Proven (Daughters of the Sea #1) (9 page)

S
TASIA

The indoor pool erupted.  I was what could only be described as attacked by Stasia as she flew out of the pool and spider monkey-ed me; almost knocking me to the ground.

"Olivia!"

My waning energy surged at her close proximity, proving to me just how much I was connected to her. I actually felt my plethora of open wounds tingle as the skin began to close up and heal on contact. I squeezed her back and relaxed into her cool essence and supportive arms. All too soon, a blur of faces replaced her life-giving presence as Natasha, Phoebe, Avery, and even Carmen welcomed me back with squeals and hugs.

As if harboring the power to part the Red Sea, which was probably not too far from the truth, the girls quickly melted out of view as Sebastian's sudden appearance set my heart on fire. His turquoise eyes locked onto mine and he strode from across the pool in a matter of steps. He stood before me with a look that resembled shock muddled with confusion, struggling to find words as his eyes said everything his mouth couldn't.

"You just gonna stand there all night?" I put my hands on my hips in an effort to suppress the urge to scream and throw myself at him in a display of shameless hysteria. "Or are you-"

Before I could get the words out, I was locked in a rock hard embrace of muscles and endless kisses that made my head spin. I breathed him in and decided I could stay exactly where I was all night. Or at least until my legs gave out, which would be sooner rather than later. He leaned back not even an inch and set to wiping the dirt from my face and then the blood from my lips with undeniable tenderness. His frantic eyes soaked me in as if I could vanish again at any moment.

"We looked for you.... We tried... I can't believe...How...?" he attempted several times. Finally, he settled for another suffocating embrace and melted my heart with gentle kisses.

"Likely story," I kidded him softly. My gaze landed upon his broad shoulders and I realized his traces were gone. "What happened to your-"

"Shhh..." he purred in my ear. My eyes narrowed with suspicion and I frowned at him.

"Still haven't told her?" I accused him in a low tone. Unfortunately, I already knew the answer.

"Alright, Romeo," Avery's caring, yet stern voice interrupted as she instructed Sebastian; placing a healing hand on his forearm. "I need to get to work."

"Take her to your room, Sebastian." Maera winked at him knowingly. "I'll collect some towels and clothes."

"Wait," Stasia protested. "What about Fallon? Is she okay?"

"The last time I saw her was in some kind of cave," I sighed. "Two days ago."

"How did you get away?" Phoebe pressed.

"Well, that's where things get bizarre," I replied with a raised eyebrow. "Selene...let me go. And then the witches brought me back to Atlantis." After several gasps and one blank stare from Ricker, I realized they were waiting for me to continue. "She wanted me to give Stasia a message, and she gave me two things to bring back with me. Which, come to think of it, are probably still lying outside in the grass. They were kind of heavy." I rubbed my temple as a dull pounding thumped under my skull from thinking about it.

"Witches?" Natasha stepped forward with concern, instantly alert.

"She let you go?" Phoebe squealed in an octave that split the rest of my skull open that wasn't thumping.

"What kind of message?" Carmen asked slowly.

"Apparently Selene isn't too fond of writing letters, so she branded me with a symbol instead," I reflected wearily. "She definitely gets points for creativity."

"A brand?" Stasia gasped and Sebastian stiffened visibly with rage.

"That crazy bitch," Carmen hissed and I heard Finn curse under his breath.

"I can't believe I allowed that to happen." Sebastian commenced to blaming himself and I rolled my eyes at him before a muscle spasm in my calf almost reduced me to tears.

"I'm the one that decided to save moon girl." I touched his cheek softly. "I knew what I was risking."

"Everything," he whispered absently as his eyes fell on my left bicep. I flinched when he touched it lightly, causing a fresh memory of torture to resurface.

"Liam," I sighed.

"What about him?" Finn stepped forward protectively.

"He..." I fought for the words to explain what I'd endured, then settled on letting my wounds speak for themselves. I gestured at my torn up body. "This is his handiwork. He's under Selene's command now." More gasps reverberated throughout the group.

"Bullshit," Finn pressed, his jaw clenching in anger.

"I'm sorry," I empathized with him. "I wouldn't have believed it either, but I witnessed it myself. It's true." I knew Liam was Finn's best friend; someone he'd known his entire life. I couldn't imagine what that betrayal must feel like. But I decided as long as I was dropping bombs, I might as well drop them all. The betrayal was two-fold.

"And so is Fallon," I stated simply. Another gasp. "She played all of us."

"She wouldn't..." Stasia mumbled unconvincingly.

"It makes perfect sense, really," Carmen piped up. "Liam's all distraught, so Selene swoops in and snatches him up; promising him God knows what. And Fallon. Think about it! She comes out of nowhere 'claiming' Selene's chasing her?" She shook her head in disgust. "I knew we shouldn't have trusted her...I knew it."

"I don't believe it," Stasia pondered incredulously. Finn stood silently and stiff next to her, the wheels in his head turning.

"Ricker, Ian," he commanded before kissing Stasia on the cheek and abruptly leaving the room, followed by the other two Sons.

"Okay, that's enough for one night," Maera interrupted. "Sebastian and Avery, take Olivia to the east wing and get her cleaned up. It's almost midnight. The First Practice will be here before we know it.

"That's tomorrow?" I gaped. The very reason we were on Atlantis had slipped my mind in the last couple days. Something about having so many descendants on one island with Selene running amok was unsettling. But at the same time, at least they were the strongest of the descendants. We had that going for us.

"That's right." She nodded in my direction. "I'll have Seraphina secure the items you left outside. I believe a good night's sleep is what we all need right now."

O
LIVIA

With that, we filed into the mud room and Sebastian immediately collected me into his arms in one quick sweep. My exhaustion trumped the importance of the Book of Souls and Key of Tribeca as well as the two names I had seen listed. For now, all I wanted to do was lay my head against Sebastian's chest and pretend the previous twenty-four hours never happened. Reality was too much for me right now. I needed to fade into a shiny, happy world of make-believe for a short time. Otherwise, my mind was going to slip into a protective coma and never return.

The next time my eyes opened, I was submerged in a copper claw foot tub in a bathroom fit for royalty. The copper plated ceiling led down to creamy, fabric-lined walls that shimmered with silk threading. My big toe found the other end of the tub as I stretched my legs out lazily. I jumped when Avery's healing hands ran along my collarbone, and I was suddenly acutely aware of my extremely naked body.

"Well...this is awkward," I snickered. Her light blue eyes met mine and she smiled just as her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

"All of the water running into the castle comes from the lagoon," she educated me softly. "So it shouldn't be long until you're completely back to normal. All of your wounds are healed except for...this."

She grazed the brand on my arm with her fingertips and I peered down to see the extent of the travesty Selene had gifted me. The gnarly skin surrounding the symbol was raised with a pinkish hue, but it didn't compare to the burnt, charred skin I had seen earlier today. It was most definitely an improvement, but it still taunted me. Just like Selene.

"Excellent," I muttered. "I've always wanted to look like a branded cow."

"How's she doing?" Sebastian's worried voice sounded from behind the closed door of the bathroom.

"Almost done!" Avery called over her shoulder, then grabbed a towel and held it up for me "Up you go."

"Yes, mother," I joked, but pulled myself up and out of the tub. Avery's touch was only a prelude to the heavenly feel of the towel she wrapped around me.  It felt like pure sheepskin, and I couldn't put it past Maera to have towels made of livestock or for that matter, precious metals. "I don't suppose they have any thongs lying around the castle?"

"I'm pretty sure they brought all of your clothes here from the tree house, princess." Avery rolled her eyes at me as we padded out of the bathroom. Upgrading from a treehouse to a castle was just the kind of news I needed after making nice with an entire forest of trees over the last couple of days. The risk of the castle falling on top of me or tossing me to the ground should be pretty low. Not impossible, but pretty low.

"Good, 'cause if I had white granny panties waiting for me, I was definitely going commando."

A soda can slipped out of Sebastian's hand and landed on the floor as he spun around and stared at me with indecent fascination. Always quick to recover, he left it puddling on the wood floor and took a stack of clothes from the bed before handing them to me with a smirk and a raised blond eyebrow.

"Clothes aren't mandatory, but just in case..."

"Don't get your hopes up," I teased him, and disappeared back into the bathroom to change into a less than flattering white cotton nightgown. So much for sexy. Thankfully my own underwear had made the trip, which made up for the tablecloth currently hanging from my shoulders. I could tell a tremendous difference in my energy level but was still aggravated about the symbol etched into my arm. I frowned at it in the mirror.

"'Night, Olivia!" Avery called out before the click of a door assured her exit. I peeked out at Sebastian and hoped he had a thing for turn-of-the-century, floor length frocks. Something told me no male in the history of humankind could find the mockery I was wearing sexy.

"So this is where you've been staying?" I deflected before walking into the room in all my puritan splendor.

"It's no Grecian cathedral." He shrugged with a sly grin as he turned down the covers of the elegant four poster bed. "But I suppose it'll do."

I gathered my damp hair into a halfhearted bun and practically did a swan dive into the glorious bed that promised blissful sleep.  Sebastian fluffed the pillows, kissed my forehead, and to my surprise, headed for the door.

"Where do you think you're going?" I sat up.

"You need sleep. If I stay with you, you won't be able to keep your hands off of me." I didn't miss the grand smile that accompanied his words. "I don't want to be a distraction."

"Says the guy who's allergic to shirts," I eyed his bare chest and elaborate armored trace that had made an appearance. "Besides, don't flatter yourself." I rolled my eyes. "You haven't been able to take your eyes off of my sexy lingerie since I put it on." I pulled up the hem of the nightgown with a come hither look, revealing a bare ankle.

"You're right," he laughed. "I'm a sucker for full body nightgowns."

The strong need to simply be held overwhelmed me and at that moment, I would have done anything to keep him there with me. Almost being killed and then getting kidnapped could do that to a girl.

"I want you to stay with me," I disclosed earnestly. "I need you to stay with me."

The words barely passed my lips before he was in the bed, pulling off his pants. White boxer shorts with tiny horses all over them was the result. The adorable level of his boxers, coupled with the chiseled muscles of his torso was enough to take my breath away. Oblivious to the reaction he elicited from my body, he casually pressed a button on the wall that lowered the lights and slid into the sheets next to me.

I folded into his arms as if I had never left them and nuzzled even closer. I inhaled his scent with pleasure, sending a ferocious shiver down my spine.

"Are you cold?" The tenor of his voice echoed throughout his chest, throwing yet another shiver through me.

"No," I mumbled against the crook of his neck before peeking up at him sleepily. His amused grin felt like a dream before his head bent down towards mine.  At the sensual touch of his warm lips, my body responded on impulse and I cupped the back of his neck, pulling his mouth even closer. My other hand found his arm and I felt the muscles beneath contract as he clung to me. A hand gathered up my nightgown, finding its way up my leg and squeezing my hip as he pulled me towards him.

"You need your sleep," his voice murmured unconvincingly.

"Tell my body that," I groaned into his mouth; eliciting a light chuckle from him. His lips lingered on mine as he fought with himself to pull away. Eventually, he broke our kiss and brushed the loose hair from my face. I tucked my head into the dip of his shoulder and listened to his pulse as I waited for the heat coursing through every cell of my body to cool.

"And don't forget, you're telling Stasia tomorrow or I'll do it for you," I threatened him, sluggishly fighting back a yawn.