Of Water and Madness (2 page)

Fortunately for all involved, Jax was far from a crazy idea. In fact, Liam was fully ready to admit that the bounty hunter was an oddly perfect fit for Blythe. He swiftly and adeptly handled her fiery temper, could soothe away her manic bouts of sorrow and clearly loved her with a passion equal to her own. He handled her better than even Liam had ever been able to and that was saying something. That fact irked him a bit, but he was trying to get over it.

Just as he was finally getting over whatever grievances he’d had over Rian courting the lovely, guileless Capri, who was basically like his other little sister and therefore in need of his brotherly protection. Though she was anything but a fool and it looked as though she was a better gauge of character than all of them combined.

She had seen something inside of Rian that the rest of them had failed to see for years…this latent, quiet compassion and caring nature that they had all missed under his warrior’s mask. Perhaps they had all been too quick to assume that because the man was a born and bred soldier that he lacked the capacity to feel. But it was evident to everyone now that he could indeed feel, and what he felt for Capri was obvious every time he looked at her.

And now they were getting married in just a few short weeks. He felt an instinctive swell of pride and affection at the idea, picturing Capri as clear as day, glowing with happiness and adorned in white. Who knew that the youngest of the Dryads would be the first to get hitched? He had certainly thought he would be first, with Rhia at his side. Of course, given the circumstances, perhaps it was foolish to have hoped that it would take less time than it had to release her from the bonds of her parents and her own mind. But even when it had seemed hopeless that she would ever be free, he’d reminded himself of what he was fighting for and then it would all seem clear once more.

Smiling, he reached into the front pocket of his jeans and pulled out a ring, inspecting it in the soft glow of the sun. The white gold band flashed brightly and the deep blue sapphire surrounded by twining, engraved leaves glowed like the depths of the sea. It was her birthstone, which was why he had selected it when he’d walked into the store a day earlier. And the square cut seemed to suit her practical, no nonsense nature. Combined with the leaves dotted with tiny white diamonds, the ring was nothing short of a masterpiece. He had only to wait for the right moment to give it to her.

But he could be patient, he thought as he tucked the ring away. Now would not be a good time, not when the entire castle was still reeling from the events of the last few days, and from the alarming awareness of the impending war they all knew was coming at some point in the near future…

Frowning, he stared at the waves of wild grass, remembering how Rhiannon had cried in his arms after they’d returned safely home. She’d had bruises on her neck, cuts on her wrists and ankles, and what he could only imagine would be hoards of emotional scars that could take years to heal. All of that was the doing of one man…Liam’s fists clenched at the thought that he hadn’t been able to exact the punishment he felt the asshole so rightfully deserved.

Burke Callahan…even the name made his blood boil and his mood sour. The man didn’t deserve to live in his opinion, and if it were up to him, he would have paid dearly for what he had put Rhiannon through–what he had put all of them through–and for what? A grave misunderstanding as to what had truly happened to his son, Michael? Well, it was Michael’s own damn fault he’d gotten himself killed by a demon. Burke had refused to even consider such a possibility and had instead jumped to the conclusion that someone on Euphora was responsible, namely Liam himself, Brogan…or Rhiannon, of all people.

And to think that Rhiannon’s mother, Serendipity, had been convinced of Rhiannon’s guilt and had assisted Burke in kidnapping her, knowing he had the full intent of murdering her. Good Lord, he couldn’t even face that woman after what she had done. But Thea had been merciful, probably because she knew the woman would receive a suitable enough punishment from her own husband for her misdeeds. Rohan, rightfully so, was barely speaking to his wife and Liam wouldn’t be surprised if she became an ex-wife sooner rather than later. After all, she had falsely accused their oldest daughter of being a murderer without any proof. If that wasn’t enough grounds for separation, he didn’t know what was.

But, all of that was behind them, at least for now. He was certainly not going to forget it and he knew Rhiannon wouldn’t, but for now at least they could focus their attention on more pressing matters…such as Dante.

Even the name gave him chills, especially when he remembered being in the man’s presence unknowingly and realizing afterward just how close to death they had truly been. Because there was no doubt in his mind that Dante was deadly, especially after what Blythe and Rhiannon went through with him. He was ruthless, cunning, and decisively evil. It wouldn’t do to underestimate him, especially not now. If he really did have some kind of army at his disposal then they were all going to be in incredible danger.

But, until any of them knew for sure what Dante had planned, the best they could do was be watchful and hope they caught on to him before he could do any real damage.

Rising to his feet, Liam swung his guitar over his shoulder and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his casual, faded Levis, shrugging off any thoughts of Dante for the time being. But that didn’t mean he was going to forget about the impending danger. He rarely forgot about anything, he just knew how to sort out priorities. And right now, getting some work done was at the top of the list.

Humming to himself, he strolled back into the castle and down the long corridor, his destination Water Tower. The entrance was conveniently located near the dining hall and near Air Tower, where he and his father routinely found themselves working with Clynn and Capri on developing and managing storm systems.

He pulled open the ancient wooden door that led to a winding, spiral stone staircase ending in a doorway one story up. Jogging up the steps two at a time, he opened the second door and swept in, a grin on his face the moment he saw his father.

“Hey,” he greeted, slipping the guitar off his back and setting it on the wooden floor by the door.

Lucian turned from the large, scale model globe and eyed his son with humorous blue eyes.

“Late start this morning?” Lucian asked, his hands held out, palms spread, hovering over the surface of the globe.

“Lost track of time,” Liam replied, reaching for an apple from the basket on his father’s workbench and crunching into it. “Though it’s probably a good thing for you to work alone once in awhile. Wouldn’t want you to get rusty, old man.”

Lucian’s eyes flashed as one sculpted white eyebrow rose. “Boyo, I could do this job blindfolded. You, on the other hand, still have much to learn.”

“If it makes you feel better to think I haven’t surpassed your talents, then go right ahead.” Liam winked, enjoying this time they had together. Joking around with his father was one of his favorite pastimes. “So when’s Blythe coming back?”

“She and Jax are due back from Texas tomorrow,” Lucian said serenely, turning back to his work. “And Thea wants to throw an engagement party for Capri and Rian as soon as they return.”

“Cool.” Liam bit into the apple again, then leaned up against the workbench and stared around at the tower that was as much his haven as his workplace.

The tower was large and cylindrical, with tall, skyward reaching walls that opened up with skylights at the top. Big, wide windows cut through the stone near the ceiling, sending rays of sunshine down into the room. The rest of the stone walls around them cried quiet, bubbling rivers of water that fell into a large pool filled with fish below, which was covered by a pine wood deck that served as a platform for their workbench and the globe his father was currently using.

All in all, it certainly wasn’t a bad place to spend the day, Liam thought with a smile. As a kid, he’d loved spending time there, surrounded by the element that sang in his very blood.

Polishing off his apple, he chucked the core into the small garbage can beneath the workbench and proceeded to update his charts. He may not have been as studious as Rhiannon, but he knew his stuff. And when his father retired one day, he had full confidence that he could make the transition smooth and effortless.

As a Water Dryad, he was responsible for everything involving the largest body of water on the planet: the ocean. He managed every aspect of the sea, from the changing tides to the levels of algae, to the fish and other animal life that lived beneath its surface. But the extent of his duties didn’t stop there. He and his father were in charge of providing the planet with rain, thus spreading fresh water throughout the world, benefiting all forms of life. Without water, the Earth couldn’t survive.

He knew the weight of his responsibilities and he bore it well, with both time honored respect and humility. He truly cared about the impact he had on the world, and as such did virtually nothing carelessly where work was concerned. One slip up and entire towns could be wiped off the face of the map in a typhoon, or a species of fish could perish because their only food source had dwindled and disappeared.

It was a heavy burden, but he paid no mind to bearing it, just as those who had come before him had borne it for countless centuries. After all, as Rhiannon was apt to say, it was their duty…a gift as well as a burden.

A couple of hours later, there was a swift knock on the door. When Liam glanced up he saw Rhiannon peek her head in, a large wicker basket in her arms.

His smile was automatic and instinctive, and the pleasure he felt at seeing her smile in response couldn’t possibly be measured.

“Hey, beautiful.” He stepped toward her as she came into the room and stood on the little bridge that connected the platform to the doorway.

“Hello.” Rhiannon nodded and then looked at Lucian politely. “Good afternoon, Lucian.”

“Rhiannon,” Lucian replied, glancing at his son before turning away to give them privacy.

Liam leaned in to tenderly kiss her lips before swiftly taking the basket from her hands.

“What’s all this?” he asked nosily, already reaching in to see what she had brought.

“It’s a picnic lunch…I thought we could go down to the courtyard and eat, if you’re not too busy,” Rhiannon told him, a bit miffed that he was rustling around her carefully packed dishes.

“I’m never too busy for you.” He grinned, whirling around and nodding to his father. “Lunch break, be back later.”

“Have fun.” Lucian waved him away, pretending to be busy feeding the fish. When he heard the door click shut, he let out a contented sigh and smiled, pleased to see his son truly happy at last.

Liam lay back on his elbows, his long legs crossed in front of him as they sat comfortably in the grass beneath one of the large willow trees, the soft sunshine filtering down through the branches. His eyes followed Rhiannon’s diligent, practical movements as she laid out their first course on top of buttercup yellow plates, complete with matching napkins and crystal glasses for the sparkling cider she’d brought.

“I’ve been experimenting with dill, so you’ll have to let me know how you like these,” she began, arranging small tea sandwiches topped with mayonnaise, smoked salmon, and some kind of green sprigs on the plates.

“I’m always the guinea pig,” Liam grumbled, eyeing the sandwiches warily as she handed him a plate. “If this kills me, I promise to haunt you.”

Rhiannon’s eyes flashed to meet his as her lips curved a bit wickedly. “That wouldn’t be such a bad thing.”