I opened the passenger door for him and watched as he eased onto the seat. Either he was getting better at not wincing or he was hurting less. When he was settled, I closed the door and ran around to get in behind the steering wheel.
“I don’t even know if this place has a hospital,” I said.
“It doesn’t. There’s no need. We all heal fairly quickly.” He reached over and set his hand on my leg. “I can feel your panic. I’ll be fine. Please stop worrying. Give me a week, and we’ll try again.”
The fact that he’d gone from saying a few minutes to a week hit me hard.
“How?” I asked. “I don’t know how to control the things happening to me or even know what will happen. I didn’t even know I could explode fire like that. We’re not getting into that pool again.”
“It’s not your fault.”
“Isn’t it? I took you to the pool. It was my idea to see if the water would work.”
“It might have if the siren hadn’t started singing.”
“Siren?” I thought of the melody that had been in my head and the memory of the siren who’d tricked men into thinking she’d been stripping on line.
“I thought that didn’t work on us.”
“It normally doesn’t because our minds are naturally more shielded when we’re aware of the song. We were distracted.”
“So the song worked? I want to kill her.”
“It wasn’t a her. It was a him. The mermaid in the pool probably talked him into helping her. I’m guessing she’s the one who went after Ashlyn?” he asked.
“I don’t know. I never saw her face. I only—” I swore.
“What?”
“I kicked it. Yep, that was her.”
I pulled up before his house and parked the car. He put his hand over mine to stop me from turning off the car.
“I’ll see you tomorrow.” He brought my hand to his mouth and kissed my knuckles. “Thank you for an amazing afternoon.”
He was breaking my heart with the devotion in his gaze. He could barely move without wincing and had blisters all over his chest and face. The skin around his waist, where my legs had been, looked like it had already started peeling. All the damage I’d done, and he was thanking me?
I swallowed hard.
“Bye, Oanen.”
He let me go, and I bit my lip as he slowly worked himself out of the car. At the door, he stopped and leaned down just enough to see me.
“Say it,” he said. “Say you’ll see me tomorrow.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow.”
His lips curved slightly, but the smile didn’t touch his eyes as he closed the door. I watched him start toward the house. Before he reached the door, I rolled down my window. The cold air calmed my mind and helped me make a hard decision.
“Oanen,” I called.
He turned to look back at me.
“I think we made a mistake. We both need to come to terms with the fact that, no matter how much our hearts are saying yes, our bodies are saying no. Try to stay away. I’ll try to do the same.”
Fourteen
The image of Oanen standing shirtless in the snow stayed branded in my mind all the way home. He hadn’t called my name or tried to stop me as I’d pulled away. Instead, he’d sent a text before I’d reached the road. A text I still hadn’t read.
I turned into my driveway and parked in the back. Resisting the urge to pull the phone from my pocket, I got out and made my way into the house. Only after I’d hung up my jacket and put my shoes by the door, did I look at what he’d sent.
Playing hard to get isn’t attractive for any gender.
I groaned. I’d known it wouldn’t be easy as soon as I’d made the decision that we shouldn’t be together like he wanted anymore. Taking a slow breath, I carefully composed a reply.
I’m not playing hard to get. I’ve tried to be the girlfriend you need. It hasn’t worked. I’m sorry, but this is for the best.
His reply was immediate.
A few burns and broken bones change nothing. You’re still mine. I’ll see you tomorrow.
Why couldn’t he just accept that we were done? I typed out another reply, hoping he’d understand.
I think it would be best if I take a few days off. Some distance will help us both come to terms with this being over.
I thought I’d get another text, but the phone remained quiet the rest of the day. Even Eliana didn’t text. I kept telling myself it was for the best. However, the ache in my chest disagreed and continued to grow until I could barely breathe.
Once the sun set, I crawled into bed, hoping that sleep would mute the regret and denial I felt. However, sleep didn’t come easily. I tossed and turned, the corrosive pain creating a misery I couldn’t seem to escape.
Exhaustion finally pulled me under well after midnight.
Tormented by dark, wind-swept skies filled with lightning and an eagle’s cry, I ran endlessly. There was no safety from the cold, pounding rain. No winged harbor in which to shelter. I was completely alone in a world that wanted to destroy me. Lightning struck me again and again, until the only forward progress I made was on my hands and knees, crawling through the mud.
Then, the rain stopped. A hand ran down my back and soothed the pain raging inside of me.
“You’ve suffered enough.”
The mud between my fingers changed to sheets. The bed moved, and I turned to find the one person I’d been searching for. Oanen settled behind me and wrapped an arm around my waist to pull me close to his bare, wet chest. I relaxed against him and let my heartbeat slow.
“I refuse to believe what I feel for you is a mistake,” he said softly, his breath brushing my neck. “We took the bonding flight. There will never be anyone else for me. You’re mine, Megan. It’s time you come to terms with that.”
I sighed and snuggled in. The storm inside me settled and didn’t return to torment me while I lay within the protection of the harbor I’d so desperately sought.
I woke slowly, remembering the feel of Oanen’s arms around me. However, when I turned, I was alone in bed. Frowning, I got up and went downstairs. He wasn’t in the kitchen and the bathroom door stood open.
“Oanen?” I called. There was no answer.
Making my way back upstairs, I recalled the vividness of my dream. Had Oanen been just my imagination, too?
My heart ached at the thought that he’d only been in my head. How was I ever going to keep my distance if I felt like this in less than a day? I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from running right into his arms if I saw him in person. Which was exactly why I needed to get my ass moving and get to the Academy before he did.
When I reached my room, I stopped and stared at my bed, hoping he hadn’t come. Streaks of blood painted my pillowcase and my sheets. I’d been crying in my sleep. A lot. I wiped at my face and felt traces of crusted blood around my eyes.
“So attractive,” I mumbled as I started stripping the bed.
With the bedding in my arms along with a clean change of clothes, I returned downstairs to throw my sheets into the washer and take a shower.
Fifteen minutes later, I flew out the door with a lunch in hand and got into my car. It wasn’t until I was at Girderon’s gates that I realized my mistake. Monday check in. I’d need to face Adira. After the big scene I’d made about them not keeping me and Oanen apart, I’d gone and broken up with him. I hated eating crow.
The parking lot only had a few cars when I rolled to a stop. I got out and hurried inside, wanting to get the meeting over with.
Any hope of avoiding Adira died at the sight of her open door.
“Come in, Megan,” she called before I could back away.
I went inside and stood by the chair.
“I’m here. What fruitless task in the guise of education would you like to set me on now?”
“You’re welcome to continue using the library.”
“What? You don’t want the out of control fury mingling with the masses?” As soon as the sarcastic words left my mouth, I realized I’d spoken the truth and laughed.
“What happens when I read every sorry excuse for information in the library? What stall tactic will you use then?” I asked.
“I’m hoping you’ll have discovered who you are before that happens.”
“Why don’t you just tell me?”