, lit up with shimmering lights as the crew continued to tirelessly manage the spill. If his father was right, then they had the leak fixed by now, but there would still be more to do in the days to come.

A lot more, he thought as he glanced down at the water. Though he couldn’t see it yet, he knew oil was floating over the surface of the waves in the distance, and would eventually make it to the shoreline. He would need to test the water and see just how much oil had leaked, and then decide what he could do to help.

Kneeling down beside the water, he slipped his hand in and closed his eyes, letting the images flood his mind of the spill and the levels of oil currently contaminating the water. Because it appeared that very little had leaked before they had stemmed the flow a few hours before, he let out a relieved sigh, pleased it wasn’t as bad as he had been expecting.

Glancing at the oil rig with a knowing smile, he set out to help the men even though they would never know what he had done.

Focusing on the algae below the surface and along the ocean floor, he instructed it to absorb and devour the oil, thus over time cleansing the water. It was really the only way to fix the problem, and would help the humans as they tried to solve it using their own methods.

When he was finished, he rose to his feet as the sun crested over the horizon, bright and golden. Holding his hand over his eyes to shield them from the light, he watched the oil rig, feeling sorry for the humans onboard. Such things were a liability on the entire area, and many people would be affected before the algae and the humans were able to clear out the spilled oil. But at least he had done his part to help.

Turning around to head home, he stopped short when he spotted a woman watching him from a few yards away, her long honey blonde curls glowing gold in the sunlight. For a brief moment, it seemed almost as if she were ethereal, with a soft, silvery glow emanating from all around her, thrumming with power and an aura of intensity. But when he blinked, the impression was gone, and all he saw was a human girl, likely around his age, with sun kissed skin and a charming smile.

“Hi,” she called out, waving to him as she approached. “Did you hear about the oil spill, too?”

She had a lilting southern accent and pretty blue eyes that fluttered flirtatiously at him. Sensing her intent, he shoved his hands into his pockets and smiled politely.

“Yup. Just came down to take a look,” he told her, staring over her shoulder toward the trees where he had arrived only minutes before. He tried to work out in his mind a polite way to evade her and get home, but she spoke before he had the chance.

“It’s a shame, all those poor little creatures in the water that are gonna die from all that oil.” She eased toward him a bit more, her eyes focusing intently on his face. “Don’t you think it’s sad?”

“Everything will be okay, don’t worry.” He felt bad that she was so distraught, so he turned to her and smiled. And when his eyes locked on hers, he found it very hard to look away or even move, as if his entire body had almost instantly gone numb. His thoughts were frantic for a brief moment, before those too seemed to slow, as if his head was suddenly full of thick molasses, and all his thoughts were jumbled around inside, floating in chaotic disarray.

Her luminous blue eyes held his as her lips curved into a smirk, and suddenly he heard a voice inside his head that sounded like his own.

She’s beautiful. I wonder what her name is?

As if on cue, he felt his mouth open and the question pour out. “What’s your name?”

“I’m Stella,” she replied, smiling again and holding out her hand for his. Instinctually, he took her hand and heard himself tell her his name, even as he stared down at their joined hands dully. What was happening to him? He had to get home…

“Are you from around here, Liam?” she asked, not releasing his hand immediately, as if she enjoyed his touch too much to let go. “I’ve never seen you before.”

“No,” he heard himself say, though he seemed to be floating in some kind of foggy haze inside his own mind, and even though part of him knew he should be concerned, he couldn’t quite seem to summon the emotion. He couldn’t seem to do much at all, except listen to the voice inside his head and listen to the words leave his mouth, without any concept of where they’d come from.

I’m just visiting….but I’d love to see New Orleans. Maybe she can show me around…

“I’m here visiting. I’ve never been to New Orleans before,” he said as she finally released his hand. The skin where she had touched him felt odd, as if his hand had fallen asleep and the blood was finally working its way back into his fingers.

“I could take you on a little tour if you’d like, if you’re not too busy?”

Not at all. I have nowhere to be today.

“No. Let’s go.”

Rhiannon sat at the butcher block island in the kitchen, working out a new recipe she wanted to try. Beside her were samples from her herb collection and a compilation of spices.

Since fall was just around the corner and it was Thea’s favorite season, it was expected that there would be the usual dishes that came with the late harvest. Butternut squash, apples, cinnamon, sweet potatoes, pumpkin…she wanted fresh new ways to incorporate them all and still somehow maintain a healthy menu.

She sampled a bite of boiled squash with a mixture of a few herbs and some cinnamon, and was pleasantly surprised. It could make a good casserole, she mused, jotting down notes as she went. Liam loved squash…

She heard the door open and glanced up to see Brogan come in, a quiet smile curving his lips.

“Good afternoon,” he said, bowing his head slightly as he walked toward her.

“Good afternoon,” Rhiannon repeated, pointing to the chair beside her. “Have a seat.”

He did as she requested, his eyes fixed on the ingredients in front of her.

“What are you working on?” he asked curiously, unsure he could even name half the things on the table.

She smiled warmly at him. “Fall recipes. I’m getting an early start so I don’t have to worry about it later.”

“We’re barely through September yet.” He chuckled, his dark eyes amused as he watched her. “But I know how you like to prepare.”

“Indeed,” she mused, swiftly putting together the same sample of squash she had just tried and handing it to him. “Tell me what you think of that.”

He sniffed at it before eating it, less apprehensive than Liam usually was. Brogan had more faith in her culinary abilities. As he chewed, he nodded and met her eyes. “It’s good, I like it.”

She beamed. “I think it’ll be good in a casserole, maybe with some sweet apples and raisins.”

“How do you come up with all this stuff?” he asked, resting his chin in his hand and watching her with wonder. Whenever he looked at her that way she couldn’t help but feel he was giving her more credit than she deserved.

“It’s just knowing the flavors and experimenting with them, that’s all,” she told him, eyeing the ingredients as she did. “There are limitless possibilities.”

“I see,” he murmured, suddenly looking sheepish. “I came up here because Rian’s been restless all day. It was driving me crazy.” He laughed, embarrassed. “I hope you don’t mind, I had to escape for awhile.”

“Not at all,” Rhiannon assured him, pushing aside her notebook and resting her elbows on the table. “What’s he anxious about?”

He shrugged. “The wedding, I guess. It’s a big step for him, and he’s thrilled, but worried too in some ways. He hopes that he’ll be good enough for her.”

“Why wouldn’t he be?” Her brows drew together in confusion as she shook her head. “She loves him.”