Promises (Book One of The Syrenka Series) (9 page)

“
Um…okay, sure.” I held out
my hand and he ushered me to the dance floor. The music was
classical and it seemed to be another waltz. “I don’t know how to
do this,” I said, suddenly aware that people were going to be
watching me.

The man laughed and pulled me into the
correct position. “Don’t worry, I’ll lead.” His large but soft hand
clasped mine and the other went behind my lower back. His hold was
forceful but not too strong that I felt uncomfortable. We began to
move around the floor, following the few other older couples still
dancing.

“
My name is Lucian
Sutherland and you are Eviana Dumahl, correct?” He already knew my
name, so I was a little perplexed with his question.

“
Yes, I’m Eviana.” We made
a few more turns and weaves before I continued. “Am I supposed to
know who you are?”

“
Oh no, I wouldn’t expect
that,” he chuckled. “I knew your mother a long time ago, so I
wanted to have at least one dance with her beautiful daughter.”
Something about the way he said that made chills develop along the
back of my neck. “Your parents didn’t come?”

I shook my head, trying to avoid any
type of eye contact with him. “No, they didn’t. Mr. Matthew is my
sponsor anyway.”

“
Ah yes, the Matthews.” He
stopped speaking so suddenly I had to look up. There was something
about the Matthews that made my dance partner very
uncomfortable.

“
You know Harlan and Kain
then?” I pushed forward.

“
Yes, I know them very
well.” That was all he would say. It was subtle, but I noticed that
his muscles had tensed and he no longer tried to speak with his
usual smoothness. At one point I tried to find Kain to give him the
signal that I was done dancing with this man, but I was saved by
another Matthew instead.

“
May I cut in?” Harlan
asked. Lucian’s hand clamped around mine almost to the point of
causing pain. I flashed him a glare and he instantly let go and
composed his face again.

“
Certainly,” he replied
kindly. “It was a pleasure, Eviana,” he said and then raised my
hand to kiss it gently. Something was strange with him, but I
couldn’t figure it out. Harlan pulled my attention away from
Lucian’s retreating figure and set me back into a waltzing
position.

“
Stay away from that man,”
he said.

“
Why?”

“
He is very bad news,
Eviana. His family is a disgrace to our kind and I’m not even sure
what his intentions were tonight. He doesn’t usually accept the
invitation.” We started to dance again, but the moves were slow and
small. Harlan was using me as more of a support system than
ballroom partner. After a few minutes, and just long enough to make
sure that Lucian was out of sight, Harlan told me that he needed to
sit down. I ushered him over to the section with cocktail tables
and chairs. He sat down with a thump and immediately began wiping
his forehead with the handkerchief.

“
Here dad, drink this.”
Kain forced a glass of water into his father’s hands started to
wipe his forehead for him. Harlan pushed him away and
tsked.

“
Go away. I’m fine. Why
don’t you take your beautiful fiancée for a spin on the dance
floor?” When Kain and I didn’t move, he sat back in his chair and
sighed. “Go. I’m alright.” We still didn’t listen. “I promise.” He
waved us on and I grabbed Kain’s hand to pull him away from his
father. No sense in giving him a heart attack trying to convince us
that he’s okay.

The music had changed to something
more young and hip. It took me several tries to get Kain to focus
on the dancing. I even wrapped my arms around his shoulders and
nuzzled against him, encouraging him to move. It wasn’t until
Daniel, Lily, and even Carissa joined us that he seemed to loosen
up a little.

“
He’ll be alright,” I said
when I caught him looking towards his father again. We were moving
slowly together now, so I could feel his muscles anxious with
worry. He didn’t say anything at first but then he gently kissed
the top of my head and rested his cheek against it.

“
Thanks.”

I hugged him tighter and fought the
tears growing in my eyes. This was so hard on him and I admired his
strength. I knew that I would not be as strong if I was losing one
of my parents. We continued to sway until someone abruptly knocked
into us.

“
Hey guys, save it for
later,” Vance said as he bounded into the center of the group and
began to awkwardly gyrate his body. We couldn’t help but laugh and
in no time at all we were enjoying the break dancing battle going
on between Vance and Daniel. The moves they were attempting were
real, but neither of the boys had the skill to execute them very
well. It was quite amusing to see Daniel try for a back spin, only
to get around a few inches. Vance attempted a one-handed stand, but
when he kicked his feet over his head, he fell on his side with
very little room to make it look cool.

By this time, all of the syrenkas had
gathered and joined in with the impromptu dance competition. Cat
calls, taunting, and superficial threats were passing amongst the
group all in the spirit of fun. We forgot about our training and
responsibilities. I forgot about my upcoming decisions and Kain
enjoyed himself freely. For a few moments, everything was
good.

If it hadn’t been for the laughing and
clapping maybe we would have heard something. But the entertainment
continued until someone screamed from the far side of the room. The
music suddenly stopped and we were all looking around, frantically
trying to figure out what was going on.

“
Someone call an
ambulance!” a voice shouted. Everyone turned their head in the
direction of the commotion and the crowd began to move aside and
clear a path. At first I thought it was for the emergency help,
although they wouldn’t have been here so quickly. As soon as I
realized what was really happening, Kain ran screaming from my side
and down the aisle of people.

“
Dad!”

Seven

The next few days seemed to drag on
through a haze of sadness and disbelief. Harlan Matthew had
apparently died before he even fell to the floor. The doctor’s
declared it was a stroke and assured Kain that it was quick and
painless. Although I doubted that those words brought any sort of
comfort to my friend. His dad was gone and once that realization
sunk in, he had a whole other set of obligations to deal
with.

We left Florida early the next
morning. I was flying back to California and Kain was accompanying
his father to Massachusetts for a private family burial. He and I
didn’t speak much at all after that night. I stayed near his side,
helping him fend off the well-wishers and offering my silent
support. He didn’t cry, didn’t get angry; he just seemed to be
moving like a robot. Our friends stayed out of the way, providing
only passing glances that showed how sad they were for
Kain.

He held my hand the entire flight from
Key West to Miami, and when we had to part ways in the airport, he
kissed my forehead and thanked me for being there with him. Tears
rolled down my cheecks as he walked through the corridor towards
his own connecting flight, never once showing any sign of emotion
on his face. I was worried about him, but knew that his family
would meet him in Boston. We would also see each other again in
another week or so when they held a memorial service in California
for all of the clans.

I felt numb and overwhelmed which made
my nearly five hour flight home seem too short. Not once did I
think about crashing and burning. Instead, my eyes would well up
each time I remembered Kain singing to me just a few days before.
Both of my parents picked me up at the airport and the ride to our
house was silent and tense. I didn’t want to talk about anything so
their multitude of questions went unanswered. Eventually, they
realized that they weren’t going to get anywhere and gave me a
reprieve for the rest of the afternoon. I refused dinner, even when
they sent my sister in to coax me downstairs. Tomorrow would be a
better day, so locking myself in a room for a few more hours
sounded like a good plan.

In the middle of the night, my phone
began to vibrate under my pillow. Sleepily, I tried to make my
fingers move to read the message. It was Brendan. I hadn’t even
called him since I got back and I scolded myself for being so
inconsiderate.

You up?
He asked. Deciding that I needed to hear his
voice, I called instead of texting him back. He answered right
away.

“
Evs, I miss you,” he
greeted me and I immediately began to cry. “Hey, what’s
wrong?”

We talked for over an hour. I first
explained Harlan’s passing and the events of the last twenty-four
hours, and soon the sharing eased the pain in my heart so I was
able to tell him about the fun stuff that happened as well, like
the reef trip and the dancing competition. Hearing his voice was
the biggest comfort for me and no one else in the world could
provide that serenity.

Towards the end of the conversation he
sighed and asked, “Can we meet tomorrow?”

“
Of course. I don’t know
what I will have to do here, but I’m sure that I can escape for a
while.”

He laughed at that and replied, “I
know that you can.” I smiled. “Why don’t you come to my place in
the afternoon? I’ll pick you up around three.”

“
Sounds good,” I murmured
and realized that sleep was quickly devouring me. My heart was at
peace for a while and my body relaxed. With the phone still in my
hand, I fell into a dreamless slumber.

It was late morning before I pulled
myself out of bed and into the shower. Dressed and descending down
the stairs, I could hear my parents on the phone, each talking
briskly and making a variety of plans. When my mother saw me, she
told the person on the other end to hold on and walked over to give
me a giant hug. No words, just physical contact, but it was enough
for me to know that she was grieving too.

I poured myself some cereal and forced
the food down. Clinking my spoon against the edge of the bowl, I
stared out the window. Today I was still feeling sad, but it was
for Kain and his family. Harlan was a good man who wanted only the
best for his son. I thought about his visit to our room before the
ball and about how truly pleased he was to have me as his
daughter-in-law. My stomach twisted in guilty knots again so I
pushed the bowl away from me before the smell of milk made me too
nauseous.

“
Not hungry?” my father
asked pulling out a chair next to me.

“
No.” My mother sat down on
the opposite side across from my father; flanking me with parental
concern.

“
You should eat. You’re
going to need to keep your strength up,” she chided.

I snapped my head up to look at her.
“What are you talking about?” My tone must have been a little sharp
because my father placed his hand on top of mine and patted it
until I focused on him.

“
You are going to be a
vital part of the upcoming ceremonies and I would imagine that your
fiancé is going to need you now more than ever.”

I sighed. “What
is
going to happen
now?”

“
Well, the Matthews will
have the private burial on the east coast tomorrow, but they are
coming out here at the end of the week. Friday will be the
memorial, Saturday will be Kain’s appointment ceremony, and then…”
Her voice faltered slightly and she cleared her throat while
looking at my dad. “And then on Sunday, you and Kain will be
married.”

My dad’s hand clamped down on mine
anticipating my negative reaction. I suddenly couldn’t breathe. The
wedding had been moved up by a week and I was going to have to
marry a clan leader. Kain did need me to be there for him both as a
friend and as a partner. Even the childish, angry side of me
couldn’t argue that point. I let out the breath that I’d sucked
in.

“
Where?”

“
Where what?” my mother
asked, looking at me with curious eyes.

“
Where will all of this be
happing? All of the ceremonies?”

She was still staring at me with
trepidation and suspicion. “Here. Everything will happen
here.”

I nodded my head. Everyone was coming
to our clan house and everyone would be expecting me to marry Kain.
This wasn’t the way my life was supposed to go. “What about my
birthday?” It would be the day after the wedding.

“
We will celebrate on
Monday. My baby girl…eighteen, married, and leading a clan.” My dad
shook his head and smiled. “You’re growing up so fast.” He and my
mother shared a moment between them that made my stomach ache
again.

I stood up and took the cereal bowl to
the sink. “I’ll be in my room.”

“
You can have today, but
the rest of the week you will be with me preparing for the
ceremonies,” my mother stated.
Preparing
meant dress fittings,
speech memorizations, and a lot of lessons on what not to do or not
to say.

“
Sounds fun,” I mumbled
under my breath as I trudged upstairs. As soon as I was out of
sight, both of my parents were back on the phone coordinating the
big weekend. This was going to be a spectacle and an affair to
remember, that was for sure. No doubt, my mother and her friends
were trying to hire the best caterers and the most expensive dress
makers around.