Just Breathe Part 36

Lily surfaced and exhaled a mighty rush of air. Araluen was her only son, too. Leaving him would crush her.

She dipped back under the depths. You have my sympathies and deepest appreciation for what you offer. I trust that you are an excellent mother. Your Water tells me so. However, I'm afraid I must refuse for selfish reasons.

Araluen swam between Lily and Kadee and waved his flipper through the currents. So, you'll rob the Waeters of their only chance to reset the Balance? All for the sake of one whale?

Yes. Lily's voice quivered. For you.

You are selfish, Mum. Her calf moved away to join the surrounding pod.

"I guess that's that." Zoe frowned at Lily and restarted the motor on her boat. She was angry. Rightly so.

Thank you for trying, Zoe, Lily said.

In the gathering darkness, Zoe pointed the Zodiac toward the harbor and left a thick, blue-black trail of mourning behind her.

I'm sorry, Lily sang to no one in particular.

Red lightning above cut open the sky like a demonic grin.

So it began.

Zoe's sad whale song drifted on the air currents, each note like a whip scoring Gavin's bloodied heart with a fresh lash. The Zodiac motored into its slip. The engine shut off. With a heavy exhale, Gavin stepped out of the shadows of Urangan Harbor's tall sailboats and crouched beside the metal boat cleat bolted to the planks. "Were you planning to return any of the twenty messages I left you?"

Tears on her cheeks and brows tight, Zoe hopped out, and quickly tied up the boat without looking at him. "Not a whole lot I can say."

"Then maybe I should do the talking."

She sniffled, tucked her hands in the back pockets of her shorts, and stared up at him. Even in the dark, her eyes shone blue. He wanted to thumb her tears away, to hold her, kiss her pain into submission. He wanted to be the hero who could make everything all right.

But nothing was all right.

G.o.ds, he'd f.u.c.ked up.

The burnt orange haze overlaying the dark blue in her aura told him what he already knew. She didn't trust him. He couldn't blame her. He didn't trust himself.

"Scarlet approached me when you and I weren't speaking. She offered me a deal: we'd bind our Fire. When I f.u.c.ked her, she'd give me the location to the door into the Dreaming and help me get rid of the Fyres. I rejected the idea without a second thought. No way I could do that to you, regardless of where things stood between us. Plus, I hate her with every atom in my body." He shook his head. "Couldn't do it. Period.

"But then I hit the Dreaming and realized how bad things had gotten. I had a responsibility to the Wyldlings I swore to protect, and I was failing miserably at my job. People were f.u.c.king dying. But, not just a death here or there. Everywhere. Little kids, elderly people, teenagers-entire families wiped out by hungry, relentless Fyres.

"When I started thinking about how stacked the odds were against us, it became clear the Sentinels didn't stand a chance of successfully defending the Dreaming. Even if we doubled or tripled our numbers, there would never be enough of us to stop the Fyres. Much as I wanted to deny it, Scarlet's ridiculous proposal started looking more and more like a viable solution.

"I weighed my choices. Whetu was the path of least resistance to finding the door. The Dreamweaver-if we could find her-was a good alternative. If neither of those plans worked, going to Scarlet would be my contingency."

He took Zoe gently by the shoulders. "I didn't make the decision lightly. I bound my Fire to hers, hoping I wouldn't have to go through with the rest, but prepared to do whatever I had to in order to keep the Wyldlings safe-even if it meant hurting you. After what she did to the research house... I thought I'd run out of options."

Water flooded her eyes, and another tear escaped down Zoe's cheek. She trembled in his grip.

"I love you more than anything in the universe. But if I had to do it over again, I would make the same decision. If I have to lose you to save innocent people in this country, I'll let you go. It'll haunt me for the rest of my days, but I'll do it. This is who I am." He lowered his head.

In the long silence that followed, he had plenty of time to reflect on the detour his life had recently taken. Only a couple months ago, he'd begged Yileen to help him find a way out of the Sentinel gig. He'd turned his back on the Dreaming to pursue a self-indulgent lifestyle filled with alcohol, meaningless s.e.x, and endless parties. He'd lost all faith in humanity and in himself.

And then Zoe fell into the Dreaming and reminded him, by way of example, of the importance of caring.

How things had changed.

A whimper pa.s.sed through Zoe's lips and knocked him free of his reverie. She flung her arms around his neck. Shocked, he slowly returned the hug. Her shoulders quaked with sobs. He rubbed circles into her back, inhaled her scent, lapped up her warmth.

He couldn't tell if she forgave him, pitied him, or was saying goodbye, but as long as she held onto him, he didn't care. For now, she was all that mattered.

Several minutes pa.s.sed before she pulled away. When she looked up at him, her face filled with pride. "I love who you are, Mr. Perfect. Don't ever change. For me or anyone else."

His heart swelled, his senses soared, and his Water bubbled. He s.n.a.t.c.hed her back into his embrace and kissed her like it was the end of the world. Tears mingled with Water... Rising and falling... Ebbing and flowing...

Dizzying.

Propping his forehead against hers, he lost himself in their beautiful tide. "I'm sorry for lying to you, Zed. If we live past tomorrow, I'll never do it again, no matter how bad the truth hurts."

She closed her eyes and nodded.

"And to be clear, I didn't have s.e.x with Scarlet that night. I left you after the fire and took her to a hotel like she said. I couldn't stand the thought of anyone else I cared about getting hurt. I had to put an end to it once and for all. But when the time came to do the deed, I couldn't go through with it. I kept seeing your face, feeling your Water drowning out the Fire. You wouldn't let me give in to her."

Zoe's lashes fanned up, and she touched her lips. "That's why you kissed me so hard when you got home."

He nodded. "I was so relieved, yet at the same time devastated. I'd sold my soul to Scarlet, and I still couldn't help the Wyldlings. After I left her, she attacked Trevor, and...well, things aren't looking so good for him." He turned away.

Zoe stopped him. Her aura ignited with light orange determination, dark green stubbornness, and periwinkle trust. "Then you go to Scarlet and try again. Right now. I won't endanger any more lives because I'm too selfish to make a small sacrifice. We're way beyond the petty stage now. She forced your hand. If s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g Scarlet puts the winning tick in our column, then this is a no-brainer." She urged him toward the exit.

What the f.u.c.k? Zoe was willing to let Scarlet have her way with him to save the Wyldlings? His muse must've understood his duty better than he did. Maybe because her commitment to her own cause was just as intense. Could he love this woman or her selfless determination any more?

He grasped her arm to stop her dragging him away. "You don't understand. The Fire linking me to Scarlet may be anxious to pair us up, but the Water linking you and me prevents any possibility of that happening." He glanced down and laughed bitterly. "I couldn't get it up for her if she was the last woman on the planet. Water and Fire don't mix. Never will."

The tension in Zoe's features melted into worry. "I appreciate the sentiment-man, do I ever-but what other choice is there? We have to do something. It's just s.e.x. What you and I have goes so much deeper than that. I can...live with it. Maybe you should try again."

"My d.i.c.k was in her mouth, and I couldn't get it up." He didn't want to be that blunt, but Zoe deserved the whole, brutal truth.

Her lips parted with a little gasp, and she blinked twice. "Oh."

"There's only so much pushing a rope can do, and this rope isn't the least bit interested in cooperating. Scarlet's no longer an option. I'll continue my search for the Dreamweaver tonight, but I'm afraid it's all on Whetu now."

"If she doesn't come through, it's over. For everyone. Lily still refuses to accept the Archelemental position. I've done everything I can there, but she won't listen." Zoe brought her hands to her face and palmed her eyes. Navy blue sadness a.s.sumed command of her aura. "I feel like I'm breaking apart."

Gavin crushed her to his chest, enfolded her in his lightly glowing arms, and kissed her wrinkled brow. "Then let me hold you together."

Her muscles unclenched, the tension in her aura slackened, and she melted into him. "You and the whales are all I have left. Promise you won't let go."

Gavin dipped into her overflowing blue well for a long draught and squeezed her tightly. "I got you, Zed. No matter what."

Scarlet had stolen Gavin's necklace, Zoe's trust, and worst of all, countless innocents' lives. But the one thing she could never take away was also his and Zoe's strongest weapon: their Water.

Chapter Thirty-nine.

September 23 Spring Equinox Trapped in the total blackness of sensory deprivation, the Dreamweaver reached out tentatively with her mind into the nothingness surrounding her. Realis was a cold, dark, dangerous place. She yearned for the comforts of home, deep within the safety of the Dreaming.

Her Dreamsense picked up a sudden quake in the Balance. The usual mix of red, blue, yellow, and green in the grid of her otherworldly vision succ.u.mbed to red dominance in both the living and dream worlds.

The Elemental tides had shifted. With the transfer of power, desperation climbed her gullet.

She mentally pushed against the theta-dampening helmet drilled into her skull.

Zap!

The lead screws and quicksilver glue held tighter than ever. Hot trickles of blood oozed from the drill holes and diffused only a hint of warmth through the watery tank. She startled into inactivity to avoid another jolt.

Hands and feet bound, eyes covered, nose intubated for breathing, and body suspended in water by t.i.tanium-iron alloy chains, she was powerless to perform the duties of her station. The helmet suppressed all but the most basic brain functions and surged with excruciating energy bursts when she attempted any thought beyond the mundane. Pa.s.sive processing of information was her only relief.

Over the countless weeks she'd spent in this horrific place, she'd mustered and saved enough strength to make a few tries at escape. Though she had connected with some Waeter Elementals via the liquid within her deprivation tank and managed to open a portal for them to slip into the Dreaming a while back, it hadn't been enough. The punishment for that sin had stung for days, but worse than the pain was the knowledge that she had failed mankind.

The Dreamweaver sensed the Veil's membrane slip open against her will, and a couple Fyres stepped through the gate into Realis. A flurry of movement, followed by evil cackles, shattered the silence.

"Gavin doesn't have a clue how hopeless his pathetic battle to save the Dreaming is," Scarlet said. "Without the Dreamweaver, the Dreaming will fall, regardless of what the Fyres do. It can't sustain itself without her. I'm gonna get off so hard watching that G.o.dforsaken place die a long, torturous death."

Laughter from the guards followed.

Scarlet was right. With the Fyres controlling the Balance and no one to oversee Australia's Dreaming, chaos and death were givens. With nowhere to go when they fell asleep, the Wyldlings would die of dream deprivation. And with the imminent collapse of one of the seven realms, Fyres around the world would gain the foothold they needed to climb their way to power in the other six.

The Dreamweaver bowed her head. Rainbow Serpent must be so disappointed in her.

Tears seared the corners of her blind eyes. A shocking current beat her mind into submission.

She wanted to go home.

The first thing Zoe's brain registered when she awoke from her disturbing, blood-etched dreams was the comforting warmth of the heavy body blanketing her from behind. Next was the scent of cedar.

After the confrontation at the dock last night, Gavin had brought her back to his house and made love to her for an hour. He'd been so tender, so careful, so loving. Neither spoke. Didn't need to. Every touch said what words couldn't.

The s.e.x had been pure acquiescence. Surrender. Trust.

She smiled.

The blissful, warm memories went kaput when the shouting began down the hall.

"Without a Waeter Archelemental to make the t.i.the to Aqua, nothing you do will matter. Wyldlings are dropping like flies, and we can't stop it." Byrn's voice, thick with rage, hotter than usual. At least the closed door m.u.f.fled some of the volume.

Gavin tensed behind her, the muscles of his chest hard and unforgiving. His hand navigated the folds of the sheets to smooth her long hair, then he sat up and kissed her neck.

She rolled to her back. He started out of bed, his Fire tattoos darkening to deep, shadowy red. They always glowed when Fyres were near, but today they seemed to suck light right out of the air. Almost looked like they were bleeding. She swallowed over a dry throat. "What's with your tattoos?"

Naked, he glanced at the door, his beautiful but weary face distorted by angry, jagged lines. Visions from her violent dreams came back to haunt her. She already knew the answer. The change in color was a sign the Fyres had gained control.

"Byrn's right. There's no Waeter Archelemental to buffer the Fire Incendius receives from the t.i.thes he's collecting. When the Fyres have taken everything they can, the Aers will fall, then the Erthes, and finally, the Waeters."

Zoe's mind raced. "How much time do the Waeters have to submit their t.i.thes?"

"Twenty-four hours from the equinox, which hit around midnight last night. Tonight, the four G.o.ds will present their 'winnings' to Rainbow Serpent, and she'll determine the Balance of power for the next six months."

No time to waste. Zoe nodded and scooted out of bed. She tugged on shorts and a shirt and flipped a handful of hair over her shoulder. Working under the a.s.sumption that Whetu would find the door-a big a.s.sumption, true-Zoe quickly plotted out her day. She needed to prepare her army to storm the Dreaming, and she still had more recruiting to do. "I have to go out on the boat."

Gavin was half into his jeans when he stopped dressing. "You can't, Zed. It's too dangerous. Stay here. Xanthos will watch over you."

She tied her hair into a ponytail. Xanthos. Some help that guy was. She'd never even seen him. "Aside from work, I have a few things I gotta tend to that can't be done on land. I know you'll be busy, too. We'll catch up tonight."

He yanked the jeans to his hips, zipped with a jerk, then stepped over to her. "I won't be around to help if you need it."

"Who says I need help?" She smoothed over her apprehension with a grin. "You have your business to take care of, and I have mine. Don't worry about me."

His hand darted to her cheek, the Fire tats still flaunting that disturbing, slaughterhouse red. The original inked images had reformed into a b.l.o.o.d.y battle scene. Zoe shivered.

Gavin followed her gaze, frowned, and dropped his arm. "I do worry about you."

Hot blood flooded her face, replacing the chill. "There's no time for worry when you have to save the world. Come on. We both have a long day ahead."

She grabbed his tee shirt and pulled it over his head. When his lips surfaced from the black fabric, she laid a long, lingering kiss on them. His hands slowly made their way out the armholes and curved around her, hugging her tight against him. Eager to calm those tattoos, she broke the kiss, twined her fingers with his, and channeled Water across her skin into his.

"If we live to see tomorrow, I'm taking the day off," she said.

A grin shattered his stern expression. "You never take time off from work."

"I will just this once. For you." She tickled his abs under the shirt. G.o.d, what she wouldn't give for an empty house, a Fyre-free Dreaming, and a whole week with him to herself.

He s.n.a.t.c.hed her fingers to his lips and kissed the tips of each one. "I'll stock up on hot fudge between slaying Fyre Elementals."

She smiled and opened the door. "Perfect."

They headed to the living room where Jack, Vexx, Byrn, Jet, and Whetu sat scattered around in chairs, on the couch, and across the floor.

"Nice of you two to join us," Byrn said. "I was about to give you a wake-up call. Complete with special sauce."